Week 5, Day 4
Fat bar bench
1x3x200@8
1x3x220@8
1x3x240@9
2x3x225@8.5
1x3x225@9
Pause SSB squat + 100lb chains
1x3x235@8
1x3x265@8
1x3x295@8.5
1x3x315@8.5
1x3x330@9
1x3x305@9
JM Press
1x4x95@8
1x4x110@8.5
1x4x120@8.5
1x4x130@9
1x4x120@9
Pull-ups (false grip)
3x6
Pendlay Rows
3x6x140
Great session, feel like things are really coming together. Felt as though I was benching with my whole body today, and those squats are a special kind of suffering.
Week 5 GPP
Note: Mike didn’t want me to foam roll this week, so I only foam rolled the back. I just can’t get through these workouts without rolling my back pretty much every day.
Monday
40 min. walk
Tuesday
40 min. walk
Behind neck band pull-aparts
6x20xmini
Foam roll: back
Wednesday
40 min. walk
15 min. stretching
BB circuit x4 (27 min.)
Thursday
Foam roll: back
30 min. stretching
SLDL
2x10x25
Spine traction
Friday
Foam roll: low back
40 min. walk
Foam roll: hip and low back
Saturday
Foam roll: back
Behind neck band pull-aparts
8x20xmini
Standing Kelso band shrugs
5x20xmini
Hip abduction
2x20xini
4x15xmonster-mini
DB rear laterals
5x12x20
External rotations
2x10x5
Scap push-ups
3x15
20 min. stretching
Spine traction
SLDL
2x10x25
Foam roll: low back
Week 6, Day 1
Reverse band Deadlift in loose gear (#28, purple choked)
1x2x455@8
1x2x495@8.5
1x2x525@8.5
1x1x545@8.5 (slipped at beginning of 2nd rep)
1x2x510@9
CG Pin Bench (#13 + 2 boards; mid-range)
1x2x240@8
1x2x255@8
1x2x270@8.5
1x2x280@8.5
1x1x290@10 (missed 2nd; WTF0
1x2x265@9 (felt easier than 9, but didn’t feel like pressing my luck)
Squat from Pins (1/2 way up; #11) [no belt]
1x4x425@8
1x4x455@8.5
1x4x475@8.5
1x1x500@9 (must have lost tightness on first rep, decided to play it safe and rack)
1x4x450@9
Ab wheel
2x10
Landmine
2x10x+50
What an odd session. So a big slip as I initiated my second rep with 545 sucked. But I didn’t injure myself so that was certainly good.
Then on close grips, I just thought I had more than I actually did. I really should be getting better with these RPE’s by now.
On squats from pins I must have lost some tightness with 500 pounds, so I just racked the darn thing.
Not going to think much more about this session, figuring it was a fluke and moving on.
Edit: Think there might be a rather easy solution. No more 8.5’s on my RPE scale, either I have 2-3 reps left in the rank (8) or I have 1 rep left (9). I think this change will go a long way. My thinking is that cutting 10-20 pounds off of some exercises (being a little too conservative) is probably better than overshooting my RPE’s several times a week. My wife just suggested I probably have to be a touch more conservative on Monday’s with my RPE scale since I workout Sunday then Monday, probably pretty accurate.
[quote]mrodock wrote:
What an odd session. So a big slip as I initiated my second rep with 545 sucked. But I didn’t injure myself so that was certainly good.
Then on close grips, I just thought I had more than I actually did. I really should be getting better with these RPE’s by now.
On squats from pins I must have lost some tightness with 500 pounds, so I just racked the darn thing.
Not going to think much more about this session, figuring it was a fluke and moving on.
Edit: Think there might be a rather easy solution. No more 8.5’s on my RPE scale, either I have 2-3 reps left in the rank (8) or I have 1 rep left (9). I think this change will go a long way. My thinking is that cutting 10-20 pounds off of some exercises (being a little too conservative) is probably better than overshooting my RPE’s several times a week. My wife just suggested I probably have to be a touch more conservative on Monday’s with my RPE scale since I workout Sunday then Monday, probably pretty accurate.[/quote]
Squats from pins are weird, because if you are the least bit out of groove just forget about moving the bar at all. I think sticking with integers is a good route to go because as you say overshooting the RPE range too often will kill you. Besides, when in doubt, listen to your wife.
[quote]novaeer wrote:
[quote]mrodock wrote:
What an odd session. So a big slip as I initiated my second rep with 545 sucked. But I didn’t injure myself so that was certainly good.
Then on close grips, I just thought I had more than I actually did. I really should be getting better with these RPE’s by now.
On squats from pins I must have lost some tightness with 500 pounds, so I just racked the darn thing.
Not going to think much more about this session, figuring it was a fluke and moving on.
