Nate's Log

[Nate B]

Monday, 7/13:

Comp Squat:
315x6
335x3

My back felt about 80% going into this, so not too bad. The plan was to ramp up sets of 6 from RPE 7 to 9. 315 felt just shy of RPE 6, so I figured 335 would be about right for RPE 7. Everything was going fine until I felt a twinge in my lower back during the ascent on the third rep, so I racked it and called the set there. I wouldn't say I retweaked it, but I did aggravate it a bit. Did a set of 6 with 225 after a few minutes just to keep things loose and moving.

Kneeling OHP:
115x8 @ 6
120x8 @ 7
125x8 @ 8

CG Floor Press:
195x10 @ 8.5
205x8x2 @ 8, 9

Real pain in the ass (or more literally, back) to have to get down and back up off the floor for these with my now very tight lower back.

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 7/14:

Comp DL:
385x6
395x6 @ 6
405x6 @ 7

My back felt very off going into these, so I didn't push it past a conservative RPE 7.

Comp Bench:
215x8 @ 6
225x8 @ 7
235x8 @ 8

Some of the pauses were a little on the brief side, but overall I was happy with these. At least bench is going well.

Split Squat:
155x8 @ 6
165x8 @ 7
175x8 @ 8

Was supposed to give front squats a try but 1. front rack position is still a no go for me, and 2. my back was so tight and painful that I couldn't get down any more then 4" above parallel. Unilateral squats felt okay, though, so I called an audible and did split squats. Pretty frustrated with my back right now because it feels like it's getting worse. We'll see what a day of rest will bring.

[Nate B]

Thursday, 7/16:

HBBS:
265x8 @ 6
275x8 @ 7
285x8 @ 7.5

Very relieved with how my back felt during these. There's still some pain and tightness if I go much beyond parallel, so I just tried to feel like I was cutting these high (even though they ended up being to depth on video). Hopefully the back continues to improve.

TnG Bench:
215x10 @ 7
225x10 @ 8.5
230x10 @ 9

Larsen Press:
210x10 @ 9
215x8x2 @ 8, 9

BB Curls:
75x14x3

LTE, 3ct ecc:
65x15x3

[Nate B]

Friday, 7/17:

3ct Pause Sumo DL:
345x8 @ 6
355x8 @ 7
365x8 @ 7.5

Felt pretty good going into these, and they went well. Still playing it pretty safe with my load selection and interpretation of RPE.

Feet Up Bench:
215x10 @ 9
225x8x2 @ 8, 9

Pushups:
+45x20x3

Saturday, 7/18:

Barbell Rows, E(2)MO(2)M:
10 mins -- 185x12, 12, 11, 9, 8, 7

Took 10 mins and did an AMRAP (with an RPE 9 cap) every 2 mins (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10).

DB Lateral Raises:
20s x17x3

[Nate B]

Sunday, 7/19:

As of this week, I am no longer working with Leah. My decision came down to the financial aspect and a desire to see what I can do on my own with what I've learned so far, nothing negative about her - my experience with her was very positive. So from now, I'm designing all my own programming. I'm treating this "comeback" from my hurt back as the start of a new cycle, so I'm keeping things relatively light and easy for the first block and build a good base. I'm hoping to rebuild my solid foundation while training in a way that allows my back to heal up closer to 100% - so higher reps, lower volume, not a lot of lower body work over RPE 8, and some lower specificity for a little while.

Comp Squat:
315x6
335x6 @ 7
345x6 @ 8
305x6

i'm keeping the higher reps (lower absolute & relative intensity) for now while I ease my lower back into heavier training again, as well as keeping volume low (only one backoff set) with the plan of ramping up in the following weeks (provided my back is responding well). I played golf earlier in the morning so my legs were a little fatigued going into these. Also, being honest, I had a fair bit of anxiety about hitting depth after re-tweaking my back in the bottom of a comp squat last week. Most of these reps were like 2 white light depth as a result, and my technique at the bottom of the squat felt off because I wasn't hitting the depth I normally do in training. Still, I got through these pain free, which is what counts. Just building strength and confidence.

