RTS Block 6. Week 4. Day 2.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 227

Spoto Bench - 

-    180X3 @5.5

-    190X3 @7

-    202.5X3 @7.5

BFE BSS - BW+57lb ChainsX9 @8

Low Bar PBN -

-    65X6 @8

-    55X8, 8 @6.5/8

Pulldowns - X17, 12, 8 @10

CS Rows - 120X13, 9, 9 @~10

Face Pulls - X13, 10, 8 @10

Spotos were feeling great, but I stayed conservative rather than go for a PR.  Don't want to sap my chance to make a bigger jump on Comp Bench on Friday.

Moved the grip out on LB PBN until I was able to return each rep to a low bar position.  Thinking about trying to gradually move grip in vs. trying to gradually move reps lower with normal Squat grip.

RTS Block 6. Week 3. Day 2.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 227

Spoto Bench - 

-    180X3 @6.5

-    190X3 @7

-    200X3 @8

Bulgarian Split Squats - +35lb. ChainX11 @7

Low Bar PBN -

-    85X1 @7

-    95X1 @9

-    100X1 @10

Pulldowns - X14, 11, 11 @10

CS Rows - 120X12, 10, 9 @10

Face Pulls - X12, 11, 9 @10

Technique feeling very dialed-in on Spotos, and may attempt a 3 rep PR next week if warm-ups feeling good.

Moved BSS to this day because I had a lot of quad discomfort on last Friday's Pause Squats after having 3 days off from any Squat movement. 

Tried going as heavy as possible on the low bar PBN to see if that helped the bar return to the low bar position after the Press, but it didn't.  Currently, I can start the movement in low bar position, but can't return any lower than the top of the traps.  The point of this movement is to increase my shoulder mobility slightly to see if it lessens elbow pain with heavier weights on Squats.  Probably we'll just roll with in the way it is and see if it improves over time, or possibly abandon in favor of something else.  TBD.

RTS Block 6. Week 2. Day 2.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 225

Spoto Bench - 

-    175X3 @6

-    185X3 @7

-    192.5X3 @7.5

Low Bar PBN -

-    65X8 @5

-    67.5@8 @6.5

-    70X8 @7.5

Pulldowns - X17, 14, 12 @10

CS Rows - 120X12, 10, 9 @10

Face Pulls - X11, 10, 10 @10

Mis-loaded the top set on Spot with a 2.5 and a 5 on either side.  Meant to load 195.  

RTS Block 6. Week 1. Day 2.

sRPE @6

BW - 225

Spoto Bench - 

-    175X3 @6.5

-    180X3 @7

-    185X3 @8

PBN - 

-    65X8 @5.5

-    67.5X8 @6

-    70X8 @7.5

Pulldowns - X15, 13, 11 @10

CS Rows - 115X13, 10, 9 @10

Face Pulls - X12, 12, 10 @10

RTS Block 5. Taper. Day 2.

sRPE @6

BW - 224

Pause Squats -

-    320X3 @6

-    330X3 @6.5

-    335X3 @7

Spoto Bench - 

-    195X2 @6

-    205X2 @7

-    210X2 @7.5

-    215X2(PR) @8

Face-Pulls- X15, 12, 11 @10

Pull-downs - X14, 12, 10 @10

Testing on Saturday morning.

RTS Block 5. Week 3. Day 2.

sRPE @7

BW - 224

Squats - 395X1 @8

Marrs Bar Squat - 

-    315X6 @7

-    305X4, 4 @5

Spoto Bench - 

-    195X2 @6.5

-    200X2 @7

-    205X2 @7.5

-    210X2(PR) @8

Low Bar PBN -

-    75X8 @8

-    65X8 @5

-    67.5X8 @6

CS Rows (pronated) -

-    115X13, 10 @10

-    90X11 @10

Pull-Downs - X14, 12, 10 @10

Squat stability wasn't quite there to meet or beat last weeks 405.  Hopefully we'll get a little bounce-back for next week's mock meet.