Edit: Think there might be a rather easy solution. No more 8.5’s on my RPE scale, either I have 2-3 reps left in the rank (8) or I have 1 rep left (9). I think this change will go a long way. My thinking is that cutting 10-20 pounds off of some exercises (being a little too conservative) is probably better than overshooting my RPE’s several times a week. My wife just suggested I probably have to be a touch more conservative on Monday’s with my RPE scale since I workout Sunday then Monday, probably pretty accurate.[/quote]
Squats from pins are weird, because if you are the least bit out of groove just forget about moving the bar at all. I think sticking with integers is a good route to go because as you say overshooting the RPE range too often will kill you. Besides, when in doubt, listen to your wife.[/quote]
Thanks for weighing in novaeer! I REALLY miss the percentages and very little exercise variety. So many variables now it seems. But I am working harder than ever, most days I feel stronger than ever, and I think good progress is being made. If I can get the RPE’s down I think this will be a very productive cycle.
My wife is much more intelligent than I . . so the question becomes am I intelligent enough to listen?
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Thanks for weighing in novaeer! I REALLY miss the percentages and very little exercise variety. So many variables now it seems. But I am working harder than ever, most days I feel stronger than ever, and I think good progress is being made. If I can get the RPE’s down I think this will be a very productive cycle.
My wife is much more intelligent than I . . so the question becomes am I intelligent enough to listen?[/quote]
When in doubt, listen to the wife. Ten years of marriage tell me this is the best choice to make.
Try not to get caught up in all the details. It looks like you’re catching on how to customize your RPE table and once you get the knack of that things will go much smoother.
Nice workouts, mrodock.
“Edit: Think there might be a rather easy solution. No more 8.5’s on my RPE scale, either I have 2-3 reps left in the rank (8) or I have 1 rep left (9). I think this change will go a long way. My thinking is that cutting 10-20 pounds off of some exercises (being a little too conservative) is probably better than overshooting my RPE’s several times a week. My wife just suggested I probably have to be a touch more conservative on Monday’s with my RPE scale since I workout Sunday then Monday, probably pretty accurate.”
This is a wise choice! I have worked with Mike before and that is something I learned the hard way. It is hard to do, but if you always round down I think you will be better off. I have taken the approach in my training that if there is any question what so ever I chose the lower number. I even took it a step further and considered another rep another perfect rep meaning it can be kinda slow but not to much of a grid and no break in form. Basically to me if I am working between @8-@9 and I hit the questionable rep that might be an 8 or a 9 I stop there and start my fatigue percents. Then I make a note and if it is bench I will add 5 lbs and if it is a squat I will add 10 lbs the next time around. A 10 every know and then can be a good thing but too many will put the hurt on fast!
[quote]novaeer wrote:
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Thanks for weighing in novaeer! I REALLY miss the percentages and very little exercise variety. So many variables now it seems. But I am working harder than ever, most days I feel stronger than ever, and I think good progress is being made. If I can get the RPE’s down I think this will be a very productive cycle.
My wife is much more intelligent than I . . so the question becomes am I intelligent enough to listen?[/quote]
When in doubt, listen to the wife. Ten years of marriage tell me this is the best choice to make.
Try not to get caught up in all the details. It looks like you’re catching on how to customize your RPE table and once you get the knack of that things will go much smoother. [/quote]
I do the opposite sometimes just because she hates predictability ;o).
Cool man, staying the course. The only time I’ve gotten more intelligent in life is when it became a necessity.
[quote]Phillip Wylie wrote:
Nice workouts, mrodock.[/quote]
Thanks Phillip, hope everything falls into place with 5/3/1 for you!
[quote]bad_mo_fo wrote:
“Edit: Think there might be a rather easy solution. No more 8.5’s on my RPE scale, either I have 2-3 reps left in the rank (8) or I have 1 rep left (9). I think this change will go a long way. My thinking is that cutting 10-20 pounds off of some exercises (being a little too conservative) is probably better than overshooting my RPE’s several times a week. My wife just suggested I probably have to be a touch more conservative on Monday’s with my RPE scale since I workout Sunday then Monday, probably pretty accurate.”
This is a wise choice! I have worked with Mike before and that is something I learned the hard way. It is hard to do, but if you always round down I think you will be better off. I have taken the approach in my training that if there is any question what so ever I chose the lower number. I even took it a step further and considered another rep another perfect rep meaning it can be kinda slow but not to much of a grid and no break in form. Basically to me if I am working between @8-@9 and I hit the questionable rep that might be an 8 or a 9 I stop there and start my fatigue percents. Then I make a note and if it is bench I will add 5 lbs and if it is a squat I will add 10 lbs the next time around. A 10 every know and then can be a good thing but too many will put the hurt on fast! [/quote]
A lot of great advice here, thanks very much for posting!!
