Do Meatheads Dream of Iron Sheep?

Monday 10/24/16

SSB Squats

155x5
245x5
335x3
425x1
355x3
355x3
295x5
295x5
295x5

Notes: First time using one of these. I didn’t push any set too hard, just wanted to get the feel for the implement more.

My last sets looked and felt better than this single at 425. I learned not to pull down on the handles.

2 Likes

Tuesday 10/25/16

Bench Press

95x8
135x5
185x3
225x3
255x1
275x5 (2 rep PR!)
225x12
225x10

Chest-supported rows

1 plate for 10
2 plate for 10
3 plate for 10
4 plate for 8
3 plate for 10

Cable circuit

Curls
Pressdowns
Facepulls

3 rounds no rest

Notes: Partner hit 275x10, a significant PR for him as well. I should have filmed my top set as I feel my technique has been improving. Thanks again @DBasler for the cues. I’m really working at putting those into practice and it is reflecting on my numbers as well as how the weight moves and feels.

Of course, lifting in a private strength club full of monsters with winning attitudes is highly anabolic as well.

Good work. PR’s are always good.

I took notes on what @DBasler said for your bench, and I’m trying them on this cycle.

Thursday 10/28/16

Deadlift

135x5
225x5
315x3
405x1
495x1
545x1
585x1
495x3

Clean+Press

135x1
155x1
185x1
205x1
205x1
225x0 (barely missed lockout).
135x10

One quick set of 10 pullups on my way out.

Notes: No partner today. I wasn’t feeling my strongest, and I didn’t really do much lifting either. I had a long talk with the owner of the strength club instead. Time well spent.

Your deadlift time was well spent too.

@2busy Good to hear I hope you can turn it into some solid improvements. It definitely helped things click for me!

@biker When you consider the type of people who are members and the type of things they are doing, any time spent at the strength club is time well spent. On an unrelated note, my partner has joined the bar staff as our third bouncer. He really enjoyed his first shift, but he’s married so he can’t take advantage of all of the, uh, fringe benefits.

Tuesday 11/1/16

BW ??? (Scale on order from Amazon)

Squat

135x5
225x5
315x3
365x1
405x9 (PR)

Bench Press

95x8
135x5
185x5
225x10
185x10

Pull Ups

5 sets of 5-8

Notes: No partner today. I was sick yesterday so I did a good old-fashioned squat/push/pull workout. I’m super pleased with my squatting today and I’m sure I could have gotten a tenth. I kept it conservative with no spotter and the catch bars too low.

This beats my recent best of 405x7 from last week by two reps. My all-time best was 410x8, done when I was around three hundo.

Here’s 405 going for a ride today:

Thursday 11/3/16

Deadlift

135x5
225x5
315x3
405x1
455x1
495x1
545x5 (1 rep PR)

Kettlebell Swings - 88 pounder

5 sets of 20

Notes: Partner duplicated my efforts today, pulling more than a single with 545 for the first time in his life.

Here’s today’s top set.

Great deadllifting here.

@biker Thanks! Hopefully someday there will be some REALLY great deadlifting here.

Friday 11/4/16

Press

95x5
115x5
135x5
155x1
185x1
205x1
225x0
225x0
155x10

Chins

6 sets of 5-8, various grips

Dips

5 sets of 5-8

Facepulls and curls

3 sets of 10 supersetted

Notes: My partner put 225 over his head and made it look easy, leaving heavy deadlifts as the only thing he doesn’t surpass me on.

I was really close to locking it out, but lost my balance and tightness. That milestone will have to wait for another day. Luckily I captured today’s disappointment on film.

Monday 11/7/16

Deload week

SSB Squats

155x5
245x5
295x3

Bench Press

95x8
145x8
195x5

DB Rows

75x10
75x10

Notes: Partner and I agreed we’ve been feeling a bit beat-up from the heavy work. We’re going to run the numbers on vanilla 5/3/1 starting next week and take advantage of some of the new equipment for assistance. We’re also going to be squatting with the SSB bar. I plan on a ridiculously low TM to start.

Strong squatting and pulling my friend.

Glad to hear the bench progress is continuing. I would try to get with the crew at your gym on a bench day. They will likely be able to give you additional pointers after watching you set up and bench in person.

@DBasler I will be doing exactly that. The owner was going to come help us with our pulls last week, but he was in the middle of a water cut and couldn’t find the time. There’s definitely no shortage of people with great attitudes and decades of knowledge lifting here. That same owner just won masters and open at the meet this weekend and hit a lifetime deadlift PR of 661 @ 165lbs. I think I can learn a thing or two from him, and not just about lifting weights.

