The Danish Viking: back to 531: Road to 2-3-4 Plates

Training Logs
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EDIT: February 2020, did one round of 1000% Awesome, liked it, not testing anything.
Started BBB challenge for the next 6 month or so, starting with 5x10 50% ending with a cycle of 5 singles TM, increasing the supplemental by 10% every cycle.
EDIT: January 2020 finished Max’er PL routine, found myself not increasing anything. Blaming the weight loss.
Started a new round of Jims work 1000% Awesome.
EDIT: August 2019 starting a PL routine and a friendly challenge made by @Frank_C, commiting me to this program the rest of the year.
EDIT: April 15 2019 started 531 again, disaster trying to set new pr’s after my powerbuilder program. around post 2528.
EDIT: January first 2019 end of SGSS program with some great gains post 1957 last PR day 170 kg deadlift.
Started my own powerbuilder program after that
EDIT: Darkhorse ending with some solid gains See post 1313 start september 2018.
After Darkhorse starting Christian Thibaudeays Simple guaranteed strength and size program. SGSS
EDIT: started Alphas Darkhorse program may 28 2018, post 749.
After a fair amount of time running Wendlers 531 I thought it was time for a bit of a change.

A bit about myself, 53 years old, height 182 cm, (5,9 foot) weighing in at just about 79 kg, (174 pounds)start 2018.
Married, 2 sons at 17 and 20.
Former Bike road racer, triathlete, and runner.
I lift at my work and at home where I have a bench, a squat stand, a barbell and DB’s.
Lifting has primarily been bench, some rows, abs, shoulders a bit bis and tris but those I hate.
2 – 3 years ago I began to squat and Deadlift a bit. Did some Wendler stuff, Thib stuff, Sheiko and some bench press stuff… AND did not get much stronger.
Possibly because I still did some running and biking with calories a bit low and bad.
OHH and did spend most of 2016 to may 2017 losing weight from 89 kg (196 pounds) to 75 kg (165 pounds).

Progress so far
First lift is from the start of 2017 second start 2018 (this log)
Press: 50 kg x 5 – 55 kg x 2 after DH 60 kg x 1
pounds 110 x 5 – 121 x 2 after DH 132 x 1

Squat 85 kg x 6 – 110 kg x 2 (very high) after DH 120 x 1
pounds 187 x 6 – 242 x 2 (very high) after DH 265 x 1

Bench 85 kg x 6 – 92,5 kg x 1 after DH 95 x 1
pounds 187 x 6 – 204 x 1 after DH 210 x 1

DL 120 kg x 1 – 150 kg x 1 after DH 162,5 x 1
pounds 265 x 1 – 330 x 1 after DH 358 x 1

So there we start.
Goal May 2018 55 year birthday.
Press estimated 1 RM bodyweight 80 kg (176 pounds) I don’t think I will reach that goal. But who knows.
Squat 3 plates 140 kg (308 pounds)
Bench 2 plates 100 kg (220) x 5 (did 220 x2 a couple of years ago)
DL 200 kg (440) that’s the big goal (and only I guess).

By the end of 2018 I’m looking for 2-3-4 plates, leaves me 5 months going for that 200 kg DL.

The plan

5/3/1 It’s simple and I like it.
Wich template/program?

For now I’m halfway through 28 weeks planning from beyond.
Every workout you go in and beat AT LEAST ONE PR
First 2 cycles PR set on main FSL PR + rest pause on upper “just” PR on lower.
Next 2 cycles PR set on main then PR set on SSL AND FSL just finished that up.
For the next two cycles PR on main followed by PR with TM
The last two cycles PR on main followed by joker sets 5’s on 5 week 3’s on 3 and 1’s on 5/3/1 week…
I’m doing the 7’th week deload after every 2 cycles.
And only increasing by 1 kg (2 pounds) on upper lift and 2,5 kg (5 pounds) on lower.

Assistance: pull ups, chin ups, Kroc Rows, curls, hanging leg raises, AB wheel, DB shoulder pres, DB incline Bench press, Dips and push ups.
I will be doing sumo on Squat day and front squat on DL day.
So far things are good, breaking PR’s every workout, it’s fun and motivating.

April it’s time for a new program/template.
Monolith, 1000% Awesome, Training maximally, Hardgainer or some more hypertrophy style stuff.

Haven’t decided yet wich one. MarkKO’s go at Training Maximally this summer made me reread that chapter. I tried it but fried myself. Did it wrong did 531 sets PR + a rep at TM + FSL stuff.

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Januar 13 2018

Well might as well start with yesterday:
DL

Powerclean + push press 3 sets 40-50-60 kg x 3 Warm ups.
DL 110 x 5, 122,5 x 3, 135 x 2, 135 x 7 (rep PR) 142,5 x 1 150 x 1 NEW 1 rep PR.
Front squats 4 sets of 7: 37,5 - 47,5 - 52,5 - 57,5 kg
DB incl bench 3 sets of 14 with 22,5 kg
DB incl bench lying row same weights and reps as DB bench.

