Phase 1. Week 6. Squat

BW - 208

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
225X2
265X4, 1

High Bars - 185X8, 5

Fronts - 155X5, 5, 5

265X4 is a Rep PR, and beats my goal of 265X2 for the cycle.  Moving on to the next Phase for Squats.

Phase 2 will involve higher reps on the accessories, so I tested the High-Bars a bit on the first set.  Will be shooting for 2 sets of 8-10 with 185 going forward.

Out of gas for the Fronts.  Have to see if I have the energy to push these reps next phase.

Phase 1. Week 5. Accessory

BW - 208

Machine Pullovers - X15, 7 (straight-weight)

Chin-Ups (close, v-grip) - BWX5, 4, 4 (all paused at bottom)

Close-Grip Pulldowns - X12, 12, 8 (straight-weight)

DB Hammer Curls - 25sX12, 12, 12

EZ Bar Preacher Curls - 40ishX12, 12, 10

Head cold still fucking with me, but felt better after my workout.

Phase 1. Week 5. Deadlift

BW - 212

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X2
325X2, 1

Deficit Deadlift (45 lb. Plate) - 275X3, 3

RDL - 225X3, 3

BB Row - 135X10

Under the weather today, and everything felt heavy as shit and broke slow off the floor.  Goal for 325 is 2X3 and then 1X5.

The deficits still felt okay, so considering I'm sick, I'll take that as a good sign.

Out of gas for RDLs and Rows.

Phase 1. Week 5. Bench

BW - 210

Bench -
BarX15
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X7, 2

Cambered Bench -
155X2
135X5, 5

Incline Bench -
155X4, 4
135X7

185X7 is barely at my goal for this weight.  I went for an 8th, and the bar got back over my face way before lock-out.  Both I and my spotter thought I would have had the rep if I hadn't mis-grooved.  Nevertheless, I think I'll stay at this weight for next session.

All the accessory lifts felt heavy as hell, and I ended up backing off weight on both of them.  Wondering if it would be a good idea to stay at lower weight and hit higher reps on these for the rest of the cycle.  I'd actually planned on the opposite: Higher Weight, Lower Reps More sets through the end of the cycle, and then trying to use the same weights for Higher Reps, Less Sets and the beginning of the next, but maybe that's backwards.

Phase 1. Week 5. Squat

BW - 212

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
225X2
255X6, 3

High Bar - 185X5, 5, 5

Fronts - 155X5, 5, 3

255X6 is a Rep PR, and beats my program goal of 255X4.  Moving up next week.

Felt a little gassed after the low bar sets.  Managed to get 3X5 on High-Bars, but by the last set of Fronts I was done, and could only get 3 reps.

Oh, and my bodyweight ties a lifetime high.  I feel a lot healthier and a tad leaner than last time I hit that weight; about 2 years ago.

Phase 1. Week 4. Accessory

BW - 209

Machine Pullovers - X15, 15, 8

Chins (Close, V-Grip) - BWX5, 4, 3 (paused at bottom)

Close-Grip Pulldowns - X12, 11

BB Rows - 135X10, 5

Hammer Curls -
25sX12
30sX8
20sX12

Transitioning this day into a straight body-building style lats day.  My shoulders and elbows were starting to feel beat up, so I thought cutting out extra OHP and triceps work might be beneficial for now.  This routine is based mostly on Dorian Yates lat training.  By being almost total lats, there was no difficulty doing this the day after I deadlifted, however I may still prefer to have rows on the Deadlift day.

Pullovers, pulldowns and rows were all very strict with a strong concentric, squeeze at the contraction, and a controlled eccentric.  I stopped every set when I could no longer complete full ROM in this strict fashion.  An interesting note, my triceps were quite sore the next couple of days from the pullovers.

I'm hoping that doing pullovers to pre-exhaust my lats, and then pausing at the bottom of my chins will help the chins carryover to lat growth instead of just practicing the movement of chinning.

Phase 1. Week 4. Deadlift

BW - 209

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X4, 4

Deficit Deads - 275X3, 3, 3

RDL - 225X5, 5

Good session.  2 sets of 4 with 315 was my goal, so I will move up next week.

Deficit deads felt faster than ever.

Phase 1. Week 4. Bench

BW - 207

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X6, 3

Cambered Bench - 155X3, 3, 3

Incline - 155X5, 5, 5

Decent session.  Added a rep to each set of 185 over last week, and still without a spotter.  185X6 is a Rep PR.

Cambered bar bench is still very slow.  If this continues, I may look at backing down to 135 and busting out sets of 5.

Upped the weight on Incline back to 155, and that was fine.

Phase 1. Week 4. Squat

BW - 207

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
225X2
245X6, 3

High-Bar Squat - 185X5, 5, 5

Front Squat - 155X5, 5, 5

245X6 is a Rep PR.  Last rep was pretty slow, but I may have been able to get one more.  Beat my goal for this weight, so moving up next week.

First set with high-bars felt faster than they have.  Next week, I may be able to add a set or 2.

Phase 1. Week 3. Accessory

BW - 206

Press -
BarX10
65X5
95X3
115X6, 4

Chin-ups (close, v-grip) - BWX5, 3, 3, 3 (all paused at bottom)

Close-Grip Pulldowns - 2 sets of 10

Hammer Curls - 35sX14, 10, 8

Decent session.

115X6 ties a Rep PR, and was my goal for this weight.  Moving up next week.

The chins were all paused at the bottom, but weren't "dead-hang."  I kept my my scapula retracted and my elbows slightly bent at the bottom.

Tried some strict CG pulldowns to see how my lats would feel the next day.  Results are indeterminate.  I'm contemplating changing this day up a little bit to be a bit more of a body-building style lat day after the OHPs.  Meaning I might cut out chins for a while, or minimize their place in my lat training.

Phase 1. Week 3. Deadlift

BW - 208

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1 (mixed-grip)
305X4, 4 (mixed-grip)

Deficit Deads (45 lb. plate) - 275X3, 3, 3 (mixed-grip)

RDL - 225X3, 5

BB Rows - 135X10

Awesome session.

For the 305 I was either going to do 3X3 (like I did last week), or 2X4.  I would know which when I hit the 3rd rep of the 1st set at 305.  That rep felt very good, so I hit a 4th.  It was a little slower than I would have liked, but the 2nd set of 4 was even better.  So good, I thought about doing a 3rd, but I'd already planned to add a set to my next movement, so I moved on to make sure I had gas for that.

Speaking of which, the deficit deads felt very good.  Smooth and pretty fast.  Next session, if regular deads go well, I might try to bump these up to sets of 5.

RDLs are feeling better.  Still trying to be super strict with my knee angle.  Managed to get 5 when I went for it on the 2nd set.  Will try for 5 on both sets next week.

Only managed to get 10 again on Rows keeping everything strict and squeezing the rep at the top.

Phase 1. Week 3. Bench Press

BW - 208

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X5, 2

Cambered Bar Bench - 155X3, 3, 2

Incline - 135X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Felt under-slept and over-stressed coming into the gym today, and it may have contributed to a feeling of struggle throughout the session.

Nevertheless, 185X5 is a Rep PR.  This was without a spotter.  My goal for this weight is 8 reps.  My left elbow started bothering me a lot during the top sets.  Not the golfer's elbow that I've had, but more of an undefined, comprehensive ache.

The cambered sets were very difficult, and the elbow continued to ache.  Less reps per set than last session.

I dropped the incline down to 135, and did sets of 5 until they started to slow down.  Everything felt a little better after these.

Phase 1. Week 3. Squat

BW - 209

Squat -
BarX8 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
225X2
235X7, 3

High Bar - 185X5, 5, 5

Fronts - 155X5, 5, 5

Good session, especially for a Sunday morning.

235X7 hits my goal of beating 235X6 square on the head, and is also a Rep PR.  The last two reps were some of the slowest I've done, HOWEVER I've been avoiding weights where I slow down at the mid-point for a long time now, and I think it's time I get used to pushing through those.

Upped the volume slightly on the accessory squats.  As 3X5 gets easier at these weights, I'll look to add sets rather than increase weights.

Phase 1. Week 2. Accessory

BW - 209

Press -
BarX10
65X5
95X3
115X1
105X10, 3

Chins - BWX6, 7, 6, 5, 4

Dips - BWX10, 8, 8, 10

Hammer Curls -
25sX15
35sX12, 10, 8

105X10 is an all-around PR on the Press.

Phase 1. Week 2. Deadlift

BW - 209

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
305X3, 3, 3

Deficit Deads - 275X3, 3

RDL - 225X3, 3

BB Row - 135X10

All strap-less.  I can't remember for sure, but I think I only used mixed grip on the 275X2 set of Deads, and on both the deficit sets.

The 315 and 305 sets were way slower off the floor than I expected.  For now, I'm going to assume I need to re-acclimate to the movement after barely touching it through 12 weeks of the Big-15.  I will stay at 305 for my back-off sets until I'm satisfied with the speed on both those and the top single at 315.

Regarding my speed off the floor, it's convenient that I already had deficit deads programmed in here.  When I sat this up to have 3 heavy assistance movements on Deadlift day, I wasn't sure how many sets of each, so I limited it for this session to see what I had left in the tank by the end.  Based on this session, and my need for bottom-end work, I will add at least one more set to the deficits moving forward, and possibly more.

