Starting with Week 2 of the Beginner Template. I’m 15, ~135lbs, and just lookin’ to get stronger (since my lifts are VERY weak right now). I’m still getting used to RPE but I’m able to gauge it a lot better. Before COVID, I ran Starting Strength for like 2-3 months (should’ve kept a training log) and had fun with it, but I’ve learned a lot and decided to go with Barbell Medicine’s style of programming.
Week 2: Day 1:
Squat: 160lbs 4 reps x @ 6, 165lbs @ 7, 170lbs @ 8, 170lbs @. Squats felt good and I feel like my technique is a lot better than before, though I think grip is still a bit of a problem.
Bench Press: 10reps x 70lbs @ 6, 75lbs @ 7, 80lbs @ 8(?), 80lbs @ 8(?). I feel like I could’ve done more but I’m still waiting for another pair of 5lbs since UPS messed up my order. I desperately want my bench to go up and I really hope I get that from this program.
Deadlift: 8reps x 135lbs @ 6, 145lbs @ 7, 155lbs @ 8. The RPE calculator was sayin’ I could’ve used a lot more weight, but I was honestly pretty tired and my garage was getting reaaaaaal hot. The last set definitely still felt like an 8 when taking into account fatigue from the workout. I also don’t have a platform yet so I’m using a weird set up with my rack.
And that’s day 1 of week 2. Looking forward to more!
Good choice, Roman. I ran every week of the Beginner Template earlier this year and made really good progress on it. And that was after doing SL5x5 and SSNLP, and my own bodybuilding programming before that. The Beginner Template is a nice blend of strength and hypertrophy. Each phase builds on the previous one. So don’t be in a hurry to rush through them. Take your time. Check out Alan Thrall on YouTube. He has a couple of videos that explain RPE well. Alan owns Untamed Strength gym and is a Barbell Medicine coach too. He has many other good videos on lifting technique, including grip on the squat. The RPE calculator is just a tool to get you in the ballpark. It isn’t intended to supersede your judgement. Just use your best judgment to get the RPE accurate. Sometimes that means pulling weight off the bar. Sometimes if means adding a little. It’s normal for the weight on the bar to fluctuate week-to-week. Finally, do the GPP work if you can, at least the conditioning. This will improve your ability to recover between sets. You’re not weak. We all start somewhere. Good luck!
Thanks man! Yeah, I’ve been watching Alan Thrall for a while and I really like his videos. I’m getting better at judging RPE, but I was just surprised with how much inter-session fatigue could play into it. As for the GPP, I don’t really have access to any equipment so I’ve just been doing HITT instead with burpees, sprints, stairs, or honestly whatever I feel like doing haha.
Sounds like you’re on the right track. RPE just takes practice. You’ll get better with time. As for HIIT, finding a variety of methods to keep it challenging and interesting is great. As for GPP, apply that creativity too. Pull-ups and chin-ups are great and don’t really require special equipment as long as whatever you’re pulling on can support your weight safely. If you have a barbell, you can do rows or reverse rows if the barbell is too heavy. I started with reserve rows. You can curl with a plate or a plastic jug or bucket. Same for tricep work. I did tricep extensions and kickbacks, unilateral and bilateral, with plates for a long time before I got dumbbells. Ab work doesn’t require any equipment and there are tons of variations to keep it interesting. Good luck and have fun!
Press: 4 reps x 65lbs @ 6, 70lbs @ 7, 75 lbs @ 8, 70lbs @ 7. Yeah, my press is not great. I’m still having a bit of trouble with form and I think I’ve been knocking myself off balance. In all honesty, my first set @ 8 was more like an 8.5-9, so I toned it down a bit.
Squat: 7 reps x 135lbs @ 6, 145lbs @ 7, 155lbs @ 8, 155lbs @ 8. I calculated this off my squat on Monday and I don’t know if I just got weaker or what, but the sets @ 8 definitely felt more like 8.5-9s. I should’ve brought it down to 150lbs on the second set @ 8, but I kinda let my ego get in the way. I don’t think it’s a huge deal though but it did affect my barbell rows. I know I shouldn’t be afraid to take weight off though.
At this point it was getting extremely hot in my garage and I was just exhausted since I probably went too hard on my squats.
Barbell Rows: 10 reps x 95lbs @6, 100lbs @ 7, 105lbs @ 8, 95lbs @ 8. So yeah, I was pretty fatigued and my weights didn’t go up since last week. In fact, I think it was worse since the intensity was higher. The first set @ 8 was definitely more so a 9-9.5, so I toned it back down. At least I got more volume in though.
Today’s session wasn’t amazing and my garage was infernally hot, though I’m pretty happy with how my squats went, even if I probably pushed the RPE too hard.
I haven’t even touched a barbell at 15 (I am 20 now) and I wasted some time doing bro-splits early in my lifting career. You are in a good starting position!
Deadlift: 4 reps x 190lbs @ 6, 200lbs @ 7, 210lbs @ 8, 210lbs @ 8. Deadlifts felt goooood. Nothin’ much else to say.
