Thoughts: Well I guess this is the week that you find out if you’re overshooting your RPEs… It was supposed to be 1 @8, 1@9, 4@8 x3 sets. On squat that 274 felt heavier than an 8 to begin with, I rated it a 9. Then I decided that I thought I could at least try another single with a couple extra pounds on the bar, so I loaded 3 more lb for 277 and failed the rep, so I went back and changed my first set to a 10. That’s the first time I’ve failed a squat rep since I built my home gym a year and a half ago, good news was the spotter arms were properly placed and they did their job. Judging by the fact that I underrated it a whole RPE, I’m taking that as a potential sign that I’ve been doing a lot of 9’s and calling them 8’s. Bench I was a bit more cautious, pulled a couple lb off the bar of my planned @8 and had to be very honest that it was a 9 and I couldn’t add anymore. I hate having to pull this stuff back as I feel like I should be stronger than I am, but I guess sometimes I have to accept the reality that my genetics are shit for this kind of thing and it just takes me a bit longer than most everyone else. It is what it is. I just got to focus on rating my RPE’s right, whether I want to or not, and not worry so much about the weight on the bar.
Thoughts: I was much more careful with my RPE ratings today. I could definitely tell press and squat had a good deal of carry over fatigue from yesterday.
Thoughts: I did better today on rating my RPE’s. Floor press is limited by form. I’m just not comfortable on the movement, especially on heavy singles I tend to get some elbow pain on the way down. I’m trying to figure out what I do differently on the way down vs regular bench that is causing it.
Thoughts: I undershot a bit on pause deadlift today. TnG bench and SLDL’s were on the money. I should have went down in weight at least on the final set for bench, I definitely wasn’t intending to hit a 10. Oh well. On SLDL that was auto-regulated down, as the first set was supposed to be @6, but it was @7 so I just rolled with it from there. Pretty good week all in all. I really got a lot better this week at rating RPE’s, getting some singles @9 earlier this week really helped me to calibrate better. I feel a lot better this week from not overshooting, also this is now my second week at my new job so I’m a bit more settled and the new job stress is reduced there. This was my last week on the program doing 4x per week lifting, next week we go down to 3x per week.
Pull-up: 59
Hammer curl 25: 41
Hanging leg raise: 53
DB LTE 25: 53
Face pull green band: 97
Neck extension 20: 88
LISS: 30 minute air dyne.
Composition Update:
Week averaged weight: 162.86
Waist: 32"’
Week average calories: 2967
Thoughts: It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve taken the time to average out my weight and compare my composition. Over that 3 weeks I’ve gained a little over a lb, unfortunately my waist went up 1/4 inch so pretty much it all went there. So I’m getting shit partitioning ratios at the moment. Going into a peaking block so I’m going to maintain weight. By my calculations my maintenance is somewhere in the vicinity of 2800 calories right now, which is crazy because that is more than I was using to bulk at the start of this gaining phase back in October, for context I was 152 at the time and gaining weight on 2700 calories per week. I am hoping that I lean out a little bit while maintaining over this next 4 weeks, that way I can go full force back into gaining and push myself to 170 without getting my gut back. We will see where I am at in a couple of weeks but right now I would love to start group programming in the powerbuilding group and gaining weight next month. But I also don’t want to feel conflicted in those goals, and I probably do need to burn at least a couple of lb of fat off for me to feel comfortable committing to a bulk for the next few months where I know I’ll gain at least another 5lb of fat along side the muscle gains. So if I don’t lean out at all over the next couple of weeks I may delay the group programming a month and run the endurance template and lose 3-4lb really quick prior. I just don’t want to wind up back where I was at the end of my LP, I looked really bad I was only 170 but it was basically all in my waist, I was skinny everywhere else so it made it look really out of balance. Doing a quick cut to trim up a bit doesn’t sound too bad, I never want to feel like I have to do another 20lb cut again… that was just an all around miserable experience. But we will see, I’m putting the cart before the horse here, with any luck I’ll lean out a hair over the next couple of weeks and feel comfortable going forward.
