Probably A Bad Idea

[nealstar]

Pivot Block. Cycle 3. Session A.

BW - 216

5-3-0 Tempo Squats -
232.5X4 @5
245X4, 4, 4 @~6.5

Front Racked Split Squats - BarX8, 8, 8 @6

High Incline Bench -
115X7 @5
120X7, 7 @5.5

Inverted Rows - BWX7, 6, 6 @~10

BB Curls - 55X10, 10, 10 @8/9

Everything was solid, and felt pretty good.

[nealstar]

Pivot Block. Cycle 3. Session B.

BW - 216

5-3-0 Tempo Deadlift -
232.5X4 @5
245X4, 4 @6

Single-Leg Elevated Hip Thrusts - BWX15, 13 @~8

5-3-0 Tempo Bench -
135X4 @5.5
140X4, 4, 4 @~6.5

JM Press - 85X8, 8, 8 @6/7

Pull-Downs - X11, 9 @~9

Leg Raises - X17, 14 @~9

Last session of the pivot block. Everything went very well. Very, very ready to start my next developmental cycle.

Video of the last sets of the tempo lifts.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 1. Session A.

BW - 215

Squat -
225X9 @6
237.5X9 @7
295X1 @6
310X1 @7
327.5X1 @8
250X9, 9, 9 @7.5

Rack Chin-Ups - BWX8, 8, 7 @~8.5

Sumo DL w/Straps -
245X7
275X7, 7 @~7

Nice first session for the first training block. Had to hold myself down out of the gate because I was so jazzed to get rolling.

Squats went very well. I was a bit hesitant to jump from 238X7 to 295X1 after not having gone over 245 for a couple of weeks, but it was all good. The top single looks faster than it felt. I probably left some weight on the table, but I'm fine to start a tad lighter and progress. Back-off sets definitely felt easier than expected. When the first back-off came in at 7.5, I decided not to go up because I thought I would fatigue quickly. That did not happen.

First time doing rack chins. This is setting up with a low-ish chin up bar (smith machine in this case) and putting your feet up on something in front of you. Basically the chin-up version of bench dips. I want to find ways to get higher rep chin-up volume in besides pull-downs and band chins as neither of those have ever really seemed to translate very much to my chin-up strength. These felt awkward to start, but I was hitting them with confidence by the end. Looking forward to progressing on these and possibly even moving into holding one foot up off the bench as a way of adding intensity and also stimulating the abdominal bracing portion of chin-ups. I thought I may need straps for these, but I did not.

Also did Sumo DL for the very first time ever. I had no real expectations. I plugged in, like, 90% of my recent DL e1RM. I was working in with a good lifter who was also pulling Sumo, and he kept encouraging me to go up. Where I ended up projects as 102% of my recent DL e1RM, and that coming off a two week pivot block and never having done this movement before. Because my squat has long been ahead of my pull, I believed there was a chance I could pull Sumo more than Conventional. And that may be the case. I called these RPE~7 but that might even be sandbagging a bit. Looking forward to seeing where these go this block.

All video is of top sets or final work-sets.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 1. Session B.

BW - 217

Bench -
150X9 @6
155X9 @6.5
192.5X1 @6
205X1 @6.5
215X1 @7.5
220X1 @8.25
165X9, 9, 9 @~8

DB Bench -
45sX15@6
55sX18, 13, 12 @9.5 (350 Method; 43 total reps)

Inverted Row w/feet flat - BWX12, 10, 10 @8/10

Conditioning - Stationary Bike; HIIT; 7 rounds

Second session of the new block went pretty well. A bit of fatigue and DOMS from the first session, but so far doesn't seem as bad as the first cycle of the last block, so I'm hopeful I have my approach to pivot blocks more dialed-in. We'll see how everything feels for Session C which is a full body layout.

Bench went very well, and I tried to go past my target but ended up over-shooting slightly. Back-offs were all right on target.

