Block 8. Cycle 5. Session D. and Cycle 6. Session A.

5D:

BW - 226

Waist - 43"

sRPE @ 7

Chin-Ups -
BW+22.5 X4, 3, 3, 2 @~10
BWX5 X9.5

Rack Chins (Myo-Reps; 30 sec. rest) - BWX8, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @~9

Dips -
BW+30X8 @9
BWX12 @9

Rope Push-Downs - X16 @10

BB Curls -
72.5X8, 8 @8.5/10
65X10 @9.5


6A:

BW - 226

Waist - 43"

sRPE @ 8

Squat -
360X1 @
285X12, 12 @7.75,8.5

Leg Press (Myo-Reps; 30 sec. rest) - 5ppsX10, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @~8

Two interesting sessions.

Weighted Chins rep strength appears to have jumped a bit.  Chin-Ups in general are feeling more "in control."  No joy on the rack chin volume work.

Added more weight on dips, but e1RM actually went down.  We'll see what happens.

Curls maybe ticked up a tiny bit.

Squat strength on the 1@8 dropped dramatically, but this was also training on a Sunday morning, which is generally my worst time for training.  And I added 10 lbs. to the back-off sets of 12 at comparable RPE to last week.  I knew high-rep strength gains were outpacing low rep on this block, but I was surprised to have a session where they moved so dramatically in opposite directions.

I added another plate-per-side to the Leg Press, but it seems like a bigger jump than I wanted.  Will probably drop down to a 25-per-side next session to keep the reps a bit higher.

Block 8. Cycle 4. Session A.

BW - 227

Waist - 43.75"

sRPE 8

Squat -
365X1 @8.25
270X12, 12 @7.75, 8.5

Leg Press (Myo-Reps; 30 sec. rest) -
4ppsX15 @8
4ppsX5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @~7.5

Solid session.

Strength on the top Squat single was probably comparable to the previous session, but the rep strength on the back-offs ticked up just a tad (although it was the slightest improvement of the block so far).

Added a plate per side to the leg press.  Definitely felt heavier in that way that's not based on strength, but on the proprioceptive feedback of the absolute load against the body.

Block 8. Cycle 3. Session B.

BW - 226

Waist - 43.25"

Press -
135X1, 1 @8/8.5
120X5 @8.25

Bench -
217.5X1 @8
155X12 @7.5
157.5X12 @8

Chin-Ups - BWX4, 3, 3 @~10

Pull-Downs - X11, 8 @~8

Interesting session.

Press strength was not down, but if it was up, it was just barely.

Bench top strength was down on the single, but rep strength on the back-off sets was up.  This is a rep strength focused block for Bench, so it's generally good news.  It will be interesting to how the gap between max strength and rep strength changes as the block goes on.  Similar to Squat, my 12 rep strength seems to be a slightly higher % of my e1RM based on the single that the RTS RPE table predicts.  I'm going to continue to base week-to-week projections on prior week performance, but I think I will definitely need to update my table at the end of this block.

Chin strength wasn't great, but when is it ever.  Added a set of pull-downs because Session RPE was still vary manageable, and as always I want to try and kick chins in the butt.

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 1. Session B.

BW - 217

Bench -
150X9 @6
155X9 @6.5
192.5X1 @6
205X1 @6.5
215X1 @7.5
220X1 @8.25
165X9, 9, 9 @~8

DB Bench -
45sX15@6
55sX18, 13, 12 @9.5 (350 Method; 43 total reps)

Inverted Row w/feet flat - BWX12, 10, 10 @8/10

Second session of the new block went pretty well.  A bit of fatigue and DOMS from the first session, but so far doesn't seem as bad as the first cycle of the last block, so I'm hopeful I have my approach to pivot blocks more dialed-in.  We'll see how everything feels for Session C which is a full body layout.

Bench went very well, and I tried to go past my target but ended up over-shooting slightly.  Back-offs were all right on target.

DB Bench this cycle is using Paul Carter's old "350 Method."  Pick a weight you can get 15-20 reps with, and do 3 AMRAP sets with short-ish normal rests.  You use the same weight each session until you get more than 50 total reps, then you go up in weight.  Looking back through some old logs, I saw that sometimes when my bench made big progress, I was doing high rep DB assistance work.  So I dusted off this method to revisit that idea.

