Exodus Strength

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:29 am Session Notes: I decided to switch back to ramping sets from 5/3/1. This just makes more sense to me than that program. I'm going to try to exercise some discipline and start lower volume, adding more as necessary to drive strength gains. Normally, I would do at least a couple backoff sets on squat, but I want to see what happens without that additional work. I am keeping all the accessory work the same.

I have a feeling ( and it is just a feeling, not even a theory ) that what is useful is number of reps during a week, or month, at over 50 or 60% ( and up to whatever %). Then one can arrange the number of reps in whatever sessions and sets one prefers. Something like that. I may well be wrong.

slowmotion wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:13 am

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:29 am Session Notes: I decided to switch back to ramping sets from 5/3/1. This just makes more sense to me than that program. I'm going to try to exercise some discipline and start lower volume, adding more as necessary to drive strength gains. Normally, I would do at least a couple backoff sets on squat, but I want to see what happens without that additional work. I am keeping all the accessory work the same.

I have a feeling ( and it is just a feeling, not even a theory ) that what is useful is number of reps during a week, or month, at over 50 or 60% ( and up to whatever %). Then one can arrange the number of reps in whatever sessions and sets one prefers. Something like that. I may well be wrong.

I think that is a very rational way of thinking about it. For strength the percentage is probably more like 70-75% though. Hypertrophy is probably anything over 50%.

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 6:41 am

slowmotion wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:13 am

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:29 am Session Notes: I decided to switch back to ramping sets from 5/3/1. This just makes more sense to me than that program. I'm going to try to exercise some discipline and start lower volume, adding more as necessary to drive strength gains. Normally, I would do at least a couple backoff sets on squat, but I want to see what happens without that additional work. I am keeping all the accessory work the same.

I have a feeling ( and it is just a feeling, not even a theory ) that what is useful is number of reps during a week, or month, at over 50 or 60% ( and up to whatever %). Then one can arrange the number of reps in whatever sessions and sets one prefers. Something like that. I may well be wrong.

I think that is a very rational way of thinking about it. For strength the percentage is probably more like 70-75% though. Hypertrophy is probably anything over 50%.

Yes, averaged intensity usually ends up at around 75% or so, at least for me.

Ramp - 1.1.1
Monday 14 Nov 2022, 06:19

Squat (Barbell)
Set 1: 60 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 80 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 100 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 120 kg × 5
Set 5: 127.5 kg × 5
Set 6: 135 kg × 5

Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)
Set 1: 90 kg × 10
Set 2: 90 kg × 10
Set 3: 90 kg × 10

Session Notes: I restarted this mesocycle today since I missed some workouts at the end of last week. I was also feeling low on motivation so I just decreased the weights.

Ramp - 1.1.2
Tuesday 15 Nov 2022, 06:39

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 50 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 65 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 80 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 95 kg × 5
Set 5: 100 kg × 5
Set 6: 105 kg × 5
Set 7: 95 kg × 5

Bent Over Row (Barbell)
Set 1: 40 kg × 18
Set 2: 40 kg × 18
Set 3: 40 kg × 18 @ 9.0

Session Notes: I didn't go as light on bench as I did on squat yesterday. I'm just going to be building from these lighter weights to develop some momentum.

Bench Singles
Wednesday 16 Nov 2022, 06:51

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 50 kg × 5
Set 2: 70 kg × 3
Set 3: 90 kg × 1
Set 4: 110 kg × 1
Set 5: 120 kg × 1
Set 6: 130 kg × 1 @ 7.0
Set 7: 135 kg × 1 @ 8.0
Set 8: 140 kg × 1 @ 9.0 (.21 m/s)
Set 9: 112.5 kg × 3 @ 5.5
Set 10: 112.5 kg × 3 @ 5.0
Notes: e1RM = 146/322. Total Stress = 2.86. Central Stress = 3.14



Session Notes: Motivation must be coming back, because I wasn't scheduled to lift today. However, I wanted to mess with this format. Strength felt surprisingly good for not having touched heavy weights for a while.

I'm leaning away from considering myself on any sort of program. Maybe a bit like @Hanley does. I have a bunch of workouts in my head that I like to do. I may just rotate through them based on how I feel. As long as they produce enough stress (but not too much), then they should be productive.

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:41 am
Notes: e1RM = 146/322. Total Stress = 2.86. Central Stress = 3.14

Where is this from? I've been using INOL, but I don't find it very useful over a week.

slowmotion wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:32 am

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:41 am
Notes: e1RM = 146/322. Total Stress = 2.86. Central Stress = 3.14

Where is this from? I've been using INOL, but I don't find it very useful over a week.

