Chin-Up War Week 3. Day B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 225

Chins - BWX2, 2, 2 @7

Lat Pushdowns - X13, 11, 9 @10

ATG Pause Squat -

-    up to 315X1(PR) @9

-    225X5, 5 @~7

BW JM Press - BWX12, 10 @10

DB Hammer Curls - 35sX11, 9 @10

Solid session.  Strength on just about everything was bumped up today.

Chin-Up War Week 3. Day A.

sRPE @7

BW - 223

Chin-Ups - BWX6, 5, 4, 4 @9.5/10

1-Arm DB Rows w/Strap - 95X12, 11 @~9

GHR - BWX13, 10 @9.5/10

Machine OH JM Press - X12, 10 @10

BB Curls - 75X14(PR), 8 @10

Solid session after returning from a weekend of Cheese, Beer, Log Splitting, Heat, Walking, and Poor Sleep.

Consecutive weeks of Rep PRs on Curls is nice.

Press, Deadlift, Back and Triceps

sRPE @

BW - 226

Press -

-    up to 135X1 @8

-    155X0, 0

-    135X4 @10

Push Press - up to 165X1 (PR) @9.5

SLDL - up to 335X1 (PR) @9.5

Pulldowns - X12, 10, 8, 8 @10

super-set with

Pushdowns X18, 16, 14, 12 @10

Strict Pressing strength was not there on this day, so I pivoted to Push Press and grabbed a PR there.

Still working on technique on SLDL.  I've done thousands of RDLs, but starting and returning to the floor hits different.

Chins, Hips, Curls

sRPE @7

BW - 223

Chins w/ Straps - BWX6, 5, 4, 3 @10

Hanging Knees-to-Chest w/ Straps - BWX8, 5 @9.5/8

BB Curls - 80X11(PR), 7, 7(PR) @~10

Chin strength rebounded slightly this week.  Still using straps because of bandage on finger.

Bandage kept trying to come off during K2C no matter how much electrical tape I kept wrapping it in.  Stopped after 2 sets.

Nice to hit Rep and Volume PRs on straight bar Curls.  Haven't done them since May.

Dips, Bench, GHR

sRPE @6.5

BW - 223

Dips - BW+45X5, 5, 5, 5 @9/10

CG Cambered Bench - up to 205X1 @10

GHR - BWX14, 12, 12, 9 @9/10

268 (BW+45) for 4 sets of 5 is a Volume PR on Dips.  e1RM to end this block isn't great all time, but at least it's nice to end with some kind of PR.  

Thinking of making CG Cambered Bench my primary Bench movement for a while, so got a little test on it here.  

Press, Squat, Back, Triceps

sRPE @7.5

BW - 222

Press - 

-    up to 155X1 @9.5

-    160X0, 0

-    135X1, 1, 1 @~8

ATG Squat - up to 295X1 @9

Pulldowns - X14, 9, 8, 8 @10

Pushdowns - X18, 15, 13, 13 @10

I think some minor technique tweaks might get me that 160 press, but the bottom line is I'm probably not quite strong enough to hit it reliably if at all.

Decided to work up to a single on ATG.  Thought I might go for 315, but 295 was heavy enough to stop at.  For now.

Chins, Hamstrings, Pecs, Biceps

sRPE @7

BW - 224

Chin-Ups w/Straps - BWX4, 3, 2, 2 @10/8

Leg Curls - X13, 13, 10, 9 @10

Cable Flyes - X13, 12, 12, 10 @10

super-set with

Cable Curls - X11, 9, 8, 7 @10

Fighting a cold so that may have impacted Chin-Up performance.   Also have a cut on my finger, so I had to use straps to make sure the band-aid didn't come flying off and land on someone else's face.

Dips, Legs, Shoulders, Triceps

 sRPE @9

 BW - 223

Dips - BW+25X7, 6, 5, 4 @9/10

BFE Split Squats - BWX14, 9, 12 @8.5/9

Cable Laterals - X12, 10, 9, 9 @~10

1-Arm DB OH Extensions - 20X13, 10, 9, 8 @10

One of the most humid days in the gym I've experienced.

One more rep on the last set of Dips would have been a Volume PR.  Oh, well.

Both Feet Elevate Split Squats had me gasping in the heat.  Lost count and forgot to do the 4th set.

There was a new kid in the gym asking for LOTS of help and advice.  Tried to help him out as best I could without overwhelming him with info, or getting too distracted from my own workout.  Hope he keeps at it.

