CheekiBreekiFitness's Log

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 3 Week 2

Good week, everything is up from last week. Weight is going up too, thanks to my homemade lasagna. I'm convinced that being more conservative with weight on the bar and RPE rating is helping, I feel much better in general. I noticed that every now and then on squats I would get on my toes slightly, I should fix that. I'm thinking of trying tempo squats next block to attempt to fix it.

Weekly average bodyweight = 92.2

DAY 1
Squat 1x151.5@8 5x3x131 e1RM=164
Spoto Bench 5x80@6 5x85@7 5x90@8 5x85@7 e1RM=112
Block Pull (conv) 5x155@7 5x165@8 e1RM=204
DB Incline Curl 25,13,10x16
Leg Raise 28,18,15
Time 95' Session RPE 8

DAY 2
Bench 1x113@8.5 5x3x97 e1RM=120
Linear Leg Press SS Lunges 16,11,10x200
Seated Press 5x55.5@6 5x58@7 5x60.5@8 5x58@7 e1RM=75
Pulldown Machine 20,11,10x90
DB Skullcrushers 27x16 12,12x14
Cable Curl 21x30 17x25 15x20
Time 90' Session RPE 8

DAY 3
Deadlift 1x190@8 5x3x165 e1RM=206
Close Grip Bench 5x80@5 5x85@6 5x90@7 5x92.5@8 5x85@7 e1RM=114
Pause Squat 5x105@6 5x110@7 5x115@8.5 5x110@7 e1RM=140
Triceps Pushdown 29x30 21x25 15x20
Preacher Curl Machine 19,9x30 10x25
Calf Raise 24,10,9x180
Time 120' Session RPE 8.5

DAY 4
Press 1x68@8 5x3x60 e1RM=74
Glute Ham Raise 8,5,5xbw+10
Pin Bench 5x82.5@6 5x87.5@7 5x92.5@8 5x87.5@7 e1RM=114
JM Press 11x65
Hammer Curl 14x22 14x20 14x18
Lateral Raise 12x18 15x16 20x14
Time 85' Session RPE 7

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 3 Week 3

I skipped the fourth session as I was feeling fatigued. Squat and deadlift are going smoothly, I overshot on bench because of my asymmetry, more on that. Next block I'll try to train only 3 times a week instead of 4, I'm curious if this would yield better results. I don't want to switch things up mid-block to bury the signal in noise. So after some discussion with the forum members, I have set out to correct my bench press problem (my bar path is uneven, my left hand always being lower than my right hand):
1) So far I tested the hypothesis that my left arm is weaker than my right arm, and I believe this to be the case: I tried an AMRAP on a seated dip machine with my left arm, and then after resting tried to match reps with the right arm, and clearly the right arm was stronger. So from now on I'll do all hypertrophy work unilaterally starting by the left side and matching reps with the right side.
2) Another thing that i tried was changing my foot placement and pushing harder on the left foot and the left hand, and this seems to have helped too (at least visually when looking at the footage).
Doing this seemed to help quite a bit, I got 5x95@8 with ease on close grip bench (up 2.5 kgs from last week), which basically puts my close grip equal to my normal bench. We'll see if this trend persists.
Weight gain is still happening, which is good. Probably two more weeks to go until the end of the block.

Weekly average bodyweight = 93.4

DAY 1
Squat 1x153@8 5x3x132 e1RM=166
Spoto Bench 5x81@6 5x86@7 5x91@8 5x86@7 e1RM=112
Block Pull 5x147@6 5x157@7 5x167@8 5x157@7 e1RM=206
DB Incline Curl 13x18 14x16 29x12
Ab Machine 20,15,9x80
Time 120' Session RPE 8

DAY 2
Bench 1x113@9 5x3x95 e1RM=118
Leg Press SS Sissy Squat 17,8,6x200
Seated Press 5x56@6 5x58.5@7 5x61@8 5x58@7 5x58@7 e1RM=75
Chins 5,5,5,5,5,5
Dips Machine 24,16,12x120
Time 90' Session RPE 9

