Powerlifting on a Potato Knee

[Legsneedwork]

'ello 'ello

I think this is a great community, and I also feel like I can contribute something. So if you'd like, feel free to follow the journey of a dude with average genetics and a knee surgery under his belt as he tries to someday, somehow, get moderately strong.

My best gym lifts are in my sig, and I hope to surpass them in the next year.



Above is my first meet since knee surgery (push/pull at 198). My squat was still atrocious at the time, so I wasn't going to embarrass myself in a full power meet. I had a good time, but I bombed on bench. It was mainly a technique issue I've since fixed, so it's 400 or bust at my next meet. DL was fine, I just opted to try a PR rather than 550, which I think I had easily that day. My GF is the lovely lady in the video with me, and I program her training. She's battling a back injury but has recently PRed in everything after 10 weeks of training since the meet.

Anywho, next meet is Oct 12th SPF Irontoberfest in Lexington. SPF has their issues, but I'm not willing to drive several hours to find a meet just yet. I'm doing full power this time around, and I'm not going to take advantage of any high squat calls . Goals are 1400 total, 400+ bench, and DL PR. Bench is the biggie, though.

------

9/5

Squat
315, 345, 365x1
385x2 (wraps)
400x2
405x2
Welp, busted right through that barrier. Going to be doing doubles again next week, then singles until my meet Oct 12th. Everything feels good right now, I just need to get used to heavier weight. Aiming for 425 opener, then hopefully 455+.

Sumo
405x1
455x2

Was so pissed off about my last few sumo sessions I had to do it today, so it took the rest of my gym time. But, I reworked my stance and closed my feet up, and the results were amazing. That double was a joke.

[Legsneedwork]

9/7



Bench
380x2x4
Feels pretty light when I unrack, so I think that's a good sign. Will be going to 385 next week.

2-board
380x3
385x2
390x2
I really feel like this helps me prepare for heavier weight. Will probably move to 1-board after next week.

Bent Lateral
45x12x5

Partial Lateral
45x12x3

Feeling good. Plan is to get to at least 410 on boards by oct 12th.

[Legsneedwork]

9/8

Sumo
405x1
445x1
475x1
500x1
Better than last time and no back issues at all. Still haven't quite put it together since 505x2.

Squat
375x2x2
No wraps, moderate effort. Didn't take any NSAIDs and my knee felt completely fine.

[Legsneedwork]

9/9

BB Row
365x8x3

HS Shrug
5PPSx10x5 (45s rest)

Lat Pressdown
185x12x4

9/10

NGBP
345x4,4,4,5
Great control on the way down.

DB Pullover/Ext
65x7x4
First two were easy, second 2 got pretty tough.

Tri Pressdown
220x10x4

BW Pullover
x6x3

[Legsneedwork]

RANDOM TRAINING THOUGHTS

Current macros: M,W,F; 100/200+/100 c/p/f
S,T,TR; 250/200+/75
Sat; 500/200/75+ ---> Cheat meal day, macros usually aren't exact here. Fat tends to be a little higher.

I believe every powerlifter would benefit from tracking macros, but particularly us guys in the lower weight classes. I've never felt better than I have since I started tracking macros, and my body composition is improving quite a bit. I was planning on increasing cals/carbs at the end of this week, but I might stick with this. My morning weight is 202.6 and I'm not feeling any ill-effects of the low-carb days.

I've also experimented with fasted training this week, and I've absolutely loved it. I'll give it the real test Thursday when I squat on 2 servings of cottage cheese and see how that goes.

[Legsneedwork]

9/12



Squat
345x2
375x2
400x2w
415x2w
Hit the groove on the first rep absolutely perfectly...felt like I was squatting 135. Great double to finish off my planned doubles for this cycle, now moving into singles. I'll probably try doubles at 385 with no wraps on Sunday after DL, not too sure yet.

Pause Squat
315x2x2

Step-up
155, 165, 185x6

Sled Push
230x2x4
--->quads stopped functioning after this, srs

Felling more and more like I won't be completely embarrassed to squat at the meet. I timed the wrapping at 1:30, so I have a good idea now of when I'll need to start.

