Max's Maxes: Squats and Bench Every Day

BW 96.4kg

Not the best nights sleep nor best eating before this session. Bit man fluey.
On a more positive note, got new SBDs - went down 2 sizes from xxlarge to large. Keeping the old ones as training sleeves to keep my knees warm in general sessions but will probs be using the new ones a fair bit in the lead up to comp.

Squat - warmup

Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
4 sets from bar to 120kg

Squat - daily max

Low bar
Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
215kg x 1 @ 9
225kg x 1 @ 9

Squat - back offs

Front squat
Belt off
120kg x 2
140kg x 2
150kg x 2 - beltless PR? Easy enough anyway.
Ss/ Ring chins
3 x 5

Left vastus lateralis is still being a twat. Really tweaked at 200kg. Didnā€™t manage to get in for that massage this week. May warrant some time off of deep squats which would suck. Will keep doing all I can to get through it.

Bench - warmup

Comp. bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Comp. bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
127.5kg x 1 @ 9
132.5kg x 1 @ 9.5 - spotter took it at the sticking point but it was going. Very happy I can hop under a 1 week old PR and still feel very comfortable.

Bench - back offs

Close grip bench
100kg x 3
110kg x 3 - ties PR easily
Ss/ Facepulls
2 x 20

Deadlift - volume

Conventional deadlift to knees - and squeeeeze
Beltless
70kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
150kg x 3
170kg x 3
190kg x 3 x 3

Double overhand no hook
190kg x 1
200kg x 1
205kg x 2 x just barely locked out. First attempt was better.

Rugby was on so went to drink whisky. Whatā€™s so great about this superb owl all the lbs lifters are excited about?

1 Like

BW 95.5ish on the gymā€™s analog scales taken end of day and pretty hydrated.

Been very crampy recently and not sure why. No major changes to diet or fluid intake. Maybe just overreacting to this cold. Mainly in glutes and quads.

Squat - warmup

Front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Reverse hypers
5 x 10

Squat - daily max

Front squat
Belt on
140kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
165kg x 1 @ 8.5
175kg x 1 @ 9.5 - 2.5kg PR - and felt good but camera angle makes depth look iffy relative to my normal standard. Iā€™ll hit something north of 170 again for a more convincing rep sometime later this week.

Squat - back ups

Front rack holds - walk out, brace, and bounce lightly for a 3 count
190kg
210kg
Ss/ Wide neutral chins
2 x 5

Bench - warmup

Comp. and close grip bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Seated DB power cleans - lol - actually felt stuff working in a way I donā€™t normally.
6s x 5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Close grip bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
125kg x 9

Bench - back offs

Pin press - comp. grip, pin 14, just below sticking point
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
120kg x 3
130kg x 3
Ss/ Ring chins
4 x 6

Benched in the rack which meant I was on one of the adjustables instead of the dedicated benches. Just feels a little off.

Assistance work

Plate front raise into oh triceps
A load at 15, 20, 25kgs

Front rack shrugs
70kg x 3 x 12

Overhead shrugs - press grip
70kg x 2 x 10

Bench Riceā€™s hand swappy grip thing
70kg x some

BW 96.7kg

Squat - warmup

Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20

Squat - daily max

Low bar
Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
217.5kg x 1 @ lol speed
227.5kg x 1 @ 9.5 - yas smooth 500

Squat - back offs

Low bar - paused
Belt off
170kg x 2
190kg x 2 x 2
Ss/ Shins to bar
3 x 5

Bench - warmup

Comp. bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ DB rear delts
10s x 5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Comp. bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
127.5kg x 1 @ 9
132.5kg x 1 @ 10 - ties PR - got distracted just before the lift, wasnā€™t focused and my left arm came out too far. Used to be my right arm which did that so at least that side is under control. Also nice to know I can recover this weight. 127.5kg was good but I probably shouldā€™ve left it there. I donā€™t need to be matching PRs every session.

Bench - back offs

Long pause bench - 3 count
100kg x 2 x 3
Ss/ Band upright facepulls - done with the band I wrap over the bench
2 x 20

Solid session, feeling the triceps fatigue after doing the pin presses and a little assistance stuff yesterday.

Top two squats from today

1 Like

BW 97kg - plz move

Squat - warmup

SSB
Sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125kg
Ss/ Cannonball pullups
5 x 5

Squat - daily max

SSB
Belt on
145kg x 1
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 @ 9
187.5kg x 1 @ 9 - 2.5kg PR

Squat - back offs

SSB good mornings
Belt off
105kg x 2 x 5 - these were HARD.
Ss/ GHR situps
2 x 10

Bench - warmup

Floor press
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Ring scarecrows
5 x 15

Bench - daily max

Floor press
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 9 - very smooth 5kg PR. No spot so didnā€™t go up and this was a satisfying rep anyway.

Bench - back offs

Floor press
110kg x 2 x 2
Ss/ BOR - overhand, strict
60kg x 2 x 12

Deadlifts - heavy day

Deficit conventional deads - yellow 15kg bumper
70kg x 1
100kg x 1
120kg x 1
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
Belt on
200kg x 1
220kg x 1
240kg x 1 @ 9 - 10kg PR
250kg x 1 @ 9 - 20kg PR
260kg x 1 @ 10 - 30kg PR and 7.5kg over my best deadlift from the floor.

