End of the Road (Part Deux)

So, my last post on here I basically detailed that I was putting a wrap on my StrongLifts 5x5 routine (for now). I actually continued doing 5x5's for just deadlifting and benching for another week and a half or so, but I decided to pull the plug on the deadlift portion for now too because...well, I'm really tired of my groin and hip hurting, and it only makes sense that squats and deadlifts aggravate it. So, what started as the full 5 exercise program is down to 1: bench press. This is ok because I'm still progressing there without injuring myself. I accept the little groin/hip tweak as part of the deal when you get into a strength-building routine. You're trying to push yourself to get stronger. You're approaching your physical limits and boundaries. When the weights get heavy, your form breaks down and gets sloppier. Obviously, you want to practice as good of form as possible all the time, but that's just kind of what happens. I once heard or read the phrase it wouldn't be your max if it wasn't ugly.

But all that sort of segways into what I really wanted to get into, which is to go off onto a little tangent about my bench press progression. As I mentioned before, part of why I started this blog back up is to get stuff off my mind that I can't really bounce off of anyone else. When I tried telling my wife that I was excited that I was able to complete 5 sets of 5 at 210 lb. with only 2-3 minutes rest between sets, her response was is that good? She wanted to listen. She tried. She gets an A for effort. But she doesn't have much of frame of reference for what is heavy for me.

Additionally, she's not a numbers nerd/stat geek like me. I get more excited tracking her running or lifting stats than she does. She goes more off feel. (She felt good running, or feels stronger lifting heavier, etc.) I'm data driven. I want to see the numbers. I started keeping a notebook of what I lifted 6-8 years ago, which eventually progressed into an app on my phone that tracks everything. I didn't know what I was doing and wasn't progressing how I wanted, but, hey, I was tracking it!

So, when I can lift 5 more pounds, do 1 more rep, or 1 more set, it's a big deal to me. Especially on the bench. I suffer from this condition...I think it's called nochestitis. It's a common problem in men that can't bench worth a damn. I recognize that everyone's bodies and genetics are slightly different. That's not to make excuses for myself, but some people can do cardio and planks until the cows come home and will never have abs...while others can eat a full pizza a day and have an 8 pack. I barely do shoulders anymore, but I think I will always have decent shoulder definition for a guy my size. But I will always have to fight and claw for every pound more I can bench or millimeter added of chest size. That's nochestitis for ya.

That's how my 1 rep max has progressed over the last 4 years or so. Not much to see for 3 years, but this past year has been productive. And I feel like another data point at 245 lb. should be near on the horizon. Now, that probably seems pathetic to a lot of people, but that's huge for me. There's a 3 year stretch in there where my bench stayed completely stagnant. My next 5x5 bench routine is scheduled to progress to 215 lb. I've never done a set of 5 reps of 215 in my life, but based on yesterday I may not have 5 sets of 5, but I know I can bang out 1-2 sets at that weight. That's huge for nochestitis Patient Zero over here.