Log - Fri., 2/26/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 11

power clean, 165 - 3x3
squat - 5/3/1
 - 180x5
 - 205x3
 - 230x6 (276 - PR)
partial squat, 275, 315, 355
lunges, 30s - 3x12
leg curl, 60 - 3x12
calf raise, 75 - 3x12

Comments:

The squat form was already much better, but it's still a battle to maintain back angle.  I think that's going to be my fight for awhile with it, but the improvement was already noticeable today.  The 355 partial was the most weight I'd had on my back since high school.  It felt good, but was challenging for my back.  I lifted it easily (again, it was a partial).

Due to a combination of work schedule and the hours at my new gym (only downside I've fond to the place so far - no evening hours on the weekends), I may have to do bench on Monday and then deload the rest of the week. I'd love to bench today, but I just don't see how to make that happen.

Log - Tues., 2/23/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 10

press - 5/3/1
 - 110x5
 - 125x3
 - 140x5 (163)
chinup, BW - 5x2
lateral raise - 25x10, 20x10, 20x10
lat pulldown, 100 - 3x13
tri ext, 20s - 3x13
DB curl, 25s - 3x12

Comment:

A sixth rep on the press would have been a PR.  I got it over my head by an inch or two, but there it stayed ... for about five seconds.  And it wouldn't move.

Log - Mon., 2/22/10

Weight:  225.8 lbs.

Workout:

5/3/1 Cycle 2, Day 9

power clean, 165 - 3x3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 265x5
 - 300x3 (no straps, PR)
 - 335x11 (458 - PR)
leg press, 180* - 3x12
leg curl, 60 - 3x12
leg extension**, 60 - 3x12
calf raise, 75 - 3x12

* I have no idea what the sled itself weighs, so I'm just listing the amount of weight I added over and above the sled.

** I felt a bit of knee pain with this.  The trainer recommended them to me, and I said I'd try them, but this is the second time I've felt a little twinge while doing them.  With everything else, I'm sure I'm getting enough quad work, so I'll probably drop these.

Comments:

That last let set of deadlifts was brutal, full of thoughts like "six reps is great, see if you can get just one more" and "I think I can get a ninth without throwing up."  Damn, but it felt good to get that PR.

Log - Fri., 2/19/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 8

bench - 5/3/1
 - 175x3
 - 200x3
 - 225x9 (292)
row, 175 - 3x5
DB bench, 55s - 3x12
LCSR, 110 - 3x12
tri. ext., 20s - 3x12
DB curl, 25s - 3x12

Comments:

No PRs this week, which is disappointing, although I was happy with my deadlifting and bench.  In retrospect, I realize that all of last week - when I set four PRs - I was hungry before getting ready for the gym, so I had a shake before lifting.  I didn't do that this week.  I think I'll get back to doing that.

The cardio thing is frustrating me.  I'm enjoying lifting a lot right now, but am despising running on the treadmill.  This is particularly true because I'm feeling crunched for time when I do that.  I think I'm going to stop worrying about getting in three miles every leg day - it's so mindnumbing that I won't even step on the treadmill with that goal - and just focus on doing at least a mile every leg day.  If I feel good, I'll talk myself into going another half or full mile - who knows?  But I need to keep doing something until the weather is nicer and I can get back to what I love, running outside.

Log - Thurs., 2/18/10

Workout:

squat - 5/3/1
 - 170x3
 - 195x3
 - 220x5* (257)
partial squat - 255, 285, 315
leg press, 3x10
leg curl, 3x10
leg extension, 3x10

Comments:

I trained with Art for the first time today, with the goal of fixing my squat.  It turns out that I don't have as much to fix as I thought.  He was quite happy with form through warmups, and even my early sets looked pretty good to him.  However, as I did my last set, I was really starting to lean forward a bit too much.  Through a lot of yelling - the right kind - I forced me to keep my head up more and my shoulders back, which kept my form better.  However, I tweaked my knee on the third rep at 220 - my own damn fault, I let it slide a bit inside - so I stopped after 5 reps.  He then had me do some partials to get me more comfortable with more weight on my back - and even 315 was easy for those, even on a sore (hurt, not injured) knee. 

We can't work together next week, but probably will for a few weeks after that.  He's going to put together a 5/3/1 squat day for me to target some of my weaknesses.  I think I'm really going to like this.

