Do Meatheads Dream of Iron Sheep?

Friday 1/22/16

BW 297

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x3
365x3
405x3

Deadlift

135x5
225x5
315x3
405x3
455x8

Press

95x8
115x5
135x5
155x5
185x3
135x10
135x6

Curls

3 sets of 75x10

Supersetted with…

Facepulls

4 sets of 10-15

Notes: My gym finally installed a scale. I’m pleased to be back under three-hundo without my strength taking a shit.

Monday 1/25/16

BW 298

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x5
365x5
405x3
455x2

DB Incline Bench

45x10
85x10
85x10
85x10
85x10

Supersetted with…

Supinated bent-over barbell rows

135x10
185x10
205x10
205x10

Wednesday 1/27/16

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x3
365x3
405x6

Bench Press

95x8
135x5
185x5
225x3
245x7
205x10

Lat PD Narrow Neutral Grip

4 sets of 190x10

Really nice squatting

Thanks for the compliment, hel320. Everything has really been feeling really good lately, especially my squats.

Friday 1/29/16

BW 297

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x5 all paused 2 seconds

Deadlift

135x5
225x5
315x3
405x3
455x1
495x5

That’s a 1 rep PR at 495. Been a while since I PR’d on much anything.

Press

95x8
115x5
135x5
155x5
165x6
135x10

Standing EZ Bar Curls

3 sets of 75x12

supersetted with…

Face Pulls

3 sets of 12-15

DB Farmer’s carries

110 per hand, carried them across gym and back, stopping once.

30 min sauna
5 min hot tub

Notes:

A package arrived yesterday from Rogue Fitness. In it were my Captains of Crush grippers #1, #1.5 and #2. I’m liking them so far. I closed the #1 pretty easily on the first try with my right hand but couldn’t quite get it with my left. I did some reps with each hand yesterday. Today I got it with my left and I feel like I’m getting some form of “newb gains” again. These will get much use at work.

Also in the package were some straps, which I used for my top set of deads today. I think I’m going to stick with straps on my top sets for the time being, as strongman allows them and my grip will not suffer while I’m working with my CoC set. My left trap is actually a bit sore right now from my left hand being pronated on such a heavy set for the first time in a long time. In the future I will work up with double-overhand and use straps when that fails. I’m plenty strong on mixed grip. I’m going to deadlift symmetrically for a while.

The last item in the package were some Rogue-brand wrist wraps, size medium (18"). I think l like them for pressing, but I’m not quite sure yet. I need to play around with tightness and get a better feel for them.

I’ve been trying to apply stricter form to my curls. I am also pleased that my gym now has an adjustable cable column, so I can now do proper face pulls.

I’m thinking more strongman thoughts. I expect this contest to be both humbling and instructive. I’m a ways away from having a full strongman training setup and I won’t be investing in that until I form a more complete opinion of the sport. In the meantime, I’m just going to try and fit some adjustments into my training as life and funds allow for.

With that in mind, I bought an IronMind sandbag today. It seems like a pretty versatile tool for $70. I think I need to get a belt soon too. And some shoes that are not toe shoes. And maybe a new wolf shirt too.

Monday 2/1/16

BW 298

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x5
365x5
405x5
455x3

Incline DB Bench

45x10
85x10
85x10
85x10
75x10

Supersetted with…

Supinated Barbell Rows

135x10
185x10
205x10
205x10

Wednesday 2/3/16

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x3
365x3
405x3

Bench Press

95x8
135x5
155x5
185x3
205x3
225x10
185x10
185x10

Lat PD Wide Neutral Grip

3 sets of 190x12

Notes: I tried wrist wraps for the first time on bench today coupled with a wider grip than I’m accustomed to. It was probably dumb for me to change two things at once but nothing bad came of it. Jury is still out on whether or not I like the wraps. It felt a little awkward on the inside of my wrist but nothing too bad.

Thursday 2/4/16

Kettlebellery

I took my 88 pounder to the gym, where it will reside for at least the next month. A volunteer commitment means I won’t have much time to do off-day conditioning, which I haven’t been doing anyway. So now I’m going to try to get swings in after lifting whenever I have time.

I didn’t write everything down but this is my best recollection of tonight’s effort.

Swings

10
10
10
10
10
10
15
20
25
30
10
10
10
10
10

Mixed in with these were about 6 clean+press per arm and a ton of band pull-aparts.

Still lurking mate. Keep up the stellar work here.

I tend to weigh in after my shower in the morning, get a bit more consistency than hitting the gym scales with clothes / food / liquid intake skewing the numbers imo.

Hey thanks for the encouraging words, Raven78.

