So this day was a somewhat sub-par workout for a couple reasons. I was definitely very mentally fatigued going into the workout, simply due to the stress of the day, but I needed to get it done. I considered just getting the minimum reps and calling it a day, but as I started working up in the squats things were moving pretty well and figured I was better of putting in the work but without pushing too hard.
A1. Low Bar Squat – 3×5/5/5+ @ 235lbs
- 45x10x2
- 95x5x2
- 135×5
- 185×3
- 205×1
- 225×1
- 235x5x2
- 235×5+ (10 @ 9 RPE)
- As I was working up, I could feel that I was very fatigued, so I started doing full reset reps, with a complete elimination of pump reps. This style of lifting, combined with my belt being a bit tighter than was comfortable, I was fatigued very quickly. I think if I had just pumped out reps as usual, I probably would have gotten 12 or 13 reps, but by the time I got to 10, I was just gassed out. My legs were fine, but I couldn’t get a deep enough breath to brace fully to keep going.
B1. Seated OHP – 3×5/5/5+ @ 95lbs
- 45x10x2
- 65×5
- 85×1
- 95x5x2
- 95×5+ (10 @ RPE 10)
- I’m a little annoyed with the top set. I’m happy with the number of reps that I got, but I’m frustrated because I managed to tweak my left trap during the set. I’ve done this before and I know what the culprit is, and it’s basically my technique when I start to rush the reps. Basically, I get my traps into an elevated position and heave the bar up, which results in a weird muscle spasm. I really need to work on this moving forward to avoid it in the future. Aside from that, I matched my reps with heavier weight from my last OHP session, so that’s good at least.
C1. Conventional Deadlift – 3×3/3/3+ @ 245lbs
- 45×10
- 135x5x2
- 185×3
- 225×1
- 245x3x2
- 245×3+ (12 @ 7 RPE)
- I think overall fatigue just finally caught up with me here. At 10 reps, I felt like I could go on forever, and considered just going for broke and seeing if I could hit 20 reps, but after finishing the 12th rep, I just let go of the bar. My body still felt pretty good and my grip wasn’t shot, but I just let go. I left it alone there, instead of pushing, simply because my rule is that the set is done once I’ve let go of the bar. I used to be much more lax in the past, but given my history of back issues, I’d rather assume that I’m too fatigued after letting go, instead of risking re-injuring my back.
Generally, just kind of confused by this workout, as it was a mixture of good and bad, but at the end of the day, it’s all good. I pushed the intensity on all 3 lifts in very different ways and was able to hit extra reps on each one without too much challenge. I think I’ll keep everything at a RPE of 6 during the next workout, and come in strong on Day 3 of this week and really push for serious PR volume.
Ramble on Fitness 