5/3/1 to Elite.

Training Logs
21

IM BAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKK!

wow, what a difference!

after that horrible bench workout, i shut it down and did a deload week.

on tues of deload week i did approx. 40 pullups in my room during commercial breaks of Sons of Anarchy, plus some light (20lb?) bent lateral raises, nothing fancy.

on Thurs of deload week i got out in the garage and got some blood flowing with the kettlebells, did 5-6 sets of 20 or so reps for swings (54lb bell, nothing fancy), did some rows, some pushups on the handles, etc. jumping jacks (old school).

I was really concentrating on popping my hips on those swings, as such, my hams and glutes were really sore for a few days, even into today, so i nixed my idea of starting the cycle with squats.

anyway, that peri-workout protocol sat much better with me today, so im not sure what happened, but im pleased!

i did not feel sick at all during the workout, and in fact i went in ready to kick some ass.

in fact, the numbers may not reflect that i went in ready to kick ass, ha!, but i think thats because i tried something a little different-

military press
135x5
155x5
175x6

what i did differently was actually do pullups between sets, starting with the first warm up of the militaries.

so it actually went:

MP: 85x5
pullup: 8
MP: 100x5
pullup: 8
MP: 115x3
pullup:8
135x5
pullup:5
155x5
pullup:5
175x6…

i continued doing pullups on through military press BBB (5 sets of 10 @50%) for sets of 5, ended with 64 pullups.

so, im thinking i didnt hit more reps on that last set of m.press because of the pullups in between, as ive never done it this way. previously just did the sets and took ~3mins rest in between. i really dont mind the lower numbers at this point, as i think this is overall a better workout, i felt good the whole time, got in, got the shit done, didnt waste time, etc. i will try this again on friday with my bench workout.

also, side note, as i am doing this peri-workout protocol, i decided to go all-in, and while waiting for Biotest to release their casein hydrosylate, i ordered some from another company, as well as some l-leucine, so we’ll see what happens. im going to give this protocol as fair a run as i can, if things havent started happening in a month, im going bare-bones with the protein and basically will only keep whey around for the morning shake.

22

well, monday’s session left me pretty sore, so wed got pushed to today.

deadlift:
315x5
365x5
415x5…

clearly, ive got some things to figure out here, i dont like only getting the prescribed reps! considering i pulled 520 two months ago, and have didnt take a long layoff or anything, i should be pulling for more reps…

anyway, im pretty sure i know what the problem is- quad strength, im finding it very hard to break off the floor. front squats will be my accessory work on squat days for a while, starting next week.

accessory work today:
deadlifts: 4x10x225lbs. was going for “BBB” but i didnt have a 5th set in me
standing cable abs- stack +20lbs x12, stack +30lbs x12 x 2 sets

note: if you’re running back and forth to the bathroom between sets of deadlifts, for ummmm, let’s call it not enough fiber in your diet, be VERY careful! was already belted and chalked, standing at the bar and the stomach grumbled again, came very close to a sharting incident on that last set. brutal.

23

quickly…

bench
225x5
250x5
285x5…not great, but 1 more than before the deload i just took. should be getting this for 8+

BBB incline
165x10
165x10
165x10
165x9
165x5,3,2

all done with pullups in between- 50 total - 3’s and 5’s.

and Peptopro is disgusting, dont believe the BS that theyve gotten rid of the bitter taste. ordered it with the chocolate peanut butter cup flavor, actually tastes like the oil from soggy hand-cut french fries. fucking gross.

24

cleans/squats

power cleans:
135x5
155x5
175x5

squats:
235x5
270x5
305x0…

didnt even take the last set of squats. the 270x5 set was moving much too slow.

moved on to front squats for the fail. standing there with 135lbs across my shoulders feeling like i was unable to start the movement. was weird. 135lbs really humbled me after not having it in me to hit the last set of back squats. flexibility, core strength, quad strength- all things that are plaguing me right now.

maybe im just being a puss. whatever it is, ill figure it out.

25

good workout.

military press:
145x3
165x3
185x3
205x2…PR-went for another set instead of going for the reps on the 185lb set

“bbb”
lowered weight, increased reps

95x15
95x15
95x13
95x11
95x9,3,2

all done with sets of 3’s and 5’s pullups in between for 69 total.

i will stick with doing them between sets, gets me out of the gym faster.

26

[quote]dez6485 wrote:

didnt even take the last set of squats. the 270x5 set was moving much too slow.

moved on to front squats for the fail. standing there with 135lbs across my shoulders feeling like i was unable to start the movement. was weird. 135lbs really humbled me after not having it in me to hit the last set of back squats. flexibility, core strength, quad strength- all things that are plaguing me right now.

maybe im just being a puss. whatever it is, ill figure it out.[/quote]

don’t worry man, it will come. that stuff takes time and consistent effort. i don’t know what you do for work, but maybe stopping several times per day to stretch the hip flexors and hamstrings will help. and i would highly recommend the thera-cane (elite sells it) for massaging the offending muscles.

and an unsolicited comment: actively try not to worry about what you “should” be lifting because frustration sets in when you don’t live up to your own expectations. just think of this time as the… “warm up”? sounds like you just need time to focus on loosening up. as long as you go through the steps and do the work consistently, you’ll eventually surpass your own expectations.

take it or leave it. i just sense a lot of frustration in your log.

