Phil's Log Of Extraordinary Mediocrity

[omaniphil]

12/5/2017

Week 3 Day 2

Deadlifts
430x1 @7
350x5 @7
350x5 @7
350x5 @7.5
350x5 @7.5
350x5 @7.5

OHP
182.5x0
175x1 @9.5
155x5 @8.5
155x5 @8
155x5 @8
155x5 @8
155x5 @8

Deadlifts felt strong today. The OHP did not. Last week I did a single at 180lbs @8ish, and so this week, my target was 182.5, but failed it. I walked the weight down a little to something I knew I could smoke. And 175lbs, which I had tripled just a month and a half ago, barely went up. Since this was going to be a crappy day, I settled on repeating sets at 155lbs for the backoffs. These got progressively easier, so perhaps I just wasn't warmed up properly? Who knows.

[cole]

Weird. U get 155 for 5x5 but can't get the single at 182?

[omaniphil]

Weird. U get 155 for 5x5 but can't get the single at 182?

I do Press 2.0, and I think missing the lift was more about messing up the timing. That being said, there's also not a lot of offset between volume and the singles for my upper body lifts. Might be due to my relative lack of explosivity.

[cole]

I'm the same way

[omaniphil]

12/7/2017
Week 3 Day 3

Beltless Squat
265x5 @6.5
275x5 @7.5
285x5 @8
285x5 @8.5
285x5 @8.5

Slingshot Bench Press
230x5 @6
245x5 @8
260x5 @9
260x5 @9.5
260x5 @9.5

Pin Press
105x10 @7
110x10 @8
115x10 @8.5
115x10 @9

Nothing much to report here. Slingshot Bench was hard. I probably shouldn't have stayed at 260 after the 9.5 set. I felt something tweak in my right tricep on one of the reps in the last set. The pin presses irritated it. Hoping it goes away by tomorrow when I plan to do my CGBP.

[omaniphil]

12/9/2017

Week 3 Day 4

Rack Pulls
375x4 @7
390x4 @8
410x4 @8.5
410x4 @9

CGBP
200x4 @7
210x4 @7.5
215x4 @8.5
215x4 @8.5
215x4 @8.5

Leg Press
270x10 @6
340x10 @7.5
390x10 @8
390x10 @8

Low back was sore during and after the rack pulls again. I'm wondering about just replacing this, and doing a lighter movement like paused deadlifts. Well, just looked - the program replace them after next week. I guess I'll hold out till then. In the mean time, I don't think there's any acute injury, so its probably ok to just train through it. I also realized that my CGBP 10lbs heavier than my BP. Granted, the CGBPs are touch n go, and the bench is paused, but I don't think that should be the case. I'm guessing this is due to my previous program which was more OHP specific due to the StSt meet.

[omaniphil]

12/11/2017
Week 4 Day 1

Competition Squat
375x1 @8.5
315x5 @8
315x5 @8
315x5 @8
315x5 @8.5
315x5 @8.5

Competition Bench
250x1 @9
210x5 @8
210x5 @8
210x5 @8
210x5 @8.5
210x5 @9

Lat Pulldowns 4x10 170lbs

Felt pretty good. Feel like my RPE rating on my squats are actually starting to get close to the actual RPE, and I'm no longer just sandbagging it. Well, maybe a little, but getting closer. I've gone to @9.5 on bench before, where I really wasn't sure if I was going to get another rep, but I don't think I've gotten anywhere near that squatting, at least since I've started tracking RPE.

I was a little concerned with my squat depth. It felt like I was in the right spot, but the video of the single and the first back off set below looked just a bit high. The second back off set, which I filmed from the side angle looked just fine though, and I didn't feel any difference, so maybe the others were fine, and the camera angle made them look high.

[omaniphil]

12/13/2017
Week 4 Day 2

Deadlifts
435x1 @8.5
355x5 @7.5
355x5 @7.5
355x5 @8
355x5 @8
355x5 @8

OHP
185x1 @8.5
160x5 @8
160x5 @8
160x5 @8.5
160x5 @9
155x5 @9 (probably should have gone down to 150 here)


3-0-3 Tempo Squats
160x10 @6
190x10 @7
205x10 @8

This workout felt really good. Yay for preworkout! Actually felt energy for the tempo squats which I skipped last week as I was both tired and rushed. Got a lot of work done early today, and so left the office early. It's nice to have that flexibility.

[omaniphil]

12/14/2017
Week 4 Day 3

Beltless Squats
275x4 @7
285x4 @8
290x4 @8.5
290x4 @8.5
290x4 @9

Slingshot Bench Press
235x4 @6
250x4 @7.5
265x4 @9
265x4 @9
265x4 @9

Pin Press
110x10 @7
115x10 @8
120x10 @9.5
120x10 @10 (oops)

Everything felt good today. So much so that I decided to go up 5lbs on the pin presses from last week, and had an almost @10 set, and then a real honest to goodness @10 set. That was probably a mistake. Straining to get that last rep up, has left me with a sore arm. Definitely see the value in leaving reps in the tank. There's a good stress that causes adaptation, and then there's a bad stress when you grind that probably hampers adaptation, and pisses all the joints off. Anyways, 1 more workout and then it's a deload week, so that should be nice to recover a bit.