[Legsneedwork]

Visited the GF in Michigan City, Indiana this weekend...the gym was an absolute sh*tshow, hence:

9/15

Bench
385x2,1,1
The benches at this gym were apparently made for people under 5'5". They sat at least 6 inches below a standard bench, and were of course narrow. I managed the first double, but that was all I had. Did two more sets experimenting with my setup to see if I could make it work, but it just didn't happen. So this was, in effect, a completely wasted session.

--->Pause Bench (with commands)
365x1x5
That in mind, I decided to just practice commands.

--->Wide Bench
315x5

Last set was a stupid idea. My shoulder is still tender after going pinky finger to the rings, but it's not bad. Oh well, going to do singles at 390 next time...planning on TnG and paused reps.

9/16

Sumo DL
400, 430, 450, 480, 510x1

Conv
400x1

Came back from Indiana that morning and went straight to the gym. 510 wasn't awful, but doing the single at conventional convinced me to scrap sumo and just do conventional at the meet. Plan is 525 next week, 550 the week after, then hit whatever I can at the meet. It's obvious at this point I can rep sumo slightly better, but 1RM strength isn't really comparable. My long term plan is to deadlift only occasionally and squat more often in an effort to protect my back.

9/17

NGBP
355x3,3,3,3,4
Paused the 3rd rep on the first 4 sets, then TnGed the last. Felt infinitely better being back at my normal gym.

BB Row
375x6x3
Beltless.

Lat Pressdown/Tri Ext
180x10/10x3

A good workout going into an off-day. May have to bench heavy on Fri, just depends on the timing of a softball tournament I'm playing in.

[Legsneedwork]

9/19

Squat
365x1
385x1
405x1w
425x1x2w
First single was a grinder, second one was substantially easier. Will plan on 435 next week, but I'll be open to adjusting higher based on feel.

Pause Squat
335x2x2
Really liking this.

Step-up
155x6
175x6
195x6

Will squat after DL Sunday, but no wraps. I don't plan on going higher than 385, no wraps.

[Legsneedwork]

***Looks like I dun goofed. Have a wedding to attend on Oct 11 in a different city, and I'm not keen on the idea of being in that kind of a rush all weekend. There is a meet I'll do instead in November, but unfortunately it's only push/pull. Looks like I won't be squatting until spring.***

9/20

Bench
370x1p
390x1
390x1p
380x1x2p

2-Board
390, 395, 400x1

Bent Lateral
50x10x4

Tng single was cake, paused was a grinder. Hopefully my new-found calorie surplus will allow me to get over the 400 hump.

9/22

DL
405x1
455x1
495x1
525x0
Not worried. I missed a similar weight prior to my last meet, then managed to pull 20 pounds heavier the next week easily. My main issue here was form, which I have a little time to iron out. I think I'm going to officially ditch the roll-back because it puts me out in front of the weight too quickly.

Squat
345x2
365x2
385x2
No wraps, easy.

9/24

Bench
365x3,3,3,3,4

BB Row
375x6x4
Increased volume

Lat Pressdown/Tri Pressdown
180x10/10x4
Increased volume.

Sledgehammer Swings
x10(each)x3
60 total swings. Could have done another set, but going to increase slow here. 80 next time.

Went flat-footed on bench and didn't use wraps. This is by far the easiest 365 has felt in 2 years, and I feel I had it for 5 if I had done 1 set only. I have a little more leeway now with the later meet date, so I think I'll revisit 385 for doubles on Friday.

[Legsneedwork]

9/26

Squat
345x2
365x2
385x2
405x2w
425x2w
PR since knee surgery, felt great.

Pause Squat
345x2x3

DL
405x1 (dbl OH)
405x2x2

Need practice with DL, so went light. Squat continues to improve, and since I won't be squatting in a meet for a while I'm going to push weight up as much as possible with doubles and triples. My lighter days without knee wraps may be higher volume, haven't really decided yet.

[Legsneedwork]

9/27



Bench
370x1w,p
395x1w
385x2
385x3

2-Board
405x1

Bent Lateral
50x10x5
Added set.

Hammer Curl
50x10

Tng 395 single was easy as ****, and 385 felt good enough that I tried a triple successfully. Ditched the wraps after 395 and I think I'm just not going to use them anymore...they don't seem to help me and I don't feel my hands as well. Will do at least 400 Tng next time. Great workout.

[Legsneedwork]

9/29

DL
405x1
455x1
475x1
500x1
Had a little more in me, but held back a little. Trying to reset here and move back up slowly.

