Nate's Log

[Nate B]

Friday, 3/5:

BW: 210.6

LISS Cardio:
25 mins stationary recumbent bike @ 5-6

Ab Wheel, kneeling:
AMRAP in 7 mins

Saturday, 3/6:

BW: forgot, but body comp is starting to look pretty good. Have some faintly visible abs in decent lighting. Seeing a side-by-side pic of myself when I started cutting and now really highlights the progress. Since my strength isn't really suffering, I think I'm going to keep pushing to 205 or maybe a little lower and see if I can get those abs to show through a little more, then maintain for a few months. Gotta get those summer shredz, right?

Chinups:
AMRAP in 7 minutes

Pendlay Rows:
205x8 @ 6
215x8 @ 7
225x8 @ 8
215x8 @ 7

Have these programmed for my day 1 session, but decided to knock them out today.

[Nate B]

Sunday, 3/7:

BW: 209.4

Got my second dose of the Moderna vaccine about 2 weeks ago (I've been volunteering with my county's vaccine drive), so I decided to test the waters a bit and venture back into the real gym for this session. There aren't any mask rules, but I still wore one since there isn't really enough data yet to know how well the vaccine prevents me from shedding the virus to others around me if I'm asymptomatically infected. Lifting in a mask was a little weird at first, but definitely not as bad as some make it out to be.

Comp Squat:
395x3 @ 8
365x4x2 @ 7, 7
330x5x3

Upping the intensity a bit this block with a couple quads @ 80% following the top triple.

Comp Bench:
275x3 @ 7.5
260x4x2 @ 7, 7
225x5x4

Top triple moved great, might be time to add some weight. Got a handoff for the triple, but it was pretty awkward unracking without my monolift arms for the other sets. Also wasn't digging the fat pads that the gym benches have. Might actually prefer my setup at home. Still a strong session.

Machine Low Rows:
+180x15x3

Never thought I'd miss machines, but a year in the shed really made me appreciate them for stuff like just getting back and arm work in.

DB Curls:
40s x12x2, 10x2

I've been doing some shoulder rehab exercises after every session and it seems like they're starting to help the pain go away. Curls have been bothering the shoulder for a couple weeks, but these felt fine.

Cable Rope Triceps Pushdowns:
110x15x4

[Nate B]

Monday, 3/8:

BW: 209.4

Comp DL:
485x3 @ 7 (lmao)
415x7x2 @ 6.5, 7
375x8x2

Smoked 485 - thought based on warmups that it might be a half RPE undershoot, but did not expect a full point. Decided to call it there, but it's looking like I'll probably need 5 plates next time, which is cool. I was using a Texas DLB, which has a little more whip than the Ohio DLB (bar probably flexes a fraction of an inch more before the plates break the floor) so that might've played a small part, but I also think finally being out of the shed and back in the gym has made training a little more fun and maybe my level of hype is a little higher because of it...idk.

CGBP:
255x3 @ 8
235x3x4 @ 6-7

Had the rack height set a notch too low and was too lazy to fix it, so the self unracks were a little more annoying than they could've been. Still managed +5 lbs from last week on the [email protected]

3-0-0 Platz Squat:
225x8 @ 6
235x8 @ 7
245x8 @ 8
235x8 @ 7

[Nate B]

Wednesday, 3/10:

BW: 210.8

HBBS:
295x6 @ 6
305x6 @ 7
315x6 @ 8
300x6x2 @ 7, 7

Felt a lot better for this session than last week. Same working loads for the ramping sets, but at a lower RPE (which is what I prescribed myself) so happy with these.

TnG Bench:
245x5 @ 6
255x5 @ 7
265x5 @ 8.5
245x5x2 @ 6.5, 7

Larsen CGBP:
175x10 @ 7
185x10 @ 8
195x10 @ 9
185x10 @ 8

Decided I need to push a little closer to failure on my supplemental work.

DB Curls:
40s x13x2, 11x2

[Nate B]

Thursday, 3/11:

BW: 211

Conventional DL:
375x6 @ 6
385x6 @ 7
395x6 @ 8
375x6x2 @ 6.5, 7

Spoto:
235x5 @ 6
245x5 @ 7.5
250x5 @ 8
240x5x2 @ 7, 7

RDL:
305x10 @ 7
315x10 @ 7.5
325x10 @ 8.5
315x10 @ 8

[Nate B]

Friday, 3/12:

BW: 210.8

LISS Cardio:
25 mins stationary recumbent bike @ 5-6

Ab Wheel, kneeling:
AMRAP in 8 mins

Chinups:
AMRAP in 8 minutes

Pendlay Rows:
205x8 @ 6
215x8 @ 7
225x8 @ 8
215x8 @ 7

Knocked these out in the shed again instead of during my day 1 session in the gym.

[Nate B]

Sunday, 3/14:

BW: 210.2

Comp Squat:
395x3 @ 8.5
365x4x2 @ 7, 7
330x5x3

Triple moved a little too slow to rate as a true RPE 8.

Comp Bench:
280x3 @ 8
260x4x2 @ 7, 7
230x5x4

Added 5 lbs from last week to the top set. I think this technically matches my PR triple, which was a [email protected] during my mock meet prep, so I was pretty happy to hit that @8.

