Higher-Rep Volume PRs. Week 5. Session B.

sRPE @7.5

BW - 215

Chins - BWX4, 4, 3 @~7.5

Density Chins -BWX2 every 0:30; 3:00 minutes / 12 reps @9.5

Curls - 50X20, 20, 20, 20 @6.5/9

BW Skullcrushers - BWX16, 16 @~7.5

Rower - HIIT; 12 minutes / 7 rounds

On Curls, 50 for 4 sets of 20 is a Volume PR, and my end-goal for this weight.  Will probably do DB Curls next week and then reset to 55 lbs. to start the next block.

Full-Body. Week 6. Press

BW - 227

Squats - up to 225X5, 5

Press -
BarX5
70X3
95X2
120X1
135X6, 4, 4

Deadlift - up to 265X3, 3, 3

135X6 is a Rep PR on overheads.  RPE 9.5, hahaha.  The two sets of 4 to get my volume goal felt good, though.

I got to aggressive on my first set of speed deads and aggravated my low back.  I calmed down and slowed down a bit on the next two sets with no additional problems, but my back is really achy today.  I'm about to go to visit family over the holiday weekend, and I've got a history of fucking up my back deadlifting before or during those trips.  I'll be fine by the time we leave, but I feel it's prudent not to do the heavy deadlift session programmed for the day before we take-off.  I'll hit two small sessions and call it good.

The weather is becoming steadily nice and even warm here, so I'll probably be looking to get outside for some conditioning soon.  Not 100% on how I'm going to change my programming.  Part of me wants to try and modify the current programming to accommodate the conditioning workout on the principle of not making huge changes and because I love full body strength training.  The other part of me wants to switch to a program designed specifically for mixing strength training with assertive conditioning.  I'll probably go with the latter, because it's something I just know less about.

Full-Body. Week 1. Low Bar Squats

BW - 228

Squats -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
285X12, 3

Incline - up to 155X3, 3, 3

BB Rows - up to 155X3, 5, 5

Done with the 100 reps accessory work I used to help my body recover from meet training.  Moving back into a full-body type program.

285X12 is a Rep PR.  Since I added a rep, I only hit the minimum volume goal with the 2nd set.

Haven't done Inclines in quite some time so it took a while to get back into the swing.  I'm starting by moving my grip in just a thumb's-width from my flat bench grip.  By the end I realized I was pressing a bit out of control and things felt better if I used a more deliberate eccentric and concentric with a pause at the top and bottom.

Also haven't done rows in a while.  I'm not sure if these will need higher reps or not, but my initial aim in this program is to limit worksets on compound accessories to 3-5 reps.

Reps and Volume. Week 4. Bench

BW - 230

Bench -
BarX5
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1
155X17, 7

Cable Rows - X75, 25 (same weight as last time)

Straight-Bar Push-Downs - X65, 35 (same weight as last time)

Ran out of strength again after Rep 17.  This week I decided to push the reps on the 2nd set closer to failure instead of getting the prescribed amount for the volume goals.  This makes sense to me.  Stick with the volume goal as long as progress is being made, but push the volume sets past the goal to try and break a plateau.  We'll see if that works.

Kept the weight the same on accessories, but managed to get them both done in 2 sets where it took 3 sets last week.

I believe the 100 rep accessories may be coming to an end after this week.  It should be enough to have moved a lot of blood through  my joints to help recover from the meet, and also to have bumped up my overall work capacity a bit.

I'm a bit torn on what the next phase is going to be.  My original plans had revolved around some specific diet goals, but I have failed to consistently meet those.  If I'm going to abandon those goals, then I feel like the options are:  1) Continue with my main lift programming, but push the accessories into bigger movements with higher intensities; i.e. strength work; or 2) I've been looking at Alex Viada's manual for awhile and I've laid out his P.L.+5K program.

If I do the latter, I believe I will need to pick a 5K to run in order to stick to that 7-day-a-week program.  Because I enjoyed the P.L. meet so much, I'm leaning towards this even though it looks much more difficult than the other option.

Reps and Volume. Week 3. Bench

BW - 227

Bench -
BarX5
95X5
115X4
135X3
155X2
185X1
155X17, 3

Cable Rows - X60, 25, 15 (upped weight)

Straight-Bar Pushdowns - X50, 30, 20 (same weight as last week)

155X17 ties a Rep PR.  18th rep failed off the chest.

Was able to get total reps on Pushdowns in fewer sets with same weight as last week.

Reps and Volume. Week 3. Squat

BW - 227

Squat -
BarX5
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
275X16

Pull-downs - X60, 40 (upped weight)

Lunges - 4X14 (56 total)

275X16 is an all-around PR and my goal for this weight.  Start going for 285X14 next week.  The last 2 reps were awful, but there was no way I could see myself pulling up short this week.

I upped the weight on pulldowns from my last time.  Was feeling a hangover from the squats pretty hard, but I managed to get this in two sets.

After all the squatting and the ultra-high-rep lat work, I was gassed and a had to sit down for a long time until my head cleared a bit.  I seriously considered just going home, but I didn't do the lunges last week and didn't want to skip them again.  I made myself a deal that I would just go for around 50 reps and keep the reps-per-set low.  This was the right move, and gives me a better mark to build out from.  Or not.  As long as I'm getting in some single leg work, I'm fine with it.

Reps and Volume. Week 3. Deadlift

BW - 197

Deadlift -
135X5, 5
185X4
225X3
275X2
315X1
365X1
295X3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

RDL - 185X12, 12, 12

Chest-Supported Rows - 50X10, 9, 7

Single-Leg Curls -
35X20
45X20, 15

Good session.  I decided I needed to up my volume on Deadlift work-sets.  I realized I'd been working off of a goal of 365 instead of 405.  So the goal here was 6X3 which I got, no problem.  Now I have to decide whether to stay at this weight and up the reps per set, or move up in weight.  I suspect I will move up, because I could have kept doing triple here a while longer.

Added 2 reps to all sets of RDL.  This was hard freakin' work, though.

Chest-supported rows are so humbling.  This weight was actually harder this week than last.  Because of the increased Deadlift volume?

Still digging this plate-loaded hamstring machine at Quads.

Reps and Volume. Week 1. Squat

BW - 199

Squat -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
135X5
185X4
225X3
275X2
225X14, 5

High Bars - 185X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Good Mornings - 135X8, 8

Single-Leg Extensions - X15, 15

225X14 ties my Rep PR, and meets my phase goal for this weight.  I also met my volume goal of 18+ total reps.  So next week I move up to 235 and shoot for one set of 12+, and 17+ total reps.

5X5 with 185 was very do-able here.  I might stick with it again next week, and then consider upping the weight slightly.  The idea here is just to get extra, quad-dominant volume.  Not trying to beat any rep or volume records here at this point.

Good Mornings were much harder than I expected.  Last time I did these, I did sets of 10 with 145.  I'll definitely be sitting with 135 for awhile and trying to push the reps up on that.

The High-Bar volume did the trick, because my quads were fried by the time I got to single-leg extensions.  These were all done with one, single plate, and I still could barely get the final reps on each set/leg.