Monday, March 9, 2015
915 Program Week 7, Day 1; Bench Press
My workout went pretty well. The 100% benching was definitely very tough, but I hit all of my sets and reps and finished it. Here is the full workout:
Monday: Bench Press - Heavy
100%=145lbs for 3 sets of 2
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Close Grip Decline Press(135lbs) - 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Decline Bench Press(155lbs) - 3 sets of 2
Squat - Explosive
82% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 2
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
915 Program: Week 7, Day 2; Deadlift
Had an awesome day at the gym today. I made a few friends, destroyed some deadlifts, and got out of there with time to spare before work. Over all, I am very satisfied with this programming thus far 
Here is the full workout, Minus warmup reps on each movement:
Tuesday:Deadlift - Heavy
100%=205lbs for 3 sets of 2 on Week 7
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Sumo Deadlifts(205lbs, might go up next week)- 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Pin Pulls(225lbs for one, 245lbs for last two) - 3 sets of 2
I have seen good progress on the assistance lifts in this week for both days so far. Really enjoy seeing that!
Good stuff man! I’m kind of wondering if Sumo might be better for you. Those numbers are crazy. Doing 3x3 with the same weight as 100% of your conventional on your first try at Sumo deads… Great stuff!
Monday, March 23, 2015
915 Program; Week 7 Day 2 through Week 8 Day 7
Well, It has been quite a while since I have posted my workouts, but I did continue the program. I was on spring break on vacation and found a gym to go to, but had no computer to post on. The gym I went to was pretty awesome. It was much smaller than my normal commercial gym, BUT, it had a lot of conditioning equipment so every workout I finished with a circuit of ropes, sledgehammer slams, and jump ropes. It was awesome being able to do that, since I have no access to any of that equipment at my gym! Anyways, here are the workouts:
Thursday: Squat - Heavy
100%=185lbs for 3 sets of 2 on Week 7
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Slow Squats w/ 4 second up AND down(135lbs) - 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Squats(205lbs) - 3 sets of 2
Bench Press - Explosive
82% of 1RM(115lbs) - 5 sets of 2 on Week 7
Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
95%=100lbs - 3 sets of 2
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Snatch High Pulls(115lbs) - 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Olympic Deadlift(135lbs) - 3 sets of 2
NEXT WEEK
Monday: Bench Press - Heavy
105%=155lbs for 3 sets of 2 on Week 8
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Close Grip Decline Press(135lbs) - 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Decline Bench Press(155lbs) - 3 sets of 2
Squat - Explosive
80% of 1RM=145lbs - 5 sets of 2 on Week 8
Tuesday:Deadlift - Heavy
105%=215lbs for 3 sets of 2 on Week 8
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Sumo Deadlifts(215lbs)- 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Pin Pulls(245lbs) - 3 sets of 2
Thursday: Squat - Heavy
105%=195lbs for 3 sets of 2 on Week 8
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Slow Squats w/ 4 second up AND down(135lbs) - 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Half Squats(205lbs) - 3 sets of 2
Bench Press - Explosive
80% of 1RM=135lbs - 5 sets of 2 on Week 8
Saturday: Power Clean - Explosive
95%=95lbs - 3 sets of 3
1st Assistance - Strong Point Strengthening
Snatch High Pulls(135lbs) - 3 sets of 3
2nd Assistance - Overload Exercise
Olympic Deadlift(135lbs) - 3 sets of 2
Colbstar: “Good stuff man! I’m kind of wondering if Sumo might be better for you. Those numbers are crazy. Doing 3x3 with the same weight as 100% of your conventional on your first try at Sumo deads… Great stuff!”
Thanks man! I think I might be mechanically advantaged toward the sumo deadlift. I’m not sure, honestly. It seemed to just come natural to me, but, perhaps I would need a form check to see if that is the case. Regardless, I am feeling pretty awesome moving heavier weight than I have ever moved before!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
915 Program: Test Week
This entry is for the focused day I did yesterday, Monday the 23rd. This entire week is dedicated to testing, and as such on Monday a day of 95%(of previous max) for all main lifts is done. I can’t wait to see what my numbers are! The day was challenging, but I felt STRONG in all of my lifts. 95% felt more like 70%-80% for all of the lifts, which was a great feeling. Here is exactly how I structured the day.
