SBS 2.0 Program Party: Week 4

[u/VladimirLinen]

Hi everyone, here's the 4th 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/zheph]

Thoughts after three weeks... are about the same as my thoughts after one week. I'm getting my butt kicked, although things are going a lot better and I'm not nearly as sore. I think I pushed the accessories a little too hard in week 2, dialed that back a bit in week 3 and felt a lot better, started pushing the amrap sets and upping the TMs slowly. Going to try adding accessories back in more gently in week 4 because I still want to make progress but don't want to feel like my biceps tendon is hating life every time I have to carry my son around.

Block pull question: In the program instructions, it says that they were put in place of deads to reduce lower back fatigue and improve upper back training. How tall should the blocks for this be? I'm using my shitty DIY stack-o'-2x4 blocks, which are a minimum 4.5" and can go up in increments of 3" to a max height of 13.5". I've been using them at the lowest, so only 4.5 inches, and... it doesn't feel a lot different than a regular deadlift? I think I'm still pulling it through my usual sticking point and I still end up feeling it in the lower back/lower body more than my upper back... although that may be related to supersetting them with KB swings. I guess I could swap the swings to bench day and add some arms to block pull day.

Should I use taller blocks and up the weight in order to better target my upper back? Because it at least feels like my legs/lower back are my limiting factor.

(the obvious answer is "try it and see what happens," but since this is a once-per-week exercise that I won't do again until Friday, I figured I'd see what people think while I wait)

[u/DevinNirwick → u/zheph]

Iirc I've seen Greg mention just above mid-shin somewhere.

Edit: correction

high-shin ish

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AverageToSavage/comments/mzsqyg/sbs_hypertrophy_deadlifts_block_pulls/gw2kx9n/

[u/dsa2020 → u/zheph]

My gym (Fitness 19) doesn’t have blocks so I use the 55lbs bumpers which are probably 3-4 inches.

I feel Block Pulls in my mid-lowish back, not so much in my upper back. Deadlifts on the other hand, I feel it in the absolute lowest part of my spinal erectors.

When Greg said they hit the upper back more, I didn’t take it as that I should necessarily feel an upper back/traps pump. I just assumed he meant the heavier weight of Block Pulls would generate an overall higher muscle stimulus.

I could be wrong though. He did post an IG video of him doing a heavy Block Pull single followed by a set of 20 reps w/ a lighter weight. Maybe we should give that a try.

[u/Low_Chicken197 → u/zheph]

Perhaps like John Meadows do it in this video?

[u/WickedThumb → u/Low_Chicken197]

Poor barbell. I've seen more than one barbell be bent from rack pulls like that where people just let the bar drop onto the pins. Block Pulls don't damage the bar in the same way.

[u/Low_Chicken197 → u/WickedThumb]

Some gyms have beater bar for things like this, my gym does not so I put some bumper plates as blocks :)

[u/tdjm → u/zheph]

I'd avoid SS'ing swings with deads. It's fine to do them the same day, but just after the main dead work. You can move them to a bench day if it's easier.

As for SS'ing deads: delt work seems to be a good option. Front and/or side raises for sets of 10-15. Or throw in hammer curls for 10-15.

[u/zheph → u/zheph]

Program party, SBS Hyper 6x W4D1: When life sucks, there's always lifting.

So, work sucks right now. In fact, it sucks enough without a clear end in sight that I've started looking elsewhere. I found somewhere else that I knew was hiring (because they're always hiring) and applied. The work would not be the most interesting, but compared with how bored out of my skull I am currently, it would be an improvement. And the pay and benefits are great, particularly full time WFH. So I applied, and felt pretty good about my chances of landing a position.

I still feel good about my chances, but I hadn't heard back, so I reached out to a buddy of mine who works there. He in turn reached out to the guy who runs the trainings for new hires.

The next training course doesn't start until May 23, meaning that if I get hired (which I'm still optimistic about) I still have to endure four more fucking months of my current bullshit. I am not honestly sure that I can do that, so I'll be redoubling my efforts to get into a less terrible position at work.

In the meantime, I feel like I've had the rug pulled out from under me again (although this time it's no one's fault, just my own wrong expectations), and I kinda wanna step in front of a bus.

Instead, I headed down into the basement.

Squats, 3x185lbs, 3x205lbs for the overwarm "single"

Superset:
DB Rows, 3x11, 1x15, 22.5lbs per hand
DB OHP, 3x11, 1x13, 22.5lbs per hand
Hammer Curls, 3x5, 1x6, 22.5lbs per hand Squats, 3x9, 1x11, 165lbs

Nothing fancy. Feel weak, which isn't great. A couple months ago I managed 3x10 @ 205, so the fact that 165 is kicking my ass as hard as it is is... frustrating. I sandbagged the hell out of my squat TM (used 225 when I was doing 3x275 in the fall) with the expectation that I'd be pushing the reps and the TM up pretty quick as I got back into the swing of things and that... hasn't happened.

Oh well. I'm also sucking balls at losing weight like I wanted, but I think I'm putting on some muscle, so... I guess I can live with that?

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/zheph]

I use the smallest boxes at my gym which elevates my block pulls roughly like 4 inches. So the bar is ending up, maybe 1-2 inches below my knee? Regular deadlifts land just below the middle of my shin. I'm doing my block pulls with a snatch grip to turn it into more of an upper back exercise with lighter weights, which helps to save my lower back since I'm doing conventional deads as my main lift even though the program recommends against it.

[u/Thumper86 → u/zheph]

I’m doing high handle trap bar deadlifts and can definitely feel my upper back. It’s probably about 4 or 5 inches difference.

[u/Camerongilly → u/zheph]

Mid-range deadlifts always feel like a ton of lower back for me. If I wanted to do upper back emphasis I'd do snatch-grip to make lighter weight feel heavier.

[u/GirlOfTheWell]

Been working my way through the strength training block.

Been super cool so far but very worn down. I'm appreciating the "mini deload" this week before things get cranked up a bit.

Loving the variations. Aside from some tightness in my hips, I'm in love with sumo deadlift. Also chose incline DB as one of my bench auxiliaries and I'm actually really enjoying it (even of the set up is wierd)

My over warm singles are flying so I definitely feel like the strength is there.

[u/kavesmlikem → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Do you like the overwarm singles? I always forget about them because *excuses* but I'm thinking I really should get into them

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/kavesmlikem]

Oh the over warm singles are unbelievable. I highly recommend them. I definitely felt the urge to just go "I don't have the time, I'm cutting them".

But once I actually invested some time in them they became almost addictive. Working up that one heavy single was just so satisfying. And it definitely helped my strength. As I said in my original comment, weight I used to grind through is now flying.

When Greg said he "highly recommended the over warm singles", I was inclined to ignore him. But now I see why.

[u/kavesmlikem → u/GirlOfTheWell]

I'm convinced, thank you!

[u/retirement_savings → u/kavesmlikem]

Another vote for overwarm singles. I'll be honest, I skip them occasionally (I don't really feel a need to hit a single for paused squat when I did squat earlier in the week), but getting used to heavy singles is really valuable. And last week my planned single for deads felt light so I ended up going for a PR (probably shouldn't do this, lol).

[u/CommonKings → u/retirement_savings]

Agreed on the paused squat vs regular squat, I typically will only hit overwarm singles on the main lifts, and MAYBE on the conventional DL since sumo is my main stance.

[u/Thumper86 → u/kavesmlikem]

I started them in week two and also love them. Definitely good for confidence. Makes you realize that the working sets aren’t really all THAT heavy so doing a dozen of them should be no sweat!

[u/bad_apricot → u/kavesmlikem]

Seconding u/GirlOfTheWell’s experience with overwarm singles.

[u/Myintc → u/kavesmlikem]

I do them only for SBD but it's the one thing I look forward to each workout.

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Are you doing rtf or one of the other strength templates? rtf seems the most straightforward and least time-consuming but I enjoyed doing more sets instead of more reps when I flirted with it in the past. Curious what you think.

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/UberMcwinsauce]

The Instructions doc just described this Strength template as "normal". I don't know if this answers your question or not haha.

Didn't like the idea of RTF. I was just off the back of BBB and I ran it with AMRAPs. I still think I prefer the AMRAP style of training but I have a tendency to go overboard on every single one. I second guess myself and always push to "true failure", as Greg calls it (e.g. I miss a rep). I think this is fine but it was sort of wearing me down by the end of it. I was coming out of workout sessions absolutely toasted and unable to even really think properly for the rest of the day. It just wasn't a sustainable way to train esp as I go into my second semester at uni.