I would definitely weigh in lighter in the AM, but I don’t own a scale so an early evening weigh-in before lifting is my stake in the ground. I had a few good months that dropped me back down below three hundo from somewhere around 320 at my recent heaviest. I’ve been relaxing a bit lately but I need to man up, leave the beer in the fridge (or better yet, at the beer store) and keep working.

I am definitely leaner than I was a year ago at this weight. I don’t need to shop in the big-and-tall sections anymore. I’ve been described by several people lately as looking “rugged”. My chest is filling out noticeably. With long hair, a full beard and a large stature I always draw a lot of looks when I’m out and about. I like it.

Best of all, I’ve had a marked increase in attention from women lately. I get a lot more smiles, a lot more eyes and a lot more flirting than I ever have before, even when I was a skinny young man. I’ve even got to experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Frankly I don’t see what all the fuss is about. I can handle a little surprise groping and still perform at a high level.

So yeah, really slow but steady progress has been my path. Always lots of things I can improve on but I remain very pleased to have picked up this hobby of lifting heavy things.

Nice to hear from you!

Friday 2/5/16

BW 297

Deadlift

135x5
225x5
315x3
405xFAIL
405x1
455x8 (straps)

I was doing double-overhand while working up and my grip gave out on 405. It was definitely fried from kettlebell swings and CoC gripper work. I couldn’t clear my knees before I dropped it.

Press (using wrist wraps)

95x8
115x5
135x10
135x10
135x10 (push pressed the last two)

Bicep curls

75x10
75x10
75x5

Facepulls

5 sets of 100x10

40 min sauna
10 min hot tub

Notes: I was definitely feeling yesterday’s heavy KB swings in my forearms, glutes and hamstrings. It didn’t really hinder me all that much today except on curls. My forearms hurt like hell on curls so I just stopped.

Monday 2/8/16

BW 297

Squats

135x5
225x5
315x5

DB Incline Bench

3 sets of 75x10

Supinated Barbell Row

135x10
185x10
185x10

10 minutes elliptical
10 minutes sauna
5 minutes hot tub

Notes: As soon as I got under the bar I knew I was due for a deload, so I am taking one this week.

Wednesday 2/10/16

BW 296

Kettlebellery - 88 Pounder

Swings

10
15
20
25
30
25
20
15
10

Clean + Press

1 set of 5 per arm, cleaning each rep.

Many sets of band pull-aparts thrown in between everything.

25 minutes

Notes: The clean + press set after doing 170 swings was brutal. I wanted to do more sets but I think I’m going to have a very large bruise on my left forearm thanks to my brutish and sloppy cleans. I need get my 50 back from my buddy and work on technique. I think a solid 10 minutes of as many clean + press I can do would make for a helluva good workout with that 88.

There is a PT working my gym now. I often catch him giving me what seem to be disapproving stares, and he seemed to have a little extra sparkle of judgment in his eye tonight after I did my clean + press set. I’m just speculating here, but I think he wants to let me know that I might get hurt or that my form is bad.

I’ve come into a bit of a time windfall. I’ve also been asking myself “Why aren’t you just running 5/3/1?”. I don’t really have a good answer for that, so today I’m back at it on a 4 day upper/lower split with some pretty low training maxes.

Monday 2/15/16

BW 297

5/3/1 Cycle 14 - 5’s Week

Squat - TM 435

135x5
225x5
275x5 set 1
325x5 set 2
365x10 set 3

2 rep PR I think, it has been a long time since I pushed that weight for max reps. I probably could have ground out a few more but I am happy with that set. Oh and my camerawoman is back lifting at my gym again (and still lifting productively a year after being taught by yours truly, I might add). This is great because I still don’t have a smartphone or any other way to video myself.

Leg Press

5 sets of 360x10

Kettlebell Swings - 88 pounder

5 sets of 20

Tuesday 2/16/16

BW 297

5/3/1 Cycle 14 - 5’s week

Bench Press - TM 270

95x5
135x5
175x5 set 1
205x5 set 2
230x10 set 3

Incline DB Bench

75x10
75x10
75x10
75x6
75x8

Calf raises

3 sets of 12 (should have done these yesterday)

Machine Row of some kind

5 sets of 10

Face Pulls

3 sets of 12

Supersetted with…

Bicep Curls

3 sets of 75x12

DB Walks

Grabbed the 110’s and speed walked them across the whole gym and back

5 minutes of un-spirited ellipticalling. Fuck that thing.

30 min sauna

10 min hot tub

Notes: This was all done with a mildly sprained left wrist, which I inflicted upon myself with my KB clean+press stunt last week. I’m also going to fill up my sandbag tomorrow and bring that over to the gym for another conditioning tool.