I threw strict, straight-legged inverted rows into my pivot block and quickly discovered that I couldn't do very many.  One day, a strong-ish guy worked in with me on those and I noticed that he put his feet flat on the ground with bent knees.  Basically unloading the feet and shank from the movement.  I'm decided to roll through into the development block with that adjustment, and it got me well into the rep range I want for this block.  I suspect that before the block is over, I will start playing with "one leg up" etc. to increase the difficulty. 

Only took video of the comp bench today.  Top two singles, and final back-off.

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 1. Session A.

BW - 215

Squat -
225X9 @6
237.5X9 @7
295X1 @6
310X1 @7
327.5X1 @8
250X9, 9, 9 @7.5

Rack Chin-Ups - BWX8, 8, 7 @~8.5

Sumo DL w/Straps -
245X7
275X7, 7 @~7

Nice first session for the first training block.  Had to hold myself down out of the gate because I was so jazzed to get rolling.

Squats went very well.  I was a bit hesitant to jump from 238X7 to 295X1 after not having gone over 245 for a couple of weeks, but it was all good.  The top single looks faster than it felt.  I probably left some weight on the table, but I'm fine to start a tad lighter and progress.  Back-off sets definitely felt easier than expected.  When the first back-off came in at 7.5, I decided not to go up because I thought I would fatigue quickly.  That did not happen.

First time doing rack chins.  This is setting up with a low-ish chin up bar (smith machine in this case) and putting your feet up on something in front of you.  Basically the chin-up version of bench dips.  I want to find ways to get higher rep chin-up volume in besides pull-downs and band chins as neither of those have ever really seemed to translate very much to my chin-up strength.  These felt awkward to start, but I was hitting them with confidence by the end.  Looking forward to progressing on these and possibly even moving into holding one foot up off the bench as a way of adding intensity and also stimulating the abdominal bracing portion of chin-ups.  I thought I may need straps for these, but I did not.

Also did Sumo DL for the very first time ever.  I had no real expectations.  I plugged in, like, 90% of my recent DL e1RM.  I was working in with a good lifter who was also pulling Sumo, and he kept encouraging me to go up.  Where I ended up projects as 102% of my recent DL e1RM, and that coming off a two week pivot block and never having done this movement before.  Because my squat has long been ahead of my pull, I believed there was a chance I could pull Sumo more than Conventional.  And that may be the case.  I called these RPE~7 but that might even be sandbagging a bit.  Looking forward to seeing where these go this block.

All video is of top sets or final work-sets.

Block 3 (Transmutation). Cycle 1. Session B.

BW - 214

Pause Squat 2 ct. -
207.5X5, 5 @~6.5
212.5X5 @7.5

Bench -
180X3 @7.5
155X7 @6
162.5X7, 7, 7 @~7

Deadlift -
290X3 @8
240X7 @6.5

Found the right intensity with Pause Squats fairly quickly (as opposed to bench).  Weight ended up being pretty fair below the initial target it to be based on my history with this movement, though.  We'll see if it takes a big jump.

I had to hunt around a lot on bench.  Because of what happened with Squats on session A, I expected it to come in well below original target weight, but it end up coming in much closer.  Then the top set ended up leading me to underestimate the back-off weight.  Could mean a few things.  Off the top of my head: A) I tired myself out a bit finding the top triple, but then recovered between sets enough to show higher fitness on the back-off sets, or B) after the prior volume block, I'm better able to perform higher rep sets than lower rep sets.  We'll see how the block plays out.

Deadlift went very smoothly.  Top triple ended up exceeding target weight.  I still backed-off to the target back-off weight, and while that did end up being under target RPE, I'm fine with treading lightly on DL.

Video are all top-sets and final back-off sets.

Texas Method. Week 1. Volume Day

BW - 229

Squat - 345X5, 5, 5

Bench - 217.5X5, 5, 5

Chin-Ups - BW; 32 Reps, 9 Sets

First day back on TM.  Squats went fine.  3rd set shown.

217.5 for 3X5 is an LP PR on Bench.  These are definitely starting to slow down.  Also, frequency will be increasing a bit.  Initial plan is to Bench on Monday and Friday, Volume Day and Intensity Day.  Press will be done on Wednesdays alternating Volume and Intensity.  This is just to try and run up the Bench as fast as possible and see where it's at before I switch over to full TM.  Could hit that wall this Friday or a week or two hence.  3rd set shown.

