Building a Lion: My Journey Into Powerlifting

[RaisingTheBar]

What's up Brothers,

The feats of strength I have witnessed on this forum are jaw dropping. There are some real freaks in here, and I mean to join the ranks. I've been lifting and eating seriously for a year and a half, focusing on a 12 - 8 rep scheme. Well, it's time to switch things up, move some heavy ass weight and take a journey into the ball busting world of power lifting. I'm looking to crush my first meet late next year in Northern California, giving myself roughly 1 year of prep. I haven't found any meets scheduled that far in advanced yet, but when I do, I'll be signing up. For this journey, I'll be following the Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program.

Current stats (no belt, straps, nothing):

Weight - 220 lbs Goal: Whatever it takes
Bench - 315 lbs Goal: 350
Squat - 375 lbs Goal: 425
Deadlift - 405 lbs Goal: 455
Total - 1095 Goal: 1230

Current supps are:
Animal Pak, Omega, Flex, Nitro and PM.
Universal Torrent, Shock Therapy, Uni-liver and NSC.

Current diet (normal day):
Meal 1 - 5 whole eggs, 2 pieces whole wheat bread, glass of juice.
Meal 2 - 1 yam, ground beef (paprika seasoning is bomb).
Meal 3 - grilled chicken, veggies, cup of oatmeal.
Meal 4 - Post Workout 3 1/2 scoops Cherry Berry Blast Torrent (Gods gift to mankind).
Meal 5 - Veggies, Spaghetti with turkey chili on top (yes, I am from Cincinnati).
Meal 6 - Cookies and Cream Real Gains, spoonful of peanut butter.

I've got a long way to go in this quest, but I feel confident. Here it begins, my journey into Power Lifting. It's time to build a lion!

-RaisingTheBar

[RaisingTheBar]

*edit*

Current Stats:
Bench - 315 lbs Goal: 350
Squat - 405 lbs Goal: 455
Deadlift - 425 lbs Goal: 475
Total - 1145 Goal: 1280

[RaisingTheBar]

Brought out my old Five Finger Death Punch playlist today. Got me jacked up for a strong leg day. My legs felt great, finished injury free, I'm happy with the session.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Squats - 135 x 12, 240 x 5, 275 x 5, 315 x 8

Lunges - 50x10, 50x10, 45x10, 45x10, 40x10

Leg Curl - 5 sets of 145x10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

10 min. stretch session

Post workout - 3 scoops Torrent

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid shoulder day. Got in and out within 45 minutes, injury free, happy with the session.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Standing Shoulder Press - 45 x 15, 115 x 5, 135 x 5, 155 x 7 (Left one in the tank, shoulders still felt a little sore from chest day)

Chin Ups - Bodyweightx10, Bodyweightx10, 165x10, 165x10, 165x10 (Haven't done chin ups in months. These felt great on my lats)

Dips - 5 sets of Bodyweight x 10 (Slow on the negative, explosive on the positive)

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Core Work - side bends 5 sets x 10, 45 plate.

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 223 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlift day. In the past, I would deadlift to failure for multiple sets in a row. But with this 5/3/1 program, limiting myself to 5 (65%), 5 (75%), 5+ (85%) on my main lift is leaving me with a lot more energy to focus on accessory work. My good morning sets felt great today and I left the gym with my entire body feeling strong, instead of crippled. Really happy with the change.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Deadlift - 135 x 12, 250 x 5, 315 x 5, 340 x 7 (I felt my form would break with one more, so I just left it in the tank)

Good Mornings - 95 x 12 x 5

Hanging leg raises - Bodyweight x 15 x 3, Bodyweight x 12, Bodyweight x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

1 armed Hammer Strength Low Rows - 45 each side x 10, 70 each side x 10, 80 each side x 10, 90 each side x 10 x 2

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent followed by 2 nsc and a chipotle burrito bowl 30min later, 2 scoops white rice, black beans, chicken, and tomato salsa.

Weight: 223 lbs .

[C.Coronato]

Looks solid and those numbers are certainly attainable. You're in a good place now brotha.

[RaisingTheBar]

Looks solid and those numbers are certainly attainable. You're in a good place now brotha.

You're right, I do feel like I'm in a good place. Thanks for the support!

[RaisingTheBar]

Awesome Bench day. I switched things up today and worked out first thing in the morning (I'm usually a noon guy). I had a ton of strength today. Maybe from all those hormones still in me from a long night's sleep? Not sure, but it felt great. I did lose steam on my last lift though, and felt completely drained by the end of it. I powered through, but it was a rough 30min showering up and waiting for my torrent to kick in. Because of how zapped I felt, I prolly won't do morning lifts again unless my schedule forces it.

Upon waking - Peanut butter and honey sandwich, 1 1/2 scoop universal milk and egg protein shake.

30min preworkout - (Forgot my NSC), 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Light shoulder warm up (making circles with 2 1/2 lb plates in each hand)

Bench - 135 x 12, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 7

Dumbbell Bench Press - 75 x 10, 80 x 10, 85 x 10, 75 x 10, 75 x 9

Dumbell Rows - 75 x 12, 80 x 12, 85 x 12, 85 x 12, 85 x 12

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light fly stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent, 2 nsc

Weight: 223 lbs .

[RaisingTheBar]

Week 2: OHP Day

Exhausted from the Giant's winning the world series last night, but I hit my numbers so I'm happy. Totally worth losing some sleep though, go Giants!

30min preworkout - 2 NSC, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

OHP - Bar x 15, 135 x 3, 160 x 3, 170 x 5

DB Side Raises - 20's x 12, 25's x 12, 25's x 10, 25's x 10, 20's x 10

Bent over dumbell raises - 15's x 12, 20's x 12, 20's x 10, 20's x 10, 20's x 8

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Weighted crunch machine - 60 x 12, 80 x 12, 80 x 12, 90 x 12, 90 x 10

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent, 2 nsc

Weight: 224 lbs . - Up a pound!

[RaisingTheBar]

Just a note incase I forget why I did this:

I moved OHP day up a day this week and squat day back a day. I decided to go on a nice 9 mile run Saturday morning, and I woke up Monday barely able to walk because of the shine splints and calf tightness. Gonna give it a day's rest before I hit squat. Rain or shine, I'm pushing it tomorrow. Hopefully this break pays off.

Now for the question: Why did I run 9 miles on Saturday? Women... /sigh

[RaisingTheBar]

Squats went great. Hit my numbers strong. A few weeks ago, I watched a video of Ben Seath doing explosive seated box jumps, so I decided to try them out as an accessory. They felt great. This was the first time I've jumped in years. I didn't have the explosion that I think I should have, but my legs felt like the had the power in them. It's kindof hard to explain, but I think if I practice more often my body will catch up. I'm going to start jumping once a week to work on it. Not sure if it'll help my squat, but I liked the feeling of mobility and want to make sure I maintain and improve it.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Warm-up (squat racks were busy) - leg extensions 125 x 15 x 2

Squats - 135 x 12, 275 x 3, 315 x 3, 340 x 5

Hanging Leg Raises - 5 x 12 - 15

Seated Box Jumps - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

10 min. stretch session

Post workout - 3 scoops Torrent

[RaisingTheBar]

Got my blood work results today. Was a little nervous, haven't had it done in two years, since I started eating 6+ eggs a day and lots of red meat (two things "they" say are horrible for you). Well, I'm happy to say I'm in solid health. Optimal ranges for cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure.

It's really nice to have hard numbers to support my diet. Gets very annoying every time someone calls me crazy for eating more than 6 eggs a week... A week!? Well, now I can let them know what 4 dozen eggs a week does to your cholestrol... nothing.

[Appollonian]

In for the ride. Digging the work, and nice stack.


Got my blood work results today. Was a little nervous, haven't had it done in two years, since I started eating 6+ eggs a day and lots of red meat (two things "they" say are horrible for you). Well, I'm happy to say I'm in solid health. Optimal ranges for cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure.

It's really nice to have hard numbers to support my diet. Gets very annoying every time someone calls me crazy for eating more than 6 eggs a week... A week!? Well, now I can let them know what 4 dozen eggs a week does to your cholestrol... nothing.

I hear you on this; after a few months of eating red meat multiple times daily and 4-6 eggs for breakfast I got my bloodwork done and it was well within normal, with the cholesterol as 'perfect' as I could get it. Don't worry about anyone else, as long as you're healthy and got the numbers to prove it keep on keeping on.

[RaisingTheBar]

In for the ride. Digging the work, and nice stack.

I hear you on this; after a few months of eating red meat multiple times daily and 4-6 eggs for breakfast I got my bloodwork done and it was well within normal, with the cholesterol as 'perfect' as I could get it. Don't worry about anyone else, as long as you're healthy and got the numbers to prove it keep on keeping on.

Thanks! Great having you onboard!

[RaisingTheBar]

Strong Bench day. Hardest part about this program is stopping at the prescribed % of weight. Today I destroyed my final set (felt great), and it took everything I had to not throw on more weight and see what I could push. 5/3/1 is designed for steady progression though, and this is what I'm putting my faith in, so I'll keep with it.

2 hours Pre workout - Peanut butter and honey sandwich, 1 1/2 scoop universal milk and egg protein shake.

30min preworkout - 2 NSC, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Bench - 135 x 12, 200 x 3, 235 x 3, 260 x 5

Bench (50%) - 160 x 10 x 5. Really focused on my explosion here. Slow down, explosive up.

Inclined Dumbbell fly - 40 each hand x 10 x 5

Dumbell Rows - 75 each hand x 12, 85 x 10, 90 x 10, 90 x 10, 90 x 9

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent,

Weight: 223 lbs. Down 1 lb. It's prolly water weight, but regardless I'm stalled right now. Time to add another meal. I've been eating instinctively for the 2 months, and it's worked out perfectly. But now I gotta do what I'm not a big fan of... eating when your not hungry. Or, throw in a daily cheat meal instead of bi-weekly cheat meals. Haha, let's find a happy medium. Time to pull up P Diesel's bulking thread and the cheat meal thread, for ideas. I'm kindof lactose intollerent too, so no whole milk for me. I've never weighted more than 225lb before, so it's time to push my body past it's limits. This is awesome motivation for me to keep working and eating hard everyday.

[RaisingTheBar]

I just ordered my Supplement stack for next month, so I figured I'd review this months to keep track of what works for me and what doesn't.

I'm really digging my stack right now. I added a new supp this month, NSC. I'm on my second week of NSC, and I have to say, this stuff is sweet. It's hard to explain, but my muscles just feel full, and my body feels good everyday. This is my only new supplement in this stack, so I'm attributing these benefits to the NSC. Besides NSC, everything else is basic for me.