DB Bench this cycle is using Paul Carter's old "350 Method." Pick a weight you can get 15-20 reps with, and do 3 AMRAP sets with short-ish normal rests. You use the same weight each session until you get more than 50 total reps, then you go up in weight. Looking back through some old logs, I saw that sometimes when my bench made big progress, I was doing high rep DB assistance work. So I dusted off this method to revisit that idea.

I threw strict, straight-legged inverted rows into my pivot block and quickly discovered that I couldn't do very many. One day, a strong-ish guy worked in with me on those and I noticed that he put his feet flat on the ground with bent knees. Basically unloading the feet and shank from the movement. I'm decided to roll through into the development block with that adjustment, and it got me well into the rep range I want for this block. I suspect that before the block is over, I will start playing with "one leg up" etc. to increase the difficulty.

Only took video of the comp bench today. Top two singles, and final back-off.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 1. Session C.
BW - 216

Deadlift -
245X9@6
322.5X1@6
337.5X1@7
355X1@8.5
265X9, 9 @6.5

Front Squats -
135X7 @6
145X7, 7, 7, 7 @~7

Dips -
BW+10X7 @5.5
BW+15X7 @6.5
BW+20X7 @7
BWX12 @8

Not sure entirely what happened here. I moved my feet back an inch or so on my deadlift set-up and ended up with my biggest DL in 6 months...at the beginning of a new training block. So you could say it's the stance adjustment. I also pulled Sumo for the first time ever earlier in this cycle. When that came in at 112% of my Training Max (TM), I just assumed that I might be better at Sumo because I'm a good squatter. But now my conventional pull comes in at 115% of my TM, but also with a slightly altered stance so....thanks @Murelli!

I don't know. We'll see. I also got confused a bit by working on a bar pre-loaded with 100 lb. plates, and got it in my head that my back-off sets were supposed to be @7 rather than @8. So I did less volume on the warm-ups, and less intensity on the back-offs. Interested to see how it goes this week.

Front squats came in about where expected 53-58% of squat. Movement felt very comfortable even though I haven't done them in a long time. I think I'm just better at being "in my body" on squats than I've ever been. How to move so that the feet stay flat and the bar path stays fairly vertical. Also, didn't have much trouble with the cross-arm rack position, but as weight increases, I expect the pressure on my chest to get uncomfortable like it has in the past.

Dips also came in about on target. Expected 240-ish for the top-set weight, and ~15 reps for the back-offs. Satisfied with where these are starting out.

Video is of top sets and/or final work sets.

[Murelli]

You're welcome

Edit: I can't believe it's @8.5 - it went up too fast. That's a 7 at most, maybe even a 6.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 2. Session A.

BW - 217

Squat -
235X9 @6
247.5X9 @6.5
305X1 @6
325X1 @7.5
335X1 @8.25
255X9, 9, 9 @7.5

Rack Chins - BWX9, 7, 6 @~8.5

Sumo DL -
255X7 @5
285X7, 7 @7

Squats came in a little under target, and chin strength was fairly level. I think my stance was a bit wide on Squats. Sumo feels like it's going to march, though.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 2. Session B.

BW - 218

Bench -
157.5X9 @5.5
170X9 @7
207.5X1 @6
220X1 @7
230X1 @8
175X9, 9, 9 @~8

DB Bench -
45sX15 @5.5
55sX19, 16, 11 @~9.5 (350 Method; 46 total reps)

Inverted Row w/ Bent Knees - BWX13, 12, 9 @8/10

Solid session. A >5% increase in bench from last week. All reps felt strong.

Added 5 overall reps to the rep outs with the 55s.

Inverted Rows felt very smooth and strong as well.

Good 2nd cycle.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 2. Session C.