Chins were a bit tougher today.  I think my back is actually getting bigger from this.  That's cool and all, but what I want to see is the reps on the initial sets start to rise.  I'm still averaging 4 reps/set, with the first set being 5-6 reps, and the second set being 4-5 reps.  But I'm prepared to take this thing all the way to 50 reps/session before I start looking for new tack.

Novice LP. Session 29 (Greyskull Squats)

BW - 228

Press - 132.5X3, 3, 3

Squats - 285X5, 5, 10

Chin-Ups - BWX7, 4

Negative Chins (0/0/3) - BWX4X4

Starting to mix in the Greyskull LP starting on this day.  One of the two pillars of that set-up is Pressing movements come first.

These triples on press were all heavy, but only the last rep of the SECOND set was in doubt.  All the others were there.

This is my first time going over 5 reps on Squat since August '16, and my first time hitting double-digits since April '16.  Really fucking hard, hahahaha, but looked okay.  Conditioning was clearly the limiting factor:

Added a rep to the first set of chins.  Progress!

LRB Back & DL. Week 1. Pressing

BW - 207

Inclines -
BarX30
85X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1
165X8, 5

Pressing -
BarX10
65X5
85X8, 7, 7

BB Curls - BarX25, 25, 20, 16
super-set with
Rope Extensions - X25, 25, 25, 15 (straight-weight)

My best with 165 is 12 reps.  Focusing on building muscle and strength in my back, etc. for a while so this is fine for now.

Need to back-off more on the front pressing.  The reps are supposed to be much higher than this.  I hadn't done any front pressing in a long time, so I wasn't sure where I would be with that; plus the fatigue from the Inclines.

Reps and Volume. Week 16. Deadlift

BW - 214

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X3
315X2
345X4, 1
315X3

RDL - 185X15, 15, 12

Paused Front Squats - 135X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Chest Supported Rows - 90X20, 15, 12, 11

I was on the fence about even doing Deadlifts today.  I gave it a shot and they felt strong all the way through the set of 345X4.  Then the next set of 345 had no umph at all.  Instead of trying to force the issue I dropped down for a quick set with 315.

Later in the session I went back to the platform and examined my set-up in a side mirror.  I hadn't realized this, but I was set up with my shoulders WAY behind the bar.  This is something to look at.  I haven't filmed myself from the side in a long time, so I'll start doing that.  Got to get my shoulders over the bar.

RDL's felt strong.  I forgot my straps today and just went with a mixed-grip.

Paused Fronts and T-Bars both felt strong.

Reps and Volume. Week 16. Bench

BW - 212

Incline -
BarX30
95X5, 5
115X4
135X3
155X2
175X7*, 3, 4 (*failed on 8)

DB Laterals - 20sX20, 20, 20
super-set with
Rolling DB Triceps - 30sX20, 20, 15

DB Hammer Curls - 40sX10, 10, 10
super-set with
DB Rear Delts - 30sX18, 18, 18

175X7 is a Rep PR, and, together with 14 total reps, meets my goal for this weight.  I'll reset next week with 185 as my over-warm-up single.

I was going to try machine benching today, but once I got there something said work through the delts so I did that instead.  I've been doing lots of OHP and rear delts, but I hadn't done anything for the lateral head for awhile.  Who knows, maybe it can help jump-start some improvement before I go see a professional about my shoulder issues.  Also, my shoulder is WAY less achy for having not done the heavy lock-outs.  I'm suspicious that as I work back up on Inclines and start looking to hit reps at 185+, I may run into the same issues, however.

Reps and Volume. Week 16. Squat

BW - 215

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
275X11, 4, 2

High Bars - 225X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

GMs - 135X10, 10

Single-Leg Extensions - X20, 17, 15

275X11 is an all-around PR.  However, 11 is my number to beat, so I'll be repeating this day next week.

This really re-fatigued my low back after having just recovered from Deadlifts on Friday.  I may do accessories only on Deadlift day this week, and think about alternating like that.  I'll also be making big changes to my programming starting next week as I start looking to get in shape for a vacation in early March.

Everything else went well.

Reps and Volume. Week 15. Deadlift

BW - 214

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
365X1*
345X3, 2, 2, 2

RDL - 185X15, 12, 12

Paused Front Squats -
BarX5
95X5
135X5, 5, 5

Single-Leg Curls -
X12, 10 (straight-weight)
X15 (dropped weight)

Haven't done deadlifts in a while and things were a little out of whack.  *I did double-overhand all the way up to 365, but that top weight started to come out of my fingers right before lock-out.

