SPP - "The Washington Method" log

[Gerhard]

A new log, following on from the four weeks of training I documented here.

What I'm calling "The Washington Method", is something of a hybrid between the TM and RTS. The creator of this program - SS Coach John Hanley - suggested it to me as a follow on from the four weeks of training he kindly provided for me to give me a jump start, because of it's similarities to the training I undertook in that period - training that I had some pretty awesome results with.

For those unfamiliar with RTS (Reactive Training Systems) and it's training principles based upon the RPE (Rate of Percieved Exertion scale), can get a decent 101 here.

Here's the program:

DAY 1: (Volume)
Squat: (Triples at RPE 8 until RPE 9, or for the duration of 35 mins)
Bench: (same RPE protocol as Squat)
RDL (3x8 at RPE 7/60%)
HIIT

Day 2: (Recovery)
Front Squat: (Triples at RPE 7 until RPE 8, or for the duration of 15 mins)
Press: (Triples at RPE 8 until RPE 9 or for the duration of 20 mins)
Chins: (AMRAP 7 mins)
GHR

Day 3: (Intensity)
Squat: (Triples, Doubles or Singles at RPE 9 until 10 or for the duration of 35 mins)
Bench: (Triples, Doubles or Singles at RPE 9 until 10 or for the duration of 35 mins)
Deadlift: 3 week cycle (week 1=heavy triple, week 2= 2 heavy sets sets of 2, week 3=3 heavy singles)
HIIT

My current tested maxes:

Squat: 140kg/309lbs x 1
Bench: (yes, I know): 87.5kg/193lbs x 1 (with spot) 85kg/187lbs (without spot) x 1
Deadlift: 165kg/364lbs x 3

Bodyweight: 89kg/196lbs
Height: 185cm/6'1
Age: 25

Let's roll!

[Gerhard]

Monday 4th August

Squats

Bar x 2x5
50kg x 5
70 x 5
95 x 3
105 x 2

115kg x 3 (RPE 8 for sure, so I started the 35 minutes here)
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3 (definitely a 9... Looking back at my paper log, I'm thinking "Holy Fuck... I just blitzed through 24 reps at a weight I've only managed around 15 on previously, with around 8 minutes left on the clock")

Bench (Bench Press... Bench Press, is an embarassing lift for me. I've never been great at it, have long arms and nothing great in the way of a chest. This lift can be ego destroying some days. Once I actually break 200 on it, I'll probably be celebrating in the manner of a lottery winner!)

Bar x 2x5
45kg x 5
55 x 5
65 x 3
70 x 1

75 x 2 (more like an RPE 9, no deal!)
72.5 x 3 (RPE 8, timer starts)
72.5 x 3
72.5 x 3
72.5 x 3
72.5 x 3
72.5 x 3
72.5 x 3 (8.87'ish , felt another set was in order)
72.5 x 3 (RPE 9)

Power Clean Practice (I can't PC to save my life... Needless to say, I feel the need to learn it for more options along the line)

Bar x 3 x 2
30kg x 2
30kg x 2
30kg x 2
30kg x 2
30kg x 2

Romanian Deadlift (last Monday I did 100kg for 3x8, that, to me was probably a 9 in terms of RPE. A 9, wherein you've maybe just got one more rep left in the tank, so I decided to drop 5kg, as I expect that would take me around the 7 mark. I'm also expecting the RDL to progress in a synergistic to the conventional DL)

Bar x 2x5
50kg x 5
70 x 5 (w/ Hook Grip)
90 x 3 (w/ Straps)

95 x 8 (RPE 7, as I thought it would be)
95 x 8
95 x 8

HIIT: Bikes and Rowers taken, went and did curlsurls (because everyone does them anyway...) returned to find them still taken. Exhausted, just wanted to go and eat and rest at this point. However, I went for a 7 mile bike ride (of varying intensity) later on to make up for this in some manner. It's always 50/50 whether you'll get a cardio machine at my gym - for obvious reasons, the biggest of which is that most people assume that cardio is the prime method for their goals.

"Extras": 3x6-8 Concentration Curls (I do concentration because I find it's the most effective variant at isolating the biceps for me. Standing curls seem to recruit a lot of chest and triceps, which kind of defeats the purpose.)

- Good workout I think. Definitely decent on the volume side. A couple of weeks back, I was only just making 115 on the Squat for 5x3. Today I added 60% more volume. Bench is still embarrassing, there's an annoying out-of-proportion element to it that messes with my mind. However, I keep on plowing through with it. You won't see me giving up and going to DB Bench in order to "change things up" anytime soon.

