RTS Block 7. Week 1. Day 2.

sRPE @8

BW - 225

High Bar Squats - 275X7(PR), 7, 7 @7/8

5sec. Pause Bench -

-    170X2 @6.5

-    175X2 @7

-    182.5X2 @8

Bulgarian Split Squats - BW+35lb. Chain X10 @7

CS Rows - 

-    125X12, 10, 8 @~10

-    100X9 @9.5

Pulldowns - ladder downX8, 10, 12, 10 @10

Stationary Bike - S.I.T.; 0:20/1:40; 6 rounds

Unplanned back-to-backs always spike the sRPE a bit, but this went well despite the slog.

Training: Squat

sRPE @6.5

BW - 225

Squats - ramping triples to 300X3 @7.5

Marrs Bar GM - 175X8, 8, 8 @8.5/9.5

Leg Press - 3ppsX9, 9, 8 @~9.5

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 0:20/1:40; 18 minutes

Just back from an out of town trip.  Dizziness seems to have mostly dissipated, although it came on a bit between Squat sets today, but then went away again.

I have a longer out of town trip coming up mid-October, so I'll probably keep doing these simple, old-school-ish workouts until I return:

Main Lift - ramping triples starting at 75% and going to RPE ~8

Low Fatigue Compound Antagonist - 3 sets close to failure

Low Fatigue Compound Supplement - 3 sets close to failure

Conditioning

I'm going to try DL again this week and see how the forearm is doing.  

Time Crunch + Forearm Pain Week 1. Day A.

 sRPE @6.5

BW  - 227   

SSB -

-    up to 300X1 @9

-    250X3 @8

Reverse SSB Box Squats - 210X3, 3, 3 @~7.5

Circuit -

-    Leg Curls - X9, 8, 8 @8

-    Hypers - BW+25 behind head X8, 8, 7 @8

-    Leg Extensions - X12, 10, 10 @8/9

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

Schedule is all over the place this month and next, plus I think I need to just back off anything that puts much stress on grip for a while.

Not letting perfect be the enemy of good, I'll just go in when I can and try to hit some stuff, and maybe a plan will emerge.

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.

Pivot. Week 1. Day A.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 228

Squats -

-    up to 305X1 @6.5

-    275X3, 3 @7

BB Rows - 190X5, 3, 3 @8/6.5

GHR - BWX13, 9 @8

super-set with

Machine Laterals - X11, 8 @8.5

Incline DB Rear Laterals - 15sX13, 10 @8/9.5

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X14, 11 @~10

Rower - HIIT; 7 rounds

Back from traveling.  I've got about 3 more weeks of travel/visitors to get through and then maybe I can get a consistent training schedule going for a few months.

Looking to balance this pivot time fairly equally between Push, Pull, Squat, and Hinge with some iso's at the end of sessions for more peripheral muscle groups.  

Also upping HIIT time.

Son of a Bench Week 12. Day "C".

sRPE @7.5

BW - 224

Bench - up to 225X1 @8

Lever Incline - 100X9, 8, 7 @~9

Reverse SSB Box Squats - 210X3, 3 @7.5/9

FFE BSS - BWX10, 9 @8.5/9.5

Chins - BWX1, 1 @~8*

super-set with

Seated Leg Curls - X11, 10 @8.5/9.5

Pushdowns - X17, 14 @~9

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X13, 10 @~10

Coming back from a long camping weekend.  Kind of went in and did whatever I felt like doing, but ended up with mostly a "Day C" vibe.

Bench actually felt pretty good.  Maybe a slight peak from the time off.

Got a wild hair to do "Eliminators" (Reverse SSB Box Squats).  Kind of cheated them, though, because I forgot you need to keep the pad high on your neck and a loose grip on the handles to really get the upper back stress you want from these. 

Also threw in some Front Foot Elevated Bulgarian Split Squats (Both Feet Elevated Split Squats?  not sure which is clearest).  I'm thinking these are a likely component of a future Squat specialization block, so wanted to start re-familiarizing myself with them.

My left elbow is generally slightly aggravated all the time now, and starting to having some lingering discomfort in the right.  I've been in some kind of pressing specialization going back to December, and I'm thinking having all this travel interfering with training in June may be an opportunity to just kind of mess around in the gym the rest of the month, and then pivot to something else when I get a clear runway. 

