A Monkey with a Gun

[Keith]

I just finished reading Wendler's recently released 5-3-1. I'm a little hesitant to switch to it because the weight increases are so modest, but that might be a good thing for me. I always increase really aggressively and end up stalling and regressing. Hopefully I can have more sustained progress with a more conservative routine and end up stronger in the end. It's going to be hard to resist the temptation to push it so much because I can still make relatively quick progress for the next little while, but it's time for me to try something different.

I'll be starting the program up on the weekend or next Monday.

From what I've read about it from other places (not the book), it's all about taking it as a marathon, not a sprint. Also to stick to it for a very long time, not just 3-6 months. This way once you reach your current PR's, it will allow you to continue breaking them throughout the entire program. If you feel the numbers are too low and the jumps are modest, increase them. For people with our experience and strength, I don't think it will matter a whole lot. I don't think I'll be able to resist to push some heavy weight either but I don't think it'll completely ruin the program. I also don't think I'll be taking a de-load week unless I really feel like I need it.

[ZenMonkey]

Nice squatting man!! Like I said before, I think you are really gonna see some goodness come from a ruotine switch. How long were you on SS?

[Jorge Sanchez]

The 5/3/1 looks like fun. Next time I take a break from gear I may give it a shot as well.

Let me know if you decide to give it a go. I have some info that might be useful for you.


From what I've read about it from other places (not the book), it's all about taking it as a marathon, not a sprint. Also to stick to it for a very long time, not just 3-6 months. This way once you reach your current PR's, it will allow you to continue breaking them throughout the entire program. If you feel the numbers are too low and the jumps are modest, increase them. For people with our experience and strength, I don't think it will matter a whole lot. I don't think I'll be able to resist to push some heavy weight either but I don't think it'll completely ruin the program. I also don't think I'll be taking a de-load week unless I really feel like I need it.

That's basically what he says in the book - it's a marathon not a sprint, and I think that's where I've gone wrong in the past. I go at it so hard that I just can't sustain it. I think I'll probably skip out on at least every other deload, maybe more depending on how I feel. I'll likely also increase more than the 5-10lbs/month that he recommends in the book, at least for the first 2-3 months.


Nice squatting man!! Like I said before, I think you are really gonna see some goodness come from a ruotine switch. How long were you on SS?

Thanks, Zen. My hips felt really strong on that 315. I was following SS for about a year, with a couple of breaks thrown in for travel. I always planned to switch off sooner, but something would always throw off my training and then I'd be right back to square one.

[Keith]

That's basically what he says in the book - it's a marathon not a sprint, and I think that's where I've gone wrong in the past. I go at it so hard that I just can't sustain it. I think I'll probably skip out on at least every other deload, maybe more depending on how I feel. I'll likely also increase more than the 5-10lbs/month that he recommends in the book, at least for the first 2-3 months.

Yup!

That's where I went wrong. Westside got me a lot stronger quickly. But I was always going balls-out every session and it either lead to an injury or I simply couldn't increase anything anymore. This may be a bit boring but I'm sure it'll be fun because of the last work set. I'll probably be increasing a bit more than 5-10 lbs more for the first few cycles, too. Maybe 5 for the military press, but bench will probably be a 10 lb increase, and squats and deads, maybe 15-20 depending on how I feel. Let's give'r! Let me know what numbers you'll be using to start with.

[Keith]

A 5/3/1 Monkey with a RAW gun?

[Jorge Sanchez]

I think I'll probably be working with the same increases.

My starting numbers will probably look something like this:
S: 285
B: 220
D: 325
M: 130

[Jorge Sanchez]

A 5/3/1 Monkey with a RAW gun?

I don't know how you manage to make everything sounds so dirty.

[Keith]

SOB. You'll eat me, then. Oh well, we'll see what happens in the long run.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x5x2

OHP:
45x8
95x3
115x1
135x1
145x1

Pendlay rows:
135x5
175x5x2

Dips:
BWx8x2
BWx15

Hypers:
35x10

Notes: Decided to take it easy on the squats given the heavy singles on Sunday. Even then I had to call it a set early because my lower back was just fried. My shoulders felt the same way after the OHP.

I rode my bike to work for the first time this year. It was ****ing cold but it felt good. The good news is I'm not as out of shape as I thought and it gets me to work and home much quicker, especially on training days.

[Keith]

145 eh??? That's pretty damn good. That's standing, right? I assume you'll be using that number towards the routine?

You going to post your routine with your assistance work and modifications?

[View 1]

Nice OH press. Good luck on the 5/3/1 it seems like tons of people are getting great results off of it.

[borracho]

Glad to hear you're switching up routines..I'd like to but I think I will wait it out till I can squat normally again.

GL buddy..looking good!

[Sidior]

Tuesday was nice but still a bit chilly for biking, you sir are a king among men.

[Jorge Sanchez]

145 eh??? That's pretty damn good. That's standing, right? I assume you'll be using that number towards the routine?

You going to post your routine with your assistance work and modifications?

It was a strict overhead press. The only lift I do that isn't standing is the bench.

I might post the workout in the next day or two.


Nice OH press. Good luck on the 5/3/1 it seems like tons of people are getting great results off of it.

Thanks, Jefe.


Glad to hear you're switching up routines..I'd like to but I think I will wait it out till I can squat normally again.

GL buddy..looking good!

You'll be back at it soon, no doubt. Thanks, dude.


Tuesday was nice but still a bit chilly for biking, you sir are a king among men.

You think that was good? I rode my bike today, which was cold. Unless it's raining or snowing, I'm riding my bike from here on out.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
275x2

Front squat:
135x5
135x10
185x5

Bench:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x2
185x5x3

Pull ups:
BWx7
BWx5x2

Overhead decline situps:
12x10x2

Notes: Today was supposed to be a SS day, but I am really sick of that routine. I'm looking forward to the change. I forgot how much front squats really hit my abs. I'm going to work them into the new routine for sure. Took it easy on the bench because my shoulders were feeling a little beat up after the last warm up set. I finally managed to improve my pull ups a little bit. Only an extra two reps, but I'll take it - although it's probably just because I'm losing weight.

[ZenMonkey]

Awesome work man. Gotta love those fronts!

[Sidior]

A PR is a PR, you don't complain if you hit a squat PR because you gained weight?

Nice work dude!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Awesome work man. Gotta love those fronts!

Thanks, Zen. Fsquats are an awesome lift, no doubt about it.


A PR is a PR, you don't complain if you hit a squat PR because you gained weight?

Nice work dude!

Not a PR, but an increase in total reps. You're point is well taken, though. Thanks, dude.

[Jorge Sanchez]

~80m sprintsx6

5:58

Notes: I am slow. My legs felt so heavy. I was aiming to get 10, but I could tell that my legs would be incredibly sore after just six so I called it quits. I guess that's what I get for not running in months, maybe even a year. It's good to get back into it. My goal is to get up to 15 100m sprints - once the snow on the track near my house is melted I'll be able to better judge the distance. I don't want to set any time goals at this point, because I have no idea what is realistic for me.

I have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time walking tomorrow.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Todays the first day of 5-3-1. My routine will be the following:

OHP:
OHP 5/3/1
DB Press 3x10
Dips 3x8-10
Pull ups 5 sets
Skull crushers 2x10

Squat:
Back squat 5/3/1
Front squat 3x10
Bulgarian split squat 3x10
Abs 2x10

Bench:
Bench 5/3/1
DB Bench 3x10
DB Rows 3x10
Curls 2x10

Dead:
DL 5/3/1
SLDL 3x10
Single leg deadlift 3x10
Hypers 2x10

[Sidior]

Looks great! I really like how simple he seems to have kept things. Will you be throwing hill sprints in whenever you feel like it or in between certain days of the routine?

[Keith]

Looks good, bud. I noticed you added some exercises in for teh ARMZ. Your squat day looks just brutal. And a lot of pulling on your deadlift day. Only thing I'd maybe change is replacing single-leg deads with pull throughs. Assistance work IS all personal preference, though. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you.

[ZenMonkey]

That looks awesome Jorge, youre gonna make good gains on it.. Im sure.

How those leggies feeling after the sprints?

[Jorge Sanchez]

Looks great! I really like how simple he seems to have kept things. Will you be throwing hill sprints in whenever you feel like it or in between certain days of the routine?

I'm going to try to throw in some conditioning work 2-3 times a week. No set days, just whenever I feel like it/can fit it in. I'll probably try to throw some in after workouts most of the time because I can make it through them pretty quickly.


Looks good, bud. I noticed you added some exercises in for teh ARMZ. Your squat day looks just brutal. And a lot of pulling on your deadlift day. Only thing I'd maybe change is replacing single-leg deads with pull throughs. Assistance work IS all personal preference, though. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you.

Thanks, dude. I was thinking about going with the pull throughs, but I like to keep some unilateral leg work. My right leg is stronger and bigger than my left and I want to try to balance that out. The squat day won't be too bad because my assistance exercises will be done fairly light and quickly. I may change it up depending on how it goes, though.

And I gotta keep a little bit of arm work, otherwise they just stay tiny.


That looks awesome Jorge, youre gonna make good gains on it.. Im sure.

How those leggies feeling after the sprints?

Thanks, Zen. My legs feel surprisingly good. I took a really long contrast shower which seemed to help a lot. Strangely, my abs are sore, though.

[Jorge Sanchez]

OHP:
45x8
85x5
100x5
110x9

DB Press:
40x9
30x8x2

Dips:
BWx10x4
BWx9

Pull ups:
BWx5
BWx4
BWx3
BWx4
BWx4

Skull crushers:
75x10x2

10lbs medicine ball throws:
3:00x3

Notes: The DB presses were incredibly difficult, not because it was heavy, but because I seem to have a huge flexibility imbalance that was masked by the barbell. I did a bunch of bar dislocates throughout to try to loosen up me left shoulder. That's something I'm really going to have to work on. The pull ups were really tough because my abs were sore from the sprints yesterday for some reason. I've also decided I'm going to make a big effort to incorporate more conditioning work. The medicine ball throws were actually lots of fun today and I always feel really good after I do conditioning work.

[borracho]

I am really liking the look of that 5/3/1 program more and more as I look at it...

good job on the workout dude..seems like it's a much needed change for you and I think all of us need that more often than what we end up doing.

[Keith]

I am really liking the look of that 5/3/1 program more and more as I look at it...

good job on the workout dude..seems like it's a much needed change for you and I think all of us need that more often than what we end up doing.

Hop aboard on the 5/3/1 train then!

[Keith]

Where's the workouts at, dude??

[borracho]

Hop aboard on the 5/3/1 train then!

I will, no doubt..as soon as my legs are feeling 100% so I can actually get something out of it.

Looking forward to the next workout update on your new journey mr monkey with a gun dude.

[Sidior]

Nice call on the dislocates. If I didn't do them I doubt I would be able to get under the bar to squat.

[Jorge Sanchez]

I am really liking the look of that 5/3/1 program more and more as I look at it...

good job on the workout dude..seems like it's a much needed change for you and I think all of us need that more often than what we end up doing.

What he said:


Hop aboard on the 5/3/1 train then!


Where's the workouts at, dude??

My training schedule was Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, but I decided to switch it to Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday so I missed a day. I'll be headed to the gym after work.


I will, no doubt..as soon as my legs are feeling 100% so I can actually get something out of it.

Looking forward to the next workout update on your new journey mr monkey with a gun dude.

Thanks, dude.


Nice call on the dislocates. If I didn't do them I doubt I would be able to get under the bar to squat.

Yeah, I really have to work on my shoulder flexibility. It was never great, but I think it's dangerously bad right now.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat aka pathetic:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x5
215x5
245x5

Front squats:
135x10x3

Bulgarian split squats:
85x10x3

Ab wheel:
kneelingx10x2

Notes: ****ty workout. I was supposed to go for max reps on the last set of squats and I was thinking I'd be good for 10, but I doubt I could have even put up 10 reps of 185 today - I was lucky to hit 245x5 and even then they were ugly. I was super tight and nothing felt right. I spent a lot of time on the foam roller when I was done so hopefully that will help loosen me up.

