PR Friday
As always, post your training updates and PR’s to the comments. I like reading about your accomplishments and the things that have helped you get better.
70′s Big-wide goal for next week:
DON’T SKIMP ON YOUR MOBILITY. Do something every day. If you are successful, then let us know in next week’s PR Friday.
Weekly Recap
Monday I gave you a tasty recipe, and readers dropped some of their favorite slow cooker recipes in the comments. Tuesday discussed how CrossFit favors the anterior chain and it’d behoove a CFer to do some extra posterior chain work. Wednesday we talked about the Slingshot again; I think it can be a nice tool even for a raw lifter. Thursday was a post on the possible short film “The Artist & The Olympian“.
Here are two stories that actually recap the week. Wednesday night I was training with my friend Mike (not big AF Mike, Asian Mike). He ended up leaving the gym around 8:00 PM, so I was hitting some dumbbell hammer curls by myself. There was no one else in the free weight section, yet there were some girls using a Roman chair about 30 feet away. I was doing the last set, really cranking them out, when I suddenly and audibly farted. When I was younger, I might have been more concerned. In fact, I remember accidentally letting out farts in class and being absolutely horrified. It was an immediate shot of adrenaline; all my senses would sharpen and I’d just wait for someone (i.e. girls) to acknowledge it. THEY NEVER DID. I’d play it cool. Hey, it wasn’t me that farted, must have been that skinny kid with the lisp. I had a reputation to maintain. The kind that don’t fart in class, son.
Anyway, I look up to see if anyone heard me fart. Either they didn’t, or they did and pretended not to hear. So I continue hammer curling the 50s. Then ANOTHER fart escapes, yet this one was louder. I only have a few more reps, so I try to continue, but I can’t because I’m LAUGHING TOO HARD. I’m by myself laughing at my own farts, and I couldn’t finish the set. I racked the dumbbells, called it a night.
Fast forward to Thursday evening. I’m walking out of a shopping center where I got my hair cut. I’m wearing gym shorts, a tight T, and flip flops. I’m walking by two black ladies in the middle of the street. One of them is around 40. She stops in the middle of the road with her hands on her hips, looks me up and down.
“DAMN. You is SO sex-AY!”
After thanking her and laughing, I realized that some guys might think that this encounter was a result of the hammer curls they did the night before. NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND. It’s because I’ve squatted twice a week for as long as I can remember. It’s the pressing, the cleans, the snatches; the lifting. It’s also the mobility work, the attention to nutrition, the sleeping, and the hydration. It’s the icing and rest days. It’s everything.
Moral of the story? Black women know what’s up. Or maybe this is the pinnacle of all of the work I’ve put into training. Regardless, if you want to be approached on the street, then get your shit together. It’ll help if you move to the south. And a low income town.
What else do you guys wanna talk about?
pr’s= bench press 285, tiny weight esp. for my 275 bw, but more than i’ve benched in almost two years. hit 515 on deadlift in same workout, not a pr (20 lbs under), but pretty great for not deadlifting in more than a month. biggest pr- hoping i fixed my knee issues due to k-stars voodoo knee band video. hit 275 for a heavy triple after not squating for over a month, and not being able to squat w/o a box for almost 4 months. it feels good to be walking around sore like a cripple from squating 200 lbs less than my max
I’m missing the entire experience without Brent and AC’s blogs…
But, while I’m here…dude I used to fart in my cubicle all the time, and you have to get creative to make sure you don’t just let one bomb, but occasionally it just happens, the best is when everyone looks around, your instincts are to start looking…even though you know you did it. It’s human nature all around.
PRs this week – deadlift 370lbx5 and squat 315lbx5
1st PR on the texas method. 485 5RM squat
No PRs for me this week; fucked up my back so it might take a while to start hitting them again.
Been very good about mobility every day with lax ball, myorope, and my new obession, voodoo floss. Works for everything (except the neck, according to david carradine).
It was a 5/3/1 deload week but i upgraded from chucks to oly shoes and tried some power clean singles. Hit two PR singles at 200 and received them super high. Probably would have been good for another 10 lbs or so but i’ll take the victory and save some weight for next week.