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x192.5@8.5 e1RM=206
Close Grip Bench 5x82.5@5 5x87.5@6 5x92.5@7 5x95@8 5x90@7 e1RM=117
Pause Squat 5x106@6 5x111@7 5x116@8.5 5x111@7 e1RM=141
Dips Machine 18,12,12x120
DB Curl 18x18 34x14
Tiime 120' Session RPE 8

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

A bunch of random thoughts and observations:
- yesterday I got sick (stomach flu probably), I applied the protocol of drinking a lot of gatorade-like beverages + some junk food (as much as I could stomach it) and today's training felt almost completely fine, no loss of strength (in fact gained some strength from last week), so life is great
- my close grip bench (in the 5 reps range) is progressing very fast (+7.5 kgs in the last 4 weeks), so much that now my e1RM for close grip bench is higher than for my normal bench. I can't say I'm unhappy but I'm having a hard time explaining what happened, especially with the knowledge that my arms are always much smaller than my pecs (from the physique point of view I'm all torso)
- my crooked bench press (resulting at least in part from the fact that my right arm is stronger than then left) seems to be getting better, as evidenced from this week's heavy single, which went up straight, wait and see
- I went back to using creatine a few weeks ago and was surprised by the rapid weight gain (I think I gained about 3 kgs in 2 weeks !). Once again I can't say I'm unhappy but it's always surprising.
- I was able to witness the impact of overshooting your RPE vs not overshooting it. I think I'm getting much better at rating RPE, in a more conservative manner. This block the e1RMs are showing a nice, quasi-linear trend (type 1 response in RTS-speak), whereas in the last block they just looked like noise. I'm starting to think that last block was undermined by the lethal combination of frequent RPE overshoot + too much accessory volume.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 3 Week 4

Great week. Got stronger on everything with respect to last week and the bench press asymmetry deal seems to slowly correct itself. The left arm (which is my weak arm) seems to be getting stronger, on Machine Dips today the arms felt almost equally strong, good stuff. The fact that I managed to progress despite the fact that I got sick with stomach flu shows that the rest (food, sleep and programming) are most likely where they need to be. The body weight is going up, thanks to dat dere creatine. Yesterday I woke up at 95 kgs (209 lbs) with an 89 cm (35 inches) waist, so I would think that I'm making those gains. Its funny because I don't really "look heavy" in the mirror. Nutrition wise, I'm thinking of switching from counting calories (with MyFitnessPal and such) to eating the same thing every day, something like:
- Meal 1: 3 eggs + 1 hipro + 2 slices bread + jam
- Meal 2,3,4: 200g chicken/beef/pork + 100g rice/pasta + vegetables + sauce
This is for bulking (for developmental blocks), for cutting (for pivot blocks) just remove 1 slice of bread and remove 50g of pasta/rice from each meal. Not a big departure from my current eating habits (almost all bro food, 4 meals a day) but I feel that having a set meal plan enables you to switch your brain off and just execute. I have an attention problem so being on autopilot is good for me. I don't mind boring food, I actually enjoy it.

Since my estimated time to peak is 5 weeks, I'd expect next week to be a peak week, and will pivot afterwards. Excited to see how this goes.

Weekly average weight: 94 kgs

DAY 1
Squat 1x154.5@8 5x3x135 e1RM=168
Spoto Bench 5x82.5@6 5x87.5@7 5x92.5@8 5x87.5@7 5x87.5@8 e1RM=114
Block Pull 5x150@6 5x160@7 5x170@8.5 5x160@8 e1RM=207
Cable Curl 24x30 22x25 16x20
Time 100' Session RPE 8

DAY 2
Bench 1x113@8.5 5x3x100 e1RM=121
Linear Leg Press SS Sissy Squat 12,8,8x210
Seated Press 5x55@5 5x57.5@6 5x60@7 5x62.5@8.5 5x60@8 e1RM=76
Row Machine 12,10,10x160
Dips Machine 20,17,15x120
DB Curl 21x18 16,16x16
Time 120' Session RPE 8

