5/3/1 Krypteia Training Log kyle_eng

Hey Guys,

I’m Kyle and I’m going to start a training log on the program Krypteia, which uses a 5/3/1 progression scheme. In this post, I’ll lay down some background information about me and the training program in this post, and start the training log on my next post. Out of respect for Jim, I won’t give out all the details of his program, but something general so you understand what I’m doing on a day to day basis. I’m also going to try to include some lifting footage each session, or every few sessions, to keep this log interesting.

Program

Depending on the phase of the program, it’s either a 4 or 3-day lifting split + 2-3 days of easy conditioning. There is always jumps/throws before the lifting + mobility work. This is how it works:

You have one main movement for the day, and two assistance exercises. You alternate each assistance exercise in between each of the sets of your main lifts, plus band pull aparts, including between warm up sets. This results in a minimum of 50 repetitions of each assistance movement everyday + 100 repetitions of band pull aparts everyday. Assistance seems to be a large focus of the program (Jim emphasizes that the assistance work NEEDS to be pushed for this program to work effectively).

The goal of the program is to finish all of the lifting within 45 minutes. Time starts on your first warm up set, and ends on your last assistance exercise. I’m assuming the goal isn’t exactly conditioning, but good conditioning will be the result of completing the program within 45 minutes. This means I’m not pushing to finish the workout as quick as I can, just to beat a time. I’m aiming for perfect technique and control with every rep. Still, the program will most likely be difficult. Including mobility and jumps/throws, Jim estimates the whole session to be about 90 minutes long. Considering I’m trying to ease up on the tennis (see About Me), this seems doable.

About me

I’ve lifted for about 6 years. I would say I’ve been pretty serious about it, but I also have other priorities, so while I love lifting and being the best at it that I could be, I definitely do not implement everything correctly; I still do the best that I can everyday. I’ve lost 20 lbs in the past few months while keeping my lifts the same (except bench, which dropped from 260lbs to 245lbs without ever getting that back), maybe even slightly increased because I started using a belt.

Stats

Age: 27 years old
Weight: 200lbs
Height: 6’ 0"
Squat: 300 lbs with belt, was actually pretty easy. I input 310 lbs as a max for this program, but realistically it’s probably 320-330 lbs; 320 lbs was a consistent estimated max based on many, many AMRAPs from the Juggernaut method.
Swiss Bar Bench: 215 lbs (Straight bar bench is 245 lbs)
Trap Bar Deadlift: An ugly 415 lbs with belt: 415lb Trap Bar Deadlift - YouTube (Straight bar conventional DL Estimated 1RM is 360 lbs beltless)
Overhead Press: Estimated 1RM is 140 lbs based off 3RM 125 lbs. I haven’t done OHP in about a year, but from past experience, my estimated max have been spot on to actual maxes.
Chin Ups: 10 reps max at bodyweight
Dips: Tested 15 reps at BW around 6 months ago. I was a little heavier back then though.

I will say I’ve always done rep work (7-25 range, yes thats juggernaut method for you). I never really went for weight below 5 reps. It’s very possible if I practiced heavier weight, I’d be stronger. But there are a lot of IFs and I’m not going to spend time peaking for something I don’t really find necessary.

Tennis

I definitely consider myself a tennis player first. During the warmer months, I try to play 4-5 days a week (every day if I could). I’d lift for about an hour, and play tennis for another two hours (two to three hours on days I didn’t lift). Because of my partners’ schedule, weather, work, and other commitments, workout programs that I’ve run (5/3/1, Candito LP, inverted Juggernaut Method twice) often turned into 2 or 3 workouts/week with the assistance pretty much cut out, and only did a progression of the main lifts.

I say all these things because for this program, I’m going to try to do everything as right as I can. I’m deliberately going to skip out on tennis as much as I can this winter, even though it’s a hobby I completely love and indulge in. In this log, I’m going to try to remember to state whether I played tennis the night before, or the night of, to see if there is any correlation with how I feel lifting after playing tennis; in the past, I was definitely noticing the effect of my lower body movement days, but I didn’t really care. I don’t lift specifically to get better at tennis, I would argue that you really don’t need to lift all that much to get better at tennis anyway, but I’ll leave that spiel out, unless someone is interested in hearing about this.

