Chin-Up War Week 5. Day A.

sRPE @9

BW - 224

Chins - BWX8(PR), 6(PR), 4, 4 @~10

DB Rows - 100X11, 10, 8 @~10

GHR - BWX13, 11 @~10

DB OH Extensions - 45X13, 10 @9/10

BB Curls - 75X16(PR), 12, 12(PR) @~10

224 BWX8 is a Rep PR on Chins, and for 2 sets of 6+ is a Volume PR.

On Curls, 73X16 is a Rep PR, and 3 sets of 12+ is a Volume PR.

Things are getting a bit gut busting, so I think I'll push through this week, and then do a slight pivot to some different accessories.

However, my Chin-Up and Curl strength have increased by over 10% from where I started this block.  By my metrics, Chin-Ups are no longer (currently) my worst lift.  I want to do another block to see if I can at least shore up these gains if not make more, and then I'll switch focus to something else.

Mid-Rep Volume PRs. Week 6. Session C.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 211

Deadlift - 425X1 @8

Toes-to-Bar - BWX5, 4, 4 @~9

Leg Extensions - X21, 19 @9

Lat Pushdowns - X16, 13, 13 @8/9.5

DB Incline - 50sX13, 13 @7/9.5

Last day of the training block, and as usual I'm just fucking around a bit.

Worked up to a gratifyingly fast 425 on DL after not touching anything heavier than 385 during the rest of the block.

Going into this block, my goals were the following Rep and Volume PRs:

Dips >203 4X9

Chins 3X7; >205 3X6

Squat >250 3X10

Bench 3X11

Deadlift >300 3X9

Press 2X12; >65 1X20

Curls >40 4X17

TTB 2X8

I achieved or surpassed everything but Chins and TTB.  I ended up with:

Dips 226 for 4X9

Squat 255 for 3X10

Bench 155 for 3X11

Deadlift 315 for 3X9

Press 90 for 2X12 and 70 for 1X20

Curls 45 for 4X17

Mid-Rep Volume PRs

 Here's my goals for this training block.  These would all be Rep or Volume PRs, and should all be in reach, so I should hit at least a few of them:

Dips:         >203 (including BW) 4X9
Chins:         3X7; >205 (including BW) 3X6

Squat:         >250 3X10
Bench:         3X11
Deadlift:         >300 3X9
Press:         2X12; >65 1X20
Curls:         >40 4X17
Toes-to-Bar: 2X8

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 7. Session A.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 218

Curls - 95X7 @10

Bench - 

215X1 @6

167.5X13 @8

Machine Flyes - X11@10

Deadlift -

405X1 @7

320X10 @8 (grip)

SSB Pause Squat -

210X9 @7

250X4 @6.5

300X1 @6.5

95 lbs. is a 1 Rep PR on Curls, and I did 7.  Sets of 95X10 across is a near term goal for me on this movement, so I decided to do a rep test here in the last week.  With this performance, this block seems to have out-performed the previous Tier 2, or "second best," block.  That previous Tier 2 is what my next block of Curl training is based on.  Will be interesting to see how they compare!

167.5X13 is a Rep PR on Bench.  I wish I hadn't skipped the back-off set last week, or I might have gotten two of these in a row.  I think this is my first Bench Rep PR (vs. Volume PR) on Bench in over a year.  Even though it was a secondary lift this block, it's worth nothing that the prior two blocks had Bench as a focus.

320X10 is a Rep PR on Deadlift.  Rated is @8 RPE because the bar was starting to come out of my left hand at the end.  Top single was a little harder than last week.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the SSB Pause Squats here in the last week, so I ended up working up in "big" increments.  Bar+1.25pps, bar+2pps, bar+2.25pps.  Interesting that it kind of got easier as I went up, and projects as an almost 50# increase over last week's e1RM.  Maybe it's just easier to do low reps at the end of a session.

At a bit of a minor programming "crisis" as I realize that the e1RM on my back-off sets of Bench is drastically higher than the e1RM of the top single.  PL programming would say to track off the single, and that's what I've always done.  For PL, that makes sense because it "keeps the goal the goal," but my goals are progress in a much wider variety of rep ranges.  Only tracking off of the lowest rep sets is the more conservative approach for sure.  More likely to undershoot vs. overshoot block-over-block targets in all rep ranges.  But it might also mask the actual progress being made in a block.  

