thejosef's Texas Method journal

[thejosef]

5.11.16 - Week 8 - Recovery Day
Wed., 8:10-9:10pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Squat:
45 x 5
70 x 5
115 x 3
140 x 2
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5

-RPE: 6.5. Nice to get the blood pumping. Lower back a little sore from Tuesday's light deadlift work and Frt Squat PR..

Bench Press:
45 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
140 x 2
160 x 5
160 x 5
160 x 5

-RPE: 7. Wasn't focused on first set, and it felt heavier than I expected. Last two sets were fine (light!).

Accessories:
Pull-ups (+25 lbs) 6 x 3
Dips 15 x 4

-Gonna stick with +25 lbs on PUs for a while until I can get 8-10 reps on each set. I passed on my Power Clean recovery session since my buddy was over. I may do them Thursday or on Intensity Day..

__________________________________________

Video:
(no vids on recovery day)

Comments:
Worked out with my bro-in-law. He did pull-ups with +25 lbs. 12 reps x 4 sets.. no problem. Dude is just a beast on pull-ups.

[thejosef]

5.12.16 - Week 8 - Run
Thurs., 6:30-7:00pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

2.5 Mile Run

-Just a casual run with the wide & kiddo. 10 minute mile pace so nothing too exciting.


__________________________________________

Comments:
Thighs were VERY tight on this run. Like they felt Huge. I've never experience that running before. I'm wondering if it's the creatine that I started taking a few weeks ago. I've heard reports that some people have cramping during running.. Will continue to monitor. I also squatted on Tues. & Wed. so maybe I was just a little sore from that..

[thejosef]

5.13.16 - Week 8 - Intensity Day
Fri., 5:45-6:40am
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Squat:
45 x 5
45 x 5
100 x 5
150 x 3
200 x 2
250 x 3 .. ..wasn't focused.. form was gross.. forgot my knee sleeves..
-4 minute rest
250 x 5 PR ..Ha! I knew I had it.



-RPE: 9.0. Pretty proud I recomposed myself and hit this for a PR. My career 1RM is 257 lbs., so 250 x 5 feels good. Form is still shaky (bad) on 90%+, but this was still a big accomplishment. I will say that my form is looking better on volume day (85% of ID), so I'm hoping that will start carrying over to the heavy sets. Gonna keep working on it.

Press:
45 x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
100 x 2
122.5 x 5
Bonus:
145 x 1 PR



-RPE: 8. Well hello there 5RM PR and 1RM PR. 142 was my previous 1RM (back in 2015), and I remember that was tough. Today, I think I had 155 in me. Wowsers. I weighed 145.8 this morning so I allllllllmost Pressed my BW, which has been a huge goal for me.

__________________________________________

Comments:
I'm unexpectedly on an antibiotic right now for 10 days, and let's just say the side effects have been unpleasant.. which is why my weight is down a few pounds. So yeah.. 2 PRs when I felt crappy going into the gym. Yes sir, I'll take it. My tone may change later once I watch the videos. Lol.

BW:
145.8 lbs.

[thejosef]

5.14.16 - Week 8 - Intensity Day (part deux)
Sat., 8:45-9:40pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00

Deadlift:
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 5

-RPE: 8.0. I reset back to 225. These felt fine. Form is better, but I'm just not very strong on DL. I need to add some accessory work in.. Gonna just go up 5lbs. every week for now.

Power Clean:
75 x 5
105 x 5
127.5 x 3
127.5 x 3
127.5 x 3

-RPE: 7. Easy stuff.

__________________________________________

Comments:
I'm squatting more than I DL.

[thejosef]

5.16.16 - Week 9 - Volume Day
Mon., 5:35-6:40am
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Squat:
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
170 x 2
217.5 x 5
217.5 x 5
217.5 x 5
217.5 x 5
217.5 x 5



-RPE: 8.5. S*** just got real. Some of these reps felt slow. Form overall "felt" okay (i'll watch vids later to evaluate).. couple reps here and there were funky. Sets 1,3, & 5 in video..

Bench Press:
45 x 5
80 x 5
115 x 3
145 x 2
165 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5



-RPE: 8. These felt lovely. Tried a new camera angle.. Sets 3 & 5 shown.