Press, DL

sRPE @6.5

BW - 226

Press - 

-    up to 155X1 @9.5

-    135X1, 1, 1 @~8

SLDL - 235X5, 5, 5, 5 @6/7

Not a terrible place to start the Press wave.  We'll see how the next couple of weeks go.

SLDL felt great even with more weight.

Time crunched so had to skip accessories.

Chins, Adductors, Pecs, Biceps

sRPE @6.5

BW - 223

Chins - BWX6, 5, 4, 3 @10

Adductor Machine - X20, 20, 18 @6/8

Machine Flyes - X11, 10, 8, 7 @10

super-set with

DB Curls - 30sX12, 9, 8, 7 @10

Not the performance I was hoping for out of the gate on Chins.  We'll see how the rest of this wave goes, and then I've got one more idea for a "Total War, Brother" approach to Chins, and then I may retire this lift from my regular goals.  Frustrating because my lats, etc. have noticeably hypertrophied over the last year+, but performance on this movement never really improves.

Adductor Machine performance weirdly surged on this day.  So that's...a win?

Dips, Hypers, Shoulders, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 224

Dips - BWX10, 10, 6, 7 @9.5/10

Hypers - BWX16, 13, 12, 13 @9.5/10

Machine Laterals - X11, 11, 8, 7 @9/10

super-set with

Machine OH JM Press - X12, 9, 7, 8 @~10

Dips came in a couple of reps shy of where I'd hoped they would.  I'll add weight next week.

I was going to do GHR, but Adductors were still really sore from ATG Squats on Friday.  Opted for Hypers instead.  Nice reminder that you can get a decent low back pump with just BW Hypers.

Press, Squat, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 222

Press paused at forehead - 

-    up to 155X1(PR) @10

-    115X3, 3, 3 @6.5/7.5

ATG Squats - 225X7, 7, 7, 7 @8/9

Low Incline PJR Pullover - 45X12, 10, 9, 9 @9/10

Pretty excited to see what happens with comp Press over the next few weeks.  155 is my best double on Press.

ATG Squats and the humidity in the gym took a LOT out of me.  I didn't have the gas to do my usual Back/Triceps superset.  Luckily, PJR Pullovers give you a bit of both.

Two days later, my legs and triceps are screaming at me.

Chins, Hamstrings, Pecs, Biceps

sRPE @7

BW - 224

Chin-Up Partials w/Straps - BWX10, 8, 7, 5 @10

Leg Curls - 

-    X15, 11, 12 @10

-    Partials Drop-set X11, 9, 19 @10

Lying DB Curls - 15sX12, 11, 10, 9 @10

super-set with

DB Flyes - 15sX11, 9, 9, 7 @10

Historically, Chin-Up Partials are ~107% of my full chins.  Would be cool to come in next week and bust out a set of 8 clean Chins, but we'll see.

Dips, Leg Press, Shoulders, Triceps

sRPE @7

BW - 223

Lever Dips - 225X9, 8, 7, 6 @10

Leg Press Drop Sets - 270X11, 225X9, 180X7, 135X7 @10

DB Incline Laterals - 15sX10, 12, 8, 7 @8/10

super-set with

DB Incline Extensions - 15sX12, 16, 10, 12 @7/10

First day back after 5 day camping trip.  Everything felt good.

Went up to 5 total plates on Lever Dips.  Historically, this lift has been ~90% of Dips, so I'm cautiously optimistic about how the wave of regular Dips will kick off next week. 

Heard some of the science folks talk recently about promising studies on Drop Sets compared to Rest Pause approaches.  I did a lot of Rest Pause recently inspired by Mike Israetel, but haven't done Drop Sets much.  Thought I might give it a shot here and there on compound, low-specificity accessories.  

Between the Drop Sets and the Super Sets it was like 45 minutes in and out of the front door.  That basically demands I start doing HIIT conditioning at the end of sessions again, lol. 

Press, DL, Back, Triceps

sRPE @8.5

BW - 222

Press Paused at Forehead -

-    up to 150X1 (PR) @10

-    115X3, 3, 3 @7/8

SLDL Touch-n-Go - 225X5, 5, 5, 5 @6.5/8

Band Chins - Band Under FootX7, 6, 5, 4 @9.5/10

super-set with

Standing BB OH Extensions - 45X12, 10, 9, 9 @~10

Press out on the Pause Press top single was sloooow.  Almost looks like I've got a second sticking point right before lockout.  Upped the weight on the back-offs, and that felt good because it forced me to a be a bit more disciplined with technique than last week.

