Log - Fri., 3/26/10

Workout:

5/3/1 Cycle 3, Day 4

bench - 5/3/1
 - 165x5
 - 190x5
 - 215x12 (301 - PR)
BB row, 185 - 3x5
push press, 135 - 6, 6, 5, 3
chinup, BW - 5x3
DB tri. ext., 30s - 4x6
DB curl, 35s - 4x6
lat. raise, 20s - 4x6

Comments:

Today was the first day I ever felt my form falling apart on the bench, so I'll have to watch that.  Still, I was able to lock out the last tough rep, which felt great.  The push press really fried my shoulders, however, particularly after a max effort bench.  I think I should either cut weight or volume there, and as I'm working on locking out high weights, I think cutting volume will be the way to go there.  I'll be asking for input - either here or in the training forum - but my gut tells me to go 4x3 or so.  Otherwise, today felt great.

Log - Thurs., 3/25/10

Weight:  223.8 lbs. after workout.

Workout:

5/3/1 Cycle 3, Day 3

power clean, 135 - 3x3
squat - 5/3/1
 - 165x5
 - 190x5
 - 215x9 (279 - PR)
partial squat - 265, 295, 325
single leg curl, 70 - 4x6
calf raise, 155 - 4x6

Comments:

This was my first squat session with the belt, and it is definitely going to take some getting used to.  It definitely makes me more conscious of my abs, but I always thought my support there was pretty good.  I do feel as if I've lost some flexibility, though, and depth.  I checked a bodyweight squat in the mirror, though, and my depth looked to be below parallel.  Still, my technique felt a bit ugly all day, but it got the job done.

I'm learning something interesting with the single leg curls - my left hamstring is quite a bit stronger than the right.  I hope that this will help.

Log - Wed., 3/24/10

Workout:

running

I ran about 3.5 miles in the early morning in 33:40.  It felt terrific to be out and moving before most people's day had started. 

Log - Tues., 3/23/10

Workout:

5/3/1 Cycle 3, Day 2

press - 5/3/1
 - 100x5
 - 115x5
 - 130x8 (165)
chinup, BW - 5x3
DB fly, 45s - 4x6
CSR, 150 - 4x6
triceps pushdown, 70 - 4x6
BB curl, 85 - 3x6, 1x4
lateral raise, 20s - 4x6

Comments:

My press felt better today, although I was still one rep short of a PR.  I'm sticking right about my forehead, so I thinkt that the push presses should help.  I had to make an adjustment on the weight for the lateral raise, and will likely have to do the same for the curl, as I'm more fatigued at the end of this workout than expected.  But that's okay - it's a good kind of fatigued.

Log - Mon., 3/22/10

Workout:

5/3/1 Cycle 1, Day 1

power clean, 135 - 3x3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 235x5
 - 270x5
 - 310x11 (424)
lunge, 45s - 4x6
single leg curl - 50x2x6, 70x2x6
calf raise - 125x6, 135x6, 145x6, 155x6

running

1 mile, 6.0 pace, 1.0 incline

Comments:

I'm experimenting this week with lifting in the morning.  This will be a challenge as far as getting my CNS warmed up, I think.  I felt fine by the time I got to my final set on the deadlift, and I don't think I could have pulled another rep, but within a few minutes, I realized I didn't feel as spent as I usually do after that set.  I need to figure something out, because that performance was pathetic.

Getting in a short, quick run after the session felt great, though.

Log - Thurs., 3/18/10

Workout:

running

quick 2-mile run through the neighborhood.

Update

Work has been crazy, including working at night after the kids are in bed.  So, no lifting yet this week, and maybe none at all.  I may just start this 5/3/1 cycle over next Monday.

Log - Sat., 3/13/10

Workout:

5/3/1 Cycle 3, Day 4

bench - 5/3/1
 - 165x5
 - 190x5
 - 215x11 (294 - tied PR)
BB row, 185 - 3x5
push press, 135 - 3x5
chins, BW - 3, 3, 3, 3, 2
tri pushdown - 60x6, 70x6, 70x6, 70x6
BB curl, 85 - 4x6

Log - Thurs., 3/11/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 3, Day 3

power clean, 135 - 3x3
squat - 5/3/1
 - 165x5
 - 190x5
 - 215x5* (251)
partial squat (pins at parallel) - 225x1, 255x1, 275x1, 305x1
squat - 135x25

Comments:

I worked with Art again tonight.  He thinks my depth is great, even under heavy loads.  All of my form issues that he can see come from a sticking point I have at right about parallel.  For some reason, I'm a bit weak there, and that causes me to want to GM past that point.  In other words, I don't quite GM out of the hole, but squat up properly a few inches, and then transition to a butt-up/GM.  Once he was sure of this, he stopped my last work set at the prescribed reps.  He knew - and I know - I could have gotten more, maybe even a PR of 9, but he wants to take my extra energy and address the weak point.  I like it.

