Pull ups by far the best option for upper back imo.

I am beginning to have elbow discomfort (not pain really, they go numb) so thanks for that discussion

DL RPEV ~9, actual RPE around 4.

Re: upper back work, it doesn't really matter what you do, and there are a lot of options that you can superset into your regular upper body work that will effectively add zero time to your session (just try to stay reasonably balanced between horizontal and vertical pulling). Submaximal sets of pullups/chinups, DB rows, pulldowns with various grips, T bar rows, Meadows rows, cable rows, and Hammer machine rows can all be supersetted between upper body sets with little impact assuming you're doing submaximal sets.

I hope you're right. Bar speed certainly looks like it, but my upper back would have started buckling with more reps. What I like about pulling at a slight deficit is that it makes the hardest part of the pull for me (the first part) a bit easier while making the easier part (the lockout) a bit harder, so it feels like a more balanced movement. Hopefully I can get to non-lunchbox weights soon.

The reason I don't do this is because I'm afraid the fatigue from these sets would affect my squat/deadlift which usually comes after the main upper. I'm just generally not a big fan of wearing out my back before squats. I know, as you said, submaximal, but it's still fatigue. I feel it would work a bit better once I'm on a split routine. Feel free to call me a pussy though.

Renton,

That's why I said upper body sets.

Saturday, September 8, 2018 Training

Press (kg): 20x5, 30x5, 34x3, 40x1, 44xf, 40x2f, 35x5 x4

Squat (kg): 40x5, 60x3, 80x3, 94x2, 104x3 x5

Chin-up (67kg): 6, 6, 6, 6
Bench Press (kg): 50x8 x4

***

Bad day for my press. I think most of the issues were technical. I will make some videos when I repeat this weight next time. I will also ditch the single as it doesnt serve much useful purpose.

Squatting went awesome. I hit all my sets with little issue in spite of the room swarming with Chinese bros doing incredibly distracting things. I think I found a solution to my elbow pain in simply placing my left hand further out. In other words, taking an unbalanced grip on the bar greatly decreased the pressure on that arm while allowing me to stay tight. It makes sense given my goofy asymmetrical shoulders. The RPEVs are exceeding 10, but with the weight only going up 1.5 times per week I should have some room to go up for a while.

Squatting went awesome. I hit all my sets with little issue in spite of the room swarming with Chinese bros doing incredibly distracting things.


Can you compare/contrast Chinese bros with USA#1 bros.
Im already cracking up thinking what your answers may be

Squats look good man. Not totally perfect obviously, but nice. If I was your weight and had been inconsistent with training I would be happy with myself for squatting that heavy. Maybe it's not much by the standard of pro athletes or guys training consistently for years, but its still respectable and much stronger than the vast majority of untrained people can do.

They're just like USA#1 bros, only more so. Lifting even lighter weights with even worse form. USA#1 bros are like 80% likely to do really dumb things, Chinese bros are 98% likely to do those things, and even dumber.

The only major difference I can tell is that Chinese do not give a **** about others in the gym. They will take plates right off your barbell when you're obviously using that barbell. While looking at you. It's not that they're being *******s intentionally, it's just that they're completely oblivious to the fact that other human beings exist in the world. One of my friends said it best: they're a nation of only-children.

Thanks a lot. Just trying to get back to where I was. I'm glad you didn't look at my deadlifts.

Monday, September 10, 2018 Training

Bench Press (kg): 20x10, 40x5, 50x3, 59x1, 64x1 @8.5, 59x5 x2, 59x4 @9.5, 59x6 @10

Deadlift (kg): 60x5, 80x3, 94x2, 107.5x5, 94x5 x2

Pause Squat (kg): 60x4, 84x4, 89x4 x3

Low Row (kg): 30x10, 40x10 x3

***

Bench is making gains. In the third work set, I hit the j-hooks unracking and had a bad set from there. I managed to have enough in the tank to hit 6 reps for the do over set, which made me happy.

Deadlifts and squats were challenging, but good. No complaints today.

Nice looking bench man

Thanks. I feel like I "get" benching in a way that I just don't for the other lifts.


Wednesday, September 12, 2018 Training

Press (kg): 20x10, 30x5, 34x3, 40x3 x5

Squat (kg): 40x5, 60x5, 80x3, 99x1, 112.5x1 [rep PR], 106.5x3 x5

Chin-up (67kg): 7, 7, 7, 6
Bench Press (kg): 51.5x8 x4

***

I thought last night about not coming in today, since I have been going EOD for the last couple of weeks and the recovery couldn't hurt. Then, this morning I woke up feeling great and fully recovered. Today was the best day of training yet since I started back training consistently. I hit all my press sets with little issue after not being able to do even one set last time, I added 2.5kg to my squat 5x3 with no difference in RPE, and I gained 3 reps on chins at the same body weight.

