Block 7. Cycle 1. Session A.

BW - 222

Waist - 42"

Squat -
350X1 @7.5
357.5X1 @8.5
362.5X1 @9
317.5X4, 4 @7.5, 8.25
267.5X7 @7

Pause Bench - 187.5X4, 4, 4 @8, 8, 7.5

Deadlift w/ Straps - 340X3, 3, 3, 3 @8

Conditioning - Rower; HIIT; 20 second rounds; 5 rounds

Solid first session.

This is designed to be a higher-intensity block in a full-body layout with tightly ascending singles to 1@9 on the main lifts followed by 2X4 @8 and 1X5-7 @8, then a slightly lower intensity variation, and a variation with a bit of overload.  The last back-off set on the main is 5-7 because I want to see if I can learn a little "RPE on the fly," and also to give myself elbow room for better and worse days without having to add additional work sets to hit the target. 

On Squats, the expected top single target ended up being correct, although warm-ups felt good enough that I thought I might go up.  However, 357.5X1 was right @8.5, so I stuck to the plan.  The second back off set of 4 was noticeably more difficult than the first.  That seems about right given the fatigue I would expect to have accumulated on this lift by that point.  I screwed up my formula projecting the weight for the final back-off set.  It should have been closer to 290, but I don't mind so much on day 1, and we'll see how it goes now that I've fixed it.

Been so long since I benched with a regular pause that I kept forgetting to pause on the first rep.  These sets actually got easier as it went along, so it will be interesting to see where the offset between this and the TnG version ends up by the end of the block.

I don't think I've ever really done much conventional DL with straps.  I guess-timated a 5% bump over mixed-grip, and that seems like it will be fairly close depending on where comp DL falls at the end of this first training cycle. 

Video if of top sets and final work sets.

Pivot Block. Session B.

BW - 226

Waist - 42.75"

5-3-0 Tempo Bench - 135X4, 4, 4, 4 @~6

Split Squat w/ Chains - 55+35X6, 6, 6, 6 @6

Trap Bar High Handle Split RDL - 135X6, 6, 6 @6

Flexed Arm Knee-to-Chest - BWX5, 5 @~8

BB Curls - 60X10, 10 @~8

Conditioning - Rower; HIIT; 20 seconds; 7 rounds

Solid little session.

As always with pivot blocks, one of my objectives it to find ways to "practice" or otherwise prep for anything rather novel that may be happening in the following block.  Give me the opportunity to sort of grease the groove on different grips, ROMs, etc.  Squatting with chains is one of those novel things, so I took this opportunity to start seeing what setting them up is like.  I've seen it done often enough both live and on video, that I had a good idea  of how to do it.  I think it went pretty well, and will feel confident setting them up for regular squats next week. 

Trap Bar Split RDL are just another way to find single-leg Deadlift assistance.  Weren't quite as awkward as I expected, but....weren't NOT awkward either, lol.

Took video of the last set of each of those movements.

Pivot Block. Session A.

BW - 228

Waist - 43.25"

5-3-0 Tempo Squat - 225X4, 4 @6

DB Paused Incline Bench - 55sX8, 8 @6

Flexed Arm Knee-to-chest - BWX5, 5 @~8.5

Cable Paused Closed-Grip Rows - X8 @6.5

BB Curls - 60X10, 10 @8

Conditioning - Rower; HIIT; 20 seconds; 7 rounds

First session back from our big annual camping trip.  This trip was...a lot.  Recovery definitely not on point, and so happy to only have pivot sessions to deal with this week.

Because of the DOMS generated by regular training coming out of the last pivot cycle, I'm making some changes to how I program pivots.  I had to do some of it on the fly because I didn't get it done prior to my trip.  Now that I've had some time to work on it, I shorted Squats by two sets here, so I'll up Squat assistance on other days.

Everything else was fine.  Took a lot of sets to find my work weight for DB Inclines.  Don't think there was anything else to note.

Only took video of the last squat set.

Block 6. Cycle 3.

BW - 227

Waist - 43.25"

Squat -
327.5X3 @8
280X7 @7

2ct. Pause Squat - 240X6 @ 6.5

Bench -
217.5X3 @7.5
187.5X7 @7

Close-Grip Bench - 180X7, 7 @7

Deadlift -
360X1 @8.5
330X3 @7.5

Plate Deficit Deadlift - 257.5X7 @6

Solid bounce-back session.  Still had some residual fatigue and tightness from the terrible DOMS I was dealing with mid-week, but felt much more recovered for this workout.

Squat is still obviously the lift that suffered the most, as the adductor DOMS were the worst of all the muscle groups.  Obviously RPE will determine what happens, but hopefully in the upcoming, final training session of this block, I can at least get back to the day 1 performance.

Bench was back on par with the Day 1 performance.  Everything felt solid.

DL bounced back about as well as Squat on the top set.  The back-off set and deficits even more so.

All video is of top sets and final work sets.

Block 6. Cycle 2.