My hamstrings feel decently tight/sore today, so I'm going to leave the RDLs at 2 sets for now.  However, I may end up moving the rows to another day so I can do more quality volume, in which case I will add another set of RDLs here.

Phase 1. Week 2. Bench

BW - 210 (and a great Thanksgiving it was, too)

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1

175X10, 4

Cambered Bar Bench - 155X4, 3, 3

Incline - 155X3, 3, 3, 5

175X10 is an all-around PR and right at my goal for this weight.  Generally, I would like to beat the goal before moving up, but I hit this without a spotter, and with my low-back strain from last week still making itself known.  So I'm certain I could have gotten at least 1 more.

Upped the weight on the cambered bar bench now that I've tried it out once.  Reps had to come down a notch, but I'm going to leave it here and try to push them back up to sets of 5.

Incline felt a little bit stronger this week.  Really got into a groove on my 3rd set, so I added an extra set and was able to push that to 5.  155X5 is a Rep PR.

Phase 1. Week 1. Deadlift

BW - 205

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
275X4
super-set with
BW Hypers - X lots

Before I even touched a weight today, I bent over to grab a weight and pulled something in my back/hips.  I did a lot of hypers to keep it warm and get fluid in there, and tried to do my workout.  Everything was just super slow with the strain, though, even the 135 and 185 sets probably had 3 second concentrics.  The 315 was probably the slowest 315 I've ever pulled.  Hit one back-off set and some more hypers and shut it down to go recover.  Happy Thanksgiving to me.

Phase 1. Week 1. Bench

BW - 207

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1

175X7, 3

Cambered Bar Bench - 135X5, 5, 5

Incline - 155X3, 3, 3

175X7 is a Rep PR.

Took it real easy trying the cambered bar bench for the first time.  Because of the camber, I have to take a slightly wider grip than I do with normal bench.  Wanted to make sure to keep my elbows tight-ish and not internally rotate much, and also to make sure my shoulders were happy all the way through the movement.  In the end, the increased stretch on the shoulder feels pretty similar to the stretch in good, full dips.  I think the elbow tracking will be key in keeping it that way.

I didn't realize it until I checked just now, but 155X3 is actually a Rep PR on incline.  Hahahha.

Phase 1. Week 1. Squat

BW - 204

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2

225X8, 5

High Bar - 185X3, 3, 5

Fronts - 155X5, 3, 3

Everything felt nice and fast.

I was very tentative and highly cautious switching to High Bar and Fronts.  Unlike going from, say, flat bench to incline, I've found it to be a little dicey for me to go from low-bar back squats directly to work-sets of front squats in the past.  So this was a feeling out session in that regard.

225X8 was my goal for the squat, and ties a Rep PR (I didn't know that at the time or I would have gone for at least one more).  Move up to the next tier next session.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 6. Arms

BW - 206

BB Curls - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 12
super-set with
BB French Press - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 11

Ab Wheel - X10, 10

Couldn't find a free fucking pad anywhere in the gym, and doing the ab wheel on my bare knees was brutal. 

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 6. Bench

BW - 206

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1

165X10, 5

Chins (Close, V-Grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X6, 4
BWX7, 3

DB Bench - 65sX15, 6, 6, 5

Solid session.  I benched without a spotter, so cut the back-off set of bench at 10.  Feel confident I would have gotten at least 1 more with a spot, so I don't think this is really a step back from last week.  Also, I had trouble with my set-up.  The bench I was using had less 'grip' to it, and I had hard time getting set so that I could use leg-drive without sliding backwards on the bench.

Chins and DB Bench were all fine.  Similar to last week, with maybe a bit more volume thrown in.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 6. Shoulders

BW - 203

DB Laterals - 15sX15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
Face-Pulls - X15, 15, 15, 15, 15

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 6. High Bar

BW - 207

High Bar Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5
125X4
145X3
185X2
215X1

185X15

RDL -
135X12
155X10, 10, 8

Lunges - BWX20, 20, 100 (last set R/P)

Solid all around session.  Still skipping calf raises because of right food soreness.

185X15 is my cycle goal for High Bars.  This was by far the most comfortable I've felt with this movement.  Finally finding a good spot on my traps for the bar, and also moved my grip in and am using a thumbs-around.  Felt good and tight throughout the movements.  I think I've set a nice baseline for incorporating this movement into programming going forward.

On the other hand, RDLs are feeling uncomfortable without straps.  I actually did my last couple of sets mixed grip.  I'm working hard to keep my knees tight and stretch the hamstrings way out.  It was kind of exhausting, and I need to replace my lost straps.

Decided to just rest/pause my way up to 100 on the last set of lunges.  Why not.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Arms

BW - 204 (work gym)

DB Hammer Curls - 30s, 25s, 20s, 15sX20 each

Rope Extensions - X20, 20, 20, 12, 13 (straight weight)

Ab Wheel - X15, 15, 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Incline

BW - 206

Incline -
BarX20
75X5
95X4
115X3
145X2
155X1

145X16, 8

DB Press - 40sX15, 8, 6

Machine Pullovers - X15, 11, 10 (straight-weight)

BB Rows - 135X12, 9, 8, 6, 6

145X16 is an all-around PR on Inclines and beats my cycle goal of 145X15.  Good stuff.

Met my cycle goal of 40sX15 on DB OHP.  Cut it short after 3 sets because my shoulders were screaming.

Very, very strict on the pullovers and rows.  Sharp concentric, squeeze at the top, controlled eccentric.  My upper lats were burning at the end of the pullovers, and everything back there was on fire after the rows.

Good session.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Shoulders

BW - 204

DB Laterals - 15sX20, 20, 20, 15, 13
super-set with
Face-Pulls - X20, 20, 20, 20, 22

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Squats

BW - 204

Squats -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
225X2
255X1

215X12, 5

Single-Leg Curls - X15, 20, 18, 15

Single-Leg Press - 1ppsX23, 20, 20, 20

Three days off of hectic working, drinking, and staying up late lead to a sub-par Squat session.  Big surprise.  Moving along.

I'm gonna lay off the calf work for the rest of the cycle, because I've got a lingering pain in my right foot.  I'm a little nervous it's plantar fasciitis.

Pushed the single-leg work as hard as I could.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Arms

BW - 204

BB Curls - 40ishX20, 20, 20, 20, 15
super-set with
BB French Press - 40ishX20, 20, 20, 10, 14

Ab Wheel - X15, 15, 12, 10

Just tired today.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 5. Bench

BW - 205

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
105X4
125X3
155X2
175X1

165X12, 3

Chins (close, v-grip) -
BWX5
+25X2, 2
+45X1

+25X6, 3
BWX7, 5, 5

DB Bench - 65sX15, 6, 6

Good session.

165X12 is a Rep PR and my goal for the cycle.  I got a 13th rep, but the spotter had his fingers on the bar, and I have no idea how much he may have helped.

I tried to switch some stuff up with the chins by running up faster and to a heavier single.  I was hoping that would leave more in the tank for the back-offs AND make them feel even lighter.  Didn't work out this time, and so I added a couple more BW sets to make up for the lost volume.

65sX15 is my cycle goal for the DB Bench.

2 goals hit to start Week 5.  Good stuff.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 4. Shoulders

BW - 204

DB Laterals - 25sX10, 10, 10, 10, 12
super-set with
Face-Pulls - X10, 10, 10, 10, 15

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 4. Squat

BW - 204

Standing Calves - 3 sets of 15

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
225X2
255X1

215X15, 6

Standing Leg Curls - 3 sets of 12-15

Single-Leg Press - 1ppsX20, 20, 20

Good session, but exhausting.

215X15 is a Rep PR and is in the ball-park of projected 1RM increase.  Also my first time getting 6 reps on the back-off set with this weight.  Took a video to check in on my adjusted low-bar form:

I'm going to have to watch this several more times before I have a take-away though.  I think most of the reps look good, but I need to get into it in more detail.

I was tuckered out after this and cut the assistance down to 3 sets each.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 4. Arms

BW - 204

BB Curls - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
EZ Bar French Press - 60ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Ab Wheel - 5 sets of 15

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 4. Bench

BW - 200

Bench -
BarX10
85X5
105X4
125X3
155X2
175X1

165X11, 4

Chins (close, v-grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X8, 5
BWX8

DB Bench - 60sX20, 11, 9, 6

Good session.  It was early in the morning so I kept having to check myself from zoning out, and renew my focus.  Otherwise really nice.

165X11 is a Rep PR on bench, and 1 rep off my target for the cycle.

Chins had a general increase in volume across the three back-off sets.  No PR, but more reps per set than last time.  That's nice, because these had been trailing off a bit over the last few sessions.

Similarly with the DB Bench, I managed to up the overall volume across the 4 sets over what I'd done the last couple of sessions.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 4. Shoulders

BW - 201

DB Laterals - 20sX15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
Face-Pulls - 5 sets of 15

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 4. High Bar Squat

BW - 201

Seated Calves - 3 sets of 15

HB Squat -
BarX10 (Paused)
95X5
125X4
145X3
185X2
215X1

185X12

RDL -
135X12
155X12
185X10

Lunges - BWX20, 20, 20

Had to cut the last 2 movements short because of fielding phone calls related to family issues.