For Bench this block, the back-off set had the higher RPE, and more closely mirrored the rep range of the Flyes, the accessory chosen specifically for bench.  So would it be more accurate to say I was training the higher rep range on bench this block, and if so, shouldn't I track e1RM off of that?  I think I should.  The downside is that it will likely over-project my  low-rep strength to start the next block, and I'll have to auto-regulate the weight down.  Not really that big of a deal as long as I'm conscious of it, and don't think something is "wrong."

I wrote out some new guidelines around this for future programming: 

    What rep range is getting "more" trained on the secondary and tertiary movement (higher RPE, more sets, more similar to accessory)?  Track e1RM for that range, BUT LOOK BACK at end of block and see which progressed more and base off of that.  Be prepared to have to auto-regulate projected performance in less similar rep ranges up or down at the start of the next block.

Full-Body. Week 2. Bench

BW - 226

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
245X3
290*X3, 3, 3

Bench -
BarX5
95X5
115X4
135X3
165X2
185X1
165X14, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
185X3
225X3, 3, 3

*misloaded the bar with a 5 on one side and a 10 on the other.  Should have been 285.

165X14 is a Rep PR on bench.  I'd been banging my head against the wall for a couple of weeks attempting to get 155X20 and stalling out at 17.  I've decided to ramp up a little bit accepting some Rep PRs at higher weights even if they fall short of my original targets.  For instance, my target for 165 would have been 17, but 12 is my previous best, so why not be happy with beating that by 2?  My hope was to "earn" a new over warm-up of 225, but it seems like that may be further out than I'd hoped.  So I'll work up hitting Rep PRs and see what number makes sense instead of fixating so hard on adding another full plate to the bar.  Maybe I'll go until I start failing to hit lower rep PRs, say if I fail for a couple weeks attempting 205X6, and then I'll make that weight my new over warm-up and reset from there.

Substituting speed deads for chin-ups until I get my shoulder issues worked out.

Novice LP - Session 17

BW - 222

Squats -
BarX5
115X4
165X3
205X2
250X1
285X5, 5, 5

Press -
BarX5
85X3
95X2
105X1
125X5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X5
200X3
240X2
290X1
330X5

Solid session.  Squats and Press both moved okay.  Deadlifts just feel heavy as shit, but I got all the reps.

We're starting to get into what I'll call "moments of truth" with all the lifts.  While I've hit some awesome 5 Rep PRs in the Press and Squat, in none of the lifts have I hit a set of 5 that projects to a new, lifetime 1RM PR.  So the #'s I'm looking for coming up in order to get those new, projected maxes are:

Squat - 320X5 (35 lbs. away now; 10 lbs. away before last reset)
Bench - 210X5 (15 lbs. away)
Deadlift - 340X5 (10 lbs. away)
Press - 135X5 (10 lbs. away now; 5 lbs. away before last reset)

Squat and Press got closest, but I had to reset them.  I haven't had to reset Bench or Deadlift yet, but they're also further away from new lifetime numbers.  AND I've gone to alternating Deadlift with Cleans because they're getting so heavy.  The other kicker is that my previous lifetime, projected 1RM PRs happened at the following BW:

Squat PR - 275X11 @ 215
Bench PR - 155X17 @ 215
Deadlift PR - 245X4 multiple times @  209, 211, and 214
Press PR - 105X14 @ 213

So I'm looking forward to the extra 8-12 lbs. BW paying off with some new projected bests.

LRB Short-15. Week 2. Squat and Deadlift

BW - 212

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
205X2
245X1, 1
265X1
235X5, 5

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4, 4
225X3
255X2
285X1
305X1
305X3
275X3, 3

Solid session.  I dropped the goal weight back on squats after last week, and that meant my 2X5 weight was the same as last week's 2X8.  Everything was smooth

Deadlift is still feeling tough off the floor, but all the reps still moved fast and smooth.

Vacation Prep. Week 6. Press

BW - 210

PBN -
BarX16
65X5
85X4
95X3
115X2
95X16, 7

Upright Rows - 95X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Hmmmm.  Well, 95X16 matches exactly the all-around PR I set in early December.  I also felt generally strong today, as I was able to up the volume on Upright Rows as well.  I really want to push the PBN up to 95X20+, but I have to keep telling myself that vacation is just a couple weeks away, and that driving towards bigger goals can wait for March.

