Monday 9 Nov
A2S W3D2

Comp Bench: 135x3, 155x3, 165x3 x3 sets, LS@9, 155x3

Pause Squat w/sleeves: 135x5, 185x5, 205x5 x5 sets, LS @6

Incline Bench: some sets of 45

T = 1:00, RPE 8

***

Second week in a row of crap bench performance on this day. I'm probably going to drop the push press and do a pin press instead. Squat was okay but definitely couldn't get my upper body as tight as I wanted due to elbow and shoulder pain.

Diet looks very much not like a train wreck. Good job!

Thanks man, I'm trying to do better.


Wednesday 11 Nov
A2S W3D3

Deadlift: 135x3, 185x3, 225x3, 240x3 x5 sets, LS@6

WG Pause Bench: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 145x5 x4 sets, 145x10 @8

Low Row: x10 x3 sets
Leg Curl: x12 x3 sets

Biceps: x12 x3 sets
Triceps: x12 x3 sets

T = 1:05, RPE 8

***

Deadlifts coming along. They still don't feel amazing. Zero pain or discomfort but there's still that psychological inhibition that keeps me from being able to pull as hard as I can. Nonetheless, there was at least 4 reps in the tank on the last set and I rested 2 minutes between sets.

There's a weird pattern of me getting crushed by bench on Monday but crushing on Wednesday. 145x10 with legit pauses is probably a PR but I rarely do 10s.

Session RPEs for the last couple of days weren't 8, more like 6. I'm not sure how that happened.

Thursday 12 Nov
A2S W3D4

Strict Press: 45x10, 65x3, 85x3 x4 sets, 85x8 @9

Leg Press: 225x5, 315x5, 365x5 x5 sets, LS @6

Chin-ups: x5 x3 sets
Pec Deck: x20 x3 sets

DB Hammer Curl: x15 x3 sets
DB LTE: x15 x3 sets

T = 1:00, RPE 5

***

Awesome workout, especially for a day 4. The rep out press set was a dumpster grease fire in terms of bar path and I still managed to match reps from last week +5 pounds.

all of this.

for me the key cues for OHS are 'core contracted, your elbows forward' If you do that, it's basically impossible for your shoulder blades not to be in their best position.

Is your torso more or less upright than a front squat? The elbows forward cue confuses me. I would have thought the opposite.

Saturday Nov 14
A2S W4D1

Squat w/belt: 45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 235x5 x4 sets, 235x12 [PR?]

Push Press: 45x7, 65x7, 75x7 x5 sets @6

SLDL: 135x7, 185x7 x5 sets, LS @<6

OHS: x5 x4 sets

T = 1:20, RPE 7

***

Another productive day. I've got a lot of momentum going for the squat. I think I'm gonna push a set hard every other week, either doing a semi rep out set like today or ramping up to something heavy (single, triple, or fahve).

I don't remember the history but I'm pretty sure I've never done over 225 for over 10 reps. The RPE is debatable because it's an @7 based on bar speed, but the bar was rolling down my back, which is why I racked it. I think two more sketchy reps was a safe bet.

Other lifts were easy too. Gonna take a pretty big training max jump on all three lifts for this day.

Sorry, ‘elbows through’ makes more sense but I wasn’t sure that would translate. So you’re pushing the inside of your elbow joint through from the back to make the whole arm totally taut.

Yes, ohs should be more upright because otherwise you’ll lose the bar behind you a lot...particularly if you don’t have good shoulder flexibility. The bar needs to be directly over the middle of your foot at all times to retain the balance you’ll need to go through the movement.

I don't think OHS is necessarily more upright than FS , but depends on mobility and anthropometry and stuff

FS seems necessarily more upright because the bar is in front of your head.

Uprightness seems like Zercher > FS > OHS > HBBS > LBBS

Show your armpits to a person in front of you was really helpful for me regarding elbows and OHS.

Above average shoulder mobility

Week 14 Diet:



I'm walking around 164-165 now. It looks like that 158 weigh-in was a scale error. It's mildly devastating to know that I'm possibly gaining weight on 1700 calories. I think part of it is that my job has been a lot less physical lately, so I lost those calories out. Nothing to do but aim at 1400 (and realistically post around 1500).

Meals:

Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia w/ rice and broccoli, portion - 307 cals, 31 carbs, 6 fats, 30 protein (yeah we stepping things up in here)

Pressure Cooker Ground Beef and Bean Chili Con Carne, portion - 452 cals, 31 carbs, 14 fats, 44 protein

I've made this before. This time I used all 93/7 beef and doubled the beans to improve the food volume and reduce fat. It's still not as hearty as I'd like. I'll triple the beans next time.

Since I'm going lower on cals, I'm going to try to build meal prep around one really lean portion like the fish and something heartier, so that at least there's one substantially filling meal in the day.

Monday Nov 16
A2S W4D2

Comp Bench: 45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 150x5 x5 sets, LS @7

Beltless Pause Squat: 45x7, 135x7, 185x7 x5 sets, LS @<6

Incline Bench: 50x7, 70x7, 80x7, 90x7 x5 sets, LS @7

1-Arm Cable Row: 50x20 x5 sets

T = 1:10, RPE 7

***

Pretty redemptive session. I didn't sleep well so I bailed on the 6am session in favor of getting more sleep, then I went after work instead. This is the first day 2 in several weeks that I've been able to get through benching without excessive elbow pain. Comp bench RPE was about right for my strength level prior to this cycle. Incline press was somewhat painful but it got better with each set.

