_tim's Log

_tim said:
Hi again Everyone! I hope all is well, wherever you are. After doing a month of "4s" - (sets of 4, 8, 12, 16), experimenting and learning a ton about varying overload techniques (FST-7, DTP) and being overly disappointed in BB.com layouts in the process, I started up another triples cycle this week. The goal is to run it through the end of January, do some light overloads for a week or two (a-la bodybuilding fun) and then do it again and see how I feel before the weather starts to warm up.

I forgot how much fun this layout is - and because I learned it here, I will post my WOs here too.

12/3/2018
Bench Press: 10 x 3 @ 195
Squat: 4 x 6 @ 215
SA DB OHP: 2 x 12 @ 50

12/4/2018
Supinated Grip BB Row: 10 x 3 @ 175
Chin: BW (218 right before chins) x 6; +10 x 4-2; +5 x 5-1, 3-1-1-1
Deadlift: 2 x 12 @ 185

My vertical pulling strength was not surprisingly a bit tepid. I intentionally programmed the pull portion to be bicep-intensive to remove the need for targeted bicep work for the most part. Squats and DLs are still done in socks - the former due to some fun with 305 on my back (maybe six weeks ago) and my shoes "tipped" to the side as I went into the hole. I removed them and haven't squatted in anything since. I've not worn anything but socks for DLs for years.
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Welcome back _tim! Don't think we've met! Not too many on the forum (posting amyways) but still a couple of regulars on here, will be good to have ya round :).

Program sounds really cool! So is it certain main compound exercises you're doing for sets of 3, and other stuff just reps at multiples of 3 (6, 9, 12)? Is it certain lifts you're aiming at increasing or a particular amount of exercise per muscle group? Looks intriguing :)
 
Hey _Simon_! It's been a long, long time since I posted regularly. I hit a patch where the site wouldn't really load for me, and that lasted for quite some time. I tested it here and there and did the Tapatalk thing for a hot minute but it wasn't my favorite to log. In any case - I'm glad this forum is still around even if participation is light. I learned so, so much from the folks here and have never forgotten that.

In terms of the layout, I think it was Russ or Bulldog who first presented it but it's a strength/endurance layout. I've run through it five or six times and it never disappoints. If I can, I'll post my spreadsheet that does the calculations for you and lays out the program. It sounds boring, but you pick 6 lifts (three push, three pull) that cycle through all 3 rep ranges. The goal is net strength increases across the board - each cycle starts at 80% of rep max and iterates by 5% each week up to 120%. I added a couple different cardio approaches and some direct core and assistance work on off days.

Today:
Walking: Treadmill - 30:00, 1.37 miles

Barbell Rollout: 135 x 5, 3

Dead Bug: 10

All of the above was intentionally mild. My hope is a Saturday fun fest with some sweat involved.
 
_tim said:
Hey _Simon_! It's been a long, long time since I posted regularly. I hit a patch where the site wouldn't really load for me, and that lasted for quite some time. I tested it here and there and did the Tapatalk thing for a hot minute but it wasn't my favorite to log. In any case - I'm glad this forum is still around even if participation is light. I learned so, so much from the folks here and have never forgotten that.

In terms of the layout, I think it was Russ or Bulldog who first presented it but it's a strength/endurance layout. I've run through it five or six times and it never disappoints. If I can, I'll post my spreadsheet that does the calculations for you and lays out the program. It sounds boring, but you pick 6 lifts (three push, three pull) that cycle through all 3 rep ranges. The goal is net strength increases across the board - each cycle starts at 80% of rep max and iterates by 5% each week up to 120%. I added a couple different cardio approaches and some direct core and assistance work on off days.

Today:
Walking: Treadmill - 30:00, 1.37 miles

Barbell Rollout: 135 x 5, 3

Dead Bug: 10

All of the above was intentionally mild. My hope is a Saturday fun fest with some sweat involved.
Click to expand...

Ah yep fair enough, I use Tapatalk a fair bit and has had its moments but overall it works great, but can see how maybe for logging workouts etc might be trickier.

Yeah it's a great forum and I've learnt much from it. Bryan and Borge/Blade still pop in from time to time too!