[Keith]

Ah no worries. So long as you hit your numbers for the day which was 245x5, right? Did you decrease your 1RM's by 10% or whatever? Do you foam roll before you squat? I actually spend more time foam rolling before I squat and deadlift than after my workout. Now it feels like a necessity and I go into my workouts much more relaxed and warmed up. Could you have done more than 5 on the 245 set? He says go all out but don't quite hit failure.

[View 1]

We all have our off days youll bounce back like nothing. I liked the 5/3/1 when I did it but at this time it wasnt the right choice for me. Going from full body to this, your gonna love it. Good luck bro.

[Keith]

We all have our off days youll bounce back like nothing. I liked the 5/3/1 when I did it but at this time it wasnt the right choice for me. Going from full body to this, your gonna love it. Good luck bro.

Why wasn't it the right choice for you?

[borracho]

All this talk about foam rolling and mobility got my curiosity up so I checked out a few of the defranco vids last night...the gym at work that I've been using does not have any of the rollers so I think I will be ordering one or two today...I think that'll help me with some of my tightness issues.

Aside from the fact that you thought the weights/effort was ****ty...how did you like doing just legs?

[Jorge Sanchez]

Ah no worries. So long as you hit your numbers for the day which was 245x5, right? Did you decrease your 1RM's by 10% or whatever? Do you foam roll before you squat? I actually spend more time foam rolling before I squat and deadlift than after my workout. Now it feels like a necessity and I go into my workouts much more relaxed and warmed up. Could you have done more than 5 on the 245 set? He says go all out but don't quite hit failure.

245 was my target weight and I did drop the 10%, that's why it's odd it was so heavy. 245 is usually a piece of cake. I guess it just wasn't my day.

Truth be told, I don't foam roll very often. The only roller I had access to was a dilapidated one at the gym, but they got a couple of new ones. I also plan to pick one up tonight. I'm really going to make an effort to work on conditioning and flexibility and I think I roller is just the trick.


We all have our off days youll bounce back like nothing. I liked the 5/3/1 when I did it but at this time it wasnt the right choice for me. Going from full body to this, your gonna love it. Good luck bro.

Thanks, View.


All this talk about foam rolling and mobility got my curiosity up so I checked out a few of the defranco vids last night...the gym at work that I've been using does not have any of the rollers so I think I will be ordering one or two today...I think that'll help me with some of my tightness issues.

Aside from the fact that you thought the weights/effort was ****ty...how did you like doing just legs?

I love the just legs day in same kind of way I'd like to be mauled by a pitbull. Very tough. I'm stiff today.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Circuitx5
Skipping x100
Box jumps x10

10:42

[ZenMonkey]

Dude, that WO looks brutal. I feel your pain. You are going to LOVE your foam roller. Im addicted to it... I will be sitting in class feeling stiff and day dreaming about going home to roll the F out of my hips, itband, and back.... talking about it right now makes me want it...

Sorry about your squats feeling wierd. Thats happened a couple of times lately huh? Silly qquestions, but Im trying to help.. really! Are you unracking tightly? I know you usually do, but its easy to forget and get wrapped up in stuff. I dont know what else could be the culprit besides not being as tight.

[Keith]

I will be sitting in class feeling stiff and day dreaming about going home to roll the F out of my hips, itband, and back.... talking about it right now makes me want it...

Mmm...

[View 1]

Why wasn't it the right choice for you?

What I have found out that for me personally I have better gains when I have more frequency as far as when I hit the body part ( or lift however you want to put it ) verse's hitting it once a week or longer like on the 5/3/1. I think the 5/3/1 is a very solid routine and jim is right that slow progression over time works.

[View 1]

Those circuits look like they suck total ass. I dread that cause my conditioning sucks and I know soon, if I want to start dropping more weight im going to have to do that stuff, soooo not looking forward to it.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Dude, that WO looks brutal. I feel your pain. You are going to LOVE your foam roller. Im addicted to it... I will be sitting in class feeling stiff and day dreaming about going home to roll the F out of my hips, itband, and back.... talking about it right now makes me want it...

Sorry about your squats feeling wierd. Thats happened a couple of times lately huh? Silly qquestions, but Im trying to help.. really! Are you unracking tightly? I know you usually do, but its easy to forget and get wrapped up in stuff. I dont know what else could be the culprit besides not being as tight.

I'm still stiff from the leg day so I'm looking forward to hitting the foam roller tonight.

Good call on not being tight under the bar. I was thinking about it afterwards and I wasn't getting tight at all. I was also way to far forward. I guess I was just having a bad day and my head wasn't in the game. Hopefully next squat day will treat me better. I'm also going to have more carbs on my squat day, because I always have a hard time with my squats when dropping weight.


Those circuits look like they suck total ass. I dread that cause my conditioning sucks and I know soon, if I want to start dropping more weight im going to have to do that stuff, soooo not looking forward to it.

Mine sucks too thus the need for conditioning work. I actually kind of enjoy it, though. I think the key is to keep doing different things. 8-10 minutes of intervals actually seems like it goes by very quickly.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Bench:
45x8
95x5
135x5
155x5
175x15

Incline DB press:
60x10x3

Pendlay rows:
50x10
135x10x3

DB Curls:
30x10x2

Notes: Holy **** high reps are tough.

[jbrin0tk]

Haha, yeah they are! Nice work, man!

[Keith]

LOL, underestimated??? That's sick though, bud. 175x15 is awesome.

[View 1]

How much did you take off your 1 rep max? The 15 reps is great but it sounds like you went down to much, jim says to just take it down 10%. And yes high rep stuff sucks, try squating for that many reps, its pure hell.

[ZenMonkey]

Good god. That benching and rowing is suicidal. I cant imagine taht much volume on anything. Great work man,

[Jorge Sanchez]

Haha, yeah they are! Nice work, man!

Thanks, J.


LOL, underestimated??? That's sick though, bud. 175x15 is awesome.

I just realised I did the math wrong. I should have been pushing 185. Oops. I thought that was way too easy. I probably would have been good for 10-ish at 185.


How much did you take off your 1 rep max? The 15 reps is great but it sounds like you went down to much, jim says to just take it down 10%. And yes high rep stuff sucks, try squating for that many reps, its pure hell.

See the comments above. Oops. Although, with bench, I always seem to be able to rep a lot more than you would think based on my max. I don't know if it's because of poor form on max attempts, or what, but my squat is usually the opposite.


Good god. That benching and rowing is suicidal. I cant imagine taht much volume on anything. Great work man,

It definitely had my heart pounding, but you put in some huge volume on your squats and O-movements and that's even more nuts.



I just wanted to add that I love my new foam roller.

[borracho]

Nice pressing dude...15 reps is intense indeed! I think I am going to order that roller for myself, now that I am thinking about it.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Nice pressing dude...15 reps is intense indeed! I think I am going to order that roller for myself, now that I am thinking about it.

Thanks, borracho. The roller is definitely a good investment.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
135x5

Deads:
135x5
225x5
245x5
275x8

40 yard spintsx14

Notes: I forgot my bicycle lock and I was a little paranoid leaving it outside without a lock so I just did my big lift today then went to do some sprints on the football field. I tweaked my left hammie on the last sprint but it doesn't feel like anything too serious. I'm going to make love to my foam roller now.

[View 1]

Sucks you forgot your lock, I would be paranoid too about someone stealing it. Your going to find out the the deadlift day on the 5/3/1 is just about the hardest thing you'll ever do, I had to modify it as it absolutely drained me.

[borracho]

Glad you were able to at least get the deads in there...sucks about having to worry about **** like that.

[Jorge Sanchez]

View: Tell me about it. Even just the DLs had my heart pounding like crazy. It would have been hell going through all the other accessory lifts as well, even though I'm kind of bummed I missed out.

Borracho: Thanks, dude. I kept running out between sets to see if it was still there. It wasn't worth risking it, even though I want to buy a new bike anyways.




I just used an online bf calculator which, according to a lot of posters on this site, is fairly accurate. It put me at 11.3% bf which could be about right, but I would guess I'm actually a percent or two higher. I'm thinking once I hit 200 again I'll be pushing about 10% and then it will be time for a nice long slow sustained bulk. Hopefully that will help my squat numbers significantly.

[borracho]

Are you seeing any signs of your abs? How tall are you?

And, last (most important) question, what kind of bike are you thinking of picking up?

[Jorge Sanchez]

Yeah, they're poking through slowly, but they're not super visible, which is why I'm thinking I'm a little higher than 11%. I'm about 6'2''.

I'm just going to pick up some cheap bike - hopefully a road bike - because I don't take good enough care of my bikes to justify getting a good one and the building I work at is notorious for bike thefts. I figure my best anti-theft measure is to have a piece of ****.

[borracho]

I figure my best anti-theft measure is to have a piece of ****.

:D I had a POS locked up at school once that someone snagged...dont know why...it was worth about $100..at most.

And about a year before that I had another bike...fairly pricey..got stolen out of the back yard...that one hurt.. a lot..thank god for insurance.

[Jorge Sanchez]

:D I had a POS locked up at school once that someone snagged...dont know why...it was worth about $100..at most.

And about a year before that I had another bike...fairly pricey..got stolen out of the back yard...that one hurt.. a lot..thank god for insurance.

That sucks, dude. Fortunately, I've only ever had one POS bike stolen. I had a $1500 Gary Fisher at one point, but I sold it because I didn't do any mountain biking and I was way too paranoid to park it outside anywhere.

[Jorge Sanchez]

OHP:
45x8
95x3
105x3
115x7

DB Press:
35x10x3

Dips:
BWx10x5

Pull ups:
BWx7
BWx4
BWx4
BWx3
BWx3

Notes: OK workout. I could have pumped out a few more OHP reps, but I just pussied out. I really worked on my flexibility with the BD presses and did a bunch of dislocates. My left shoulder is getting a lot more flexible but there's still a ways to go. Dips were way too easy this week - next week I'll add weight. Pull ups suck, despite losing weight. I'm going to add them to my deadlift day so I can hit them more often.

I'm getting noticeably leaner but I'm starting to feel really tiny. I'm going to continue cutting for a bit longer, but I don't know if I can get as lean as I wanted without feeling like a rail. It's probably all in my head, but still.

[ZenMonkey]

Foam roll and tennisball them shoulders! Nice OH Pressing man. Which routine is this?

[Sidior]

Nice work Nate! What does the gf think about the weightloss?

[borracho]

Nice work Nate! What does the gf think about the weightloss?

She likes it cause he is tossable now..if dinner is not ready when she gets home, its over the knee he goes.

:D



Seriously though...congrats on the loss buddy..I am sure it feels good to achieve that while working on the strength stuff. I am still (sorta) trying to find that balance myself...not too easy.

[Keith]

Nice OHP, dude! That seems pretty damn strong. No worries about pussing out, so long as you hit it for a triple, right?! How do you like the program so far? Are you already into hitting triples? If you're down around 10%, you must be able to see abs. I can see mine at about 15%, but then again people carry BF in different areas than others.



She likes it cause he is tossable now..if dinner is not ready when she gets home, its over the knee he goes.

:zipit:

[View 1]

Good little workout, on your OHP days are you going to keep most of the assistance exercises focusing on chest vs delts? Good to hear the body fat is dropping, I haven't seen my abs in years ha ha ha...

[CrazyK]

It looks like you've changed up your routine a bit since I left. How much weight have you lost? Great progress big guy.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Foam roll and tennisball them shoulders! Nice OH Pressing man. Which routine is this?

I found some really good shoulder stretches I've been doing almost every day. It has made a huge difference in my flexibility already.


Nice work Nate! What does the gf think about the weightloss?

I think she's kind of torn. She likes that I'm leaner, but she also likes when I'm bigger. I think if I can stand to keep cutting until I'm as lean as I want she'll like it, but we'll see if I can keep it up for that long.


She likes it cause he is tossable now..if dinner is not ready when she gets home, its over the knee he goes.

:D



Seriously though...congrats on the loss buddy..I am sure it feels good to achieve that while working on the strength stuff. I am still (sorta) trying to find that balance myself...not too easy.

Definitely not easy. My strength, especially my squats, suck when I try to lose weight.


