Nate's Log

[Nate B]

Thursday, 11/28:

HBBS:
235x10 @ 6
245x10 @ 7
255x10x2 @ 8, 8

TnG Bench:
195x10 @ 6
205x10 @ 7
215x10x2 @ 8, 9

Might have to start not doing sets across for my top sets unless otherwise prescribed.

Floor Press:
155x15 @ 7
165x15 @ 8
170x15 @ 9

Chins:
45 reps in 8 mins

Friday, 11/29:

Sumo w/ red bands:
295x10 @ 6
305x10 @ 8
315x10 @ 8, 8

This session made me decide to invest in my own set of bands - I feel like I'm not getting as much as I should out of the communal ones at the gym (they're also in pretty rough shape). Grabbed a pair of black Friday discounted red minis (30 lbs each) and light orange (60 lbs each) bands off EliteFTS.

Blue Slingshot Bench:
225x10 @ 6
235x10 @ 7
245x10 @ 8, 8.5

DB Incline:
110x15 @ 7
120x15 @ 8
130x15 @ 9.5

I much prefer DB incline to barbell incline in general, so these were a welcome addition to my programming to cap off the pivot week. Having fun with high rep dumbbells made me want to do more of a powerbuilding style of training after I've done my meet here in a couple months.

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x12x4

DB LTE:
30s x12x4

[Nate B]

Monday, 12/2:

Squat:
390x1 @ 8.5
350x4 @ 8
335x1x2
315x5x4 @ 7, 7, 7, 7.5

Lots of jumping around with the loading today, but it was by design. Overshot just a smidge on the top single - technique felt and looked fine, just think it was about 5 lbs too heavy. I think all the subsequent sets were right on the money.

Incline:
215x1 @ 7
225x1 @ 8.5
200x4 @ 8
205x4 @ 9
190x4x4 @ 7, 7, 7.5, 7.5

Should've consulted the RPE table after the single @7. 220 would've been the appropriate load for a single @ 8 based on that, and I think it showed. Hit everything else fine, though.

Snatch Grip RDL:
275x10 @ 8
245x6x3

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 12/3:

Sumo Deadlift:
475x1 @ 7.5
440x4 @ 8
420x1x2
405x5x4 @ 7, 7, 7.5, 7.5

Looks like the pivot week was great for my deadlift - felt well rested and dangerous 475x1 was a joke - would've rated it @ 7 on speed alone, but it did feel a little heavier than it looked on video. I regret not being a little more aggressive with my load selection after how strong I felt in warmups, because I'm almost positive that I had 485x1 in me for a true @ 8. Decided to not attempt 485 after hitting 475, though - settled for a 5 lbs PR and a ton of confidence. Upped everything about 5 lbs for the subsequent sets.

Bench:
255x1 @ 7
270x1 @ 8
245x4 @ 8
245x4 @ 8.5
225x4x4 @ 7, 7, 7.5, 8

Pauses were all a little quick across the board for some reason, but I didn't overshoot any of my bench sets for what feels like the first time in months, which is a positive. Jumped up to 270 instead of 265 for the single @ 8 because while 255x1 felt like a true @ 7, the guy giving me a liftoff barely was touching the bar at all, so it was basically a self unrack (to his credit, I told him to give me a soft liftoff). Ended up being the right call. Actually was a little too cautious with my load selection for the subsequent sets. My program called for [email protected] followed by [email protected] 9. Knowing that I fatigue a little quickly when it comes to benching, I didn't increase the load after doing 245x4 @8 borderline @8.5. Speed and my estimated RIR ended up being about the same, though.

200 Wide Stance Leg Press:
530x8 @ 7
560x8x3 @ 8

[Nate B]

Thursday, 12/5:

Pin Squat:
305x5 @ 7
315x5 @ 8.5
320x5 @ 9
305x5x3 @ 8, 8.5, 9

Hips were rising a little quick out of the hole compared to my chest. Need to think about driving traps in to the bar again.

TnG Bench:
225x7 @ 7.5
235x7 @ 9
215x7x4 @ 7.5, 8, 8, 9

Technique was all over the place. Was overtucking my elbows on the descent and flaring them out way too much on the way up. Never really felt like I was set up right on the bench either. Bad bench day.

Floor Press:
195x8 @ 7
205x8x2 @ 8, 8.5
200x8 @ 8

Bumped the weight down 5 lbs for the third set to avoid an RPE 9.