Sounds like a really cool program, straight forward and effective, interested to see it pan out :)
 
Felt good today...

SA DB NG OHP: 10 x 3 @ 60

Bench: 4 x 6 @ 175
The last set had a high RPE.

Squat: 2 x 12 @ 185

Loads are still light, yes, but the overall volume is still one of my favorite things about this layout.
 
Kind of a later WO today. I met a kid I've been mentoring since the summertime today about 3 hours away. He goes to the same college I did (Ohio State) so I was at campus today for the first time in years.

Deadlift: 10 x 3 @ 255
These sets were fairly easy across all ten. Controlled the bar up and down.

Supinated Grip Barbell Row: 4 x 6 @ 155
These felt better today than anticipated, even after deadlifting; every rep was squeezed at full contraction. Form felt solid.

Chins: BW + 5 x 6, 6
Supinated Grip Pulldowns: 205 x 6, 6; 175 x 5-1
My grip completely died. Needless to say, I'm going to give it a bit of attention to address this. BW today was 217.
 
I'm kinda on the dumb end of things...

Saturday, I attempted some core work. The deadlifts the day prior (likely) sacked that effort as my core wouldn't weather a single rollout rep. So, I settled for light jogging on a treadmill that is not worth logging.

Today:
Squat: 10 x 3 @ 255
My belt was used for all work sets, just tight enough to breathe into. That's all I use the belt for; If I breathe and the belt isn't tight, I didn't breathe a big enough breath.

SA DB NG OHP: 60 x 6, 4-1; 2 x 6 @ 50
I used the 60's for my 80% triples work. I needed to revise these numbers but never did. Idiot mistake #1; I did not get hurt, but I was badly fatigued.

Bench Press: 175 x 12, 5; 155 x 5-2
Idiot mistake #2: I used 175 for my 6's last Thursday. Again, I should have revised these numbers but didn't. On the one hand, it was good to get a complete high-ish volume set at 175. Not unhappy there at all. On the other, it shows how much attention I paid to the sheet when I laid out the program this time.

I hope you all are well and the weekend was a good one.
 
Chins: 10 x 3 @ BW + 20
BW this morning was 218. The last two sets were tough, but the reps were done with a full ROM.

Deadlift: 4 x 6 @ 235
I used straps for the last two sets. Form otherwise felt fairly decent despite squatting yesterday and the fact that these taxed me cardiovascularly for some reason.

Supinated Grip BB Row: 2 x 12 @ 150
Second set was RP'd 10-2.
 
Light Cardio + Ab Day...

Walking - Treadmill: 25:00, 1.35 miles

Sicilian Crunch: 2 x 8 @ 20
If you're unfamiliar, I highly recommend it...

Seated BB Twist: 2 x 25 @ 40
|
Decline Crunch: 5, 3
|
Russian Twist: 2 x 12 @ 25
The decline crunches were sorta destroyed by those Sicilian crunches. Decent superset for my obliques, though.
 
Bench Press: 10 x 3 @ 215

Squat: 4 x 6 @ 225

SA NG DB OHP: 2 x 12 @ 45

I was very strict on time today - no more than 90 seconds between all sets. I was on a tight timeline today, which drove this. It was a pretty big test by the end, to be honest. Not much left in the tank.
 
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Barnburner... Wait for it...

Supinated Grip BB Row: 10 x 3 @ 185

Chins: 4 x 6 @ BW + 7.5
Yes, baby weight here. My grip and biceps were completely cooked and as a result, the majority of the sets were RP'd. Starting with set 2: 5-1, 4-1-1, 3-1-1-1 - each pause was a five-count until the final set, which was more a 6 or 8 count.

Deadlift: 2 x 12 @ 215
The last set was RP'd 10-2 as I could hardly catch my breath. I started set 2 with my heart rate still pretty elevated. Straps were used for these sets - no belt today. My thought was that I needed to really focus on using my hams and glutes - not the feeling of the belt.

I was so cooked by the end that I have decided to rest the next two days. I might ab roll at home, but that would be the extent. I'll probably do some band stretching too. Next week begins the 90% loads. Intensity rising...

Have a great weekend, all.
 
90% week starts...

SA NG DB OHP: 10 x 3 @ 65
The last set was RP'd 1-1-1 on my left arm.