185X12 is an all-around PR on high-bars.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 3. Arms

BW - 203

BB Curls - 40ishX15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
EZ Bar French Press - 40ishX15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Ab Wheel - 5 sets of 14

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 3. Incline

BW - 204

Incline -
BarX20
75X5
95X4
115X3
145X2
155X1

135X18, 10

DB Press - 35sX15, 10, 10, 9

Pullover Machine - 3 sets of 15

BB Rows - 135X10, 8, 8, 7

Deadlift (practice) -
135X5
185X4
225X3 (mixed-grip, right hand)
275X2 (mixed-grip, left hand)
315X1 (double-overhand, held for 12 sec.)

Nice session; a lot of fun.  The 2nd pressing day has consistently been my favorite day on the Big-15 program.

135X18 is an all-around PR on Inclines.  I mis-read my notes, though, and I was supposed to back-off with 145.  I'll move that up next time.

DB Pressing felt "good" in that bodybuilding way where everything burns and is uncomfortable, and you miss all your last reps.

Added one more plate to every set of pullovers.  Still squeezing the contraction, and controlling the eccentric. 

My back really feels 'ready to go' on rows after the pullovers.  135X10 is actually a Rep PR on hanging BB Rows.  Mostly always fucked around with Pendlays before.  Again, these were very strict with a fixed back angle, squeezing the contraction into my torso, and stopping each set when I couldn't touch the bar that way anymore.

Deadlift practice was good.  Although I couldn't hold the final rep as long as last time.  All the reps felt really fucking strong, though.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 3. Squat

BW - 203

Calf Raises - 3 sets of 15+

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
225X2
255X1

215X13, 5

Standing, Single-leg curls -
3 non-stop sets of 12
1 set of 15 (failure)

Single-leg press - 1ppsX20, 20, 15, 12

13th rep on Squats was slow, but smooth through-out.  Rep PR.

Got a good pump on the leg curls, and the single-leg presses were stronger this week.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 3. Bench

BW - 202

Bench -
BarX10
85X5
105X4
125X3
155X2
175X1

165X10.75!, 5

Chins (close, v-grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X5
BWX10, 7

DB Bench - 60sX18, 11, 9, 5

Early morning sessions are often dicey for me as my body doesn't feel like it's 'going' yet. 

This is the first time I think I've ever missed a bench at lock-out.  I was SOOOO close to that 11th rep.  I think grinding and failing on that one took a chunk out of me for the rest of the session.

On chins I felt so weak on the back-off with 25, that I didn't want to gut out a 50% set of 2-3, so I dropped the weight and pounded out some more BW chins to up the total volume over last session.

I pushed the 1st set of DB bench a little farther also trying to up the over-all volume, but my strength was leaving me pretty quickly at this point as evidenced by the final set being only 5 reps (failed on the 6th).

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 2. Shoulders

BW - 202

DB Laterals - 25sX10, 10, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
Face-Pulls - 5 sets of 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 2. Squat

BW - 199

Standing Calves - 3 sets of 15

Squat -
BarX10 (Paused)
95X5 (Paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
225X2
255X1

215X12, 5

Single-Leg Curls - X20, 15, 15, 10

Single-Leg Press - 1ppsX15, 20, 15, 15

215X12 is a Rep PR.  The changes I've made to my form are becoming a bit more natural.  Also, I didn't have the pain in my left quad this time, so that's good.  My right-leg felt like it caved significantly on the last rep of the 12, so I focused hard on 'knees-out' in the back-off set.

Single-leg curls can eat a dick.  Single-leg press was better this time without the quad pain.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 2. Shoulders and Arms

BW - 201

DB Laterals - 20sX15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
Face-Pulls - 5 sets of 15

BB Curls - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
EZ Bar French Press - 50ishX10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Ab Wheel - 5 sets of 12

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 2. Bench

BW - 200

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
105X4
135X3
155X2
175X1

165X10, 5

Chins (close, v-grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X6, 3
BWX8

DB Bench - 60sX15, 12, 10, 8

Good session.  165X10 is a Rep PR on bench.

I didn't hit any Rep PRs on Chins or DB Bench, but I increased the total volume in the work sets over last session.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 2. High Bar Squats

BW - 197

Seated Calves - 90X15, 140X15, 110X15

High Bars -
BarX15
85X5
105X4
125X3
155X2
185X1
155X20

RDL -
135X15
185X12, 12, 9

Lunges - BWX26, 20, 20, 20

Trying High-Bars for the first time.  I programmed conservatively, and I clearly can bump the #s up a tad.  An old bugaboo reared it's head however.  On one of the reps during the 155X20, I got over my toes AND lost tightness at the bottom.  This always results in a low-back strain.  It's not too bad, as it happened on or around rep 8 and I was able to go to 20.  I've done this to myself a couple of times before front squatting, so I'm familiar with the problem and how bad it can get.  Should be okay to squat again when it comes around in a few days.

Otherwise, I like the high-bar squatting.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 1. Arms

BW - 202

BB Curls - 40isX15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
EZ Bar French Press - 45ishX15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 1. Incline

BW - 200

Incline -
BarX20
65X5
85X4
95X3
115X2
135X1

125X20, 10

DB Press - 30sX15, 12

Machine Pullovers - 3 sets of 15

BB Rows - 135X8, 8, 7, 7

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3 (mixed-grip)
275X2 (mixed-grip)
315X1 (double-overhand and held: 18 sec.)

So it turns out that having Incline first in a session makes a BIG difference.  My goal going into this cycle was to Incline 125X15, hahahaha.  Now that I've blown that out of the water, I'll up the weight on the next session.  Big all around PR.

When I get the working weight dialed in on Incline, I'll probably add in more sets of DB OHP.  Or maybe not.  My goal for the cycle is 40sX15.

We've got an old-school pull-over machine at my gym.  Inspired by Dorian Yates love for the thing, I asked Paul Carter about including it in this cycle, and he suggested a few sets as a warm-up for rowing.  That's basically how Yates had it as well.  Hard squeeze on the contraction and slow negative on all reps.

Rows were controlled and super-strict, squeezed at the top, and I stopped when I could barely touch my chest with the bar.

Deadlift practice was fine.  Getting in some mixed-grip practice, but also getting some grip work at the end.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 1. Shoulders and Arms

BW - 198

DB Laterals -
25sX20
20sX20, 15, 15
super-set with
Face-Pulls - 5 sets of 20

BB Curl -
40ishX20, 20, 20
30ishX20, 20
super-set with
EZ Bar French Press - 40ishX20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Ab Wheel - 3 sets of 10

Missed the 1st small session, so I wrapped it together with this one.  Hopefully it won't negatively impact my Pressing day today.

Started off too heavy with the laterals.  Will try with the 25s on X15 day.

Don't know what the short bars weigh.  Started off with a 10 on each side of the straight-bar for curls, and dropped it to a pair of 5s.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 2. Week 1. Bench and Squat

Saturday -
BW - 196

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
105X4
125X3
155X2
175X1

165X8, 5

Chins (V-Grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X7, 3
BWX5

DB Bench -
60sX20, 8
55sX9, 7

Monday -
BW - 200

Calf Raises - 3 sets of 15

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
225X2
255X1

215X10, 5

Standing Leg Curls - X20, 20, 20, 12 (each leg; no rest between 1st and 2nd, and 3rd and 4th sets)

Single-Leg Press - 1ppsX15, 15, 15, 12 (per leg)

Back into it after a week off.  I went very low carb during my down week and dropped around 5 lbs.  What makes that interesting is that 165X8 on bench is a Rep PR.  My previous best was 165X7 at 203.  So a PR even at the leverage disadvantage.

I videoed my chins to see if I was cheating or cutting them high.  I have mixed feelings about what I see in the video.  On my phone it looked bad, but it looks okay on a larger screen.  Think I will first try keeping my heels back towards my butt and see how that feels/looks.

My goal for the cycle on DB Bench is 65sX15.  Should be close to that now, and will switch to them next session.

I'm still playing around a lot with squat form, and it was going pretty well on the first session back, but then I started having some pain at the top of my left quad.  It was particularly limiting on the back-off set with 215 where the weight felt fine, but the pain limited me.  Here's a vid of the 175X3 set that I took to check my form mid-way through:

Getting a bit more sit-back, and the depth is still good.

Standing single-leg curls were particularly brutal trying to go back and forth with no rest. 

Left quad pain was still there for the single-leg presses, but I think pushing through them may have helped.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Mini-Review

Quick and minimal results and a few notes from the 1st round of Big-15 training on the LRB-365 program:

Bench - Goal met: 155X15.  I labored in the X13-14 range for a couple weeks, and finally hit this during my final bench session.
DB Bench - Goal met: 60sX15.  Got it at the end, and also hit 55sX20 the week before.
DB Incline - Goal met: 55sX15.  Got this 1/2 way through the cycle.

Squat - Goal met: 205X15.  Hit this on week 3, and got up to 205X17.
Front Squat - Goal met: 125X20.  Got X19 in Week 2, and hit X20 in Week 4.

Chins - Goal met: BW+25X10.  This was an ugly set, but I got it.  May need to start filming these to see if I'm cheating them.  These were all shoulder-width, neutral-grip.
DB Rows - Goal met: 75sX12.  Got it in the final week.  In the previous session, two weeks prior, I got 70X10 for 4 sets across.