Bench Press
45lbs 1x8
65lbs 1x4
95lbs 1x4
115lbs 1x4
135lbs 2x1
(These felt great, like 75%)
Squat
45lbs 1x8
95lbs 1x4
135lbs 1x4
155lbs 1x2
175lbs 2x1
(Also felt like 75%)
Power Clean
45lbs 1x4
95lbs 1x2
100lbs 2x1
(Around 80-85% feeling)
Deadlift
95lbs 1x8
135lbs 1x4
155lbs 1x4
185lbs 1x2
195lbs 2x1
(This was probably the heaviest feeling, at around 90%)
Thursday, March 26, 2015
915 Program:Week Nine, Day Five
Squat test day!! I was super excited to start testing, because I really enjoy the idea of seeing progress. It doesn’t always have to be through being able to pick up a weight heavier than a previous maximum amount of weight you could pick up, but that is one of the best ways for me to see how I am doing in my training. As such, I was excited for this week to see how 915 has shaped me as a lifter.
Warm-up:
Lying Leg Curls: 3x8 (very light weight)
Superset with broad jumps as far as possible
(In my gym there is a pattern of very long parallel lines, and I had always been REALLY close to jumping line to line, but, today I got a full line to line jump!)
Leg Extensions: 3x8 (very light weight)
Superset with broad jumps as far as possible
Quick Point:
If I remember correctly, this quick, light warm-up was suggested by Christian Thibaudeau as a great way to prepare for squatting. I had done it in previous programs but I hadn’t in a while so I decided to integrate it for my squat testing. Focusing on flexing at the peak really helped to warm-up.
Squat:
45- 1x8
95- 1x4
135- 1x4
155- 1x2
185- 1x1 (Belted, Previous max)
205- 1x1 (Belted)
215- 1x1 (Belted)
225- 1x1 (Failed, 215 is my new squat max: 16.4% gain!)
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Bench Test Day
Yesterday I tested bench after a quick warm up of explosive plyo push ups. Here are the exact numbers for my testing!
Bench Press
45 1x8
65 1x4
95 1x2
135 1x2
155 1x1
165 1x1 (This is my new max, a little under a 15% increase! so far so good!)
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Deadlift test day
My deadlift day blew me away. After finishing my pr, I had to look down and make sure I did the math right. In nine weeks I went from 205lbs to 275lbs!! While 275lbs isn’t a crazy number to hit, I think that going up 70lbs was exceptional. In this program a 15% increase in all lifts is what to strive for. Calculating this, it ended up being around 35% increase. The only thing I can attest this to is a lack of proper neural memory of the deadlift before the program, and even then, that is just a guess. I am not sure how else to explain this crazy increase, and if anyone has any thoughts I’m open to hearing them. Anyways, with out any further adieu, here are the exact numbers.
Deadlift
135lbs 1x4
185lbs 1x4
205lbs (Previous max) 1x4
225lbs 1x2
245lbs 1x1(Belted)
265lbs 1x1 (Belted, Grip Straps)
275lbs 1x1 (Belted, Grip Straps)
295lbs 1x1 (Belted, Grip Straps, Failed. 275lbs is my new PR!!)
Over all I am very satisfied with my numbers. Such a large increase was not expected and I am very surprised but also elated that I performed so well!
Try the over under grip for deadlifts when dealing with weights that are close to your max. You always want that grip to be solid!
I can’t prove anything, but my forearms seem much thicker after not having used straps for any movement in quite a while.
Power cleans for reps, heavy deads, farmer’s walks, pull-ups, kroc rows, etc have even improved because of my neglecting of straps.
Just some whole food for thought!
[quote]Colbstar wrote:
Try the over under grip for deadlifts when dealing with weights that are close to your max. You always want that grip to be solid!
I can’t prove anything, but my forearms seem much thicker after not having used straps for any movement in quite a while.
Power cleans for reps, heavy deads, farmer’s walks, pull-ups, kroc rows, etc have even improved because of my neglecting of straps.
Just some whole food for thought!
