FRIDAY – BENCH
Bench 330/375x3, 415x7
Close grip bench with legs up paused 330 3x5
Shoulder saver close grip bench with legs up 315x20/16
Inverted barbell rows +20lbsx35/21

McGill Big 3 - 2x

SATURDAY – SQUAT/DEADLIFT
Trap bar deadlift 300/340/375x5, 300x15
Safety squat bar squat 300/340/375x5, 300x15
Superset: Band good mornings and physio ball crunch 5x10

McGill Big 3 - 2x

SUNDAY – CONDITIONING
Treadmill 45 minutes (heart rate 105)
McGill Big 3 – 2x

MONDAY – INCLINE BENCH
Close grip incline bench with legs up 250/290/330x5
Close grip incline bench with legs up paused 250 3x5
Fat bar pushdowns 70 3x20
Inverted barbell rows *strict w/tempo 3x10

McGill Big 3 2x

I’m really pissed because I think I could have had the 415 for 8 reps instead of 7, but I clipped the rack on the 6th and it threw me off. That said, last month I only did the 415 for 5. That’s a 40% increase in a month’s time. Looking back over my journal it wasn’t that I felt off or had bad sleep, nutrition, or recovery on the day of the 5. I was just better this week. Why? Because having a plan makes a difference.

Last month I was training 6 days a week. I was also conditioning harder. Was that a mistake? Hell no. In talking with Wendler last night, his opinion was the same as mine. That work done last month helped contribute to this month’s improvement. I just had to dial in my training to realize it.

My weight is on point and I’m putting it all together going into this last month of training. Jim helped me put the finishing touches on the last block. I changed out the dips on my incline day because they can get a little rough on my elbows. I was going to do dumbbell extensions, but Jim recommended pushdowns as they would be easier on my elbows. Who am I to argue with Jim? In addition, I’m dialing back some of the assistance from AMRAP to more controlled sets. Instead of going balls to the wall, I’m using tempo to make things more difficult.

One thing I will ramp up a bit for a few weeks is the close grip shoulder saver press after benching. I just want to feel a little heavier weight in my hand. I figure if I’m scaling the other work back a bit, I can work my press just a little harder coming into these last few weeks.

It is said to work smarter, not harder. Now if you can work smarter and harder, that’s a winning combo. Crunch your numbers people. Data is an important tool in evaluating and fine tuning your training. Oh yeah, and when all else fails, SFW!