Quarterly Results
Made a conscious decision going into this year to limit all out max attempts to maybe once or twice a year - the process of peaking is not something I'm good at as I tend to push too hard looking for numbers, and I also find it kinda boring. Have also introduced a number of new variations on the classic movements, and I'm doing more unilateral work too. So, although there have been zero max attempts, I've been collecting a number of PRs across different rep ranges and RPE targets.
The asterisk* marked ones are all new movements for me, so those are fairly easy PRs and I'd expect to beat them regularly as I gain experience in them. But, it's good to mix things up from time to time to help keep things fresh (while not straying too far from the tried and trusted path), and when combined with progress being made on my better-trained movements, it all helps feed that important action->result->motivation cycle.
| Month | Movement | Kgs | Reps | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Deadlift w/belt | 181.0 | 2 | 8 |
| Squat 40kg Chains | 136.0 | 3 | 7 | |
| Bench Press Close Grip | 82.5 | 6 | 8 |
| Month | Movement | Kgs | Reps | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | Bench Press Pin Low Incline* | 75.0 | 2 | 8 |
| Bench Press Close Grip | 94.0 | 2 | 9 | |
| Bench Press 2-Boards Feet Up* | 70.0 | 12 | 10 | |
| Bench Press Close Grip Low Incline* | 60.0 | 12 | 10 | |
| Bench Press Feet Up* | 72.5 | 12 | 10 | |
| Bench Press Low Incline* | 62.5 | 10 | 10 | |
| Bench Press Dumbbell* | 22.5 | 13 | 10 | |
| Bench Press 1-Count Paused | 84.5 | 6 | 9 | |
| Overhead Press | 50.5 | 11 | 10 | |
| Romanian Deadlift Snatch Grip* | 110.0 | 10 | 10 | |
| Romanian Deadlift | 130.5 | 10 | 10 | |
| Deadlift TrapBar | 129.5 | 12 | 10 | |
| Deadlift TrapBar | 141.5 | 10 | 10 | |
| Dumbbell Fly* | 15.0 | 12 | 10 | |
| Squat Close Stance* | 90.0 | 12 | 10 | |
| Squat SafetyBar | 127.5 | 1 | 8 | |
| Squat Bulgarian Split* | 57.5 | 8 | 8 |
| Month | Movement | Kgs | Reps | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar | Bench Press Dumbbell | 22.5 | 14 | 10 |
| Bench Press Dumbbell | 25.0 | 12 | 10 | |
| Bench Press Pin Low Incline | 65.5 | 3 | 7 | |
| Bench Press Close Grip | 78.5 | 8 | 9 | |
| Bench Press Close Grip 2-Boards Feet Up | 69.0 | 13 | 10 | |
| Bench Press Touch-n-go | 72.0 | 12 | 8 | |
| Bench Press 1-Count Paused | 86.0 | 6 | 9 | |
| Overhead Press | 48.0 | 12 | 10 | |
| Deadlift TrapBar | 127.0 | 16 | 10 | |
| Deadlift w/belt | 165.5 | 6 | 9 | |
| Squat Close Stance | 92.5 | 12 | 10 | |
| Squat w/belt | 133.0 | 6 | 8.5 | |
| Squat w/belt | 113.0 | 12 | 8 | |
| Dumbbell Fly | 17.5 | 14 | 10 | |
| Dumbbell Curl* | 10.0 | 15 | 9 | |
| Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension* | 10.0 | 15 | 9 | |
| Seated Barbell Calf Raise* | 80.0 | 15 | 9 |
The new programs are from Reactive Training Systems founded by Mike Tuchscherer who's responsible for introducing RPE to weight training, and they have a lot of volume (I mean, a lot!) - think this helps with my cardio, but the primary target is hypertrophy with these lower-weight-high-reps sets, and this is coupled with some traditional strength training sets of heavier-weight-lower-reps. Idea is to build, and then strengthen muscle, using these contrasting rep schemes. Enjoying it so far, and due to peak for some max attempt strength tests in July, so will get an idea then as to how effective they've been.