RTS Pivot Block 7. Day 1.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 227

Beltless DL - 315X2 @6

Beltless TnG DL - 185X15, 15, 15 @4/6

303 Tempo Bench - 

-    115X5 @5.5

-    125X5 @6.5

-    135X5 @7.5

-    145X5 @8.5

050 Tempo Leg Press - 5 platesX6, 6 @6.5/7.5

Incline Bench (myo-reps) - 135X9, 3, 3, 3, 3 @9.5/8.5

DB Seated Press (myo-reps) - 

-    35sX13, 4, 4, 4, 4 @9/8

-    35sX12, 4, 4, 4, 4 @9/8

Air like mouth in gym today, so main goal was to get sets and reps in and keep sRPE sub 7.

RTS Block 6. Week 2. Day 1.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 227

Squats - 

-    337.5X4 @6.5

-    352.5@4 @7

-    367.5X4 @8.5

Larsen Bench - 

-    140X10 @7

-    145X10 @8.5

-    152.5X10(PR) @10

-    142.5X10 @8.5

DL Paused Below Knee - 325X5 @8

RDL w/Straps - 265X6, 5  @7.5

Lever Incline - 

-    70X10 @6.5

-    80X10 @8.5

-    85X10  @9.5

-    85X8 @10

Humidity was rampant in the gym today, but still managed to push weight on everything while still keeping target RPE and general fatigue in check.

RTS Block 4. Week 4. Day 2.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 229

Squats - 

-    395X3 @9

-    340X4, 4, 4 @6/7

CG Bench -

-    215X1 @8

-    185X4 @6

-    190X4 @7

-    192.5X4 @8

Pull-Ups w/Straps - BWX5(PR), 4, @~10

DB Incline Rows w/Straps - 65sX14, 9 @10

Pulldowns - X10, 8 @10

Sleep was bad the last two nights and flooding in the gym spiked the humidity so this session was rough.

Managed to add weight on Squats but RPE definitely went up, and I think depth was just passable.

Also, started to get a ton of arm pain across my brachialis area and triceps.  Tried relaxing my arms a bit, but then the bar started rolling down my back out of the hole. Then I tried brining my elbows up a bit to try and create a shelf that way, but it wasn't much better.

Lingering arm pain slapped an unexpected ceiling on close-grips.  12 lb. drop over last week.  Glad it's the last week of the block.

Unexpected PR set of pull-ups at this BW even after all the arm pain, so....wtf.

S/B/D/R Week 2. Day A.

sRPE @8

BW - 223

Squats - 

-    up to 325X1 @7

-    290X3, 3, 3, 3 @7/7.5

BB Rows w/Straps -

-    up to 200X5 @8.5

-    200X3, 3, 3 @~8

GHR - BWX10, 9, 9, 8 @~8

super-set with

Machine Laterals - X11, 10, 9, 7 @~8

Cable Rear Delt Flyes - X9, 8, 7, 6 @8

Added about 1 set per movement over last week.  Looking to add more volume week over week, and start upping the intensity on top singles next week.

sRPE is mainly high because of the heat and humidity in the gym. Otherwise, this was a solid session.

Skipped conditioning to grab a bus to the grocery store and beat the next rain storm.

Pivot. Week 4. Day A.

sRPE @8

BW - 224

Squats -

-    up to 325X1 @7

-    290X3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @~7

BB Rows - 

-    195X5 @8

-    195X3, 3, 3 @~7

GHR - BWX11, 8, 7, 8 @8.5/9

supe-set with

Machine Laterals - X8, 8, 8, 7 @8

Incline DB Rear Delt Laterals - 15sX10, 10, 8, 8, 8 @7.5/9

Rower - HIIT; 7 rounds

Humidity was bad in the gym, but I was more mentally prepared for it.  Made myself stay focused during rest breaks on Squats and Rows, and took my time with all the hypertrophy work instead of pushing pace.

I also head my wrist sweat bands today, so that may have made a difference.  And head bands showed up in the mail so everybody better look out.