Kneeling OHP:
125x6 @ 7
130x6 @ 8
135x6 @ 9
120x6x2

CG Floor Press:
195x10 @ 8.5
205x8x2 @ 8, 9

[Nate B]

Wednesday, 7/22:

Comp DL:
395x6 @ 6
405x6 @ 6.5
425x6 @ 8
375x6

Feeling closer to normal. Strength is still a little down, but it'll come back quickly as I get more confident in my back.

Comp Bench:
235x6 @ 7
245x6 @ 8
255x6 @ 9.5
230x6x2

Pauses were a little inconsistent on the top set. Overshot a little but nothing terrible.

Split Squat:
155x8 @ 6
165x8 @ 7
175x8x2 @ 7.5, 8

Thursday, 7/23:

Chins:
53 reps in 10 minutes

DB Lateral Raises:
25s x12x3

[Nate B]

Friday, 7/24:

HBBS:
275x8 @ 6
285x8 @ 7.5
290x8x2 @ 8, 8.5

I was feeling quad, glute, and erector DOMS going into this session, but managed to squat something respectable.

TnG Bench:
225x8 @ 7
235x8 @ 8
245x8 @ 9
225x8x2 @ 7, 7.5

Larsen Press:
210x10 @ 9
215x8x2 @ 8, 9

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x15x3

LTE, 5ct ecc:
65x12x3

[Nate B]

Saturday, 7/25:

3ct Pause Sumo DL:
355x8 @ 6
365x8 @ 7
375x8 @ 8
375x5

My back felt good going into these, so I decided to choose loads that more accurately represented true RPE/RIR. This might've been too aggressive of a move, as I retweaked my back on the last 8@8 set I had planned for the day. Exact same pain location, but not quite as severe as the first time. I guess I need to take this a little more seriously. I'm going to program a rehab plan for the next 4-5 weeks or so to really ensure I give myself time to mentally and physically recover before getting back to normal deadlift training.

Feet Up Bench:
215x10 @ 9
225x8x2 @ 8, 9

Still was able to do my feet up bench pretty normally. Getting on and off of the bench was a real hassle, though.

Skipped rows and weighted pushups because my back was feeling too sensitive.

[Nate B]

Monday, 7/27:

Comp Squat:
315x6x3 @ 6-ish

Following a more strict rehab protocol for lower body movements for a while. The initial plan was just to do this for deadlifts, but my squat warmups were feeling iffy so I did it for them as well. The low back is very flexion intolerant at the moment, and I can feel it tighten up right around when I hit depth. 315 was a little less than RPE 6 (might've hit 6 by the last set) but I didn't feel comfortable going much heavier. Happy that my strength still doesn't seem to be down too much. 6@6, then two sets of 6@7 next week.

Kneeling OHP:
125x6 @ 7
130x6 @ 8
135x6 @ 8.5
125x6x2 @ 7.5, 8

CG Floor Press:
195x10 @ 8.5
205x8x2 @ 7.5, 8.5

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 7/28:

Comp DL, 202 tempo:
355x6x3 @ 6-ish

Not gonna lie, I was pretty nervous about these. I took it very easy (probably had 365 if I wanted for a true 6) but got through them just fine. I still have some pain and limited ROM, but it's getting better by the day. I think the most important thing at this point is to regain my confidence and let the pain handle itself.

Comp Bench:
235x6 @ 7
245x6 @ 8.5
250x6 @ 9
230x6x2

245 didn't move quite as smoothly as an RPE 8 should, so I just jumped 5 lbs. Ho hum session.

Split Squat:
165x8 @ 6
175x8 @ 7
185x8x2 @ 8, 8

Felt decently fresh for these since deadlifts weren't very taxing at all.