EDIT: So after thinking about this further I have made my decision on what my strategy is going to be. I decided I’m going to keep gaining now through the last 4 weeks of the strength template. I’ll try to add another 2lb by the end and hopefully smash some PR’s testing at the end. When that’s done I will run the endurance template while losing ~5lb of fat and then join group programming and start gaining again. I think this gives me the best short term and long term progress. I’ll be able to hit some better PR’s in a few weeks by gaining now. By doing a short, small cut after it will allow me to trim back up to the approximate body fat percentage I started this bulk back in October, which means I’ll be able to gain weight again for another 10 months or so on group programming if I keep to the same pace. I also feel that the endurance template will really prime my work capacity so I can get the most out of the group programming. Also, I used to be a runner before I ran SS a couple of years back, and it would be fun to spend a month building my running back up again. Contrary to most people here, I actually like running, but I don’t really run these days because it does conflict with strength gains. So I think it will be a fun little change of pace, and that will be good for the all important mental side of things.
Thoughts: Pretty good day out there. On deadlifts I’ve been really trying to focus on keeping my upper back tight, that seems to be my biggest error in form. In order to get tight today I had to bring my hips down a hair. It actually felt really good. I felt stable through the full range of motion, which is not usual. They also did not feel like death today for a change, but that probably also has something to do with me doing better on not overshooting RPE. Press with belt RPE’s were actually coming in under my plan today, so that was a pleasant surprise. I auto regulated the weight up a bit and it still kept coming in under. So I would say I’m pretty pleased with the overall performance today, especially since my hamstrings, triceps, and upper back are still sore from Friday and Saturday’s workouts for some reason.
Thoughts: Went a bit over on Pin Squat. I also think I was going a little low, I think I will adjust the pins up one rung next week. I have 2 rest days off in a row after today gasp. It has been months since I’ve had 2 consecutive rest days. Looking forward to it, it will be some good mental and physical recovery
Thoughts: It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this recovered. That 2 days off was great, both mentally and physically. Though, I always feel weaker when I’m not carrying around fatigue, like my muscles aren’t as tight. Luxury problems I guess. I think I undershot the single on deficit dl’s as the 6 set based off of it was supposed to be a 9. Next week I’ll do a good increase on it and see how it goes. That was my first time doing that variation, and I was probably a bit overly cautious.
Yates Row 155: 47
Curl 55: 48
Ab roller from feet: 47
DB French Press 20: 55
LISS: 30 minute Air Dyne
Composition:
Week averaged weight: 164.46 (+1.6lb from last week)
Waist: 32.25"’
Week average calories: 2876
Thoughts: Well I apparently severely underestimated the amount of calories I burn with the extra lifting and conditioning day, lol. I cut 100 calories per day out this week because of the lowered volume, but gained 1.5lb average weight. Definitely a bit more than I wanted to gain (from calcs using Navy method measurement I gained about .5lb muscle and about 1lb fat). So I’m going to be a bit more cautious this week. I definitely don’t want to add 1lb of fat per week, that’s insane, even if I only have 2 more weeks of gaining left.
Thoughts: Good day out there today. That is a press PR. Deadlift is also officially moving for the first time in forever. Lowering my hips a bit so I can queue my shoulders back and upper back tight is really making a huge difference. I feel so much more stable throughout the movement. It’s like night and day. I hope this is the answer that queueing my knees forward and upper back more vertical angle was for my squat. I had a similar situation with my squat for a long time where I was basically spinning circles and going nowhere. I felt very unstable and in general felt like death during the movement. Then when I made those slight adjustments everything clicked, I felt great, and my squat has been going up since. I really hope this is a similar breakthrough, it really does feel similar, how the weight instantly felt lighter and I felt more stable throughout the entire range of motion. Here’s hoping. Deadlift will be interesting to test in a couple of weeks here.
