anotherbutters said:
I've just gone back and reviewed your progress from day one. Your squats have gone up nicely, with consistent increases week on week from 67.5kg to 78.5kg, and I've no doubt you'll get 80kg on Tuesday. Excellent stuff!
But in the same time (8 weeks), your bench has only gone from 62.5kg to 65kg. Your deadlift has stalled a few times, but it has gone up from 100kg to 110kg.
Do you think the beach work might be hindering your bench rather than helping it?
My squat five rep max before I started was actually 65kg! So assuming I'll make 80kg next week, it has come a long way in eight weeks.
When I first began writing this journal, I was doing sumo deads at a five-rep max of 97.5kg. Then, when I switched to conventional deads, I began at 90kg. So despite a couple of recent stalls, it has also progressed quite well to 110kg.
My row has gone from a 5-rep PR of 45kg to 53.5kg, and began progressing very nicely once I was able to increase by 1kg increments with the microplates.
My unassisted bench PR was actually 60kg when I started this journal (not 62.5kg), so it has only gone up by 5kg, which is obviously not as much as I would have liked.
I think the beach work may be affecting my bench. Other than the core lifts, such as the squats, presses, rows, and pulls, I do three-four sets of curls, three sets of dips and three sets of another tricep exercise.
However, focusing on the core lifts (as the program is laid out) has helped thicken up my back and legs, as well as broaden my chest and shoulders, but has done nothing for my arms. So, it's a bit of a double edged sword in that obviously I would like my bench to progress more rapidly, but I would also like more girth in my arms.
Someone actually commented that I look a bit like neanderthal man, in that I have a thick, solid torso, but proportionately skinny arms.
