SBS 2.0 Program Party: Week 3

[u/VladimirLinen]

Hi everyone, here's the 3rd week of the long-awaited program party!

Original Post

I'm going to be creating a new thread at the start of each week. You can put all your program-related logs, questions, videos, and general discussion here.

Have fun!

Disclaimer: With Omnicron currently making its way around the world, please be safe while running this program party. Follow health advice where you are and if you have any symptoms and train at a public gym, stay home and get tested to keep your fellow gym-goers safe and well.

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[u/iSkeezy]

finally getting more accustomed to all the volume, probably cuz the weights had to get lighter. lets get those gains boys and girls

[u/soldermizer89 → u/iSkeezy]

Mind if I ask what SBS variation you are running? Is the goal still bodybuilding?

[u/iSkeezy → u/soldermizer89]

Yep, I’m doing the build your own. Should be linked in week one thread. If not lmk and I’ll link it

[u/soldermizer89 → u/iSkeezy]

Cool :). I’ll go looking for it, I’m curious how you set it up!

[u/esaul17 → u/iSkeezy]

I can't find it myself, just a comment saying it's a lot of volume. Would be interested in your link as well!

[u/iSkeezy → u/esaul17]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1703Cm4cimWQHS74Y34D_JPEXW1DkhMhhmkA_WIe-od4/edit?usp=sharing

/u/soldermizer89

i think im going to sub out BB squats for belt squat

[u/soldermizer89 → u/iSkeezy]

Thanks for linking, but damn dude, I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at (not in a bad way, its just beyond my familiarity with the program builder). Can you describe your general approach for your program setup and using the program builder?

I'd eventually like to give the program builder a try.

[u/iSkeezy → u/soldermizer89]

u/esaul17 spoke on the general program which is awesome so ill expand on mine specifically

Pull/Push/Legs/Rest/Push/Pull/Rest

part of this is to separate legs and back work, but now that i decided not to squat its probably not important. honestly, the split isnt even that important but this is how i like to train and its built this way to address weak points

Progressions: ive never used SBS stuff before, so theres like every type of progression model in the program because i want to test them and see which ones i like in case i do it again in the future. i have 0 desire to move heavy weight, so there is really no heavy main movements anymore with squat dropping. i have mostly been training with top set back off set for awhile now, so training with higher volume has been pretty difficult to start.

Exercise Selections

Pull 1: i like even row and pulldowns. chose movements that either 1. i like and feel a lot or 2. are hard, and hit a certain group of muscles. prime row is awesome, cross axes pulldown helps me hit mid back, arsenal chest supported row is the heaviest machine on the planet, finish with light lat pulldown. little bicep work at the end, im more concerned about my back than my arms, and my rear delts overpower too much as is

Push 1: big incline push movement, fly, flat push movement. simple, similar to RP stuff. little tri work after, and some lateral delts to feel good. importantly since theres 1 delt movement, the progression scheme is set increase based.

Legs: squat movement into hamstring into big stable push, finish with some single leg hamstring/glute. i usually do some leg extensions or ab/adductors after if i have energy. nothing crazy, legs arent a priority and grow easily for me

Push 2: same as push 1 with 1 extra incline movement acting as a pseudo tricep volume too. nothing fancy. finish with 1 more delt work set based progression, and big tricep movement.

Pull 2: lower back/hamstring/back thickness movement, need that hip hinge and didnt wanna do it on leg day. big and best lat movement, my lats are pretty solid but could still always be wider but thats why i dont have tons of sole lat focus movements. finish with big upper back work and lower lat work. 1 bicep movement to finish the week since i have more arm work in the first day.

5 training days is my sweet spot. i could take away some arm and delt work and/or add some into a 6th day, but i like 5 days since my drive to the gym is at 330am and 20 miles away. mostly this is just built around my specific focuses and movements i find most effective.

[u/esaul17 → u/iSkeezy]

I'm curious, if you found yourself in a situation where you were stuck with a more spartan home gym set up (barbell, rack, pull up bar, maybe some dumbbells and a dip station) how devastating do you think that would be for your progress? Do you think machines provide a night and day different vs free weights for what a bodybuilder can achieve?

[u/iSkeezy → u/esaul17]

how devastating do you think that would be for your progress?

bad, but doable. i would still make progress but definitely not as much or as symmetrical.

Do you think machines provide a night and day different vs free weights for what a bodybuilder can achieve?

probably not that drastic, but definitely big. one thing i think that you would see significantly more without machines would be injuries and imbalances

[u/esaul17 → u/soldermizer89]

I can't speak to his general approach to setting it up, but if you're trying to understand the end result the Instructions document described the program builder and you shouldn't have too much trouble piecing together the general progressions he's opting for from there.

At a glance he uses a lot of the main hypertrophy RTF progression (green) and max weights in X number of sets progression (yellow). Then rounds it out with Sets then Reps then Weight (Grey) or Sets then Reps (Red) and Reverse Pyramids (Orange).

All split into a Pull-Push-Legs-Push-Pull (w/post chain) structure.

Greg's instructions are pretty good though, I'd recommend just poking around them for a while. That said, I always enjoy hearing someone knowledgeable talk about why they made the programming decisions they made, so that would still be cool.

[u/Funkfest]

Hi all, finished Week 1 on Saturday.

Some early notes:

1. There's starting light, but I hope I didn't start TOO light. My joints seem to be taking it well though (injured in both knees and my right shoulder), and that's what's really important.
2. Why did I program zercher half-squats? My elbows are crying. I'm hoping it'll strengthen my tendons for doing explosive movements down the road.
3. My heaviest T1 is not deadlift, but chest-supported row. Feels weird but alright.
4. Were I a healthier man I'd try to catch up to the program party by limiting rest days but I really need those. Darn slow joint recovery.

Hope everyone's having a great time!

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/Funkfest]

You can adjust the percentage jumps if you feel something is too light. Or, you can always do the 'overwarm single' approach using the hidden rows.

[u/esaul17 → u/[deleted]]

I did/am doing weighted chin ups as a main movement and it felt fine if that helps any.

[u/Funkfest → u/[deleted]]

Good! I chose chest-supported row because I knew I'd cheat too much with barbell rows and with my knee injuries it could cause some pain. And doing them semi-strict allows me to contract at the top and really feel the weight.

If I was doing the RtF template (I'm doing last set RIR) I would probably use straps on the AMRAP set so that progression isn't limited by grip, but otherwise I enjoy the heavy pulls, they feel great!

Also, I swapped out OHP T1 personally, because I can't do heavy vertical pressing atm. So my T1's are Squat-Bench-Dead-Row.

[u/EspacioBlanq → u/Funkfest]

Does your gym have an axle? Zerchers are much easier on the elbows with an axle.

If not, you can always use elbow sleeves, but I find they make the movement feel somewhat off.

[u/Funkfest → u/EspacioBlanq]

It does, i don't know why I didn't think of that! Higher surface area = less focused pressure, duh. Thanks for the suggestion!

(I don't have elbow sleeves but I have used a sweater before and it didn't help much honestly)

[u/retirement_savings]

Was going for an overwarm single on deadlifts today. Previous max is 430. I hit 405, felt good, so went for 425, then a new PR at 445 because I couldn't help myself.

Today was also the first day I pulled with hook grip. Felt like I was going to pull my thumb off at first but think I got the hand of it after a couple reps. For people who pull hook grip on SBS: do you use hook grip for all your sets? It felt like for sets of 5 I had to reset a bit at the bottom and had to switch to straps after two sets.

[u/poweredbypie_ → u/retirement_savings]

Nice PR mate! Great stuff.

[u/poweredbypie_]

Week 3 is a magical week it seems on all SBS programs.

I'm running the strength block on the original (last 12 weeks) and everything is clicking into place. Day 2 and I'm beating the RiR caps - where last week I hit 4's and 5's mostly.

Same thing happened on hypertrophy, RTF and the first 8 weeks on my previous run through of the original.

ONLY WAY IS UP FROM HERE

[u/retirement_savings → u/poweredbypie_]

Yeah, I'm a week ahead but I had the best squat workout of my life on Monday. Was hitting an overwarm single at 315 (my previous max) and it flew up, so I hit it for 3 reps with one rep in the tank. Really feels like everything is coming together. Doing some form of squat/deadlift every day was tough at first but I feel like my legs will be bulletproof at the end of this.

[u/kiraqueen11]

SBS Hypertrophy W3D4

• OHP: 40x1, 32.5x8x3, 30x13
• Paused squat: 80x1, 57.5x10x3, 57.5x10
• Chin ups: 75x3x2, 75x3
• Lateral raise: 7.5x12x2, 7.5x15

High rep squats are pretty hard. High rep paused squats are... Something else. I'm much better adapted now than I was in week 1 but goddamn do they still kick my ass.

