Busa's log

[Busa]

GGW week 11. Option for singles or doubles on intensity lifts.

Squats: @96% of baseline 1RM (intensity)
350x2 @8
350x1 -- misgrooved, took the single
350x1 @9
350x1 @9

Bench Press: @87% of baseline 1RM
225x2 @6-ish?
225x2 @7
225x2 @7

Deadlift: @85% of baseline 1RM
345x2 @<6
345x2 @6
345x2 @6

Low Pulley External Rotation: 2x12

[Busa]

End of GGW week 11. Traveling for work this week so I won't get another session in until Friday, which is okay because it's the deload week preceding next week's new 1RM tests.

Bench Press: @94% of baseline 1RM
245x2 @9
245x2 @10
245x1 @9
245x1 @9.5

Deadlift: @95% of baseline 1RM
385x2 @7

Squats: couldn't judge RPE on these, they were at 85% of baseline 1RM
310x2
310x2
310x2

Low Pulley External Rotation: 2x12

[Busa]

GGW week 12... last week of the program. Deload prior to testing my new 1RM next week.

Squats
295x3 @6
295x3 @6
295x3 @6

Bench Press
210x3 @<6
210x3 @<6
210x3 @6

EZ Bar Curls
70x10
70x10
70x10

Low Pulley External Rotation: 2x12

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

Any idea what you'll be going for next week or just suck it and see?

[Busa]

Any idea what you'll be going for next week or just suck it and see?

I was thinking about that today, and given my shoulder issues and my 15 pound weight loss over the last few weeks, it’s hard to say. I think I’m going to have to see how my warmups move. I feel like If everything was optimal I’d try for S: 385 / B: 275 / D: 425, but those numbers might be quite optimistic.

Last workout of this round of GGW:

Squats
275x3 @<6
275x3 @<6
275x3 @<6

Bench Press: I felt like I could have hit 12+ reps on these
195x3 @<6
195x3 @<6
195x3 @<6

Hammer Curls
40x10
40x10
40x10

Low Pulley External Rotation: 2x15

[Busa]

Today is exactly one year to the day since I started strength training, and it happens to coincide with the week where I've finished up my second round of GGW and will be testing my new baselines.

Squatted today and set a new PR: 385x1 Based on how my last warmup moved (325 lbs) I was 90% confident that I had 385 in me, but man! It was definitely @10, a full 10 second grind to complete the rep. Several expletives were uttered, but the result was good--PR achieved with no injury.

Tomorrow I will test bench, and then deadlift on Friday.

Looking back a year, it's hard for me to judge how much strength I have actually gained, and I guess it doesn't really matter. It's been a lot of progress for me, and I am enjoying the journey. In my mind, that's what counts.

[JohnHelton]

Congrats on the PR!

[Busa]

Thanks John, much appreciated.

Today's bench test was frustrating and a bit disappointing. Warmups went 45x10, 135x3, 185x1, 225x1, which is my usual approach and everything felt great. Loaded 275, rested 5 minutes, and... it wasn't even close. Went upstairs, relaxed for 15 minutes, came back down, hit 225x1 to make sure everything felt okay, and loaded 260 (my baseline PR from March). Couldn't get it... I think I was fried from the 275 attempt.

Anyway, a couple of hours later, I got 225x5 and it felt pretty hard toward the end, which leads me to believe that I simply over-reached today and that's that.

I surmise that my current e1RM is right around 260, meaning that for this round of GGW, I didn't make any progress on this lift. This is likely due to A) my shoulder injury from a month ago (have not done any overhead pressing since then) and B) my 15 pound weight loss over the same period.

Chalking this up as an opportunity to improve more next time, and setting my mind on my deadlift PR attempt for tomorrow.

[JohnHelton]

Going from 225 to 275 is a huge jump and hard on your nervous system. Everyone has a different approach, but for a competition (expecting 3 lifts to hit your max) I like (and recommended by RTS) 90%, 96%, 100%. That means you would have tried 247.5, then (assuming that went well) 265, and then 275. If 247.5 or 265 moved more slowly than expected, you would have backed down a bit. For warmups, I like 5x30%, 3x45%, 1x60%, 1x75%, and 1x90% with the percentages based on your first competition attempt (247.5 in this case). Some might say this is too much warm up, but I like it.

Finally, if you didn't get as strong as you might expect, then add a couple sets per week and try again. When I've stalled, I have found it was because of a lack of volume. That lack of volume was usually masked by too much intensity that made me feel like I was working hard.

Keep at it!