Squat
350x2
370x2
390x2
No wraps.

Quickie. Starting to feel a lot more confident in squat without the wraps.

9/30

BB Row
385x6x4
No belt.

Shrug
455x8,8,10
Going to go up slowly here, too. Hoping this will help my DL.

Lat Pressdown
210x10x4

Supplemental back stuff and junk. Been skimping on back volume too much lately.

10/1

Bench
350x4,4,4,6

DB Pullover/Ext
65x7x4

Tri Pressdown/DB Strict Curl
220x10/35x10x3

Sledgehammer Swing
x10x2x4
Added a set as per my plan last week. Really didn't want to do these by that point in the session but very glad I did. Up to 100 total swings next time.

350 felt so much different here than it did in my last training block...heads and tails easier. I think I could have ground out 7, but I was happy with the workload and didn't want to do absolute max effort. I'd love to be more structured on my second bench day, but my shoulder is too dicey to prescribe percentages in advance. I brought my grip in a finger or two here, but not enough to consider it a narrow grip by any means. My shoulder was pretty sore, but I think if I stop being so lazy about tissue work it will be OK. All in all a very positive session.

[Legsneedwork]

10/3

Squat
345x2
365x2
385x2
410x2w
435x1w
Definitely had more in me for a single, but trying a second at 435 would have probably killed me, so I was OK with 1 rep.

Pause Squat
350x2x2
Wanted a third set going into this, but didn't have the energy that day.

DL
415x2x3
Decided to do one rep conventional, one rep sumo and was happy I did. Found my technique on sumo again, and my conventional form feels better each time. I'll stick with this template for now.

Sleep schedule has been atrocious this week, so I should be better next time I squat. Everything is moving along well, though, so no complaints.

[Legsneedwork]

10/5

Bench
355x1p
375x1p
390x1tng
400x1tng
375x1p
375x2
375x1p

Bent Lateral
55x8x4

Dip/NG Pushup
x10/10x3

Worked out at my GF's potato gym again, so I really had no leg drive on the bench at all. Was happy with how 400 felt, and I think I can push my tng bench up a good bit higher in the next month. I am reaching my limit with my shoulder, though. It's been sore and burning for about a week now, and I'm going to omit my second bench to try and let it heal.

10/6

Sumo DL
455x1
475x1
495x1
505x1
Technique was hit and miss, but was perfect at 495. I really want to do conventional, but at this point it's clear my starting position is too bad. I'm not a good sumo DLer, but it won't destroy my back in the long run.

Squat
350x2
370x2

Knee was getting a little too sore for my liking, so retired for the day after that.

[Legsneedwork]

10/8

BB Row
395x5,5,7
Beltless PRs

Snatch-grip Rack Pull+shrug
405x5
405x5
415x5
I like.

BW Pullover
x6,6,8

Sledgehammer Swing
x12x2x4 (96 total)
Shortened rest, added swings. It was hard, but the cardio aspect is getting easier. I'll add something to make it harder next time.

Really enjoyed this session. Reducing volume on rows slightly to accommodate for more work with DL variations.

[Legsneedwork]

10/10

Squat
345x2
365x2
385x2
410x1,3w
Decided to go to triples here and reduced the wrapping to 4 turns. I plan on peaking in weight in 4 months, then again 4 months after that for a spring meet.

Pause Squat
355x2x3

Sumo DL
415x4

Having a good time with my squat workouts these days...legs also not looking so pathetic anymore.

[Legsneedwork]

10/11

Bench
365x1
390x1
405x1
---
2-board: 415x1
---
390x2
380x1x2p
365x2.5p

Dip
BWx12x4

Sprints (sprint the long stretch, walk back around)
x4

Have a lot left in the tank on bench, but shoulder was a bitch yesterday. 410 or more next time, which would tie a PR. Pooped out on that last paused set at 365, but I'll do it again next week. I'd like to get 390x3 for a triple PR and pause 365 for 3 next time. I have a vid of 415 and 390x2, so I'll get those up later. Feel great about bench right now. It's also worth noting this is the narrowest grip I've ever used at 400+.

I'm adopting Tuchscherer's philosophy of working to a heavy single and then backing down for rep work...it just seems to fit my lifting style best. I plan on doing this from now on, though I won't be doing singles every training cycle.

