I ended up not taking the 3rd testing day last week. I wanted to spend time with my family, and that’s exactly what I did. Given the current events, and the fact that I work a large part of the day, I don’t want to detract from my time with my wife and kids just to work out on a day that isn’t absolutely necessary. Luckily, I didn’t really need the 3rd day either, that was more just an opportunity to take an AMRAP on deadlifts with a heavier weight, which just wasn’t a necessity.
Day 1 of Week 1 of my actually training block in the bag now, and I’m fairly happy with how it went. Weights are all very light, as to be expected given the lack of consistency over the past few months, but I’m still very happy with everything.
A1. Low Bar Squat – 3×5/5/5+ @ 205lbs
- 45x10x2
- 95x5x2
- 135×5
- 185×5
- 205x5x2
- 205×5+ (14 @ RPE9)
- My belt was a bit too tight on this top set, and it was making it hard to catch my breath towards the end of the set. If it had been one notch looser, I probably would have been able to get to 20 reps at the same, or a close RPE, but it is what it is. Lesson learned and one that I’ll have to remedy over the next few weeks.
B1. Bench Press – 3×5/5/5+ @ 150lbs
- 45x20x2
- 95×10
- 135×5
- 150x5x2
- 150×5+ (12 @ RPE9)
- Nothing to write home about, the reps were relatively challenging but far from impossible. I just tried to enjoy the set and get the work in.
C1. Conventional Deadlift – 3×3/3/3+ @ 215lbs
- 45×10
- 135×5
- 185×3
- 205×1
- 215x3x2
- 215×3+ (15 @ RPE8)
- I’m having a hard time judging the RPE of the top sets on deadlifts. Generally, grip hasn’t been a weakness of my deadlifts in the past, but given the volume and lack of training it’s definitely looking like the weak leak at the moment. That said, muscularly I probably had 20 reps in me, and I think my grip probably had another 2. So I’m trying to rate RPE based on what is failing, and not how my whole body feels. It’s a strange exercise, but one that’s getting some practice now.
Ramble on Fitness 