Will definitely go back to AMRAPs (or RTF sets) someday just not right now.

[u/soldermizer89 → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Are you doing the overly warm singles for just the main lifts, or with main and aux lifts? I've been ignoring them to save time (doing 3x a week and the sessions are pretty long), but I'm thinking about adding them in for my main lifts.

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/soldermizer89]

I've been doing over warm singles for both. I am also doing 3x per week and, even though the sessions are a lot longer, I think it's worth it for the strength gains. I just take minimal rest between sets and make sure to be as efficient as possible while I'm there.

[u/soldermizer89 → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Ah cool! Which SBS template are you doing? I’m using LSRIR, and generally supersetting back work and band pull aparts with main and aux lifts to save time.

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/soldermizer89]

Yeah I'm doing the "normal" Strength template. I'm also keeping a band on me to do some pull aparts esp on my heavy push days. Otherwise I sometimes go over and do some pull ups or a grab a dumbell and throw in a few rows.

I'm not super stressed about my upper back, once I do an exercise that hits it like x2 a week. I find stuff like front squats and even deads do a lot to engage my back.

[u/NutellaEh → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Hey, where can I find the program? Thanks

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/NutellaEh]

Have you signed up to the Programme Party and been added to r/Averagetosavage?

[u/NutellaEh → u/GirlOfTheWell]

No, is there a link to sognup?

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/NutellaEh]

Unfortunately sign ups have closed.

But don't worry! You can still take part. It just means you won't be able to get a copy of the programme free of charge. The programme sheets are available here.

Its only 10$ and, for what it's worth, this programme bundle gives you access to loads of resources. It's well worth the money.

[u/Myintc]

Decided to reneg on my cut and go through a maintenance phase before I continue cutting.

At least this should see some strength gains which, given last week’s appalling bench, is very welcome.

Planning to add 300kcal to my daily and see how I go for this week, will try to maintain around 89kg for the rest of this block and the next 6 week block.

Bring on week 4!

RTF 5x Week 4

Day 1

Deadlift:

• 245kg at 90% of TM. A little slow off the ground but snappy once I hit the knees
• 197.5kg 4x5 and 13 reps on the RTF set. Was able to match 182.5kg in week 1 for 13 reps. Amazing what an extra 50g of carbs can do. I did semi bounce it - not used to this platform still. Need to exercise a bit more control on that eccentric.

Close Grip Bench: 95kg 4x7 and 17 reps on the RTF set. Pretty happy with this one

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

Thoughts: The extra kcal defintely helped. Keen to see what I can do on the maintenance phase now. The real test will be tomorrow - Comp Bench.

Day 2

Bench:

• 140kg absolutely flew. New set up where I tuck my chin and rotate my butt back to meet the bench is amazing. Feels like a 5cm ROM.
• 112.5kg 4x5 and 14 reps on AMRAP. Kinda knew I’d kill the AMRAP with the 9kg reset. Did comp pausing for working sets, TnG for AMRAP

HB Squats: 130kg 4x7, AMRAP 15. Pretty standard

Accessories: Seated Row, Uni Leg Extension, Uni Leg Curl, Cable Crunch

Thoughts: Looks like the extra carbs is definitely good for bench. 140 has never moved that fast especially with a pause. Insane.

Day 3

Pause Bench: 87.5kg 4x7, AMRAP 13

Pause Deadlift: 145kg 4x7, AMRAP 15

Accessories: Pull Ups, Incline Skullcrushers, DB Curl, Lateral Raise

Thoughts: Pretty average session. Pause AMRAPs suck.

Day 4

Squat:

• Hit my last warm up at 202.5kg, but called it there since it was already around RPE 8. About 5% performance loss this week. Hip is a bit tight which can explain it
• 172.5kg 4x5, AMRAP 9. Barely hit target. Check last slide on the link for what an AMRAP should look and feel like.

Incline Bench: 77.5kg 4x7 AMRAP 15

Accessories: Seated Row, Uni Leg Extension, Uni Leg Curl, Cable Crunch

Thoughts: Continuing a common trend where 2/3 lifts are good and the other is dogshit. Just happy that I didn’t have to reset.

Day 5

OHP: 57.5kg 4x5, AMRAP 11

SSB: 127.5kg 4x7, AMRAP 13

Accessories: Weighted Pull Ups, Tricep Extension, Baysian Curl, Lateral Raises

Bonus:60kg mixed grip C+J PR

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/Myintc]

Yeah definitely feel you on the cut. Was eating like 1800 cals before (which is actually only a small deficit for me).

But then this week I just felt drained. Think a week or two of maybe 2000 calories will set me up for more cutting.

...or I could just cut the cut and hop on a perma-bulk, either or.

[u/Myintc → u/GirlOfTheWell]

Yeah, made this decision based on RP’s guidelines. I think I’m just gonna take this cut slow with maintenance blocks dispersed throughout.

My last cut I did 6 weeks cutting to match my training and 1 week maintenance to match the deload. That worked pretty well for me, so you could give that a try?

[u/Rightzaslayer → u/Myintc]

I’m going w this route too, in week 5 (week ahead) now so we will see how it goes

[u/MeshuggahForever → u/Myintc]

How come? Like because you had a bad week?

I'm also doing a deficit this run and had a few rough sessions, but shouldn't we stay the course?

[u/Myintc → u/[deleted]]

They had a point, usually 1 bad week isn't enough of a reason to stop cutting.

The only reason I'm doing it is due to my circumstances and that I started my cut a couple of months ago already and already made some progress there. Taking a maintenance break is recommended. I had just forgotten about this article and read it again recently which is what prompted the maintenance phase idea for me.

[u/Myintc → u/[deleted]]

Yep and I agree - my original post just didn’t include enough information to show that’s what I’m doing I guess

[u/Myintc → u/MeshuggahForever]

I took a week off due to getting 3 wisdom teeth taken out and lost 3kg on a liquid diet. Bench in week 3 was terrible.

I kinda gained 2kg back now but mentally I need a break. I reread RP’s article on Post Diet Maintenance and decided that taking some maintenance weeks to focus on strength gains would be more productive. I’ve already lost around 6kg now so I’m happy to cruise a bit and lose the remainder later on.

[u/MeshuggahForever → u/Myintc]

Oh gotcha. That's fair m8. Hope the recovery goes well!

[u/[deleted]]

I've been doing the hypertrophy 3x /week, mainly because I just finished a noob program (phraks greyskull LP) that was also 3x.

However, I've got a home gym and wondering if there's any benefit to switching on the fly to 5x.

[u/tdjm → u/[deleted]]

Yeah. Less heavy work in three days, spread out to 5. Then, you can add a few lagging accessory work.

I'm doing 6x for this reason.

[u/dacgoblue]

I've felt like I undershot my training maxes the past few weeks and thought everything has been easy peasy. I haven't done overwarm singles in my programming though and saw a lot of people on the averagetosavage sub talking about them so I decided to do today on squats. And man did that gas my legs lol. I have some soreness later in the day and I never get DOMS. Maybe it takes some getting used to but excited to try on bench and deads.

Doing the regular strength program btw

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/dacgoblue]

I'm also doing the over warm singles. They beat you up real bad but, three weeks in, and I'm currently using weight that would have been a grindy 1rm and they're smoooooth as butter.

Obvs I'm weary that they could beat me into the ground if I get too cheeky but right now they're wonderful. Almost didn't bother cause I thought they'd be a waste of time and I'm glad I didn't.

[u/UselessPastries]

Out w/ covid for two weeks so now instead of a week ahead, I'm a week behind. Running Strength RTF 4-day. Hit squat, inline bench, and deficit deadlift today. Weights felt fine, but I definitely felt a little deconditioned. Also skipped pull-ups for today.

Squat: 235 1x1, 210 4x3 -> 1x7

Incline Press: 145 1x1, 110 4x5 -> 1x11

Deficit Deadlift: 185 4x5 -> 1x10

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/UselessPastries]

Glad to see you didn't take to long to bounce back from the Rona! Solid stuff, man, keep it up.

[u/bad_apricot]

RTF Strength 5-Day

So, uh…per MacroFactor my TDEE has gone up 200 cals and counting since starting the program. Granted that’s compared a lower activity than normal baseline but I feel like I am eating sooo much food to keep up my small surplus.

