RTS Block 5. Week 3. Day 3.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 227

High Bar Squat - 

-    275X6 @6

-    290X6 @7

-    300X6(PR) @7.5

Bench - 

-    235X1 @9.5

-    200X4 @8.5

-    185X4, 4, 4 @~7

High Paused Deadlift -

-    350X4 @8

-    330X5(PR) @7

-    315X5, 5 @6.5

DB Bench - 

-    60sX14, 12, 8 @10

-    50sX11 @10

Face Pulls - X17, 14, 12 @10

 Another PR on HBS, but Bench was slightly off compared to last week.  It's tentatively starting to look like a trend for comp lifts to be a bit flat in Week 3, but we'll just have to see how things go with next week's mock meet.

Really focused in on the DLs Paused below the Knee.  Used the same top weight as the last two weeks, and it felt much more in control.  First back-off set of 5 is a Rep PR.

RTS Block 5. Week 1. Day 3.

sRPE @9

BW - 228

High Bar Squat - 

-    255X6 @4.5

-    275X6(PR) @6.5

-    290X6(PR) @7.5

Bench - 

-    230X1 @9.5

-    195X4 @8

-    180X4, 4, 4 @7

Deadlift Paused below knee -

-    350X4(PR) @8.5

-    325X5 @7.5

-    310X5, 5 @~7

DB Bench - 

-    65sX14, 9 @10

-    55sX8 @10

-    45sX12 @10

Face Pulls - X18, 15, 14 @10

Really tough session, but I got PRs on High Bar Squats and Paused Deads, and matched a 14 Rep DB Bench PR.  Pretty good for week 1, and hopefully I'll acclimate.  It's basically the same volume of SBD for Day 3 as last block so I should.

RTS Block 4. Week 4. Day 3.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 228

SBS - 285X7(PR), 6, 7 @~7

Bench -

-    207.5X3 @8

-    235X1 @9

-    185X5, 5, 5 @6/7

Deadlift Paused below knee -

-    360X3 @8

-    340X4(PR) @8

-    315X4, 4 @6

DB Bench - 70sX12(PR), 8, 9 @~10

Tough session to end the block, but 3 Rep PRs on supplemental lifts.

Went 395X3, 235X1, and 405X3 on SBD this week.  On weight alone, that's a 1035 total.  That's 65 lbs. over my meet PR, and only 80 lbs. away from my lifetime PRs.  Those lifetime PRs include questionable depth on squats, and TnG on Bench with butt coming off the bench.  It will feel good to pass those strict.

Next block is a "Tier 1" peaking block that will end in a mock meet.  I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to beat my lifetime heaviest Squat of 410 if things go at least moderately well.  Beating 255 on Bench and 450 on DL seem fairly unlikely in just one more block.

I'm still looking for a meet in the fall to try and sweep my lifetime PRs in an actual meet, but we'll see.

Also need to work on strategies to mitigate heavy squats beating up my arms.  That'll be agenda item #1 for my live call with my coach next week.

RTS Block 4. Week 3. Day 3.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 226

SBS - 

-    275X7(PR), 7 @~6

-    280X7(PR) @6.5

Bench - 

-    210X3 @8

-    232.5X1 @9

-    180X4, 5, 5 @6/6.5

DL Paused Below Knee - 

-    335X3 @8

-    335X4 @7

-    310X4, 4 @~6

DB Bench -

-    70sX11, 8 @10/9

-    65sX9 @9.5

Chipped last week's weight on Bench, couple of Rep PRs on SBS, and matched an 11 Rep PR on DB Bench.

Weights came up and/or RPE went down across the board, and sRPE was a bit lower for this session than in past weeks.  All around a pretty good day.

RTS Block 4. Week 2. Day 3.

sRPE @8

BW - 227

SBS - 270X7, 7, 7 @~7

Bench - 

-    up to 205X3 @8

-    230X1 @9

-    180X5, 5, 5 @7/8

DL Paused below knee - 

-    up to 350X3 @7.5

-    335X4(PR) @7.5

-    310X4, 4 @6

DB Bench - 65sX13, 11, 8 @9.5/10

Session was forever long b/c taking longer rests to facilitate performance set-over-set, and also waiting for a DL platform to be free.

RTS Block 4. Week 1. Day 3.

sRPE @8

BW - 227

SBS - 270X7(PR), 6, 5 @~7

Bench - 

-    195X3 @8

-    230X1 @9

-    180X5, 5, 5 @~7.5

DL Paused below knee -

-    335X3 @8

-    315X4 @7.5

-    290X4, 4 @6/7

DB Bench - 65sX12, 8, 8 @~10

Solid but tiring session. Was happy to have two days off to recover.

