20 Rep Discovery, Monday, Week 6

Final week and I just realized something that I think I've known all along. First off, I was only able to knock off 10 at 190lbs before doing the other 10. When I realized how much easier the second set of 10 was, a light bulb went off! Doing a small set of the weight for the day or even more than the weight for the day will allow for an easier 20 rep set. I had been warming up with 10 bodyweight, 5 bar, 5 95lb, and 5 135lb, before going for the weight of the day (in this case 190lbs). But having done 190lbs for 10, the second 10 was much easier and so for the future, I will do 5 of the weight for the day before going for the 20 rep.

After doing the 2 sets of 10, I decided to tack on 10lbs and "warm up" for my 200lb goal on Friday. I figured I would just do a set of 2 and call it a day. When I first shouldered it, I could definitely feel the 10lb increase. But reps weren't as hard as I thought they'd be after doing 20 reps at 190lbs. I actually did 5 reps with 200lbs before racking.

So for Wednesday, I plan on doing 195lbs and attempting the 20 rep only after doing 5 reps with 195lbs or even 200lbs for the warm up. I am thinking going for more weight will be better and then "dropping down" a few pounds will help with the mental part as well as the physical. We'll see how that goes.

16 down, 2 to go!