SS Month 2: September Part 2

Some adversity in only my 2nd month of Starting Strength. I missed a couple of workouts after getting sick and also had to deal with an unfortunate, stressful situation at work. I remember waking up feeling under the weather, actually feeling phenomenal after lifting, and then just disintegrating into illness for the rest of the week. Here's the rest of my September log. Body weight update: weighed in on 9/26/11 @ 166 lbs.

Monday 9/19/11
Barbell Squat: 220 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 87 lbs 5, 5, 5
Power Clean: 110 lbs, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Notes:
   A little under the weather; fought/fighting off a fever all weekend. Slept a lot and tried to eat in surplus. Rested 345 after warmups for squats. First set was okay, form not the best, but probably due to slight illness. Resting 400.
    2nd set was difficult, felt very challenging on 4th and 5th rep. Resting 415. Last rep in third set was most difficult squat yet. Feel scratchiness in throat throughout session. Resting 345 after press warmups. 1st set was good, new breathing pattern helped. [Breathing quickly and holding breath into valsalva maneuver while weight is at the top of press]
  Rested 3 minutes after first press set. Second set went well, layback, breathing, and rebound made press much easier than previous attempts. Resting 315. Still feel throat scratching. Third set went okay, some sticking points on 4th and 5th reps, but got through. Will try 90 next time.
   Used bathroom, did warmups for power cleans, rested 3 min. Got 1st set of power cleans; could rack them higher, but still can handle them. Resting 245. Second set went really well. Made sure to "crowd the bar". Resting 250. Last rep in third set was a little low, still good set though.
    Resting 255 before 4th set. 4th set went well, 3rd rep actually went almost higher than normal rack position. Rested 300 before last set. Last set went without a hitch, should be ready for 5lb jump if I get over illness.

Wednesday 9/21/11 and Friday 9/23/11 - Sick as a mug.

Monday 9/26/11
Barbell Squat: 215 lbs 4, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 85 lbs 5, 5, 5
Power Clean: 105 lbs 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Was sick last week. Missed wednesday and friday. Started with weights right before last monday's session. Warmups felt okay. Resting 300 before first work set. Had to bail on last rep. Felt like more of a focus than strength problem. Resting 330.
Second set went much better. Still tough, but the last couple of sessions before illness were tougher. Resting 345. Got through last set by skin of teeth. Felt incredibly tired after 2 reps but gutted out the set. Will repeat weight to get conditioning back up to pace. Resting 330
Rested 3 min after warmups. First set of press was okay, reps were literally shaky, could have had more control. Resting 310. Second set was much much better, more control, better form. Resting 320. Third set started funny, took a step back to regain balance.
Still busted out 5 quality reps. Will do 87 next time. Rested 210 after power clean warmups. Noticed some hip/upper quad soreness when getting under bar for press. First set of cleans went just fine. Resting 210. Second set went okayish. Tweaked left elbow a tad. Resting 215.
Third set was good, fluid and smoother than 2nd. Resting 220. Fourth set was a little more jerky, but still acceptable reps. Resting 230.

Wednesday 9/28/11
Barbell Squat: 215 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Bench Press: 115 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Deadlift: 225 [2 45# plates on each side, yessir] lbs 5

Slept about 7 hours. Rested 315 after squat warmups. First set went okay, bar felt real heavy on back before first rep. Set went much better than last session's first. Tried cutting squats a bit shorter, still going below parallel. Resting 320.
Second set went a bit better. Still had to take a breath again between 4th and 5th reps like first set. Really need to think UP while on the way down and utilize more rebound. Resting 330. 3rd set was very good, rested 5 min including set up for bench. Rested 3 min before work sets.
1st set went okay; hit safety bar on left side on 2nd rep, but acceptable otherwise. Remember to keep chest BIG. Resting 315. Second set went a little tougher as bar speed slowed considerably on last 3 reps. Resting 345. Try to keep bar higher on chest, bar kept going close to stomach.
Last set of bench went much much better. Micro load to 117.5 next time. Rested 230, not including setup for deadlift warmups. Resting 345 after warmups. Supinating right hand. Killed deadlift set like last time, maybe even better. Ready for 220 on squat and 10 lb jump for deadlift.

Friday 9/30/11
Barbell Squat: 220 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 87.5 lbs 5, 5, 5
Power Clean: 110 lbs 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Rested around 7 hours. Resting 330 after squat warmups. First set was physically and mentally strong. Resting 335. Second set felt a bit more challenging, but still did just as well as the first set. Resting 400. Good last set, had to take breaths after reps 3 and 4.
Maybe went too deep last rep. Still a solid set. Rested 3 min after press setup and piss. Rested 315 after warmups. 1st set was challenging with slowed bar speed, but still got 5 good reps. Resting 330. 2nd set was about the same with a tad more difficulty on last rep. Resting 330.
Last set had some sticky reps but managed to power through those reps. Good last set. Resting 3 minutes before power clean warmups. Rested 300 before work sets because last warmup double was a bit sloppy from fatigue.
First set was good and explosive. Still was challenging, might consider microloading depending on the remaining sets. Resting 245. 2nd set was good and explosive. Resting 250. 3rd set was the same. Doing great job staying focused. Resting 250. More of the same 4th set. Unsure of rest length.
Forgot to reset watch. 5th set was just as explosive. Ready for 2 plates for squat (225), 90 on press and 115 for power clean.