This month, I mostly kept everything the same. I took out NSC is test how I feel (want to make sure this months benefits were due to NSC) and I'm adding in Animal Rage. With work and life, some days I just need a massive kick in the ass. I don't intend to replace ST with Rage, but more use Rage every once in a while when it's really necessary. The stack is:

Animal: Rage, Pak, Flex, Nitro, Omega, PM
Universal Torrent, Shock Therapy, Uni-liver and Real Gains.

[RaisingTheBar]

Time to reevalute the max numbers I'm basing my 5 / 3/ 1 off of. Well, atleast for deadlift. Today was an awesome deadlift day. My final set of 3 was supposed to be 345, but I had it for 3 and it felt like a warmup. I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I slapped on 375 and got a solid 6, keeping one in the tank. I didn't over stress myself, in fact I left the gym feeling great. My max I'm using for this program was 425, but I think after this month's cycle, I'm gonna bump it up. I'll base the jump off of next week's numbers, when I'm supposed to do 1 + on my final set.

Tried out reverse hyperextensions today too. My gym doesn't have a machine for this, so I wrapped our dip bars with yoga mats and laid across those. It worked out well. People were staring at me like, "wtf he is doing?", but I bet I see people trying it out next week, haha.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Deadlift - 135 x 10, 275 x 3, 315 x 3, 345 x 3, 375 x 6

Chin Ups - 10, 10, 8, 10 x 165, 10 x 165

Reverse Hypers -Bodyweight x 10 x 5

Dumbbell Shrugs - 80 each hand x 12, 90 each hand x 10 x 4


1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent followed by 2 nsc and a twizzler. Added the twizzler for some non-liquid carbs. Whenever I go 4 scoops for torrent, it "flushes" me out, so I decided to add some solid carbs to stop that while getting in the sugars,

Weight: 223 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid lifting yesterday. Hit a OHP rep PR with 185x3. This is a 2 rep PR! Taking advice from one of the threads started a few weeks ago, I'm doing core much more often, splitting it up by weighted and non weighted days. I feel it's helping a ton with my lifts and just overall strength.

30min preworkout - 2 NSC, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

OHP - Bar x 12, 135 x 5, 160 x 3, 185 x 3

OHP (40 - 50%) - 95 x 10 x 5 sets

DB Side Raises - 5 sets of 10

Side Bends - 5 sets of 10, holding 45lb plate.

Bent over dumbell raises - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent, 2 nsc

Weight: 224 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Squats went great. Hit my numbers strong. Pushed my back a little hard with SLDL's afterwards though. Prolly shouldn't combo those back to back.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Warm-up (squat racks were busy) - leg extensions 125 x 15 x 2

Squats - 135 x 12, 275 x 5, 315 x 3, 365 x 3

SLDL - 135 x 10,k 155 x 10, 175 x 10 x 3

Bulgarian single leg squats - 5 x 10, 45 lb dumbells (These things killed me)

Seated Calf Raises - 5 x 15

1 Pack Animal Nitro

10 min. stretch session

Post workout - 3 scoops Torrent

[RaisingTheBar]

I have officially become a barbell bench addict. I had always considered bench just another exercise, but bumping up the weight for the first time, and lowering my reps to 5, 3,1... I'm loving it. Just pure, raw power.

30min preworkout - 2 NSC, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Bench - 135 x 12, 225 x 5, 250 x 3, 275 x 3, 285 x 3 (Rep PR)

Inclined Dumbell Bench - 5 x 10

Inclined Dumbbell fly - 5 x 10

Weight Tuck-in's (Not sure what they're called, but ab workout using the rope pull down) - 5 x 10

Dips - 5 x 10 bodyweight

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent,

Weight: 225 lbs. Up 1 lb. Added a daily cheat, seems to be helping. Usually go with a steak burrito.

[RaisingTheBar]

UPS guy just dropped off my Universal and Animal supps. I open the door and my eyes are just staring at the box on the ground. It's an ON True Strength box (Blame DPSNutrition for the box). As a big smile crosses my face I hear the delivery guy say, "True Strength. Hit it hard Brother". I'm thinking, "Brother"? I hadn't really noticed the guy until now, but as I look up I see a massively built powerlifter type. "Make those supps count", he says to me, to which I yell back "Hell yeah. Time to gain some lbs!". He laughed and took off to finish his route.

This was a complete stranger, but I could tell that he walked the same Iron road that I walk, and I connected with that. I felt a sense of community, acceptance, and respect just from a 10 second interaction. I have a feeling that when he gets off work tonight, he's gonna be busting his ass in the gym, just like I'm about to do. It also makes me think about how important is it to support each other through this journey. I'm pumped for tonight's dead lift season! Time to hit it hard!

[Ed Eliason]

Training looks rock solid! Keep killin it!

[RaisingTheBar]

Training looks rock solid! Keep killin it!

Thanks Ed! Giving it my all right now and it's paying off. I feel stronger every day!

[RaisingTheBar]

Today I was in the zone. My Rage just came in. I haven't used Rage in about 2 months, so 10 minutes after taking it, I could feel my skin start to tingle and get total tunnel vision. Deadlift PR'd with 2 reps at 405. This coming week is my deload week, and then I'm back at it!

30min preworkout - 1 scoop Rage, 1 scoop Atomic 7, NO product (left over from a year ago).

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Deadlift - 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 405 x 2 - left one in the tank

Pull Ups - 10, 8, 7, Switched to close grip, 10, 8

Bent Over Rows - 135 x 10, 185 x 10 x 4

Dumbbell Pullovers - 60 x 10, 65 x 10 x 4

Dumbbell Shrugs - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 225 lbs

[Ed Eliason]

Nice PR!

[RaisingTheBar]

Thanks Ed!

Just finished my deload week. Feeling hungry to smash the weights again! Deloading was really tough, especially coming off a few PR's my last week of 5 3 1, but if it keeps me off the injured list, I'll take it. Always good to give the body a break too. Starting Saturday, 5 3 1 cycle 2!

[RaisingTheBar]

As Arnold says in his 6 secrets of success, "#6: Give Back".

Volunteered all day at the Salvation Army yesterday. A group of 10 of us ended up preparing 5,000 Thanksgiving meals for less fortunate families and individuals around the Bay Area. Feels great giving back! I feel so blessed with the community I have and the able body I've been given. It's good to do what you can, when life permits it.

Happy Holidays!

[RaisingTheBar]

I felt brutally strong and pumped to lift today, coming off a deload week. Great shoulder workout, looking forward to the rest of the week.

OHP: bar x 15, 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 165 x 6

OHP 50%: 95 x 5 x 10

Bent over dumbbell raises: 5 x 10

Reverse Hypers : 5 x 10

Adding 1/4 gallon of whole milk to the diet. Excited to see the effects!

[RaisingTheBar]

Hit a squat PR this week. Compared to my last 5 3 1 cycle on week one, I added 5 lbs and 1 rep to my last set. Felt great. I've noticed that the biggest boost to my strength is coming from my core. Pushing heavy weight and compound movements has built a lot of overall strength throughout my core. I'm digging it.

Squat: 135 x 10, 245 x 5, 275 x 5, 320 x 8

Lunges: 5 x 10 - Hit lunges at a slightly different angle. Instead of walking straight, I walked forward and slightly outside, about a foot. This recruited more strength from the inside of my legs. It was a nice change up.

Leg curls: 5 x 10

Stomach tuck-ins with rope pulley: 5 x 10

Foam roller / stretching

Weight 225lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid Bench day. This Journey is the first time I've ever wrote down my workouts. It's very motivational looking back 1 month and seeing how my lb's and rep's have changed. Can't wait to be able to look back 6 months or a year from now!

2 Peanut butter and honey sandwich, 1/2 scoop universal milk and egg protein shake.

30min preworkout - 2 NCS, 1 scoop Rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Light shoulder warm up (making circles with 2 1/2 lb plates in each hand)

Bench - Bar x 15, 135 x 10, 195 x 5, 225 x 5, 250 x 7.5 (I didn't have a spotter, so I racked it half way through 8. Might have been able to push out the 8th, but I'd rather play it safe.)

Dumbbell Bench Press - 70 x 10, 80 x 10, 90 x 10, 90 x 10, 80 x 10

Incline Dumbbell Flies - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light fly stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent, Flex

Weight: 227 lbs. Up 4 pounds since week one last month. Gaining 1lb a week... I'm digging it.

[RaisingTheBar]

Extreme deadlift day! Compared to week 1 of my last 5/3/1 cycle, I've added 10lbs AND 2 reps to my last set of DL's. Last night I watched the video of ibnmahama deadlifting 650lbs and it got be pumped for my deadlift day today. Woke up and slammed 2 pb&h sandwiches and a protein shake, popped my supps and stormed to the gym with vengance.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Deadlift - 135 x 12, 240 x 5, 315 x 5, 350 x 9 (It felt real heavy after 4, but madness came over me after 5 and I just ripped through to 9. Felt awesome).

Pull ups - bodyweight x 6-10 x 5

Good Mornings - 95 x 12 x 2, 105 x 12 x 3

T-Bar low rows: 2 drop sets with 5 25's, stripping of 1 25 at a time as I hit failure. (F*** this trainer for making me do this. I died inside. Att he same time though, I definitly left in all in the gym finishing with these. Time to eat a shit load of calories and sleep my ass off. Thanksgiving here I come!)

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Foam Roller

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 228 lbs .

[Ed Eliason]

350x9!! Huge! Great work!

[RaisingTheBar]

Thanks Ed! It felt great.

Back from Thanksgiving with family. Relaxing and exhausting all at the same time. Haven't lifted in 4 days though, so I felt itching to get back and hit it hard. Hit the same reps as week 2 last month on OHP, but I added 5 lbs this time. Getting stronger, slowly but surely.

30min preworkout - 1 scoop rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

OHP - Bar x 15, 135 x 5, 155 x 3, 175 x 5

OHP 50% - 100 x 10 x 5

DB Side Raises - 20's x 10 x 5

Reverse fly - 10 x 5

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Weighted decline crunches: holding 25lb plate 12 x 5

Weighted side bends: 45 plate, 10 x 5

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 226 lbs . - Weight was down since before Thanksgiving, but I got super dehydrated in the mountains, so we'll see how it changes over the next few days.

[T o m m Y]

Nice progress bro!
5/3/1 is a good program..

[RaisingTheBar]

Nice progress bro!
5/3/1 is a good program..

Thanks! The programming is working well for me so far, and the book has taught me a few movements I never knew existed. GLR... awesome.

