View Full Version : Skinny Bitch no more
greek91
11-29-10, 10:52 pm
Alright so I been liftin hard and eating good for over a year now, and the size gains have been great (from 145-175), but the strength has been lagging, particularly on my bench. I just took a week off, and today I tested my maxes, getting ready to start up on 5/3/1 this week. All my life I've been that lanky weak guy. Time to prove what I'm made of.
Starting Actual Maxes (not alot, I know, but you shoulda seen me a year ago):
Bench: 165
Squat: 235
Deadlift: 285
Military Press: 110
Punishir
11-30-10, 5:03 am
Dude thats great, we all have to start there, but you made some good weight gains and your strength will get there.
How tall are you?
greek91
11-30-10, 12:00 pm
6'1'' right now, but i'm 18 so i still got some growin to do
C.Coronato
11-30-10, 1:10 pm
Solid growth my man, we all start some where. You are young, and you are in a good place. Whats the food looking like?
unfortunately im up at college now so the food is far from ideal. but im startin the day with as much eggs and bacon as i can handle along with my oats, then protein shake with some granola between breakfast and lunch, couple turkey sandwiches for lunch, another protein shake pre workout, then whatever meat they got that night post workout along with some rice, and then usually a protein bar and some more oats before bed
So today was Military Press: 65lbsx5 reps, 75x5, and 85x11, followed by wide grip chins (10 sets of 5), dips (10x5), and pushdowns (5x20)
Weight felt a little light on the military press but I'm not gonna judge it too early. Rather start off light and avoid injury. Overall the workout felt great. I worked my whole upper body, plowed through it in 45 minutes, got a great pump thanks to the shock therapy (first time I've used it in a few weeks), and MOVED WEIGHT. Tomorrow's deads, lookin forward to the rest of the week.
started week two today, havent updated cause my computer's been down. First week felt good, although the weight seemed pretty light. Even today, I got 11 reps with what was supposed to 90% of my max. But I'll finish out the month and see where I'm at. Continuing to eat alot, keep my form down, and stay consistent every day. Tomorrow's deads, best day of the week
So today was deadlift. I was a little sick of not feeling like I was moving weight so I jacked up the weight a little bit for my sets today, about 5 pounds for each one. Looked like this:
185x3
205x3
235x9, followed by
Leg Curls: 5 sets of 10
Lunges: 5x10
Weighted Sit Ups: 5x10
Weight felt really good, right now I'm tryna work my way up to a 315 max and eventually 405. That's the long term goal, but for now gonna focus on eatin and havin a good bench session tomorrow
Today was bench press: 105x3, 120x3, and 145x8, follwed by:
DB Flyes: 4 sets of 8 with 35lbs
Hang Cleans: 5x8 with 135lbs
BB Shrugs superset w/ Rear Shrugs: 5x10 each with 135lbs
skullcryshers: 5x8 w/ 55lbs
Again, a lot more reps than I expected on the core lift. I think the weight is still too light. However, even only two weeks in, I'm feeling VERY different post workout. When on a bodybuilding split with alot of volume, I left the weightroom feeling pumped and exhausted, with a lot of blood in my muscles. But after a 5/3/1 workout, I leave feeling, for lack of a better word, harder. I feel denser, tighter, but in a good way. Maybe its the lower reps and heavier weight, but I definitely LOVE IT. Tomorrow's squat day, should be a good one.
Squat: 145x3, 170x3, 190x8, followed with:
Leg Extensions: Four sets of 8-12
Glute Ham Raises: 3x15
Wide grip Chins superset with Reverse Grip chins: 5x5 each
Really grinded out that last set today, weight felt good, cant wait to really push it next week
Today went great, set a new PR in Military Press:
85x5, 95x3, 105x6, followed with
Reverse Rows: 4x 15,12,10,8
Dips: 5x10
Pushdowns: 6 set pyramid
Feelin stronger, settin new records for myself. 5/3/1 is going just as well as i hoped it would. Tomorrow's deads. Gonna do work
HIt another PR today on deadlift, really excited about it. I put up:
205x5, 235x3, and 260x6, followed with
DB Step Ups: 5x10
Leg Curls: 5x10
Ab work
Felt great today, I'll be puttin up 405 in no time haha
Bench: 125x5, 140x3, 155x4, followed with:
DB Flye: 3x10
Hang Cleans: 3x5
BB Shrug Superset w/ Reverse Shrug: 3x10
Bench is eaily my worst lift, so I was glad to see even a slight improvement over the last few weeks
Squat: 160x5, 180x3, 200x5, with
Leg Press: 3x10
Glute Ham Raises: 3x10
So this week is a deload (light weight for low reps), and i've been using it to work some bodyparts that get very neglected in 5/3/1. Yesterday (military press), the assistance work was
Reverse Rows- 12,10,8,6 supersetted with
Wide grip chins- 5,5,5,5
Dips- 3x10
Unilateral Tricep extensions: 12,10,8,6
Today (deadlift) was followed by:
LEg pRess- 3x5
leg curls- 3x5
hanging leg raises- 3x10
cable crunches- 3x10
BB Curl 21's- 2 sets
2 Forearm Giant Sets- 10 BB wrist curls, 10 reverse wrist curls, 5 reverse curls
So I been home for Christmas break and haven't had a chance to update my journey, but I'm on the deload week of my second cycle on 5/3/1. Been doing the same assistance work, with :
Chest, Back, Tris Monday
Quads, hams and abs Tuesday
Shoulders, traps, and tris Thursday
Quads, Low Back, and abs Friday
Max's this month were:
Military Press: 110x3
Deads: 265x 3
Bench: 160x3
Squat: 210x5
It's getting harder but I think in the long run the program will be worth it. In a few months I'll switch back to a bodybuilding split with hopefully heavier weight. More to come next week
On the first week of cycle 3. Also taking a short break from pre workout supps. Lifts have been alot harder. Also starting to look alot harder at my diet. Things are tough at school (dining hall food= not straight), but I'm just focusing on solid protein sources and counting calories. Work so far this week:
Monday: Military Press, 90x5, 95x5, and 100x7
Chins, 5x10
Dips, 5x10
Tuesday: Deadlift, 220x5, 230x5, 245x6
Leg Ext: 4x8-12
Leg Curls: 4x8-12
Ab work
Wednesday: Bench, 135x5, 140x5, 150x5
DB Rows, 3x20
INcline Flye: 4x 6-12
Tricep Ext- 3x 10,15,20
On the first week of cycle 3. Also taking a short break from pre workout supps. Lifts have been alot harder. Also starting to look alot harder at my diet. Things are tough at school (dining hall food= not straight), but I'm just focusing on solid protein sources and counting calories. Work so far this week:
Monday: Military Press, 90x5, 95x5, and 100x7
Chins, 5x10
Dips, 5x10
Tuesday: Deadlift, 220x5, 230x5, 245x6
Leg Ext: 4x8-12
Leg Curls: 4x8-12
Ab work
Wednesday: Bench, 135x5, 140x5, 150x5
DB Rows, 3x20
INcline Flye: 4x 6-12
Tricep Ext- 3x 10,15,20
Nice workout. Its always hard taking that damn stim break. What were you taking and how long you cycling off for?
greek91
01-26-11, 10:04 pm
Nice workout. Its always hard taking that damn stim break. What were you taking and how long you cycling off for?
Thanks alot man. I had two cans of animal pump and then a tub of shock therapy and it lasted a long time. I'm taking at least three weeks off. If i feel like I'm still doin work I'll try and extend the break. Still not sure if that's long enough. Any suggestions?
Today was squat day: 175x5, 185x5, and 195x9, followed by
Hack Squat: 5x10
Glute Ham Raises: 3x15
Ab work
Hitting those extra reps on the squat today felt amazing. I totally felt like I was breaking through a mental barrier and pushed it like I should be doing every day. My body's finally getting used to the lack of stims preworkout as well. Although it was a little frustrating to see the dude next to me squattin 450, I'm just gonna keep workin. Gotta think long-term
Today was military press: 95x3, 100x3, and 110x5, two reps better than I got last month. Needless to say it feels great to see real, undisputed progress. Assistance work was;
Incline DB press: 4x8-12
Reverse BB Row: 4x8-12
Tricep Pushdowns: 12,10,8,6
this is shaping up to be a great week. hopefully gonna set some new PR's, really feeling good even without the stims i'm used to. More tomorrow....
T o m m Y
01-31-11, 5:11 pm
Congrats on the PR bro!
Keep killing it..
Today was deads: 235x3, 245x3, and 260x5, followed with:
HAck squat: 10,8,8,6
Leg Curl: 10,8,8,6
Ab work
Felt good today, 5/3/1 is really working, I just hope I dont stall too soon. Also had a question about form, but I'll post that as a separate thread.
Today was bench: 140x3, 150x3, and 160x4 (one rep better than last month)
Felt kinda shitty today, really coulda used a preworkout haha. Just went in, did my benching, got a few sets of Kroc rows in, then had to call it a day. Not very Animal of me, I know, but hey, the beauty of 5/3/1 is the simplicity of it. Tomorrow's squats, gonna be a big day
So the cap to a great week was squats today: 185x3, 195x3, and 205x9. Squatting has always been a verry mental lift for me and today was no different. Went in with a killer attitude and the numbers prove it. Succumbed to the urge for a preworkout lol, and it was a great decision. Amazing focus and explosiveness. I feel like my squat is where the biggest improvements are being made, and I cannot wait for next week. Also did glute ham raises, leg ext, and ab work. At this point I can honestly say 5/3/1 is without a doubt THE best strength routine I have ever tried. MOre to come next week....