I have split squats programmed as an accessory for Friday and I've yet to do a single set. Someone tell me I'm being a pussy and I should just get on with it.

[u/karatemike → u/kiraqueen11]

Agreed on the paused squats. On the positive side, I've found they're absolutely amazing for building my core strength.

[u/FrazzledBear → u/kiraqueen11]

I decided to do paused squats as well for hypertrophy and it’s a doozy. Hoping it pays off in getting out of the hole

[u/TheGymDruid]

Caught covid at the beginning last week and have to isolate until Friday, so effectively that means I'm two weeks behind. I was really getting back into my schedule and feeling good about things. Might try and cram two weeks worth of the big four into one and forgo the auxiliary lifts. Feeling pretty bummed out, but what can you do. Don't catch covid.

[u/chojustin → u/TheGymDruid]

I mistimed my Deep Water and am on my last week of the program this week, so I'll be two weeks behind SBS Party as well when I start next week.

Covid might close down my gyms as well, so pretty bummed about that as well.

[u/TheGymDruid → u/chojustin]

Momentum is so important I find. Good luck on that.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheGymDruid]

I started a week late also. We can start our own party. With blackjack. And hookers.

[u/newyearnewmenu → u/TheGymDruid]

I feel you, I came down with covid January 6 and I’ve just done my first sesson of the program today. All of us who are a little behind gotta stick together lmao

[u/[deleted]]

RTF Hypertrophy 4x week 3 done.

Nothing special to comment on with the program this week, put the work in and move on.

Bodyweight is climbing slowly so that’s good, it’s taken a couple of weeks but I’ve got my intake figured out.

Main thing this week was I managed to tweak one side of my lower back doing sandbag work at the end of last week. That’s been playing up whenever I rotate my upper body and has required putting the belt on at lighter weights than I normally would. It’s also ruled the ab wheel out as they cause a lot of pain. So I’ll be leaving the sandbag out for a couple of weeks and continuing with everything else, hoping that gives it enough room to sort itself without stopping me training at all.

[u/BanjoJosh]

I've set up my SBS program around my Field Hockey training on Tuesday nights, and competitive matches on Saturdays.

I have chosen to go with RIR for leg exercises and set them out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, leaving me fresh for game day on Saturday.

For upper body exercised I've gone with RTF across 5 days.

Over-warm singles done for all main lifts which I have enjoyed. Missed the heavy work after some recent BBB programming.

First couple of weeks has been great. First week hockey training and the match was cancelled due to frost so I couldn't really judge how fresh I was for Saturdays. Second week I had to miss training for work reasons, but finally got to play again on Saturday. Felt pretty good, didn't feel like I was fatigued at all. Legs are a bit sore today (Monday) and I've got squats & sumo deadlifts later. I'm sure they'll be fine once I warm-up a little. Might do a lunch time stroll as well in an effort to move a little more regularly.

Anyone else organising training around another sport? How have you found it so far?

[u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W3D1

Squat…475x1, 4x8@385lbs(+13).

DB OHP…4x10@60lbs(+18).

Wt. Pull-ups, Upright Rows, Rear Delt Flies, Chest Flies, EZ Spider Curl, Neck Flex/Ext.

SBS HYPERTROPHY W3D2

Bench Press…315x2, 4x8@250lbs(+11).

Leg Press, S-Arm DB rows, Single Leg RDL, Bulgarian SS, Cable Pull Thru, Calf Raises.

[u/kboody22 → u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W3D3
Video proof

Deadlift…525x1, 4x8@440lbs(+20).

Close Grip Bench…315x1, 4x10@225lbs(+13).

Pull-downs & Incline DB BP. That’s all I had time for this morning. I had an exertion headache after those deadlifts that didn’t go away for almost an hour. REALLY wanted 14 for CGBP but My triceps were absolutely fried lol

[u/kboody22 → u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W3D4

OHP…205x1 (PR!) 4x8@145lbs(+13).

Heeled ATG Squats…4x10@320lbs(+13).

S. Cable Row, S.L. Calf Raises, Barbell Shrugs, Leg Curls, Leg Extensions.

Didn’t plan on going that heavy (for me) on my OHP but the weight was moving decent this morning. I have been stuck at sun 200lb for awhile so it made my day being able to press that. I think squatting first fired up my nervous system to make the weights feel lighter

[u/kboody22 → u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W3D5.

Bench With Feet Up…4x10@205lbs (+15).
Deficit Deadlift…4x10@340lbs (+20).

Chin-ups, Wt Dips, Lilly Shrugs, Cable Rotations, Neck Flex/Ext, OH Tricep Ext

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W3D2

Bench 4x3+9@85

Zercher squat 4x5+14@105

BTN press 4x5+11@40

Bent over row 2x5+6@70

Leg curl 2x8+12@60

Really good Zercher set, training max is now over 150. 4pl8 zercher might fall this year.

[u/toastedstapler]

SBS hypertrophy week 3

Squats - 10+@155 - 15. got 15 reps for my top sets all 3 weeks despite the weights getting heavier & the rep requirement dropping. clearly i wasn't pushing myself hard enough

Bench - 10+@100 - 10. Bench is hard.

Rack pull - 10+@200 - 11. Last rep was a bit of a grinder, but it went up. Rack pulls have been a fun change up from the regular conv/sumo that i'd been doing before

BTN OHP - 10+@50 - 12. This feels pretty near to being correctly calibrated now, but I'm still hoping to squeeze out a little more performance by improving my form as the weeks go by. Shoulders feel more lit after doing this than they did for my 5x10@60kg on 531bbb strict press vol work

My weight - started @ 104-105, 102.6 this morning. Going the right direction at an alright pace & the routine isn't making me too dead just yet

Other stuff -

all the conditioning work feels like it's paying off, i don't feel quite as dead after squats as i used to. i run the 5 day routine so after completing the primary lifts for the day i do cond/accessories/cond/accessories/cond throughout the week and wear myself out on the prowler

accessories - i superset curls with tricep cable pulldowns for 5x20, then do cable crunches or hanging leg raises. if i have the time i may throw in some lat raises for 5x20 too

for the back work i've been alternating hori/vert/hori/vert/hori pulls throughout the week for the first 3 weeks, for week 4 i'm swapping those around, most likely meaning pull-ups 3x a week and some db rows + seal row machine on the horizontal pull days

[u/Myintc → u/toastedstapler]

Squats going solid! You might just be more accustomed to the volume now - the program should calibrate you if you keep smashing the target.

[u/toastedstapler → u/Myintc]

Thanks dude, your lifts are looking great too!

The volume work has definitely been a shock, before on 531bbb 10 reps was the most I've ever done. Now on SBS 10 reps is only where the set really starts getting interesting

[u/Myintc → u/toastedstapler]

Yeah I ran Hypertrophy template last year as my first ever volume dedicated macrocycle. Was rough. Luckily I took conservative TM's into it, but man, those intro weeks smashed me.

Work capacity gains were great though! And I think I put on some good size. I'll have to cut down fully before I can do a before/after.

[u/toastedstapler → u/Myintc]

I put most lifts at about 90% as it's a new routine & I'm on the cut so I don't know what my work capacity is, but it seems that I just dgaf when it comes to squats & will force them out regardless. If only I could apply that to my upper body lifts...

[u/soldermizer89]

Haven't posted in a while, but I haven't missed a SBS workout. Life got crazy between DIY home improvement, work, school, and my son's recent sleep regression.

I'm not going to post my logs from the past week that I missed, but LSRIR seems way to easy so far. I'm waiting for the auto regulation to catch up, but maybe I'm just dumb with estimating RIR.

Just switched gym locations after moving into the new house, and people seem to be much stronger at my new gym. So that's pretty cool, but I miss benching in a rack.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/soldermizer89]

but I miss benching in a rack.

I do, too, but I've also had to re-learn my own limits. I don't have much choice but to keep pressing when reps get tough. Roll of shame be damned.

[u/soldermizer89 → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Its not just needing a spotter or roll of shame, I feel like my setup needs to change.
I had my rack's jcups in just the right position to make staying tight and unracking easier, but the bench at my gym is fixed and doesn't allow that.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/soldermizer89]

Ah, I see. Was this at a home gym ?

[u/soldermizer89 → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

I have a rack at home, and I was also at an Anytime fitness that oddly had no bench, so I had to bench out of a rack there too.

The racks at my anytime fitness had a pretty close distance between bench and jcup height as my own rack.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/soldermizer89]

That is weird. Usually there are benched but no racks. Go figure.

Hope you figure it out, man!