Seated PBN - No goal set because I hadn't really done them before.  Hit 95X15 for an all-around Rep PR for all types of PBN, and right around my Rep PR for all OHP.

All the lifts listed above were Rep PRs, and most project to increased 1RM.

In addition, I had my 36th birthday in this time and did my birthday squats that I started last year.  Got 135X36.  125X35 the year before.  Not a major increase but these are mostly a mental effort, excepting that the low- and mid-back fatigue in a way that they don't with lower rep squatting.

Also, on my final Squat day I'd had a few days off and had a week off coming up.  Rather than do the prescribed light hamstring and single-leg assistance, I opted to have some extra fun.  I did something I've never done before which was do all three powerlifts in the same session. 

Because most of my real worksets for a year or so had been in higher-rep ranges.  I decided to just work up to new 2-Rep PRs.  To be clear, I didn't work up to 2RM, but rather I knew I was so much stronger than my previous best 2 rep lifts on Bench and Dead that I just decided to top them both by 10 lbs. 

For Bench that was 185X2, and for Deadlift 325X2.  Bench in particular was ridiculously easy.  Deadlift was a little bit harder, but I had just done a high-rep Squat workout, hahahaha.  Anyway, 185 is projected as my 5-7 RM on bench, and 325 as my 4RM on Deadlift.  So like I said, these weren't humongous efforts, but rather just having some fun bringing my Rep records more in line with the current reality.

Looking forward to the 2nd cycle!

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 6. Squat

BW - 202

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X16, 6

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
135X3
155X2
175X2
185X2

Deadlift -
135X5
185X3
225X2 (mixed-grip from here)
275X2
315X2
325X2

I had to take three days off from the gym before this session, so I was hungry as hell to lift.  I've also got this next week off before I start the 2nd Big-15 cycle.  So I decided that doing leg curls and BW lunges after my squatting wasn't going to cut it.  I realized later that this is the first time I've ever done all 3 lifts in one session.

Squats were okay.  After looking at the videos I started taking recently, I think my mechanics are way off for low-bar.  I've been breaking hard at the knees and they've been traveling past my toes, my torso is too vertical, and my depth way past parallel.  Basically I think I've been high-bar squatting with a low-bar setup.  I started trying to correct that with this session and taking video of the low-rep work-sets (form breakdown is pretty common for me with high rep squats, and that's why I didn't video those):

A little bit of progress here, although these still "feel" high to me despite all being well past parallel.  I'll keep working on this.

For bench and deadlift, I looked at my rep records and decided that I had plenty of head-room to set 2-rep PRs in both.  This was NOT working up to a 2-rep max.  I simply could see from the data that I was much stronger than my best 2-rep lifts.

With bench the 185X2 was smooth and fast as hell.  It actually felt easier than the 175X2 before it.  Right now 185 projects to be around my 5 rep max, and it definitely felt strong.  This was great.

For Deadlift, it was a little bit different.  For one thing, the previous two lifts, particularly the squats, had taken some wind out of my sails.  For another, Pandora would only play hip-hop and punk on my gym station, and I really wanted some Slayer hahahahaha.  So 335X1 is my best ever deadlift, and I've hit that a couple of times.  However, I've done 315X5 also, and 315X1 a million times and fast.  So I was pretty sure that it should be there for me without much trouble, but Deadlift is such a beautifully enigmatic monster, that there was a niggle of concern.  I knew it would be mixed grip so I switched to it early.  Chalked up well for the last two sets.  315X2 was fast and easy, but my back and glutes were feeling fatigued, and the mixed-grip was feeling unusually foreign.  I wish I'd grabbed a video for myself though, because the 325X2 was smooth and authoritative.  I love deadlifting.

Next day, and I'm pretty damn sore from all this.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 6. Arms

BW - 204* (office gym)

DB Curls - 30sX10, 10, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
DB Overhead Extension - 45X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Ab Wheel - X14, 14, 14, 10

The two benches at the office gym were occupado, so I couldn't do the incline curls or the PJRs.  No biggie, just busted out some similar standing work.

Remembered there's an ab wheel there this time, too.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 6. Shoulders and Bench

Saturday -
BW - 202

Upright Rows - 60X15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
DB Rear Delts - 25sX15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Sunday -
BW - 207

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
145X2
165X1

155X15, 4

Chins -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X6, 3
BWX7

DB Incline - 55sX15, 12, 8, 8, 8

Ate my ass off all day Saturday and Sunday morning.  155X15 was the only goal for the cycle I hadn't hit, and this was my last chance to hit it.  I wanted to make sure I had plenty of fuel, and also hoped I might get a little leverage advantage as well.  The result was my heaviest weigh-in since April 2012.  Oh, and I also hit my bench goal, which is an all-around PR.  That's every goal for the cycle hit.

Weight gain made chins a bit rough, though, hahahahaha.

Was able to stay with the 55s for every Incline set, which was a minor goal for this session.  Happy about that as well.

Birthday Squats

BW - 202

Squat -
BarX10
95X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
205X1

135X36

10 more lbs. and (obviously) one more rep than last year.  Just like last year, the two main obstacles are the mental aspect and low back cramping.  Between 15 and 25 reps, my mind insists there is no way I'm going to make it to 36.  Right around 25, my low back starts cramping up so that I have to kind of stand straight up at the top of each rep and round my upper back so that I can support the bar but relax my erectors for a couple of seconds.  At about 28, it becomes all determination, and I just drive on to the last rep.

One other thing I played around with is that when my legs started getting tired, I would shift my toes to point more forward.  This seems to distribute the load across the thigh musculature a bit differently, and I think it gave some muscles a bit of a break while recruiting others to soldier on.

I also ate a lot and drank a lot of coffee today in preparation.   We got free samples of breakfast sandwiches sent to work by a catering company, and I had 5 over the course of the day.

See you again next year for 37, birthday squats.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 5. Arms

BW - 202 (away gym scale)

DB Incline Curls - 30sX15, 15, 15, 10, 12 (higher incline on last rep)
super-set with -
PJR Pullovers - 45X15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Worked out at the office gym.  They've actually got an ab wheel I think, but I totally forgot to use it.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 5. Press

BW - 202

PBN -
BarX15
65X5
75X4
95X2
105X1

95X15, 8

DB Rows -
65X10
75X12, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
DB Bench - 60sX15, 8, 8, 8

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1

Good session.  95X15 is an all-around PR on behind the neck work, and close to a PR on all overhead work.  I wonder what my regular press looks like these days?

75X12 is an all-around PR on 1-arm rows, and 60sX10 is a rep PR on DB Bench.  The DB bench was real hard.  Probably because of the PBN.

I worked up a bit higher on Deadlift practice.  I don't really feel like I'm getting much work in until 275 anymore, but 315 is the point where double-overhand gets dicey.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 5. Arms and Squat

Friday -
BW - 200

Incline DB Curls - 25sX20, 20, 20, 20, 20
super-set with
PJR Pullovers - 40X20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Ab wheel - X14, 14, 14, 14, 12

Sunday -
BW - 199

Standing Calves - 3 sets of 15

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X17, 5
145X10

Leg Curls - X20, 20, 15, 12
super-set with
Lunges - BWX20, 20, 18, 18

Was pretty run down on Squat day from a fundraiser I went to the night before.  Had a good time, but I was out late and got a bit drunk, and that always makes for a dicey squat day.  Nevertheless, 205X17 is a PR.  Every single rep of it sucked.  Couldn't even gut out more than 10 with the 145 prep for birthday squats.  Could have just taken my PR and gone home.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 5. Bench

BW - 201

Bench -
BarX10
85X5
95X4
115X3
142X2
165X1

155X13, 4

Chins (shoulder-width, neutral grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X10, 4
BWX7

DB Incline -
55sX15, 13, 6
45sX10, 10, 10

Two weeks now since I hit 155X14 on bench.  I've only managed 13 reps the last two sessions.  Only one more session to try and hit my cycle goal of 155X15.

My set up is close-grip, with a tight arch with my neck and traps on the bench (but not my scapulae at all) and that has my butt basically floating on the bench and not being supported by it, and my heels are barely touching the ground.  Almost all my reps are paused on the chest, although the pause sometimes gets lost as I push limit reps. The guy that spotted me was between bench sets where he was flat footed, flat back, elbows flared and stopping all reps a couple inches above his chest.  He was doing rep sets with 315.  This has had me all twisted for about 16 hours now, but I've about talked myself back from the ledge.  I swear to god though, if I don't lock out a full rep with 225 in the next 12 months...

+25X10 is an all-around PR for all chinning.  Not saying they were the prettiest reps.

I hit my cycle goal of 55sX15 on DB Incline last time, so now I'm capping the first set there, and working to bring the subsequent sets up.  Significantly more volume over last session.  Would like to get 15 reps on my 2nd set next session.  Something like 15, 15, 8, and I would be ecstatic about 15, 15, 10 and being able to stay with the 55s for the 4th and 5th sets.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 4. Shoulders

BW - 200

Upright Rows - 70X10, 10, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
DB Rear Delts - 30sX10, 10, 10, 10, 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 4. Squat

BW - 201

Calf Raises - 310X15, 15; 305X15

Squats -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X16, 7
145X15

Leg Curls - X20, 18, 15, 15
super-set with
Lunges - BWX20, 20, 20, 20

205X16 is an all-around PR, and 16, 7 is a volume PR on the 50% set.  I'd been worried that the 245X1 sets had felt wonky, so I videoed it, and it ended up being smooth as hell.  Psychological maybe.

