So, just relaxing and recovering today. Getting ready for a big delicious dinner and maybe even a beer or two for my little re-feed. BUT, I wanted to post because I had an awesome programming idea that I think I am going to give a shot after this summer programming is done.
BASICALLY I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for squat in the fall. I love 5/3/1, but If I were to follow the current 5/3/1 I have set up, the heaviest squat I would hit by december is 400 in training, and personally I just don't think that will cut it to reach my goals... If I want to hit 495 by next may, I need to be hitting around 450 in december.
SO, I dreamed up a little progression for myself that I could do on thursdays, that would start with hight volume and then taper to have me squatting about 445 for a single in december. HOWEVER, then I had a way better idea!
What if I just condensed 5/3/1 into half the time? The normal program has you squatting once a week - 5 week, 3 week, 1 week, deload. However, since I am definitely going to squat twice a week, why program my own random shit on thursday? why not just condense 5/3/1 to look like this
Monday: 5 workout, Thursday: 3 workout, Monday: 1 workout, Thursday: Deload
I think this idea is awesome. I will be able to significantly speed up the 5/3/1 progression, follow a program I KNOW works for me, AND that deload will be an awesome mental and physical rest - if I am feeling healthy and strong, I can use it as a high-rep hypertrophy day to make up for the slightly lower volume on 5/3/1, or I can use it as a lighter speed and form day, or use it as a true deload when I am getting down towards the end of my rope and need the extra recovery. Instead of running 4 cycles of 5/3/1 in the fall, I can run 6 cycles. And I literally won't need to change anything. Monday I can still do paused squats, and thursdays can always be front squats. It seems like I might be able to make really great progress.
If I start right at the end of summer, I should squat 380, beltless, before my mock meet at the start of september... then run 6 cycles, so I will be hitting 440 right before I max out in december. Basically, it will put me exactly where I want to be, except I will be folowing a better progression than what I dreamed up lol.
Obviously, not positive if this is what I want to do, but it seems like a great idea that will work really well for me, so I'm very excited and optimistic about it. We will see!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Arms 2
Good day today
Started with a nice little hike to get in my super low impact cardio haha. Then, started with a nice long warmup and close grip bench. Felt great today - I was setting up a little higher on the bench than normal, and unracking felt super easy and light. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135 for a few, all of which felt like a joke. Went to 165 x 5 which actually felt a little tough, but still very solid. Next, hit 185 x 3, and finally 205 for a tough but solid 3. After hitting a heavy triple, went down to 155 and hit it for 3 sets - 8, 8, and finally 12. All of that was on the 3 minutes.
Next, heavy curls. Put 25's on the curl bar and hit it for 3 sets of very controlled, mind-muscle type curls on the 2 mins. I was shooting for 3 x 15, but got 15, 13, and 12.
Finally, used the cable system on my rack for the first time in forever. Loaded up 25's on each side, and did a metcon of 10 curls, 12 tricep pushdowns for 3 rounds. The curls were crazy hard, and the pushdowns got pretty damn tough by the end. My arms were blown up.
So, fun little workout! For closegrip and incline bench, I think I am going to keep the pattern of "work up to a heavy ______" then drop back 30-50 lbs and do some sets. It was definitely good to play with the cables, I need to start integrating those into my workouts more. I'm looking good also! Weighed in this morning at 222.5, which (even if the scale is 2 or so lbs heavy, which I'm pretty sure it is), is 2.5 lbs less than the last time I weighed in. Starting to feel good about the way I look, and having some stronger workouts too. Lets keep at it.
Started with a nice little hike to get in my super low impact cardio haha. Then, started with a nice long warmup and close grip bench. Felt great today - I was setting up a little higher on the bench than normal, and unracking felt super easy and light. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135 for a few, all of which felt like a joke. Went to 165 x 5 which actually felt a little tough, but still very solid. Next, hit 185 x 3, and finally 205 for a tough but solid 3. After hitting a heavy triple, went down to 155 and hit it for 3 sets - 8, 8, and finally 12. All of that was on the 3 minutes.
Next, heavy curls. Put 25's on the curl bar and hit it for 3 sets of very controlled, mind-muscle type curls on the 2 mins. I was shooting for 3 x 15, but got 15, 13, and 12.
Finally, used the cable system on my rack for the first time in forever. Loaded up 25's on each side, and did a metcon of 10 curls, 12 tricep pushdowns for 3 rounds. The curls were crazy hard, and the pushdowns got pretty damn tough by the end. My arms were blown up.