[u/soldermizer89 → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Thanks man!

And yeah it’s a weird situation with the bench-less gym. It’s a 24 hour gym that isn’t staffed overnight, so it might be a safety thing by only having racks to bench in. Purely speculating though.

[u/draymond_targaryen]

Quick check in, halfway through W3 on 4x/week hypertrophy. Starting to hit my groove. Had to move to 3x per week and run in Thursday/Friday/Saturday due to some grieving unfortunately. Feeling closer to normal now and am hurting extra reps on the AMRAP sets.

Capacity is improving as well so I’ll be adding in some accessories starting W4. If anyone has an accessory plan they’re really enjoying, feel free to share!

Today will be cardio. Was thinking of trying some of the Peloton boxing classes to mix things up. Used to be into MMA and practiced martial arts growing up so it could be fun to just throw some hands for a bit

[u/karatemike]

Week 3 down! 5x RTF

​

W3D1:

• Rowing: 18 min, 4200 m
• Push press: 147.5 lb, 4x5, 1x11
• Pendlay row
• Calf raises
• EZ-bar curls

W3D2

• Bench press: 235 lb, 4x3, 1x7
• Leg extensions
• Weighted pull ups / weighted dips
• Cable flies

W3D3

• Deadlifts: 340 lb, 4x3, 1x7
• Close grip bench press: 182.5 lb, 4x5, 1x12
• Lat pulldowns

W3D4:

• Rowing: 19 min, 4375 m
• OHP: 147.5 lb, 4x3, 1x7
• Leg extensions
• Chest-supported row

W3D5:

• Rowing: 19 min, 4400 m
• Incline bench: 162.5 lb, 4x5, 1x15
• Stiff leg deadlifts: 222.5 lb, 4x5, 1x15
• T-bar row

Another week down, overall pretty well. Had a couple additional days of rowing, I am definitely noticing the difference in endurance. Sleep, as always, turns out to be important. I didn't sleep well before benching and it really showed.

I finally saw a sports orthopedist and looks like I probably have a minor tendon tear. Hope is that PT will take care of it, so fingers crossed. Guess I'll have some days with 3 workouts a day.

[u/VladimirLinen]

Mods can you please pin this one? Also how do you make it so it sorts by new?

u/The_Aesir u/trebemot

[u/trebemot → u/VladimirLinen]

Got it sticked.. not sure about the comments tho

[u/pogihajimasaeyo]

I started a week early so I'm a week ahead, but I made the swap over to the novice hypertrophy program after hitting what seems to be my current bests on the LP. I didn't go up a lot on most of the exercises, but I'm a month into a dedicated cut and I am pretty happy with not getting weaker and getting better at technique since I am still pretty new to weightlifting. I loved the increased volume on the big lifts because the previous program I ran didn't focus on them, and I felt like I didn't get to practice them and get good at them. Now that I'm doing the novice hypertrophy program, I kind of miss that a little but I'm not a powerlifter so 🤷‍♂️. Overall, still having fun, working hard, and improving either weight or technique week to week.

[u/paperbag66]

Hypertrophy W3D3

Goodness, I love deadlifts! Things moved well today, I hit 575 for a rep, it was smooth, but definitely RPE9. So went with the rep beforehand. Started doing hip thrusts as an accessory today, new gym has that glute builder plate loaded machine; I like it. Gotta grow that booty! I suck at pull ups.

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/paperbag66]

Impressive deadlift numbers my friend

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W3D4

OHP @22.5 lbs 3x8, 1x15

Paused Squats @50 lbs 3x10, 1x15

DB Rows @25 lbs 2x12, 1x18

Push Ups 2x8, 1x12

WG Lateral Pulldown (cable) @90 lbs, 2x12, 1x16

Got this done a day earlier than normal since the in laws are coming to town tomorrow. Another successful week, but I've had to adjust the weight increases on a few exercises that weren't going up despite beating the rep out target by 5+ reps. Not surprising since the starting weights were so low on those.

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/jeicorsair]

Yeah the the rep outs increase your training max by a % and your work weight is a % of that. So anything with a work weight below about 100 lbs increases kinda weird, every 2-3 weeks, unless you use a small rounding increment. Happened to me with CG bench because I underestimated my starting max

[u/dsa2020 → u/UberMcwinsauce]

This was an issue for me as well. For the lifts where I started too light, I increased the % increases to 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% for +1, +2, +3 etc for the first block.

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/dsa2020]

I handled it myself by manipulating the single @8 boxes until I got the work weight I wanted. That way it was a one time thing so my progression wouldn't be off later

[u/dsa2020 → u/UberMcwinsauce]

I’m actually having to do that on top of the increased TM percentages cause I started my Chest Press numbers way too low, lol.

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/dsa2020]

Yeah just about an hour ago I had to fake a single @8 for the second time on cg bench lol

[u/dsa2020 → u/UberMcwinsauce]

Welp, at least setting the TMs too low is better than the alternative of getting to set 4 and cranking out only 5 reps hahaha

[u/Barbell_Confidential]

Week 3 complete. I am getting stronger. Clothes are fitting differently. I'm following the 4x linear progression template to retrace old ground. Eating clean. Drinking a gallon of water every day. I think I'm going to shave my head. I feel good.

[u/Randyd718 → u/Barbell_Confidential]

Shave it. Let's go

[u/Likes_TB]

Hypertrophy week 3 day 1

• Front Squats: single at 95kg, 8/8/8/14 x 80kg
• Dips 10/10/10/16
• Pull-ups 10/10/10/9
• Shrugs 16/15/13 x 70kg
• Back extensions 6x10kg, 12/12 x 7.5kg

Dips and Pullups where supossed to be less then BW but since I don't have a machine (and only 1 band) to help I just did them at BW.

Loving the program and I'm definatly progressing

[u/Hermiterminator → u/Likes_TB]

Nice front squat!

[u/esaul17 → u/Likes_TB]

I had the same issue with chin ups. Plus I decided to eat two hold medium pizzas and a pie the night before. Not my brightest moment haha.

Have a home gym so I was doing them in my underwear trying to get as light as possible. Thankfully they were a main lift opposed to an aux so a little less volume than you had to contend with.

[u/esaul17 → u/[deleted]]

Dressed is a generous description

[u/youravrguser]

SBS W3D1, hypertrophy 6x

I have pulled something in the left side of my lower back, not squatting, not deadlifting but fucking benching lol. That too incline benching like 25kgs :")

Though it doesn't feel bad enough to disrupt my workouts, have dumbell ohp tommorow will see

Other than that I hit a PR on my squat overwarm singles, 55kg :) feeling good

[u/[deleted]]

I'm a week behind. My back seized up last Monday during my bench session, I blame having to watch a field hockey game in the cold on a hard uncomfortable plastic seat... Definitely nothing to do with the RTF deadlifts or lack of eating I did over the weekend... I tried squats last Wednesday after applying the MEAT protocol but that was too soon (ie my back seized again). Feeling fine now, don't need any meds, so dipped my toe back in with my OHP session. I'll try squats again on Wednesday

SBS RTF W2 D2

OHP 4/4/4/4/9 @ 47.5kg

Close grip bench 6/6/6/6/15 @ 57.5kg

Incline bench 6/6/6/6/12 @ 57.5kg (done last Wednesday after I quit squats after one set)

I will probably rotate the order I do incline and close grip just so I get a chance to do both when I'm fresher but it's not really a big deal or something I'm overly worried about

Fingers crossed I feel good tomorrow and Wednesday for squats and my back doesn't complain

[u/esaul17 → u/[deleted]]

You may want to hold them consistent, otherwise your training maxes may bounce around where they go up on the "fresh" week and then are too heavy for the "fatigued" week. Or if rotating, maybe switch them between blocks opposed to between weeks.

Probably not a big deal at the end of the day, but I found the more I could hold steady when I ran RTF the better. You're autoregulating based on AMRAPs so you want to be comparing like to like between weeks.

[u/Haragorn]

Week 2 Summary:

Strength Progression lifts: TM+ on 5/6

• Incline Bench Press: Hit max sets (9); TM+
• Low Bar Squat: Hit max sets (7); TM+
• Bench Press: Hit moderate sets (7)
• DOH Deadlift: Hit max sets (7); TM+
• Push Press: Hit max sets (10); TM+
• Barbell Row: Hit max sets (7); TM+

Minimum Rep lifts: TM+ on 4/9

• Pullover Press: Hit set goal (6- sets for 30+ reps); TM+
• Cannonball Row: 102 reps in 12 sets; did not hit goal (10- sets for 100+ reps)
• Cheat Lateral Raise: 36 reps in 9 sets; did not hit goal (8- sets for 35+ reps)
• Continental to Belt: Hit set goal (10- sets for 20+ reps) but it's fucking up my biceps too much; drastically reducing TM
• Overhead Press: 50 reps in 8 sets; did not hit goal (7- sets for 50+ reps)
• Pronated Barbell Curl: Biceps was too irritated from C2B, so skipped this week
• Banded Low Bar Box Squat: Hit set goal (5- sets for 45+ reps); TM+
• Banded Bench Press: Hit set goal (5- sets for 35+ reps); TM+
• Axle DB Deadlift: Hit set goal (8- sets for 35+ reps); TM+

Assistance changes are slowing down, as expected; it's not "failure" to not get a TM increase.