Ridiculous session. 3 lifts which traditionally feel pretty awkward for me but I ground out PRs on all 3. Brute strength won today.

Feels right now

4 Likes

That is some awesome lifts Max.
Nice prā€™s 260 deficit DL (The video shows your SSB sets)
The 227,5 kg Squat, Smooth all the way, looked easy.

Thanks @mortdk ! Everything feels like itā€™s coming together well, just gotta get the body weight under control. I have plenty of baggage fat to lose without cutting into strength, just need to do the work in the kitchen to get there. Weighing heavy for BUCS isnā€™t an option so gotta crack down on it.

Fixed the video link

1 Like

BW 97.9kg. I got KFC last night to celebrate the pull.

Fasted most of the morning because housemateā€™s birthday shindig later and weā€™re out for dins.

Upper back is the sorest area today. Have long suspected it will be my weak link in pulls (front squats too) so will hammer it with heavy deadlift based stuff as much as I can over the next few weeks. Facepulls wonā€™t cut it.

Squat - warmup

Front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Unilateral farmers walks
30kg x 5 x 15m/hand

Squat - daily max

Front squat
Belt on
140kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
165kg x 1 @ 9
172kg x 1 @ 9.5 - so I wanted to hit 170kg minimum for a good looking rep because the video of my 175 from a few days ago was at an angle that just made my depth and technique look horrible. After the pull yesterday I was surprised this moved as well as it did.

Squat - back ups

Pause front squat
150kg x 2 x 2
Ss/ Pullups - breathe and stretch in bottom
2 x 3

Bench - warmup

Comp. and close grip bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Seated DB power cleans - ok, I like these
6s x 5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Comp. bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1
127.5kg x 9 - REAAAAALLY thought about 132.5 again but will leave it for a fresher day. This was a very good rep so Iā€™m taking that away.

Bench - back offs

Slingshot bench - xl grey bench blaster - 3 sizes above the one I hit 150kg in. Probably better suited to my needs. Felt it out with light weight today but will use it for overload in the 140 range now and then.
120kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Back extensions - pad mid thigh
3 x 15
Comp. bench
100kg x 12 - 2 rep PR and all paused as compared to previous PR. E1rm of 140kg so somehow I am still more efficient at reps despite 5 months of daily singles.

Accessory work

*DB seated ohp
20s x 10
26s x 10
30s x 2 x 10
Ss/ Meadows row
40kg x 4 x 10

Not anticipating pressing feeling very fresh tomorrow.

Absolutely not your class at all.
But I think Snatch grip Deadlifts are great for upper back, AND the benefit of kind of a deficit pull.

Yeah the few times Iā€™ve done them recently itā€™s been my upper back that was struggling to hold.
A long time ago I experimented with doing them from blocks for sets of 10. Never had upper back and teapot soreness like it.

You could try a bit lower weight, doing them with a slight explosive pull at the end, for 10 - 12 reps, takes the breath out of you, and really working on the upper back.

The fat will supply the required calories to maintain and grow. Get it done baby boy.

BW 96.6kg

Dire nutrition today but it worked out. Also walked the 30 mins to the gym today which I guess is nice.

Squat - warmup

Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ GHR situps
5 x 10

Squat - daily max

Low bar
Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
215kg x 1 @ 8.5
225kg x 1 @ 9
232.5kg x 1 @ 10 - 2.5kg PR yesyesyes. Depth not as good as previous two reps but still good for comp and itā€™s a PR. Hard as though lol.

Squat - back offs

No

Bench - warmup

Close grip bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Hamilton trap raises
2s x 5 x 15

Bench - daily max

Close grip bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
125kg x 1 @ 9 - sound. I wasnā€™t as fatigued as I expected but happy to leave these here.

Bench - back offs

Comp. bench
105kg x 3
110kg x 3
115kg x 3
Ss/ Plate trap raises
10kg x 3 x 20

Bant

Box jumps
105cm x 1
105cm x 1
125cm x F
125cm x Nearly
125cm x fack
125cm x 1 - toes on, stood halfway up, immediately fell
125cm x 1 foot, 1 knee
125cm x other foot, other knee
125cm x 1 - Superhero landing! Really bad for the knees - think this is the first time Iā€™ve made this.

Working on that functional fitness for all those real world scenarios where I have to jump onto a specially designed box.

Bit of heavy bag

Really happy with todays squat. 215 and 225 are looking to be my 1st and 2nds, and they didnt feel great today compared to the past few times Iā€™ve worked in that range so hitting my minimum goal for a 3rd after a poor start is a good thing.
I can cruise with my daily maxes in the 225 range for a few weeks now, no need to push up past 500lbs again until I get close to comp. Same applies to bench, I know I can hit my minimum goal of 132.5 even if I fuck up my technique, so 127.5 - 130 is a solid working weight for a typical day.

5 Likes

That was an awesome PR, congrats.

Amazing workā€¦

Thanks everyone!

