Deloading

I’ve had back pain after my 100 kg deadlift set two days ago. It may have happened in the last rep, when I accidentally curved my back a bit. I didn’t feel any pain at the time, and the pain after has been spread out rather than being concentrated to a small area (both of these are probably good signs). So, what now? Should I rest, continue as usual, or something in between? I took the middle way:

• Squat: 72.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Press: 30 kg × 5, 5, 10
• Deadlift: 80 kg × 5

These are 20% reductions from my PRs, which in hindsight was too much on the safe side, but better safe than sorry. Since the weights were fairly easy, I focused on keeping really good form, to avoid further injury and to strengthen the damaged muscles. The plan is to increase the weights back to my PR in a few workouts now.

Discovering new levels of strength

I did it!

• Squat: 90 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Bench press: 60 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 100 kg × 5

In this workout, several milestones congregated. Apart from the even numbers in each exercise, this is the first time I lift 100 kg and the first time I squat more than my bodyweight.

It’s a personal victory to reach 100 kg of course. I got 135 kg of weights at my disposal, including the barbell. I was in my early twenties when I bought this set. Back then, I didn’t imagine I would have much use of the 20 kg plates, and I would certainly not have anticipated lifting 100 kg ever in my life. And now I did it. 5 times. 🙂 Maybe 135 kg is reachable too?

Again, I did the sets of squat with a slim margin. The barbell moves slowly and I grind my way up. Form is fair, I suppose, except that the bar often tilts somewhat to the right. I seem to be getting stronger with every workout, because the percieved intensity remains the same (it has been at “fucking heavy” for a week now) while the weight increases.

I’ve attempted 60 kg in bench press at least twice before but never completed 3 sets of 5. I think I’m better equipped at improving the bench press further now. 60 kg will become a new baseline.

The 100 kg deadlift has been on my mind for months now. I knew I could do it. It was heavy, and the last set wasn’t perfect. My grip was slipping, but judging from the speed, I didn’t max out. The set was completed while listening loudly to Pressure and Time by Rival Sons.

Speeding up and slowing down

This was the highest intensity workout for me in a long long time, if not ever. Every set was like a hill to climb.

• Squat: 88.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Press: 37.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 98.5 kg × 6

I’m surprised again that I can still complete the sets. The barbell moves more slowly now than only 2 weeks ago, but it’s moving. I also take longer pauses between sets and reps. So, while I have added weights faster recently, I’m doing the actual lifts more slowly. Perhaps I’ll soon need time for consolidation, by sticking to the same weight for a while or increase it with even smaller increments (0.5 kg).

Nothing much to say about the squat – it was just brutally heavy but somehow doable.

The press is perhaps the greatest achievement today. I had not even expected to complete the last set. I still feel some pain the my right shoulder as I press, and hope it will not get worse. The shifting of the collar bone is still present too at weights above 30 kg.

The deadlift was slower than ever, but I felt I had more to give. So I gave it an extra rep.

Squat: 87.5 kg

I’m happy to announce three new PRs!

• Squat: 87.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Bench press: 58.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 97.5 kg × 5

Two things clicked for me during this workout. First, I realized that I’m probably leaning forward too much during the squats. If I try to raise my butt up first as one should, my balance tends to shift too much forward, so I should sit back more on the way down. I tried to apply this in today’s workout but 87.5 kg is so damn heavy that all my focus was on finishing the set in any way possible. Form is less than ideal at this weight. Before I deload, I want to see if more frequent workouts can help.

I worried about the bench press before, but it was much more manageable today. Not at all the close call on the last rep like last time. A few explanations why:

• I had two arm workouts during the week-end
• I took longer pauses between sets. Longer pauses is something I have to get used to now. Even 5 minutes may not be enough.
• I took a few very deep breaths before the sets. It seems to help if the blood is well-oxygenated before heavy lifts. This one was the other click moment.

The deadlift set was heavy but manageable. If I can do two more workouts this week, I’ll be lifting 100 kg on Friday!

Squat: 86 kg

I’m not sure which of my three (!) new PRs is most deserving of the title for this post. Of course, three new PRs is the norm in the novice progression, but I have just recently started to out-perform last year’s records. With today’s workout, I made a new PR in press too, breaking a year-old record.

Again, getting started was an achievement in will-power. I’ve been feeling as if I’m going to have a cold lately, and considered using it as an excuse for skipping today, but I managed to pull myself together and do it:

• Squat: 86 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Press: 36 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 96 kg × 5

Then I added some barbell biceps curls too.

