Another Log for the Infamous 5/3/1

Alright after debating with myself I decided that I wanted to ahead and keep a log over here. After having program ADD, and being inconsistent for a while now, I have now found the prescription for my PADD (Program Attention Deficit Disorder).

Today I started my second cycle of the now infamous 5/3/1. I have been working with shelby starnes of troponin nutrition for the last 16 weeks and have lost a significant amount of fat while adding strength. We are now working together on an offseason plan. The results have been amazing. For assistance work, I follow an outline according the principles outlined in Jason Ferruggia MGS. I love the combination of the 5/3/1 and this.

Im a little embarassed to post these but I have to

90% maxes
Military 110
Bench 195
Front squat 185
Deadlift 300

Those are my 90 percent maxes. For the second cycle the bench and military have been bumped up 5 pounds and the front squat and deadlift have been bumped up 10 pounds. And during the first cycle I pr’d every week.
This is the start of my second cycle.
Today
Military 3x5
65%- 75
75%- 85
85%- 100x14 It was a pr for the reps, but the same as far as estimated for my last week.
Chins- 2x8x BW+20
Dips- 2x8x BW+35, BW+40
Incline Row- 2x8x55
Rope Pushdown- 1 rest pause set with almost the whole stack
DB Curl- 1x40lbsx rest pause set

Feel free to chime in. Thanks for reading

Today is an off day, I am suppose to do some cardio, so I think I will go play some golf. I played a scramble last weekend and I really feel like getting back into it.

what are you doing for assistance work, if at all? or are you adding on what you listed above?

Yeah the chins, dips, incline row, rope pressdown, curls are what I add on. It follows Jason Ferruggias principles outlined in his book. The 5/3/1 fits in perfectly with his program MGS. I really enjoy the combination of the two. They complement each other real well. Military day went just like this:

1a) Military Press 5/3/1
1b) Weighted Chins 2 sets starting after the first set of military
2a) Weighted Dips 2 sets
2b) Incline Row 2 sets
3a) Rope Pressdown I did these rest pause
3b) DB Curl Same as the rope pressdown

Sometimes I add a third backoff set for higher reps just to get a good pump. It just depends on how much I mess around and if Im rushed. All I can say is this is the first time that I really have no interest in looking for other programs because I know what works. I have kept making progress, and the low volume allows me to keep intensity high on all sets. I also do some DC style stretching. I lost a lot of muscle and gained a lot of fat last semester. I finally have everything in line diet and training and the numbers are all coming back up.

By the way golf today went okay. I shot okay. The highlight of the day was the distance I was hitting it, the only problem was I was never in the fairway.

[quote]Lowery38595 wrote:
Yeah the chins, dips, incline row, rope pressdown, curls are what I add on. It follows Jason Ferruggias principles outlined in his book. The 5/3/1 fits in perfectly with his program MGS. I really enjoy the combination of the two. They complement each other real well. Military day went just like this:

1a) Military Press 5/3/1
1b) Weighted Chins 2 sets starting after the first set of military
2a) Weighted Dips 2 sets
2b) Incline Row 2 sets
3a) Rope Pressdown I did these rest pause
3b) DB Curl Same as the rope pressdown

Sometimes I add a third backoff set for higher reps just to get a good pump. It just depends on how much I mess around and if Im rushed. All I can say is this is the first time that I really have no interest in looking for other programs because I know what works. I have kept making progress, and the low volume allows me to keep intensity high on all sets. I also do some DC style stretching. I lost a lot of muscle and gained a lot of fat last semester. I finally have everything in line diet and training and the numbers are all coming back up. [/quote]

Well that’s just awesome that have fine tuned your program. Have read 5/3/1? Technically you could have chosen those exercises using say, the bodybuilding template. So how many sets/reps do you do for all that, and do you go failure/near failure?

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:
Lowery38595 wrote:
Yeah the chins, dips, incline row, rope pressdown, curls are what I add on. It follows Jason Ferruggias principles outlined in his book. The 5/3/1 fits in perfectly with his program MGS. I really enjoy the combination of the two. They complement each other real well. Military day went just like this:

1a) Military Press 5/3/1
1b) Weighted Chins 2 sets starting after the first set of military
2a) Weighted Dips 2 sets
2b) Incline Row 2 sets
3a) Rope Pressdown I did these rest pause
3b) DB Curl Same as the rope pressdown

Sometimes I add a third backoff set for higher reps just to get a good pump. It just depends on how much I mess around and if Im rushed. All I can say is this is the first time that I really have no interest in looking for other programs because I know what works. I have kept making progress, and the low volume allows me to keep intensity high on all sets. I also do some DC style stretching. I lost a lot of muscle and gained a lot of fat last semester. I finally have everything in line diet and training and the numbers are all coming back up.

Well that’s just awesome that have fine tuned your program. Have read 5/3/1? Technically you could have chosen those exercises using say, the bodybuilding template. So how many sets/reps do you do for all that, and do you go failure/near failure?

[/quote]

Yeah I have the 5/3/1 manual. Theres a bodybuilding template in the book? For the reps I stay between 5-8 on my first two sets. Whenever I get eight reps for a particular weight I move the weight up 5-10 pounds and work with that until I get that 8 times. I usually do this for two sets, sometimes I add a third backoff set of 10-15 reps. If I go to failure depends on the weight. I always shoot for eight reps, if I fail before I get there then yeah I go to failure. But sometimes a weight is lighter so I go to 8 reps and I still have some in me. So basically its 2 sets of 5-8 reps.

