Full-Body. Week 6. Press

BW - 227

Squats - up to 225X5, 5

Press -
BarX5
70X3
95X2
120X1
135X6, 4, 4

Deadlift - up to 265X3, 3, 3

135X6 is a Rep PR on overheads.  RPE 9.5, hahaha.  The two sets of 4 to get my volume goal felt good, though.

I got to aggressive on my first set of speed deads and aggravated my low back.  I calmed down and slowed down a bit on the next two sets with no additional problems, but my back is really achy today.  I'm about to go to visit family over the holiday weekend, and I've got a history of fucking up my back deadlifting before or during those trips.  I'll be fine by the time we leave, but I feel it's prudent not to do the heavy deadlift session programmed for the day before we take-off.  I'll hit two small sessions and call it good.

The weather is becoming steadily nice and even warm here, so I'll probably be looking to get outside for some conditioning soon.  Not 100% on how I'm going to change my programming.  Part of me wants to try and modify the current programming to accommodate the conditioning workout on the principle of not making huge changes and because I love full body strength training.  The other part of me wants to switch to a program designed specifically for mixing strength training with assertive conditioning.  I'll probably go with the latter, because it's something I just know less about.

Full-Body. Week 5. Squats

BW - 229

Squats -
BarX5
165X5
215X4
255X3
305X1
345X1
305X7, 4, 3

Incline - up to 175X2, 2, 2, 2

BB Rows - up to 175X5, 5, 5

305X7 is a Rep PR.  I didn't realize that I'd gone up to 345 until afterwards.  I don't know where my head was at.  I knew I was adding 30 lbs. on top of the 25 and 45 lb plates all the way up, but somehow I maybe thought I was doing a top single at 325?  Anyway.  Heaviest single since the meet in March.  Seemed a little slow, but I didn't know how much it was while I was lifting it.

Reduced the reps per set on Inclines now that their getting heavier.  I tried adding an extra set to keep volume in the same ballpark as previous.  The 8th rep was really ugly and out-of-groove, so that was probably unnecessary.  Will just stick to 3 sets going forward.

Rows are getting pretty heavy for strict form.  When it's time to move up to 185, if I feel like I can't get clean sets of 3, I may drop the weight down on these and do higher rep sets.

Full-Body. Week 5. RDL

BW - 229

Squats - up to 225X5, 5, 5

Bench - up to 175X3, 3, 3

RDL - up to 165X20

Relatively light day all around with no PR opportunities planned.

One thing, I will be keeping an eye on these sort of "extra volume" bench sessions where I use my work-set weight from Bench day for sets of 3-5.  The PR range for those weights is moving into single-digit territory.  While the above sets felt good, at some point I expect I should back these down to doubles, and then probably singles.  And I've been doing the same weightXreps for Inclines.  I may want to back those down first and/or eventually drop the weight back down on those and do 1-2 higher rep sets.

Full-Body. Week 4. Bench

BW - 228

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
205X4
245X3
295X3, 3, 3

Bench -
BarX5
115X4
145X3
175X2
195X1
175X12, 6

Chins - BWX3, 3, 3

Deadlift -
135X3
225X3
265X3, 3, 3

I had an unplanned day of rest before this day, and while I wasn't motivated to get in the gym, things felt great once I got going.

295 felt easier this day than the previous 3X3 day on squats.

175X12 is a Rep PR on bench.  This was probably an RPE 9.  I didn't use a spotter, so light enough to get out of the rack on my own and still get a PR, but I wouldn't have gone for another rep without someone there.

3X3 on chins pain free!  My P.T. does good work.

Deadlifts moved really fast.  Ultimately, I don't know how I want to program this day, because I want chins back in the weekly rotation if I can do them, but I'm finding a lot of value in the technique reinforcement of the "speed" deads.  Maybe put chins on Small Session days like I did with Dips?  That's a thought...

Full-Body. Week 4. Front Squats

BW - 226

Front Squats -
BarX5
95X5
115X4
135X3
165X2
190X1
165X10, 7

Incline - up to 165X3, 3, 3

BB Rows - up to 165X5, 5, 5

165X10 is a Rep PR on Fronts.  Low hanging fruit.  Reps are relatively slow to focus on technique over explosiveness and max weight/reps.

Inclines and rows were fine.

Full-Body. Week 3. Deadlift

BW - 230

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
205X4
245X3
295X3, 3, 3

Bench -
BarX5
95X3
135X2
165X3, 3, 3

Deadlift -
135X3
225X3
285X2
325X4, 4

Switched back to regular grip bench for this day.  Since I'm able to do dips on small-session days at the office gym, I thought it would be better to get more practice on the regular grip than work to get the form down on a variation (which was proving trickier than I expected).

