Ego Killing

[TheCheat]

Stats
M, 36, 6'0", ~75kg

Training History
Mish mash of screwing around randomly in the gym + dabbling in programs far too advanced for me.
Recently been running some DIY Mike Israetel style block periodization, which has actually worked pretty well with respect to adding muscle.

Goals

• Keep the muscle I've gained over past few months.
• Increase big 3 numbers to non-embarrassing levels.
• Maintain body weight while resensitising to high volumes ready for another hypertrophy run.
• Get better at RPE. Ego always gets the best of me, even when I can judge it correctly.
• Finally bury my squat demons, I've always had form issues here.

Plan
Run the PTW program from the beginning (PNP1) until I get bored. It's pretty low volume and satisfies most my bullet points above. The GPP density work should hopefully be enough volume to maintain any muscle I gained over the last few blocks. The sub-maximal run up can also take the place of my scheduled deload. Diet will remain mostly the same, only differences being that calories will drop to maintenance, and I'm ditching my post-workout shake. I always eat about an hour after a session anyway so can't see it making a difference and means more calories for carbs elsewhere.

Current (Minor) Injuries
Lower back tweak from twisting/arching too much on incline bench.
Elbow/bicep tendonitis from too much chinning + lack of tightness while squatting.

I'll dump the log entries from my last three hypertrophy blocks below, and then start logging from my first PTW session tomorrow.

[TheCheat]

Starting a new meso-cycle, so feels like a good time to start a new log.

Just finished up a couple of strength mesos, so this block will be a mini-cut before some much needed massing.

I’ve been doing an every other day full body routine for a while, but want to get back in sync with the rest of humanity and their weird 7 day weeks, so going to try dropping one day of rest and running two sessions back to back. If it turn out to be too much, I can always rearrange those two days to be an upper/lower split.

Volumes for squat/bench/deadlift set to the MEV recommendations for quads/chest/hamstrings from the main page (+1 set to be safe), and there they will stay for the full meso, as per the mini-cut guidelines. Add in a couple of sets twice a week for neglected body parts (lats/shoulders/biceps) and hopefully I’m good to go.

Calories set at 2200kcal, 500 under maintenance. Low fat, highish protein, rest carbs. Cardio will just be some LISS, walking + some low intensity stationary bike.

W1D1 - 21/1/2018

Weight: 74.2kg

High Bar Squat
50 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

Competition Bench
60 @ 7 -> 12,10,9,9

Barbell Upright Row
34 @ 7 -> 12,11

Pull Up
80 @ 7 -> 10,8

Rebuilding my squat from the ground up, which means starting *very* conservatively.

Judging RPE/RIR is still a learning experience for me, so may not be entirely accurate.

Looks like I gained a couple of reps on bench and upright rows since my last hypertrophy block, which isn’t bad considering I’m 1.5kg lighter, but was hoping for a bit more. Oh well, the only way is up.

W1D2 - 23/1/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

Sumo Deadlift
130 @ 7 -> 9,9,8

Reverse Grip Bench
52.5 @ 7 -> 11,10,10

BB Face Pull
33.5 @ 7 -> 13,12

BB Hack Squat
42.5 @ 7 -> 10,10

Cable Hammer Curl
23.5 @ 7 -> 12,10

Lower back absolutely toasted after deadlifts. An extra rep or two on everything though compared to the same weights on my last hypertrophy meso, so signs of some small improvements anyway.

W1D3 - 25/1/2018

Weight: 73.8kg

High Bar Squat
52.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

Competition Bench
63 @ 7 -> 11,10

Cable Upright Row
30.5 @ 7 -> 12,10

DB Row
28 @ 7 -> 12,10

Bit sore going into the workout, but loosened up quickly enough on the warm ups.

W1D4 - 26/1/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
110 @ 7 -> 8,8

DB Incline Press
25 @ 7 -> 11,10

Low Face Pull
26 @ 7 -> 12,10

RDL
100 @ 7 -> 10,10

DB Twist Curl
14.5 @ 7 -> 11,9

First time doing deficit sumo, so took things easy. Still managed to tweak my back somehow on the first warm up set, although felt fine once I got going.

Week 1 done and in the books. Finishing up a 3 week no dairy/gluten trial today. Doesn’t look like they’re the cause of my allergies, so looking forward to reintroducing some whey tomorrow. No more messing around trying to get egg white powder to mix for my shakes.

W2D1 - 28/1/2018

Weight: 73.2kg

High Bar Squat
52.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

Competition Bench
63 @ 7 -> 11,10,8,8

Barbell Upright Row
38 @ 7 -> 11,9

Pull Up
84 @ 7 -> 9,7

Hmm, big weight drop today. Bit odd since I had my usual first week big water drop last week. Hopefully nothing to be concerned about.

Chest just died today after the second set. Think I probably went over RIR on the last set, should have stopped at 7. Stupid ego.

Started drinking whey again yesterday and have had a runny nose all day. Hoping it’s just coincidence.

