Indeed! It's also hard for novices and early intermediates to understand what a surprise PR day even is. Whereas when you're training over a decade, surprise PR days account for a decent % of your PRs!
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Christmas in the gym! Nice work Wolf.
Took an extra day off and started off season style training today. My plan is to do this for 2-3 months and then ramp up to a peaking block, hopefully surpassing the new 1RMs that I originally planned to do in 2020 before the lockdowns. This is a flexible plan that can adjust as I go, but that's what I'm thinking as of now. I am very happy to have finished up 2020 with some PRs. In this recent block, I put 25 lbs on my bench 10 rep, 17 lbs on my deadlift 3 rep, matched my press 10RM and hit 300 for only about the 5th time ever, put 5# on my bench 5RM, hit a 1RM only a few % off my all time 1RM, and hit 99% of my all time squat 5RM, but with 2-3 reps in the tank instead of at a bone on bone true 5RM like it was last time. So while I didn't get to the 600/500/750 I was hoping for at the start of the year, I accomplished a lot considering the circumstances and am OK with it. And while sometimes life happens, assuming no major setbacks, I'm now in a good position to hit or even surpass all three of those numbers next year if all goes well. Never count your eggs before they hatch, but planning to surpass those on a peak is within the realm of reality if all goes well.
Off-Season will just be less emphasis on heavy/low rep and main lifts, and more work at higher reps and more supplemental lifts and accessories. I'll still do main lifts, and still occasionally go heavy, so it's not a wholesale tossing out, just a shift in emphasis.
Now to today's work.
Press: 4" belt
205x3, 225x3x2 @6.5
Swiss Bar Bench: Wide Grip
225x8, 245x8x2 @6.5
Accessories
Lat Pulldown: Neutral Grip: 135x10, 150x10x2
Tricep Straight Bar Pushdown: 90x10x2, then 65x10 reverse grip
DB Lateral Raises: 15x12x2 - hadn't done these in forever so started real light and easy.
Starting the first day of my "lower" off season work, the last thing I expected was not only another PR, but breaking my longest standing PR in any lift. Must be the moon or something, this is wild.
Safety Bar Squat
65x7, 155x7, 245x7, 295x7, 335x7 - 3" belt for final set only
Notes: Left knee was OK during, a little sensitive after, but not nearly as much as after the 495x5 squat a few weeks ago. I'm hoping this means it's lessening in general and isn't coming back, cause I was really enjoying squatting again. But these went fine, pretty easy.
Power Clean
135x3, 185x3, 225x2, 245x2, 265x2, 285xf+1, 305x1, 315x1 -PR
Notes: Plan was to work up to 245, but it was poppin' - unexpectedly, since I've only cleaned a couple times since late Sept, and am still carrying some fatigue from the travel and 635x3 deadlift, which really tends to affect cleans a lot. But it was poppin' so I rode it on up to PR glory and finally achieved the 3 plate power clean I've wanted forever, especially since I did 305 WAY back in June, 2015. Given my recent lack of consistent practice with this lift and that I must be carrying some fatigue, I have to wonder if 325 or 330 isn't possible right now under better conditions. Guess we'll find out next year.
It is yet another testament to strength's influence on power. When I did the 305, I was in my early 30s, so hadn't degraded much in explosiveness yet, and had also done cleans the previous 5 years much more regularly. Now, doing 315 five and a half years later, I'm knocking on 40, less explosive, and have done/practiced cleans much less frequently the past 5.5 years than the previous 5.5 before that. In other words - in every way EXCEPT strength, the deck was stacked against me being able to do more now than I did in 2015. And yet not only did I do it, but it was much easier and cleaner a rep.
As is often the case, Rip is more insightful than most of his detractors will ever admit.
315x1 power clean PR on IG
Barbell Row
315x10 (technically a PR)
Notes: Just the one backoff set here, which is a double PRINO (PRINO, on an accessory lift). But still fun to do it.
Ab Wheel of Doom
3x5
Bench Press
325x3, 365x3x2
Larsen bench Press
275x7, 265x7, 255x7
Notes: Starting to turn overall volume up a little; it'll be graded, but gotta start somewhere.
KB Press
28kg x8, 32x8x2
Accessories
Lat Pulldown (Neutral Grip): 135x10, 160x10x2
DB Curls: 55x10x2 regular, then 35x15 strict
Straight Arm Lat PD: 55x12x2 - done as superset with curls (short rest between, not no rest)
Sumo Deadlift: 2" blocks
365x6, 405x6x3
Notes: Sumos sparing my back, blocks sparing my knees...I'm basically made of spare parts at this point! Dad jokes, I has them. All went fine, used straps for the final 2 sets. Easy. Just getting used to some volume, both for off season purposes as well as I've decided to squat less freuqently at least for a month - once every 2 weeks instead of once a week, so will be doing more DL volume to somewhat make up for that. Not the same, but it's something. And I REALLY want to avoid having to shut down squats for a long time; the 2.5ish years that I couldn't squat regularly were awful, and I was really, REALLY enjoying squatting again this year. If reducing frequency to once every two weeks for a while allows me to continue steadily, that's better than forcing once a week and then a few months later having to take a full year or two off again. Want to avoid that at all costs. A leg press and/or belt squat would be nice right now, alas no room for either in the garage.
RDL
225x5, 275x5, 315x5
Notes: Don't think I've done RDLs in 4-5 years, so starting real easy. Knowing RDLs, my damn hamstrings will still be sore.
Plank - 45s x2 sets
Lotsa upper body volume today.
Press
225x2, 240x2 - belt for the doubles only
200x8, 185x8
Notes: Not too eventful. 240 moved fast, without as regular exposure to heavy presses, it feels heavier in my hands and when taking it out, but moving fine.
Bench Press: 1ct pause on 1st and last rep
275x5, 300x5
To a 2-board: 300x5, 275x5, 225x10
Notes: Uneventful here too. Pauses always feel unnatural to me, but went fine.
Accessories
DB Rows- 115x10x3
Lat Pulldown: Neutral Grip - 150x10x2
Tricep Rope - 75x15, 85x12x2
DB Lateral Raises -35x10x2
Power Clean
135x3, 185x3, 225x3x3
Snatch Grip DL: 3" blocks
365x5 - DOH
405x5 - Straps
Ab Wheel
3x6
All uneventful and routine. Hadn't snatch gripped in a while, so started light, used 4" blocks + romaleos = roughly 3" effective height. Trying to spare my knees a bit during off season, will do less heavy pulling from the floor and more from 2-4" inches, in addition to reduced squat frequency.