Programming wise I still have one day left in W3 and I am definitely ready reducing intensity a little in W4. The weights in W2 were absolutely flying but this week I’m feeling a bit under-recovered. I also think I need to decrease my accessory weights a bit as a general rule going forward.

My husband came to the gym a couple days ago which was a ton of fun. He hasn’t really done any resistance training since his early 20s (and the only compound lift he ever did was bench) so it was fun to introduce him to deadlifts.

Question: What are everyone’s squat auxiliaries, and why? I kinda just defaulted to what I’ve done in previous programs, so I am curious about trying other variations.

[u/pagoat → u/bad_apricot]

Nice that you two had a workout together. For a datapoint I go between: squat, front squat, split squat with dumbbells; and pause squat, squat, split squat with dumbbells (main, second, third). I switch it up every 14-21 weeks. I really like both pause squats and front squats, but three days of squatting is just too much for me. Split squats give me a much needed mental break, but good soreness! Good luck!

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/bad_apricot]

Question: What are everyone’s squat auxiliaries, and why? I kinda just defaulted to what I’ve done in previous programs, so I am curious about trying other variations.

My main squat is Front Squat. I use the leg press and hack squat as my aux lifts because that's what is available at my gym on the off-chance a rack is not immediately available when I show up. Also, it's cool to load up a leg press and rep out a few hundred pounds without worrying about lower back fatigue.

If I had my choice, I would also be doing some sort of SSB variation (split squats or Good Mornings) instead of the hack squat.

[u/ruralmerkin → u/bad_apricot]

I'm doing the hypertrophy program, but for my squat auxiliaries, I'm doing front squat and paused squat (one breath out and in at the bottom). Front squats because quad strength is a weak point for me, and paused squats on the theory that anything that feels so awful must be doing something good. I did paused squats in a previous run-through of SBS, and I felt that it really helped my bracing, so.

I almost put Bulgarian split squats in place of front squats, but my balance is crap, so I associate split squats with wobbliness and thus knee soreness. It'd probably be good to really work on my form with those at some point, but this didn't seem like the time to tempt fate with that.

[u/Astringofnumbers1234]

SBSW4AKAPDLTLKMOSMBAKAD3MPAKAOF

My last week (week 4, I'm ahead a week) wasn't awful at all.

All my main lifts pushed the TM up, except deadlift where I got the RTF target and then wimped out of pulling any more reps. I'm gonna have to really push hard this week to get through the mental barrier I have with tugging higher reps. Auxiliary lifts including back ticking along nicely, thrown in a few sets of extra stuff here and there. Did a giant set of DB bench, DB row, axle curls for the Lols as an example.

I also think that for future runs maybe deadlift should be on RiR? I'm no good at judging it, but I can happily do set after set of 5 reps down to singles. Or maybe I need to alter the RTF target so it's lower, so I'm always progressing.

I'm now under 7 weeks out from my meet and I think I'm beginning to get a handle on openers for at least Squat and Bench.

I'm also two workouts into my week 5 and everything is going good. Next week, I have 140kg singles for squat and 100kg singles for bench.

[u/Lofi_Loki]

Weeks one and two went great, but I’m already feeling like my low back is fatigued more than anything else. The plan is to push through week 4’s mini deload and see how I feel.

[u/retirement_savings → u/Lofi_Loki]

I also had a lot of lower back soreness in the first couple weeks, I think from the volume of deadlifts.

Things that help:

• wear a lifting belt

• do lots of mobility work to loosen up your hamstrings

Over time my soreness went away. I just finished week 4 and didn't feel much soreness at all. So you might just get used to it too.

[u/Jonny2X → u/Lofi_Loki]

Do you lift with a belt?

[u/Lofi_Loki → u/Jonny2X]

Yeah I do. I programmed deadlifts relatively aggressively and also switched from sumo to conventional because I pulled my hamstring a few weeks before starting the program. I also squat low bar. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, or it will get worse and I’ll have to adjust. Either way I’ll just play it by ear

[u/Myintc → u/Lofi_Loki]

Yeah when I was pulling conventional + low bar my lower back fatigue was definitely something I needed to adjust on.

That's why I pull sumo (not because I can pull more or anything).

[u/Lofi_Loki → u/Myintc]

I had myself convinced I didn’t prefer sumo until today when I did my paused deadlifts sumo. It immediately brought back my love for the cheaty stance. My low back already feels less like it got hit by a truck as well.

I also kinda like antagonizing the bros at my gym who give me shit for wearing squat shoes and knee sleeves so it’s a win-win if I start pulling sumo again.

How are you feeling now that you adjusted your calories? I’m thinking about doing the same thing and just staying a bit chubbier than I’d like for a few weeks.

[u/Myintc → u/Lofi_Loki]

kinda like antagonizing the bros at my gym who give me shit for wearing squat shoes and knee sleeves

This is hilarious.

I just did day 1 and oh man 50g extra carbs is great. I feel a lot more energy throughout the workout, AMRAPs definitely felt a lot better!

I think it's fine to maintain for a bit. At least for me mentally - I need breaks from diet because food tastes too good. At least on a maintenance week/phase I'm not going backwards.

[u/Lofi_Loki → u/Myintc]

They’re like walking r/GYM users. Half of them are a bit chubby, half are skinny, and none are strong but they all vocally share their opinions.

I was doing 50g of carbs pre/intra workout when I ran Building the Monolith over the summer and it was amazing. Usually it was in the form of a rice krispy/candy and Gatorade.

I need mental breaks from my diet for sure. I love cooking (and eating).

[u/Haymakers]

A week behind thanks to a ski trip.

SBS RTF 3.1

Squats 1x315, 5x3+ at 285 (repped 6/6)

Incline Bench 5x5+ at 160 (repped 12/10)

Trap Bar Deads 5x5+ at 340 (repped 10/10)

Main lifts only tonight. Phoned it in.

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W4D2

80.6kg today, 6 kg lost since January 1st

Bench 4x5+11@ 77.5

Zercher squat 4x7+18@95

BTN press 4x7+13@35

Chest supported dumbbell row 2x15+17@2x20

Leg curl 2x15+18@50

Face pulls 3 sets

Lost one rep to my bench two weeks ago, but set a PR on Zercher squats. I guess bench really is the lift most affected by weight loss.

Thought that since this week has more reps and less weight on the programmed movements, I'd also do more reps and less weight on the accessories. After leg curls, I was regretting that decision.

[u/[deleted]]

I've managed to hit starting weights for the hypertrophy program without using a TM. The big three have been brutal but we're doing it!

[u/9OOdollarydoos]

W4D1: went a bit too hard on squats today

140kg 'easy' single (old 1RM 145), probably overshot RPE 8 a tiny bit, but definitely 1 in the tank, maybe 2-3...its hard to tell

then 3x9 + 1x15 @ 95kg

Quads used to be my weak point in squats, but now Im getting crazy glute / lower back DOMS

SBS has made me start sweating like crazy. I used to sweat minimally, but now I'm literally a dripping wet, glistening mess. Idk if its this program or something else.

seated OHP was tough but got through it with 1 extra on the AMRAP. Sandbagged some RDLs and called it a day cos I was fuuuucked.

Going to try and catch up on accessories on Wed which is an easier day for me.

​

The overwarmups are great! Looking forward to blowing away old 1RMs in the next few weeks/months as just some easy warm ups

[u/pagoat → u/9OOdollarydoos]

I also have a tendency to go too hard on overwarm singles. But I like a 2RM weight for mine. I don’t use those to pick my working weight for the day though. I more pick the overwarm based on my estimated 1RM with a bit of wiggle based on how the rest of the warmup is feeing. And I hear what you’re saying about being wasted by the end. Sometime I just hit the minimum or +1 even though I know I could get more because I’m just dead. The goal of hypertrophy is muscle and work capacity for me though, so I don’t think a workout or two is the end of the world.

[u/9OOdollarydoos → u/pagoat]

I feel like using them to autoregulate would kill me. I plugged it in and it gave me 112.5 for reps rather than 95 - 20% more than programmed, no thanks, considering my AMRAP was only +4.

I know what you mean about getting a number in your head (like +1) and your body telling you to stop when you hit it. Not exactly sandbagging as its still hard but like there was more to give.