__________________________________________

Comments:
Squats were tough today, but still no missed reps. Form felt better than intensity day, but still not solid yet. I've got to focus more. Bench is still trending upwards.
Will do some light deads tomorrow with volume power cleans.

[thejosef]

Pretty pleased today.. no soreness at all and knees feel great after volume squats.

Anyways, I've decided to change my schedule to evenings (Tues/Thurs/Sat) to try to work on a better sleep schedule. I've been basically averaging 5-6 hours/night for almost 2 years now (since my little boy was born). It's been rough. I've been waking up at 5am to fit in workouts. So I really focused on getting 8 hours last night, and I feel so much better today. I think proper sleep will be important while running Texas Method, especially. I'll try this new schedule for a few weeks and see how things go.. I'm really enjoying TM.

[thejosef]

5.17.16 - Week 9 - Volume Day (b)
Tues., 9:10-9:40pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Warmup:
25 pushups

Power Clean:
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
140 x 3
140 x 1
140 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 1

-RPE: 8.5. Well dang. Doing these with a 29mm power bar was not exactly cool. Will repeat this weight next week.

Core:
Plank 1:30

-Worked out with the wife so she challenged me to try this with her. Only the second time I've ever attempted a plank. Lol.

__________________________________________

Comments:
Power cleans got heavy yo.

[Synthetickiller]

I can see 29mm bars creating a problem. It's just one more excuse to look into a 28mm/28.5mm bar.


I'm seeing lots of progress bro. Keep it up!

[thejosef]

I can see 29mm bars creating a problem. It's just one more excuse to look into a 28mm/28.5mm bar.


I'm seeing lots of progress bro. Keep it up!

Thanks SK! Yeah, I sold both of my 28mm Oly bars much quicker than expected. I'm definitely in the market for one, but I enjoy buying bars, so it's a fun process. I just needed to free up some cash flow, I was going nuts with no play money. Lol.

[thejosef]

5.19.16 - Week 9 - Recovery Day
Thurs., 8:00-9:00pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Squat:
45 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
145 x 2
185 x 5
185 x 5
185 x 5

-RPE: 7.0. Form felt SOLID. My bro-in-law even said "Dude, your form looks Perfect." Ha.. just gotta keep it up when the weights get heavy.

Press:
45 x 5
55 x 5
70 x 3
85 x 2
102.5 x 5
102.5 x 5
102.5 x 5

-RPE: 7.5. Boring stuff.

Extra Work
-DB Bench Press:
40 x 12
45 x 12
45 x 12

-I haven't done these in a long, long time. I really need heavier dumbbells. I'm very close to buying some..

__________________________________________

Comments:
At least I hit one PR. See below

BW:
150.0
-BOOM.
I'm pretty happy with my BW.. slow but steadily on the upswing. Next week, I really want to attempt to press my BW (or more). We'll see how it goes..

[thejosef]

5.21.16 - Week 9 - Intensity Day
Sat., 8:35-10:00pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00

SQUAT:
45 x 10
100 x 5
150 x 3
205 x 2
255 x 5 PR

-RPE: 9. Last warmup looked solid. Workset reps were ok, last rep hip swayed a bunch. Regardless, these felt good, and it's a huge PR. 257 x 1 is my best weight ever, so 255 x 5 is big.



BENCH PRESS:
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
165 x 2
187.5 x 5
Bonus:
220 x 1 PR

-RPE: 9. Well, this is finally getting heavy. 225 is gonna be tough, but I think I got it.



DEADLIFT:
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 2
235 x 5

-RPE 8. Form is a work in progress. Hips still rising a bit too fast on workset. Weight felt great this week after deloading to 225 last week.



POWER SNATCH:
65 x 2
80 x 2
80 x 2
80 x 2
80 x 2

RPE: 7.0 Just catching up on my Recovery day PS that I skipped. These felt pretty easy. No vids on this one.

__________________________________________

Comments:
Pretty good day. Couple PRs.. feeling very healthy and strong for a 150lb dude.

BW:
150.0 lbs.