Thanks alot man. I had two cans of animal pump and then a tub of shock therapy and it lasted a long time. I'm taking at least three weeks off. If i feel like I'm still doin work I'll try and extend the break. Still not sure if that's long enough. Any suggestions?
The preworkout stim break is quite a debateable field- one I have done a lot of research on. I have read everything from take a week off, to taking a year off. In my own opinion, I dont see a need for it unless you take it every single day. For me I take shock around 4-5 days aweek max. My arguement is how people do not cycle off coffee. The reason for cycling stims is so that when you go back on them- the feeling, rush,intensity, is intense. I took a stim break for 4 months one time and getting back on them was awesome.
The consensus on this form seems to be at least a week, if not 2. Thats what I do. Ill take a week off between shock therapy cans. And then ill go back. However, with RAGE coming up soon and the possibility I may go to the arnold, I am finishing this week of shock, and then going stim=less for the rest of Feburary. Here are some options you can do while on a stim break.
Animal pump minus red pill ( thats what Im going to do.)
Carb Max pre workout.
Atomic 7 Preworkout.
The preworkout stim break is quite a debateable field- one I have done a lot of research on. I have read everything from take a week off, to taking a year off. In my own opinion, I dont see a need for it unless you take it every single day. For me I take shock around 4-5 days aweek max. My arguement is how people do not cycle off coffee. The reason for cycling stims is so that when you go back on them- the feeling, rush,intensity, is intense. I took a stim break for 4 months one time and getting back on them was awesome.
The consensus on this form seems to be at least a week, if not 2. Thats what I do. Ill take a week off between shock therapy cans. And then ill go back. However, with RAGE coming up soon and the possibility I may go to the arnold, I am finishing this week of shock, and then going stim=less for the rest of Feburary. Here are some options you can do while on a stim break.
Animal pump minus red pill ( thats what Im going to do.)
Carb Max pre workout.
Atomic 7 Preworkout.
yeah i took 3 weeks off and just today got back on and that was plenty. The intensity was through the roof. I've done the animal pump without the red pill before and it worked like a charm too. Thanks alot for the advice brother.
Another PR with 5/3/1! Today was: 105x5, 110x3, 115x5, followed by,
50 Dips
Reverse Rows: 4x10
Skullcrushers: 4x8-12
BB Wrist Curl s/s with Reverse wrist curl: 3x10 each
Looking for another great week, deads tomorrow....
so today was supposed to be deads: 245x5, 260x3, 275x1
Instead, I miscalculated and loaded up 275 for my second set, and completed 3 with no problem. Probably could've gotten four or even 5. With this mistake/ PR (lol), I decided to have some fun and try something crazy.
I loaded up 315 and attempted one massive (for me) pull. Attempt one got off the ground, two got past the knees, and three...... not even close. I decided to leave it to another day.
Assistance work (glutes, hams, abs) was minimal as I was completely spent following my attempts.
One day brothers.... one day....
Today was bench: 150x5, 155x3, and 165x3 (PR), followed by
Incline flyes: 4x8
Chins: A shitload
Skullcrushers: 3x8
My bench went up 5 pounds this month. Nuff said.
greek91
02-10-11, 12:41 pm
Today was squat: 195x5, 205x3, and 225x6, followed by
GHR: 5x10
Ab work
Hack Squats: 4x10
The improvement keeps coming, especially in the squat department. Gonna stay focused, enjoy the light deload week next week, and then hit it hard for a 4th cycle
This week been taking it easy on the big lifts, but assistance work I've been working some lagging parts. Nothing too notable, save for having to cut today's lift short b/c of a tweak in my bicep during Kroc Rows. I know my body and that was a sure sign to call it quits. Not tryin to get injured on a deload week. Cant wait for another good cycle of 531 next week.
Military press went up five punds in a month: 95x5, 100x5, 105x7. Gains keep coming, feeling good.
Assistance work: DB Chest press (12,8,6,4) BB Rows (4x8), Skullcrushers (8,6,4,2)
T o m m Y
02-21-11, 9:46 pm
good work dude!
good work dude!
Thanks alot man, I'm tryin haha.
Rest of the week max's were:
Bench: 6*155
Deads: 5*255
Squat: 7*210
greek91
02-28-11, 10:39 pm
another military press PR, even though it was only one extra rep: 105x3, 110x3, 115x6
that one extra rep was a real ballbuster today, but getting it felt great. Assistance work was:
Dips: 5x10
Chins: 5x10
Deads have been stalling lately so i think i might drop the weight a bit tomorrow and see what happens. gonna be a rough day
Yesterday was deads, got 270x5, which, considering how lousy last week was, was a major improvement. also did leg curls and ab work
Today I crushed my bench PR, getting 6*160, which surprised even me lol. Then I did dips and DB rows (the only exercise aside from squats and deads can make me puke). Feeling great, ramping up for my biggest week yet next week. Squats tomorrow, should be a good one.....
Today was squats: 195x3, 210x3, and 220x8 or 9 (i lost count somewhere), followed by hack squats, glute ham raises, and ab work.
HOLY SHIT. lately i've been trying hard to visualize PR's before I attempt them, and it is working perfectly. I was so focused in today, so hell bent on moving the weight, that I pulled off my best squat session in a long time. The reason I lost count is because somewhere around six or seven I just left myself for a minute. Not one thought crossed my mind. There was just me and the weight and nothing else. This is a day I'm gonna remember. Can't wait for next week.
today was military press: 105x5, 115x3 and 125x2, because there were no 2.5 pound plates (i was supposed to do 120 for the last set). PR for me, but the best part was the assistance work....
I wanted to destroy myself today. Every set was to complete muscular failure, done rest pause style for 5 sets:
BB REverse Rows, Wide grip chins, dips, skullcrushers.
Hit the bucket a few times in between sets, i'm still shaking as i type this. Tomorrow's deads, gonna crush it once more
greek91
03-08-11, 11:44 pm
so today was deads: 255x5, 275x3, and 285x2. Not as god as I'd hoped, but I only recently started doing each rep from full rest, so I guess it's ok.
Assistance work: Leg PRess and Leg Curl, each 4 sets done rest pause style
All of my back workouts proved worth it today. The lock out on that last rep was a real grind, and thanks to my extra back strength I was able to pull it off. However, I noticed my hamstrings were really hurting most. So I'm gonna work them twice a week from here on in. Also, finally had a great post workout meal (college food is a pain in the ass), with four chicken breasts and a shitload of potatoes and vegetables.
Really looking forward to bench and squat this week. Should be epic
today was bench, and its a PR for me but I feel like after next month I might have to change up the program, or reset myself. The gains are slowing up a bit, and 20 weeks is a looong time without stalling so I'm pretty happy.
Today I got 155x5, 160x3, and 170x3.
Assistance work was: DB Bench Press, Pushdowns, and DB Rows (2 sets of ten and then one 6-20 drop set, which was fucking intense). Squat tomorrow, gotta bring it....
So today was squats: 215x5, 225x3, and 235x4 (PR)
Assistance work: Glute ham raises, ab work, and wall sits till i drop, then....
Inspired by a thread on crazy leg workouts (and some Kroc stories), I decided to talk the walk from my college gym back to my dormroom, lungewalk style. Knee had to touch the ground the whole way, resting if necessary. It was a mental test and delivered a crazy pump. Felt fucking amazing. Another cycle of 5/3/1 comes to a close, deloading next week....
deload day today, light military presses, followed by dips, DB rows, and chins. Been trying 6-20 drop sets on the DB rows past two weeks and they are killin me. Rest of the week will be pretty much the same.
So after 16 successful weeks of 5/3/1 (which I will definitely run again in the future), I've decided to switch things up and start a new routine. My gains were slowing up, and the whole point of that run was to get stronger so that I could use heavier weights on a bodybuilding split. I've achieved what I set out to do in that respect. Which brings me to my new goal.... MASS. I haven't gained significant weight in months, so it's time to kick it into high gear with the Bosshogg routine.
Today was push day.... DB Bench (27 reps), BB Military Press (11 reps), and Squats (18 reps).
Finding the weight for the lifts was tricky, hopefully after this week I'll have figured out what moves to do and what weights to use.
Obviously, after 16 weeks of the same routine, today felt weird as shit. I'm gonna give it a real shot though, and stick with it for at least a month. On that note, I've made a few modifications that I feel will work best FOR ME.
I like training often, and I've done high volume before, so I will be doing 4 days a week on this routine, keeping in both squats and deadlifts (it's alot, but I believe I can handle it).
Also, I may switch between tricep and shoulder exercises from week to week to maintain a balance.
Other than that it's the same.
Another step in the journey begins, time to work....
today was pull day, Zombie Apocalypse style, using 175 for deads and 7th setting for pulldowns. Knocked me on my ass. Vision was blurry, could barely breathe, started shaking. Definitely worth it. Bosshogg, you've won my respect.
Third day of Bosshogg, finally got the weights down.