Truth be told it completely slipped my mind while training to switch grips. I didn’t remember about the over under grip being for higher weights until just now when you reminded me. Thanks for the post! I don’t use straps often, I just forgot about changing grips
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Final 915 Stats & Numbers:
It has been almost a week since I finished my last testing day, but I am a big proponent of the idea that a test week is very stressful, and a week of active rest is often times a nice transition to a new program. (Of course, that could just be my rationalization for being a vegetable for a week)
Regardless, Here are the stats and numbers for the 915 program by Christian Thibaudeau
Starting Stats:
Weight: 160lbs
Power Clean: 105lbs
Bench: 145lbs
Squat: 185lbs
Deadlift:205lbs
My final numbers are as follows:
My weight stayed the same at 160lbs
-Powerclean went from 105lbs to 135lbs, a 30% increase!
-Bench went from 145lbs to 165lbs, just under a 15% increase!
-Squat went from 185lbs to 215lbs, just over a 16% increase!
Finally my deadlift, the one that blew me away. I went from a 205lb deadlift all the way to a 275lb deadlift! This was a 35% increase, and I still can not explain how that happened. However, it did happen and I am appreciative of the progress I made
Next I will be training using the 5/3/1 Program, with a secondary emphasis on bodybuilding. I haven’t focused on bodybuilding much in the past few months and I believe not only focusing on one aspect of fitness is always a good thing Can’t wait to get back at it!
Monday, April 6, 2015
Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Training
Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 1: Military Press
Today I started 5/3/1 for the first time with military press. I haven’t trained military in a very long time so I went VERY conservative on my TM, at 65lbs. I think this will help in the long run, allowing me to destroy PRs and make gains longer. I pretty much went conservative on all of my TMs, honestly.
-Warmup:
Some intermittent stretching while doing sets of 4 plyo pushups as explosively as possible. I think I did around four sets.
Because my TM is so low, it isn’t really worth the extra effort to do warm up sets with super low weight bars, so I just did something to get my blood flowing and get me focused on destroying some weight.
Working sets:
45lbs 1x5 reps @ 65%
50lbs 1x5 reps @ 75%
55lbs 1x5+ (5 more reps, total of 10) @ 85%
These felt really solid, especially given my lack of recent training with the military press. I think dropping the weight down to a comfortable level was a good idea, as I can only go up from here!
My assistance work was a combination of three movements, one for shoulders/chest, one for Lats, and one for biceps.
1st Movement: Shoulders/Chest; DB Bench
60lbs 2x15
60lbs 3x12
2nd Movement: Lats; Lat Pullover machine
Two 25s(I’ll know what this means)
5x15
3rd Movement: Preacher Curl going close to failure, doing top partials to failure, bottom partials to failure
60lbs 8 Full, 6 Top, 3 Bottom
60lbs 6 Full, 6 Top, 3 Bottom
50lbs 8 Full, 6 Top, 3 Bottom for three more sets
A quick final note on my assistance work: My goal for all assistance is going to be to work up to 5 solid sets of 15 reps with a weight, and then add five to ten lbs and start over. So on the first exercise, for example, the week that I get 5x15 with a DB bench variation, I will move up to 35s; or 70lbs
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
5/3/1 Cycle one, Week one, Day two, Deadlift
-Warmup:
Defranco’s Agile 8 Minus the foam rolling because I don’t have a foam roller yet.
Deadlift: TM=220lbs
95lbs- 1x5 Reps
115lbs- 1x5 Reps
135lbs- 1x5 Reps
145lbs- 1x5 Reps @ 65%
165lbs- 1x5 Reps @ 75%
185lbs- 1x5+ 4 Reps; Total of 9 @ 85%
This felt really good, and really easy. Dropping my training max down on the deadlift also is allowing me to dominate these first few workouts, which is feeling awesome.
Assistance:
I only had time today to do two full assistance exercises due to work
-Leg Extensions @ 90lbs with settings of 12 and xl(I’ll know what this means)
5x15
-Low back extensions with a 45 on first ten reps, BW on last ten
5x20
Sunday, April 12, 2015
5/3/1 Cylce one, week one, days 3-7
It has been a hot minute since my last post. This is solely due to a lack of discipline in doing it before bed on my part. My bad. Oh well, here it is now. I have continued to train regardless of the updates. Here is all of the exercises I have logged
Wednesday: Conditioning
Due to scheduling, Wednesday will not be a training day. I have jazz right after school and then work right after jazz, so my conditioning will be bringing food to tables for four hours every night.
