Had a good couple of weeks... Two big PRs, both driven by the unusual situation of having a workout partner pushing me. Usually I train alone.
To give some context to the numbers, I am: 45M, 6'0", 285.
Deadlift... Last Wednesday I went in to do max effort bench, did that and was messing around with some hypertrophy work (well over an hour into the workout) when I noticed another guy starting to do deadlifts. We chat sometimes, so I went over and said something about how I was jealous he was doing deadlifts, but I couldn't really join him because I had done a full Mag/Ort deadlift workout the previous day. He shrugged and said "Why not, it's not like it's going to actually kill you..." So I jumped in and pulled what he already had on the bar, which was 365, beltless. I usually do a very gradual warmup, taking small jumps, so pulling 365 as my first DL of the day was pretty silly, but it flew off the ground. So I put my belt on and we start trading off, doing singles at 405, 435, 455, 475. Now my current max was 485, and I had not even pulled a 475 in a couple months, so when the 475 went up pretty quickly, I was excited. So we threw another 20 lbs on the bar and took it to an even 5 plates. This had been a long-term goal ever since I got my first 405 a couple years ago. The lift was good. New PR, 495. Now I just need to throw a couple of 2.5s on there in the next couple weeks to get 500. Told myself a while back I had to get 500 before my 46th birthday in June, so I'm set for that goal.
Bench... I usually bench without a spotter, which means I have to be careful and leave a lot on the table to stay safe. On max effort bench day, I like to work up to a heavy single, something like 95%, but where the bar is still moving pretty quickly and I don't feel like I'm risking getting pinned. Then I back off 10-15 pounds and do 5 sets of 2. Then I put on the red Sling Shot and do 3x5 with the same weight from the heavy single. Making some progress this way -- but I should mention I have a second "light" bench day per week that is either higher reps or "speed work."
So this week I go in on my light bench day and find another guy setting up to bench. This guy can do sets of 5 with my 1RM, so I'm pretty psyched to work with him -- good way to learn some things and get better. We start out doing speed work, since it's supposed to be my light day, but then since I have the rare luxury of a spotter, I change my mind and decide to go heavy. Current PR was 265 from just the last week. This time we work up to a 270, which goes pretty well, but I'm like, let's do this again and see if I can get a really smooth, clean rep. But "C" pushes me to go up to 280. (We're on a 50# bar, so that's the next milestone, 2 plates + a 25.) So I manage to get the 280 as a screaming grinder with the spotter touching the bar a bit. He says he barely touched it, but it always feels like more help that it really is... Next, I get the clean 270 I wanted. Then we back off to 230 and I'm planning to do 5 reps, but he says "go for 10". I'm thinking that's completely unrealistic, but I blast through the first 7 reps really fast, and then he gives me a tiny bit of assistance on the last 3 to finish the set. That was pretty wild...
tl;dr -- 495 Deadlift, 280 Bench.