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.

Rows, Legs, Pecs, Triceps

sRPE @7.5

BW - 223

BB Hanging Rows - 

-    up to 205X5@8.5

-    185X5, 5, 5 @7.5/8

GHR - BWX12, 10, 9, 9 @10

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

super-set with

DB LTE - 15sX18, 15, 12, 10 @10

Moving the rows into a top-set w/ back-offs format to try and facilitate a 5 Rep PR next week. 

Messed around with the set-up in GHR to try and increase difficulty without making it more uncomfortable.

Might not have really done DB Skulls/LTE before.  Took a couple of sets to get the execution such that I had an intense strain in the lengthened position. 

Deadlift, Hips, Pecs, Curls

sRPE @8

BW - 223

Deadlift - 

-    up to 425X1 @9.5

-    365X1, 1, 1 @~8

Little Hipper -

-    GHR - BWX12, 12, 10 @~10

super-set with

-    Copenhagen Planks - BWX19, 14, 13 @9/10

DB Flye Partials - 15sX13, 11, 8 @10

super-set with

Lying DB Curl Partials - 15sX13, 9, 7 @~10

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 9. Bench

BW - 203

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
135X3, 3
155X2
165X1
175X1
185X1
165X7 (Rep PR)

Incline - 105X8

Kind of out of it and lost track of programmed weight/reps early on.  Then I lost track of how many reps I did on the back-off set.  It was either 7 or 8.  I'll say 7 to keep it conservative.  I almost locked out another rep, but couldn't quite get it.  Got pinned under the fucking bar and had to roll it off.  Abs are not happy with me about that.

Bus was due so I skipped the flyes.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 8. Bench

BW - 200

Bench -
BarX10
105X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
165X1
175X1
185X1
155X10 (Rep PR)

Incline - 105X10

DB Flyes - 1 set of 20

Hex-Head Holds - 20'sX30, 30, 20 seconds

Plate Pinch - 25'sX20, 15, 7 seconds

Another PR on the 2nd to last bench session.  Can't ask for much more than that.  I should note that the 185 went up smoothly as well.  I'll be at that same weight for the last week.

Forgot to stop at 8 on Inclines, ha.

Had trouble with my grip on the last session of deads, so I through some grip stuff in at the end here.  Also gonna try to get some additional work in during the week on that ahead of the final lower body session this coming Friday.  Probably some more DB holds at the office gym, and also just pinching binder clips with one finger at a time.  Something I read that Ed Coan used to recommend.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 7. Bench

BW - 200

Bench -
BarX10
105X5
115X4
135X3
155X2, 1
165X1
175X1
145X12 (Rep PR)

Incline - 105X8

DB Flyes - 1 set of 20

Nice, solid session, with a Rep PR on the back-offs.  175 was a tad slow, but no doubts about 185 for the top single the next two weeks.

Even with walking to the gym, when I got home my wife said "That was fast."  Indeed.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 6. Bench

BW - 198

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
105X4
125X3
145X2
155X1
165X1
175X1
155X8

Incline - 95X10, 10, 10

DB Flyes - 1 set of 20

Rope Pushdowns - 2 sets of 20+

Bench all felt pretty smooth.  155X8 is one rep off of my best with that weight.

I've been leaving Inclines pretty much at the same weight per Paul Carter.  Usually I've been pretty gassed by the time I got to these and was glad I wasn't trying to increase the weight.  Today they felt light as could be, and I ended up doing them a bit more body-builder style without locking them out at the top.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 5. Bench

BW - 200

Bench - (all reps paused)
BarX10
95X5
105X5
125X3
145X2
155X1, 1
165X1
145X11

Incline -
95X10, 10, 10

DB Flyes - 1 set of 20

Rope Pushdowns - 2 sets of 20+

Had a birthday blow-out for the wife on the night before, so I was pretty gassed on this day.  One symptom of that, was that the unrack on most of the bench sets felt awkward and unstable.  Nevertheless, the weight went up fine and 145X11 is a Rep PR, and a nice, tiny uptick in E1RM over the other weeks on the program.

Being tired and dehydrated, I dropped the weight back a bit on incline.  This was the right choice.