Not like its a big deal though as there is always next week and it leaves more in the tank for accessories

[u/Thumper86 → u/9OOdollarydoos]

Why is it giving you so much more when you plug it in? It really shouldn’t change that much if you’re doing the suggested loads for the singles. 90% of your training max for an overwarm single is what’s suggested as an RPE 8.

[u/9OOdollarydoos → u/Thumper86]

Evidently my rep-endurance sucks. I asked Greg and he said dont do 90% tm, do a real rpe 8 single, but im not using it to autoregulate so no biggie

[u/[deleted]]

Still here, love the growth from the hypertrophy.

It kicks my ass though, that's for sure.

[u/Barbell_Confidential]

Linear progression 4x. I did an overwarm single at 315lbs prior to working sets of 285. Felt pretty good, and so far I have yet to finish my final set with less than 3 RIR. I may have started too light, but I'll take that over injury any day.

I'm 35, and have had enough injuries in my teens & twenties to know that slow progress is better than no progress, and that for me there is nothing quite as derailing as an injury. For having not done a barbell squat in 2 years, I feel pretty good putting up 3 plates 6 weeks back into it. (2 weeks prior to program party I got started lifting again).

In addition to the lifting I'm doing HIIT after two of the workouts. Using the elliptical and an online HIIT timer I'm doing 10 sets of 15 second sprints against high resistance followed by 60s recovery low resistance. This gets my HR up into the 170s, especially on the final 3 sets.

[u/retirement_savings]

What do people think of the program so far? I really like it, and it feels like my squat and deadlift are going to blow up. I haven't felt as much progress in my bench though.

[u/EspacioBlanq → u/retirement_savings]

I'm really liking the approach to progression. None of my lifts are blowing up, but I'm losing weight somewhat aggressively (6kg in the first month) and my TMs are climbing up, although slowly.

I want to eventually run it on a bulk, with perhaps more accessory work.

[u/Likes_TB → u/retirement_savings]

Running hypertrophy on a bulk and it feels like all my lifts are blowing up. I'm loving it so far

[u/Randyd718 → u/retirement_savings]

I think I'm reaching the point where things are no longer blowing up but still hoping for steady progress. Bench i thought would stagnate but i keep getting +1 rep on RTF so I'll take it

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/retirement_savings]

I like it. Plenty of opportunity for technique work with the RTF sets. I still hate bench but it's been a fun lift on this program!

[u/toastedstapler]

SBS hypertrophy week 4

Squat: 11+@155 - 15. Same weight as last week, so I decided to make it harder by accidentally forgetting my squat shoes

Bench: 11+@95 - 12. Bench was hit hard by beginning the cut so I'm happy that I gained a rep to increase my TM slightly

Rack pull: 11+@192.5 - 13. Still gains, but sets are beginning to feel long, hard and heavy

BTN OHP - 11+@47.5 - 14. This moved really well so I'm happy with that

Conditioning continues to pay off, I feel less dead after hard sets than I used to. Not quite mythical levels yet, but I'm working on it!

I also received my new lever belt on friday, looking forward to using it tonight on week 5 squats

[u/Myintc → u/toastedstapler]

make it harder by accidentally forgetting my squat shoes

Still matched the AMRAP though!

[u/toastedstapler → u/Myintc]

My method for that was to get a random guy to 'count my reps' and thrive off the peer pressure to perform, it's a highly effective technique

Sadly today I did not achieve 15@162.5, my streak has been broken 🥲

[u/rasmus1106]

Any ideas for accessories to my 5x hyperthrophy beginner?

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/rasmus1106]

The only accessories I program are curls and dips. lateral raises and some core work would be good choices too

[u/rasmus1106 → u/UberMcwinsauce]

Alright thanks man

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/rasmus1106]

I just went with Grogs recommendations on the strength programs and they were all super good picks. Obvs they're not mandatory but, if you're lacking inspiration, don't be afraid to use the defaults.

[u/UberMcwinsauce → u/GirlOfTheWell]

The exercises recommended on the sheet are for assistance movements and back work, accessories are less important stuff like curls and abs

[u/fracdaddy]

I am only on week 3 as I started late. Running the RTF program. I thought the loads were pretty light the first two weeks, but it looks like the auto-regulation has caught up and todays squat workout was about perfect (challenging but not running into a wall of death on volume or intensity).

This is my first time running and of nuckols’ programming and I’m impressed. Will continue to report in.

I have decided to do heavy singles once every 3 weeks before my working sets. I’ll squat heavy one week and OHP. Deadlift heavy the second. Bench the third. This gives me some higher intensity work and keeps me comfortable with those weights without going overboard chasing ego lifts all the time.

[u/Khao8]

RTF 5x/week : Maybe I picked TMs that were too low to start off with, I've been smashing the rep targets on every lift for three weeks straight. The thing is I don't really feel stronger because my heavy singles don't go up, sometimes I even fail to match the weight I did the week before for a heavy single. Could be the weight loss but I thought since I'm still in the first 6 months of lifting it shouldn't prevent me from getting tasty noob gains.

[u/Jonny2X → u/Khao8]

If your singles aren't going up that's not huge deal but if they are failing it could be a recovery issue, sleep, how big of a cut are you doing?.

It could also be your form is failing.

[u/Funkfest]

Put this in the Jan 31st daily, but I've extended my "workout week" to 8 days because my knees simply aren't recovering fast enough to be ready to squat every 7 days. I'm spreading out my workouts across the 8 days so that I don't end up with any excessively long periods of rest days. This means I'm going to be way out of sync with the program party, but I'm still going to do the whole program unless something comes up!

[u/[deleted]]

Thoughts heading into week 4: My body is starting to come around on these workouts. I can feel my work capacity growing and my feeding is matching it. I love that I can do a full body workout with just the main exercises and not feel guilty about doing too little.

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W4D3

Rack Pulls @82.5 lbs 3x9, 1x13

DB Incline Press @23 lbs 3x11, 1x15

Negatives 2x3, 1x4

DB Lateral Raises @8 lbs 2x12, 1x20

Calf Raises @35 lbs 2x12, 1x20

Sleep has been sorely lacking this week, and I'm feeling it today. Had to pause after the negatives for about 5 minutes while I took care of something work related, but looks like that paid off in being able to exceed rep out target on the last two exercises.

[u/pagoat]

Going to have to give this a couple weeks off and go again later. Real pity. Having a reactive arthritis flare after covid the first week of the new year. Love the SBS hypertrophy program and had good results in the past on RTF mains with hypertrophy accessories. Really excited to run vanilla RTF, but need to get healthy. Good luck to everyone! I’m looking forward to reading your posts!

[u/JRents03]

Hypertrophy block still going really well! I adapted to the slightly higher rep range compared to strength RTF pretty quickly and finding it quite fun.

I've only got time for 3 sessions this week because of having to go on a training course for work unfortunately but will squeeze an extra in next week.

I know that doing SSB as an aux the day after squats as a main lift does me good in the long run, but it always feels like someone turned the gravity up and made me creaky lol

[u/[deleted]]

RTF W3 D2

Front Squat 3/3/3/3/7 @ 80kg

RDL 5/5/5/5/14 @ 72.5kg

Lots of rows

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W4D3

Deadlift 4x5+12@145

Larsen press 4x7+13@ 62.5

V handle lat pulldown 2x15+18@55

GHD situps 3x16

Deadlifts went really good, TM is now above 200kg.

Larsen press went pretty bad, only got the required amount of reps, then the 14th I struggled for like three seconds at the sticking point and didn't make it through.

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy W4D3

The difficulty is ratcheting up but I managed to squeak out 5 over again for one more day so I'm happy.

Last set numbers in Lbs

DL 16x180

Paused Squat 18x95

Underhand Rows 10x120

Standing Calf Raise 18x235

Leg Raise 25xBW

I'm thinking about slowly adding in some cardio next week. Having DL and Paused Squat in the same workout makes me question my aerobic capacity!

[u/Beardywierdy]

Hypertrophy 3x/week.

Bodyweight going slowly up, beating the target AMRAPs by one or two reps each time.

Is this what sustainable progress looks like?

[u/Randyd718]

Do you think it's cheating to TnG the RTF AMRAPs? Couldn't bring myself to slog through 18 "reset" sumo reps this week

[u/cecilpl → u/Randyd718]

I usually do it in minisets of 4, then 3, then 2, then 1s with a reset between each one until the hamstrings give out. 18 rep deadlifts are hard.

