Week 3 Day 1 (Y’all know what that mean, 1RM time!!)
Squat
135 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 3
325 x 5
375 x 3 415 x 8 ← Rep PR - felt good, might have been able to grind another couple. This surprised me.
I peeled the weight off the bar and started to set up for bench and instantly felt regret for not going for a 1RM. With this upcoming cut, I am anticipating losing a little bit of strength and feel like I’m near my strongest right now.
So I decided at the beginning of bench I wasn’t going to do a 1+ set as prescribed but would go find my new current 1RM.
Bench
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 5
335 x 1 355 x 1 ← 5lb PR 365 x 1 ← 15lb PR 375 x 1 ← WTF!!! 25lb PR!!
I’m glad I did!! I was walking around the weight room like I had a f’ing “S” on my chest.
So what would you do in this scenario?
I went and set up the squat bar again and went for broke:
Squat - Take 2
135 x 1
225 x 1
315 x 1
405 x 1 500 x 1 ← 25lb PR 520 x 1 ← 45lb PR
GET OUT OF MY WAY 2017!
Sorry I’m still a little riled up on Nose Tork. Videos of these lifts to follow as soon as I calm down enough to sit in my computer chair.
Oh, also, I said screw the accessory work…superheroes don’t need accessory work.
Again, my apologies if I’m coming off as arrogant, I’m just extremely happy with this.
Here we go folks. It is 2017 and time to tear the cloth off of the statue I’ve been building for the past few years. I’ve done mini cuts here and there to keep my fat mass under control, but I have never fully dedicated my training/nutrition to getting lean or shredded.
I plan to compete in my first ever Strongman competition this coming Spring so my workouts will still revolve around increasing/maintaining strength, but I will perform some complexes, increase training density and add cardio to aid in fat loss as well.
I’m currently in Week 3 of 5/3/1 Young Jim Wendler’s Template and I’m loving it. The 3 days per week fits my lifestyle so I intend on running this for most (or all) of my cut. Once my calories become more restrictive I presume I will have to take a slightly more conservative training max, but we will feel this out as we go.
I have enrolled in a college course that takes place every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-10pm and Saturdays from 8am-4pm beginning in February and ending in June. This leaves my workouts to Mon., Wed., Fri., with Sat. evening or Sunday being my ‘bonus’ workout likely consisting of some farmer’s walks, cardio, circuits and complexes.
Current Stats
This current cycle of 5/3/1 I used the following:
I received the “Maximum Muscle Bible” for Christmas (by CT and Paul Carter) and really enjoyed the straight forward nutrition recommendations. I will plan my calories accordingly:
Week 1: BW x 15 (maintenance) - remove all junk that is currently in my diet. 1g Protein /lb BW
Week 2: BW x 14
Week 3: BW x 13
Week 4: BW x 12 - Up protein to 1.5g/lb BW
Week 5: BW x 12
Week 6: BW x 11
Week 7: BW x 10 - stay here until desired level of body fat is reached (with refeeds depending on progress)
Thanks man, I need all the encouragement I can get! I also re-measured my neck as you had me second guessing my initial measurement…17" is probably more accurate. Finding dress shirts to fit my neck typically leaved me with TONS of extra shirt around the torso.
I have the same problem generally. The main thing that was holding me back from doing this transformation log thing was losing size on my neck. Once the fat goes away, so does the neck. Oh well. I’m honestly most excited to see how your transformation goes. Your lifts are damn good and you sound like you have a ton of potential at a lower weight. I’m also 5’9" and it seems like us guys in the middle (5’7"-5’9") have a lot of play room for size and strength. Also, don’t worry too much about the school shit bro. You’ll get in, kill it, and better your life. After about a week it’ll be routine and you’ll wonder why you were worried. Also, just saw your before pics and jesus christ dude. Haha they look like after pics. Good luck man, but I doubt you’ll need it.