First week of a new squat wave, so the assistance is light. HB Pause squats were easy. Last set shown.
Bench is also at the beginning of a new wave. Last time I did 225X5 on bench, it was probably around an RPE 8. This was not above a 7 for sure, and probably a 6 (6.5?). Back-offs were very light, so I kept rest time at 2 minutes or less. Top set and last back-off shown.
Still trying to have more control on the RDLs to keep them from swinging out at the bottom. Went a little slower, and also tried to get really deep on the 2nd set. Bar is still swinging out a bit. 2nd set shown.
Top set of Squats were too loosey-goosey. Look ok on video, but felt too chaotic in the moment. May need to take more care with my warm-ups to make sure I'm ready for these top sets. Back-off sets were easy-peasy with the intensity and volume reduction to begin the new wave. Top set and last back-off shown.
Inclines felt pretty good. Obviously the back-off in intensity to begin the new wave makes them easier, but I think it also allows me to lock in some of the technical stuff I developed over the last wave. Busy gym, so no good place to put the camera and grab video of these.
Had a light-bulb moment last week and realized that if supinated chins are bothering my wrist, but I don't want the volume reduction that comes with pronated, I should try neutral grip. Haven't done these in a while and they felt GREAT. Honestly, strength felt comparable to supinated despite a longer range of motion. I was shooting for RPE 9 on all these, and probably could have gotten that extra rep on all of them.
Weird % programming thing that Rows this week are with the same weight as last week, but for less reps. I didn't even notice that until I went to log the first set. I guess I could have added 5 lbs. at that point, but whatevs. Again, to busy in the gym to find a spot for video.
Safety Squats went well. Starting a new squat wave after this so intensity on everything will come down a bit. Last set shown.
Press went okay. Had to "get up" for this set. Dealing with a little bit of a form issue where pushing through to get under the bar is getting me over my toes a little. Back-offs were very easy, as usual so far. Didn't get video of the last back-off, so only the top set is shown.
HB Pause Squats still feeling good. Last set shown.
Bench also felt good. 250X1 ties my PR, but that PR was for 5X1 so nothing to get too excited about. First back-off was too loosey-goosey, but I got it dialed back in by the end. Top set and last back-off shown.
RDL's also felt very good. This was the beginning of a new wave so reduced intensity. Last set shown.
Was again nervous about the top set of Squats. 20 lbs. heavier than last week, and the heaviest weight since rehabbing my adductor. And once again, the weight was pretty easy, an the adductor feels fine. Unfortunately, the first set was above parallel. Wah-wah. I deliberated about what to do, and ultimately took it again. Better depth, but still borderline. Decided to take it and try to do better in the future. Originally, the program was to do a single and 5X5 back-off. Since I took an extra single, I decided to only do 4X5 to keep the volume "slots" as programmed. Both singles, and last back-off shown.
After last week's Inclines, I was pretty sure I 4X5 @ +10 lbs. wasn't going to be great. I was prepared to be surprised, but I could tell from the first couple of reps that I needed to cut to 3 reps if wanted to get all of the volume in without a lot of @9+ RPE sets. Totally at peace with that decision. I've decided to incorporate that into the program going forward for the last week of each 3 week Bench wave. I really want the Incline weight to be the same as the back-off weight on heavy Bench day for the psychological benefits of having handled the weight already on the "harder" movement, so that it may "feel" light on the main movement. Last set shown.
I was running out of time, and my right wrist has been bothering me, so I decided to skip Chin-Ups. They can sometimes aggravate my wrists, and I'd like those joints to be fresh for alternate grip DL later in the week.
Week 1 of a new 3-week DL wave, so intensity drops down on BB Rows, but I upped the reps to 7 per set. These did take a little more "leg" to complete all the reps in the sets, but I kept pretty good torso position and the bar touched in the same area (just above the belt) on all reps. Gym was crowded, and so I couldn't get video where I was working.
SSB Squats still feeling pretty good. They're challenging, but not grind-y. Last set shown.
Press still feels heavy through the last warm-ups, but then I "get up" for the work-set and it feels pretty good. Back-off sets were all fast. Top set and last back-off shown.
DL felt okay. Working hard to get back to a strong "chest-up" position to start the lift. I feel like I was better at this pre-adductor lay-off, and am working to get it back. Currently "squeezing" my chest up to "take the slack out of the bar" as the final set-up cue before I pull. Not quite there yet, but getting a bit better. Last single and back-off set shown.
Still getting re-acclimated to bar placement for HB, but got these feeling better by the end. Got focused on technique during the last set and shorted myself a rep. Last set shown.
Bench went well. Only 5 lbs. off my best triple, and I liked the way it moved. Top set, and last back-off shown.
315X5 is a Rep PR for RDLs. These still "feel" hard, but don't look that bad on the video. The main challenge is keeping everything tight and controlled. Last set shown.
This might have been the smoothest set with 375 I've ever done. I 100% that the Starr Protocol has allowed me to "reset" to better depth on the squat. That depth seems to be taking some stress off of the adductor (I still feel a twinge in it moving through parallel, but nothing at the bottom), and it's giving me a stronger rebound out of the hole. I was nervous going into this set as this is 20 lbs. heavier than the heaviest weight I've handled since I went on the protocol. They just felt great. Top set and last back-off set shown.