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x192.5@8 5x3x167.5 e1RM=209
Close Grip Bench 5x85@5 5x90@6 5x95@7 5x97.5@8 5x92.5@7 e1RM=120
Pause Squat 5x111@7 5x116@8 5x111@7 e1RM=142
DB Skullcrushers 13x18 14x16 12x14
Preacher Curl Machine 20x30 12x25
Time 120' Session RPE 7

DAY 4
Press 1x68.5@8 5x3x60 e1RM=74.5
Glute Ham Raise 13,6,4xbw+10
Pin Bench 5x82.5@6 5x87.5@7 5x92.5@8 5x92.5@8 5x92.5@8 e1RM=114
Dips Machine 18,10,10x130
Hammer Curl 15x22 12x20 12x18
Lateral Raise 14x18 12,12x16
Time 100' Session RPE 7

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Felt stronger than usual today, and managed to squat 1x160 which is an all time PR. Wasn’t even a grind, had probably another rep if I really wanted to. I am stoked about this. So I think that I found a type of squat programming that seems to work for me (1 rest day between each day):
DAY 1: Squat 1@8 5x3@80%
DAY 2: Leg Press 3x10-20
DAY 3: Paused Squat 5@6,7,8 load drop 5% do 2x5

[JohnHelton]

Congrats on the PR. I have done my best squatting in the past with that style of programming. No grinding, but it works.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Congrats on the PR. I have done my best squatting in the past with that style of programming. No grinding, but it works.

Thanks man. Actually you're the one who suggested some of those ideas, so I'm indebted to you.

And you're right, avoiding grinding seems to work for me, as in, I have the training data to show it.

[Renascent]

Felt stronger than usual today, and managed to squat 1x160 which is an all time PR.

Congrats.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Felt stronger than usual today, and managed to squat 1x160 which is an all time PR.

Congrats.

Thanks man !

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Hit 1x200 on deadlift, another all time PR.

This "time to peak" idea is no joke. From the previous blocks I estimated it to be about 5 weeks, and in this block, week 5 gave me two PRs in a row.

It's like magic

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 3 Week 5

DAY 1
Squat 1x160@9 e1RM=168
Spoto Bench 5x83.5@6 5x88.5@7 5x93.5@8 5x88.5@7 5x88.5@7 e1RM=115
Block Pull 5x150@6 5x160@7 5x170@8 5x160@7 5x160@8 e1RM=210
Preacher Curl Machine 10x35 11x30 15x20
DB Row 20x36
Time 100' Session RPE 8
DAY 2
Bench 1x113@8 5x3x100 e1RM=123
Linear Leg Press SS Lunges 13x210 10x190
Seated Press 5x57.5@6 5x60@7 5x62.5@8 5x60@7 5x60@8 e1RM=77
Pulldown Machine 10,10,10x100
Dips Machine 20,10,10x130
DB Incline Curl 15x18 15x16 15x14
Time 120' Session RPE 8
DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x195@8 e1RM=212 1x200@9
Close Grip Bench 5x90@6 5x95@7 5x100@8 5x95@7 5x95@8 e1RM=123
Pause Squat 5x107.5@6 5x112.5@8 5x117.5@8.5 5x110@7 5x110@8 e1RM=142
DB Skullcrushers 15x18 10x16 10x14
Preacher Curl Machine 14x35 10x30 10x25
Chins 10xbw
Time 100' Session RPE 8
DAY 4
Press 1x70@8 5x3x60 e1RM=76
Wide Grip Bench 10x70@6 10x75@7 10x80@7 10x85@8 10x80@7 10x80@8
Dips Machine 10,10,10x140
Time 100' Session RPE 8

Great week, I got two "milestone" ATPRs: 1x200 on deadlift and 1x160 on squat. This was as predicted by the estimated time to peak, which I think is quite cool. For the last workout I couldn't do pin bench so I did wide grip bench instead. First time doing the exercise and I actually really like it, probably will do it the next block. So I'll stop the block here and pivot. Overall the block went quite well. I gained a substantial amount of weight during the block (+2,5 kgs), hopefully at least a small fraction should be muscle. I'm now 95 kgs with a 89 cm waist, probably the most massive (and not lean lol) I've ever been. A success was that I managed to keep RPE in check much better by being more conservative, I computed the mean and standard deviation of the RPE for each lift, and I'm about half a point accurate, which seems about right:

