1.22.2016 / 180 lbs
Olympic-style Back Squat, no belt
45 x 12
135 x 6
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 1
315 x 1
245 x 6
Deadlift, conventional, no belt, hook grip 405 x 2 x 2
One-Arm DB Row 125 x 8 x 2

Squats and pulls still depressed. Eleven days ago I got SQ 315 x 5 and DL 405 x 4 x 2 + 2. A few days ago SQ 315 nearly made me pass out. Today I could have done a double. Barely. So I'm recovering, but not yet at my best.

I pulled 405 just to see how strong I was today. Again, 2 x 2 versus 4 and 4 + 2.

I think the evidence is clear. A hard deadlift session takes, at least, two weeks to recover from.

12/14/15 SQ 335 x 2, 1....DL 455 x 2

12/17/15 SQ 225 x 3

12/23/15 SQ 345 x 1 + 0

12/26/15 SQ 275 x 2

12/27/15 SQ 315 x 1, 335 x 0.....DL 405 x 1

01/01/16 SQ 345 x 1

01/04/16 SQ 275 x 9, 6 + 1

01/08/16 SQ 295 x 4, 5, 6, 6

01/11/16 SQ 315 x 3, 5.....DL 405 x 2, 4, 6

01/16/16 SQ 315 x 1 (RPE 10)

01/22/16 SQ 315 x 1, 245 x 6....DL 405 x 2 x 2

1.20.2016 / 180 lbs
Bench Press, touch and go 
45 x 12 x 2
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 2
235 x 2
245 x 1
250 x 1
255 x 4
225 x 9 x 2 PR

I was hoping for at least one set of five with 255, but that was a little ridiculous after I just got three sets of six with 245 last session. I dropped the weight and went for a rep-max set with 225. I got nine reps. Twice! This is far and away the best I've done with this weight. Just a couple weeks ago (January 3) the best I'd ever managed with 225 was a set of six followed by two sets of seven.  255x 4 and 225 x 9 both yield a one-rep max of over 285.

As of this morning, I feel agile again. I'd been feeling pretty creaky for weeks. All the major taut band trigger points in my quads are gone....except for this seemingly new major one that seems to be taking up my entire left rectus femoris. This knot might have been there a while, but it was nowhere near this pronounced. I've noticed that whenever I resolve one major knot, another one seems to pop up overnight nearby.

1.16.2016 - 182 lbs
Bench Press, touch and go
45 x 12 x 2
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 2
235 x 1
245 x 6 x 3

Olympic-style Back Squat
45 x 12
135 x 6
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 1
315 x 1

Last bench was a very close call.

Squat was a disaster. I was tired from max effort bench, sure, but I must have also been tired from that squat/deadlift session five days ago.

I was supposed to drive up to Lake Mary to do heavy dumbbell rows. I wanted to wait out traffic so I stopped in at Winter Park to try some squats, just to see what they felt like so soon after a good, heavy squat and deadlift session.

They sucked really bad. I got to 225 and just felt slow and my quads felt achy, especially the trouble spot in my left quad near my hip. Back felt tired, too, obviously.

I called it a day and realized that after so many days in a row I didn't have it in me to drive so far and put in a decent row session. I may take tomorrow off too.

1.12.2016 - 182 lbs
Bench Press, touch and go 
45 x 12 x 2
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 2
235 x 1
240 x 6 x 3

1.11.2016 - 185 lbs
Olympic-style Back Squat, light/loose wraps
45 x 12 x 2
135 x 6
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 2
305 x 3
315 x 3, 5
Deadlift, conventional, no belt, hook grip 405 x 2, 4, 4+1+1
Standing Barbell Curl 100 x 6

I'm finally using 315 in the Olympic squat and 405 in the conventional deadlift again. I was supposed to stick to 305 today, but I was so close to 315...I just decided to get the reps with 315 after incrementally upping the volume as I baby-stepped my way up in weight. And deadlifts were decent considering I maxed out on squats first.

I did curls just to get an upper body pull in. 100 x 6 is either matching a previous PR or one rep over it.

I'm finally gaining weight again. I've added LGD back into the mix along with MK. I'm definitely packing away the food.

1.9.2016 - 182 lbs
Bench Press, touch and go
45 x 12 x 2
135 x 6
225 x 2
235 x 7 x 2

1.8.2016 - 182 lbs
Olympic-style Back Squat, no belt
45 x 12
135 x 6
225 x 3
275 x 1
285 x 1
295 x 4, 5, 6, 6

Quads finally not feeling so bruised from rolling. I was able to get more comfortable on the descent and first part of the ascent. The pain had been distracting me for many weeks. I gingerly felt my way up to 295 and then explored sets of six.

I am taking a second to reset between reps now though my first couple reps of the last set were piston-like.

I really won't be happy until I can comfortably rep 315 again for at least three sets.

1.6.2016 - 183 lbs
Bench Press, touch and go 
45 x 12
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 2
230 x 6 x 4

Last bench rep was a close call!

1.4.2016 
Olympic-style Back Squat, light/loose wraps, no belt
45 x 12
135 x 6
225 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 1
335 x 1
275 x 9, 6+1

One-Arm Dumbbell Row 135 x 6 x 2

Went up to a heavy warm up single and then did my work sets with 275. Squat reps beyond five just suck and I was unable to reproduce the feat on the next set.

This was yesterday. Today I am 185-186 in the morning. This is a huge jump for me and I'm guessing it's a combination of factors that have resulted in higher water retention (I did not put on two pounds of muscle as I slept): higher protein intake, prohormones kicking in, higher rep ranges.

1.3.2016 noon - 182 lbs
Pull Ups (off straight railing) @182 x 14

1.3.2016 pm 
Bench Press, touch and go
45 x 12 x 2
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 3
255 x 2
265 x 1
275 x 1
225 x 6, 7, 7 1/2

I was hanging around the office all morning before heading to the gym. I decided to check my pull up endurance-strength from the bottom of the railing at the top of the very narrow spiral staircase. I got 14 which is so far and away a personal record that it's not even funny.

It has been years since I have tried to get any bodyweight-only pull ups for max reps. And for the past few months, I have hardly done any weighted pull ups, but I have been using very heavy dumbbell rows as my staple back exercise. It looks this movement has built strength in the overhead pull just fine.

So close to getting that 8th rep on third bench set.

And it should be obvious that I'm going for high reps and more volume. I've gone stale with heavy doubles.

1.1.2016 - 180 lbs
Olympic-style Squat, light/loose wraps, no belt 
45 x 10
135 x 5
185 x 4
225 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 1
335 x 1
345 x 1
315 x 1