My new 5/3/1 training log.

S.O.Interceptor · 09-29-2011, 16:57

Monday 09-19-2011

Press:
45 -10x2
65 x5
90 x5
105 x10
120 x8

These went well. I was hoping for 10 at 120, but I failed #9, twice.

Squats:
45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x5
160 x5
185 x5
210 x10

BbB -115 -10x3

These went really well. 10 reps were my goal and I got it, but they were a shock. All reps were to depth and with pretty good form. No complaints except they wore me out. The BbB damn near killed me and I had to stop after 3 sets. I was barely able to stagger upstairs afterward.

Then I got sick Tuesday and was out of commission through Saturday, so that takes us to ...............................

S.O.Interceptor · 09-29-2011, 17:00

Monday 09-26-2011

After this week I will probably go back to squatting first, then pressing.

Press:
45 -10x2
65 x5
90 x5
105 x10
120 x8

These went okay. I was hoping for 10 at 120, again, but I failed #9, twice, again. I was still recovering from being sick and was fairly weak and tired. I was lucky to get 8 again.

Squats:
45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x5
160 x5
185 x5
210 x10

These were hard as hell. 210 damn near killed me this week. The first 6 reps were real good, but after that each rep was slightly sloppier. They were all to depth, but shaky and loose. No BbB that day. I learned my lesson.

I had a 25 hour day from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon, so no Wednesday workout. That takes me to.......................

S.O.Interceptor · 09-29-2011, 17:19

Thursday 09-29-2011

I bought my first pair of weightlifting shoes and broke them in today. I like them.

Power Cleans:
65 x5
95 x5
107.5 x5
122.5 x5
145 x1
165 -FAIL (hit my belt)
165 x1
175 -FAIL

These went okay. It had been a while since I did any PCs. The last time I did them I did 160x5, so the numbers were disappointing. The amount of reps prior to trying 165 and 175 is probably to blame. Hitting my belt on the way up on 165 stopped that rep cold. I had never done that before, but I guess it's a good sign that I'm keeping the bar close to the body. Unfortunately yo correct it I had to arch the bar out a little, which cost me 175. I'll have to work this issue out. Also, if I could do a squat clean at all, 175 would've gone up. It stopped right below the shoulder and I couldn't get under the bar fast enough to save it. It was frustrating.

Power Snatches:
65 x5
72.5 x5
85 x5
95 x5
105 x1
115 x1
125 x1 -PR
130 -FAIL

These were pretty good. 125 went fairly easily so I was surprised when I had trouble with 130. But I was exhausted and it wasn't going up, so I called it a day.

I'll probably end up going back to my old program of doing a single set of 5, adding 5lbs every week, and then doing some heavy singles afterward, because this was way too much volume.

I may also split these up and move them to after the bench and deadlift on Wednesday and Friday. I'm not sure yet.

S.O.Interceptor · 09-30-2011, 14:42

Friday 09-30-2011

My hands were killing me from way too much volume on the cleans and snatches. My back and hamstrings were pretty sore too.

Bench:
45 -10x2
95 x5
135 x3
185 x2
205 x1
225- FAIL
125 x5
145 x5
162.5 x13

I tried 25 to set a new max, since my previous max was 212.5 x2, but it had been a while since I benched, and it failed 6" off my chest. So I stuck with 212.5 as my max. 125 and 145 were easy. 162.5 was easy for the first 10 reps, 11 and 12 were hard as hell, and the 13th rep was a real grinder and barely got up. I probably shouldn't have even tried for #13.

Deadlift:
135 x3
185 x2
255 x1
350 x1
205 x5
235 x5
267.5 x10

Since I hadn't deadlifted in a while either, I decided to make sure I could get 350 up like I thought I could. If I had known how fast it went up I would've tried for more. My hands were on fire the whole time. After 350, 205 and 235 were light, but killed my hands. I wanted 10 at 267.5 but didn't figure I'd be able to get more than 5 reps at 267.5. Once I started I was able to stand the hand pain. I had good speed on all 10 reps. I may have been able to do more, but decided 10 was my goal, I hit it, and decided that was good enough.