Thursday: Bench Press
TM=125lbs
I did some stretching of the shoulders using a long wooden stick
(Quick video here:Stick Stretches for Increased Shoulder Mobility - YouTube I recommend not paying attention to the narration or cheesy music at all, but this is the stretch)
I also did some plyo push ups to get the blood flowing
Warm-up:
45 1x8
65 1x8
80lbs @65% 1x5
95lbs @75% 1x5
105lbs @85% 1x5+5 so ten reps total
These felt GOOD. My TM being 125 is a very conservative max, which I think will only further lead to better gains. It feels great dominating these weights until the very last one.
Assistance:
Seated Military DB Press
5x12 w/ 20s
Rows with my favorite attachment (a wide neutral grip)
5x20 @27.5lbs and 27.5lbs (Double pulley)
Facing away from machine rope tricep extensions
5x10 @30lbs
Great workout with a good balance of assistance work
Friday:Squat
TM=185lbs
Defranco’s Agile 8 minus foam rolling, the tennis ball HURT, but I did it anyways.
Warm-up
45lbs 1x8
95lbs 1x8
115lbs 1x5
120lbs @65% 1x5
140lbs @75% 1x5
155lbs @85% 1x5+4 so nine reps total
These also felt good. 185lbs was my max before I finished my 915 cycle when it went up to 215lbs, so it felt awesome to do nine reps of a previous PR.
Assistance:
Standing Leg Curls SUPERSET w/ glute ham raise machine low back raises
Leg Curls: 5x15 @ 25lbs for each leg
Low back raises: 5x15 @ 25lbs in my arms
Abs: Decline leg raises… here is a video from the great Matt Ogus:BUILD a 6 or 8 PACK - 3 Key exercises - YouTube (I do my rep scheme a little differently, I’ll explain)
I did a set of 5 (1 rep being one regular raise one raise with explosion at the top)
then it went 4,3,2,1; and then back up all the way to five. This gets me SORE, so that is all I did for abs. I am still feeling it BAD after a few days time.
Saturday: Conditioning
We worked a car wash for most of the day cleaning cars which wasn’t too hard, but minor work I guess. After that I went and played a long game of ultimate frisbee before work and by the end I was feeling beat, so, I am satisfied with that for conditioning. Then I went to work and carried 25lb or more trays of food at a fast pace for five hours.
Over all I am loving this program so far. These are my favorite lifts and I really enjoy the military press. It is also very nice how relaxed the assistance is. Can’t wait to kick ass tomorrow on the military press.
Monday, April 13, 2015
5/3/1 Cycle one, Week two, Day one
Military Press TM=65lbs
Warm-up:
Intermittent stretching for the shoulders, and using a bar to stretch
45lbs @70% 1x3
55lbs @80% 1x3
60lbs @90% 1x3+5 reps, so 8 total reps.
This felt really good. More weight was still very manageable, but I did feel the increase from last week. I focused on really being explosive with every rep, and I am satisfied with my final set.
Assistance:
Incline DB bench w/ 25s
5x10
I went very light on these because I have a nasty sunburn right now, and pushing myself any harder was just more than I wanted to do for assistance
Chin-ups
4x8
1x6
I probably could have went for more, but by the end of the fourth set I felt it more in my biceps than my back, so I dropped the reps down to focus on form
Over all a good workout. Didn’t take very long, maybe 35mins, but I got some good work in and set another PR! Can’t wait for deadlift tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Cycle one, Week two, Day two, Deadlift
I skipped the mobility work because I didn’t have my normal amount of time. Had to make it to work.
Deadlift TM=220lbs
45lbs 1x8
95lbs 1x5
135lbs 1x5
155lbs @70% 1x3
175lbs @80% 1x3
195lbs @90% 1x3+4 so 7 reps total
Assistance:
Again I didn’t have much time, so I just did one assistance exercise.
Leg Extensions @55lbs W/ machine set at 12 and xl
5x15
Over all a good workout. I wish that I had more time to lift, but, duty calls.