Lack of Focus Log...

Training Training Logs
161

I worked my first meet as a spotter/loader Saturday. I had a blast, but I was sore as heck afterward. So, my lower back and thighs were fried going into the gym this afternoon. The plan was to work up to a heavy single rep that rated 9. Since I haven’t had a single rep doing regular squats in months, I wanted at least 500 but 520 would have been nice. If I didn’t work so hard Saturday, I think 520 would have been in the wheel-house. Everything just felt heavy on my back, but that will go away in a few sessions. For the Elevated Pulls, I built some new boxes(6-inches), down from 8. That made the pull start a little more than 3inchs below the knee. That really made it feel more like a “real” pull from the bottom.

By the time lunges came around, I could barely hold a pair of 40’s. Hopefully, I will feel better soon. Now, I have done some homework, because I feel my bench has been progressing well and my squat hasn’t. Since there has been the band and chain work, it’s really hard to tell what is going on with the numbers. But, I don’t feel a 5% increase is there. I crunched the numbers and noticed that when compared to Prilepins chart, my bench percentages and reps fall along the lines of the optimal range. My squat, on the other hand, has run on the low end of Prilepins. There are some workarounds that I will put into effect during the next volume cycle. One of the beauties of RTS, you have to find what works for you to maximize it.

Squat
405 x1 x1 @8 77% 405
460 x1 x1 @8.5 87% 460
500 x1 x1 @9 95% 500
460 x1 x1 @8.5 87% 460
460 x1 x1 @9 87% 460

Elevated Pulls
405 x1 x1 @8 81% 405
455 x1 x1 @9 91% 455
475 x1 x1 @9 95% 475
455 x1 x1 @9 91% 455
405 x1 x1 @8.5 81% 405

Lunges
80 x6 x1 @9 74% 480
40 x8 x1 @8 37% 320
40 x8 x1 @8 37% 320
40 x10 x1 @9 37% 400

Hip Raises
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0
bw x12 x1 @9 0% 0

162

I stepped into the gym with a sore back and triceps, so I didn’t know how deep I could go. When I got to 360 on bench, I was feeling pretty good even though I was tight and tired. When I hit 380, it felt pretty good and easy. At this point, I should have started doing back-off sets, but I knew there was plenty more in the tank. So, against better judgment, I went for 390 and after hitting that, 395. Those were done in fairly quick succession, as they should be.

Since they flowed so well, I decided today was the day to try to break into the 400lbs club after a 7-10minute break. I got a really good hand-off, so I was able to stay tight and hit a pretty good arch. Taking into account that this is a tough week and I haven’t been able to recover like I need too, hitting 415 or 420 in 3 weeks is definitely possible.

The CG Inclines were not easy. The incline bench at the gym blows; the back-rest isn’t stable and the j-hooks are too far apart(1 too low, 1 too high). But, that didn’t bother me too much at all. Everything else was done at a fairly quick pace and got my heart rate up.

What a day.

Bench(touch-n-go)
340 x1 x1 @8 84% 340
360 x1 x1 @8.5 89% 360
380 x1 x1 @9 94% 380
390 x1 x1 @9 96% 390
395 x1 x1 @9 97% 395
400 x1 x1 @9.5 99% 400

Close-Grip Incline Bench
245 x1 x1 @8 82% 245
265 x1 x1 @8.5 88% 265
285 x1 x1 @9 95% 285
255 x1 x1 @8 85% 255

Military Press
135 x6 x1 @8 74% 810
155 x6 x1 @8.5 85% 930
165 x3 x1 @10 90% 495

SA Low Pulley Row(Standing)
100 x10 x1 @8 62% 1000
100 x10 x1 @8 62% 1000
100 x10 x1 @9 62% 1000
100 x10 x1 @9 62% 1000

Bench- First 400 - YouTube

163

Hell yeah man, way to go!

164

Way to blast that shit up there!! That was awesome. I had better get my ass back to work because you’re leaving me in the dust.

165

@mrodock- Thanks, bro.

@novaeer- Even though I was worn, it felt good. Did you get that PM?

166

[quote]undesired08 wrote:
@mrodock- Thanks, bro.

@novaeer- Even though I was worn, it felt good. Did you get that PM?[/quote]

I did and for some reason I keep getting an error message when I reply. I’ll try it again to see if it goes through this time.

167

Apparently, I can’t listen to myself when I set crap up. The other day, I was talking about not hitting too many 9’s and no 10’s on my secondary movements, but the Pause Squats were calling my name tonight and I went deeper than I intended. But, first, dead’s w/ 40lbs of chains were ok. I noticed that I can’t pull near maximal weights with any kind of speed.