Lessons learned this week:
I'm going to squat before pressing.

I am going to split up the cleans and snatches.

I'm going back to doing 1 working set on the cleans and snatches, adding 5lbs per week, like I used to. Then I'll try for some heavier singles.

I'm going to bench/clean on Wednesday and deadlift/snatch on Friday.

dotsun · 10-01-2011, 04:09

Lookin good, SO. I look forward to seeing how well 5-3-1 works for you.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-03-2011, 19:56

Monday 10-03-2011

The day started off with me being woken up to the pain of my right heel hitting my ass. My calf cramped so badly that my leg shot up. I woke up, yelled, rolled, fell off the bed, and wished I could cut off my leg for the next 15 minutes. It took an hour to be able to walk normally, and I didn't even start warming up until 2 hours later.

Squat:
45- 5x2
95 x5
135 x3
155 x1
172.5 x3
197.5 x3
222.5 x7

These went really well. This was my first time squatting with weightlifting shoes and I liked it. I was able to get deeper than ever before, without any additional effort. Unfortunately going deeper means you gotta drive from further in the hole. I set out to get 7 reps at 222.5 and I got them. 5 were real good and fairly easy, #6 was slower and tiring, and #7 was a grinder. I probably could've done 1 more but I hit my number.

Press:
45 -10x2
75 x5
97.5 x3
112.5 x3
125 x7

These went really well too. I was a little concerned after only getting 8 reps last week when I wanted 10, but I wanted 7 today and got it. I had 6 real quick smooth reps, and 1 that was a little rougher, but still decent.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-05-2011, 14:47

Wednesday 10-05-2011

A pretty good day of lifting despite not getting crap for sleep.

Bench:
45 -10x2
95 x5
115 x5
145 x3
162.5 x3
182.5 x9

These went well. 145 and 162.5 were obviously easy. 182.5 was fairly easy for the first 6 reps. 7 & 8 were slightly rougher, and 9 was a hell of a grinder. My goal to be satisfied was 8, but I knew I had 1 more, so I'm happy I got it.

Power Cleans:
65 x5
95 x3
115 x1
145 x3
145 -FAIL x3 -hit belt
145 x2
160 -FAIL x2

I did hang cleans for 65, 95, and 115 to warmup. They were easy. 145 was easy enough and was going well until I hit my belt on rep #4. After that I missed twice trying to avoid my belt. So I basically did 3 high shrugs in the middle of my PC workout. Then I was able to get the final 2 reps without a belt. Then I missed 160 out in front of my body twice, trying to avoid the belt again. I guess I'll stop wearing the belt for PCs since this is becoming habit.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-07-2011, 21:05

Friday 10-07-2011

Didn't get much sleep and I had to lift right after eating, but the results were good.

Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
220 x3
257.5 x3
282.5 x10

Warmups and the first 2 sets were fairly easy and light. I figured since I only did 10 last week, 7 or 8 would be it today and 10 was a pipe dream. But as I went, the bar speed stayed quick, my back stayed straight, and the pulls kept coming. The only problem I had was I forgot to chalk my thighs. After 5 reps I was fighting dragging the bar up my legs. It hurt.

Power Snatch:
65 x5 -full squat snatches
105 x5
115 x1

These went alright. 105 wasn't terribly hard, I was just tired from deadlifting. 115 was heavy as hell and I forgot any thought I had of trying 120+. Also, somehow I landed funny and tweaked my knee. It was almost a split clean, but I didn't mean to. I think it's okay. Need to work on my footwork.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-10-2011, 14:38

Monday 10-10-2011

Today started out pretty rough but ended well. I didn't get much sleep this weekend and I'm still sore from Friday. I almost shut off the alarm and slept through my workout. I'm glad I didn't.

Squat:
45 -10x2
95 x5
135 x3
160 x1
185 x5
210 x3
235 x5

This wasn't fun at any of the weights. Warmups were slow and stiff. 185 and 210 felt heavier than they should have. 5 was my target number at 235, but I was hoping after #5 I could evaluate and go for 6. It didn't happen. I was tired and rep #4 was decent, but on #5 things started breaking down so I stopped.

