Conditioning and Bodyweight Circuit

Chin-ups - BWX1, 2, 3, 4, 5

super set with

Dips - BWX2, 4, 6, 8, 10

and

Intervals - 5, 1/4 mile intervals, 00:12:57 total, 00:02:35/interval

Chins and Dips both felt good.

While the average time on the intervals was slower this week, by and large, this was a better day.  I was able to keep a much more consistent pace than previously.  The past couple of sessions, I'd jumped out of the gate, and finished the first run or two far under pace.  Then I'd be out of gas for the last two.  This was better.

Novice LP. Session 37 (Greyskull Squats)

BW - 229

Bench -
215X5
192.5X5, 5

Deadlift -
345X3
310X3

Dips - BWX11, 11, 11

215X5 is a Rep PR.  Some form breakdown really started to show though here, although it was also totally do-able.  My spotter kept saying "drive your legs," and it made me realize how loose my legs were getting after the initial lift.  Something to focus on.

First week deadlifting with a belt.  Made a huge difference.  These lifts were all much easier that last time.  Almost zero back discomfort.  Video of the top-set below.

At 11 reps, dips are starting to get much more challenging by the end of the 3rd set across.  I'll take it up to 3X12.  At that point, if the final reps are grinding, I will reset and start adding weight.  If they're still very do-able, I may try to run up to 3X15.

Novice LP. Session 36 (Greyskull Squats)

BW - 225

Press -
140X2
120X5, 5

Squat - 325X5, 5, 6

Chin-Ups - BWX6, 4, 4

Press failed again to get 3 reps with 140.  Everything felt good, it was just too heavy.  Hit back-offs to get in volume on this day.  I will take a full GSLP reset, and work back up with 2X5, 1XAMRAP.

Squats felt heavy on this day.  A lot of variables at play being in the middle of a rambunctious holiday weekend.  Still managed to get an extra rep on the last set.  Despite the belt, the bar path looked much worse today than last time.  Saw it on the warm-ups, and still wasn't able to correct it very much.  Back didn't give me too much trouble, though.

Gonna try out 3XAMRAP, 2/wk. on Chins for a few weeks and see if I can get them moving again with more full range, fully loaded volume.

Conditioning and Bodyweight Circuit

Chin-ups - BWX7, 5, 4

super set with

Dips - BWX10, 10, 10

and

Intervals - 4, 1/4 mile intervals, 00:09:05 total, 00:02:16/interval

Much easier to get both conditioning and a light/recovery/assistance day in if I can do them all at once.  I hate running on a treadmill, but luckily there's a little bodyweight station down at the beach near where I live.  I mapped out a 1/4 mile route around the paths that brings me back there, and I can knock this all out pretty quick.

Chin-ups felt much stronger going first like this (duh).

Dips were fine.  I capped the reps at 10.

Intervals feeling a little better as I acclimate.  Still hard to pull back on the throttle out of the gate and hit target pace.  

Novice LP. Session 35 (Greyskull Squats)

BW - 226

Bench -
212.5X5
192.5X5, 5

Squat - 320X5, 5, 7

Band Assisted Chins - X7, 5, 5, 5

212.5X5 is a Rep PR on the bench.  Heavy, but moving well.

Day 2 of using a belt for squats.  While the long lingering back pain is still there, the belt is allowing me to lift through it.  320X7 is a Rep PR.

Failed again to get prescribed reps on sets 2-4 of assisted chins.  Will have to tweak the approach slightly.

Conditioning

Tempo Run - 3/4 mile @ 00:09:00

Slow and steady.  Just getting back into it.

Novice LP. Session 34 (Greyskull Squats)

Squat - 315X5, 5, 7

Press - 140X2, 1

SLDL - 185X5, 5, 5

Went and got a tune up yesterday with my old coaches at Kratos.  I wanted them to review my programming to date, talk about next steps, take a look at my squat form, and help get me acclimated to using a belt.

I've decided to start using a belt to see if it will help this lingering back pain.  I've used one a couple of times in the past, and it no doubt helps lift heavier weight in the squat.  But will it help with the pain?  I've found conventional DL to be really fucking uncomfortable in them, but I'll just have to work that out.

315X7 is a Rep PR in the Squat.  The low-back discomfort was there even with the belt, but no where near as painful or all-around limiting as it has been.

Crapped out on Press though.  I suspect some of this is reversing the order I've been lifting in.  I'll try it again next go-round with pressing first and see if I get it.  If not, I will give it a shot on the GSLP and see if I can break some walls down that way.

These guys would like to see me move to an HLM program sooner than later.  Part of that would be SLDLs.  I'm not ready to switch over whole sale just yet.  Current plan, per lift, is as follows:
 - Squats: Continue to run the GSLP.  If it stalls, reset ONCE and run up again, or switch to HLM.  Depending on how I'm feeling with the belt.
 - Bench: Continue to run the Advanced Novice LP.  That includes pushing into triples like I did with Squats.  If it stalls, try resetting to GSLP and go from there.  Eventually moving into HLM.
 - DL: Adding the belt.  I got all my reps this last time with the current programming of top-triple/back-off-triple, so I'm going to progress that with the addition of the belt.  We'll just have to see how the belt changes things.  If it's better, I continue on this path.  If it stalls, I will go ahead and reset to HLM, which is just the same old 1X5 per week.
 - Press: Try 140 again, but as the first movement of the day.  If I get it, continue.  If I fail, I will try resetting to the GSLP and see how that goes.  Eventually moving into HLM.

Now the question is whether I should try to incorporate the prescribed SLDLs sooner rather than later, and what would that look like.  One way may be to pull chins back to 1-2X/week, and alternate DL and SLDL every other week.