• Biceps curls: 22,5 kg × 10, 6

The curls was an attempt to add more upper-body work, but I’m not sure if I’ll continue with them. Barbell rows would probably be a better idea, but it’s a more advanced exercise. I know how to do curls, but with rows, I’d really have to start from scratch.

Squatting 86 kg is similar to 85 kg, so it was more or less the same experience. Not easy, but surprisingly managable. I’m thrilled that I’m quickly approaching my body-weight in squat. I’ll have to think about lowering the bar more slowly now, because there’s a tendency to drop the bar too fast now when the weights are so heavy. I should think more about hip drive too.

The press went okay. I think form was fair, but I feel somewhat unstable. Being tall doesn’t help. I’ll need buy more 2,5 kg plates to increase the weight now, because my ceiling is too low for the 5 kg ones.

Deadlift was surprisingly hard this time. Not unanagable, but more of a challenge.

Squat: 85 kg

I had trouble sleeping last Thursday night and skipped the Friday workout, so the wait for this workout was longer than expected. Again, I had to force myself to get started today. But the result is two new PRs and one touched PR:

• Squat: 85 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Bench press: 57.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 95 kg × 5

I was most worried about the squat. The last warmup weight was 70 kg (for 2 reps), so the increase to 85 kg was steep as hell! But the second and third sets felt easier than the first, and I did an extra rep in the third as usual. Overall very heavy but still managable.

In the bench press, I had to use everything I got on the last rep. I will try 58.5 kg next time, but I won’t be surprised if I get stuck below 60 kg again, like last year. Not sure yet what to do about it. I also feel some minor pain in my right shoulder. I hope it will disappear with more training.

The deadlift was fun as usual. The warmups felt easier than ever, and the 95 kg workset was managable. I did an extra rep at 96 kg just for fun. I don’t expect any difficulties with raising the deadlift up to 100 kg. It has become a tradition to listen to Rammstein’s Mein Teil as I do the workset.

Deadlift: 95 kg

I’m glad I overcame my fear of the weights again today and did my workout as I had planned:

• Squat: 83.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Press: 35 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 93.5 kg × 5

It feels great to finally beat my PR of 92.5 kg in deadlift, which was almost a year old. Today I did five reps at 93.5 kg, and then added a single rep at 95 kg just for fun. It feels like I could do more.

Squat: 82.5 kg

I’ve been busy lately. Instead of trying to catch up when missing a workout, I’ve decided to stick to Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and allow for missed workouts. So in practice, I’ll get two workouts per week on average. Last week, I only got one. I’ve noticed before that whenever I’ve had a full week off, I need all the will-power I can muster to do the next workout. Doubts creep in. Am I really ready for another personal best? Should I deload? And I start looking for excuses. But I had slept well, eaten well and was mentally prepared, so I had no excuses:

• Squat: 82.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Bench Press: 55 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 92.5 kg × 5

I keep improving my personal best in squat. I’ve been wondering about my form, and in particular whether my back is straight when squatting. So today I filmed a set, and the straightness of the back looks okay. What does not look okay is my body. I lift for strength, not for looks, but seeing myself on video was painful. There’s actually a big difference seeing myself in the mirror and on video. I need a lot more upper body work. Bench and press are not enough.

I did an extra rep in the last squat work set. It’s a mental trick I do sometimes, to feel more prepared for next workout. The 92.5 kg deadlift is touching my personal best. It was almost a year since I lifted this heavy, and I really look forward to beat my record next time.

Squat: 81 kg

Another personal best in squat:

• Squat: 81 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Press: 33.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Deadlift: 91 kg × 5

It was heavy, but I think I’m ready for 82.5 kg on Friday. This time, I did rest more between the sets and finished all press sets at 33.5 kg. The deadlift really clicked tonight. Not sure if it was the Rammstein music or what, but 91 kg was easy. Whatever was on my mind during those reps is the mindset I need to look for.

I would like to add pull-ups too, but still lack a place to do them.

Squat: 78.5 kg

I’m back! What was supposed to be a short break while waiting for new equipment turned into a 7 month break. But I’m lifting again since September 1, and today I had a workout worth blogging about:

• Squat: 78.5 kg × 5, 5, 5
• Press: 53.5 kg × 5, 4, 5
• Deadlift: 88.5 kg × 5

The 78.5 kg squat is a new personal best. It was very heavy, but managable. Not much margin left, but hopefully, 80 kg will feel about the same next time. The press weight was a perfect challenge, but I missed a rep in the second set, because I got over-entusiastic and didn’t rest enough. Deadlift starts to feel heavy too, but I’m still a few kilos away from my personal best.