[Busa]

Going from 225 to 275 is a huge jump and hard on your nervous system. Everyone has a different approach, but for a competition (expecting 3 lifts to hit your max) I like (and recommended by RTS) 90%, 96%, 100%. That means you would have tried 247.5, then (assuming that went well) 265, and then 275. If 247.5 or 265 moved more slowly than expected, you would have backed down a bit. For warmups, I like 5x30%, 3x45%, 1x60%, 1x75%, and 1x90% with the percentages based on your first competition attempt (247.5 in this case). Some might say this is too much warm up, but I like it.

Finally, if you didn't get as strong as you might expect, then add a couple sets per week and try again. When I've stalled, I have found it was because of a lack of volume. That lack of volume was usually masked by too much intensity that made me feel like I was working hard.

Keep at it!

Thanks again John for the ongoing encouragement and advice.

Today was another frustrating day... my deadlift warmups were programmed to go 135x5, 185x3, 225x1, 285x1, 345x1, 380x1, and 405x1, with a PR attempt at 425 lbs. The 380 was very slow and grindy, with my legs shaking halfway through the pull (this had never happened before), and I couldn't even break 405 off of the floor. This was a bit surprising because I pulled 405 relatively easily a couple of months ago, and my 385x2 from a couple of weeks ago felt good. So, I am not sure what's going on.

I'm flying out to Europe tomorrow for a week, which will a good opportunity to take a short break from lifting and come back with a fresh perspective and a revised strategy (which is going to include increased volume at reduced intensity levels as per John's advice above).

[Busa]

Coming back from a week off of lifting (my first week off since last August). Had a new Bells of Steel SSB delivered while I was away, so tried that out for the first time today (I've never used a SSB before). Goal for today was to get some heavy-ish singles in, in advance of my first foray into MM / HVLF bench programming.

SSB: these felt very weird... I have only ever LBBS up until now, so I'm expecting a learning curve while I familiarize myself with the SSB movement. But, I am going to run a few cycles using the SSB rather than the buffalo bar LBBS, just to change things up a bit.
300x1 @9, will go with 315 for my e1RM (I think this will improve pretty quickly with some practice)
225x5

Bench Press
225x1 @7, e1RM 250
185x5

Deadlift
365x3 @7.5, e1RM 415

OHP: my first time doing any overhead pressing in five weeks since I tweaked my rotator cuff. Felt pretty good today actually.
155x1 @ 8, e1RM 170
115x5

[Busa]

Starting Montana Method w/ HVLF bench protocol--thanks @Hanley for the templates!

This a LOT more volume than I've ever done, also incorporating a couple of new (to me) lifts--SSB squats and snatch grip deadlifts. I've also never really used density blocks before, so overall this should be a fun learning experience.

Cycle 1, W1D1 -- Hypertrophy (BW: 226 lbs)

SSB Squats: 70% (conservative e1RM of 300)
210x6
210x6
210x6
210x6
210x6
210x6 @7-ish? Hard for me to judge as this lift feels so foreign

Bench Press: 65% (e1RM of 250)
165x7
165x7
165x7
165x7
165x7
165x7
165x7 @8, these got tough toward the end on 2 minute rests

Bent Over Rows: was supposed to be 155 lbs, forgot to add the 10s after warmups at 135...
10 minute density block: 135 x 12,9,7,5,5,5 = 43 reps

Tricep Pushdowns: first sets with rope, which started aggravating a minor hand injury, so switched to a straight bar for rest of the block
10 minute density block: 100 x 14,7,10,8,9,6,7,7 = 68 reps

Low Pulley External Rotations: 2x15

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W1D2 -- Power (BW: 224.2 lbs)

Moderately sore from Tuesday, but loosened up and felt good during the workout. This session took me two hours, even with shorter rest times than I am used to (2-3 minutes), so I will likely break future sessions into a morning / afternoon split.

SSB Squats: (conservative e1RM of 300)
180x3
210x2
235x1
235x1
240x1
255x1 -- Rx was for 2-3 sets, but I misread the template and only did a single set... oops

Bench Press: 70% (e1RM of 250)
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5 -- these felt a lot easier than the 7x7 @ 65% from Tuesday, and no shoulder aches

Deadlifts 1@90%, 5x4@75% (e1RM of 405)
365x1
305x4
305x4
305x4
305x4
305x4 -- took longer rest breaks here (3-5 minutes) which lengthened the overall workout considerably. The volume sets never felt heavy but my work capacity needs improvement.

EZ Bar Curls
10 minute density block: 70 x 10,8,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,8 = 10 sets / 61 reps

Low Pulley External Rotations: 2x15

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W1D3 -- Strength (BW: 226.8 lbs)

Hams and upper back were a bit sore from volume deadlifts on Thursday, but nothing problematic.