[Nate B]

Thursday, 7/30:

300 HBBS:
245x8 @ 6
255x8 @ 7
265x8 @ 7.5
250x8 @ 6.5

Added the 300 tempo back in just to keep the loads light while I'm letting this low back flare up calm down.

TnG Bench:
225x8 @ 6.5
235x8 @ 8
245x8 @ 10
225x8x2 @ 7, 7

It's such a tired excuse, but I really misgrooved the last rep of the 245 set - on video, it looked like I overtucked my elbows on the way down and overflared them on the way back up. Hit my usual sticking point about 3" off the chest and really had to grind it back up.

Larsen Press:
205x10 @ 9
210x8x2 @ 7.5, 8.5

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x15x3

LTE, 5ct ecc:
65x12x3

[Nate B]

Friday, 7/31:

RDL, 202 tempo:
275x8x3 @ 6-ish

Doing some light tempo RDLs as my deadlift assistance variation while allowing my back to get back to normal. These definitely were not all true RPE 6, but were close enough.

Feet Up Bench:
215x10 @ 9
220x8x2 @ 8, 9

Pendlay Rows:
195x8x3 @ 7.5, 7.5, 8

Intentionally undershot these a bit just to keep my low back happy.

Saturday, 8/1:

Chins:
56 reps in 10 mins

DB Lateral Raises:
25s x13x3

[Nate B]

Sunday, 8/2:

Comp Squat:
315x6 @ <6
335x6x2 @ 7, 7

No pain during these and the sets with 335 were pretty "easy" RPE 7. Pretty encouraging.

Kneeling OHP:
125x6 @ 7
130x6 @ 8
135x6 @ 8.5
125x6x3 @ 7, 7.5, 8

Might have 140 for my top set.

CG Floor Press:
200x10 @ 9
205x8x3 @ 8, 8, 9

[Nate B]

Monday, 8/3:

Comp DL, 202 tempo:
355x6 @ <6
375x6x2 @ 6.5, 7

Little less anxious for these this time around. My left hamstring felt a little funny on the 2ct eccentric (I think I must be subconsciously overloading my left side while lowering the weight since I know my back tweak was on the right side of my spine). These were very smooth and easy (was almost breaking the plates off the floor just pulling the slack out) and it was a very conscious effort to adhere to the tempo on the concentric - I think my top end strength will still be there when I begin to reincorporate pulls with no tempo based on these, which is promising.

Comp Bench:
235x6 @ 7
245x6 @ 8
250x6 @ 9
230x6x3

Same loads as last week but my pauses were much more consistent. My feet were slipping a bit for the 245 and 250 sets. My Sabos don't grip the floor quite like bare feet do, but I don't want to take my shoes and socks off just to put them on again for split squats. I started wiping the soles of my shoes before my backoff sets with chalked hands (like my old basketball days, plus the chalk) and that helped a lot. I'll have to remember this going forward, because it made a noticeable difference with my ability to leg drive and keep my arch. I'm experimenting with a little lighter backoffs (8-10% drop vs. about 5% that I was doing before, keeping things in the RPE 6-7 range vs. 7-8+) and focusing on maintaining bar velocity for a while. Let's see if it works.

Split Squat:
165x8 @ 6
175x8 @ 7
185x8x2 @ 7.5, 8

Getting a little too easy.

[Nate B]

Wednesday, 8/5:

300 HBBS:
255x8 @ 6
265x8 @ 7
275x8 @ 8
260x8x2 @ 6.5, 7

Felt comfortable adding more weight and getting a little closer to a true RPE 8. Pleased with my control and depth here.

TnG Bench:
225x8 @ 7
235x8 @ 8
245x8 @ 9
225x8x2 @ 7, 7.5, 8

A lot better than last week.

Larsen Press:
205x10 @ 9
205x8x3 @ 7, 7.5, 8.5

Decided to keep the same weight on the bar and shoot for RPE 7-8. Kinda liked this approach.

DB Hammer Curls:
45s x15x3

DB LTE:
35s x13x3