Thursday 2/18/16

5/3/1 Cycle 14 - 5’s Week

Deadlift - TM 500

135x5
225x5
325x5 set 1
375x5 set 2
425x10 set 3

I don’t think I’ve ever deadlifted ANY weight for 10 or more reps, so that’s a PR by default.

Press - TM 175

95x5
115x5 set 1
135x5 set 2
150x10 set 3
115x10
115x10

Lat PD - wide grip

200x10
200x10
200x10
150x10
150x10

Notes: Went full body today because of weekend plans, but plan on 4 day/week going forward. I hit 10 reps on all of my top sets this week with gas left in the tank, except for press which was about all I had. That was my mini-goal for my first 5’s week back with 5/3/1. I am very pleased to be back on this fine way of lifting. Those rep PR’s are just great.

Monday 2/22/16

BW 296

5/3/1 Cycle 15 - 3’s week

Squat - TM 435

135x5
225x5
315x3 set 1
345x3 set 2
390x5 set 3

Leg Press

5 sets of 290x10

KB Swings - 88 pounder

20
15
10
10
10
10
30

Notes: I was sick over the weekend with some kind of upper respiratory infection but decided to lift anyway. Once I got under the bar it became clear that my lungs were functioning about as well as they did right before I quit my 15 year-long habit of smoking a pack or two per day. I was expecting somewhere around 8-10 reps with this 390. Oh well.

I took it easy for the rest of the night but finished with a forced march of 30 swings that had me making some very strange wheezing noises.

Hoping to feel better tomorrow.

Tuesday 2/23/16

BW 295

5/3/1 Cycle 14 - 3’s week

Bench Press - TM 270

95x8
135x5
160x3
190x3 set 1
215x3 set 2
245x7 set 3

DB Incline Bench

75x10
75x6
65x8
65x7
65x10

DB Row

5 sets of 100x10

Bicep Curls

5 sets of 65x10

supersetted with…

Facepulls

5 sets of 10-15

Notes: I am still breathing through a straw. Ran out of gas fast on everything today.

A guy asked to work in with me on bench. I obliged, and he was perplexed that I was only doing one top set. I told him about the principles of 5/3/1 and he had not heard of it. He did the rest of the workout with me, we talked numbers and he’s right in the same strength ballpark. Now he wants to lift with me. Hopefully I have a partner now!

On another note, there has been a bodybuilder who has lifted with me for over a year now. He has never gone heavy on anything but bench. As of yesterday he had never deadlifted more than 315 for reps in 10+ years of lifting. He was able to Romanian Deadlift 405x6 on a whim. He says he wants to start chasing strength for the first time in his life.

I advised that he is probably too strong for his own good right now. He has amazing strength but no technique and no experience with heavy spinal loading. If he works on technique and gets used to lifting heavy weights without hurting himself he will be an absolute monster.

A solid strength crew seems to have materialized around me in the last week. This is awesome!

Thursday 2/25/16

BW 295

5/3/1 Cycle 14 - 3’s week

Deadlift - TM 500

135x5
225x5
315x3
365x3 set 1
415x3 set 2
450x10 set 3

Ayuh. That’s a PR alright.

Kettlebell Swings - 88 pounder

20
25
30
30
30

Ab Wheel Rollout

6
5
5

Notes:

My lungs are back, and so was the guy who said he’d lift with me today. I think he and I might be a very good match. He’s a big boy too and a little bit stronger than I am. He got 11 reps at 450. He seems really excited about the 5/3/1 set/rep scheme and pushing each other to do more hard conditioning. He matched me on KB swings too, despite having never handled one before. He really strikes me as a good lifter who can leave his ego at the door.

Ab wheel rollouts are not easy for me, so I will continue to do them.

Despite all of the science that suggests otherwise, simply avoiding alcohol (and beer in particular) actually results in fat loss for me. Who’da thunk?

(besides anyone who’s ever read and/or commented on my log)

Friday 2/26/16

BW 294

5/3/1 Cycle 14 - 3’s week

Press - TM 175

95x8
105x5
125x3 set 1
140x3 set 2
160x8 set 3
115x10
115x10
115x10
95x10
95x10

Lat PD Wide Grip

5 sets of 180x10

Bicep curls

3 sets of 75x10

supersetted with

Band pull-aparts

Farmer’s Carries

5 back-and-forth speedwalks with the 110’s. Each run about 100’ with a turn.

20 min sauna

Notes:

Partner showed up. Keeping rest fairly low and getting a lot of work done. I’ve lifted with other people before, but nobody this strong and nobody who actually knew what they were doing. Today was his first attempt at strict pressing and he got 160x6. Not too shabby. I think we’re a good fit.

So far so good.