Squat: 8,30 +/- 0,45
Bench: 8,80 +/- 0,76
Deadlift 8,00 +/-0,35

I still have the tendency to overshoot on bench press. Its funny how I feel that caring less about a lift makes you more objective with RPE, and incidentally makes you progress better: I care less about squat and deadlift and so I'm more ready to lower the weight and take what's there, whereas on bench its' much harder psychologically. Once again the solution is "easy" but its hard to accept. Progression on close grip bench was much faster than expected (about +10 kgs over the course of the block). I'm intrigued as to why. Weekly average weight 94.3. The pivot will be as follows, just a little low volume bodybuilding (I'll do a bit of conditioning but too lazy to log it) while I try to drop 1-2 kgs:

DAY 1
Leg Curl 3x10-20
Leg Press SS Sissy Squat 3x10-20
Calf Raise 3x10-20
Curls 3x10-20
DAY 2
DB Bench 3x10-20
Smith Machine Incline Bench (30°) 3x10-20
Cable Flies 3x10-20
Triceps Pushdown 3x10-20
DAY 3
RDL 3x10-20
Pulldown Machine 3x10-20
Row Machine 3x10-20
Curls 3x10-20

PS: note for later, close grip bench = index finger at the end of the knurling, wide grip bench = middle finger on the rings.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Pivot Block 3 Week 1

Good week, the pivot training is a nice change of pace. Sessions are nice and quick and mostly fun. Also the weight is going down. I’m surprised by how stimulative the sessions feel, while the volume is so low. For instance my chest, triceps and shoulders were completely thrashed the day after day 2. Now I’m in the middle of moving house, which makes matters a bit worse. Turns out that moving objects for hours on end taxes your body, go figure. Weekly average bodyweight = 93.9.

DAY 1
Seated Leg Curl 20,14,10x65
Linear Leg Press SS Sissy Squat 13,10,10x210
Calf Raise 10,10,10x190
Cable Curl 45x25
Time 60' & Session RPE 6
DAY 2
DB Bench 13,11,11x36
Incline Bench 14,12,12x60
Machine Flies 18,15,15x54
Triceps Pushdown 34x30 23x25 12x30
Time 60' & Session RPE 7
DAY 3
RDL 10,10,10x140
Pulldown Machine 15,11x100
Row Machine 10,10x160
Curls 13x35 12x30
Time 60' Session RPE 7

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Pivot Block 3 Week 2
The pivot is over, I feel refreshed. I lost 1kg of body weight as planned. On the second day I went slightly
off plan and did some pressing and some weighted dips for fun. I was surprised by how much stronger I
got on RDL’s despite not having done them for a long while, and eating at a deficit too. I did them with
bodybuilding form: slow eccentric and stop just an inch or two above the floor. Now its time to go back to
eating and trying to get stronger. Weekly average bodyweight= 93.2

DAY 1
Seated Leg Curl 10,10,10x70
Linear Leg Press SS Sissy Squat 15,10,10x210
Calf Raise 12,9,8x190
DB Incline Curl 15x18 12x16 12x14
Time 60’ Session RPE 6
DAY 2
Press 5x50@6 5x55@7 5x60@8 5x5x55
Dips 5x115@6 5x120@7 5x127@8 5x127@8 2x15x95
Time 60’ Session RPE 7
DAY 3
RDL 10x140@7 6x150@7 7x150@8
Pulldown Machine 16,9,9x100
DB Row 15,9x38
DB Incline Curl 14x18 8x16
Time 60’ Session RPE 7

