Nate's Log

[Nate B]

Wednesday, 10/23:

300 Squat:
275x6 @ 7
285x8 @ 8
295x8 @ 9

Tempo squats...my old nemesis. 300 tempo isn't nearly as bad as a 303 or 530 or something like that, but still no fun. The no fun stuff is what makes you stronger a lot of the time, though.

TnG Bench:
225x6 @ 7
235x6 @ 8.5
240x6 @ 9

Spoto Press:
185x8 @ 7
195x8 @ 8
205x8 @ 9

[Nate B]

Thursday, 10/24:

Rack Pull, mid shin, beltless:
385x6 @ 7
395x6 @ 8
410x6 @ 9

2.5" Block Bench:
225x6 @ 7
235x8 @ 8
245x8 @ 9

2ct Pause Bench:
185x8 @ 7
195x8 @ 8
205x8 @ 9

DB Curls:
40s x12x3
35s x13

EZ Bar LTE:
80x13x4

[Nate B]

Monday, 10/28:

Squat:
380x1 @ 8.5
265x5x2
295x5x3

Strength was definitely there for 380x1 to be a true @8 but my technique was horrible. Never really got leaned over enough - was essentially high barring a low bar squat. Now for the excuses - I got mentally thrown off because someone started moving the block that my phone was sitting on to video my squat, then someone else came over and told him that I was using it to record and they frantically tried to set the phone back up, all while another guy was standing in the way of the shot, only to apparently duck out of the way right as I started the descent. I saw this all out of the corner of my eye a second or so before I took my bracing breath. In hindsight, I should've just racked the bar, reset, and tried again. All things considered, not a terrible squat, though. Took about 2-3 minutes of rest between the backoff sets, and honestly could've got away with less (especially for the sets at 65%).

CGBP:
255x1 @ 8
210x4x6

CGBP still stalled. Benching is frustrating.

2" Deficit Sumo DL:
315x8 @ 6
325x8 @ 7
335x8 @ 8
315x8x3 @ 6.5, 6.5, 7

Sumos feeling good. The mats that my gym has are more like 3/4" each than 1", so these are more like 1.5" deficit pulls, but whatever.

Pendlay Row:
185x43 in 8 mins

Decided to mix it up and do Pendlay rows for the first time in a while. Definitely used a little more body english than usual once I got to like 30 reps.

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 10/29:

Sumo Deadlift:
465x1 @ 8.5
325x5x2
365x5x3

Was feeling strong during warmups and got a little too aggressive. 455-460 would've been more appropriate.

Bench:
265x1 @ 8
215x4x6

Bench is still not going great. Just not very confident off the chest. Feels like a technique issue. Need to keep my elbows under the bar and push it back. Might need more leg drive to help maintain my arch and drive my traps back into the bench, too.

Beltless HBBS:
255x8 @ 6
265x8 @ 7
275x8 @ 8
260x8x3 @ 7, 7, 7

EZ Bar Curls:
75x13x4

EZ Bar LTE:
90x12x4

[Nate B]

Thursday, 10/31:

300 Squat:
275x6 @ 7
285x6x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

TnG Bench:
185x8
205x8 @ 7
215x8x2 @ 8, 8

I don't know if I'm getting weaker or just being more honest with my RPE ratings. Hopefully the latter.

Spoto Press:
210x6x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

Chins:
44 reps in 8 mins


Friday, 11/1:

Rack Pull, mid shin, beltless:
355x8 @ 6
365x8 @ 6.5
385x8x2 @ 8, 8

Felt surprisingly good today, especially for a 6am workout.

2.5" Block Bench:
215x8 @ 6
225x8 @ 7
235x8x2 @ 8, 9

Let the last top set get away from me a little bit. However, I was feeling stronger with these today. My trouble with benching seems to be pretty clearly off the chest, seeing how the only bench variations that haven't really suffered are shorter ROM (spoto press and block bench).

2ct Pause Bench:
145x11 @ 6
155x11 @ 7
165x11x2 @ 8, 8

Can't say I've ever done 11s before, so this was a first. Sets felt like they took an eternity with the 2ct pause. Weaker on these than I anticipated, but it was a long time to be under the bar.

DB Curls:
40s x12x2 // 35s x 13x2

Cable Rope Triceps Extensions:
120x12x4

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 11/5:

Squat:
385x1 @ 8
275x5x2
300x5x3

Very pleased with the 385x1 @ 8. Moved like an 8 and felt like there were definitely two in the tank.