I've been enjoying ATG Squats recently as my main Squat movement, so I thought I'd start messing around with SLDL.  These were done with a belt and mixed grip.  A good starting point for a movement I've rarely ever trained.

12 years since I did OH Extensions with a straight bar, lol.  It is challenging to keep good upper arm position with a regular barbell.

Chins, Adductors, Pecs, Biceps

sRPE @7.5

BW - 223

Chin-Up End Partials w/ Straps- BWX9, 7, 6, 5 @9.5/10

Adductor Machine - X18, 14, 13, 13 @9.5/10

Machine Flyes - X14, 13, 11, 11 @10

super-set with

Swiss Bar Curls - 

25X16 @7

45X10, 8, 8 @9.5/10

No Biceps DOMS because of programming change + using my preferred Chin Up station resulted in a much better all around performance this week.

Gym was busy and didn't have a good spot to do Copenhagens, so just jumped on the Adductor machine.

Lower stress movements/session all around.  Didn't plan for that, but am also fine with it.

Dips, GHR, Shoulders, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 225

Lever Dips - 205X13, 10, 8, 7 @10

GHR - BWX12, 11, 10, 8 @10

1-Arm, behind-the-back Cable Laterals - X11, 10, 10, 9 @10

super-set with

Rope Pushdowns - X16, 15, 13, 13 @10

Added one 25# plate to Lever Dips over last week and only lost 2-3 reps per set.  I'll go up to 5 plates next week.

GHR was interesting.  Recently on Hypers, I learned I could kind of make that whole movement happen just by "firing" my glutes.  I tried that today with similar results.  Contracting the glutes hard in the hang brought me to about parallel and which point the hamstrings can kick in harder for the knee flexion.

Because lingering Biceps soreness from this session last time interfered with Chin-Ups in the following session, I replaced them with triceps work here and will move Biceps work to the Chin-Ups day.

Between the Lever Dips and the B2B Cable Laterals, I've got some nice delt achiness today.

Press, Squat, Back, Triceps

sRPE @8.5

BW - 225

Press Paused at Forehead - 

-    up to 145X1 @10

-    105X3, 3, 3 @6.5/7.5

ATG Squats - 225X6, 6, 6, 6 @7/9

CS Rows - 100X12, 10, 8, 8 @9/10

super-set with

Machine OH JM Press - X12, 9, 8, 8 @10

Solid start to the Paused Press wave.

Added a rep per set to the ATG squats.  Quite an intense movement.

I guess I didn't feel beat up enough so I decided to super-set compound movements at the end, lol. 

Chins, Hamstrings, Pecs, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 221

Chin-Up Partials w/Straps - BWX7, 7, 6, 4 @10

Seated Leg Curls - X15, 14, 17, 13 @~10

Cable Flyes - X11, 10, 10, 9 @9.5/10

super-set with

Cross-Body 1-Arm Triceps Pushdowns - X15, 14, 13, 12 @9/10

Biceps were still pretty sore from training the day before, and that made Chin Partials a little uncomfortable.

The X-Body Pushdowns were probably a bit baroque, but I wanted to see what it would feel like.  Weirdly tired out my mid-trap and rear delts?  Probably some kind of isometric action back there.

Dips, Hack Squats, Curls, Shoulders

sRPE @8

BW - 224

Lever Dips - 180X15, 11, 11, 9 @9.5/10

Hack Squats - 100X13, 10, 9, 8 @9.5/10

DB Incline Curls - 

-    20sX12 @10

-    15sX13, 12, 10 @9.5/10

super-set with

DB Incline Laterals - 15sX12, 9, 8, 7 @9.5/10

Start of the Lever Dips wave.  Will probably add a half plate next week and see what happens.  Once I settled on Bench Dips and Lever Dips as my movements for the first two waves, I was on the fence about what order they should go in.  On one hand, Bench Dips are a bit more "body in space," like the main lift, but the pressing angle of the lever dips is more similar and it's a bit easier to load.  We'll see what happens.

All reps of Hack Squat continue to be metal on metal at the bottom.  Feeling good.

Combo of Lever Dips and Incline Laterals got me some nice, anterior delt DOMS the following day.