Nice OHP, dude! That seems pretty damn strong. No worries about pussing out, so long as you hit it for a triple, right?! How do you like the program so far? Are you already into hitting triples? If you're down around 10%, you must be able to see abs. I can see mine at about 15%, but then again people carry BF in different areas than others.




:zipit:

I started hitting the triples with that OHP workout. It seems pretty good so far - I was a little worried about tightness in my hips after going from squatting 3x/week to once every four workouts, but I've been doing tons of mobility so that's balancing out. I'll have to go through a couple of cycles before I have a real good idea of how I respond to it.

I'm definitely still a few lbs away from 10% but my abs are starting to get more and more visible.


Good little workout, on your OHP days are you going to keep most of the assistance exercises focusing on chest vs delts? Good to hear the body fat is dropping, I haven't seen my abs in years ha ha ha...

Thanks, View. I'm going to have to play around with the assistance work to see what I like, but I'm definitely going to keep the dips on my OHP for the foreseeable future.


It looks like you've changed up your routine a bit since I left. How much weight have you lost? Great progress big guy.

I'm down about 15lbs since x-mas. I'm not too sure because my scale battery died a couple of weeks ago and I haven't weighed myself yet. Thanks, K.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x3
245x3
255x5
135x10x3

Ab roller:
Kneelingx5
Stanindx5 + kneelingx5

Notes: I was a little worried my squats would suck ass after my last squat day and a really long and stressful day at work. Turns out they went pretty well -- so well in fact, I took a page out of Keith's book and did a bunch of light back squats after my main movement. On my last set, my form just sort of clicked and I started getting that nice bounce out of the hole again. Hopefully I'll remember to do that next time I squat. I cut it a little short today because I worked late and I have to go in early tomorrow as well.

[Keith]

Adding in lighter sets to perfect form and technique is never a bad thing. Strong squats, bud.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Thanks, Keith.

Bench:
45x10
95x5
135x5
155x3
175x3
200x8

DB incline press:
60x10x3

Pendlay rows:
135x10x3

DB curls:
30x10
35x10

Notes: Felt good. Probably could have hit 200 for 10+.

[CrazyK]

I don't know if you realize it but your bench has come a loooong ways.

[Keith]

200x8?!? ****, I need to step it up. I just hit 175x8, LOL. I agree, I think your bench has come a long way, dude!!!

[borracho]

Nice squatting and pressing...'pressing 'specially looked good buddy...keep at it!

[View 1]

good to see the squats getting back up there, and I think the back off sets are a great thing too, ive been doing them on my bench for a couple weeks now. Solid bench day as well, looks like the 5/3/1 is going great for you so far ( I know its still very early to tell to much though ).

[Jorge Sanchez]

I don't know if you realize it but your bench has come a loooong ways.


200x8?!? ****, I need to step it up. I just hit 175x8, LOL. I agree, I think your bench has come a long way, dude!!!


Nice squatting and pressing...'pressing 'specially looked good buddy...keep at it!

Thanks, guys. I feel like my bench is my best lift, despite long arms. I think it's because I don't overthink the form like I tend to do with my squats. I'm still a little bit away from my best bench of 240x4, but I'll get there soon. The sad thing is that my rep strength doesn't translate very well into a 1rm on bench.


good to see the squats getting back up there, and I think the back off sets are a great thing too, ive been doing them on my bench for a couple weeks now. Solid bench day as well, looks like the 5/3/1 is going great for you so far ( I know its still very early to tell to much though ).

Yeah, the 531 is great. I like it a lot because I get in and get out. I also feel a lot less beat up, but that could just be because I'm doing a lot of foam rolling and flexibility and mobility drills, not to mention the fact that everything is a little bit lighter.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
135x5

Deads:
135x5
225x2
260x3
275x3
295x5

SLDLs:
135x10x3

Single leg deadlift:
50x5
50x10x2

Pull ups:
BWx7
BWx5x2

Notes: I was really tired and had a headache all day, but training felt really strong. Would have been good for a lot more deads, but don't like doing more than 5 reps for deads.

[Keith]

If I'm tired and have a headache, mentally I'm so much weaker come training time because of that. What's with the random back squat before deads? Warm-up?

[borracho]

Yea I was going to ask what the deal was with the squats..what gives?

[Sidior]

Haha I hear ya about more then 5 for deads. Nice workout.

[Jorge Sanchez]

If I'm tired and have a headache, mentally I'm so much weaker come training time because of that. What's with the random back squat before deads? Warm-up?


Yea I was going to ask what the deal was with the squats..what gives?

The squats are just to loosen up my hips and get my legs warmed up a little bit.


Haha I hear ya about more then 5 for deads. Nice workout.

Yeah, man. Even with really light sets, I find I get lazy after about five reps and my form starts to slip. Deads make me pant like to other.





I ordered a pair of VS squat shoes which just came in the mail today. I tried some BW squats with them on and I can already tell that they are going to make a huge difference. I'm OHPressing tomorrow, but it's going to be tough to keep myself out of the squat rack. I'll get to give them a test drive on Saturday, though.

[Jorge Sanchez]

OHP:
45x8
95x5
100x3
115x8

DB Press:
40x10x2
40x9

Dips:
25x10
25x8
25x7
BWx10x2

Pull ups:
BWx5
BWx4
BWx5
BWx5
BWx5

Skull crushers:
75x10x2

EZ bar curls:
75x8
75x6

Notes: I have a 531 calculator at work and at home and I just realized the one I have at work has the wrong max for my OHP, so I repeated the same weight this week. The good news is I got an extra rep and I would have been good for a couple more. Overall solid workout. I spent lots of time doing some shoulder stretches afterwards.

[Keith]

115x8 is awesome, dude. I just use the one-rep max calculator. It was the first link I saw when I googled it, LOL. Got a more accurate one? I find the one I use isn't all that accurate.

[CrazyK]

Your OHP is creeping up there Senor Sanchez. I think you have 185 in you!

[borracho]

Looking good buddy...I am super excited to jump on the bandwagon.

[View 1]

The last two workouts look very solid. And just like everyone else I have to limit the deads too, they just take to much out of me. Strong dips, I really really hope one day soon that my RC will be 100% so I can include dips on a weekly basis.

[Jorge Sanchez]

115x8 is awesome, dude. I just use the one-rep max calculator. It was the first link I saw when I googled it, LOL. Got a more accurate one? I find the one I use isn't all that accurate.

By calculator I mean to figure out what weights I should be using on the 5-3-1. Whenever I use a 1rm calculator I just use the first one that comes up in google, but I find they aren't usually too accurate for me. My lower body maxes are usually higher than they estimate and my upper body maxes are usually lower.


Your OHP is creeping up there Senor Sanchez. I think you have 185 in you!

Thanks, buddy. It's definitely improving, but I think 185 is still a little ways off. I maxed at 145 about a month ago. My pressing reps never seem to translate into as high a max as you would expect, but I'll get there someday soon.


Looking good buddy...I am super excited to jump on the bandwagon.

Good stuff, dude. It's a nice routine for sure.


The last two workouts look very solid. And just like everyone else I have to limit the deads too, they just take to much out of me. Strong dips, I really really hope one day soon that my RC will be 100% so I can include dips on a weekly basis.

Thanks, View. Dips are a great exercise, but they can be rough on the shoulder. I hope you can add them back into the rotation.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x5
230x3
270x2*
270x2
135x10x3

*Was going for a triple but some idiot jumped in on my second rep and grabbed me, apparently trying to spot me despite the fact I wasn't having trouble with the weight. It threw me off so I racked the weight, bitched him out for a bit and then banged out another double.

Walking lunges:
70x10x3

Ab wheel:
Standingx5+kneelingx5
Standingx4+kneelingx6
Standingx3+kneelingx7

Notes: Despite the idiot grabbing me during the squats, they felt pretty good. It was my first time squatting in my new VS squat shoes and it felt really good. I can get down probably a good 2-3'' deeper and it really hits my hamstrings and hips. It'll take a couple more sessions to get used to them, but I think they're going to do me a lot of good.

[Keith]

****ing f@ggot. I'd be beyond pissed if some guy grabbed me during a squat and I wasn't failing. Squats look like they're on a nice climb, right? What were you squatting when you hit 1000 lbs?

[CrazyK]

Were you in a power rack? If so that undoubtedly adds fuel to the ignorance fire that person has burning in him.

[jbrin0tk]

Good work, bud. Man, there are so many ignorant people at commercial gyms. Good idea to hit the double again.

[View 1]

Nice squating, and that is unreal to me that someone would jump into spot you like that. Im not sure what I would do if it was me in that situation but im pretty sure I would have tried to dump the barebell onto that bastard.

[Sidior]

That is ******ed man. Glad to see you are liking the new shoes though.

[borracho]

Nice squatting dude...glad you're enjoying those shoes. Have you ever tried squatting barefoot? I am wondering if I should look into some weight lifting shoes down the road...I just started squatting barefoot and at the moment feels ok.

[Jorge Sanchez]

****ing f@ggot. I'd be beyond pissed if some guy grabbed me during a squat and I wasn't failing. Squats look like they're on a nice climb, right? What were you squatting when you hit 1000 lbs?

I don't know about my squats. They're not actually doing too great right now, but I'd say that's a result of the weight loss. I hit a 355 squat as part of my grand total, but I think I would have been good for high 300s in early December if I had maxed.


Were you in a power rack? If so that undoubtedly adds fuel to the ignorance fire that person has burning in him.

I was in the rack and I bitched him out about it. It's just not safe to grab someone with hundreds of pounds on their back when they're not expecting it.


Good work, bud. Man, there are so many ignorant people at commercial gyms. Good idea to hit the double again.

Thanks, J. I appreciate it.


Nice squating, and that is unreal to me that someone would jump into spot you like that. Im not sure what I would do if it was me in that situation but im pretty sure I would have tried to dump the barebell onto that bastard.

It was definitely an odd experience. I don't think he'll be making that mistake again, though.


That is ******ed man. Glad to see you are liking the new shoes though.

Thanks, buddy, they're pretty sweet.


Nice squatting dude...glad you're enjoying those shoes. Have you ever tried squatting barefoot? I am wondering if I should look into some weight lifting shoes down the road...I just started squatting barefoot and at the moment feels ok.

I'm sure I have squatted barefoot, but I don't really remember what it was like. The shoes make a very noticeable difference. I don't think they're necessary but they're definitely nice. I should have bought a pair a long time ago. If you're interested, keep you eye on the website because they go on sale super cheap every once in a while -- I picked these ones up for $45.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Bench:
45x10
95x5
135x5
165x5
185x3
210x6

DB incline press:
65x10x2
65x7

Pendlay rows:
45x10
135x10x3

CGBP:
135x10x2

EZ bar curls:
75x8x2

Notes: Decent workout. I wanted a couple more reps on the bench and I probably would have been good for it, but I just wasn't focused. I was a little worried heading in because I had a really bad knot behind my left shoulder blade that crippled me for a couple days over the weekend. It was still a little tender today, but it didn't really affect my lifts.

[Keith]

355 raw squat?! Nice benching, dude. 6 is still great considering you're aiming for a single. Think your numbers are too high or are they decent now?

[View 1]

Nice pressing jorge. What do you think caused the knot? Hopefully its something that goes away and doesnt bother you in the long run.

[Jorge Sanchez]

355 raw squat?! Nice benching, dude. 6 is still great considering you're aiming for a single. Think your numbers are too high or are they decent now?

355 with belt and wraps. The numbers seem pretty good. The squat might be a little high since it's been giving me a hard time lately. I probably won't bump it up too much for the next cycle.


Nice pressing jorge. What do you think caused the knot? Hopefully its something that goes away and doesnt bother you in the long run.

Thanks, Jefe. I went bowling the night before it started bugging me and I have a sneaking suspicion I did something weird that messed it up.





Circuitx5
Jump ropex100
Box jumpsx10

Time: 9:04

[borracho]

Definitely nice pressing buddy. And with respect to the squatting shoes...what website are you referring to?

[CrazyK]

Your pressing has really climbed, I remember when 210 would have been a real problem for you. None the less that now you can easily do 6 or even more.

PS- When are we having our great lakes pirate battle? ;)

[Jorge Sanchez]

Thanks, dude. I'm ready for our battle any time -- I've got my canoe waiting.