Chins:
45 reps in 8 mins

[Nate B]

Friday, 12/6:

Sumo w/ red bands:
365x5 @ 7
375x5 @ 8
385x5 @ 9
365x5x3 @ 8, 8.5, 9

First session with the new bands. Definitely feel a bit more resistance at the top, which is obviously the goal, than with the old worn out bands. Used straps to save my hands. I need to start using lotion and managing my calluses in general a little more religiously with the cold, dry weather working against me.

Blue Slingshot Bench:
255x7 @ 7
265x7 @ 8.5
270x7 @ 9
250x7x4 @ 7.5, 7.5, 8.5, 9

DB Incline:
140x8 @ 7
150x8x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

DB Curls:
35s x14x4

DB LTE:
30s x14x4

[Nate B]

Sunday, 12/8:

Long session today - pushing 3 hours, although I'm pretty sure I could've cut it shorter if I had been less social and rested a bit less between the backoff sets. Still, 8-9 sets on the two main lift slots makes for a lengthy session no matter what you do. Last push in this development block before specialization work, so I'm just going to have to grin and bear it for the next few weeks. Hopefully it'll all prove itself worthwhile on the platform!

Squat:
385x1 @ 8.5
350x4 @ 8.5
325x4x5 @ 6, 6.5, 7, 7, 7
345x1

Overshot the top single again, this time it was definitely a technique issue that I caught after the next set of 350x4 - I have an old, bad habit of descending with too much of my weight in my heels, which throws off my position coming out of the hole. Noticed the twinkle toes when watching the 350x4 set back on video and corrected for the remaining sets. I'm confident I didn't overshoot the top single on strength because 350x4 was supposed to be @9 and I rated it confidently @ 8.5.

CGBP:
245x1 @ 6.5
260x1 @ 8
240x4 @ 10
220x4x4 @ 6.5, 7, 7, 7.5
230x1x2

Went from feeling awesome after what felt and moved like @8 for the top single of 260 to feeling bewildered after nearly failing 240x4. I really got out of the groove on the second rep of 240 and it must've thrown me off enough for the next two. Might've also got a reality check that I don't grind nearly as well on bench as I do with squat and deadlift, so if I feel anything resembling a grind on my [email protected] set, I need to rate it @8.5 at the very least. I really need to be more careful with my bench load selections in general now that I'm playing with more @9 weights. Can't be failing reps in training.

RDL:
295x8 @ 6
305x8 @ 7
315x8 @ 8
305x8x3 @ 7, 7, 8

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 12/10:

Sumo Deadlift:
480x1 @ 8.5
445x4 @ 9
405x4x5 @ 6.5, 6.5, 7, 7, 7
440x1

Little slower than I would've liked - think I just overestimated my strength for the day. Dialed it in better for the [email protected] and the backoff sets.

Bench:
260x1 @ 7
270x1 @ 8
250x4 @ 9.5
235x4x4 @ 7, 7, 8, 8
245x1x2

Pauses were still a little quick, but better than last week.

SSB Squat:
255x6 @ 6
265x6 @ 7
275x6x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

The gym owner purchased an EFTS SSB Yoke and it really pulls you forward a lot more than the old SSB they had. Really had to fight to not get folded over. Ended up not pushing quite as much weight as I anticipated.

[Nate B]

Thursday, 12/12:

Pin Squat:
305x5 @ 7
315x5 @ 8.5
325x5 @ 9
300x5x2 @ 7, 7.5

Focused on getting my knees forward quicker and keeping my elbows pinned to my lats on the way up. Everything else seemed to fall into place. Didn't take any video but felt cleaner.

TnG Bench:
245x4 @ 7.5
250x4 @ 8.5
255x4 @ 9.5
235x4x2 @ 7, 7.5

Overshot a bit on every rep, but overall went better execution than last week. Felt a lot better about my elbow position, but I still tend to overflare on the way up.

Floor Press:
225x4 @ 7
235x4 @ 8.5
240x4 @ 9
220x4x2 @ 6.5, 7

Chins:
44 reps in 8 mins

[Nate B]

Friday, 12/13:

Sumo w/ red bands:
375x5 @ 7
385x5 @ 8
395x5 @ 9
365x5x2 @ 6.5, 7

Nice 10 lbs jump from last week.

