Bench. Week 3 Cycle 8

I know Monday is international bench-bro day, but, whateva, I'm a maverick. I continue to just hit the prescribed 5/3/1 reps for bench while doing a few submaximal singles afterwards. This seems to be working and I'm closing in on my year-end goal of 300lbs. Today I did a submaximal single at 285, no spot, and it went right up (when I started 5/3/1, 260lbs was my absolute, grinding the shit out of it, 15 second rep, max). Anyway, I'm feeling confident that I'll have a 300lb submax single in the next one or two cycles. If this happens, I'll have reached the big three goals for the year, as I've already hit my 450+ squat (475lbs), and my 500+ deadlift (515lbs submax single). Rawr.

Also, I normally don't give lifting advice on here, mainly, because I don't know anything, but, in my experience, upper-body lifts respond better in terms of building strength when you leave one or two in the tank. Lower body lifts you can more often get away with going balls out. Again, this is just my personal experience.


Goals for today:

215x5
240x3
270x1

Lifted:

215x5
240x3
270x1
280x1
285x1


assistance work:

• dumbbell bench pyramid: 40x3,70x3,100x3,110x3,120x4,100x10
• dips: 5 sets of 10 (20 seconds rest)

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Progress for week 3 bench over the last 8 cycles:

• Cycle 1: 220x2 (this was to failure and actually failed a 3rd rep. Video here.)
• Cycle 2: 225x5
• Cycle 3: 230x7
• Cycle 4: 235x7
• Cycle 5: 240x6 ( in other weeks, progress on bench slowed way down or went backwards at times)
• Cycle 6: 245x6 (stopped making progress on bench)
• Cycle 7: 250x1 (prescribed reps only)
• Cycle8: 285x1 (prescribed reps only)

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Video of 270 bench (failed at filming 285)

Video of 120db bench (my little twig arms shake like a leaf)