Squats were super easy. I paused for like 5-6 sec on the last rep of each set. I've been pretty casual about the third exercise. Given my arm hurting it seemed liked a good time to do a shitload of reps of light rows. Crazy pump.

[instagram]https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl5u_BHguUH/[instagram]

Wednesday Nov 18
A2S W4D3

Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5 x5 sets, LS @7

WG Pause Bench: 45x7, 95x7, 125x7, 135x7 x4 sets, 135x12 @8

Lat Pulldown: 100x12 x5 sets

T = 1:05, RPE 6

***

Good, low hype session. Was a little stiff for deadlifts, but they were still pretty easy. Wide grip bench is definitely stronger than my normal grip providing that I can unrack while staying tight, a challenge due to reach limitations.

Thursday Nov 19
A2S W4D4

Press: 45x5, 65x5, 80x5 x4 sets, 80x8 @9

Leg Press: 225x7, 315x7 x5 sets, LS @8

Low Row: x10 x5 sets
Tri Rope: x20 x5 sets

T = 0:55, RPE 7

***

Meh. Press rep out seemed like a 10 repper was a safe bet but the 8th got way out in front. Leg press was weak too. I'm looking forward to the weekend.

JFC no doubt

Saturday Nov 21
A2S W5D1

Squat w/belt: 135x4, 225x2, 265, 295 @7.5, 255x4 x5 sets, LS @6

Push Press: 45x6, 65x6, 80x6 x5 sets, LS @<6

SLDL: 135x6, 185x6, 205x6 x5 sets, LS @<6

T = 1:05, RPE 6

***

This was a solid, low hype day. PRs were probably possible on squat but I'm trying to avoid going ham every week. Lower back was 90% or so. I had minor discomfort during squats but DLs felt fine.

Week 15 Diet:



Improved from last week but this was a really tough week to keep to my macros. A lot of situations came up where it wasn't feasible to eat my prepped meals. I was on installs most days without access to a microwave. I'm still basically not losing weight at all, which doesn't make a lot of sense unless I'm drastically miscounting calories (which I am not).


Meals this week:

Easy Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts With Lemon and Rosemary Pan Sauce Recipe w/ roasted sweet potatoes, portion - 512 cals, 46 carbs, 11 fats, 59 protein. This is a little high in calories but I love how fast and easy it is to prepare so I will likely make it a staple.

Cuban Picadillo w/ instant pot black beans, portion - 448 cals, 23 carbs, 16 fats, 48 protein

Thanksgiving week so I'm not expecting to put up banner numbers but hopefully I can keep a lid on things and keep making gym gains.

Monday Nov 23
A2S W5D2

Comp Bench: 45x4, 95x4, 135x4, 160x4 x5 sets, LS @9

Pause Squat: 45x6, 135x6, 225x2, 255 @8, 200x6 x5 sets, LS @7

T = 0:50, RPE 8

***

This was all I had time for today. My back was bothering me slightly and strength was lackluster all around. I kind of wanted to hit 275 @8 paused, which would have been a PR. It wasn't there so I just went on with the rep work.

Wednesday Nov 25
A2S W5D3

Deadlift: 45x20, 135x4, 185x4, 225x4, 240x4 x5 sets, LS @7

WG Pause Bench: 45x6, 135x6, 145x6 x4 sets, LS @7, 165, 175, 185x2 @9.5 [PR w/pause]

Neutral Lat Pulldown: x10 x4 sets

T = 1:10, RPE 7

***

I was conscious of my back from the instant I got out of bed. I made sure to warm up well with the bar and ramp up gently and everything went smooth. RPE is hard to say cause I haven't pushed DL hard in a while for obvious reasons. I'm okay with calling it 7 so that training max will get a tiny bump.

I think my wider grip bench is just going to become the standard grip from now on. So on this day of the week I'll do a 3 second pause with the same grip to double my practice. The hardest part of it is the unrack. I have to position myself at a perfect spot on the bench to be able to reach the bar. The 185x2 is a tiny PR at best, considering I've TNGed 185x3.

Pretty good considering the awkwardness of the unrack

Thanks, yeah just need to work on perfecting the setup. The equipment limitations are annoying though. I think if I could bench in a rogue rack with rogue j hooks I'd probably be able to hit a 20lb PR.

Saturday Nov 28
A2S W6D1

Squat w/belt: 45x5, 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 275, 305 @7.5, 325 [PR+10] @9, 335 [PR+20] @9.5, 275x3 x5 sets, LS @8

Press: 45x5, 65x5, 75x5, 80x5, 85x5 x5 sets, LS @7

SLDL: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5 x5 sets, LS @7

T = 1:30, RPE 8

***

It seemed like a good idea to put the 4000 cals I ate on Thanksgiving to use. I had my eye on 330 just to be back at 2x bodyweight. The 325 single had a super sketchy unrack. I actually reracked it and did a do-over which almost psyched me out. Then, I was shocked at how easy it felt, so I thought I was good for another 10lb. Depth very sketchy for the 325 and slightly less sketchy for the 335.

These will be the last squat PRs for a while. Next goals are to sink 315 to a better depth standard and set new 5RMs and 3RMs while I lean down another 10-15lb.

In my moment of post-PR clarity I decided to punt the push press and just do strict press on both days 1 and 4 because SPECIFICITY. Back felt completely perfect during squats and deadlifts, which might be a first in many months.