Spoto Bench came together in the last couple of sets for a modest PR there.

Finally finding the right weight for the "low bar" PBN.

RTS Block 5. Week 2. Day 2.

sRPE @7

BW - 228

Squat - 405X1 @7.5

Marrs Bar Squat - 

-    315X4 @6

-    300X4, 4 @5.5

Spoto Bench - 

-    190X2 @6

-    195X2 @7

-    200X2 @7.5

-    205X2 @8

PBN - 

-    65X8 @6

-    75X8 @7.5

-    80X8 @8

CS Rows -

-    120X12 @10

-    115X10 @10

-    90X11 @10

Pulldowns - X13, 12, 10 @10

8 years since I last squatted 4 plates.  Feeling good.

RTS Block 5. Week 1. Day 2.

sRPE @7

BW - 227

Squat - 400X1 @8

Marrs Bar Squat - 

-    310X4 @6

-    295X4, 4 @5

Spoto Bench - 

-    185X2 @6

-    190X2 @7

-    197.5X2 @7.5

-    205X2 @8.5

PBN - 

-    75X8, 8 @6

-    80X8 @7.5

CS Rows - 115X14, 11, 10 @~10

Pull-Downs - X9, 11, 10 @10

First time squatting 400+ since late May 2018.

RTS Block 3. Week 3. Day 2-3; Week 4 Day 1.

Week 3. Day 2.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 227

Bench - 

-    175X8 @8

-    190X5 @8

-    205X3 @8.5

-    227.5X1 @9.5

Incline Bench - 155X9, 8, 6 @9

OH Rope Extensions - X16, 15 @10

Pull-Ups - BWX3, 3 @10

Pull-Downs - X9, 7 @10

DB Incline Rows w/Straps - 65sX9, 7 @10

Week 3. Day 3.

sRPE 9.5

BW - 226

Deadlift - 

-    340X5 @6.5

-    355X5 @8

-    365X5 @9

Pause Squat - 

-    up to 370X1(PR) @9.5

-    315X4 @8

-    285X4, 4 @5/6

1-1/4 Bench -

-    145X4 @7

-    150X4 @8

-    155X4 @8.5

GHR - BWX12 @10

CS Rows - 115X14 @10

Week 4. Day 1.

sRPE @7

BW - 230

Squats - 

-    325X5 @5

-    355X5 @7.5

-    370X5 @8.5

Spoto Bench -

-    185X3 @7.5

-    195X3 @8.5

-    205X3(PR) @9

Deficit Deadlift -

-    355X3 @7

-    325X4, 4 @6

Hammer Incline - 70X15, 10 @10

Several health and schedule challenges over the last week.  I got another Pause Squat PR, but that was the hardest training session of the block.

Conversely, Squats were flying yesterday, and everything felt great.  [shrugs]

I suppose I've been doing Spoto Bench for 2 blocks now and it's ok to start calling out PRs on that here at the end of this block.

RTS Block 3. Week 3. Day 1.

sRPE @9

BW - 229

Squats - 

-    350X5 @8

-    360X5 @10

Spoto Bench - 

-    185X3 @7

-    195X3 @8.5

-    202.5X3 @9.25

Deficit DL - 

-    up to 345X3 @7.5

-    315X4, 4 @5.5/6

Hammer Incline - 70X12, 11 @~10

Squats took a nose-dive today for some reason.  Interesting to see how the next 3 squat sessions play out.

RTS Block 3. Week 2. Day 1.

sRPE @ 7

BW - 232

Squats - 

-    335X5 @6.5

-    350X5 @7.5

-    365X5 @8.5

Spoto Bench - 

-    180X3 @7

-    190X3 @8.5

-    200X3 @9.5

Deficit Deadlift - 

-    up to 335X3 @7

-    315X4, 4 @6

Lever Incline - 70X15, 10 @~10

First time squatting at least 3 and a half plates since mid-2024.  First time doing it for a set of 5 since mid-2018 when Texas Method almost ended my Squatting career.