DB Press- 23x70's
Military Press- 26x75
Squat- 21x205
This routine is so tough, I might have to cut it back to three days a week (look at me eating my words). It's such a mental lift, every set is pushing through the pain barrier and digging deep. Definitely advanced, not for the faint of heart. But Im gonna keep working, no pain, NO GAINS! Speaking of which, probably gonna order a big tub of Real Gains to spark some growth, should be good
so I'm finally getting a handle on how to eat big and clean in dining halls (took me a while). Unfortunately, with classes and busy schedules, it changes every day, but basically I'm looking to eat six times a day. I been eating ALOT of sandwiches (double roast beef, turkey, and cheese on wheat), and chicken breasts when they got em. Also lots of potatoes (any style being served). Eggs and oats in the morning. And the best part is, I get ALL THE MILK I CAN DRINK. there's no limit on it, so thats been my staple lately. Chugging 3 glasses of milk at the end of every meal is the best way I can think of to put on some fast weight with my limited options. I also got a solid weight gainer, so hopefully within a few weeks, some pounds will be packed on.
second pull day this week, this time with 195 for deads and 8th setting on pulldowns. I'm gonna have to get straps over the weekend cause my hands cant even close after set four. Otherwise, the workout was unbelievably intense. Couldnt see straight, cold sweats, the works. Didnt get twelve on all six sets, gonna work it till I do. Shits feelin good, more to come next week
just finished the first workout of week two. today was push:
DB BEnch: 75's for 18 total reps
Military Press: 85*21 reps
Squats: 215 for 18 reps
Felt great today, really pushed to failure on every set. Might swap in the original Bosshogg pull day tomorrow instead of Zombie Apocalypse, we'll see. Feelin great, eating big, and hopefully putting on the mass....
pull day today:
Reverse BB Rows: 155x27
Wide grip pulldowns: 11th setting for 26 reps
Deads: 245x10
So I was a little off with the weight today, first time trying this workout, hopefully within a week I'll have fallen into a routine. Back felt blasted anyway, solid day of trainin
push day number 2 for the week:
DB Bench: 75sx20
BB Military Press: 90x21
Squat 225x18
Couple notes: First, the Db presses have to go, I'll switch them out for BB. My shoulders are getting wrecked, and by the third set just getting the weights up is a problem (i lift alone, no spotters). Second, my military went up 5 lbs and my squat jumped up ten since earlier in the week. I doubt its strength gains, more just me getting used to breaking through the pain barrier on every set. Third, I might have to drop to 3 days a week, as I'm already feeling fatigued. Still loving the program though, pull day tomorrow....
2nd pull day of the week this week:
BB Reverse Row: 165x27 (up 10 lbs)
Pulldowns: 12th plate for 24 reps (progress)
Deads: 245x15 (huge improvement)
Notes: Definitely need straps to maximize these lifts, gonna try and grab some this weekend. Also, lift felt fucking great today, really pushed through the barrier. Third, after not doing curls since the end of November, my bi's are more peaked, harder, and bigger than ever before. Idk if I'll ever go back haha. And lastly, I've found that smoking weed has greatly reduced recovery time and had me coming back stronger and harder to the weightroom the next day. Granted, smoke isn't exactly the best thing for your body, but recovery time is unbelievable (not to mention I can eat upwards of 1500 calories in one sitting when the munchies hit lol)
off day today, felt like shit, trained below expedctations. disappointed, but just gotta come back stronger.
Incline BB Bench: 135x12 (after finding a good weight, so I was already fatigued)
BB Miltary: 95x16 (fucking pitiful)
Squats: 235x15 (not too bad)
Day off tomorrow, then pulling. Gotta get my mind right, stop fuckin around and do work.
pulled today: Reverse Rows 175x22, Pulldowns(idk what the fuck happened, shit was all over the place), Deads 255x15
I need straps. I am getting nothing out of a set if my fucking grip is giving out before everything else. Idk why but I've been feeling shitty all week and just out of it. Maybe I need a week off or something. Whatever, all I know is I need a swift kick in the ass and to get my head straight. Push day on Friday, I'll see if things keep up or shape up. After a couple more weeks, if weight gain is minimal then Im gonna revamp my diet. After 3 more weeks, if theres no gains, I have to switch the program. Im thinking of gettin back into 5/3/1. I looked good, got stronger, and had fun with it. Shits rough lately, we'll see what happens
felt good today, finally made some progress
Incline Bench- 125x20
Military Press- 95x16
Squat- 245x13
Just a few months ago I couldnt rep one squat with that much weight, so I feel like Im defintely on the right track. Even when struggling with other lifts, squats and deads are always the moves where I feel most comfortable and make the most progress. There's something about that weight on your back that cant be explained in words. Resting until Monday, gonna get lots of sleep and food in.
Also, finally weighed myself for the first time in a couple of months. 178.5, up from about 172 a few months ago. And thats on an empty stomach AFTER training. Things are looking up, just gotta keep working....
solid pull day today:
Reverse BB Rows: 175x20something (lost count digging for reps lol)- Either way, solid improvement and I moved weight
Pulldowns: 30x10th notch, dropped the weight and went super strict on form today, was well worth it
Deads: 255x18- 3 more reps than last time, could've gotten even more with straps, still waitin on em to come in
Felt really good today, taking it 3 days a week is feeling a lot better, definitely helps me with the extra reps and sets. Push on Wednesday, looking to kill it on squats. Time to EAT!
another day with progress:
Incline BB Bench: 125x22 (exceeded goal)
BB Military: 95x19 (so fucking close, gonna kill it next time)
Squat: 245x15 (got to my goal)
Felt real good today, got better, ate big, another step in the journey
greek91
04-14-11, 10:25 pm
so today was pulls, I was at a different gym (girlfriends school), so the pulldowns were guesswork:
Reverse Rows: 185x16
Pulldowns: Enough
Deads: Felt like aboslute shit tonight, headache and no juice, don't know why, but deads were not gonna happen
So its been 4 weeks running Bosshogg and while I know it works for some people, I just can't seem to find my groove with it. Next week is spring break (no school=no gym) so it'll be a nice week off. Following that, I'm gonna just get back on my 5/3/1 grind. The program was consistent, delivered results, and most of all, SHIT WAS FUN. I looked forward to hitting the weights every day and also made progress. To me, thats what my training is all about. So if anything, I'll use next week to find my maxes for another few cycles of 5/3/1. Cant fucking weight.
MAX GOALS: MIlitary: 145 Deads: 315 Bench: 225 Squat: 315
Gonna be a long trip, but last time I ran this program it was worth it. gonna do work.....
first day back on 5/3/1 felt awesome. Today was military press: 110x7 reps
Assistance work was a lot of fun, wanted to get creative:
5 dips, 5 chins, 10 pushups, all done as a giant set. Did 5 of those. Not too intense (10 reps of dips and chins would've been crazy), but definitely interesting and something I will use in the future.
That was it, half hour in and out, got stronger, moved weight. Deads tomorrow, cant wait
Today was the most fun I've had training in a long time: Deads: 255x7
I have a new philosophy where I'm gonna stick to the big four and the 5/3/1 routine very strictly, but the assistance work is going to be completely spontaneous. Sets, reps, exercises, and intensity techniques are all completely open to whatever I want.
Basically, during the main lift, I focus on whats lacking, and attack as needed. Also, I want to be creative and do something fun with it. Today, during deads, hams were giving out before anything else. So assistance work was:
Glute Ham Raises: 5 sets to failure
Stiff Leg Deads: 3x15
After that I felt like wall sitting.... while holding a plate above my head..... and doing front lateral raises with said plate. Killed my shoulders core, tris, quads, hams, and ass. Did 2 sets of that.
Next was ab work. My lower abs needed more focus, so it was Hanging Leg Raises followed by Dead Bugs, all to failure for a few sets.
Today was a hard day, but I moved weight and felt good. I fixed what was lacking, got stronger, and pushed myself. What more could I want?
Damn good looking session right there. Keep that up and I think you'll be more than happy with your results.
Damn good looking session right there. Keep that up and I think you'll be more than happy with your results.
Thanks man, last time I ran 5/3/1 numbers grew consistently so I have good expectations for this run
iffy day today: Bench- 160x5
Assistance work was incline flyes (movement felt awkward, ditched after two sets), 50/50 Dropset dumbbell rows (6 reps with 100 pounds, 15-20 reps with 50 pounds) for 3 sets, and 3 supersets of dips and pushups
Had to duck out early today, blood sugar was low (I'm hypoglycemic) and I cant lift when I feel like puking the whole time. But the bench numbers were right where they were supposed to be, felt good. Squats tomorrow
didnt log my last two sessions. Friday was squat: 235x5. That pissed me off considering a couple weeks earlier I had put up 255 for more reps than that. Just a bad day I guess.
Then yesterday was Military Press: 115x5, which is right on track and im happy with it. Assistance was chins, close grip bench supersetted with DB overhead ext, then more chins. Felt good, deads tomorrow
so i didnt have a chance to log the past 4 sessions, here it goes
Dead day: 275x3, followed by leg extension super drop set (each plate on the machine to failure), leg curls done BossHogg style, hack squats done the same way, and then dead bugs
Bench day: 155x4, with incline BB bench for 4 sets (5 count on negatives), reverse rows (bosshogg style), and Close grip bench press (5 count on negatives) superset with DB overhead extensions
Squat day: 245x3- Was in a rush, warmed up, did my three sets (felt heavy, in a bad way), and got out
Military press today: 125x4, HUGE PR for me. Assistance was reverse rows with dropsets, and then close grip bench with 5 count negatives, three sets to failure
Hopefully the other three big lifts improve the way military presses are. deads tomorrow...
deads today: got up to 285x2, followed by
glute ham raises superset with DB stiff leg deads, then pulldowns (wide grip to failure superset with narrow supinated grip), then cardio
Deads were more like two singles in a row, dead stop, a breath or two in between. weight felt heaviest on my grip and hams, took care of that in assistance work. Bench and squat left in this cycle, should be good
benched today, got up to 165x1 (didnt push it, no spotter)
Assistance was incline bench: 4 sets bosshogg style, smith machine close grip bench supersetted with DB ext, and chest supported rows (two normal sets, two dropsets)
Weight felt ok today, bench is easily my weakest lift, i just cant seem to get stronger. but theres small gains, and i guess that's all that matters. squats later this week
squat PR at 260x2 reps, followed by:
leg press, 4 sets bosshogg style
donkey calf raises superset with seated calf raises: 4 sets of 15-20
low back ext- 3x15
dead bugs: 3 sets
weight felt good, form was spot on, and numbers keep going up. this cycle lasted a week longer than usual, but still gonna take a deload week next week before startin another cycle of 5/3/1. by the time i get back to school in the fall im shootin to pull and squat over 300. just gotta keep pushin it like i did today
yesterday was a light military press day, ran three sets of 8 with 95lbs. felt fine
assistance was front, side, and rear raises as a giant set, then pullups. I hadn't trained arms directly in months so I decided after pullups to do EZbar curls FST-7 style, 7 sets of 8-12 with heavy weight and low rest. sometimes you just want that insane pump, which 5/3/1 sometimes fails to deliver.
rest of the week sould be more of the same, easy on the big four with some high volume assistance. can't wait for the next cycle to start up next week. also thinking about investing in some Animal Nitro to kick it up a bit
T o m m Y
05-24-11, 3:28 pm
nice PR bro!
