Tactical Barbell: "Operator" template, "SWAT" cluster
After doing a lot of research and considering many options (Starting Strength, StrongLifts 5x5, Wendler 5/3/1, or a self-made program from Pavel's 3-to-5 from Beyond Bodybuilding to name a few), I decided to go with the "Operator" template put forth in Tactical Barbell.
The primary reasons I selected this option were:
(1) I like that Tactical Barbell is in keeping with StrongFirst principles; and
(2) the recommended "cluster" (selection of exercises) is back squat, bench press, and weighted pullups. Since I had been training deadlifts and presses for my first 6 months since getting back into lifting, it made sense to me to bring my squat and bench press up to snuff.
Some secondary reasons include:
(a) wanting to see how training the squat effects my deadlift (keep, gain, or lose strength on it); and
(b) loving the inclusion of pullups (they keep my shoulders healthy and will help preserve some grip and back strength from not deadlifting at present).
Thursday, September 5 - 5RM testing
Back Squat - 45x5, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 185x5, 205x5 = 231 calculated 1RM
Bench Press - 45x5, 65x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x5, 165x5, 175x5 = 197 calculated 1RM
Weighted Pullup (body weight = 206.6): BWx5, BW+10x5, BW+20x5 = 255 calculated 1RM
Keep in mind, I have not practice squats or bench press since high school, and when it comes to squats, I honestly skipped leg day 9 times out of 10. The last time I fiddled with a squat on a rest day back in May, 95lbs felt heavy. No joke. It was embarrassing. The fact that I worked up to 205x5 blew my mind, and honestly made me want to keep dong PTTP because training deadlifts had worked so well at developing my general strength that was carrying over to other exercises. The same is true of my bench press. I couldn't believe I hit 175x5. The last time I fiddled with a bench press for fun back in May, 115lbs was heavy, and the last time I tried to actually train the bench back in '10-'11, I had to give up in short order because it hurt my right shoulder so bad. The fact that I was so much stronger on the bench and and developed such a stable, healthy shoulder from doing presses made me want to keep on doing them. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" The only trouble is that PTTP seems to be "broke" for me at present. One or both things are true - after 6 straight months of it, it's not currently producing adaption in my body, or my strength level has gotten to the point where I can't train the deadlift as frequently anymore. All signs point to it being time for a change, a fact that I've had to keep reminding myself of this week as I constantly second-guess this decision.
Monday, September 9 - Operator Week 1, Day 1 - 3-5x5 @ 70% 1RM
My last PTTP session was on Friday, August 30. So, after a week of deciding what to do, then testing, then resting, I was excited to get back to actually training today. Since it was my first time training squat and bench, I decided to stick to the minimum 3 sets of each movement.
Squat - 160x3x5 (rest - 5 min)
Bench Press - 140x3x5 (rest - 3 min)
Pull-up - BWx3x5 (BW @ 206.6) - (rest 3 min)
I felt shaky after the workout. I imagine it was a lot of muscle fibers being trained that hadn't been. I watched my squat videos back and was amazed at the depth I was able to get with a flat back and little to no "butt wink." My mobility never used to be this good. I credited that to PTTP strengthening up my posterior chain, thus allowing me to maintain a neutral spine under stretch and load. That made me want to go back to deadlifting again. My logic? If deadlifting gave me this ability, then if I'm not deadlifting I'm slowly going to lose this ability again. "Run the horse that brung ya," after all, right? I just had to keep reminding myself that deadlifting was only leading to burnout for the past 1.5 months, and who knows - maybe strengthening my squat will actually up my deadlift? A guy can hope, right?
Wednesday, September 11 - Operator Week 1, Day 2 - 3-5x5 @70% 1RM
Squats had produced soreness in my hamstrings, which boggled my mind as I squatted high bar with a lot of ankle flexion and very little hip hinge. Little to no soreness in my quads at all. Still don't know what to make of that. I decided to go with the minimum 3 sets again today. The idea of the "minimum effective dose" was in my mind, perhaps from reading Even Easier Strength or from somewhere else on the forum. Who knows. I came to regret this decision, as I felt fresh just a few hours after training and about lost my mind on Thursday waiting for Friday to come so I could lift again.
Squat - 160x3x5 (rest - 5 min)
Bench Press - 140x3x5 (rest - 3 min)
Pull-up - BWx3x5 (BW @ 207) (rest - 3 min)
One thing I forgot to note about Monday, which was also true this day, is that my pull-ups were exploding to the bar like perhaps never before in my life. I didn't know whether to take that as an encouragement or a discouragement. When I was doing the Fighter Pullup Program or doing sets of 5-3-2 along with PTTP, they often felt heavy and grindy because I was carrying over fatigue from the previous day, which just built up over the course of a week. So, should I take it as a good thing that I'm not training Tactical Barbell style and I'm just exploding up to the bar? Surely this bodes well, right? I was tempted to feel like I had earned that strength doing the Fighter Pullup Program progressions 5-6 days/wk or 5-3-2 weighted pullups along with PTTP and was only now reaping the benefits with a little extra rest. Again I worried that by getting away from what I had been doing I might only be losing strength. I guess only time will tell.
Friday, September 13 - Operator Week 1, Day 3 - 3-5x5 @70% 1RM
Given how antsy I was all day Thursday waiting in between training days, and that I have the whole weekend to recover, I decided to go for the full 5 sets on everything today.
Squat - 160x5x5 (rest - 5 min)
Bench Press - 140x5x5 (rest - 3 min)
Pull-up - BWx5x5 (BW @ 205) (rest - 3 min)
Interestingly, my 5th set of squats felt the best out of all of them. My 4th and 5th reps on my 5th set of bench finally started to slow down, and I actually noticed that I carried a bit of a bicep and forearm pump into pullups from benching. Interesting. My first 3 sets of pullups went great, but then the problem was the pump in my forearms and biceps, which I tried to alleviate like an armwrestler - elevating my arm and shaking it out - to little avail.
I'm curious to see how upping the weights to 80% goes next week. The 70% weights felt like I could do them for 10 reps, or for 10 sets of 5, but at the same time I was imagining how the 80% weights would feel and I feel like 3x5 is going to be tough with them next week. I guess we'll see.
Sample videos. Daniel Tiger is on in the background because the kids are around. Such is life. When I watch these, I'm struck by how fast the bar speed is. To me, the weights feel heavy / grindy, but obviously I'm nowhere near grinding. I think I had just gotten really used to maximizing tension and knowing how to grind my deadlifts and presses, and now with these unfamiliar movements I'm not as good at the groove and there's a lot of inefficiencies. We'll see how it progresses.
Squat:
Bench:
Pull-up: