So tonight I ended my squat cycle and just went to the gym to try for a new PR. You remember my thread last week where I hit a PR of 240 x 4 on the box.
Tonight it went like this:
no box, full range reps:
135 x 10 - warm up
185 x 4 - warm up
235 x 2 - yeah feeling good
255 x 1 - tie old 1RM, still felt good
275 x 1 - felt pretty good
At this point, as you can see, I’m just adding 10’s to each side. So I figured if i added another 10 to each side that would be 295, but 300 sounds so much cooler, so…
300lbs on the bar…
Every perparation psyching myself up trick I know…
One rep!
So I was pretty happy. I wonder how much higher I could have gone. After I got 300x1, the thought “go for a double” crossed my mind. But I decided that I would just play it safe and end it now cuz this was a new PR for me by 45lbs.
Then I did 135 x 5 as a cool down.
@ 165lbs bodyweight (including my Converse Allstars) @ 8% bf.
Getting close to 2x bw, which is my short term goal.
I know 300 is like what some of you guys warm up with, but for my ectomorphic self, I was pretty happy.
I tried some of those ass to the ground squats this morning. Just did 132lb, but it was fun. I might do a cycle or two with them eventually. My next goal is to start using chains, then boxes maybe. That’s for another thread, though.
I find the psych. side of things messes me up a bit. When I first did 145kg, it was with 6 plates and the bar and the jump from 4 plates + assorted “little” plates to 6 big plates unnerved me. I made it, but struggled. Now it’s no problem - it was all in my head.
whaddya guys think of zercher box squats?
I was hitting 160 (2 80lb dbells) for sets of 10 last night.
Last week I was able to hit 225, but I pulled something in my hip and was trying to go easy- still managed to iritate it.
I’m noticing box squats help me with my balance woes at the bottom of the movement.
Now it’s just a question of making sure the “box” is low enough.
Congrats IF on the new PR.
I noticed a huge change in my PRs once I started adding more supplements.
You lay the dumbells vertically and hug 'em.
Helps if the dumbells are 1 solid piece and not plates.
The gym near my work has a whole set (up to 80lbs) of these 1-piece molded dumbells; but no free barbells.
Currently only done it with 2 dbells, will probably try to do it with 3 next time (for a total of 235lb).
Nope. The only supplements I use are GNC Megamen vitamin and the free lunch I get at work.
How is the leg mass coming along?
It’s not, really. Maybe I’ve gotten a little bigger through this 2-month cycle. I can’t tell by the scale, cuz I can gain and lose 5 pounds in a day.
Oh wait, you said “leg mass.” I thought you said “mass” in general. Well that above answer is for mass in general.
As for leg mass, I dunno. About the same i guess. I was trying to get some growth in my calves, too. I dunno. But then again, I see myself on a daily basis so I probably wouldn’t notice any gradual changes.
But there has been no substantial weight gain, despite a (what I consider) program for mass.