Pivot. Week 3. Day C.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 224

Deadlift - 

-    up to 360X1 @7.5

-    315X3, 3, 3, 3 @6/7

DB Bench - 65sX9, 7, 6, 6 @8

Cable Rows - X12, 9, 8 @8

BB Curls - 70X7, 6, 6, 6 @8

super-set with

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX8, 7, 6, 5 @~8

Rower - HIIT, 7 rounds

Basement of the building was full of water again, and the humidity in the gym was pretty rough.  DLs felt weak out of the gate, and it's hard to tell if that was environmental or other.  Everything else was fairly flat compared to recent sessions, but overall session RPE was definitely elevated by the atmosphere.

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.

Dips, Quads, Curls, Shoulders

sRPE @7.5

BW - 223

Bench Dips - BW+25# ChainX16, 12, 10, 10 @10

Roman Chair Squats - BWX10, 10, 10, 10 @9.5/10

DB Preacher Curls - 20sX14, 12, 10, 10 @10

super-set with

Seated DB Laterals - 20sX9, 9, 9, 7 @10

Adding weight to the Bench Dips to get the reps more in the range I expect to eventually be training full Dips in.  Much triceps burn.

Thought about doing something higher stress for legs, but it was pretty darn sweaty in the gym, and I wanted to make sure I had energy to drive through the full workout.

I think this may be the first time I've done DB Preacher Curls?

Squat, Pullups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 222

Squat - 

-    up to 385X1 @9

-    315X1, 1, 1 @6/7

Pull-Ups - BWX5, 4, 4 @10

Pull-Downs /w rest-pause partials - X13/7, 8/4 @10

1-Arm DB Incline Extensions - 15X14, 13, 11 @~10

+30 lbs. on Squat over last week.  Got good sleep over the weekend, and temperature and humidity in the gym weren't too bad.  Bounce out of the hole felt on point in warm-ups, and that's when I was pretty sure I would have a good day.

That's a 1055 gym total from last week's Bench session to today.  That's 20#s over what I think was my past, best week of SBD.  Also, a 301.7 DOTS?  I've never really tracked that.  My best DOTS in competition was 268.4.

1-arm DB Incline extensions felt most comfortable of all the variations so far.  Not sure if that's just getting acclimated or not.  I'll try it with the EZ bar again next week and see if they feel easier than previous or not.

Squat, Pullups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 224

Squat - 

-    up to 355X1 @9

-    315X1, 1, 1 @6/7

Pull-Ups - BWX5, 4, 4 @~10

Pull-Downs w/ rest-pause partials - X12/7@10

EZ Incline Extensions - 35X17, 16, 15 @~10

Not ideal conditions as I was low on sleep, working out in the morning on no food, and gym was swampy.  I would have liked to have done better on comp squat than last week's pause squat, but oh well.  I have a couple of weeks to see if I can make some jumps.

Unassisted Pull-Ups are about 2 reps stronger than they were when I tested them at the beginning of this block, so that's nice.

Incline Extensions with the EZ bar were interesting.  Harder than with a single DB, but easier than with a cable attachment.

BBM Peaking Block. Cycle 4. Session C.

sRPE @6

BW - 212

Deadlift - 

405X1 @7.5

435X1 @9

365X2 @6

Incline - 

up to 205X1 @8

155X2, 2 @~4.5

Hack Squat - 150X10 @9.5

Cable Rows - X17 @10

Fought through the polar vortex to get to the gym.  Only did a bit of a half session because motivation was low.  Pushed Inclines and Hack Squats up a bit for fun.

BBM PB I Block 1. Cycle 3. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 207

Deadlift - 

375X5 @7.5

355X5, 5, 5 @7/8

Hammer Incline - 120X8, 8, 8 @8/9.5

DB Seated Press - 

45sX7 @10

35sX12, 12 @8/9

Standing Calf Raises - X17, 17, 17 @~7/8

375X5 is a 4 Rep PR, and 355 for, effectively, 4X5 is a Volume PR on Deadlift.  Top set felt great, but, RPE aside, these back-offs were heavy and hard.  Definitely felt like an "earned" Volume PR instead of "I haven't done sets of 13 in a few years, oh look a volume PR."  Also, gym is humid as hell right now.