Blue Slingshot Bench:
275x4 @ 7
285x4 @ 8.5
290x4 @ 9
265x4x2 @ 6.5, 7

Very thrilling handling that much weight. I got the blue slingshot about a year ago when my bench 1RM was about 30-40 lbs lower and as my bench strength has gone up, I've been thinking about picking up one of the regular red ones. I've been a little disappointed with the quality of the blue one, though, because it's starting to kind of wear out already (fabric is starting to fray a little, exposing bits of the elastic strings) so I've been considering a Titan Ram. The Ram is apparently more of a double ply vs the single ply slingshot, though, so idk how well that would carry over for me as a raw lifter. The STrong sleeves I got are still holding up great even with 2-3x/week use, though, so maybe I just haven't been treating the slingshot well by keeping it in the bottom of my gym bag all the time. I'll probably just get the red one when Mark Bell has a Christmas or New Year sale.

Incline:
185x4 @ 7
190x4 @ 8
195x4 @ 9
180x4x2 @ 7, 7.5

I was fried from the slingshot by the time I got to these.

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x14x4

DB LTE:
30s x14x4

DB Rows:
85x54 in 8 mins

Did these on Saturday when I did my cardio.

[Nate B]

Monday, 12/16:

Squat:
395x1 @ 8
365x4 @ 9
335x4x4 @ 6, 6.5, 7, 7
365x1

Very happy with the single @ 8. I'm pretty sure 395 either ties the most or is the most weight I've ever had on my back, so that's pretty cool. 400x1 @ 8 is soon to fall. 365x4 @ 9 was good RPE wise, but for whatever reason I was a bit hesitant/nervous squatting that weight for reps - it was like I didn't really believe that it was the right load and that the e1RM I was getting from 395x1 @ 8 was a fluke. As a result, my depth wasn't quite there - only satisfied with two out of the four reps. It wasn't like I was 4 inches high on those two reps, but they were right at parallel at best. Need to be more confident and trust myself.

CGBP:
245x1 @ 7.5
250x1 @ 8
240x3 @ 9
225x3x4 @ 6.5, 7, 7, 8
230x1x2

Brought my grip in about an inch - index fingers on the line between the knurling and the smooth center of the bar. Little less strong as a result, but I pretty much nailed my RPE targets. Did a much, much better job of popping the bar BACK rather than UP off my chest. 240x3 looked like it was @9.5, but I felt myself get out of the groove rather than my strength start to fail, so I was pretty confident I had another rep in me with good technique. One of my gym buddies happened to be there, so having someone spotting me that was familiar with how I like my liftoffs also helped.

RDL:
305x8 @ 6
315x8 @ 6.5
330x8 @ 8.5
315x8x3 @ 7, 7.5, 8

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 12/17:

Sumo Deadlift:
485x1 @ 8
455x4 @ 9
415x4x4 @ 6.5, 7, 7, 7
445x1

Technique was very solid today. 485 moved pretty well - didn't drop my hips before starting the pull this week! As a result, I didn't kick the bar forward and the pull off the floor was a lot smoother. Ripped the absolute shit out of my hands, but didn't all out tear any calluses. Cold, dry weather and sharp knurling can be a nasty combination.

Bench:
265x1 @ 7
275x1 @ 8
265x3 @ 9
250x3x4 @ 7, 7, 8, 8
255x1x2 @ 7, 7.5

I was very happy with this bench session - feels like its been a while since I was able to say that! Hit all my RPE targets and was back to moving the same kinds of weights I was hitting two-ish months ago before my bench went in the toilet. Being conscious of elbow position along with the technique cue of pressing BACK has really been helping a lot (thanks, Leah).

SSB Squat:
255x6 @ 6
265x6 @ 7
275x6x3 @ 8, 8, 8

I might be sandbagging these a little, seeing how they're about 17% weaker than my comp squat, but SSB squats are fucking hard for a hip dominant, low bar squatter! I really have to fight to keep from getting folded over and keep my knees forward out of the bottom, but I'm doing them for a reason - if I'm able to get stronger on these, it'll no doubt help my comp squat. On the plus side, I had the "powerlifting area" of the gym mostly to myself, so I was able to superset these with my backoff bench sets without feeling like I was hogging equipment. I was actually able to do my arms work and still get out of the gym in 2 hours. Nice!

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x14x2
45s x12x2

Cable Rope Triceps Extensions:
110x14x4

[Nate B]

Thursday, 12/19:

Pin Squat:
305x5 @ 7
315x5 @ 8
325x5 @ 9
300x5x2 @ 7, 7

325 was surprisingly smooth for an RPE 9. Considered rating it @ 8.5. I'm really happy with how these have seemed to transfer to my comp squat - I've noticed a discernible improvement in my strength and confidence out of the bottom.