Flyes and Pushdowns.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 4. Bench

BW - 200

Bench -
BarX10
95X5
105X4
125X3
145X2
145X1
155X1
165X1
135X13

Incline -
105X10, 10
95X10

DB Flyes - 1 set of 20

Rope Pushdowns - 2 sets of 20+

I got 135X16 last time at a big commercial gym.  I'm always suspect of the weights at that gym and suspected the X16 was maybe an illusion.  Then I come in to my regular gym and only get X13.  So was I right about the commercial gym, or did I psych myself out with a self-fulfilling prophesy?

Everything else was fine.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 3. Bench

*Session done at the local L@Fitness so scale and weights are a little suspect.

BW - 200*

Bench -
BarX10
85X5
95X4
115X3
125X2
145X1
155X1, 1
135X16

Incline -
95X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

DB Flyes - 2 sets of 20

Rope push-downs - 4 sets of 18-20

135X16 would be an all-around PR*.  Felt good to hit that target regardless.

My left triceps were sore and fatigued for some reason today and that back-off set took enough out to make the last couple Incline sets a bit of a bitch.  Barely got the final rep.

Same thing with the push-downs.  Triceps were shot.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Christmas Vacation

12/20
BW - 205

Chins -
BWX8, 6, 5, 5, 5

T-Bars -
45X10
70X10, 10, 10

Shrugs -
135X20
225X20
315X20, 20

BB Curls -
BarX10
65X5
BarX40,10

12/23
Squats -
BarX10
95X5
125X5
145X4
165X3
185X2
195X1
215X1
225X1

Pause Squats -
175X5, 5

Deadlift -
135X5
165X4
195X4
225X3
265X2
275X1
285X1
295X1
235X3, 3

Leg Curls - 4 sets of 20, 1 set of 26

12/24
Bench -
BarX10
85X5
95X4
115X3
125X2
135X1
145X1
155X1
125X16

Inclines -
105X10, 10
95X10, 10, 10

DB Flyes - 3 sets of 20

Rope Pushdowns - 4 sets of 20

Squats felt much better now that I'm not sick.  Faster, but also combined explosiveness with better control so that I didn't lose lower back tightness at lockout.  Good Session.

Deadlifts all felt pretty fast.  Traps are getting sore from these now when they weren't under higher weight/reps on 5/3/1.  Interesting.

Bench felt pretty good.  Trying to focus on initiating the concentric with my legs.  Really burned myself out on the AMAP back-off set, and had to drop my weight mid-way through my incline set as a result.  Chest and shoulders were sore as hell the next day.

LRB 365: Strong-15. Week 1. Bench

BW - 201

Bench -
BarX10
85X5
95X4
115X3
125X2
135X1
145X1
155X1
115X15

Incline -
105X10, 10, 10, 10, 10

DB Flyes - 2 sets of 20

Rope Pushdowns - 4 sets of 20

80+% session.  Now that I'm past all the limiting symptoms of last weekend's head-cold, I felt like this session was a more realistic introduction to the new program than Saturday's plague-ridden squat session.

As promised, the introductory weights all felt light as hell, and I was able to focus on applying maximum explosiveness while also keeping my form tight.  This has been one of the biggest difficulties for me of late:  keeping my upper back tight while driving lighter weight to lock-out.  I find that high bar speeds tend to pull my shoulders apart at the top resulting in a loss of tightness for the following reps, and I'm trying to correct this problem.  There was progress on this today.

I would like to have gotten more than 15 reps with 115, but the bar was moving way slow and I was just out of gas.

I think this was an over-all volume PR for inclines, however.  Don't think I've gotten 5 full sets of 10 with 105 before.  As maximizing assistance volume is one of the top-tier goals for the introductory phase of the Strong-15, I'm pleased with this, and will continue to push it in coming weeks.

I haven't done DB flyes in...I don't know.  And I kind of remembered why.  In order to keep stress on the muscle, the range of motion is severely limited.  I double-checked the manual, and it just says "Flat Flyes," so I think I will switch to pec-deck.

It's also over a year since I did any kind of cable push-down, and these 4 sets of 20 really fried me.  I kept the weight light, and tried to focus on feeling the triceps pull and relax.

All in all, felt like a pretty good body-building session.  My first in I don't know how long.  I'm certainly reminded how boring aspects of training this way can be however, but maybe I can focus on adjusting my perspective in that regards.