Son of a Bench Week 12. Day A.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 223

Bench - 

-    up to 225X1 @9

-    185X5 @7

Lever Dips - 205X10, 8, 8 @~10

Circuit:

-    Leg Extensions - X12, 11 @8

-    Adductor Machine - X12, 10 @8

-    Lat Pushdowns - X8, 8 @~9

-    Cable Curls - X10, 8 @8/9

1-Arm DB OH Extensions - 25X10, 9, 7 @~10

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X17, 13 @10

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

We threw a dinner party the night before, so I was coming in pretty rough to train in the AM.  However, we're leaving town this weekend for a camping trip, so I had to train if I want to get 3 sessions in this week.  Top-end performance was quite muted.

When it came time for the Hack Squats / Pull-Downs super set, I just could not.  Did an iso circuit instead. 

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 10. Day B.

sRPE @6

BW - 225

Bench - 185X1, 1 @~6

Deadlift - 

-    up to 385X1 @9

-    315X5 @7

Machine Flyes - X10, 8 @~10

super-set with

Rope Bayesian Curls - X7, 7 @10

Floor DB Rolling Tri's - 40sX9, 8, 5 @10

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X12, 10 @10

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

Solid session.  I guess that's my heaviest DL since July of '24?  Anyway, like Squats, I moved back-offs from a supplement and on to the main lift to start prepping for more regular work on that lift later in the year.

I'd really  like to hit a Bench PR before I move on to other things, but I need a runway of consistent training and recovery if that's gonna happen.  Naturally, I'm about to be out of town for back-to-back weekends.

Son of a Bench Week 10. Day A.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 223

Bench -

-    up to 225X1 @8.5

-    185X5 @7

Lever Dips - 205X12, 7 @10

Hack Squats - 100X9, 8 @~8

super-set with

Pull-Downs - X10, 7 @8

1-Arm DB OH Extensions - 25X12, 8, 7 @10

super-set with 

Machine SL Calf Press - 195X13, 12 @10

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

Facilitated both a Birthday Party and a Memorial at the end of the week.  That prevented me from getting a 3rd session in, and left me coming into this session carrying additional stress.

Pretty good session all things considered!

Son of a Bench Week 3. Day B.

sRPE @7

BW - 223

Bench - 200X3, 3, 3 @~8

Squat - up to 315X1 @7.5

ATG Pause Squat - 225X5, 5 @6/7

Machine Flyes - X10, 8 @10

super-set with

DB Curls - 35sX8, 7 @8

Floor DB Rolling Triceps - 40sX10, 7 @10

super-set with

Machine SL Calf Press - X12, 11 @9

Rower - HIIT; 5 rounds

Working out on back-to-back days on a full body program is always a little rough.

Got on autopilot out of the gate and did an extra set of Bench.  Not supposed to add a 3rd set on this day for a few more weeks.  No big deal, just to say I was a little out of it.

Then Squats felt awful on warm-ups until I realized I was using my bench grip hand placement which is narrower than my squat grip.  Got that sorted and things went better.

Everything else was fine.

3 Day FB Hypertrophy. Cycle 4. Session F.

sRPE @8

BW - 222

BB Rows - 145X8, 8, 8 @7/8

031 Tempo Work:

-    BB Curls - 60X9, 8 @10

-    CG Bench - 110X10, 10, 10, 10, 10 @8/9

-    GHR - BWX12, 12, 12, 12, 12 @6.5/9.5

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 10 minutes

Had a few days off for the spouse's birthday.  Once again, this style of training seems better able to "withstand/absorb" schedule disruptions compared to the strength-oriented training I'd been doing.  

Probably time to at least start thinking about how I could train for strength performance in a way that would also allow for an inconsistent schedule.  I've got some inklings, but nothing I'm putting on paper yet.

Med.-Rep Volume PRs. Week 1. Session A.

sRPE @6

BW - 224

Squats - 

275X1 @4

225X6, 6, 6, 6 @4/3

Press - 95X3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @4/5.5

JM Press - 70X14, 14 @~7.5

Schedule should somewhat stabilize from here through the winter holidays.  Decided to drop intensity way down and hit the full, programmed volume.  If I'm ready for, or acclimate quickly to, this volume at this low of intensity, then I can likely start to ramp intensity up to target fairly quickly.  From there, I'll just have to see if my normal time-to-peak for a given cycle "starts" here and gives me a 4-6 week runway, or if having done a version of this for several weeks already limits my TTP, and I hit the wall in 4 weeks or less.

Squat was interesting today because the back-off sets got easier set-to-set.  That happens sometimes in a regular Week 1, so I'm hopeful that's a sign.

JM Press was also way easier today despite adding reps over the previous session.  Maybe a combination of diminished general fatigue from my time off, lower weights on the preceding Press sets, and acclimation to the movement.