CGBP:
255x1 @ 8
210x4x6

Same weights as last week, but they felt like they moved better. I was tempted to try 260 for the top single @ 8, but wasn't very confident it would be there.

2" Deficit Sumo DL:
325x8 @ 6
335x8 @ 7
345x8 @ 8
325x8x3 @ 6.5, 7, 7

Making really good progress with these.

Low Row Machine:
+200x58 in 8 mins

Back on the row machine. I just don't have the desire to load up a barbell and do Pendlay rows after doing like 20 sets of barbell lifts beforehand.

[Nate B]

Wednesday, 11/6:

Sumo Deadlift:
465x1 @ 8
335x5x2
365x5x3

Crushed 465. Tried to stay more in my heels when I initiated the pull and it really helped my speed. Lost the bar forward a little last week when I attempted the same weight, and it caused it to move slower. While my bench may be struggling, my squat and deadlift are movin' on up.

Bench:
250x1 @ 7.5
210x4x6

What the hell? Granted, 250 was a self unrack, but it was supposed to be a like @ 6 or 6.5 warmup for the top single @ 8 and ended up feeling close to @ 8. Just called it and did backoff work. I'm frustrated and bewildered with my bench lately, especially when I thought I was back on the right track when CGBP felt pretty good yesterday. This put my e1RM at like 275 for the day, which I did for an easy single @ 8 a little over a month ago. Just crazy that it's going so poorly while my squat and deadlift are progressing quite nicely.

Beltless HBBS:
255x8 @ 6
265x8 @ 7
275x8 @ 8.5
255x8x3 @ 6.5, 6.5, 7

275 felt a little harder than it should've, so I cut 5 lbs off my backoff sets.

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x12x4

Cable Rope Triceps Extensions:
120x14x4

[Nate B]

Friday, 11/8:

300 Squat:
275x6 @ 7
285x6x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

Could've maybe afforded to go up a little on these, depending on how honest I am with the tempo on the descent, but felt like I hit the prescribed RPE pretty well.

TnG Bench:
205x8 @ 6
215x8 @ 7
225x8x2 @ 8.5, 9

Ended up overshooting a little on the top sets. I self unracked for the first set, so I thought I might have another 8.5 in me if I got a liftoff for the second, but ended up being a 9. Probably should've just played it safe with 220 - I wasn't sure if I should rate the previous set of 215 as @7 or 7.5.

Spoto Press:
210x6x2 @ 8, 8.5
205x6 @ 8

Learned my lesson from TnG and bumped the weight down 5 lbs after I hit @8.5 for the second set.

Chins:
44 reps in 8 mins


Saturday, 11/9:

Rack Pull, mid shin, beltless:
355x8 @ 6
365x8 @ 7
385x8x2 @ 8, 9

Had a lot of trouble right around the knee for the last few reps of the last top set for some reason.

2.5" Block Bench:
215x8 @ 6
225x8 @ 7.5
230x8x2 @ 8, 8

2ct Pause Bench:
145x11 @ 6
155x11 @ 7
165x11x2 @ 8, 8.5

EZ Curls:
75x13x4

EZ LTE:
90x12x4

Last set was an RPE 10 to get all 12. Maybe I need to bump the weight down a bit.

[Nate B]

Monday, 11/11:

Squat:
390x1 @ 8
275x5x2
305x5x3

Squats are feeling great lately. Depth was borderline for the top single, but looked like 2 whites to me. I tend to sink my squats a little deeper than I need to, so cutting some depth isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Incline:
220x1 @ 8.5
175x4x6

Think I took to big of a jump between my last warmup and my top single and wasn't as dialed into what I was capable of as I should've been.

Snatch Grip RDL:
275x8 @ 6
285x8 @ 7
295x8 @ 8.5
275x8x3 @ 6.5, 7, 7

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 11/12:

Sumo Deadlift:
470x1 @ 8.5
335x5x2
365x5x3

470 was probably there for an @8 from a strength standpoint, but I didn't pull with very good technique off the floor. I tried to get my weight in my heels a little too much and ended up dropping my hips too low in doing so. Ended up having to pull myself back over the bar to break it off the floor, and from there it was a slow pull. Need to do a better job of "building the house" in my setup and keep my hips high enough, then pull through my heels.