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 4

DAY 1
Squat 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Wide Grip Bench 10@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
Romanian Deadlift 7@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
Shoulders 3x10-20
Biceps 3x10-20
Abs 3x10-20
DAY 2
Bench 5@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
Press 5@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
300 Tempo Squat 4@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
Upper Back 3x10-20
Triceps 3x10-20
Biceps 3x10-20
DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1@8 5x3x80%e1RM
Slingshot Bench 4@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
Close Grip Incline Bench 6@6,7,8 5%LD (2 sets)
Leg Press 3x10-20
Triceps 3x10-20
Biceps 3x10-20

Thought process for this new block:
- Biggest change is that I’ll be training 3 times a week instead of 4 times a week as I usually do. I want to experiment whether or net doing a bit less works better. There is still substantial volume (3 squat slots, 4 bench slots, 1 press slots, 2 deadlift slots, 5 sets per slot).
- New format for the bench and the press, I’ll be doing ramping sets instead of a heavy single followed by backoff work. I want to figure out through experimentation which of those two is superior. This should have the added benefit of being quicker, since the heavy single takes a substantial amount of time to warm up for.
- The squat and deadlift programming are similar to the last block, since it worked well, substituting paused squats for tempo squats and block pulls for RDLs

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 4 Week 1 (25 March 2023)

Good week to start the block, felt strong, despite sleeping only 5 hours before the third session, and moving house, where I moved all of the furniture by myself. I really think that 3 day a week is better suited to my current recovery capabilities, better than 4 days a week. I just feel a lot better. We'll see if this is enough volume to make some gains over the course of the coming blocks. I was surprised by how much soreness I got from wide grip benching despite using a relatively low weight. Gotta get that barrel chest. Weekly average weight = 93.4.

DAY 1
Squat 1x155@8 3x3x140 e1RM=166
Wide Grip Bench 9x75@6 9x80@7 9x85@8 9x80@7 9x80@7 e1RM=115
Romanian Deadlift 7x130@6 7x140@7 7x150@8 e1RM=197
Lateral Raise 10x18 16,16x14
Hammer Curl 7x22 13,12x18
Ab Machine 9,8,8x85
Time 120' Session RPE 8
DAY 2
Bench 5x90@6 5x95@7 5x100@8 5x95@7 5x95@8 e1RM=119.5
Press 5x55@7 5x57.5@8 5x52.5@7 5x52.5@7 e1RM=70.9
330 Tempo Squat 4x90@7 4x100@8 4x100@8 e1RM=119.5
Pulldown Machine 10,8,8x110
DB Triceps Extensions 13x18 10,10x14
Preacher Curl Machine 15x35 9x30 16x20
Time 120' Session RPE 8
DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x195@8 5x3x175 e1RM=211.5
Slingshot Bench 4x107.5@6 4x111.2@7.5 4x107.5@7 4x107.5@7 4x107.5@7 e1RM=136.5
Close Grip Incline Bench 6x65@6 6x70@7 6x75@8 6x70@7 6x70@7 e1RM=95.4
Leg Press 13,10,10x200
DB Triceps Extensions 29,10,8x14
Cable Curl 16,6x35 10x30
Time 120' Session RPE 8

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 4 Week 2 (01 April 2023)

Good week, almost everything is going up. I replaced slingshot bench by larsen bench since I did not have my slingshot. I really like the exercise, first time trying it. I might keep it for the rest of the block actually. Another exercise I like is decline situps. I know that the galaxy brain egg heads biomechanics PhD people say that decline situps are bad because they work your hip flexors and not your abs, but I’m feeling the exercise almost entirely in the abs, so I’ll keep doing it. Also my wrist is feeling a bit funny, so I skipped biceps work, to avoid overstressing it. Weekly average weight = 94.0

DAY 1
Squat 1x155@8 3x3x140 e1RM=166
Wide Grip Bench 9x75@6 9x80@7 9x85@8 9x80@7 9x80@7 e1RM=117.5
Romanian Deadlift 7x130@6 7x140@7 7x150@8 7x140@7 7x140@7 e1RM=197
DB Curl 15x18 12,12x14
Decline Situps 15,11,10
Time 120’ Session RPE 9