Strained my low back on that DL PR. Goddammit GRRR.

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Januar 14

Yoga for 1½ hour
Followed by 1 hour badminton.

Damn that back. Damn I’m old.

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Good to see you’re finally logging!

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Woke at 78,7 kg / 173,5 Lbs
Yesterdays calories was 2300.
So back to normal gained about 2 kg / 5 lbs over Christmas/New Year.
Upping Cal to 2400 from now. Trying to gain a pound or two every month. Well at my age I could gain very quickly… but it would be fat.
Thank you @Frank_C Welcome to my log.
Been reading a lot of logs on here lately. Figured why not :slight_smile:
Tracking on the phone too, main reason I didn’t have a log.

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Very much in for this

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Todays training

28 week of training 5/3/1 from Beyond

Cycle 5 week 3 day 1 OHP

SGHP from hang, doing it as part of warmup/activation
32 x 8
40 x 8
47 x 8

OHP Not mentioning warmup sets.

Worksets

42 x 5
47 x 3
52 x 1
52 x 5 Rep PR

Training max amrap

55 x 3 Rep PR (little dip and a lot of wobling on the last set)

Pull ups BW + 7,5 kg
4, 5, 4, 4, 4,

Superset with

Dips at home so Rings
BW
3 x 10
2 x 8 (Blaming yesterdays badminton)

EZ bar curl
17,5 x 15
22,5 x 13

Superset With

AB wheel 4 x 12

Nice little workout just under an hour.
Lower back angry AF. grueling for tomorrows squat.

Still hitting Rep PR’s that’s good.
But even better the reps feels a lot more staple and strong.

Now ready for cardio. Bike for work 10 km and back in 8 hours.

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Woke at 78,7 kg
Yesterdays calories 2500.
Lower back a bit better I think.

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9

So glad I checked out this training log. Keep grinding brother. Older doesn’t mean we are done getting strong!

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I hear you Losthog. You inspired me to get a log.
That is together with a lot of others around here.
Old is strong :slight_smile:

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11

As a former bike racer turned lifter that is just a bit older than you, I’ll be following. Good work so far.

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Thanks man welcome.
Bike races are proberly the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

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Todays training

28 week of training 5/3/1 from Beyond

Cycle 5 week 3 day 2 Squat

Hoping my back won’t be to angry.
BW squat warm-ups, uhh angry back… lets try with some weight
Some jumps for activation

Front squat warm up
30 x 5
40 x 5
50 x 5
Well with weigt it felt good.

Back squat
Worksets
85 x 5
95 x 3
105 x 1
105 x 5 Rep PR might have one more and back was fine

Training max amrap
110 x 4 Rep PR Did not see that coming, back holding up fine.

Sumo for assistance and learning the movement
60 x 8
70 x 8
77 x 8

DB one arm row kind of kroc
22 x 10
27 x 8
32 x 5
37 x 3
40 x 14 Rep PR

Standing DB press
12 x 20
12 x 18

Hanging leg raise
4 x 11

Well overall a good workout. Squats are getting better a year ago I hated it.
Now I hate bench, because I’m stuck :slight_smile:

Ohh and Cardio: bike 10 km x 2

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What is the difference in a regular back row and a Kroc row?

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Kroc rows are generally done for one all-out set for as many reps you can with the heaviest weight you can handle and not overly strictly. The main thing is to get a full stretch at the bottom. You’d usually look for 20 reps or more.

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Hi Losthog
As Mark says.
I just wrote my warmup sets as well.
Kroc rows are done standing, with one hand resting on something.
I use the bench, with one knee on the bench and one hand.
Repping as much as I can on the last set.
kind of 5/3/1 way using 32 kg on 5’s week, 37 on 3’s week and 42 on 1’s week.
Yesterday I had only 40 kg :slight_smile:
Aiming for at a time to get beyond 20 reps with 42 kg.

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Woke at 79,2 kg / 174,5 lbs
Nutrition yesterday about 2500 (had pulled pork burges at a friends place with a glass of wine, so it’s an estimate)
Back is getting better by the day. Able to bend over and take socks on today :slight_smile:
Will try to put pounds as well as kg on my log. But as a metric guy it’s hard.

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18

Woke at 78.8 kg 173,6 lbs
Yesterdays nutrition 2300
Back is still a bit angry.

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This is awesome man! You Finally have a log. Darnit im 4 days late to the party though.

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Good luck with it all mate.
Don’t stress about bench not moving, I’ve found over the years that bench will stay still if other lifts are cranking, then bench will move when more attention is payed to it.

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