I think it’s just a muscle response due to the pounding. I have found that to pull quickly, I have to have had quite a bit of rest. The pulls were solid and I never felt in danger of missing the lift. Now, 480 was a little tougher than it should have been the first time, so I left the weight the same and made sure I dropped my hips on the second pull. It felt a LOT more solid.

As for squats, I actually let one of the kids work with me in the rack. He isn’t too short and he squats high bar, so I didn’t have to set up lower than I usually do. The only problem was he worked up to 285, so there was a lot of loading and unloading. The good thing was, I took my time and really got warmed up. When I got up to 485, it felt really smooth. I bumped up to 500 and that was also smooth.

My goal is 530 for a 9, because that is my opener for May. I thought of going for 510 for a single, but I decided to suck it up and go for 520. I honestly think I could have gotten another rep, but I called it a 9.5 anyway.

Squats are tricky for me, because they feel tough but I can still move to higher weights. Also, the unracking was tough, but better than Sunday. The funny thing was that even though they were tough, when I started the squat, the weight felt light. I think 530 or 540 would have been my max and I think I can hit that fairly comfortably in 3 weeks. What that means to me is that there is an outside chance of me hitting 6 at the meet. What a good day…again.

Deadlift +40c
405 x1 x1 @8 82% 405
450 x1 x1 @8.5 91% 450
480 x1 x1 @9.5 97% 480
480 x1 x1 @9 97% 480
450 x1 x1 @8.5 91% 450

Pause Squats
410 x1 x1 @8 77% 410
450 x1 x1 @8.5 85% 450
485 x1 x1 @9 91% 485
500 x1 x1 @9 94% 500
520 x1 x1 @9.5 98% 520

GM
135 x10 x1 @9 64% 1350
135 x8 x1 @8 64% 1080
135 x8 x1 @8 64% 1080
135 x8 x1 @8 64% 1080

Band Wood Choppers
50 x8 x1 @9 68% 400
50 x8 x1 @8 68% 400
50 x8 x1 @8 68% 400
50 x8 x1 @8 68% 400

168

strong shit man

169

Thanks, mrodock. Working hard. Looking forward to some big numbers for May.

Shoulders were feeling it today. The bench was looking a little slow and it wasn’t easy to stay tight. The workout was average, which is to be expected on the tail end of a pretty intense week. I have been crunching numbers for the next 3 weeks of this phase and the next volume phase.

Like I mentioned before, I am having trouble feeling RPE levels for my legs, so I’m looking at minimal numbers to hit over the intense phase. Just because I have “minimum goals”, that doesn’t mean that I can ignore RPE’s totally.

I’m starting to get psyched up for the meet.

Bench w/Bands (small)
225 x1 x1 @7 76% 225
250 x1 x1 @8 85% 250
270 x1 x1 @8.5 92% 270
295 x1 x1 @10 100% 295
265 x1 x1 @8 90% 265

Floor Press
275 x1 x1 @8 78% 275
295 x1 x1 @8 84% 295
315 x1 x1 @8.5 89% 315
335 x1 x1 @9 95% 335

Tate Press
40 x8 x1 @7 45% 320
50 x8 x1 @8 57% 400
60 x8 x1 @9 68% 480
55 x8 x1 @8 62% 440

Pulldowns(V-Grip)
120 x8 x1 @8 61% 960
130 x8 x1 @8 66% 1040
130 x8 x1 @9 66% 1040
130 x8 x1 @8 66% 1040

170

That’s the good thing about using RPEs–specifically that you can tailor the scale to your own needs down to the individual bodypart if need be.

171

On squats, I wanted to go between 490 and 500 for a triple @9-ish. After hitting 480 for a pretty easy 9, I decided to go to 500. That turned out to be an interesting ride. Since I haven’t been working with heavier weights lately, I was not ready for that experience. I kind of lost touch with all of my senses after the first rep; everything went black and I could not tell where parallel was. When I looked at the video, I was surprised at my bar speed and all were right around parallel.

Elevated pulls were cool and I could have gone a little heavier, but I don’t want to dig too deep before I pull from the floor on Wednesday. Lunges were dropped due to knee pain. It’s nothing too severe, just wanting to rest it.

I’m really hoping this peaking cycle pays off like I think it will.