Bench:
270x1 @ 8.5
225x4x6

Got a liftoff for my last warmup so I'd be more dialed into what I was capable of that day. Hit 255x1 with relative ease, @6.5 or MAYBE 7. Got a little out of the groove on 270x1 and hit a brief sticking point. Realized while doing my backoffs that if I pause a little softer on my chest (don't let it sink at all) I end up staying in the groove better. I'll have to pay closer attention to this during my singles in the future.

Wide Stance Leg Press:
490x8 @ 6
510x8 @ 6.5
540x5

Stop me if you've heard this one before - I tweaked my low back. Got lazy halfway through my first set of what supposed to be 540x8 @ 8 and let my butt come off the pad at the bottom of the movement. Felt a pop and barely got the sled back up. Couldn't stand up out of the seat for about 5 minutes, but paced around the gym and did air RDLs and air squats once I was able to. Pretty frustrating, but if the past is any indicator, I'll be back to pretty much normal within a week or so. I've been really good about bracing and focusing on every rep for barbell movements as if they were a 1RM attempt, but got lazy with the leg press because...it's a machine, I guess?

DB Curls:
35s x14x4

Cable Rope Triceps Extensions:
120x14x4

[Nate B]

Thursday, 11/14:

2ct Pause Squat:
225x6x3

Wasn't @ 8 as far as strength is concerned, but I didn't want to push it beyond here because my back wasn't feeling very good at the bottom of the squat.

TnG Bench:
205x8 @ 6
215x8 @ 7
225x8x2 @ 8, 8.5

Hit my prescribed RPEs much better this week. Now if I could just get the loads moving up again!

Floor Press:
225x6x2 @ 8.5, 8.5
215x6 @ 8

I think I forgot that my floor press is about as weak as my comp bench, if not a little weaker. Even with the shorter ROM, not being able to set an arch and use leg drive really hurts my pressing strength.

Chins:
44 reps in 8 mins

Friday, 11/15:

I completely missed a day of training for the first time in a while - I was traveling with my wife all day to Las Vegas on Friday and we spent all day Saturday out hiking near Lake Mead. It obviously isn't a big deal in the long run, but it felt a little weird.

[Nate B]

Monday, 11/18:

I'm doing my training in Brandon Allen's gym - Filthy Power Gym - while I'm here in Vegas, and he was in the gym while I was there today. I actually got the chance to talk with him for a while and he came across as a really nice guy. He's apparently still bouncing back from a knee surgery and a motorcycle accident, so he was using pretty light weights by his standards, but it was still pretty surreal interacting with and lifting alongside a monster who's totaled 2,400+ raw (w/ wraps).

Squat:
385x1 @ 8.5
275x5x2
295x5x3

My hike on Saturday was about 8 miles and almost 1,500 feet of elevation change in the desert, and I think it affected my squats a little. My hips were feeling a little banged up and my quads weren't feeling their strongest. Goodmorninged the single a little bit and it moved a little slow as a result. Took about 5 lbs off the backoff work.

Incline:
225x1 @ 8
185x4x6

My pressing muscles were feeling much fresher than my squatting muscles, apparently, because these went great. I was chatting with Brandon while I was warming up for the single, so I think that might've added a few pounds. Just being in that dude's presence must have an anabolic effect.

Snatch Grip RDL:
265x8 @ 6
275x8 @ 7
285x8 @ 8
270x8x3 @ 7, 7, 7

These were down a little bit mostly from fatigue from the hike, I think. My back was feeling pretty good.

Tuesday, 11/19:

Sumo Deadlift:
460x1 @ 7.5
330x5x2
365x5x3

I thought I might have 465 or even 470 in me, but I decided to play it safe with the top single. Not only was I being a little cautious with my low back, but I also was lifting in socks (because I didn't have room to pack my Sabos) and wasn't feeling 100% stable or in position. All things considered, I was happy with this single.

Bench:
275x1 @ 9.5
215x4x6

I am all sorts of thrown off with my bench recently. My last warmup (255) absolutely flew, so I thought I had 275 in the bag. Ended up having to grind to get through the sticking point. I'm all in my own head and don't trust my warmups to be at all indicative of a single @ 8 anymore. I think I'll have to legitimately start doing a single @ 7 as a last warmup to be truly dialed in.