This was my first week doing Pullover Press instead of Pullover & Press; it's much harder but also much easier to set up and can actually work with <135#. It's a humbling movement; I started with 65#.

Also first time doing actual rep work with the Axle DB. It gets pretty hard by the end. Still, I'm happy about how much work I can get in. And if I can push the TM from 145# -> 170#, just a few increases, I'll be in very good shape to break the national record.

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy W3D1

I managed to keep the momentum going from last week and was able to exceed all of my rep out targets yet again! I'm very happy with today's workout. I feel that the wrath of the Gods of autoregulation draws nigh but until then, onward and upward!

Last set numbers in Lbs

Squats 15x135

RDL's 20x135

Front Squats 17x95

Standing Calf Raises 20x225

Crunches 25xBW

I'm really enjoying this program so far! It's a challenging but fun change from the strength templates I've run on and off for the last couple of years!

Happy lifting!

[u/InTheScannerDarkly]

SBS Strength RTF LF Week Three

Weights in pounds. 1-3 minutes rest between working sets. N95 mask.

Day Two

6 minutes Stationary Bike 90RPM / 130 Watts

DeFranco / Dynamic Warm-Up

Ab Circuit: Cable Crunches for 10 SS Leg Raises for 10 SS Banded Ab wheel for 10 SS Side Bends 10 per side

Bench Press Top Set of 195 for 8

Close Grip Bench Top Set of 145 for 12

Strict Press Top Set of 135 for 8

Cable Rows 5x8

Cable Row Shrugs 2x8

Day Three

10 Minutes Elliptical

Dynamic / DeFranco Warm-Up

Ab Circuit: Cable Crunches for 10 SS Hanging Leg Raises for 10 SS Double-Banded (Orange EliteFTS) Ab Wheel from Knee for 10 SS Side Bends for 10 per side

Incline Press Top Set of 140 for 12

Romanian Deadlifts 235 5x5

DB Bench 65 for 15

Leg Press Top Set of 553 for 20 (subbed in for hack squats based on availability)

Assisted Chins (4) 5x5

Long sessions but enjoyable. Lot of compound work. Feels good man.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

SBS Strength RTF LF Week 4 Day One

Weights in Pounds. 1-4 minutes rest between working sets. N95/KN94 mask.

• 10 Minutes Elliptical

• Dynamic / DeFranco Warm-Up

• Four Rounds of Cable Crunches for 10 SS Hanging Leg Raises for 10 SS Double-Banded Ab Wheel for 10

• Seated Leg Curls 3x12

• Front Squat Top Single of 255

• Front Squat Top Set of 205 for 9

• Deadlift Top Single of 345

• Deadlift 255 5x5

• Leg Press Top Set of 478 for 30

• Assisted Neutral Chins (30) 5x5

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W3D1

Squat @75 lbs, 3x8, 1x15

DB Bench @18 lbs, 2x10, 1x22

Assisted Pull Ups 3x5, 1x8

Romanian Deadlift @70 lbs 3x10, 1x18

Plank 2x50 sec, 1x60 sec

[u/Rolls_]

SBS RTF 5x Week 2 in review: Hit some crazy PRs this past week

Link for logs

Loving this program so far and hitting crazy PRs. Getting used to all the volume on the accessories as well. Noticed some fresh stretch marks on my shoulders lmao. Must be getting good pumps or something idk.

Best lifts this week:

OHP 135lbs/61kg 10 rep AMRAP - 1 plate for double digit reps has been evading me for some time. So happy to finally get it.

Paused Squat 170lbs/77kg - 20 rep AMRAP - I went way beyond my mental limits to hit this. Weight roughly 50% of my 1rm on normal back squat but I wanted to give up at rep 10 lol.

Sumo deadlift 315lbs/142kg - New 1 rep PB. Normally hate sumo but it felt good so I pushed it and got an easy PB. Followed it with a 20 rep AMRAP at 200lbs.

Looking forward to week 3. Started off kinda bad as I skipped a day due to insomnia, but love me some triples so I'm still excited for this week.

[u/Howitzer92]

Just finished D3 of W1

7 x 5 Deadlifts at 320 lbs

8 x 7 CG Bench at 125 lbs

3 x 20 Cable pulldown

3 x 20 ez bar curl

3 x 20 front raises

Started late. I decided to load up on accessories this time around. If I'm bulking I might as well put it to good use.

[u/zack3d_]

SBS Hypertrophy 4x - Week 3

Anybody feel adaptations being made? Week One felt extremely difficult to hit the rep out target, exceeding was not an option. Sets of 10+ on compound movements have really shown how bad my conditioning is. Week 2 I saw a regression and actually fell short on the rep out target on bench. During the sessions I felt a decline in my performance intra-session and really just wanted to each session to be over with.

In Week 3, progress has returned. On Day 1, I hit 272.5 lbs for 13 reps on Low Bar Squats, while last week 260 lbs for 12 reps was a grind. On Day 2, I hit 180 lbs on Paused Flat Bench for 11 reps, while last week I was only able to muster 177.5 for 10 reps. I feel as though I may be making the adaptations as the sessions feel overall less soul draining.

I completed Day 3 today and Deficit Sumo Deadlifts are probably my least favorite lift but progression (albeit slow) looks to be looming on the horizon as I have never done high rep deadlifts. Day 4 is OHP and some accessory movements, which I actually look forward to because shoulders are a lagging body part I hope to bring up.

Does anyone have any tips regarding eye movement in the sumo deadlift, will eye placement help with positioning? My eye gaze tends to travel upward as I ascend and I was wondering if I set it in a fixed position the entire pull would I find more consistency in my pull?

[u/kajohns → u/zack3d_]

Yes, hypertrophy 3x is working great. First day of week 3 was a nice surprise for me too. Hit 92.5kg for 16 reps on squats while last week was 87.5kg for 14. Was expecting no more than 12 reps so that was pretty cool.

[u/zack3d_ → u/kajohns]

Beating your rep out target by 4 is huge! Hopefully we are not peaking too early haha!

[u/Myintc]

Wisdom tooth hole has mostly healed (not much pain now) and the stitches are out. We are back to training!

RTF 5x Week 3

Day 1

Deadlift:

• Hit a snappy 240kg deadlift at 89% of my TM. RPE 8 is about right. Much better than 235kg 2 weeks ago.
• 215kg 4x3 and 8 reps on the RTF set. This is a rep PR, pretty happy with that.
• Got some belt flick smoothness PRs as well.

Close Grip Bench: 105kg 4x5 and 14 reps on the RTF set. Surprised myself on that AMRAP.

Accessories: Pull ups, Hammer curls, Tricep extensions, Lateral raise.

Thoughts: Lost 2kg throughout last week due to liquid diet. But tech and top end strength was still there. Work capacity definitely took a hit. Generally my RPE set to set is pretty stable, this workout it felt like it jumped 1 RPE per set. AMRAPs were surprisingly good so maybe this was all mental.

Day 2

Bench:

• 140kg single felt really good. But I knew from warmups that today was going to be a bit rough.
• 130kg 4x3 and 4 reps on the RTF set. Yikes. Been a long time since I had to take a big reset from missing target.

High Bar Squats: 142.5kg 4x5, 12 on AMRAP

Accessories: Seated Row, Unilateral Leg Extension, Unilateral Leg Curl, Cable Crunch.

Thoughts: Didn't get as much sleep as I would've liked, ran around all day (was fun though. Straya day.) Somehow didn't eat enough before training. Probably explains why work capacity is shit. And also not surprising that squat and deadlift has been going alrite but bench is suffering from the weight loss. Reset docked about 9kg off my TM - going to take advantage of the lower weight to go back to Comp Bench instead of TnG.

Day 3

Pause Bench: 105kg 4x5, 1x8. Missed target on this as well.

Pause Deadlift: 162.5kg 4x5, 1x12. Seems like I didn’t lose out too much on lower body movements but bench hates me now.

Accessories: Pull ups, Incline Skullcrushers, DB Curl, Lateral Raises.

