RTS Pivot Block 7. Day 1.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 227

Beltless DL - 315X2 @6

Beltless TnG DL - 185X15, 15, 15 @4/6

303 Tempo Bench - 

-    115X5 @5.5

-    125X5 @6.5

-    135X5 @7.5

-    145X5 @8.5

050 Tempo Leg Press - 5 platesX6, 6 @6.5/7.5

Incline Bench (myo-reps) - 135X9, 3, 3, 3, 3 @9.5/8.5

DB Seated Press (myo-reps) - 

-    35sX13, 4, 4, 4, 4 @9/8

-    35sX12, 4, 4, 4, 4 @9/8

Air like mouth in gym today, so main goal was to get sets and reps in and keep sRPE sub 7.

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 5. Session D.

sRPE @8.5

BW - 220

Deadlift - 

405X1 @8

275X13, 13, 13 @6.5/8

Dips - BW+50X7, 7, 7 @8/10

1-Arm DB Rows (myo-reps) - 70X15, 5, 5, 4, 3 @ ~9

275 for 3 sets of 11+ is a Volume PR on DL.

270 (BW+5) for 3 sets of 5+ is a Volume PR on Dips.

Was really gassed at the end and just said "no" to conditioning.  There's a part of me that wants to run this all back for one more training week, but I think the cumulative fatigue is getting to be too much.  I'll either pivot next week, or maybe just start the new training block.

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 5. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 220

Bench - 

235X1 @7.5

155X13, 13, 13 @5.5/9

Toes-to-Bar - BWX7, 4, 4, 4 @10/7

Leg Press (myo-reps) - 315pwX15, 5, 4, 3, 3 @~8.5

Rower - HIIT; 14 minutes / 8 rounds

155 for 3 sets of 12+ is a Rep PR on Bench.

This session was OK.  On the fence about if I should end this training block after this week, or see if I can squeeze a little bit more out next week.  Maybe I'll let DL day be the decider.  Oh, boy, I wish I'd gotten better sleep last night!

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 3. Session C.

sRPE @7

BW - 218

Bench - 

225X1 @7

150X13, 13, 13 @6/8.5

Toes-to-Bar - BWX7, 6, 6, 6 @9/10

Leg Press (myo-reps) - 270pwX18, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @~9

Rower - HIIT; 8 rounds / 14 minutes

150 for 3 sets of 13 is a Volume PR on Bench.

218 (BW) for 3+ sets of 5+ is a Volume PR on TTB.

On the Leg Press myo-reps, added a rep to the activation set, and added a full set of 5 to the back-offs, so I'll add a plate next week.

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 2. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 216

Bench - 

225X1 @7

145X13, 13, 13 @6.5/8

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 6, 6, 6 @7.5/9

Leg Press (myo-reps) - 3ppsX17, 5, 5, 5, 5 @~9

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 8 rounds / 14 minutes

145 for 3 sets of 12+ is a Volume PR on Bench.

High-Rep Volume PRs. Week 1. Session C.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 215

Bench - 

225X1 @7

145X13, 13 @6/7.5

Toes-to-Bar - BWX5, 5, 5 @6.5/8

Leg Press (myo-reps) - 3ppsX15, 5, 5, 5, 3 @~9

Rower - HIIT; 10 minutes

PIVOT. Session A.

sRPE @7

BW - 216

Leg Press (myo-reps) - 315X12, 3, 3, 3 @8/9

High Incline Bench - 95X10, 10, 10 @6.5/8

Rope Pushdowns - X17, 17 @~8

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 6 rounds / 10 minutes

A little discomfort in the side abs on the leg press, but not too bad.

Mid-Rep Volume PRs. Week 5. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 212

Deadlift - 

385X1 @7

315X9, 9, 9 @7/8

Cambered Bench - 135X6, 6, 6 @6

Reverse Cambered Bench - 205X15 @9

Pull-Downs (myo-reps) - X17, 5, 5, 3, 3 @~10

DB Incline - 50sX12, 10 @~8

315 for 2 and 3 sets of 9 are Volume PRs.

Erector and Quad achiness are starting to get pretty continual so probably about time to deload and start a new block.  Hoping a 3X10 PR will be there for me on Squats on Monday, and then will probably pull back.

Mid-Rep Volume PRs. Week 3. Session C.

sRPE @9

BW - 209

Deadlift - 

375X1 @6.5

295X9, 9, 9 @6.5/8.5

Cambered Bar Bench - 

140X6 @6.5

135X6, 6, 6 @6/8

Reverse Camber Bench - 185X13 @8.5

Pull-Downs (myo-reps) -

X12, 3, 3, 3, 3 @~10

X11, 3, 3, 3, 3 (reduced weight) @~9.5

DB Incline - 50sX10, 8 @8

Had to train barbells on back-to-back days because of travel.

sRPE is consistently creeping up, I'm getting gassed out earlier and earlier in sessions, and I'm having to just will myself through workouts.  I may have exceeded my current volume tolerance, and will reduce by 1 set on most supplements and accessories next week. 

