ME Lower Team Training

sRPE @8.5

Reverse Safety Bar Box Squats - up to 290@8.5

Sumo Rack Pulls w/Straps - up to 405X1 @8.5

Inverted Rows - BWX14, 14, 12 @8.5/9

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX14, 10, 10 @~8

Standing Cable Abs - some

Belt Squat March - 1:20@9.5

Belt Squat Static Holds - 

Full Dept X0:30 @9.5

Half Depth X0:30 @9.5

Awful.  Awfully fun!  Training with the conjugate crew.

UB: Reps Week 6. Back

Defranco - Rollovers, piriformis and lat stretches

Deadlift -
135X5X2
225X3X2
315X2
325X1
335X1
345X FAIL X2

T-Bar Rows -
BarX30
30X10
50X6
100X3
90X15

Standing Abs - 5 sets of 12

God.  Damn.  I love deadlifting.  Last Back session of the program.  Last October I failed to even budge 315, and today I was programmed to pull 315X1 and then move on to rows.  Last week's 305X1 felt so stupid easy that I came into the gym planning to pull 315X2. 

Easy Double

I did that, and the gym owner was walking by and I told him I just pulled 315 for the first time and for a double.  "Was it easy?"  "It was awesome"  "Then go up."  I threw on 10 lbs. and it went up.  I threw on another 10 lbs. for 335, which put me at my projected max after the 315X2.  I went and managed to salvage up some chalk dust out of one of the chalk stands (first time I ever used chalk), and pulled it too lock-out.  It was slow and required much grunting.  I threw another 10 lbs. on, chalked up, and failed just below lockout.  I took a 2+ minute rest, chalked up again, and failed just below the knee.  Done.

So 3 PR's and a confirmed new 1RM.  I was ecstatic about all that, until I failed to pull the 345.  Then I was pissed, and had to slowly talk myself into being happy again.  I had to use chalk for the first time because my grip was feeling NOT strong, however I still used a basic double-overhand grip on all sets.

If I'd made the 345, I was going to give myself permission to skip the row, but I didn't so I went right ahead and set a PR there as well with 90X15.  Going into that set, I thought that if I didn't make 20, I'd keep doing sets until I got 30+, but after the set of 15 I knew I was done lifting anything with my back for the day.

Just enough left in the tank for 5 sets of standing cable crunches.  Then I treated to myself to a big bowl of rice and sashimi.

UB: Reps Week 6. Squats

Defranco Hip Mobility

Squats -
BarX20
95X10
155X6
195X3
275X1
195X20

Leg Curls - 5 sets of 15; 10 partials at the end of the last set

V-Ups - 3X10

Prowler Pushes; High-Handles down and back - 90 lbs., 15 pushes, 15 minutes

275X1 is a Rep PR, 195X20 is a Rep PR, increase to projected max, and my target for the cycle.  Left me sweating hard, and with my heart pounding like crazy.  Great session, great cycle for squatting.  Don't know what else to say.

UB: Reps Week 5. Back

Defranco - Rollovers, piriformis and lat stretches

Deadlift -
135X5X2
225X3X2
305X1

T-Bar Rows -
BarX30
30X10
50X6
80X3
75X22, 8

Standing Abs - 5 sets of 10-12

I love deadlifting.  305X1 was an easy 1 Rep PR.  I actually got unbalanced on the way up, and the bar wobbled down on the left-hand side, but I had no difficulty locking out.  Can't wait for my first 3-plate pull next week.

I also hit 20 reps with 75 easily on the T-Bar and will up the weight to 100 for the final week.  I might not be able to clear 10 reps with that weight, but I don't care.  I'll just do as many set as it takes to get 30 like it was any other day of the cycle.  No finish lines.

Got 5 sets of abs in, but it was tough.  Normally I'd be inclined to take a session or two off for recovery, but I may try a different movement, or even a light circuit just to stay in the habit of doing ab work.

UB: Reps Week 5. Squats

Defranco hip mobility

Squats -
BarX20
95X10
155X6
195X3
265X1
195X18, 6, 6 (30 total reps)

Hamstring curls - 5 sets of 10-15

Standing Abs - 4 sets of 8-15

Awesome squat session.  195X18 is a Rep PR, and a projected increase to my 1RM.  Also, 24 combined reps on the first two work-sets is a cycle best, and getting 30 reps in 3 sets ties my cycle best.  20+ reps is in the bag next week.  I hope to use a power rack, but it was f'ing busy as hell in the gym today.  I'm scheduled to squat again on Sunday, though, so it likely won't be as packed.