Bench Press: 8 reps x 75lbs @ 6, 80lbs @ 7, 85lbs @ 8, 85lbs @ 8. My bench was also feelin’ pretty gooood, though I need to get better at using my legs more since I think that’s a key limiting factor right now.
Squat: 10 reps x 110lbs @ 6, 115lbs @ 7, 125lbs @ 8, 125lbs @ 8. I was pretty tired near the end and these sets of 10 are really killin’ me, but I love it haha.
Today’s session was AMAZING. I finally got a fan so my garage wasn’t scorching hot and it was just amazing. I’m loving the home gym so far. No needing to wait for others or having to swap around my exercises because someone was using the ONLY squat rack for curls.
Squat: 4 reps x 165lbs @ 6, 170lbs @ 7, 175lbs @ 8, 175lbs @ 8. Squat was a little grindy, but not much else to say.
Bench Press: 10 reps x 75lbs @ 6, 80lbs @ 7, 85lbs @ 8, 80lbs @ 8. Bench Press did not go well today. My 8 was like a 9-9.5 and I almost failed my last set. I probably went too heavy but I wanted to beat last week. Oh well. I’m also having some technique issues with grip and leg drive I need to look into.
Deadlift: 8 reps x 150lbs @ 6, 155lbs @ 7, 155lbs @ 7, 160lbs @ 8. Deadlift was pretty good but my ass hurt.
Yeah, not an a great session today, but that’s alright.
Press: 4 reps x 65lbs @ 6, 70lbs @ 7, 75lbs @ 8, 75lbs @ 8. Though I didn’t add weight from last week, I figured out some important technique things, and it was a lot smoother. I also got two sets @ 75lbs instead of 1 like last week.
Squat: 7 reps x 150lbs @ 6, 155lbs @ 7, 160lbs @ 8, 160lbs @ 8. Squats were a tiny bit grindy today, but it’s all good. I found that I was doing a lot of warm up sets before and it would sometimes interfere with my working sets, so I dropped down to like 3 warm up sets; saves time too.
BB Rows: 10 reps x 85lbs @ 6, 90lbs @ 7, 95lbs @ 8, 95lbs @ 8. Yeah, so the barbell rows went down, but my form is also a lot stricter and I’m actually adhering to the 2-3 minute rest periods, so I don’t think it’s a huge deal.
Sounds like you’re making good progress, Roman. It’s ok that the weight doesn’t go up each week. It’s ok to pull weight off to get the RPE accurate or to keep form in check. And it’s ok that not every training session is amazing. Lifting isn’t always as glamorous as Instagram would lead us to believe. It’s really about consistently putting in the effort. It’s important to enjoy training too. Find the sweet spot between the two and you’ll be golden. Glad you were able to get a fan. I train in a hot garage too. In addition to keeping plenty of water on hand, I sometimes wet my hair down before training. If I can, I train in the morning before it gets too hot. Anyway, you’re doing great. Keep it up!
Deadlifts: 4 reps x 200lbs @ 6, 210lbs @ 7, 215lbs @ 8, 215lbs @ 8. Deadlifts felt good but I’m still using a kinda makeshift setup with pins since my stall mats aren’t here yet. Almost at 2 plates
Bench Press: 8 reps x 80lbs @ 6, 85lbs @ 7, 90lbs @ 8, 90lbs @ 8. Got the 90! Fixed some things with my technique as well!
Squat: 10 reps x 115lbs @ 6, 120lbs @ 7, 130lbs @ 8, 130lbs @ 8. God, I hate and love these. I might need to go lighter on these though since the RPE is kinda creeping up on the last two sets.
Overall, today’s session was really good. Gonna cycle a little tomorrow and enjoy the weekend!
Squats: 4 reps x 170lbs @ 6, 175lbs @ 7, 180lbs @ 8, 180lbs @ 8. Squats were good but my form was kinda wonky for some reason. Don’t really know why because it’s usually good. I had my balance shift forwards on some reps and my hips rise a little bit. Granted, when I looked at the video I took, it looked a lot better than I thought.
Bench Press: 10 reps x 75lbs @ 6, 80lbs @ 7, 85lbs @ 8, 85lbs @ 8. Bench press was good and my technique was definitely a lot better.
Deadlift: 8 reps x 155lbs @ 6, 160lbs @ 7, 165lbs @ 8, 165lbs @ 8. Deadlifts were good but I was definitely feeling some fatigue.
Today’s session was great. Nothing much else to say!
Press: 4 reps x 70lbs @ 6, 75lbs @ 7, 75lbs @ 8, 75lbs @ 8, 70lbs @ 8. Yeah, I’m still having a whole lot of technical problems with this lift. It’s not so much a weight thing, but I tried to load 80lbs on and it wouldn’t go up at all. I noticed when I use my hips to press SS style, my elbows go behind the bar and it gets swung in front of me. However, if I don’t use my hips, I don’t get enough force to actually push the bar. I might take some weight off and do solely strict press for now.
Squat; 7 reps x 155lbs @ 6, 160lbs @ 7, 165lbs @ 8, 165lbs 8 (maybe 8.5, but I assume it’s basically the same). Squats were good and my technique was a whole lot more stable.
