Higher-Rep Volume PRs. Week 5. Session C.

sRPE @8

BW - 218

Bench - 

225X1, 1 @6/7

145X17, 17 @7/9

Toes-to-Bar - BWX7, 7, 6, 6 @~8

KB Walking Lunges - 35sX16, 16, 16, 16 @7.5/8.5

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 7 rounds / 12 minutes

145 for 2X17 is a Volume PR on Bench.

218 (BW) for 2X7 and 4X6 are Volume PRs on TTB.

I'm so over these lunges.  May just do leg extensions to close out the block next week.

Higher-Rep Volume PRs. Week 4. Session C.

sRPE @8

BW - 215

Bench - 

220X1, 1 @6

140X17, 17 @6.5/9

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 6, 6, 5 @7/8

KB Walking Lunges - 35sX14, 14, 14, 14 @7/8

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds / 8 minutes

Kept weight the same on Bench because I exceeded RPE targets last week.  Weight was easier this week.

215 (BW) for 3 sets of 6 is a Volume PR on TTB.

Walking Lunges continue to be exhausting.

Was out of gas for conditioning.  Made myself do some, but didn't have any "pop" in the reps and it started to feel like LISS intervals so I called it. 

I can tell it's about time for this training block to end.

Higher-Rep Volume PRs. Week 3. Session C.

sRPE @8

BW - 217

Bench - 

220X1, 1 @~6.5

140X17, 17 @7.5/8.5

Toes-to-Bar (w/straps) - BWX6, 5, 5, 4 @8/5.5

KB Walking Lunges - 35sX12, 12, 12, 12 @7/8

140 for 2X17 is a Volume PR on Bench.

217 (BW) for 4 sets of 4+ is a Volume PR on TTB.  Used straps again because these bothered my callouses so much last week.  Felt much better on hands.  While straps didn't seem to make a difference on chin-up strength the day before, I felt noticeably stronger on this movement with them.  Same reps as last week were much easier even at a higher BW.

Staying up late to watch basketball and training 3 days in a row had me pretty gassed out on lunges, and I'm training again the next day prior to a weekend vacation.  i.e. I used excuses to skip conditioning. 

Higher-Rep Volume PRs. Week 2. Session C.

sRPE @7

BW - 215

Bench - 

215X1, 1 @~6

135X17, 17 @6.5/8.5

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 5, 5, 4 @8/10

KB Walking Lunges - 35sX11, 11, 11, 11 @7/7.5

135 for 2 sets of 17 is a Volume PR on Bench.

215 (BW) for 4 sets of 4+ reps is a Volume PR on TTB.

Skipped conditioning because I had someplace to be. 

Higher-Rep Volume PRs. Week 1. Session C.

sRPE @6

BW - 214

Bench - 

214X1 @6

135X17 @7.5

Toes-to-Bar - BWX5 @7

KB Walking  Lunges - 35sX10, 10, 10, 10 @~7

Rower - HIIT; 7 rounds / 12 minutes

No problems from the side abs on the TTB, but decided to just do one set anyway

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 5. Session C.

sRPE @8

BW - 217

Bench - 

230X1, 1 @8/7

155X14, 14 @7/8

Toes-to-Bar - BWX8 @10

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX12, 12 @~7.5

KB Walking Lunges - 35sX10, 10, 10, 10 @6.5/7.5

Rower - HIIT; 6 rounds / 10 minutes

155 for 2 sets of 13+ is a Volume PR on Bench.

217(BW) for 8 is a Rep PR on Toes-to-Bar.  It took a lot out of me for whatever reason today, so I switched to GHR sit-ups after that set.

Lunges were ok on the Achilles, just kind of weirdly awkward and hard in general.  In my mind, this weight should be easier, but whatevs.

Also tested out the ankle in HIIT waters.  Seems ok.  

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 4. Session C.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 214

Bench - 

225X1, 1 @7/6.5

150X14, 14 @7.5/9

Toes-to-Bar - BWX7, 7, 7, 5 @7/10

Lunges - BWX10, 10, 10, 10

150 for 2 sets of 13+ is a Volume PR on Bench

214 (BW) for 2+ sets of 7 is a Volume PR on TTB.

Tried some BW lunges to see how they'd feel on the Achilles.  It was ok so I'll try adding weight again next week. 

Because I did the lunges, I skipped additional conditioning.  Small steps on the tendinopathy recovery. 

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 2. Session C.

sRPE @8*

BW - 216

Bench - 

215X1, 1 @7/6.5 

145X14, 14 @7/8

Toes-to-Bar - BWX5, 5, 5, 5 @~9

KB Walking Lunges - BW+35sX10, 10, 10, 10 @~7.5*

Rower - HIIT; 9 rounds / 16 minutes

145 for 2 sets of 14 is a Volume PR on Bench (never done 2X14 before).  

*Plate fell on my foot while loading bench.  Made the rest of the session a slog.  Also don't know how much the RPE rating on Lunges was effected by pain.  But I was awoken this AM by quad discomfort, so there was probably some stress delivered, lol. 