Back squat:
45x10
135x5

Deads:
135x5
225x2
245x5
275x3
310x5

SLDL:
155x10x3

Single leg deadlift:
50x10x3

Hypers:
BWx10
25x10

Reverse rows:
BWx10
BWx8x2

Pull ups:
BWx5

Notes: I had the most brutal meeting all afternoon at work today -- the room was so hot and the chairs were so uncomfortable, all I could do was daydream about deadlifting. Solid session overall.

[Sidior]

Squatting and 3 kinds of deadlifts, you are a ****ing champ. Nice work.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Well the squats and single leg deadlifts are hardly tough. The SLDLs were relatively light as well. Thanks, dude.

[jbrin0tk]

Good work, sir!

[Keith]

310x5 is awesome, dude. How do you like the single leg deadlifts?

[borracho]

Nice dead day. I hate meetings. I am quite thankful my job does not entail too many required meetings.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Good work, sir!

Thanks, buddy.


310x5 is awesome, dude. How do you like the single leg deadlifts?

Thanks, Keith. The single leg deadlifts are alright. They're not super tough because you use such a low weight. Hopefully the unilateral work will help me improve my muscular balance.


Nice dead day. I hate meetings. I am quite thankful my job does not entail too many required meetings.

Thanks, dude. Meetings can definitely suck.




Hill spints x10

Time: 9:25

Notes: could have done more, but I thought I would shut it down. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow before I decide to do too many more. I hope to get up to 20 before too long.

[CrazyK]

Single leg DL's are a toughie aren't they? I like them mostly for balance work just as yourself.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Single leg DL's are a toughie aren't they? I like them mostly for balance work just as yourself.

Yeah, they're a good movement to have in the arsenal. I find they're really tough the first few times after I add them in, but I improve quickly.



OHP:
45x8
95x5
105x5
120x7

One arm DB press:
30x10x3
35x8

Dips:
BWx10x2

Pull ups:
BWx5x5

OHP:
95x5x2

OH Shrugs:
95x8

Skull crushers:
75x10
80x10

EZ bar curls:
75x8
80x6

Notes: Started up my second cycle of 5/3/1. I decided against the deload. I didn't do many dips because they were hurting my shoulders - hopefully it's nothing serious. Pull ups are finally improving slowly; I think I just needed a little more volume and frequency. The second OHP and OH shrugs was just a little form and shoulder/scapular flexibility work. All in all a decent day.

[borracho]

Sucks about the shoulders buddy...but the workout looks good anyhow.

[View 1]

Nice deads from the other session, and pressing looks good this session. Do you think your shoulder issue could be related to the bowling thing? Now you know how dips feel to me, I keep saying it but its true there one of the best exercises out there but if you have RC issues its all bad. Hope its nothing serious.

[borracho]

Has anyone seen/heard from this monkey bastard??

WTF?!

[Keith]

Yeah... where is this guy???

[Jorge Sanchez]

Sucks about the shoulders buddy...but the workout looks good anyhow.

Thanks, dude.


Nice deads from the other session, and pressing looks good this session. Do you think your shoulder issue could be related to the bowling thing? Now you know how dips feel to me, I keep saying it but its true there one of the best exercises out there but if you have RC issues its all bad. Hope its nothing serious.

Thanks, bud. It wasn't the bowling. They just felt burned out - nothing serious.


Has anyone seen/heard from this monkey bastard??

WTF?!


Yeah... where is this guy???

About time I dust this thing off, eh? I was sick as a dog and swamped at work all last week so no lifting or exercise of any kind.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
215x5
230x5
245x5

Notes: That's it. Was sick all last week. I'm feeling a lot better, but still not 100%. I didn't exercise, stretch or foam roll at all last week so I was super stiff and weak today. I'm surprised I got 230, let alone 245 for 5, given how hard 95lbs felt. I was totally drained after this so I decided to call it quits.

[Keith]

6000 posts! :p

All I heard was blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Let's see some workouts in here now!!!

[Jorge Sanchez]

6000 posts! :p

All I heard was blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Let's see some workouts in here now!!!

I'm back at it now, don't you worry.

[jed]

sucks about feelin sh**ty and all, glad your back in the game. way to reopen it with a good squat sesh!

[Kiaran]

Some pretty solid squatting healthy or ill, bro. How're the hips doing?

[View 1]

Hope you feel better bro, im getting over a stomach flu myself, and quite a few people I know are sick over here too. Good to see that you got in the gym at all considering how you felt, and that is a very solid effort coming off a cold.

[Jorge Sanchez]

sucks about feelin sh**ty and all, glad your back in the game. way to reopen it with a good squat sesh!

Yeah, it wasn't too bad. I lost a bit of strength when I was sick, but it should come back in a couple more sessions.


Some pretty solid squatting healthy or ill, bro. How're the hips doing?

Hips are OK. I'm back to my mobility work so that's making a difference. My legs are super stiff, though.


Hope you feel better bro, im getting over a stomach flu myself, and quite a few people I know are sick over here too. Good to see that you got in the gym at all considering how you felt, and that is a very solid effort coming off a cold.

Thanks, Jefe. Being sick definitely sucks. I hope you feel better, buddy.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Bench:
45x10
95x5
135x5
150x5
175x5
195x10*

Incline DB press:
65x7x2

Pendlay rows:
135x10x2

Notes: I lost a little strength while I was sick, but it should be back in another couple of workouts. I'm keeping the volume low this week until I get back into the swing of things. *I'm not sure about that last set of bench. The guy I asked to spot me had his hand on the bar from the 7th rep onwards (even though I explicitly told him not to touch the bar unless it got stuck on my chest). I managed to grunt "don't touch" halfway through my final rep and he was definitely taking a little weight, but not more than 5ish lbs. After he completely ****ed up my set he decided I need to be lectured about the dangers of holding my breath throughout a rep. :rolleyes: Where do I find these people?

[View 1]

Good to see your back at it, and your right by this time next week you'll be back to where you were. Man you do have bad luck with people spotting you, it seems like once a month this is happening to you.

[Sidior]

You do pick the best spotters lol. Nice benching regardless.

[ZenMonkey]

Lookin good man... stay the course!

[Keith]

LOL, god, the spotters in your gym... that sucks ass. Strong benching, though, dude. You're up on me quite a bit.

[borracho]

Wow. That sucks about the spotter. Have you learned anything? Dont ask for a spot..be a man and roll it off your rib cage. :D

[Keith]

Just a thought, you shouldn't be reaching failure with this program so you shouldn't really need a spotter...

[Jorge Sanchez]

Good to see your back at it, and your right by this time next week you'll be back to where you were. Man you do have bad luck with people spotting you, it seems like once a month this is happening to you.

Thanks, View.


You do pick the best spotters lol. Nice benching regardless.

The spotters at my gym are especially terrible. I usually try to ask people who look like they know what they're doing, but the gym was dead that day.


Lookin good man... stay the course!

Thanks, ZM.


LOL, god, the spotters in your gym... that sucks ass. Strong benching, though, dude. You're up on me quite a bit.

Thanks, Keith.


Wow. That sucks about the spotter. Have you learned anything? Dont ask for a spot..be a man and roll it off your rib cage. :D

Next time I'll do that.


Just a thought, you shouldn't be reaching failure with this program so you shouldn't really need a spotter...

I generally always rack the bar before my spotter (should) touch it. I ask for a spot, just in case. And when I do, I really emphasize the fact that they shouldn't even go near the bar unless it is absolutely stuck on my chest. Some people just can't listen.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Deads:
135x5
225x5
250x5
280x8

Pull ups:
BWx5

Notes: My workouts are going to be fairly quick/light and erratic over the next little bit. Case in point. I have to have some medical tests that can apparently be affected by heavy lifting. Some of my liver function tests came back a very little bit on the high side and my doctor is concerned that there might be a problem. From all the research I've done it doesn't seem like anything to worry about, but she wants to see if the levels will return to normal without the heavy lifting and "high protein diet." I have a feeling its kind of like the BMI: the measurement is based on normal (ie. sedentary) people and are pretty much useless for people who weight lift.

[CrazyK]

That was the most compact workout I've ever seen, but when you're deadlifting heavy it doesn't matter.

I know what it's like to be pressed for time at the gym, good job on the awesome training economy lol.

[jbrin0tk]

Awesome benching the other day, dude. I hope everything works out with the liver tests.

[Keith]

So your doctor is telling you not to lift heavy anymore? Hmm... that may seem a bit much. So what are you doing about it? Not eat protein and lift "heavy"?

[Jorge Sanchez]

That was the most compact workout I've ever seen, but when you're deadlifting heavy it doesn't matter.

I know what it's like to be pressed for time at the gym, good job on the awesome training economy lol.

Thanks, buddy.


Awesome benching the other day, dude. I hope everything works out with the liver tests.

Thanks, J. I'm sure everything will be fine.


So your doctor is telling you not to lift heavy anymore? Hmm... that may seem a bit much. So what are you doing about it? Not eat protein and lift "heavy"?

It's not a permanent thing, it's just in the few days that lead up to my next test. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but not really a big deal.

In fact, I just found an peer-referenced article that indicates weight training can cause asymptomatic pathological liver function tests, which I'll bring to my next appointment. I suspect my doctor is already aware of that and she just wants to make sure my LFT will return to normal levels when they're not being thrown off by the weightlifting.

[Kiaran]

What's up, bro. Interesting news with the liver enzyme tests. Dude, I understand how you're feeling. I had the exact same thing happen with my liver test a few years ago. Turned out it was just diet and my lifting. I also had a ****ed up test for my kidneys about 6 years ago that said my creatinine clearance was too high and that I might be leaking protein into my urine. I did about four 24-hour urine collection tests and saw a Nephrologist who basically told me it was elevated but normal for someone with my fitness levels. All this **** was just from my heavy protein diet and the fact that I carry much more muscle on my body than the "average" (fat-slob) person. I am willing to bet you are in that exact same boat, bro. Those tests were invented to make the average person appear "healthy". Don't sweat it if it is slightly elevated. It's when **** is off the charts that you have a problem. It's good to be cautious and jump through their hoops anyway though. Just don't keep yourself up at night about it and stop searching google...you will freak yourself out, lol. Cut the protein down and cut the heavy lifting back about 50% and the tests will "normalize".

[killxswitch]

Your story about the spotter was funny. Probably frustrating for you though, sorry man. Good job getting your dead session in. Hope those test results come out ok.

[View 1]

Hopefully the liver thing is nothing major, but your doing the right thing about taking it lighter and seeing what happens. Keep us updated as to what your doctor tells you.

[Jorge Sanchez]

What's up, bro. Interesting news with the liver enzyme tests. Dude, I understand how you're feeling. I had the exact same thing happen with my liver test a few years ago. Turned out it was just diet and my lifting. I also had a ****ed up test for my kidneys about 6 years ago that said my creatinine clearance was too high and that I might be leaking protein into my urine. I did about four 24-hour urine collection tests and saw a Nephrologist who basically told me it was elevated but normal for someone with my fitness levels. All this **** was just from my heavy protein diet and the fact that I carry much more muscle on my body than the "average" (fat-slob) person. I am willing to bet you are in that exact same boat, bro. Those tests were invented to make the average person appear "healthy". Don't sweat it if it is slightly elevated. It's when **** is off the charts that you have a problem. It's good to be cautious and jump through their hoops anyway though. Just don't keep yourself up at night about it and stop searching google...you will freak yourself out, lol. Cut the protein down and cut the heavy lifting back about 50% and the tests will "normalize".

Actually, your thread on this very issue was one of the first hits on one of my google searches. Thanks for sharing your experience -- I was glad to see I wasn't the only one with this issue.


Your story about the spotter was funny. Probably frustrating for you though, sorry man. Good job getting your dead session in. Hope those test results come out ok.

The spotters at my gym are pretty useless sometimes. Oh well, no harm, no foul. Thanks for stopping in, dude.


Hopefully the liver thing is nothing major, but your doing the right thing about taking it lighter and seeing what happens. Keep us updated as to what your doctor tells you.

Thanks, View. I appreciate it.