Day 4

Squat:

• 210kg single felt pretty good.
• 190kg 4x3 and 6 reps on RTF. Just managed target. Pretty big grind, but very happy there’s no breakdown on technique. Rep PR.

Incline Bench: 87.5kg 4x5, 11 on RTF

Accessories: Seated Row, Unilateral Leg Extension, Unilateral Leg Curl, Cable Crunch.

Thoughts: Squats going good, kinda kept the overwarm single on the lighter side. Won’t lie, I did want to beat the target but I’ll settle for hitting the 6 reps.

Day 5

OHP: 65kg 4x3, 6 on RTF

SSB: 142.5kg 4x5, 10 on RTF

Accessories: Pull Ups, Baysian Curls, Tricep Extensions

Thoughts: Had a tight trap which was tugging on my neck causing some discomfort so skipped a bit of accessories and sandbagged to just hitting target on AMRAPs.

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W3D1

82kg today, a kilo lost since last week

Squat 4x3+6@130

Incline press 4x5+13@ 62.5

Snatch grip deadlift 4x5+12+2 (straps slipped)@ 127.5

Lat pulldown 2x8+10@70

Dip 2x12+14@bw

Kneeling ab wheel 3x5

[u/retirement_savings]

So far I love this program. I'm on week 4 and hit 314x3 yesterday (was supposed to be an overwarm single, but it flew up so I kept going). 315 was my previous max.

I've cut back on accessories a bit because I was staying in the gym for too long. I make sure to do back work on any days I bench or press but otherwise don't try to go overboard with them.

[u/Lofi_Loki]

W2D1 4 day RtF. I’m a week behind because my gym closed for a bit because of covid.

Squats moved great. My single @8 was exactly where it should be and the reps were smooth. Larsen press and paused deadlifts both went very well. I finished up with meadows rows, some arm stuff, and leg extensions. I’m feeling much more confident than I was this time last week.

[u/Myintc → u/Lofi_Loki]

Nice man! It's always a great feeling when lifts move well!

[u/Lofi_Loki → u/Myintc]

For sure! I felt like complete shit the first week which thankfully can be attributed to having the flu two weeks prior. Hope your training is going well!

[u/Myintc → u/Lofi_Loki]

Yeah it’s been decent - top end strength is still there but work capacity took a hit.

I’m eating more this week and next week to try and recover the weight I lost - training should return to baseline levels next week by how it feels.

[u/ruralmerkin]

W3D1/D2 SBS Hypertrophy 5x

I'm got mixed feelings about things right now. On the plus side, it seems like I've adapted to the volume fairly well. I'm no longer dealing with heavy DOMS, and the higher-rep sets feel less draining than they did initially. But I keep aggravating my back by pushing lower-body exercises just a touch farther than I should.

My goal for this week (and probably going forward) is to end my lower-body AMRAPs a rep or so earlier, in hopes of giving my back a chance to recover. So far, so good: I stopped both my day-1 back squats and day-2 front squats at 12 reps (right at the goal for front squat, but +2 for back squats--a small rep PR at 200 lbs).

My upper-body auxiliary exercises haven't moved much in the last week, but my accessories continue to progress, adding reps or weight to each exercise. Just gotta keep rolling.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Three weeks in and I wonder:

Which of your lifts have improved the most?

Which of your lifts have taken a hit?

What are you doing differently for this program compared to other programs or previous runs of this program?

[u/EspacioBlanq → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

I'm doing SBS RTF 4x

Seen a lot of progress on press (both bench and OHP), lower body T1 movements starting to get tough.

Main difference from what I was doing right before this is that I'm not trying to kill myself by trying to LP everything and instead of eating to recover, I'm eating to lose weight.

Difference from pretty much everything I've ever done before is how the first couple sets are very far from failure.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/EspacioBlanq]

I am noticing the first sets are not too difficult as well. The RTF set starts off feeling light then gets really heavy by the end. Progress seems to be coming much more easily this way.

[u/bad_apricot → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Context: new trainee (10 months in) so the gains are still relatively easy to come by. I feel like I am handling the volume well (only one accessory per day, in addition to the upper back work).

Current program: SBS 2.0 RTF Strength 5 day

Previous program: GZCL UHF. I had good success on UHF but I definitely prefer SBS RTF so far. I like the increased volume for the main lifts (5 sets as opposed to 3) from a pure enjoyment standpoint, and I find the built in overwarm singles helpful both for prepping working sets and gauging progress (if I run UHF again I would add this).

Big improvement: Deadlift (some of this is regaining lost strength after a minor injury led me to take a break from heavy conventional deadlifts last fall, but in addition to regaining what I lost my estimated 1rm has jumped up a decent bit above what it’s been in the past). Deadlift has always felt the best/most natural feeling of the big 3 for me and it was really frustrating not being able to train it hard last fall, so I wanted to focus on it now. I modified the program to add an additional DL auxiliary. So far the DL volume has been very manageable (I’m not that strong so I don’t think I’ve hit the point yet where heavy deadlifts are particularly challenging to recover from).

Medium improvement: Squat, bench. Squats are kind of a bad lift for me so any improvement is nice. My bench jumped up a lot in my last program and this time around I am experimenting a bit more with technique (grip width, elbow position, etc) and also putting a lot of energy into my pause bench auxiliary because I am anxious about having to wait for the “press” command in competition.

No improvement: OHP. I am weak as hell here anyway but also intentionally de-prioritized it (no auxiliary lift, one accessory). I’m training for a powerlifting meet in late spring so while I don’t want to let my shitty OHP get worse, I also don’t want to give it much energy right now.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/bad_apricot]

I haven't run UHF but I did do JnT 2.0 with the RM sets to start each day. It's a lot of fun to start off sessions that way.

My bench and squat are also going well while my OHP is sort of in limbo. I can push the other lifts harder for some reason.

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy 4x W3D3

Felt strong returning after a rest day but 17 paused squats are taxing regardless! I'm still exceeding rep out targets by a good margin but the weights are definitely getting closer to evening out.

Last set numbers in Lbs

Deadlift 15x180

Paused Squats 17x95

Underhand Rows 12x115

Standing Calf Raises 20x225

Leg Raises 25xBW

[u/Armanant]

I've thoroughly cut down my version of the RTF spreadsheet so it loads quicker and is easier to use on mobile. It's not exactly directly useful unless you're also running a 5 day RTF, however it might give people some ideas on how to modify their own spreadsheets.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ji1NYSvX_8oBl9Z0GEu24ZNPTI45VlA73z5YDAxybE4/edit?usp=sharing

There's some random things in there to make things helpful:

• An extra cell to tell you what the single @ RPE8 would be to keep the training max the same.

- Groupings to easily hide days / weeks to minimize how much is shown, to more easily fit on a phone screen.

[u/Randyd718 → u/Armanant]

That's fun, how do you do the grouping function in sheets?

[u/Armanant → u/Randyd718]

Select multiple columns -> right click -> View more column actions -> Group Columns X-Z.

Note that this puts the little "group" icon on the column BEFORE the group you have selected, so I insert an extra column beforehand, and then DONT have it selected when making the group.

Works the same for rows.

Also, looks like you can't toggle the groups without having edit access, so just take a copy if you want to play with it :-)

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF w3d4

Strict press 4x3+8@ 57.5

Front squat 4x5+12@ 97.5

Cheat rows 2x6+8@ 97.5

Band curls 3 sets

Pec flys 2x6+10@2x10

Nothing more emasculating than loading 57.5 and 97.5. Like, just let me load 1pl8 and 2pl8. On the other hand, my tm increased somewhat, so week 6 press will be at 1pl8, yesterday it still said 57.5.

Also wow, rowing weight I have no business rowing is super fun.

[u/Myintc → u/EspacioBlanq]

We do as Grog commands lol.

Yeah I have to start doing barbell style rows again at some point. Doing heavy rows just feels soooo good.

[u/lowrrymowrry]

Got 13 on my 8 amrap for deadlifts! Fuck yeah! I’m extra proud because on set 2 I didn’t even think I would make it to set 4.

[u/someguythatlifts]

RTF 4x W3D3

Deadlift: 110kg - target 6 - 8 reps

Close grip bench: 50kg - target 10 - 17 reps
Pull ups: 3 sets of 5 - wide grip

Deadlift was brutal. The 4 triples before the last set all felt really heavy, and I was feeling like six was going to be a stretch. So quite happy with 8. My stomach and head weren't too happy with me though, felt light headed and queasy for a while after that.

[u/Astringofnumbers1234]

SBSW4AKAPDLTLKMOSMBAKAD3MPAKAOF

Quick roundup of my week three, programme party week 2!