Andrew likes to program sessions in SBD order, so DLs and DL variations tend to come later in a session. That has historically been tough for me.  There was a lot of that when I was doing Barbell Medicine templates, and it always seemed brutal.

I'm trying a new tactic:  Regardless what the comp lift of the day is, I'm driving not to the heaviest set of the main lift, but to the last set of DL.  So all through this session, between work sets of SBS and comp bench, I'd remind myself "you've got a heavy DL triple, and 3 sets of 4 after that.  That last set of 4 is the goal today."  It seemed to help in this instance.

RTS Block 2. Week 5. Day 1.

sRPE @7

BW - 228

Deadlift - 

-    up to 412.5X1 @9.5

-    315X4 @4.5

-    325X4 @6

-    340X4 @7

Larsen Bench - 137.5X10, 10, 10 @7.5/9

Low Pin Squats - 

-    245X5 @6.5

-    265X3 @7.5

DB Bench - 

-    65sX13, 9 @10

-    60sX10  @10

Incline DB Rows w/Straps - 70sX9, 8, 7 @10

Was hoping for a PR double on DL, but ended up only being able to pull a single chipping last week's weight.  I did some extra warm-up volume trying to work on a technical note from my coach.  Not sure if the extra volume, or the changes might have impacted top set this week or not.  Back-offs were fine, and all the other work was fine-to-good.

RTS Block 2. Week 4. Day 1.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 224

Deadlift - 

-    410X2 @8.5

-    345X4 @5.5

-    350X4, 4 @7.5

Larsen Bench - 135X10, 10, 10 @8/10

Pin Squats - 

-    250X5 @7

-    265X3 @7.5

DB Bench - 65sX11, 9, 6 @10

DB Incline Rows w/Straps - 

-    65sX8, 6 @10

-    60sX7 @10

Solid session.  If I feel good next week, I'll likely go for a PR double on DL.

Finally got 3X10 with 135 on Larsens.  The burn is real.

RTS Block 2. Week 3. Day 1.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 227

Deadlift - 

-    up to 405X2 @8

-    345X4 @5.5

-    355X4 @7.5

-    335X4 @8

Larsen Bench - 135X10, 10, 8 @8.5/10

Low Pin Squat - 

-    245X5 @7

-    255X3 @6.5

DB Bench - 65sX12, 9, 7 @10

DB Incline Rows w/Straps - 60sX9, 7, 6 @10

I thought I'd DL's 405 in the past 12 months, but turns out it had been since July '24.  Glad to have that back on the board.  Strength dropped off rapidly after this on the back-off sets.

First time actually having a rack available to do the Low Pin Squats.  I'd been having to make do with Squats to Blocks the past 2 weeks.  

I had some low back discomfort starting to creep in on these that made the rest of the session difficult, but that has dissipated as of the following morning.

Took pressing movements closer to failure to start auditing RPE on those.  I perceive my pressing strength to fall off VERY quickly as I approach failure, but coach has been suggesting I've got more reps left than I think.  Looking forward to seeing what he thinks from video and going from there.

RTS Block 2. Week 2. Day 1.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 223

Deadlift - 

-    up to 385X2 @7.5

-    325X4 @5

-    340X4 @6.5

-    350X4 @7

Larsen Bench - 135X10,10, 8 @7.5/10

Squat to Low Blocks -

-    235X5 @6.5

-    255X3 @6.5

DB Bench - 60sX14, 11, 8 @~10

DB Incline Row w/Straps - 60sX8, 7, 6 @10

Still have some low back discomfort in everyday life, but I didn't perceive it to impact my performance today (besides cinching my belt down extra tight for DL and Squats).

RTS Block 2. Week 1. Day 1.

sRPE @9

BW - 229

Deadlift - 

-    up to 370X2 @7

-    315X4 @5

-    325X4 @6

-    335X4 @8

Larsen Bench - 135X10, 10, 8 @7.5/9

Very Low Pin Squat -

-    225X5 @6.5

-    245X3 @7.5

DB Bench - 60sX13, 10, 10 @9.5/10

Tweaked my back slightly on top set of DL but the discomfort steadily increased throughout the session.  Made everything after increasingly difficult.  Skipped the DB Rows programmed for the end of the session.  

I expect it will be slightly better for next session.

S/B/D/R+ Week 3. Day C.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 227

Deadlift w/Straps -

-    up to 355X1 @8

-    315X3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @7/7.5

DB Bench - 60sX9, 7, 7, 6 @~8

Pull-Downs w/Straps - X10, 9, 8 @8/9

Cable Curls - X10, 9, 8, 8, 8 @~8

super-set with

Machine Knee Raise - X7, 7, 7, 7 @~8

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:20/1:40; 14 minutes

Tough session.  Not sure if it was general end of the week fatigue, the added volume from this week catching up with me, or just normal ups-and-downs of training.  Looking forward to a couple of days off.

