25 minutes on the tread, 1.0 incline @ 3.5
I started a low carb sort of reset Monday for two reasons. First because I generally feel better once I pass the first couple of days on a low carb diet, and secondly because my sinuses damn near exploded over the weekend and low carb reduces my sinus issues. Today is Wednesday and I am feeling the low carb detox drain somewhat. I also quit peanut butter this year. I got hooked on pb because it is a great relief from carb headaches, so now I’ll be going without that crutch.
OHP
5 X 65
5 X 75
3 X 85
2 X 2 85
3 X 85
5 X 75 with pauses at the top
Bench
5 x 165
5 x 185
3 x 195
3 x 205
5 x 195
5 x 185
Heavily assisted dips
3 x 5 assist reduced 20lbs each set. I’m working towards no assistance here, still a long way away, but it will be epic if I can rep dips like a boss.
Funny gym guy–this guy came in, slapped 225 on the squat bar and did multiple sets with no warm up. Impressive, but the squats here about halfway to parallel and he squat-morninged every rep. His back must be really strong but his legs are skinny as hell.
25 minutes on the tread, 1.0 incline @ 3.6
Paused Squats (about 10 second hold on the bottom)
5 x 3 135
Squat Partials (about 1/2 depth)
4 x 3 185
Single lead squats (on the smith)
3 x 135
I am recovering my squat! I might have to change this thread to “How The Kraken got his Squat Back.” I felt confident with the partials at 185, in fact they felt surprisingly light. It has been a long time since I had any weight without support on my back. The walk out, stance set and reps felt good. In hindsight, I wish I just kept working up the weight for full ROM to 185, but I am psyched anyways. I am sort of following T3hPwnisher’s advice to work the partials.
The single legs were pretty awful. I wqs everyone’s Funny Gym Guy today. I realized, with a pretty and young audience, that I didn’t actually know how to do these. I did two sets with one foot on a bench behind me. I’ll have to find a better method, but one leg is definitely weaker.
20 minutes on the tread, 3.0 incline 3.8 mph
DL–still all conventional
5 x 185
5 x 225
3 x 255
3 x 2 x 275 I want to god damn deadlift er’thing! 275 felt light, but I wanted to continue to enforce some restraint here. It was hard not to go for a PR here
Cable rows
8 x 140
8 x 160
2 x 5 180
I’m still working by feel here. I have been looing at the Cube Method because I like the application of a heavy and rep day waves, but I’d rather stay with 3 day schedules, it just works better for me.
I blew up my low carb plan with Easter, but weighed in 3 pound heavy Friday, then after eating everything in site Saturday/Sunday, back to normal range. I am wondering if I should just stick to lower carb, but not strict like I had been doing for the past couple of months. General no breakfast, a low carb lunch, and rice and beans + some meat or eggs (backyard chicken eggs) for dinner. I seemed to be loosing a steady 2-3 lbs per month. I just wanted a weight-loss boost to go into spring. I am 15 lbs from my short term goal…and I want it!
22.5 minutes on the tread, 3.5 incline, 3.8 mph
Bench
5 x 185
3 x 195
1 + 2 225
3 x 195
5 x 285
OHP–on the Hammer Strength
5 x 95
5 x 115
5 x 125
5 x 135
5 x 125
5 x 115 I count the apparatus as 45lbs, just like a bar. I know it is not the same, but it makes it easier to tabulate than anything else. This felt good. I’m usually a little limited volume-wise because of shoulder aches.
