FSQ: 5 sets ramped
G row: 3 sets ramped

Dave, I think it really is a matter that I was built more for bench than I was for squat. I've got a deep rib box and I have shortish thickish upper arms for my height. My elbows are above my belly button.

For squat I have really long thigh bones and a relatively shorter torso...which gets me into a shallower back angle down (more bent over than 45 degrees) at the bottom of the squat. So squats require a lot more effort for my build while bench really doesn't.

The nice thing about this is that squats really build my lower back, glutes and hams a lot more due to my build and the larger range of motion than a regularly proportioned person. This is also why that area is also a strength for me when I'm in bodybuilding condition.

The other nice thing is that it allows me to make a lot of progress on my deadlifts without training them with a ton of volume because the squat really overlaps a lot for me due to my build.

So, it works out for me on the bodybuilding end and somewhat on the powerlifting end....in the end in powerlifting, its all about the total and if I can push up any number, that's what I'm going to do.

A person with a longer torso and shorter thigh bones has potential to put up much bigger squat numbers...just like a person with extra long arms can put up more numbers on a deadlift and a person with shorter arms and a thick torso can put up more numbers on bench. We've all got our gifts and areas of improvement.
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SQ: work: 365X5X3..solid again - 30 more lbs till full strength aka 3 more jumps aka 1 Friday workout, 1 Tuesday workout and then 1 more Friday workout before I get a chance to match my 3 sets of 5 PR set in April before all the knee BS. Goal is to get to 405X5X3 before Thanksgiving so I can eat up and make a run into the 400's.

Press: work: 215X5,5,5,5 - PR on total sets but not reps per set - think I'll go to 2.5 lb jumps now.

Chins: extended set: 11-20sec rest-5-20sec rest-3....going to try to get the initial number back up to 20 and hopefully consistently.

Also, its time that I switch my presses/bench presses to different programming to allow for more recovery and continued progression. What I've come up with is based on the Texas Method but not an exact copy of it.

Once my tendonitis is mostly gone (approximately 2 weeks), I will do the following:
Friday:
BP or Press volume event
Sunday:
Light presses and bicep work (recovery event)
Tuesday:
BP or Press intensity event

Summary: I will alternate Benching and Pressing on a weekly basis. I will vary training load throughout the week on the two exercises by having a volume event/recovery event/intensity event each week. This way I won't be killing 3-5 heavy worksets all the time...but I'll still be able to keep getting stronger.

-- Edited by winflex on Friday 12th of November 2010 10:01:20 AM

Once I'm safely squatting in the 400's I'll consider myself "back on track" and start a new log.

Change in goal...will squat 405 before end of November. Learned that I will be traveling on Thanksgiving so that means that its going to be a stressfull week leading up to it and I don't want to mess up my chances of a clean 5 repper with 405. Instead I'll go for 395X5 next Tuesday. I think I can get away with the ten lb jumps for a little while yet as I haven't really done anything I haven't done before. Once I get past the hump, I'll take the slow and steady route. Good training session tonight though...

SQ: work: 385X5 (only a little shoulder pain...went away before presses...iced tonight - seems to be getting better)
Press: work: 225X5
DL: work: 445X5

On the video of my squats, I noticed that I'm really squatting slow. This is most likely to me being cautious about my knee and my adductor. I think with the change in program, I will develop more confidence and speed the reps up some. Next Tuesday I will also scale the deads back 5% as I noticed that I have been getting lazy with the back extension. It won't affect me now because the weight is lower than I'm capable but when I get to the weight that I'm capable I want to be on point with the form.

Thanks!

Stressfull week before Thanksgiving.  Are you afraid they will only have one bird?

Squat 5X5
SQ: work: 340X5X5 - second time 5x5'ing on squats...last time I did 315 so this is a real PR here.
SSB GM's: did not do because I was teaching a friend of mine how to squat, press, deadlift, and bench
Chins: same excuse as SSB GM's

I couldn't decide on whether to do 335 or 345 for my 5x5 squats so I went half on it and decided on 340. It felt really good. 'Twas a lot of work again but again totally manageable. I couldn't imagine doing these 5x5 and then presses 5X5 and then deadlifting for 5 after that. I don't have the time and I don't have the available sleep/recovery ability to make up for it.
On the flipside of this session, I taught someone how to do the lifts today and started them off on the basic program. This is the third person (the first two were my brother and my wife) I have been able to teach which isn't much but it just feels great to be able to spread information and help people achieve their goals.

Its just like at the posing classes. Its just fun to help and see others do their best. Maybe its just the dad in me.

squat depth:

"sumo" set up (much better lumbar):

Thursday:
Packing, driving 3 hrs, feasting, talking, sleeping not in my bed, waking in the middle of the night several times for several reasons, walking up and downstairs since I wasn't in my flat, etc. I had a good time, and caloric intake was high, so I should be feeling great...but not. The other factors left me drained.

Friday:
Press 5X5: Had a great breakfast and headed to "not my" gym in NJ but it was a good gym... way better than "my" gym. I trained alongside two 2010 Arnold Sports Festival Powerlifting champion, Janel Brown, and her husband, another great powerlifter, Jim Brown. Plus, my wife came with me because we could leave the little one with the grandparents. So, all of that stuff helped cancel out how hard this would have been. Energy was flying high and I hit a PR>

Press: 205X5X5 - PR 5x5

Saturday:
Squat 5X5: 3 hr drive home, bad sleep again, wake up exhausted....but still make myself go train. Now I'm back my NJ gym...no one is there. I'm exhausted despite taking my pre-workout drink. 135 goes up really creaky. 225 is better and so is 275 and 315. So I get to my work weight thinking maybe there will be a change how my energy is flowing...but I was kidding myself. 345 goes up so slow and non-energetically. I'm just going through the motions. I do one crappy set and then I shut it down and went home. I hate when that happens.

I have to figure out how 1X5 day is going to go down this week. 405 for 5 may have to wait another week. Fail.

You are right Dave. There is no reason why I couldn't at least go for 405 today and if I don't get 5....so what! I'll be back on track next week.

In other news, I pulled my right calf muscle this weekend. I don't know how but it must just be me getting older. It feels good enough to train today though. A little Alleve will do the trick.

Bench 5X5
BP: work: 325X5X5 - went conservative since I haven't benched in about 3 weeks.
Lat pulls: 3 sets of a lot of reps...shoulders felt good here.

Trained with a person from work today at a large globo facility. The bench was narrow and low. The hooks were super hooky. It wasn't a great experience but I still had fun. I won't bench there again.