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 1. Session C.

sRPE @5

BW - 213

Bench - 

210X1 @6.5

135X14 @6

Toes-to-Bar - BWX4, 4, 4 @7/8

Walking Lunges - BWX12, 12 @~5

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 16 rounds / 9 minutes

Probably gonna have to weight the lunges if I want to keep the reps in the same range as Squats.

Reps and Volume. Week 4. Squat

BW - 229

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
285X11, 3

Pull-downs - X60, 40 (upped weight from last time)

Lunges - BWX15, 15, 15, 15

285X11 is a Rep PR.  It's possible I could have gotten to my target of 14 here, but I got over my toes on rep #10 and felt shaky as hell on #11.  No reason to push for it on my first try, so I'll hit it again next week.

Upped weight on pull-downs and added a rep-per-set to lunges.  Right shoulder still feels an uncomfortable pinch on pull-downs even at these low weights.  Just gonna keep monitoring it.

Reps and Volume. Week 3. Squat

BW - 227

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
275X16

Pull-downs - X60, 40 (upped weight)

Lunges - 4X14 (56 total)

275X16 is an all-around PR and my goal for this weight.  Start going for 285X14 next week.  The last 2 reps were awful, but there was no way I could see myself pulling up short this week.

I upped the weight on pulldowns from my last time.  Was feeling a hangover from the squats pretty hard, but I managed to get this in two sets.

After all the squatting and the ultra-high-rep lat work, I was gassed and a had to sit down for a long time until my head cleared a bit.  I seriously considered just going home, but I didn't do the lunges last week and didn't want to skip them again.  I made myself a deal that I would just go for around 50 reps and keep the reps-per-set low.  This was the right move, and gives me a better mark to build out from.  Or not.  As long as I'm getting in some single leg work, I'm fine with it.

Reps and Volume. Week 1. Squat

BW - 227 (lowest since 12/8/15)

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
275X12, 4

Pull-downs - X82, 17

Lunges - BWX30, 24, 20, 26

275X12 is a Rep PR.  I thought it tied a PR and that's why I stopped there.  I didn't want to push too hard my first week back.  My goal is 16.

Using the Phase-II protocol from LRB 365 for a little meet recovery.  Basically just means single sets of 100 reps on one or two movements following the main lift.  Didn't quite get there on pull-downs, and knew I wouldn't get there on lunges.  100 reps of lunges have always been a some'bitch.

BW down to a 3 month low after one week.  Shooting for a very slow, but steady decrease to try and shed fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible.  I've always done high-fat/low-carb in the past.  Reversing that this time to see if it's more manageable (meaning I can still drink beer).

Good start to the post-meet work.

Higher Reps. Week 5. Squat

BW - 206

Squat -
95X5 (paused)
135X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
245X2
275X1

Pause Squats - 235X5, 5

High Bar -
185X8, 6, 5
135X8*, 10

Leg Extensions -
Pyramid-up - X15, 15
Back-off - X22

Single-Leg Press - 1ppsX20, 20, 18, 18

235X5 is an all-around PR on pause squats.  Both sets were grinders on the last reps, though.  I was planning to progress, alternating sets of 3's and 5's and increase the weight every other week.  I'll still try the 245X3 sets next week, but I'm prepared to adjust moving forward if need be.

After grind on the Pause Squats, I was diminished for the High Bars and couldn't even make 10 reps.

*After a few sets of 185, I dropped down to 135 and thought about doing Fronts (I'm done with the Hack Squat machine; made my back feel awful), but decided to do burn-outs on High-Bars instead.  On the first set, for the first 5 reps I did 1.5 reps.  That is, stopping half way up and going back down before going all the way back up.  This felt dumb, but it did "burn out" my quads.

Used a different leg extension machine, and it was a lot heavier.  That's why I have fewer pyramid sets.

Switching out lunges for single-leg presses for a while.

Higher Reps. Week 4. Squat

BW - 209

Squat -
135X5, 5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2

Pause Squats - 235X3, 3, 3

High Bars - 185X10, 6, 5

Hack Machine -
100X12
120X8

Leg Extensions -
pyramid upX15, 15, 15, 15, 10 (top set heavier than last week)
back-offX24 (heavier than last week)

Lunges - BWX22, 20, 22, 22

Dragging ass heading into the gym today.  Did an extra set each out Pausers and High Bars to try to get my motor going before grinding out the bodybuilding stuff.  235X3 is a Rep PR on Pause Squats, but then the bottom fell out a little bit on High Bars and I came up 2 reps short of last week.

I think the Hack Machine may get cut out of my program.  My right knee has been bothering me, and I'm starting to suspect this machine.  Also, when the reps start to get really hard towards the end of sets, I'm losing some stability in my trunk, and that may be aggravating whatever has been going on with my low back.  What's happening is, because the feet are set against the plate, and my shoulders are set against the pads on the track, whenever there is a stability "leak" my butt kind of starts to move around against the sled.  Maybe I'll switch over to leg presses to get some comparable work in.