Other Changes

I’m going to try to take a more protein heavy diet. Calories were never a problem. I always assumed I ate right, but after trying to mildly track, I found that I was extremely lacking in protein. Probably 50g initially > diet and tracked > 100g > now, I’ll be taking in ~150+; Note: I may not be great at estimating protein. I know a fast food burger is typically 25-30g protein. I know my protein scoop is 25 g (I will be taking 4 scoops/day). This is all I really know. If someone wants to chime in on other foods, I would greatly appreciate it. I will also be taking creatine.

My sleep has never been great, always ~6 hours. Not sure if my lifting was ever really affected, but I’m going to try to get 6.5-7 hours of sleep going forward.

Goals

Initially, this winter, I just wanted to get stronger, but the more I thought about it, I’m a pretty heavyset tennis player. With that being said, I’m still the fastest among players my level. Anyway, I still want to get strong, but I also want to lose bodyfat and hopefully lose another 10lbs. I realize these goals are contradictory and I’m ok with that. I’m not a competitive strength athlete, nor am I a competitive tennis player (but I am thinking about joining a league Spring 2017, maximizing strength gains will have the least carry over to tennis compared to actual sport practice).

Injuries

I’ve had a bulging disc from deadllifting for the past two to three years. I also have plantar fasciitis. Because of these injuries, I spend a decent amount of time on mobility/rehab work.

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Always been curious about Krypteia, i did a session once to accomodate for a leg injury and it was… interesting. Good luck to you

Sunday 11/12/17

Jumps/Throws
20 rotational throws/side with a 12 lb medicine ball: EricCressey.com: Coaching Hip Shift on Rotational Medicine Ball Exercises - YouTube

Lifting

Overhead Press
75x5
90x5
100x5
75x5x5 paused

Goblet Squat
70 KB x 5x10

DB SLDL + shrug
75 per hand x 5x10

Band pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 35 minutes

Comments

Did not play tennis the night before or night of.

I will say, this is one hell of a workout, and maybe I made it harder than I needed to. Before starting this program, i practiced the movements a few times to get an idea of the weight I needed to start with. I practiced with a 70 lb KB for goblet squats and 75 lbs DBs for SLDL…

I wanted to use an 80 lb KB because I felt 70 was pretty easy. I had just joined this gym. The KBs look pretty used and could barely see the weight of each KB. I believe I saw one KB heavier than the 70 lb KB, but this thing looked massive. Could very well be 90-100. Didn’t want to try this, as Jim recommended to start the assistance light to get your body acclimated to all the work. 70 KB was fairly easy.

As for the DB SLDL + Shrug, this was extremely difficult. I’m not sure what it was. Very possibly, my back was still a little sore and tender from maxing out just two days prior on the Trap Bar DL. I didn’t think 75 lb DBs would wreck me so hard and leave me panting, though. A good chunk of time in my 35 minutes was rest between the main lift and the last two SLDL sets. Fortunately, this is a fairly light week, so even doing beltless squats tomorrow won’t be terrible.

There is a shrug at the end of the movement. I’ve always been terrible with shrugs. I feel almost no range or motion and no soreness the next day. I’m definitely not doing these right. I’ve watched countless videos on cues I should use, but I just can’t seem to get it. I’m going to keep trying my ass off, and at the very least, this movement will be good for my back.

I’m considering lowering the weight to 70 lbs during my bench day. I’ll have to see how I feel. I also don’t want to wreck my back the day before deadlifts.

Something I didn’t realize was holding the damn KB is actually pretty taxing on my shoulders, and I did actually feel the fatigue going into my presses. So I did not really need to rest going from pressing> pull aparts > Goblet squat. But I did need 30-60s from goblet squat to press. I think next week, or the week after, I will try the massive KB, or use a DB instead of a KB.

Maybe because this is the easiest week, and the OHP is probably the least taxing lift, but the workout wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. I didn’t ever feel like I breathed too hard during or after any of the lifts, except for the DBSL DL. Even that was for a short period of time during the workout, which I easily recovered from. Admittedly at the end, it was pretty difficult.