Reps and Volume. Week 7. Squat

BW - 203

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X1
265X7, 4, 4

High-Bars - 185X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
185X3
225X3
275X3
315X3
325X3

Single-Leg Extensions - X15, 15, 15 (straight-weight)

Good session.  265X7 and for 15 total reps was my goal for this weight.  7 reps also ties a PR from earlier this year.  I had to really gut out a few reps on the 2nd and 3rd sets to get 4 reps on each set.  Wiped me out a little bit for High-Bars and Deadlifts.

Still not sure if it's time to move up to 325 on Deadlift day yet.  May stick at 315 on the next Volume Deadlift day.

Reps and Volume. Week 5. Squat

BW - 202

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X1
255X9, 5, 3

High-Bars - 185X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
185X3
225X3
275X3
315X3

Single-Leg Extensions - X15, 15, 12

First session with the modification to Squat/Deadlift on the same day; alternating which one is heavy each week.

Squats went well.  255X9 and for 16 total reps met both my goals for this weight, so I'll move up to 265 next Squat day.  For my light Squats next time, I will probably work up to 265X3-4.  Maybe just triples all the way up.

High-Bars were bothering the outside of my left hip a bit.  That area had felt tender since my last squat session.  I think I might have been pushing me knees out too hard at the bottom of this lift.  On the later sets here, I started controlling my descent a bit more and making sure my knees just stayed over my toes, and the discomfort subsided.

I'll be doing triples with 315 for volume next week, so I just worked up to one triple here.  That seemed like plenty as I was getting pretty gassed from squatting.

Reps and Volume. Week 3. Deadlift

BW - 197

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
365X1
295X3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

RDL - 185X12, 12, 12

Chest-Supported Rows - 50X10, 9, 7

Single-Leg Curls -
35X20
45X20, 15

Good session.  I decided I needed to up my volume on Deadlift work-sets.  I realized I'd been working off of a goal of 365 instead of 405.  So the goal here was 6X3 which I got, no problem.  Now I have to decide whether to stay at this weight and up the reps per set, or move up in weight.  I suspect I will move up, because I could have kept doing triple here a while longer.

Added 2 reps to all sets of RDL.  This was hard freakin' work, though.

Chest-supported rows are so humbling.  This weight was actually harder this week than last.  Because of the increased Deadlift volume?

Still digging this plate-loaded hamstring machine at Quads.

Phase 2. Week. 7. Squat

BW - 211

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
225X2
275X1
265X7, 2

High Bars - 185X10, 8

Fronts - 155X5, 5, 5

Lunges - BWX20, 20
super-set with
Hypers - BWX15, 15

Decent session.  265X7 is a Rep PR and my phase goal for this weight.  Moving up next week.

Hadn't taken any video for awhile, and the gym was pretty empty because of weather and the holiday, so I grabbed some form checks:

 The 275X1 looks good to me.

Most of these looked solid.  Thought there might be at least one that was high in the middle.  It's a bit hard for me to tell because of wearing all black, hahahha.

Managed to punch out a few more reps on High Bars, but Fronts are still sticking in that 5 rep zone with all the fatigue from the previous lifts.

Tried out the BW Lunge/Hypers super-set idea today.  Pretty freaking awful, and my low back was cramping like crazy when I was changing my shoes after the session.  Keeper!

Phase 2. Week 2. Deadlift

BW - 212

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X5
225X4
275X3
315X2
365X1
325X5, 5

Deficit Deads - 275X5, 5, 5, 5

RDL - 225X10, 8

BB Rows - 135X15, 12, 10

Solid session.  2 sets of 5 with 325 was my phase goal for this weight, so I can move up next week.

Managed to keep the volume up on Deficits.

Pushed the first set of RDLs up to 10, but couldn't get there on the 2nd.

Upped the overall volume on the rows as well.

Phase 1. Week 12. Bench

BW - 211

Bench -
BarX25
115X5
135X4
155X3
185X2
205X4, 3

Cambered Bench - 135X10, 5, 5

Incline Bench - 135X10, 7, 5

Dips -
BW+25X11
BW+25X5/BWX5 (Drop-set)
BWX10

Ab Wheel - X12, 12, 12

Great session.  205X4 is a Rep PR on bench and my phase goal for this weight, so I can move up next week.  Benching was strong this week, and I possibly could have gotten a 5th rep.  But I'm glad I was able to almost match it on my 2nd set instead.

As I noted above, my benching was strong this week, and this 135X10 on cambered bench came out of NOWHERE.  The other 2 sets fell back to earth, though.  Obviously, a big all-around PR.

