Huge congrats on the bench!! Not long left until you reach the 3 and 4 plates in your title. I’m sure of it.
congrats on the bench
Hitting Deadlifts twice a week can only result in good things if you do not do it like most people do,
You don’t have to add any weekly volume by adding another day, You could just take your current Deadlift volume split it in and half and spread it across 2 days
YMMV, but the only thing high volume or high rep deadlifts ever got me was hurt. I know I’ve already weighed in on this, but something else you might consider is what accessories you’re doing to help deadlift. Up to a certain point, all you need to build squat and deadlift is squatting and deadlifting, but once you reach that point, you need to consider other exercises that help the main lift that aren’t so hard hitting on your joints and CNS. Consider straight-legged or Romanian deadlifts, and good mornings, or maybe unilateral work. For me, the best things to help my deadlift seem to be front squats, good mornings and Zercher squats, but that’s because they hit my particular weaknesses, which tend to be at the top end of the lift and lockout. For you, it might be RDLs or deficit deadlifts.
Again, YMMV, and right now you’re still making progress just with squats and deadlifts, but once the time comes to change things up, don’t just pile on more volume, do some experimenting and research.
10/4/2021
Carpe diem. Up at 4:00 because babies and responsibilities.
Squat
5x 135, 185, 225
3x240
1x260
EMOM 10 rounds, 1x225
That was a good session. Getting comfortable with 2 plates.
Bench Press
5x5@185
Superset with
BSS 5x5 @ 50, 50, 60, 60, 60 held overhead.
Feeling really good, focused on getting squat to 315.
Will keep the 5x5 bench there at 185 for a while and get comfortable with it.
This is a critical mindset. Whenever I am in a similar place (like after the last shutdown), I have a mantra I repeat to myself internally to the effect of “…make 2 plates my bitch”. Start by making it comfortable. Then you make it routine. Then you get to where you could rep it for more than 10 if you want to. Eventually it is a warmup weight. It is a pretty arbitrary number, but mentally it just helps you get into the right head space when two wheels is no issue for you.
Works for your other lifts as well, although getting there might take longer.
10/6
Wednesday
Press 5s pro: 90, 105, 115;
5x5 95
Deadlift 5s pro: 215, 240, 270
Had to cut it short. I owe 5x10 SLDL and 5xsome ab wheel rollouts this afternoon.
PM update.
5x10 SLDL 205
Superset ab rollouts
10, 5, 5, 5, 5.
Was gonna do 10s but felt I’d tear a muscle just above my pubic bone. Haven’t done these in a while. Need to reintroduce.
10/7
2.1 mile pre-dawn walk. No music, just walking and talking to myself, sometimes out loud, in the dark. Really good for the soul.
10/8/21 Friday
Squat
5x135, 185, 225
3x245
2x265 *
5 sets of 2x225, E2MOM or faster.
Bench press
5x5x185. Still sucks, trying to make it easy.
Superset with
5x5x60lb BSS, held overhead
Which also still sucks really bad, but it hurts more in my soul than anywhere else.
That was posted 11 months ago. Meaningful progress has been made since then! I hope I can progress faster now though.
And this was just 5 or 6 weeks ago. Have blown that out of the water at least.
The * on my squat topset above was both because it was a lifetime PR but also I felt the second rep depth was a little lacking. No video though.
I’ll still call it a new PR when I get a really solid double of it.
Awesome stuff. Nice to see that Coffinworm is working out for you. Seems like you’re dominating the two plate squat now.
100% Agree with this. Nothing beats a nice open talk with yourself to work through inner issues
Thanks! And to be fair, at the moment it’s not even Coffinworm anymore. But certainly CW put me in the mindset to hit the heavy loads, and this is in the spirit of CW.
You’re just getting started mate. Belief means a whole lot here, seems you are getting your head in the exact right place.
Congrats on the PR. Good to see all your effort pay off.
On that note, where do you think I take it the next 3 weeks? Keep this pattern, or spend some time doing volume at 225? Shoot for a new PR single each session?
I was thinking next 2 sessions 5x5@225, which will be brutal but doable. Then a session of 3s at 245 or 250. Then a session for working up to a new max single. Thoughts?
Edit: squats are Monday and Friday
10/10
Good Sunday session.
1 mile walk with family, then 20 minutes of clean-and-press. Up to a double at 165 and plenty of lighter work. Failed 2 attempts at 175.