The super-sets were kind of far apart because I was spotting a guy through his bench session.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 4. Arms

BW - 201

Incline DB Curls - 35sX10, 10, 10, 10, 10
super-set with
PJR Pullovers - 50X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12, 12, 12

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 4. Shoulders and Bench

Friday-
BW - 200

Upright Rows - 60X15, 15, 15, 15, 15
super-set with
DB Rear Delts - 25sX15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Got a little more density in my volume here.

Sunday-
BW - 203

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
142X2
165X1

155X13, 4

Chins (shoulder-width, neutral grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X8, 5
BWX7

DB Incline -
55sX16, 9
50sX8
45sX8, 8, 8

Spent 9 hours yesterday at a music festival standing around in the sun and drinking beer.  I did okay on getting some food and water in, but between that and having one-to-many cups of coffee before training, my bench day got off to a bit of a shaky start.

That being said, being off 2 reps total on my 50% sets on bench from last session isn't really worrisome.  I've got two more bench sessions on this cycle, and my goal is 15 reps.  Still confident I'll get there.

Matched my chins from last time, but it was a grind.

And I hit my DB Incline goal +1!  I'll probably just stay with the 55s and keep pushing the first set, while working to stay at that weight on subsequent sets and get 8+ reps per set.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 4. Front Squats

BW - 202

Seated Calves - 140X15, 15, 15

Front Squat -
BarX10
65X5
85X4
95X3
125X2
145X1

125X20

Squat - 145X15

RDL -
135X10
225X12
185X9

Leg Press - 3ppsX15, 15, 15, 15

125X20 is an all-around PR on Fronts.  Legs were shay-kee.  This will actually be my last Front Squat session of the cycle.  I have one more day scheduled, but I'm using that day for my Birthday Squats.  Deciding now whether to do Fronts again on the next cycle, or try out High-Bar Squats for the first time.

One back-off set of back squats in prep for B-Day Squatting.

On RDLs the warm-up set with 135 felt fine, but as soon as I started my first rep with 225 something felt wrong.  There was pain radiating from, or into my low back on the left side.  I finished the set, and dropped weight, but got no relief that way.  There was no aggravation in that area before the 225, and there have been no issues since I aborted the movement.  I even did some band work at home later on, and felt nothing.  This is frustrating because this movement is one of the big stand-ins for developing my deadlift strength on this program, so not being able to do all my work-sets is delaying that development.  Also, I've got a history of low-back strains when I'm doing Front Squats and DB Rows, and I've done both this week.  But with no incident on those actual movements, it's impossible to tell if they are related.   Lame.

I was determined to get 15 reps on every set of Leg Presses, and they were brutal after the first set.  Nice.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 3. Arms

BW - 201

Incline DB Curls - 30sX15, 15, 15, 12, 13
super-set with
PJR Pullovers - 45X15, 15, 15, 15, 15

Skipped abs like a punk.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 3. Press

BW - 203

PBN -
BarX10, 10
65X4
75X3
95X2
105X1

95X14, 7

DB Rows - 60sX10
70sX12, 12, 12, 12
super-set with
DB Bench - 55sX20, 12, 10, 10

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
245X2
275X1

Fighting a cold.

95X14 is an all-around PR in Behind-The-Neck work.

Tried super-setting the DB work.  Much sweating resulted.  20 reps with the 55s is a PR.  Getting 12 reps on all four work-sets on the rows is an improvement on last session.  Ready to hit my cycle goals next time of 60sX15 on DB Bench, and 75X12 on Rows.

Even tired from this other work, and with this bastarding cold, I was able to focus on my deadlift form, and the 275 was still fast.  Feeling good about adding this in, and how I added it.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 3. Shoulders

BW - 203

Upright Rows - 50X20, 20, 20, 15, 15
super-set with
Rear Delt Raises - 20sX20, 20, 18, 15, 15

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 3. Arms and Squats

Friday
BW - 202

Incline DB Curls - 25sX20, 20, 20, 20, 15 (30 sec. rests)

PJR Pullovers - 40X20, 20, 20, 18, 15 (30 sec. rests)

Ab Wheel - 12, 12, 12, 12, 10

Saturday
BW - 202

Calf Raises - 305X15, 15, 15

Squats -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X15, 6
145X15

Leg Curls - X20, 18, 18, 15
super-set with
Lunges - BWX20, 20, 20, 20

Stretched my triceps out really well before the pullovers by tying a band low on a squat rack, grabbing it behind my head and slowly stepping away from the rack.  Take a step, hold for 15-20 seconds, take another step.  Right triceps still got sore at the shoulder, but it seemed to help, and my triceps isn't nearly as sore there the next day.

205X15 is a big all-around PR since I rest to squat deeper last year.  If I get 18 reps, that would represent my best all-time lift.

I've got my birthday coming up at the end of the month, and just like last year I'm going to do my Birthday Squats.  Last year I squatted 125X35 for my 35th, and this year I'm aiming for 135X36.  So I'll be doing 145XAMAP sets at the end of all my squats to get ready for it.

Decided to super-set my leg curls and lunges.  Pretty good/hard.  Drastically reduced the number of lunges because my quads had so much less time to recover from the squats.  Bodybuilding, y'all.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 3. Bench

BW - 203

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
145X2
165X1

155X14, 5

Chins (shoulder-width, neutral grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X8, 4
BWX7

DB Incline -
50sX20, 12, 8, 7
45sX6

155X14 is an all-around PR on Bench.  The gym owner (former BP champ) spotted me on the set of 14.  As I was straining under the 14th rep he was cuing me to drive the bar back towards my face, and that made a big difference.  Looking back at some video from a couple weeks ago, I can see that I'm locking out just a tad in front of my shoulder joint.  Good to know!

203 (BW) +25X8 is a Rep PR on chins.

Rep PR on DB Inclines, but the strength drop-off after the 1st set is still pretty awful, and the 1st set was NOT to failure. I'm going to keep capping it at 20 until I get over 15 reps on the 2nd set.  Then I'm going to move up to the 55s.  My goal for the cycle is 55sX15.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 2. Shoulders

BW - 200

Upright Rows - 70X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

DB Rear Delts - 30sX10, 10, 10, 10, 10

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 2. Arms and Squats

Sunday
BW - 198 (bah)

Incline DB Curls - 35sX10, 10, 10, 10, 8

PJR Pullovers - 55sX10, 10, 6 (aborted)

Single-arm cable pull-overs with my right arm - minimal weightXlots

Ab Wheel - 5 sets of 10

Monday
BW - 200 

Calf Raises - 285X15, 305X15, 15

Squats -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X12, 5

Leg Curls - X20, 20, 14, 12

Lunges - BWX30, 30, 26, 20

Triceps strain in my right shoulder was really acting up at the bottom of each pullover rep.  I hoped it would start to get better from the work, but it didn't so I shut it down and tried to just get some blood through it with some high-rep isolation.  Feels much better today.

The 245X1 on squats was all fucked up.  I think my mind wandered, and I got way out over my toes out of the hole and had to Good Morning it up.  I almost took it again, but wanted to get on to the real work.  205X12 is a Rep PR and my 2nd highest projected 1RM since I reset to lower depth in the Summer of '12.  Still sucking wind toward the end of the 1st set, and sucking wind with shaky knees all through the 50% set.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 2. Shoulders and Bench

Friday
BW - 199 (this seems inappropriate)

Upright Rows - 60X15, 15, 15, 15, 12 (45 sec. rests)

DB Rear Laterals - 25sX15, 15, 15, 12, 12 (45 sec. rests)

Saturday 
BW - 201 (1/2 a large pizza, 2 bowls of jambalaya, 4 chicken legs, and a bowl of orange sherbet between sessions helped a little)

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
145X2
165X1
155X12, 4

Chins (shoulder-width, neutral grip) -
 BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1
+25X9, 3
BWX6

DB Incline -
50sX19, 10, 5
40sX9, 9

Weight has been holding steady at 200 for a week or so, and then dipped down, so I ate it back up.

Both myself and my spotter lost track of the # of reps on my back-off set.  I lost track around 10 or 11, and then got 1 or 2 more.  My spotter said "Not sure, I think like 14."  But I told him I was going for 13, and I think he was just being 'positive.'  I'll just assume I matched last week and move forward.

201 (BW)+25X9 is a Rep PR.  Interestingly, my right triceps was feeling aggravated by this movement.  I guess the triceps does cross  the shoulder (see: Rolling Triceps Extensions), and my triceps have had a lot of soreness so far on this program, plus the bench beforehand...it was just weird.

I upped the weight on the DB Inclines a bit.  The effect here was like 50% sets with the 50s though.  Instead of stopping after the 5 rep set, or gutting out a couple more sets of 5-or-less sets, I decided to drop the weight and get some better volume.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 2. Front Squats

BW - 200

Standing Calf Raises - 3 sets of 15

Front Squats -
BarX10
65X5
85X4
95X3
125X2
145X1
125X19

RDL -
135X10
225X12, 8, 8, 11 (straps on last set)

Leg Press - 3ppsX15, 12, 12, 11

Remembered to do the calf raises this time.