Bench Press: 4 x 6 @ 205
Set 3 was RP'd 5-1 and 4 was 4-1-1.

Squats: 2 x 12 @ 205
I used knee sleeves here. I thought it better not to use a belt to ensure that my core was contracted throughout.
 
I need to eat!

Deadlift: 10 x 3 @ 285
Semi-loose belt was used for all work sets, and straps were used for the last set. I also ended up using my knee sleeves as quasi-shin guards. Worked well, but I need to get some deadlifting socks.

Supinated Grip BB Row: 4 x 6 @ 175

Chin: BW x 4

Supinated Grip Pulldown: 175 x 8; 165 x 12
My grip and biceps were really fatigued. It's such an uncomfortable feeling to get midway through a chin rep and realize you may not be able to hold on through the full movement. So, I traipsed over to the cable and did some lighter pulldowns. The 165 set was RP'd 7-3-2.

Bodyweight remained at 217 today. I am so interested to see how I feel after this week. I was sorta shocked the deadlift reps felt as good as they did; my hamstrings and core were cooked by the end, but I have to believe got great work this morning.
 
Telling?

Squats: 10 x 3 @ 265
Knee sleeves and a loose belt were used throughout. Thing is, these sets were not hard at all. My heart rate didn't crack 130 until the 7th set. I'm not sure if I wasn't aggressive enough in my programming or if I'm getting stronger.

SA NG DB OHP: 4 x 6 @ 55
Same thing in terms of effort here. I so struggled with 60 a couple weeks ago, so I figured 55 would be a good test to get all sets, but that was not the case. The work allowed me to focus on form, which was easily the best it's been to date. My left arm has been tricky in terms of keeping good form. I've had intermittent shoulder issues over the past couple years that ironically stopped when I started benching again. I had dropped BB bench press in favor of DB bench press for at least 2.5 years, thinking that I had killed my delts benching. Well, I decided to give it a go one day and woke up the next morning pain-free. Go figure. In any case, my left arm tends to want to pronate the DB instead of keeping the neutral grip. Today was much better.

Bench Press: 2 x 12 @ 185
185 is a bit of an enigma. At times, 5 reps have felt heavy at this load. I got one set of 12 and then RP land set in. The second set was RP'd 6-2-2-2. I'm not at all unhappy that I got at least one complete set. That works!
 
Chins: 10 x 3 @ BW +25
Given my experience yesterday, I chose to challenge myself a bit. The calculations for Chin work are kinda hokey on my sheet, so I just bumped my last load by 5 lb. All sets were complete (no RP), but the 3rd reps for both sets 9 & 10 were a bit tough. BW today was just shy of 218.

Deadlift: 4 x 6 @ 255
My low back was much more fatigued than I thought when I started these sets. I used a light belt throughout, and straps for the last two sets.

Supinated Grip BB Row: 2 x 12 @ 165
The second set was RP'd 7-4-1. I was cooked at the end of this one.

It's something of a blessing that the holiday is next week. I think a tiny bit of extra rest for my CNS is warranted; I realized this morning that this is the first strength layout I've done in a while. It is such a different game than BB work is! While this is the end of the 3rd week and I definitely have more in the tank, a bit of extra rest works for this 42-year old body.

I'm also changing the "tweener" BB work I'm going to do before my next triples cycle to be more focused on assistance work. I'm truly hoping to test this quasi-mesocycle through the next 6 months, with some purposeful deload weeks in the mix. So far, though I don't really track calories, I have seen a fairly notable fat reduction on my torso. There is also nice hypertrophy pretty much everywhere, but definition is not all that granular. The one area that has decidedly dropped is cardio, which I need to be better about.

Be well, all.
 
_tim said:
Chins: 10 x 3 @ BW +25
Given my experience yesterday, I chose to challenge myself a bit. The calculations for Chin work are kinda hokey on my sheet, so I just bumped my last load by 5 lb. All sets were complete (no RP), but the 3rd reps for both sets 9 & 10 were a bit tough. BW today was just shy of 218.

Deadlift: 4 x 6 @ 255
My low back was much more fatigued than I thought when I started these sets. I used a light belt throughout, and straps for the last two sets.

