Today was a back to back lifting day: bench press and deadlifts.
My bench press has proven to be the most disappointing part of my weight routine. I simply feel like I am making no progress in it - or if I am, it is very slow progress indeed. It frustrates me because progress in my other lifts - deadlifts, squats, push press - has been steady and demonstrable. But bench has been almost impreceptible - my best single was 1 x 160 lb in November; I just managed 2 x 160 lb last week. That is close to my body weight but hardly the sort of the thing I was hoping.
My deadlift was frustrating today as well. Deadlifts have shown a much steadier improvement over time but today was not as good as I would have liked - max of 5 x 220 lb and a downgrade of 3 x 175 lb. My form was terrible - my stance is (I think) too narrow and my knees are going askew in ways that are not all that grand for me. I have gotten 5 x 240 lb in the past, but today was not the day - the 5 x 220 lb barely recognizable as a finished set.
This whole thing is something which I have not yet fully come to grips with yet in lifting: the fact that it does not seem to be that linear of a process.
I want Personal Records. Everyone, I think, does. But as sometimes these get knocked down almost week by week, in other cases they linger for weeks at a time. And other cases (like today) things take a backwards step in ways that I do not fully understand. I would think that the ability to lift would increase in a linear fashion: more weight over time would equal heavier lifts.
Apparently I think wrong.
I will be back in the gym on Friday for another back to back - Push Press and Squats - and will probably hit some of the same frustrations. But it is at moments like these that I have to go back to my workout book (yes, I have become enough of a meathead to keep one of those now) that I can look and see that while I may not feel like I am making process, I have in fact made a great deal of progress since I started in July.
Eyes to the sunrise, keeping them on the prize.
I was a competitive power lifter for 10 years. I lifted at the national and world level, all drug free. My husband coached me. If you are interested he posts on YouTube, olypowerguy adams. He is always willing to help lifters.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your lifting.
God Bless
Thank you so much for the link! I learn best on things like this by observation (I am not much a kinetic learner so this is perfect). I do not know if I will ever lift beyond what I do for training for Highland Athletics and Iai but being stronger is always better.
DeleteThanks for stopping by! - TB
You're welcome. He gas also competed in the Scottish Highland games. We are Clan Robertson.
DeleteClan Armstrong here. I do not throw particularly far or well but enjoy it very much.
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