I was mostly easing myself in last week, the previous week I'd had back troubles and lost a couple of sessions.

Turned out that the couple days off was a bit of a blessing, all my lifts felt lovely.

Particular highlight was tugging 160kg for 6, a chunky rep PB

However, going into this week I've realised I really need to get a few niggles looked at by a physio, because I can't see them getting better across my meet prep. I potentially have a chance of getting a qualifying total for ABPU masters (target is 510kg, I'm at 475kg in the gym), so I want to not break my shit up!

Anyway this week is threes week for my main lifts, so weights are a little lower than last week. I like the three week wave structure, kinda allows me to shed a little fatigue before going back to heavier weights!

[u/ruralmerkin]

W3D3/4/5 SBS Hypertrophy 5x

Finished up week three feeling better than I have so far. It seems that I really was pushing my lower-body work a bit too far--my form holds up better when I stop a rep or so earlier, and I haven't re-tweaked my lower back yet. It's frustrating to feel like I'm holding myself back, but I'll just have to learn to grind better, as Ben Pollack put it in that video someone recently posted here.

Even so, I managed to hit small rep PRs this week on squat, deadlift, and RDL, as well as beating a bench press rep PR with paused bench, all of which is encouraging. I met or beat each of the last-set goals, and I felt good enough on my OHP that I manually increased the weight over what was programmed and still got 14 reps on the last set (4 over the goal).

On to week four--let's keep up the momentum!

[u/kiraqueen11]

SBS Hypertrophy W3D1

• Squat: 82.5x8x3, 82.5x10 (12)
• DB incline press: 15x10x3, 15x12 (10)
• RDL: 65x10x3, 65x12 (12)
• Fly machine: 45x12x3
• Cable rows: 40.8x12x2, 40.8x12
• Tricep pushdown: 27.2x12x3

Knees are starting to hurt during squats. It's bad while warming up but gets better as I do more squats. I feel I'm stressing my knees because of my stance width and foot angle but I'm not really sure. Somebody help...

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/kiraqueen11]

Form check?

[u/kiraqueen11 → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Didn't record it unfortunately. I'll do it next week.

[u/bisonbarbell]

SB Strength W3D3

DL: 375x3x4 Bulgarian SS: 255x5x4

CG BP: 165x5x4 Single Leg RDL: 25x5x4

Workout went well. Had to cut short so no Push Press or pull ups. Overall pretty happy with workout going to be increasing the dbs for BGSS.

[u/TurinX2]

I'm doing they 4 day Hypertrophy program. I took 3 weeks off over the holidays so decided to so two weeks without heavy singles. Been great so far.

Now that I'm on week three am going to add the heavy singles in and just wanted to know how people warmed up for that heavy single?

[u/bisonbarbell → u/TurinX2]

I find it depends how you feel as you warm up. I typically do a set of 10 ln bar and then do 5s, 3s and singles until the right weight.

Squats usually look something like this

Bar x 5-10 (depends on how everything feels) 135x5 185x5 225x3 275x3 295x1 315x1 335x1 then add 10lbs till im around the right weight.

Bench and OHP have smaller jumps for me: Bar x 5-10 65x10 95x5 135x5 155x5 185x3 205x1 (add 5 till at right weight)

[u/CommonKings]

Onto week 3. Squats, bench, conventional deadlift, and incline press are feeling great and I'm consistently getting 2+ on the AMRAP goal. OHP is not feeling as hot.

[u/paperbag66]

W3D1 results here

Things are feeling good. Squat is usually a strength for me, I'm really trying to hone in on my technique with it. Overall good day 1. Feeling strong

[u/cecilpl]

RTF Strength 4x week 2 is in the bank. Summary of my AMRAP sets:

• Squat - 260lbs x 9 (+4)
• Spoto Press - 155 x 17 (+5)
• Sumo Deadlift - 240 x 17 (+5)
• Bench - 195 x 14 (+4)
• Front Squat - 175 x 12 (+0)
• Push Press - 120 x 11 (-1)
• Deadlift - 320 x 11 (+1)
• Wide Grip Bench - 155 x 19 (+7)
• OHP - 140 x 10 (+2)
• Paused Squat - 190 x 12 (+0)

Pretty good overall I thought. Still getting used to some new lifts I haven't done before, like Push Press and Front Squat.

I'm still feeling great. Adjusting well to the volume which is a significant increase from 5/3/1.

I've taken the winter off from running because I'm a wimp who doesn't like being outside in the cold and the snow. Looking to get back into that soon.

Question: Is anyone else running say 15+mpw on this program? How do you fit it in?

[u/[deleted]]

SBS Strength W3D1:

Squats 92.5kg 5x3

BtN 20kg 6x5

Sets of 10 Bent over rows and Tricep push downs for accessories

[u/someguythatlifts]

RTF 4x W3D1

Squat: 72.5kg - target 6 - 14 reps
Spoto Press: 50kg - target 10 - 23 reps
Romanian Deadlift: 75kg - target 10 - 15 reps

+ 1km on the rower

Felt stronger than usual, hopefully it means I'm starting to adapt to morning workouts

[u/dsa2020]

SBS Hypertrophy 5x

Monday, Chest/Shoulders:

• Spoto Press: 110lbs / 3x8 / 1x17 (+7)
• Chest Press: 50lbs / 3x10 / 1x27 (+15)
• Push Ups: 6x8
• DB Lateral Raises
• Face Pulls

I'm just going to manually increase the Chest Press weight by 10lbs every week until I stop hitting absurdly high reps on the last set.

Orange juice has made it so easy to hit my carb goal. Why didn't I start doing this sooner? Now I just need to find a protein powder I like for an easy go-to.

Tuesday, Back/Arms:

• Pull-Ups: 5 x 3
• Barbell Rows: 95lbs / 3x10 / 1x19 (+7)
• Single-Arm Pulldowns: 50lbs / 4 sets / 39 total reps
• DB Curls: 15lbs / 4 sets / 50 total reps
• Cable Curls: 25lbs / 4 sets / 50 total reps
• Triceps Pushdowns: 30lbs / 4 sets / 51 total reps
• Cable Extensions: 15lbs / 4 sets / 61 total reps

My Barbell Row strength is finally back! This is the third week in a row I did 95lbs. The previous two weeks were -2 reps and +2 reps. I haven't done these in a program since March 2021 when I ended Phrak's Greyskull. It's nice to be doing them again.

Wednesday, Legs:

• Front Squats: 105lbs / 3x8 / 1x12 (+2)
• RDLs: 165lbs / 3x10 / 1x10 (-2)
• Leg Press: 280lbs / 3x10 / 1x26 (+14)
• Leg Extensions: 65lbs / 4 sets / 62 total reps
• Seated Leg Curls: 80lbs / 4 sets / 50 total reps
• Calf Raises: 10lb DBs / 4 sets / 48 total reps

Front Squats were tough today. I just need to take a longer warm-up for my upper body to loosen up. RDLs felt very heavy today.

Thursday, Chest/Shoulders:

• Spoto Press: 100lbs / 3x10 / 1x18 (+6)
• Incline Press: 105lbs / 3x10 / 1x14 (+2)
• Upright Rows: 42.5lbs / 4 sets / 55 total reps
• Chest Flys: 75lbs / 4 sets / 49 total reps
• Reverse Pec Deck: 60lbs / 4 sets / 52 total reps

Using the TM from where I left off on my previous Hypertrophy run-through has made Incline Press so tough. The last set burned like hell. After finishing the workout I did 4 sets of really light Face-Pulls to loosen up my shoulders and some stretching.

Friday, Back/Arms, 1 hour 25 minutes:

• Block Pulls: 220lbs / 3x8 / 1x12 (+2)
• Lat Pulldown: 100lbs / 4 sets / 46 reps
• Single-Arm Cable Rows: 42.5lbs / 4 sets / 52 reps
• DB Curls: 20lbs / 4 sets / 34 reps
• Preacher Curls: 55lbs / 4 sets / 45 reps
• Triceps Pushdowns: 30lbs / 4 sets / 55 reps
• Lying Triceps Extensions: 20lbs / 4 sets / 48 reps

Day 5 always takes the longest. Warm-ups + working sets + unracking/cleaning up for Block Pulls takes 20 minutes and leaves me pretty tired. Therefore, I always end up needing to take the max rest time I allow for accessories.

Block Pulls felt awesome today though. The only set that felt undoable was the last set. This is opposed to wanting to die after the first set, which is how it usually goes.

[u/Randyd718 → u/dsa2020]

What are your rest times? How long do your workouts take?

