[quote]Phillip Wylie wrote:
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]
Thanks Phillip. Yeah, just plugging away. Read some of your’s and novaeer’s comments on RTS and block style training and I’m certainly feeling that way now. Really run down, my hip has felt like crap, my shoulder feels like shit, etc. But I shall weather the storm and see if the effort has built some strength. Regardless, I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit in the last couple of months.
Fat bar bench +50lb. chains [21 links]
1x2x180@8
1x2x200@8.5
1x1x210@9 (just didn’t feel right, racked it after 1)
1x2x190@9
Tricep pushdowns + mini band (straight bar, close grip)
1x4x115@8
1x4x125@8
1x4x140@9
5x4x130@8.5
1x4x130@9
Skipped the lat work because my upper back feels trashed and I do deadlifts and high pin squats tomorrow.
Napped for the first time after a workout in a long time, just feel really run-down. When you look at what I did this week none of it looks like much . . . but I think it is what preceded this week that made it feel like shit. Anyway, looking forward to having a day where I actually want to be at the gym again.
I hit decent numbers in my top sets in most exercises, but I did ridiculously little volume this week.
So big thanks to bad_mo_fo who has given me some great advice for how to get back on track.
Going into week 6/day 1, I felt invincible. Everything was clicking. But on that day I rammed into a brick wall. The rest of week 6 I was dragging ass, hit some decent numbers, but hit very little volume. I was thinking this morning that I still don’t feel all that good after a week that was pretty easy overall. Then I started thinking about how I burn out on intensity MUCH faster than volume. So bad_mo_fo was telling me to be more conservative with my RPE’s, and the amount of volume I should hit in my drop sets. He also talked about being a little more aggressive with the competition exercises.
What I am realizing, is that intensity (for me) is fire. If you keep the intensity down I can deal with quite a bit of volume. But you hike up the intensity, I will get burned out quickly. Control the top sets, hit some good volume and move on. Every now and again I will push an exercise a bit, but I will pick my battles.
So with all of this being said, here is the plan:
In week 7 be conservative with RPE’s and hit a decent amount of volume.
In week 8 I have two weeks of raw competition exercises, still be fairly conservative, but a little less conservative with the comp. exercises.
Be fairly aggressive with the competition exercises in week 9 so I have a good test of where I am at.
Be a little more aggressive with bench RPE’s to keep volume down so that my shoulder keeps it together. Too much volume will make it too hard for the shoulder to recover from workout to workout.
Sheiko worked so well for me because it forced me to lift within myself. Time to apply the same principle to RTS and allow myself to progress.
Note: Mike T. didn’t want me foam rolling this week.
Tuesday
15 min. stretching
Wednesday
Behind neck band pull aparts
5x15xmini
40 min. walk
BB circuit x 3 (10 min)
Thursday
15 min. stretching
Friday
BB circuit x 3 (9 min.)
Saturday
DB Flyes
2x15x5
2x15x8
2x10x15
Vertical DB Flyes
2x20x5
I dropped this down quite a bit for a few reasons. One, my shoulder was really bothering me and most upper back work makes my shoulder worse. Two, I didn’t have the energy to do much.
Not sure the DB Flyes helped my shoulder much, but doing various static stretches seemed to help quite a bit. Mostly focusing on the subscapularis and the pec/pec minor.
Reverse band DL in loose gear (belted)
1x4x405@8
1x4x425@8
1x4x445@9
5x4x415@8
1x4x415@9
Close grip pin bench (1/2 way up)
1x3x235@8
1x3x245@8
1x3x255@9
4x3x235@8
1x3x235@9
Squat from pins (1/2 way up, #11) [no belt]
1x4x405@8
1x4x425@8
1x4x445@9
2x4x415@8
1x4x415@9
Dragon flags
3x10
FUCK YEAH!!! Bad_mo_fo has gotten me back on track in a single session with a single PM. In my wife’s words, “I have my husband back.” Everything felt so damn good today with the conservative RPE scale, and it felt exactly like Sheiko. Got a lot of quality work in and didn’t fry my CNS.
So basically here is my thinking. I was making RTS way too much like Westside. Now I’ll make it much more like Sheiko. I will pick a few times where I will be a bit more aggressive with exercises. Otherwise it is conservative RPE and plenty of volume. I will figure the first 6 weeks gave my CNS a nice jolt and will make me more efficient and help things overall.
[quote]ALKoHoLiK wrote:
Great job getting back on track. You seem happier.
It’s kinda nice seeing even you, need a little help sometimes… Makes you more human.
Great job man, things should be a rolling now[/quote]
I am light-years happier.
