[Monday, August 25, 2015, 188 lbs...]

Back Squat, high bar, squat shoes, sleeves @ 225, loose wraps @ 345, no belt

135 x 5

225 x 4

275 x 3

315 x 2

345 x 1

365 x 2, 1

Standing Overhead Press 145 x 3 x 2

Front Squat, squat shoes, wraps, no belt 275 x 2 x 2

Finally. Feels like my squat is moving again. And not a moment too soon. I woke up at 188 the morning of this session. I would be miserable if all this weight I'm gaining (about a pound or more a week) didn't show up in my squat strength. I got 355 for a hard double with these same wraps last time. They are the classic red line made by Valeo and I wraps them crisscross over my pant legs and loose enough that I can keep them on for five minutes before they start to feel uncomfortable. 

Both patellar tendons are hurting now: the left from squatting too much and the right because I knelt down a little too quickly onto the driveway to do some work on the car. Felt okay on unweighted warm up squats, but hurt as soon as I went down with 135. I toughed it out with the ineffective sleeves till 345 when the wraps took away the pain entirely. What I needed was the reinforcement of the patellar tendon that only a wrap can offer.

I am so fucking sick of people who claim wraps are a crutch or -- even more stupid -- that they damage the knees. They prevent injury and reinforce the ligaments and tendons to mute pain from the overuse injuries that happen when the lifter who needs them is too stupid to use wraps in the first place. I could just as easily say that the bench is a crutch ("real lifters press a weight they can handle on their own two feet!") or that the squat rack is a crutch ("real lifters clean their squat weights into position instead of needing a rack to hold it for them...If you can't clean it into position yourself, then you're using too much weight!")

I was shocked -- shocked! -- at how easy that first 365 was. Even the second rep wasn't that bad. But I could not manage another double. I'm still happy because this is a solid ten-pound jump from last week...with the same loosely wrapped red line Valeos that I used last time.

But. I won't rest easy till I get 405 for a double with wraps.

My best ever Olympic high bar squat with these Rehband blue sleeves was 365. I got 385 with the black and blue Titan wraps the next day. My 365 x 2 with light, loose wraps tells me I'm good for 385 x 1 with these wraps. Probably good for 365 x 1 with just sleeves, putting me on par with my best ever squat just as with my bench and deadlift.

Oh...and by the way...another 10-lb jump on my standing overhead barbell press. With zero practice on the movement. Driven entirely by gains on my bench. And my other big lifts are all on par with my best ever lifts done under similar conditons.

My best ever touch and go bench was either 255 or 260 back in 2012. Right now I can do doubles with 250 and am aiming for double with 255 this week. I've already benched 255 once for an easy-ish single last session. 

My best ever high bar back squat with no belt and just sleeves was 365 for a single back in 2011. That was also the time I managed 385 with wraps. This session I got 365 for a double with thinner wraps. I'm not going to max out in sleeves any time soon, so I'm glad I established that wrapped max then. I used the Titan blue and black wraps and I have no intention of using wraps that heavy ever again. 

My best conventional DL was done with a belt and I got 495. That's the equivalent of 475 without a belt. I just recently got 455 for a double with no belt and am hoping to get 465 for a double next session.