Rathofthebeard's Intermediate log

[rathofthebeard]

Since all my lifts are on Texas Method now, I figured I should probably start an intermediate thread. Started the novice LP in January and made excellent progress. I kept a log here: Rathofthebeard's SS NLP Log

To recap,
Male, 27 5'-10 285-ish.

Top lifts:
Squat - 450 x 1
Press - 185 x 1
Bench - 245 x 1
Deadlift - 405 x 1

Yes, I am fairly mediocre at everything except squats.

I plan to compete in my first USAPL meet in mid-September. Looking at my current numbers, I'm hoping for a 1200+ total, which if I can get my deadlift up to 450-75 ish and my squat in the 475-500 range and my bench about 275, is more than do-able.

So, I'm using the Texas Method for this particular training block, and unfortunately, I'll be relegating the Press to little more than an assistance lift since I really need to get my bench numbers up.

I'm running a 4 day split version of the Texas Method. Kicked off the week with press volume.

Bench:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
175 x 1
205 x 5 x 4
210 x 5

Notes:
Was supposed to do 5x5 at 210 based on last weeks weight. I mis loaded the bar and didn't realize it until my last set. Oh well. All reps moved pretty smoothly, no problems to speak of. Focusing on keeping the bar bath more of a diagonal line and pushing the bar back.

Press:
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
115 x 2
140 x 8 x 3

Notes:
All in all, 3 good press sets. The last two reps of each one turned into a major grind and I had to introduce some layback to get them to lockout.

Dumb bro stuff
Dumbbell Hammer curls: 3 x 8 with the 35's

[rathofthebeard]

Squats:
45 x 5 x 3
135 x 5
185 x 2
225 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1
360 x 5 x 5

Notes:
Had trouble finding my groove this morning. Everything just felt ridiculously difficult and even the warm-ups were a bit of a grind. Been a while since I've done anything approaching this volume across on squats, so I expect that I'll probably be a bit sore for the next day or two. Made it through the first 3 sets with about 5 minutes between each and took around 7 minutes between the last two.

Deadlift:
135 x 5 x 2
225 x 3
315 x 2
365 x 1
410 x 0

Notes:
Not sure what happened here. My intent was to have a slightly lighter stress day on deadlifts, with a higher intensity but only for a top single as opposed to a set of five. Could be that I was fatigued this morning (especially after squats) but I could only get 410 halfway up. Gave it a second try and could barely break it off the ground. I'll pull a set of 5 at 375 on Friday.

[rathofthebeard]

Bench:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 1
215 x 1
240 x 5

Notes:
Bench moved really well. A little bit of a grind towards the end of the set, but not too bad. All in all, a fairly easy set of 5 considering that it's just 5 lbs short of the heaviest weight I've ever benched for a single.

Press
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
125 x 1
140 x 1
160 x 3 x 3

Notes:
First set felt good but had some form breakdown the second time around. My starting position wasn't as tight as I wanted and I think I ended up bending my knees a bit more than ideal while trying to throw my hips into the start of the movement. I corrected this on the third set, stayed fairly strict and really focused on my form.

Dumb bro stuff:

Hammer curls - 3 x 8 with the 30's.

Conditioning:
5 x 100m sprints on the rower (34-36 seconds each), with +/- 1 min rest in between.

[rathofthebeard]

Squats
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
225 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1
365 x 1
405 x 5

Notes:
Took a little time this morning to really feel good under the bar. I'm working on my set up (which currently involves a lot of little adjustments and wasted movement before I unrack the bar) and trying to unrack the bar with more confidence and authority.

Deadlifts
135 x 5 x 2
225 x 3
335 x 1
375 x 3
375 x 2

Notes:
Came really close to hitching it on rep 3 so I took a few minutes before continuing. On a whim, I decided to try placing my belt higher than previously (about the same placement I use for squats) and while the buckle dug into my stomach, I felt like it was a lot easier to set my back and like the weight came up to lockout much smoother than the last 3 reps. I think my deadlift is slowly but surely improving.