Machine Low Rows:
+180x15x3, 14x1

DB Hammer Curls:
40s x15x2, 13x2

Cable Rope Triceps Pushdowns:
110x15x4

[Nate B]

Monday, 3/15:

BW: 209.8

Comp DL:
495x3 @ 8
415x7x2 @ 6.5, 7
375x8x2

Considering how well 495 moved, I honestly might have 500x3 @ 8 in me by the end of the block. Building some good momentum with deads right now. The 6+ reps and lower absolute intensity experiment seems to be going well.

CGBP:
255x3 @ 8
235x3x4 @ 5.5-6.5

3-0-0 Platz Squat:
225x8 @ 6
235x8 @ 7
245x8 @ 7.5
235x8 @ 7

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 3/16:

BW: 210.2

LISS Cardio:
30 mins stationary recumbent bike @ 5-6

Ab Wheel, kneeling:
AMRAP in 8 mins

[Nate B]

Wednesday, 3/17:

BW: 211

HBBS:
295x6 @ 6
305x6 @ 7
315x6 @ 8
300x6x2 @ 7, 7

TnG Bench:
245x5 @ 6
255x5 @ 7
265x5 @ 8
250x5x2 @ 7, 7

Larsen CGBP:
175x10 @ 6.5
185x10 @ 7.5
195x10 @ 9
185x10 @ 8

Band Curls:
Orange x18x4

Band Lateral Raises:
Red x15x4

[Nate B]

Thursday, 3/18:

BW: 210.8

Conventional DL:
365x6 @ 5.5
385x6 @ 7
395x6 @ 8
365x6x2 @ 6.5, 6.5

Did a lot of supersetting and shortened my rest times a bit to try to get this session done with in about an hour, so took a little more weight off than usual for the backoff sets.

Spoto:
225x5 @ 6
235x5 @ 6.5
250x5 @ 8
235x5x2 @ 6.5, 6.5

Same approach as the DLs. Took some different jumps than usual.

RDL:
315x10 @ 7.5
325x10 @ 9
315x10x2 @ 7.5, 8

For the sake of time, I didn't want to bother with stripping a full plate off and adding a bunch of plates to hit 305x10 @ 7, so just went straight to 315 @ 8-ish and did an additional backoff.

[Nate B]

Monday, 3/22:

BW: 214 (think I was just a little bloated)

Comp Squat:
395x3 @ 8
365x4x2 @ 7, 7
340x5x3 @ 6-ish

Bumping the backoff 5s to a slightly higher percentage.

Comp Bench:
280x3 @ 8.5
255x4x2 @ 7, 7
230x5x4 @ 5-6

Overshot the triple a bit. I was in my shed today, and I think using the firmer bench pad vs. the fat pad at the gym might make a 5-ish lbs difference (or maybe the strength just wasn't there, idk).

DB Rows:
110x12x4 @ 8-9

Wasn't feeling Pendlay rows today so just did some DB rows between the bench backoff 5s.

[Nate B]

Tuesday, 3/23:

BW: 209.2 (was definitely just a little bloated yesterday)

Comp DL:
495x3 @ 8
415x7x2 @ 6.5, 7
385x8x2 @ 5-6 ish

Didn't chalk my hands well enough for the top triple - I was still able to hold onto the bar, but my grip wasn't nearly as secure as usual after the first rep. Didn't move quite as well as last week because of this, but still an RPE 8.

CGBP:
250x3 @ 8
235x3x4 @ 6-7

Bench just isn't clicking as well as it has been so far this week.

3-0-0 Platz Squat:
225x8 @ 6
235x8 @ 6.5
250x8 @ 8
240x8 @ 7

Seated Single Arm Cable Rows:
100x15x4 @ 8-9

DB Hammer Curls:
40s x15x3, 14x1 @ 8-9

Cable V-Bar Triceps Pushdowns:
120x15x4 @ 8-9

[Nate B]

Thursday, 3/25:

BW: 210

HBBS:
295x6 @ 6
305x6 @ 7
315x6 @ 8
300x6x2 @ 7, 7

These felt a little easier than last week, but not easy enough to warrant an increase in load or a .5 point lower RPE rating.

TnG Bench:
245x5 @ 6
255x5 @ 7
265x5 @ 8
250x5x2 @ 7, 7

Larsen CGBP:
185x10 @ 7.5
195x10 @ 9
185x10x2 @ 8, 8

Just feeling kinda lazy with the plate loading today.

[Nate B]

Friday, 3/26:

BW: 210.2

Conventional DL:
365x6 @ 5.5
385x6 @ 6.5
405x6 @ 8
375x6x2 @ 6, 6.5

Pretty happy to hit 405x6 @ 8 beltless. Both sumo and conventional continue to trend in the right direction. I'm going to try a sumo variation next block, but I think these past few months have shown me the value in using a conventional variation on my secondary deadlift day (in developmental blocks at least). Some other factors are obviously at play, but I think some good old posterior chain development (that conventional does a really good job of) has been very beneficial to my comp sumo.

Spoto:
235x5 @ 6
245x5 @ 7
255x5 @ 8
240x5x2 @ 6.5, 7

Bench has been improving as the week has gone on, whereas usually the opposite occurs as weekly fatigue sets in. Maybe I just subconsciously got my technique re-dialed in.

RDL:
315x10 @ 7.5
325x10 @ 9
315x10x2 @ 7.5, 8

More lazy loading.