TEH and Tug’s Log

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21

Bridge 1.0 W5 D3

DL w belt
365x4 @6
385x4 @7
405x4x3 @8,8.5,8.5

Bench 1ct pause
235x4 @6
250x4 @7
265x4x3 @8, 8.5, 9
260x4x2 @8.5, 9

Squat (no belt)
275x5 @6.5
295x6 @8
315x6 @8
335x6 @9

Tug: Bark-pull toy yanks-lawn gallop circuit x ad infinitum

A chore to get this in at night with multiple interruptions and not feeling 100%. DL the best. Bench a slog but fine. Belt-less squats at end felt heavy and will win no awards for form or grace but they got done.

22

Bridge 1.0, W6 D1 (+ W5 GPP2 catch-up)

Squat w belt
405x1 @7.5
425x0 (miss)
370x4x2 @8,7.6
375x4 @8

Bench (3 ct pause)
245x3 @7
252x3 @7.5
265x3 @8.5
267x3x2 @9

DL - 2ct Pause at 1” (no belt)
285x4 @6.5
305x4 @7
345x4 @9.5
325x4 @8.5

14 min GPP circuit
Chins: 3x7
Rev Crunch/leg raise: 10x5
DB Row: 55x10x4
Preacher Curl: 65x10x4
OTE: 65x10x4

Tug: Snooze during rainstorm RPE -3

Weird miss on 425 Squat. Didn’t feel like I was being overly aggressive but just lost it- kind of a mis-groove. Anyway, dialed back slightly on e1RM based on that. Working sets fine. Bar path going forward (and ripple effect on form) still biggest issue. Others fine and caught up on second GPP day. Worse pain in right shoulder but not an issue during workout.

23

Bridge 1.0, W6 D2

Pin squat (no belt)
275x3 @7
285x3 @8
305x3x3 @8.5,9,9

Press w/ belt
195x1 @8.5
175x4x4 @8,8,8,9

Rows
225x6 @6
235x6 @7
245x6x4 @8,8,8,8

Tug: Snoozle next to mom who is home not feeling good (good boy)

A little meh today. Pin squat and Press felt heavier than expected. Allergies/cold/fatigue dogging me a bit. Press in particular seems stuck in the mud. Onward and upward.

24

Bridge 1.0 W6 D3

DL w belt
440x1 @8.5
405x4x3 @8.5,8.5,9.5

Bench 1ct pause
280x1 @8
255x4 @7.5
260x4x3@8,8,8

Squat (no belt)
225x6 @5
275x6 @7
300x6 @7.5
315x6x2 @8,8
275x6 @7.5 (<1 min rest)
Tug: rope pulls x 4; attempt to get me to pull rope x 571

Stubbornness got me on DL a bit. Not thrilled with how 440 felt and didn’t want to deload past 405. That was probably okay on first two sets, but the 3rd got me. Was more conservative on bench and RPE was a “solid” @8. Rushed at end, so short rest on squats and nearly no rest on last set, which accounts for lowered weight, though may have gone too low. “Day 3 squatting the end of long workout is fun” -said no one ever.

25

Bridge 1.0 W6 GPP1

20 min walk w Tug

7min Ab work
planks - 90s x1, 30s x 5

14 min circuit
chins: 6-6-6-3-2-1
DB rows: 55x15x3
LTE: 65x15x3
BB curl: 85x10x3

26

Bridge 1.0 W6 GPP2

30 min walk.

​​​​​​​20min Circuit
Chins: 4-4-4-4-4-2-2
DB Row: 75x10x4
Preacher Curl: 65x12x4
ab roll out: 10x4
Tri pushdown: orange band x 12x4

Prowler
205 x 20-30 sec x 6 (every 2 min for 12 mins)

Tug: I DO NOT LIKE THE LOUD SCRAPEY-SCRAPE PUSH PUSH MACHINE and must attack it like a wild hyena. RPE 11.

27

Bridge 1.0, W7 D1

Squat w belt
385x1 @9.5
275x3 @7
295x3 @7.5
315x3 @8
335x3@8.5

Pin Bench
225x3 @6.5
235x3 @7.5
255x3 @8
260x3 @8.5
265x3 @9

DL - 2ct Pause at 1” (wore belt)
315x3 @7
335x3 @8
355x3 @9
355x3 @9

Tug: Yard patrol ~30 min RPE 5; sleep in sun 30 min RPE 0

Just beat today - tired, achy, stiff, no aggression or pop. Squat was lousy and just felt like a ton of bricks on my back. Hard to figure out - I shifted this from Sun to Tue for a little extra rest, but this was only marginally better than I felt Sunday. e1RM on squat down like 75 pounds. Not sure if cumulative fatigue, lingering effects of allergies/illness etc. Anyway, bench wasn’t as bad as abysmal squats but still down. Paused DL about the same, though I only realized after the fact that I kept my belt on, so #s suspect.

