Self Motivation

[erickthegreat11]

I include the 45# barbell in my weight numbers (a little ego boost). If you look back on this thread you'll see I haven't made much improvement over the past months so I tend to skip the less than fun exercises when I'm not motivated.
squats: ass to floor, haven't done these for years.
80#10X4
next day pretty sore
next day can't walk normally
next day almost no soreness.
I'm trying 10X4 for all exercises for a while because I looked at when I did partial (roughly 2/3 rep range) d-lifts. I did 10X4 with 5 days rest and was able to add 40# in 20 days!! It was as if I was lifting the same weight for those twenty days, but it got harder to hold onto the bar. Then I got distracted and stopped doing them for a while and forgot my rep scheme!!!! I realize how stupid this must sound, and it is, but that's what I keep a log for, so I can go back and see what worked. I'm after strength over size.

 

[erickthegreat11]

2-17
behind neck pull down:10X4 110#
seated row: 10X4 190#
bb curl: 10,10,9,4 80#
deads:10X4 155#

2-17
bench: 10,10, 10,9 150#
dips: 10X4 0#
overhead press:10X4 65#
tri pushdown:10X4 45#

2-18
squat: 10X4 85#
calf:10X4 120
forearm:10X4 45#
reverse f.arm curls:10X4 65#
grip work: 10X4 15 turns adj gripper

schedule 5 day rest between individual workouts.
2-21 behind neck pull down, seated row, bb curl, deads
2-22 bench, dip, overhead press, tri pushdown
2-23 squat, calf, forearm, reverse f. arm, grip work
Thinking of adding a chest isolation exercise. I don't have dumbells to do db bench presses. I do have a butterfly attachment on my weight machine, might go back to it.

 

[erickthegreat11]

(insert huge time lapse here)

Hit 285# on the Deadlift about an hour ago.
195#narrow bench
195#wide bench
Switched to a quasiwestside style of powerlifting. For the most part it's wside only I have yet to do a DE Deadlift day. Any previous max figures were estimates and apparently way off.
notice wide and narrow bench are the same weight, but my wide should have gone up considerably.
I was reading floor press threads and thought that I should add that I don't do the bench press on a conventional bench. I have a bench set up in a power rack/cage (home made) and start all bench lifts about 4 inches off my chest. In other words, I don't unrack the weight, but start and end reps at the bottom of the press.

 

[erickthegreat11]

Hit 200# on wide grip bench today. Hope to hit 210 next ME session. Would like to top out at a minimum of 220 at the end of this cycle.

 

[erickthegreat11]

squat up 155 to 175. Used 2X8 method at 130#, then did 5X5 method, then ME type method today. Going to try this for bench press as well. Did dumbells at 50# for bench press 6X4. Feel very strong for tomorrow's ME. Old bench max 205#. (Narrow and wide).