[quote]Lowery38595 wrote:
Yeah I have the 5/3/1 manual. Theres a bodybuilding template in the book? For the reps I stay between 5-8 on my first two sets. Whenever I get eight reps for a particular weight I move the weight up 5-10 pounds and work with that until I get that 8 times. I usually do this for two sets, sometimes I add a third backoff set of 10-15 reps. If I go to failure depends on the weight. I always shoot for eight reps, if I fail before I get there then yeah I go to failure. But sometimes a weight is lighter so I go to 8 reps and I still have some in me. So basically its 2 sets of 5-8 reps.

[/quote]

Just checked … and it’s NOT in his new book. It is in the 3 Days a Week manual. Send me your email and I’ll send you the BB assistance template

Todays Session:

I asked Jim on the Q&A a while back if it would be okay to run to cycles back to back with no deload because I am going out of the country for nine days in May, he said tat was cool. So with that in mind I just planned on going in on front squat and getting the 5 reps and not pushing it, kind of like a little deload. Of course that didnt happen.

Front Squat 65%- 125, 75%- 145, 85%- 165x8
On the 165x8 I didnt plan on going past five, but I felt good and wanted to see where I could go. I THOUGHT my previous pr was 165x7 but I looked back and it was 8. So I tied a pr. The good thing is that I had AT LEAST two more reps in me, but since I wasnt in a power rack and had no spotters, AND also thinkin that I already broke my pr, I stopped at 8. The good thing is that I knew I had more so I know I am improving big time. Heres how the rest went.

2a)Power Squat (Counting the machine as 45lbs, I know its not but its easier to keep count this way) 225x10, 275x10
3a) 1-arm shrug- 85x10, 90x10 (I like these I felt real good ROM)
3b) Seated calf raises 2 sets with some weight that was more than last time
4a) Hammer strength ab machine thing- 30 pounds Rest pause set 21 total reps

Overall real good session. I know I would have pr’d in the front squat if I would have pushed it. I am going to start doing those in a squat rack. I didnt even try to psyche myself up for the lift, so all things are going good.

I am currently working with Shelby Starnes in an offseason plan. So with respect to him I will not post my exact diet all the time. But here are a list of some supplements I am taking:

Anatrop
Creatine
Metabolic Drive
Whey protein
Sometimes Surge Workout Fuel

Today was a high day. I get one cheat meal a week. I am having dinner with someone and going to see the movie Fighting after. Cant wait. It is going to be a food fest tonight.

Sundays Training: High Day

1a)Bench 5/3/1 65% 130, 75%- 150, 85%- 170 x16 PR maybe 17 I always lose count when the reps get real high and I just start churning out reps. This was a huge pr in terms of estimated max. I think this puts me at 260. My best ever was 275 so I am gaining all my strength back nicely.
1b)T- bar row- 2 plates and a 25x8, 3 plates x2x8
2a) Chins- BW +25x 2 sets of 5
2b) Standing Military- 2 sets of 8, 1 set of 35x15 seated
3a) Barbell curl- 2 sets of some weight I changed up
3b) Close Grip Bench- 2 sets 155x6,8

Good Training session. I went out and played golf later. I was playing great until we got held up by a SLOW group of 2 who was playing more like a group of 10. I was also playing with a friend who never plays, so by that time we lost focus and started yelling in each others backswing. Good times. I am working on changing up my assistance work to be something like what clay hyght outlined today. I have been thinking about it for a while, I remember the most mass I have ever gained was when I was doing the same program of low volume High intensity that the usmc was doing in his physique clinic. The change would not take place for like a month, so I have some time to work on it.

If you didn’t already say, why front squats vs back squats for you?

[quote]drew.haynes wrote:
If you didn’t already say, why front squats vs back squats for you?[/quote]

Well, when I first bought 5/3/1 I couldnt wait to start. I am going out of the country on May 12 for 9 days, and I had exactly six weeks from the time I bought it til then. So after asking Jim on the elite Q&A if it would be okay to run two cycles back to back and use the 9 days that I am out of the country as an extended deload, he said it was okay. But what that means is I have to workout 4 days a week and that means squat and deadlift in the same week only 4 days apart. So I decided it would be easier on my low back, since I had been having trouble with it, if I chose front squats. Plus I have always sucked at them and I have always thought they looked cool repping out with :).

But when I get back and move to the three day rotation I will probably switch back to the back squats. I figure it will probably help my back squat too, by taking six week off from it. Sorry for the long explanation.

Yesterdays Training:

Deadlift 65%- 200x5
75%- 235x5
85%- 265x17 huge pr!!
This is definitely weird since the night before I only got 5 hours of sleep and my back had been hurting me all day. I had the intention of just hitting five. But in the set before I felt real strong, especially since I started really using leg drive on the start. I am like 93% positive it was 17 but sometimes I think I get off a rep or two when I am going that high and my mind is focused on only getting the next rep. I counted back from 15 and was determined then cranked out two more.
Leg curl- 1 rest pause set of 150.
Hanging leg raises- BWx2x10
Roman Chair sit ups with weight behind the head- BW+10x1x10

I was pretty spent after the deads so I just kind of took it easy. I am getting stronger on the roman chairs. And the weight behind the head is something Jim recommends and it is definitely harder. Mass gaining phases are definitely better the cutting. I have yet to stall on anything so far.