A New Animal: JDM135 for 1-2-3-4 plates

Early September I was out for a full week. Did some calisthenics, lots of hiking, and a short run or two, but no weights.
Oh damn. Maybe no coincidence that the 4-week block since then has been full of PRs.

A fair point. Thank you for making it.
I’m not ruling out an easier week soon, to give myself a needed break. But I don’t plan to take a truly easy week for a while. I REALLY want that 315 and I want it to be OVER WITH. The thing I’m talking about in January is a whole shift in training, albeit temporary, and I’m not ready for that yet.
Once I get 315 I may allow myself to stop chasing numbers altogether and just “have fun”, chase a pump, and/or set other goals of a different nature.

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:wink: :wink: :wink:

I get that 100% as long as things are not going backwards (sessions feeling harder then they should, reps being missed and you feeling weaker) no reason to go easy. But sometimes what is needed to hit those numbers is time to recover from all the work done to ‘Actualise’ the strength gains.

Ah fair enough. I am in the same boat myself after my next 3 week cycle I’m changing up the training completely. A different stimulus and training method is sometimes a godsend for ‘fast results’

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Have you tried the 10,000 KB swing challenge?
It got really popular in March 2020 for some reason :slight_smile: I did it around then and it was a huge change from the norm. I recall getting a lot of compliments from my wife which is always a good sign, and one of the best parts: sessions were under 30 minutes (as I recall).

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If I ever want to do something fun, I’d do conjugate. New Max Effort movements constantly, whatever supplemental work and assistance work needs doing, and then just GPP with whatever.

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Saturday 10/16
Quick fun session while babysitting
Clean and (push) press
EMOM 12 rounds of singles
First 5 at 135
Next 5 at 145
1 at 155
1 at 160

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Sunday 10/17
Poor sleep again due to baby.
About 3 miles walking.
3x3 clean and press 135lb.
Really in love with C&P. Just walk up to the barbell and do it when you have a moment free.
And I love that having 135 or 165 overhead isn’t scary any more.

Plan for the week:
Reduce volume on squats. 3x3@245, then if I feel good, one single.
3x3 on bench too.
Maybe take my BSS unloaded. Will be miserable no matter what.
Will see in 12 hours.

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Monday 10/18/2021
Squats
3@225
3@245
3@255 was getting crushed
3@245
0@275 folded down onto the safeties. I’m not mad. I think I’ll get it Friday. Need to focus.
Actually had pep in my step despite this failure, walking away from the rack having visibly folded.

Superset ab rollouts from knees several sets of 3, easy.

Bench press
3@185
3@195
3@205
1.8@225 definitely had 2 or 3 reps in me, but the spotter didn’t know how to spot and really messed me up. I wasn’t mad though, grateful for the help.
20@135

Superset bunch of BPAs

BSS no weight hands behind head
2x20

Some curls and lat pulldowns

Overall feeling great.

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Same thing happened to me a month or so ago. A week later, I hit it. Now you know how heavy the weight is, and your mind is in exactly the right place. Just a matter of time. And 3 at 255 looks like an improvement. In fact, the whole day looks like an improvement.

“IT’S ALL YOU BRO!!” he yelled, as he grabbed the bar like an idiot.

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It was…
Very similar to that.

Thanks for the encouragement!!

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That would make me fly into a rage. I have had a lot of idiots at the gym but bad bench spotting is the one thing that gets me mad… (And I have had someone put weight on the bar by mistake while I was pause squatting)

What part of the lift did you stick at?

You WILL get it Friday

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Guessing it was the part where the bar connected with the safeties.

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Haha guessed that I meant what part of the lift was the sticking point at which made him fail the rep.

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I knew what you meant, but every once in a while I am a bit of a smartass.

But my own experience with failing a squat is that I hit the hole, and then instead of the squat going up…it just keeps going down. I can’t even imagine failing it in another place, but I have literally only done it twice.

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That’s exactly what happened LOL.
I think, though, that I wasn’t braced enough. There was a dude waiting for a squat rack, and I kept paying attention to his body language, and the dude finishing up in the rack next to me; I don’t think I had 100% focus (sounds pretty stupid I know).
I will get it on Friday.

As to the bench spot @hustlinghat93 : It was freaking ridiculous; like I said I didn’t get mad about it or let it get to me at all - just did 20@135 to get the frustration out - but the dude gave me a lift, then kept his bigass hand wrapped around the bar. I want to assume he wasn’t pulling up on it at first, but you can’t tell - and it totally broke my focus, like “when is he gonna let go?” and then as his knuckles approached my chest - did he think I was gonna half-rep it? - I was huffing “I’m good. I’m good!” to try to make him let go …

There’s another dude that shouts “You got this! It’s all you!” and he’s a good spotter, doesn’t touch it unless he needs to, but I don’t like the attention it creates. (He’s also totally jacked - like stage-sized muscles, very lean, been doing this a LONG time.)

Rant over.

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10/20/2021 Wednesday
Press 5s pro:
5x100, 5x115, 3x130
1.5x135 went for the double and stuck at forehead level.
5s pro TMs have been climbing steadily and it’s time to reel it in, as I unsurprisingly couldn’t hit 5 on the top set of the cycle this time.

Deadlift 5s pro:
5x240, 5x270, 5x305
1x335
Form was way off. The barbell was out in front of me and I was fighting to bring it back. Felt I Had a very round back!
Was gonna try 355 but opted not to after that.

10 rounds EMOM
135LB
2x clean-and-press
Its amazing being able to do that. Its iron cardio, not a strength issue, now. Add front squats to that EMOM and you’ve got a complete workout in 10 minutes.

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And if you wanna combine it all, just do a clean into a thruster, haha.

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OOF! I have never done a “full clean” (squat clean?) Is that what you’re talking about, or would you catch it high, squat down and do the thruster?
Guess it’s a coordination thing that I haven’t caught a clean at the bottom. Or a courage thing.

Both are acceptable. It’s more the taking the weight off the floor each rep that sucks.

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Last night, got home, and walked up cold to my barbell which still had 135lb on it.
Cleaned it, then strict pressed two reps.
My teeth hurt from the intensity of the second rep, but I got it - a new lifetime PR on press.

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Two lifetime PRs below.

Last night, another press lifetime PR: 140 for 1.
Again, got home, just walked up to it cold and did it.

10/22/2021 Friday
Out of order because the squat racks were taken at first.
Bench press: up to a single at 225, no spotter this time.

Squats:
Up to a lifetime PR single at 275.
Then 20 reps at 145.

I said to 275, “you killed my father!”
The barbell replied, "no. I am your father "
“Nooooo”
All this went thru my head, I was grinning ear to ear, as I loaded up the bar.
It crushed me Monday but today I crushed it.

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