The Bear and a bit of Push/Pull

The Bear:


The big question is - is there a more miserable, heinous workout than the Bear??  I think not.  The bear brings you to your knees and makes you want to weep like a baby.  What exactly is the bear, you may ask??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WOP9J7QPwI

It's a power clean, front squat to overhead press or Thruster, down to your back, then a back squat to overhead press.  Doesn't really sound too bad.  Here's the kicker...you do 7 reps of that whole series and at no point, can you set the weight on the ground.  Then do this for 5 rounds.    The first 3-4 reps of each round were actually not bad.  However, once you hit that rep...the last 3-4 are the most painful things ever.  You really do want to quit, but you quash that thought, and keep going....pushing through the pain and misery.  When done with the last rep, you toss the bar on the ground and want to curl up like a bug and just weep.....
Instead...what do you do?? Get up and do it again...relive the pain and misery.... over and over..
But as horrible as it was, I did survive, with a mere bear claw bruise on my chest, a lump on the back of my neck from resting the bar, and a big bruise on my thigh.  No permanent damage.  YAY!
I did this at 95/95/95/85/85.  

Today was Push/Pull  - 3/3/3 Bench and Deadlift.   I was not going to go heavy on the deadlift, it hasn't been a week yet since my bizarro back muscle pull, and I didn't want to aggravate it before it had healed.  So, bench press, I did 135/145/150x2.   Deadlift I did 205/225/245, working on maintaining form.  Not bad - I want my bench to come up....I really want 175 by the end of the year....350 on the DL....and we'll say 275 squat.  Those are my 3 month goals...a bit lofty? Perhaps.  I know I'm not gonna get it unless I clean up the diet, which starts Tuesday.  Oddly enough, Tuesday can't come quick enough. I'm ready to get back on that horse and stay there.  I've learned and experienced the difference.  Have I mentioned how much I hate the fact that food has that much power over your well-being??