BW 96.9kg

Squat - warmup

SSB
Sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 5

Squat - daily max

SSB
Belt on
145kg x 1
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 @ 9
185kg x 1 @ 9

Squat - back offs

Seated SSB good mornings
75kg x 3 x 10
Ss/ Pullups
3 x 6

Bench - warmup

Comp. and close grip bench
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ DB rear delts
8s x 5 x 15

Bench - daily max

Close grip bench
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 9
127.5kg x 1 @ 9.5

Bench - back offs

OHP
Bar x some
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
Belt on
60kg x 5
70kg x 3
Push press
Belt on
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 3
90kg x 3
100kg x 2 - 1 rep PR - failed the 3rd, it was there but I dipped too slowly and didnā€™t grind.

Deadlifts - volume day

Pulled on an oly bar today, which is probably a bit whippier. Other than the finer knurling canā€™t say I noticed a difference.

Pause conventional deads - just off floor
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
130kg x 5
150kg x 5
170kg x 5
Belt on
EMOM
190kg x 5 x 1

Snatch grip pull into shrug at top
100kg x 2 x 5
Ss/ Deadlift row
100kg x 2 x 5
Ss/ RDL into shrugs
100kg x 2 x 5

Horrible^

1 Like

Stomach bug yesterday. Day off. On plus side weighed in at 94.9kg.

Today

BW 96kg

Still a bit iffy.

Squat - warmup

Front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Unilateral farmers walks
25kg x 5 x 20m/hand

Squat - daily max

Front squat
Belt on
140kg x 1
152.5kg x 1
165kg x 1 @ 9
172.5kg x 1 @ 9 - by far the easiest this has ever felt
180kg x 1 @ 9.5 - 5kg PR and a milestone Iā€™ve wanted for AGES.

Squat - back offs

Klokov front squat - 5 count down, 5 count pause
Belt off
140kg x 1
150kg x 1 - definitely a PR for pause length on a beltless rep
Ss/ Shins to bar
2 x 5

Squat - back up

Front rack brace and bounce
Still beltless
190kg x 3 count
Ss/ Shins to bar
10 - nice. Still canā€™t do a lever though.

Bench - warmup

Comp. and close grip bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Seated DB power cleans
6s x 5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Comp. bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1
127.5kg x 1 @ 9 - fine rep. I promised not to go heavier for a while unless bench felt amazing and Iā€™m sticking to that.

Bench - back ups

Slingshot bench - xl grey bench blaster
130kg x 1
135kg x 1
140kg x 1 @ 9
Ss/ Facepulls -
3 x 20

Bench - back offs

Spoto press
100kg x 3
105kg x 3
110kg x 3
Ss/ Reverse hypers
3 x 20

4 Likes

unnamed%20(8)

3 Likes

BW 95.9kg

Squat - warmup

SSB
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125kg
Ss/ Pullups
5 x 5

Squat - daily max

SSB
Belt on
145kg x 1
160kg x 1
175kg x 1 @ 9
190kg x 1 @ 9 - 2.5kg PR

Squat - back offs

SSB - paused
Belt off
145kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Pullups
15kg x 3 x 3

Bench - warmups

Floor press
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Floor press
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 9
125kg x 1 @ 9.5 - 5kg PR. Floor press was stagnant for ages so I abandoned using it as a DM lift but itā€™s moving again and is a lift I think will carry over to comp. bench.

Bench - back offs

Floor press
105kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Ring chins
3 x 5

Deadlifts - heavy day

Pause conventional deads - just off floor
60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 2
120kg x 1
140kg x 1
160kg x 1
180kg x 1
Belt on
200kg x 1
215kg x 1
225kg x 1
240kg x 1 - whatā€™s that? Max actually stopped his heavy day at 90% like heā€™s supposed to?
Trap bar deads - high handles - never used it, had some fun. Savage knurling.
170kg x 2 x 2
200kg x 2
220kg x 2
240kg x 2

TOP SQUAT AND PULL

2 Likes

BW 95.8kg - glad this is staying down.

Squat - warmup

Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ GHR situps
5 x 10

Squat - daily max

Low bar
Belt on
150kg x 1
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
215kg x 1 @ 9
222.5kg x 1 @ 9.5

Squat - back offs

Low bar - paused
180kg x 2
192.5kg x 2
Ss/ Chins
2 x 5

Squats did not feel good today. Need a good session on low bar later this week to make up for that. Can chalk it up to fatigue from the SSB and pulls but ideally Iā€™d like 2.5kg under my planned 2nd to move much better than it did today regardless of how tired I am.

Bench - warmup

Comp. bench
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 20

Bench - daily max

Comp. bench
Belt on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
120kg x 1 @ 8.5
127.5kg x 1 @ 9 - another solid rep at this weight, after a comparatively harder floor press yesterday. Confidence building after naff squats.

Bench - back offs

Long pause comp. bench - 3 count
107.5kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ GHR
3 x 10

Took the elbow sleeves off for the back offs. I wear them literally every session to keep some golfers elbow I had problems with at bay, and I wanted to see if losing them made a massive difference. Nothing I could notice, and had no such problems last meet in November.

2 Likes