Massive meat consumption continues and BW is climbing, ~175 now. Killed a 1kg steak and pliny the elder in one sitting. Thats a PR.
Haha, great story.
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Pr’s
Squat: 290 1×5
Bench: 205 1×5
Deadlift 350 1×5
One of the best feelings ever is getting these Pr’s. I have also decided to compete in my first powerlifting competition at the end of the summer thanks to this website.
@Penn For the people I’ve seen actually training for them, it’s something to keep them motivated. Luckily haven’t seen anyone switching to Tough Mudder, but who knows, next year there could be TM gyms all over the place.
I’m dragging my teenage son for some bonding over mud and painful uphill runs.
Lol Asdfghjkl
Started oly template this week. Hopefully some PR’s soon
I’ve lost around 45 lbs of fat since August and this black lady at work told me to stay buff but not to lose my booty. I told her I squat at least twice a week and eat like a lion so she didn’t have to worry about that. I’ve noticed most girls comment on my ass just as much as my upper body. Maybe the chicken leg upper body bro isn’t what girls want after all?
My PR today is getting my ass back into the gym after around a month hiatus (getting my life together, or at least trying to. Such a fool for neglecting the gym).
445X5 = deadlift PR
Unfortunately I turned rep 5 into a terrible RDL. Now my back is fucked. Hahaha go me!
@Alphanitis: The ladies appreciate a well-developed posterior chain just as much as the bros do.
Only went to the gym one time this week. I will likely do a light day tomorrow but basically it was a wash this week.
I did pick up a copy of the Paleo Solution from the library. I am most excited to just follow the weekly meal guide like an automaton for a while. A linear progression diet of sorts.
Squatted 555 for a double in wraps astoundingly. Benched 287.5 for 5 singles. Those are both PRs.
No numerical PRs… but I have officially started conditioning with the prowler. I already noticed my sprint times decrease with a few sessions. Also, GHR is doing wonders for my lumbar and hamstrings.
I would be interested in seeing an article made about how athletes in wrestling/judo/karate/martial art etc. can direct their nutritional needs to fuel weight-training and more importantly, get someone down to their weight class.
@Maxine:
I *literally* just started looking into that exact question two days ago, as I just picked up a Muay Thai fighter from my wife’s Krav class. Robb Wolf wrote an article for Catalyst Athletics regarding it…it’s about 8 pages and worth the $2.50 it costs.
Not really a big fan of hawking others’ wares on others’ websites, but since I’ve shouted out to 70’s Big on the Cathletics forums a few times I didn’t think it would hurt.
http://www.catalystathletics.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=55
Didn’t necessarily hit a PR, except doing a heavy lower body 2 a day. That was kind of insane. But, yeah, black chicks in a low income neighborhood are pretty opinionated. Bus rides to the gym and work can get pretty wild. Oh, picked up some chelated D-aspartic acid, and am stoked to try it. Which is not a PR at all.
I wanna go on record, saying I did, in fact, hit a PR. First time trying sumo deadlifts heavy, hit 455#.
Deadlift PR
185x3x3
I’ve lost 4 lbs this month and my deadlift has been loving it. My presses and squat don’t but they will catch on. I can almost see a tricep.
Amazing stories dude, hahaha…
I didn’t set any real PRs this week, but I deadlifted 315×20 which is something I’ve never done so technically a PR. I thought it was going to at least gas me but it was not even top 100 material as far as hard things I’ve ever done in the gym is concerned. If anything, the only thing I’m impressed with about that set is how ridiculously easy it was. Pretty sure I’ve done curls that were harder. Was pretty cool.
Squat: 358 x 4
Bench: 248 x 3
Lifts keep going up as my body weight keeps going down. Wilks going through the roof!
I got a good laugh out of this, and black women do know whats up, they always speak their mind.
Also, I’ve been in your farting situation before, I was LB squatting and I farted from reps 1-3 and each one got quieter and quieter until the 4th rep when nothing came out. I and my spotters were all chuckling between reps. Thank god it was during my novice days or else I may have had to rack that weight.