UB: Reps Week 4. Back

Defranco - Rollovers, piriformis stretch, lat stretch

Deadlift -
135X5X2
135X10
225X3X2
295X2

T-Bar Rows (unsupported) -
BarX30
30X10
50X6
80X3
75X17, 13, 5 (35 total reps)

Standing Abs -5X10-15

295X2 is a Rep PR on the Deadlift.  Back in October, 295 tested as my true max.  This was pretty easy, and that feels awesome.  However, my grip felt a little shaky on the 2nd rep.  Bears keeping in mind.

Upped the work-weight on the rows to 75.  My target for this session was 15 reps on the first set, which would project to an increased 1RM.  I hit that and clearly had more so I kept going, however the 17th rep was difficult to touch on.  Nevertheless, I was jazzed and determined to reach my 30 rep total on the 2nd set, which I did, but again the last couple reps were hard.  I decided to throw in one more set just for the extra work.  Also, because my grip was shaky at the end of the Deadlifts, I didn't use straps on my first work-set here, and only pulled them on to make sure I got to 13 on the 2nd set.

I like my chances for hitting 20 in one set next week, and then upping the work-weight again for the final week of the program.  Also, I'm feeling significantly more comfortable with this movement than I ever did before.  I think it's time to start seriously doing some Pendlay's now.  I'm probably going on a 2-day split following this because of my schedule, but when that opens up again, I'm considering keeping bench on the back-burner and focusing on BB Rowing.

I also contracted my abs against resistance whilst in a standing position.  Repeatedly.

UB: Reps Week 3. Bench

Defranco Shoulder mobility

Bench -
BarX30
65X10
105X6
135X3
170X1
135X10, 6, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 3 (31 total reps)

Pull-Downs - 5 sets of 8-10

Standing Abs - 5 sets of 12

Because I failed to hit my target reps in Week 2, and then had to do a lot of singles on my way to 30+ reps, I decided to back-off the first work-set a little in the hopes of bumping up the following sets.  I had mixed results here, as you may be able to tell.  I got more reps on the 2nd set than I had the previous two weeks which is good, however it immediately devolved into triples and doubles.  Also the total reps for the first 2 sets combined isn't any better than the first two weeks, nor did I beat the total number of sets needed to reach 30+.  All in all it kind of seems like I just rearranged the deck chairs. 

I think there are two factors at play here:  1)  because I train alone, I just don't feel comfortable taking every set to the limit, and 2)  I seem to be trimming up.  I don't really weigh myself, but I pretty clearly look leaner in the mirror.  Some of this could be diet.  I haven't been paying any more attention to what I eat, but I think there's a chance I'm not eating as much as I have been.  This may be having the effect that I'm not getting growth in my pressing muscles due to a lack of nutrition.  Also, less mass means less area to distribute the load over, meaning the muscle I do have actually has to work harder to lift the weight.

All in all, I'm not super worried about this becasue I don't really care about the bench press that much.  As long as my squats and rows show improvement, that's the main thing for me, and I haven't stalled on those.  If my squat stalls out 2 weeks in a row, I will eat more going into the following week.  For now, I probably prefer being leaner to making a lot of bench progress.

UB: Reps Week 3. Back

Defranco - Rollovers into V-sit, piriformis stretch, lat stretch

Deadlift -
135X5X2
225X5X2
285X3

T-Bar Rows (unsupported) -
BarX30
30X10
50X6
75X3
60X20, 10, 5 (35 total reps)

Standing abs - 5 sets of 12-15

Deadlifts were okay.  I need to remember that just because it's not the main movement of the day, that I still have to focus and try to pull correctly.  I think my form went a bit to shit on the top set.

So my rowing strength is progressing very quickly.  That was probably predictable since I've never dedicated this much time or thought to progressing on them.  This might be one of the last worthwhile movements I ever see novice gains on.  So I have a dilemma here.  My original goal was to try and approach 30 reps with 60 lbs. on the bar.  Now that looks not only certain, but I might get it in week 5.  I could be wrong, but that set of 20 was pretty damn easy.  I could have gotten 2-3 more, but I wanted to make sure to get a quality 2nd set.  I've dropped Paul Carter a note asking for his input on this.  I have to decide whether to keep pushing the reps up with this work-weight, or up the work weight to something I'll have a harder time making 20 reps on over the next 3 weeks.