[Gerhard]

Wednesday 6th August

Front Squats (RPE 7, until RPE 8 or for the duration of 15 minutes. Been a while since I've done Front Squats, so I had to pick a range where I thought I'd be at - 70-80kg - for RPE 7 and work up to that)

Bar x 2x5
40kg x 5
65 x 5
70 x 3

75 x 3 (RPE 7, felt I could have got about 6 or 7 reps out of this if the rhomboids would hold up that long! So we're doing 75kg for triples until RPE 8 today)
75 x 3 (started the timer just before this set)
75 x 3
75 x 3
75 x 3 (was probably a 7.7 RPE, I felt there was another set in there, but I didn't have the time to rest without the timer running out)

Press (RPE 8, until RPE 9 or for the duration of 20 minutes. This is going to result in less volume than I have been doing previously, on the days I was getting 8x3, I was typically spending 25-27 minutes on the exercise. This isn't a bad thing though, it is a recovery day)

Bar x 2x5
35kg x 5
45 x 5
50 x 3 (flew right up)

57.5 x 2 (no, this was an RPE 9, I started struggling for the last rep and aborted it)

55 x 3 (definitely RPE 8 here, the third rep felt that I had 2 more left in the tank, that's where I want to be!)
55 x 3
55 x 3
55 x 3 (about 8.5 RPE here)
55 x 3
55 x 3 (around about a 9 RPE, I had about 40 seconds left on the clock. I simply wasn't getting a +2.5kg this week, and there was less volume than usual, on the surface, this sounds discouraging, but I know that the Press is always going to be the slowest lift to develop, it's just the nature of it and the lesser musculature used. Furthermore, I don't PP or do the 2.0 variant. I've always been a strict presser, so I have to accept I'm probably always going to be around -5kg what I could truly press with momentum and breaking that strictness. All in all though, it was a satisfactory grouping of Press sets!)

Chinups (AMRAP in 7 minutes.)

22 reps (+1 to my best! I'm still amused at going from taking 30 minutes to painfully grind out 20 reps, to doing it over 20 and making weekly increases in under 10 minutes!)


- I felt it was a nice session. I did some face pulls on the way out of the gym. I've been doing these for the last few months semi-regularly just as prehab and to improve my scapular mobility (guilty of kyphosis), which I have definitely seen some good results with. Normally, I'm one to rubbish doing loads of mobility work, I know a lot of guys who'll stop Squatting or Benching, etc and spend weeks doing mobility and flexibility exercises, when they could be Squatting or Benching and improving that mobility and flexibility by doing!

[Gerhard]

So, I'm musing over the first intensity day tomorrow of this programming. I have a lot of opportunities to sets some PR's! If I can add 2.5kg to both the Squat and Bench for RPE 9 weight, then I'll be a very happy man!

[KievBison]

Hi. Stumbled on your other thread. Following along to learn some things.

[Gerhard]

Hi. Stumbled on your other thread. Following along to learn some things.

Hey! Welcome aboard.

I'm going to try and get today's training results up later tonight. It was a good session for Squat and Deadlift... Bench didn't go quite as I had hoped, but it wasn't really much of a loss, just an irritation for me.

[Gerhard]

Friday 8th August

Squats (RPE 9 until 10 or for the duration of 35 minutes)

Bar x 2x5
55kg x 5
75 x 5
100 x 3
112.5 x 1

122.5 x 3 (that's a 9, but also a 2.5kg increase! Clock started)
122.5 x 3
122.5 x 3
122.5 x 3
122.5 x 3
122.5 x 3 (phew, it does feel like the limit on that third rep sometimes, but I know that if I took a few seconds to compose myself after the third rep, that I could get one more rep. Ughh! Honesty leads to volume)

Bench Press (Sigh...)

