I had looked at maybe a hundred programs and templates in my life but it wasn't until I recently read that Juggernaut strength development book that I really understood how (good) programs were really laid out and why they moved the way they did.

If you find yourself lost about your program or are unsure about what it is you need exactly in this phase of your development as an athlete, I highly recommend giving it a read.

Scientific Principles of Strength Training

Syn,

I have that book! On my list of things to read through.

4/9: BBM Hypertrophy C1W4D4

Deficit DL (4 minutes):
255x8 @6
265x8 @7
275x8x2 @7.5, 7.5, 8

CG Bench (3 minutes):
165x8 @6
175x8 @7
185x8x3 @7.5, 8, 8.5

Seal Rows (myo reps):
55s x12
55s x4x3

60 minutes, but had to wait five minutes for a bench and stack eight bumpers for seal rows.

Same weight on DL, but ticked the weight up on CG. Wrist feels slightly better; bought some wrist wraps, which helped me keep the bar lower in my palms like I'm supposed to be doing anyway.

Also back down to 197.x this morning; was fun while it lasted.

Now saunaing.

Don't take your phone in the sauna! Sauna - so hot right now!

But I get bored!

4/10: BBM Hypertrophy C1W4GPP2

Chins (7 minutes, bw):
14, 8, 7, 5, 5, 4, 4 (n=47)

HLR (7 minutes, bw):
x7x6, x5

Pallofs (1.5 min btwn sets):
12x4

DB Hammer Curl (1.5 min btwn sets):
25s x12x4

Overhead Rope Tri Extension (1.5 min btwn sets):
4x15

Incline DB Curls (1.5 min btwn sets):
12x4

Treadmill: 1.8 mi/30 minutes

80 minutes.

Pretty k.

Heavy squat and OHP singles tomorrow. Bit nervous; it's been a while.

4/11: BBM Hypertrophy C1W5D1

Squat (4 minutes):
295x1 @6.5
315x1 @8
285x6 @9
275x6x2 @8, 8

OHP (3 minutes):
145x1 @6.5-7
155x1 @8
135x6 @9
125x6x3 @8, 8, 8.5
Facepulls: 8x15

DB Incline Bench:
55s x8x3

80 minutes.

Felt ok; wrist is still a bit wonky, but feeling some heavy (for me) weight on my back again was kind of nice. I'm twisting forward a bit on my right side, which I have to work on -- the bar is coming forward from midfoot on a few reps on that side and I just need to notice/work on that a bit more. Also kind of losing tightness towards the end of sets.

Planned to film OHP, but was using a bench as a mount and let someone else use it before I got to the single. Pretty sure 155 was @8, but maybe 7.5.

Planning on taking my rest day on this program tomorrow, so I have a full day off between the two heavy days of the program.

Squat looking solid!

+1, but you also looking sinewy bro.

4/13: BBM Hypertrophy C1W5D2

DL (4 minutes):
355x1 @6.5
385x1 @7.5-8
345x6 @7.5-8
330x6x2 @7.5-8, 7.5-8

Bench (3 minutes):
225x1 @6
245x1 @8
215x6 @9
205x6x3 @8, 8-8.5, 8.5-9

2 Count Leg Press (3 minutes):
2 plates per side x11x3

85 minutes, but waited 10 for a bench.

Deadlifts went better than I'd expecting. Maybe I'm under-reporting RPE? Not sure. Need to work on getting my hips a bit further back and getting my back a bit flatter, bit overall doing ok I think. Pretty sure constantly keeping my left hand supinated, which I originally did to protect a sore right proximal biceps tendon, is causing this left sub-scapular pull/pain; I'll switch to right hand supinated for the next three weeks and see how it goes. It cramped a fair bit during bench, so need to address it.

Bench was fine. 215 reps were solid, but ran out of gas a bit on the backoff work. 2 ct leg press was a nice change.

RPE should be based somewhat on technique for the more mortal lifters.

Take a guy like N1. His form breakdowns at rpe9+. His squat buttwinks too much and his deadlift round backs. So you do him a disservice by saying his rpe8 is a 6. It's more likely a 7.5 when you take into account his form breakdown.

A guy like yourself doesn't have as much problem. But that deadlift is definitely rpe8. You starting to break down, who cares that it's really rpe7.

Now take a guy like Kidcolin. Kid was born to lift. Close to zero breakdown, yes he can follow the rpes exactly as they were meant.

Thanks bros. Walking around at ~196 these days, so maybe a pound of realLBM gained this year? Maybe.

So are KC and I still total pussies that can't hit our e1RMs because we don't have the same HEART and COMMITMENT as the loc-huahua? I'm a bit confused with your praise of KC in light of that recent post in your log - surely it wasn't all loc-chismo?

As to your other points re: true RPE for me, I agree, at least mostly. @7.5 is better than @8.5 for singles and @8.5 is better than @9.5 for rep work for exactly the reasons you describe.

I think you're giving N1 a bit too much of a buffer; undershooting his RPE by as much as he does just leaves gains in the table. I do agree that I'd recommend an approach similar to what I just described for myself above, but he's not quite there yet. Repping out five reps @8 with your @8 single is a bit too conservative for my tastes. Plus, he's a young kid with minimal actual stress or responsibility- he can recover.