190X5 is a Rep PR for inclines. This was a challenging weight on every set. My grip is medium-close (top thumb knuckle on the smooth; about 1.5" out from Press grip), and the combination of the angle and the closer grip makes the ROM feel forever long. I had a spotter stand by for the last couple of sets. I'm programmed to go up to 200 next week, but I'll play it by ear. It would be great if the strength is there for it, but I'm prepared to do triples if necessary. Last set shown.
Chin-Ups were whatever. I'm just doing 3 sets and trying to leave a rep in the tank on every set (RPE 9, I guess). The BB Rows will either trigger additional adaptations that allow chins to maintain/increase, or they won't. Tired of living and dying by my chin-up strength for a while.
Rows felt a bit heavier than I expected after last week even though I was only doing triples. A reminder that with movements that rely on smaller amounts of muscle, something that felt easy at 175, can feel much tougher 20 lbs. heavier even with less reps. So I added the belt to makes sure I kept everything tight. Had straps on hand, but those definitely weren't necessary. Last set shown.
Press also felt very solid, as it should at these intensities. Top set and last back-off shown.
Deadlift felt better this week than last. Really trying to hone in on getting my chest-up and tight to start the lift. A little bit better on this day. Last set shown.
Paused High Bars felt good, and looked good. Weight is probably too light. Last set shown.
Top set of bench felt solid. Didn't feel the need for a spotter. This weight is my 3X5 PR, so this is as it should be. Back-off sets were almost speed work. Top set and first back-off shown (forgot to film last back-off).
RDLs were nice and heavy. Nevertheless, I focused on a really controlled eccentric and reversal to try to correct the issue of the bar swinging out on the reversal. Seemed to help a bit. Hamstrings are very sore today. Last set shown.
Also, I ordered my first belt today. Should show up in a 4-6 weeks.
The good belt that fits me got snagged by someone else, so I had to use one of those crappy tapered belts. Pinched like a mofo. Anyway, these Squats went okay. I wish a set that's 50 lbs. off my best set of 5 felt a little stronger, but there it is. Back-offs were easy even with the crap belt. Adductor continues to just "pinch" coming out of the hole, but also continues to bother me outside the gym. We'll see. Top set and last back-off shown.
First time doing incline bench in over two years. Because this is a curved bench, it took me some time to figure out my set-up. When I pull my feet back under me like a regular bench, I end up arching up enough that it makes this basically a flat bench. Putting my feet out in front helped keep the angle down a bit. Grip here is "medium" or about half way between full bench and Press. Definitely made for a longer, triceps heavy stroke. Last set shown.
Chins were about as strong as they've been lately. I'm just going to focus on keeping them strict and leaving a rep in the tank, and they'll be what they'll be for a while.
Rows were very easy at this weight. Had set these to be 50% of that week's DL top set weight, but I'm gonna up that to 55%. Last set shown.
First time using a SSB so...Rep PR! I was told the bar is 70 lbs. so 2 plates should be 250. Had to fiddle around with pad placement. Putting it right on tom of my shoulders, I felt it pushing down into my neck rather than my upper back, and it also made it fairly vertical feeling coming up. On sets 2 and 3, I worked to find a "natural" way to set it a bit lower on my back, and was able to use a bit more hip drive with that placement. Ideally, I'd like the mechanics to fall half way between a high bar and low bar, give the benefit of the upper back work from the camber, but also allow for a narrow-to-medium stance to lessen strain on my adductor. 1st and 3rd sets shown for comparison.
This was still the ramp up week for the new program so I just left the press top-set at the same weight as my 3X5 last week. Top-set and last back-off set shown.
Last week, 315X5 on DL felt very easy (as I would hope), so I did add weight to this movement. These were harder than I would have expected, but my set up is pretty weak. My upper back is definitely not extended or "proud" the way it should be prior to the pull. This needs work.
Ramp up week for my HLM program now that adductor feels good enough to get back to training Squats and DL. Got some feedback from SS coaches Brent Carter and Michael Wolf on the design.
I don't think I've ever done Paused High Bar Squats, so...Rep PR! I'm treating this session and the next as a sort of introduction to movements and program, and so didn't worry too much about pushing intensity. This weight was fine, and I felt a bit worked afterwards. Intensity will increase from here. Last set shown.
I dropped the top set of Bench back 5 lbs. from last week's 5X1. Again, treating the last two sessions of this week as a ramp up to the program. 195X5X5 felt like a solid work-weight, though. Top set and last back-off set shown.
295X5 is a Rep PR on RDL. This was the only movement where I was "going for something." Straps help so much here, but I use "Oly" straps so this weight still stressed my grip a bit. Still worth it to be able to feel out the more important details of the movement. Filming the first set, I realized that the weight was swinging out when I initiate the concentric. Cleaned it up a bit on the second set, but still not totally locked in. I'm fairly certain this is because my knees are shooting forward, but I'm not positive on the cue to fix it yet. Last set shown.
Getting back to only doing 3 movements in a session sure made it feel like I was getting out "early."