Bar x 2x5
45kg x 5
60 x 5
70 x 3

77.5 x 3 (barely, we're talking RPE 10 off the bat here)

75 x 3 (RPE 9, timer started)
75 x 3
75 x 2 (Couldn't get it up, pardon the expression. It was at this point some other guy in the gym got involved, a guy professing his credentials as a retired competitive powerlifter, in spite of the fact he just kind of came in, did three sets of heavy benching, and left. He started asking me about my programming and had never heard of the RPE scale. He then gave me suggestions of what I "should be doing", I just politely thanked him for his advice and kept lifting. I detest that kind of shit, mainly because less assertive individuals will fuck up their programming by changing what works or incorporating shit that these guys are spinning to them.)
75 x 3 (redeemed myself)
75 x 3 (and again)
75 x 1 (just throwing this in because I hate missing reps)

Deadlift (Week 1 of cycle - 1 heavy triple for new 3RM)

85kg x 5
107.5 x 5
125 x 3
142.5 x 2
152.5 x 1

167.5 x 3 (new personal best! Reflecting on my previous beliefs that there "wasn't enough Deadlifting" in most strength programs, there is no fucking way I'd be able to do this more than once a week without severely fucking myself up. Even doing sub-maximal pulling whilst loosely pursuing 5/3/1 was wrecking me. I cannot possibly imagine trying to set new maxes more than once a week with the Deadlift at my current stage with it.)

- Still frustrated with bench, it just seems so out of proportion and atypical of a lot of guys who are strength training and seem to have very little trouble bringing the bench up, compared to lifts like the squat or deadlift. I'll try another week to get that 2.5kg increase, before I feel I will have to resort to microloading. Even then, that's not defeatist, a 1kg a week increase is 52kg a year. Deadlift keeps on coming along, trying for 170kg next week - another milestone! Next week I'm going to train Tues, Thurs, Sat because of work commitments and the like. I don't like doing this as a rule because MWF has always been my thing, but it's necessary. I've had to do it before on a few occasions and it doesn't really seem to effect things.

[KievBison]

I wouldn't get too hung up on your bench numbers. Just keep showing up and running your program. In a few months you'll look back at today's numbers and realize you're warming up with them.

Also, keep in mind that you're squatting before benching (which is fine). Your body just needs to get conditioned to the order of your lifts. Bench will start moving soon.

What did that retired powerlifter fella suggest you should be doing?

[John Hanley]

Was the triple at 77.5 a 3rm? If so, great intensity session. If not, still pretty good.

Goin forward, I think keep bench intensity day to doubles or singles (still starting at 9; going to 10). Weight selection on triples is tricky.

[Gerhard]

I wouldn't get too hung up on your bench numbers. Just keep showing up and running your program. In a few months you'll look back at today's numbers and realize you're warming up with them.

Also, keep in mind that you're squatting before benching (which is fine). Your body just needs to get conditioned to the order of your lifts. Bench will start moving soon.

What did that retired powerlifter fella suggest you should be doing?

Hey man, thanks for the advice. My biggest problem is I'm a sucker for balance, I see the Squat and Deadlift, and I see a nice balance, then I look to my Bench and it all goes to shit!

That retired powerlifting guy basically gave me the usual unitituvie (I say this, because unless you are actually shown, it's hard to grasp for most people - It took me quite a while to get it) advice, "break the bar", "arch your back", "squeeze your glutes", "retract the scapula", things like that. He then asked me about my programming, I mentioned Mike Tuchscherer (he hadn't heard of him, which is surprising, given his claimed resume and prominence in powerlifting, as I had heard of Tuchscherer before I even knew what RTS or the RPE scale was) and tried to explain my programming. He did a "huh" look and said that for strength that "5x5 was the best". I don't disagree with him, but I've done the 5x5 thing, I've taken it as far as I could, I then tried other things to break past plateaus - they sucked - and now I've found something that's taking me places. Yeah, I might moan about my bench numbers, but that's not down to the programming, that's just the nature of the beast. I'm confident that in a few weeks I'll be past the 80kg mark for volume.

Was the triple at 77.5 a 3rm? If so, great intensity session. If not, still pretty good.

Goin forward, I think keep bench intensity day to doubles or singles (still starting at 9; going to 10). Weight selection on triples is tricky.

Hey John! (for anybody reading this and unfamiliar, John is the creator of this programming)

Yeah, the 77.5 was technically a new 3RM, Honestly, I've never made more than 72.5kg previously for a triple. My only concern about doing doubles or singles is that it contradicts the discussion we had about getting volume for bench. I suppose 8 sets of 2 is still 16 reps - a decent amount of volume. In terms of how it looks for the Squat, we're talking about a 5kg difference usually between RPE 8 and RPE 9, that's how it's been since the beginning, and I'm seemingly still able to make increases in weight each week with the Squat and Deadlift - which is awesome. With Bench, it's like you say, weight selection is tricky, and it grinds to a halt past the novice stage.