[Wilhelm]

12/14/2017
Week 4 Day 3

Beltless Squats
275x4 @7
285x4 @8
290x4 @8.5
290x4 @8.5
290x4 @9

Slingshot Bench Press
235x4 @6
250x4 @7.5
265x4 @9
265x4 @9
265x4 @9

Pin Press
110x10 @7
115x10 @8
120x10 @9.5
120x10 @10 (oops)

Everything felt good today. So much so that I decided to go up 5lbs on the pin presses from last week, and had an almost @10 set, and then a real honest to goodness @10 set. That was probably a mistake. Straining to get that last rep up, has left me with a sore arm. Definitely see the value in leaving reps in the tank. There's a good stress that causes adaptation, and then there's a bad stress when you grind that probably hampers adaptation, and pisses all the joints off. Anyways, 1 more workout and then it's a deload week, so that should be nice to recover a bit.

In the Juggernaut book "Scientific Principals..." they write about overreaching right before a deload to trigger "supercompensation".
I have no idea the value of that, but i did read it. : )

[omaniphil]

In the Juggernaut book "Scientific Principals..." they write about overreaching right before a deload to trigger "supercompensation".
I have no idea the value of that, but i did read it. : )

Not all grinds are in vain then. Nice! I need to read that someday. Is it a quick read?

[Wilhelm]

I wouldn't say quick. But not unmanageably long either.

[DoubleBreastedAmazon]

In the Juggernaut book "Scientific Principals..." they write about overreaching right before a deload to trigger "supercompensation".
I have no idea the value of that, but i did read it. : )

Not all grinds are in vain then. Nice! I need to read that someday. Is it a quick read?

Yeah this principle of pushing passed your maximum recoverable volume (MRV) at the end of the cycle has been really useful to me. Not that I am an expert or anything, but I program my mesocycles with this principle in mind. I try keep the RPEs between 7-8 early in the cycle eventually increasing to 9, even 9.5 during the final week(s). In addition to the physiological benefit, I also find it psychologically beneficial to start the cycle easy and end near max effort.

[omaniphil]

Yeah this principle of pushing passed your maximum recoverable volume (MRV) at the end of the cycle has been really useful to me. Not that I am an expert or anything, but I program my mesocycles with this principle in mind. I try keep the RPEs between 7-8 early in the cycle eventually increasing to 9, even 9.5 during the final week(s). In addition to the physiological benefit, I also find it psychologically beneficial to start the cycle easy and end near max effort.

I'll keep this in mind if and/or when I do my own programming. I think this concept is sort of built into Jordan and Austin's templates to some extent too, as there are a lot more prescribed @9s before deloads throughout their programming.

[omaniphil]

12/16/2017

Week 4 Day 4

Rack Pull
385x4 @7
405x4 @8
415x4 @8.5
415x4 @8.5
415x4 @8.5

CGBP
210x4 @7
215x4 @8
225x4 @8.5
225x4 @8.5
225x4 @9

Leg Press
320x10 @6
360x10 @7
410x10 @8
410x10 @8

No back pain at all this week. I'm grateful to have followed the advice of just training through it, adjusting intensity as needed in order to overcome it, as it seems to have dissipated. Old me would have taken a week or two off, and then been behind in my programming.

Rack pulls were done at a different rack today than usual, one safeties that don't come down below the knees. I ended up standing on two 45 plates stacked, and even then the bar was just barely an inch below the knee, when I normally do these like 2-3 in below the knee. The plates were wobbly though, and didn't want to stack 3 plates.

I'm having trouble actually acheiving @9s on the Leg Press. I keep increasing the weight substantially each week, but I always end up at around @8. I get lazy though, and don't feel like increasing the weight further to get an actual @9. I'm sure its fine.

[omaniphil]

On deload week, so missed a day of logging. Mostly just because these 30 minute gym sessions feel like I'm cheating.

Anyways...

12/17/2017
Week 5 Day 1
Comp Squats
365x1 @8.5
320x4 @8.5

Comp Bench
255x1 @ 9
215x4 @8

Lat Pulldowns
170x8x4

12/20/2017
Week 5 Day 2
Deadlift
405x1@7.5
355x4 @8

Press
175x1 @8
155x4 @7.5

5-3-0 Squat
175x4 @6
175x4 @6
185x4 @7
185x4 @7

Totally sandbagged the 5-3-0 squats. But I'm lazy, so YOLO...

[Shane]

I am super, super upset at the misleading log title. I find insufficient mediocrity herein.

What's the 5-3-0 squat? Is that tempo notation?

[omaniphil]

I am super, super upset at the misleading log title. I find insufficient mediocrity herein.

What's the 5-3-0 squat? Is that tempo notation?

You must be mistaken - these are pounds - not kilos.

Yeah, 5-3-0 is the tempo. 5 count on the way down - 3 count pause, and then up like normal. Fairly brutal, and my legs are really sore today from all that time spent doing the eccentric motion.

[omaniphil]

12/21/2017

Week 5 Day 3

5-3-0 Tempo Squat
195x4 @6.5
205x4 @7
225x4 @8

Paused Bench
195x4 @6.5
205x4 @7.5
215x4 @8.5

Pin Press
115x8 @7
120x8 @8
125x8 @8.5

Tempo Squats suck. Thankfully that's the last time I'm doing them on this cycle. That is all.

[omaniphil]

12/22/2017

Week 5 Day 4

Paused Deadlifts
315x4 @7
330x4 @8
340x4 @9 (felt that way, but after looking at the video, it looked fast, so call it an 8.5?)

Bench TNG
205x4 @6.5
2155x4 @8
225x4 @9

Was supposed to do rackpulls today, but ran out of time. Having family over for dinner, so needed to get home and start cooking. Pulled pork tacos. Started the pork shoulder this morning at 7am. Hoping its done by 6pm.