How you like 5/3/1?
nice PR bro!
How you like 5/3/1?
Thanks alot man. Honestly its the best program I've ever tried for my current goals, which are to get stronger and more athletic. I ran it for 16 weeks, tried something else, and came right back for another cycle. Its fun and it works. Progress is slow, but its progress and thats all that matters to me. I've gotten consistently stronger over the past 6 months, hittin PR's every month. If you're looking to add numbers to your lifts, and have the patience, I wouldn't recommend anything else
T o m m Y
05-24-11, 4:13 pm
Thanks alot man. Honestly its the best program I've ever tried for my current goals, which are to get stronger and more athletic. I ran it for 16 weeks, tried something else, and came right back for another cycle. Its fun and it works. Progress is slow, but its progress and thats all that matters to me. I've gotten consistently stronger over the past 6 months, hittin PR's every month. If you're looking to add numbers to your lifts, and have the patience, I wouldn't recommend anything else
Hell yeah bro prs every month is damn good!
I did it for 6 months last year.
Im on westside now.
Hell yeah bro prs every month is damn good!
I did it for 6 months last year.
Im on westside now.
yeah i definitely wanna try westside at some point when I need a change. heard alot of good things about it
so started another month of 5/3/1 today, military press: 115x6
assistance work: Incline BB bench done bosshogg style, Close grip bench supersetted with db overhead extensions, and DB row 50-50 drop sets. Got a nasty pump in my tris and back, really pushed it today, military press numbers were solid as well. lookin forward to another solid run this month, deads tomorrow
another solid day today: Deads: 265x6
Assistance work: Leg Press Bosshogg style, Lying Leg curl bosshogg style
Wish i had stayed a little longer today, but bad timing with my preworkout meal and my low blood sugar took a toll. The ridiculous heat didn't help either. Coming back home from college for the summer has SERIOUSLY fucked with my diet, still trying to find a groove, hopefully by next week I'll have my blood sugar under control and be able to work harder in the weight room.
So I havent been loggin the journey since early in the summer. Reason being, my diet sucked, my goals were fuzzy, and I had nothing to keep track of. i was in the gym all summer, mostly working a bodybuilding split, and gained a couple pounds while gaining a TON of shape.
But that aint the name of the game.
It's time to get back into 5/3/1.
The goal is simple: Press, squat, and pull more weight than I currently am. Sure, I have long term aspirations (1000 pound total, pull 405, etc.), but right now all I'm worried about is slow and steady improvement. To that end, here are my past two sessions:
Monday: Deads: Got up to 255x7. Not bad, pretty much starting where I left off. Assistance work consisted of chins (5 sets), good mornings (3 sets), and GHR (5 sets), plus ab work. Hopefully gonna make the jump to the big 315 next month.
Tuesday: Bench: 155x8 (PR). Words can't express how happy I am with this number. To most, this is light ass weight. But benching has always been my weakest lift. I recently read through Dave Tate's VAULT e-book for some tips, and they helped tremendously. Weight felt real good, I'm looking to make some serious gains.
Tomorrow will be conditioning, maybe some slosh pipe work for fun. Then SQUATS and military press closing out the week.
On a side note, those vids of all the Animals at the Cage this year inspired me to no end. Seeing some of those feats really lit a fire under my ass. Many thanks to everyone on the FORVM and Animal in general.
I'm back.
So the gyms are closed due to the jewish holiday these past two days. Took wednesday and thursday off (lots of food though, on a break from being away at school, never been more grateful for a mom who cooks).
Got some conditioning in today, took the bike out and rode for a half hour or so, hills a plenty around here. Then i broke out the SLOSH PIPE, and holy shit. Just a walk around the block took a half an hour. Mixed yolk walks with zercher carries, really hit me hard. Been a while since I took my conditioning seriously, definitely an area that needs improvement.
Hopefully I can find an open gym tomorrow, gonna get a good squat day in
so today was squats, took a conservative 1rm estimate and im glad i did. Got up to 235x6. Probably could've gotten 7, but form was iffy on rep 6, and until I get to singles or doubles, I dont see the point in risking injury.
assistance work consisted of leg press (3x10), stiff leg deads (3x15), and a giant set consisting of BB shrugs, behind the back shrugs, and hang cleans.
all the work today went great, squats were deeper and smoother than ever. Looking forward to military presses in a couple days. Time to get back up to school.
greek91
10-03-11, 10:03 pm
Military press today: 120x5. Felt wayyyy to heavy on the last sets. Gonna drop the weight next week. Definitely overshot my max on this one.
Assistance consisted of 50 dips, 4 sets of BB rows, and HRT front lateral raises.
Got in, put my weight up, got out. Good enough for me.
Pulled today: 275x5 (PR). The 5 reps were done as singles, complete stop at the bottom. Form was spot on. More importantly, the reps were all explosive, not slow pulls. Really felt good today.
Assistance work: GHR 5x10, Front Squats 3x10, Shrugs s/s Reverse Shrugs 3x10 each, and Hang Cleans 3x5.
Not sure what exactly made it happen today, but for some reason towards the end of my session I got such a fire under my ass. I'm realizing that I don't just want to get stronger. I want to be the strongest. I want to be able to move more weight than any one else in that room. It's going to take a long time, but I am training with a new motivation, and I can't wait to see how the next few months pan out.
Benched today: Got up to 165x3. Everything about the movement today felt awkward, but at least i put the weight up.
assistance work: 4 sets of BB rows, 50 dips, and that's it. I had banged up my elbow last week and around the 5th set of dips my arm went numb. Think I struck a nerve. tried to work it out with pushdowns to no avail. Hopefully this corrects itself soon.
Squats tomorrow morning. Can't wait.
greek91
10-10-11, 11:45 pm
Past two sessions went well. Friday morning was squats: 3x245. Pissed me off because I know I've done better in the past, but at least I hit my target. Assistance was a mash up of leg work (step ups, lunges, wall sits, stiff leg deads, GHRs)
Today was military press: 120x6. Got one more rep than last week at this weight, felt real good. Assistance work: 50 dips, Chins, and 4 supersets of close grip bench and chins.
This cycle is going as smooth as it can go. Looking forward to pulling tomorrow.
Hit another PR today on deads: 285x4. Can't wait to break into the 300's.
Assitance: 5 sets of GHR's, 3 sets of high rep shrugs, 3 sets of heavy hang cleans. Core and hips were still shot from football the other day, didn't feel like any more work was necessary.
A tip from Dave Tate's Vault book really helped today. He mentions on deads to ease some pressure into the bar before beginning your pull, instead of just yankin the bar off the ground. Helped me get 4 isolated (complete stop at bottom) reps with heavy (for me) weight
Thursday: Bench: 2x175. For my weakest exercise, I was very pleased with this double. My form is improving every week, along with my strength. Assistance Work consisted of dips, rows, and close grip bench.
Friday: Squats: 3x260. Weight felt real good, I've been focusing very hard on depth this month, and I was happy with all 3 reps. Assisted with lunges, stiff leg deads, and ab work.
Today: Military press: 2x130. I had fucked up the weight and did 90% for 5 by accident for my first set and 95% for 2 for my second set. I only bothered checking the weight because I was so frustrated I didnt get 3. thats when I realized I had actually just hit a PR lol. Assisted with 50 dips and 2 sets of Kroc rows. Wouldve done more work but for some reason DB rows always zap my energy, especially when doing sets of 20 with heavy weight. Puked my guts up on the walk back to the dorm, never felt better.
Rest of the week I'm deloading, preparing for a second cycle of 5/3/1 next week.
greek91
10-24-11, 10:25 pm
So today was military presses, got up to 120x7, which is a rep PR for that weight. Gettin stronger every week.
Assistance: 5 sets of dips, 2 sets of Kroc Rows, 4 sets of close grip bench. Got a huge pump, cranked out more than usual today.
I dont know what it is about Kroc Rows but they ALWAYS make me puke. Every time. Thats a good sign in my book. Pulling tomorrow, fuckin stoked.
Deads: 5x275. Not a PR but still felt good. Assisted with GHR's, lunges, and shrugs s/s hang cleans
Bench: 6x160 (PR). Form is improving every week. Assisted with dips s/s pushups, chins, BB rows, and incline skullcrushers
Squat: 240x6. Really pushed it that day. Got the extra rep in. Assisted with step ups and stiff leg deads
Hit another PR today: 125x5 (almost 6) on the military press. Not sure what got into me today but I was just crushing weight. Thought it might be leg drive but i made sure to avoid it on the last set and still blew through the reps.
Assistance: Arnold presses 4x8 (last two sets consist of 3 rest pause sets), Kroc rows (80lbs for 20 reps) for 3 sets, and incline skullcrushers for 3 sets.