Mid-Rep Volume PRs. Week 2. Session C.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 211

Deadlift - 

365X1 @6.5

285X9, 9 @6/7

Cambered Bar Bench - 140X6, 6, 6, 6 @~6

Reverse Cambered Bar Bench - 140X22 @10

Pull-Downs (myo-reps) - X13, 4, 3, 3, 3 @~10

DB Incline - 50sX13, 13, 10 @7.5/8

Mid-Rep Volume PRs. Week 1. Session C.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 208

Deadlift - 

365X1 @7

275X9 @6

Cambered Bar Bench - 145X6 @7.5

Reverse Cambered Bar Bench - 135X19 @9.5

Pull-Downs (Myo-Reps) - X20, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @8/7

DB Incline - 50sX12 @8

Leg DOMS starting to clear up a bit, and DL wasn't as much of a hassle as I thought it would be.

The low-fatigue strength work on cambered bar followed by a rep out on reverse cambered bar is based on something I heard in the Data Driven Strength podcast: that while long-ROM may be best overall for hypertrophy, partial ROM may provide greater hypertrophy in specific regions of the target muscle.  I spit-balled this idea over IG DM with one of their coaches, and this seemed like a good time to try it out: in the wake of failing to lock out my bench in the mock-meet on NYE.  The podcast was one of these two:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6jTJvUy94stznENZBJ41N9?si=827bbb37a8714c04

https://open.spotify.com/episode/31wELM8XdHOoONP5CcNRnx?si=683df7f60e624d07

I can't remember which.

BBM Gen.S+C Block 1. Cycle 4. GPP Session

sRPE @6

BW - 207

Drag Curls - 40X20, 16, 14, 9 @9/10

super-set with

Tempo Bench Dips - BWX22, 16, 15, 11 @8/9

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 6, 6, 6 @8/10

Lever Shrugs - Myo-Reps; 200X21, 5X5, 13, 5X5

Lat Pushdowns - X14, 12, 11, 9 @8.5/10

Airdyne - HIIT; 12 minutes

Squeezing stuff in before I go out of town.

BBM Gen.S+C Block 1. Cycle 3. Session B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 205

Paused CG Bench - 185X5 @7.75

Paused Swiss Bar Bench - 150X5, 5, 5 @5.5/6.5

Leg Press - 3ppsX10, 10, 10 @~7

Lever Shrugs Myo-Reps - 200X20 (w/straps), 5X5, X11 (w/straps), 5X5 @9/10

Copenhagen Planks - BWX16, 16 @~8

Swiss Bar was occupied when I got there, so I worked up to something heavy-ish on Paused Close Grips, and switched to Swiss Bar for my back-offs.

Was really "kicking the sled through the wall" on leg press today.  Much explosive, very burn.

BBM Gen.S+C Block 1. Cycle 2. Session B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 204

Pause Swiss Bar Bench - 

160X5 @8

150X5, 5, 5 @5.5/6

Leg Press - 3ppsX8, 8, 8 @6.5

Lever Shrugs (myo-reps) - 200X20(straps),5X5, 14(straps), 5X5 @8/9

Copenhagen Planks - BWX15, 15 @~7

Airdyne Bike - LISS; 25 minutes

Surprised how hard the Swiss Bar Bench is.

Leg Press all paused at bottom.

Shrugs all held at the top.

BBM PB I Block 1. Cycle 5. Session B.

sRPE @8

BW - 205

Bench - 

210X5 @8.75

200X5, 5, 5, 5 @7/9.5

Safety Bar Squats - 

250X10 @8.5

230X10 @8

DB Rows (myo-reps) - 

80X15, 5, 5, 3, 3 @9/10

80X12, 5, 5, 3, 3 @9/10

DB Rear Delts - 15sX15, 15, 15 @6/9

Hard, hard session.  Sets of 10 on SBS into myo-rep DB Rows has been a bear all block.  Gonna be glad to have it in my rear-view.

BBM PB I Block 1. Cycle 4. Session B.

sRPE @8

BW - 204

Bench - 

205X5 @8

195X5, 5, 5, 5 @7.5/9

SSB Squats - 

230X10 @8.5

220X10 @~8

DB 1-Arm Rows (myo-reps) - 85X15, 5, 3, 3; 11, 4, 3, 3 @~9

DB Rear Delts - 15sX15, 15, 15 @9/9.5

On DB Rows, I shortened the myo-rep break from 30 seconds down to 20 seconds.  Got less total reps obviously, but it made the whole thing seem less endless.

