Fat Kid to Athlete to Mediocre Lifter

Rough weekend. Saturday evening I came down with a nasty headache and temperature, by Sunday night it was worse and I spent monday in bed sweating and shaking with a temperature of nearly 40°C. I slept a total of 19 hours and have managed some food today.

Recovery is going well though, a little weak still but remarkably better. Still resting today, slept another 10 hours and feel much better. Fever broke in the night. Trying to eat as much as I can (protien shakes with milk and honey to get the calories).

Hopefully tomorrow I can get back to training, unsure whether to continue 5/3/1 where I left off (I’m on the max’s week) or scale back to 3’s week?

glad you’re feeling better

scale back

2 Likes

Thanks bud, was a shit few days. Cheers for the advice too. I’ll repeat 3’s week then, thought it would be the smart option but its never exciting to not put weight on the bar right? :joy:

1 Like

5/3/1 squats repeating 3’s week

Session sucked, period. Whatever out me out of it is clearly still lingering in my system. Was light headed, out of breath and felt weak. Glad I went to get back at it but it knackered me out.

Warm up with mobility and empty bar Single leg rdls

Squats

Empty bar warm up and 60kg for 10 reps each
105kg x3
120kg x3
135kg x3

Lying hamstring curls
70kg 8 reps x5 sets

Gas tank absolutely plunged here. Super dizzy, coughing, sweating.

Leg press
250kg x10 for 3 sets (usually do 5 sets but had to back off)

Standing hamstring curls

40kg x10 for 3 sets

Leg extension

4 second squeeze at top of movment
40.5kg x10 for 3 sets

All the accessory movments were limited to just 3 sets. Went home and slept for half an hour before eating salmon, eggs, oats and a banana. Felt better after food and stretching. Will see how tomorrow goes fatiuge wise, may need to limit accessory work again.

2 Likes

5/3/1 3’s week bench

Felt a little better today, still struggling with dizziness and breathlessness but better, session wasnt great and had to really bust a gut to not quit midway but its going in the right direction (had a 45min nap on my break at work before the seasion which seems to have helped a little)

Face pulls
20kg 12 x 3

Push ups warmup 25 x 2

Empty bar bench x20
40kg x10
70kg x3
80kg x3
87.5kg x3

Weighted dips
15kg 5 x 5
6th set unweighted with no rest. Suprised myself and got out 13reps which is one more than last week (granted the last 3 reps saw a significant drop in form)

Wide grip pull ups
5 x 5

Energy tanked again here and I had to rest a lot

Incline DB bench
28kg 10 x 5

Seated cable row
75kg 10 x 5

2 Likes

5/3/1 deadlifts
Feeling way better today, dizziness is all but cleared up, still headachy and coughing up a lung everycl now and then but its going good!

50 banded pull aparts and mobility work to warm up.

Trap bar deads
Empty bar x10
60kg x10
115kg x3
130kg x3
145kg x3

Weighted pull ups (neutral grip)

10kg 5 x 5
6th set unweighted immediately after last set for max reps (7 today, again had to use a bit of body english to squeeze out that last rep)

Good mornings
40kg 10 x 5

Dumbell row

Got a much better mind muscle connection here than usual, have started focusing on squeezing hard and making sure Im rowing “into the back pocket” as per a few articles on here. Am happy keeping this as an acsessory movment now.

38kg 10 x 5

Single arm lat pulldown (plate loaded)
50kg 10 x 5

2 Likes

Crazy weekend. Saturday I went into the gym a little run down but otherwise fine and began rhe same shoulders session I hit last week. Two exercises in and Im coming over cold and weak with no pump. I push through until its time for direct bicep work and as I go to the dumbell rack just drop. Passed out cold on the floor. Come to with people asking if im ok etc?
Fever is back with a vengence and I spend Saturday 10am through to about 8am today sweating and in and out of dellirium/sleep.

Doctor gave me a chewing out about not taking enough time off/recoving etc. I think I sweated it out now, woke up today feeling much better, no dizziness, nausea, headache etc at all and managed full meals. Possibly needed to burn out the last of the infection?

Am taking tomorrow off completely (although I’m sure Im fine its now precautionary) and begin max’s week on Tuesday instead.

3 Likes

Yesterdays Squat session 5/3/1 week
Warm up, leg swings, hip mobility, tucks jumps, empty bar RDL’s, bodyweight squats

Empty bar 10 x 2
60kg x10
112.5kg x13
125kg x10
140kg x6 (I fucked the walkout on these and had to fight the bar a bit…next time will just walk it back in but was jacked up on pre-workout and sick of missing sessions from the flu so just went for it. Still not bad tbh)

Lying leg curls
70kg 8 x 5

Leg extension (4 second hold and squeeze at top of movment)
40.5kg. 10 x 4

Standing single leg curl
40kg 10 x 4

Leg press
250kg 10 x 5

3 Likes

531 bench max’s week today

Face pulls
20kg 12 x 3

Bench Press
Warm up with 50 push ups
Empty bar x20
40kg x10
75kg x15
82.5kg x11
92.5kg x7

Weighted dips
15kg 5 x 5
6th set unweighted immediately after last weighted set for max reps 12 today, much better form than last week though

Wide grip pull ups
5 x 5

Incline dumbell benchpress
28kg 10 x 5

Low cable row
75kg 10 x 5

3 Likes

Today I discovered I am COMPLETLEY retarded.
How can you fuck up reading 5/3/1 twice? Well I could blame the ASD or ADHD or whatever but I’ll settle for saying I’m a monumental fucking retard. To confirm, in the original program you hit your third set of any give week for either 5, 3 or 1 + (meaning max reps)…I thought this was the case, then thought I’d mis-read it, changed it to what I thought was correct + being only on week 3 for 5+ 3+ and 1+ reps and today had it pointed out to me that I did it right the first time.