I log on the RTS app. It spits out that number if you give an RPE assessment for each set. I just rate really easy sets @1.

https://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/AppHome

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:35 am

slowmotion wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:32 am

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:41 am
Notes: e1RM = 146/322. Total Stress = 2.86. Central Stress = 3.14

Where is this from? I've been using INOL, but I don't find it very useful over a week.

I log on the RTS app. It spits out that number if you give an RPE assessment for each set. I just rate really easy sets @1.

https://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/AppHome

Thanks, I'll have a look.

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 9:29 amI have a bunch of workouts in my head that I like to do. I may just rotate through them based on how I feel.

Just give this approach a pretentious name and it'll catch on like wild fire.

Bro, I use Institutive Meso.

slowmotion wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:32 am

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:41 am
Notes: e1RM = 146/322. Total Stress = 2.86. Central Stress = 3.14

Where is this from? I've been using INOL, but I don't find it very useful over a week.

I think the sensible way to use those measures is to average them over a month and more.

CheekiBreekiFitness wrote: ↑Thu Nov 17, 2022 2:03 am

slowmotion wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 11:32 am

JohnHelton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:41 am
Notes: e1RM = 146/322. Total Stress = 2.86. Central Stress = 3.14

Where is this from? I've been using INOL, but I don't find it very useful over a week.

I think the sensible way to use those measures is to average them over a month and more.

I use it as a sort of guidepost for my compound lifts. I have a general sense of what constitutes a good workout for squat, bench and deadlift. I also know what is too much. For example, I have seen others blow themselves up with squat sessions at 3.5+ total stress indices, even though they were just following a program prescription. I generally don't let my squat sessions get over 2.5.

Deadlift Singles
Friday 18 Nov 2022, 14:36

Sumo Deadlift (Barbell)
Set 1: 85 kg × 5
Set 2: 115 kg × 3
Set 3: 145 kg × 2
Set 4: 175 kg × 1
Set 5: 205 kg × 1
Set 6: 225 kg × 1
Set 7: 245 kg × 1
Set 8: 265 kg × 1 @ 9.0 (e1RM = 277.5/612)
Set 9: 225 kg × 2
Set 10: 225 kg × 2
Notes: I decided to push it a bit. Felt good. Total stress = 2.08. Central stress = 2.6.



Pause SSB Squat (Barbell)
Set 1: 55 kg × 10
Set 2: 55 kg × 10
Set 3: 55 kg × 10

Nice work on the deads!

Nice pull john!

3x Bodyweight deadlift? That’s awesome.

@slowmotion @cole @broseph Thanks, guys. I felt great about it. I might have to go for a PR before the end of the year.

Bench Volume
Saturday 19 Nov 2022, 13:39

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 50 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 70 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 90 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 107.5 kg × 5
Set 5: 107.5 kg × 5
Set 6: 107.5 kg × 5
Set 7: 107.5 kg × 5
Set 8: 107.5 kg × 5
Set 9: 107.5 kg × 5
Set 10: 107.5 kg × 5
Notes: This got a little tough by the end. Total stress = 2.59. Central stress = 1.93.

Bench Strength
Tuesday 22 Nov 2022, 07:44

Bench Press (Barbell)
Set 1: 45 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 65 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 85 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 105 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 5: 115 kg × 2
Set 6: 115 kg × 2
Set 7: 115 kg × 2
Set 8: 115 kg × 2
Set 9: 115 kg × 2
Set 10: 115 kg × 2
Set 11: 115 kg × 2
Set 12: 115 kg × 2
Set 13: 115 kg × 2
Set 14: 115 kg × 2
Set 15: 115 kg × 2
Set 16: 115 kg × 2 @ 7
Notes: Total stress = 2.88. Central stress = 2.61. <20 minutes.

Squat Singles
Wednesday 23 Nov 2022, 08:13

Squat (Barbell)
Set 1: 65 kg × 5 [Warm-up]
Set 2: 90 kg × 3 [Warm-up]
Set 3: 112.5 kg × 2 [Warm-up]
Set 4: 135 kg × 1 [Warm-up]
Set 5: 155 kg × 1
Set 6: 165 kg × 1
Set 7: 175 kg × 1
Set 8: 185 kg × 1
Set 9: 195 kg × 1 @ 7.5
Set 10: 170 kg × 2
Set 11: 170 kg × 2 @ 6.5
Notes: e1RM = 215/474. It took me a while to find the top set. I haven’t done squat singles in a while.



Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)
Set 1: 92.5 kg × 10
Set 2: 92.5 kg × 10
Set 3: 92.5 kg × 10