[rathofthebeard]

Bodyweight:
296 (measured just post workout) Zoinks. Although this 296 is very different from the last time I weighed 296, it's definitely time to get serious about that cut I've been threatening for the past two or three months. Starting off, I'm going to shoot for around 3,000 calories made up of 250 g of protein, 80 g of fats, and the remainder in carbs. I'll measure my results and play with the macros until I get something really dialed in. Looking to lose around 1 or 2 lbs a week for a sustained period of time (with probably a couple of breaks in there where I add some calories back in and maintain for 2-3 week periods).

Bench:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 1
215 x 5 x 5

Notes:
Nothing of particular significance to report here. Moved well, bar path consistent. Neglected leg drive a bit on the first couple of sets but fixed it by set 3. Took around 5 minutes between sets.

Press:
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
125 x 2
145 x 8 x 3

Notes:
First working set went smoothly. On the second one, I started the first rep too quickly and didn't have my stance correct. Ended up having to adjust it after rep 2. Rest of the set was good, and the final set felt good as well. Lot of grinding on the final reps, but I kept my form pretty consistent.

Dumb bro stuff:
Barbell preacher curls: 55 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets (weight based on the assumption that the mini straight bar at my gym weighs 25 lbs, which seems reasonable. Who really cares, anyway?)

[rathofthebeard]

Squats:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1
365 x 5 x 5

Notes:
First three sets went really smoothly, reps were slow but not a grind. Took around 5 minutes between the first 3 sets. Needed about 7 minutes before set 4 and took around 8 before I did the final set. It took every ounce of willpower I had to force myself back under the bar for the final set, but it really wasn't that bad once I unracked it and got down to business.

Barbell Rows:
135 x 5
175 x 3
195 x 8 x 3

[rathofthebeard]

Bench:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 1
215 x 1
245 x 5

Press:
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 1
150 x 1
165 x 3 x 3

Dumb Bro Stuff:
Hammer curls - 3 x 8 with the 35's

[rathofthebeard]

Squats:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1
365 x 1
410 x 5

Notes:
Squats felt really good this morning. Focusing on knees out, butt back and hyap drahve. I'd put 410 at about an RPE 9 this morning. The last two reps felt super slow, but didn't look that bad on video.

Deadlifts:
135 x 5 x 2
225 x 3
275 x 1
335 x 1
380 x 3
380 x 2

Notes:
Bar moved OK. Tried for 2 triples and my grip started failing on the last rep of the second set just before I locked it out so no rep. I probably need to add in more deadlift volume. I'll start pulling a couple sets of 5 at a little light weight after 5x5 squats on Tuesday.

[rathofthebeard]

Bench Press:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 1
220 x 5 x 5

Notes:
Bench felt good this morning. Did most of the reps paused, really focusing on keeping leg drive going through my sets.

Press:
45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
115 x 1
135 x 1
150 x 7
150 x 6
150 x 5

Notes:
Not sure exactly what happened here. It may be that I was trying to be too strict and not allow a stretch reflex or hip drahve at all on the first set and ran out of gas. Then I was just too fatigued to finish my other sets even using a stretch reflex at the bottom of the rep. At least, that's what I think. I usually do press reps without coming to a dead stop at the bottom, so trying to introduce that on a heavy set of 8 may not have been a good idea.

Dumb Bro stuff:
3 sets of 8 dumbbell curls with the 30's.

Conditioning
4 x 100m sprints on the rower. +/- 36 sec each, 1 minute rest.

Bodyweight:
293 lbs, so down 3 lbs from last week. Looks like I'm at least in the ballpark as far as diet is going.

[rathofthebeard]

Squats:
45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
225 x 1
275 x 1
325 x 1
370 x 5 x 5

Notes:
Squats moved well this morning. Took a while to get going but once I got into my working sets, all was good. About the third set, I let my stance get a little wider than it should have and it was a lot harder than it needed to be. Fixed my stance on the last couple of sets though. Focusing on the cues knees out and butt back.

Deadlifts:
135 x 5 x 2
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
345 x 3 x 3

Notes:
Had a bit of an epiphany on deads today. On my second triple, I noticed that I've been making a couple of major form errors. I first noticed that at the last second before I pulled, I moved the bar away from my shins. This was caused by shoving my hips down too far. On my third set, I cued high hips and all three reps felt a lot easier than either of the previous two sets.