So, fun little workout! For closegrip and incline bench, I think I am going to keep the pattern of "work up to a heavy ______" then drop back 30-50 lbs and do some sets. It was definitely good to play with the cables, I need to start integrating those into my workouts more. I'm looking good also! Weighed in this morning at 222.5, which (even if the scale is 2 or so lbs heavy, which I'm pretty sure it is), is 2.5 lbs less than the last time I weighed in. Starting to feel good about the way I look, and having some stronger workouts too. Lets keep at it.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Strict press 170 x 1
Really good day today. I'm starting to look pretty damn good - still not lean enough that my abs look good, but I'm getting to the point that my upper body is starting to look pretty lean and huge.
Started with 5/3/1 press. Long warmup, then the bar, then 95 x 10 or so, then loaded up 135. Tried to get a little psyched up and angry for these, and it went well. Hit a nice 5 at 135, then a solid 3 at 155. Finally, loaded up 170 and crushed it for a single. Got a tiny bit out in front, but overall it was a great rep, smooth and fairly fast (although I got a little dizzy). After, dropped back to 155 and hit it for 3 with a long pause, and then on the 3 mins hit 135 for 5 with a long pause. The long pauses really work to fix the "pressing out in front" issue, and they feel really strong and solid.
Next up, rows. Decided to use 170 as my moderate weight, and rowed it for 4 sets of 10 on the 2 mins. Felt good. I REALLY need to focus on letting the weight stretch my back/lats at the bottom of each rep. It is really easy to shorten the movement by resisting with my biceps, but it hits my back SO much better when I get the stretch.
Next, did some speed-work type benching. Loaded up 170 and hit it for 10 sets of 3 on the minute. Tried to hit each rep/set as fast as I could, and it went well! definitely a lot of wobble on certain sets, which is no good - I want each rep to be precise and consistent - but overall the weight moved fast and easy. On the final set, I hit the weight for max reps and managed a tough but very solid set of 10! That's pretty good after 27 other reps. Quality volume with a good amount of weight, for fast and nice reps.
Finally, had fun with high rep bodybuilding stuff. started with 2 sets of tens on the curl bar, and tried to curl it for 50 reps as fast as possible. Then, threw a pair of 5's on and did 50 skullcrushers as fast as possible. Finally, grabbed a 10 lb plate in each hand and did 50 side raises as fast as possible. Man, I was done by the end. Had a great pump, looked awesome, felt awesome.
So, fun day overall. Pressing went really well, felt strong and solid, and I'm starting to get bigger AND leaner in my upper body. Got to keep on this diet, cause I want to start looking even better in the next week or two, and just keep training according to the program - by summers end, I should look awesome, feel healthier, and be even stronger than I was at my last mock meet. Lets keep at it.
Oldschool badassery
Started with 5/3/1 press. Long warmup, then the bar, then 95 x 10 or so, then loaded up 135. Tried to get a little psyched up and angry for these, and it went well. Hit a nice 5 at 135, then a solid 3 at 155. Finally, loaded up 170 and crushed it for a single. Got a tiny bit out in front, but overall it was a great rep, smooth and fairly fast (although I got a little dizzy). After, dropped back to 155 and hit it for 3 with a long pause, and then on the 3 mins hit 135 for 5 with a long pause. The long pauses really work to fix the "pressing out in front" issue, and they feel really strong and solid.
Next up, rows. Decided to use 170 as my moderate weight, and rowed it for 4 sets of 10 on the 2 mins. Felt good. I REALLY need to focus on letting the weight stretch my back/lats at the bottom of each rep. It is really easy to shorten the movement by resisting with my biceps, but it hits my back SO much better when I get the stretch.
Next, did some speed-work type benching. Loaded up 170 and hit it for 10 sets of 3 on the minute. Tried to hit each rep/set as fast as I could, and it went well! definitely a lot of wobble on certain sets, which is no good - I want each rep to be precise and consistent - but overall the weight moved fast and easy. On the final set, I hit the weight for max reps and managed a tough but very solid set of 10! That's pretty good after 27 other reps. Quality volume with a good amount of weight, for fast and nice reps.
Finally, had fun with high rep bodybuilding stuff. started with 2 sets of tens on the curl bar, and tried to curl it for 50 reps as fast as possible. Then, threw a pair of 5's on and did 50 skullcrushers as fast as possible. Finally, grabbed a 10 lb plate in each hand and did 50 side raises as fast as possible. Man, I was done by the end. Had a great pump, looked awesome, felt awesome.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Cool picture
Took this today. I think I look pretty big and cool in it. Can't wait to lean out, then I can look big and good without the shirt lol
Squat 165 x 25
Awesome day today
Started with high rep squats. Warmed up for a long time, then got to it. Instead of starting with the bar, I just started with 95 lbs, and hit it for a quick set of 10 or so, including some paused reps and stuff. Then, loaded up 165 and tried to get focused and intense. Set went really well - I would say the reps were a little sloppy, which isn't much of a surprise. And the set hurt like a bitch, but overall it was really not very hard. Nasty leg pump though.