Squat
405 x3 x1 @8 71% 1215
450 x3 x1 @8.5 79% 1350
480 x3 x1 @9 85% 1440
500 x3 x1 @9.5 88% 1500

Elevated Pulls
385 x3 x1 @8.5 73% 1155
425 x3 x1 @9 80% 1275
450 x3 x1 @9 85% 1350

Hip Raises
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0
bw x10 x1 @8 0% 0

EDIT: Camera is set up 4inchs below knee level

172

Bench was just ok today. My wrist is hurting, so I couldn’t get a goo push going. But, I’m more focused on pulling on Wednesday. Gotta do some work.

Bench
275 x3 x1 @7.5 69% 825
315 x3 x1 @8 79% 945
330 x3 x1 @8.5 83% 990
350 x3 x1 @9.5 88% 1050

Close-Grip Incline Bench
225 x3 x1 @8 70% 675
245 x3 x1 @8 76% 735
265 x3 x1 @8.5 82% 795
290 x3 x1 @10 90% 870

Military Press
135 x6 x1 @8 68% 810
145 x6 x1 @8.5 73% 870
145 x6 x1 @8.5 73% 870
145 x6 x1 @8 73% 870

SA Low Pulley Row(Standing)
100 x10 x1 @8 53% 1000
100 x10 x1 @8 53% 1000
120 x10 x1 @9 64% 1200
120 x10 x1 @9 64% 1200

173

I went to the gym and had a rough time Wednesday. I have been sick since Sunday, but it has only gotten worse as the days have gone by. I tried deadlifting and barely pulled 440 x3. I tried squatting and gave up on the day after 315 felt like 500. After work, I slept for 11hours and hit the gym yesterday. I was still a little sluggish, but there was no shortness of breath or coughing. All in all, it was ok.

My biggest concern over the past few weeks has been weight gain. I have been talking to my wife and we are in for yet another diet change. The target is to get down to 260-265 walking around weight. Moving to the 308’s would suck, because there are fewer guys in the 308’s and they tend to be in the upper end (closer to super heavy’s).

Bench w/Bands (sm)
225 x3 x1 @8 76% 675
265 x3 x1 @10 90% 795
245 x3 x1 @8.5 83% 735
245 x3 x1 @9 83% 735

Floor Press
295 x3 x1 @8 78% 885
315 x3 x1 @9 83% 945
335 x3 x1 @9.5 88% 1005
295 x3 x1 @9 78% 885

Tate Press
40 x10 x1 @7 49% 400
50 x6 x1 @7 61% 300
60 x6 x1 @8.5 73% 360
60 x6 x1 @8.5 73% 360

Pulldowns(V-Grip)
120 x6 x1 @7 62% 720
130 x6 x1 @8 67% 780
140 x6 x1 @9 72% 840
150 x6 x1 @10 77% 900

174

Since Friday marked 4 days with no snow or rain for the first time in I don’t know how long, I moved dirt most of the morning and almost all day Saturday. My kids will be pissed if I don’t get the yard leveled, so they can get their new swing set by summer. The only reason I mention this is because this is not a good way to spend rest days from RTS. I was sore all Saturday night and this morning, but I had squat goals. 520-530 for a double was the target, but once 500 x2 turned into a 10, that was out of the question. There is an outside chance I could have gotten it, but the risk/reward ratio was way too canted towards risk. I followed up with some walk-outs with 560 and 600. Then I performed some elevated pulls, but at 495 my back felt like it was going to snap.

For the second time in less than 7 days, I have been forced to pack it up early. It kind of annoys me, but that dirt needed to be moved and my kids happiness is more important than my training and I am still a little under the weather. Life happens.

175

[quote]undesired08 wrote:

For the second time in less than 7 days, I have been forced to pack it up early. It kind of annoys me, but that dirt needed to be moved and my kids happiness is more important than my training and I am still a little under the weather. Life happens.[/quote]

That’s really cool man. But I do have to say . . . a crooked swing set can be a lot of fun too!

176

@mrodock, crooked swing sets are a good start to an emergency room visit.

Friggin’ spotters. I mean really. How hard is it to sit back and NOT TOUCH THE FRIGGIN BAR!!! I understand that some bodybuilder-types and even some strength trainers like to go to failure and beyond by having people assist. I’m not one of those. I get to my sticking point. The bar is not moving quickly, but it’s moving. So, when I see the spotter moving in, I say no. At that point, he starts grabbing the bar and I’m telling him NO NO NO NO. After that, he says “you can go ahead and do another rep” and I try to explain to him that that’s not the point. It’s not a day for singles, it’s for doubles. That is the exact reason I prefer having Kaysie give me hand-offs. She’s tiny, but all I need is help unracking. Let me push until the lift fails. That really pissed me off.