[Synthetickiller]

150 lb bw?! Mass monster! I know how hard it is for you to gain. Nice work man!

Heavy squats don't always look pretty. No injuries, absolutely massive PR, and you're showing where your form breaks down to learn what to work on. All in all, solid man!
That bench looked easy! You didn't have any portion, by the looks of it, where you hit a wall & had to push through. That is a major problem, if that happens. The bar speed was good. You had 225, possibly 230. No, I'm not being overly positive. It was there.
For deadlifts, one thing that might actually help is not resetting. It shows where your best leverage is. If you're using all back & no posterior chain, then that has to be fixed. Also, although resetting forces you to always have strength off the bottom, that more so helps with sumo deadlifts than conventional. Time under tension helps a lot for strength gains.

Solid progress overall. You're going to blow through that competition goal on bench way before I do.

[thejosef]

Thanks a bunch SK. I really appreciate your input. A 245 bench press for me is pretty optimistic by year's end. I might have bit off more than I can chew, but I really look forward to hitting 225 soon. That's 1.5x BW for me

[thejosef]

5.24.16 - Week 10 - Volume Day
Tues., 8:35-9:45pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00

SQUAT:
45 x 10
85 x 5
135 x 3
175 x 2
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5
(4 min. rest b/w sets)

-RPE: 8. Man, these felt much better than last week. Progress!! I widened my hands a tad to try to alleviate some minor L elbow pain I've been feeling at night.
(All 5 sets in vid)



PRESS:
45 x 5
55 x 5
75 x 3
95 x 2
107.5 x 5
107.5 x 5
107.5 x 5
107.5 x 5
107.5 x 5
(3 min. rest b/w sets)

-RPE: 8. Neck felt a little twinge on first two sets. Lifting in front of a mirror will do that junk to you. I adjusted my head down for the last 3 sets and neck had zero issues. Stupid mirror. Weight felt great.

POWER SNATCH:
45 x 5
65 x 3
75 x 2
90 x 2
90 x 2
90 x 2
90 x 2
90 x 2
90 x 2
(2 min. rest b/w sets)

-RPE 8.5. Well, I used my wife's 10kg 25mm bar since my only other bar now is a stiff 29mm power bar. Her bar wasn't too bad actually. But these are getting heavy. I'm just not exploding.. doing way too much arm pulling on the 2nd pull. Form needs work. I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep programming these.. I kinda want to move to a full snatch rather than a power snatch, but keep doing power cleans also. We'll see.

Bar Bicep Curls:
75 x 8 x 5 sets

-Did these between my Squat sets. Been having some slight Left elbow pain when I'm in bed at night. Think it's due to my new-ish setup for squat, but I thought I'd add in some curls to maybe help work the elbows.

__________________________________________

Comments:
Squats and Press are going great. I felt very strong today. Power snatch, not so much. Should be a fun intensity day this week. I'll have more weight on back for squat than I've ever attempted before.

[thejosef]

5.26.16 - Week 10 - Recovery Day
Thurs., 8:30-9:30pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

__________________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00

SQUAT:
45 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
150 x 2
187.5 x 5
187.5 x 5
187.5 x 5

-RPE: 7.5. Eh, I always think Recovery days are supposed to feel light. I need to quit underestimating these days and just focus on getting the work done.

BENCH PRESS:
45 x 5
85 x 5
115 x 3
145 x 2
162.5 x 5
162.5 x 5
162.5 x 5

-RPE: 7.5. Think I'm gonna try 225 x 1 on next week's ID.

POWER CLEAN:
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
135 x 3
135 x 3
135 x 3

-RPE 8. Used stiff 29mm B&R 2.0 bar. Can't wait to use a 28mm bar again for Oly lifts.

Extra Work:
Strict Pull-ups 10 x 3 sets
Ring Dips 10 x 3 sets

__________________________________________

Comments:
Typical boring recovery day. Weights did not exactly feel light on any lift. I think my "easy" days are over. Ha

BW:
149.6 lbs.


