I need to start an online log as somewhere to get advice while I lift and to help tweak. Also I lost my paper log of 3.5 years and figured what better time to move online than now.
I am 6’2 190#, around 13% bf (a guess, I can see some ab definition…I have a viewable 4 pack. I am what is typically known as a hard gainer. My metabolism is pretty fast. It is hard for me to pack on the muscle and I weigh what I do now due to working out fairly regularly for a number of years. I would like to be a solid 200# with 10-11% bf.
I have lifted ‘casually’ for a while. All sorts of program from my own, to Crossfit for a few years (where I discovered oly lifts!), to a little bit of half hearted Rippetoe, to some Madcows 5x5. I change it up as my body adapts to routines pretty well and I find change helps. I tend to travel a lot which interrupts my routines significantly. I have responded well in the past to 3x5 1x25 type sets.
I like what I see from 5-3-1 and reading on various forums about people and their experiences with it. I particularly like that it lays everything out and you just follow. Going to start it. I am going to try to go hard and really try for consistency with this one. The log is to help that. I am horribly unbalanced as you will see from my max list below. So I am hoping this will balance me back out by being diligent and consistent.
I will be using a template spreadsheet I found (here I believe). Will probably pick up the book as well as I am all for supporting that sort of endeavour. The template I have is slightly different than other templates in that it starts me off first week of first cycle with 75% rather than 65% (of 90% of 1rm). I hope this is OK.
Basically it looks like this (all %s of the 90% max rep, which I am actually using about 85% to be conservative):
Wk 1: Set 1-65%, 2-75%, 3-85%
Wk 2: Set 1-70%, 2-75%, 3-80%
Wk 3: Set 1-75%, 2-85%, 3-95%
Wk 4: Set 1-60%, 2-65%, 3-70%
I am kicking around either going Mon-Wed-Fri on a 3 day cycle, or doing Sun-Mon-Wed-Fri as a 4 day cycle. Any opinions on that? I would like to add power cleans (or maybe hang cleans) but not sure which day to supplement. I feel like I am getting a lot less work in with 3 days a week but a lot of people seem to say it is enough.
I plan to go simple at first and do Big But Boring, 5x10 at 40-50% weight. I may throw in random accessory work like dips and the like, but will see how BBB goes for now. I will be interspersing a variety core work and cardio as I need to keep my endurance up for other activities that I do.
The first week is experimental and not part of the 4 week cycle. I am also screwing up the order first week in order to accommodate soreness from the weekend. I want to get some mojo back as I really have not been solid in the gym for 3-4 months due to a bad shoulder injury and a bad thumb injury. Both are good enough to start back but not 100%.
Personal 1rm:
Bench - 280#
I am very strong naturally at bench, so I have always trained it well…to my legs detriment.
I have always lifted wrong, elbows way out rather than out 30deg or so. No doubt some of my shoulder issues have their root here. Changing that effective now. Working on the subtle elbow turn before I lower.
This is probably more like a 1rm of 250 right now.
Squat - 230# (typical mass market gym squat almost to parallel)
200# (ass to grass squat which is what I want to do exclusively)
Deads - 300# (my form starts disintegrating above about 275# and really my 1rm now is probably more like 280#)
Push press - 145#
I am starting my 5-3-1 ‘90%’ maxes at the following conservative-ish numbers to get a handle on the program and to get my body used to lifting like this again.
Bench - 225 - this is really conservative
Deads - 260 - edited down to 250
Squat - 175 - weak sauce
Military - 130 - edited down to 125 - Changed to strict military from push press
My medium term goals (roughly 2 years) are:
Bench - 315
Deads - 400
Squat - 300
Push Press - 185
I am expecting some significant gains in squats, medium gains in deads, and only small gains in bench. I expect push press to see some nice gains as well since I tend to underwork my shoulders.
Any thoughts or advice on this is appreciated.