For similar reasons, I decided to cut out the hypers this week.  They were supposed to be a buttress against the low back issues, but I'm worried they were aggravating it as well.

Higher Reps. Week 3. Squat

BW - 212 (coming off weekend vacation)

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
265X2

Pause Squats - 225X5, 5

High Bars - 185X12, 6

Hack Machine -
50X10
100X10
220X9, 10, 4

Leg Extensions -
pyramid up X15, 15, 15, 15, 10
back off set X20

Lunges - BWX20, 20, 20, 20
no rest super-set with
Hypers - BWX20, 20, 20, 20

Solid session.  The double at 265 was fast.

225X5 is an all-around PR on Pause Squats.  Didn't even occur to me coming into the gym that would be the case.

185X12 on High Bars is only 3 reps off of my best, which was set fresh at the start of a workout.  Getting that close to my best after all the low barring feels solid.

Hacks suck, and seemed to be aggravating my lower back.  Try again next week.

At the end of this session I probably had the biggest quad pump I've ever had.  It felt like my legs wouldn't bend properly at the knee.  Had trouble getting to sleep that night because my quads felt so "tightened up" that I had to lay on my side with my legs folded back to get any relief.

Higher Rep. Week 2. Squat

BW - 208

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
255X2

Pause Squats - 225X3, 3

High Bar Squats - 185X10, 5

Hack Squats - 120X10, 10, 10, 10

Leg Extensions -
Pyramid upX15, 15, 15, 15, 10 (top set heavier than last week)
Back-offX20 (same weight as last week)

Lunges - BWX20, 20
super-set with no rest
Hypers - BWX20, 20

Okay session.  I'll be waving the top double on squats while I'm focused on building some muscle.  It was planned to be a single, but these weights are too light.

I still want to stimulate some top-end strength here while being cautious of whatever's going on with my lower back.  I thought pause squats as the back-off sets fit the ticket pretty well.  They force me to take some weight off the bar, while at the same time I get feedback on what's happening in the hole where my low back needs to keep tight.  This was a "getting reacquainted" session for pausers, and I expect to be pushing this up to 3 sets of 5 (similar to what I've been doing with deficit deads).  225X3 already matches my old Rep PR for these.  I'm much stronger now.  I won't push past 3 sets of 5 because I need to make sure I'm still fresh enough for...

High bars.   These will be the 'main' movent, and are starting here with 185X2XAMAP, or what Paul Carter would call a 50% set.  This is kind of a 2nd back-off set.  But as things progress, I hope to be able to push past 2 sets at this weight, and maybe set some volume PRs.

Hack Squats are so stupid hard, I'm basically ignoring the value of the weight on here.  I don't understand why these are so much harder than leg presses.  Over 5 reps on every set was eye-bulging.

Pushed another plate onto the leg extensions.  Feels like it will be awhile before I get that one up to 15.

I mysteriously cut my lunges/hypers after two sets.  In the light of day, I don't know why that was.  Hypers are much easier now that they're not coming right after a free squat movement.

Higher Rep. Week 1. Squat

BW - 211

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

High Bars - 225X3, 3, 2

Hack Squats -
90X10, 10, 10
110X10, 10

Leg Extensions -
Pyramid upX15, 15, 15, 13
Back-offX20

Lunges - BWX20, 16, 16, 14
super-set with no rest
Hypers - BWX20, 15, 15, 15

Crap session.  Too much partying this weekend.  Didn't even want to be in the gym.  Squatting all sucked, and had to dump the bar on the last set of High Bars.

Luckily, I'd already planned to swap out some of my barbell accessory work for high-rep, body-building stuff heading into Spring.  That stuff was all fine, and more approachable the way that I felt.

Phase 2. Week 8. Squat

BW - 209

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

High Bars - 225X3, 3, 3

Fronts - 185X3, 3, 3

Lunges - BWX30, 30
super-set with
Hypers - BWX20, 20

Okay session.  I need to hit 6 reps with 275 to move up.  I went for the sixth, and ended up dumping it over my head.  Not sure if I got too far forward and that compromised the lift, or if I simply failed and the failure threw me forward.  Go for it again next week.

Pushing the weight up a bit on accessory squats.  225X3 is a Rep PR on High-Bars.

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 4. Squat

BW - 211

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
155X4
185X3
225X2
275X1
245X11, 3

High Bars - 185X6, 6, 6

Fronts -
155X3, 3
185X4

Lunges - BWX30, 20

245X11 is an all-around PR and meets my phase goal for the cycle.  Moving up next week!

I little wiped from the low-bar work-sets.  I thought I would push sets of 8 again with 185 on the high bars, but the gas wasn't there.

Similarly with Fronts, I just had trouble pushing the reps.  I decided to see what would happen if I upped the weight instead, and lo and behold 185X4 is an all-around PR!  Crazy.