Wide Stance Leg Press:
410x8 @ 6
430x8 @ 7
450x8 @ 8
430x8x3

I was naturally pretty cautious with these this week. I ended up basically doing a 200 or 300 tempo leg press in order to stay totally in control of my movement the entire time.

DB Curls:
35s x14x4

DB LTE:
30s x14x4

[Nate B]

Thursday, 11/21:

2ct Pause Squat:
285x6x3

Feeling much better this week.

TnG Bench:
205x8 @ 6
215x8 @ 7
225x8x2 @ 8, 8.5

I'll take not having to take a step back as progress. Wish I could get my stubborn bench moving again. Really trying to focus on what my elbows are doing during the rep and maintaining good leg drive to keep my arch and push my traps back into the bench.

Floor Press:
215x6x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

Chins:
46 reps in 8 mins

Saturday, 11/23:

Sumo w/ red bands:
315x8 @ 7
325x8x2 @ 8, 8
305x8 @ 6

Back home and in my usual gym. First time ever working with bands. Weights listed are straight weight, not accounting for band tension. Fortunately, my gym has a lot of different bands to accommodate the many equipped, conjugate lifters, but I didn't know which to use - lots of different colors, thicknesses. Settled on two 1" thick red bands because I've seen a lot of people use them for their speed deadlifts - I've really only seen guys use the really thick ones for max effort squats and reverse band bench. No idea what tension they were, but I'm assuming somewhere around 25 lbs each based on how these went. Hit my @ 7 set early and had to go back to do the @ 6 set after my top set. I'll consult with Leah and see if she has any preferences on what bands I should use in the future.

Blue Slingshot Bench:
245x8 @ 6
255x8 @ 7.5
260x8x2 @ 8, 8

Very glad to see slingshot bench on the program. I feel like the slingshot has helped push my bench up in the past. Regardless, it's a lot of fun. May look into a red slingshot in the near future once my bench is comfortably up over 300.

CGBP:
165x11 @ 6
170x11 @ 7
175x11x2 @ 8, 9

My pressing muscles, especially my triceps, were pretty gassed by the time I got to the last set of 11. Really had to fight the temptation to do TnG reps for these haha.

[Nate B]

Monday, 11/25:

Squat:
265x10 @ 6
275x10 @ 6.5
290x10x2 @ 8, 8

Pivot week, so we're doing sets of 10 and 15. I haven't done comp squat for reps of more than like 5 in a while, other than empty bar warmups. Definitely a foreign feeling. 290x10 looked a lot easier on video than it felt. Probably could've done a bit more weight.

Incline:
155x10 @ 6
160x10 @ 7
165x10x2 @ 8, 8.5

Snatch Grip RDL:
215x15 @ 7
225x15 @ 8
235x15 @ 9

Kinda difficult feeling out RPE for reps this high. Felt my rear delts and upper back start to burn before my glutes and hams.

Low Row Machine:
200x58 in 8 mins

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 11/26:

Sumo Deadlift:
315x10 @ 6
335x10 @ 6.5
355x10 @ 8, 8

The bar was ripping up my hands by the time I got to the sets @ 8, so I used straps. I usually like to only use straps for assistance movements and do competition lifts exactly how I would perform them in...competition...but I didn't want to tear some calluses and fuck my grip up for heavier work down the road. Doing these higher rep sets also made me consider buying a good set of collars - there's only one set at the gym that's still got some halfway decent grip to it and they were being used, so I could feel the plates sliding around after rep 4 or 5.

Bench:
175x10 @ 6
185x10 @ 7
195x10 @ 8, 9

I was feeling very lightheaded after I finished my deadlifts. I think it was a combination of breathing and bracing for so many reps in a row and lifting on a pretty empty stomach. Didn't seem to negatively impact my strength too much, but I definitely took my time sitting up from the bench. I've noticed that when I do sets across for bench and bench variations, I have a much harder time maintaining the same RPE across sets than I do for squats and deads. Probably because smaller muscles are being used and the margin for error in technique is smaller, but it's still an observation that I'm not thrilled about.

200 Wide Stance Leg Press:
400x15 @ 7
420x15 @ 7.5
450x15 @ 9

Stuck with a little slower tempo on these. I don't know if I was just feeling more confident in my back or the base weight of the machine in my gym is lighter than the machine I was using in Vegas, but I was able to do considerably more weight this week than last.

DB Curls:
35s x14x4

Cable Rope Triceps Extension:
120x14x4