So I got my test results back today and everything is back to normal so I'll be hitting the gym shortly. I think I'm going to switch to Madcow's 5x5 in a few days. I've made really good gains on it in the past and I can progress a lot quicker than with 5/3/1, especially with my squats, which seem to respond well to more frequency. I know 5/3/1 is all about taking it slowly, but my lifts, especially my squat, are so low right now I think a couple of months of Madcow is just what the doctor ordered. I'll probably be back to 5/3/1 when I'm a little happier with my strength.

I'm also going to try something a little different with my diet. I want to gain some mass, but I don't want to increase my weight overall - I want to get into playing a lot more sports again this summer and I feel pretty athletic at about 205 - so I'm going to try running really short bulk and cut cycles. Basically, one week will be an agressive bulk and the next week will be an agressive cut. I toyed with the idea of throwing a maintenance week into the mix and I may have to experiment with things as a go, but I'm going to go with the 1 week bulk, 1 week cut at first. I think this will have the added advantage of not allowing my metabolism to slow down when I cut or speed up when I bulk. Hopefully I'll be able to add some muscle without getting any heavier.

[Sidior]

I think the idea of going back to the 5x5 which worked for you sounds great.

Why this form of dieting though? Would it not be easier to simply eat healthy and around maintenance and just gradually add mass slowly?. It seems if you want to be more active and play sports too, they would suffer every other week while in a large calorie deficit.

[borracho]

think I'm going to switch to Madcow's 5x5 in a few days.

:D funny ****...I've been thinking of going back to what I was doing late summer/early fall of 08 as that was when I was at my "best".

Glad the test came back favorably and GL with the madcow deal.

[Keith]

So I got my test results back today and everything is back to normal so I'll be hitting the gym shortly.

Great to hear, dude.



I think I'm going to switch to Madcow's 5x5 in a few days. I've made really good gains on it in the past and I can progress a lot quicker than with 5/3/1, especially with my squats, which seem to respond well to more frequency. I know 5/3/1 is all about taking it slowly, but my lifts, especially my squat, are so low right now I think a couple of months of Madcow is just what the doctor ordered. I'll probably be back to 5/3/1 when I'm a little happier with my strength.

That didn't last too long, LOL. How could you change your mind so quickly? Just because you're unhappy about your squatting strength? How do you know you'll progress a lot quicker with Madcow's? Just because the numbers you'll be using are higher? Think long term, bud. If you honestly think you'll progress better in the year or so with Madcow over 5/3/1, so do it up but I don't think you really gave it an honest chance to prove this. I know it can be discouraging to be using such low weight right now, I know it is for me, but I really want to test this program out and trust the people who are far more experienced and stronger than me. On the contrary, I'm with you 100% that if something worked for you in the past, then stick with it... but why did you change Madcow's routine in the first place?



I'm also going to try something a little different with my diet. I want to gain some mass, but I don't want to increase my weight overall - I want to get into playing a lot more sports again this summer and I feel pretty athletic at about 205 - so I'm going to try running really short bulk and cut cycles. Basically, one week will be an agressive bulk and the next week will be an agressive cut. I toyed with the idea of throwing a maintenance week into the mix and I may have to experiment with things as a go, but I'm going to go with the 1 week bulk, 1 week cut at first. I think this will have the added advantage of not allowing my metabolism to slow down when I cut or speed up when I bulk. Hopefully I'll be able to add some muscle without getting any heavier.

Where did you get this idea of bulking, cutting, bulking, cutting so rapidly? That really doesn't sound like a good idea for many reasons...

[Jorge Sanchez]

I think the idea of going back to the 5x5 which worked for you sounds great.

Why this form of dieting though? Would it not be easier to simply eat healthy and around maintenance and just gradually add mass slowly?. It seems if you want to be more active and play sports too, they would suffer every other week while in a large calorie deficit.

I have no idea why the diet. I just feel like trying something different, I guess. I've tried the maintenance thing and I don't feel like I get any bigger. A real slow bulk might work, but I don't like counting calories so it's just easier for me to go way over maintenance and then cut. We'll see, maybe I won't do it if everyone thinks it's stupid.


:D funny ****...I've been thinking of going back to what I was doing late summer/early fall of 08 as that was when I was at my "best".

Glad the test came back favorably and GL with the madcow deal.

Thanks, dude.


Great to hear, dude.




That didn't last too long, LOL. How could you change your mind so quickly? Just because you're unhappy about your squatting strength? How do you know you'll progress a lot quicker with Madcow's? Just because the numbers you'll be using are higher? Think long term, bud. If you honestly think you'll progress better in the year or so with Madcow over 5/3/1, so do it up but I don't think you really gave it an honest chance to prove this. I know it can be discouraging to be using such low weight right now, I know it is for me, but I really want to test this program out and trust the people who are far more experienced and stronger than me. On the contrary, I'm with you 100% that if something worked for you in the past, then stick with it... but why did you change Madcow's routine in the first place?

Madcow has you increase the weight about 5-10lbs per week on all lifts, for about 30lbs per month total. I can't increase that quickly with 5/3/1. It's not so much using the lower weights, it's the fact that I'm not getting a lot of frequency and I've been skipping a lot of workouts lately. I know that's my fault, but if I do miss a workout it's about a week and a half until I do the same lift again.

I haven't run madcow in about a year and a half, but it worked really well for me so I'm going to give it a go for a couple of months to increase my lifts quickly. I'm too far below where I should be right now. I have no doubt 5/3/1 is a great routine for prolonged progress and I'll probably switch back before too long.



Where did you get this idea of bulking, cutting, bulking, cutting so rapidly? That really doesn't sound like a good idea for many reasons...

I read about it quite some time ago: it's called zig-zag dieting. We'll see if it actually pans out or not. I just haven't been very good about my diet lately and kind of feel like I need to try something different.

[Jorge Sanchez]

OHP:
45x10
95x3
105x3
120x3
125x4

Pull ups:
BWx5x5

Dips:
BWx10x4
BWx6

Notes: Strength is down a bit, but I've been really inconsistent the past couple of weeks. I really need to step up my game.

[ZenMonkey]

Good WO anyway man. Keep it up!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Thanks, Zen.

OK, I've decided to scrap that stupid diet idea. I'm just going to start eating a little bit more and training a lot harder. I think my problem is that I've just been going through the motions. If any of you see my ****ing the dog in here, please call me out on it.

[ZenMonkey]

Good idea man. You diet plan sounds good. Are you thinking something like cycling high and low days within a week or over a longer period?


On "going through the motions" I know that feeling. Maybe you need some real change in routines... maybe its time to incorporate some cleans or snatches? You dont need bumpers and they are really fun to do and I usually look forward to them the most. Also, it seems that when you find a routine you stick to it pretty strictly but maybe you need some leeway on some things. For example, maybe vary your pressing (and pulling, and squatting, and DLing) on a 4 week cycle with different pressing variations (like WS) but still run something like a SS split (but changing the movement variations on a 4 week cycle).

I dont know man, Im just tossing some ideas your way... you can take em or send em right back :)

[jed]

looking fine in here bro. sucks that your diet is giving you troubles, but youll be able to work it out! keep the effort goin!

[View 1]

Glad to see that your doctor gave you a clean bill of health. Good luck on the 5x5 routine, I liked the 5/3/1 myself but I found I just did better with more frequency as well. How is your diet set up now? Ever thought about carb cycling? I used it with great success when I cut before but it can be used for bulking as well. just a suggestion.

[CrazyK]

I think you're looking fine Jorge. You just need to set a goal you really want. Stick to reaching that goal and you won't sway. It's when you're fuzzy in your purpose that the means become difficult because you see no ends.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Good idea man. You diet plan sounds good. Are you thinking something like cycling high and low days within a week or over a longer period?


On "going through the motions" I know that feeling. Maybe you need some real change in routines... maybe its time to incorporate some cleans or snatches? You dont need bumpers and they are really fun to do and I usually look forward to them the most. Also, it seems that when you find a routine you stick to it pretty strictly but maybe you need some leeway on some things. For example, maybe vary your pressing (and pulling, and squatting, and DLing) on a 4 week cycle with different pressing variations (like WS) but still run something like a SS split (but changing the movement variations on a 4 week cycle).

I dont know man, Im just tossing some ideas your way... you can take em or send em right back :)

I think I'll probably keep the diet fairly simple. Probably higher carbs on workout days, but nothing too complicated.

I would absolutely love to start O-lifting, I just don't feel confident enough teaching myself the form. There's a crossfit gym that teaches them, but it would really expensive to get a membership there on top of my regular gym membership. We'll see. Thanks for the advice, dude.


looking fine in here bro. sucks that your diet is giving you troubles, but youll be able to work it out! keep the effort goin!

Thanks, Jed.


Glad to see that your doctor gave you a clean bill of health. Good luck on the 5x5 routine, I liked the 5/3/1 myself but I found I just did better with more frequency as well. How is your diet set up now? Ever thought about carb cycling? I used it with great success when I cut before but it can be used for bulking as well. just a suggestion.

Thanks, Jefe. My diet is pretty straight forward -- I try to go lower carb on off days and higher carb on workout days. We'll see where I go from here, but probably nothing too complicated.


I think you're looking fine Jorge. You just need to set a goal you really want. Stick to reaching that goal and you won't sway. It's when you're fuzzy in your purpose that the means become difficult because you see no ends.

This really struck a cord with me. You are absolutely right, CrazyK. I need to figure out a plan and go for it. Once I decide I'm going to do something I go all out and I don't stop until I do it, but I've just been wandering aimlessly the past few months which has led to ****ty workouts, which leads to discouragement, which leads to even ****tier workouts, ad nauseum.





I went to the gym today and just dicked around with some light squat form work. I'm going to figure out a plan over the weekend and hit it really hard on Monday. No more excuses.

[jbrin0tk]

Right on, man. I really think that a goal will help a lot. I know it has with me. Good luck, bud!

[borracho]

If any of you see my ****ing the dog in here, please call me out on it.

Quit being a lil bitch and come ooon!

:D

Seems like theres a spark under your arse...keep it up bud.

[Keith]

Madcow has you increase the weight about 5-10lbs per week on all lifts, for about 30lbs per month total. I can't increase that quickly with 5/3/1. It's not so much using the lower weights, it's the fact that I'm not getting a lot of frequency and I've been skipping a lot of workouts lately. I know that's my fault, but if I do miss a workout it's about a week and a half until I do the same lift again.

If you're not getting enough frequency, do the 4-day-a-week program so you'll be hitting all the main lifts once a week. You said it yourself, though - it's your own fault because you've been skipping workouts. But this way if you do skip a workout, you'll train the same movement the following week. If you feel like you're not increasing quickly enough to your liking, you could always shoot for a new PR at the end of every 3rd wave after the 95%x1. But since motivation is a problem for you, I would just stick to the program you enjoy doing more... I think that's the most important thing for you right now, not what works better.



I read about it quite some time ago: it's called zig-zag dieting. We'll see if it actually pans out or not. I just haven't been very good about my diet lately and kind of feel like I need to try something different.

I did a quick search on this and his very 2nd claim was false (not to mention, spelling errors) stating that you can't gain muscle tissue in a deficit so I stopped reading.

What are you after, dude? Do you want to gain muscle, decrease body fat, etc.? And with regards to training, do you want to increase strength or size?

[Kiaran]

Sometimes you just gotta take some time to figure out what it is that you really want. I hope you took the time this weekend to do that, bro. It's Monday, time to kick some ass!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Right on, man. I really think that a goal will help a lot. I know it has with me. Good luck, bud!

Thanks, dude.


Quit being a lil bitch and come ooon!

:D

Seems like theres a spark under your arse...keep it up bud.

Thanks, borracho. That's exactly what I need.


If you're not getting enough frequency, do the 4-day-a-week program so you'll be hitting all the main lifts once a week. You said it yourself, though - it's your own fault because you've been skipping workouts. But this way if you do skip a workout, you'll train the same movement the following week. If you feel like you're not increasing quickly enough to your liking, you could always shoot for a new PR at the end of every 3rd wave after the 95%x1. But since motivation is a problem for you, I would just stick to the program you enjoy doing more... I think that's the most important thing for you right now, not what works better.




I did a quick search on this and his very 2nd claim was false (not to mention, spelling errors) stating that you can't gain muscle tissue in a deficit so I stopped reading.

