So something in my back hates me. I woke up yesterday and the middle of it felt ‘locked up’. That’s not a scientific term but I think it conveys the feeling. I tried to do some light squatting this morning and had to stop at 3 w/185 from the pain (in the locked up area). It’s feeling overall better today than yesterday and I’m hoping some more contrast shower action plus a nap will help.
Naps help most things in my experience. 
*I also plan to drag the sled backwards a bit this afternoon, we’ll see.
Back to work! (sort of)
Bench TM: 265
Warm up stuff
Bench: 185x3, 215x3, 235x3+1, 255x1, 255x1
Pull Ups: 9,9,9,9,7,7
DB Incline Bench: 55x15, 65x15, 70x12, 65x12
Face Pulls: 70x12x4
Notes:
No DB rows this time; my back is still pretty grumbly. The pull ups were as far as I wanted to go with back work tonight. 235x4 was frustratingly demanding, the 255’s both went up very easily though. Face pulls felt good, my shoulders are really starting to like those and my traps are in favor of them as well.
We’ll see how squats go tomorrow- if my back (actually mostly my right lower lat at this point) protests too much I’ll switch to leg presses instead and probably just start this cycle over next week. Live to lift another day, and all that. High hopes though.
Squat TM: 350
Warm up stuff
Squat: 245x3, 285x3, 315x3+2, 345x1, 345x1
Lunges: 5 of 10, body weight
Notes:
I’m extremely pleased that my back seems to be back to normal. I set out for 315x5 and hit that; I didn’t want to dig too deep and possibly aggravate it again. The singles at 345 were toughish, but I reminded myself that they’re 20# under my best ever and while they were a little slow were not in any danger of not going up. I’m okay with that.
The lunges are a departure from my usual accessory work, done partly to be easy with my back (laugh I know I sound whiny/overprotective but I don’t heal up as fast as I used to!) and partly because I just wanted to. Sometime in the last few days my body was like “Hey, do 50 body weight lunges after squats when you finally get to them.” I said “Okay.” I feel like my legs and ass will hate me tomorrow. 
Further ramblings:
So I’m pretty pleased overall thus far. My squat training max is damn near higher than my previous best squat, deadlift is closing in on that as well. Bench is still frustrating me a little but I’ll take it moving up very slowly if my squat is going up decently and my deadlift is coming up too. My military press seems to be coming along nicely as well; three out of four ain’t bad at all.
I’m thinking I will do primarily body weight assistance work the rest of this cycle. I feel like it will leave me more energy for main lifts and sort of loosen me up (if that makes sense).
I’m also certain that my sleep is holding me back. I’ve got that job on the weekends that is afternoon until early morning hours (Sat/Sun/Mon, 3.00pm until 2.30am here lately and for the foreseeable future), then have stuff I have to wake up for earlier than I’d like during the week. Naps are good and possible but the flipping schedules is awkward when trying to get a solid eight. If I’m honest I also stay up too late during the week watching old (and awesome, in my defense) movies on AMC and/or playing video games. That’s going to be my focus this cycle (and moving forward), is putting myself to bed. I’ve always been bad at that, but it’s costing me precious pounds dammit.
Speaking of bed, time for some eggs and oats then that very thing!
MP TM: 165
Warm up stuff
MP: 115x3, 135x3, 150x3+2, 165x1, 165x1
Inverted Row: 5 of 15
Push Up: 5 of 15
KB Swings: 45x25x4
Notes:
Holy shit, that KB swinging is serious business. Four sets of 25 was more than I thought it was going to be. laugh (and/or I’m just more out of shape than I thought :O)
Pressing was okay. 150x5 is a rep short of my best, the 165 singles were pretty tough but did go up (slowly but elegantly :D). The last two sets of inverted rows and pushups I started to slow down a little but not bad. I’m very curious to see how I feel overall after a few weeks of this bodyweight assistance.
And now, sweet sweet food.
Deadlift TM: 450
Warm up stuff
Deadlift: 315x3, 365x3, 405x3+2, 435x1
Bulgarians: 5 of 10, bodyweight
Hammer Swings: 4 of 25
Notes:
405x5 is a PR, an exciting one for me. That 435 afterward was ‘extremely’ hard. laugh
Bulgarians (at bodyweight) are easier than lunges I think.
To work!
Bench TM: 265
Warm up stuff
Bench: 175x5, 200x5, 225x5+1
Pull Ups: 9,9,9,9,7,7
Push Ups: 5 of 15
Notes:
It felt like I did this workout yesterday; everything (everything!) was waaaay harder than it should have been. Required reps +1 is acceptable though not awesome. I must eat/sleep now.
Squat TM: 350*
Warm up stuff
Squats: 225x20
Lunges: 5 of 10@BW
Notes:
One of my buddies who lifts got 225x25 recently and suggested I do that too. I racked it at 20, walked away, and regretted not grinding out another 5 reps. 
But! I’m pleased with the set and getting my lunges in as well. It’s a deviation from the 5’s week (*225/265/295) but I think it’ll be okay.
