Training: Upper

sRPE @6

BW - 225

Bench - 

-    170X3 @6

-    175X3 @7

-    180X3 @7.5

-    185X3 @7

-    195X3 @8.5

Hammer Row - 70X12, 11 @10

Hammer Incline - 70X12, 10 @10

Cable Rear Delts - X12, 9 @10

Gaspari Bar Curls - 45X13, 11 @10

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:25/1:35; 12 minutes

Had fun today.

Training: Upper

sRPE @6

BW - 227

Bench - 

-    165X3 @6

-    170X3  @6

-    180X3 @7

-    185X3 @8

Hammer Row - 70X11, 10 @~10

Hammer Incline - 70X9, 9 @10

Cable Rear Delts - X10, 9 @10

Gaspari Bar Curls - 45X12, 10 @10

Tried adding some kind of curl back in.  No forearm discomfort during the session, but a little the next day.

Upper Push, Lower Accessories, Curls

sRPE @7

BW - 223

Cambered Bench +50# Chains - 185X3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @8/9

High Incline Bench - 

95X5, 5 @5.5/7*

up to 155X1 @9.5

Leg Extensions - X11, 10, 10 @10

super-set with

Adductor Machine - X14, 9, 10 @10

Glute Kickback Machine - X13, 10, 8 @~9.5

Gaspari Bar Curls - 

 -   straight set - 45X10, 8 @~10

-    w/ rest-pause Long-ROM Partials - 45X8/4 @10

Continuing to do pick movements on a whim in the moment around a loose structure.

I really nailed my chain set up on Cambered Bench.  Resistance curve was totally flat throughout.

*I got some leg cramping trying to do reps on High Incline so I switched and worked up to a hard single.

I didn't feel like having to set up anything plate-loaded for lower body, so I did a little machine circuit.  Never used the glute kickback machine before.  With a little fiddling, I was able to get it set up for a pretty good ROM.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 5. Session C.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 217

Squats -292.5X8, 8, 8 @7.5/8.5

Dips - BW+60X4 @8

EZ OH Extensions - 60X14 @10

Low Pin Press - 127.5X3, 3, 3 @8

Gaspari Bar Curls - 62.5X12 @10

Was starting to feel run down, sRPE was creeping up, and RTS TRAC app was suggesting dropping a set from each movement so that's what I did.  Subjectively, I feel noticeably better.  I'm going to do a hybrid next week where I drop a couple of main movement sets and a couple of 2nd slot back off sets.  I suspect I could have gotten the same benefits while keeping things like the 2nd set of OH Extensions and Curls for example.

292.5 is a 2X8 PR on Squats, and I got 3 sets. 

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 4. Session C.

sRPE @8

BW - 215

Squat - 290X8, 8, 8, 8 @8/9

Dips - 

BW+60X4 @7

BWX14 @9

EZ OH Extensions - 65X11 @10

Low Pin Press - 125X3, 3, 3, 3 @8/9.5

Gaspari Bar Curls - 60X12, 11 @8/10

290 for 2X8 is a Volume PR on Squats, and I got it for a tough 4 sets.  Rest time between each set was longer than the set before, and rest before the last set was >5 minutes.  This all seems very hard, but I'm kind of tapping back into a variation of the old Starting Strength mentality: "You got all your sets and reps last week, so you might as well and try and add more next week."  The caveat being that I'm keeping a very close eye on that sRPE creeping up along with other subjective markers.  Plus, obviously, it I start substantially overshooting RPE in the first 3 sets (meaning close to +1 or higher), I'll pull the weight back for subsequent sets.  

3 weeks to go in this training block, and it will pay to be conservative from here on out.  I hit a 2X8 PR today, but it's almost certain I won't hit a new 8 rep PR by the end of the block, as my previous is 340.  So there's no real goal left besides just kind of "staying in the pocket," i.e. trying to maintain target RPE and not let sRPE, stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, etc. creep out of a sustainable range. 

Everything else was more-or-less flat from last week.  Pin Presses felt a little better at the start, but then felt worse at the end.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 3. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 217

Squats - 285X8, 8, 8 @~8

Dips -

BW+55X4 @7

BWX12 @9

EZ OH Extensions - 60X12 @10

Low Pin Press - 125X3, 3, 3, 3 @~8

Gaspari Bar Curls - 57.5X12, 11 @8/10

285 for 3X8 is a Volume PR on Squats.  Taking things very slow and deliberate building up squat volumes at this effort level.  Very deliberate technique, and plenty of rest times between sets with rests getting longer set-to-set.  Definitely getting a low back pump about half way through, and dealing with some low back discomfort the next day, but it's not "out."  Adding a final, fourth set next week, and will continue to be very conservative until I'm confident the volume at this effort is being tolerated.

Tried 3X8 @6 for Squats over the summer and did not get great results in that block.  Next block will likely be lower volume/effort but higher absolute intensity, and the block after that will be more similar to this plus a top-single.  So in this exploratory block, I wanted to, as always, reach for some low hanging volume PRs (which I'm already getting here), but also start to remind myself of what it's like to do multiple, higher-rep sets @8.  

Backed off weight on Dips top set and everything felt a little bit better.  BW reps felt "athletic."

Pin Pressing continues to be really hard, but also really fun.  Also seem to feel recovered relatively quickly for such high effort work.

3rd set of Squats:

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 2. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 220

Squats - 282.5X8, 8 @8

Dips - 

BW+80X4 @8.25

BWX11 @9

EZ OH Extensions - 70X7 @10

Low Pin Press - 122.5X3, 3, 3, 3 @~8

Gaspari Bar Rotating Curls - 55X12, 14 @8/10

Tougher than usual session all the way around.

Over a year since I've gone this hard on Squats, I think.  Immediately pre- and post- the first lockdown I was doing sets of 6 @~8.  Anyway, these were fairly tough.  I was very focused on depth, and so took my time, breathing and resetting between most reps, etc.  I've mostly kept rest times in the 2-3 minute zone.  I expect rest times on these to be consistently over 3:00.

Dips were supposed to be @7 with this weight [shrugs].

Trying to decide where @10 is on OH extensions so that I don't get stuck with the bar behind my head is interesting.

Pin Pressing is such a weird experience.  On one hand, these feel really hard, but on the other hand, don't seem so fatiguing?

Rotating Gaspari Bar Curls feel...interesting...on my wrists.  Not painful, but an unusual feeling of tension.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 1. Session C.

sRPE @6

BW - 221

Squats - 260X8, 8 @~6/7

Dips - 

BW+50X4 @~6

BWX9 @7.5

Seated EZ Bar OH Extensions - 60X12 @8

Low Pin Press - 120X3, 3 @8

Gaspari Bar Curls - 50X12 @7

It'll be interesting to see how the triceps volume, particularly the OH volume, effects the low rep Pin Pressing.  I've never really done any kind of "off-the-pins" movement.  Didn't seem to effect it today, but everything is a little lower RPE/Volume than it will be as the block progresses.