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Today was my first day. See below. I’d be interested in your thoughts and if you relate to me at all. What session did you do and what did you find different/difficult/interesting?

At the time I was recovery from a low back injury, but I was thankfully cleared to do the Krypteia lower body assistance exercises, so I did them on Bench and OHP.

It was a good workout, definitely had me pushing conditioning. It’s something I would be interested in trying later down the track, but right now I’m more focused on strength (which is admittedly abyssmal)

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And yeah, the SLDLs suck

Glad to hear I’m not the only one. I’m sore af right now.

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Monday 11/13/17

Jumps/Throws
4x5 Box Jumps

Lifting

Squat
170x5
200x5
225x5
170x5x5 paused

Dips
5x10

Chin Ups
Rogue green band assisted 5x10

Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 38 minutes

Comments

Sorry, no video today. There was a class going on, which needed the rig I was using, in which I did all my squats, dips, and chin ups. I was moved and had to use a free standing rack, so I was all over the place and couldn’t film a superset; I wanted to show Squat > Dips > Squat > Pull Ups. Too bad, It’d be pretty entertaining to see me jump from station to station.

I did just order a phone holder, so that will come in the mail by Wednesday, but I won’t be able to stop home after work, before my workout since I will be running on a tight schedule, and will be hitting some balls that night.

Did not play tennis the night of.

Squats were all beltless since the weight feels relatively light. Still sweating hard, and like my last session, started breathing harder near the end of the session.

My max chin ups is 10 reps at bodyweight for a set. Initially I was thinking of doing a set unassisted, and using a green band for the rest of the 4 sets, but I’m happy I didn’t.

The first 3 sets of chin ups were relatively easy. The fourth set of 10 was a struggle, but the reps were all complete and clean. I’d just have to hang on the bar for a second or two towards the end of the set. The fifth set of chin ups were pretty tough. For the last set, I finished the 8th rep, had to take a 10s break, did the 9th rep, 10s break, and completed the set.

For my next deadlift workout, I wil be using the same assistance protocol. I will use the green band again for all 5 sets and see if if I can hit all 5x10.

I was surprised I hit the dips for 5x10 soooo easily, especially after pressing yesterday. I’ve always done dips for 3x10, but that was always after bench work. The last rep was always a grinder. I think for the upcoming deadlift session, I will stick either stick to bodyweight or add a chain or dip belt because it truly felt that easy.

Food

Today, I actually took the day off from work because I had a lot of PTO. I came in with a lot of rest, and even ate dinner before my session. Normally I’d go right after work, making it to the gym around 545, and after playing tennis, I’d be home around 930 and eating at 10.

In addition to eating a small dinner (pulled pork) beforehand, it was Mexican Monday Night football at my local bar. Dollar tacos, cheeseburgers, and roast beef sandwiches. I had 3 small tacos, a cheese burger, a roast beef sandwich, and 2 free hotdogs. I also had 50g of protein shake earlier this afternoon. I say I think I hit my protein mark for the day, which is usually pretty damn difficult for me.

I’m excited for my bench session. My back didn’t feel too bad today. I’d like to use those 75lb DBs again for my SLDL. Since my back felt OK today, I’m thinking my back was just fatigued from testing the previous Friday. I think I will be OK this coming Wednesday.

Tuesday 11/14/17

Just did some easy conditioning today. 35 min on the air dyne. 500 skips on the jump rope. Was actually harder than it usually was because I hadn’t skipped in about a year. Practiced some medicine ball throws for 10-15 min. Really want to practice hip shifting.

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Wednesday 11/15/17

Video of the day
Medicine Ball Punch Throws:

Goblet squat + Top set + DB SLDL:

Jumps/Throws
4x5 Medicine Ball Punch Throws w/ a 12lb medicine ball

Lifting

Swiss Bar Bench Press
120x5
135x5
175x5 (misloaded, should have been 155)
120x5x5 paused

Goblet Squat
80 DB x 5x10

DB SLDL
80 per hand x 3x10, 75 per hand x 2x10

Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 41 minutes

Comments

Played tennis tonight for only an hour.