125X19 is a Rep PR by default as I've never done high-rep fronts.  It's right at or above a projected 1RM increase as well.  Honestly, I think 20 was do-able, but it's my conditioning that's holding me back.  I've upped my walking frequency the last few weeks, and I'm hoping my wind starts to catch up to my strength so I can squeeze some more out of these high-rep squat days.

I did the front squats in clean position, and I think the strain on my wrists diminished my grip strength for RDLs.  Grip was a limiting factor on all 3 sets until I added straps for the 4th.

I think 3ppsX15 is a good baseline for narrow-stance leg pressing after high-rep front squats.  I'll keep working to push the reps on that weight.  On the last set, I though my right VMO was going to pop clean off.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 1. Arms

BW - 200 (holding remarkably steady)

Incline DB Curls - 30sX15, 15, 13, 10, 10 (45 sec. rests)

PJR Pullovers - 50X15, 15, 12, 10, 8 (45 sec. rests)

Ab Wheel - 10, 8, 10, 9, 9

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 1. Press

BW - 200

PBN (seated) -
BarX10, 10
55X4
65X3
85X2
95X1

85X17, 8

DB Rows -
60sX12
70sX12, 9, 8, 8

DB Bench - 55sX18, 11, 8, 7

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
245X2
275X1

Um...I think this is the first time I've ever done seated PBNs.  Is that weird?

The hardest part of these is unracking them by myself.  My shoulders felt...vulnerable in that position, so I started leaning back a little and that seemed to help.  85X17 is an all-around PR in BTN pressing.  Are you supposed to be stronger seated vs. standing? 

DB Rowing felt more stable than it ever has in the past.  No low back discomfort like I've had in the past with them, however my abs started cramping up at the top of the rep on the last couple of sets.  I redoubled my focus on keeping my shoulders steady, and that seemed to help.  My goal for the cycle is 75sX12+.  Should get there, and go past it, although this pressing day only happens 3 times in the 6 week cycle.

18 reps with the 55s is an all-around PR on DB Benching.  My goal for the cycle is 60sX15+.  Again, should get there even with only 3 sessions.

I am NOT supposed to be Deadlifting on the Big-15, however I don't feel confident that my technique is settled, much less ingrained enough to justify taking 3+ months off from pulling.  So I will do maintenance pulls during these sessions.  275 is only 87% of my EVERYDAY Max, and, once again, this programmed day only occurs every other week.

Today with the pull, I worked on something Paul Carter's been talking about which is finding the spot where your hips don't get so low that your shoulders and knees get away from the bar path.  This seems to involve a more vertical shin position for me, but with the shins still already touching the bar at the start.  Another big difference is that this has my chest starting off down a bit more, and so I have to cue chest up even harder after the pull starts to keep a neutral spine.  The 275 was fast, but it should be, and therefore it's hard to judge the form tweaks. 

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 1. Shoulders

BW - 200

Upright Rows - 55X20, 18, 15, 12, 10 (30 sec. rests)

DB Rear Delts - 20sX20, 18, 15, 12, 10 (30 sec. rests)

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 1. Arms and Squats

Friday-
BW - 200

Incline DB Curls - 30sX20, 15, 12, 10, 8

PJR Pullovers -
40X20
50X17, 13, 12, 8

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 8, 8, 8

Saturday-
BW - 200

Squats -
BarX12 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X11, 6

Leg Curls - X20, 15, 12, 10

Lunges - BWX30, 20, 20, 20

Woo-ee.  I wish I didn't end up with hangovers so much on squat days.  Between that and not having kept up with my conditioning, today was a shaky, sweaty, brutal affair. HOWEVER, 205X11 is a Rep PR.  And this is more full squat volume than I've had in over a year.

Forgot to do the 3 sets of calves before squats.

On the small session of arms the day before, I probably went a little heavier than I should have.  Think I'll stay at these same weights for the X15 day.

Ab strength has dropped off the last couple months.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 1. Bench

BW - 200

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
145X2
165X1

155X12, 5

Chins (shoulder-width/neutral grip) -
BWX5
+15X5
+20X3, 3
+25X2
+30X1

+25X6, 4
BWX8

DB Incline - 45sX21, 12, 11, 10

1st session on the Big-15 cycles.  This will run for two 6-week cycles.  Looking forward to it.

155X12 is an all-around PR.  My goal on bench this cycle is to hit 155 for 15 or more.  I should hit that, and possibly fairly quickly.  If I hit 15 before the 6 weeks are up, I think I will continue to rep 155 for the rest of cycle 1, but possibly bump up the warm-up weights to a top single at 175, or my previous Everyday Max.  I would like to hit 225X1 sooner rather than later in the next year, and while 155X15 technically projects to that, I figure I can milk 155 for a few reps above that to help cement the musculature I will need when I finally attempt it.

This was my first time doing weighted chins, so these are all PRs to some degree, but really more like baselines.  My goal for the 6 weeks will be to hit BW+25X10.  Again, if I hit that before the 6 weeks are up, I will just keep pushing the reps.  Jesus, anything over 10 is usually a decent chinning-day for me anyhow.  Maybe this will help change that.

Another thing I will be doing for the 1st phase will be focusing on DB movements for a lot of the assistance/accessory work.  I've largely stayed away from that stuff for compound movements the last couple of years, and I think at least this 1st body-building phase is a good opportunity to explore them, and with gusto.  My initial goal is set at 55sX15 for Incline, but because it's such an under-used movement for me, it could ramp up really quickly, so if I hit 55X15+ next week and the week after, I will bump the weight up.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short (and LRB Split). In Review

My goals for the LRB Split and Strong-15 Short Cycle boil down to:
1)  Chase Rep PRs in assistance work to build supporting musculature.
2)  Focus on the Squat overall.
3)  Eat real food, prepared by myself as much as possible, and try to eat "normally."

More detail on each of these.

1)  Rep PRs.  I covered a lot of the Rep PRs under the LRB Split here.  DB OHP, T-Bar Rows, Fronts, GMs, RDLs. 

Under the Strong-15 Short, I had Rep PRs in Bench, Incline Bench, and more RDLs.  Additionally, the way Paul Carter programs Squats and Deads, you could look at my back-off sets as volume PRs.  5 sets of 3 for both Pause Squats and Deadlifts after working up to the day's single.  In my last Deadlift workout, I backed-off to 4 sets of 3 with 295.  Now I've lifted 295X8 before, but the density of volume is even more here, AND the bar speed was fast on all the reps.  For Pause Squats, at the end of the Strong-15 I did 1 set of 3 with 215.  At the end of the Short Cycle, I did 3 sets of 3 with that same weight. 

Leg Presses were also introduced and used in both cycles and the weight/reps were pushed throughout; you could say weight/rep PRs and volume PRs were set on that as well, but 1) it's a machine and therefore highly variable and 2) it's a seldom used exercise for me and so is ripe for improvement.

2)  Squat Focus.  For the LRB Split, I wanted to emphasize quad development as much as possible, so I did Front Squats on both leg days.  On the heavy squat day, I did 4 sets of 10 with fronts after my back squats, and on on light squat day, fronts were my main movement.  The program calls for working up to a few fast triples on that movement, however I over-rode that, and pushed for max reps on the last set 531-style.  I set Rep PRs every week on that day.  This was all in addition to Leg Presses, BW Lunges, and Leg Extensions.  Really trying to take what Dan Green says to heart.

For the Strong-15 Short, I decided to back all my goals down from what I did on the full Strong-15 earlier this year.  I decided for Bench and Deadlift I would program so that my top single at the end of the cycle would be my Everyday Max (EDM), 175 and 315 respectively.  For squat I programmed to hit 255, or 10 lbs. over what I thought my EDM was.

The culmination of the squat focus was that I killed my pause squats and top singles every week, including the EDM+10 in the last week.  And my legs are bigger.

3)  Diet and Food Prep.  Not a lot to say here.  I'm an avid cook, so the main thing was making time one day a week to cook a large amount of lifting friendly food.  This mostly consisted of a variety of grilled meat with some vegetables and rice on the side.  No supplements, and minimized eating out as much as possible.  Over the two cycles my weight slowly and steadily climbed from the low 190s to the low 200s.  About an 8-10 lb. swing, or about a pound a week.

Conclusion.  I had a great time running these.  I looked forward to every training session and felt like I got a lot of good feedback from what I ran.  I set modest goals and hit them.  Now I can only hope I'm setting the stage for continued progress.  It's been an awfully slow climb for me this last year and a half considering how light my weights are.  I'm pretty good about not comparing myself to what other people are doing, but because I like to read up about this stuff it's hard not to notice 175 lb. guys on straight linear progression squatting 450.  I want weight on the bar, but I've just got to be patient and believe it will come if I keep putting in the work and the time on a consistent basis.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 5. Deadlift

BW - 205

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4, 4
225X3
245X2
285X1
295X1
315X1

295X3, 3, 3, 3

RDL -
245X2 (double-overhand)
245X7 (mixed grip)
245X14 (straps)

Shrugs -
455X5
365X17

Chins (neutral, shoulder-width)- BWX8, 5, 4

DB Curls - 40sX10, 7

Last workout of the Short-15.  Everything went pretty well, but as usual on this cycle's deadlift day I was exhausted by the end.