W2D2 - 30/1/2018

Weight: 73.4kg

Sumo Deadlift
136.5 @ 7 -> 9,8,8

Reverse Grip Bench
55 @ 7 -> 11,10,8

BB Face Pull
37 @ 7 -> 10,10

BB Hack Squat
45.5 @ 7 -> 10,10

Cable Hammer Curl
25.5 @ 7 -> 11,10

Lower back and hamstrings still toasted from RDLs on Fri.

So… I’ve made fun of people doing weird elimination diets in the past, but turns out it looks like I actually have a mild allergy to whey. Feel a bit foolish now. Back on the egg powder for a few days then will retest, but it’s not looking good. If I turn into a big ball of snot again, I’ll try pure casein & a whey iso, see if it’s something specific to WPC or if it’s all dairy. Hope I have more success when I reintroduce bread.

W2D3 - 1/2/2018

Weight: 73.4kg

High Bar Squat
54 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

Competition Bench
64.5 @ 7 -> 10,9

Cable Upright Row
32.5 @ 7 -> 10,9

DB Row
20 @ 7 -> 10,10

Retested some whey today and, once again, came down with low grade cold symptoms several hours later (runny nose, stuffy head). So, looks like no more WPC for me. Crazy that I’d been having it daily for years and just got used to feeling congested without noticing.

W2D4 - 2/2/2018

Weight: 73.0kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
115 @ 7 -> 8,8

DB Incline Press
26.5 @ 7 -> 10,9

Low Face Pull
27.5 @ 7 -> 10,9

RDL
105 @ 7 -> 10,10

DB Twist Curl
15.5 @ 7 -> 10,10

Week 2 done. Half way there.

W3D1 - 4/2/2018

Weight: 72.8kg

High Bar Squat
54 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10

Competition Bench
64.5 @ 8 -> 10,9,8,8

Barbell Upright Row
39 @ 8 -> 10,9

Pull Up
86 @ 8 -> 9,7

Start of a new week. Weight loss on track. Maintaining new squat form nicely. Front delts seem to be tiring easily on bench for some reason, but all in all things going pretty well.

W3D2 - 6/2/2018

Weight: 72.6kg

Sumo Deadlift
140 @ 8 -> 8,8,8

Reverse Grip Bench
56.5 @ 8 -> 10,9,8

BB Face Pull
38 @ 8 -> 10,10

BB Hack Squat
46.5 @ 8 -> 10,10

Cable Hammer Curl
26.5 @ 8 -> 11,10

Lower back a bit twingy today.

Starting to get tough now. General fatigue seems to be setting in, presumably the low calories starting to take effect.

Looks like casein has the same effect as whey, sore throat and congestion taking effect several hours after consumption Will wait a few days and try some whey isolate.

W3D3 - 8/2/2018

Weight: 72.8kg

High Bar Squat
56 @ 8 -> 10,10,10

Competition Bench
66 @ 8 -> 10,9

Cable Upright Row
33.5 @ 8 -> 10,9

DB Row
31 @ 8 -> 10,9

Solid session. Back feels fine after Tues. Weights don’t seem to be suffering much from staying at MEV.

W3D4 - 9/2/2018

Weight: 72.4kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
118 @ 8 -> 8,8

DB Incline Press
27 @ 8 -> 10,9

Low Face Pull
28 @ 8 -> 10,9

RDL
110 @ 8 -> 10,10

DB Twist Curl
16 @ 8 -> 10,9

Going to be close as to whether I hit my 72kg target before the end of the block.

W4D1 - 11/2/2018

Weight: 72.4kg

High Bar Squat
56 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10

Competition Bench
66 @ 9 -> 10,8,8,7

Barbell Upright Row
40 @ 9 -> 10,9

Pull Up
88 @ 9 -> 8,7

Bench feeling tough. Always the first to go when I drop weight.

Overall motivation to train pretty low right now. Only one week to go though.

W4D2 - 13/2/2018

Weight: 72.3kg

Sumo Deadlift
143.5 @ 9 -> 8,8,8

Reverse Grip Bench
58 @ 9 -> 10,8,8

BB Face Pull
39.5 @ 9 -> 10,10

BB Hack Squat
47.5 @ 9 -> 10,10

Cable Hammer Curl
27.5 @ 9 -> 10,10

Whew, glad to see the back of deadlifts for this block.

W4D3 - 15/2/2018

Weight: 72.3kg

High Bar Squat
58 @ 9 -> 10,10,10

Competition Bench
67.5 @ 9 -> 10,9

Cable Upright Row
34.5 @ 9 -> 10,8

DB Row
32 @ 9 -> 10,9

Grr, body weight teasing me, hovering just above the 72kg mark.

W4D4 - 16/2/2018

Weight: 72.5kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
121 @ 9 -> 9,8

DB Incline Press
27.5 @ 9 -> 9,7

Low Face Pull
28.5 @ 9 -> 10,9

RDL
115 @ 9 -> 10,10

DB Twist Curl
16.5 @ 9 -> 10,10

Weight going back up again now, grrr. Whoosh due any day, I can feel it, c’mon.

Going to do one more session for this block before deload so the next meso better aligns with the working week.