Press:
45 -10x2
75 x5
90 x1
105 x5
120 x3
132.5 x6

And things didn't get much better when I started pressing. Warmups were rough and 105 was horribly shaky and sloppy. Fortunately struggling with 105 was the inspiration I needed to tighten up, get pissed off, and get to work. 120 was solid and steady. 132.5 was even better. 5 was my target number again, but after #5 I knew I had 6. I may have gotten 7, but I was content with meeting my goal.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-12-2011, 23:56

Wednesday 10-12-2011

This was a good day in the gym.

Bench:
45 -10x2
95 x5
115 x5
145 x5
162.5 x3
182.5 x10

I accidentally did this week's weight, last week. So I did it again this week too. I'll have to be more careful with my math next cycle. 145 and 162.5 were nice and easy of course. And so was 182.5. Last week I barely got 9 reps, and I struggled badly with #9. This week I got 10 good, solid, clean reps. I could've gotten more but 10 was my number, I got it, so I decided to stop. This is encouraging.

Power Cleans:
115 x3
150 -5x2
150 x1-Clean and Jerk
150 x1 -Clean and front squat

I decided to try some more volume on the PCs and did a second set. They both went fairly well but wore me out. Then I decided to try jerking it. It went well too.

I think starting next week I'm going back to doing the cleans and snatches both on Wednesday to try and get better at both. I'll start benching and deadlifting together again.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-14-2011, 14:43

Friday 10-14-2011

A pretty good deadlift workout. No snatching because I didn't have a lot of time, didn't want to be rushed, and didn't feel like it.

Deadlift:
150 x5
185 x3
205 x1
235 x5
267.5 x3
300 x10 -This is a rep PR

Everything went smoothly. I decided going in that I wanted 10. I knew I had it in me. And I got it. It was broken down as: 7 really good reps, 2 fairly decent reps, and 1 that was probably pretty ugly. By #10 I slightly ramped the weight up the thighs a little. My back and hamstrings are telling me about it, and my shins are beaten. But I feel good.

No deload week. I'm going to try going 2 cycles back to back and see how I feel. I may do a deload after every other cycle if I need it. But right now with the way the program is broken down I'm feeling fine at the start of every week.

But I'm probably not going to go for max reps every time next cycle. I'll probably taper it down some.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-17-2011, 19:10

Monday 10-17-2011

I didn't get much sleep today. I was tired and it could've gone better, but overall it was a pretty good lift.

Squats:
45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x3
155 x1
167.5 x5
192.5 x5
217.5 x8

My legs were tired after just warming up. After set 2 and 3 my hams and butt were killing me. I was shaky, tired, and sore. I'm not sure why. I decided to set my sights on 8, but settle for 5 if I was too shaky. I got 5 real good reps some how, then 2 where my back angle deteriorated slightly, but still passable. #8 was the only rough one, but still far from bad. I got 8, and was content.

Press:
45 -10x2
75 x5
95 x5
107.5 x5
122.5 x9

I was shaky and weak going into this as usual. Warmups sucked but I was able to get it together for the sets. For 122.5 I really wanted 8, but figured I'd have to settle for 5, maybe 6. Somehow I got angry enough at the bar to fire up 6 fast hard reps, then 9 more reps paused off my chest. No leg drive, very strict. I was happy as hell with these.

I literally haven't been able to get enough to eat lately. I don't know if it's the max reps or what, but since starting 5/3/1 I have been eating like a bear preparing to hibernate. I'm hungry every second of the day and downing food like there is no tomorrow. And somehow it isn't going to my waist. Pants fit the same and I'm finally seeing the growth I want everywhere else. I'm happy. And now to eat again.....

S.O.Interceptor · 10-19-2011, 14:29

Wednesday 10-19-2011

Tired and still sore from Monday. I almost slept through instead of getting up. It was a light weight day, but productive.

Squat cleans:
65 -5x3

These were good. I'm finally able to get the timing down with the catch and squat. 3 good sets of 5 and they all went well. My only problem is that my catch is right up against the throat and I'm borderline on crushing it trying to catch it.