The 315X1 (my Everyday Max) felt good, and actually looked even better on video:

My grip on my left-hand got a little slippy double-overhand here, so I'm not 100% this lift would pass in a power-lifting competition.

I tried to keep going double-overhand on my back-offs, but it got dicey, and by my last set of 295X3, I had to go full mixed-grip:

Just like my last two sessions with Squat and Bench, this is my first time ever seeing myself deadlift, and to my eyes these look good.   I'm pondering if I should ask some Internet guru or other for a 'form check,' but the more I think about that the more distasteful it gets.

I wanted to go double-overhand strapless on RDLs to get more grip work in, but it was clear that wasn't happening today.  I ended up pulling a PR with straps at 245X14.

Since it was the last session I decided to go all-out and bump the weight up on shrugs by 50 lbs. for both sets.  Felt strong.

Chins and curls felt weak after all this other work.  I was able to use the adjustable chin station so I got that elusive neutral/shoulder-width grip I've been toying with.  My whole upper back is achy today from all this work, and it's impossible to say if any one movement contributed more than any other.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 5. Bench

BW - 199

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
115X5
135X3
145X2
165X1, 1
175X1

145X14, 6

Incline - 115X14, 6

Dips - BWX13, 10, 8, 5, 5

Nice, PR-laden session.  The 175 felt good, and I videoed again, and it looks about like it felt:

The video just supports what I know, which is that I'm having a bitch of a time reconciling leg drive with keeping my butt on the bench.  175 is what I've got down as my EDM for bench.

The back-off set is an all-around PR at 145X14.  I videoed that as well, but didn't see anything particularly informative.

115X14 is an all-around PR on Inclines.  So Rep PRs that project new highs in 1RM for both flat bench and incline.  That's what the program is designed to do here, and hopefully the top end strength really is moving.

Nothing spectacular on dips, but I did get more reps per set that previously.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 5. Squat

BW - 199

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
205X2
235X1
245X1
255X1

Paused Squats - 215X3, 3, 3

Leg Press - 3ppsX22, 20

Leg Curls - X16, 12 (same weight as last session)

Standing Calf Raises - X18, 15 (same weight as last session)

Last squat session of the cycle.  Pretty awesome, although I was out of gas after the 3rd pause squat set, so I shut it down there.  I filmed my squats, and this was the first time I've ever filmed my lifting.  I wanted to make sure I was getting depth (I reset my squats about a year ago to go deeper) and it turns out I may have been worried about nothing the last year:

That's my 235.  The rep actually felt really easy, like barely a warm-up easy.  I recorded the next 2 attempts as well from different angles so I could see which angle might be most helpful for the future.  Here's my last single at 255:

This felt like it slowed way down about half way up, but watching the video it looks pretty fast and smooth.  I think I need to adjust my perception of what is fast/easy and what is slow/hard.

For all the assistance, I stayed at the same weight as last time, but got more volume on everything. 

All in all, feeling pretty good about where my squat is at after the LRB Split and the Strong-15 Short.  Looking forward to how the high-rep back-offs will go on the upcoming Big-15 cycles.

 

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 4. Deadlift

BW - 200

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4, 4
225X3
245X2
275X1
285X1
295X1

265X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

RDL - 245X11, 6 (no straps)

Shrugs -
405X10
315X21

Chins (supinated) - BWX10, 5, 5

DB Curls - 35sX21, 9

Fun day at the gym.  Got drawn into some good conversation with one of the bigger/stronger guys at the gym after I started spotting his bench sets.  Meant longer rests between a lot of my sets, but this guy is friendly and eager to talk shop, and so I think it's best to roll with that and soak up as much information as I can.  I actually spotted him on OG T-Bar Rows (assisted reps) the other day as well.  Some interesting pointers from both conversations:
1)  He finds using a shorter bar on the old-school T-Bars to be easier leverage-wise.  He finds the full length bar sometimes seems to want to pull him forward, and it's easier to stay back with the shorter bar.
2)  He feels like once he started going touch-and-go with his deadlifts on rep sets he saw more improvement in his back strength.
3)  When he was body-building and squatting just to parallel, he felt like he strongly felt parallel like his hamstrings and hips would almost lock and bounce right there.  Since he's started going super deep with his squats that's completely disappeared.  I asked him if he thinks he's stronger since he started going deeper and he said he thinks so, but he didn't seem sure about that.
4)  After his main sets of bench press, working up to 330X5, and then backing off to sets of 5 around 305, he did sets of 5 paused with a cambered bar, and was singing the praises of that assistance exercise.
So right there are interesting points to keep in mind about 4 key movements.  Look forward to talking with him more in the future.

Deadlifts were strong today.  Honestly, I don't even remember much about the 295X1.  I set-up and before I knew it the pull was over.  I look forward to deadlifting all week and then don't even remember my top single.  Wtf?  The back-off sets were only okay.  They're doing some remodeling on the gym, and the new-ish platform I was pulling on wasn't level.  I kept shimming it up to try and fix it, but nevertheless the bar kept rolling away from me between reps. 

Instead of holding deadlift reps for time, I decided to save all my grip and attack 245 again on RDLs without straps.  So 245X11 is a Rep PR without straps.  The 2nd set was largely hampered by grip, so I feel this was the right choice.

Shrugs were a lot stronger this week.  Chins were weird because the adjustable station I've been using to do shoulder-width, neutral grips was unavailable due to the remodeling, so I had to do plain old supinated.  10 reps at 200 lbs. isn't bad for me lately though.

I don't track PRs on DB curls for god's sake, but curling was surprisingly strong today, and 35sX21 is certainly a personal best.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 4. Bench

BW - 202

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
115X4
135X3
145X2
155X1
165X1, 1

145X13, 5

Incline - 105X12, 8

Dips - BWX12, 8, 6

Good session.  145X13 is a Rep PR.  The back-off sets for the last 3 sessions, 125X20, 135X17 and this 145X13 all have higher, projected 1RMs than any other in my lifting history.  Ah, but will I ever see myself stronger in the lower rep ranges?  Only time will tell.

Also, got a good tip from reading this post by John Phung about leg drive.  The basic take-away is barely keep your butt touching the bench as opposed to letting your body actually rest there.  I'll keep going with this and see if it continues to feel good.

105X12 is a Rep PR on Inclines.  This is on the shallower, curved incline bench. 

Dips were alright.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 4. Squat

BW - 203

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X3
185X3
205X2
235X1, 1
245X1

Pause Squats - 205X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Leg Press - 3ppsX20, 16

Leg Curls - X20, 16 (heavier than last week)

Decent session.  My right knee has been feeling wonky this week.  At first it seemed like squats were making it feel worse, and then by the end of the pause squats, it seemed to feel better than when I started.  Just wait and see.  Hope it's not a side effect of the weight gain.

Cuing hard with 'chest up' and pushing through 'heels.'  245X1 was good.  The 3rd reps on the last couple of pause squat sets were a little wild card as my form tried to break down, but there was no doubt of hitting them all.

Keeping my stance close on leg press, and quads continue to burn.

Hoping the leg curls will help with the knee.

Skipped calves.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 3. Deadlift

BW - 201

Deadlift -
135X5
165X5
185X4
225X3
245X2
275X1, 1
285X1

245X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

RDL - 245X12 (with straps)

Shrugs -
405X7
315X18

Chins (neutral, shoulder-width) - BWX8, 6, 5

Curls -
65X16, 8
45X15, 12

Good deadlifting today.  Everything felt strong and smooth.  Held the 285X1, and the last back-off set for time at the top.

Was pretty tired after all this.  I was pretty sure I could get an all-around PR on RDLs if I did one all-out set with straps, and I did.  Up till now, I've been using my back-off DL weight as my RDL weight.  Possibly, I should stay at this weight and stop using straps for the extra grip work...

Loading and un-loading the bar for shrugs felt like it took years, I was so tired.

Chins felt okay despite the low energy.

Even though I was tired, I had a while to wait for the bus, so I did 2 extra sets of curls just with an empty bar.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  "If you've got energy for extra curls, you could have done extra RDLs or chins." 

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 3. Bench

BW - 199

Bench -
BarX15
95X5
115X4
135X3
145X2
155X1, 1
165X1

135X17, 5

Incline - 95X15, 10

Dips - BWX12, 10, 8

Solid session.  I was trying to cue 'Speed' hard on the singles and the back-off sets.  It definitely helped some, although sometimes it causes me to forget the pause on the back-offs.  135X17 is an all-around PR even including the days when I bounced the bar off my chest.

I moved inclines over to the less steep bench so that I could load the lift a bit more for the rest of the cycle.  95X15 is a Rep PR in incline on either bench.  The combination of the flat bench and the shallower incline angle caused more stress on my triceps.  They were really burning on the 2nd set here.

Pretty tuckered out, and so I cut the dips short after 3 sets.  Getting to that point in the cycle.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 3. Squat

BW - 198

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
205X2
225X1
235X1, 1

Pause Squats - 195X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Leg Press -
2ppsX30
3ppsX20

Leg Curls - X20, 12

Calf Raises - X13, 10

Walking - 30 minutes

Nice session.  All the squats felt well grooved as I was cuing "chest up" hard.  Both 235s felt strong.

Pause squats were more challenging this week and a lot of fun.  I'm going to try to keep the number of sets up next week, but that may require cutting back on some of the other assistance if I'm feeling wiped.