BW - 223

Waist - 42.75"

Squat -
320X3 @8
275X7 @7

2ct. Pause Squat - 230X6 @6.5

Bench -
215X3 @7.5
187.5X7 @7

Close-Grip Bench - 177.5X7, 7 @7

Deadlift -
350X1 @8.5
322.5X3 @7.5

Plate Deficit Deadlift - 252.5X7 @6.5

Well that sucked.  I definitely fucked up my pivot block.  DOMS from the first session was so bad, that it made everything on this day very hard, and that should not have been the case.  Total work sets per session are exactly the same as last block, and total work reps are only ONE more than last block.  Definitely not such a change that DOMS should have been this bad.  Volume on the pivot block was just too low.  I thought it might be at the time, but there was so much weirdness pivoting from a 3 session cycle to a 1 session cycle, etc., that I tried to trust to the process, and the process is clearly off.

Interestingly, Bench was much less heavily impacted than the lower body lifts.  This was primarily an adductor DOMS problem, although low back and chest were also very sore. 

Anyway, didn't get video of the top sets of Squat and Bench because they both topped out sooner than expected.  I got everything adjusted well enough to predict where the top set of DL would fall.

Block 6. Cycle 1.

BW - 224

Waist - 42.25"

Squat -
340X3 @8
292.5X7 @7

2ct. Pause Squat - 242.5X6 @6.5

Bench -
217.5X3 @7.5
187.5X7 @7

Close-Grip Bench - 182.5X7, 7 @~7.5

Deadlift -
385X1 @9.25
340X3 @8

Plate Deficit Deadlift - 265X7 @6.5

This block is composed of one session cycles so that I can try and see how much improvement I can get before I go on a short vacation mid-July.  I'll probably only get 5 session/cycles in before my trip.  Mike Tuschsherer did this in the last year or so, and that's where I got the idea.  My intuition says it will be fairly tough to do the same exact workout each training session and expect to see weight increase, but I'm looking forward to finding out what happens.

To try and give myself the best chance of this working well, I based everything on a Meta-Block Review from the RTS on-line app.  It suggests that these rep and RPE ranges on the mains, and these assistance movements should be my best bang for the buck. 

Squat and Bench movements all went fairly well.  I think I may see that Bench and Deadlift lag a bit on this program because they've been first order movements the last several blocks, but here they will be relegated to competition order.  Bench performance seemed to be hitting a bit of a wall by the time I got to the close-grips.

Deadlift was much more difficult.  Again, possibly the shift from first to third order.  The target RPE here is 8.5 and I both overshot that and undershot my original target weight of 390.

Plate deficits were really wonky on the one warm-up set I took on them, but that gave me enough feedback to make some adjustments, and the work set felt pretty good.  Came in a touch under target RPE, but at the end of the workout, I didn't want to push more volume

Video is of top sets and final work sets.

Pivot Block. Cycle 5.

BW - 223

Waist - 42.25

5-3-0 Tempo Squat - 280X2, 2 @~6

5-3-0 Tempo Deadlift - 285X2, 2 @~6

Bulgarian Split Squat - 55X7, 7 @~6

5-3-0 Tempo Bench - 155X2, 2 @~6

DB French Press - 30sX6 @6

Flex Arm Hanging Knee Raise - BWX6, 6

BB Curls -
50X10 @6
60X10 @7
65X10 @8

Conditioning - LISS; Rower; 20 minutes

Nice and fast pivot session.  Only a couple of notes.

Upped the chain weight on the BSS.  Weighed out most of the chains now, and had to mix a couple of different ones.

Switched to DB overhead extensions for triceps.  Maybe I'll keep the train moving and do yet another triceps variation for the last session of the pivot.

Only took video of the BSS because they're so goofy.

Pivot Block. Cycle 4.

BW - 225

Waist - 42.25"

5-3-0 Tempo Squat - 275X2, 2 @~6

5-3-0 Tempo Deadlift - 282.5X2, 2 @~6

Bulgarian Split Squat - 48X7, 7 @~6

5-3-0 Tempo Bench - 150X2, 2 @~6

Overhead Cable Triceps - 50X6 @8

Flex Arm Hanging Knee Raise - BWX6, 6

BB Curls -
60X10 @7.5
62.5X10 @~8

Conditioning - LISS; Treadmill Walking; 20 minutes

Good session.

Switched to two 24# chains for the split squats.  Much easier than trying to keep using handheld weights.  Also gives me the chance to start weighing out chains for use in an upcoming block.

Subbed Cable overhead extensions for the rolling triceps.  MUCH better on my elbow/triceps tendon even though I lost focus and went @8 instead of @6.  Now that I'm using a lower impact movement, I don't mind going a little harder.

Curls weirdly took a big jump.

Pivot Block. Cycle 3.

BW - 221

Waist - 42.25

5-3-0 Tempo Squat - 270X2, 2 @~6

5-3-0 Tempo Deadlift - 275X2, 2 @5.5

Bulgarian Split Squat - 45X7, 7 @~6

5-3-0 Tempo Bench - 145X2, 2 @~6

DB Rolling Triceps - 40X6 @6

Flex Arm Hanging Knee Raise - BWX6, 6

BB Curls - 55X10, 10 @~8

Good session.  Moved quickly through everything, and had no trouble adding weight to anything except rolling triceps.

The rolling triceps thing is still bothering the bottom of the muscle/tendon just above the elbow.  I though it got better last session, but it seemed to have gotten a bit worse this session.  At this point I'm going to switch it out for a different movement, because I don't want to carry any unnecessary inflammation, etc. into my next dev block.

Only got video of the lower body tempo work.