UB: Reps Week 2. Bench

Defranco Shoulder Mobility

Bench -
BarX15X2
65X10
105X6
135X3
170X1
135X13, 4, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 4 (32 total reps)

Press -
95X5
85X5
65X5
BarX10
BarX11

Standing Abs - 5 sets of 8-15

135X13 is a Rep PR.  Bench was alright, but I wanted to get 14 reps on my first work set, and I had no confidence I would go back up so I stopped at 13.  Interestingly, after the single, the doubles were significantly easier as should be evident by my ability to get 4 reps on by final set.  I a;ls got more total reps than last session.  Possibly it would be worthwhile to try for a few less reps on the first set, in the hopes of getting more reps on the subsequent sets.  I might try this next week to see what happens.

UB: Reps Week 2. Back

Rollovers, piriformis stretch, lat stretches

Deadlift -
135X10
225X5
275X3X2

T-Bar Rows -
BarX30
30X10
50X6
60X3
70X3
60X15, 8, 5, 6 (34 total reps)

Prowler High-Lows - 90 lbs., 14 sets, 15 minutes

Standing Abs - 5 sets of 10-15

My mind was off today, plus I didn't consult my programming close enough, and so and didn't do everything the way I was supposed to.

I should have done 225X5 twice and then 275X3 once.  I didn't realize my mistake until after my first 275 set.  Rather than be done, or go back down, I decided to just do another set of 275.  No big deal.  Besides, I like Deadlifting, heh.

Same on the rows.  the set of 3 was supposed to be at 70, not 60 as I'm waving a top triple instead of a top single like on squats and bench.  No matter.  I needed to hit 14 reps on my first work-set to be on track for my goals or this movement, and I got that plus one more.  Feels good.

UB: Reps Week 2. Squats

Defranco hip mobility

Squats -
BarX15X2
95X10
155X6
195X3
245X1
195X11, 9, 10

GHR - BWX10, 12, 12, 10, 10

Standing Abs - 5X10-20

Walk home - 20 minutes

195X11 is a Rep PR.  I'm pretty stoked that I dropped from 5 sets to get 30+ reps down to 3 here, even if I just made the 30.  Two psychological things that I think contributed:  1) I think the single being heavier this week made the work sets feel lighter, and 2)  I altered my set-up a bit.  Before, when I set up under the bar I'd always try to make sure my body was tight.  This session I found myself not just getting tight through my body, but also getting tight against the bar.  What I mean by that is, I pushed myself into the bar as hard as I could without actually lifting it.  Then when I inhaled and arched the bar out of the hooks, it felt lighter for some reason.  Maybe it's mental, and maybe I was just that much tighter as a result of this tweak.  Pretty cool, though.  I still sweat like Bobby at the reading of Whitney's will because I once again stayed up late drinking the night before a squat session. 

UB: Strong Week 6. Deadlift

Defranco Mobility

Calf Raises - 245X15, 285X15, 325X15

Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
255X5
285X5

GHR - BWX10, 12, 10

Pulldowns (slow eccentric) - 70X15, 10, 8, 6

Standing Cable Crunches - 50X20, 70X15, 80X15

Walk home - 20 minutes.

Last day of Deadlifts on this cycle and I pulled another PR!  That's about 30lbs. added to my deadlift on this cycle.  That's awesome.  I didn't even have to gut out any reps, though I did have to take a couple of deep breathes between sets 3 and 4.

My mid-back strain was really acting up today though.  My new guess is that the pulling has been generating this strain.  If that's true, I believe that points to the lack of rowing I've been doing.  There was no rowing at all in this cycle, so while I was working my pull and bringing up my lats and traps, my rhomboids fell back and have had trouble doing their part at the end of the line.  This is good.  I've been feeling for awhile that I was neglecting the row in favor of building my chinning strength.  This is the final confirmation I need to push chins to the back-burner and bring rows forward.

UB: Strong Week 5. Deadlift

Defranco Mobility

Standing Calf Raises (slow-eccentric; paused at bottom) - 305X15X3

Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
225X5
255X5
275X5

Power Shrugs - 365X12, 7

Chin-ups - Gym BW 212X10, 5

Cable Crunch - 100X11, 12 (kneeling); 100X8 (standing)

Treadmill - 10 minutes jogging

I started reading some Lyle McDonald stuff, and his post about calf-training really jumped out as relevant to what I'm doing right now.  I was bouncing out of the bottom, so I tried it today exploding up, squeezing at the top, taking a slow eccentric and pausing at the bottom.  Much, much harder.  I don't have the promised "can't walk the next day" thing going on, but I guess I didn't do the full routine.  The one thing I don't like is that I pretty much have to take a breath at every pause, and I don't like the way it feels losing tightness with my spine loaded like that.  It's a machine though, so I'm not too worried.