RPE Scale:
10: Maximal, no reps left in the tank
9: Last rep is tough but still one rep left in the tank
8: Weight is too heavy to maintain fast bar speed but isn’t a struggle; 2–4 reps left
7: Weight moves quickly when maximal force is applied to the weight; “speed weight”
6: Light speed work; moves quickly with moderate force
5: Most warm-up weights
4: Recovery; usually 20 plus rep sets; not hard but intended to flush the muscle
<4: Rarely used in training

[thejosef]

5.28.16 - Week 10 - Intensity Day
Sat., 8:40-9:55pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
149.2 lbs.

__________________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
100 x 5
155 x 3
205 x 2
260 x 5 *PR
-RPE: 8.0
Bonus:
285 x 1 *PR
-RPE: 9.0



-Well, that was fun. 257 x 1 was the most weight I'd ever squatted before today. 260 x 5 reps went smooth enough, so I wanted to try a 1rm just to see how my progress has been.. 285 wasn't too much of a struggle. I probably won't go for another 1RM for a couple months. I was happy with my form on the first few reps of the 260 so that's a big improvement over my prior intensity days.

PRESS:
45 x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 2
125 x 5 *PR
-RPE: 8.5
Bonus 1RM Attempt:
150 x 0
-RPE: 10. Lol.



-125 x5 went well. Probably was burnt out from squat PRs to hit the 1RM Press PR. I was trying to officially press over my BW (weighed in at 149.2 today), but it'll have to wait for another day. Oh, well. I'll try again in a month or two. Still feeling good about my Press progress. Slow but steady..

DEADLIFT:
95 x 5
135 x 3
205 x 2
245 x 3



-RPE 8.0. 205 looked decent. My "heavy" sets always have the early hip rise issue. Gotta keep working on that. I have Zero desire to do 5 reps on Intensity days, so I'll probably stick to 3s for a while.

__________________________________________

Comments:
Not a bad day at the office. I'm very happy with my squat progress, so far. My goal was to hit 300 (double BW squat) by year's end, and I think I'm pretty close to that right now. I felt like I had 290 or 295 today. Feels good to finally be getting stronger.


RPE Scale:
10: Maximal, no reps left in the tank
9: Last rep is tough but still one rep left in the tank
8: Weight is too heavy to maintain fast bar speed but isn’t a struggle; 2–4 reps left
7: Weight moves quickly when maximal force is applied to the weight; “speed weight”
6: Light speed work; moves quickly with moderate force
5: Most warm-up weights
4: Recovery; usually 20 plus rep sets; not hard but intended to flush the muscle
<4: Rarely used in training

[Synthetickiller]

Your squatting is getting a lot better man! 285 did not look bad! Only a hair bit of slow down & it wasn't that much of a grinder from the look of things. You easily had more in the tank. I'd say easily 5, maybe 10 if you're amped up. Very close to 300 my friend! Almost PRs all around. You're making solid progress.

[thejosef]

5.31.16 - Week 11 - Volume Day
Tues., 8:40-10:05pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
150.2 lbs.

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 2
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
(5 min. rest b/w sets)

-Sets 1, 3, & 5 in vid


-RPE: 8.0. Pretty dang happy with these.. Cool to squat 2 plates 5x5. Increased rest from 4 to 5 minutes.

BENCH PRESS:
45 x 5
85 x 5
115 x 3
150 x 2
167.5 x 5
167.5 x 5
167.5 x 5
167.5 x 5
167.5 x 5
(3 min. rest b/w sets)

-RPE: 8.0. Moderately easy peezy.

POWER CLEAN:
75 x 5
100 x 3
120 x 2
145 x 3 *PR
145 x 3 *PR
145 x 3 *PR
145 x 1
145 x 1
(2 min. rest b/w sets)

-Sets 1 & 3 in vid


-RPE 8.5. Well, my new Rogue Euro bar is awesome.. though not a miracle worker. Ha. Best ever was 155 x 1, so 145 x 3 is technically a PR, plus it's the most I've done at that weight. But these are just getting heavy. Will have to repeat this weight. Maybe I need to rest longer also. I guess the positive is that I'm pretty sure I can power clean my bodyweight.

_____________________________________

Comments:
Pretty tired tonight.. This was day 1 of potty training our little boy (he's almost 2 years old). Makes for an exhausting day, and I was only there after work! My wife had him all day. Good times. Just glad to get through my lifts today..