My legs are somewhat leaden right now; the four steps up to my porch were rough. laugh
MP TM: 165
Warm up stuff
MP: 105x5, 125x5, 140x5+4
Inverted Rows: 5 of 15
Push Ups: 5 of 15
Notes:
140x9 is a rep PR. I’ve got some company coming over so I cheated a little; did my 5th sets of inverted rows/pushups at home after a quick trip to the store. The rows were done on some jury rigged ring/strap-esque handles.
Speaking of, peace! chucks deuces
Deadlift TM: 450
Warm up stuff
Deadlift: 295x5, 335x5, 385x5+2*
Bulgarians: 5 of 10 @BW
KB Swings: 45x25x3
Notes:
385x7 went well- I could’ve gotten one or two more but stopped while I was ahead. Everything about the reps felt great and I didn’t want to start losing that. Best pulling, technique-wise, I’ve done in a while I feel. nod
Bulgarians went smoothly, so smoothly that I’m resisting the temptation to add more of them. That might change come next week’s DL session though.
The swings got stopped at 3 sets because I dry-heaved a bit into the trash can in the back room. laugh Happily there weren’t any other folks in there to see my awesomeness.
As an aside, looking back over my log it seems like my pulling and squatting have gone up a good bit overall while my pressing has sort of stagnated (bench specifically, MP is actually acceptable in terms of progress right now). Hmm. I’m leaning towards staying the course until I get my 4/5 squat/pull goals and if I’m still stagnating on bench I’ll give it more attention; those other two lifts are more meaningful to me.
Lastly, tune:
Bench TM: 265*
Warm up stuff
Bench: 200x5, 225x3, 250x1+1, 260x1, 225x2
Pull Ups: 9,9,9,9,9,5
Push Ups: 5 of 15
Notes:
Beeeeench!! shakes fist I barely got that second rep, a third would not have been possible. The single at 260 wasn’t too bad, the double at 225 was okay. I’m going to put it down to my pulls yesterday leaving me drained, keep my head down and keep after it. That said today was a titch frustrating.
Pull ups went well at least, and push ups are push ups.
*I reckon I’ll be able to work with a 270 TM but will likely have to drop it after that cycle. Sigh.
Tune:
I love their sound(s; all of them!).
Squat TM: 350
Warm up stuff
Squat: 265x5, 295x3, 335x1+3, 355x1
Lunges: 5 of 10@ BW
Notes:
Pleased with the 335x4. One or two more in reserve, though that single at 355 was pretty much a max today. Took a long time to finish it.
Work! dashes
MP TM: 165
Warm up stuff
MP: 125x5, 140x3, 155x1+3, 165x1, 165x1
Pull Ups: 5 between every set (including warm ups) of MP and Push Ups
Push UPs: 5 of 15
Notes:
Felt pretty good about today. Decided to do more sets/fewer reps on pull ups today 1) Just because, and 2) To get a little more volume as well as pay a little more attention to quality of contraction; I liked it. I think I could’ve gotten another rep or two at 155 but decided to spare my shoulder, which has been acting uppity lately. I swear I try advanced yoga moves in my sleep sometimes- my shoulder and/or neck just hates me for no discernible reason now and then. shrug
I’ve spaced out my workouts a good bit the last little bit. Due to that I think I’ll do some light moving/conditioning to finish out this week (after deads tomorrow) and start back into the cycle next week. Hopefully this isn’t a mistake, I don’t feel like it will be.
As much as I’ve enjoyed the bodyweight work I think it’s time to get back to some iron for assistance too; looking forward to that.
Deadlift TM: 450
Warm up stuff
High Pulls: 135x5x3
Deadlift: 335x5, 385x3, 430x1+2, 455x1
Bulgarian Split Squats: 5 of 10@bodyweight
Notes:
I liked today. Very pleased with 430x3 (PR), the 455 was a struggle (understandably so at that point), and the bulgarians felt good. That said I’m looking forward to some weight assitance next week; my big excitement this weekend is figuring out exactly what I want to do. laugh
I also have plantar fasciitis, how exciting. Treatment course given and being followed, hoping for some serious relief and recovery in a few weeks. These things happen I guess. shrug
Tune:
Memories.
Bench TM: 270
Warm up stuff
Bench: 185x3, 215x3, 245x2(!), 245x1x6-7, 30-45 sec. rests
Bent Over Rows: 135x10, 155x10, 155x10
DB Incline Press: 55x12, 60x10, 60x10, 2-3 second pause at bottom
Face Pulls: 70x12, 85x12, 85x12
Notes:
It’d be easy to blame my benching on not taking a deload week and/or my meds but I’m not going to do that, nor am I going to alert people that the sky is falling- if it happens again later in this cycle I’ll take another look at it. The cluster type benching felt good though.
Bent Over Rows, it’s been awhile. I felt them a lot and will likely feel them a lot more tomorrow. The pause at the bottom of the DB Inclines was money, I’ll definitely be doing that again. Face pulls, as always, felt good.
Self edit: I’m pretty sure my first sentence in notes breaks several rules. 
