Witty, Amusing Log Tiltle

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

I thought I’d start a new log to keep myself accountable. I was going to link to my old log, but it’s gone, they only seem to keep 10 pages now. Damn!! that was the only proof and record of my lifting that I had after throwing 20+ years worth of training diaries away before I moved and the laptop that had all my lifting vids on has long since died. Oh well, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Previous PRs as far as I can remember…circa 2011/2012 I think

Squat
462 lbs x 1
308 lbs for 20 (I still have nightmares!)

Front squat
330 lbs x 1
253 lbs x 5 sets of 5

Deadlift
495 lbs x 1
440 lbs x 5 sets of 5

Bench
319 or 330 for 1…just can’t be sure

Push press
250 lbs x 1

All done at a bodyweight of around 215 lbs. I know these numbers are irrelevant as they were done so long ago, but these are the numbers I want to be aiming at, but at my current bodyweight of 187 lbs.

Ambitious I know, but I feel if I knuckle down and really commit to a strength program and stop flitting from O-lifting to bodybuilding and back again like some crazy flitting thing, I might have a chance of getting close.

I’ve never been stronger than when I regularly logged here, which is why I’m back, to be inspired and embarrassed by the numbers the people on here are putting up.

I’m going to be following 5/3/1 with the boring but big assistance work on squat day (ie no max reps on last set) and standard assistance work on the other days. I don’t feel my lower back would take repping to max on deads and squats in the same week yet.

Any 5/3/1 experts feel free to chip in and tell me where I’m going wrong.

Weights based on 90% of my 1rms tested on 10/4/2015

Tuesday 14th April

Week 1

Back squat

65% - 167.2 lbs x 5
75% - 192.5 lbs x 5
85% - 220 lbs x 5

Assistance

Back squat
50% - 5 x 10 reps

Natural GHR
5 x 8 reps

That was it, very different from what I have been doing (lots of supersets, short rest intervals etc), but good. Squat form felt OK considering.

Right I’m off to mingle, visit some logs of the old faces I remember and see how bald and grey they’ve gotten!!

2

I think your plan sounds really solid. I, too, struggled with repping out squat and DL on 531, especially when the weight got heavy. So good to see you back at it!

3

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
I think your plan sounds really solid. I, too, struggled with repping out squat and DL on 531, especially when the weight got heavy. So good to see you back at it![/quote]

Glad you think so because I’m winging it really. I think my lower back is my biggest weakness right now, so I’m just being careful until it gets a bit stronger.

Thursday 16th April

Week 1

Overhead press
65% x 5 - 95.7 lbs x 5
75% x 5 - 110 lbs x 5
85% x 5+ - 126.5 lbs x 6 (expected more)

Incline DB bench press
58 lbs x 4 sets of 10

Pushdowns
60 lbs x 4 sets of 10

Facepulls
44 lbs x 20/16/12

Felt as weak as a carb depleted kitten today. The worst day to do shoulders after a day lugging sheets of plasterboard (drywall to most of you) around.

4

FB- good to see you.
will be reading along
I had a hard time with getting the higher rep dead reps on 531
there are allot more varients of 531 floating around
first set last- seems to work as a back off bunch of sets after the 531.

5

With such a witty, amusing log title, you are destined for success.

"I’ve never been stronger than when I regularly logged here, which is why I’m back, to be inspired and embarrassed by the numbers the people on here are putting up. "

Same here.

To you…

6

Framer Brett,

Welcome back, now that you have identified your major weakness (lower back) you should bully it into submission and take its lunch money, that’s how I was taught to handle weakness. I know this is terrible to say, but it’s nice to see someone else struggling with starting back in training like me ( I know it makes me sound like a dick) Good luck, and keep working.

