Entry #527
Today profited in its mistrials.
My bench press has plummeted. A few months ago, I was putting up 285 for a comfortable three. Today, I barely got 255 for two. The circumstances were interesting in the build-up, so, to analyze:
3 x 135
3 x 185
3 x 225
1.5 x 245
3 x 245
1 x 255
2 x 255
On that fourth set, I failed midway up at only 245. Interestingly enough, it was because of imbalance, more than anything. My left arm shot up while my right barely moved.
After reracking, I went for a walk around the facility, coordinating my mind to the form. When I returned, the same weight rose up for three easily. 255 was just a reiteration of that. The same balance quandaries persisted.
In retrospect, I could have done 255 for a triple if I made another attempt, but I left at that point. There were bigger plans on mind.
Reasons for strength decline:
> Lingering consequences of injury may hamper ability to achieve traction.
> Abstaining from resistance training for a week on a calorie deficit lead to combined effects.
> Transition between routine templates coincided in such a way that bench assist work, designated to be done the ensuing period, gave way to a benching structure that did not consociate cohesively with what came prior.
All plausible. The second is intriguing, because the opposite seemingly holds true while bulking. How long have I been eating so little? Even well before August. I maintained that without lifting for two months, when Bally closed down.
Last cut failed because of inconsistencies in diet and training. This time, the shortcomings were not out of neglect. "Failure" in this is not in regards to dropping bodyfat, which does not come difficult, but in increasing force output abilities while doing so. Woe to the ectomorph.
I'm going to begin bulking very soon. My order for weightgainers, whey, ZMA, and creatine checked in at $160. Supplement prices are going up. I'm thankful for my school's ineptitude and the surge of cash refunds I routinely get, but this is still expensive.
The foreseeable future: resume the 5x5 on Friday for two weeks to finish cutting, and then revert to the singles template, which has by far given me the most drastic gains, but was not feasible while cutting.