What are you after, dude? Do you want to gain muscle, decrease body fat, etc.? And with regards to training, do you want to increase strength or size?

Thanks for the advice re:5/3/1, Keith. And yeah, the diet was a stupid idea. And your questions will be answered below.


Sometimes you just gotta take some time to figure out what it is that you really want. I hope you took the time this weekend to do that, bro. It's Monday, time to kick some ass!

Thanks, K.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5x3

Bench:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x5x3

Deads:
135x5
185x5

Pull ups:
BWx10
BWx5

Notes: I twisted my knee pretty badly playing soccer on Sunday. I woke up on Monday with a stabbing pain on the inside of my knee so I iced it tons yesterday and took some anti-inflamatories. Instead of hitting the gym, I just went to a park near my house and did a bunch of pull ups. It's feeling better today, but still a little tender so I did some really light squats and DLs, which felt pretty good. Hopefully I'll be as good as new next time I hit the gym.


Goals:
- Lower resting heart rate to 60bpm (from about 68)
- Squat 315 for reps by August 7
- Bench 275 by August 7
- Deadlift 405 by August 7
- OHP 165 by August 7
- Improve general conditioning, mobility and flexibility

The plan:
I'm going to be a lot more active outside of the gym. Inside the gym, I'm going to drop the weight and run SS (once my knee feels 100%) for about two weeks to bring my squat up to 255x5x3, my bench to 210-215x5x3 and my deadlift up to 315x5x3. Those numbers probably aren't far off (if at all) right now, but I've been getting discouraged because I haven't been making progress, so I want to get a running start and keep the progress going. After the two weeks, I'll reevaluate - I'll probably switch to Madcow, but if things are going really well I'll stick with SS a bit longer. I'm going to start eating more and head back up to 210 while really working on my conditioning.

That's it. I really just need to improve my consistency, both in the gym and in the kitchen and I'll get to where I want to be. My priority is overall health and conditioning as opposed to just strength.

[Sidior]

I'm liking the new goals. Do you have any goals in regards to body composition?

[View 1]

Goals look great and very obtainable. Sucks about your knee hopefully its 100% so you can start with SS. Of all the goals "Improve general conditioning, mobility and flexibility" is something that I need to work on as well. I have some ideas I just need to do some more research on gpp and plyo drills. Good luck on everything, look forward to watching how SS works for you, maybe one of these days I will give it a try.

[Keith]

Have you ever considered CrossFit? I really want to get into that later in life once I'm settled down with a family and health and fitness become more of a priority/interest. I'm sure you'll still increase overall strength with it, too. Just thought I'd throw that out there since health and conditioning is most important to you now.

[jbrin0tk]

Goals are looking awesome, man, and definitely attainable for you. Hit it hard, brother.

[CrazyK]

There you go...you did the three things needed for successful goal setting...

(1) Define your purpose
(2) Quantify a benchmark
(3) Set a timeline

Good work and good workout back.

[Jorge Sanchez]

I'm liking the new goals. Do you have any goals in regards to body composition?

Thanks, dude. No specific goals. I'll be happy as long as I feel relatively quick. I'm going to slowly add a few pounds but if I stay active I doubt it will change my bf much.


Goals look great and very obtainable. Sucks about your knee hopefully its 100% so you can start with SS. Of all the goals "Improve general conditioning, mobility and flexibility" is something that I need to work on as well. I have some ideas I just need to do some more research on gpp and plyo drills. Good luck on everything, look forward to watching how SS works for you, maybe one of these days I will give it a try.

Yeah, I've come to realize that being strong isn't the only thing that is important to me. I plan on playing a lot of sports to stay in better shape as well as doing some GPP.


Have you ever considered CrossFit? I really want to get into that later in life once I'm settled down with a family and health and fitness become more of a priority/interest. I'm sure you'll still increase overall strength with it, too. Just thought I'd throw that out there since health and conditioning is most important to you now.

I would love to do crossfit and maybe I'll think about throwing in a WoD every week or two. I'll probably switch to crossfit at some point - probably when I'm at law school as my time will probably limited.


Goals are looking awesome, man, and definitely attainable for you. Hit it hard, brother.

THanks, J.


There you go...you did the three things needed for successful goal setting...

(1) Define your purpose
(2) Quantify a benchmark
(3) Set a timeline

Good work and good workout back.

Thanks, dude. I use the SMART method. I've just got to stick with and keep the goals in teh back of my head.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x5

OHP:
45x8
95x3
115x5x2
95x5

Pendlay rows:
95x8
135x5x3

Dips:
BWx10x2
BWx8

Inverted rows:
BWx6x3

Notes: Knees still a little tender but squatting still feels OK. The dips were putting some serious strain on my shoulder to the point I had to call the last set a couple reps short. Hopefully it will resolve itself because I love dips.

[CrazyK]

Are you doing some mobility work pre-workout? I find that helps with any shoulder pain quite a bit.

The SMART method is a good technique. It definately puts things in perspective.

[Kiaran]

I like the plan, bro. In fact, it's motivating and I think I need to setup some goals too. It's easy to lose your way, lol. Sorry your knee got mangled. Get it healed up and go for it, bro. You might see a chiropractor and get it realigned if you think it's messed up now.

[Keith]

Shoulder issues are so common with dips and usually I don't hear about them getting resolved. Hopefully that's not the case with you. Boo for the plan, BTW. You should have just stuck with 5/3/1 program and work up to a true ME on the 5/3/1 week. Whatever, I'm just hating because I would have liked to see you (and others who have roughly the same strength) stay on this program just for comparison.

[jbrin0tk]

Good session, bud. Be careful on that knee. I'd hate to see you out for an extended period of time.

[View 1]

Man your falling apart on us jorge. Hopefully all these small things well go away soon so you can start SS. Great workout simple and to the point.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Are you doing some mobility work pre-workout? I find that helps with any shoulder pain quite a bit.

The SMART method is a good technique. It definately puts things in perspective.

I do some mobility work before I bench, but not usually OHP or dips. I think I'll definitely have to start, though. Thanks for the suggestion.


I like the plan, bro. In fact, it's motivating and I think I need to setup some goals too. It's easy to lose your way, lol. Sorry your knee got mangled. Get it healed up and go for it, bro. You might see a chiropractor and get it realigned if you think it's messed up now.

THanks, K. I think the goals will definitely help keep me focused.


Shoulder issues are so common with dips and usually I don't hear about them getting resolved. Hopefully that's not the case with you. Boo for the plan, BTW. You should have just stuck with 5/3/1 program and work up to a true ME on the 5/3/1 week. Whatever, I'm just hating because I would have liked to see you (and others who have roughly the same strength) stay on this program just for comparison.

I may go back to the 5/3/1 someday, I just was not doing what I wanted to get done in the gym and it was really demotivating. It seems there are lots of people on the program now, so you should have lots of others to compare to.


Good session, bud. Be careful on that knee. I'd hate to see you out for an extended period of time.

The knee's still a little tender, but it feels fine when I lift for the most part.


Man your falling apart on us jorge. Hopefully all these small things well go away soon so you can start SS. Great workout simple and to the point.

Well I've been on SS now for the past three workouts, mind you it's been kind of light. I do hope everything heals up OK, though.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
195x5x3

Bench:
45x8
95x5
135x5
175x1
195x5x3

Deads:
135x5
185x3
255x5

Pull ups:
BWx5x5

Notes: Pulling from the floor seems to aggravate my knee, so I may need to find something else to replace it with for a little bit. All the other lifts feel fine so I should be good to go. We'll see how it holds up once things start getting a little heavier.

[CrazyK]

There we go...back to your crisp and efficient workouts ;) Rackpulls might help you take the pressure off of the knees.

[borracho]

Takeit easy on the knees bud..all in all its looking good. I am all sorts of confused about what to do for a workout now that I've been absent for the last two weeks for the most part.

[Sidior]

That's random about the deads irritating your knees. Have you ever done TKEs? I found they helped my knees a lot when I had issues squatting a few years ago.

[View 1]

Solid workout jorge, squat, bench and deads in the same workout is no joke. I dont know why I got it confused but I was thinking you were doing bill stars 5x5. I saw your sticky in the other forum, I always forget about SS because so much emphasis is put onto 5x5.

[ZenMonkey]

Good luck man. Ive been thinking about doing SS as Im getting back in the swing of things (or something very similar with the same progression). So, we'll be in the same boat.

[Kiaran]

I'd say don't bother replacing your deadlift with anything if it hurts your knee. Just put more energy into your squats. You could try SLDLs though. Solid benching, btw.

[Keith]

Really odd about your knees acting up during deads. I can't see them being the cause of the pain. Could be something totally unrelated. Maybe stick with them for another week or two and see how it feels.

[Jorge Sanchez]

There we go...back to your crisp and efficient workouts ;) Rackpulls might help you take the pressure off of the knees.

Thanks, CK. I was thinking rack pulls myself.


Takeit easy on the knees bud..all in all its looking good. I am all sorts of confused about what to do for a workout now that I've been absent for the last two weeks for the most part.

I know the feeling. Time off totally throws me off.


That's random about the deads irritating your knees. Have you ever done TKEs? I found they helped my knees a lot when I had issues squatting a few years ago.

What are TKEs? My knee was already tweaked. The deads are just putting pressure on the wrong place. It's starting to feel a lot better so hopefully a couple more days of icing will have my knee as good as new.


Solid workout jorge, squat, bench and deads in the same workout is no joke. I dont know why I got it confused but I was thinking you were doing bill stars 5x5. I saw your sticky in the other forum, I always forget about SS because so much emphasis is put onto 5x5.

I was/am going to do Madcow, I just want to have a bit of a running start. I'll switch once I'm squatting in the mid 200s for 3x5 again. SS is a good routine to get strong quickly, but I generally stay on it for too long and burn myself out.


Good luck man. Ive been thinking about doing SS as Im getting back in the swing of things (or something very similar with the same progression). So, we'll be in the same boat.

It's a big hit to the ego, that's for sure but I'm sure it will pay off in the end for both of us. Good luck on the come back, dude.


I'd say don't bother replacing your deadlift with anything if it hurts your knee. Just put more energy into your squats. You could try SLDLs though. Solid benching, btw.

SLDLs crossed my mind as well. Thanks for the props on the bench, but it's feeling heavier than it should. Hopefully it will increase quickly.


Really odd about your knees acting up during deads. I can't see them being the cause of the pain. Could be something totally unrelated. Maybe stick with them for another week or two and see how it feels.

My knee is messed up from something totally unrelated. The deads just seem to aggravate it for whatever reason - it's not really painful, just kind of a twinge.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
135x5x2
205x5x3

OHP:
45x8
85x3
110x5x3

Pendlay rows:
155x5x3

Inverted rows:
BWx6x3

Notes: My knee was bugging my a bit on the squats, but I think that's just because it was my first workout without anti-inflammatories since I hurt it. Other than that, I just couldn't help but wonder how I let myself get so weak. But I just need to keep focused on going forward and I'll get back to where I was in no time.

[roots]

Nice meeting you today Nate, keep training hard man. Sucks about the injuries tho. On a side note, the gym was the busiest I have seen , it was ridiculous haha.

[Kiaran]

To get back to where you were, you're gonna have to re-push the limits, if that makes sense. Just start putting weight on the bar and going for it. Your mind will tell you "no", but you need to refresh your body's memory of what you really can do. I'm in the same boat, trust me. Stop telling yourself you are weak. It's not true. You just know that you've done better, that's the problem. Keep your food up and stay rested, bro. Wrap that knee if it's buggin you.

[View 1]

You will get back to where you were before, you have just had a couple set backs as of late, but your super consistent and have the desire to get stronger and that matters the most. Those are very impressive pendlay rows too, as they are alot harder than a traditional BB row. Keep it up bro.

[jbrin0tk]

You'll get back there with consistency. You know what you gotta do, and now you have goals. Give it hell, man!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Nice meeting you today Nate, keep training hard man. Sucks about the injuries tho. On a side note, the gym was the busiest I have seen , it was ridiculous haha.

Nice meeting you too. I'm sure we'll bump into each other again. The gym was nuts -- I'm guessing it's because it was closed on Monday.