20 minutes on the tread, 3.6 mph no incline–I had to use the tread I inexplicitly don’t like
Squats
paused at the bottom
3 x 5 135
3 x 3 155
Smith
5 x 185
5 x 225
3 x 275
3 x 315
1 x 335
3 x 275
5 x 225
frick’n abs
3 x one rep from failure cuase I can’t count over 5 8-15ish, 100-140lbs cable crunches
20 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline @ 3.7
DL
5 x 185
3 x 225
3 x 255
1 x 2 295
2 x 1 315 + 1 attempt-gassed barley broke the ground
Abs, cable crunches
higher reps, 100lbs
22.5 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline 3.8/9 mph
OHP
2 X 5 65
5 X 75
5 X 85
2 X 3 X 95
5 X 85
5 X 75 This group toasted my shoulders, but no pain other than muscular. I usually bench on Wednesdays too, but I over did the volume here
Cable flys
3 x 7 x 25lbs/side
Tri pushdowns
8 x 130
5 x 160
5 x 190
7 minutes on the tread, feet hurt due to different shoes
Power cleans
2 x 5 x bar
5 x 65
5 x 85
DL
5 x 5 x 225
Rack pulls
3 x 315
3 x 335
3 x 355
Cable rows
7 x 140
6 x 180
25 minutes on the tread, 1,0 incline, 3.8/3.9 mph
Bench
5 x 185
2 x 3 x 225
1 x 245
3 x 225
5 x 185
OHP (Hammer Strength)
5 x 95
5 x 115
5 x 135
3 x 155 I’m digg’n this addition to my training. I’m able to move more weight safer and my whole shoulder heads are sore the days after. I’d like cannon-ball shoulders
20 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline, 3.9-4.0 mph
Paused squats
95 x 5
115 x5
135 x 5 x 1
Partial squats at 7 on the rack
5 x 165
5 x 185
5 x 205
5 x 225
5 x 5 x 255 these were great. I started at the bottom, so I was able to be aligned (no left favoring) and was able to pump these out like I had a monolift and a team of spotters. Also, the time under the smith machine (thank Odin) was not wasted. 255 felt light. I’ll drop another pin next week, which would put my leg angle at +15 or 20 degrees from paralell.
GM’s
5 x 5 x 135 short pause on the bottom.
Hypers
3 x 5ish, all paused on top, muthafukha.
Note: I noticed my right lumbar and glute were basically not “firing.” Focusing on ensuring that they were made a big stability difference.
Facebookie sort of post–I changed the name of the log because I am far from following 531 now. I have kept a 3 day split, Monday, DL, Wednesday, Bench and OHP, Friday Squats. I trying am alternate intensity and volume. In theory, I’d have a heavy or intense DL, followed by a volume press day and a medium squat day, but I am also “listening to my body” so if I feel I can handle or need more, I do it.
I took the 531 rep principal and expanded it for more volume to 5 3 1+,1+ 3 5. These semi-drop sets get me more volume at higher weights but as my capacity lowers so do the weights. This was something I liked and learned from Sheiko. Sometimes the last 5 set feels as heavy or requires as much effort as the 1+ set. I get more time under tension, then I can focus assistance work on assisting the lifts. I have been alternating this with 5x5ish days, or volume at lower intensity. I am still working out the kinks, but I like it so far. I get the intensity and volume I am looking for, but still enough room for assistance and conditioning. Conditioning in my case is steady cardio for weight loss and some 10+ sets of compound movements like squats.
Squats are a whole other issue. I have had a major struggle with squatting. About a year ago I started feeling very uncomfortable under the bar. I felt like I was going to dump it backwards and tear my shoulders to hell. Then, having somewhat gotten over that, I felt a pop in my lower back like something let go. For a moment I thought I really hurt myself, but other than being stiff/sore, I was ok. When I tried to get back under the bar (after some time) the same “OMG I’m going to drop it” panic came back. Working on partials recently have helped. I am able to set-up and not walk out and rebuild confidence. Also, squatting on the smith helped me retain or maybe build general strength in the movement. I have done a lot of back and abs work to stabilize the core. My legs and back/core feel like I have the drive for 400lb+ but not the ability to control the weight.
20 minutes on the tread, 1.0 incline, 4.0 ,mph
Paused squat
3x5 @ 135
Squat
5 x 175
5 x 205
I tried to move on to partials @ 245, but with the pins set just above parallel trying to start from the bottom was not happening
2 x 8 x 135
Goodmuthafuck’nmornings
2 x 5 95
5 x 115
5 x 125
Cable rows
8 x 120
6 x 160
5 x 180
Heavily assisted dips
3 x 5-damned near failing
I had not been to the gym all week before today, Friday. I started a contract, work from home position. Quite frankly. by Wednesday I was depressed. My contact and trainer doesn’t seem to know his ass from his elbow and the minimal promises he made are already falling apart.
20 forced minutes on the tread I don’t like, 2.0 incline, 3.5 mph–I walked for hours yesterday at a huge antique fest…looking for cool manly Viking and sharp things, not the perfect tea and crumpet stand
DL
5 x 205
5 x 240
5 x 275
rack pulls–right at the knees
3 x 315
3 x 345
3 x 365
cable rows
2 x 8 x 140
20 minutes on the tread, 1.0 incline, 3.9-4.0 mph Normally I try to max this session out, but my wife is on vacation and we have been walking 2+ hours everyday doing touristy stuff
Let’s presssah!
OHP
5 x 75
5 x 90
3 x 100 IDK what happened here, just sort of lost the groove
5 x 90
5 x 75
Bench
Freemotion cable press, similar to db pressing
5 x 70
5 x 90
5 x 110
5 x 90
5 x 70
Heavily assisted dips
10 x -160
7 x -150
7ish x -140
Abs
cable 3 sets 100-120
15 minutes on the tread, 1.0 incline, 4.0 mph
Squat
3 x 5 x 135 paused–really a warm up, but I was having trouble finding my groove
Partial Squats from the pins
5 x 225
5 x 245
5 x 275
5 x 245
5 + 4 x 225 I felt strong through these sets, but a little “off” in general. I chalk it up to a week with the wife, mediocre diet, distractions, etc.
Front squats
2 x 3 x 135
3 x 155 Proving once again I don’t know how to front squat
Single leg presses
10 x 135
10 x 225
10 x 275
Hypers
3 x 10 bodyweight
20 minutes on the tread, 1.0 incline, 3.8 mph
DL
3 x 225
3 x 255
3 + 3 x 285 all double overhand. One of those perfect sessions, I felt like I could have cleaned and pressed this
DL partials
1 x 315 nearly a grip failure DOH
3 x 315 mixed grip
2 x 365
0 x 385 not sure if I hit my work capacity or 1rm here but I was officially gassed
People who don’t rack and unload their weights should be drawn and quartered, especially when their highest set was 135lbs.
22 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline, 3.8 mph
Paused Smith machine squats
5 x 185
3 x 3 x 225 my intension was to do light free standing paused squats but both racks were occupied–I realized by one douche who doesn’t know how to rack his weights
OHP
3 X 85
3 X 95
3 X 105 Just barely. I realize I couldn’t remember the last time I did near maximal OHPing
Bench
3 x 185
3 x 205
3 x 235
Hammer Strength seated OHP
8 x 135
5 x 155
4 x 165
20 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline 3.8 mph–totally not into this
Paused Squats
2 x 5 135
3 x 3 x 155
Partials set at 7, one lower than last week, this time I actually took note of where it was
5 x 185
5 x 225
2 x 3 265
Good mornings paused at the bottom
3 x 5 135
15 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline, 3.6 mph
DL
5 x 240
3 x 275
2 x 1 x 305 needed to plug in Origin’s “what color is your blood?” to get this off the floor
Cable rows
8 x 120
6 x 160
4 x 180
Felt drained all workout. I tried to mow the lawn friday after squats. The mower died which set off a busy weekend so I feel like I never recovered.
20 minutes on the tread, 2.0 incline, 3.7 mph. Low energy, had to push through the bare minimum.
OHP
5 x 90
3 x 105
2 x 1 x 115
Bench
Freemotion machine, independent cables
5 x 90
3 x 110
1 + 2 x 120
Hammer strength OHP
3 x 8 x 115, 135
Curls and tri pushdowns
No energy this week. I’m not sure if it is weather related, diet, or what. My diet has been very moderate, sensible carbs and protein with backloading post workout. On second thought, the past couple of days have been very carb heavy. I had a pasta dish Tuesday for lunch and burritos for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll get back on track. I found some high glycemic carbs keep soreness to a minimum. I’ve steadily loosing 1lb/mo with some fluctuations, but my base weight consistantly reflects that. I’m down 20lbs from January, but still generally getting stronger. I have some work, or lack of work related stress but that stress level doesn’t feel any higher than normal.