W5D1 - 18/2/2018

Weight: 71.9kg

High Bar Squat
60 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10

Competition Bench
67.5 @ 9 -> 10,8,7,7

Barbell Upright Row
41 @ 9 -> 10,9

Pull Up
90 @ 9 -> 7,6
74.5 @ 9 -> 8,3

Boom, there it is, sub 72kg, goal achieved with 2 days to spare.

Looking forward to starting deload on Tues (and the extra food that comes with it

Deload D1 - 20/2/2018

Weight: 72kg

High Bar Squat
54 @ 5s -> 5,5,5,5

Competition Bench
61 @ 5s -> 5,5,5,5

Barbell Upright Row
37 @ 5s -> 5,5

Pull Up
81 @ 5s -> 5,5

Sleep and guts have been pretty bad past few days, deload definitely coming at the right time.

Deload D2 - 22/2/2018

Weight: 72.6kg

Sumo Deadlift
130 @ 4s -> 4,4,4

Reverse Grip Bench
52 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

BB Face Pull
36 @ 5s -> 5,5

BB Hack Squat
42.5 @ 5s -> 5,5

Cable Hammer Curl
25 @ 5s -> 5,5

Developed mild tendonitis in both forearms, very annoying. Not sure why it waited until my deload to manifest. Hopefully it’ll go away quickly now I’m eating more.

Deload D3 - 24/2/2018

Weight: 72.3kg

High Bar Squat
30 @ 9 -> 5,5,5

Competition Bench
37.5 @ 9 -> 5,5

Cable Upright Row
17.5 @ 9 -> 5,5

DB Row
16 @ 9 -> 5,5

Deload D4 - 25/2/2018

Weight: 72.4kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
70 @ 4s -> 4,4

DB Incline Press
14 @ 5s -> 5,5

Low Face Pull
15 @ 5s -> 5,5

RDL
57.5 @ 5s -> 5,5

DB Twist Curl
8.5 @ 5s -> 5,5

[TheCheat]

Start of a new meso, it’s time to mass

Keeping the same setup as the last block, just with some exercise changes. Leaving high bar in while I continue to rebuild my form.

W1D1 - 27/2/2018

Weight: 72.5kg

High Bar Squat
56 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
52.5 @ 7 -> 11,9,9,9

Lateral Raise
8.5 @ 7 -> 10,10

Chin Up
75.5 @ 7 -> 12,10

Weight’s been steady this past week, so looks like I guessed my maintenance correctly. Cool. Throwing an extra 350kcal/day in there now to start (making 3050kcal/day total) and will adjust if needed in a couple of weeks.

W1D2 - 1/3/2018

Weight: 72.6kg

Deadlift
126 @ 7 -> 9,8,8

DB Bench
23.5 @ 7 -> 13,12,10

DB Face Pull
10.5 @ 7 -> 11,10

Belt Squat
65 @ 7 -> 10,10

BB Curl
30 @ 7 -> 13,12

First time doing conventional deads for a long time. Really seem to hit my glutes in a way sumo pulls don’t.

Underestimated a few lifts, but not too worried. I’ll just do some slightly larger jumps in weight next week.

Got my DIY on and built a platform so I can use my low pulley to do some belt squats. Worked surprisingly well. My dip belt cuts into my waist a bit though, might need to buy something more padded. Should really be able to toast my quads with these though.

W1D3 - 3/3/2018

Weight: 72.6kg

High Bar Squat
59 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
50 @ 7 -> 11,10

DB Upright Row
15 @ 7 -> 10,10

Cable Row
50 @ 7 -> 10,10

Strength on cable rows way down on what it was last time I did them a year ago. Worrying.

Think I’m going to need to modify my bench hooks a bit, can’t get as wide a grip as I’d like without them scraping my wrists when re-racking. Annoying.

W1D4 - 4/3/2018

Weight: 73.5kg

2" Deficit Deadlift
110 @ 7 -> 9,9

Close Grip Bench
60 @ 7 -> 10,9

High Face Pull
32.5 @ 7 -> 12,10

Sumo RDL
100 @ 7 -> 10,10

DB Hammer Curl
13.5 @ 7 -> 11,10

Week one done. Most weight estimates worked out pretty well, only a few being just a bit too conservative. Just means there’s plenty of room to push it over the next 3 weeks.

W2D1 - 6/3/2018

Weight: 73.3kg

High Bar Squat
59 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
55.5 @ 7 -> 10,8,8,8,8

Lateral Raise
9 @ 7 -> 10,9,8

Chin Up
76 @ 7 -> 11,10,9

Week 2, adding a set to everything.

Past experience shows that my pull/chinup reps fall off sharply with even a modest weight increase, so going to stick to body weight this meso and just overload through volume.

W2D2 - 8/3/2018

Weight: 73.4kg

Deadlift
132.5 @ 7 -> 8,8,8,7

DB Bench
27 @ 7 -> 10,8,7,6

DB Face Pull
11 @ 7 -> 11,10,10

Belt Squat
70 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

BB Curl
34 @ 7 -> 11,10,10

Went far too hard on the last two deadlift sets. I never learn

Pecs just died on the second set of DB bench. Not sure what was going on there. I’d say it was too big a weight jump, but first set didn’t feel too bad.