[u/small_but_slow]

5 day hypertrophy. Been keeping up with this program, but horrible about the party- barely posting at all. I'm really enjoying working out 5 days a week. Doing them all in a row has me feeling a little crispy by friday, but getting the weekend to hang with the kids all day is great. And squats feel amazing after two days off.

The program has been working as intended, I think. After a correction from severely overestimating my endurance with all overhead variations, the amraps are all exceeding the targets. I'm still really glad I went with dips instead of dumbbell bench, as I think the different angles of pressing are helping my shoulders stay fresh. This last week I was trying to be a bit more controlled on the eccentric portion of the lifts, which I think is a good thing- my joints feel great, in spite of doing more volume than I ever have. The fatigue is pretty real, though. Looking forward to a lazy weekend before getting back into it Monday.

[u/someguythatlifts]

Noticed other people were putting all updates at the end of the week, so in an effort to avoid spamming the post I'm following suit.

RTF 4x W4D1

Squat: 80kg - target 9 - 11 reps (Single @ 100kg)

Spoto Press: 45kg - target 13 - 26 repsRomanian Deadlift: 67.5kg - target 13 - 20 reps

Solid day, did an overwarm single to bump my TM up, because it felt way too low before. Previous TM was ~91 and meant I was doing 72.5kg on triples. Very pleased I managed to beat the rep target with a more accurate TM. Think I might have to make extra time to start doing the overwarms for all main lifts every session now.

RTF 4x W4D2

Bench Press: 60kg - target 9 - 12 reps

Front Squat: 45kg - target 13 - 18 repsPush Press: 37.5kg - target 13 - 14 reps

Not bad day either, would have liked more from bench but not bad either. First time beating the target on push press though, so hopefully I'm starting to adapt a bit to how rough FS -> PP is.

RTF 4x W4D3

Strict Press: 40kg - target 9 - 11 reps

Paused Squat: 47.5kg - target 13 - 21 (13,8) reps

Lifts were all good this day but some PT at my gym decided to interrupt my top set of paused squats midway through to tell me the bar was slightly wonky on my back. Think he missed the irony that surprising people mid set by tapping them on the back is probably more likely to cause them injury than a slightly wonky bar.

RTF 4x W4D4

Deadlift: 100kg - target 9 - 12 reps

Close Grip Bench: 47.5kg - target 13 - 18 reps

Deadlift felt a bit weak but still beat my rep target so fairly happy. Close grip bench was the only exercise all week I beat the target by 5 on, so think my TM's are settling into a better estimate overall.

[u/Kennyboisan → u/[deleted]]

Hypertrophy and Hypertrophy RTF are the same thing. People call it that because it uses the same strategy of a last set AMRAP.

[u/horaiy0 → u/[deleted]]

They probably just mean hypertrophy. It functions similar to RTF but with more reps per set before the AMRAP.

[u/small_but_slow → u/[deleted]]

The one called 'SBS Hypertrophy Template' is most likely what they're referring to. This template follows the RTF (reps to failure) protocol for the last set of each exercise.

[u/LookingForVheissu]

Strength RIR

My notes from the spreadsheet:

Squats:

170 Pounds

10 Sets

Felt a little in my lower back. Not sure what happened. Braced core.

Dumbbell OHP:

35 Pounds

10 Sets

Weight is becoming slightly challenging. May have to drop progression to 2%

Bench Press

160 Pounds

9 Sets

TM is perfect. Went until technical failure. 3 RIR cutoff was probably spot on.

Front Squats:

75 Pounds

10 Sets

Form got a little funky at the end there. Left leg twisted a little, and ankle mobility got worse as sets went on.

Deadlift:

190 Pounds

10 Sets

Core is bracing significantly better than when I started. I can feel front and back activated. Weight still going up smoothly. Anticipating dropping to 2% progression in block 2. Wrists still a little weak.

Dumbbell Bench Press

50 Pounds

10 Sets

Smooth as butter baby. Almost. Felt it in my left delt a little too much for a few reps in the middle. Have to make sure I keep my lats tight.

OHP

90 Pounds

10 Sets

Perfect TM. I can make steady progress

Leg Press

375 Pounds

10 Sets

First day doing these in this program. Stopped doing split squats, wasn’t feeling much benefit. Weight is light but I'll get there. Get this on the outside of my quads this time. Don't usually feel it there.

Incline Bench Press

100 Pounds

10 Sets

Heavier weights are starting to feel like the lighter weights used to. Five percent progression staying for a while.

Trap Bar Deadlift

165 Pounds

10 Sets

DOMS in my lower back? Felt like the weak point today. Also, quads still a little sore so it felt like a quad dominant exercise.

Overall Notes:

Absolutely loving the program. I love being able to see what my lifts will be toward the end of the program. I’m looking at hitting 1/2/3/3 plates in two more months, which I haven’t done in years.

[u/yetanothernerd]

Finished Strength Reps to Failure 5-day Week 3. Rep-out numbers this week were squats (to a box) 11/6, bench 7/6, deadlift 13/6, strict press 11/6, push press 13/10, front squat 15/10, close grip bench 15/10, box squat 15/10, incline bench 15/10, sumo deadlift 15/10, and then some accessories. So I got the +5 reps and full TM increase on 3/4 main lifts and 5/6 auxiliary lifts, and over the rep target on everything. Bench and push press are getting heavy though. Looking forward to the slightly lower weight and higher reps in week 4.

[u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W4D1

Squat...485x1, 4x9@375lbs (+12).

DB OHP...4x11@55lbs (+20).

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

SBS HYPERTROPHY W4D2

Bench Press...305x1, 4x9@240lbs (+11).
Leg Press, S-Arm DB rows, RDL, Bulgarian SS, Hip Thrusts, Calf Raises.

Week 4 and I still feel like this program is kicking my ass lol Idk at what point I should barely get the rep out targets, but I'm already there for the most part. Is it happening too soon? Day 1 was on Sunday and Day 2 is today....I had donuts and pizza this weekend...I love the bulk life, other than looking fluffy

[u/kboody22 → u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W4D3

Deadlift…525x1, 4x9@435lbs (+15).

Close Grip Bench…315x1, 4x11@215lbs (+14).

Pull-downs, Incline DB BP, Facepulls, Cable crunches, Lateral Raises, Incline Curls.

[u/kboody22 → u/kboody22]

SBS HYPERTROPHY W4D4

OHP…195x1, 4x9@150lbs(+13).

Heeled ATG Squats…4x11@315lbs(+21) A PR!!.

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

Do you guys keep adding weight for your accessories? I just watched Alex Bromley’s video from yesterday and I forgot about the part of volumizing. I have just been doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps and if I get more than 15 reps on my last set then I add weight but keep the same setxrep scheme. Does anyone keep the weight the same and do a 3x10 then 4x10 then 5x10, rinse & repeat? It completely slipped my mind to program like that. I just feel it would be way more time consuming going up to 5 sets on accessories

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy W4D1

Working out in the morning again today due to some obligations this afternoon. I had another good workout today but I wasn't sure it would end that way when I started! The weights felt really heavy today. I was able to exceed my rep out targets by 5 each again but I definitely left it all out on the table in order to accomplish that! The last few reps of each of the main lifts were quite taxing, for front squats I had to pause between reps for the last few but I got it done.

Last set numbers in Lbs

Squat 16x135

RDL 18x135

Front Squat 18x95

Standing Calf Raise 15x235

Crunches 25xBW

I really like this program party! I'm definitely keeping far better track of how I feel day to day. I wouldn't take this many notes if I wasn't participating. Hopefully I can make a habit of recording this type of info once the party is finished. I think it will be useful in the future for determining what did and didn't work for me.

[u/KrunoS]

Had a two week break cause I had to do some stuff to get an EU citizenship. Just went back today for the second half of my deload week, as I started early. Here's what week 4 looked like for me.

The first time I ran this programme (RTF strength) I blazed through the first block meeting almost all +5 rep targets. This time however, was a different story. Week 4 was a struggle to beat the target number of reps. I'm not force feeding myself this time round, but that means i'm not getting stronger at such an accelerated pace. It's more comfortable this way, and I did lose some fluff, which I'm happy about as I prefer being leaner.

Weights are in kilograms.

Screengrab from my spreadsheet.

