@wiseman83 tagging you into Hillbilly log.
There it is! I was looking…but i don’t surf so well. Thanks mate!
My kind of programming…
Yep good forward straight hard work.
Yeah we can move the discussion over here so we don’t gum up your log. As you can see, my training is set up with three full body strength days and two accessory/supplemental days per week. So I end up doing a heavy, lower-rep bench day, a higher-rep bench variation day, and an overhead press day each week.
A few posts up where simo and I were discussing this, I mentioned I think I probably push too close to max way too often on the bench. Most of the work is supposed to be done in the RPE8 range, but if I’m honest I really push the bench too hard, to where I’m struggling to finish sets. I think I need to just hold my egos head underwater, take some weight off and just let it come to me, rather than pushing it continually. That’s what I’m trying for now, anyway. It seems to work with my other lifts, I just get greedy with the bench press.
That’s my theory anyway.
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The relationship between intensity and volume can get tricky.
Can’t have both really high. Or really low either.
Currently I’m using a higher intensity myself, with only 2-3 sets on any particular exercise. I’m pushing every set to rpe9+ hence only 2 or 3 depending on the impact of the exercise on me.
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24Jun22
Bench Press
205x1
185x3
Front Squat
135x8
145x8
155x8
Pendlay Row
135x10
135x10
Lateral Raises
15x20
15x15
15x13
15x14
My back is feeling much better, but there is still significant pain in the left erector. Since I’m hampered by the back anyway, I’m keeping the volume low and making this (yet another) deload week, but it lines up with my current program calling for one, anyway. Despite the back issue, I’m going to try and stay the course with this program and just work through it. That seems to be working.
A week ago I would have never dreamed I would feel this good and be lifting any sort of weight by now; I could barely roll myself out of bed. Another data point for keeping moving and lifting what I can when “injured,” rather than sitting on the couch and waiting for it to “feel better.” Obviously you can’t be stupid about it, but continuing to lift cautiously is the optimal course of action.
I’m going to try and deadlift a little bit today. Cross my fingers.
I bought a new non-stick frying pan and made a killer omelet this morning.
25Jun22
Deadlift
365x1
315x5
Bench Press (2 ct. pause)
165x5
175x5
180x5
Incline DB Bench
50x10
60x10
70x10
Calf Raises
Well, there you go. 365 is where I hurt myself last week. I worked up to that and didn’t want to push too hard too fast, so I called it there. I’m pretty happy with this. I could definitely still feel it, but it wasn’t really pain. I don’t know. Maybe I’m Wolverine? It’s quite possible the government wiped my memory when they were done with me. I remember bits and pieces of working for them, but not the entire time. At any rate, I seem to heal quickly. And given the amount of broken bones I’ve had and the amount of metal screwed into my body, anything is possible.
Time to ramp up the volume and do some singles.
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27Jun22
Squat
345x1
315x3
295x3
295x3
Seated Press
105x6
105x6
105x6
Stiff-legged Deadlift
225x8
225x8
Bulgarian SS
50x20
50x15
50x12
50x10
Wow. This one kicked my tail. It’s not that much volume, but to finish I put 8 minutes on the clock and did these 4 sets of BSS, just switching legs and pumping them out. It left me wobbling and drenched. Almost felt like a leg day.
I think I’ve finally figured out how to properly do a deload week. For me, anyway. I’ve tried all of the different methods in recent years. I used to think deload weeks were unnecessary and would never do them. Then once I realized they may have some utility in certain contexts, I tried them different ways. I tried just taking an entire week off from lifting. I tried reducing the intensity and doing a bunch of light volume. I tried maintaining the exact same programming, just reduced the intensity across all sets. Every time I would come back to regular programming feeling weaker and that I had just wasted a week of potential training growth.
So now what I do is maintain the intensity of the top sets, but remove all extra volume. So I’ll still do my top set or two with the same weights that I’ve been using, but won’t do any of the backoff sets; I reduce all of the volume. This, evidently, has been working for me. Squats flew up last night and I felt very fresh and rejuvenated. I still held back a little on the squat in a effort to ease my back into full-on intensity again, but everything was moving.