Deadlifts were heavy, but moved pretty well.  Technique didn't feel very dialed in, though.

Small Session. Arms

DB Hammer Curls - 30sX10, 10, 6
super-set with
Rope Extensions - X10, 10, 10 (straight-weight)

Machine Curls - X8, 8, 8 (straight-weight)
super-set with
Dips - BWX10, 10, 10

DB Supinated Curls - 30sX8, 6, 6
super-set with
DB Lying Extensions - 30sX8, 6, 6

Quick session at the office gym.  Dips felt good.  No shoulder pain at all.

Full-Body. Week 3. Press

BW - 227

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X3
225X5, 5, 5

Press -
BarX5
85X3
115X2
135X1
125X8, 6, 3

Chin-ups - BWX1, 2, 4, 4

Deadlift -
135X3
225X3
265X3, 3, 3

125X8 is a Rep PR on Press.  Second set felt strong enough that I think I'll go up on weight next time.

OMG I did some chin-ups mostly pain-free!  One trip to the P.T., and a week of doing the rehab/prehab he prescribed and I'm at lest 50% of the way back.  I was grinning like an idiot after the 2nd set.

Throws a little bit of a wrench into the programming though, because I'd gotten pretty into the idea of the additional deadlift workouts for keeping technique dialed-in.  Don't want the Bench/Press days to become forever long, so I'll have to toy with it.

Full-Body. Week 3. Back Squats

BW - 225

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
295X8, 7

Incline - up to 165X3, 3, 3

BB Rows - up to 165X5, 5, 5

295X8 is a Rep PR.  I think I will do one more week at this weight.  Would like to get 10+ before moving up again.  2nd set felt as strong as the first, but I didn't need more than 15 reps at this point.  That 2nd set being strong is a phenomenon I experience a lot on the Starting Strength programs, and something I need to keep lodged in the back of my mind as I keep toying with higher-rep sets and total volume.

Bumped up weight on Incline and Rows to match my last workset on flat bench.

Full-Body. Week 2. RDL

BW - 227

Squat - up to 225X5, 5, 5

CG Bench - up to 165X3, 3, 3

RDL - up to 155X20

Fairly easy day.  Focused on speed under control on both Squat and Bench.  Focused on chest up and arms loose on RDL.  Been almost a year since I did RDL and I did 175X30 on that day, so safe to say this isn't  PR, but gotta start somewhere.

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.

Full-Body. Week 2. Front Squats

BW - 225

Front Squat -
BarX5
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1
155X10, 10

Incline -
BarX5
95X5
115X3
135X2
155X5, 5, 5

BB Rows -
BarX10
95X5
135X3
155X5, 5, 5

First time front squatting since June '15.  155X10 is a Rep PR, hahahaa.  Ended up with a bit wider stance.  Since I lift in Chucks, it makes it easier to keep my heels down.  Also used a very controlled eccentric to make sure I stayed tight and didn't lose form hitting the hole and rebounding.  I've actually tweaked my back on this lift a few times in the past and want to err on the side of not repeating that.

Inclines were also a deliberate, controlled eccentric but really focusing on being both explosive AND controlled on the press.

Rows are rows.

Small Session. Shoulders

Delt-Raise Giant Set with: 25s
Rear-Delts - 8, 8, 8
Sides - 7, 5, 4
Fronts - 6, 4, 4

Started the giant-sets out with rear delts to make sure they got the most work.  I was surprised, though, how much easier it was to raise the 35s from the rear than from the front or side.  Makes me wondering if I'm doing really shitty rear-raises that are pulling in a lot of the surrounding musculature.  They don't feel any sloppier than the other two planes, but something to think about.

And at the same time, my rear delts are sore as shit the next day, so....

Full-Body. Week 1. Deadlift

Squat -

BarX5

135X5

185X4

245X3

285X3, 3, 3

CG Bench -

BarX5

95X4

115X3

135X2

155X3, 3, 3

Deadlift -

135X5

225X3

275X2

315X4, 4, 2

Was working on 3 hours sleep, but ended up having a solid session.

Squat was focused on executing technique under moderate load.

Bench was focused on speed and control.

Deadlift felt pretty good.

Full-Body. Week 1. Press

BW - 227

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X3
225X3, 3, 3

Press -
BarX5
65X5
85X4
105X3
125X2
135X1
115X8, 6, 4

Chins - BWX0

Chest-Supported, Neutral Grip T-Bar Rows -
45X3
70X5
80X5, 5, 5

Sick as a dog for a few days.  Didn't go to work, but did go to the gym.  Probably not a great idea.