I think you have saved me quite a bit of time experimenting.
Today I hit a fairly difficult double at 325 (I hit a double I rated a hard 9 at 335 last week). So I KNEW I had more in me, and hit a solid 15 pound PR. Having seen what you posted, you would have gone for a 10 pound PR, would have made worked perfectly.
Week 6, Day 2
Front Squat (no belt; harness)
1x2x295@8
1x2x325@8.5
1x2x350@9
1x2x335@9
Bench + hanging kettlebells
1x2x150@8
1x2x167@8
1x2x185@9
2x2x175@8.5, 9
Zercher rack pulls (#18, fat bar; at knee level)
1x5x200@8
1x5x240@9
1x5x230@9
Chinups
1x8
1x7
Chest-supported rows
2x8x90
I was pretty happy with the front squatting.
I really was quite worried about the benching with hanging kettlebells. So much so that I lost some sleep over it, worrying that doing doubles would be one hell of a clusterfuck. Actually had an easier time with this than I could have possibly imagined. Yes, it was hard as hell to stabilize, but it all went extremely smoothly and I did it in the power rack to stay safe.
Zercher rack pulls are freaking legit! I thought I would work up to 315+ without much problem. When 200 felt kind of difficult I just figured it was a fluke, guess not! If I only had two accessory exercises for the squat and deadlift I believe now I would have a VERY easy time deciding. Zercher rack pulls at various heights, and good mornings. If I could add a third I’d put in Romanian deadlifts.
Sorry to hear that you lost sleep over the hanging KB benching.
Also, great job on the Zercher Rack pulls… never thought much about Zercher DL’s… and 1x2 with 335 fucking cock diesel sir…
How is the shoulder healing up? Feel those hanging kb benching will be helpful in that area?
[quote]ALKoHoLiK wrote:
Sorry to hear that you lost sleep over the hanging KB benching.
Also, great job on the Zercher Rack pulls… never thought much about Zercher DL’s… and 1x2 with 335 fucking cock diesel sir…
How is the shoulder healing up? Feel those hanging kb benching will be helpful in that area?[/quote]
I just kept thinking it was going to be a disaster, have to toughen up!
Zercher rack pulls are a great way to bring up the back extensors. I’ve tried Zercher squats, don’t care for them all that much.
I hit a double at 350, hope you didn’t miss that set, haha.
Shoulder has been a little dodgy the last week. For some reason the squat harness really bothered it on Wednesday, pulled on it weird. I’ve done some icing, some stretching, and have lowered the accessory work this week. It seems to be coming back alright though, thanks.
Looks like things are rolling quite well for you on Korte, I give you a hell of a lot of credit as that program would bore most people to tears. I’ve been reading a lot of John Broz/Bulgarian training stuff recently and I really think the secret to this whole thing is being able to handle more and more volume, and then raising intensity. This was Sheiko’s philosophy and it seems to fit in with what the elite Bulgarian weightlifters were doing. The main problem is a bunch of idiots read that stuff and think, shit, I’m going to start training 7 days a week and maxing out every time. Disaster for a novice or intermediate, possibly great for a national champion. Regardless, we have to try to improve our work capacity gradually over time. Get stronger on the easier stuff while we can!
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Zercher rack pulls are a great way to bring up the back extensors. I’ve tried Zercher squats, don’t care for them all that much.[/quote]
See I felt the same way… Is there a video of Zercher Rack pull? Maybe I’m typing it in wrong in Youtube
Lol I fucking did… DIESEL… That is pretty badass.
Yes those fucking shoulder injuries are a bitch. My clavicle has been acting the hell up over the past 2 months, tho it’s slowly going away, but in the morning it is like the bone is cold/sore
Lol, no it’s boring as shit and when I get done lifting, it’s like I’m so excited to lift again… when that day comes, I’m unmotivated and it is boring. Just got to remind myself I’m not a quitter. I have also been reading Broz’s stuff, shit is hard, especially when he says, “If you can’t lift heavy everyday, you aren’t overtrained, you’re undertrained” Gave me goosebumps.
The only negative thing with Korte is, I am breezing through DL and Bench very easily. I might up the weight 10 or so pounds. I honestly just don’t really have a challenge with those two yet. Kinda like I’m warming up is how it’s been feeling like
Lol no shit. People think that they can just train like an olympic lifter. It’s kinda nice tho, it weeds out the people that are serious about lifting and learn to take baby steps.
Keep it going on RTS, shit looks serious
[quote]ALKoHoLiK wrote:
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Zercher rack pulls are a great way to bring up the back extensors. I’ve tried Zercher squats, don’t care for them all that much.[/quote]
See I felt the same way… Is there a video of Zercher Rack pull? Maybe I’m typing it in wrong in Youtube
Lol I fucking did… DIESEL… That is pretty badass.