Squat snatches:
65 x3 -5 overhead squats after each snatch

These are not going so well. My shoulder does not like the snatch position while overhead squatting. I can catch fine on power snatches when I catch it directly overhead. But when I have to catch and lean forward to squat and the bar ends up behind the shoulder, it tends to get sore. So I only did 3 catches. After each catch I overhead squatted 5 times to loosen up some. After a while it went okay. This is going to take a lot of work.

Power cleans:
155 x1

By this time I was tired. I got 1 rep up and couldn't get another one.

I learned a lesson. I'm going to start doing power cleans first and then do squat cleans and squat snatches. They wore me out more than I thought they would at such a light weight.

I think I'm going to add 5lbs each workout to the full squat versions of each lift and work my way up.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-22-2011, 01:04

Friday 10-21-2011

Bench:
45- 10x2
95 x5
115 x3
127.5 x5
147.5 x5
167.5 x14

These went really well. Last cycle I only got 13 at 162.5. This week I wasn't going to settle for less than 10, and was hoping for 13. After 10 I knew I had 13 easily, and after 13 I knew I had 14. I probably could've done 1 more but I was content. I can't wait until I get into a little higher weight. With all the reps I've been doing, I'm guessing my 1RM is higher than I figured. Maybe I had a bad day when I tested it, because every bench workout so far has been light and easy.

Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
212.5 x5
242.5 x5
275 x10

These went alright. 212.5 and 242.5 were nice and easy. 275 wasn't bad. I did 5 real good tight quick rep, then messed up and loosened up to regrip and readjust. The next 5 were all a little rougher, but acceptable. I could've done more but I wasn't doing the reps I wanted and couldn't get my perfect setup back, so I called it a night.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-24-2011, 14:35

Monday 10-24-2011

I had a 30 hour day from Friday through Saturday and didn't sleep for nearly 24 hours after deadlifting Friday. I was fried all weekend and didn't sleep well after that. Somehow I had a decent day today.

Squats:
45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x3
155 x1
180 x3
205 x3
232.5 x7

These started badly but ended well. Warming up was not fun. I was stiff as hell and it took twice as long as usual. 180 wasn't bad but 205 was heavy and slow as hell. Somehow I pulled it together and got 6 good reps at 232.5 and 1 average rep. My goal going in was 6, and I surpassed it, so I'm happy.

Press:
45 -10x2
75 x5
90 x3
105 x3
130 x7

These went really well. Warming up for this was easy. 90 was just as easy, 105 was barely any slower, and 130 was a good set. Again my goal was 6, but after nailing 6 quick reps, I knew I could get 7. It almost didn't go up after I stopped to rest in the down position. It was shaky and uneven as hell, but it went. I'm happy with it.

California Jack · 10-24-2011, 16:11

Good work soi

S.O.Interceptor · 10-27-2011, 00:12

Wednesday 10-26-2011

I was supposed to do a set of power cleans and then a lightweight c&j and snatch workout afterward. But I got to doing PCs and didn't wanna stop. Then I set a new PR! I had an awesome time and feel great!

Power Cleans:
95 x3
115 x3
135 x5
145 x5
155 x5
165 x1

175 x1 - Power Clean & Jerk -PR for both PC and Jerk

Oh, and no belt for anything.

Once I got doing PCs I decided I wanted to stick with it since my last couple of PC workouts have been crappy. I wanted to try to get some form back and see how I did without the belt getting in the way. 95-135 were all very fast and explosive. 145 and 155 slowed slightly, but were still better than I figured they would be. I was tired by then and decided to try 165, which I think tied an old PR. It went smoothly so I decided to go for broke. Once I got 175 up, I was worn out, but decided to see if I could get it overhead. I did. I'm not sure you'd call it an actual "jerk" or a push press, but it went up. I was so damn tired that I pictured myself doing a spit jerk and snapping it overhead. It was more like a slight knee bend, a little push off the chest, and a shaky snail ride to the top. And my feet barely moved, much less split. But I locked it out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by California Jack

Good work soi

Thank you.