Everything felt awful, but by the time I got warmed up on these light squats they felt good.

I didn't have any rep strength for the Press, however.  Just got in the total volume and didn't worry about it.

Tried my first chin-up in a couple months, and pain shot out from my shoulder and down to my elbow.  Guess it's time to get this looked at.

Went and did chest supported rows instead.  They were fine.

Small Session. Arms.

Hammer Curls - 30sX12, 12, 9
super-set with
Rope Push-Downs - X10, 12, 10 (to a top set)

Machine Preacher Curls - X9, 7, 6 (straight-weight)
super-set with
Cable One-Arm Side Push-Downs - X10, 10 (to a top set)

Dips - BWX10

DB Bicep Curls - 30sX8, 6, 5
super-set with
DB Lying Extensions - 30sX10, 7, 7

I'm moving my big compound lifts to Full Body, 3X/week, and I'm adding in a couple of smaller sessions at the gym in my office building in between.  This was the first of those.

I forgot there was a chin/dip station at this gym and so I programmed in these weird side push-downs to try and get a similar plane of motion.  They actually felt alright, but if I can do real dips, I'd prefer that for now.

Full-Body. Week 1. Low Bar Squats

BW - 228

Squats -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
285X12, 3

Incline - up to 155X3, 3, 3

BB Rows - up to 155X3, 5, 5

Done with the 100 reps accessory work I used to help my body recover from meet training.  Moving back into a full-body type program.

285X12 is a Rep PR.  Since I added a rep, I only hit the minimum volume goal with the 2nd set.

Haven't done Inclines in quite some time so it took a while to get back into the swing.  I'm starting by moving my grip in just a thumb's-width from my flat bench grip.  By the end I realized I was pressing a bit out of control and things felt better if I used a more deliberate eccentric and concentric with a pause at the top and bottom.

Also haven't done rows in a while.  I'm not sure if these will need higher reps or not, but my initial aim in this program is to limit worksets on compound accessories to 3-5 reps.

Reps and Volume. Week 4. Press

BW - 228

Press -
BarX5
65X5
85X4
105X3
125X2
135X1
115X12, 7

Face-Pulls - 5 sets of 20

Hammer Curls - 35sX10, 8, 6, 6

I wasn't in a good place to work out on this day.  I'd spent an hour and a half at the bank and then eaten a huge breakfast right before hand.  The breakfast in particular was dumb.  All I wanted to do was take a nap afterwards.

Couldn't get a PR on the first set of Presses, so I went for max reps on the 2nd.

The idea of doing 100 rep sets was loathsome to me on this day, so I upped the weight and did several sets.  This was going to be the last day of the 100 rep phase anyhow.

Reps and Volume. Week 4. Deadlift

BW - 227

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X5
225X5, 5

Deadlift -
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
305X4, 4, 3

Pull-downs - X40, 21 (same weight as last time)

Knees felt great on squats.

Deadlift felt stronger than the last few weeks.

Pull-downs felt like crap, and I just didn't want to do them anymore.  May have pushed the weight up faster than I needed to.

Reps and Volume. Week 4. Bench

BW - 230

Bench -
BarX5
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1
155X17, 7

Cable Rows - X75, 25 (same weight as last time)

Straight-Bar Push-Downs - X65, 35 (same weight as last time)

Ran out of strength again after Rep 17.  This week I decided to push the reps on the 2nd set closer to failure instead of getting the prescribed amount for the volume goals.  This makes sense to me.  Stick with the volume goal as long as progress is being made, but push the volume sets past the goal to try and break a plateau.  We'll see if that works.

Kept the weight the same on accessories, but managed to get them both done in 2 sets where it took 3 sets last week.

I believe the 100 rep accessories may be coming to an end after this week.  It should be enough to have moved a lot of blood through  my joints to help recover from the meet, and also to have bumped up my overall work capacity a bit.

I'm a bit torn on what the next phase is going to be.  My original plans had revolved around some specific diet goals, but I have failed to consistently meet those.  If I'm going to abandon those goals, then I feel like the options are:  1) Continue with my main lift programming, but push the accessories into bigger movements with higher intensities; i.e. strength work; or 2) I've been looking at Alex Viada's manual for awhile and I've laid out his P.L.+5K program.

If I do the latter, I believe I will need to pick a 5K to run in order to stick to that 7-day-a-week program.  Because I enjoyed the P.L. meet so much, I'm leaning towards this even though it looks much more difficult than the other option.