W2D3 - 10/3/2018

Weight: 73.2kg

High Bar Squat
61 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
52.5 @ 7 -> 11,10,10

DB Upright Row
15.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,9

Cable Row
52.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,9

Really liking the wider grip on the bench, but my rack is a bit too narrow to flare as much as I’d like.

Rows are very weird, performance drops very quickly. I go from it feeling really easy to not being able to quite touch my chest in a single rep.

W2D4 - 11/3/2018

Weight: 73.6kg

2" Deficit Deadlift
115.5 @ 7 -> 8,8,8

Close Grip Bench
63 @ 7 -> 10,8,8

High Face Pull
34.5 @ 7 -> 10,9,9

Sumo RDL
105 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

DB Hammer Curl
14 @ 7 -> 11,10,10

Lower back feeling pretty much done by the end of the session. Maybe deficit deads and RDLs on the same day are too much. Will see how things go next week.

W3D1 - 13/3/2018

Weight: 73.6kg

High Bar Squat
61 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
56.5 @ 8 -> 9,8,8,7,7,7

Lateral Raise
9.5 @ 8 -> 10,9,8,9

Chin Up
76.5 @ 8 -> 11,9,9,8

No performance drops last week, so everything gets an extra set.

Glutes and upper hamstrings very sore today, definitely have to keep an eye on the volume for my deficit dead/RDL session.

W3D2 - 15/3/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

Deadlift
136 @ 8 -> 8,7,7,6,6

DB Bench
27.5 @ 8 -> 10,8,7,7,6

DB Face Pull
11.5 @ 8 -> 10,10,9,9

Belt Squat
75 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10

BB Curl
35 @ 8 -> 10,9,9,9

Lower back definitely the limiting factor on deadlifts. I’m stopping sets as soon as it starts rounding.

Body weight going up a bit faster than I’d like. I have issues mentally with gaining weight, so not going to change anything yet. If I overshoot a bit, hopefully it’ll reassure me that it’s not the end of the world. Better than panicking and sabotaging my bulk by cutting cals too soon.

W3D3 - 17/3/2018

Weight: 73.7kg

High Bar Squat
63 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
55 @ 8 -> 11,10,9,9

DB Upright Row
16 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,9

Cable Row
53.5 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10

Increased the incline on my bench for cable rows, seems to be a bit more comfortable of a line of pull.

Lower back still niggling me a bit. Will have to be careful with deadlifts tomorrow.

W3D4 - 18/3/2018

Weight: 73.7kg

2" Deficit Deadlift
118 @ 8 -> 8,8,8,8

Close Grip Bench
64.5 @ 8 -> 9,8,7,7

High Face Pull
35.5 @ 8 -> 10,9,9,9

Sumo RDL
107.5 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10

DB Hammer Curl
14.5 @ 8 -> 10,10,9,8

Was very careful and lower back felt okay, thankfully. I think my problem was that I was twisting slightly when fatigued, possibly because of an uneven grip, which was suddenly loading one side of the back. Took care to make sure my hands were set equally this time before I started each set.

That being said, I think two lower back heavy movements in a session might be a bit too much for me. Next meso I might try and come up with some sort of hamstring isolation I can do in my home gym. I guess some sort of natural GHR is really the only option.

W4D1 - 20/3/2018

Weight: 73.5kg

High Bar Squat
63 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
57.5 @ 9 -> 10,8,7,7,7,7,7

Lateral Raise
10 @ 9 -> 10,9,9,9,9

Chin Up
77 @ 9 -> 11,10,9,7,8

Another week, another set on everything. Once the number of sets start getting higher, I think it’s just as hard mentally as it is physically to get through them.

W4D2 - 22/3/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

Deadlift
140 @ 9 -> 8,7,7,6,6,5

DB Bench
28 @ 9 -> 9,8,7,7,6,6

DB Face Pull
12 @ 9 -> 10,10,9,9,9

Belt Squat
80 @ 9 -> 10,9,9,9,9

BB Curl
35.5 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,10

Whew. Lower back limiting me on the later sets of deadlifts, but posterior chain feels like it got a good workout regardless. Not sure whether my lower back is weak (and I need to work it more next meso), or if it’s just fatigued (in which case I need to do less next meso).

W4D3 - 24/3/2018

Weight: 73.6kg

High Bar Squat
65 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
57.5 @ 9 -> 10,9,8,8,8

DB Upright Row
16.5 @ 9 -> 10,9,8,9,8

Cable Row
54.5 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,11

W4D4 - 25/3/2018

Weight: 74.2kg

2" Deficit Deadlift
121 @ 9 -> 8,8,8,8,8

Close Grip Bench
66 @ 9 -> 9,8,7,7,7

High Face Pull
36.5 @ 9 -> 10,9,9,9,9

Sumo RDL
110 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,10

DB Hammer Curl
15 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,10

And... done. Meso over. Deload next week, probably right on time since I’ve started to notice a few niggles accumulating (lower back & left shoulder mainly).