[RaisingTheBar]

Squats went great. I was 100% focused, and hit a nice +10lb PR, same amount of reps. After squats, I decided to try a new exercise that I read about in my 5/3/1 book, the Glute-Ham Raise. This exercise... any previous idea or thought I had of having decent hamstrings has been thrown out the window. This exercise made me it's bitch. I couldn't be happier though. I am hungry as hell now. I've identified a big weakness in my strength, and I can't wait to bring it up.

30min preworkout - 1 1/2 scoops Rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Squats - 135 x 12, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 320 x 3, 350 x 5

Squats 50% - 195lb x 10 x 5 (ass to my heels)

GHR - bodyweight x 8, 6, 6, 6, 5 - This was done on a late pull donw machine, as my gym doesn't have a GHR machine. I also had to use a 1/2 bosu ball to me on the raise. I'm hoping to get rid of this soon.

1 Pack Animal Nitro

10 min. stretch session

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight - 227 lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Strong Bench day. Started off weak on the warm-ups, but by the time I hit my 2nd working set, I got in the zone. Hit a 5lb, 1 rep PR. Rocked some "boring but big" afterwards, and left feeling solid. Started a N1-T cycle today too, 4 pills preworkout. Not sure if it was psychological or actually kicking in, but I felt strong like a lion after my warmup sets. Excited to see how this goes, 1st time I've taken it.

30min preworkout - 4 N1-T, 2 NSC, 1 scoop rage (Full scoop felt a little excessive with the N1-T and NSC in there. I was more than enough pumped up. Gonna drop to 3/4 scoop.)

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Bench - bar x 10, 135 x 12, 210 x 3, 240 x 3, 265 x 6

Bench (50%) - 160 x 10 x 5. Really focused on my explosion here. Slow down, explosive up.


Dumbbell Rows / Kroc Row finisher - 80 lb each hand x 10 x 4 sets, 80 lb each hand kroc row x 18 (Really enjoyed going all out on the last row. Definitely gonna incorporate these into my workouts.)

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent,

Weight: 228 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Good day today. Started off strong with my main dead lift set, but I got gassed quick doing the boring big 50% 10 x 5 dead lifts. After 5 sets I was exhausted, making for a pretty lack luster chin up assistance work. Oh well, at least I hit my main lift!

30 min preworkout - 2 nsc, 4 N1-T, 3/4 scoop rage (Felt good with this combo).

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Dead lift - 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 280 x 3, 320 x 3, 365 x 7 (+1 rep PR)

Dead lift - 225 x 10 x 5 (These crushed my energy levels. Gonna switch to a different assistance lift next week)

Chin Ups - 10, 8, 6, 5, 5

Weighted Crunch Machine - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 228 lbs

[Ed Eliason]

Nice couple of sessions. Congrats on the PR's!

[RaisingTheBar]

Nice couple of sessions. Congrats on the PR's!

Thanks Ed! How are things going your way? Enjoying the holidays?

[RaisingTheBar]

No PR's during this week's OHP day, but given the 10 hours of travel today and eating nothing but fried cheese all weekend, I'm happy with maintaining the same Reps/ Weight as last month. Fried cheese?... Ya, that's Wisconsin for you. This weekend I traveled to Green Bay to check out the Packer Hall of Fame, and stand face to face with the original Superbowl 1 and 2 trophies. It was a pretty awesome experience, especially with the Packer win over the the Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay is such an awesome football town. Flying back home to Cali this morning didn't help my lifting today, but it was totally worth it. Gotta live life!

30min preworkout - 2 NSC, 1 1/2 scoop Shock Therapy

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

OHP - Bar x 12, 95 x 5 150 x 5, 170 x 3, 185 x 3

DB Side Raises - 5 sets of 10

Bent over dumbbell raises - 5 x 10

Farmer Walks - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 229 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Squats went great. Hit my numbers, 1 more rep than last month. GHR's went a lot better than last week (my first time doing them). I still needed the support or a bosu ball to bounce off of, but I moved slower on the decline and pushed off less than last week. They felt solid.

30min preworkout - 2 nsc, 4 N1-T, 1 scoop Rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Squats - 135 x 10, 225 x 5 285 x 5, 325 x 3, 365 x 4

GHR - body weight 10, 8, 8, 10, 10

Leg Extensions - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

10 min. stretch session

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight - 229

[Appollonian]

Solid work all around. Digging the workout schemes. Congratulations on you PRs, and for the other days sometimes it's good just to hit the required reps, and push the next time when you can.

When I could do the GHR, it's a tough one but will pay dividends for sure.

[RaisingTheBar]

Wrecked my chest today. I didn't technically hit a PR, but compared to my last week 3 bench, I felt much more in control. I was slow going down, paused my reps at the bottom, kept my body tight, and was happy with the outcome. Cheers to Gunz504's latest bench day video, that thing got my pumped for today.

30min preworkout - 4 N1-T, 1 scoop rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Bench - 135 x 12, 225 x 5, 255 x 3, 285 x 3

Bench 60% - 185 x 10, 185 x 10, 185 x 9, 155 x 10, 155 x 10

Inclined Dumbell Bench - 5 x 10


1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent,

Weight: 229 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid work all around. Digging the workout schemes. Congratulations on you PRs, and for the other days sometimes it's good just to hit the required reps, and push the next time when you can.

When I could do the GHR, it's a tough one but will pay dividends for sure.

Thanks! Yeah I need to figure out the right balance for me, between pushing to failure and just hitting the req. reps. Right now I've been playing it by ear, depending on how torn up I feel, but during the workout once I have a shot of Rage in me, any fatigue I had goes away. Haha, gotta be smart about it.

[RaisingTheBar]

Very solid dead lift day. Hit a rep PR with 405 x 3, and a Kroc row PR with 90lb dumbbells x 22 right arm, 20 left. Happy with the progress!

30min preworkout - 1 scoop Rage, 4 N1-T

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Deadlift - 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 405 x 3

Chin Ups - 10, 10, 8, Switched to close grip, 8, 6

Kroc Rows - warm up: 80lb x 10, 85lb x 10, main set: 90lb x 22 / 20

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 228 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Starting off 5/3/1 cycle 3! My new OHP max is 220 (+5 lbs from last cycle). I decided not to deload after my last cycle. Jim writes that it's ok to go 6 weeks before a deload, and with the holidays coming up I want to time my deload week with my New Years vacation. Win Win this way!

OHP: bar x 15, 130 x 5, 150 x 5, 170 x 5

Bent over dumbbell raises: 5 x 10

Close- Grip Bench - 5 x 10

Skull Crushers - 3 x 10

Weight - 228 lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid squat day. Form felt strong and I made sure to go below parallel on each rep.

Squat: 135 x 10, 245 x 5, 275 x 5, 330 x 6

Squat 50%: 185 x 10 x 5

GHR: 5 x 10

Seated Calf Raises: 5 x 10

Foam roller / stretching

Weight 228lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Great Bench day. I finally found my form! I've been trying out pushing off the toes, heels, big arch, low arch, and I felt like I hit the sweet spot today with a medium arch and pushing off the heels. Added 5 lbs to my last bench set and added a rep. 255 x 8 felt great. I felt this lifts through my entire body, and didn't stress out my right shoulder. Awesome day. Using 335 as my max this cycle.

Bench - Bar x 10, 135 x 8, 195 x 5, 225 x 5, 255 x 8

Dumbbell incline Press - 5 x 10

Dips - 5 x 10

Hanging leg lifts: 5 x 10

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent, Flex

Weight: 229 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid day. Hit a 15 lb PR, same reps (9). I've been working with a slightly wider grip on the bar, I feel like it gives me more power with my hips. Feet shoulder width, hands 1 finger in on the outer ring. Using 475 lbs as my max.

30min preworkout - 4 N1-T, 1 scoop Shock Therapy, 1/2 scoop Rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Dead lift - 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 275 x 5, 320 x 5, 365 x 9

Pull ups - body weight x 6-10 x 5

Good Mornings - 4 x 10 (Lower back was tired from dead lifting. Stopped at 4 sets.)

Kroc Rows - warm up, 90 lbs x 20 each arm.

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Foam Roller

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 230 lbs (Broke 230!!! Major weight milestone for me. This was my goal for 2012 bulking season. In the past, 223 was my heaviest. Really happy with this, given that I held a fairly clean bulk and I can still see my upper abs.)

[RaisingTheBar]

OHP day week 2. Added 5 lbs to my max this month. I'm realizing that a big weakness of mine on this lift is explosiveness. For my accessory work, I've decided to do speed OHP's.

30min preworkout - 1 scoop rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

OHP - Bar x 15, 140 x 3, 160 x 3, 180 x 4

OHP 50% - 95 x 10 x 5. Speed reps!

DB Side Raises - 20's x 10 x 5

Bent Over DB Raises - 10 x 5

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Weighted side bends: 45 plate, 10 x 5

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 230 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Squats went great. I was 100% focused, and hit a nice +5lb PR, same amount of reps. GHR's are getting easier. Still a hard exercise, but I have much more control and can almost do them without assistance.

30min preworkout - 1 scoop Rage powder straight to the mouth... If Bruiser or GUNS reads this, this was a ridiculous idea. I'm still choking over the thought. However, the Rage must absorb through the cheeks, cause I felt a huge energy rush.

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Squats - 135 x 12, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 315 x 3, 355 x 5

GHR - bodyweight x 10, 10, 8, 10, 7

Lunges - 5 x 10

Leg Curls - 5 x 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight - 232 lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Strong Bench day. Added 5 lbs to my 6 rep max. Also added 10 lbs to my normal weighted crunches. As a raw lifter with no belt or wraps, It's good to see my core coming up. Right shoulder felt a little sore this week, prolly from doing too many bench sets last week, so I'm gonna limit my benching to my main lift only, and do different accessories.

30min preworkout - 4 N1-T, 1 scoop rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Bench - 135 x 8, 210 x 3, 240 x 3, 270 x 6 (same reps + 5lbs)

Dips - 5 x 12

Incline Dumbbell Flies - 5 x 10, 1 x 20ish (didn't count. Dropped down weight and just repped them out. great pump and stretch.)

Seated Weighted Crunch Machine - 5 x 10 (10lbs more than normal. Boom)

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Light stretch

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent,

Weight: 230 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlift day! Added 20 lbs to my 6 rep max. That felt pretty huge to me. Can't wait to keep the gains rollin! I'm glad I started adding kroc rows too. My grip is getting strong, and since the only thing I've added were the Kroc rows, I feel like they are helping a lot.

30 min preworkout - 4 N1-T, 1 scoop rage

As I stepped out of the locker room - 1 pack Animal Nitro

Dead lift - 135 x 8, 225 x 5, 315 x 3, 340 x 3, 385 x 6

Chin Ups - 8, 8, 8, 8, 5 (varying grips)

GHR - 10, 10, 8

Kroc Rows - warmups, 95 lb x 18 right, 19 left.