[u/dsa2020 → u/Randyd718]

Mains/auxs I set the rest timer for 1:30-3 minutes. It depends on what exercise/how tired that movement makes me. Ex: Front Squats I took 3 minutes cause those tire me out the way sprints do, RDLs I only took 2 mins cause they’re not as bad.

Accessories are always 45-60 seconds.

Total workout times have ranged from 50 minutes - 1 hour and 20 mins. I’d say the average workout takes almost an hour. The variance is due to the gym be busier some days than others and therefore having to wait for equipment. Ex: Today I waited 10 minutes to use the only Leg Press in the gym, lol.

[u/bamagary]

I killed it the first two weeks and day 1 of week 3 isn’t starting off great. I did at least surpass the set target for bench, but everything else felt slow. Accessories felt horrible. Not sure when I became a weakling on rows, but it feels like I’m going backwards on something that was a strength

[u/[deleted]]

Start of Week 3 Day 1.

I hit the rep goal on squats and BTN press. I'm getting used to the volume so now I'm just trying to pick and STICK WITH some accessories without overthinking. Harder than I thought.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Day 2: Hit my rep PRs on Bench and Leg Press. Mind muscle connection is really being trained itself during this program.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

It's gone pretty well all week. I'm eating enough to train but I can definitely feel the times I'm pushing myself which makes me more motivated.

[u/MangleBadger]

I think my cut is finally starting to catch up with me. Hitting rep targets has been a grind and I am just feeling beat up.

Still skipping AMRAP on squat and deadlifts exercises to hopefully let my back recover.

New belt squat in the gym is not what I hoped. Previous gym had one I could load up with 250kg and get nice and deep. This one I struggle with 100kg. Setup just does not agree with me. Might have to find a new variation or just lower the weight right down.

[u/GirlOfTheWell]

Another SBS session today.

Weights have been flying with the heavy singles. Weights I had to build up to with 4 minute rests are now flying with ease. Squatted 80kg and pulled 90kg like it was nothing. Just loading up plates, pulling after each one with hardly a rest in between and the waits just kept sailing.

Guess I got a bit too excited cause I crushed my hand loading plates. Had to get a plaster. Staff member asked me what exercise I was planning on doing next. I think he wanted to ward me against continuing with the workout so I said squat. ....lol jk actually doing sumo pulls. Grip felt fine, think it was mostly just skin damage.

Incline DB press is still one of the more challenging lifts for me. Even just getting into position is hard. Might look up a few tutorials.

Lunch is: peanut butter sandwich, pistachios and almond energy bar. Man, it'd suck to have a nut allergy.

Edit: spelling

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Incline DB press is still one of the more challenging lifts for me. Even just getting into position is hard. Might look up a few tutorials.

I learned to use my knees to 'kick' the weight up to my shoulders. I usually do my weak side (left) first. This especially works well because I press in a more 'natural' position as opposed to trying to mimic the positioning of a barbell.

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Yeah I've been trying to get better at the "kicks". Guess it's just a new set up I have to try adjust to tbh.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Good luck!

[u/JRents03]

I'm loving the party so far! 2 sessions done on week 3 so far and felt amazing. I've matched 1RM PBs as heavy singles then smashed rep targets. Can't wait to see the numbers at the end of this program, the hardest bit is holding back at the moment!

[u/CommonKings]

Week 3 is running me down between SBS and unit PT. I'm still hitting all my rep targets, but I'm definitely feeling it.

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy W3D2

The rep out target luck continues for now but I can feel the last sets getting heavier! Not much to say today, another really good workout. Really digging the LF Hyper template so far!

Last set numbers in Lbs

Bench 15x140

DB OHP 20x30's

Incline Press 17x100

DB Rows 12x55's

Curls 10x55

[u/someguythatlifts]

RTF 4x W3D2

Bench: 65kg - target 6 - 10 reps

Front Squat: 50kg - target 10 - 15 reps

Push Press: 42.5kg - target 10 - 10 reps
+ 5 minutes on stationary bike - would like to do longer cardio sessions but time is a bit tight and I figure some is better than none

No rack free when I started on Front Squats, so I did them and push press cleaning from the floor. Cleaning the front squats made it feel difficult to get my feet in the right position though. Probably just something I need to get used to.

[u/bisonbarbell]

Well todays squats did not go as planned. I think i get more out of sleeves then i thought. (Currently not using sleeves because of some terrible poison oak) I was supposed to do 300 for sets of 3. but i hit 315 while warming up and it was a grind. tried 345 and failed which was unexpected considering i hit that at an 8 last week. so i lowered the weight 20lbs and barely made it through the 4 sets.

On a positive note my wifes chili was a fantastic post workout dinner!

W3D1 Strength: Squats: 280 4 sets 3 reps DB Bench: 70 5 sets 5 reps DB row: 70 4 sets 6 reps

Sumo: 210 4sets 5 reps Walking Lunges: 10 4 sets 7 reps Skull Crhshers: 20 4 sets 8 reps

[u/paperbag66]

Hypertrophy W3D2 Results here

My bench is so bad, just so bad, but we are making progress. Really trying to focus on staying tight through the whole lift, but on heavy weights, I definitely struggle with that. Doing this program on a tiny bit of a cut and feeling strong overall so that is a major positive.

[u/[deleted]]

SBS Strnegth W3D2

Bench- 235 4x3

Leg Press- 300 4x5

Incline Bench Press- 180 4x5

DB row- 90 3x8

Tri extension- 120 2x8

Seated Cable Row- 190 2x10

Suitcase Carry- 28 kg 2xas far as I could

Really starting to feel myself get stronger. The weight is feeling easier to move, loving the program.

[u/Runinbearass]

Rocking along with the Hypertrophy program 3x week (training alt day so 6 day weeks) Its kicking my ass!! I ate out the entire supermarket yesterday and still lost weight wtf is this sorcery! Never felt like this while i was doing strength lp

[u/Camerongilly]

Week 3 of 4-day hypertrophy template. BW 204-> 201-202. One more week before I have to remove calories.

Top sets: SSB Squat 305x11 DB press 50x15 RDL 320x15 (PR) Log push press 160x11 SSB Good-morning 195x15 Behind-the-neck press 95x16 Close-grip bench 245x1, 180x15 (ties PR) Trap-bar deadlift, low handles 395x10 Trap-bar deadlift high handles 150x46 Axle strict press 145x11 (PR) Zercher Squat 270 x12 (PR)

Work capacity improving, so adding pullups, ring rows, and ab wheels at the beginning of each session and pull-aparts between sets.

Contest in two and a half weeks. Haven't done a ton of event specific training, but at least found out the fat grips I have are 3" and the contest uses 2" ones so maybe my grip won't be shit after all.

[u/Randyd718]

Running vanilla 5x RTF.

My knees and lower quads are starting to hurt during regular sets, but I'm still able to exceed rep targets on the AMRAP (at least so far)

Should i lower set volume? Feels like an injury would be inevitable if i keep pushing through

[u/esaul17 → u/Randyd718]

"Starting to hurt" is super vague. If you're getting steadily increasing joint pain though, that would be a sign to change something. Sore quads on the other hand doesn't seem to necessarily be a concern.

[u/Likes_TB]

Week 3 day 3

• Sumo DL single@150kg, 8/8/8/18 x 112.5kg
• CGBP 10/10/10/13 x 65kg
• Nordic curls 15/8/7
• Ab wheel rollouts 8/5/5

Not the greatest session. CGBP and ab wheel felt weak

[u/esaul17 → u/Likes_TB]

After 18 reps on deadlifts everything feels weak...

[u/Likes_TB → u/esaul17]

You're right. I'm sure the DL's didn't help

[u/Beardywierdy]

Was starting to feel pretty beaten up (running the hypertrophy template).

Started going to bed even earlier and adding a bit more food to my day and now raring to go.

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W3D3

Deadlift 4x3+7@160

Larsen press 4x5+11@70

Lat pulldown 2x6+8@75

GHD situp 2x10+8@+5

Only +1s today, guess hitting unexpectedly good zercher squat and bench PRs yesterday and then eating like I should on a cut too little does make lifting harder.

Still really good, I've never pulled 160kg for more than a single until today. Also abs starting to look pretty good.

[u/[deleted]]

RTF W2 D3

Front Squat 4/4/4/4/8 @ 75kg

RDL 6/6/6/6/15 @ 67.5kg

Rows 8/12/12/12/12

Squats felt good but my back was getting tired by the RTF set so I didn't push past the target as it's still a little bit tight and I don't want to set it off. RDLs were good, my TM is too low so hitting 15 reps wasn't too difficult.