I have to say I was a bit ambitious today. I said to myself, I’m using an 80lb DB for the goblet squats. I may as well use them for the SLDL (instead of using 75lbs like I told myself I would). It was hard, at least on my grip. Gave out the first set, but realized I was being a bitch, so I manned up for the next two sets and did the full sets. Still after the 3rd set of it, I was shot and couldn’t hold them anymore, so I switched to 75lb DBs.

The SLDLs are still gassers, but if I did the workout completely with 75lb DBs, I knew I would have had that easy. Not sure if I want to keep pushing and stick to 80s or go down to 75s. I’d definitely have better form if I dropped. Opinions welcomed.

I decided not to go for the massive KB this session. Apparently, the KB is 108lbs, let’s call it 110. This thing is massive, I have to take a picture of it for you guys. So pretty much, we have KBs that go up to 70, then a big fuck you with 110. This KB will be my goal by the end of next cycle.

The goblet squats are still feeling pretty good at 80lbs. They’re tough because I’m not used to the movement, but I can feel my back getting stronger from holding up the weight. Thinking of upping my next workout to 85 or 90lbs for this movement.

Again, I was asked to move during my workout, this time for a kid’s training session, instead of a class. Fortunately I only had to move to the other side of the rack, but it definitely took some time and energy moving everything over, Definitely not a true 41 minutes to finish the workout.

Lastly, as far as the pressing goes, I misloaded my top set to 175, instead of 155. As I hit the 4th rep, I wondered why the damn bar felt so heavy. Normally I’m not that careless, but it was nice to grind the last rep.

EDIT: Waking up this morning, I feel damn sore in my upper back, probably from the goblet squats. My lower back is a little sore, but not terrible. I’m hoping I just get used to this. Last night, I weighed in at 201-202, which is a pound or two heavier than usual. I’ve been trying to take in more protein, and just a little more food. I’m not sure if being heavier is a good thing, as Jim said I should be losing weight on this program. But I remember now, I just started taking creatine, and I’ll probably have a period when I’m gaining water weight.

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Thursday 11/16/17

Jumps/Throws
4x5 Overhead Medicine Ball Throws w/ a 15 lb medicine ball

Lifting

Trap Bar DL
230x5
265x5
300x5
230x5x5

Dips
5x10

Chin Ups
Rogue green band assisted 5x10

Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 38 minutes

Comments

Overall, today was ok. Dips didn’t feel as easy as my on my squat day, but still got 5x10 in. Will try to do 5x12 next time.

Deadlifts went as expected. Definitely slightly fatigued from yesterday, but that’s ok. Weights weren’t too heavy, and I trust the process.

Realizing I need more rest near the end of the workout. It seems like I’m pretty much able to go from set to set without a break besides loading weight, until about the fourth set. I still continue to push, but by the fifth set, I take one long break in which I take off all the weight from the bar, and put stuff away that I’m done with. This is a needed rest, not because I’m necessarily out of breath, but because I know I won’t hit 10 reps of chin ups if I don’t take it. But I did hit 9 reps on my last set, instead of 8 like last time. I’ll take what I can.

Excited to take a break, and just do some easy conditioning. I just purchased a new jump rope: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3YZIpuGSHieebOBm2

Excited to use these bad boys tomorrow.

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Easy conditioning today.

100 skips x 5 jump rope

25 min on the air dyne

100 skips x 5 jump rope

5000m erg in 23:49

100 skips x 5 jump rope

Pretty happy with my erg time. I don’t try hard to beat anytime, just get some good cardio in, but last year when I erg’d, I would be around 24:30. That’s 40s off my time. I’m also about 15-20lbs lighter.

New jump rope felt great.

Sunday 11/19/17

Video of the Day:

I actually did my topset and DBSL in the wrong order, making my topset harder, but that’s ok. The weight is still pretty light where I’m not really affected.

Jumps/Throws
20 rotational throws/side with a 12 lb medicine ball

Lifting

Overhead Press
85x5
95x5
105x5
85x5x5 paused

Goblet Squat
85 DB x 5x10

DB SLDL + shrug
80 per hand x 5x10 w/ straps

Band pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 40 minutes

Comments

Came in with a lot of rest, no tennis yesterday, even though I was asked by two people… It’s pretty hard to decline and I feel bad, but I’m trying to stay focused.