Moved back to the shallower incline, and got some good reps in.

Added some weight to the dips.  Didn't want to labor on with low reps on every set, though, so I did a drop-set on the 2nd, and then backed off to body-weight for the third.  236 (BW+25)X11 is an all-around PR.

Upped the reps a bit on the ab wheel.

Phase 2. Week 6. Squat

BW - 213

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
225X2
275X1
255X9, 3

High Bars - 185X8, 8

Fronts - 155X8, 5, 5

Hypers - BWX20, 20

Good session.  255X9 is a Rep PR and my phase goal for this weight.  Some sloooow reps at the end of both sets, though.  Still moving up next week.

Managed to push the reps on  High Bars and Fronts a bit more.

I'd been pondering swapping out lunges for hypers for a while, because sometimes my low back is really fatigued after my main squat sets, and I thought it might be a good idea to start reinforcing that area.  Plus, it could always help out with Deadlifts, too, since I've got a couple days off between squats and deads.  This is probably a good idea, as these two sets of 20 really lit up that whole area, and I was a bit twingy the rest of the night.

If I get to feeling realy froggy, I might super-set lunges with hypers.  Yolo.

Phase 2. Week 1. Deadlift

BW - 209

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X5
225X4
275X3
315X2
365X1
315X5, 5

Deficit Deads - 275X5, 5, 5, 5

RDL - 225X8, 8

BB Rows - 135X15, 8, 9

Good session.  365X1 is a Rep PR, and 315 for 2 sets of 5 is my phase goal for that weight, so I can move up next week.

Managed to add a 5th set of 5 to the Deficits as well.  Was getting pretty gassed at this point, though.

Really want to start pushing the RDL's up to sets of 10.  I'd hoped to be pushing multiple sets of 10 at this weight by this point in the program.

Bottom dropped out on my second set of Rows, so I added a third set to make up the volume.

Phase 1. Week 11. Bench

BW - 209

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X2
205X3, 2

Incline (steep) - 95X15, 12, 10

Dips - BWX15, 12, 12

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

205X3 is a Rep PR, and my first time benching 200 or more.  This is only one rep shy of my phase goal for this weight.  Hope to hit that next week.

Cambered bar was in use, so I went straight to Incline.  I used the steeper bench today, dropped the weight a touch and pushed the reps way up.

May want to start adding weight to dips again.

Phase 2. Week 5. Squat

BW - 209

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
225X2
275X1
255X7, 3

High Bars - 185X8, 5, 5

Fronts -
165X3
135X8, 5

Way hungover and under-slept.  I was sweating buckets because of all the drinking.  Dammit, this is why I moved squats to a weekday.  Yay, Superbowl.

I didn't meet my phase goal for 255, but 255X7 is still a Rep PR.

I managed to push High-Bars again, but only on the first set.

Messed around with different weight on Fronts to see if I could break out of the 155X5 doldrums I've been in.

Skipped single-leg work.

Phase 1. Week 10. Deadlift

BW - 211

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X5
225X4
275X3
315X2
355X2, 1

Deficit Deads - 275X5, 5, 5, 4

RDL - 225X8, 8

BB Rows - 135X15, 13

Hungover and felt like crap all day.  That said 355X2 is a Rep PR.  It also meets my final phase goal.  Next week I'll move to phase 2.

Tried to push for a 4th set of deficits, but couldn't quite get to 5 reps on it.

RDLs were okay.

Managed to add some reps to the 2nd set of rows, but the calluses on my hands were screaming at me by this point.  The grip strength was fine, it just hurt like hell to hold the bar.

Phase 1. Week 10. Bench

BW - 210

Bench -
BarX20
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X2
195X6, 3

Cambered Bench - 135X6, 6, 5

Press - 95X5, 5, 5

Dips - BWX15, 10, 9

Ab Wheel - X10, 10, 10

195X6 is a Rep PR, and my phase goal for this weight so I can move up next week.  Actually, every rep was  Rep PR because I've never benched 195 before.  Awesome to be moving into new territory.

Cambered benching felt a smidge stronger today, but I hate this goddamn exercise.  My legs shake like crazy coming off the chest, and every rep is hard to lock-out.

The good incline bench was occupied today, so I did some OHP.

A 211BWX15 on dips is actually an all-around PR.  Not even looking for that coming in today.  Nice.

3X10 on the Ab Wheel felt really easy today.  If it feels like that on Saturday, I'll push the reps up a touch next week.