I was a little nervous coming in to set a 10 lb. PR on the deads today.  Similar to my last squat session, I scrapped the programmed weight increases for the initial sets in favor of lowering overall volume and saving everything for the top set.  Also this knotting I have in my mid-back started acting up for the first time doing deadlifts.  Not during the lift thankfully, but really angry after each set.  I gave myself plenty of rest between the top sets, and everything went pretty well.  Every successive set left me feeling more and more confident for the following set.  After I got the 275 I was grinning like crazy, and I don't think I've ever done that after a lift before.  Maybe the first time I got 10 chin-ups last fall.  I almost wanted to throw some more weight on and go again, but I'm trying to show some restraint as I'm scheduled to add another 10lbs. next week to complete the cycle.

UB: Strong Week 3. Deadlift

Defranco Mobility

Standing Calf Raises - 265X15, 325X15, 365X15

Deadlift -
155X5
185X5
205X5
225X5
255X5

Power Shrugs - 315X12, 8

Chin-ups - Gym BW 205X10, 4

Cable Crunch - 100X12, 10, 10

10 minutes on the treadmill

Wasn't sure how things would go today becasue I was running on a sleep deficit, and we had a party at work that involved both alcohol and massage therapy.  However, I didn't feel even a little drunk (except for after the massage) so I thought I'd try to get in my last "light" pull session.

Calf raises are getting harder, so I'm only going to try and go up a plate per session on the top set.

255X5 is only about 10lbs shy of my projected 5 rep max, but I have to say the top set felt pretty good, and, as has been the case lately, felt like the smoothest set of the session.  Next week I use my projected 5RM.

UB: Strong Week 2. Deadlift

No warm-up

Standing Calf Raises - 225X16, 265X15, 305X15

Deadlift -
145X5
165X5
195X5
215X5
235X5

Power Shrugs - 275X16, 295X10

Chin-ups - Gym BW 202X10, 4

Cable crunch - Stack + 45lb. PlateX15, Stack+60lb.X15, 18

10 minute brisk walk on treadmill

Forgot to pack shorts or sweats in my gym bag today and had to work-out in my work slacks, lol.  Skipped warm-ups to help make sure I didn't rip out the crotch.  Ridiculous.

Jumped up a few more plates on the calf raises.  Just a few away from the whole stack for whatever it's worth.  Pretty confident I'll be there by the end of the cycle.

Felt pretty focused on the DL's today and everything moved pretty smoothly.  The first or second rep almost always feels like the best, though.  That kind of seems to make sense with the way I read other lifters talking about having to program the Pull somewhat differently from the other lifts.  In the future, I may condsider keeping the reps in the 1-3 range for work-sets of this lift.  I almost feel like it would be better to do multiple sets of 2-3 at the same weight I might do 1 set of 5 with on lighter days. 

Next week my top set will be 255, and while my 5 rep max projects to be 265, 255 is actually the most I've lifted for 5 or more reps (I pulled 255X6 in the middle of my 2nd 531 cycle back in early December).  Looking forward to seeing how that feels.  Hopefully I'll be feeling focused and fresh like I was this session and everything will move smoothly.

UB: Strong Week 1. Deadlift

Defranco Mobility and Stretching

Standing Calf Raises - 135X15, 195X15, 225X15

Deadlift -
135X5
155X5
185X5
205X5
225X5

Power Shrugs - 275X11, 6

Chin-ups - BW(205)X9, 5

Cable Crunches - 1/2 stack X25, Stack+40X20X2

Treadmill - Light jogging for 10 minutes

Similar to the shoulder assistance last session, this is the first time I have done direct calf work since I started training for strength.  I've always had big claves, so I kind of expected to work up to the full stack on these, but I only got about 3/4 of the way up.  Nice to have an easy target to work towards.

With the Deadlifts, it's funny that Paul Carter and one of his readers were just discussing that Deadlifting relatively light weights never "feels light" the way it does in other lifts, and that was my experience here.  135 and 185 always feel light, but once I cross 200 things feel "heavy" even if I can lift 50lbs. heavier in that rep range.  Nonetheless, I just tried to focus on form and getting some "pop" in the reps.