28

Bridge 1.0 W7 D2

Pin squat (light Velcro belt)
275x3 @6
295x3 @7.5
315x3 @8
325x3 @8.5
330x3 @9

Press w/ belt
205x1 @9
190x3x3 @9,9.5,9.5
190x2 @10*

Rows
225x6 @6
235x6 @7
245x6x2 @8,8
255x6x2 @8,8.5

Tug: Lie in sun/sniff air/lap lawn circuit x.10 RPE 6

Felt better today, much less fatigue. Squat fine, main issues remain (1) right shoulder pain getting in position under bar and (2) bar path/knees drifting too far forward at bottom. Press was a touch high on the RPE. (*On last set my wrist wrap came flying off mid rep. With the distraction, I didn’t quite lockout, which caused the 2 @10. Dumb, but oh well.). Main limitation was shoulder pain at the very top. Rows - Have been a little complacent with the RPE, but these were better sets on short rest.

29

Bridge 1.0 W7 GPP1

20 min walk w Tug

20min Circuit
Chins: 5x5
DB Row: 75x8x5
Preacher Curl: 65x10x5
Leg raise/rev crunch 10x5
Plank: 30s x 5
Tri pushdown: orange band x15x5

30

Bridge 1.0 W7 D3 + !GPP2

DL w belt
445 x1 @9.5
390x3x4 @8,8,8,8

Bench 1ct pause
290x1 @8.5
275x3x4 @8.5,9,9,9

Squat (no belt)
225x6 @5
275x6 @7
295x6x4 @7.5,8,8,8

14 min circuit
chins 5 x 10
Planks 30s x 5
Rev cr /leg raise 10x5

Tug: Catching rays - RPE @dont bother me.

Started DL warmups yesterday and nothing budged. Just dead, so I stopped and regrouped today. Better but still not exactly energetic. DL is a PR but kind of underwhelming bc it wasn’t the @8 I hoped. Instead it was a tough @9.5. Backoffs were also depressingly tough at 390. Bench okay. I was out of gas by squats and 295 is pathetic, but it was RPE get-this-over by then.

Threw in my missing GPP which was fine. Need to catch up on prowler which didn’t get done in time.

31

Bridge 1.0 W8 D1

Squat
365x1 @9
365x1 @9
225x6

Bench 3 ct pause
225x3 @7
235x3 @7.5
255x3 @8

Pause DL no belt
275x3 @7
295x3 @8
315x3 @9

Feeking lousy-aches, pains, shoulder. Zero energy. Squat is in reverse now- just feels bizarrely awful all around. Shoulder limited bench too.

32

Bridge 1.0, W8 D2

Pin squat (no belt)
275x4 @7
295x4 @8
315x4 @9

Press w/ belt
195x1 @9
175x3 @8
135x5 @6

Rows
225x6 @6
245x6 @7
255x6x2 @8,8

Tug: yard zooms x 6 RPE 7

Feel better than last workout, but still pretty blah. @9 on press mainly due to right shoulder pain at top.

33

Bridge 1.0 W8 D3

DL w belt
405 x1 x 2 @8
365x3 @8

Bench 1ct pause
275x1 @8
260 x3 @9

Squat (no belt)
225x6 @9 (due to pain)
185x6x2 @8
135x6x2 @6

Some seated cable rows, curls, pushdowns.

Traveling so no Tug around today. No sleep, tons of time in a rental car/airplane, and lots of external stuff made for a rough go today. Bench limited by bicep pain/golfer’s elbow. Squat just had nothing - Lots of quad tendon, hip flexor pain even after lots of warmup. Lots of overall fatigue too/aches too. DL similar issues. So I sort of limped to the finish line of the Bridge 1.0, mostly due to external factors I think. More general thoughts to follow in a separate post.

34

Bridge 1.0 Recap

I’ve finished the Bridge 1.0. I did it as written without modification and completed it in eight weeks. The only minor changes I had were with GPP days–I missed two of them and I tended to squeeze some GPP sessions in wherever I could fit them. I don’t think there’s much to “review” since anyone’s experience with any program is going to be different based on age, training history, external factors, and a million other things. Nonetheless, here are a few random thoughts in no particular order:

  1. I thought the Bridge was well worth doing and effective. It seems to me general enough to be useful to most trainees, and I enjoyed it.
  2. The less said at this point about RPE, probably the better. My two cents: it’s a tool, and it’s just not that hard to figure out. Someone may not like using it, may think it’s not that effective, or may think there are other better tools–just like one might may not like using a wrench, may think a wrench is not that effective, or may think there are better tightening tools than a wrench. I thought it was very useful and gave a common, more precise vernacular for concepts that have been around forever (leave a rep in the tank, etc.).
  3. For me, I had the easiest time estimating RPE on bench, followed by press, DL, and squat.
  4. My best weeks were 5 and 6, but after that I stagnated and (occasionally) regressed. I had an awful lot of stuff going on outside the gym that contributed to that, but I think the accumulated fatigue also hit me - sort of a double whammy. It was still productive to push through and not get too worried about one or two individual workouts.
  5. My DL improved the most with my eIRM increasing about 40 pounds. (~430 → 470).
  6. For me, I need to take the e1RMs with a big grain of salt. The 1 @8s rarely translated as well as I’d hoped from higher rep ranges. More practice needed.
  7. I’m 45, and while I didn’t think the volume was any big deal, I am a little banged up at the end. I don’t attribute that entirely or even mostly to the program. Most is just nagging injuries that got kicked up, but I did probably slightly overshoot some RPEs early and got a little too zealous with the chins/arms work on GPP days.
  8. Biggest problem for me with the Bridge was the time - the workouts get long even with tight rest times.
  9. Not using a belt on supplemental lifts was odd at first but I got used to it. Hardest to get accustom to on the beltless regular squat for me.
  10. Tempo squats are useless. I don’t actually know or believe that, but I’d like it to be true so I can justify not doing them ever again.

I’m on to the GPP Hypertrophy template now. Tug says he wants to get his swole on for the summer, so we’ll see how it goes.

35

GPP-Hypertrophy W1 D1

Squat w belt
315 x 6 @6
325 x 6 @7
335 x 6 x 2 @8,8

Bench 1ct pause
225 x 6 @6
235 x 6 @7
245 x 6 x 2 @7.5,8

Row (myoreps)
165 x 16 @8
165 x 4 x 3
165 x 3

Arm work (supersets)
Preacher Curl: 65 x 12 x 3
DB LTE: 55 x 12 x 3

First day on the Hypertrophy template. Felt good. My squat has felt lousy and weak for a couple of weeks now, so I was happy that this felt better and went well. Stayed conservative on all weights. Rest periods <4 minutes for competition lifts. First time with myoreps, which were fine.

Tug – Tug is adjusting to some new outside-the-gym issues himself, namely a new brother from another mother. Otis the puppy is on the scene. Chew toy battles and intermittent napping x 10 RPE 7.

36

GPP-Hyp: W1 GPP1

30 min hike/walk w Tug at park.

16 min circuit
Planks: 60s x 3
Leg raise/rev curl: 10 x 3
DB Row: 75 x 10 x 3
Neutral grip chin: 8-8-6

37

GPP-Hyp: W1 D2

Press
145x6 @6
155x6 @7
170x4 DNF
165x6 @8.5, 9.5

RDL
185x8 @5
225x8 @7
235x8x3 @7.5,7.5,8

DB Bench (myorep)
150x16 @8
150x4x2
150x3

Arm work (superset)
BB curl: 85x12x3
Pushdown: Orange band x12x3

Tug: Otis chases x 5 RPE 6; nap RPE 0.

Right shoulder pain was main limiting factor on press which was off a bit. Haven’t done RDL in several months so figuring out weight. RPE tricky on these. 75# DB fine on bench.

38

GPP-Hyp W1 D3

DL
335 x 6 @6
345 x 6 @7
355 x 6 x 2 @7.5,8

Incljne CGP
135x8 @5
170x8 @7
185x8 @8.5
185x7 @10
175x8 @9.5

SSB (myorep)
175 x14
175 x 3 x 5
175 x 2

Arm work (superset)
Tricep pushdown 50x12x3
BB curl: 95x12x3

Super hot outside today, so sweltering. DL good. Incline was tough to dial in weight/RPE - really crashed on latter sets with short rest periods. I don’t have a true SSB, but rather a “Top Squat” handle attachment on a regular bar so no offset weights. Doing this high bar is as close as I could get to the prescribed exercise. Weight too light in retrospect but didn’t at the time. Was a little gassed at end today.

39

GPP-Hyp. W1 GPP2

Prowler: 205 x 30s x 10 (90s rest interval)
DB row: 75 x 8-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-5 = 49 (8 min)
Ab: Plank - 60s-30s-30s / Rollout: 10x3, 5 (8 min)

Hot. Did at large parking lot for more room and so Tug didn’t freak out and wake up the house.

40

GPP/Hypertrophy W2 D1

Squat w belt
320 x 6 @6
330 x 6 @7
340 x 6 x 3 @7.5,8,8

Bench 1ct pause
225 x 6 @6
240 x 6 @7.5
250 x 6 x 2 @8.5,9.5
235 x 5 @10

Row (myoreps)
170 x 16 @8
170 x 4 x 3
170 x 2

Arm work (supersets)
BB Curl: 95 x 12 x 3
Tri Pushdown: 50 x 12 x 3

Squat tougher due to shoulder pain getting in position. Otherwise okay. Stamina lacking today and suffered on bench. RPE inched too high on 250 (+5 from last week) work sets, and I still didn’t lower enough and failed on the last rep at 235. 3-4 min rest on comp lifts. Tug - 20 min walk, followed by involuntary confinement due to workers at house. RPE no fun.