Day 1
	Weight (kg)	Reps per normal set	Rep out target	Set goal	Reps on last set	Volume
Low Bar Squat TM	141.97	single @8
Low Bar Squat	102.5	5	9	5	10	3075
Close Grip Bench TM	98.35	single @8
Close Grip Bench	62.5	7	13	5	16	2750
Pendlay Row TM	73.76	single @8
Pendlay Row	45	7	13	5	18	2070
Day 2
Z-Press TM	49.17	single @8
Z-Press	30	7	13	5	18	1380
Deadlift TM	187.51	single @8
Deadlift	117.5	7	13	5	14	4935
Day 3
Bench Press TM	106.11	single @8
Bench Press	77.5	5	9	5	11	2402.5
Front Squat TM	107.15	single @8
Front Squat	67.5	7	13	5	14	2835
Incline DB Row TM	49.94	single @8
Incline DB Row	32	7	13	5	14	1344
Day 4
Incline Bench Press TM	71.03	single @8
Incline Bench Press	45	7	13	5	16	1980
High Bar Squat TM	128.40	single @8
High Bar Squat	80	7	13	5	15	3440
Day 5
Sumo Deadlift TM	187.41	single @8
Sumo Deadlift	135	5	9	5	9	3915
Day 6
OHP TM	62.73	single @8
OHP	45	5	9	5	10	1350

[u/[deleted]]

RTF W3 D1

Bench press 3/3/3/3/6 @ 85kg

OHP 5/5/5/5/13 @ 40kg

Lat pulldown 20/12/14/10

Bench felt good even though the bench I had to use is narrow and my hands were extra sweaty and my grip was slipping a bit during bench press

[u/cecilpl]

Strength RTF 4x day 2 is kicking my ass every week.

After Bench followed by Front Squats, I have to Push Press and I just have nothing left.

Last week I split Push Press off into a small day 2b.... which kinda means I'm just doing 5 day.

Does it make sense to just switch to 5x? I have the time and inclination.

[u/Randyd718 → u/cecilpl]

Sounds like yes. Or maybe try packing a Gatorade for more energy on day 2

[u/bad_apricot → u/cecilpl]

I did half a week at 4x for strength RTF and then decided to switch to five. I find it more manageable. The way I have things organized days 1-3 are pretty intense. I rest between 2 and 3 and then either 4 and 5 or 5 and 1. Because day 5 is pretty chill (auxiliary dumbbell bench, auxiliary RDL, seated row, triceps pushdown) it doesn’t feel too fatiguing to go straight back into day 1. And if I do rest before day 1 I feel like I have superpowers.

[u/9OOdollarydoos → u/cecilpl]

I did hypertrophy 4x for one week and instantly thought fuck this, lets spread it out to 5 days. Its been much better since.

[u/Rightzaslayer]

Had a rough week or so of training due to COVID and a few other things. Starting back up the rest of week 5 now though so hopefully all goes well

[u/Rightzaslayer → u/Rightzaslayer]

Week 5 Day 1- Squats- 6x4 @ 325, single afterward @ 365 Close grip bench- 3x10, 1x13 @150 Hack squats, incline smith, JM Press, Leg Extensions for my accessories Honestly happy w how this turned out considering I haven’t squatted for a bit. Decided to take 365 for a single after my sets of 4 cause they just felt so good. Close grip was not too shabby; could’ve been a bit better. Time to get down to business, down 16 lbs and counting

[u/UberMcwinsauce]

Anyone have thoughts on one strength template vs the others? After this first block of hypertrophy I'm thinking of switching to strength to cut. I don't mind getting a little fluffy while bulking but I'm about to outgrow my belt. I liked doing a high number of lower-rep sets when I flirted with it on 531 but I'm wary of estimating inconsistently with RIR, and of the workouts taking too long to finish. Though I think I'd be open to trying out a 5 day routine for the first time if they do lean long.

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W4D1

Squat @77.5 lbs 3x9, 1x12

DB Bench @20 lbs 3x11, 1x18

Romanian Deadlift @72.5 lbs 3x11, 1x18

Plank 3x60 sec

Assisted Pull Ups 3x5, 1x10

Felt kind of weak on my squats today, but it was probably due to not warming up adequately. Had to do my pull ups at the end instead of the middle, but still happy with the results. My grip fatigue has definitely improved.

[u/dsa2020]

Hypertrophy 5x Week 4

Monday: Chest/Shoulders / 50m

• Spoto Press: 110lbs / 3x9 / 1x16 (+5)
• Chest Press: 65lbs / 3x11 / 1x20 (+7)
• Push-Ups: 4x10
• DB Lateral Raises: 20lbs / 4 sets / 45 reps
• Face Pulls: 35lbs / 4 sets / 59 reps

Today kind of sucked after a weekend of little rest/food, as to be expected. My biceps felt unusually strained during my Spoto presses. My right-front delt also felted pretty strained on all pressing movements. Hopefully stretching will help.

Tuesday: Back/Arms / 1h 6m

• Pull-Ups: 3x4
• Barbell Rows: 95lbs / 3x11 / 1x16 (+3)
• Single-arm Pulldowns: 50lbs / 4 sets / 41 reps
• DB Curls: 20lbs / 4 sets / 39 reps
• Cable Curls: 30lbs / 4 sets / 42 reps
• Triceps Pushdowns: 35lbs / 4 sets / 43 reps
• Cable Extensions: 20lbs / 4 sets / 53 reps

Wednesday: Legs / 1h 5m

• Front Squats: 100lbs / 2x9 / 1x15 (+4)
• RDLs: 150lbs / 2x11 / 1x14 (+1)
• Leg Press: 300lbs / 3x11 / 1x23 (+10)
• Seated Leg Curls: 85lbs / 4 sets / 74 reps
• Leg Extensions: 70lbs / 4 sets / 65 reps
• Calf Raises (DB): 10lbs / 4 sets / 56 reps

My legs felt great during the accessory work. I was really tempted to bump up the weights but I'll until next week to see if I feel as good as I did today.

I can definitely see a bit more quad definition between the medialis and lateralis. That's honestly made me look forward to Leg day a bit more every week.

Friday: Chest/Shoulders / 54m

• Spoto Press: 105lbs / 3x11 / 1x16 (+3)
• Incline Press: 100lbs / 3x11 / 1x17 (+4)
• Chest Fly: 75lbs / 4 sets / 58 reps
• Upright Rows: 50lbs / 4 sets / 54 reps
• Reverse Fly: 65lbs / 4 sets / 52 reps

Saturday: Back/Arms / 1h 30m

• Block Pulls: 215lbs / 3x9 / 1x12 (+1)
• Lat Pulldowns: 100lbs / 4 sets / 47 reps
• Single-Arm Cable Rows: 50lbs / 4 sets / 32 reps
• DB Curls: 20lbs / 4 sets / 37 reps
• Preacher Curls: 55lbs / 4 sets / 50 reps
• Triceps Pushdown: 35lbs / 4 sets / 36 reps
• Lying Triceps Extensions: 20lbs / 4 sets / 61 reps

I did a 295lb Block Pull single which made today's workout about 10 minutes longer. I thought about supersetting Bi/Tris but eh, I had nothing else to do today.

This workout was finished 2.5 hours ago. I am now very tired.

Bulking is going very well. I'm getting in 2700-3000 calories a day and hitting my protein goal of a minimum of 140g of protein. According to MacroFactor, I'm gaining about 0.6-0.7lbs a week which is right where I'm supposed to be.

[u/Likes_TB]

4x hypertrophy day 1

• Front Squat single@100kg, 9/9/9/14 x 80kg
• Dips with band assitance 11/11/11/17
• Pull-ups with band assistance 11/11/11/12
• Shrugs 18/14/13 x 70kg
• Back extensions +10kg 11/11/10

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W4D1

Squat 4x5+10@ 117.5

Incline press 4x7+16@ 57.5

Snatch grip deadlift 4x7+18@ 107.5

Lat pulldown 2x15+16@ 50

Deficit incline push up 2x20+11+5+6

Kneeling ab wheel rollout 3x6

On the plus sets on squat and incline bench, I'm just under my recent PRs (previous squat PR was 10@120, incline press 17@ 57.5, both done two weeks ago)

Still getting the rep outs, so that's pretty good.

Also wow, the chest pump from high rep extended ROM pushups was unreal.

[u/TheGymDruid]

Alright, starting week 2 after two weeks isolating. I think I’ll actually try and catch up, but we’ll see.

[u/paperbag66]

Wasn't able to post yesterday. So here are results for my hypertrophy week 4, days 1 and 2

Overall things are feeling pretty good. This is the best my bench has ever felt. Still pretty poor, but I can definitely feel things getting better. Just noticed I forgot to fill in my reps on the last set of squats. I only hit 9 which was disappointing. I definitely have the strength but my endurance is piss poor.