7

[quote]brotardscience wrote:
FB- good to see you.
will be reading along
I had a hard time with getting the higher rep dead reps on 531
there are allot more varients of 531 floating around
first set last- seems to work as a back off bunch of sets after the 531.[/quote]

Thanks for stopping by Kev. Great to know you have experience of 5/3/1, I’m sure I’ll be bending your ear down the line. Right now though, I’m going to keep things really simple and resist the urge to dabble. Just trying to keep my “if 4 sets works well, then 12 sets will work THREE times as well” mentality in check.

8

[quote]emskee wrote:
With such a witty, amusing log title, you are destined for success.

"I’ve never been stronger than when I regularly logged here, which is why I’m back, to be inspired and embarrassed by the numbers the people on here are putting up. "

Same here.

To you…[/quote]

Hey emskee, you can add yourself to that group now too.

You need a better avi, I can’t quite make you out, there’s some big, scary looking dude in the way! I must know, did you buy that darling red polka-dot pillow in the end? It’s to die for!

9

[quote]PonyWhisperer wrote:
Framer Brett,

Welcome back, now that you have identified your major weakness (lower back) you should bully it into submission and take its lunch money, that’s how I was taught to handle weakness. I know this is terrible to say, but it’s nice to see someone else struggling with starting back in training like me ( I know it makes me sound like a dick) Good luck, and keep working.[/quote]

Oh christ!! At least you have an excuse!! I HAVE BEEN training the last 18 months!! (I wish I knew how to do bold text and what is it with all the exclamation marks?)

I’m just weak because I’ve been doing pussy ass bodybuilding type training lately in the hopes of landing an underwear modelling contract. Deluded I know, but my father always told me ‘if you want something then just go out there and get it!’… he’ll be out of prison soon incidentally.

But, I’ve come to the realisation recently that it’s not going to happen for me. I did get an interview. It didn’t go great, my back hair got tangled in the bra strap and…well I don’t really want to talk about it.

I guess the world isn’t quite ready for a short, balding 45 year old man modelling womens underwear yet. My day will come.

10

Saturday 10th April

Deadlift

w/u 135 lbs x 10
65% x 5 - 192.5 lbs x 5 reps
75% x 5 - 222.2 lbs x 5 reps
85% x 5+ - 253 lbs x 8 reps (left 2 or 3 reps in the tank)

Pulldowns (because I can’t do enough chins)
110 lbs x 10/10/10/10/7

EZ curls
66 lbs x 5 sets of 8

I’m going to introduce some sort of horizontal pulling movement eventually (BOR or Pendlays) once I know my lower back is coping with the workload.

So I’ve completed my first week on 5/3/1 and have a few questions…

1 If I listen to disco music say, while lifting instead of thrash metal, will the program still work?

2 Obviously i’m doing all my squat sets in the rack in a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, is it Ok to take the hood down during rest intervals?

3 Do I have to buy a Harley specifically, or can it be any motorbike? and

4 I’m growing the compulsory goatee style 5/3/1 beard ( I’m wearing the stick on one that comes with the e-book until mine grows) but I’m concerned that if I finish with 5/3/1 and shave it off will my strength gains quickly disappear like they did when I finished Smolov and stopped drinking vodka all day and queuing for potatoes?

11

As a 5/3/1 devotee I am delighted to help answer your questions.

  1. Absolutely not, any deviation from the thrash/heavy/black/death metal genres will result in your immediate expulsion from the club and cause your 5/3/1 ebook to delete itself after downloading ABBA’s greatest hits and playing it on endless loop on all of your electronic devices.

  2. It can be replaced with a tee shirt but only a officially approved elitefts tee shirt. Any hoodie worn, however, must be worn with the hood up at all times. Failure to do so can result in loss of gains.

  3. Absolutely not, but you will not acquire the exotic dancer that comes with you 500lb squat without unlocking the Harley achievement.

  4. Shaving is forbidden by The Wendler and no deviation is acceptable.

12

[quote]JoeGood wrote:
As a 5/3/1 devotee I am delighted to help answer your questions.