Obviously any quote questioning heart or bragging about heart is a joke.

When I was prepping for the snitch boxing fight, I was in Mexico City being prepped by a pro coach. I told him the scenario with Snitch and he responded with, "your dad was born in Mexico, you got this.". And pointed straight to the left side of my chest.

I almost snorted in laughter. That's where that comes from, it's a joke.

But in all seriousness, N1 buttwinks a lot and is in flexion in his deadlift at big weights. He is using loco angles recently, so it looks better than what it is. You are the coach, don't bust his shiet up questioning his heart. Kid trains really hard.

Squat and deadlift singles at 8 looking nice. What’s up with the loading for the squat single? No fan of three plates?

loco,

Yeah, agreed. I won't break him.

jd,

Mostly laziness. Putting a third plate on for a single rep and then taking it off seems like a pain, and also a bit vain. I'll add the third plate once it's there for rep work.

I'm the king of this. I was doing a workset of 225 today. I also take small jumps as I work up to the workset, and the last one was 215 x 1, so my 225 had the following on each side:

45, 15, 10, 10, 5, 5

4/14: BBM Hypertrophy C1W5GPP1

Chins (7 minutes, bw):
14, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 4 (n=48)

Ab Wheel (7 minutes, bw):
10x6

Palloffs (1 min btwn sets):
29x12x4

EZ Curl (1.5 mins btwn sets):
55x15x4

V Grip Tri Press down (1.5 mins btwn sets):
15x4

Treadmill: 1.8 mi/30 minutes

70 minutes.

Pretty k. Wrist too sore for dips, otherwise all the same.

DL looks pretty good. One minor thing that should help - rotate your elbows in on your setup right before you pull. A good cue that works for a lot of people - pretend you have oranges under your armpits and you want to squeeze them.

Thanks cha. I'm familiar with those cues, but I just find them harder to implement when using mixed grip. I will keep working on it, though.

4/15: BBM Hypertrophy C1W5D3

Paused Squat (2 count) (4 minutes):
205x8 @6
215x8 @7
225x8x3 @8, 8

Overhead Pin Press (Shoulder height) (3 minutes):
95x8 @6
105x8 @7
115x8x2 @8-8.5, 8.5-9
Facepulls: 8x15

Larsen Press (3 minutes):
wu, 155x11x3

60 minutes.

Squats were unbelted and felt fine. Pin press was kind of a pain to set up, since the only full rack is slightly too low for me to press in unless I stand right in back of it and miss the handles that run on either side across the upper side piece. A slightly wider stance and some attention managed to get it done, though. Larsen press felt great. Really tried to keep my scaps depressed, and felt in bigly in my pecs.

Squat was a slight pain in the ass because my left sub-scap region (the one that was sore) spasmed at the top of every rep. Guess I'll just have to deal with it, but it's kind of annoying.

4/16: BBM Hypertrophy C1W5D4

Paused DL (2 Count) (4 minutes):
225x8 @6
235x8 @7
245x8x2 @8, 9

2 Count Bench (3 minutes):
145x8 @6
155x8 @7
165x8x2 @8, 8.5

Landmine Rows (3 minutes):
wu, 120x11x3

55 minutes.

Strapped up for deadlift and it still sucked. Worked on setting my lats, though, so that helped. Everything else was fine.

To be totally fair, I would put younger Monte and Loco in a similar category as far as being pussies who wouldn't let it go enough to find their true 1RM, especially in a lift like squatting where you really have to disregard your body telling you this is a bad idea.

Young KC was in a completely different category, which is why in his prime he was squatting almost twice as much as you guys.

Of course, you "pussies" ultimately seem to be the ones who having the last laugh, as you still are in the iron game, and most of us who pushed it to the limit (yes I count myself, 4 plate full squat don't lie) have pretty much broken down or burnt out.

I don't follow N1H logs intensely, but I have a feeling if he sticks with the iron game he will push himself to the limit, hit some big lifts, and eventually his body will break down.

At the end of the day the entropy of the universe ever increases.

From what little I know of Mexican boxing culture, I doubt the coach was joking at all.

4/17: BBM Hypertrophy C1W5GPP2

Chins (7 minutes, bw):
14, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 4 (n=48)

HLR (7 minutes, bw):
x7x7

Pallofs (1.5 min btwn sets):
12x4

DB Hammer Curl (1.5 min btwn sets):
25s x13x4

Overhead Rope Tri Extension (1.5 min btwn sets):
4x15

Incline DB Curls (1.5 min btwn sets):
4x13

Treadmill: 1.8 mi/30 minutes

75 minutes.

All k.

I tell you not to take your phone in the sauna, and you just stop sauna? Or, hopefully, like me you just don't log sauna so that sauna doesn't get too hot. Sauna. So hot right now.

K

Many a mother****er in my steam room wrap their phones in plastic so they can disturb my peace in there. You should try that.

Urgh just another reason to hate people.

People are the worst.