I am starting to get fairly pumped about my squat progress. Moving my left hand out 2-3 inches has all but solved my elbow pain, so that is no longer the limiting factor. I unracked 112.5 easily today. I think if I started cutting I could hit 2x body weight in a month or so. Not gonna do that, though.

The extra bench volume seems to be helping. These are basically rAvsets™ with short rests and around 5 reps in reserve on the last set, but rAv's (RIP) field research indicates that they generate mad gains.

Squat at 112.5 looked like it was at RPE 9. Looks like a lot of squat PRs in your future.

I'd hope it was closer to an @8, considering I was capable of 5x3 with only 6 fewer kilos. I also need to sink these singles deeper. This one was an inch or two shallower than the work sets.

I was chatting with a fellow iron acolyte about the fact that my squat rack safeties are like a foot lower than my bottom position. I'm gonna have to drop one of these sooner or later.

What's the RPEV of this set?



Thing was, I smoked the fifth set so it was just bad technique that caused me to almost miss.

Friday, September 14, 2018 Training

Bench Press (kg): 65x1 @7.5 (!), 60x5 x2, 60x7 @10

Deadlift (kg): 110x6 [PR], 99x5 x2

Pause Squat (kg): 84x4, 91.5x4 x3

Chest-Supported Row (kg): 32.5x10 x4

***

Another great day. I added weight and reps to the bench press. The single and first set were so easy that I thought those 20s weighed less than the plates I normally use. Out of paranoia, I switched to the usual plates for the other two sets (/sperg). It seems that to key to getting reps for me is to keep my original breath as long as possible. I lose so much tightness when exhaling.

The heaviest set of conventional deadlifts I have ever pulled was 110x5 over a year ago with much worse form. After that I switched to block pulls, and eventually, sumo. This is still an asterisk PR considering that I did marginally more impressive things with those lifts.

Today's Chinese GGO: Chinese bro appears to have discovered the most compound-AF lift possible. He loaded ALL the plates on the leg press (the reason I couldn't use my usual plates) and assisted his reps by pushing on his knees with his arms. He got a huge chest pump from this. Then he did his back off work on the hack squat with 50kg x sin(45°).

Was dude in this video, major ouches going on



Dude at 2:00 is my nomination for ASSHAT of all Youtubes workout videos.

34 of 37 seconds of a benching video involving setup or racking of the bar? Must be a Renton single!

Nice grind on the 60x7 bench set. DL looked good too

Jesus christ, never gonna lock out a leg press rep again IMO.

The pernicious evil of FULL ROM must be avoided at all costs!

ETA: Got about 15 seconds in and noped the **** out of that video.

That's your loss, because the first 15 seconds had the most brutal **** in it anyways. You would have been coasting into some light hearted GGO fun.

Well deadlifts are getting locked now, so thats good.

Lift is good, green light.

Monday, September 17, 2018 Training

Press (kg): 41.5x3 x4 @10, 41.5x2f

Squat (kg): 116.5x1 [PR], 109x3 x5 [PR]

Chin-up (66kg): +0kg x5, +6kg x5 x2 @9.5, +6kg x4 @9.5
Bench Press (kg): 52.5x8 x4 @7

***

I took an extra rest day for this one. It looks like I needed it. I barely didn't complete the press work. Got my head through but couldn't lock the last rep out.

Squats were tough. I managed to sink the single a bit deeper than the 112.5 last time, but that looks like @9 to me. Tougher than it should have been. I had to dig pretty deep to complete the 5x3, with a few grinder reps and a little liberal on rest intervals. I rested 4 minutes after the first set, 6 minutes after the fourth.

Things are going pretty well.

Damn man 125kg squat right around the corner!

looks kinda high to me.

I hope so. Today was hard but still feels like there's some LP remaining.


Yup. I do pause squats every other session and make sure I'm at least going as deep as possible on those sets.

From last week (89kg):



Even this is borderline, but its as deep as I can get without losing balance/tightness.

This picture compares today's 116.5 single (right side) to last session's 112.5:



It's a huge improvement and might even be deeper than the pause set. It's a work in progress.

yeah at the end of the day I doubt it matters much unless you plan to compete one day.