Time Crunch + Forearm Pain Week 1. Day A.

 sRPE @6.5

BW  - 227   

SSB -

-    up to 300X1 @9

-    250X3 @8

Reverse SSB Box Squats - 210X3, 3, 3 @~7.5

Circuit -

-    Leg Curls - X9, 8, 8 @8

-    Hypers - BW+25 behind head X8, 8, 7 @8

-    Leg Extensions - X12, 10, 10 @8/9

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:20/1:40; 14 minutes    

Schedule is all over the place this month and next, plus I think I need to just back off anything that puts much stress on grip for a while.

Not letting perfect be the enemy of good, I'll just go in when I can and try to hit some stuff, and maybe a plan will emerge.

S/B/D/R Week 1. Day A.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 224

Squats - 

-    up to 325X1 @7.5

-    285X3, 3, 3 @6/8

BB Rows w/Straps - 

-    up to 185X6 @8

-    185X3, 3, 3 @4.5/8

GHR - BWX10, 9, 8 @8/9

super-set with

Machine Laterals - X10, 8, 8 @~8

Cable Rear Delt Flyes - X8, 8, 7 @7.5/9

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:20/1:40; 14 minutes

Really enjoyed this program layout prior to the Rows specialization block so going back to it for a few weeks.  This was a fun session.

Forearms didn't like the 'D' attachment on the rear delt flyes, but a buddy had mentioned using the single rope attachments.  I tried those and they felt GREAT.  

Pressin' Out Week 2. Day C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 225

Press - 115X3, 3, 3 @~6.5

DB Seated Press - 45sX10, 9 @~10

Chins - 

-    BW+25X1 @9.5*

-    BWX3 @8

Adductor Machine - X14, 13 @~10

PJR Pullovers - 45X13, 12, 11 @9.5

*Weighted Chins are definitely aggravating my left forearm.  I hate to have to sideline that lift for a while after spending so much time spent trying to improve it, but I may have to do that to give the tendinopathy time to calm down.

Still the first time I've been able to squeeze in a 3rd session in a couple of weeks, so I'm happy about that.

Inter-Holiday Session

sRPE @5.5

BW - 227

Press (beltless) - up to 145X1(PR) @9.5

CS Rows - 135X10, 10 @8/9

Hanging Flexed Knee-to-Chest w/straps - BWX12(PR), 9, 7 @8.5/10

Pivot-y kind of session before I start a Press-focused block next week.  

I haven't done a ton of beltless Pressing, but I'm pretty sure that is a PR.  

Lockout on this an all of the singles working up to it felt different than they did recently when I was going after the Press.  I'd been hitting a pretty hard sticking point about 2/3 of the way up, and I'd tried attacking it with Pin Presses and Push Presses, with little success.  These sets hit that sticking point and slowed a little, but still smoothly pushed through to lockout.

If that feel holds through the beginning of the block, I'd be tempted to chalk it up to all of the triceps work I did on my Dips mini-block. 

I'm also pretty sure 12 reps at this BW is a Rep PR on Hanging Flexed-Knee-to-Chest, but I haven't done that variation too often.  Had to use straps on these because left forearm discomfort continues (and may become a confounder in my Pressing; fingers crossed).

Dippin' into Dips Week 3. Day B.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 224

Dips - BWX5, 5, 5 @6/7

Incline DB Raise - 15sX14, 11, 8 @10

ATG Pause Squat - 

-    275X1 @8

-    185X5, 5 @~6

Gaspari Bar Hammer Curls - 45X11, 7 @10

DB LTEs - 20sX15, 11, 11 @10

Squats weren't feeling it on this day, so backed off.  Happens sometimes.

Still have some left forearm flexor discomfort lingering from the Chin-Ups blocks and/or bad Squat grip position.  Straight bar Curls weren't feeling great so switched to the Gaspari Bar.

Block 14. Cycle 3. Session A.

BW - 220

sRPE @8.5

Chin-Ups - BWX2, 2, 2, 2, 3 @8/9

BB Curls -

60X11, 11, 11 @8/9

50X11 @ 7.5

Deadlift -

362.5X4 @7.5

325X7, 7, 7 @7

Upright Rows - 65X10, 10 @7/8

Made sure to be very conservative with everything after Chins.  Still feeling beat down after the inadvertently high sRPE sessions last week.  Chins are the main lift on this day, so "keep the goal the goal" and just punching the clock on everything else.

I have some wrist and forearm discomfort lingering from last week, so I was especially conservative with the curls.  Backed way off and did relatively slow "controlled" reps.

Was still feeling kind of gassed by the time I got through DL warm-ups.  It might be that I'm just not used to this much DL volume this late in a training session.  Regardless, I was conservative with the top set, and didn't try to push the back-off weight past last week since I was adding a set.  Back-off sets ended up being on target AND a 3X7 Volume PR.

Upright Rows were similar to curls.  Wrists weren't loving it, so backed off and did slower reps.

Block 14. Cycle 2. Session C.

 BW - 223

sRPE - @10

Press -

135X1 @8

117.5X3 @7

110X6 @9

Squat -

290X6 @7

250X10, 10 @~7

Decline Cambered Swiss Bar - 120X10, 10 @7/8.5

BB Rows - 145X10, 10 @7.5/8

Left brachioradialis has been giving me trouble this week and it was uncomfortable stabilizing on the Press.  Still got my targets on everything except the AMRAP set.

This week has been tough in general with training, so I was very conservative on the Squat and was rewarded by being right on target.

Similarly, I didn't try to increase the weight on this Decline movement as I was adding a work set.  Still got pretty hard by the 2nd set, and I was ready to be out of the gym.

I made myself to do the Rows even though I didn't want to.  Same weight as last week +1 set, and on target.

Need to start tracking sRPE again.  I define sRPE thusly: after the last work set of the last compound movement of the session, how many more sets could I have gotten at around the same weight/reps/RPE?  Definitely had two @10 sessions this week.

Block 8. Cycle 4. Session D.

BW - 227

Waist - 43"

sRPE @7

Chin-Ups -
BW+15X3, 3, 2, 3 @~9.5
BWX5 @10

Rack Chins (Myo-reps; 30 sec. rest) - BWX8, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @~9.5

Dips -
BW+25X8 @8
BWX11 @8.5

Rope Pushdowns - X16@10

BB Curls -
70X8, 8 @8/10
60X8 @8

Solid session.

Weighted chin-up strength seemed up a bit from last week, and in line with the BW only session a few days ago.

Rack chins were bothering my right forearm today.  I've had a little bit of achy-ness there the last week or so, but it really lit up on this movement.  Tried shifting to pronated, and that may have helped a bit.  Something to keep an eye on.

e1RM on Dips dropped a bit with the addition of weight, but I expect that to start moving back up as long as I don't have any aches/pains interfering with the movement.

Curls were a little rougher today, but still represents a slight increase.

Texas Method Team Training. Week 2. Volume Day

BW - 225

Squat - 270X5X5

Bench - 175X5X5

Deadlift - 210X10X2

Squats were a little wonky getting started but were going strong by the end.  However, I was getting some kind of forearm pain along/around my brachialis.  Was really bothering me.

When I got to bench, the forearm pain made it difficult to keep an aggressive grip on the bar.  First couple of sets were really hard as a result, but as we got further from squatting, the discomfort receded, and I was able to clamp down on the bar.

Speed deads were fine.