Shrugs - 12, 12, 10

1 Pack Animal Nitro

Post workout - 3 1/2 scoops Torrent

Weight: 232 lbs

[Ed Eliason]

Nice pulls! That is a huge PR!

[RaisingTheBar]

Just got back from vacation and It's time for a mini cut. After embarrassing myself on the snowboard (getting completely winded and needing to take rests every run) I realize that the extra 35lb of mass I have needs to be shaved down a bit. I've put on a ton of size and strength the past 4 months. I'm really happy with my progress, and want to keep pushing it, but looking at myself lately I feel it's time to cut a bit of excess fat. I'm at about 25% bf and want to get it below 18% before I throw in more 5/3/1 cycles. Plus, switching it up the routine is always good.

I'll be following Animal Training Routine 10. I feel like the rep range 10-6, will allow me to keep my strength up, while adding more conditioning. I've never broken out Quads and Hamstrings into 2 separate days either, so I'm excited to see how this treats my body.

Day 1: Chest, Calves, Abs

Incline Bench Press: 185 x 10, 205 x 8, 205 x 7, 205 x 6

DB Flat Bench: 70 x 10, 80 x 8, 85 x 6, 80 x 6

DB Fly: 30 x 12, 10, 8

Seated Calf Raises: 20, 15, 15, 12

Abs: Hanging Leg Raises: 15, 15, 15, 12

Weight 229 lbs (goal: 210)

[RaisingTheBar]

Nice pulls! That is a huge PR!

Thanks! I'm switching out of 5/3/1 for a month or 2, but I'll be back hitting PR's soon enough! Gonna try to get my bf% and conditioning back in line.

[RaisingTheBar]

I've been gone for a few days, working out on the road, but I'm back to my normal habits. My past 3 workouts have been solid:

Quads - I'm splitting out quads and hams this time around. This has made my routine feel a lot more level, instead of huge dips in energy after leg day. I hit Squats, leg press, and leg extensions.

Bi's and Tri's - Haven't touched bi's in 3 months, so I started with them. Got a massive pump, felt good going back to a fully dedicated arm day. Preacher curls, DB curls, DB hammer curls, skull crushers, pull downs, close grip bench.

Today's workout was back and hams. This is a tough workout. Deadlifts and rows really drain me, so I went off and on between back and hams, to avoid lagging on one or the other. Got a great pump and liked the split. Deads, laying leg curls, seated leg curls, pull ups, seated close grip pulley rows, pull overs.

Weight 332 lbs. Cutting starts 100% today. All holiday parties are over with and I couldn't be happier. I am psyched and extremely motivated. It's game time.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid shoulder day. The mind muscle connection was at it's peak, and all the new years resolutioners futsin around lit a fire under my ass to show em how it's done. The good news is they pretty much stick to the machines, so I still have access to the squat racks and DL platforms. Bench's are a little iffy.

• Barbell Shoulder Press: 4 Sets x 12, 10, 8, 7 - 135, 145, 150, 150
• Arnold Dumbbell Press: 4 Sets x 10, 10, 8, 8
• Incline Rear Dumbbell Raises: 4 Sets x 10, 10, 8, 8
• Side Dumbbell Raises: 2 Sets x 10, 10

Traps
• Barbell Shrugs: 4 Sets x 12, 10, 10, 8
• Seated 1 handed Dumb bell Shrugs: 4 Sets x 10, 10, 10, 8

Abs
• Tuck-ins: 4 Sets x 12, 12, 10, 10

Weight 230 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

1/7/2013

Weight 230 lbs.

It's been a week and I'm down 1-2 pounds. Good pace! Any more and I'd be nervous I was losing muscle. My body is in shock right now, switching from 5/3/1 to 12/10/8/8, and hitting it 5 days a week instead of 4. I haven't been this sore in a while, which feels great.

Diet really hasn't changed, just making sure everything I eat is clean. No more massive chili and spaghetti dinners, post workouts stacked with burritos, nachos, and quesadillas, or ice cream. I'll start cardio once the weight lose slows down, hopefully not for a month or so.

[RaisingTheBar]

Had a killer back and hams day today:

DL working sets - 315 x 10, 335 x 8, 355 x 6, 365 x 6

Leg Curls - 4 x 12-8

Good Mornings - 4 x 10

Wide Grip Pull ups - 10, 8, 6, 4

Inclined DB Rows - 75 x 10, 85 x 10, 95 x 8, 100 x 8

Pullovers - 3 x 10

Done. Weight: 228

[RaisingTheBar]

Down to 226. Feeling good about it. That's 6 lbs in 3 weeks, not bad.

It's been good on my muscles to do a few weeks of BB'ing style lifting, but I think I'm gonna switch back to power lifting next week. Still cutting, but it's back to 5/3/1. I can't look at all these Cage posters and not want to lift heavy! I'll start off with a max week next week. It's been 5 months since I've maxed, so I'm looking forward to seeing how my lifts have improved. Then it's back to 5/3/1.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid bench day. I was watching Nick Lepore put his dumbbells together after a set of flies, and superset a close grip db press. I tried the same and really liked the pump I got. Very cool variation.

BB Bench: 205 x10, 225 x 10, 245 x 8, 255 x 6

Inclined DB Bench: 70's x 10, 80's x 10, 85's x 8

Inclined DB Fly: 40's x 10, 35's x 10 + touched dumbbells palms facing each other and hit 8 close grip presses for a super set. 35's x "same superset" + pushups will failure.

Seated Calf Raises: 4 x 12 - 15

Foam Rolling + planks.

Still sitting at 226lb. I went a little overboard on my MLK 3 day weekend cheat. How can one resist giant plates of nachos, when the 49'ers are killing it against the Falcons? Definitely starting to get some shape back in me though. Goal is to knock that down to 225 by the end of the weekend.

[RaisingTheBar]

Arms! My tri's are really started to completely overshadow my bi's, so I decided to hit bi's first today. Got a great pump and like where it's headed.

Cross body hammer curls
Tri Rope Pull Downs
Preacher curls
Incline skull crushers
Standing Barbell curl
dips

weight: 227. Carb loaded a little last night, which would explain the 1lb weight increase. Would be disappointed by that, but the pump I got was amazing! Gotta love carbs sometimes.

[RaisingTheBar]

Hit legs and shoulders this weekend. Recognized a major lower back weakness when I was pushing triples on squats, so I'm gonna be taking a step back to focus on that, by adding good mornings, planks, and reverse hypers. Since I stopped 5/3/1 the past month, I've been seriously lacking core exercises, and I feel it catching up to me.

Legs:
Squat - 135, 225, 315 x 10, 335 x 8, 365 x 3, 405 x my back is weak time to fix it.

Front Squat - 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 185 x 8, 205 x 7 (felt awesome)

Lunges

Leg extensions

Planks

Shoulders:

OHP - 95, 135 x 10, 155 x 8, 155 x 6, 2 25 plates on each side burnout set ( partner pulling off 25's as I tuckered out. This was done on a smith machine so with the bar anchored, the transitions are very smooth.).

Side raises

Back raises

Front raises

DB Shrugs

Leg raises

Weight 226lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Back day (1.29.2013):

Deadlift: 135, 225, 315, 335, 365 x 6 - I usually crush my back into oblivion, but I stopped here after I felt good. Trying to focus on building core strength instead of just focusing in improving weight . reps. Felt great.

Pull ups

DB rows

Pull overs

Reverse Hypers

Arm Day (1.30.2013): This arm day felt amazing. Great exercises.

hammer curls

Tri pull downs

concentration curls

skull crushers

BB standing curls

CGBP

Planks on Bosu ball, traced the alphabet 3 times with elbows... This shit is hard.

[RaisingTheBar]

Inspired by the Josh Halladay chest video, when he was prepping for the 2013 Jr. Nationals 10 days out, I decided to add those 1/3 reps on incline bench press. They go like this... Bring BB down to chest, press to 1/3 of the way up, back down to chest, press to 2/3, down to 1/3 up to 3/3, = 1 rep. These felt awesome! Dropped down to 135 and hit a few of these as a finisher. Brutal.

Incline Press

DB Flat Press

Machine flies

Calf raises

On Your Knees Push up sets to failure, 30 second breaks x 4.

Plank taps - From plank position, reach out with one hand at a time and tap the ground 1 foot in front of you. Alternate hands. 4 x 15

Weight 226lbs. Seem to have hit my first plateau. Dropped 7 lbs just from cutting out daily cheat meals. Time to add a little cardio, 30 min 2x a week. Eating and supps stays the same.

[RaisingTheBar]

I warmed up with hip mobility exercises, before squatting today. Wow. I had no idea my hips were so stiff! I was dropping below parallel with ease, and I had almost no pressure on my lower back, it was all on the hips. I definitely need to strengthen them though. Weight went down, but form is awesome.

Squats

Good Mornings

Lunges

Leg Extensions

Stretches

Done

[RaisingTheBar]

Proud to say I survived the Superbowl with a clean diet. No Skyline chili dip, or beer for me. Just kebabs, veggies, and brown rice. Having a supportive girlfriend is amazing.

Solid back day yesterday and shoulder day today. Form broke a little on my last deadlift rep. I'll keep it about 20 lbs lighter next week and make sure I keep my back arched. Still having issues with my lower back caving in at heavy weights.

Deadlift: ended with 385 * 4
Pullups
DB Rows
Cross Bench Pullovers

OHP: Ended with 155 * 7
Arnold Presses
Side raise machine
Inclined rear delt raises

Plank work.

Weight 224 lb. Weight loss is slow and steady. Been 5 weeks, down 8 lbs. Energy levels are high, and my body feels great. I might have pushed it a little too much during the end of my bulk. After 2 bulking cycles, I feel like once I get to roughly 23 - 25% bf, I feel a lot more lethargic. I will prolly make my stopping point 20%bf for future bulks.

[RaisingTheBar]

Awesome arm day. Massive pump. Happy with my switch to 2 arm days a week.

Hammer curls (shoulder to shoulder)

CGBP

Preacher curls

single arm rope pulldowns

incline db curls

skull crushers

Rack run db hammer curls (just up down, no shoulder to shoulder)

weight: 224 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

My back was bothering me today, so instead of pushing weight on squats, I just focused on getting one massive pump. Worked out well! I felt great and my back is good.

Stretch

Squats: 135 x 10, 225 x 10, 275 x 10, 295 x 8, 185 x 12 (did 1/3rds for 6 reps, then hit 6 normal reps. brutal pump)

Leg Extensions: 4 x 12, last 2 sets held on 8 for a 10 count knees slightly bent. Massive pump

Leg Press (close stance): 4 x 10

Ham Glute Raises: 3 x 8

Leg Raises: 4 x 10

Stretch

Weight: 225 lb. Had a late workout though. I normally weight myself in the am, but today I had 2 additional meals in me. Hard to say what my true weight would've been.

