945 Quest

[twoheadedboy]

Hello everyone,

So after an insane 6 months filled with new job, grandma cancer, fiancee moving in, two 5k's, and my wedding, I'm now back and lifting again. I've been going a couple of times a week for the last month but now it will be a consistent 3 - 4 from here on out.

Here's what my training will look like

Day 1
Bench or Standing Overhead Press (there will be a lot of variety here, but sets will be in the 5 - 8 rep range for the most part; wrist wraps only)
Heavy Squats (5x3) (Rehbands only, may incorporate a belt once I get back toward 2pps)
Power Cleans

Day 2
Standing Overhead Press or Bench
Light Squats (1x20, 3x10, or 5x8 depending on the day)
Deadlifts (working up to 5 heavy singles, belt only)

Day 3
Bench or Standing Overhead Press
Medium Squats (3x5 or 5x5)
Romanian Deadlifts (3x5)

Very simple. I may incorporate chins and dips once I join the new 2nd gym but for now it's just not necessary...I will just press more (with fat gripz) if I need tricep work, and do some standing barbell curls or alternating dumbbell hammers for biceps. Liberal foam rolling and static stretches before training...my mobility is very bad so doing this allows me to use a safe, more advantageous bar path

Supplementation:

Every day: Uni-Vite, Animal Omega, Animal Flex, Cissus Quadrangularis, Animal PM

Pre: Shock Therapy
Intra: Water
Post: Torrent (was going to replace with Torrent Zero but apparently it's discontinued??? :( Maybe Juiced Aminos will serve here...)

I also have Proton 7 for breakfast shakes as necessary.

[twoheadedboy]

Today:

Bench: 45x5x2, 75x5, 95x3, 125x2, 135x1, 140x5x3
Squat: good mornings, 95x5, 125x3, 165x2, 185x5x3
RDL's: 95x10, 135x5x3

Great progress on bench and squat. Originally I was going to go 180 on squat (Thursday was 175) but my 165 warmup was supposed to be 155 and felt great anyway, so I just went with it. Tweaked my left patella tendon a little bit early on, but nothing too serious. Around labor day I started out with 135x3 on both bench and squat so I'm still nowhere near my old maxes (275/185/335) but form is very dialed in right now.

[rainman]

Hi. Subbed for this one, although the volume looks like it's going to be tough to keep up. Is it based on something like Sheiko?

[twoheadedboy]

I respond very well to a higher volume approach, and progress is fast right now as I am regaining strength I previously had (with the added benefit of nagging injuries being healed due to the long layoff). And actually, this is lower than I typically do, with Heavy/Medium/Light squats and Heavy/Medium/Light pulls once per week, 3 total full body days with very little accessory. My progress will be 10 - 15 lbs a week on deads, 5 - 10 lbs a week on squats, 10 - 15 lbs every 2 weeks on bench, and 10 - 15 lbs every 3 weeks with overheads. RDL's and Power Cleans are truly more accessory than anything; I will just be doing them to incorporate more pulling into the mix because what I don't respond well to is high volume high frequency deadlifting...in fact, the less I deadlift and the more I squat heavy, the better my deadlifts are, from an absolute sense and also week-to-week.

The inspiration is somewhere between Starting Strength and Bill Starr's "10's, 5's, and 3's" plan (described in his great book "The Strongest Shall Survive"; I prefer 8's over 10's personally), which could be seen as a predecessor to Cube. Cube's progressions are over a 3 week time period and mine/Starr's are weekly; the weights are too low (even for me) to slow down progress that much.

This will be the plan to take me into the Thanskgiving holiday when I'll do a mini-deload; after that I might run Smolov + Smolov Jr. until Christmas and do a full deload until New Year's, then reassess how I will start 2015.

Anyway, thanks for the follow!

[twoheadedboy]

Let's see...

Monday:

OHP: Can't remember reps/sets but I was working at 105
Deads: Worked up to 5 singles of 225

Tuesday: Running club at work, intervals on a 0.15 mile decently steep hill

Thursday:

OHP: 105x5x3
Squats: 190x5x3

Saturday:

Bench: 145x5x3
Squats: 200x3x2

Low back has really been barking between workouts, but strong out of the hole and fine while lifting. My upper body stuff has been really strong, really focusing on a tight core above all else and it's paying dividends. I'm pretty run down and beat up right now, I've been sleeping all weekend, so I may do a light/high rep day tomorrow and come back strong on Thursday.

[twoheadedboy]

Today:

OHP: 110x3x5
Squats: 200x3x5

Illness, work, and a softball doubleheader derailed me a little last week. Back on it.

[twoheadedboy]

Today:

Bench - 150x5x2, 150x3x2
Squat: 195x5x3

Bad sleep, really early, cold, and hungry. First set of squats were grinders, 2nd set much easier, 3rd set I just had to sack up and finish. Bench I might have completed a 4th rep on the 3rd set but I was uncertain and had no spotter, so I just decided to do a 2nd triple instead.

I'm doing some accessory and cardio at night at a different gym with my wife but am not logging, because who cares about that anyway?

[twoheadedboy]

Today:

Standing OHP: 110x4x4
Squat: 205x4x4
Chin-Up's (machine assisted): 3 sets of 10

Good stuff. First work set of squats is always the worst for me, wish I could get around that somehow.