Yates Row 160: 43
Curl 55: 46
Ab roller from feet: 39
DB French Press 20: 58
LISS: 30 minute Air Dyne
Composition:
Average weight: 164.57
Waist: 32.25"
Average Calories: 2783
Thoughts: I can definitely tell reducing conditioning to 1x per week my body is starting to decondition a bit. Not good since I’m supposed to run a Spartan Race with friends in 2 weeks (2 days after I test). Oh well, at least I’m only doing the sprint this time which is the short one (~5 miles). I’ll survive.
Thoughts: Deadlift and press PR today! It’s ironic that the two lifts I’ve struggled with over the last 6 months are both starting to come together and break out at the same exact time. It’s funny how it works out, I can never seem to get all 4 lifts moving at the same time. This felt good today though. That’s my last time pressing on this template too, so it’s a good note to end on press wise.
Thoughts: I wasn’t paying attention and misloaded my squat a bit on both the singles. Next week is the final test week. I feel like I’m for sure going to hit deadlift and bench PR’s. Not so sure on squat though. My squat hasn’t seemed to respond well to the peaking block the last few weeks, where everything else has gotten a strength boost from the lower volume and higher intensity, my squat feels like it’s regressed a bit. We will see though, I have had a lot of stress going on the last few weeks. So I’m not going to push too hard on my squat, I’ll be very happy if I can get 280 up, that would be a 4lb PR.
Thoughts: Not a very good day out there. That has me a little worried about my testing later this week. I’ll see how I do tomorrow. Though it was a rough weekend so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised my lifts were for shit today. On Saturday I went for a hike up in Flagstaff with some friends. I ate some trail mix that was passed to me without thinking. Well I have an allergy to sunflower seeds. So 6 miles deep in a hike with no cell service around and no epipen on me I went into anaphylactic shock. Throat closing up, struggling to breathe, arms and hands numb and tingly, dizziness, stumbling like I was drunk, the works. It was a fun hike back that’s for sure. I also injured my right foot stumbling on the way back. So the arch of my foot is really sore and doesn’t support weight very well. So yeah, it was a rough weekend so I’m not surprised the weights felt really heavy today. I’m just shocked my bench was the lift that seemed to get hit the hardest. I still got a few days before I test, so I may not have anything to worry about, we will see.
Thoughts: Ok today felt better. RPE’s were right where they should be. So it looks like yesterday was just a bad day. I should be good to test on Thursday with my planned weights. Side note, I may need to get some wrist straps. My left wrist has been hurting lately when I bench heavy.
Thoughts: I’m pretty pleased with that performance. PR’s across the board. The only complaint I have is that I should have gotten that last rep on bench. 200 was supposed to be a 9 and it just rocketed up. I thought for sure I had 210. Even looking back at the video, 200 looks light. I probably should have tried for 205 or 207.5 instead of pushing it, but oh well. On the video of the failed 210 rep the bar went up crooked, the right side of the bar was above the left. I’m not sure if that’s because my left side is weaker, or if it’s that my right side is stronger and went too fast and put too much weight on my left side to get through. I’m most proud of that deadlift, as after 338.5 was a 9.75 I wasn’t sure if I had the 342.5 or not. That was a crap shoot 3rd attempt. It was definitely quite a grinder of a rep; for sure a 10 on the Baraki eyeball scale. But I fought through it and got it up. I’m still not the strongest guy in the world (boo genetics), but I hit PR’s on everything, not only today but I hit many PR’s over the course of the program leading up to today. My bench and squat started the program off strong and then slowed down. My bench and press started slow and then came together near the end. This is my first time actually testing my 1RM’s so I have no context beyond e1RM’s to go off of, but at the end of the day I would say I definitely am stronger today than I was 12 weeks ago on all lifts.
Next steps: I am running a Spartan sprint on Saturday with some friends of which I’ve done 0 training for (I’ve done these a ton of times so not really worried about it, though it may be fun 2 days removed from testing, haha). Then next week I start the endurance template. Goal is to just trim a few lb off my waist and maintain strength while working on my running for a change. I’m not looking to lose a ton of weight, maybe ~5lb. Basically, just enough to trim up and set my foundation for another 6 month+ phase of gaining weight so I can hit 170-175lb without getting fat, haha. After that, when I go back to gaining the plan is to likely to join group programming.