I was going to try using straps for my work sets, but I couldn't get in position starting at the bottom.  I didn't realize so much of my set-up started while standing upright, getting tight and then pulling myself down to the bar.

Worksets felt weaker than I'd hoped after the time off.  I missed at the bottom on both an attempted 4th rep on the first set, and an attempted single at the end.  My weakness continues to be from the floor.

RDLs felt good though.

Thinking about strength off the floor, I decided to try out paused front squats here instead of the planned T-Bar rows.  Might play with this again next week.

Reps and Volume. Week 15. Bench

BW - 214 (PR)

Incline -
BarX30
95X5, 5
115X4
135X3
155X2
165X12, 5

Reverse Camber Bench - 205X5, 5, 5, 4

DB Bench - 55sX12, 10, 7
super-set with
DB Rear Delts - 30sX20, 20, 15

DB Hammer Curls - 40sX15, 10, 10

165X12 is an all-around PR for Incline, and matches a Rep PR for Flat Bench.  I had that as a back-of-mind goal for this session, and I'm happy to hit it.  The 5 reps on the 2nd set meets my goal 15+ total reps, so moving up next week.

However, the reverse camber bench was not good.  My shoulder started hurting after the 1st set, and I missed the 5th rep on set #4.  My shoulder was really achy by that point and is really achy today.  I'd settled on the hypothesis that whatever is wrong with my shoulder was only exacerbated by heavy movements that took the elbow behind the center line of my body, but that is CLEARLY not the case with this short ROM lift.  So until I get examined by a professional, I don't know what.  I'm just going to have to abandon this movement for now.  Next week, I will try some machine pressing and see what that's like.

DB Bench was okay, but felt like it could have been better if my shoulder wasn't bothering me so much.

Reps and Volume. Week 15. Squat

BW - 213

Squats -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
245X15, 5

High-Bars - 225X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

GMs - 135X10, 10

Single-Leg Extensions - X20, 16, 15

245X15 is a Rep PR, and together with 19+ total reps meets my goal for this weight.  Moving up to 275 next week.

Also, my 315 felt like it may have been a touch high this week, however it was ridiculously easy.  That should boost my confidence for the 315X1 going forward.

High-Bars are juuuuust starting to feel like I might need to do more reps with 225 for the volume supplement.  Since next week's jump on Low Bar from 245 to 275 is larger than normal, I'll still plan on sticking to 5X3.  That's actually the last week of this phase before I start shaping up for a beach vacation in early March.  No reason to expect to push assistance extra hard in that instance.

Back to Good-Mornings and my low back felt totally fine.  I really, really hate this movement, but it felt better today than it has in a while.  In effort to feel a good stretch in both my glutes and my hamstrings, I ended up bending my knees a bit and letting my hips move down at the "bottom" of the movement.  That seems technically incorrect, but my hips and spine felt perfectly stable/neutral, and I was able to really feel the stretch all through those two muscle groups before firing back up into the starting position.  Both areas are fairly sore today as well.

Reps and Volume. Week 14. Accessories

BW - 209

PBN -
BarX20
65X5
85X4
95X3
115X7, 4, 3, 1
super-set with
Chin-Ups - BWX10, 8, 6, 5, 6 (35 total)

DB Rows - 70sX20, 12

Machine Pullovers - X12 (upped the weight)

RG Preacher Curls - 50ishX15, 10
super-set with
DB Press - 45sX15, 10

DB Curls - 30sX12, 13
super-set with
Rolling Triceps - 30sX15, 12

Incline Treadmill - 15 minutes; walking

Mixed session.  115X7 is a Rep PR, and combined with 15 total reps meets my goal for this weight.  Moving up next week.

Everything else was a mix of slightly better, about the same, or slightly worse.  Weirdly, my biceps curling strength seems to be regressing.  May need to just try switching out some movements for a while.  I've been doing those same two types of curls, in the same order, on Saturdays for about 20 weeks straight.

Reps and Volume. Week 14. Squat

BW - 211

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
225X20

High-Bars - 225X3, 3, 3, 3, 3

GHR - BWX10, 10
super-set with
Single-Leg Extensions - X20, 15

Incline Treadmill - 15 minutes; walking

315X1 is a one-rep PR, and 225X20 is an all-around PR!  I took last week completely off in the hopes that my low-back strain would finish healing up, and lookee!  Two big PRs.  I knew that if my back was healed that the 315 would be there for me, but I was totally surprised by the 225X20.  That was a goal I was looking at for mid-January at the earliest.  That sets my total work-set volume level for the march to 365; meaning the workweight will gradually increase and the reps decrease but the total number of sets will be dictated by matching this level of volume.