[Legsneedwork]

10/13



Beltless Squat
315x4x4

Sumo DL
455x1
475x1
495x1
515x1
470x2
515 was a sumo PR, and I nailed technique on that lift. Others were off, so definitely need a lot more work with moderately heavy weights.

GHR
BWx10x3

10/14

BB Row
405x5x3

Snatch-grip Rack Pull+Shrug
405x5
425x5x2

BW Pullover
x8x2

DB Hammer Curl
60x8x2

Going to move this back accessory work to tues and do some press accessory work mon.

[Legsneedwork]

10/17

Squat
345x3
365x3
385x3
415x3 (wraps, 4 turns)

Pause Squat
360x2x3

Sumo DL
421x1x4 (30s reset between each single)
421x4

Squats were good...weight moved much easier than 415x2 with heavier wrapping a few weeks ago. Love pause squats...I feel like they really help me with knee positioning and maintaining form at heavier weights. Sumo DL has never moved as fast as those did. Very good session considering I got 3.5 hours of sleep due to a pet emergency the night before.

[Legsneedwork]

10/18



Bench
365x1
390x1
410x1
420x1 (2-board)
390x1x2 (pause)
365x2.5 (pause)

That's all I had time for yesterday after being at the dentist for 3 freaking hours. I definitely have another 5-10 pounds in me tng, and I should be able to pause 400 the week before my meet. Shoulder is going to appreciate the reduced loads post-meet.

Side Note: got a little yucky at the UL-UCF game last night and discovered that I somehow have infinite endurance while drunk. /coolstory

[Legsneedwork]

10/20



Beltless Squat
325x4x4

Sumo DL
405x1
455x1
495x1
525x1 (PR)

45-degree Hyper
BWx10
+25x10x2

Beltless squat is a nice change of pace...I like the increased proprioception it requires. DL felt like nothing off the floor. The bar windmilled on me, but it was easy to recover because the weight isn't that heavy yet. Watching the video, I apparently used the wrong mixed grip, so I think that caused the rotation of the bar. My sumo technique is improving every time out, so I'm happy with the progress there. This PR should last a week and no more.

[Legsneedwork]

10/22

BB Row
405x6x3

Snatch-grip Rack Pull+shrug
405x5
425x5
435x5

Tri Pressdown
195x10x3

Tri Pressdown/Hammer Curl
195x10/55x8x3

Pushup+
BWx10x3

Wanted to go a little heavier on the rack pulls, but that corkscrew in my last deadlift session caused me to pull something in my lat and it nagged me throughout this workout. Did the pushups as a rehab, and they definitely wear out the shoulders/rotator cuff more than you'd think.

[Legsneedwork]

10/24

Squat
355x3
390x3
425x2 w, 4 turns

Pause Squat
365x2,3

Sumo DL
441x1x2, 30s reset
441x4

Good enough, but I was terribly sleep deprived.

10/25



Bench
365x1
395x1
420x1 PR
395x1 p
365x3 p

Soooo excited. Took me 7 years to get a max bench pr, and 365 for a paused triple was a nice cherry on top. No accessory work planned these last two weeks before the meet.

[Legsneedwork]

10/31

Squat
355x3
390x3
425x1 w
Yea, felt like complete doody. Pre-workout food didn't sit well and it threw me off.

Pause Squat
365x2x3

Going to do pause squats and beltless squats next thurs.

11/1



Bench
365x1p
380x1p
400x1p
370x3p

Paused PR. Last bench workout before meet...should be good for 400 regardless of pause length, maybe more depending on how it's called.

[Legsneedwork]

11/3

Sumo DL
403x1
453x1
493x1
528x1
Sumo PR. Lat/trap issue was bothering me, but not enough that I couldn't complete the lift.

Wide Squat
315x1,3

Just some experimenting there at the end. I plan on going 500/530/?? at the meet. Last attempt will be based on the other 2 assuming I get the second.

[Legsneedwork]

MEET REPORT: Kentucky Muscle Push/Pull

Note: skip to the bottom for the video if you don't like walls of text.

Got off to a bad start the night before; I woke up at 4 am hacking up a lung from a massive allergy attack that came out of nowhere. Took an allergy pill but was up until 5:30 or so. Got to the convention center around 8 and weighed in at 202. I made no attempt to cut weight for this meet because I was at work while early weigh-ins were happening and it would have been an hour drive anyway. I also wanted to go in feeling as strong as possible, so it worked out. That being said, I won't have any problem making 198 in the spring.