Maybe it was the Animal Rage doing extra work today, but today was just insanely intense. Moved alot of weight (for me at least), and cant wait to pull tomorrow
greek91
11-01-11, 10:36 pm
Hit a PR on deads today: Got up to 295x3. Weight felt pretty heavy, today just lacked the intensity I usually have. Not a big deal, least I got to 3
Assitance: GHR's, DB Lunges (taking Wendler's advice to "do what you suck at"), and hang cleans s/s shrugs
Day off tomorrow, gotta pick up the intensity Thursday on bench
HUGE bench PR today: Hit 170x6. My bench numbers have been going up fastest during this run of 5/3/1, and I think its due to the difference in assistance work and definitely due to reading Dave Tate's Vault book. Been focusing real hard on form and power. And its showing.
Assistance: Light bench for reps (1 set), dips (4 sets), Kroc Rows (3 sets), and close grip incline press (3 sets). I NEED to put the Kroc Rows on the backburner for now. It pretty much kills any chance of continuing the training session, and I find myself vomiting EVERY time i do them. Which is a good thing, but not twice a week every week. Those things will kick your ass.
Big squat day yesterday: Got to 255x5 or 6. Too be honest I lose count of reps on heavy squats. Kinda black out. Weight felt real good, next week's gonna be real intense.
assistance: Hack squat HRT style, Pull throughs, and GHR's
Yet another PR today, this time on military press: Pressed 135x3. Pushed the weight real hard today, my intensity and form is improving every week.
Assistance: Chins (4 sets), Arnold press (2 sets and 2 sets done rest pause style), BB rows (4 sets), Skullcrushers (HRT), and Lat pulldowns (HRT).
I've noticed that in addition to getting stronger, I look alot better aesthetically on 5/3/1. I may not be as cut up as I was running a BB split, but I just look BIGGER. Fuller is probably a better word. I muscle bellies feel full, my overall profile looks bigger, and I just look more intimidating, more athletic. Loving everything about this program right now.
Tomorrow I will finally pull 315. This has been a long time comin.....
T o m m Y
11-07-11, 9:40 pm
congrats on the pr's bro!
keeep them comin!
how you like 5/3/1?
congrats on the pr's bro!
keeep them comin!
how you like 5/3/1?
Love it, shit just works haha no other way of saying it. Been getting stronger every week. I see you done a lot of Westside work, I definitely wanna give that a run if and when this program stalls. I figure maybe in a few years I might get enough weight up to enter a meet. For now though, I aint anywhere near that level lol
Finally pulled 315 today. Weight seemed to fly up. Felt so good with it.
Assistance: GHR's and 3 giant sets of Shrugs, reverse shrugs, and hang cleans
This may not be a big pull for most serious lifters, but for me its a serious milestone. I run into a lot of assholes at this campus, and even more people spouting bullshit. Liars, cocky folks, hardos, and shittalkers are all pretty common. But when I pick 315 pounds off the ground, none of that means shit. I've beaten myself, I've beaten all the negativity thrown my way. Next stop, 405.....
PR on bench today: 180x2 (almost 3). Lately my tightness on max effort days has been real good, I mean I get off the bench and my back is still arched lol. Progress is slow but steady.
Assistance: Dips s/s Chins, Skullcrushers (HRT), DB Flyes (HRT)
Finally get to max out on squats tomorrow, cant fucking wait
Skimped thru this thread and you have made some great progress. Congrats on the 315 as well. Heavy is relative. In the big scheme of things, 315 off the floor is impressive. Keep up the good work.
Skimped thru this thread and you have made some great progress. Congrats on the 315 as well. Heavy is relative. In the big scheme of things, 315 off the floor is impressive. Keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot man, the progress is slow but definitely worth it.
Yesterday's squat went well: 270x1. Not all that impressive, but its more than I moved last month. The inside of my hips seems to be the weakest spot right now, that and the very inside of my legs. Gonna have to change my plan of attack in the next cycle.
Assistance: Lunges (4x8), Stiff leg deads (3 sets of 6-8 with 225#), leg curls (HRT), leg extensions (HRT). Really burned out the legs on this one.
Another 5/3/1 cycle in the books, with more PR's to come. Deloading next week, then on to the next one
T o m m Y
11-12-11, 4:32 pm
Yesterday's squat went well: 270x1. Not all that impressive, but its more than I moved last month. The inside of my hips seems to be the weakest spot right now, that and the very inside of my legs. Gonna have to change my plan of attack in the next cycle.
Assistance: Lunges (4x8), Stiff leg deads (3 sets of 6-8 with 225#), leg curls (HRT), leg extensions (HRT). Really burned out the legs on this one.
Another 5/3/1 cycle in the books, with more PR's to come. Deloading next week, then on to the next one
"but its more than I moved last month"
thats all that matters bro! good job.
keep those pr's coming!
greek91
11-21-11, 11:16 pm
Last week was a much needed deload, I was totally wiped out from the previous weeks sessions. Took it easy, upped my rest, felt good to go today for the start of cycle 3.
Stayed on track with military press: 125x5. Same as I had 2 weeks ago, which is a bit discouraging, but I'm not that worried about it.
Assitance: Arnold press, chins, skullcrushers (elbows took a beating on this, not a good sign), and Kroc rows
Overall a decent session. Diet's been higher than average now that I'm home for a week. Gonna pull tomorrow. The gym I go to at home isnt very deadlift friendly (no platforms, no iron plates, dance music, a thousand bros curling at once) but I'll make it work.
Finally got into the weightroom today, long week. Deads: 285x5, assisted with leg press (HRT), leg curls (HRT), and shrugs (4x20).
This week was real busy with the holiday and being back to work, so it took until today to get to the gym to train. I also beat my body up pretty bad the past few days. Couple football games, one 4 hour punk show, and VERY little sleep. But I'm puling my shit together.
I'm not sure how my training is gonna be once I'm home for the winter, because the gym I'm going to is a pain in the ass to deadlift at. theres no platforms, so you have to dead in the squat rack. Problem is, the mat under my feet is raised up and stiff, while the mat that the weights rest on is soft and lower. Makes pulling singles a bitch. But I'll make due. Gonna pick up the pace this week, bench tomorrow, squat Saturday.
So between the forvm being down and being busy all week, haven't gotten a chance to log the past week.
Sunday: Bench- 165x5. Not a PR, but felt good nontheless. Assisted with dips, BB rows, Kroc rows, and skullcrushers.
Monday: Squat- 250x5. Again, not great, but I'm happy with it. Can't recall the assistance work.
Tuesday: Military Press: Accidentally did the week 1 workout, really pissed about that, but hopefully it doesnt hurt my performance in the coming weeks.
Today: Deads- 300x4 (PR). Pulling 300 pounds off the ground feels so damn good haha. Really dug in for the last one, weight felt real nice. Assisted with front squats, GHR's, and shrugs.
Supplement-wise, I've gotten back to the basics: Multi-vitamin, Glucosamine+MSM, Fish Oil, Un-Liver, and GH Max. We'll see how this stack turns out.
Lastly, it's been about a year since I started this journey. I was only on 5/3/1 for 16 weeks, then a BB split, now I've been back for 10 weeks. At the end of this cycle, I will do a write-up of how far my lifts have improved since that first cycle. The numbers are surprising even me. Right now, it looks like my squat and deadlift have both gained 60lbs. Life is good....
Benched today: 175x2. Missed the third rep because I let the bar track in front of my elbow. Stupid form mistake, shouldve had the lift. Needless to say, this miss had me down, but the rest of the session finished strong.
Assistance: Close grip incline bench (bailed when my elbows kept popping), Dips (crushed 50 reps), Kroc Rows, Tate Presses. Got real swollen, high intensity today. Hopefully I can sneak into the gym tomorrow to squat (gyms closed on the weekend)
Got to squat today: 265x3. Last one was a grinder but it felt good anyway. I consider this a PR because even though I logged bigger numbers in previous cycles of 531, I dont think I was getting deep enough back then. Lately I've been VERY focused on form and depth, no half-assing reps. I even had someone next to me giving me feedback on depth. I'd rather lift 265 with a deep squat than lift 315 looking like a pussy.
Assistance: GHR's, Leg Press, Leg Curls, Leg extensions. Needed to hit quads hard today. All but the extensions were done HRT style. I really like the high intensity of HRT. It burns me out and makes me stronger without having to be in the gym all day.
This week will be the heaviest week of this cycle. Pressing tomorrow...
Miltary press today: 140x1 (PR). Crushed the first one but didn't even partially get a second rep in, which was a little disappointing. But overall, everything went smoothly.
Assistance: Dips (5x10), BB rows (HRT), front lateral raises (HRT), chins (30), and Skullcrushers (HRT)
Stoked to pull tomorrow
Pulled today: HIt 320x2 (PR). First pull exploded off the floor, went for a 2nd and it was just a little tougher. Third one was too hard to get out of the hole. Felt great today. Deadlift strength keeps goin up.
Assistance: GHR's (HRT), Hack Squat (4x20), Pullthroughs (4x8). Quads have been lagging lately, so I switched form high intensity to high volume. Nice change of pace.
Might be able to bench tomorrow. If not, I'll get it in Friday.
So today was my last day of this cycle. Home for the weekend so I hit up my old high school to train with my football team. Good to see all my old coaches. Since I only had one day, i figured i'd get in max effort days for both bench and squat.
Bench: Hit 175x3 (barely), and missed 185. terrible, terrible fucking performance. My bench just keeps stalling out, I need to change things up big time with my bench training.