Deload D1 - 27/3/2018

Weight: 74.5kg

High Bar Squat
58.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5,5,5

Incline Bench
51.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5,5,5

Lateral Raise
9 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Chin Up
77.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Weird how restrictive dropping to maintenance calories seems after you’ve been in a surplus. What felt like a feast after cutting now feels incredibly unsatisfying.

Deload D2 - 29/3/2018

Weight: 74kg

Deadlift
126 @ 4s -> 4,4,4,4

DB Bench
25 @ 5s -> 5,5,5,5

DB Face Pull
11 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Belt Squat
72 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

BB Curl
32.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Belt snapped while I was doing belt squats. Good job it was a deload week.

Deload D3 - 31/3/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

High Bar Squat
32.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5,5

Wide Grip Incline Bench
30 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

DB Upright Row
9 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Cable Row
27.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Deload D4 - 1/4/2018

Weight: 73.8kg

2" Deficit Deadlift
60 @ 4s -> 4,4,4

Close Grip Bench
33 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

High Face Pull
18.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

Sumo RDL
55 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

DB Hammer Curl
7.5 @ 5s -> 5,5,5

And... done. Meso over. Deload next week, probably right on time since I’ve started to notice a few niggles accumulating (lower back & left shoulder mainly).

[TheCheat]

W1D1 - 3/4/2018

Weight: 73.8kg

High Bar Squat
61 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
54.5 @ 7 -> 10,9,8,8,8

Lateral Raise
9.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,9

Chin Up
76.5 @ 7 -> 11,10,8

...and away we go again. Same schedule, calories, and mostly the same exercises. Starting at previous block’s week 2 weights and volumes.

W1D2 - 5/4/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

Deadlift
133 @ 7 -> 8,8,7

DB Bench
26.5 @ 7 -> 10,8,8,8

DB Face Pull
11.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

Belt Squat
76 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

BB Curl
35 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

Leaving deadlift volume same as last meso since I’m still a bit wary of my lower back tweak. Felt fine while pulling today, but don’t want to tempt fate.

Couldn’t match the reps from last meso on deadlift, which was very disheartening. Might have to revisit deadlift programming after this meso since last block obviously didn’t work.

Still pushing too close to failure on DB bench.

W1D3 - 7/4/2018

Weight: 73.7kg

High Bar Squat
65 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
55 @ 7 -> 11,9,9

DB Upright Row
15.5 @ 7 -> 11,10,9

Cable Row
52.5 @ 7 -> 12,10,10

Concentrating on squeezing my lats when initiating the concentric on bench press seems to really help for some reason. Maybe stopping me flaring too early?

W1D4 - 8/4/2018

Weight: 74.2kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
115 @ 7 -> 8,8

Close Grip Bench
63 @ 7 -> 9,9,8

High Face Pull
34.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

GHR
76 @ 7 -> 10,10

DB Hammer Curl
14.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,9

Switched out conventional deficit and RDLs to try and reduce my lower back volume a bit. Back felt okay, but definitely think there’s something about the deficit that aggravates it if I’m not careful.

First time doing GHRs. Haven’t done a curl type movement for years. Surprised how natural the movement felt, but kept the sets low anyway, just in case I’m crippled with DOMs tomorrow. Worst part was the pain in my quads where they rested on the pads. Obviously need more body fat to act as a cushion

W2D1 - 10/4/2018

Weight: 74.6kg

High Bar Squat
65 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
57 @ 7 -> 10,8,8,7,7,7

Lateral Raise
10 @ 7 -> 10,9,8,8

Chin Up
77.5 @ 7 -> 11,9,8,8

Hmm, think the cause of my back tweak might be my arching on incline bench.

Reps on incline bench plummeted after first set again. Might try supersetting my lat raises with chin ups instead of bench next week, see if the extra rest between sets helps.

W2D2 - 12/4/2018

Weight: 74.2kg

Deadlift
140 @ 7 -> 7,7,6,6

DB Bench
27.5 @ 7 -> 9,7,7,7,6

DB Face Pull
12 @ 7 -> 10,10,9,9

Belt Squat
80 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

BB Curl
37 @ 7 -> 10,9,9,8

Slowed my deadlift setup right down, was rushing the reset between reps a bit. Felt a lot more consistent which should help judging RPE.

Bench reps tanked again. Don’t seem to have made much progress since last block, which isn’t the best news. Might have to try stopping 5 or 6 reps short of failure, see if that allows me to better keep the reps up in subsequent sets.

W2D3 - 14/4/2018

Weight: 73.9kg

High Bar Squat
67 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
58 @ 7 -> 10,9,8,8

DB Upright Row
16.5 @ 7 -> 10,9,8,8

Cable Row
56 @ 7 -> 10,10,9,8

Tipping forward a bit on squats, need to remember to keep my weight further back on my feet.

Slowed down the eccentric a lot on the incline bench and things felt a lot more stable. Still arching too much though.

W2D4 - 15/4/2018

Weight: 74.4kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
120 @ 7 -> 8,8,8

Close Grip Bench
66 @ 7 -> 9,7,7,7

High Face Pull
36 @ 7 -> 10,10,9,9

GHR
76.5 @ 7 -> 10,10,10

DB Hammer Curl
15 @ 7 -> 10,10,10,10

Warm up on deads felt really hard for some reason. Was fine once I got to my working sets though. Weird.