Hammer Inclines felt heavy but also smooth?  Avg. RPE was slightly lower than with the same weight last week.

DB Press however cratered.  I assume it was a combination of general fatigue from climate and DL plus specific fatigue from the Hammer Inclines, although...why didn't that effect them this much the previous two sessions?  I dunno, but my delts were definitely feeling more fatigued heading into DB Press.  Maybe I'm just getting more efficient at targeting delts on the Hammer machine.

LRB 365: Conditioning. Week 2. Hills 2

Hill-Sprints - 10 hills at 85%

Spitting snow and cold.  Took me a while too get warmed up despite the long walk to the hill, but after a few sprints I got the pace dialed in.

LRB 365: Conditioning. Week 2. Deadlift

BW - 195

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
155X4
185X2
225X2
275X1, 1
315X1
275X5

BW Ladder Circuit -
Squats - 3 up to 15, back down to 3
Sit-ups - 2 up to 10, back down to 2
Chins - 2 up to 10, back down to 2
Push-ups - 3 up to 15, back down to 3

My afternoon was a cluster-fuck of leaving work early for one appointment that got cancelled because of weather, and another that ended up being so delayed that I could have stayed at work.  Raining so hard, I needed to take the bus to get from home to the gym, but I just missed a bus and had to wait 20 minutes for the next one.  Ended up having to wait 15 minutes for a bus to get home afterwards.  Was supposed to walk with the weighted vest today, but torrential downpour delays that.

Despite all that frustration, this was a solid-to-nice session.

Deadlifts were all strong, BUT 315 was a touch slower than I would have liked, and 275 might have been a bit much for the back-off.  I'm trying to stick with 25s/45s as much as possible on this phase, but I may have to use some 10s to back this down from 315/275 to 295/245 next time.  Or not.

Best ladder session yet.  Pretty clear now that the Bench days with the dips and push-ups in the ladder are significantly harder for me than these.  My shoulder strain from last session wasn't hindering me UNTIL I stupidly tried to loosen it up even more with some dislocates half way through.  Then it was righteously pissed at me.  Anyway, on Lower day I'm upping the rep intervals for Squats and Sit-Ups all the way back up to the programmed 5, and Push-Ups up to 4.

LRB 365: Conditioning. Week 2. Hills

Hill Sprints - 10 sprints @ 85%

Little drizzly, but warm enough for shorts with a hoodie.  Hill wasn't too muddy, either.  85% took a little re-calibrating, but was not a problem.

LRB 365: Conditioning. Week 1. Hills 2

Hill Sprints - 10 hills @ 75%

Rain let up long enough to get my run in.  Hill wasn't too muddy.

LRB 365: Conditioning. Week 1. Hills

Hill-Sprints - 10 sprints at 75%

Rained all morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon, and the rain had left the hill nice and soft.  Still a bit on the chilly side for wearing shorts.  Sprints were fine.

LRB 365: 100 Reps. Week 5. Deadlift

BW - 196

Pause Squats -
BarX10
95X5
135X5
185X3, 3

Deadlift -
135X5
185X5
205X4
235X3
265X2
285X1
295X1
305X1 (held for 10 seconds)

BB Shrugs - 135X80, 25 (no straps)

Weighted Vest - 40 minutes; walking

Awesome session.  I don't really know how it happened.  I indulged in a bunch of eating and drinking and assorted debauchery the day before and closed down a bar and everything.  Woke up hung-over, ate some eggs, had some coffee and OJ and ibuprofen.  I got down to the gym and warmed-up, and went through the Pause Squats, and they felt pretty good.  Smooth, and the 2nd set with 185 felt better than the first.

Then the bar hit the floor, and for some reason my pulse started racing and I felt aggressive as hell.  I had to calm myself down a little on my work sets because I was worried I was going to spaz out and lose my form.  I just can't describe how awesome these pulls felt.

I took that same aggression to the shrugs and got the PR at 80 reps.  It was my grip that gave out.

Went home and had some more food, and then the wife came along for my walk. And the weather was even pretty nice.  Just an awesome, awesome training day.