Deadlift: 90 kg

My ambition is to workout twice a week, but for various reasons I’m strugglig to keep up. Last two days I’ve been too tired or busy. But today I felt relatively rested and managed to beat my personal best in deadlift again:

• Squat: 67.5 kg × 5 reps × 2 sets + 7 reps × 1 sets
• Bench press: 55 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets
• Deadlift: 90 kg × 5 reps × 1 set

The squat felt better than ever, using the new (lower) bar position. In order to focus on the technique, I stayed at 67.5 kg (same as last time). But I felt stronger this time. I didn’t have to pause between reps and in my last set I even added a couple of reps. I’m ready for 70 kg next time!

I may have solved the issue with keeping the bar on my back. The solution is in the upper back angle in the top position. If you hunch over a bit, the bar can lie flatter on the back in the top position.

I’m accustomed to use fingerless leather gloves when lifting, mostly for comfort. But I’ve heard the argument that gloves are bad for the grip. So today I compared by rotating the bar in opposite directions with a glove on one hand, and sure enough – the naked hand won. Gloves are bad for the grip. It’s comfortable though, and sometimes I need that comfort, such as when doing bench presses.

In bench press, my technique sucks. I decided to stay at 55 kg since it felt like it was my absolute max last time. This time, it felt somewhat easier. I think I may have managed another rep in the first two sets, but not in the last. I think I’ll stay at 55 kg again next time, and try to improve form.

I reached a new milestone in the deadlift: 90 kg! Needless to say, it’s the heaviest I’ve ever lifted, and it felt like it. Couldn’t do more than 5 reps. I’ll stay at this weight next time, and see if I can ad another 1-2 reps instead of increasing the weight. It’s called fear of failure.

Lifting my bodyweight

I’m very happy to report that I’ve finally lifted my own body weight (in deadlift obviously). This morning my weight was a record 87.2 kg and tonight I lifted 87.5 kg – seven times!

• Squat: 67.5 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets
• Press: 32.5 kg × 5 reps × 1 set + 3 reps × 2 sets
• Deadlift: 87.5 kg × 7 reps × 1 set

My new and corrected squat technique felt better this time. I had to rest between the reps, but I think I’m ready for 70 kg next time.

The press was too heavy at 32.5 kg; I could only finish one set. I’m bothered by the fact that I can’t stand up straight when pressing. Today I hit the roof once. It’s time to replace the press with bench press or do seated press instead. Hm…I’ll go with bench press – my weakest exercise. So from here, my workouts will consist of only three exercises.

The deadlift was a great success. I was so happy after doing my five that I did two more just to prove the point. I’m now beyond lifting my own body weight (in any exercise). This is probably the biggest milestone so far. Next up is 90 kg!

Deadlift: 85 kg

Again, I waited too many days until this workout. Nutrition has been sloppy as well recently. I’m not eating enough to grow. Got to find the motivation again.

Here are today’s working sets:

• Squat: 65 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets
• Bench press: 55 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets
• Deadlift: 85 kg × 7 reps × 1 sets

I decided to stay at 65 kg in the squat, and work on the form. I have long suspected I’m holding the bar wrong, and today I finally figured it out. I was resting the bar on the scapular spine – not directly below it, as recommended in The Book. Also, I’m bending my wrists and a letting them take part of the load, which is probably not sustainable in the long run.

The lower on the back you hold the bar, the more you need to bend over to remain in balance. This becomes increasinly obvious as the weights go up. So, the problems I had with assuming the right back angle at 70 kg was likely due to carrying the bar too high.

The actual low bar squat, which I practised today, feels odd in its own way, however. The scapular spine is like a shelf for the bar to rest on. Carrying the bar under it, means there is not much keeping the bar from rolling or sliding down your back (at least not on my skinny back). I hope the low bar position will feel more reliable soon.

In the bench press, I had a new best at 55 kg. Bench has been my worst exercise of the big three, and will probably remain my worst forever. With my concave chest, there’s not much I can do to shorten the range of motion and thereby lift more. The new weight felt just right; not sure I could have done another rep in either of the sets. I may even stay at 55 kg for another workout.

In deadlifts I went for a new personal best at 85 kg, which is very close to my body weight. I managed my 5 reps, and maybe I could have done a couple more.

Twelve weeks

Today I celebrate twelve weeks of pretty regular workouts and better nutrition. I had a major setback when I lost all the bodyweight I had gained (which I still have not fully regained), and I’m struggling with being too tired to train after work. But I’m still on it. Three months is way past my previous record of continous workouts (any kinds of workouts). So despite the poor results, it’s a success in determination.

I haven’t trained for a week now, for no good reason, which is somewhat worrying. Maybe I got a bit complacent after my 80 kg deadlift last week. But today, finally, I managed to do my workout, four days too late. Here it is:

• Squat: 65 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets
• Press: 30 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets
• Deadlift: 82.5 kg × 7 reps × 1 sets

The squat felt okay. The weight was heavy but not overpowering – I could do all the reps in one go. I have to keep the back and head angles in mind though. The press was okay too, but I worry about the popping sound at the clavicle. It felt good to increase to 30 kg. I know I’ll be ready for another increase next time.

The deadlift keeps improving. It’s my favorite exercise. As I started lifting twelve weeks ago, I started with a mixed grip. Then I learned that a normal grip is better if you can handle it, so I changed to normal grip. I dabbled with the hook grip for a while but now I’ve made a compromise: I do normal grip for the warmup-sets, and mixed grip for the working sets.