Lifting for 2-16-11

Starting Strength
Week VIII, Day A, Workout XXI

Squat:
5 @ 45 lbs, 4 @ 95 lbs, 3 @ 135 lbs, 2 @ 175 lbs
5, 5, 5 @ 205 lbs

Bench Press:
5 @ 45 lbs, 4 @ 95 lbs, 3 @ 135 lbs
5, 4, 3 @ 155 lbs

Deadlift
5 @ 135 lbs, 4 @ 225 lbs, 3 @ 255, 1 @ 285 lbs
5 @ 315 lbs (PR, new 5RM)

Barbell Row
3 @ 135 lbs
3×5 @ 155 lbs

difficulty: hard

Relaxing day. Spent five or six hours playing Aion, leveling a scout into a ranger. Went to the gym, got some subway, and I’ll play some more Aion with the girl..

On the second set, I made a correction in my stance. I notice I’ve been slowly widening my stance. I looked at myself in the mirror and said “SHOULDER WIDTH”. Going through the set, I felt my shorts graze my calves. Narrower than it felt, but I felt really in control of the weight. Third set was awesome.

Bench felt heavy again. Hence the difficulty rating of “hard”. Added two reps. Decided against trying for the fourth rep on the third set. Figure I’ll get it next time.

I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with deads based on my warm-ups. 285 felt heavier than it should have. I just told myself to get the double no matter what. All psychological. BAM. New five-rep max.