Squat: 280x3 (PR). Following the missed bench attempt, I was fired the fuck up. Destroyed my squat. Just fuckin murdered it. THe 3rd rep was a real grinder, felt like my head was gonna explode. Great form, great depth. This lift really brought my day back up.
Assistance: I didn't feel like hammering myself to hard because of maxing on both lifts, so I ran some Kroc Rows and incline close grip bench presses. Overall, left the gym happy.
Another cycle of 5/3/1 in the books, gonna deload next week. In the meantime, I'll do a write-up of how I've progressed in the past year since starting this Journey.
Military Press: 130x3. Not even close to the 5 I was shooting for. This is the 13th week i've been on 5/3/1, and I can feel it starting to stall out. But no worries, I'm just going to keep my military press and bench press numbers the asme as last month. I'll have to shoot for rep PR's over weight PR's.
Assistance: DB shoulder press (HRT), Chins (4 sets), Dips (4 sets), Kroc rows (1 brutal set), Triceps ext (HRT).
So progress is slowing down, but only with my upper body exercises. Deads and Squats should remain the same. Pulling tomorrow, little worried, but confident.
Got back on track today. Pulled 295x5. Finally found a good spot to deadlift in my gym at home, weight felt real good.
Assistance: Good mornings, leg ext, ab work. Had to keep the session short today, tight schedule.
Overall, a pretty good start to week 13. Very concerned about benching this week, gonna be conservative with the weight. Till then....
Benched today- Got up to 165x5. Although not a PR, the 5 reps were a lot cleaner form-wise and better than last month's effort. Im keeping the weight the same this month for the bench press, going more for better form and rep PR's than weight PR's.
Assistance: Close grip incline (4 set pyramid), BB rows (3 set pyramid), DB flyes (HRT), and overhead triceps ext (3 drop sets). My weakest point right now is coming out of the hole, so I wanted to change things up with both exercises and rep ranges. The flyes really burned out my chest, and the incline bench hammered my whole upper body real good. The triceps ext were just a finisher. changing things up this month, hopefully it'll shock me into some growth.
Big squat day tomorrow, can't wait.
greek91
12-28-11, 10:21 am
Monday- Squat: 5x260. Kept pace with the program, not my best lift, but not a bad one either. Assisted with lunges and shrugs. I've been avoiding lunges for the past few cycles. Not any more. They hurt like a motherfucker, but I figure they're my best shot at bringing my squat up.
Tuesday- Military Press: 130x4. The last rep barely made it up, took about five seconds to even get there. Assisted with, pushups (another change up), BB rows, incline close grip press, and neutral grip chins.
I've been varying my assistance work alot this cycle, and it seems to be working for now. Pulling later today.
didnt log the past week, holidays had me busy.
Wednesday: Deadlift 310x4 (PR). Assisted with leg press and good mornings. Deads keep improving a lot, and i've started adding in good mornings to my program for a change, as the gym I go to at home doesn't have a glute ham raise.
Thursday: Bench- 175x3. Really shitty lift again. I need to find out what is killing my bench. I'm guessing it's chest, because every other lift is going up except bench. Assistance= Pushups, BB rows, tricep pushdowns, lat pulldowns.
Friday: Squat 275x4. Not great considering my max lift last month, but not bad either. My next squat session is going to be a real big test. Assistance= Lunges, shrugs, stiff leg deads.
Today: MIlitary press 140x1. Last month I missed this lift, so it was a real confidence boost to get it up today. Felt trouble locking out so I did extra tricep work today. Assistance was close grip incline (4 set pyramid), meadows rows (4 sets), pushdowns on a dip machine with a medicine ball, and lat stretchers.
The meadows rows were something new, really gave a crazy good stretch. The stretchers were another john meadows move, killed my back. The pushdowns were done to failure for 3 sets. Each set consisted of 3 mini sets to failure, after which I would change my grip or leverage. I finished today off with side lateral raises, because I've been noticing a lack of width lately.
This is the big week of this cycle, off to a good start so far. Pulling tomorrow, plan on KILLING it.
Be patient with your Bench, as it is very slow to go up... Some ppl's Bench are high, a lot of that is natural... Couple things I have done, bring mine up is really work your Triceps (Rolling DB Extensions, Dips, & a TON of Close Grip, Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell says always do CG, it will ALWAYS bring up your wide grip.), hammer your Upper Back & Lats (Face Pulls & Pullaparts for Upper Back, & Kroc, Barbell, & Chest Supported Rows for Lats & Upper Back), Gain weight (Huge for the Bench), & be patient...
Good luck though man, keep grindin', I will be following your journey for sure...
Be patient with your Bench, as it is very slow to go up... Some ppl's Bench are high, a lot of that is natural... Couple things I have done, bring mine up is really work your Triceps (Rolling DB Extensions, Dips, & a TON of Close Grip, Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell says always do CG, it will ALWAYS bring up your wide grip.), hammer your Upper Back & Lats (Face Pulls & Pullaparts for Upper Back, & Kroc, Barbell, & Chest Supported Rows for Lats & Upper Back), Gain weight (Huge for the Bench), & be patient...
Good luck though man, keep grindin', I will be following your journey for sure...
Thanks alot man, it's just a frustrating lift. I have been doing a lot of back work and am now exclusively doing close grip on assistance work. My biggest problem seems to be getting out of the hole. Any ideas how I might be able to address that particular weak spot?
Deads today- 330x2 (PR). This lift was really intense today. Warm ups at 295 and 310 felt good, and I was fired up for 330, which I'd never pulled before. Got down for the lift, and stopped before the bar even came off the ground. My hips were too low, my belly wasnt filled with enough air, and I had forgotten to take the slack out of the bar. Keeping cool, I rested a full minute, came back, remembered to breathe in tight, keep my hips up and shoulders back, and ease the bar out before exploding up. Bar came up like it was NOTHING. Came back down, touched the floor (no bounce, but not a dead stop either), and brought it up again. Felt amazing today, really pleased with this last deadlift day in the cycle.
Assistance- Good mornings (4 set pyramid, real slow negatives), leg press (worked up to 540x5 for a PR), and prone planks (3x 1 minute). There werent any obvious weak spots in my lift today, so I just hit the basics, in and out.
Thanks alot man, it's just a frustrating lift. I have been doing a lot of back work and am now exclusively doing close grip on assistance work. My biggest problem seems to be getting out of the hole. Any ideas how I might be able to address that particular weak spot?
The biggest couple tips I'd give you is to:
1. Keep working your Back, especially Upper Back (Face Pulls, Pullaparts, Kroc Rows w/ elbow out).
2. Really work your arch. The bigger arch, the higher starting point, which means shorter ROM and your stronger off your chest. What I do for this is stretch my back a lot and foam/PVC roll this shit out of my back, and arch over the foam/PVC roller.
3. Work your form good, making sure you are incorporating leg drive. I have found leg drive is HUGE in power and speed off your chest.
4. Heavy Dumbbell Assistance work. Really works the bottom end.
5. Work your shoulders, plays a big part in the bottom end.
6. Be patient, haha, I know it's redundant, but its a fact.
Friday: Bench 185x2 (PR). Having missed this lift last month, I was real excited to try it again and beat it. On the second warm up set, I was pushin so hard I shit myself. Knew it was gonna be a good day of training lol. Got up to 185, first rep came down real slow, and flew up. Went for a second and grinded that one out as well. assisted with DB incline presses, pull aparts, and DB flyes (Thanks Polk)
Today: Squat 290x2 (PR). Excellent lift, no other way to put it. Sat back hard, used a lot of hips, weight felt real good. Had to get to work so I only had time for a few sets of heavy lunges.
At this point I feel like I could start a whole cycle next week, but for the sake of consistency I will probably take the deload.
C.Coronato
01-10-12, 11:42 am
Looking good in here brother!
Solid shit brother, keep grinding, & stick to the program, remember you are planning on lifting your whole life, so have patience accordingly... What seems like a long time now, is nothing in your career, make small incrimental gains...
greek91
01-11-12, 12:22 am
Solid shit brother, keep grinding, & stick to the program, remember you are planning on lifting your whole life, so have patience accordingly... What seems like a long time now, is nothing in your career, make small incrimental gains...
Yeah I just learned that the hard way. Tried jumping back into it yesterday and today, ended up being a real bad decision. Elbows are creaking, knees feel worn, and my shoulder is shit. I'm taking the rest of the week off. Gonna rest up and start up another cycle next week.
greek91
01-11-12, 12:23 am
Looking good in here brother!
Thanks man, always good havin support from my Animal brothers
Last week was a real setback, had two sessions that went well but wreaked havoc on my body, should've taken a deload. Couple days later, came down with a wicked stomach bug that had me puking every 15 minutes (even after my stomach was long empty). Lost a few pounds along the way. But it's the start of a new cycle, and it's time to keep pusing.
Yesterday was military press. Only got to 130x3, which was disappointing considering a had hit 5 with that weight just last week. But I chalked it up to a bad day in the gym on top of recovering from being sick. hit the assistance hard with closegrip incline bench (5 sets), meadows rows (4 sets), front lateral raises (these were put in due to my weakness coming out of the bottom of my presses, worked several post-failure techniques to fry them), Kroc rows (2 sets), and my favorite, the Kai Green tricep giant set (pushdowns, reverse grip pushdowns, overhead extensions) shown in that training video Carrnage posted.
Gonna keep trying to switch things up, maybe put on some size (prior to being sick, I had gained ten pounds(!) over the winter break). Good to be back.
Hit up my old high school for some deadlifting today. Hit 305x5 (PR). Was only supposed to get to 300, but no 2.5 pound plates meant I had to improvise. Felt great to be back in a place where chalk is not only allowed but encouraged, the music is loud and mean, and everyone's there to get better. Assistance was lengthy, GHR's for 5 sets, Lunges for 4 (knees feel a little tweaked after those), and good mornings for 3 sets. Finished it off with hill sprints with the sled. First time using a sled in a long time, weather was below freezing and windy as hell. No better feeling in the world.