To get back to where you were, you're gonna have to re-push the limits, if that makes sense. Just start putting weight on the bar and going for it. Your mind will tell you "no", but you need to refresh your body's memory of what you really can do. I'm in the same boat, trust me. Stop telling yourself you are weak. It's not true. You just know that you've done better, that's the problem. Keep your food up and stay rested, bro. Wrap that knee if it's buggin you.

You're absolutely right, K. Thanks for the motivational speech, dude.


You will get back to where you were before, you have just had a couple set backs as of late, but your super consistent and have the desire to get stronger and that matters the most. Those are very impressive pendlay rows too, as they are alot harder than a traditional BB row. Keep it up bro.

Thanks, View.


You'll get back there with consistency. You know what you gotta do, and now you have goals. Give it hell, man!

I will, J. Just for you.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
215x5x3

Bench:
45x8
95x5
135x5
175x2
205x5
200x5x2

Deads:
135x5
225x3
275x5

Pull ups:
BWx5x5

Notes: Squats felt really good and I think I've pretty much eliminated the lateral hip movement in the hole. I got a little greedy with my bench and had to have a little tap on the last rep of the 205 set so I dropped back down to 200. 205 will be mine next time. My knee feels tons better - there were no issues even with the pulls today.

[jbrin0tk]

Awesome stuff, man. Glad to hear the knee pain is gone, too. That always sucks.

[Sidior]

A little late with the link, but here is the info about TKEs.
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=33895&tid=115

Strong workout btw!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Awesome stuff, man. Glad to hear the knee pain is gone, too. That always sucks.

Thanks, J. I'm just glad it wasn't anything serious.


A little late with the link, but here is the info about TKEs.
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=33895&tid=115

Strong workout btw!

Thanks for the link, buddy. I wouldn't say it was a strong workout, but I'm on my way.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x5x3

Pendlay Rows:
45x8
135x3
160x5x3

Dips:
BWx10x3

Hypers:
BWx10
25x10x2

Inverted Rows:
BWx6
BWx8
BWx7

Notes: I squatted with Roots today, who just happened to be training when I got there and he was nice enough to let me work in (although his squat puts mine to shame, but that's great motivation). I'm glad to be back squatting at last 2 plates again. I started warming up for some OHP, but I had some serious wrist pain, which was bugging me last bench day, but it seems to have gotten worse. Fortunately, dips felt OK so I was able to sub those in.

[CrazyK]

Those squats are getting back to where it's at. 275x5 should be yours soon.

[Keith]

Good to see the squats rising and you were able to add dips into the mix. Maybe squatting more often works for you...

[Jorge Sanchez]

Those squats are getting back to where it's at. 275x5 should be yours soon.

Hopefully it's just a couple weeks away.


Good to see the squats rising and you were able to add dips into the mix. Maybe squatting more often works for you...

Squatting more often definitely works for me. I don't think they're any stronger than when I was on 5/3/1, but that's more because my diet has been **** for the past month or so. I got that all sorted out and have all my meals made for the weak, so things should keep rolling.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
235x5x3

Dips:
25x5x2
25x10

Deads:
135x5
225x3
295x5

Pull ups:
25x5
25x4
25x3
10x4
10x3+BWx2

Notes: Squats felt really weird. The weight moved slowly and it felt heavy, but when I was done each set it felt like I had hardly done anything and could jump right back under the bar. I forgot my preworkout meal, though, so maybe that had something to do with it. My wrist still hurts so I had to sub in the dips again, although even they aggravated my wrist so I couldn't go as heavy as I would've liked.

[ZenMonkey]

Strong WO man! Things are coming back nicely for you too.

[View 1]

Solid workout. Sucks about your wrist hopefully it gets better soon. Squating every time I work out would be brutal, I like the simplicity if SS though. Are you still using your foam roller?

[Kiaran]

Gettin your mind over the matter it looks like, bro. Strong squatting and DLing. Your wrist will heal...just might take several months if you really tweaked a tendon or ligament. Those things don't get a lot of blood flow through them and can take for ****ing ever to heal.

[Sidior]

Squats and deads looking strong brah.

[jbrin0tk]

Great work, bud.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Strong WO man! Things are coming back nicely for you too.

Thanks, ZM.


Solid workout. Sucks about your wrist hopefully it gets better soon. Squating every time I work out would be brutal, I like the simplicity if SS though. Are you still using your foam roller?

Yeah, it's a good routine when you want to get your ass into gear. There's no half assing it because you're adding weight every workout. I still use the foam roller every night.


Gettin your mind over the matter it looks like, bro. Strong squatting and DLing. Your wrist will heal...just might take several months if you really tweaked a tendon or ligament. Those things don't get a lot of blood flow through them and can take for ****ing ever to heal.

You were right, K. It's all about getting your mind back into it. Don't say that about the wrist. I'm hoping I'll be able to start pressing again in the next couple of workouts.


Squats and deads looking strong brah.

They're on there way. I'm feeling good about my training for the first time a long time and that's what matters.


Great work, bud.

Thanks, J.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
245x5x3

Dips:
25x5
25x7
25x8

Pendlay rows:
45x8
135x3
175x5x3

Notes: I had to work late tonight and I have plans with my gf, so it was a very rushed workout. Decent overall, but I could have pushed myself a lot harder on the dips. The only problem is that the way I have to hold my wrist to avoid aggravating it really hurts the palms of my hands. I just need to man up a little bit.

[ZenMonkey]

Nice squatting and rows man! The dips look solid too man, dont sell yourself too short!

[CrazyK]

Rushing through those three exercises would be pretty difficult, but you hit some high numbers anyway. Good work.

[jbrin0tk]

Squats look like they are on the rise, bud. Good stuff.

[Kiaran]

Very respectable workout, bro. You're getting it rolling again for sure now. It's good to see you back on top of things, bro. How're the hips, knees and ankles doing from all the squatting?

[Jorge Sanchez]

Nice squatting and rows man! The dips look solid too man, dont sell yourself too short!

Thanks, Zen.


Rushing through those three exercises would be pretty difficult, but you hit some high numbers anyway. Good work.

It wasn't too bad, actually. I guess my conditioning is coming along. Thanks, CK.


Squats look like they are on the rise, bud. Good stuff.

They are. THanks for the props, J.


Very respectable workout, bro. You're getting it rolling again for sure now. It's good to see you back on top of things, bro. How're the hips, knees and ankles doing from all the squatting?

Thank, K. My legs are feeling great. The weights starting to feel heavier, but that just means more fun.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
255x5x3

Dips:
BWx3
25x8x3

Deads:
135x5
225x3
275x1
315x5

Pull ups:
BWx5x4
BWx6

Hypers:
25x10
35x10

Notes: Hit the gym with the gf today. I have to say, I'm really jealous of how natural squatting is for her. She's squatted maybe twice in her life and her form is among the best I've ever seen. The wrist is feeling a lot better, but today was bench day and I want to test it with some OHPing first since it will be less weight on the wrist. The weight's starting to feel a lot heavier, but I'm just going to keep it rolling. This was the point I was planning to switch to Madcow, but I'm going to keep SS going with 5lbs increases every session. Once I stall, I'll switch to Madcow. Hopefully I can milk it for another 30-50lbs on my squat and deads.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
260x5x3

Dips:
BWx3
35x5x2
35x8

Pendlay rows:
45x8
135x5
180x5x3

Pull ups:
BWx5x3

Notes: My form went to **** on the last set of squats, but I still hit my rep goals so I'm going to keep it rolling. I tried OHP, but I felt a twinge in my wrist with the bar. I probably could have pushed through it, but I want to make sure I'm not going to reinjure my wrist before I start pressing again. The bright side is that my dips will be damn strong if I keep this up. I'm actually kind of interested to see what will happen to my bench if I replace it with dips for a while. Hopefully it doesn't go down. I'm cheating a little too much on the rows so I'll probably drop the weight next time.

[jbrin0tk]

Sweet work on the squats, bud! Really coming along now. The dips look great, too.

[Kiaran]

Lol, dude, you are blowing it up with your squats lately! It just keeps going up and up every single session. If you are starting to slow down or peak, I would switch out the movement for 2-3 weeks to box squats or something different, just to let everything recover. Sort of a Westside method, but it really works.

Those rows and dips are strong as well, bro. Really impressive **** going on in here these days!

[borracho]

Mother ****er.

I take a leave of absence for a couple weeks and your squat flies up. Maybe if you leave for a few weeks my squats will quit acting like a dirty vagina and fly up, too.

It looks like you're taking the wave for all its worth...ride it man!..looks like you're doing great!

[Jorge Sanchez]

Sweet work on the squats, bud! Really coming along now. The dips look great, too.

Things are definitely going in the right direction. Thanks, buddy.


Lol, dude, you are blowing it up with your squats lately! It just keeps going up and up every single session. If you are starting to slow down or peak, I would switch out the movement for 2-3 weeks to box squats or something different, just to let everything recover. Sort of a Westside method, but it really works.

Those rows and dips are strong as well, bro. Really impressive **** going on in here these days!

Thanks, buddy. I like to keep things simple so I'm not so sure if I'll be switching out any exercises, but it sure does seem to work for you so I'll have to give it some serious consideration.


Mother ****er.

I take a leave of absence for a couple weeks and your squat flies up. Maybe if you leave for a few weeks my squats will quit acting like a dirty vagina and fly up, too.

It looks like you're taking the wave for all its worth...ride it man!..looks like you're doing great!

You just gotta give'er, buddy. But you're in luck - I booked a flight to France August 7th, which is my last day of work before I go off to law school.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
135x5
185x3
225x1
265x5x3

Dips:
BWx3
35x8
35x7x2

Deads:
135x5
225x3
275x1
325x5

Pull ups:
BWx5x4

Notes: Squats were tough as hell. I was really nervous before my third set, but it was the best one of the three. My legs were fried afterwards and the deads were killer.

[Brian999]

Nice man! Our lifts are about the same. Check out my journal. You doing SS? I see that your squattin every day. I was thinking about throwing in dips on the day I BP, or tri pushdowns. Could I add both on the day I BP?

[Sidior]

Squats really are looking good! I think I'm going to switch to Oly squats for all my 5/3/1 squatting, so we should get together and you can let me know how I'm looking.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Nice man! Our lifts are about the same. Check out my journal. You doing SS? I see that your squattin every day. I was thinking about throwing in dips on the day I BP, or tri pushdowns. Could I add both on the day I BP?

Yeah, I'm running SS for the next week or two to regain some lost strength.

It would be OK to add some dips on your bench day. Adding try pushdowns might be a lot, considering you're already hitting your tris a ton. If you want to throw in another tri isolation exercise do a couple sets once a week before your two days off. If it starts hurting your bench, stop.


Squats really are looking good! I think I'm going to switch to Oly squats for all my 5/3/1 squatting, so we should get together and you can let me know how I'm looking.

Thanks, dude. They're on their way back up. I think this is right about where I was when I hit my 355 max. I had better rep maxes in December, but I never went for a single at the time, although I really wish I did now.

We should definitely get together to train. Things are kind of crazy at work these days so I'm not sure when I'd be available, but next week should be better. We should do some tire flips soon too.

[Kiaran]

Pretty big session there. 265x5x3 is a lot. Looks like you're rapidly approaching the limit there. You gonna stick with the 5x3 or will you start pyramiding the sets?

[View 1]

Good to see the squats are going back up, the deads are getting back up there too. Glad to your wrist is doing better too.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Pretty big session there. 265x5x3 is a lot. Looks like you're rapidly approaching the limit there. You gonna stick with the 5x3 or will you start pyramiding the sets?

Thanks, K. I'm going to stick with 5x3 until I can't hit my reps for a couple workouts in a row, then I'll start pyramiding.


Good to see the squats are going back up, the deads are getting back up there too. Glad to your wrist is doing better too.

Thanks, View. Everything is starting to go pretty smoothly again.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x8
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
275x3x3

OHP:
45x8
95x5x2
115x5

Pendlay rows:
45x8
135x5
155x5x3

And then some tire flips for about 5 mins.