Deficit DL moving very well.

RTS Block 3. Week 1. Day 1.

sRPE @7

BW - 230

Squats - 

-    305X5 @6

-    335X5 @7.5

-    355X5 @8

Spoto Bench - 

-    180X3 @7

-    185X3 @8

-    192.5X3 @9

1" Deficit Deadlift - 

-    up to 325X3 @6.5

-    315X4, 4 @6.5/7

Hammer Incline - 70X13, 11 @~9

Still amazed by how much I'm getting out of these 7mm knee sleeves on Squats.  By the time I'm used to getting them on without tearing up / wearing out my hands, I'll probably have accepted these weights as the new normal and be back to slow progress, lol.

RTS Block 2. Week 5. Day 2.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 226

Squats - 

-    up to 330X2 @8.5

-    270X5, 5 @~6

Spoto Bench - 

-    170X3 @6.5

-    182.5X3 @8

-    192.5X3 @8

Dips - BW+25X7, 6 @~8

RDL w/Straps - 290X7(PR) @10

Pullups - BWX4, 4 @~10

Pulldowns - X8, 7, 5 @~9

Squats were still a bit of a struggle today, but not as bad as last week.

Everything else was awesome. 

Maybe unlocked something with my pause on the top set of Spoto Bench.  We'll see.

PR set of RDLs.

RTS Block 2. Week 4. Day 2.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 221

Squats - 

-    335X2 @9

-    270X5, 5 @~7

Spoto Bench - 

-    175X3 @7.5

-    185X3 @9

-    192.5 Fail on 3

Dips - BW+25X8, 5 @~8

RDL w/Straps - 290 Fail on 5

Pullups - BWX4, 3 @10

Pulldowns - X8, 7, 6 @10

Performance cratered across the board.  Gonna chalk it up to life stress and move on.

RTS Block 2. Week 3. Day 2.

sRPE @7

BW - 225

Squats - 

-    up to 345X2 @8.5

-    280X5, 5 @~6.5

Spoto Bench - 

-    170X3 @6

-    175X3 @7

-    185X3 @8

Dips - BW+20X8, 5 @9/8

RDL w/Straps - 280X7 @9

Pullups w/Straps - BWX4, 3 @~10

Pulldowns - X6, 8, 8 @9/10

Everything was feeling good today.  Was able to push weight up on just about everything.

RTS Block 2. Week 2. Day 2.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 227

Squats - 

-    up to 340X2 @8.5

-    280X5, 5 @7

Spoto Bench - 

-    160X3 @6.5

-    170X3 @7

-    182.5X3 @8

Dips - BWX10, 6 @9/8

RDL w/Straps - 285X7(PR) @9.5

Pullups - BWX3, 3 @9.5

Pulldowns - X7, 6, 7 @~9

Out late for the wife's birthday the night before, and was dragging some ass coming into the gym.  Squats felt unstable at the bottom on warm-ups and slow over 300lbs.  Just chipped last week's weight.

Also chipped top set on Spoto's just trying to rally.

Back half of the session was a little better with a Rep PR on RDLs.

RTS Block 2. Week 1. Day 2.

sRPE @8

BW - 227

Squats - 

-    up to 335X2 @8

-    275X5, 5 @~7

Spoto Bench - 

-    165X3 @6.5

-    170X3 @7

-    180X3 @7.5

Dips - BWX7, 6 @~8

RDL w/Straps - 225X5 @10

Pullups - BWX3, 2 @10

Pulldowns - X7, 6, 7 @8.5/9.5

Back was feeling much better today, and Squats were fun.  I wasn't sure what I'd be able to tolerate, but I did ramping doubles starting at 275, and ended up only 10 lbs. shy of my initial target for starting the block.  Confident I'll zoom past that starting next week once back discomfort has fully dissipated.

Bench was actually much harder as I had trouble getting my legs at their usual angle because of the low back tightness.  Had to go with feet more in front of me than out to the side.

Very tentative on RDL.  Just kind of gave up on them.