The fed for this meet was the Cajun Hardcore Powerlifting federation. I've never heard of them before and it seems strange that a fed centered in the deep south would be as far north as Louisville, KY, but they seemed like good people when I was talking to them.

Had a minor crisis as I rushed around the city before the lifter's meeting at 10. I'm a gigantic baby and needed a foam roller, so that's what I was looking for. In the process I managed to scrape my headlight against a pole and maim my poor car as I tried to back out of a garage that wouldn't accept my wrinkled cash (god forbid there's a single crease in your bill). Got in after 10 and the meeting hadn't started, so all the panicked rushing and car-maiming was pointless. Go me.

There were around 60 lifters, which I thought was an awesome turnout. Bodybuilding had the big stage in the center of the hall, and we were off to the right. I made second flight in bench press, so I had another 2 hours or so. Spotted a friend of mine for his attempts and then ended up spotting his buddy as well, so that gave me something to do. My friend ended up benching 370 at 155 and had a lot of crowd support because of his size, so that was pretty cool.

While this flight was ongoing I was warming up. This is the first time I've had to deal with so many competitors and only 2 benches to warm up on, so it was a great learning experience for me. I got the first few warmups in quickly and then tried to stay warm. I paused a double at 315 at some point during 3rd attempts, then paused 345 just as they were finishing. That seemed to work out perfectly.

Meat and potatoes: My first attempt was 380, and it was as easy as I expected it to be. Second was 400, and this has been a huge monkey on my back since I missed it in April. I knew I was strong enough to do it, but there's always room for doubt. I didn't have a lot of trouble with the lift, though, and from this point on I felt really good. Looking at the video my descent was too fast, which led to a longer press call, so that's something to work on.

This leads me to my main complaint with this meet/this fed. I hate inconsistent judging, and for some reason this head judge would seemingly at random give a quick press. People who had slower descents get the benefit of the doubt IME, so that wasn't unexpected, but it seemed like a random few people were getting touch-and-go calls, and they weren't just the biggest benchers. My buddies and I also noticed that several people were jumping the press command and only getting one red (at worst), butts were coming off the bench, and uneven lockouts were all passing. In short, very lax judging. It seemed if you completed a lift, it was therefore good.

I opted for 410 because I felt confident I could get it with this judging. This led to my Dave Hoff moment of deciding to stop for as long as I thought was necessary and then going regardless of the press command. I stopped long enough on my chest that one might at least be able to argue there was a pause, then pressed before the command. I got the one red I expected but the lift passed. This certainly wasn't my finest moment as a powerlifter, but I felt that somewhere that lift would have passed, so that's the defense mechanism I'm using to justify all this. Realistically, though, I was a skeeze and exploited bad judging, and I'm not going to try and pretend I didn't. I feel really good about improving on this number in the spring.

Notable benches: 370@155 (same guy above), 440@202 (another friend of mine who Jean-Pierre Fux'd his knee 6 months ago), 525@235 (I assume this guy won best bench), and 550 from 21-year-old SHW. The last guy missed 585 in the middle, but I think he'll bench 600 pretty quickly and I hope to see him on a national stage soon.

---

I came into this meet having no clue what I'd deadlift. My conventional had always been better than my sumo, but I had recently made a permanent switch to sumo because of how bad my starting position is on conventional. It was hit or miss in training; I remember pulling 510 about 6 weeks ago and I barely got the lift, but then pulling 525 a few weeks later like a speed pull. I also injured my lat/trap area when the bar corkscrewed on one of my training lifts, and that kept me from going past 528 at any point in training. I did feel like I'd get 530 without much issue, but past that I really had no idea. I figured I'd just wing it and see what happened.

Warmups were tougher here. There was only one flight for deadlifts, so we had ~30 people warming up on 3 bars. I blinked and people were already at 315 on two of the stations, but luckily I was able to get in on the third at 185. I figured 405 and 455 would let me know if I had a shot at a good day, and they both moved very easily. I opened at 500 with no issues, so I decided to go to 535. My best sumo was the 528 training pull to that point, so I wanted to at least best that PR by more than 2 pounds. I don't know why, but my second attempt felt like 225. I fell into my exact ritual on this one, so I think that might have been the difference after rushing the first attempt. At that point I knew I could beat my conventional PR of 555, so put in my attempt at 565. Two guys I know had surpassed my DL while I was healing from knee surgery but had stuck at 560, so I figured I should at least try and beat them. I decided a few minutes later to up the attempt to 570 because that just sounded better to me. Got into a zone once I was on deck, then walked up, went through my cues, and smoked it. If I had a 4th attempt I think I would have gotten 600. So that made for a 15 pound all-time PR and a 6/6 day.