My weight has gone up significantly. I now weigh 205lbs (+5lbs in the past week). I’m assuming this is the effect of the creatine that I’ve been taking for the past week and half to two weeks. It’s also probably because I’ve upped my calories by 500ish/day., and that I’ve been less active on the courts.

Goblet squats are feeling pretty damn good. I know I’m supposed to let my body acclimate, but it almost feels too easy sometimes. The hardest part is getting the DB in position. I notice when I think “elbows down,” making my forearms vertical, it is much easier, and my upperback doesn’t get pulled down. If you look at my video, during one of the sets, my elbows were pretty flared. By the 8th or 9th rep, I got a little tired because of that, and slightly lost balance. I don’t have this issue with the KB. Still, I’m going to up this to 90 lbs next time.

The DB SLDL felt a lot easier this time too, because I used straps. I notice the hardest part is grip, especially when I bring the DBs up and shrug; they tend to hit my hips, and I start losing my grip. Maybe I’ll do a set or two without straps next time. Instead of upping the weight, I’m going to go for 12 reps sets for this movement.

Overall this workout was easier, probably for a few reasons. I started taking my time in the later sets, taking slightly longer rests because I know I can afford too. A big help was the straps.

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Monday 11/20/17

Jumps/Throws
4x5 Box Jumps

Lifting

Squat
185x5
210x5
235x5
185x5x5 paused

Dips
5x12

Chin Ups
Rogue green band assisted 5x10
4th and 5th set, rest pause 10-15s, 7r+3r

Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 41 minutes

Comments

Worksets continue to be pretty easy. I belted up for the topset (235). During my pause set, I notice I feel a lot more balanced if I take the decent a little slower; it’s not enough to just pause at the bottom, the fast drop kinda ruins the squat.

Pull ups felt a little more difficult today, possibly due to my weight fluctuation. I broke up my 4th and 5th set to 7 reps, rest pause, 3 reps.

Dips felt ok at 5x12. Definitely could have hit ~15 reps or so on my last set. Will try 5x13 next session.

Workouts don’t feel bad because I’m taking my time in the later sets, so that’s why there’s an increase in time. Quality of my reps are better too. Going to keep doing this.

Going to try to recover well tonight, hopefully get more sleep. Ate some dinner at home, and will probably go out shortly to eat a little more with the gang. Playing some tennis tomorrow because I can’t resist. It’s been a little cool lately, but tomorrow will be mid 50s, so I have to take advantage of it. Fortunately, it’s a non-lifting day.

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Played about 2 hours of tennis today.

Continuing to weigh myself, and I keep gaining weight. I weighed in at around 208lbs today, AFTER playing tennis. Usually I’m a solid 3lbs light after playing. Granted I also ate A LOT yesterday.

I know this is just the effect of the creatine, but damn I really wanted to LOSE weight on this program. I assume I’ll still lose the bodyfat though.

I’m constantly thinking about the assistance work on this program. I think I’m getting stronger. Originally I wanted to push for 12r/set on the SLDL tomorrow, but the aggressive me wants to just up the weight, and push myself. It’s hard, but I know I can definitely do it. I think it will set myself up for even heavier weight in the future.

Wednesday 11/22/17

Jumps/Throws
4x5 Medicine Ball Punch Throws w/ a 12lb medicine ball

Lifting

Swiss Bar Bench Press
130x5
145x5
165x5
130x5x5 paused

Goblet Squat
90 DB x 5x10

DB SLDL
85 per hand x 5x10 w/ straps

Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

*Finished in 45 minutes

Comments

Invited a friend to work out with me today. I let him know it was going to be hard, even told him what it was beforehand. Clearly he underestimated how much work was in it. Near the end, he told me he was a little tired. By his 3-4th set of DB SLDL, he was borderline going to pass out. He could not complete the workout.

Very glad with how easy everything felt today. Upped the goblet squats to 90lbs. Cake. Even upped the SLDL to 85, and it was the easiest it had ever felt. Cake. Both going to be upped 5lbs again during my next press workout this Sunday.