Yes those fucking shoulder injuries are a bitch. My clavicle has been acting the hell up over the past 2 months, tho it’s slowly going away, but in the morning it is like the bone is cold/sore
Lol, no it’s boring as shit and when I get done lifting, it’s like I’m so excited to lift again… when that day comes, I’m unmotivated and it is boring. Just got to remind myself I’m not a quitter. I have also been reading Broz’s stuff, shit is hard, especially when he says, “If you can’t lift heavy everyday, you aren’t overtrained, you’re undertrained” Gave me goosebumps.
The only negative thing with Korte is, I am breezing through DL and Bench very easily. I might up the weight 10 or so pounds. I honestly just don’t really have a challenge with those two yet. Kinda like I’m warming up is how it’s been feeling like
Lol no shit. People think that they can just train like an olympic lifter. It’s kinda nice tho, it weeds out the people that are serious about lifting and learn to take baby steps.
Keep it going on RTS, shit looks serious[/quote]
By the way, I DO think the hanging kettlebell bench is a good shoulder rehab exercise.
I really feel like on a good day I would be able to front squat 405. That would be pretty exciting.
Yeah I’m not sure what needs to be done with that shoulder issue, have you researched it at all? One possibility is to do vertical dumbbell flyes with very light dumbbells for high reps (around 8 pounds for 15 reps). A friend learned the exercise at a Poliquin seminar, I guess Poliquin is really high on the exercise for loosening the shoulder girdle.
Your attitude toward lifting right now is pretty darn funny. Can’t wait to lift after you are done, but when it’s time to lift you know you are about to be bored out of your skull. All I can really think is try to find some people with some experience with Korte and ask them how hard sets should be to get something out of it. I think adding some weight to bench is probably a good idea, but I’m not sure if it is a good idea for deadlift. Fatigue can add up really fast on deadlift.
I’m with you on the Broz thing . . . no such thing as overtraining is kind of nuts. That whole thing about going throught he “dark times” and continuing to train everyday when your body is screaming to skip training and eventually you will come back stronger for it . . . just not what we read regularly! Or the opposite of what we read. But I think this is good advice for an extremely advanced lifter that has stalled and needs a boost. But olympic lifting is certainly not the same as powerlifting. I think even the olympic squat is quite a bit easier on the body than the powerlifting squat. Quick eccentrics are a lot easier on the body than the typical slow, lowering under tension, powerlifting style squat. So in general I think his advice may work for a very advanced lifter, but would need to be used very cautiously. Even Belayev’s programming (from the 8 week sample I’ve seen) looks quite tame compared to John Broz thinking on training. Belayev does a ridiculous amount of volume, but the intensity in his prep cycles supposedly stay right around 70%. Which is only about 2% higher than Sheiko 29 and 37.
Training is nothing more than giving yourself a slightly larger stimulus to keep eliciting a strength response. So I say get strong doing less while you can.
Will keep plugging away at RTS, some weeks are better than other’s and this has been a pretty shitty week. But I will assume the difficulty training is my body adapting and getting stronger.
I could video myself doing them next week if you are interested, otherwise here is a video of a decent Zercher rack pull:
Week 6, Day 3
3 board bench in loose shirt (por)
1x2x255@8
1x2x285@9 (bad lift-off)
1x2x285@8.5
1x2x295@9
2x2x280@8.5
1x2x280@9
2 in. deficit deadlift (no belt)
1x2x395@8.5
1x2x420@9
1x2x400@9
DB skull crushers
1x5x40@8
1x5x42.5@9
1x5x40@9
Landmine
4x10x40
Okay on bench, shit on deadlift. I was 30 pounds behind last week, although my “9” last week was probably harder than my “9” this week. Just focusing on how I will feel once I adapt and am flying high again. I’m starting to wonder how much I am benefiting from deadlifting twice a week.
Try to keep eating a ton, sleeping a lot, and adapt.
[quote]mrodock wrote:
[quote]Phillip Wylie wrote:
Nice workouts, mrodock.[/quote]
Thanks Phillip, hope everything falls into place with 5/3/1 for you![/quote]
It is going well so far and my first week went better than expected. It want to take long to get back into the groove.
Nice workouts, mrodock and nice job on the zerchers. RTS is probably similar to block periodization and during certain phases you aren’t 100% recovered, which is going to make it feel like shit. Keep up the good work.
[quote]Phillip Wylie wrote:
[quote]mrodock wrote:
[quote]Phillip Wylie wrote:
Nice workouts, mrodock.[/quote]
Thanks Phillip, hope everything falls into place with 5/3/1 for you![/quote]
It is going well so far and my first week went better than expected. It want to take long to get back into the groove.
[/quote]
Yeah I’ve noticed that, great news! It’s funny how certain programs just work so damn well for certain people.