The last 3 weeks have been spent doing shit all in terms of progeession on the program and I’m pissed off with myself. Correcting today and moving on to the deload week next before cycle 2 (which I will hit correctly this time)

Trap bar deads

Empty bar warm up x10
60kg x10
80kg x10

122.5kg x5
140kg x3
155 x7

Weighted pull ups
10kg 5x5
6th set unweighted, immediately following last set for max reps (7)

Good mornings
40kg 10 x 5

Dumbell rows
38kg 10 x 5

Single arm lat pulldown (plate loaded)
50kg 10 x 5

2 Likes

Well, the misread lead to some big bench volume on your final week!

1 Like

Silver lining in every cloud right? :joy::joy: Can get it back on track next week thankfully, just gotta remind myself to slow down and read shit properly haha

2 Likes

Delts, core, arms

Machine shoulder press (neutral grip)
55kg 10 x 5

Lateral raises
12kg 12 x 5

Reverse flys
12kg 12 x 5

Seated smith machine press
40kg x8 30kg x10 20kg x12 = 1 set rest only as long as it took to strip the plates

X3 sets

Weighted decline sit up
10kg 15 x 5

Hanging leg raise
12 x 5

DB curls
14kg 12 x 5

Single arm tricep cable extension
11.5kg 10 x 5

2 Likes

5/3/1 squats deload

Mobility warm up

Empty bar x10
40kg x10
60kg x5
75kg x5
90kg x5

Lying hammy curl
50kg 10 x 5

Leg press
200kg 10 x 5

Standing hammy curl
40kg 10 x 4

Leg extension
40.5kg 10 x 4 (4 second hold and squeeze at top)

2 Likes

Yesterdays session

Bench deload
50 push ups warm up
Empty bar x20
40kg x5
50kg x5
60kg x5

Facepulls
20kg x12 x3

Weighted dips
5kg x8 x5
6th set unweighted for 8 more reps

Wide grip pull ups
5 x 5

Incline DB bench
26kg x10 x5

Low cable row
60kg x10 x5

Deloading isnt fun, but using it to really feel the contraction in the muscle and my joints feel great this week.

Conditioning today

40kg kettbell swings
10 Swings EMOM 20mins

100 sit ups
50 leg raises
50 push ups

2 Likes

Last session in my deload week. I hit part of my deadlift routine and part delts and core as Im fasting from 1530 Thursday until 1530 Easter Sunday. Only yoga and walks outside until Monday now.

Trap bar deads
65kg x5
85kg x5
100kg x5

Weighted pull ups
5kg x8 x5

Good mornings
40kg x10 x3

Weighted decline crunches
10kg x20 x4

Smith machine incline press
50kg x12
60kg x10
65kg x10

Lateral raises
12kg x10 x3

EZ bar 21’s
20kg x3 sets

Tricep pushdowns
25kg x20 x3

Upped calories the last 2 days to 2450 from 2100. More for phsycological reasons pre-fasting than anything else. Felt good, muscles were full and pumps skin splitting. Cant wait to get back onto the full program monday morning though

3 Likes

5/3/1 cycle 2

Squats 5’s week
Mobility warm up
Empty bar x12
60kg x10
97.5kg x5
112.5kg x5
127.5kg x11

Lying hammy curls
75kg x8 x5

Leg extension
40.5kg 4 second hold at top x10 x4
40.5kg straight reps to failure (13)

Standing hammy curls
40kg x10 x4

Leg press
250kg x10 x5

3 Likes

5/3/1 cycle 2

Bench 5’s week

Face pulls
20kg x12 x4

Push ups x50

Bench
Empty bar x20
40kg x10
65kg x5
75kg x5
85kg x13

Weighted dips
15kg x6 x5
6th set unweighted immediately following 5th set to failure (10 reps. The extra rep per set really added up this week)

Wide grip pull ups
5 x 5

Incline DB press
28kg x10 x4
28kg x8
22kg x5 (muscle failure reached at rep of the 5th set of 28kg, dropped to 22kg and cranked out the last 5 reps)

Low cable row
68kg x10 x5

Weight is coming off nicley, probably another 2 to 4kg more before I’d be confident enough to start the bulk. Still feeling strong and weights going up every session.

3 Likes

Cardio/core day
Sticking with the kettlebells because they’re kicking my arse and giving me gnarly calloused hands

50push ups

20 min x10 EMOM KB swings 40kg

120 sit ups
50 leg raises

Cheat meal tonight, Ive been looking forward to this for about a month :joy: Chinese food, icecreme and chocolate. Calories? Enough for a small village.

2 Likes

5/3/1 cycle 2

Trap bar deads 5’s week
Cat/cow and motility warm up
Empty bar x20
60kg x10
80kg x10
107.5kg x5
122.5kg x5
140kg x14 (added straps to final set as didnt want grip to be the limiting factor. Worked well, will continue this for top sets)

Weighted pull ups
10kg x6. x5
6th set unweighted to failure (6 reps. The extra rep per set again hit hard)

Good mornings
45kg x10 x5

Single arm DB row
38kg x10 x5

Single arm lat pulldown (plate loaded)
50kg x10 x5

3 Likes