On close-grip incline, I missed a rep with 315, so I had to repeat that set. I was being distracted by the fairer sex in spandex. I really don’t handle distractions like that very well, so I counter by being even more rude than already. Sometimes this backfires and they just chatter like little hens for 15minutes without taking a breath. Being a happily married man means I have to do all of the “window shopping” that I can, but not at the gym or on the golf course. Anyway, I am just going to coast thru the rest of the week and get ready to post some big numbers next week.

Bench
315 x2 x1 @8 81% 630
350 x2 x1 @9 90% 700
370 x1 x1 @9 95% 370

Close-Grip Incline Bench
275 x2 x1 @8 86% 550
315 x1 x1 @10 98% 315
315 x2 x1 @9 98% 630

Military Press
135 x6 x1 @7 69% 810
185 x2 x1 @10 95% 370
155 x6 x1 @8.5 80% 930
155 x6 x1 @9 80% 930

SA Low Pulley Row(Standing)
100 x8 x1 @8 66% 800
100 x8 x1 @8 66% 800
100 x8 x1 @8 66% 800

177

Ok, so apparently it is time for a deload. The numbers are dropping severely and the tiredness is still there. I think everything (the sickness, the dirt, and the workouts) have taken me to the limit. 455 on deads and squats felt heavier than life itself. I’m not sure if I will finish next weeks workout or not. I will play it by ear.

Deadlift
405 x2 x1 @8.5 85% 810
455 x2 x1 @10 95% 910

Pause Squats (2ct)
405 x2 x1 @9 85% 810
455 x2 x1 @10 95% 910

GM
135 x6 x1 @7 68% 810
135 x6 x1 @7 68% 810
135 x6 x1 @7 68% 810
135 x6 x1 @8 68% 810

178

I’d just drop everything down to 60-70% for the next couple of sessions. You haven’t really deloaded for a while so I think you’ve earned it.

179

for some reason, the original post didn’t go thru. So, to make a long story short: I took the week off and let my back and pec heal. Feeling good. Workout on Sunday was an epic fail. It was like I suffered from heat exhaustion after squatting, so I almost passed out and called it a day when I could stand without puking. Yesterday’s chest workout was much better. My thighs are still burning from Sunday’s squats, so I will have to man up for tomorrow’s session. Blah blah blah.

3/8/10
Squat
385 x5 x1 @8 70% 1925
425 x5 x1 @9 77% 2125
405 x5 x1 @9 73% 2025

3/9/10
Bench
225 x5 x1 @7 56% 1125
275 x5 x1 @8 68% 1375
300 x5 x1 @8 74% 1500
275 x5 x1 @7.5 68% 1375

SA DB Incline Bench
70 x5 x1 @8 56% 350
85 x5 x1 @8 68% 425
95 x5 x1 @8.5 76% 475

Bent-Over Rows
205 x8 x1 @8.5 67% 1640
205 x8 x1 @8 67% 1640
205 x8 x1 @8 67% 1640

Tate Press
40 x10 x1 @7 45% 400
50 x8 x1 @8 57% 400
60 x8 x1 @9 68% 480

180

My legs were still feeling Sunday’s pathetic breakdown that I suffered. My right quad has been freakishly tight, so my wife did some deep tissue work. Good lord, she really enjoys causing me pain. It does feel much better today, but it will take a few more sessions for it to get better. Some modifications are in order for my program, the foremost being the secondary lifts will not intentionally go into the 9 or 10 RPE level’s.

Those will most likely be straight sets at whatever weight is an 8 that day until it’s an 8.5 or easy 9. After the meet, I am going back to three sessions a week with squat and bench being on day’s 1 and 3 and dead’s being on day 2. The reason for the latter change is that I believe that I recover better on a 3-on/4-off, therefore I will be able to maximize my efforts.

It will end up looking like a 5x5/Russian Peaking Cylce conglomeration, which is the intent. But that will be in 9-10wks. Right now, my focus is to peak for the meet. I have gained strength on all three lifts, the goal is to have it maximized on the platform (not in the gym). The first part of that is staying relatively healthy over the next 7 weeks.

If none of this makes sense, don’t be surprised. I am trying to work and write this simultaneously.

Deadlift
315 x3 x1 @7 66% 945
365 x3 x1 @8 76% 1095
385 x3 x1 @8 80% 1155

Pause Squats (2ct)
315 x3 x1 @8 80% 945
315 x3 x1 @8 80% 945
315 x3 x1 @8 80% 945

RDL
135 x8 x1 @7 40% 1080
225 x8 x1 @8 66% 1800
225 x8 x1 @8 66% 1800

Standing Crunches
80 x10 x1 @7 53% 800
100 x8 x1 @8 66% 800
100 x8 x1 @8 66% 800