Codger's Quest

[codgerus maximus]

Week 2 Day 1 on RTS Hypertrophy program

Squat with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Comp bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] sixth rep. Four to five minutes rest.

Landmine press: 27 pounds on one end of Olypmic bar [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; 32x12x1. Two to three minutes rest.

Squats felt strong today but the bench felt heavy--knew from the first set that my target weight of 206.25 for 6 wasn't in the cards but I was surprised to fail at 202.5, which I did last week for 6 at RPE 9. Go figure.

The third exercise today was supposed to be weighted dips but my shoulders started complaining with the very first rep so I stopped and switched to the landmine press instead, which felt really good. I hadn't done them before--glad I picked up the landmine a couple of weeks ago.

[codgerus maximus]

Week 1 day 3

Touch and go bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Bulgarian split squat with dumbbells: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

T-bar row: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

[codgerus maximus]

RTS hypertrophy day 2

Comp bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Deadlift with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Weighted dips: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

[gymdad150]

Sounds like fun.

Get's you re-engaged with the process.

[codgerus maximus]

First official day on the RTS 7-week hypertrophy template

Squat with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Close-grip floor press: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Pendlay row: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

The RTS website has a great (and free) app for logging workouts. The app lets you track pretty much every aspect of a workout you can think of with just about any piece of equipment you could name. It also lets you track your fatigue and recommends adjustments to your workout based on your input. And it tracks your progress in the competition lifts and gives you a Wilks score. Pretty sweet.

[codgerus maximus]

Day 3

Touch and go bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three minutes rest.

Bulgarian split squat: body weight [email protected]; with 20-pound dumbbells: [email protected]; [email protected] Three minutes rest. First time doing these--challenging in a good way.

Lever row with my new landmine and parallel grip handle: 90 (two 45s on end of the bar) [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three minutes rest.

[codgerus maximus]

Day 2 of the RTS transition week

Comp bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Deadlift with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Four to five minutes rest.

Dips: body weight [email protected]; plus 10 pounds [email protected]; plus 25 pounds [email protected] These were supposed to be at RPE 7, 8, and 9, so I'll have to up the weight a bit next time.

Deadlifts felt good--my back didn't complain. I think I switched to a hypertrophy block just in time. Heavy singles were starting to wear me down a bit.

[codgerus maximus]

Transitioning to the RTS hypertrophy block, which I'll officially start next week. But they sent me a pdf that outlines the program so I'm kind of testing the waters this week.

Squat with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three to four minutes rest.

Close-grip floor press: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] to four minutes rest.

Pendlay row: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three minutes rest.

My back felt more or less normal during the workout. The volume and intensity were quite a bit less than what I've been doing recently with the Strength 3 template. It's a nice break, and I feel fresh after today's workout.

[codgerus maximus]

Sorry about the cranky back...
Doing a RTS block, nice. I believe you are correct about Mike and Jordan.
This should be a learning experience for us all...

I'm looking forward to the new program. Once you purchase a specific template--say, the 7-week Hypertrophy program that I chose--RTS sends you a week of programming at a time. The programming for each subsequent week is based on your performance the previous week--they call it an "adaptive template."

[gymdad150]

Sorry about the cranky back...
Doing a RTS block, nice. I believe you are correct about Mike and Jordan.
This should be a learning experience for us all...

[codgerus maximus]

Week 11 day 4

My lower left back was complaining a bit today so I decided to baby it. I was supposed to start today's workout with two-inch deficit deadlifts but they felt a bit painful so I switched to RDLs for 5 sets of 8 reps with 185 pounds with a minute or two rest between sets.

Then: close-grip bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; 205x3x3. Three to four minutes rest.

I was supposed to finish with good mornings but they felt a little painful as well, so I went with a couple of sets of body-weight Bulgarian split squats: 2 sets of 8.

I'm going to skip the last two weeks of this template, which are designed as a run-up to a meet. Since there's no meet on the horizon for me I'm going to move on to a hypertrophy block. I'll be trying a 7-week hypertrophy template designed by Mike Tuchscherer of Reactive Training Systems. I believe that Mike is, or was, one of Jordan's coaches, and from what I understand he was an early advocate of applying RPE to strength training.

[codgerus maximus]

Week 11 day 3

Pin squat, below parallel, no belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; 275x3x2. Three to four mintues rest.

Touch and go bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; 213.75x3x3. Three to four minutes rest.

Wide-grip bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Three minutes rest.

Some light pain in my lower left back, probably from my deadlfits the other day, but it didn't interfere with the squats today. I'll see how it feels tomorrow when I'm supposed to do some deficit deadlifts and good mornings.

[codgerus maximus]

Week 11 day 2

Deadlift with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; 362.5x5x2; 410x3x3. Three to four minutes rest.

Pin bench, chest height: [email protected]; [email protected]; 197.5x3x3. Three minutes rest.

Squat, no belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Two to three minutes rest.

The pin bench felt really strong. The single went up fast, definitely an RPE 8, and I was expecting the triple with 215 to feel like an RPE 9 but I'm pretty sure there were 2 solid reps left in the old codger tank.

[codgerus maximus]

Week 11 day 1 on the Strength 3 template.

Squat with belt: [email protected]; [email protected]; 256.25x5x2; 290x3x3. Three to four minutes rest.

Comp bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; 221.25x2x3. Three to four minutes rest.

Feet-up bench: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; 180x6x3. Two to three minutes rest.

[codgerus maximus]

Thanks, Jan! I'm always relieved when my deadlift sets are finished. They make everything that follows seem easy!