12/17: ????

Didn't weigh in this morning, but had 4 homemade chocolate chip cookies last night. And bourbon. Gainz.

A
Snatch grip block pull (x8 @9, drop 5% until @9): 135x8, 155x8, 175x8, 195x8, 215x8, 235x8, 255x8, 275x8, 295x8 (8.5), 275x8

[U]B[/U
Slingshot Bench (x4 @9, drop 5% until @9): wu, 225x4, 245x4, 255x4, 265x4 (9), 255x4x2

C
Chins (x6 @8, continue until @9): 6xbw, 6xbw+15, 3x6xbw+25



Had no real idea what my working weight was going to be for snatch grip rack pulls; expected something in the 235 range, but the weight just kept going up. Hopefully this translates to conventional pulling. SI felt a little tight the last few days, but fine once I started moving.

275x4 for slingshot bench may have been there in retrospect, but the fourth rep on 265 was slow so I called it. Last 255 set wasn't quite @9, so it was probably early. Live and learn. Chins after pulling was brutal, as usual.

Great stuff in here Monte. Keep it up.

For some reason, I really wanted to see that bar roll off the plate at the end. Now I'll never know.

How did these feel? I'm getting so curious I'm probably going to have to try them. Obviously with an axle and straps.

Hug,

Danke!

Holliday,

They feel pretty good. Straps are obviously necessary at reasonable weight for me, but I'm relatively certain the grip is the first thing to fail on these for most people. They felt pretty good; they definitely FEEL like they're working my upper back more than standard DLs, and the increased ROM is hopefully cuing some better movement patterns for my conventional DL. It's a little confusing how 295x8 went up the way it did when 315x4 conventional felt so hard last week.

Maybe you were born to lift weights off the floor at a higher height. Why do you always insist on 8.75"? You trying to impress your internet friends?

Maybe? I don't feel like there's a particular reason I shouldn't be able to pull from the floor, though, so we'll see. I used to think I wasn't built for squatting, which, truth be told, I'm kind of not, but I learned how to move some alright weight this year after figuring some things out with the movement, so we'll see if I can do the same thing with pulling this year. If not, I suppose DT and I will be living the rack pull lyfe together.

If something falls all the way to the ground, we're probably just telling our kids to pick it up, anyway.

DT,

Yours actually listen?

12/19: 192.2

A
Squat (x3 @9, drop 5%, continue until @9): wu, 325x1 (8.5-9), 285x3, 300x3, 315x2,f , 295x3

B
Paused bench (x3 @9, drop 5%, continue until @9): wu, 245x1 (8), 215x3, 225x3, 235x3 (8.5), 225x3
Hammer Strength Row: 4x10

C
Larsen Bench (x3 @9, drop 5%, continue until @9): wu, 185x3, 195x3, 205x3, 215x3, 225x3, 215x3x2
Facepulls: 8x12





Just didn't have it today; even though 325x1 was technically a PR and didn't feel that hard, I bailed on the third rep of 315 without even really trying. Considering I did 305x4 last week, it was disappointing.

Tripled weights I did for sets of four on paused bench last week, which wasn't great, obviously. Larsen went alright, which is probably just proof that my still a bit uncomfortable SI is preventing me from getting as tight as possible under the bar and engaging enough leg drive for other benching styles.

I think I'm going to take an extra day off and deadlift Friday, then lift Sunday and Tuesday. Christmas Monday probably wouldn't have been an acceptable time to slip off and lift anyway.

325 moved pretty well for a PR, nice job!

+1 that looked smooove

Well it was supposed to be a single @8, so it should have looked easy . . . I just haven't really had anything programmed that's been heavier, so I've been trying to inch up the weight of my overwarmup.

I think I do another triple @9 in 3 weeks or so, so hopefully I get 3x315+ for that then . . . That was the first time I've moved three plates for more than a single, so maybe there was a psychological issue or something. I was pretty hesitant on the descent too. Just more to work on.

