Journal - Thurs., 6/30/11

Sleep:  6 hours.

BW:  224.8 lbs.  That's not good weight.  I've really fallen off the wagon.

Workout:

(morning)

press, 117.5 x 5, 5, 11

chin-up, BW x 6, 6

deadlift, 340 x 10

neck harness, 15 x 25, 25, 25, 25

Comments:

I'm still adjusting to the AMRAP sets, I think.  At the time, I couldn't get another rep on the deadlift, but was recovered sufficiently quickly that I could have banged out a few more.  I expect that number to go up a little bit, even as the weight increases.  

Journal - Tues., 6/28/11

Sleep:  5.5 hours.

Workout:

(early evening)

tempo run, :30/:30 x 5 x 2

Comments:

I would have done at least a third set if one of the kids hadn't had a potty emergency in the middle of the workout.

Journal - Mon., 6/27/11

Sleep:  5.5 hours.

Workout:

(early evening)

bench, 185 x 5, 5, 15

DB curl, 30 x 15, 15

squat, 190 x 5, 5, 15

Comments:

I was at my wife's gym, so I didn't have a neck harness available.  Otherwise, I was quite happy with the lifts.  I might have gotten more on both big lifts had I had either a good spotter (bench) or a power rack (squat), but either way, I'm more than happy with the effort.

Journal - Sun., 6/26/11

Sleep:  8 hours, in theory only.

Workout:

(late morning)

3.5 mile run, very easy pace, after a 2.5-hour trip to the Zoo.

Journal - Sat., 6/25/11

Sleep:  7 hours.

BW:  223.8 lbs.  I've eaten terribly and not bee in the gym most of this week, so I'm surprised the weight isn't worse.  I feel quite sloppy, however.

Workout:

(morning)

press, 115 x 5, 5, 11

chin-up, BW x 6, 6

squat, 185 x 5, 5, 13

neck harness, 10 x 25 x 4

Comments:

I've decided to switch over to the Greyskull LP for awhile.  I want to stay on a linear progression, which this is.  But I also have felt as if I've gotten a lot from the AMRAP sets in 5/3/1.  This program combines both elements.  So, we'll see what happens.  The neck harness will take a little getting used to.

Journal - Mon., 6/20/11

Sleep:  6 hours, solid.  I've got a few good nights of good sleep.

Workout:

(morning)

squat, 215x5x3

bench, 215x5x3

deadlift, 395x2

Comments:

My elbows isn't too bad, but still gave me a little trouble.  My deadlift was simply weak, which I don't understand.

I'm feeling beat up, particularly on the squat-bench-deadlift days.  I'm also feeling bored.  I've done this program so many times in the past, and really feel as I'm in a rut.  I don't want to give up on the linear progression, but I also want some of the extra juice I got from chasing "one more rep" on 5/3/1.  So, I'm thinking of starting the Greyskull LP.  It wouldn't be big changes, but the last set would go to AMRAP, and I would squat a little less and not before deadlifting.  I also like messing with the exercise order, just to do something different.

The next two weeks will be sporadic due to my wife's travels and then the holiday schedule around the Fourth.  But once that's over, I may very well give the Greyskull LP a run and see what happens.

Journal - Sat., 6/18/11

Sleep:  8+ hours.  Awesome.

Workout:

(morning)

squat, 205, 3x5

press, 135, 3x5

power clean, 135, 5x3

pull-up, BW, 5x3

EZ curl, 75, 12, 12, 10

plank, 1:25

Comments:

Finally back to some real weight.  The squat wasn't that hard, and my elbows didn't hurt at all until I got to the curls, and then only barely.  Psyched.

Journal - Wed., 6/8/11

Sleep:  6 hours, very broken.

Workout:

(evening)

squat, 135, 3x10

press, 95, 3x8

power snatch, 95, 3x2

pulldown, 100, 3x10

EZ curl, 50, 3x10

plank, 3x1:00

Comments:

I decided to take a deload and give my elbow and quad a chance to heal.  I wore my Vibrams instead of the squat shoes.  With a high-bar squat, I'll be damned if that didn't feel better.  It's sure going to get me thinking.

Journal - Mon., 6/6/11

Sleep:  4 hours, poor.  The kids had a rough night.

Workout:

(afternoon)

box squat, 225, 3x5

bench, 240, 5, 3, 2

deadlift, 395, 5

pull-up, BW, 3x4

EZ curl, 75, 12, 12, 6

Comments:

The high-bar squats felt a little better today, and all reps were pretty clean.  I'm still coming forward slightly at the bottom, but not nearly like I was.  Bench was better than last time, but still not there after the first set.  My elbow is acting up, but I don't think that is affecting much - I think I may need a reset.  I'll still give 240 one more go before doing that, though.  On deadlift, my form was much better, and I used 100-lb. plates for the first time.  Others are right - they feel lighter since they're more solid and centered than a couple of separate plates.

Journal - Fri., 6/3/11

Sleep:  5 hours, but decent.

Workout:

(morning)

box squat, 225, 3x5*
press, 135, 3x5
power clean, 135, 5x3**
pull-up, BW, 3x4
EZ curl, 75, 3x10

* These will be done high-bar until further notice.

Comments:

The high-bar back squats were screwed up, but mostly due to the change in back angle - I was leaning too far forward, but nevertheless, kept the weight on my heels pretty well.  With the high-bar position and the elbow sleeves, I did not experience any further aggravation of my elbow.

The power cleans were weird.  165 wouldn't quite rack, and I'm not sure why.  So I went down to 135 to focus on form, which resulted in some of the most powerful cleans I've done.  Who knows what was going on.

Journal - Thurs., 6/2/11

Sleep:  Hard to say.  It wasn't much.

BW:  221.4 lbs.  Better.

Workout:

(evening)

:30/:30 tempo run, 2x5

Comments:

Since this was my first time trying this workout, I kept it easy, probably a tad slower than necessary, and only two sets.  But it felt great.  So, I think I'm going to make this a regular thing.

Journal - Wed., 6/1/11

Sleep:  6 hours.

BW:  225.0 lbs.  This was taken at a poor time, just after dinner and before a late workout, but still, that's sloppy.  I feel sloppy and bloated.  And weak.  And it shows.

Workout:

(evening)

box squat, 225, 3x5

bench, 240, 3, 3, 1

Comments:

That bench was awful, so I just called the workout there.  My elbow continues to bother me, and I just felt weak all around.  I'm going to try to forget that ever happened, drink a ton of water, and eat right to get my body back to square.  That should fix it.