S.O.Interceptor · 10-29-2011, 07:32

Saturday 10-29-2011

I didn't get to lift yesterday afternoon so I did it this morning after work. It sucked. The temperature was in the 30s in the garage and I was bundled up like that little kid in the "Christmas Story".

Bench:
45 -10x2
95 x5
115 x3
137.5 x3
157.5 x3
177.5 x11

These went really well despite the cold. My goal was 10 but I figured as cold as it was I'd probably get 7 or 8. I would've called it a victory at 7. When I got to 10 I still had a little left, so I did a slow long pause on the 11th rep to make sure I could drive it up, and I did. So I was very happy. But I was also very tired and winded.

Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
205 x1
227.5 x3
260 x3
292.5 x7

By the time I started warming up I was really cold. By the time I did the last set I was sucking cold biting wind. If I hadn't been freezing I easily could've gotten 10. But 7 was what I decided was the minimum I'd accept and when I got it, I was beyond ready to be done. Overall a victory, but not a fun one.

S.O.Interceptor · 11-01-2011, 20:06

Tuesday 11-01-2011

I combined Monday and Wednesday's workout today. I was too tired from work all weekend and Halloween yesterday to lift. And I didn't want to lift tomorrow either, so I did a combo workout today. It went really well.

Squats:
45- 5x2
95 x5
135 x3
160 x1
192.5 x5
217.5 x3
245 x5

These went really well. They all felt very heavy, heavier than they should've but I met my goals. I wanted 5 and got 5 good reps. I probably could've gotten 6, but I was content.

Press:
45 -10 x2
75 x5
95 x3
107.5 x5
122.5 x3
137.5 x7

These went better than I could've hoped. I wanted 5 on the last set, but after ripping off 5 fast awesome reps, I decided to try more. I could've gotten 8, but I had already exceeded my expectations.

Power Cleans:
140 x5
150 x3

Even though I failed rep#4 on the 2nd set, these went well. The only reason I failed the rep was failure to rack properly. But by then I was exhausted ad decided my form was only going to get worse.

S.O.Interceptor · 11-05-2011, 16:43

Saturday 11-05-2011

I was busy with the family last night and didn't get to lift. Hopefully next week I'll be back to my regular M/W/F split.

It wasn't horrible, but it could've gone better.

Bench:
45 -10x2
95 x5
115 x5
147.5 x5
167.5 x3
187.5 x10 -rep PR

These went well. I was aiming for at least 8 on the last set. I got 8 really fast strong reps, and then 2 slower, but decent reps. I could've gotten 11, but decided that 10 was good enough.

Deadlift:
150 x5
185 x3
215 x1
247.5 x5
275 x3
307.5 x7

These did not go so well. My lower back was tired and slightly sore going in and I never really got into these. 247.5 and 275 were slow and heavy. 307.5 sucked. Every rep was slow and hard. In fact I basically did 7 singles. And now I feel hammered.

I think on the next cycle I'm going to lower my expected reps. I figure on 5 days I'll try for 7-8(depending on the lift), on 3 days, I'll try for 4-5, and on 1 days I'll try for 3-4. Of course on the bench I can get double digits almost every time, but on the squat, deadlift, and press I can't. I'll evaluate each lift and how I feel going in, but I'm going to slow down a little. Hopefully I'll get more out of each rep.

S.O.Interceptor · 11-09-2011, 23:41

Cycle 3 Week 1

Wednesday 11-09-2011

I didn't get to lift Monday before work due to feeling ill. I got virtually no sleep the last few days, and it was so cold in my garage that I lost feeling in my finger for 5 minutes when I pinch it between 2 freezing cold plates. Good times.

Squat:
45 -5 x2
95 x5
135 x3
155 x1
177.5 x5
200 x5
227.5 x7

These went alright but felt like hell. I was sucking cold wind after warming up and it never got better. All 3 working sets felt heavy as hell and every rep was slower than it should've been. Normally I would've been able to get 10 reps out of 227.5, but today I barely got my goal of 7. And there wasn't much left in the tank. My legs felt like jelly.