Try a 1rm. I never squatted a 1RM when I was at my strongest, and I regret it. I could have likely hit a 240-250 hbbs (which is like >1000lb lbbs or something!)! Dumb. Look I am not saying to try every month, but it should be more frequently than never when you are near PR territory like you are here - barring injury, something else, etc. Reason: fun. Reason not to: not fun. qed

Looked like you a double in you at 325. Is a four-plate squat on the horizon by the end of next year?

downtown,

RPElf is written as an 11 week program; I'll be testing maxes after that before restarting. Although my training weeks are now 8 days instead of 7, because I'm old and ****, so it'll probably be close to two months in real time before I get there. I'm actually tossing around lengthening it by another day to give me an extra day of rest (i.e. two total off days) between my heavy squatting/competition benching day (Day 1) and my heavy deadlift day (Day 2). Maybe add some GPP in there somewhere too, although not until the next cycle.

jd2,

I think that's the long term goal, yeah. As written above, one cycle of this program should take ~105 days, so I might be able to fit three more in this year after I finish this one. Assuming no injuries, and the fact I think I could probably get 340ish up right now if I absolutely had to/peaked appropriately, 405 might be there if I can stay reasonably healthy and regain adult male (i.e. ~200 lb bw) status.

I'll put money on about 350

Under for a max bet.

Both the montecore and the fakeb notorious under achievers in hitting their 1RM per the calculator. It could be cracking under pressure, fiber distribution, or could just be InnerEV.

Fair. And ironic. With me, it's definitely more psychological than anything else. Assuming I ever get there, I'll probably double 360 before I single 365.

After a discussion with my tiny vested adviser, a SLIGHTLY CONDENSED three day RPElf split has been generated. Two days off between d1 and d2, one day off between d2 and d3 and between d3 and d1 of the following week:

D1: Squat, Competition Bench, Snatch Grip Block Pull, Back Work
D2: DL, Closegrip Bench or OHP (alternating), Paused Squat, Back Work
D3: Squat, Larsen or 3 Count Bench (alternating), TNG or Slingshot Bench (alternating), Weighted NG Chins

Should fit everything in there I want/need while giving me an extra day for recovery between heavy squats and heavy deads. D3 squats will tend to be more of the volume variety (i.e. x4-5 @8, continue until @9) so I can recovery appropriately for D1. More pressing to satisfy the gentle giants.

Today would have been D2 on the old schedule, but I took an extra day off as indicated above and actually feel great. Looking forward to pulling tomorrow, actually!

Looked pretty comfortable under 325 and it moved absolutely fine. Really nice work.

12/22: 193.6

Might need to lay off the cookies.

A
DL (x3 @9, drop 5%, continue until @9): wu, 335x1 (8), 315x3, 325x3, 335x3, 345x3 (9), 325x3

B
OHP (x3 @8, continue until @9): wu, 145x1 (7.5-8), 5x3x135
Facepulls: 8x12

C
Paused Squat (x4 @8, drop 5%, continue until @9): wu, 225x4, 245x4, 265x4, 275x4 (9), 255x4





Pretty good day, all things considered; 345 was by far my ugliest DL set, but it felt like a pretty solid 9, which is an improvement from last week. I was probably a bit light on OHP, but I wanted to get some volume in; felt mostly ok, as I tried to concentrate on curtailing the layback. Squats felt pretty easy through 265, then 275 felt like a house, so at least I found the correct weight.

SI feels fatigued but not injured, so we'll see how it goes tomorrow. Probably will take an Advil or too tonight just in case.

Nice PR!

You could have told that was a warmup on the way up to a higher work set and I'd have totally believed it.

Thanks Donnie.

Melk,

The way RPElf works, it essentially is that. You're working up to a single at RPE 8 prior to doing whatever work sets are indicated; I'd been working up to a single at 315 for a while, and those felt snappy enough that bumping it up to 325 if I felt good, just to get some heavier weight on my back, seemed to be indicated. It wasn't a PR in the sense that I was trying to hit a true max, just a PR in the sense that I hadn't really lifted a single heavier than that in a while. I'm pretty sure I had more, and comfortably at that, were I going for a true PR. Not for a few weeks yet, though.

I was gonna comment those pulls looked good. If that's your ugly form you're doing well

I think we have our Glowing loco winner right here! Lifts all look great, Monte, and weights quite serious. Why aren't you muscle-bursting all over the place? Like, you really should be.

+this

Everything is looking good.