SSB Squats: 80% (conservative e1RM of 300)
240 x 5s x 3r -- these were moderately tough but manageable with 3 min rest periods

Bench Press: 65% (e1RM of 250)
165 x 7s x 7r -- 2:30 rest periods

Snatch Grip Deadlifts 55% of conventional DL (e1RM of 405)
225 x 4s x 5r -- first time ever doing these; they felt light but I may need to take a wider grip (I was just outside the power rings)

Tricep Pushdowns: v-bar, will use a heavier weight next time
10 minute density block: 110 x 20,10,8,7,7,5,6,6,5,5 = 10 sets / 79 reps

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W1D4 -- Accessory (BW: 227 lbs)

As expected, DOMS are subsiding, which is welcomed. I was presumptuous enough to modify Hanley's template for today, adding lat pulldowns and hammer curls. Not sure if that was wise or not--time will tell. Anyway, it was nice to be done in well under an hour.

Overhead Press: 1@9, then 80% (e1RM of 170)
155x1
7 minute density block: 125 x 5,4... then realized I overshot on the weight. Reduced to 115 x 3,3,3,2 to finish the block = 6 sets / 20 reps
Will reduce e1RM down for next week, and/or go for triples out of the gate.

Lat Pulldowns: wide grip
10 minute density block: 200 x 18,9,5,5,5,5,5,5,4 = 9 sets / 61 reps

Hammer Curls
10 minute density block / EMOM: 40 x 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 = 10 sets / 50 reps

Off to the pool

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W2D1 -- Hypertrophy (BW: 224.6 lbs)

Great workout today! Weights felt light, no aches or pains, just good times under the bar.

SSB Squats: 75% (conservative e1RM of 300) -- all sets done on 2:30 rest periods, and they felt easy. I think I am getting acclimated to the SSB. Will adjust e1RM up next cycle.
225 x 3s x 4r
225 x 4s x 3r

Bench Press: 70% (e1RM of 250) -- 2:30 rest periods, felt like @<7 at the end
175 x 7s x 5r

Bent Over Rows: this weight felt about right
7 minute density block / EMOM: 155 x 5,5,5,5,5,5,5 = 7 sets / 35 reps

Tricep Pushdowns: v-bar, think I should still go heavier to get target reps to around 50-60
10 minute density block: 120 x 12,10,8,8,8,7,7,7,6,10 = 10 sets / 83 reps

Low Pulley External Rotations: 2x15

[Wilhelm]

Great workout today! Weights felt light, no aches or pains, just good times under the bar.

Very nice.

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W2D2 -- Power (BW: 224.4 lbs)

Abbreviated session today due to family obligations. I’ll work in the deadlifts on Saturday in lieu of SGDLs.

SSB Squats: (conservative e1RM of 300) -- all sets done on 2:30 rest periods.
210x2
235x1
235x1
245x1
265x1

Bench Press: 85% (e1RM of 250) -- 2:30 rest periods
215 x 4s x 2r

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W2D3 -- Strength (BW: 225.2 lbs)

Today's session was a mixed bag after a couple of days of camping & hiking in the mountains.

SSB Squats: 82% (conservative e1RM of 300) -- all sets done on 2:30 rest periods
245 x 3s x 3r
245 x 2s x 3r

Bench Press: 90% & 65% (e1RM of 250) -- Rx was for 7x7@65%, but threw in some additional 90% singles
225 x 4s x 1r
165 x 7s x 7r

Deadlifts 92% & 80% (e1RM of 405) -- no idea what happened to my DL, I guess maybe too much hiking in the preceding days? Something weird going on for sure. Warmups went 135x5, 185x3, 225x1, 275x1, 315x1, 345x1 <-- felt heavy
375 x F, failed about 6" off the floor
Didn't even attempt the volume sets

Tricep Pushdowns: v-bar
10 minute density block / EMOM: 130 x 10,9,8,7,6,5,5,5,5,10 = 10 sets / 70 reps

EZ Bar Curls
10 minute density block / EMOM: 75 x 8,7,6,5,5,5,5,5,5,4 = 10 sets / 55 reps

[Busa]

Cycle 1, W2D4 -- Accessory (BW: 223.8 lbs)

End of MM Cycle #1. Overall, I like it a lot. I'll really like it if it produces gains after several more cycles! I have some vacation coming up over the next few weeks, so my workouts will be irregular, but my plan is to A) not get too detrained and B) get back to regular MM programming ASAP.

Overhead Press: 1@9, then 75% (e1RM of 170)
155x1
7 minute density block (Rx was @80%, reduced to @75% based on feels): 115 x 7s x 3r EMOM

Lat Pulldowns: wide grip
10 minute density block: 200 x 20,15,11,7,8,3 = 6 sets / 64 reps

Hammer Curls
10 minute density block / EMOM: 40 x 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 = 10 sets / 50 reps

Low Pulley External Rotations: 2s x 15r