SS Month 4: November Part 1

The saga continues. Halfway into the fourth month of my first real attempt at following a lifting program. Weighed in on 11/9/11 at 173 lbs, about 15 lbs in 4 months. Started microloading my squat weight, going up in 2.5 lb increments instead of 5 lb increments. Struggling with the shoulder press, but that's no surprise given it's the smallest muscle group.

Wednesday 11/2/11
Barbell Squat: 235 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 100 lbs 5, 5, 5
Power Clean: 120 lbs 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Notes:

Rested about 7.5 hours, took creatine. Rested 4.5 after warmups. 1st set was okay, head came up on 3rd rep, felt knees come in a little bit, but bar speed okay, no back tweak as I kept back nice and tight. Resting 6. Good 2nd set, kept head down, back tight. Knees didn't go farther in than natural.
No back pain, good explosion upwards on last reps. Resting 7 to ensure full recovery. Great final set, good upwards explosion throughout, kept head down and back tight and took less time between reps. Back to 5 lb jump on Friday. Back fatigued but not in pain. Resting 4.5 after press setup.
Resting 4 after warmups. Last warmup felt a bit heavy, make sure to keep tight from ground up and squeeze everything. First set was passable, bar path was crazy, speed was slow. Had to take a step forward on last rep to get it up. Resting 450. 2nd set was much better,
but really feeling sore and muscles feel jello-y. Rest 6 to ensure full recovery. Good final set, really had to fight last rep up there. Starting to really notice layback, make sure not to let it get excessive. Try 2.5 lb jump next time. Rested 4 after power clean setup. Resting 315 after warmups.
Make sure to keep bar close to you on jump. Good first set, 1st 2 reps were ok but lacked stomp, but last rep was near ideal, good racking throughout. Resting 3. Good 2nd set: quick, explosive, and excellent racking. Brews more stomp noise though. Resting 3. 3rd set showed improvement.
Last 2 reps, bar really flew up and I felt full extension. Need to have a session where all reps are like that. Repeat weight next session. Resting 315. Okay 4th set, stomped and racked okay, but felt rushed. Resting 3.5. Nice final set, good last rep, really felt triple extension. Repeat weight.

Friday 11/4/11
Barbell Squat: 240 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Bench Press: 130 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Deadlift: 260 lbs 4, 1

Notes:

Rested a little less than 7 hours, took half scoop of assault. Rested about 4.5 after warmups. Nice first set, first rep was a little slow but got into a good rhythm and had good form rest of the way. Resting 7 with piss. Great 2nd set, cutting off squats at just below parallel and...
really utilizing rebound to power back up. Took almost no rest between reps. Resting 6.5. Still no back tweaks, doing a good job with proper execution. Good final set, rested a tad before final rep, still great overall execution. Resting 4 after bench setup. Resting 4 after warmups.
Ok 1st set, grazed the safety bars on two reps, bar speed slowed, but bat path decent. Rest 4.5. Better 2nd set, only hit right safety bar on 2nd rep. Resting 515. Final set was best one, no safety touches, decent speed and vertical bar path. Resting 4 after deadlift setup. Resting 5 after warmups.
Supinating right hand. Got 4 before getting too fatigued. Glutes really feel tired, good sign that I'm using proper form for both squat and deadlift. Rested 1 minute and got last rep. Repeat weight next time. Squat goes up 5, bench 2.5.

Monday 11/7/11
Barbell Squat: 245 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 102.5 lbs 4, 3, 4
Power Clean: 120 lbs 3, 3, 3, 3, 3



Notes:

Rested under 6 hours. Not the best weekend in terms of rest. Took near full scoop of assault. Resting 5 after warmups. Good first set, kept head down, back tight. Took a slight pause before last rep. Knees stayed in natural alignment, moved in but not excessively. Resting 6.5.
2nd set was okay, first rep was asymmetrical, left knee caved in. Rest of reps were better, kept weight on heels, back still good. Resting 7.5. Final set was strongest. Cut squats off right below parallel. 5 lb jump next session. Back still feels good and prime movers hips and ass feel fatigued.
Resting 4.5 after press setup. Resting 415 after warmups. Bailed on last rep in first set. Bar path was what really prevented set completion. Used too much energy correcting it on way up and on way down. Resting 7.5 with piss. Bailed on 4th rep.
I think press is affected by recovery deficit more than any other movement. Resting 5. Last set felt best, didn't try last rep. Repeat weight Friday. Resting 315 after warmups. Nice first set, racking was great, good stomps. Resting 245. 2nd set was good as well...
Could improve stomp and triple extension, but racking is good. Resting 255. Good 3rd set, felt triple extension on last rep even though stomp was not very loud. Racking still very good. Try not to split legs too wide on landing. Resting 305. Workmanlike 4th set. Still could improve extension...
but could be fatigue related from recovery deficit. Resting 310.

