Tried taking a breath and holding it before bending down and grabbing the bar to see if it's easier to pull (I usually get my grip first then take my breath).
I missed more than I hit when it came to PRs this past week. Not sure why. Maybe it was because my primary source of meat was left over turkey from Th-thanksgiving (rather than the usual pork).
I did go out for sushi buffet on Friday, and then hit some PR's again on Saturday.
But it was probably because my body needed a bit of a break from the heavy lifting I've been doing.
Missed PR Attempts
Front Squat: 420 lb
Wanted a +15 lb 1 rep max, but it was too big of a jump. Might try this again next week.
OHP: 265 lb
Wanted a +5 lb PR. Felt light in my hands and easy coming out of the rack, but could only get it half way up before the bar came to a grinding halt. I think I'll have to build up strength via volume, hit some rep PRs, and then come back to try pressing 265 lb over my head.
Low Bar Squat (no belt): 500 lb
Wanted 2 reps for a beltless 2RM, but couldn't even get 1! Dammit.
Well, things turned around yesterday and I was able to score a couple of high bar squat PR's:
High Bar Squat: 510 lb x 1
+5 lb PR. I don't think I needed to engage my squat face for this one, because the bar pretty much flew up and I did a partial calf-raise at the top.
High Bar Squat: 520 lb x 1 (1RM)
Decided to take 520 lb for a ride after feeling how easy 510 lb felt.
+10 lb PR from about 5 minutes earlier!
Tough, but I fought through the sticking point and stood up with it.
By the way, I used a wider stance than normal for HB squatting, which allowed me to get a bigger bounce out of the hole (but less depth). I might stick with this wider stance for HB squats (and maybe front squats) in the future.