He also thinks I do too many warm up sets, particular as I start with power cleans. 

By the way, he was right about that last set of 25.  At rep 10, I thought it would be a breeze.  I started calling him names at about rep 15.  My back was tired immediately from holding tight that long, but my legs felt great.  This morning, as I'm writing this, I'm thinking that having my quads removed might not be too drastic a surgery to perform myself with a spoon.

Can you tell I loved this?

Log - Wed., 3/10/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 3, Day 2

press - 5/3/1
 - 100x5
 - 115x5
 - 130x5 (152)
chins, BW - 3, 3, 3, 3, 2

cardio

heavy bag work

Comments:

I have no idea what happened to my press.  I've been looking forward to this workout for a week or more, as I've been working on modifying my grip (after rereading Starting Strength), and thought I was pressing off a much more powerful platform.  My warmups and early work sets felt fantastic.  The last set, immediately, felt very heavy.

I think that my grip was too wide on the last set, for one thing.  But I also wonder if I was just fried from the amount of work I've been doing at the office.  It's hard to say, because where my chins have been stuck at 5x2 for awhile, I got three reps on each of the first four sets, so I certainly had some energy left.

For now, I'm going to write this off as a bad day.  However, my press hasn't moved in awhile, so I'm also going to explore changing assistance work, etc., to help this lift move up.  I'd frankly be okay if my bench stalled for awhile - it's near 300 lbs, after all - if my press were moving.

Log - Mon., 3/8/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 3, Day 1

clean, 135 - 3x3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 235x5
 - 270x5
 - 310x15 (465 - PR)
lunges, 30s - 3x12
leg curl, 60 - 3x12
calf raise, 75 - 3x12

Comments:

I'm not sure how I got 15 reps on the deadlift.  Rep 6 felt heavy, but I just kept doing "one more."  The bar was coming off the ground easily, but toward the end, my legs would shake like crazy the last half of the lift.  This actually made the lifts even harder, because I won't count a rep I can't lock out, and getting still enough for a lockout took a bit longer.  I knelt on the ground for quite awhile afterward.  This must be what people talk about when they say their CNS is fried. 

I'm almost more proud of my lunges than of the deadlift, though.  After that deadlift, just making myself do the damn lunges was an accomplishment!

I think I'm going to move to single-leg curls.  I think one leg is cheating the other, and my squats and deads are much better when I do a lot of unilateral work.

Log - Sun., 3/7/10

Workout:

running

3.5 miles, outdoors, easy pace

Comments:

It was too beautiful of a day not to go for a run outside.  It felt terrific at the time, taking it slow and fairly easy, and having no trouble at all at the distance or with my feet.

Today (Monday), however, my calves in particular are quite sore, and my foot muscles are a bit, as well.  I could certainly run today if I wanted to, though, so I don't think it will take long to get me back in shape to do this.

Now I need to decide what to do the rest of the week.  This is going to be a crazy week at work.  I'd like to start Cycle 3 of 5/3/1, but may elect to put it off a week.  We will see.

Log - Fri., 3/5/10

This really isn't a workout entry, but more a reminder to myself.  I didn't make it to the gym tonight, and probably won't for the rest of the week.  This is the one downside of my new gym, with shorter hours on Friday and no early morning or late evening hours on the weekends.  It's a deload week, though, so I'm not terribly worried about it.  I"ll do some prisoner squats and pushups tonight, and get ready for Cycle 3 on Monday morning.

Log - Thurs., 3/4/10

Weight: 223.8 lbs.

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Days 13 & 14

power clean, 135 - 3x3
deadlift - 5/3/1
 - 140x5
 - 175x5
 - 210x5
press - 5/3/1
 - 60x5
 - 75x5
 - 90x5
chins, BW - 5x2

cardio

Heavy bag work

Log - Mon., 3/1/10

Workout:

5/3/1 - Cycle 2, Day 12

bench - 5/3/1
 - 185x5
 - 210x3
 - 235x7 (290)
BB row, 180 - 3x5

Comments:

That was it for today.  There was a kid who asked for some serious squat help, and I helped him a bit.  By then, it was a bit late - I have to work for a few hours yet tonight with trial only a few weeks away - so I called it a cycle.  I'll probably combine workouts and deload the rest of the week - maybe a lower day and then an upper day - and then get ready for cycle 3 next week.

That was one rep short on the bench, by the way.  I asked for a spot, and if I hadn't, I might have had it.  The guy kept his hands near the bar, in my line of vision.  It distracted me, and it also reminded me he was there - I had a safety net.  So I think I took a bit off my focus, and it was enough.