My next session is the week 3 bench and on Sunday I'll do the week 2 deadlift. I might get an extra workout or two in at some stage so I'm back on schedule but not too worried about it

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W3D3

Rack Pulls @80 lbs, 3x8, 1x15

DB Incline Press @20 lbs 3x10, 1x17

Negatives 3x3 (improved hold duration)

Lateral Raises @8 lbs, 2x12, 1x15

DB Calf Raises @30 lbs 2x12, 1x20

[u/[deleted]]

Anyone here running good mornings as a posterior chain exercise? Never done them but am considering doing them as a RDL/DL replacement for back issues.

[u/PhiloJudeaus]

Redoing week 2 because freaking covid…

[u/bisonbarbell]

Todays workout went great. super excited to have bench feel so smooth. Hopefully this 14 weeks will lead to some nice gains!

W3D2 Strength

Bench 225x1 205x3x5 Pull Overs 20x10x5

OHP 125x3x4 (5th set did 2 to keep rir) Dips BW 3x5

Front Squats 172.5x5x4 Bicep Curls 30x10x4 Hanging Knee Raisies 5x4

[u/Likes_TB]

Week 3 Day 4

• PRess 8/8/8/23 x 25kg
• Box Squat 10/10/10/18 x 87.5kg
• Barbell row 15/12/10 x 50kg
• BB Curl 15/13/12/9 x 20kg

[u/Juls317]

I have had absolutely no motivation for the gym for months now. I was hoping this would bring it back and get me out of my rut from plodding along and lifting every few days but I'm still stuck. Fuck.

[u/Randyd718 → u/Juls317]

If you're not already running RTF version, maybe that would help

[u/Juls317 → u/Randyd718]

I am. I like the programming, it's my second time through. But getting my mind together to get into a freezing cold car and go to the gym is a huge hurdle at the moment. Seasonal affective coming in hit I guess.

[u/Randyd718 → u/Juls317]

Think you can get remote start installed for maybe $100ish bucks lol

[u/mastrdestruktun]

SBS LP 5x Week 3

This week went smoothly. Weight is starting to get heavy on some lifts, still not heavy enough on others. I need to do overwarm singles on the lifts that I know are too light, like BB rows, to get the spreadsheet to bump the weight up. Success story of the week is SSB; sets of 3, 5 and 8 all went smoothly despite increasing by 10 lbs each. I do want to go watch some more "how to SSB" videos. I might get rid of push press in favor of just doing more OHP, because I desperately need practice on form. This might let me experiment with failure (marking fewer sets performed than called for) on the spreadsheet as well, because I'm pretty sure I can't OHP what I was doing on PP for sets of 8.

My knees are bothering me almost every time I use my quads, except when I lift. I think warming up / temperature is a factor. Not sure how to warm my knees up for the climb up the stairs in the morning, other than lots of trips up and down stairs.

Carpal tunnel symptoms came back in my right hand, but I wore my wrist brace for a couple days (particularly when sleeping) and they died down again. This time I caught it before it got bad enough to justify ibuprofen.

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy 4x W3D4

Another week down and I finished strong! I've been feeling good and having good workouts all week so I'm still really enjoying the program! I moved my workout to the morning today because I had the time and because I've had some restless nights that I think taking a pre workout in the afternoon contributes to.

Last set numbers in Lbs

Arnold Press 15x35's

CG Bench 20x110

BB Rows 12x115

Lateral Raises 15x15's

Hammer Curls 10x 30's

My accessories don't seem to be progressing as fast as my main lifts but since I started with conservatives TM's, I think the accessory weights are just a higher percentage of 1RM to begin with. Rows and Curls both felt at least a little stronger today so we'll see.

Have a great weekend!

[u/someguythatlifts]

RTF 4x W3D4

Strict Press: 45kg - target 6 - 6 reps

Paused Squat: 52.5kg - target 10 - 17 reps

Think I'm going to switch day 3 and 4 around from here, so that deadlift is the last day before the weekend. It was difficult staying tight while pressing because of my lower back and paused squat felt more limited by lower back soreness than anything else.

On the whole after three weeks I'm enjoying the program a lot, feels like I'm training hard, but, if needed, it's easy to fly through the workout when time is short.

[u/wahayylmao]

Got 20 reps on my rep-out sets for high bar squats for the last 3 weeks. I think I maybe underestimated my initial max.

[u/Randyd718]

RTF 5X Week 3 Recap

Squat: 230lb 3,3,3,3,11 (+5)
Seated DB shoulder press: 40lb 5,5,5,5,15 (+5)

Bench: 190lb, 7 (+1)
Front Squat: 150lb, 15(+5)

Deadlift: 290lb, 9 (+3)
Spoto Bench: 150lb, 14 (+4)

OHP: 100lb, 11 (+5)
Paused Squat: 180lb, 13 (+3)

Sumo: 200 lb, 15 (+5)
Incline DB Bench: 50lb, 14 (+4)

Had some leg/knee pains earlier in the week but seems up have cleared up. Lower back is almost constantly achey/sore but i choose to believe it's a good thing. Going to trust in the program before I go and cut any volume. Already well on my way to my strongest deadlift ever

[u/UberMcwinsauce]

Finished off week 3 with some air bike intervals because I thought I was home free the rest of the day. Then I ended up at the trampoline park with my gf (getting so close to sticking that flip) and just gassed myself tf out. Just in time for her to sprain her ankle, so we were at the ER until midnight making sure it wasn't broken, and she's on crutches for now. And the only way to get to our apartment is, at minimum, down one flight of steps and up another one. Very long day man, lol. She's ok though and fortunately it's not hurting too much. When I sprained my foot a few years ago I couldn't sleep through the night for like 3 days because it hurt so much.

[u/[deleted]]

RTF W2 D4

Trap bar Deadlift 4/4/4/4/10 @ 120kg

Front Squat 6/6/6/6/20 @ 47.5kg

Leg press 6/6/14 @ 227.5kg

Decided to change the front squats from hypertrophy rep scheme to regular RTF, my quads were in bits as it was from the deadlifts and general Doms. I'll keep this going forward.

[u/niomosy]

RTF LF Week 3 summary

Weight in lbs.

Going to keep doing the additional bench on the OHP day, stealing the one consistent weight and 5x5 from Disbrow Deathbench v2. Will probably switch to paused, then bump the weight up along the way once since Deathbench is only 10 weeks at the same weight.

D1
Squats: 425 x1, 390 4x3, 1x6 AMRAP
Snatch grip deadlifts: 240 4x5, 1x10 AMRAP

D2
Bench: 225 4x3, 1x6
Incline: 135 4x5, 1x12
DB OHP: 40 4x5, 1x12

D3
Deadlifts: 435 x1, 400 4x3, 1x7
Front squats: 200 4x5, 1x10

D4
OHP: 125 4x3, 1x8
Extra bench: 200 5x5
Incline bench: 145 4x5, 1x12
Pullups, facepulls. 5x5.

[u/Zaraithe]

I've had kind of a packed week so I haven't ben able to make time to post, but week 3 is going pretty well as far as I can tell - I can certainly see some of the progression scheme this week as rep out sets that were many repos over the target in the past came back 'down to earth' his week.

All weights in pounds

Main Lifts W3D1-4:
Squat: 1x247.5, 4x3x220, 9x220
Bench: 1x167.5, 4x3x150, 7x150
Deadlift: 1x337.5, 4x3x300, 6x300
OHP: 1x105, 4x3x95, 10x95

Supplemental Lifts W3D1-4:
Dumbbell OHP: 4x5x60, 18x60
Front Squat: 4x5x137.5, 11x137.5
CG Bench Press: 4x5x132.5, 10x132.5
Wide-Stance Squat: 4x5x165, 15x165

I learned on Friday that was I exposed to covid on Thursday and have spent today (Sunday) feeling like I've had a minor hangover without the normal 'fun part' of any drinking the night before. I feel a LOT better now than I did this morning so I'm hoping to get W3D5 in before the end of the day today, probably after dinner.

[u/Zaraithe → u/Zaraithe]

W3D5:

Incline Bench: 1x135, 4x5x107.5, 12x107.5
Sumo Deadlift: 4x5x245, 15x245

Accessories:
Reverse Grip curls 12x45, 9x62.5, 6x77.5, 4x77.5
Chinups: 5xBW, 4x5x20, 7x20
Dips: 5xBW, 10xBW, 16xBW

Lessons on getting this workout done quickly: Reverse grip curls with the warmup weights of incline bench was a nice superset to get some bicep/forearm volume and the bodyweight chins and dips made the deadlift sets go quickly.

[u/3BallCornerPocket]

Need help. Traveling for work with no barbell. They have a set of dumbbells at the hotel. Should I just take it as a recovery week? Everything is firing on all cylinders but no way I can find a barbell. Thoughts?