Med.-Rep Volume PRs. Week 0.75. Session D.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 223

Deadlift - 

405X1 @7.5

275X6, 6, 6 @5/6.5

Dips - BWX8, 8, 8 @6.5/8.5

Band Chins (under knee) - BWX4 @9

DL strength popped today for some reason.  Still stuck with the plan and reduced intensity on the back-off sets and increase volume.

Dips were OK, and I thought I might do a full session of 4X6 but the 3rd set was more fatiguing than I wanted it to be and called it there.

Pulling Strength was a no-go for some reason.  I may have rushed the warm-up.  I had someplace I needed to be, so that gave me an excuse to end the session and skip conditioning.

Normal training should be able to start ramping up next week.

Med.-Rep Volume PRs. Week 0.75. Session B.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 222

Squats - 

315X1 @6.5

275X6, 6 @~6.5

Press - 105X3, 3, 3, 3, 3 @5.5/6.5

JM Press - 70X12, 13 @9/10

Stationary Bike - HIIT; 9 rounds / 16 minutes

Squatting continues to be the lift that I struggle with the most during times of schedule disruption.  Was hoping the top single would be bigger today, and also hoped that the RPE on the back-offs would have dropped a bit so that I'd feel comfortable adding more sets.  Oh well.  I'll keep treading water on the the Powerlifts, trying to add volume on the lower stress movements, and otherwise biding time till my schedule stabilizes a bit. 

Med.-Rep Volume PRs. Week 0.5. Session A.

sRPE @6

BW - 224

Squats - 

315X1 @6

330X1 @7

225X6, 6 @6.5/7.5

Press - 105X3, 3, 3, 3 @6/7.5

JM Press - 70X12, 12 @7/8

Rower - HIIT; 10 minutes / 6 rounds

Just slowly working to rebuild/maintain work capacity between schedule disruptions.

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

sRPE @7

BW - 213

Squats - 

315X1, 1 @~6

240X10, 10, 10 @6/7.5

Press - 

120X1 @7.5

90X12, 12 @~8

90 for 2 sets of 12 is a Volume PR on Press.

I was short on time today so only hit the main movements. 

Mid-Rep Volume PRs. Week 4. GPP Session A.

sRPE @6

BW - 209

Chin-Ups - BW+10X4, 2, 2 @~9

BB Curls - 45X15, 15, 15, 15 @5.5/8.5

GHR Sit-Ups - BWX10, 10 @~8

Rower - HIIT; 6 rounds / 10 minutes

45 for 4 sets of 15 is a Volume PR on straight-bar Curls.

Giving up on trying to get to the gym 6 days a week for a while, so collapsing GPP days from 2 days down to 3.  So 3 movements + conditioning instead of 2.  Next block may structure these to get some super-setting in to make sure these sessions don't run too long.

BBM Gen.S+C Block 2. Cycle 4. GPP Session B.

sRPE @6.5

BW - 205

BB Curls - 55X17, 15, 10 @8.5/10

super-set with

Straight-Bar Pushdowns - X18, 18, 18 @7.5/9

DB Incline Curls - 25sX16, 15, 10 @8.5/9

super-set with

DB OH Extensions - 50X16, 10, 8 @9.5/8.5

Toes-to-Bar - BWX6, 6, 6, 6 @~7

Mash-up a couple of GPP sessions and still skipped conditioning, lol.  Just a lot going on heading into the holidays so getting in what I can/what I'm motivated to do.

Backed off a bit on TTB reps as calluses were bothering me.

Unplanned Testing Week Session A.

sRPE @5

BW - 207

Squat - up to 355X1 @9

Press - up to 145X1 @~9.5

Chin-Ups - BWX8 @9

Dips - BW+45X10 @9.5

Coming back from a long vacation weekend and about to start a new training block.  Schedule was kind of cramped to do a 5th week of the current block.  Since this block was SO low specificity, I thought I'd just test out all of my main lifts in one way or another to see where they sit at the end of the block.  The next block will be slightly higher specificity.  This way I get some data on how these lifts were effected during the low specificity phase, and I also get a better idea of where to start some of the slightly higher specificity work in the next phase.

Good news is that these four lifts are in a good spot.  Press and Chins are both STRONGER than they were at the end of the last block.  Squat and Dips are both over 96% of where they were (96% is about my average strength at the beginning of new block).

Also, a bit concerned that I'm getting kind of bored/burned-out on the BBM templates.  Not sure if that comes down to running canned templates, my tumultuous schedule, or a combo of the two.