The benching in general felt easy today; I imagine this is from a few things. Firstly, I’m getting better at using the swiss bar. Secondly, all the damn dips I’ve been doing are benefiting me. Thirdly, I’m feeling the effects of creatine supplementation. I didn’t get a chance to weigh myself today because I went out to eat immediately aftter with a bunch of friends, but I imagine I’m around 210 lbs now.

*Workout also felt easier because I took longer breaks. I spent a lot of time spotting my friend because he’s never used the swiss bar, nor has he done DB SLDLs or goblet squats (he does front squat, however). I don’t know the true time I would have finished the workout if I didn’t have my friend with me, but by my last set of bench, I was 44 minutes in, so needless to say, the workout would have been easily done in under 45 minutes.

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Thursday 11/23/17

Video of the Day

Jumps/Throws
4x5 Overhead Medicine Ball Throws w/ a 15 lb medicine ball

Lifting

Trap Bar DL
245x5
280x5
315x5 (belt)
245x5x5

Dips
5x13

Chin Ups
Purple band assisted 5x10 (band showed a lot of wear and tear)

Band Pull aparts
Red mini band 10x10

Finished in 45 minutes

Comments

Weight: 209lbs

Christ today was hard. Probably for a few reasons. For whatever reason, all the assistance work affects my deadlift workout the most, compared to any other workout of the week. While I’m able to do all the main lifts with ease during the week, I always struggle with the deadlifts. You can see in my video th at I really needed to take longer rests going into my topset, which would normally be easy for any other lift.

I had my normal amount of sleep last night (~6 hours), but since the gym hours were limited today, I had to get in as soon as I got out of bed, which I always need a few hours for my body to “wake up”

After such a grueling workout, struggling to finish within 45 minutes, sweating and working the hardest I ever have in this program so far, I weighed in at 209lbs. I hit a complete wall around my 4-5th set of assistance work.

This is really taking a toll on my pull ups. You can see in the video, my third set of chin ups, I barely squeaked the last one in. For my fourth set of chin ups, I broke it up to 5+5. And even the second set of 5 wasn’t clean. My last set of chin ups, I had to grab a thicker band, and still couldn’t complete all 10. It was brutal.

For my fourth set of dips, I gassed around the last 2 reps, dropped down for 5 seconds and completed it. My 5th set was a total wall. I hit 5. rest, hit 2, rest, hit 2, etc. It wasn’t easy. Considering how easy 5x12 was last time, it’s either the bench workout is affecting my dips the next day, the workout is harder, or I’m sleep deprived.

I think going forward, I will try the dips at 5x13 again. For my chin ups, I will do 3 sets w my normal band, and switch to a heavier band for my next two sets so I can get clean reps in.

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Friday 11/24/17

Was intending to do some light conditioning today, but that didn’t really happen.

120 skips x 5 jump rope

2000m erg in 8:01.6

I went in and did my usual jump ropes. Started looking around and saw the gym record white board. I saw the 2000m erg was 7:30… Now I was like 90% sure I couldn’t beat it, but I had to try it. By 1000m in, I knew I wasn’t getting it, but I still wanted to push myself to find out my best time. I got 8:01.6, which I’m pretty happy about. Didn’t think I’d beat 8:15. It’s not 7:30, but I’m gonna keep trying.

Tried to go on the airdyne afterwards, but I was just too smoked. I went home after maybe a generous 10 min on the airdyne.

Saturday 11/25/17

Ran around the track today

Walked 400m, then ran 400m. Did this a total of 4 times, totaling 3200m in about 30 min.

Sunday 11/26/17

Jumps/Throws
Worked out in a different gym today with a friend, no med ball throws today.

Lifting

Overhead Press
90x5
100x5
115x5
90x5x5

Goblet Squat
95 DB x 5x10

DB SLDL + shrug
90 per hand x 5x10 w/ straps

Band pull aparts
Green band 10x10

Finished in 45 minutes

Comments

Well shit, today was really hard. Went to the very last minute. I think I’m going to have to keep the weight at 95lbs for the goblet squat and 90bs for the SLDL. We’ll see during my next workout how I feel. Today may have been hard because I just went to an indian buffet about 2.5 hours before working out. Being that I’m pretty cheap and like pigging out, that food wanted to come up during the workout.

If I’m feeling good this Wednesday, I’ll up the reps.

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