I'd like to wax poetic for a second about something. I think we all have pie in the sky dreams sometimes about what we're capable of, and they are sometimes completely irrational. I had very little reason to think I would PR on DL other than feeling like several of my heavy pulls in training felt really easy, but I extrapolated from that I might have a really good day if I felt "on." So I suppose the sun shines on a dog's ass every now and then, but it does feel really flipping cool to realize the imaginary potential on those rare occasions.

Notable deadlifts: 700 at 217 from a 44-year-old competitor, and 775 from a guy I think was 275. Both were second attempts so they might have lifted more, but I didn't stay after my 3rd.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my performance. I will DL 600+ in a full meet in the spring, and I think I'll be able to add to my bench as well. Squat might be pretty bad, but should be enough for an elite total at 198. I plan on doing Brandon Lily's Beast of the Bluegrass in May.

I lifted the entire day on one serving of beef jerky, a Mountain Dew Kickstart, and 3 mini snickers. I often train fasted, so I think that helped me.

The meet atmosphere was fantastic and by far the best I've been to. The crowd was good in its own right, but we also got a huge crowd of passersby that hung around to watch. There was great competition, and everyone was extremely supportive of the other lifters. I will do this meet again in a heartbeat because of how much fun it was.

CLIFF'S: Reading is good for you.

[BombDonald]

Weird f*cking meet, but nice job on the lifts!

[Legsneedwork]

Weird f*cking meet, but nice job on the lifts!

HAHA, yea, it definitely was. Thanks mang.

POST-MEET STUFF

11/12

Swiss Bench
290x5x4
Bar is apparently 60.

Pullover Ext
50x10x4

Tri Pressdown
165x12x4

Triceps death.

11/14

Safety Bar Squat
265x3,3,5
Lawl.

Beltless squat
315x4x3

Pause Squat
315x1x3 (30s rest)

Abs were pretty sore...SSB is rill hard. Made the normal squats feel ridic, though.

11/15

Bench
330(~80%)x3 tng
315x5,5,6 pause

DB Press
105x10x3

Flye Machine
210x10x3

Brought bench grip in a finger or two as a precaution. Pauses felt great and it wasn't too heavy.

[Legsneedwork]

Starting the slow climb back, but I won't be as far behind the eightball this time. Template is as follows:

8 weeks: recovery, base building
Bench, Dead: Work to "heavy" triple, back down rep work. Lots of accessory volume, adding in more each week. Kepping macros same for the time being, but will probably go to 10 day keto, then cyclic keto after holidays

8 weeks: increased frequency of main lifts, revving up
Bench, dead: Work to double, back down rep work. Moderate accessory volume.

Peaking: Depends on meet date. Work to single, back down rep work (light), light accessory part of the cycle.

[Legsneedwork]

11/16

Sumo DL
401x1, 451x1, 501x1, 551x1, 601x0, 451x4 (~80%)
Gave it a run, but bar drifted in front of me as soon as I got it off the ground.

Straight-arm Pressdown
165x10x4

Curl Machine
90x10x3

Neutral Pullup
BWx12

Had to try 600 after feeling like I left weight on the platform, but realistically it was a long shot for a number of reasons. I think I had it last week, but my upper back was fried this time around. That miss did tell me that lat strength and starting position need improving going forward, so I'm glad I was able to see my weak links. Hello heavy rows and rack deads. Floor speed was insane during this workout...551 came up as fast as my warmups. Will go to 80% next week for the heaviest set.

11/18

Swiss Bench
290x5x5

Pullover Tri Ext
55x10x4

Tri Pressdown
180x12x4

Triceps didn't get nearly as sore this time.

11/19

BB Row
335x10x4
Beltless.

HS Shrug
4PPSx12x4
Slow negative, pause at top.

DB Curl/Rhomboid Row
50x10x3

Traps are really sore. Not trying to be overly strict on curls here.