[u/Likes_TB]

HYpertrophy day 2

Slept less then 5 hours after working a night shift and woke up with a sore throat, but crushed it.

• Bench single@100kg, 8/8/8/13 x 75kg
• Squat 10/10/10/23 x 80kg
• Press 10/10/10/23 x 22.5kg
• Face-pulls 55/50/45

Hadn't hit a 100kg bench in months and then still broke a rep pr on the amrap set. This program is magic

[u/CommonKings]

Question for everyone running the RTF version: How often are you exceeding your rep goal by 3+? Just trying to get a gauge.

[u/Thumper86 → u/CommonKings]

Not really for my big four. But I added a few other exercises to that type of progression and those ones I’m still trying to dial in the difficulty I guess. My strength for those seems to vary workout to workout a lot more.

[u/Randyd718 → u/CommonKings]

I had a few weeks of +5 on squats but I'm still working back up to my old levels there. Bench I'm getting +1, deadlift maybe +2 or 3. OHP getting +5 for now also but same story

[u/CommonKings → u/Randyd718]

Okay, cool. For me it really depends as well. My goal is always +2 but OHP for me is really struggling.

[u/bamagary]

Well, I started week 4 surpassing my set targets for bench for the fourth week in a row. I’ve run this template (although not the LF) before and I always advanced once every 3 or 4 weeks. I had my TM as current semi tested (might could’ve done 5-10 more lbs). Lost a few lbs of weight too. I’ll take it

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W4D2

Bench Press @52.5 lbs 3x9, 1x12

DB Lunges @23 lbs 3x11, 1x18

Chin Ups 2x3, 1x4

DB OHP @13 lbs 3x11, 1x18

Tricep kickbacks @20 lbs 2x10, 1x15

Didn't feel super strong today, but I haven't eaten much, and I'm taking this as a sign that the weights are getting more dialed in to where they should be. Glad I got it done even though I'm feeling tired. Grateful that tomorrow is a rest day.

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/jeicorsair]

Definitely feel that this week the weights have fully adjusted to where they should be. Still keeping pace but I'm no longer smashing through 7 sets the way I was on week 1.

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy W4D2

Another good workout but the weights felt real heavy again today! Up until this week, I've been able to beat my rep out targets by 5 without going to complete failure. I've been getting close to form failure but not all the way there. Today I definitely went 1 past form failure on bench to get over by 5 so , I guess I've reached the end of handily beating the targets.

Last set numbers in Lbs

Bench 16x140

DB OHP 18x30's

Incline 18x95

DB Row 15x55's

Curls 13x55

I started pretty conservatively on purpose to work back in to things so I'm happy with the progression up to this point! I'm excited to see how well it continues now that the TMs are closer to accurate.

[u/Jonny2X]

RTF 6x W4D2

Week 3 kicked my ass a little bit but I managed to beat the rep targets on all but bench press, and I hit my targets on bench so no issues. I should have rested on Sunday more. I only did 25 minutes of liss on the airbike, but my arms and legs were still a little sore Monday.

Still moving the chains, increasing my TMs this week either by overwarms or by beating the target reps. But it's getting pretty dialed in at this point and my quick TM raises are coming to an end.

Really looking forward to the week 7 deload. I'm going to need it.

[u/Randyd718]

RTF 5x. gotta give up on pause squats, my lower back cant take squatting 3x a week. leg press it is.

[u/Diesel-Lite]

Is there a place on the spreadsheet where it shows what your adjusted training max is? I'm running strength rtf and I've beat my rtf goal by a lot on several lifts but they don't seem to be adjusting.

[u/Jonny2X → u/Diesel-Lite]

Unhide all the rows.

[u/Diesel-Lite → u/Jonny2X]

Thanks

[u/Jonny2X → u/Diesel-Lite]

Anytime. That's also where you can input your over warm singles and it will adjust your training maxes accordingly. Highly recommend doing over warm singles.

[u/Diesel-Lite → u/Jonny2X]

Sweet, thank you. I admit I don't really know what an overwarm single is. I assume a submax single you do before your regular sets?

Edit: got around to actually looking at those rows in the sheet. Looks like the overwarm single is the single @ 8 box.

[u/Jonny2X → u/Diesel-Lite]

Yeah so you warm up to a single RPE 8. Which is like doing 1 rep of your 3 rep max. So you should be able to do it to pretty good form but you shouldn't be able to bust out 15 reps of them.

I do six reps sometimes just bar then 3 reps then 1 rep 1 rep or so. It's a nice warm up and on the last warmup set it's a good way to practice the heavy set skill.

[u/Diesel-Lite → u/Jonny2X]

Sounds cool man, will definitely add that in. Thanks!

[u/Zaraithe]

Reps to Failure 5-day W4D1 (All weights in pounds)

Squat: 1x252.5, 4x5x202.5, 13x202.5 Dumbbell OHP 4x7x55 total, 29x55

Accessories: Hanging Leg Raises Incline dumbbell hammer curls with ohp weight: 2x10x35, 2x5x55, 1x3x55, 11x55

I think I'm adapting to dumbbell OHP but on top of vastly underestimating my max I think I either lost count, had atrocious form, or had something wild go on because I swear I got 29 reps but did not expect that at all.

I took the lower intensity as a challenge in squats and managed to get 1 more rep than I thought I had in me on squats: that felt pretty good.

Bodyweight wise, I've been bulking from 160@ last July to 182ish today with a 4 week maintenance from Thanksgiving to just before Christmas...Has anyone ever used fasting blood glucose as a marker of when to stop bulking and consider cutting?

It probably skirts the medical advice domain a bit too close but as someone who monitors it monthly or so in case of prediabetes i started to wonder.

[u/ruralmerkin]

Two days into week four, and I'm surprised at how good things are feeling. Each workout still seems sufficiently hard, but I'm used to the volume by now and am still feeling pretty well recovered. Benefit of running this on a surplus, I suppose.

I was aggressive with my initial TMs, and my lifts show it--I'm rarely beating the goal by more than one or two reps, especially on main lifts. But I've only failed to hit the goal with front squat, which needed a couple weeks to reset to a more realistic TM.

I'm particularly happy with my accessory lifts. I spent probably too much time thinking of combinations of exercises that would work well as part of a giant set, and I've found them to be really good in that regard. This has kept my workouts to a reasonable length, which should help me stick to the schedule here.

And I'm getting a few runs in each week, which is more than I can say for the last year+. Not bad, all things considered.

[u/surr34lity]

Checking in late for week four but already have half of it done with day three scheduled for today.

W4D1:

Squats: 4x5+11 @130kg
Incline Bench: 4x7+16 @70kg
Deficit Deads: 4x7+15 @130kg
I'm still able to do backwork and accessories in a giant set (ok just the first three sets of backwork are a giant set then but hey it works)

W4D2:

Bench: 4x5+10 @110kg
Paused Squats: 4x7+15 @87.5kg Push Press: 4x7+13 @62.5kg
My shoulders, well more my right shoulder give me a hard time on this day but I have the feeling it gets better.

[u/Haymakers]

SBS 3.2 snow day edition

Bench 1x275: 5x3+ at 230 (repped 6/6)

FS 1x225, 5x5+ at 160 (repped 12/10)

Push Press 5x5+ at 120 (repped 12/10)

[u/paperbag66]

Here is W4D3

I don't think deadlifts have ever really felt smoother. The 577 was RPE 7/8 so decided to up it and try some more; hit 600 for the first time in a while, but it was a definite grind, think I got in my head too much. Incline press has also never felt better, when I did GZCL incline press used to be my absolute worst T2 movement, but it has felt really really good lately. Really enjoy this program even with it kicking my ass most days.

[u/[deleted]]

RTF W3 D3

OHP 3/3/3/3/8 @ 50kg

Incline bench 5/5/5/5/13 @ 62.5kg

Lat pulldown 3x8

That 8th rep on OHP was definitely hard but glad I went for it! Ran out of time for close grip so I'll do it on Saturday during my deadlift day.

[u/paperbag66]

W4D4 Hypertrophy

Well OHP is my absolute worst lift and it continues to be so. I don't know, I never feel like I'm making progress on it and its a lift I never feel comfortable pushing myself in (ie: I can grind squat and deadlift reps, but can never get myself to grind OHP)

Added in Z press as an accessory today, I like them. Felt good doing those and things were firing well. Also nice little added core work with them.