Friday afternoon was bench- 170x3. Was supposed to get 170x5, but with no 2.5 pound plates at my old high school, I had to just sack up and up the weight 5 pounds. Not really happy with just 3, but not totally disappointed either. I used chains as assistance for the first time ever. I LOVE CHAINS. If the weightroom at my college had them, I'd be using them all the time. The feeling of benching with chains was incredible. I'm thinking of getting some bands to try and mimic that feeling. Did 4 sets of chained close grip presses. Then BB rows (5 sets), pushups, and shrugs s/s with reverse shrugs. The next day, all the right things were sore. I've been trying to hit my shoulders and chest hard, and it seemed to do the trick.
Squatted today- 270x5. After the first 2 sets, I was a little intimidated for the last one. I ended up needing a few breaths after the first 3 reps, and the 5th was a grinder, but all in all it was a solid set. Assisted with hack squats (4 sets) and good mornings (4 sets). Didn't have time for ab work, gonna get it in somewhere else
First week of this cycle is over, gonna really push it going into week 2. Been trying to focus hard on recovery lately as well (ice, foam rolling, stretching). This cycle could go either way; could be a PR setting month, or a shitty letdown. we'll see.
Good start my man, get your mind right and go get your PR's... It ain't nothin' but some weight....
Got back on track today, hit military press 135x3. Nothing flashy, but a PR nontheless. Shoulders felt alot stronger this week. Assisted with meadows rows, dips, and skullcrushers.
The Meadows rows are a real asset lately. I've noticed that what makes them so great is that as the weight comes down to the floor, it moves across 3 planes. It moves forward (towards my head), down (towards the floor), and inward (towards my opposite arm). This creates a tremendous stretch at the bottom. It pulls your back a few extra inches. My dip strength was a lot stronger than it's been in the past. Took a few weeks off from them and glad I came back strong. Good start to week 2 of the cycle. Pulling tomorrow or Wednesday.
Pulled today, easily hit 320x3 (PR). My pull has been increasing consistently every week. Next week will be the most I've ever pulled, well on my way to my goal of 405 by the summer.
Assistance was short today, was still pretty beat up from squats Monday. Did 45 degree back raises (4 sets) and ab work. Kept it light but purposeful.
benched today- hit 170x3. Had a terrible spot on it. I lift by myself so I usually have to rely on a stranger when I'm doing heavy presses. Guy yanked the bar out of the rack and loosened up my whole back. Had to totally reset myself before bringing the weight down. I was stoked to hit 3, but it felt like this guy was helping me out too much on the way up. So I'm still not positive that it was all me on the last set.
Assistance was long today, ended up staying at the gym a little longer than usual. First I hit dips, taking 5 sets to failure. Then I suppersetted chins with meadows rows for 3 sets. Absolutely fried my back. By the time I went for a fourth set i literally couldnt get close to the bar. Total failure. Next were dumbell presses, working up to a 5 rep max. Following this, did a giant set of hang cleans, shrugs, and reverse shrugs. Ended up hitting my entire upper body hard, was one of my best sessions in a while. can't wait to squat tomorrow.
Squat day today: 285x3 (PR). The last rep of the last set got stuck right in the middle of the motion. I had exploded up but gotten stuck half locked out. What finally pulled me out was my BACK of all things. While I was stuck i threw my elbows under the bar, thereby tightening up my back horizontally. This little squeeze combined with the hips pushing made the weight fly right up. Solid lift. Just shows how important upper back strength is on the squat.
Assistance consisted of 4 high rep sets of GHR's, hack squats, and pull-throughs. Hams were shot, and my low back felt like the skin was splitting off haha. Worked hard, time to rest up over the weekend.
Next week I'll finally be putting 300 pounds on my back. Been waiting for this a long time.
Hit a 5 pound PR on military press today: 145x2. The weightroom today was PACKED out with my school's lacrosse team, but the platform was empty, and in the middle of what seemed like 50 people I calmly ripped the weight up and held it over my head. To say it felt great is an understatement.
Assistance: Dips (12,12,10,8,10), Chins s/s Meadows Rows (4 sets), tate presses (4 sets), face pulls (4 sets). Dip strength is finally starting to go up alot, couple months ago 50 reps was a pain in the ass. Really loving the back killer superset. Puked up a bit on set 3 lol.
This is going to be a week of big PR's. I can just feel it. I got myself nice and bloated yesterday and today, gonna do the same the rest of the week. Tried the Dave Tate yoke plan (complementing regular meals with the occasional box of muffins or bag of Oreos). Not saying its good for ya, but what I do know is last night I crushed Oreos and this morning I crushed weight. That's all I'm saying.
Went in today supposed to pull 240. Worked up to it and got 2 reps. For some reason I just wanted to really see what I could do today. I know its best to stick to the program, but I hadn't tested a real max in months...
Pulled 365. For me, a 35 lb PR. The gym was empty, there was no one to impress but myself, and I got mah weight up. Lockout was rough, but it made it up.
Assistance: Good mornings (5 sets of 8), Leg ext, Pull throughs (4x12), and cable crunches (4 sets). Wanted to really pump up the quads today, hit some high reps on the leg ext.
Great day overall, stoked for the rest of the week. I'll be riding this high for a while.
missed 190 today..... again. made two attempts at it and failed miserably. Got out slightly, about a quarter of the way up it got stuck, i was yellin at my spotter that i had it i had it...... then had to tell him to take it after a few seconds of zero movement. Extremely disappointed at this lift.
Assistance was lengthy (had to give myself a pump-induced ego boost): DB rows, db presses, face pulls, tate presses, all 5x10. Lots of volume, felt real good.
I was so mentally locked in today, which makes the missed lift even more annoying. It has to be a weak chest. The way every other lift is going up, including military press (essentially a bench without the chest involvement), I cant see it being anything else. Going to change things up big time next month.
Squatting tomorrow, highly motivated to make it count.
Recap of the last week of the last cycle:
Last Friday: Squat- 300x1. Felt a slight problem with keeping my knees out, particularly the right one. It seems to flow inward on the middle part of the ascent. Assisted with pull throughs, hack squats, leg ext, and stiff leg deads. The main weak spot on mah squats seems to be in my quads. They are the first thing to get sore, and alot weaker than my hams.
Last week was a deload, took about 50-60% of my 1rm on each move and threw em up for 3 sets of 5. Kept the assistance light as well. Really needed the rest, especially for my knees. Iced and wrapped all week, feels pretty solid now.
Today was the start of my 6th(!) cycle of 5/3/1. The only thing stalling is my bench, which I feel can be corrected with other work while still maintaining the 5/3/1 split.
Hit the military press today, got up to 130x5. Nothing special, but on pace. Assistance consisted of dips (as many sets as needed to get to 50 reps), chins (5 sets), DB presses (5x10), and Meadows rows (4x12).
Got up to 310 for 5 (PR). Didn't do dead stops though, and while I tried to touch and go, a couple reps ended up more on the bounce side of things. Not mad though, got my weight up. Didnt have much time so all I got in was GHR's and Goblet squats. Good start to the cycle.
Good work kid, keep it up...
Good work kid, keep it up...
Thanks man, I think if things keep progressing like this i'll consider entering a meet next year. I'd have to change some things up but I think it'd be well worth it.
Today was bench: 170x4. Still not on pace, but better than last months. Groove felt alot better and my base felt more stable, so thats a plus. Also tried widening my grip a bit. Assisted with paused bench press (holding it on my chest for a 2 count) for 5 sets, BB rows (4 set pyramid), dips (5x10), meadows rows (4 sets of 12), medicine ball pushdowns to failure twice, and face pulls for 5 sets. Assistance work went real well, but that aint the point. Gotta work this bench harder every week.
Thanks man, I think if things keep progressing like this i'll consider entering a meet next year. I'd have to change some things up but I think it'd be well worth it.
Today was bench: 170x4. Still not on pace, but better than last months. Groove felt alot better and my base felt more stable, so thats a plus. Also tried widening my grip a bit. Assisted with paused bench press (holding it on my chest for a 2 count) for 5 sets, BB rows (4 set pyramid), dips (5x10), meadows rows (4 sets of 12), medicine ball pushdowns to failure twice, and face pulls for 5 sets. Assistance work went real well, but that aint the point. Gotta work this bench harder every week.
Two things, a piece of advice, if you wait until "you think you're strong enough" to enter a meet, you'll never do one... Just do it, it is a great experience, and anyone who has the balls to get on that platform and be judged, is awesome... It'll bring a whole new level to your training...
greek91
02-17-12, 10:32 pm
Two things, a piece of advice, if you wait until "you think you're strong enough" to enter a meet, you'll never do one... Just do it, it is a great experience, and anyone who has the balls to get on that platform and be judged, is awesome... It'll bring a whole new level to your training...
Yeah, I'm just gonna suck it up and do it. Definitely wanna give myself time to prepare, but I think if I don't I'll seriously regret it. Might have to pick up Wendler's 5/3/1 for Powerlifting book.
Squats tonight: 275x5. Got real deep today, which has been something I've wanted to improve on lately. Widened my stance just a bit this week.
Noticed that my quads were giving out way early, so I hit them hardest in the assistance work. Front squats (4 sets), good mornings (4 sets), these weird db squats, and pullthroughs. For the DB squats I grab one heavy dumbbell and hold it with both hands between my legs. Allows me to get real low and stretch the quads. These will hopefully help my weak spot.