Supinated Grip BB Row: 2 x 12 @ 165
The second set was RP'd 7-4-1. I was cooked at the end of this one.

It's something of a blessing that the holiday is next week. I think a tiny bit of extra rest for my CNS is warranted; I realized this morning that this is the first strength layout I've done in a while. It is such a different game than BB work is! While this is the end of the 3rd week and I definitely have more in the tank, a bit of extra rest works for this 42-year old body.

I'm also changing the "tweener" BB work I'm going to do before my next triples cycle to be more focused on assistance work. I'm truly hoping to test this quasi-mesocycle through the next 6 months, with some purposeful deload weeks in the mix. So far, though I don't really track calories, I have seen a fairly notable fat reduction on my torso. There is also nice hypertrophy pretty much everywhere, but definition is not all that granular. The one area that has decidedly dropped is cardio, which I need to be better about.

Be well, all.
Click to expand...

Either you deadlift or your chin ups is out of whack ... impressive vertical pulling.
 
Hey @Jester - If you were commenting on my low back fatigue, I think it was due to the squats the day before. Regardless - thanks!

12/24/2018

Bench: 10 x 3 @ 235
This may have been a PR for sets across, but I'm not sure. No spot assist, and the reps felt good. Unfortunately, this was the only thing I had time for. Regardless, as @RUSS pointed out years ago, the triples work is the most important part of this layout.

12/26/2018

Supinated Grip BB Row: 10 x 3 @ 205
This was starting to feel heavy. I experimented with a belt at set 5 but took it off as it affected the movement too much.

Chins: 4 x 6 @ BW + 10
I used Versa Grips (been in the bag for a long, long time) for sets 3 and 4. Both of those sets were RP'd 4-1-1 with my biceps really toasty.

Deadlift: 2 x 12 @ 235
High-intensity cardio sets! I used a belt and grips for both sets. The second set was RP'd 11-1 as I could not catch my breath.

I'm at the point of the cycle where I'm going to increment based on the last working set, not a calculation. I felt for the first time today that the loads were starting to feel heavy. This is a good thing, but I'd like this cycle to go for another couple weeks.

I hope you all had a great holiday!
 
12/27/2018 - low time

SA NG OHP: 70 - right, 3; left 2; 5 x 3 @ 65
That first set was not great for my left arm.

Bench Press: 3 x 6 @ 215
The last set was RP'd 5-1.

I'm getting the echoes of CNS fatigue. So, I am resting until Monday and will see what that brings. I'm a bit more open to starting the BBish month at this point but will make that decision after the workout Monday.
 
Happy New Year, all!

After a mini layoff, I returned today with a slightly modified approach. I am transitioning to a higher-volume layout now, with the hope of doing this for about 4 weeks. In the middle of the time, I will have some work travel to address, so we'll see how it goes.

Deadlift: 6 x 6 @ 255
For the last two sets, I used a mixed grip, alternating between which hand was supinated and which was not.

GHR: 3, 2x

Sicilian Crunch: 20 x 5, 6

Standing Calf Raise: 157 x 40
I have used an approach for these I dub the Eric, after my buddy. The cadence goes like this: 8 full reps. 8 partial reps from the top down, 8 partial reps from the bottom up, 8 single-leg negatives (4/leg) and 8 regular reps. If the last 8 aren't really hard and sorta crappy form-wise, the load was too light and you must repeat it. The second go-round tends to induce so much pain that it is rarely finished without pausing throughout.

Seated Calf Raise: 75 x 11
Every rep was paused for a full two seconds.

As I said, I am hoping for 4 weeks of this, progressing the compounds as we go. In total, I laid this out to have 7 workouts, so not all of them will be done through the week. I am looking for healthy progression at higher volumes, so rest and cardio is definitely on tap.
 
Bench Press: 6 x 6 @ 205

DB Incline Press: 90 x 12; 2 x 12 @ 110

Low Cable Crossover: 40 x 18; 50 x 18
Paused every rep - wanted to keep the loads really manageable to keep form throughout.

Pec Deck: 75 x 10-90 x 10-120 x 4
I did this as one big set. Rep target was 24, so I upped the game until it was hard.
 
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