BW - 219

Deadlift -
245X9 @5.5
265X9 @6.5
330X1 @6
350X1 @7.25
365X1 @8
280X9, 9 @~8

Front Squat -
135X7 @5
142.5X7 @6
150X7, 7, 7, 7 @7

Dips -
BW+5X7 @5
BW+10X7 @5.5
BW+20X7 @6
BW+30X7 @7.25
BWX14 @8

Good session. Nice to pull 365 off the floor again. It's been over 6 months. Because of that, the weight feels heavy in my hands, but objectively, I think it's good. Deadlift is just flying since I made an adjustment to move my feet back a bit and get more knee extension off the floor. At some point, I assume that adjustment will adapt out, and we'll see where it goes from there.

Front Squats felt good.

Miscalculated my jumps early on Dips and ended up doing an extra set or two. This was nice in a way, because the first set or two of Dips always kind of feel like shit. Here, after the +10 set everything was feeling really good.

Video is of top sets and final back-offs.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 3. Session A.

BW - 220

Squat -
252.5X9 @6
265X9 @7
322.5X1 @6
337.5X1 @7
355X1 @8.5
270X9, 9, 9 @~8

Rack Chins - BWX8, 7, 6 @~8.5

Sumo -
270X7 @6.5
285X7, 7 @7.5

Conditioning - LISS; Treadmill Walking; 20 minutes

What an adventure. I ended up looking at last week's programmed DL numbers instead of my squat numbers. Didn't realize it until have my last warm-up set of 9. But that set felt @7 so....I went with it. Top set ended up being a touch heavier than I wanted, so probably should have been closer to my original target of 345. Still I decided to push the back-off sets up by 5 lbs., and that worked out okay...although it might have negatively impacted my sumos later in the session.

Interestingly, this is the third block in a row of having a big jump on squats in cycle 3 and/or 4. Interested to see what happens next week.

Rack chins took a little step back with the increase in BW. Need to get that increase under better control.

Sumo were actually a little weaker than last week. 285 was supposed to be my last warm-up, but was clearly @7+ so I stayed there. As I mentioned above, I suspect going a little harder on Squats earlier in the session may have contributed.

Video is of top sets and final work sets.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 3. Session B.

BW - 218

Bench -
165X9 @6
175X9 @7
217.5X1 @6
230X1 @7.25
242.5X1 @8
185X9, 9, 9 @~8

DB Bench -
45sX15 @4
55sX21, 15, 14 @~10 (50 total reps!)

Inverted Rows w/ bent knees - BWX13, 12, 13 @8, 9, 10

Nice session.

Bench moved really well. Had to dial-in hard on pacing for the back-off sets of 9, but the top single felt very good. Targeted a 5% increase in eRM over last week, and hit it.

Hit 50 total reps with the 55s on DB Bench. Per the 350 method, I go up to the 60s next week. Nice!

Inverted Rows were fine.

Video of Bench top set and final back-off, and 21 rep set on DBs.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 3. Session C.

BW - 220

Deadlift -
260X9 @6
275X9 @7
337.5X1 @6
355X1 @7
375X1 @8
290X9, 9 @~8

Front Squat -
145X7 @6
152.5X7 @6.5
157.5X7, 7, 7, 7 @~7

Dips -
BW+15X7 @6
BW+25X7 @6.5
BW+32.5X7 @7
BWX15 @8

Good session. Since I adjusted my DL stance, it continues to proceed nicely. Throws a wrench in data collection over the last several blocks, but who cares?

I have had some nagging right glute/high hamstring discomfort on-and-off this calendar year, and it's starting to rear it's head again, but it actually hasn't interfered with training yet, and hopefully that trend continues.

Hoped to get 160X7@7 on Fronts, but that was gonna be a touch too heavy. All good. 157.5 was actually what the math expected, but I find that I like to walk in the gym expecting to add 10 lbs. week-over-week, and have the mathematical projection be more of my floor.

RPE on Dips continues to be a bit trickier to predict than other lifts, but this is still right around the weight I was shooting for.