Leg Press was all narrow stance.  My quads were burning after the 2nd set.

Was pretty tired at this point so I just got a couple sets each on the curls and the raises.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 2. Deadlift

BW - 198

Deadlift -
135X5
155X5
175X4
195X3
225X2
255X1, 1
275X1

225X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

RDL - 225X12, 15 (straps on 2nd set)

BB Shrugs - 405X6, 315X16

Chins (neutral, shoulder-width grip) - BWX10, 6, 4

Curls - 65X14, 6

Deadlifts were strong.  Cueing myself with 'Shins' and 'Speed,' especially on the back-off sets.  I've been tearing up my shins by starting reps off with them slightly above the bar, and pulling the bar into them instead of up them.  Held the 275 and the last back-off set for time.

Then my grip started giving out on my first set of RDLs.  12 was a Rep PR, but then I added straps for the 2nd set and set an all-around PR with 15.

Was getting pretty tired at this point, and my shrugging strength wasn't what it usually is.

At this point I was so tired I almost forgot about the chins and went straight to curls.  But I remembered.  A month or so back I did chins at an 'away' gym that didn't have a very good set-up, and I ended up doing neutral grip chins at shoulder width.  The next couple of days my mid-back was really sore from that.  I filed that away, and that's what I'm going to do for this cycle and see what the effect is.  With my scapula retracted, it almost feels more like a high row.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 2. Bench

BW - 197

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
125X2
145X1, 1
155X1

125X20, 6

Incline - 85X15, 10

Dips - BWX14, 8, 8, 8, 6

Was really tired today, and 155 felt stupidly heavy, but 125X20 is an all-around PR so go figure.  That's 2 sessions is a row that the top single has felt slow.  Here's hoping that starts to bounce-back next week.

Inclines felt a little more sturdy this week.

Dips were fine.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 2. Squat

BW - 191 (wtf?)

Squat -
BarX12 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
165X3
185X2
215X1, 1
235X1

Pause Squats - 175X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Leg Press - 2ppsX24, 18

Leg Curls - 12, 16, 12

Seated Calves - 160X13, 11 (paused at top and bottom)

I'm gonna say that weigh-in is fluky either on the scale or the day.  No reason to think that's a representative weight.

Was dragging ass into the gym on this day, and the 235 felt appropriately awful.  The pause squats all felt good, and then leg presses felt awful.

All in all, good day to have programmed light.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 1. Deadlift

BW - 195

Deadlift -
135X5
155X5
175X4
195X3
225X2
245X1
255X1
275X1

215X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

RDL - 215X12, 11 (straps on 2nd set)

DB Shrugs - 100sX26, 15

Chins - BWX8, 6, 4

DB Curls - 35sX17, 12

Exhausting session.  Deadlifts were all pretty good.  I was at my 'away' gym, so I had to use stop-sign plates, which makes the rep sets feel awful.

I felt like I could have done 215X3 for forever, but after the RDLs I was pretty tired.  215X12 is a Rep PR, and I didn't use straps on that set.

I couldn't find a good way to do barbell shrugs at this gym, and even the smith machine was occupied by someone benching, so I had to go with the heaviest DBs they had.  Used straps on these as well, but even so my grip felt kind of fried afterwards.

At this point, I was so tired that I think these chin-up sets look pretty good, considering.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 1. Bench

BW - 195

Bench -
BarX15
85X5
95X4
115X3
125X2
145X1, 1
155X1

115X22, 6

Incline - 85X15, 7

Dips - BWX12, 10, 9, 7, 6

Session was good/OK.  The 155 on bench was curiously heavy, but 115X22 is a PR from 17 reps on up.  Grain of salt there because I've only pushed reps at that weight once before, and that was at the beginning of the Strong-15 last December.  But at that time, I only got 115 for 15, and noted at the time that the bar was moving slow.  That was not the case with the 115X22 today.  And this projects to be inside 10 lbs. of a perceived 1RM increase.  Feels on target.

As I mentioned in my last squat post, I'm doing additional back-off sets per a suggestion in the manual.  With Squats, the manual calls for 2 sets of 3 of Pause Squats, but I did 4 sets and when the last rep of that 4th set was slow coming up, I moved on to assistance work.  Bench is different because the back-off sets are AMAP, so I'm using one of Paul Carter's favorite techniques: 50% sets.  I would have liked to have gotten closer to 11 (half the reps from the first set) on my 2nd back-off set, but sometimes you're so gassed from the first 50% set, it's hard to imagine you'll get even 1 rep on the 2nd.  It was like that here, and that's OK.

I've got the option as well to do more than 2 sets on Incline, but this turned out to be another 50% set, and so I let it be.

There's no prescribed number of sets/reps for the Dips.  The manual just says "body x lots," and 5 sets felt about right.  These were all AMAP sets where I barely got the last rep or failed when I attempted the next one.

Also, should note that as I've pulled some carbs back out of my diet again, my BW increase has dropped back off to where I was about 2 weeks ago.  I'm going to try to up the protein/veggie intake and see if I can SLOWLY get it to start going up again that way.  If it stalls out, I'll revisit some additional carbs, but I was starting to feel a little sloppy over the last couple weeks.

LRB 365: Strong-15 Short. Week 1. Squat

BW - 196

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
135X4
165X3
185X2
205X1
215X1
225X1

Pause Squats - 165X3, 3, 3, 3

Leg Press - 2ppsX24, 20, 18

Leg Curls - X20, 15, 12

Standing Calf Raises - 245X18, 16, 14

Solid session, as it should be at these weights.  Playing with explosiveness again on the squat.  Previously, I made the mistake of focusing on driving my hips through hard at the top, and this was causing low-back strains.  This time I took the opportunity of these light weights to think about making the bar come up off my shoulders at the top.  That did happen on every rep, including the pause squats, and no low-back trouble. 

I doubled-down on the sets of Pause Squats initially recommended in the manual.  However, what I'm taking to heart is this little nugget,

"The lower the intensity, the more volume you are going to need.  So that would mean more back off sets to be added on.  If you choose to play with that, don't go haywire.  Add in 1-2 extra back offs in addition to what the program calls for and go from there."

I'm actually programing lower for this cycle than I did for the Strong-15 cycle to begin the program, so I think it's a perfect opportunity to explore the extra back-offs.  My form was extremely tight on all these.  So much so, that my mid-back is really fatigued, and a bit sore today.  I'm enthused.

Leg press was all done narrow stance to hit the quads harder.

Curls and Raises were curly and raisin.

LRB 365: LRB Split. In Review

This will be short, as I suspect the LRB Split and the Strong-15 Short cycle go hand-in-hand in a way that will result in a more complete picture emerging at the end of that 2nd cycle.

Generally speaking, the goals for this cycle were to maintain top-end strength on the main lifts relative to where they've been during the conditioning cycle, while allowing some more carbs back into the diet in order to stimulate muscle growth by going hard with the assistance lifts.

My bodyweight started out hovering in the 192 range at the end of the conditioning cycles, and by the end of the LRB Split was hovering around 195-196.

I set the following PRs on assistance work in chronological order:
RDL: 
205X8
225X9
245X10 (with straps)

DB OHP:
20sX25
25sX35
30sX28

Front Squats:
135X10
145X8
155X9

T-Bar Rows:
95X8
110X7

Barbell Rows:
145X9

Good Mornings were a new movement to me with this cycle and I progressed them as well:
135X8
145X7
145X8
145X10

Regarding Front Squats, I was doing them every week.  They were the first assistance exercise following back squats on Heavy Squat days, and they were the main movement on Light Squat days.  All the PRs were set on Light days, however it's worth noting that while I PR'd with 135X10 on a Light Squat day at the beginning of the cycle, by the end I was doing 135X8-10 for four sets across as assistance on my Heavy Squat days.  In addition to all that, I kept my stance narrow on all the Leg Pressing, and went hard to push reps on leg extensions.  Increasing quad size/strength was my primary goal for this cycle, and I feel good about the results.

I also got some good hamstring volume in with all the RDLs and GMs in addition to the maintenance Deads.  Had sore hamstrings every week.

Lots of shoulder volume on the cycle as well.  In addition to the DB OHP, my regular Press was getting within 5 lbs. or so of PR territory by the end.  Lots of high-rep Inclines, Upright Rows, and Rear Delt Flyes to round it out, all pun intended.  Although I honestly haven't noticed very much growth in my delts.  Hopefully, we'll see some of this work translate into Bench strength on the upcoming cycle.

All in all, I had a really good time through most of this cycle.  Hitting PRs on Fronts and RDLs was really fun, and seeing my wheels growing as a result was really great as well.  Near the end, I had a little bit of a crisis of confidence because I didn't instinctively know if my Every Day Max had improved, and was grumpy about what to set as my goals for the Strong-15 Short Cycle.  In the end, re-reading the manual, and reading an inspiring post by Carter along the lines of the Patience and Belief mantra that he and Brandon Lilly have been going over helped me get my head on straight.  I've decided to program lower for the Strong-15 Short than I did for the Strong-15 at the beginning of the program.  My final singles for the next cycle will be right around weights I've hit a million times before.  With the work I did on this cycle, and the extra back-offs I'm planning for the first few weeks of the next, I'm confident that I will be crushing the weights all the way up to the end.  And isn't that what we're supposed to do?