No PRs just started my new job working nights in a warehouse still getting adjusted just did some 3x5s to maintain.
A few weeks ago pulled a 370 lb deadlift and benched 205 lb, both PRs. Today though, I ran a half in 1:41:19 after getting to the start line 6 minutes late. New PR which has convinced me that double cheeseburgers with onion are the greatest night before a race food ever.
Pr’s:
Squat: 350 x 1
clean and press: 185 for 2 singles
I’m having some trouble deadlifting lately. As of 2 months ago, my best deadlift was 480 x 1. Since that time I’ve been seriously focusing on losing some weight, whilst trying to maintain/ make small gains. I have lost 20lbs(302 to 282) during this time and have made improvements in my squat/bench/power clean. However, my deadlift has been dropping. I was able to do 465 x 1 a few weeks ago, but was actually going for a triple. I then decided I would drop the weight down and restart with 445. I tried this yesterday and had to REALLY grind out a double. Should I try to restart at a lesser weight or just try to hit a 445 x 3 next time up and make adjustments based off that upcoming try? An adjustment I had in mind was maybe restarting with 430 and trying to hit a triple and then follow a gradual progression. One other factors to note, I have just recently integrated power cleans in to my routine and have been doing them twice a week, which includes a heavy double before I deadlift. What would your recommendation be toward my issue?
so, on second month of a tweaked Texas Method…
Doing Doubles on my “heavy” day…
PR’d my three lifts this friday:
Front Squat: 225×2
Press: 150×2
Deadlift: 365×2
Felt I had another few #’s in the tank on the Front squat, but I called it…don’t wanna get too greedy!
Thanks for everything, J.L.
Deadlift PR: 505×3 w/ straps
Intended to be a single, but felt light!
I’ve been following a 5-3-1 program for about six months, been lifting since Oct last year. I PR’d my press (strict overhead barbell press) with a 35kg lift yesterday. Recent 1RMs (within the last month) 100kg deadlift and an 80kg squat. I’m aiming for my first powerlifting comp in October, hoping to get a 250kg total at around 70kg BW.
Great site, Justin. I especially like the Monday posts. :)
@pickle
I get the best results with liquid glucosamine. The hard horsepill size tablets do nothing for me. I’m an x ray tech, so I’ve seen my share of gnarly ankles and how it affects a person’s walk when the injury history is acting up. Does not look pleasant.
on a tweaked Texas Method this Fri…
Front Squat- 225×2
Press- 150×2
Deadlift- 365×2
All PR’s and all super solid (well, slight bounce on the press)
It’s working…
I’ve been doing 3×5 sessions to maintain strength until I can get back in the gym on a steady schedule of at least 3 days/week. Last week I squatted 320 and benched 235. I’ve been adding in conditioning. I was doing MWOD daily for about six weeks. I’m goign to get back into it starting today. I spent the weekend fishing and now have a really solid tank top tan, which accentuates the traps and bis.
Did the USAPL Illinois State Championship this past weekend and totalled 1251lbs in the Men’s 198lbs Raw division. I weighed in at 190.6lbs and got some meet PRs of 413lbs squat and 551lbs deadlift.
Justin, 70sbig.com, USAPL and weight lifting in general promote violence against women. Primarily domestic violence.
Southern black women absolutely love me. I dont know why. My shirtless body looks like a whole new shade of white. Last year I was at a Mardi Gras parade. The party I was at had one of those rental photobooths. Out of no where a 300 pound black lady grabs me and says ” they call me Joyce the Voice, come take a picture with me handsome.” I wound up hanging out with Joyce the Voice and her friends the rest of the night. I still have our photobooth party pics hanging up on my fridge.
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Newer female reader, really love the site and how encouraging you are of women who lift. That being said, I find the illustration in this post inappropriate and completely unnecessary; domestic violence is never funny.
Given that you’re a new reader, I realize that you are new to “humor”. I agree that domestic violence is not funny, but a comic about it isn’t an endorsement. Learn to laugh and we’ll continue getting along.
–Justin