One thing I'm finding with all my supplemental and accessory lifts is that if the RPE prescription is different from the main/first lift, I have to keep that in mind otherwise I want to go to the main lift RPE. On Dips in particular, since the back-off set is targeting RPE 8, and the Deadlifts had been RPE 8, I kept thinking my top set was supposed to be RPE 8, and I overshoot my warm-ups.

Video is of top sets and final work sets.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 4. Session A.

BW - 219

Squat -
255X9 @6
270X9 @7
335X1 @6.5
352.5X1 @7.5
365X1 @8.5
275X9, 9, 9 @~8

Rack Chins - BWX8, 6, 5 @~8

Sumo w/ straps -
265X7 @6
280X7 @6.5
292.5X7, 7 @7

Conditioning - LISS; 20 minutes; stationary bike

Tougher session. Probably pushed the squats a little harder than I should have. The last two blocks I had about a 5% jump in Cycle 4, and I was trying to will that to happen here. It clearly wasn't in the cards, but I then tried to force a 10 lb. jump, and ended up overshooting a bit on my singles. I brought it back in line for the back-off sets, and they felt about right.

Rack Chins dropped off a bit, but I was also "holding the squeeze" pretty hard at the top of each rep.

I was pretty wiped by the time I got to Sumos, but they actually had a bit of a larger jump than last week. I just really had to will my focus.

I'm traveling next week for work and vacation, and I've decided not to try and shoehorn any training into that trip, so I will be cutting this block short after this cycle. Would have been interesting to see where it went, though. Lots of intriguing things happening.

Video is of top sets and final work sets.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 4. Session B.

BW - 217

Bench -
175X9 @6.5
180X9 @7
227.5X1 @6.25
240X1 @7.5
252.5X1 @9
187.5X9, 9, 9 @8, 8, 9

DB Bench -
50sX12 @5.5
60sX15, 11, 11 @~9.5 (37 total reps)

Inverted Rows w/ feet flat - BWX15, 13, 12 @8, 9, 10

Because this training block is getting cut short by travel, I had my eye on coming in and shooting for a big Bench PR of 275. However, it wasn't going to be there. I pushed the warm-ups and the top single trying to make it happen; telling myself, "maybe you've been sandbagging your RPE," but the 252.5 was @9 at best. And the back-off sets quickly escalated in difficulty. Of course, I'd only gotten 5-6 hours of sleep the night before, so I wasn't in the best recovery space. This was by far my worst week 4 bench results over the last 3 training blocks. I really think it would have bounced back next week with good recovery.

Oh, well. Something to look forward to next block. My bench has been starting new blocks around 92% of the previous block e1RM, and my lifts have been increasing by an average of about 2% per cycle over the last 3 blocks. That would put me right around 273 at the end of the next block. However, it's a higher intensity Transmutation block, and last transmutation block my results were a bit better than these averages.

I hit 50 total reps with the 55s last week on DB Bench, so I upped it to the 60s this week per the 350 Method. Felt a little harder than I expected, and I think that's a little bit of extra fatigue from pushing the bench a bit harder. Doesn't really matter as this block is over anyway.

Inverted rows actually felt really good. I think I'm more acclimated to this version of the movement, plus I came in at a slightly lower BW than the last couple of cycles.

Video is just of bench top set and last back-off.

[nealstar]

Block 4 (Accumulation). Cycle 4. Session C.

BW - 218

Deadlift -
262.5X9 @6
277.5X9 @7
345X1 @6.25
362.5X1 @7.5
380X1 @8.5
292.5X9, 9 @7.5

Front Squat -
145X7 @5.5
155X7 @6.5
162.5X7, 7, 7, 7 @~7

Dips -
BW+10X7 @5
BW+25X7 @6
BW+37.5X7 @7
BWX13 @8

Block cut short by upcoming travel. Honestly, ready for the break. Had a lot of late nights this week, and recovery was definitely way off. Made lifting more of a chore than usual.

Deadlift top single in particular was harder than I wanted it to be. A reduction in e1RM from last cycle. Back-off sets felt fine, though.