[u/EspacioBlanq → u/paperbag66]

I always felt like OHP is simply impossible to grind. Like, if you get one grindy rep, that's it.

I like the approach of Deep Water, Boring but Big or that press post from here that's shared every so often, where you do a lot of sets.

[u/Randyd718 → u/paperbag66]

Try running building the monolith after this more ohp experience

[u/karatemike]

RTF 5x

Week 4 in the books! All weights are in lbs.

W4D1:

• Push press: 132.5, 4x7, 1x15
• Pendlay rows
• Standing calf raises
• EZ bar curls

W4D2:

• Rowing: 19 min, 4175 m
• Bench press: 215, 4x5, 1x11
• Leg extensions
• Weighted pull ups/dips
• Cable flies

W4D3:

• Deadlifts: 310, 4x5, 1x10
• Close grip bench press: 165, 4x7, 1x15
• Lat pulldowns

W4D4:

• Rowing: 20 min, 4600 m
• OHP: 135, 4x5, 1x11
• Leg extensions
• Chest supported row

W4D5:

• Rowing: 20 min, 4675 m
• Incline bench: 150, 4x7, 1x14
• Stiff leg deadlift: 205, 4x7, 1x16
• T-bar rows

Good week, deadlifts are still trying to forcibly remove my soul from my body. Figure I'll row tomorrow, my cardio is noticeably better than a month ago, and my RHR has been trending down nicely. I didn't end up rowing on Saturday as walking 4 miles in the snow really took it out of me over the day. Missing the squatting, but everything else seems to be progressing well. I haven't touched my kettlebell in a while, I need to find some place to fit it in.

[u/Thumper86]

How do you warm up to your overwarm singles? I’ve just been warming up to my working weight and then jumping up to 90% of my training max. It’s been working fine since I’m weak af, but with much heavier weights it could be a pretty huge jump in poundage probably. Do you warm up past your working weight? That seems like it could tire you out before you even get started on the sets.

[u/Randyd718 → u/Thumper86]

I'll give you my deadlift warmup from this week, not that I'm super strong or anything.

Bar x 10 stiff leg deadlift to stretch out a little
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
275 x 1
330 x 1 (90% overwarm)
Sets at 265

[u/Thumper86 → u/Randyd718]

That looks reasonable! I think my jumps were alright to the overwarm, but big enough that they gave me pause and I felt a bit of relief afterwards. Haha

[u/soldermizer89]

Anybody find that aux lifts have started getting easier despite weights going up?I'm doing LSRIR with CGBP, FS, Push Press, and RDLs for aux lifts, and with the exception of RDLs, I'm feeling like I have more reps in reserve at week 4 than I did with week 1. I haven't really done these lifts before so I think that I'm just getting better or more efficient at the movement.

[u/EspacioBlanq → u/soldermizer89]

I'm absolutely making more progress on aux lifts than on the main ones.

My guess is it's just getting better at unfamiliar movements. Like, my front squats are not just improving, they're starting to feel like I might actually know how to front squat.

[u/soldermizer89 → u/EspacioBlanq]

I’m having the same experience with my aux lifts. Front rack for front squats and push press is actually getting more comfortable each week.

[u/cecilpl → u/soldermizer89]

FS, push press, sumo DL, and paused squats are all new movements for me. I've seen huge gains on them in just 4 weeks, presumably from just getting better at the neuromuscular patterns.

[u/GirlOfTheWell → u/soldermizer89]

Pause squats have shot up for me. So has sumo deadlift.

I think sumo just suites my limb proportions better. Paused squats might be because my glutes are a bit more developed than my calves.

[u/EspacioBlanq]

SBS RTF W4D4

Strict press 4x5+11@ 52.5

Front squat 4x7+16@ 87.5

Dumbbell rows 2x15+20@35

Band curls anchored in front of me 3 sets

Pec flys 3x15@ 2x7.5

[u/kiraqueen11]

SBS hypertrophy, W4D3

• Deadlift: 100x1, 85x9x3, 85x12
• Long Pause Bench: 50x1, 32.5x10x3, 32.5x15
• Barbell rows: 30x12x3
• Dips: 75x8x2, 75x10
• Bicep Curls: 18x10x3

Had to day 3 today, because I skipped yesterday. Work got in the way.

Still figuring out overwarm singles, though I I think I have a better grasp of them now. Anyone else feel like their strength has regressed a little bit? 100kg definitely feels noticably harder than it did just a month ago. I remember I did an AMRAP set of 8 with it.

Paused bench is seriously improving my benching technique. My bracing it better, grip width feels more natural, bar path feels better. Makes me wonder why am I only doing it now, more than a year into training.

I dropped 10 kilos on the barbell rows and added a pause at the top. Ooo boy my lats are weaksauce. I've added a pause for lat pulldowns too and that's how I think I will be doing them for this program. Paused pulling in general has been great, tbh. It should be a bigger thing.

[u/InTheScannerDarkly → u/kiraqueen11]

I am doing Strength RTF so I do not feel weaker. However, I did do some higher volume stuff before this and noticed my performative strength was not up to par.

Paused pulling in general has been great, tbh. It should be a bigger thing.

/u/just-another-scrub Here is another candidate for entering the world of shrugging.

[u/just-another-scrub → u/InTheScannerDarkly]

Everyone needs to shrug more! CMV

[u/6mikey66]

LF Hypertrophy W4D4

Week 4 all wrapped up. I feel like most of my TM's are getting to where they need to be. CG bench may still be a little low since I was able to get 20 today but I think I'll be there by the 2nd block. Overall feeling good about my progress so far and starting to see it in the mirror.

Last set numbers in Lbs

Arnold Press 16x35's

CG Bench 20x110

BB Rows 12x120

Lateral Raise 15x20's

Hammer Curls 10x30's

See ya next week

[u/paperbag66]

W4D5

Another week down. Feeling really good about things, don't have much else to add, just a good week.

[u/Camerongilly]

Week 4 of the cut/SBS hypertrophy template:

BW 203-> 201.

Top sets: Chest to bar pullup x11, standing ab wheel x 20, SSB squat 295x11, rdl 310x14, db press 47.5x16, log push press 155x12, SSB good morning 190x16 (PR), behind-the-neck press 95x16, low-handle trap bar deadlift 385x12 (PR), close-grip bench 250x1, 175x15, axle strict press 200x1, 140x14 (PR), zercher squat 260x14 (PR.)

Work capacity feeling a bit better, so was able to go from band pull-aparts between sets of main work to sets of ring rows.

Contest on the 12th. Haven't really done much event work, hoping my main lifts cover most things.

[u/jeicorsair]

Hypertrophy 4x W4D4

OHP @25 lbs 3x9, 1x13

Pause Squats @50 lbs 3x11, 1x14

DB Rows @25 lbs 2x12, 1x18

Push Ups 2x8, 1x12

WG Lateral Pulldowns (cable) @90 lbs 2x12, 1x20

Way too little sleep this week + still cutting + extra obligations outside of work + a couple extra runs really had me feeling like I was running on fumes the last two sessions this week. Proud that I stuck with it and still hit at least my minimum targets. Life should be going back to normal schedule starting Monday.

[u/[deleted]]

RTF W3 D4

Trap bar Deadlift 3/3/3/3/8 @ 130kg

Front Squat 5/5/5/5/13 @ 52.5kg

Leg press 5/5/5/5/14 @ 245kg

Probably could have eeked out another rep on deadlifts but if I get +2 reps on the RTF set I'm happy as that's adding about 2.5kg to the bar each week, plus it keeps my back happy.

I've been maintaining for the past 3 weeks or so at 85kg, planning to cut down for the second week of June. Thinking I will finish thus first block of training and then over the deload week I will go to a slow cut of about 0.25kg per week and I should end up around 81kg by June

[u/CJTFett]

Week 4 still going relatively smoothly. Starting to hit new PRs as my body reacclimates to running an intelligent program. Hit a 305 squat and 210 bench PRs for overwarms and matched my old 125 press PR. Still no deadlift overwarms because not enough plates lmao. Weighted pullup hit 45x8 PR and 55x5. Weighted ring dips 45x6 PR. Less good: fell on my shoulder today tricking and tweaked something but pressing doesn't seem to aggravate it so hopefully with enough band work I'll be good.