Notes: I was super drained today. I've been under a lot of stress at work and I've worked late every night this week (I also have to go in on the weekend :(). I thrive under pressure situations, but it's not great for my workouts, especially since I hadn't eaten for 6 hours before this session. I decided not to push it too much, but I'm really glad my wrist stood up to the pressing. My OHP actually feels stronger than before I stopped pressing so I think the dips have really paid off. I'm definitely going to keep them as a staple of my routine.

[View 1]

Very impressive session for being so drained. Squats just keep going up and up. Hopefully next week you can get some much needed rest.

[ZenMonkey]

Nice session man. Squats are looking good! What are your plans after SS?

[jbrin0tk]

Awesome to see you getting your squat weights back up, man.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Very impressive session for being so drained. Squats just keep going up and up. Hopefully next week you can get some much needed rest.

Thanks, View. Things will be much quieter this week at work.


Nice session man. Squats are looking good! What are your plans after SS?

Madcow is my plan. I'm thinking some things over right now with regards to my training goals, though, so we'll see.


Awesome to see you getting your squat weights back up, man.

Yeah, it was a nice feeling to get two and a quarter back up there. Next stop is 3pps.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Back squat:
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
270x5
270x4
270x2

Bench:
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5x3

Deads:
135x5
225x3
275x5
325x1

Pull ups:
BWx5x5

Hypers:
35x10x2

Notes: Both my back and my right hamstring were a little tweaked going in, which threw off my squats and deads a bit. My wrist was feeling pretty good - not 100% but good enough to bench. I could tell it's been a long time since I've been on the bench, but the weight was fairly light.

[jbrin0tk]

Very solid work, man. Keep it up. Looking forward to seeing you hit 315 on the squats.

[View 1]

Great workout jorge, good to see you benching again. Squats and deads in the same workout are brutal.

[Sidior]

Busy with life and wrist issues and still training hard, looking great in here bro!

[CrazyK]

Getting it in while having life issues is part of the game. Good work there.

Did you forget where you're going to law school? Sorry if I missed it.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Very solid work, man. Keep it up. Looking forward to seeing you hit 315 on the squats.

Thanks, J. Hopefully it won't be too long.


Great workout jorge, good to see you benching again. Squats and deads in the same workout are brutal.

Yeah, it felt good to be back on the bench. I could tell the dips really helped keep my strenght up.


Busy with life and wrist issues and still training hard, looking great in here bro!

Thanks, buddy.


Getting it in while having life issues is part of the game. Good work there.

Did you forget where you're going to law school? Sorry if I missed it.

Thanks, CK. I'm 95% sure I'm going to the University of Toronto with about a 5% chance I might end up at McGill.

[Jorge Sanchez]

I've decided I'm going to abondon my journal for the time being.

The reason I train is to get strong but also to improve my quality of life by getting stronger, better conditioned and more flexible through the maximum usuable range of motion. The way I've been lifting has focused too much on getting strong in the sense of just putting more weight on the bar and not enough on improving my quality of life. Pilling weight on the bar (even though it's not much) as fast as I can is great for the ego, but not so great from a quality of life perspective. I find I constantly have little nagging strains and pains that, while they're not a big deal, are anti-thetical to the reason I lift -- I lift so I can be pain free and mobile into old age, so I can help my buddies move, so I can join a pick up game of hockey without feeling like I'm going to puke or getting hurt. In order to accomplish those goals I think I need to focus on the quality of movements, as opposed to how much weight is on the bar. While I think I have decent form, I know it breaks down slightly when I'm pushing near maximal weight, which compounds muscle imbalances I have due to various (non-lifting related) injuries I've sustained over the years. Frankly, I'm afraid that is setting me up for disaster somewhere down the road and I'd rather feel like my lifting is protecting me from disaster.

In an online journal, barring a video of every lift, all you see are the numbers on the page, so there is an incentive to put up bigger and bigger lifts, which is a good thing overall, since that's how you get strong. But as I mentioned before, my goal is not just to get strong, but to improve my quality of life. The two aren't mutually exclusive, but I feel like I've been sacrificing the quality of movements for weight on the bar so I'm going to remove one of the incentives to pile the weight onto the bar (my journal).

I'm going to continue lifting and getting stronger, but first and foremost, I'm going to focus on the quality of movements. I will train in much the same way that I have been, but I will add a greater variety of movements (ie: overhead squats, front squats, unilateral work, etc.) and incorporate more GPP and conditioning work.

I want to thank all of you who have posted advice and encouragement in my journal -- it has been greatly appreciated. I wish you all luck with your training!

[borracho]

Hahaha..oh man. I started cracking up after reading Keiths journal because of what I was doing with mine..and now you. Weird.

Anyway, I know how you feel...obviously. Sacrificing bike rides with buddies has gotten to me. "Hey John..we're hitting up white mesa trail tomorrow..wanna go?"...and my response is "I will probably not be able to cause I will be squatting tonight and I'd be lucky if I can hoist myself off a toilet tomorrow morning."....or something along those lines.

Anyway, your post summed it up pretty much perfectly. I do plan to sneak into my journal every once in a while when I do something super exciting but right now I got summer fever and I am going to enjoy it. Good luck dude.

[CrazyK]

No way man! This journal is epic. Anyhow good luck with your goals, and good luck in Toronto or McGill. Those are two of the best north of the border from what I hear :)

[View 1]

I wish the best of luck with your new direction in training. I have mentioned before in my journal that I as well need to improve my conditioning but have yet to act on it. I love lifting heavy, but I am constantly sore and my joints hurt all the time, yet I keep at it every week. You have made the best choice its not about how much weight you can slap on the bar ( even though breaking PR's are a great feeling ) its about how you feel day in and day out. I enjoyed fallowing your journal, again I wish you best bro.

[Kiaran]

Cool deal, bro. I completely understand what you're saying. No worries taking a break from the journal land. Good luck with the routines and workouts that come your way. Hopefully you'll still stop by from time to time. It's funny because this seems like the time of year everybody begins changing things up. I've seen it happen every single year, and I usually do it too. Stay in touch, bro.

[Sidior]

Makes sense brah. I'm sure I will get the lowdown the next time we train.

[Keith]

Hahaha..oh man. I started cracking up after reading Keiths journal because of what I was doing with mine..and now you. Weird.

Let's start our own train! :indian:

[Jorge Sanchez]

FYI, I will probably resurect this journal in a few weeks. I've begun training the Olympic lifts at a local O-lifting club. All I'm doing at the moment is light form work, but I'll start posting again once things start getting a little more interesting.

[jbrin0tk]

No doubt lifting can make ya feel like crap sometimes. I totally understand what you are saying about the quality of life aspect of exercise in general. I too have started adding in conditioning work in the last month and a half for many of the reasons you stated, bud. It's just not good to be strong and not able to move well or do things without getting winded so quickly. Good luck, bud, and I definitely hope you will start posting up what you are doing with your Oly training. It'll be really cool to read about.

[View 1]

Good stuff that your doing something different, look forward to see how you will be doing on the O lifts. Do you still plan to go crossfit in september?

[Jorge Sanchez]

No doubt lifting can make ya feel like crap sometimes. I totally understand what you are saying about the quality of life aspect of exercise in general. I too have started adding in conditioning work in the last month and a half for many of the reasons you stated, bud. It's just not good to be strong and not able to move well or do things without getting winded so quickly. Good luck, bud, and I definitely hope you will start posting up what you are doing with your Oly training. It'll be really cool to read about.

I think some general fitness stuff is definitely for the best. Thanks, J.


Good stuff that your doing something different, look forward to see how you will be doing on the O lifts. Do you still plan to go crossfit in september?

Thanks, buddy. We'll see what happens with the crossfit. I'm actually training at a crossfit gym right now, but only doing the O-lifts and not the WoDs. I may stick with the O-lifts or switch over to crossfit.









So I think I've decided I'm going to compete in a Weightlifting meet on August 22. I'll have to see how my lifts progress (technique-wise) before making the final decision. I don't expect to put up very competitive lifts by the 22nd, but I just don't want to make a fool out of myself.

I'll probably compete in the 94kg class so, fortunately, I can put on a few pounds. I think I'll be happy with a bodyweight clean and jerk, which I don't think is too far off with a little form work. A 135 snatch would also be nice, but I'm having a lot of trouble making my back/shoulders tight in the catch position and if I can't fix that soon I think 135 may be out of reach.

At this point I've really been focusing on some light form work, but my coach told me I'd start upping the weight on my cleans next clean workout. Tomorrow is snatch day so if I can get the lift down hopefully I can start adding weight to that soon too. I'll start logging some of my training intermittently. Today's workout looked like this:

Hang cleans (30 mins):
95x3

Hang cleans + Front squats (30 mins):
115x1 + 2

Notes: The workouts are light but really fast-paced because I alternate back and forth with one other person. As soon as one person's done the other jumps right in. Even though it's light, I feel like it's really helping my conditioning.

[Sidior]

Nice to see this log up and running again :D Training looks interesting.

Where is the meet?

[Jorge Sanchez]

I'm enjoying the training so far. It's really basic at this point, but it should get a little more interesting over the next few weeks.

The meet is in Collingwood.

[Kiaran]

Cool deal on training at an xFit gym. I hate oly lifts, lol. You definitely need to find a way to get some vids up of your lifts so you can get some tips and such from everyone. Those movements are so demanding of form. Interesting on the meet you are planning on. What will the events be?

[View 1]

Good luck if you do decide to compete. I think that its a wise thing too that your working out at a crossfit gym, even if your only doing the O lifts. Now you can get a first hand perspective as to what they do day and day out, and I think that will help you with the general direction you are taking workout wise. If you do compete let us know how it goes.

[CrazyK]

There you go big guy. I think by starting to enter meets and working out with like minded people, you'll be a lot more motivated and focused. Good work and can't wait to see the gains.

[Jorge Sanchez]

Cool deal on training at an xFit gym. I hate oly lifts, lol. You definitely need to find a way to get some vids up of your lifts so you can get some tips and such from everyone. Those movements are so demanding of form. Interesting on the meet you are planning on. What will the events be?

I could care less about the crossfit gym, but I love the O-lifts. I'll try to get some vids up. I have a coach who helps me out with my form, otherwise I wouldn't bother. If I do the meet, it'll be the clean and jerk and the snatch, although I'm not sure if I'm going to do it because my snatch is just not progressing the way I'd like.


Good luck if you do decide to compete. I think that its a wise thing too that your working out at a crossfit gym, even if your only doing the O lifts. Now you can get a first hand perspective as to what they do day and day out, and I think that will help you with the general direction you are taking workout wise. If you do compete let us know how it goes.

THanks, View.


There you go big guy. I think by starting to enter meets and working out with like minded people, you'll be a lot more motivated and focused. Good work and can't wait to see the gains.

THanks, CK. I don't know if I'll hit the meet this coming August - my form still needs some work - but I hope to hit one in the next year or so.





It's been a while since I've posted a workout but I've been training 4x/week. Everything's still really light, but my coach likes my clean form so he finally started to add weight this week - still light, but hopefully he'll continue to add some more pounds.


Clean and jerk for 35mins:
Warm up
125x3

Front squats: for 35 mins
165x3

Some ab thing from hell

Notes: This is the first time I've done stand alone squats of any kind for a few weeks and I could definitely tell that my strength was down. Still light though and I'm able to get fully ass to calves so my hips are definitely loosening up (after lots of stretching). Everything's really fast paced - I was working on a platform with one other guy and we would take turns jumping in right after the other - I'd guess I probably did 15ish sets of front squats and fewer cleans and jerks.

[Sidior]

Training for time sounds mighty brutal, especially front squats. I'm looking forward to more updates and some heavier weight again soon in here :D

[Jorge Sanchez]

Thanks, dude. It's not technically training for time, I just don't remember how many sets I did. I'm looking forward to some heavier weight as well.

Front squats for 75 mins:
Warm up
145x3

145x3 +4 squat jumps
145x3 +5 squat jumps

Notes: focused on speed and form. My hips were really stretched out after this session. My training's starting to get a little more varied, which is nice. I'm looking forward to adding some weight.

[jbrin0tk]

Really cool to see what you are doing, man. Keep it up and I look forward to reading more about it.

[CrazyK]

It sounds as if they are trying to build your flexibility and conditioning first before moving on. Almost GPP if you will.