S/B/D/R+ Week 2. Day C.

sRPE @ 8

BW - 225

Deadlift - 

-    up to 355X1 @8

-    315X3, 3, 3, 3 @~7

DB Bench - 60sX9, 7, 7, 7 @8

Pull-Downs - X10, 9, 8 @8

Cable Curls - X11, 11, 10, 10 @~8

super-set with

GHR Sit-Ups BWX9, 7, 6, 6 @~8

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:20/1:40; 14 minutes

Had to work out Saturday morning instead of Friday afternoon, and I felt the difference.  DL top set was awful, but the back-offs were ok.

Tried Cable Curls instead of BB Curls as I'm still waiting for this elbow issue to resolve.  It feels fine most of the time now, but after workouts and in the AM it can be really tight, and still makes me second guess how I'm going to pick things up, etc. in the everyday b/c sometimes it hurts when I do.

S/B/D/R Week 1. Day C.

sRPE @8

BW - 228

Deadlift - 

-    up to 365X1 @7

-    325X3, 3, 3 @~7

DB Bench - 60sX8, 8, 7 @8

Pull-Downs - X8, 8, 7 @8/10

BB Curls - 60X9, 8, 7 @8

super-set with

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX8, 7, 6 @8/8.5

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:20/1:40; 14 minutes

I was already dragging much ass coming into a hot and humid gym today, so the workout was a slog.

Nevertheless, DL was better than expected.

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.

Pivot. Week 2. Day C.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 227

Deadlift - 

-    up to 355X1 @6.5

-    325X3, 3, 3@~6.5

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

Cable Rows - X11, 9, 8 @~8

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX7, 7, 7 @~8

super-set with

Machine Standing Calves - X13, 9, 7 @~9

Rower - HIIT; 7 rounds

I was a bit tentative on DL because of last week's lower back issues, but no problems today.

Backing off of intensity has allowed me to push volume in this "pivot" block to 17 worksets in a session over 2 weeks still with headroom to add more.  The last few blocks before this I've been capping out around 14 worksets before fatigue demanded a change.

I'm glad I gave a shot to pushing intensity instead of volume, but I think I may be a volume boi.  

I've got one more out of town trip this weekend, and then I should finally have a runway for more consistent training for a while.  However, I might let this program run a couple of extra weeks just to see what happens before I go back into another specialization block.

Pivot. Week 1. Day C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 227

Deadlift - 

-    up to 345X1 @6.5

-    315X3, 3 @7/7.5*

DB Bench - 65sX8, 7, 6 @8

Cable Rows - X12, 10 @7.5/8

BB Curls - 70X6, 6 @~8

super-set with

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX8, 7 @8

Rower - HIIT; 7 rounds

*tweaked my back on the first back-off set, and the 2nd back-off set was done with a slow tempo.

I was able to complete the workout without any issue, and the rest of the workout was fine. 

Son of a Bench Week 11. Day C.

sRPE @

BW - 225

Bench - 190X3, 3 @7

DB Bench - 75sX10(PR), 8, 5 @9/10

BB Rows - 185X6, 6 @~8

super-set with

Seated Leg Curls - X12, 9 @~10

Pushdowns - X12, 10, 9 @10

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X16, 13 @10

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

Good session.

Added a rep to DB Bench for a PR with the 75s, and also added a set there.

Son of a Bench Week 10. Day C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 224

Bench - 185X3, 3 @~7

DB Bench - 75sX9(PR), 6 @9/10

Chin-Ups - BWX2, 2 @7/8

super-set with

Copenhagen Planks - BWX15, 11 @8/9

Pushdowns - X17, 12, 11 @10

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X14, 12 @10

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

Haven't been able to get a 3rd session in a training week very often the last month or so, and this one felt good.

When I do get one in, I've usually gotten a DB Bench PR like I did today, and that's always encouraging about the direction my general pressing strength is trending.

Son of a Bench Week 8. Day C.

sRPE @5.5

BW - 223

Bench - 185X3, 3 @7/8

DB Bench - 35sX12, 8 @9

Chins - X2, 2 @8

super-set with

Copenhagen Planks - BWX15, 10 @8/7

Pushdowns - X10, 11 @~10

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X12, 11 @~10

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

Very nice little session.  Subjective measures of difficulty (sRPE) have steadily declined all week while ~objective training stress (setsXrepsXRPE) has remained about the same.  So I'll go ahead and start selectively bumping volume and intensity next week.