[RaisingTheBar]

I got it down. My deadlift hip thrust form was spot on today, really happy. I've been really focusing on form the last few weeks, and I think I've made huge strides. "like fucking a pornstar". I don't know who posted that on the forum, but I love it. Haha.

Stretches

Deadlift: warmup... 365x5, 385x4, 365 x 5 (form broke down at 385. Gonna focus on 365 - 375 next week)

Pullups

DB Kroc Rows: warmups... 90 x 16

Machine rows

DB Pullovers

BB shrugs

Stretches

Weight: 223 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

35 min, in and out. Today I just had energy. Hit everything super hard, focused on getting a solid pump, and bounced feeling like a beast. Didn't think about weight, only thought about contractions and blood flow. Liked the approach.

rear delt raises

side raises

Upright Rows

OHP

Weight 224lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Threw in some paused squats, and SLDL's. Really trying to hammer the hams. Cut back on the number of exercises I did today, but I did 4-5 sets instead of 3. It just felt right doing that today. My lifting weight is lower than normal too, but I've make huge fixes on my form, so it's gonna take time to build up the areas I've been lacking in (hips and hams).

Stretching and hip mobility

Squats: 225 x 10, 275 x 10, 275 x 8, 295 x 6 paused reps at 4 and 6, 225 x 10 paused reps at 6 and 8

Leg Curls: 115 x 15, 130 x 15, 145 x 12, 160 x 10, 175 x 8

Leg Extensions: 115 x 15, 130 x 15, 145 x 12, 160 x 8 held is on reps 6 and 8, kness slightly bent, and slowly lowering with a 10 second down count.

SLDL: 70 lb dumb bells in each hand 2 x 10, 65 lb db x 10, 60 lb dumbells x 10,

Weight 223lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Good back day! Changing things up with drop sets.

Deadlift: 135, 225, 315 x 10, 365 x 5, 365 x 5, 315 x 8

Chin ups (rotating inside outside grip): 10, 10, 8, 8, 8, 6, 4

db rows: 75 x 10, dropsets x 2... 85 x 7, 65 x 7, 55 x 7

Pull overs (using the lat pull down machine): 10,8,8,7

BB Shrugs: 135 x 15, 185 x 10, 8, 8

db shrugs: 55 x 15 pause 10 secs... x 8, pause 10 secs... x 6

Dead, massive pump, shower time.

Weight 222 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Arms yesterday, Legs today. Both solid. Did the entire arm workout using FatGripz... those things are awesome. I thought it'd help with grip only, but they make me use parts of my bi's and tri's that I've never used before. Felt great! I started doing 2 arm days a week, about a month ago, and I feel like it's really paying off. My arms feel much stronger then before, and my mind- muscle is getting much better. They are reacting to twice per week. Adding Fat Gripz, I'm going to make one arm day a fat gripz day, and the other normal.

Leg day was a front squat day. I like to rotate regular and front squats every so often, and it's a good thing I did. My core felt a little weak. Gotta keep that in check. Squat rack was occupied when I got into the gym though, so I started with leg press. I don't usually like the leg press, but I liked it today. Did higher reps (15) and added some pauses on the bottom. Good blood flow.

Weight 221 lbs. Down 12 lbs in 7 weeks. Not bad!

New Stack:
Rage
NSC
Ultra Whey Pro
Torrent sour citrus (Not a fan of this flavor)
Nitro
Omega
Pak
Flex

[RaisingTheBar]

So, I got sick 2 weeks ago and have been in and out of the gym depending. I'm better now though, and back on track! I did take advantage of being congested though. I dropped all my sets to reps of 5 (instead of 6-10) and took longer breaks in between sets. Pushed heavy weight and it felt good. I've also been trying out the Fat Gripz a lot, and gotta say, these things kick ass. I'm hitting parts of my arms I've never hit before. It feels good.

So, now that I'm not sick anymore, I'm gonna start another cycle of 5/3/1. It's been 2 months since my last cycle of it, and I think my body is ready for the switch. I'm gonna max out next week to get my current numbers, and then build the program around those.

Cheers!
RTB

[Ragin Asian]

Glad you're feeling better! It sucks when getting sick takes time away or reduces or capacity, but the body needs to heal - we put our bodies through so much as it is. Keep up the great work and looking forward to seeing what you do on the platform.

Subb'ing this btw. ;)

[RaisingTheBar]

Glad you're feeling better! It sucks when getting sick takes time away or reduces or capacity, but the body needs to heal - we put our bodies through so much as it is. Keep up the great work and looking forward to seeing what you do on the platform.

Subb'ing this btw. ;)

Thanks, and welcome to the journey!

I'll be posting my new maxes for 5/3/1 soon. I was prolly a little over excited last week when I posted I was back 100% (Post workout adrenaline and lingering effects of Rage will do that, haha), but I am getting there. With some solid R&R today and tomorrow, I'll be pulling on Sunday!

[RaisingTheBar]

Well, House posted the winner of his $1,000 supp contest the day before I was planning on ordering my next month's shipment... With that excitement in the air, combined with me starting 5/3/1 back up, I had to go big! Time to make some strength gains.

Animal:
Pak - post workout whole food meal
Omega - First whole meal of the day
Nitro - intra workout
Flex - with PWO torrent shake
PM - 30min before bed
Pump - 30min before lifting
Rage - 15min before lifitng

Universal:
Casein Pro - Nighttime shake
Atomic 7 - immediatlely after waking, and throughout the day if needed
NSC - all 6 with first meal
Torrent - 15min after workout.

I also take a small scoop of hydrolyzed whey right after my workout. So my workouts usually go, Rage or pump 20 - 30 min pre, 1 nitro right as I leave the locker room, 1 nitro 30 min in, hydro whey immediately post, torrent 10-15 min later after shower, big ass meal 45min later.

[RaisingTheBar]

First of all, I saw Cirque Du Soleil this weekend too... I feel like a wimp now. Those dudes are insanely strong (INSANE). That a lone was humbling enough, but then came max day.

It was a humbling max day today. I started this thread 5 months ago. I had a sliver of info on power lifting at that time, I just knew I wanted to be as strong as possible. Today was my first max day since then, and I maxed like it was a pr meet. My buddy watched to make sure I paused on bench, went parallel on squat, and didn't hitch on deadlift. The results...

No belt, no wraps, just me.

Dead lift - 445 (20lb PR)
Squat - 395 (-10lb weight change)
Bench - 305 (-10lb weight change)
Total - 1145 lb

I'm pumped with my dead lift. This was my last lift, and my form stayed solid the entire time. Awesome.

Squat was tough and humbling, but I'm satisfied I hit below parallel on this one, with a pause at the bottom. Saying my max was 405, 5 months ago, was prolly an exaggeration. I did do 405, but I was prolly a few inches from parallel. The random spotter I got at the gym said it looked good, but I can't trust those guys.Even though I went down in weight today, the movement felt strong. I was in complete control, and I'm really happy about that.

Bench was tough and humbling too. Pausing at the bottom of this movement, makes it brutally hard. This is the first time I truly did a powerlifting bench.

5/3/1 starts now. I got my maxes, and my motivation is through the roof.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid bench day.

Bench: 185 x 5, 215 x 5, 240 x 6

Incline DB Press: 70 x 10, 75 x 10, 80 x 10, 70 x 10, 70 x 10

Dips: Bodyweight x 15 x 5

CGBP: 135 x 10, 155 x 10, 175 x 10, 155 x 10, 155 x 10

Skullcrushers: 80 x 10 x 5

Weight 217lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Sounds Deadlift day. I'm really getting the hip thrust down. Feeling explosive!

DL: warmup, 260 x 5, 300 x 5, 340 x 10

Pull ups: 10, 8, 8 inside grip, 8, 6

Good mornings: 95 x 10 x 5

BB curls: 5 x 10

Weight 217

[RaisingTheBar]

Saturday: I did Hill Sprints. WTF have I become? I have never felt so out of shape in my life. I can nail it in the weight room, but after 3 hill sprints I thought I was gonna die. I squeezed out 3 more, but my heart and lungs have never screamed so much. I gotta start running more. Hill Sprints 2 - 3 times a week from now on.

Hill Sprints: 6

Today: Decent OHP day. I stopped doing these in January and switched them out for the seated DB press. I really wish I hadn't. I feel like there is a direct correlation between my OHP numbers and my bench numbers. Gotta start building this lift up again.

OHP: warmup, 115 x 5, 135 x 5, 145 x 7

OHP: 95 x 10 x 5

Face Pulls: 5 x 10

Farmer Walks: 85's, 90's, 95's 50 feet down, rest, 50 ft back. One foot in front of the other, walking.

Weight: 218. Gotta get this back.

[RaisingTheBar]

Monday Night Hill Sprints:

Much better than Saturday! Did 7 this time, felt great. Didn't push it, since Tuesday is squat day, but I got a great sweat.

Tuesday Squats:

Solid. Squat rack was taken at first, so I warmed up with light weight Hang cleans. Felt good.

Hang Cleans: 100 x 10 x 5

Squat: warmup, 230 x 5, 270 x 5, 310 x 7

Calf press: 5 x 15 - 20

Front Squats: 100 x 10 x 5 (focusing on building core)

Weight: 216. Weight PR!

[RaisingTheBar]

The weight started off feeling heavy today, but once I got in my groove, I was ripping it. Down weight too, feels good.

Bench: warmup, 190 x 5, 220 x 3, 250 x 5

Incline DB: 70's x 10, 75 x 10, 80's x 10, 80 x 10, 80 x 8

Cable flies: 5 sets of 10

On the ground skull crushers

Weight: 215

[Freakshowelite]

The weight started off feeling heavy today, but once I got in my groove, I was ripping it. Down weight too, feels good.

Bench: warmup, 190 x 5, 220 x 3, 250 x 5

Incline DB: 70's x 10, 75 x 10, 80's x 10, 80 x 10, 80 x 8

Cable flies: 5 sets of 10

On the ground skull crushers

Weight: 215

thats a solid week of training

[RaisingTheBar]

thats a solid week of training

Thanks! This is my first cycle of 5/3/1 this year, so I feel like I'm making a good foundation to progress from. Can't wait to see how things change over the new six months!

[RaisingTheBar]

I was very explosive warming up today, which translated nicely into my main lifts. I love Deadlift day. My gym ran out of chalk too, but my grip stayed strong. Happy with the improvements my new Fat Gripz are giving my grip, as I normally can't pull much past 350 without chalk.

