recent lifting – you have to make a decision

lifting according to plan. have been feeling a bit under the weather due to work-related things. I thought I was recovering mentally, but it seems the process is a lot slower than I hoped for. had an examination a week ago. preparation-wise, everything felt fine and I thought I knew what was what. during the actual exam (theoretical) things got ugly. I had difficulties to make up my mind regarding stuff I really do know.

passed without issue, though, but I didn’t know that right away. went to lift and clear my head. had lunch with a few friends from work, which probably was what I needed at the time. on my way home I considered my options: quit and pursue another career (not really), hide in a blanket fort (we don’t have enough blankets for this) or play computer games all weekend (a more reasonable option).

this week, I’ve been going to the fancy gym nearby. got assigned to a local health centre and saw an opportunity to squeeze in more sleep by not lifting in the mornings. this meant I had to rub shoulders with hip gym rats I am not accustomed to see at all. this went pretty well. all of the guys were benching all the time, except when they were doing biceps curls. the squat rack was always empty, so I used it for as long as I wished. there were a few really big guys around. not sure if they squatted, but they seemed like they would out-bench me without blinking.

lifting, the last two weeks

bench

as usual, my weakest lift but progressing as planned. did 3+ at 98.5 kg and 5 at 93.5 (all paused nicely). just doing 5 instead of 5+, as wendler outlines in the beyond book, gives some room for recovery before 1+ week kicks in.

had big issues with 98.5 kgs here, something I did not expect at all. filmed myself doing the lift and could identify two mistakes (or rather, two things I decided to change for perceived improvement): the bar was touching the chest too high (got closer and closer to nipples, when I feel stronger if I touch just above the ribs arc) and I had moved to far down on the bench (making the lift-off really hard for me). as I changed those two things, I immediately felt stronger. hopefully, I’m doing the right thing here.

squat

the personal favourite continues to develop relatively well. 8 reps (3+) at 152.5 kg, which I feel is a good performance for me. 5 reps at 143.5 kg the following week felt easy.

military press

the lift that is by far the most problematic for me. did 6 reps (3+) at 67.5 kg without any issue. 5 reps at 63.5 kg was easy. felt stronk. hope to keep up the good trend.

deadlift

did 6 reps (3+)  at 178.5 kg. nothing to brag about. 5x 168.5 kg the following week was easy. got a few good squat sets in, along with paused front squats.