Press:
45 -10x2
5 x5
97.5 x5
112.5 x5
127.5 x8

These were better than the squats despite already being work out. 97.5 and 112.5 went up fast and easy. 127.5 went up fast 5 times, and then I had to pause, catch my breath, and drive it off my chest 3 times. By #8 it had slowed down some. I could've gotten more, but 8 was my goal and I was content.

Now to go pass out...........

S.O.Interceptor · 11-11-2011, 14:13

Friday 11-11-2011

Today was not a good day in the gym. I was tired. I haven't recovered well lately due to a hectic schedule, lack of sleep, and a sporadic diet. It caught up with me today.

Bench:
45- 10x2
95 x5
115 x5
132.5 x5
152.5 x5
172.5 x12

These were easy as usual despite all the other problems. I used 212.5 as my starting point as 212.5 x2 was my best and efforts at a new max failed. I figured that was a good starting point. But I'm thinking that must have just been a bad day because these weights are just too easy. For 5s week I'm only going for 7 or 8 in every other lift. But for the bench I can hit double digits with every weight so far.

Deadlift:
135 x5
185 x3
217.5 x5
252.5 x5
285 x8

And this is where poor recovery caught up with me. A late workout Wednesday and an early workout today made it worse. My lower back was tired from squatting. Even warmups were tiring. And I barely made 285 x8. I managed 8 good reps, but that was all I had. They were all slow and grinding and wore me out.

Hopefully next week will be better. Hopefully I'll actually get to lift 3 days.

S.O.Interceptor · 11-14-2011, 18:40

Monday 11-14-2011

I didn't sleep well all weekend and didn't recover as well as I had hoped. I was still sore going into the gym. I did some extra stretching which helped and came out with a decent lift.

Squats:
45 -10x2
95 x5
135 x3
165 x1
187.5 x3
215 x3
240 x6

Every rep was hard as hell but they were as deep as I've ever squatted, so I'm happy about that. At 240 I had 4 decent reps and 2 where my form broke down and I lost my back angle some.

Press:
45 -10x2
75 x5
95 x1
105 x3
120 x3
135 x8

These went really well. 105 and 120 flew up easily. At 135 I had 6 hard, fast reps. Then I paused at the chest and caught my breath between reps on the last 2. They were slow and hard but strict.

Detectorist · 11-15-2011, 16:56

Glad to see you are still making progress!

I'm starting deads this week myself.

S.O.Interceptor · 11-16-2011, 13:48

Wednesday 11-16-2011

I just didn't have it today. I slept well, ate well, etc. But from start to finish it wasn't a good lift.

Snatch:
65 x5
95 x5
115 x1
120 x1
120 -FAIL x2

Warmups went alright, but I could tell that a lot of snatching was not in the cards for the day. I struggled with 115 and since I knew I didn't have many reps in me I decided to try 120. I barely got it. I knew I wasn't going up in weight so I decided to try 120 again, and failed twice. My shoulders weren't happy, my elbows weren't happy, and I wasn't happy. I think it had been too long since I did these and I expected too much.

Power Cleans:
65 x5
95 x3
140 x5
150 x1
150 -FAIL x2

Front squat:
140 x1

These started off well enough. I had 5 good reps at 140, except for the part where I tried to crush my larynx with the bar a couple of times. After rep #5 I front squatted 140 once just to see how it would go. It went alright. But I was tired and only managed 1 PC rep at 150. I just barely missed racking it twice. I decided to call it a day.

I'm still trying to figure out how to program PCs into my program. I think I will go back to only doing PCs on Wednesday, but I'm not sure whether to do sets across at 5x3 or ramping sets.

I think I'm going to stop snatching until someday when I focus on an Olympic-only type of lifting program. I'm not good at them, they take a lot out of me, and right now I don't really have the time to focus on them enough to learn them properly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Detectorist

Glad to see you are still making progress!

I'm starting deads this week myself.

I saw that. That's great! Deads are my favorite lift to hate, and the overhead press is just my favorite lift. I don't remember what your situation was exactly, but if you're able, power cleans are my second favorite lift. At least most days they are. Today, not so much.