Legs

Only two routines this morning, but good results for both.

Back squats (a2g)
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 3 (PR)

My weight increase progression is usually quite erratic, simply based on how I feel. Today, I deliberately increased the weight by no more than 10lb each set (other than after the first one), and that seemed to work quite well because I didn't feel a sudden jump in weight at the start of each round.

======

Similarly, I changed the way I approach weight progression for the next routine. I've struggled to increase my 1RM for deadlifts for a while now - which was 320lb - and I was starting to get frustrated by this because I didn't know what I could change. I googled "1 rep max deadlift" yesterday and found a forum discussion about how to warm up for a 1RM. I tried one of the suggestions today (the first answer in the forum), which is based on a 10% weight increase each set and the number of reps decreasing gradually, with the aim of hitting a specific weight. My target was 325lb.

Deadlift
5 x 30% = 100lb
5 x 40% = 130lb
3 x 50% = 165lb
3 x 60% = 195lb
2 x 70% = 230lb
2 x 80% = 260lb
1 x 90% = 290lb
1 x 95% = 310lb
1 x 100% = 325lb

Finally - a new deadlift PR! When I sat down afterward, I had a huge, goofy grin like the Cheshire Cat. Before when I've attempted 325lb, it's been a struggle to even get the weight off the ground. However, today felt much more comfortable. I can see in the video that my form isn't perfect; there's a bit of back arching, which isn't good, of course, but I don't think it was horrendous. I felt like I could have attempted another 5lb increase, but I didn't want to push my luck. Another change I made today was going back to lifting in my socks so that my feet were completely flat on the ground.

Like I said, only two routines today, but I'm very happy with the results.