TnG Bench:
245x4 @ 7
255x4 @ 8
265x4 @ 9.5
240x4x2 @ 7, 7.5

265 should've been @ 9 based on the ramping sets before it, but the kid I had spot me gave me a jerky, incomplete liftoff while I was still taking my breath, even though I told him to wait until I finish taking it. Wasn't ready for it so my elbows weren't locked and kinda buckled as the load transferred 100% to me and I nearly dropped the weight on my chest. Used some valuable strength just to not fail the set before it even started lol. Just a miscommunication, I guess - wasn't upset about it and the bar still went up for 4 reps, albeit a little too slow on the last one. Just the price you pay when you don't always have consistent training partners that know what they're doing.

Floor Press:
225x4 @ 7
235x4 @ 8.5
245x4 @ 9
225x4x2 @ 7, 7

Chins:
45 reps in 8 mins

[Nate B]

Friday, 12/20:

Sumo w/ red bands:
375x5 @ 7
385x5 @ 8
395x5 @ 9
365x5x2 @ 7, 7

Blue Slingshot Bench:
275x4 @ 7
285x4 @ 8
290x4 @ 9
265x4x2 @ 6.5, 7

Briefly considered taking a stab at 295, but I’m glad I didn’t. I had to cut my workout here to make an obligation.

Saturday, 12/21:

Incline:
185x4 @ 6.5
195x4 @ 7.5
205x4 @ 8.5
190x4x2 @ 7, 7

Since I had to save these for Saturday, I was unusually fresh for them. Was able to do significantly more weight than I usually can do after hitting five sets with the slingshot.

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x14x4

DB LTE:
30s x14x4

DB Rows:
90x46 in 8 mins

[Nate B]

Sunday, 12/22:

Squat:
390x1 @ 7.5
405x1 @ 9
365x4 @ 9
345x4x3 @ 7.5, 8, 8

Program called for singles @ 7.5 and 8.5. 390x1 moved about how a 7.5 should, so 8.5 was going to either be 400 or 405. I knew 400 would've been more of a sure thing, but when you've got the opportunity to squat 4 plates for the first time in your life, you've gotta take it, right? It ended up moving more like @ 9 than 8.5, which I somewhat expected, but I wasn't too upset about it - still a pretty big confidence booster. I have the gut feeling that Leah programmed singles @7.5 and @8.5 in lieu of @8 and @9 due to my tendency to overreach and chase PRs, and doesn't want me to overexert myself hitting singles @ 9.5 and whatnot regularly leading up to meet day, so the fact that I ended up hitting RPE 7.5 and 9 probably isn't too bad.

CGBP:
255x1 @ 8
235x3x5 @ 7.5, 7.5, 8, 8, 8.5

Pretty happy with this. Got back to where I was before bringing my grip in an inch pretty much right away, and did it all with self unracks! I had the gym more or less to myself, so I just used the bench with spotting pins rather than getting somebody off the treadmill to spot me haha.

RDL:
345x5 @ 7
365x5 @ 8
375x5 @ 9.5
350x5x2 @ 7, 7.5

May have gotten a little aggressive here.

[Nate B]

Monday, 12/23:

Sumo Deadlift:
475x1 @ 7.5
495x1 @ 9
445x4 @ 9
420x4x3 @ 7.5, 7.5, 8

Much like with the 405 squat, I went off program a little bit just so I could cross 5 plates off my list of milestones. Definitely couldn't mark it an 8.5, but it moved like a good 9. Used a stiff bar today, and will do so for the remainder of my meet prep. I definitely could feel a difference off the floor and somewhat at lockout compared to the deadlift bar, but thankfully my strength on the stiff bar was within 10 lbs or so of where it was on the deadlift bar. I'm hopeful that as I get more accustomed to the differences in starting position when pulling on the stiff bar, this gap will close.

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x12x2
40s x14x2

Cable Rope Triceps Extensions:
110x14x4

This was all I had time for today. I'll finish up the rest of the workout tomorrow.

Tuesday, 12/24:

Bench:
280x1 @ 8
220x4x2
255x3x3 @ 7.5, 8, 8

This was obviously the first thing I did, so I was completely fresh, but I was very happy with where my strength was today. Very nice single @8. Matches the most weight I've ever benched raw with a pause and at -1 or -1.5 RPE. All three lifts are moving in the right direction.

SSB Squat:
265x6 @ 6
275x6 @ 7.5
280x6x2 @ 8, 8, 8.5

Wasn't as fatigued going into these since I didn't do deads on the same day. +5 lbs for the top sets @8 as a result. The SSB still makes me feel like a total wuss.