Log - Thurs., 2/11/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 3

power clean, 165 - 3x3
squat - 5/3/1
 - 160x5
 - 180x5
 - 205x10 (273 - PR*)
lunge, 30s - 3x12
standing calf raise, 75 - 3x12

Food:

I'm sick.  No logging when I'm sick.  I just eat what my body will stomach.  Soup, mostly.

Comments:

For taking squat PRs, I'm discounting my 185x16 set, because a calculated 1RM from that set is meaningless.  So, I'm calling this a PR based off of the best recorded 1RM I have with a reasonable number of reps.  This was hard, but felt good.

Log - Wed., 2/17/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 6

press - 5/3/1
 - 105x3
 - 120x3
 - 135x5 (157)
chinup, BW - 3, 3, 2, 2, 2
lateral raise, 15s - 3x10
wide lat pulldown, 100 - 3x12

heavy bag

2 rounds

Comments:

Today is Ash Wednesday, so I barely ate.  It showed.

Log - Tues., 2/16/10

Note:  My wife was sick yesterday so I stayed home to take care of everyone.  My days will be a bit off as a result, but I should still be able to get in all four.

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 5

cleans, 170 - 1, 0; 165 - 3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 245x3
 - 280x3
 - 315x11 (430)
aGHR, BW - 3x5 (a=assisted with a pushoff from the bars)
standing calf raise, 75 - 3x12

Comments:

No time to run tonight.  I was hoping to be able to do more of the GHRs, but I really needed a huge pushoff - my hams must not be very strong, at all.  I'll probably sub in leg curls instead until I can build some more strength.

Log - Fri., 2/12/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 4

bench - 5/3/1
 - 160x5
 - 185x5
 - 210x12 (294 - PR!)
BB row, 170 - 3x5
DB press, 55s - 3x12
CSR, 100 - 3x12
tri. ext., 25s - 12, 10, 7
DB curl, 25x - 3x12

Comments:

Four days in the gym this week, four personal records.  It also amounts to a calculated total of 1,017, first time I've ever broken 1,000 lbs. in a calculated total like that.  It feels pretty good, particularly making such progress on my squat and bench.  Quite happy.

Log - Tues., 2/9/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 2

press - 5/3/1
 - 95x5
 - 110x5
 - 125x10 (167 - PR)
pullup, BW - 5x2
shoulder triad, 15s - 3x5
chinup, 150 - 5, 5 - 120 - 10

Heavy bag

2x3:00 rounds

Food:

B - A/D/A/B

Comments:

Lifting was good today.  The pullups got harder as the only place I could use (due to a class in the room with the big pullup bar) had fixed handles.  That forced me wider than usual, which might be good, but was also quite a bit more difficult.  The lightest dumbbells in the main room were 15s, so I used those for shoulder triads.  I think I should get the small 10s from the other room to grab some higher reps - 3x5 doesn't seem right for that exercise.

Log - Mon., 2/8/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 1

power clean, 160 - 3x3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 230x5
 - 265x5
 - 300x15 (450 - PR)
hanging leg raise, BW - 3x8

Running

20:00, 6.0 mph, 1.0 incline

Comments:

It always - always - feels good to come off a deload week!

Log - Fri., 2/5/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 1, Days 15 & 16

power clean, 155 - 3x3
squat - 5/3/1
 - 95x5
 - 115x5
 - 140x5
bench - 5/3/1
 - 100x5
 - 120x5
 - 145x5
row, 165 - 3x5

heavy bag work - about 10 minutes

Comments:

Another good session at the new gym.  They have a really nice bench for benching!  My squats also felt great.  I'm feeling the bar shift (not while squatting, but as I naturally get set up) closer to a low bar position.  No complaints if that's where I end up.  Either way, balance and hip drive felt good.  I also got some heavy bag gloves and starting breaking them in last night.  I really need to learn what I'm doing - and I will - but I can already tell that I'm going to enjoy it.

Log - Wed., 2/3/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 1, Days 13 & 14

power clean, 155 - 3x3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 140x5
 - 170x5
 - 205x5
press - 5/3/1
 - 60x5
 - 70x5
 - 85x5
pullups, BW - 5x2

Comments:

Tried out a new gym tonight.  I'm in love.

Log - Mon., 2/1/10

Workout:

running:

6.0 mph at 1 degree incline for the length of one Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.

Comments:

My gym is getting more and more crowded, and with one squat rack, that is starting to cause problems.  Yesterday, there was quite a line to use it, so I skipped lifting and hit the treadmill.  It actually felt pretty good.