  1. Absolutely not, any deviation from the thrash/heavy/black/death metal genres will result in your immediate expulsion from the club and cause your 5/3/1 ebook to delete itself after downloading ABBA’s greatest hits and playing it on endless loop on all of your electronic devices.

  2. It can be replaced with a tee shirt but only a officially approved elitefts tee shirt. Any hoodie worn, however, must be worn with the hood up at all times. Failure to do so can result in loss of gains.

  3. Absolutely not, but you will not acquire the exotic dancer that comes with you 500lb squat without unlocking the Harley achievement.

  4. Shaving is forbidden by The Wendler and no deviation is acceptable.[/quote]

Ha ha! Nice answers Joe. It’s good to have someone on the inside.

13

Monday 20th April

5/3/1 Week 2

Squat

w/u 132 lbs x 10
70% x 3 - 181.5 lbs x 3
80% x 3 - 209 lbs x 3
90% x 3+ - 231 lbs x 6 (I know I’m not supposed to be doing the amrap, but hey)

Squat assistance

Squats @ 50%
143 lbs x 5 sets of 10

Natural GHR
5 sets of 8

Last time I did the assistance squats at 50% of 90% of my max and I wasn’t sure if that was right, so I put it up to 50% of my 1rm tonight. Still feels fairly light either way.

GPP - Two hours of rotovating the veg garden so my wife can plant the 100 pumpkin and squash plants she’s grown. God knows what we’re going to do with them all. Not really exercise I know, but it bounces around a bit and you have to grip it, so think of it as a giant shake weight with a Honda engine.

14

Ha! I love your poem. I feel the same way about back squat.

And “rotovating” is a new word for me.

I’ve always done 50% of the 90%.

15

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:

[quote]emskee wrote:
With such a witty, amusing log title, you are destined for success.

"I’ve never been stronger than when I regularly logged here, which is why I’m back, to be inspired and embarrassed by the numbers the people on here are putting up. "

Same here.

To you…[/quote]

Hey emskee, you can add yourself to that group now too.

You need a better avi, I can’t quite make you out, there’s some big, scary looking dude in the way! I must know, did you buy that darling red polka-dot pillow in the end? It’s to die for!
[/quote]

That’s Winnie the Pooh!!!

And yes I did buy it.

16

ABBA’s greatest hits are some of my favorite tunes; dead serious.

Good to see you back FB, especially now that you’re almost down to my weight. And, 5’ 8" is not short damnit.

p.s. if your poem is not gonna rhyme, you gots to use all small caps, that’s how we know it’s intentional w/o you having to explain, capiche?

17

to stack on what PG is saying
you have to get the line break situation down too.

rhymes are not needed
you can rock it
like a haiku

solid squatting.

as for your 531 questions

I think its ok to not wear your hood on the rest periods
I mean you are training in a shed - not in public so its cool

18

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Ha! I love your poem. I feel the same way about back squat.

And “rotovating” is a new word for me.

I’ve always done 50% of the 90%. [/quote]

KP - Rotovating is digging/turning over the ground with a rotovator/cultivator, sometimes called a walking tractor. On reflection I thought the poem was a bit twattish so I deleted it.

19

[quote]punnyguy wrote:
ABBA’s greatest hits are some of my favorite tunes; dead serious.
[/quote]

I have a friend who is a sound engineer (he’s currently touring with Faithless) and he says production wise, Abba songs are faultless and some of the most finely crafted songs you could find.

[quote]punnyguy wrote:
p.s. if your poem is not gonna rhyme, you gots to use all small caps, that’s how we know it’s intentional w/o you having to explain, capiche?[/quote]

Thanks for the poetry advice. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m more of a limerick man really,

There was a young woman from Ealing,
who had a peculiar feeling,
she laid on her back…

you get the picture.

20

[quote]brotardscience wrote:

solid squatting.

[/quote]

Thanks for saying so, but we both know it’s not true :slight_smile:

I’m determined to get back there though.