Deadlift: warm ups, 280 x 5, 320 x 3, 360 x 7

Good mornings: 105 x 10 x 5 (increase of 10 lb from last week. Increasing this one very slowly as to not push my lower back too hard)

Pull ups / chin ups: Body weight x 10, 10, 8, 8, 4

BB curls: 5 x 10

Foam roller

Weight: 216

[RaisingTheBar]

How much Easter ham can one man eat... A LOT! Haha, yesterday's feast was awesome. Weighing myself this morning... not so awesome. But totally worth it.

Solid day today. All the OHP bars were taken, so I had to start with seated DB press. Didn't really hamper me much, and everything turned out great.

Seated DB Press: 60's x 3, 70's x 3, 80's x 8 (That's 160lbs x 8. Not bad!)

Standing OHP: 135 x 3, 155 x 6 (This was supposed to be my real 5/3/1. 6 isn't bad, but combined with the 160 on DB press, i feel good about the day)

Side raises machine: 5 x 10

Bend over reverse db raises: 5 sets x 10

Weight: 217

[Saeger]

Hittin shit pretty hard in here, keep it up!!!

[RaisingTheBar]

Hittin shit pretty hard in here, keep it up!!!

Thanks! Very focused and motivated right now!

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid squat day! Very happy with my form, and my front squats. Tried out one legged stiff leg deadlifts. I have a slight imbalance in my lower back, and the single leg exercises really help engage my leg side. I'll be incorporating 1 single leg exercises each leg day i think. And the balance work can't hurt!

Squat: warmup, 260 x 3, 295 x 3, 330 x 5

Front Squats: 135 x 10 x 5 sets

Calf Raises: 5 sets of 10

one legged stiff leg deadlift: 3 sets of 8... this was HARD! I need to work on my balance, haha. But I feel like it really helped with my back.

Weight: 214

[RaisingTheBar]

The Big Bench! Today was my 1+ day, so I felt pumped. Happy with the workout, but man, I hate idiots. Especially when they call themselves "trainers"...

I hit my last set and I nail it good. So I decide to toss on 10 more lbs and see what I can push. (I know it goes against 5/3/1, but why back off when your in the zone?) So I ask one of the trainers to spot me this time around. The second the barbell hits my chest, the trainer basically pulls the bar up, full force, and says... "all you man! Nice!" I go down again, same thing, he pulls it off my chest ... f***ing idiot. What a buzz kill. Still hit it for 2 though, after he left!

Bench: warm up, 205 x 5, 230 x 3, 260 x 3, 270 x 2

Flat DB Bench: 5 sets x 10 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 lb db's

Incline bench speed: 6 x 5 @ 115

Pec Deck: 5 x 10

Skull Crushers: 5 x 10

Weight 214

[RaisingTheBar]

Great Deadlift day! Feeling strong.

Deadlift: warmup, 300 x 5, 340 x 3, 380 x 4

Pullups: 5 sets of failure

Good Mornings: 4 sets x 10 115, 115 125, 125

DB Curls: warmup, 2 sets x 10, run the rack!

Weight: 214

[RaisingTheBar]

It's been a few days since I posted, so I'll give you the highlights of squat and shoulder press. On a separate note, we won our first softball game of the season last night! 1-1.

Squat: 345 x 3. I did this twice. The first time, I almost got 4 but just couldn't finish it off. I was so annoyed after that I had to try once more. More annoyed but also more tired, haha. Ended up hitting 3 reps again. Still, that's a total of 345 x 6, which is solid.

Shoulder Press: 165 x 3.

Weight 213.

Well, first cycle of 5/3/1 is complete. I'm definitely behind my numbers from 8 months ago, but I'm also 20 lbs lighter and can run a lot better. To eat an elephant you gotta start with 1 bite. Bite 1 down, time for a day days of relaxing and then I'm back to it!

[RaisingTheBar]

Deload week, so keeping it higher reps. Used the opportunity to try a new variation though, dumbbell shoulder press one arm at a time. I immediately noticed less balance and strength in my left shoulder, so I'm gonna have to hit that side harder from now on. Good discovery!

OHP - 125 x 10 x 5

Side Raises - 10 x 5 sets

Reverse fly deck - 10 x 5 sets

Single arm seated DB press - 10 x 5 sets, 40 lb dumbbell

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid bench day.

Bench: 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 6, 235 x 6 - I was supposed to do 235 as my final set but zoned out and did 245 instead. So I dropped down and did 235 afterwards. ooops, haha oh well, I'm happy with my 6 reps.

Incline Flies: 5 sets of 10

DB Press: 75 x 10, 85 x 19, 95 x 6,

Rope Pulldowns: 5 sets of 10

CGBP: 4 sets of 135 x 10 with paused at the bottom and squeezes at the top, 1 drop set 135, 115, 95.... wow my arms are pumped.

Weight 214 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlift day! I got a deep tissue massage last night, and am extremely sore today, so everything after deadlift was a bit meh. However... awesome deadlifting, so I'm happy.

Deadlift: warmup, 275 x 5, 315 x 5, 350 x 10

close grip pull ups: 5 sets of 8 - 10

Hammer curls: 4 sets of 10

Seated Conc Curls: 4 seats of 10

Dumbbell stiuff legged DL: 5 sets of 10

Weight 214lbs

[Saeger]

Solid work in here brother.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid OHP day. Was working out with my girl today. I usually lift alone, so it was nice having someone smack me when I broke form.

OHP: warmup, 115 x 5, 135 x 5, 155 x 7

Reverse Pec Deck: 5 sets 10

DB Side Raises: 5 sets 10

Circuit: 2 sets x side raises, front raises, steering wheel turning thing using a 25lb plate, bent over reverse flies.

Weight 216

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid work in here brother.

Thanks for checking in Brother, keeps me focused. How's your journey coming? Saw your squat PR, badass!

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid Leg day, but I'm not 100% on my numbers. The actual squat bar was taken, so I had to use a smith. This smith isn't bad, as it moves with the lifter, it's not totally locked in. But still, it adds resistance going up, so it felt tough. Anyway, I'm happy with things. Felt great and my bodyweight is still going down.

Squat: warm up, 245 x 5, 275 x 5, 325 x 5

Front Squat: 5 sets 10, ending with 175 x 10

Good Mornings: 5 sets 10

Calf Raises: 5 x 10

Leg extensions: just hit it for a nasty pump to leave the gym with. Did 2 super sets.

Weight: 211

[RaisingTheBar]

I didn't feel especially strong today, but I had a lot of energy. Might be the effects of dieting, not sure. I did hit my 5/3/1 minimum though, so progress continues. On the plus side, I used that energy to get a sick chest session in. Insane pumps, great stretch, it just wasn't as heavy as I would've wanted.

BB Bench Press: warmup, 195 x 5, 225 x 3, 255 x 3 - continued - 225 x 5, 155 x 10 x 5 sets

Flies: 5 sets 10

Decline Press close grip: 5 sets of 10. Really focused on tris, felt amazing.

Skull crushers on floor: 5 sets of 10

Weight: 211 - down 21 lbs. 210 was my original goal, but I'm gonna blow through that. Really happy with my progress. Motivation is through the roof.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlift day.

DL: warmup, 315 x 3, 340 x 3, 370 x 5

Pull ups, varying grips: 5 sets of 6 - 10

Incline DB rows: 5 sets x 10

BB Curls: 3 sets x 12

Hammer curls: 3 sets x 10

Close grip Curls: 3 sets 10

Weight 210.5 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Fell behind on my journal, but here's the summary:

OHP: 125 x 5, 145 4 3, 160 x 4

Squat: 275 x 5, 300 x 3, 340 x 4

Bench: 210 x 5, 240 x 3, 265 x 1 (Long pause at the chest, not as many as I want, but controlled.)

Weight 309 lb

I broke the teens! But I can feel my strength lowering. My maxes aren't going down, but I can't hit the reps I usually can. My energy just drains faster. Might just need a cheat day. I'll play it by ear.

[RaisingTheBar]

Awesome days on both DL and OHP. Weight is low, but strength is staying high. Feeling good.

DL: warmups, 315 x 5, 350 x 3, 405 x 4

OHP: Warmups, 120 x 5, 150 x 3, 170 x 3

Reps were strict and felt great.

Weight: 210

[RaisingTheBar]

Decent squat day. Nothing crazy maxing, but afterwards I hit 5 sets of explosive 225 squats. I really need to work on my explosion. I'm very slow out of the hole, which is holding me back. Gonna start working on box jumps and speed squats.

Squat: Warmup, 290 x 5, 325 x 3, 355 x 2

Speed Squat: 5 sets of 5, 225lb

Lunges: 5 sets of 8 - 10

Calf raises: 5 sets of 15 - 20, partial reps on the last 2 sets.

Leg Curls: 5 sets of 10

Weight: 210

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlifting day. Haven't hit 365 x 6 since I weight 228... That's 20 lb heavier! Feeling good about it.

DL: Warmup, 315 x 5, 340 x 5, 365 x 6

Stiff Legged DL on 2 1/2 inch raise: 3 sets of 10 at 135

Pullups

Seated Chin ups

BB Curls

Hammer Curls

Done and exhausted.

Weight: 209

[RaisingTheBar]

Cramped for time, due to work, but managed well by switching things up. Great pump.

OHP: warmup, 125 x 5, 140 x 5, 155 x 5

Circuit: Side raises, front raises, bent over raises, steering wheel turn thing with a 25lb'er x 3 sets

Shrugs: 65lb x 4 sets of 12. Squeezzzzze!

Weight: 212 (Ate wayy too much for mother's day. Gonna call this water weight for now.)

[RaisingTheBar]

Not a bad last 3 days. Came down with a cold yesterday, but I'm surviving. Gotta make sure I sleep extra the next few days,

Squat: worked up to 345 x 4

Bench: worked up to 255 x 3.

Deadlift: worked up to 385 x 4

Accessory work: Pull ups, bent over rows / kroc rows, good mornings, lunges, flies, incline dumbbell press.

Weight 209.

[RaisingTheBar]

Hit an awesome pr today, feels good. 30lb pr, 465 DL.

DL: warmups, 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 405 x 1, 465 x 1

Pullups

Bent over rows: 135 x 12, 185 x 8, 185 x 8

DB Curls

Hammer curls

Weight: 208lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid bench day today. I hit 300 fairly strong. I'm good off the chest, but tend to get stuck half way up. I haven't benched more than 270 in quite awhile, so I never noticed before today. I think chains and bands should help the problem.