Close grip went a bit to pot today. Need to get tighter, spending a lot of energy trying to keep the bar balanced, it gets a bit wobbly with my hands being closer together.

Put the heel pads a bit higher on the GHR and seemed to take the pressure off my quads nicely, much more comfortable.

W3D1 - 17/4/2018

Weight: 74.7kg

High Bar Squat
67 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10,10,10,10

Incline Bench
58.5 @ 8 -> 9,8,7,7,7,6,6

Lateral Raise
10.5 @ 8 -> 10,9,8,8,8

Chin Up
78 @ 8 -> 11,9,8,8,8

Managed to keep my forward weight shift under control this time on squats, but back started rounding a bit. For some reason flexing my quads before I descend seems to help keep my back straight. Weird. Last couple of sets looked much better.

Let the RPE get too high on the later sets of incline bench. My ego just wouldn’t let me drop below 6 reps. Annoying.

W3D2 - 19/4/2018

Weight: 74.6kg

Deadlift
143.5 @ 8 -> 7,6,6,5,5

DB Bench
28 @ 8 -> 9,8,7,6
25 @ 8 -> 8,8

DB Face Pull
12.5 @ 8 -> 11,10,9,9,9

Belt Squat
85 @ 8 -> 9,9,9,9,8

BB Curl
38 @ 8 -> 9,8,9,8,8

Slower deadlift setup going well. Makes reps far more reproducible, which means I can start judging RPE a lot better.

Experimented with some back off sets on bench as the reps were getting a bit low.

First hot day of the year today. Temperature was definitely taking a toll by the end of the session.

W3D3 - 21/4/2018

Weight: 74.9kg

High Bar Squat
69 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,9,10,10

Wide Grip Incline Bench
59.5 @ 8 -> 10,8,7,7,6

DB Upright Row
17 @ 8 -> 10,9,8,8,8

Cable Row
57.5 @ 8 -> 10,10,9,8,9

Squats starting to get challenging now, form mostly holding up. Bit of knee slide in later reps, but not too bad. I think most my problems would be solved by just staying tighter pretty much everywhere.

W3D4 - 22/4/2018

Weight: 75.3kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
123 @ 8 -> 8,7,7,7

Close Grip Bench
67 @ 8 -> 9,8,7,7,6

High Face Pull
37 @ 8 -> 10,10,9,9,9

GHR
77 @ 8 -> 10,10,10,10

DB Hammer Curl
15.5 @ 8 -> 10,10,9,8,8

GHRs seemed a lot easier this week, wonder if I’m doing them slightly differently.

W4D1 - 24/4/2018

Weight: 75.3kg

High Bar Squat
69 @ 9 -> 10,10,10,10,10,9,9,8

Incline Bench
60 @ 9 -> 9,7,7,7,6
55 @ 9 -> 8,8,9

Lateral Raise
11 @ 9 -> 10,10,9,8,8,8

Chin Up
78 @ 9 -> 11,9,8,8,7,8

Urggh, so many sets. Bleh. Glad that’s over with. Stomach felt a bit upset at the start of the session, but calmed down by the 4th or 5th set of squats.

One unique thing about the last week of a meso is that it’s the only chance I get to practice RPE. Once I establish what my rep limit is on the first set, I can then think about how the earlier reps feel on subsequent sets as I approach failure.

W4D2 - 26/4/2018

Weight: 75kg

Deadlift
147 @ 9 -> 6,6,6,5,5,5

DB Bench
28.5 @ 9 -> 9,8,8,7,7,6,6

DB Face Pull
13 @ 9 -> 10,10,9,9,9,9

Belt Squat
87.5 @ 9 -> 8,8,8,8,8,8

BB Curl
39 @ 9 -> 10,8,8,7,8,8

Deadlifts looking good, back nice and flat. Quads felt knackered afterwards though, which obviously affected belt squats later on.

Woke up with bad elbow/bicep pain yesterday, presumably because of the high volume chin ups the night before. Didn’t affect me too much in todays session, luckily.

W4D3 - 28/4/2018

Weight: 75.1kg

High Bar Squat
71 @ 9 -> 9,9,9,8,8,8,9

Wide Grip Incline Bench
61 @ 9 -> 9,8,7,7,6,6

DB Upright Row
17.5 @ 9 -> 10,9,8,8,8,7

Cable Row
59 @ 9 -> 10,9,8,8,8,9

Definitely felt elbow/bicep a bit today on the cable rows and squats. The cause when squatting seemed to be the bar rolling when coming out the hole. Keeping upper back tighter and pulling down on the bar stopped it bothering me. Hopefully deload will sort it out completely.

Quads felt fatigued as early as the first set. Maybe a sign I exceeded my MRV on Thurs belt squats?

Pushed the last set of squats to RPE 10, then remembered I’ll probably be needing my quads to deadlift with tomorrow. Oops.

W4D4 - 29/4/2018

Weight: 75.2kg

2" Deficit Sumo Deadlift
126 @ 9 -> 6,5
110 @ 9 -> 8,8,8,8

Close Grip Bench
68 @ 9 -> 8,8,7,7,7,7

High Face Pull
38 @ 9 -> 10,9,8,8,8,8

GHR
77.5 @ 9 -> 10,10,9,8,9

DB Hammer Curl
16 @ 9 -> 10,9,9,9,9,9

As feared, deadlifts were a write off, had to drop the weight quite a bit. Hips were rising quite high on the two sets I attempted at my target weight, presumably indicating it was my quads that were super fatigued and I was shifting the load to my hamstrings?

Lower back felt good. Issue was definitely caused by twisting on hard reps whilst benching. Keeping a big belly of air and concentrating on bracing hard every rep seems to have sorted it.

Lessons from this block:

• Supersetting bench and medial delt work might not be the best idea. Rear delt work doesn't seem to interfere, but lateral raises/upright rows seem to contribute to fatigue (using front delts maybe?)
• Ego is still a problem, preventing me from stopping at prescribed RPE. Seems worse on movements I'm carrying over from previous block as I feel obliged to get extra reps to prove I've made gains and the last block wasn't a waste.
• Don't rush the setup on deadlifts between reps.
• Ensure I'm bracing correctly on every rep for bench to avoid twisting lower back on more grindy reps.
• Keep upper back tight when coming out the hole on squats to stop the bar rolling and the ensuing elbow pain when I need to stabilise it.

[Stenson]

Glad to see you're logging here @TheCheat! Good luck with the PNP1 program, my wife is running it right now and having good success.

[TheCheat]

W1D1

Weight: 74.9kg

Low Bar Squat
55 x 6 @ 6
55 x 6 @ 6
55 x 6 @ 6

First time doing low bar for a long time. Tried looking down but ended up with massive butt wink. Went back to my normal high bar cues and things looked a lot better.

Bench
50 x 6 @ 6
50 x 6 @ 6
50 x 6 @ 6
50 x 6 @ 6
50 x 6 @ 6

Been doing high reps for so long my main goal here is to relearn how to stay tight. Lighter weight are far more forgiving and have led to me rushing sets a bit to get all the reps done ASAP.

Deadlift
110 x 6 @ 6

Not used to deadlifting after benching and squatting. Lower back was surprisingly fatigued, even after the super light squats and bench.

This week was supposed to be the deload from my last block, but decided to just start PNP1 with very conservative weights instead.

First session in a very long time without a PWO shake. It's stupid, everything I've read suggests it's not necessary since I'm not fasted and I'll be eating about an hour or two after, but I'm still paranoid. For a supposedly clever guy I can sure have stupid thoughts sometimes.

[TheCheat]

Glad to see you're logging here @TheCheat! Good luck with the PNP1 program, my wife is running it right now and having good success.

Cheers

Not sure how long I'll last on PNP1, but might as well start at the beginning.

[TheCheat]

W1D2

Weight: 74.6kg

Dropped to 2900kcal, which is a bit above my old maintenance. Weight gain was slowing down at the end of last block, so seeing if I can keep things a bit higher without gaining weight.

Usual deload big weight drop today.

Low Bar Squat
60 x 6 @ 6
60 x 6 @ 6
60 x 6 @ 6

A few elbow twinges here (always the left one for some reason). Seems I can actually get my back tighter with a wider grip.

Bench
55 x 6 @ 6
55 x 6 @ 6
55 x 6 @ 6
55 x 6 @ 6
55 x 6 @ 6

Started pausing these at the top as well as the bottom. Forces me to slow down and get tight again for the next rep.

Deadlift
115 x 6 @ 6
_________________________________________________________

Putting everything as @6 to mean "no detectable slow down".

Had some weird intermittent stabbing pains in my glutes when walking around recently. Hopefully just from overreaching last week and they'll vanish as fatigue dissipates.

[Stenson]

Dang dude, you're only 75kg at 6' tall?

Moarrr foooooddd!

[TheCheat]

Dang dude, you're only 75kg at 6' tall?

Moarrr foooooddd!

Working on it

Gained 2kg during my last two hypertrophy blocks, so heading in the right direction. Just going to hang around 75kg for a bit while doing the low volumes on PNP1.

[TheCheat]

W1D3

Weight: 74.9kg

Low Bar Squat
65 x 6 @ 6
65 x 6 @ 6
65 x 6 @ 6

Tiny amount of form breakdown starting to become visible.

Couple of elbow twinges whilst warming up. Not sure if I corrected my position or if the elbow just numbed a bit so I didn't notice after that.

Bench
60 x 6 @ 6
60 x 6 @ 6
60 x 6 @ 6
60 x 6 @ 6
60 x 6 @ 6

Doing all 6 reps on one breath at the minute (without rushing), far easier to keep tighter that way. Not sure if I'll be able to sustain that once the weights get heavy though.

Deadlift
120 x 6 @ 6

First rep seemed to wobble a bit coming off the floor, despite being tight. Guessing I wasn't quite centred when I setup since it was fine on subsequent reps. Not sure how to judge when looking down from above, it looked fine to me but obviously was slightly off.
_________________________________________________________

Lower back was bothering me again when I woke up this morning. Luckily eased as the day went on and was barely noticeable by the time I hit the gym. Elbow/bicep still a bit weird, hopefully holds up tomorrow when I do rows/curls.

