Fitness Goals update

It's too soon to measure any real progress since last time, but I took a couple positive steps forward, so...

1) Bench press - With a morning body weight of 195.4 lbs. on 4/18, I pressed 185 for 16 reps. Probably could have done a 17th, but was a little disappointed that it wasn't going to be easy, so I bailed. I had previously done 195 for 16 reps, so it seemed like I regressed. Possible issues: it was later in the evening (energy was more sapped), I had played some basketball for over a half an hour prior to (perhaps expended energy), food consumption during the day, or something else.

I think what may be happening is I've been training with lighter weights for higher reps, but perhaps the best way to to train for benching my weight for a high amount of reps (24 is the goal), is to go back to higher weights, say 225, and improve the reps for that weight. I'll try that and see what happens.

2) Pull-ups - With a training-time weight of 196.4 (including attire, no shoes), I did 9 full pull-ups, hands-over-top style. A personal record. Feeling good about this. What my self-esteem would have been like in junior high school had I been able to do that then!

3) Dunking/vertical jump - I've been working on my two-footed jump, practicing technique from some Google searches. They don't seem to be BS; I've noticed some improvement. Still, at a workout-time body weight (including attire and shoes) of 198.4, I was able to do a running, one-foot jump and get just a tad higher than last time. Probably 3 1/2 inches or so above the rim.

Still guessing my ideal body weight for these goals is around 185, but it may be closer to 180. The question is whether I'll be able to get the weight down that low without losing too much lean mass and strength. It's possible, but perhaps not in the short time I've given myself.