Your squatting is getting a lot better man! 285 did not look bad! Only a hair bit of slow down & it wasn't that much of a grinder from the look of things. You easily had more in the tank. I'd say easily 5, maybe 10 if you're amped up. Very close to 300 my friend! Almost PRs all around. You're making solid progress.

Thanks bud! I maaaybe had 3 reps. 5 would've been pushin the limits. I need to learn how to get amped up. Ha. Man, hitting 300 will be awesome.

[thejosef]

6.2.16 - Week 11 - Recovery Day
Thurs., 8:30-9:20pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
149.2 lbs.

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
75 x 5
115 x 3
150 x 2
192.5 x 5
192.5 x 5
192.5 x 5
135 x 15

-RPE: 7.5. Legs felt a bit sore on these. Banged out 15 reps at 135 at the end just to work on a wider hand placement to help alleviate some shoulder tightness.

POWER SNATCH:
65 x 5
75 x 3
85 x 2
85 x 2
85 x 2
85 x 2

-RPE 8.0. Eh. Not loving snatches of late.. maybe it's my claustrophobic home gym. Lol. I might switch over to clean & jerk as I much prefer it..

_____________________________________

Comments:
Had to cut this one short.. My wife needed help getting our little boy to sleep.. Will finish up Recovery Day with press tomorrow. Feeling pretty tired and unmotivated.. I'm toying with the idea of taking a one week off after week 12. We'll see how I feel then.

[thejosef]

6.3.16 - Week 11 - Recovery Day (b)
Fri., 8:00-9:00pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
149.4 lbs.

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Hip Circle

FRT SQUAT:
45 x 5
75 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
160 x 3
180 x 2
205 x 1
220 x 1 *PR

-RPE: 8.0. Haven't done these in a couple weeks. Why not try for an all-time best? Ha. Legs are definitely getting stronger. Honestly, I probably had 1-3 more reps, but didn't wanna smoke my legs before Intensity day tomorrow. New Rogue Euro bar is SO nice. Awesome for front squats.

PRESS:
45 x 5
55 x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 5
105 x 5
105 x 5

-RPE 7.0. Light stuff yo.

_____________________________________

Comments:
Worked out with my bro-in-law. Wish I would've video'd my frt squat PR. Bro attempted to squat to the song "Flower" by Moby.. called the "Sally" challenge in CrossFit (google it). It was epic. He tried it with 115 lbs and couldn't finish. I might have to try it one day. It's basically 30 back squat paused reps.. some are pretty long pauses.

[thejosef]

6.4.16 - Week 11 - Intensity Day
Sat., 8:45-10:00pm
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
149.8 lbs.

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
105 x 5
155 x 3
210 x 2
265 x 5 *PR

-RPE: 8.5. Pretty happy with these.. Will stay with 5 reps at least another week..



BENCH PRESS:
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
170 x 2
190 x 5 *PR
-RPE: 8.0
BONUS 1RM PR Attempt:
225 x 1 *PR
-RPE: 10

-Well, 225 just happened. But MAN it was tougher than I expected. Mentally, I was gonna go for 2 reps, but as you can see, one rep was rough. Might've been easier if I wouldn't have done my 5 rep workset right before.. but 190 x 5 wasn't bad so at least I'm still getting stronger on bench.



DEADLIFT:
100 x 5
150 x 5
210 x 2
250 x 3

-RPE 8.0. Showed three sets so I could watch my form.. Seems ok.. just gonna keep adding 5lbs every week and see how it goes.




_____________________________________

Comments:

2016 Goals:
-Back Squat: 300 (2x BW)
-Front Squat: 250
-Press: 155 (I really want to easily press my BW)
-Bench Press: 225 (1.5x BW) ***COMPLETED 6/3/16***
-Deadlift: 315
-Power Clean: 200
-Power Snatch: 135 (?? Not much experience on this.. no clue what to shoot for..)

So I hit my first page goal I set for 2016 to bench press of 225. Newer goal to hit 245 by year's end is gonna be TOUGH, but we'll see what happens. Squatting feels great.. I think my form is slowly getting better for the heavier stuff. Deadlift is okay.. just gotta keep putting the work in.

[Synthetickiller]

Dude, congrats on all the PRs!
A 220 front squat is crazy good! That tells e're really quad dominant. It's not a bad thing, but it does show that more posterior chain work will help (not a dig, just an observation. I'm the exact opposite, fyi).
That 265x5 on squat looked good too. There's a little shifting still. Ironically, Chris Duffin has a video addressing this. I can link you if you're interested.
You're so far ahead of me in bench goals, I have a feeling you're going to utterly destroy me in the competition! You basically have to put 10 lbs on your bench every 3 months. If you gain a little more weight (even just 5 lb), you'll get there easily. Take into considering you hit 225x1 after that PR set of 190x5. I'd say you at least had 230/232.5 in you. That closes the gap even more. You're easily at a 2 plate bench now. Keep pushing forward man!

[thejosef]

Dude, congrats on all the PRs!
A 220 front squat is crazy good! That tells e're really quad dominant. It's not a bad thing, but it does show that more posterior chain work will help (not a dig, just an observation. I'm the exact opposite, fyi).
That 265x5 on squat looked good too. There's a little shifting still. Ironically, Chris Duffin has a video addressing this. I can link you if you're interested.
You're so far ahead of me in bench goals, I have a feeling you're going to utterly destroy me in the competition! You basically have to put 10 lbs on your bench every 3 months. If you gain a little more weight (even just 5 lb), you'll get there easily. Take into considering you hit 225x1 after that PR set of 190x5. I'd say you at least had 230/232.5 in you. That closes the gap even more. You're easily at a 2 plate bench now. Keep pushing forward man!

Thanks! Yeah I was surprised the frt squat 220 went so easy. I'll have to video my next frt squat session. I think you're right on about me being quad dominant. Back squat form feels like it's getting better, but intensity (heavy) day still has my hip sway showing up on almost every rep. Definitely a work in progress. I'll look up Duffin's video on it, I haven't seen it yet. I'm not expecting an overnight fix, so I'l hoping continued focus in my lighter sets and working with the hip circle will start to carryover to my heavier sets.

As far as bench, my 255 was pretty grindy/shaky, but it happened so I'll take it. Ha. I'll just stick with the 5 rep Texas Method progression as long as I can, and lay off the 1 rep maxes for a few cycles. I know you'll be making bench progress, especially once you get into that motivating new home gym!

[thejosef]

6.6.16 - Week 12 - Run
Mon., 6:10-6:40pm

BW:
149.6 lbs.

_____________________________________

Run
2.55 Mile Run
-Just a casual run with the wife and kiddo. Felt great to get the blood pumping. Pretty hot out, but not Too bad yet.

_____________________________________

[thejosef]

6.7.16 - Week 12 - Volume Day
Tues. evening
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
151.4 lbs. *PR ..Lol.

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 2
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5

-RPE: 8.5.



PRESS:
45 x 5
55 x 5
75 x 3
95 x 2
107.5
107.5
107.5
107.5
107.5

-RPE: 8.0

_____________________________________

Comments:
Skipped snatch tonight.. just feeling run down. Texas Method ain't no joke. Will try to do some snatches on recovery day.

[thejosef]

6.9.16 - Week 12 - Recovery Day
Thurs. evening
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Prescribed Set = red

BW:
151.2 lbs.

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
75 x 5
115 x 3
155 x 2
195 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5
-RPE: 8.0.

BENCH PRESS:
45 x 5
80 x 5
115 x 3
145 x 2
165 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5
-RPE: 8.0

POWER CLEAN:
75 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
137.5 x 3
137.5 x 3
137.5 x 3
-RPE: 8.5

_____________________________________

Comments:
Even "recovery" days are starting to feel heavy

[thejosef]

6.11.16 - Week 12 - Intensity Day
Sat. evening
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Set = red

BW:
--- forgot to weigh in ---

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Row 2:00
Hip Circle

SQUAT:
45 x 5
105 x 5
160 x 3
215 x 2
270 x 5 *PR @ 9.0
300 x 0 @ 9.5
-Lol. I had about 5% confidence that I would hit 300, and it showed as I only came up a few inches and then gave up. Lame attempt. Honestly, I think I can hit this weight if I'm fresh.. and confident. Not sure I'll post the video of this garbage. Lol.