Front Squats and dips felt pretty good as well. Dips in particular felt very smooth.

Video is of top sets and final work sets. Didn't get video of the top set of dips.

[nealstar]

Pivot Block. Session A.

BW - 216

5-3-0 Tempo Squat -
237.5X4 @
230X4, 4, 4 @~6.5

Single-Arm Pulldowns - X11 @8.5

Single-Leg Kettlebell RDL - 60X9, 9, 9 @~6

BB Curls -
50X10 @7
60X10, 10 @8.5, 10

Totally off last week as I was traveling for work and then vacation. Going to do one week of pivot and then into the next training block.

[nealstar]

Pivot Block. Session B.

BW - 215

5-3-0 Tempo Bench -
122.5X5 @6
130X5 @6.5
135X5, 5, 5 @~7.5

DB Single-Arm Seated Press - 40X10 @8.5

DB Single-Arm Row - 60X12 @7.5

Flexed-Elbow Hanging Knee Raise - X8, 8, 7 @8/9.5

Went a little over on temp bench just to get a plate per side. No big.

Going to be doing Chin-Up density work next block, so I came up with the idea to do my ab work with a bent-arm hang. The hang was harder than the ab work, but it's also a pivot block so whatevs.

[nealstar]

Pivot Block. Session C.

BW - 221

5-3-0 Tempo DL - 225X5, 5, 5, 5 @~6

HB Split Squat - 65X7, 7, 7 @~6

Push-Ups on DBs - BWX11, 10, 7 @8/10
super-set with
BB Curls - 55X10, 10, 7 @8/10

Last session of the Pivot. Felt bone tired walking into the session, and was afraid I was getting sick. Started feeling better during the DLs, and was okay by the end. Skipped conditioning.

Expected DB Push-Ups to have been easier. Maybe just novelty.

[nealstar]

Block 5. Cycle 1. Session A.

BW - 221

Squat -
340X2 @9
290X6, 6, 6 @8

High-Bar Squat -
230X5, 5 @~7
240X5 @8

Bench-Grip DL w/ Straps -
280X5 @7
285X5, 5 @~7.5

Good start to the new block.

Squats came in feeling MUCH stronger than expected. First cycle squats have been ~93% of the previous cycles e1RM. That had me expecting ~342.5 for the top double. The warm-up sets of 6 @6 and @7 ended up going 8-10 lb.s heavier than expected, and I ended up hitting just over 95% for the top double. Back-off sets of and High Bar sets were likewise strong. All in all a great start to squatting this cycle.

BGDL also ended up blowing past expectations. Based on my one previous cycle with this movement, I expected 65% of prior block's DL e1RM. Ended up hitting 88%. Upon further consideration, I don't believe I used straps last time on this movement, and was overloading grip. I also have adjusted my DL stance since then to get "a little more leg" into the start. Anyway, I was actually fairly tired when I got to these and it was super frustrating that I kept having to add weight to get to target RPE, lol. I want to go @8 on these, but by the time I loaded 285, I just wanted to be done.

Video is of top sets and final work sets.

[nealstar]

Block 5. Cycle 1. Session B.

BW - 218

Bench -
230X2 @9
195X6, 6, 6 @8

Cambered Bar Bench -
157.5X5, 5, 5, @8

Chin-Ups - Density Block - 7 minutes; 12 sets; 19 total reps

Solid start to upper-body lifting on the new block. Bench ended up coming in a solid 5 lbs. ahead of expectations for the top double. So that's now Squat and Bench that have started the block strong. Fingers crossed for DL on Friday.

Cambered bar bench felt great. I haven't trained that movement since 2014 so, ya know...PR or whatever. The % of comp bench came in right about where I expected. Nice to see that may be well dialed in.

Chin-ups. "Hello, Darkness, my old friend." Gonna try density training this time around. We'll see how it goes.

Video is of top sets and final work sets.