Been a while since I’ve logged on here. Those were the days. Gonna be running 5thSet for one whole year, and this will keep me accountable. Today’s workout was the second microcycle for squat.
Friday July 24 Squat
Morning BW: 155 (30 12/16")
Squat
45,95,135x5,185x3
235x4x2,x6@8.5
Paused Front Squat (heeled)
135x3
170x3x3
Paused Squat (heeled)
185x5x3 in 7:37
Toe to bars
5,5,3 (90s rest)
Ab pulldowns
35x20
45x2x20
Monday July 27 Bench (2) (3 sets, low end of reps, 60s rest)
Morning BW: 156, 30 9/16
Dips
BWx8,8
+25lbx15,22@8.5 (90s rest)
Rope pushdown
7.5x3x30
Deadstop EZ ext
25x8
45x3x12
Plate front raise
25x3x15
DB lateral swings
40lbx3x30
EZ curl
25lbx3x30
Notes: Nothing special. The only boring day out of the four. Still got a nice pump though.
Monday July 27
AM conditioning
6w6 sprints
then 4 hill sprints
Wednesday July 29 Deadlift
Morning BW: 156, 30 9/16
Pullups (eye level)
Bwx5x10
DB rows
65x8
85x20,15 (90s rest)
DL
135,225x3
315x5x3 in 8:20
Squat
45x135x185x225x5
Kettlebell swings
(45x12,12/65x12,12 (DB),45x4x20) in ~14 minutes
Notes: Good day. I really like KB swings.
So, I love the 5thset method, but I just don’t like the 9 day microcycle. As such, I’ll be moving it to a more traditional weekly 4x schedule.
Mon-DL,Tues-Bench(1),Thurs-Squat,Fri-Bench(2). Since I’m deviating from the program, any success/failure is entirely because of me, and is not a reflection of Swede’s program. Disclaimer over.
Thursday July 30 Squat
Morning BW: 155 (30 5/16")
Squat
45,95,135x5,185x3
235x4x2,x7@8.5
Pause Squat
225x3,3
Incline DB rows (paused)
45x8
65x3x10
KB swings
45lbx8x20 in 13 minutes
Notes: Good day. Squats still feel weak, but I’m sure they’ll improve.
Friday July 31 Bench (1)
Morning BW: 156 (30 4/16")
CGBP
4,95,135x5
165x3
185x4x2,185x5@9
WGBP
125x15,16@9
CG floor press
135x8,6@10
DB laterals
12.5x12
17.5x2x15 (6/10 quality)
Rear laterals
12.5x12
17.5x2x15 (6/10 quality)
Seated hammers
20,25,20x10
0.5 chins
3x10,4x5
Notes: Alright day. Bench feels very very weak. Before my weight loss I was doing 205x5x5. It’ll get better.
Monday August 3 Deadlift
Morning BW: 155 (30 7/16")
Pullups (eye level)
Bwx5x10
DB rows
65x8
85x25,16 (90s rest)
DL
135,225x3
315x5x3 in 8:37
Paused FS
45,135,165x3
185x3,3
Conditioning:
Kettlebell swings
45lbx500 in 35 minutes
Notes: Good day. DL’s were a bit slower. The swings were fun.
Tuesday August 4 Bench (2)
Morning BW: 156 (30 6/16)
CGBP
45x95x5
135x8
155x5
165x5x3
DB military
25x8
45x11,6
Dips
BWx8
25x18,11
45lb KB swing: 500 in 30 minutes
Notes: ANother good day. Bench seems to feel a bit better.
Thursday August 6 Squat
Morning BW: 155 (30 7/16)
Squat
45,135x5,185x3,3,225x1
240x4x2,6@8.5
Pause Squat
225x3x3
RDL (GL style)
155x5x10
Conditioning
20 minutes of KB swing/burpee supersets: 45lbx15/BWx8 with 15 s rest or so. This was fun (and hard).
Notes: Good day. Squats are starting to feel a bit better as well. So I think I’m going to continue leaving one rep in the tank for my 5th set, in order to ensure that my technique stays reasonable and it gets ingrained. But I was reading Pwnisher’s log and his thoughts about ‘straining’, as well as some other posts. That made me think that my pause squats should be pretty hard as well, and that I should ‘strain’ on these as much as I can, since they are with a lighter load and not really the same movement as a non paused squat. So I’m gonna do that for the next 3 months.
Maybe by that time I’ll look back at this and cringe at my thought process, but let’s see where it goes. Also, I’ve decided to just use a BBB template for my assistance: 5x10 squat on DL days, 5x10 RDL on squat days, 5x10 CGBP on Bench (2) days. 3 months. Just 50% or so.