PRESS:
45 x 5
70 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 2
127.5 x 5 *PR @ 8.5

POWER SNATCH:
65 x 5
80 x 3
95 x 2
95 x 2
95 x 2 @ 8.5
--did not attempt last 3 sets--

----completed D/L the next day (Sunday night)----

Warmup:
Row 1:00
Row 500m for time: 1:50.6 @ 9.0

DEADLIFT:
100 x 5
150 x 3
215 x 2
255 x 4 *PR @ 9.0


_____________________________________

Comments:
Will try to add squat video later.. pretty busy week. Nice to finish off my 2nd cycle (I'm doing 6 week cycles) with 3 PRs.

I've decided to take it "easy" for week 13. Just gonna do some running, maybe some front squats, maybe some paused back squats.. maybe just be a bum and watch some TV. Just gonna take it easier and try to fully recover before starting cycle 3 (Week 14) on Texas Method. I want to make a few changes to my routine going forward. Power snatches are just not fun anymore.. so they're out. I will sub clean & jerks for power snatches for the time being and see how I like them.

RPE:
10: Maximal, no reps left in the tank
9: Last rep is tough but still one rep left in the tank
8: Weight is too heavy to maintain fast bar speed but isn’t a struggle; 2–4 reps left
7: Weight moves quickly when maximal force is applied to the weight; “speed weight”
6: Light speed work; moves quickly with moderate force
5: Most warm-up weights
4: Recovery; usually 20 plus rep sets; not hard but intended to flush the muscle
<4: Rarely used in training

[thejosef]

6.14.16 - Week 13 - Deload Week
Tues. morning
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Set = red

BW:
151.6 lbs.

_____________________________________

FRT SQUAT:
45 x 5
75 x 5
105 x 5
135 x 5
170 x 3
170 x 3
170 x 3 @ 8.0

PUSH PRESS:
45 x 5
75 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 3 @ 8.0
155 x 1 *PR @ 9.0


_____________________________________

Comments:
Frt Squat is feeling easier. Felt nice to get 155 above my head.. Gonna try to starting getting in pull-ups every week. Might start making weekly goal numbers to hit. Think I'll just start with 100 this week.

[thejosef]

6.16.16 - Week 13 - Deload Week
Thursday AM & PM sessions
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Set = red

BW:
150.8 lbs.

_____________________________________

---Morning Session---

Random Circuit:
Deadlift: 95# x 10 reps x 3 sets
BB Row: 95# x 10 x 3
Clean & Jerk: 95# x 5 x 3
Pull-ups: 10 x 4
Toes to bar: 10 x 1
Ab Roll Outs: 10 x 1
Deadlift: 145# x 8 x 1

---Evening Session w/ Bro-in-Law---

Pause (5-10 seconds) Squat:
115 x 15 @ 9.0 Holy Hell this was hard

Squat:
155 x 5 @ 8.0 This was right after pause squat insanity.. Legs were still shaking.

Press:
105 x 5 @ 7.0

Bench Press:
185 x 5 @ 7.5 This was surprisingly easy.

Thick Grip Pull-ups:
10 reps

_____________________________________

Comments:
Well, 15 reps on squat with long pauses was waaaay tougher than expected. Might be sore tomorrow. 185 Bench Press felt like baby weight, so that was cool. I'm pretty excited & a little nervous about starting back up cycle 3 of Texas Method on Monday. Things are gonna get HEAVY!

[thejosef]

6.18.16 - Week 13 - Deload Week
Sat. evening
Color Code: PR = green, Failed Set = red

BW:
???

_____________________________________

Warmup:
Hip Circle stuff

Squat:
45 x 10
85 x 5
120 x 4
160 x 3
205 x 5
205 x 5
205 x 5 @ 8.0

Pull-ups
10 reps x 5 sets

_____________________________________

Comments:
Ugh. Squats felt heavier than I was hoping. It's gonna be a tough week starting back Texas Method..