Bench: warmup, 195 x 5, 225 x 3, 245 x 3, 275 x 1, 300 x 1

Bench: 155 5 sets of 10

Flies: 5 sets 10

CGB: 3 sets of 10 @ 155, 2 sets of 10 @ 115

Foam Roll

Weight: 207 lbs - Lowest I've been in 8 years. Kick ass!

[RaisingTheBar]

Had a solid shoulder day. Started off super sore from a deep tissue last night, but my energy levels are through the roof. Threw in some fat grip work to change things up a bit. Workout went like this:

OHP: warmup, 135 x 5, 155 x 3, 175 x 1

Seated Fat Gripz DB Press: 65's x 10, 70's x 15, 75's x 8 - Got in the zone doing the 70's, so I just went until my shoulders exploded. Felt great.

Side Raises: 5 sets of 10. 20's, 20's, 15's, 15's, 15's

Barbell Shrugs: Warmups, 185 x 10, 225 x 10, 275 x 9

Seated One handed Fat Gripz dumbell press: 45 x 10, 50 x 10, 50 x 10, 50 x 8

Bent over barbell high rows (Focusing on the back of the shoulder): 5 sets of 10

Foam Roll

Weight: 206 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

I signed up for my first powerlifting competition, November 2nd 2013. It's called the Backyard Meet of the Century 2. Time to turn up the intensity!

Right now, I'm trying to drop bodyfat while keep or increasing my strength. So far, I've dropped 30 lbs in the past 5 months, from Jan 1 2013 to June 1. My deadlift max has increased by 40 lbs, bench, squat, and OHP have stayed roughly the same. I'm sitting at 206 lb now. My goal is to start eating again, and push my lifts up over the next 5 months. Do or die, I'll be totalling 1200 - 1250 in comp. I feel like my body is primed for strength, after 5 months of leaning down.

Goals:
Squat: 405
Deadlift: 500
Bench: 300

Bench will be my biggest challenge, as I'm just starting to incorporate a long pause at the bottom. I have never used belts or wraps before through, and they are allowed in the raw division. I'll start incorporating these soon. From what I hear, they should help me reach my goals. I will also be trying out The Cube Method, starting June 17th. 5/3/1 has treated me well, but my body is craving something new. Time to raise the bar!

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid leg day. Squats went well. I've widened my stance just slightly, but it'd making a huge difference! Taking pressure off my lower back, and allowing some grab hip movement. SLDL's were intense. Really happy with the animal lifting straps I just got.

Lately I've been just feeling great in the gym. I gotta admit, I was abusing stims a bit this year. 1 scoop of rage, 1 scoop of ST preworkout, plus a cup or two of coffee in the morning... it was a bit too much. I'm down to one cup of coffee a day and Animal Pump preworkout. I think slowing down the stims has been great. My body is reacting very nicely to the Pump.

Squat: Warmups, 315 x 3, 365 x 1, 390 x 1, 315 x 5, 315 x 5

Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 135 x 10, 225 x 10, 275 x 8, 295 x 10 (Balls to the wall on this. I felt like an Animal)

Curved BB Curls

DB Curls

Weight: 207 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

I am sick of sitting at this 300lb benching plateau. I finally had a solid spotter today, so f*** it. Today looked something like this:

Bench: warmups, 2 35lb plates each side with 2 bands x 10, 3 35lb plates each side 3 bands x 8, triple drop set, failure, drop a 35lb plate and band, failure, drop a 35lb plate and band, failure. I'm dead.

Inclined DB press, (DB's touching, wrists facing each other), superset with crucifix pushups: 60's x 10, 55's x 7, 55's x 5. Pushup reps were between 3-8.

Decline, Underhand grip, bend bar, bench: 135 x 10, 115 x 8, 115 x 6 - First time doing these.

Shoulder circuit: Machine side raises, tricep pushdowns, 45lb plate overhead press. Did circuit 3 times, did 2 part drop set on side raises on last set.

Weight 206lbs.

I am pissed. If my body won't grow on it own, time to bend it to my will.

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlift day! Hit a new 3 rep max pr, at 425. This is a 20lb pr. I always read that time under the bar is a big factor in your numbers going up. Today I realize that that couldn't be more true. Everytime I deadlift, it just feels more and more comfortable. I used to always bang my shins or strain my lower back. Now I'm aligned and confident, just exploding, and working my way up.

Deadlift: warmup 315 x 5, 365 x 5, 405 x 3, 425 x 3

Pull ups: 10 wide, 10 wide, 10 close, 6 close

Bent over rows: 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 205 x 6, 205 x 6

Incline db curls: 30lb db's x 10, x 3 sets, 30lb db x 6 x 2 sets

run the dumbbell rack: 30's x 6, 25's x 6, etc to 15's x 6

Weight: 206 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Good leg day. Short and effective. I like to switch up front and back squats every once in a while, and today was a front squat day! Nailed a 20lb 3 rep pr, with 225lb. 3rd rep was tough keeping the chest up, but I stuck it out. Felt great.

Front Squats: 135 x 10, 165 x 8, 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 225 x 3

Leg Press: 4 plates x 10, 5 plates x 10, 6 plates x 8 - nice pauses at the bottom, real explosive.

Foam Roller and stretching

Weight 205lbs - Hit my 6 month goal, 3 days ahead of schedule! Wow, cutting it close. mmmm, time to bulk!!!!!!!!

[RaisingTheBar]

Just got back from a 2 week vacation. Fairly sleep deprived, but my body is rested and I have no aches or pains! Pushed some band training today, and loved it. Also was 1 rep off of my 225 rep max, which I'm fine with given all the travel I've been doing. Nov. 2nd is coming fast, time to get strong!

Bench: 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 225 x 9

50% bench with bands: 155 2 blue bands x 10, 175 2 bands x 8, 155 2 bands x 8 x 3 sets

Incline Flies: 5 sets of 8 - 10

Shoulder band work

Weight: 206lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Awesome Deadlift day. Taking a week off is working wonders. 20lb Rep PR!

Deadlift: Warmups, 315 x 5, 365 x 5, 385 x 6

Pullups: 10, 8, 8

Pullovers: 60lb x 10, 65 x 10, 70 x 8

Machine high rows: 10, 10, 8

Shoulder band works, pull aparts.

Weight 203lb.

[RaisingTheBar]

With anything, you have good days and bad days, today was the latter. High energy, but the weight felt crushing. I was well below my 5/3/1 expected numbers. The only thing I can think of is that I fried my cns. Coming off 2 weeks of vacation and hitting the week hard, my body felt beat up. I felt great in my head , but my body was dead. I'm not making excuses, but trying to dissect what happened. This week, I'll make sure to eat more and sleep more.

Squat: warmup, 275 x 5, 295 x 5, 315 x 5 (Had to use everything just to get up this 5th rep)

Front Squat: 135 x 10, 165 x 8, 185 x 6, 195 x 6

SLDL: Warmup, 185 x 10, 205 x 10, 225 x 10

Bis: BB curl, Hammer curl, Conc curl

Weight: 205lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Great chest day. I popped my grip out about an inch, and I can't believe it took me so long to do this. Not only am I stronger like this, but it takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders and elbows. Very happy. Also, I can feel all my band work paying off. My lock outs have been much more powerful today.

Bench: warmup, 185 x 5, 215 x 5, 235 x 5, 255 x 4

Bench w/ Bands: 185 x 10, 185 x 10, 185 x 8, 185 x 6

Incline db Bench W/ Fart Gripz: 65 x 10, 70 x 10, 70 x 10, 80 x 8, 80 x 6 (I like these. I can't but a finger on it, but it feels like it strengthens my balance and wrist and forearm strength).

Tris: Pushdowns fatgrip style, drips

Shoulder stability work

Weight: 204lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid Back day, although I really missed my Ipod. How am I supposed to crush PR's listening to the mainstream techno remixes they play at my gym. FML. Tied my 4 rep PR though, so that's good.

Deadlift: 135, 225, 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 405 x 4

Pulldown Machine: 145 x 10, 165 x 10, 185 x 8, 185 x 8

Kroc rows: 75lb, 85lb warmups, 95lb dumbbells x 20 each hand.

Bis: seated incline dumbbel curls, BB curls, Hammer curls

Shoulder stability, foam roller, stretching

Weight: 204lb

[RaisingTheBar]

I've decided to try out speed work. I keep reading about how valuable it is, so why not. This weekend I did a lowerbody and upperbody speed day, and it felt great! Awesome bloodflow, my body doesn't feel worn down, and now I'm energized for some heavy lifting. Can't wait to see how things progress.

Upper:
Speed OHP's, Bench, Upright Rows, medicine ball throws

Lower:
Speed Squats, Deadlifts, seated box jumps

Weight: 201lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Today I was angry...I've been stuck at a bench, OHP, and Squat plateau and it needs to stop. So, I'm changing things up, trying different grip widths and such. Today went something like this?

Bench, normal grip: Warmup, 225 x 5, 245 x 5, 265 x 4, 245 x 5

Incline Super Wide Grip: 195 x 5, 195 x 5, 200 x 5

OHP: 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 135 x 5

Close grip DB incline Bench: 75's x 5, 80's x 5, 80's x 5

Weight: 203 lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Excited to say I just purchased and read through Brandon's Cube Method e-book. I'm gonna be starting this tomorrow and can't wait. Results start now...

[RaisingTheBar]

Today might have been one of my best workouts ever. I was super pumped to try out The Cube, downed a shot of Rage, and went to work. The rep scheme, and lifts, changing things up with snatch grip deads and deficit lifts... I'm liking this.

Warmups

1" Deficit Deads 80%: 375 x 2 x 5

3" Block Snatch Grip 50% deads: 185 x 12 x 4, 185 x 15 (Hit the zone on the last rep here)

DB Rows: 80 x 10, 90 x 10, 100 x 10

DB Shrugs: 70 x 20, 75 x 20

Up and Down Planks x 50

Weight: 204lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid bench day! These rep ranges are a big change for me. They're exhausting, but great pumps.

Floor press: 185 x 3 x 8 sets

Inclined db press: 65's x 15 x 3 sets

CGBP: 135 x 10 x 4 sets

Skull crushers: 70 x 12 x 4 sets

Lat pull down: 165 x 10 x 4 sets.

Foam rolling

[RaisingTheBar]

WHO THE %^&* does 50 olympic Squats without racking the bar? Brandon Lily's Cube Method just took my V-Card, and I kinda liked it.

Foam roll, stretch, BW lunges

Squats: warmups, 280 x 8 x 1 set

Oly Squats: 135 x 50 x 1 set. (I went 34 before taking a solid 1 minute break with the bar on my back. Another 10, another break, then I finished. Brutal)

Leg Curls: 155 x 15 x 3 sets

Leg Press: 335 x 15 x 3 sets

Tuck-ins (using tricep rope): 65 x 20 x 3 sets

Foam Roll / stretch

Weight: 205lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Today was "Day 4" of the Cube, which is like a bodybuilding or lagging body part day. My body is appreciating the break from heavy weight. It's a good day.