I videoed the 315X1, but didn't get the 225X20 because I wasn't expecting it:

After the two PRs, I almost just left for the day, but I still got some other work in.

225X3X5 on High-Bars all felt solid.  Don't yet feel the "need" to go  for 5X5 with that weight so I'll let it ride.

I was finally starting to truly run out of gas so I cut the hamstring/quad isolation short at 2 super-sets. Got some quick treadmill work in, and called it a day.

Reps and Volume. Week 13. Accessories

BW - 210

PBN -
BarX20
65X5
85X4
95X3
115X2
105X11, 6
super-set with
Chin-Ups - BWX10, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4 (38 total reps)

DB Rows - 65X20, 18

Machine Pullover - X15 (burn-out set)

RG Preacher Curls - 50ishX15, 10
super-set with
DB Press - 40sX20, 10

DB Curls - 30sX15, 12
super-set with
Rolling Triceps - 30sX15, 12

Mixed session.  105X11 is a Rep PR and together with the 17 total reps meets my goal for that weight.  Move up to 115 next week.

Because my low back strain is lingering and I haven't done my regular Deadlift day in a few weeks, I decided to replace pull-downs with DB rows for a while so that in the meantime I'm getting a more well-rounded approach to Back.

I didn't seem to have any gas left by the time I got to Arms.  Except for DB Press where the 40sX20 is an all-around PR.  However, I got less reps on everything else with the same weight as last week.

I also sat up after the last set of Rolling Triceps with the weight still over my chest, and re-aggravated my low back a bit.  Yay.  I will probably just take this entire week off from training to try and get this healed.  If arm training is going to aggravate it, what could be safe?

Reps and Volume. Week 13. Bench

BW - 206 (fuck me)

Incline -
BarX30
95X5, 5
115X3
135X2
155X1
155X13, 5

Reverse Cambered Bench - 205X5, 5, 3, 5, 5

DB Bench - 55sX12, 10, 10
super-set with
DB Rear Delts - 30sX20, 17, 20

Hammer Curls - 40sX15, 14, 10, 8

Incline Treadmill - 20 minutes; walking

Good session.  155X13 is a Rep PR and only 2 off my best flat bench with that weight.

Pushed the weight up again on lock-outs with the reversed cambered bar.  That middle set of 3 is because I changed up my foot and shoulder positions simultaneously resulting in a greater ROM on the movement and also hitting the hooks at lock-out.  I corrected everything and got back to 5's.  Still, I should probably just repeat this weight next week.

Upped the reps on DB Bench and curls, and upped the weight on rear delts.

Reps and Volume. Week 13. Squat

BW - 207 (basically forgot to eat all day Sunday)

Squat -
BarX10, 10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
305X2, 1, 1
225X10

High-Bars - 225X3, 3, 3, 3, 2

GHR - BWX10, 10, 10
super-set with
Single-Leg Extensions - X20, 15, 15

Back strain seemed almost gone, but I was still really nervous about going in to squat today.  I warmed up with empty bar low-bar and high-bar squats since high-bars seemed to aggravate the injury the most last week.  Both felt good so I went forward.  The goal for 305 was 2 reps, which I got for a Rep PR.  The goal was also 13 total reps with the weight.  I thought, "fuck it, I'll just play it safe and do it with singles."  Because of my caution I was slow at the bottom and wasn't getting much rebound.  This was making everything harder, and I felt whatever muscles are strained in my back really working hard on the 2nd single, so I decided to stop.  I did a back-off set with 225 and called it good.  Still, I'm filled with more confidence for next week, and I think it's time to go ahead and get my 315 squat done.

I re-tested High-Bars with an empty bar and they still felt good so I moved on to them.  Here I thought I would play it safe and do sets of 3 instead of the sets of 5 I'd been doing.  What I didn't do was remember that I'd been using 205!  Only after the 2nd set did I realise I'd jumped weight up that much, but decided to move forward with it.  On the last set, I hesitated a moment in the bottom on the 3rd rep and didn't feel confident I could get it back up so I let it go.  Still, these sets also worked to increase my confidence for next week.

I didn't want to tempt fate with Good Mornings, so I did some glute-hams instead and super-setted them with the single-leg work.  All good.