Dips, Leg Press, Shoulders, Triceps

sRPE @7

BW - 223

Lever Dips - 225X9, 8, 7, 6 @10

Leg Press Drop Sets - 270X11, 225X9, 180X7, 135X7 @10

DB Incline Laterals - 15sX10, 12, 8, 7 @8/10

super-set with

DB Incline Extensions - 15sX12, 16, 10, 12 @7/10

First day back after 5 day camping trip.  Everything felt good.

Went up to 5 total plates on Lever Dips.  Historically, this lift has been ~90% of Dips, so I'm cautiously optimistic about how the wave of regular Dips will kick off next week. 

Heard some of the science folks talk recently about promising studies on Drop Sets compared to Rest Pause approaches.  I did a lot of Rest Pause recently inspired by Mike Israetel, but haven't done Drop Sets much.  Thought I might give it a shot here and there on compound, low-specificity accessories.  

Between the Drop Sets and the Super Sets it was like 45 minutes in and out of the front door.  That basically demands I start doing HIIT conditioning at the end of sessions again, lol. 

Press, Deadlift, Back, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 223

Swiss Bar Press - 

-    up to 150X1 @10

-    100X6, 6, 6 @6/7

RDL w/Straps -

-    up to 275X6 @9.5

-    225X8, 7, 6 @9/10

DB Pullovers - 50X9, 10, 9, 8 @7/10

super-set with

DB Incline Extensions - 30X16, 12, 10, 10 @9/10

It will be interesting to see how the Swiss Bar translates to my straight bar pressing in the coming weeks.  The setup and and initial press is more difficult with this bar so theoretically I could be stronger on a straight bar. This is "only" 15 lbs. off my best Press, but that's still a gulf for the Press.

Thinking I may alternate RDL with ATG Squats each week through the rest of this block.  Work that stretch.

I just heard, on the walk to the gym, Eric Helms talking about how agonist and peripheral super-sets don't perform particularly well in studies, and hear I went and did a peripheral super-set of lat pullovers and incline extensions.  Meh.  Actually looking forward to the DOMS.

Squat, Pullups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 222

Squat - 

-    up to 385X1 @9

-    315X1, 1, 1 @6/7

Pull-Ups - BWX5, 4, 4 @10

Pull-Downs /w rest-pause partials - X13/7, 8/4 @10

1-Arm DB Incline Extensions - 15X14, 13, 11 @~10

+30 lbs. on Squat over last week.  Got good sleep over the weekend, and temperature and humidity in the gym weren't too bad.  Bounce out of the hole felt on point in warm-ups, and that's when I was pretty sure I would have a good day.

That's a 1055 gym total from last week's Bench session to today.  That's 20#s over what I think was my past, best week of SBD.  Also, a 301.7 DOTS?  I've never really tracked that.  My best DOTS in competition was 268.4.

1-arm DB Incline extensions felt most comfortable of all the variations so far.  Not sure if that's just getting acclimated or not.  I'll try it with the EZ bar again next week and see if they feel easier than previous or not.

Squat, Pullups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 224

Squat - 

-    up to 355X1 @9

-    315X1, 1, 1 @6/7

Pull-Ups - BWX5, 4, 4 @~10

Pull-Downs w/ rest-pause partials - X12/7@10

EZ Incline Extensions - 35X17, 16, 15 @~10

Not ideal conditions as I was low on sleep, working out in the morning on no food, and gym was swampy.  I would have liked to have done better on comp squat than last week's pause squat, but oh well.  I have a couple of weeks to see if I can make some jumps.

Unassisted Pull-Ups are about 2 reps stronger than they were when I tested them at the beginning of this block, so that's nice.

Incline Extensions with the EZ bar were interesting.  Harder than with a single DB, but easier than with a cable attachment.

Pause Squats, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @8

BW - 223

Pause Squat - 

-    up to 355X1(PR) @9

-    300X3(PR) @8.5

-    275X3, 3 @~7

Band Pull-Ups - Avg.Band Under KneeX6, 6, 4 @9/10

Machine Pullovers w/ rest-pause partials - X17/12 @9.5

DB Incline Extensions - 20X13, 16, 15 @8/10

A very successful Pause Squat wave.  We'll see how it translates to comp Squat starting next week.

Took some doing to get in a position on the adjustable benches where I could do smooth reps on incline extensions without hitting something.  Once I did, they are starting to feel more stable.  Lots of room for these to improve.  Unlike OH Extensions, these don't really ever feel relaxed at the bottom because of tension at the shoulder.

Pause Squats, Pull-Ups, Triceps

sRPE @7.5

BW - 225

Pause Squat -

-    up to 350X1(PR) @9

-    295X3(PR) @7.5

-    275X3, 3 @6.5

Band Pull-Ups - Avg. Band under kneeX6, 5, 5 @~10

Machine Pullovers w/ rest-pause partials - X15, 13 @~10

Cable Incline Extensions - X13, 9, 10 @~10

Felt pretty confident after last week that I would be able to grab a couple of Pause Squat PRs.  However, the 295X3 was a bit tougher than I'd have liked, so I dropped back to 275 for the remaining back-offs.

I don't do incline triceps extension very often because whenever I do, they feel weirdly unstable and challenging.  Wondering if I should just back the weight off and see if I can get to a point where multiple variations feel stable and smooth.