BBM PB I Block 1. Cycle 3. Session B.

sRPE @7

BW - 206

Bench - 

202.5X5 @7.75

190X5, 5, 5, 5 @7/8.25

SSB Squats -

210X10 @7

200X10 @7.5

1-Arm DB Rows (myo-reps) -

85X13, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3 @9

80X12, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3 @9

DB Rear Delts - 15sX14, 13, 11 @9/10

Bench felt very good today on the technique side.  Initial set-up was good for facilitating leg drive through-out (I'm pushing hard into my heels on the set up and kind of "keeping tension in my heels" from there); Eccentric was well under control, but not too slow; Concentric had an excellent bar path as I was really finding that "slidey" spot part way up where the bar travels back for a moment instead of up.  I first heard Matt Reynolds talk about that back when I used to listen to the Barbell Logic podcast.  His theory was that it allowed the elbows to open a bit more without having to work as hard against gravity.  I don't know about all that, but it also lines up with that classic bar path graphic from Thomas McLaughlin  that shows the difference between novice and elite benchers:

Two things I still need to work on: 

Un-racking to over my shoulders.  Unrack felt good until the weight got heavier, and I realized that "over my shoulders" was further back than where I was starting on my warm-ups.  The result was that my shoulder blades weren't all the way down when I reached the correct starting position, and I had to spend some effort getting them into better position.

Foot placement.  This is a weird issue because the actual issue is my foot sliding out from under me a little under load.  This is probably more of a foot-wear/gym-floor situation, but there's only so much I'm willing and/or able to do about that.  So the other option may be to try and pull my feet back a bit.

Safety Bar Squats were a bit better this week.  I had to do some extra warm-ups because of lingering DOMS from squatting after vacation.  They didn't feel great because of the DOMS, but I was able to lift more weight and at a lower RPE than my target.  This top set is supposed to be @9, and I keep undershooting it, but I also don't want to push it if everything doesn't feel great.

Two sets of myo-reps on 1-arm DB rows really, really sucks.

BBM PB I Block 1. Cycle 2. Session B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 201

Bench - 

200X5 @8

190X5, 5, 5 @7/8

SSB Squat - 190X10, 10 @~8

DB Rows (Myo-Reps) - 75X15, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 @7/9

Curls - 55X18, 12, 11 @9/10

DB Rear Delts - 15sX15, 14, 13 @9/10

Again throwing the "main" lift from a GPP day in here (curls) because of compressed schedule due to vacation.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 7. Session B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 216

Press - 135X4, 3, 2, 2 @9/7.5

Chin-Ups - BWX8 @8.5

Machine Pullovers - X15, 15 @8/10

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 4 @~10

DB Curls (myo-reps) - 40sX12, 5, 5, 5, 4 @~10

On Press, those 4 sets with 135 constitute a 4X2 Volume PR.  I wasn't going to get a 4 Rep or 4X4 PR here at the end of the block, but I was pretty sure I could get a 4X1 or 2 Volume PR.  Instead of doing straight sets, I still tried pushing the first couple of sets just to see what would be there on the day.

No other PRs on the last B session of the block.  There was an outside chance I might hit a Rep PR on either Chins or TTB, but I could kind of tell after Press that they weren't going to be there. 

DB Curls Myo-Reps with the 40's were slightly better than when I tried them a couple of weeks ago.  Still only got 12 on the top set, but last time I only got 4's across with the myo-rep sets.

Block 18 (Exploratory). Cycle 6. Session B.

sRPE @7

BW - 218

Press - 132.5X4, 4, 4 @~8/9

Chin-Ups -

BWX8 @8

NG Density, 1 rep every 0:15; 2:30 / 10 total reps @7

Machine-Pullovers - X15, 14 @7/10

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 6 @8.5/10

DB Curls (myo-reps) - 37.5sX15, 5, 5, 5, 5 @~10

Looks like that 135 for 4X4 Volume PR on Press is receding into the distance.  Next week is the last week of the training block.  Maybe I'll just do 4 sets with 135 and see what I get.  Only did 3 sets here as I'm still taking the slight volume reduction from last week's TRAC recommendation coupled with sRPE creep.

Also cut density chin time in half.  I started to cut it out altogether, but then it occurred to me that cutting in half might be more like "cutting one set" than taking the whole thing out.

2X6 on TTB is a Volume PR.

When I did the 37.5s on DB Curls 2 weeks ago, I couldn't get 5 reps on all the myo-rep sets.