Friday August 7 Bench (1)
Morning BW 156 (30 5/16)
CGBP
45,95,135x5
165x3
190x4x2
190x4,5 @9 on the second set
DBMP
25x8
45x10,6
Dips
BWx8
25x5
45x12,10
Seated hammers 3s neg
20x3x10
0.5 chins
BWx5x10
Notes: Good day. Bench still feels heavy, but seems to be improving. On my 5th set, my back cramped up, otherwise I would have had 5@8.5. Still made up for it with another set. So I’m going to keep this assitance exercise selection for the next 3 months, and see where it takes me.
Monday August 10 Deadlift
Morning BW: 156 (30 6/18)
BBB Squat
145x5x10
DL
135,225x5
315x5x3 in 10 minutes
DB rows
65x8
80x26,21
BB rows (paused)
95x3x10
Conditioning (15 min total)
Ddescending pyramid of 20,19,18,17…etc
45lb KB
then
4 sets of 8 burpees
Notes: Fun day. The 5x10 wasn’t that difficult, bu harder than I thought. Excited to see where this takes me. DL feels very weak though. Conditioning was fun.
Tuesday August 11 Bench (2)
Morning BW: 156 (30 6/18)
BBB CGBP
45,95x5
115x5x10
Rope pushdown
7.5x3x30 (45s rest)
EZ deadstop bench ext
25x8
45x3x12 (45s rest)
DB lateral
12.5x12
17.5x2x15 (6.5 quality)
Rear lateral
12.5x12
17.5x2x15 (6.5 quality)
Seated hammers (3s neg)
20x5x10
Notes: Good day. Really liking the BBB template.
Thursday August 13
Morning BW: 156 (30 8/16)
Squat
45,135x5
185x3,3
225x1
245x4x2,4@10
Pause squat
225x2
205x5,5
RDL (GL style)
155lbx5x10
Conditioning:
Some BSing on the rowing machine. DIdn’t like it. Then:
20s on bikw/40s restx6. This sucked a lot. My legs were completely dead. Very fun.
Notes: Pretty bad day. Squats just felt very weak. I’m hoping to get to 255 before I have to deload, but we’ll see.
Friday August 14 Bench (1)
Morning BW: 156 (30 6/16)
CGBP
45,95,135x5
165x3
195x4x2,3@10
DBMP
25x8
45x11,7@9
Dips
BWx8
25x5
45x13,8@9
EZ curls
20lbx3x30 (45s rest)
0.5 chins
5x10
Notes: Another bad day. I had two things going against me today: my head wasn’t really in it, and I had to use a really shitty bench. Either way, I’ve reached the fail-out point for bench, so I’ll be deloading it next week, and starting over from 180.
Saturday August 15
Conditioning
8 burpees/10s restx7
50 rope jumpsx5
Notes: The burpees sucked.
Monday August 17 DL
Morning BW: 156 (30 6/16)
Squat
45x5,5,5
95x5
135x5
155x3
175x3
185x5x5
DL
135,225x3
315x5x3
DB rows
65x8
80x30,18
Conditioning:
Bike sprints-20s work/40s restx5
Notes: Good day. Switching the BBB squat to a heavier and lower volume. No more changes. Focused on keeping everything tight and really bracing during the squats and DL. Conditioning SUCKED. My heart rate went up, and I was very out of breath, but the worst was the ungodly feeling in my legs. Felt like I just went hiking for hours. Fun fun.
So because of external circumstances I haven’t touched a weight until today. In a new place, so don’t have a scale. Still feel like I’m the same bf% though, so that’s nice.
Tuesday Sept 1
Volume squat
45x5
95x5
135x5
185x5x5
DL
135x3
225x5
315x5x3
DB rows
65x8
85x20,15
Some biking
Notes: Good day. Squats felt faster (but then again, it’s freaking 185). For the next 3 weeks, the only cue I’m adding to DL and squat is: Focus on pushing abs out. That’s it. Takes a lot of concentration actually, but I;m sure it’ll pay off.
Wednesday Sept 2 Bench (2)
Gym wight: 155 (around 30 4/16)
BBB CGBP
120x5x10
Rope pushdowns
12.5x3x30 (45s rest)
EZ deadstop bench ext.
45x3x12 (45s rest)
DB laterals
12.5x12
17.5x2x15 (first set 8.5/10, second 7.5/10)
Rear laterals
12.5x12
17.5x2x15 (8/10)
Seated hammers (3s neg)
20x5x10
Notes: Good day. Not much else to say.
Friday Sept. 4 Squat
Squat
45x5
135x5
185x3
225x4x2,x10 (+2 from last cycle)
RDL (GL style)
160x5x10
HS high row
45x10
70x10
80x16
70x10 (hold at contraction)
Bike sprints (lvl 17)x6x20s
Notes: Good day. Squats felt okay. Still a far cry from my best, but we’ll see how this cycle goes.