I need a lot of help truthfully (entire reason I started a log, and why I continue to keep one). Sometimes I’ve even smart enough to follow the help I need.
Thanks, just have to keep sticking to the game plan, and forget about a certain total. Train smart, train hard, and let it happen.
Reverse band DL in loose gear (belted)
1x4x405@8
1x4x425@8
1x4x445@9
5x4x415@8
1x4x415@9
Close grip pin bench (1/2 way up)
1x3x235@8
1x3x245@8
1x3x255@9
4x3x235@8
1x3x235@9
Squat from pins (1/2 way up, #11) [no belt]
1x4x405@8
1x4x425@8
1x4x445@9
2x4x415@8
1x4x415@9
Dragon flags
3x10
FUCK YEAH!!! Bad_mo_fo has gotten me back on track in a single session with a single PM. In my wife’s words, “I have my husband back.” Everything felt so damn good today with the conservative RPE scale, and it felt exactly like Sheiko. Got a lot of quality work in and didn’t fry my CNS.
So basically here is my thinking. I was making RTS way too much like Westside. Now I’ll make it much more like Sheiko. I will pick a few times where I will be a bit more aggressive with exercises. Otherwise it is conservative RPE and plenty of volume. I will figure the first 6 weeks gave my CNS a nice jolt and will make me more efficient and help things overall.
PR’s ONLY matter on meet day.[/quote]
That is awesome man! Glad I could help. Now you have something to build off of.
I forgot to take the creatinezzzz before my workout, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
And it was too late when i discovered it too, right after Zerchers!
I love training again, volume is my king.[/quote]
Wow! If I did 27 reps 80% or above on the front squat I would either die of a heart attack or my wife would be pushing me around in a wheel chair for a few days. Good work!
Wow! If I did 27 reps 80% or above on the front squat I would either die of a heart attack or my wife would be pushing me around in a wheel chair for a few days. Good work!
[/quote]
The way my legs feel today I’m not terribly far from the wheelchair option. Thanks.
I was working off an estimated max of 389. So 315 was ~81%, and 295 was ~76%.
2 in. deficit deadlift (no belt)
1x3x375@8
1x3x395@9
4x3x365@8
1x3x365@9
DB skullcrushers
1x6x35@8
1x6x40@9
1x6x37.5@9
Hanging leg raises
1x8
1x7
Dragon flags
2x10
Good session. Shoulder hated the shirted 3 boards the last two weeks but was fine this time around. Think it was because I did a lot less upper body accessory stuff this week.
Good to see you are finding your groove and listening to your body.
I’m not sure if I’m a volume guy or intensity guy. I prefer intensity over volume and I consistently battle with CNS overload. 5/3/1 has helped a bunch in that respect but I’m moving up my estimated maxes pretty aggressively each cycle.
[quote]Oldman Powers wrote:
Good to see you are finding your groove and listening to your body.
I’m not sure if I’m a volume guy or intensity guy. I prefer intensity over volume and I consistently battle with CNS overload. 5/3/1 has helped a bunch in that respect but I’m moving up my estimated maxes pretty aggressively each cycle.
Are you doing the Collegiate Nationals?[/quote]
Thanks I think better and quicker progress will be the result. And I’ll be happier and better to be around (more important???).
People can kind of be middle of the road I suppose also. One of the best things about 5/3/1 is the waving of intensity and volume. I think everything you are doing is clicking; further, it makes sense to up the maxes with some aggressiveness since you were very conservative at the outset.
No such luck. Shortly after starting lifting I had talked to a couple of guys from the university team. They seemed interested in having me until I told them I was a senior (even though I said I would be staying for a master’s degree). Although maybe I am over the age limit (29)? Although it would be great to be part of a team; alas, I am not.
By the way, your deadlift technique looks pretty solid to me. I would be curious to see sumo from the side and from a 45 degree angle though. Looks like only minor adjustments are really needed with conventional and everything looks good on sumo from that angle.
Tricep pushdowns + mini band (straight bar)
1x4x130@8
1x4x140@8
1x4x150@8
1x4x160@9
1x4x150@8
1x4x150@9
Pullups
2x6
1x5
Pendlay rows
3x6x150@9
Inverted row (#16)
2x6
Good session, very good week of training. Next week on Sunday I get back into the competition exercises so it will be interesting for me to see where I am at. Be fairly conservative next week and more aggressive the following week.
Left hip has really tightened up, have to be more proactive with it.
Learned a better way of doing barbell rows from a bodybuilder. Narrow grip (just off the smooth), thumb in front of the bar, lift bar off floor, explode up (elbows back), lower slow then come right back up.
Going to be doing inverted rows more regularly. Absolutely hate this exercise and think getting better at it will help.