Tune:
Squat TM: 360
Warm up stuff
Squats: 255x3, 285x3, 325x3
Good Mornings: 185x6x3
Notes:
That last rep of 325 now holds the title for my hardest squat rep ever. If it was less than a six second pause I’d be shocked. The guy who was benching 95 for sets of 6 (and struggling a bit; this was not a deload workout for him) asked if he could help when I finally cleared my sticking point and was sort of standing there with the weight on my back. I thanked him but assured him I was alright. I had planned to crush a few singles but clearly that’s not in the cards. The good mornings were, well, good. Glad to be doing them again.
My last session I said I wasn’t going to blame my meds. Looking around online, several sites (yay internet doctoring) mention that prednisone can hurt strength levels. I have found this to be true for me (though I did find a thread on T-Nation where some folks trained without issue on the drug); I’m glad I waited until two horrible sessions to check on it (so I know I didn’t convince myself you see).
What’s funny is I felt like superman going into the gym. My plan was to get required reps then try for a new squat PR. I guess I’ll try to hit prescribed reps the rest of this cycle and just keep the TM for next cycle. In a lifetime of lifting a few weeks is as nothing after all.
Also, prednisone gave me horrible, horrible hiccups for the first two or three days. Like 20-30 minutes at a time, incurable, felt like I was going to hiccup my stomach out hiccups. Good stuff.
Edit: I’ll be honest and say I’m extremely proud of myself for grinding out that third rep. I closed my eyes and yelled ‘hips’ at myself. laugh
Edit 2: Tune!
Saw them in NOLA many moons ago; amazing show. There was a little blonde girl in a sundress there, which sort of freaked us all out. grin
It’s been almost a week…UPDATES!?
How’s the -itis?
I like the influx of videos in here…Now if only there were some of Kristoph and his 6 second pause squat.
^^
The -itis is subsiding slowly but surely; a weekend off from work helped with that. Now to be diligent about continuing my treatment.
Bench TM: 270*
Warm up stuff
Bench: 185x5, 215x6, 235x1, 245x1
Pull Ups: 5 b/w each set of bench
Cable Rows: 85x12, 100x10, 120x10
Pullovers: 35x12, 50x10, 60x8
Face Pulls: 70x15x3
Complex: Power Clean, Front Squat, Back Squat, Good Morning- 85x8reps, 1 round
Notes:
So! Not as crushingly weak as I was which is hugely pleasing. I went in today just wanting to play around and feel out my strength and this is what resulted. The singles were pretty easy, the set of 215x6 was more refreshing than draining, and the rest of it was just fun (party, Brute_Fury style :D).
I did the cable rows in nearly slow motion and focused on the squeeze. The complex I did as a sort of conditioning thing that doesn’t have me hitting my feet repeatedly (*shakes fist at -itis). The fact that I spent the weekend not lifting and eating pizza, Indian food, and ice cream was abundantly clear. laugh
Probably I’ll take tomorrow off and try some squats Friday. nod
Tune:
I luff this video.
p.s. Lula, video of goofy lifting in the near future.
Squat TM: 360*
Warm up stuff
Squats: 255x3, 285x3, 325x3
Front Squats: 185x6
Good Mornings: 185x6
Notes:
First of all let me just say that squatting in the morning is dumb. I’m normally a night squatter so there was a lot of body confusion. That said I’m pleased with today. I could’ve gotten another rep or two at 325 which is HUGE compared to the last time I squatted. I kept it at 3 because 1) I didn’t want to push it too hard, plenty of time for that next cycle, and 2) I’m assisting in a move today that’s from a 3rd floor place to a 3rd floor place.
Assistance was light for that same reason. It feels really good to be getting back to normal. I can see how a real athlete who does real athlete things could get depressed due to an injury.
Tune:
What’s up late teen years?
So I read a post in the beginner’s forum that lead me to Dan John’s One Lift A Day workout. I liked both the simplicity of it and the focus on strength, as well as the fact that it’s a four week cycle with a one week deload. So in many ways it’s like the 3/5/1 I’ve been doing. The plan is to do these lifts in this order:
Bench
Squat
T-Bar Row
Off
Military Press
Romanian Deadlift (or Front Squat?)
Off
Today was bench, 7 sets of 5
185x5, 195x5, 205x5, 225x5, 215x5, 195x5, 205x5
I meant to do 195/205/215 but slapped the wrong weight on like a boss, so there’s that. Looking forward to squat day tomorrow, also expecting some serious soreness in mah pressing muscles.
Edit: Tune!
Squats!
Warm up stuff
225x5, 255x5, 275x5, 315x5, 255x5, 275x5, 295x5
Done
I really like this setup so far. I might hate my legs tomorrow but we’ll see. It’s really cool going in with one lift from start to finish. I lifted at a new place tonight; they actually have a set of bumper plates, a mat for them (though they would probably say something if I dropped the bar from overhead :D), and one of those landline bases WITH an old school T-Bar handle. It’s 50 bucks a month, which seems highish, but it’s 1.1 miles away from the house. Decisions decisions…