[TheCheat]

W1D4

Weight: 75.3kg

Cable Row
55 x 11 + 42 in 7 min

Cable Upright Row
32.5 x 9 + 42 in 7 min

DB Face Pull
12.5 x 10 + 43 in 7 min

DB Hammer Curl
15 x 10 + 38 in 7 min

Went too close to failure here.
_________________________________________________________

First time doing density work, not sure if I like it or not. It was fun, but muscles didn't feel like they'd had a proper workout afterwards for some reason. Give it a few more weeks then might switch to myo-reps.

Strategy was sets on the minute + one last effort 15s before the end. Seemed to work ok.

Messed around with some farmer's walks with 25kg plates at the end. Felt good, but don't think these will be a goer. I've not got much space and no real way to up the weight past 25kg.

Back felt great today for some reason. Obviously my random poking with a thera cane yesterday hit something good.

[TheCheat]

W2D1

Weight: 75.2kg

Low Bar Squat
70 x 6 @ 6
70 x 6 @ 6
70 x 6 @ 6

Kept back super tight and elbow was fine. Elbows look a bit high, but it feels so much more secure that way.

Bench
65 x 6 @ 6
65 x 6 @ 6
65 x 6 @ 6
65 x 6 @ 6
65 x 6 @ 6

Deadlift
125 x 6 @ 6
_________________________________________________________

Some of these might be venturing into RPE 7 territory now, hard to tell. I guess once I start hitting 9s regularly then I'll be able to work backwards and really nail in the lower RPEs.

Unbelievably, abs are actually pretty sore today from the 6 (six!) kneeling ab wheel rollouts I did on Sun. Was just messing around between sets and they felt effortless at the time. Glad I didn't do more as I'd likely be crippled today

[SJB]

I try to do rollouts at least once a week otherwise DOMs comes a calling.

[TheCheat]

I try to do rollouts at least once a week otherwise DOMs comes a calling.

Yeah, it seems the key is to do them regularly, or not do them at all. I'm leaning towards the latter.

I figure the soreness means it's working something that doesn't get hit by squats/deads, so therefore it'll have no carryover. Or some other hand wavy explanation that makes me feel better about skipping them

[SJB]

I try to do rollouts at least once a week otherwise DOMs comes a calling.

Yeah, it seems the key is to do them regularly, or not do them at all. I'm leaning towards the latter.

I figure the soreness means it's working something that doesn't get hit by squats/deads, so therefore it'll have no carryover. Or some other hand wavy explanation that makes me feel better about skipping them

Your theory sounds plausible. I do recall a T-Nation article that compared a shite-load of ab exercises and the good old rollout scored very highly all round, keep doing them, one set a couple of times a week takes next to no time.

[TheCheat]

W2D2

Weight: 75.1kg

Low Bar Squat
75 x 6 @ 6
75 x 6 @ 6
75 x 6 @ 6

Think I'm going to stick with higher elbows for now. Feels much more secure, and no sign of chest fall (although weights aren't hugely challenging at the minute).

Bench
70 x 6 @ 8
70 x 6 @ 8
70 x 6 @ 8
70 x 6 @ 8
70 x 6 @ 8

Houston, we have RPEs. Finally noticed some bar slowdown. Think these were 8s. Last couple of sets might have ventured into 9 territory.

Deadlift
130 x 6 @ 6

Back twinges on the warm up. Definitely arching on bench that sets it off. Was fine by the time I hit my working weight.
_________________________________________________________

Have had a belt lying around for ages, might have to dig it out and start using it at some point.

[TheCheat]

W2D3

Weight: 74.9kg

Low Bar Squat
80 x 6 @ 8
80 x 6 @ 8
80 x 6 @ 8

Bah. Every time the weights start to get remotely challenging my form goes to shit. Didn't look as bad as they felt on rewatch, but still a bit disheartening that I'm seeing form breakdown already.

Bench
75 x 5 @ 9
75 x 5 @ 9
75 x 5 @ 9
75 x 5 @ 9
75 x 5 @ 10

Screwed myself with the RPE again on the last set. I knew the 4th was probably an 8.5 or 9, yet I still went for another rep. Every time I start a new program I tell myself I'm going to be honest with RPE this time, then first time things get heavy I let my ego get the best of me. Idiot.

Deadlift
135 x 6 @ 9

At least these looked good. Last rep might have been an 8, but after my squat & bench mistakes I decided to err on the side of caution.
_________________________________________________________

Definite DOMs from the last session.

[AaronM]

I approve of your username:

[Stenson]

W2D3

Bah. Every time the weights start to get remotely challenging my form goes to shit. Didn't look as bad as they felt on rewatch, but still a bit disheartening that I'm seeing form breakdown already.

Try posting a form check in the Technique forum if you're having troubles. Lots of helpful people here.

It's pretty easy to overshoot bench RPE. That's been a challenge for me as well. The good thing is that it doesn't seem to cause as much systemic stress as overshooting on squat or DL.