Monday: Military Press 140x3. No surprises here, didn't exceed my expectations but I did meet them. Getting very comfortable on the press. Assistance: Dips, chins, meadows rows, incline close grip, and pushdowns. Was training with a buddy of mine who'd been out of the game a while, so the session wasn't as intense as usual, but the work got done.
Tuesday: Deadlift 330x3. Low back was a little weak, hit it good along with hams. Assistance: GHR's, DB squats, pullthroughs, hack squats, ab work.
Today: Bench 180x2. Mightve been able to finish the 3rd but my spotter took the weight. To be honest if he didn't I probably wouldve been crushed. It's been 3 months.... my bench hasnt gone up one pound.... starting to get real frustrated. Assistance: Chins, incline DB press, BB rows, pushups, tate presses, face pulls. Absolutely wiped out after that.
So after 3 months of stagnant benching, its time for something a little drastic. I'm going to up the volume considerably, starting with 100 pushups EVERY DAY. once that gets easy, 200 every day. I need yo hammer this movement into the fucking ground. If I don't, I'm doomed to stay at this weight for many more months. I've tried varying my assistance exercises a bit, widened my grip (much more comfortable but not adding any weight), and been eating more, but i'm still stuck. MAybe this pushup thing'll work. If not, its not like my bench is going anywhere......
Hit a serious PR today on the squat: 290x4. Last month I had gotten 285x3, so this is a real big improvement over 4 weeks. Last rep saw my right knee cave in a bit (its always my right knee that gives first. I'm a lefty so it makes sense) but the weight came up fine. Its always my elbows that give me that last push to finish the heavy reps. Really finding my groove lately.
Assistance: Good mornings (5x10), DB squats (4x10), ab work, hack squats (3x20). Finding some great ways to hammer my quads, which have been a weak point as of late. Looking forward to the singles week next week. Gonna try and set some new PR's, get mah confidence up a bit.
Last week went exactly as planned, except that I lowered the weight 5 pounds on the bench press because making a light lift does more for ya than missing a heavier lift.
Military Press: 145x2 (Same as last month)
Deadlift: 345x3 (PR)
Bench Press: 185x2 (PR)
Squat: 315x1 (PR)
Felt great hitting 315 on the squat for the first time. Every lift is consistently improving. But I feel that 24 weeks on the same program is just too much. I haven't been stalling exactly, but I think variety will lead to even bigger gains. Possibly the Juggernaut Program (closest to 5/3/1), maybe some Westside work, anything really, as long as the main focus is strength and the second focus is size.
I took the week off during the deload because I got extremely sick, but the antibiotics are running their course and by Monday I'll be back under the bar. Can't wait
greek91
03-13-12, 10:56 am
Changed things up a little bit, now I'm gonna be following 5/3/1 for Powerlifting. Hardly any differences, but in addition to the program changing, I'm gonna be dropping the weight back down. Take 2 steps back, 5 steps forward sort of thing. Also going to be running Wendler's off-season mass template. I've never had much success with "bodybuilding" routines, so I'm very interested to see how this one works out. While the volume and set-up is different than what I'm used to, I trust Jim Wendler implicitly at this point.
Monday: Military Press: 135x1. Couldnt get up to 3, but I've been pretty sick, so I'm not gonna dwell on it. Bad days happen.
Assistance: Dumbell shoulder press (5x10), BB Curls (5x10), Rear lateral raises s/s Side laterals (3x10 each). Also did a set of chins in between every pressing set.
Pulling today, gonna be real disappointed if I can't get my weight up
So i finished the first cycle of 3/5/1 last week. For the assistance I'm sticking to Wendler's off-season mass template, which is similar to Boring But Big. I hit all my 1 rep sets, but overall it was a weaker cycle. Had to take a step back to keep moving forward. This month is different. I'm back to where I was a couple months ago, and ready for some PR's.
Monday: Military Press 135x4. I kept the military press weight the same as last month, but this time around I'm actually getting the required reps. Supersetted each set with a set of chins, and also threw in one rest-pause set of pressing after the last set of 3. Followed that up with DB shoulder press (5x10), curls (5x10), and side raises s/s with rear laterals (3x12 each).
Tuesday: Deads 340x4. Again exceeded the required reps, which didn't happen last month. Assistance consisted of lighter-weight deads (5x10), BB rows (4x10), and glute-ham raises (3x10). Substituted the 5 sets of deads for good mornings, and it felt great. Can't remember the last time I did any real volume on deadlifts. Whole back was pumped, hams were fried, felt real good. Lookin forward to the rest of the week.
vikespike
04-10-12, 9:13 pm
Awesome to see the progress you've made. Congrats and keep up the good work.
Awesome to see the progress you've made. Congrats and keep up the good work.
thanks man, slow work but its worth it
Big gains on the bench today. Hit 180x5 (PR). To be honest, I think it was the volume on Tuesday's deadlift session that helped today. Back was real tight and solid, felt like a rock under the bar. Form was clean, couldn't be more happy with the results. Assisted with DB Bench (5x10), Meadows rows (5x10), pushdowns (century set), and face pulls (century set). The pumps on bench days lately has been ridiculous. I end up leaving the gym lookin like a motherfuckin monster. Sofar, this week has exceeded all expectations. Really looking forward to squatting tomorrow.
Last week's squat session was good not great. Hit 290x3. Depth was most important though, not necessarily reps. Seemed to get stuck right in the middle of the squat, not really lock out, but not right outta the hole either. Will address this next week. Assisted with leg press and GHR's.
Just received my can of Animal Nitro, very excited to see how this helps, will be keeping log of it. My stack now looks like this:
Pak
Fish Oil
Glucosamine
Vitamin C
Rage
Uni-Liver
Nitro
Universal Creatine
Melatonin
Monday: Military Press 125x7. Weight was flying up, really focused on using the lats as a shelf from which to press. Assisted with chins, DB press, curls, and rear laterals s/s side laterals. Hit most of my goals with the assistance exercises, gonna up the weight next week.
Tuesday: Deads 320x5. Not great, but they were all dead stops so it ain't a big deal. Followed with 5x10 of lighter deads (really enjoying this, keeps my form up to par and swells my back up like no other), BB rows, and leg curls.
Thursday: Bench 170x6. Could've gotten 7 if I hadn't missed the bar path on that rep. Bench has been feeling VERY strong lately, it's starting to finally see some gains. Assisted with DB bench, chins, meadows rows, pushdowns, and facepulls.
At this point I'm really focused on getting that bench up, I'm sick of it lagging behind so bad. Another note, I've used Animal Nitro after all three of these sessions, have yet to see anything noticeable, but nothing changes overnight.
Solid progress.... Keep grindin...
Haven't posted in here in some time, simply because there wasn't much to log, but anyway...
Last week of 5/3/1 last month went better than expected. Reached my goals in all 4 lifts. Bench in particular was a bit of a milestone. Been stuck on there for forever. Finally added 5 pounds.
Unfortunately, since then the gym at my school has been closed. Meaning I don't have access to a barbell until the end of this week. Been doing the same routine, simply dropped the heavier sets or replaced them with dumbbell variants. I figure if I get in, push my work sets, get my pump, and feel sore, it'll have to do. Back to the strength game next week, can't fucking wait.
greek91
05-21-12, 11:06 pm
Back home from school, back at my old gym, back to old school 5/3/1 training. Started today with military press, hit 140x4, shouldve gotten 5 but i pushed the bar too far out in front of me, so the rep got fucked. Assisted with the usual, but upped the weight on all exercises for this cycle. Chins, db shoulder press, curls, rear lateral/side lateral superset.
For this 3 week cycle of 5/3/1 I'm also gonna be going through a can of M-Stak for the first time in 2 years. Also got mah Pak, Nitro post, Ultra Whey throughout the day, Universal Creatine post, Uni-Liver with each meal, and plenty of Fish Oil, Vitamin C and glucosamine. Also, my diet is always bigger and cleaner when I'm not living on dining hall garbage. So this should be a VERY productive 3 weeks, providing I find my groove with 2 new jobs starting up. Right now the weight is steady at 181 lbs. hopefully gonna see a few more pounds on the scale by months end.
It's been a couple weeks since I did any real heavy training, tomorrow's deads, gonna be a real test. Can't fuckin wait. Grip it and rip it!
Summer was a bust. Plain and simple. Aside from a couple stellar days (seeing a couple PR's), I felt disorganized and aimless in my training. Tried some 5/3/1, some bodybuilding, even some Westside training. But I was just delaying the inevitable.
Couple weeks ago I took all my maxes and multiplied them by .9. Those are my new training maxes. I feel that submaximal weight is my best bet right now. To avoid any wavering, I'm strictly following the 5/3/1 boring but big Challenge. Time to dig in.
This cycle was fantastic. With the lighter weight, very week's lifts felt fast, controlled, and dominated, which is exactly the confidence boost I needed. This week, in addition to my 5/3/1 sets, I did a couple heavy singles on the big 3 lifts.
My Bench went up 5 pounds to 205. Lately been feeling like a solid rock under the bar. Tightness is really making a difference. I recently saw a video discussing shrugging the shoulders during a bench instead of just pinching the shoulder blades together. Makes a big difference.
Deadlift wasnt pushed due to hurting my back a couple weeks before starting the program. While my best pull is 385, I kept it to 345 for this cycle. Being easy on the low back. To that end, I also bought a belt, which feels incredible.
My squat hit a 10 pound PR today after putting 10 pounds on over the summer as well. Today I got up to 335x1. Considering I'd only once squatted 325, and a grinder at that, I was very pleased with this lift.
I'm going to be focusing on my front delts, abs, conditioning, and traps most during the next 2 months. Lookin forward to it