DAY 2
Bench 5x90@6 5x95@7 5x100@8 5x95@7 5x95@8 e1RM=123.3
Press 5x55@6 5x57.5@7 5x60@9 5x55@7 5x55@7 e1RM=71.6
330 Tempo Squat 4x92.5@6 4x97.5@7 4x102.5@8 e1RM=122.5
Pulldown Machine 13,9,8x110
DB Triceps Extensions 14,8,8x18
Time 120’ Session RPE 8

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x197.5@8 5x3x175 e1RM=214.5
Larsen Press 6x80@6 6x85@7 6x90@8 6x85@7 6x85@7 e1RM=114.5
Close Grip Incline Bench 6x65@6 6x70@7 6x75@8 6x70@7 6x70@7 e1RM=96.6
Leg Press 16,8,8x200
DB Triceps Extensions 29x14 25x10
Time 120’ Session RPE 8

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 4 Week 3 (08 April 2023)

Great week, gained strength everywhere. I'm really starting to think that this block is close to ideal for me. My bench e1RM has been quasi stagnant for months, and now it is going up every week. I really think that training 3 days a week is superior for me. I'm able to do a lot of work in those 3 sessions, while still feeling relatively fresh for the next session. I had a minor painful sensation in my trap after overhead pressing, I really think that I should warm up my upper back before pressing overhead. Average weekly weight=95 kgs.

DAY 1
Squat 1x157@8.5 4x3x140 e1RM=167.9
Wide Grip Bench 9x77.5@6 9x82.5@7 9x85@8 9x80@7 9x80@7 e1RM=117.5
Romanian Deadlift 7x132.5@6 7x142.5@7 7x152.5@8 7x142.5@7 7x142.5@7 e1RM=200.1
Decline Situps 16,9,8
Time 100' Session RPE 9

DAY 2
Bench 5x92.5@6 5x97.5@7 5x102.5@8 5x97.5@7 5x97.5@8 e1RM=126.3
Press 5x55@6 5x57.5@7 5x60@8 e1RM=74
330 Tempo Squat 4x90@6 4x97.5@7 4x105@8 e1RM=125.4
Pulldown Machine 14,8,8x110
DB Triceps Extensions 28,8x14
Time 100' Session RPE 8

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x200@8.5 5x3x170 e1RM=212.7
Larsen Press 6x80@6 6x85@7 6x90@7.5 6x90@9 6x80@7 e1RM=116.2
Close Grip Incline Bench 6x67.5@6 6x72.5@7 6x77.5@8 6x72.5@7 6x72.5@7 e1RM=99.1
Leg Press 17,8,8x200
DB Triceps Extensions 34x14 20x10
Time 130' Session RPE 9

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 4 Week 4 (15 April 2023)

Great week, the block is going well. I really feel that this block is as good as it gets, and that (thanks to the ES approach) I managed to find something that I respond great to. Anyways on day 2 I was supposed to do tempo squats but for some reason, wanted to test out an HVLF format, so I did 8 sets of 5 reps
with 70% of my e1RM from day 1, sets were done E2OM, that is every 2 minutes on the minute. I was surprised by two things: first the efficiency of the protocol (you’re getting 40 high quality reps with 70% in less than 20 minutes) and the soreness afterwards, my whole lower body has been sore for two days despite using such "low" weight. Might experiment with this further in the blocks to come. Weekly average weight = 95.2

DAY 1
Squat 1x155@7.5 3x3x140 e1RM=170
Wide Grip Bench 9x77.5@6 9x82.5@7 9x87.5@7.5 9x82.5@7 9x82.5@7 e1RM=122
Romanian Deadlift 3x10x140 e1RM=200.1
Preacher Curl Machine 16x35 9,9,8x25
Decline Situps 17,8,8
Time 120' Session RPE 8

DAY 2
Bench 5x92.5@6 5x97.5@7 5x102.5@8 5x97.5@7 5x97.5@8 e1RM=126.5
Press 5x55@6 5x57.5@7 5x60@8 5x55@7 5x55@7 e1RM=74
Squat 8x5x110 E2MOM
Chins 8x5
DB Triceps Extensions 40x14 20x10
Preacher Curl Machine 18x35 18x20
Time 120' Session RPE 8