Wednesday 11/9/11
Barbell Squat: 250 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Bench Press: 132.5 lbs 4, 4, 3
Barbell Deadlift: 260 lbs 5

Notes:

Rested about 7.5. Took half scoop assault. Rested 7 after warmups with shit. Good first set, bar speed decent, no back tweak, took a little time before last rep. Knees didn't cave in excessively. Resting 715. Ok 2nd set, left leg moved in on last rep, but rest of reps were good.
God job of sitting back and using ass to move weight. Back still good. Good job keeping head down. Resting 8. Strong final set, great job keeping proper form, took a pause before last rep but still got it. Resting 5.5 after bench setup. Resting 5.5 after warmups with piss. Tough 1st set...
Had to bail on last rep. Resting 6.5 with reset. Bar path was less than vertical, used a lot of energy correcting path. 2nd set started off feeling stronger than 1st, but burnt out in middle of 4th rep. Had to rack 4th rep directly without locking it out. Resting 5.5. Only got 3 on last set,
Dropped 4th rep on safety bars. Resting 4 after deadlift setup. Resting 515 after warmups, supinating left hand. Difficult but strong work set. Was fatigued after 4 reps, but managed a very strong and satisfying 5th rep. Felt almost wiped out after. Start micro loading squat and deadlift...
Repeat bench weight.

Friday 11/11/11
Barbell Squat: 252.5 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 102.5 lbs 3, 4, 4
Power Clean: 122.5 lbs 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Notes:

Rested a bit over 8 hours after sleeping less than 6 night before. Full scoop of assault. Resting 5 after warmups. Good first set, 4th rep almost made me look up, but kept it together. Bar speed slowed, but back still good. Resting 7.5 with piss. Good 2nd set, doing a good job...
keeping head down, sitting back, and leading with hips. Careful not to let left leg cave in beyond natural. Resting 7.5. Super final set, almost perfect, stronger then first two sets, left leg came in a bit on 4th rep but otherwise, everything was spot on. Resting 5 after press setup.
Resting 4.5 after warmups. Only got 3 reps, bailed on fourth. Form felt good, but just didn't have the strength. Could be mental our could need reset. Resting 4. Managed a solid 4 reps in 2nd set, didn't try 5th rep. Bar park and form was solid. Resting 5. Got another strong 4, didn't try 5th.
Repeat weight. Resting 4 after power clean setup. Resting 345 after warmups. Decent first set, stomp is lacking but racking is good. Resting 255. Will definitely repeat weight next time to nail down form. 2nd set was comparable, maybe slightly better stomp, but last rack could've been better.
Resting 305. Slowly improving, better 3rd set, stomping a little better, racking still solid. Resting 310. A little fatigue in 4th set, racking still good, stomp a tad less noticeable. Resting 320.

Monday 11/14/11
Barbell Squat: 255 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Bench Press: 132.5 lbs 5, 3, 4
Barbell Deadlift: 265 lbs 3, 2

Notes:

Rested just under 7.5 hours, half scoop of assault. Bout of the sniffles. Resting 4.5 after warmups. 1st set was rock solid, no pauses between trips, form was textbook, bar speed good. Only prime movers feel used. Resting 645 Wonder if compression pants are helping. 2nd set was very good as well.
Resting 8 with piss. Solid third set, a bit more difficult compared to other two, but excellent three sets overall. Proceed with 2.5 jump. Starting next week, proceed with 5, 2.5, 2.5 m w f. Resting 4.5 after bench setup. Resting 4.5 after warmups. Super tough 1st set. Barely got last rep.
Resting 5.5. Bailed on 4th rep, burned a ton of energy correcting bar path on first 3 reps. Resting 7 with reset. Got last rep halfway before bailing. Last try at this weight on Friday. Resting 4 after deadlift setup. Resting 5 after warmups, left elbow tweaked. Supinating right hand.
Got fatigued after 3 reps, could have possibly muscled up 4th rep but felt form would have been compromised. Rested 2 min before finishing set. Last rep was difficult even with 2 min rest. Repeat weight Friday.

Wednesday 11/16/11
Barbell Squat: 257.5 lbs 5, 5, 5
Barbell Shoulder Press: 102.5 lbs 5, 4, 4
Power Clean: 122.5 lbs 3, 3, 3, 2, 1; 115 lbs 2


Notes:

Slept 7.5 hours, half scoop of assault. Rested 5 after warmups. Good first set, but doing close to parallel, need to make sure to go a little below parallel. Resting 6.5. Better 2nd set, all reps below parallel. Accidentally expelled air before I wanted to on 1st rep. Form still solid.
Back supported throughout. Took some time between 4th and 5th trip in both sets. Resting 8 before last set. Good final set, felt something right above my tailbone on the right side. Lower back area felt tired and kind of tight, but not in pain. Resting 5.5 with piss after press setup.
Resting 445 after warmups. Very tough 1st set, last rep was the most difficult rep on any exercise in recent memory. Last rep was stuck just above my forehead fire what seemed like an eternity. Resting 5. Couldn't get last rep in 2nd set. Time to reset. Resting 515 before last set.
Got 4 in final set, didn't try last rep. Resting 3.5 after power clean setup. Resting 245 after warmups. Okay first set, didn't really get good stomp until last rep. Racking was fine in all reps. Ok 2nd set. Still not getting the stomp I want, but racking and deadlift portion are both good.
Resting 255. Distracted 3rd set, 2nd rep rack almost bent right wrist, 3rd rep need a small step back with right foot. Resting 310. Mental lapse in 4th set, couldn't rack last rep. Resting 3.5. Rough last set, only got one, lowered weight to 115 to get last two reps.
I think longer rest periods would have allowed me to get all reps. Repeat weight Monday.