Deadlift: 4 reps x 200lbs @ 6, 210lbs @ 7, 220lbs @ 8, 220lbs @ 8. Deadlifts felt very very good and felt right on the RPE. Almost at 225! Fixed some technical things as well.
Bench Press: 8 reps x 85lbs @ 6, 90lbs @ 7, 95lbs @ 8, 95lbs @ 8. 95lbs is what I was doing on SSLP for 5 @ 9.5-10, so that’s exciting! Bench felt a lot better and my technique (grip) is a lot better now.
Squat: 10 reps x 115lbs @ 6, 120lbs @ 7, 125lbs @ 8, 125lbs @ 8. Alright, I don’t know what it is about sets of 10, but I’m just not adapting to them super well. Less weight than last week, but, to be fair, last weeks squats were reaching more towards RPE 9-9.5 so, ya know.
Today’s session was really good. Had some coffee for the first time before it too so I guess that must’ve played a part.
Squat: 4 reps x 175lbs @ 6, 180lbs @ 7, 185lbs @ 8, 185lbs @ 8. Hey, look at that, that’s more than I was doing on SSLP. I also finally decided to listen to music so that was pretty hype.
Bench Press: 10 reps x ? @ 6 (overshot), 80lbs @ 7, 85lbs @ 8, 90lbs @ 8. Yeah bench press was sort of weird today. I went up to 80lbs and thought it would be a 6 but it felt more like a 7. I put on 5 more pounds and it was maybe a 7.5-8. So, I put on 5 more pounds and it was definitely a 9. Microplates would’ve come in handy here, but it’s alright in the end.
Had to take a 3 or so hour pause due to schedule conflicts.
Deadlift: 8 reps x 160lbs @ 6, 170lbs @ 7, 175lbs @ 8, 175lbs @ 8. Yeah definitely could lift more since I didn’t have any intra-workout fatigue, so I could push the weights a little more.
Press: 4 reps x 70lbs @ 6, 75lbs @ 7, 80lbs @ 8, 80lbs @ 8. Still working on technique and I did strict press today but I can’t get the weight up on the first rep without using my hips. The weight is fairly light but I just can’t get it started without using my hips.
BB Rows: 10 reps x 100lbs @ 6, 105lbs @ 7, 110lbs @ 8, 110lbs @ 8. Barbell rows felt good but the weights on one slide kept slipping. Might need to buy some collars but it could’ve just been my grip too.
Deadlift: 4 reps x 205lbs @ 6, 215lbs @ 7, 225lbs @ 8, 225lbd @ 8. Yay, two plates! Felt really good considering I’m sorta sick today,
Bench Press: 8 reps x 90lbs @ 7 (thought it would be a 6), 95lbs @ 8, 100lbs @ 8 (8.5). I missed the mark for 6, but my 95lbs @ 8 felt pretty light so I went to 100lbs. This 100lbs was moreso an RPE 8.5-9, but I think it was because, on the last rep, I pushed the bar forwards instead of back, which caused it to slow down a lot.
Squat: 10 reps x 120lbs @ 6, 125lbs @ 7, 135lbs @ 8, 140lbs @ 8. These felt good, which was super surprising since they usually feel like shit. 15lbs increase from last time which is cool!
Squat: 4 reps x 180lbs @ 6, 190lbs @ 7, 195lbs @ 8, 195lbs @ 8. One of the first times I added more than 5lbs. Really happy with the squats! Almost at 200lbs!
Bench Press: 10 reps x 80lbs @ 6, 85lbs @ 7, 90lbs @ 8, 90lbs @ 8. My shoulders weren’t feeling amazing today, but bench moved and felt good.
Deadlift: 8 reps x 160lbs @ 6, 170lbs @ 7, 180lbs @ 8, 180lbs @ 8. Deadlifts felt awesome and I added 5lbs from last week despite not taking a break due to scheduling!
Overall, I felt pretty strong today and it was a really good session. I don’t know why my lifts are starting to shoot up again since I thought they would begin to slow. I gained about 1.5lbs since the beginning, but I doubt that’s making a substantial difference, unless if its muscle. Could also be that strength isn’t linear and just kinda pops outta nowhere!
OHP: 4 reps x 70lbs @ 6, 75lbs @ 7, 80lbs @ 8, 80lbs @ 8, 80lbs @ 8 (8.5-9, should’ve gone down). Yeah, OHP still sucks. I really just can’t get this technique down.
Squat: 7 reps x 165lbs @ 6, 170lbs @ 7, 180lbs @ 8, 180lbs @ 8 (8.5-9). Don’t know why I increased 10lbs since last week, but I just kinda did. Next week, I’ll probably do 180lbs again depending on the RPE.
Barbell Rows: 10 reps x 105lbs @ 6, 110lbs @ 7, 115lbs @ 8, 115lbs @ 8. Yeah form was pretty damn sloppy here, so maybe I’ll decrease weight next week, or I’ll just keep going with the sloppy form since it’s not like bad like back round, it’s just kinda a little bit more vertical.
Yeah today wasn’t the greatest day, but that’s okay. I should stick more to RPE rather than convincing myself the RPE is lower than it actually is.