27

thanks. i am trying to get more stretching and stuff in. i think perhaps it was because the way things ended up, i hadnt squatted in a few weeks…i think?

28

deadlift:

340x3
390x3
445x3

pullthru’s:
150x15
150x15
150x15
150x15

supersetted with:
ab wheel, 4 sets of 15

didnt push it here, as it is the end of the week for some folks, but working for congress, i have a long day tomorrow, followed by probably being in session sunday…which means im not off until wednesday/Veterans day

29

Bench:

230x3
265x3
300x3

Incline BBB
165x10
165x10
165x10
165x10
165x7,3

Pullups: 10 sets of 5 done throughout benching

Threw in some shrugs because I haven’t done any lately: 225x12, 225x20, 225x20

Last set on the bench felt strong and fast. I was considering doing the 300lb set and then up to 315 and hope for a triple, but instead I decided to just get my 3 reps on the last set and save the all-out for the 5/3/1 week where ill be going up against 320lbs, hoping for 3 reps on that.

Haven’t been pushing my last sets mainly because right now I feel pretty good, don’t feel burnt out, etc, like I had been feeling lately.

30

squats @ 325lb later today. ill be thrilled with 10, but the way hips have felt, 7+ will make me happy. stay tuned…

31

geeez, some good, some not so good:

power cleans:
145x3
165x5
185x3…these felt good

squats:
255x3
255x3…went to bathroom, came back and got right into next set only to realize it was the same weight
290x3
325x3…not so good.

i went into this workout with the intention that i would PR tonight or next week squatting. hit rep PR at 325 this week and take my single at 340 next week and call it a day, or hit my prescribed this week and go all-out next week. second rep into 325, i knew i wasnt getting near 10, so i wrapped it up.

pressure is now seriously on next week. regardless, might be re-setting some training maxes for next cycle.

onto the good:
front squats:
135x10, 5 sets

while this isnt impressive, last week something was up with my hips and i was having serious issues initiating the movement. having worked that out enough to at least do them, i will try and keep them as a staple to bring up my quad strength.

32

military press:
155x5
175x3
195x1
210x1
220x0

pullups in between:
6 sets of 5

then 5 sets of 5, 10lbs added.

the 10lb pullups were easy, will add more next time.

left elbow was bothering me, that’s why i added weight for more singles instead of repping the 95% set, and also why i didnt do any BBB pressing or dips after. plus, i like to go past 95% sometimes instead of repping out- i feel it allows me to push it a little further without burning myself out for the next workout like repping that last set sometimes does.

33

deadlift:
365x5
415x3
460x2

ab wheel: 4x12
supersetted with back extensions: 4x12
supersetted with foam rolling hips: 4 sets 10/side

not getting the reps i want on these heavier deadlift sets, but i think i am going to keep going until i cant get the prescribed reps. i am thinking i will keep going this way until i double or triple 500. then i will either keep going still or reset.

no more Alpha-GPC for me. i want it in pill form, which is apparently gone. cup of strong coffee on way to the gym worked decently enough.

34

bench

250x5
285x3
320x2

went in wanting 2 on the last set, but knowing id be satisfied just to get a strong, clean single…so was happy to get two clean reps

pullups, 5 sets of 3 through benching, followed by weighted 5x5 @25lbs, two sets of 5 no weight to give 25 no weight, 25 w/ weight.

BBB incline
170x10
170x10
170x10
170x10
170x9,1

finally 3 sets of 15 rear delts on fly machine

not a bench PR, but stronger than i have been feeling. left elbow even acted up a little, but not enough to really make a big deal over, just something for me to keep an eye on i guess.

35

Haven’t had a chance to read the entire thing just quite yet (eff statistics and geology tests) but I think I’m definitely gonna be reading this log from now on. This is pretty much the route I am going to go for my meet

36

Dez what time of day do you train? I’m about 98% sure you train out of the gym I work at.

37

usually get there about 8pm. Premier?

38

Yep that’s the one, I noticed your email address one day when you signed in.

I am assuming that was you doing the cleans tonight.

39

good eye on the email, and i did do cleans tonight…

cleans:
155x5
175x3
195x1

squats sucked:
270x5
305x3
340x1

i dont really know what to do with my squat. few weeks ago at the start of this log i hit 405 pretty easily. tonight 340 feels like death…

thinking back to when my squat was making decent progress, i was hitting the leg press consistently on squats day. figured id take that up again, then the power squat machine caught my eye, figured id give that a go:

"225"x10 (“225” meaning two plates each side and so on)
"315"x10
"405"x10
"495"x10
"585"x8

well, ive said it before and ill say it again, dont know exactly whats going on, but i aim to figure it out. not the end of the world…

40

welp, just submitted an order for 6 tubs of Low-Carb Metabolic Drive, 1 HOT-ROX, 1 Flameout, 1 Superfood. have Surge Recovery and L-Leucine on hand.

that’s right, im going to do the V-Diet.

i will definitely stick with 5/3/1 as opposed to the V-Diet workout though.

have a police physical at the end of January, and while i am certainly in acceptable range, i want to get as many points as possible for each category to give me the best ranking i can get, help ensure me an academy spot.

plus, cutting 10+ lbs of fat can only help me on the 1.5mi run and agility that they do.