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(I don’t know how this picture will turn out here. This is the first time I’ve uploaded a picture. Sorry if it’s too big or too small)
I found a 3 lb venison roast in the freezer from a deer I shot in 2020. I figured it needed used up, so I smoked it on the charcoal grill on Sunday. It turned out perfectly. I wish all meal prep tasted this good!
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28Jun22
Abs
Arms
Pullups
Conditioning
Didn’t want to do this one. Did it. Done.
I have been doing what I call a heavy deload for the last 12 months or so and find it works really well. I usually lift either the same top weights as my last week of the block or even a little higher, but the reps and sets are lower, and the accessories are reduced. This always makes me feel fresh for the new block and as week 1 weights are lower I always feel strong.
Yeah trying to give myself a break from “heavy” weights seems to be a fools errand. Gotta keep heavy weight on my back!
Do you have deloads scheduled for certain intervals, or do you just go by feel? From looking at your log, it kind of seems like you just take them as they fit in between programs or when life circumstances hand them to you. Most of the programs I do are 6-8 week programs, so I usually just use the first week of a new program as the deload. Maybe I should do them more often but, at 43, I just don’t feel the need for them that frequently. Because my lifting is a little bit squat and deadlift focused, though, occasionally my lower back will tell me it’s time “dissipate some accumulated fatigue.”
29Jun22
Bench Press (competition pause)
210x1
190x3
190x3
190x3
165x5
165x5
Front Squat
175x8
175x8
175x8
Pendlay Row
175x10
145x12
145x12
145x12
Lateral raise
20x15
20x12
15x14
15x13
This one gassed me, but felt great. My erector still reminds me that it’s there, but there’s no real pain. Even though I don’t compete - yet - I’m using a competition-style pause for my main bench press movement. One of my supplemental bench days will be a 2-count pause bench. Bench felt really good. I hate front squats, but I threw them in this block just for the misery.
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I have a deload programmed at the end of every block. Training blocks are usually 4 or 5 weeks plus a deload week. This current block is 4 weeks weights getting heavier each week of the block
And then week 5 is a deload.
There are other times when I will do either a full deload week where I just go to the gym and do a little bit of light pump work. This is usually the week after something brutal like super squats or after a powerlifting comp.
I also have recovery blocks where for 4 weeks I will not do any of the normal powerlifting movements and just work on accessory movements. I probably have one of these each year when my body is feeling most beaten up.
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01Jul22
Deadlift
405x1
375x3
355x3
355x3
Bench Press (2 ct. pause)
195x5
185x5
185x5
Incline DB Bench
60x10
60x10
Calves
Biggest hurdle here was the fear on the deadlifts; still pretty gun-shy after what happened two weeks ago. Came out of this one sore but unscathed.
04Jul22
Squat
335x1
305x3
285x3
285x3
285x3
Seated Press
110x6
110x6
110x6
Stiff-legged Deadlift
225x8
225x8
225x8
Bulgarian SS
55x20
55x15
55x12
55x10
Independence Day Squats.
I felt weaker today than last week, but I think it was technique-related. For some reason everything felt “off” during this session, specifically the squat. I was also having trouble keeping track of rep counts and sets. I guess this is what happens after spending a weekend with my family?
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05Jul22
Abs
Arms
Chinups
06Jul22
Bench Press (competition pause)
215x1
200x3
200x3
190x3
175x5
175x5
Front Squat
185x8
185x8
185x8
Pendlay Row
175x13
145x12
145x12
145x12
Lateral Raise
20x16
20x13
15x14
15x12
My hips felt super tight, so the front squats didn’t feel very good until the last set. It seems like maybe not smashing myself to failure every night on the bench press is paying off? Still sucks.
07Jul22
Abs
Arms
Pullups
Definitely getting better at pullups.