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 1x200@8.5 4x3x180 e1RM=212.7
Larsen Press 6x82.5@6 6x87.5@7 6x92.5@8 6x87.5@7 6x87.5@7 e1RM=117.5
Close Grip Incline Bench 6x70@6 6x75@7 6x80@8 3x6x70 e1RM=101.2
Leg Press 3x12x200
DB Triceps Extensions 43x14 25x10
DB Incline Curl 26x14 20x10
Time 120' Session RPE 8

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Block 4 Week 5 (22 April 2023)

The block went really well, probably the best block so far. Time to pivot. My bench had been almost stagnant over the previous three blocks, and in this block the e1RM kept going up every session. Squat stayed almost constant and both bench and deadlift went up by 10 kgs. I think that this block represents programming that actually works well to increase all of my lifts. The weight gain is real, my wife keeps telling me I look like a wrestler now (I'm not sure what to think of this, but I'll take it). Weekly average weight = 95.6

DAY 1
Squat 1x157.5@8 4x3x140 e1RM=170
Wide Grip Bench 9x80@6 9x85@7 9x90@7.5 9x85@7 e1RM=124.3
Deadlift (conv) 8x5x140 e1RM=?
Preacher Curl Machine 21x35 8,8,8x25
Decline Situps 20,12,12
Time 120' Session RPE 9

DAY 2
Bench 5x95@6 5x100@7 5x105@8 5x95@7 5x95@8 e1RM=128.5
Press 5x55@6 5x57.5@7 5x60@8 5x55@7 5x55@7 e1RM=74
Squat 8x5x110 E2MOM
Chins 6,6,6,8
DB Triceps Extensions 47x14 20x10
Preacher Curl Machine 18x35 10,10,10x25
Time 90' Session RPE 9

DAY 3
Deadlift (sumo) 5x3x180 e1RM=?
Larsen Press 6x82.5@6 6x87.5@7 6x92.5@8 6x87.5@7 6x87.5@7 e1RM=117.5
Close Grip Incline Bench 6x70@6 6x75@7 6x80@8 6x75@7 6x75@8 e1RM=101.2
DB Triceps Extensions 23x16 22x12
Time 90' Session RPE 7

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

Pivot Block 4 Week 1 (29 April 2023)

For this pivot I've been experimenting with doing almost exclusively machine work, and I have to say that it is nice (although I feel dirty for liking it ...). I like to do 3 sets of 8 followed by an AMRAP (in the spirit of the Greg Nuckols programs), and if I get more than 12 reps on the AMRAP I'll bump up the weight for the next session. I'm not a fan of AMRAPS for big barbell compounds (too much fatigue and tends to favor crappy motor paterns), but for machine work I think it's great , since the machine locks you in place anyways. As usual for pivot blocks I'm running a slight caloric deficit (-500 kcal), the goal is just to maintain muscle mass, lose 1 kg of fat and dissipate some fatigue. Weekly average weight 95.3

DAY 1
Linear Leg Press 8,8,8,13x200
Chest Press Machine 8,8,8,15x80
Seated Leg Curl 10,10,10x70
Lateral Raise 15x18 12x16
Preacher Curl Machine 19x35 15x25
Decline Situps 10,10xbw+10
Time 90' Session RPE 7

DAY 2
Chest Press Machine 8,8,8,12x85
Machine Overhead Press 8,8,8,14x60
Leg Extensions 20,15,15x45
Row Machine 8,11x160
Triceps Pushdown 27,12x30
Cable Curl 14x35
Time 100' Session RPE 7

DAY 3
Stiff Leg Deadlift 3x8x100@5
Chest Press Machine 8,8,8,14x85
Smith Machine Incline Bench 8,8,8,21x75
Linear Leg Press 8,8,8,11x210
DB Triceps Extension 31x16 25x12
DB Incline Curl 15x18 30x20
Time 100' Session RPE 7