Warmups

OHP: 115 x 8 x 4 sets

BB Curls: 60 x 12, 60 x 10, 50 x 10, 50 x 10

Side Raises: 15 lb db's x 15 x 4 sets

Calf Raises: 260lb x 20 x 4 sets

hammer curls: 25 lb db's x 15 x 4 sets

Weight: 206lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Brutal workout. Really upping the intensity. Everthing was very explosive and I think I figured out a bypass for a DL sticking point... not just thrusting the hips, but also flexing the quads hard on the way up, so rocket myself to the top. We'll see how that translates on heavier weights.

Warmups

Deads from the floor: work up to 280 x 3 x 8 sets

Bent Over DB Row: 90lb x 12 x 3 sets

SLDL from floor: 185 x 12 x 4 sets

DB Shrugs: 90lb db's x 15 x 4 sets

Leg Raises: 20, 20, 10

Weight: 205lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Awesome Day today! Back to bulking for 2 weeks now, and my workouts are getting insane! Energy, strength, I love this. I will also note that back to back sets of 20 give me the biggest pump I have ever experienced in my life. Loving the Cube Method. I was super rushed for time today, so I stuffed everything in a 35 minute window.

Warmups

Incline Bench: worked up to 210 x 8 (70% max)

Incline db: 60lb db's x 20, 65lb db's x 19 (so close to 20!)

CGBP: 135 x 10, 115 x 12, 115 x 12

Tri push down: 55lbs x 20 x 5 sets (biggest tri pump of my life)

Lat pulldowns: 145 x 12 x 3 sets

Foam Roller / light stretch

Weight: 204 lbs.

[RaisingTheBar]

Awesome squat day. I really like the 2 reps of 5 scheme. The multi sets allows me to correct form issues and really focus on power. My 3rd and 4th sets were my best, because I corrected some movement issues and just crushed them. Definitely an improvement over other workout plans.

Warmups

Squats: 320 x 2 x 6 sets (Did one extra set. I was crushin it today)

Leg press: 6 plates, 4 sets of 12

Laying Leg Curls: 155lb x 20 reps x 3 sets

Box Jumps: 3 sets of 8

Weight 205lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid bench day today. I felt strong, but ran out of steam fast, long hours at work are starting to catch up. Still... hit all my numbers and had a good workout.

Warmups

Bench: 245 x 2 x 5 sets

DB Floor Press: 80 lb db's, 3 sets of 10 reps

Pullups: 10 x 3 sets BW

Flies: 10 x 3 sets

Partial incline Bench: 6 low, 6 high x 3 sets

Weight: 204lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid deadlift day. Felt very strong with the db rows. Pissed cause my gym doesn't go above 100lb db's and I'm definitely passed that weight now. Gotta figure out what to do.

Warmups:

1" Deficit Deadlifts (72%): worked up to 335 x 8

Snatch Grip Deadlifts from the Floor (~50%): 185 x 10, 225 x 10, 225 x 10

DB Rows: 80lb x 15, 90 lb x 12, 100lb db's x 10 x 2 sets

Stomach tuck-ins using triceps pulldown rope: 65 lbs x 15 x 4 sets

Should stability exercises w/o bands

Weight: 205lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid squat day. Some trainer brought his dumbbells, from the other side of the gym, over to the squat rack so he could talk to me while I squatted... Made it really hard to get in the zone... but I still got a decent lift. I can't people just leave people alone when they lift? A head nod, a what's up, or a high five it fine, but following and continual talking is kind of ridiculous.

Warmups

Squats (60%): 255 x 3 x 8 sets

Oly Squats with Bands: 205 + 1 blue band on each side, x 8 x 3 sets

Leg Press: 6 plates x 8 x 3 sets

Reverse Hypers: bw x 15 x 3 sets

Foam Rolling and Stretching

Weight: 206lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid day today. Hit the less worked areas from the previous week. This day 4 was arms and shoulders. I switched things up and used fat gripz on everything.

Warmup

OHP: 145 x 5, 155 x 5, 165 x 5

DB Arnold Presses: 40's x 10, 45's x 10, 45's x 9

BB curls + behind the head db tricep extension superset: 80lb BB x 6 + 75lb db x 8 x 4 sets

BB Conc curls: 65 lbs x 8 x 4 sets

Tri rope pulldown: 66 lb x 10 x 3 sets

Close Grip DB bench, weights touching, palms facing each other: 55 lb db's x 10 x 4 sets

Stretch foam roll, stretch

Weight: 207 lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid DL day! My god mornings felt really weak though. Gotta work on my lower back core.

Warmup

1" Deficit DL (85%): 405 x 2 x 3 sets

Bent over BB Rows: 135 x 12, 185 x 10, 205 x 10, 185 x 10

Good Mornings: 135 x 8, 135 x 8, 95 x 12

DB Shrugs: 75's x 20, 85's x 16, 90's x 12, 90's x 12

Back extensions: BW x 15 x 4 sets

SLDL DB's: 75's x 10 x 4 sets (Real nice stretch)

BW: 207lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Real solid day today. Body felt great, nice pumps. I did feel some tightening in my back right shoulder though, during incline flies. Dropped weight and it was fine. I gotta make sure I focus on the pec only.

Warmup

Floor Press: 205 x 3 x 6 sets

Incline BB Bench: 185 x 10 x 3 sets

BW Pullups: BW x 6 x 4 sets

Incline Flies: 35's x 12 x 3 sets

Standing Dumbbell Straight-Arm Front Delt Raise Above Head: 20's x 10 x 3 sets

Hammer Strength Weighted Crunches: 65 lbs x 15 x 3 sets

Weight: 207lb

[RaisingTheBar]

I just finished working out, and I think I might pass out as I write this. very tough day, but that's a good thing in this case. Really kicked some ass.

Warmups

Squats: worked up to 320 x 6 x 1 set

Oly Squats: 205 x 10 x 1 set. Back felt tired, so I switched after I set

Front Squats: 155 x 10 x 4 sets

Decline Sit Ups: Bw x 15 x 4 sets

Calf Raises: 100 reps, increasing weight. (Just randomly thought of this. Felt good!) I started at 210, and increased the weight by ~50lbs for every set of 15. When I couldn't do 15 reps anymore (at 330lb) I just went to failure until I totaled 100 reps for all sets. It went like this... 210 x 15, 260 x 15, 310 x 15, 330 x 14, 12, 12, 9, 8 = 100 Done!

Foam roll / stretch

Weight 206lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid day. I'm using these days to try to beef up my tri's, to help my bench, and strengthen my lower back. Right now, these feel like my weak areas.

Warmup:

OHP: 150 x 6, 160 x 5 (Almost 6!)

Hammer curls: 40's x 10 x 3 sets

CGBP: 135 x 12 x 4

Back Extensions: BW x 15 x 4 sets

Tri Pulldown: 80 lbs x 10 x 4 sets

Run the Rack!: 25, 20, 15, 10 Failure

Weight: 207lb

[RaisingTheBar]

Another awesome bench day. Can't wait to see how I perform at heavier weights. Energy was solid. I think giving myself a rest day between deadlift and bench day is a really good thing.

Warmup

Bench: 240 x 6 x 1 set (destroyed this. Coulda done more)

Incline Bench: 185 x 10 x 3 sets

Pullups: BW x 6 x 4 sets

Close Grip Lat Pulldowns: 190 x 6 x 3 sets

Skull Crushers: 80lbs x 15 x 3 sets

DB Floor Press: 70's x 8 x 3 sets

Flies: 40's x 10 x 3 sets

Weight: 208lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Great day today. Squats are such a mental game for me, especially heavy squats. Today I had no doubts and I smashed through every set strong.

Warmup

Squats: 340 x 2 x 4 sets

Good Mornings: 100 lbs x 15 x 3 sets (Something felt off, so I kept it low)

DB Lunges: 45's x 10 x 1, 55's x 10 x 1, 65's x 10 x 1 (heaviest I've gone on db lunges. I normally sit at 50's. Felt great!)

Glute Ham Raise: BW x 8 x 3 sets

Weighted crunches: 70 x 15 x 3 sets

Weight: 207lbs

[RaisingTheBar]

Great day today. Felt strong

Warmup

1 inch def dl's: work up to 395 x 6 x 1 set

1 inch def sumo deads: 225 x 10 x 4 sets

Good mornings: 100 x 10 x 3 sets

Machine seated rows: 165 x 10 x 3 sets

Stretching

Weight: 208

[RaisingTheBar]

Great Bench day. I feel like all my floor presses are paying off big time. 2 months ago, my biggest weakness was lockout. I had zero issues with lockout yesterday. I felt strong through the entire lift. Couldn't be happier.

Warmup

Bench: worked up to 265 x 2 x 4 sets

Incline DB Bench: 75's x 10, 85's x 10, 90's x 8

Lat Pulldowns: 165 x 10, 185 x 8, 165 x 10

Incline CGBP: 145 x 10 x 3 sets

Tri pushdowns: 75 x 15 x 3 sets

Foamrollin

Weight: 208

[Riffmaster]

Glad to see another freshman in here. I'm training for my first meet as well. Your training looks like it's going well man, keep it up!

[RaisingTheBar]

Glad to see another freshman in here. I'm training for my first meet as well. Your training looks like it's going well man, keep it up!

Nice! When's your meet? I'm looking at Nov. 2nd. Gives me time to finish up my current Cube program, and get halfway through a second. Can't wait to test the new maxes!

[RaisingTheBar]

Took on 2 jobs, so I've been neglecting my updates, but here's my last two major cube days!

Deads: 425 x 1, 445 x 1, 445 x 1

Bench: 255 x 2, 265 x 2, 275 x 2

Accessories...

Weight: 209 lbs

[Riffmaster]

Nice! When's your meet? I'm looking at Nov. 2nd. Gives me time to finish up my current Cube program, and get halfway through a second. Can't wait to test the new maxes!

Mine isn't until June, its pretty slim pickins here in southern Utah. I'll be able to run the cube a few times i'm pretty excited for it! I can't wait to see your numbers!

[RaisingTheBar]

Solid squat day. Form is getting better and better.

Warmup (foam roller, bw lunges, bw squats)

Squat: worked up to 315 x 2 x 6

Leg Press: 5 plates x 10, 5 plates x 10, 6 plates x 9

Good Mornings: 100 x 15 x 3 sets

Calf Raises: 3 sets of 16 varying ~300

Leg Extensions: 165 x 12, 185 x 12, 205 x 12

Weight: 207