On an unrelated note, my scale has arrived. I am weighing in at a stout 276. I hit a low of 265 this summer, but I figure approximately half of that new weight is water and glycogen and the remaining half is some mix of fat and muscle. I’ve definitely built some real strength since letting my inner fat boy out a bit to eat and grow strong at my new gym. I’ve also built a slightly larger belly, which isn’t what I should be doing.

I really need to man up again and completely eschew alcohol for at least full month. I never made faster, better progress than when I just avoided the beer completely. It just feels so damn good to be adding weight to the bar at a good pace again.

These are good dilemmas to be in, I suppose.

Man, a more truthful statement has never been spoken.

I’m a big fan of IIFYM, but, I have also done a lot of research on the effects of alcohol on MPS, and it’s not pretty. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from being a tee totaler, but…

What I found is that when you drink, your liver has to process the alcohol. And, while it’s processing the alcohol, everything else gets stored as fat, until the alcohol is processed.

So, I’m a total idiot when it comes to metabolic processes, but, the bottom line, as I understand it, is that it’s not the calories so much, as it is the halting of MPS and any other metabolic process in order for the liver to process the alcohol.

So, conclusion/TL;DR, yeah, gainz are much easier without alcohol. I like to pickle, to a fault, and, like you, have made much better gainz when beer wasn’t a part of my diet.

But, bro, you strong. Far be it from me to preach.

And, WTF, no BIA on that new scale?

1 Like

@The_Myth I have no idea what BIA is. The scale was about $20. It just tells me how much I weigh. As far as the beer goes, I seem to pack on muscle just fine with some beer calories in the mix. I’ve even lost fat with some alcohol calories in the mix too, but this took some effort.

When I stay away from beer and just worry about eating and lifting, well, the weight flies off without putting a whole lot of thought into anything. I’m just a guy who likes beer, and going out for beer, and staying in for beer. Sometimes what I like (beer) wins out over what I want (lose fat), but the long term trajectory is holding.

Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure all of my periods of muscle-building caloric surplus have had beer calories in the mix. I should try stuffing my face with just food sometime, see what happens!

But what fun is that?

1 Like

@ChickenLittle Well it wasn’t THAT bad last time I did it. I just didn’t go out much and my friends all thought I was turning into a barbell-obsessed hermit. The shoulder-length hair and biker beard I had at the time probably contributed to that perception. Just a little.

2 Likes

Oh well, there are worse things than being a barbell obessed hermit! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

@ChickenLittle I agree completely. I spent a solid year as a World of Warcraft obsessed hermit. Sure, I was able to achieve greatness as a Level 80 Tauren Druid, but the achievements still left me feeling empty. I raided the dungeons of Karazan, gained the power to shapeshift into a crow and take to the skies, and ultimately faced down Illidan himself, getting some super-sweet tier IV epic armor in the process. But I think I like lifting at the strongest gym in town better than raiding with the most badass guild on the server.

I forgot to log last week’s deload workout. It went something like this

Deadlift

135x5
225x5
315x5

Press

95x5
115x5
135x5

Some pull-ups too.

Tuesday 11/15/16

BW 275

5/3/1 Cycle 1 - 5’s week

SSB Squat - TM 405

155x5
265x5 set 1
305x5 set 2
365x3 set 3
425x1

I already fucked up 5/3/1.

Bench Press - TM 285

105x8
145x5
185x5 set 1
215x5 set 2
240x11 set 3 (2 rep PR)
195x12 FSL

Chest-supported row

1 plate x10
2 plate x10
3 plate x10 (3 sets)

Notes: The SSB is a humbling implement. I figured a 450 max on the SSB, giving me a 405 TM. I actually figured I was being conservative. Well I should probably lower that TM by about 100 pounds since I only got 3 reps on 5’s week.

My upper back has taken note of the new way I’m loading my spine as well. A humbling implement indeed.

My partner also dramatically overestimated his TM for the SSB squat, but he did manage 425x5. He also hurt himself, hopefully not too bad.

I already love the SSB. The bench PR was nice to hit, and I’m beginning to love the fantastic Texas Bench Bar as well.

Thursday 11/17/16

BW 275

Deadlift - TM 550

135x5
225x5
315x3
365x5 set 1
415x5 set 2
475x6 set 3

Press - TM 185

95x5
125x5 set 1
145x5 set 2
165x7 set 3
135x8 FSL

Pull-ups

6 sets of 5

Facepulls

3 sets

Notes: No partner today on my weakest day in some time. I was still feeling the SSB and I gave blood yesterday, which may or may not matter. I’m definitely not used to doing two full-body days with one day of rest. Haven’t tried that in a while.

No big deal. On to next week, which will be another odd lifting schedule for me.