Rested a good bit, then started front squats on the 2 minutes. Hit 205 x 3, then 225 x 2, and finally 245 x 3 sets of 1. They were pretty solid, fast and easy considering they were after all those squats. Just need to focus on keeping my elbows up and being fast out of the hole - that stuff is tough without much warmup, so I need to focus extra hard on it.
Finally, put 245 on the ground and started hitting it for deads on the 2 minutes. Hit 245 x 3, then 315 x 1, and then right to 375. Went really well. First rep was a little bit slow and tough, but as the sets went on I focused as hard as I could, tried to get psyched up before each rep, and they got easier and easier as the sets went on. The 5th rep, I really went all out on - felt like I used a lot of back, but that rep FLEW up, moved like it was a fast 315. Which is awesome. I really think I'm on to something with this heavy speed work. The more I focus and bring up the intensity, the easier and faster they move - AND even the slow reps, there was no chance of me failing or anything. I am going to keep crushing deads on this day, right up till 415. If I can move that for 8 singles with any kind of speed, that would be AWESOME. Can't wait.
So, great day. High rep squats hurt, but I am killing them. Need to focus on keeping form a little better, but I think these are gonna increase my leg size, strength, and work capacity a ton. Front squats are great, and deadlifts are so much fun, can't wait for them to keep getting heavier. Lets keep at it.
Started with high rep squats. Warmed up for a long time, then got to it. Instead of starting with the bar, I just started with 95 lbs, and hit it for a quick set of 10 or so, including some paused reps and stuff. Then, loaded up 165 and tried to get focused and intense. Set went really well - I would say the reps were a little sloppy, which isn't much of a surprise. And the set hurt like a bitch, but overall it was really not very hard. Nasty leg pump though.
Rested a good bit, then started front squats on the 2 minutes. Hit 205 x 3, then 225 x 2, and finally 245 x 3 sets of 1. They were pretty solid, fast and easy considering they were after all those squats. Just need to focus on keeping my elbows up and being fast out of the hole - that stuff is tough without much warmup, so I need to focus extra hard on it.
So, great day. High rep squats hurt, but I am killing them. Need to focus on keeping form a little better, but I think these are gonna increase my leg size, strength, and work capacity a ton. Front squats are great, and deadlifts are so much fun, can't wait for them to keep getting heavier. Lets keep at it.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Arms 1
Great workout today!
First of all, felt less soft and shitty today, which is good! Warmed up and started with a run, which went really well - 12 minutes felt easier than last week, and I went about 100 yards further, so that's great.
Next up, started with incline bench, on the 3 minutes. Went a little lighter for reps today - I'm planning on alternating heavy and light days with this, to really try and improve. Anyways, hit the bar, then 95 x 8, and finally 135 x 5 x 8. This was tough, but also very solid, and re-enforces my theory that I am learning to grind through reps - every set felt hard and slow around rep 6, but every set I pushed through and got 6, and 8. So perhaps not FEELING good on bench days really isn't a bad thing.
Next up, curls - went a little heavier on these than normal, and it felt good! threw 25's on each side, and hit it for 5 x 10 on the 2 minutes, really strict and with a focus on squeezing the biceps.
Finally, did a metcon - 10/10 curls and skullcrushers with the 25's for 3 rounds. The curls got really tough and I had to cheat a lot, and my triceps were DONE by the end pf the skullcrushers. But it was a great workout, arms looked big by the end, and it was fun.
So, that's that. Gonna try and stay a little stricter on myself with diet (i.e. eating less and keeping carbs healthy/low) to keep the weight coming off. Other than that, just gonna keep at it!
Next up, started with incline bench, on the 3 minutes. Went a little lighter for reps today - I'm planning on alternating heavy and light days with this, to really try and improve. Anyways, hit the bar, then 95 x 8, and finally 135 x 5 x 8. This was tough, but also very solid, and re-enforces my theory that I am learning to grind through reps - every set felt hard and slow around rep 6, but every set I pushed through and got 6, and 8. So perhaps not FEELING good on bench days really isn't a bad thing.
Next up, curls - went a little heavier on these than normal, and it felt good! threw 25's on each side, and hit it for 5 x 10 on the 2 minutes, really strict and with a focus on squeezing the biceps.
Finally, did a metcon - 10/10 curls and skullcrushers with the 25's for 3 rounds. The curls got really tough and I had to cheat a lot, and my triceps were DONE by the end pf the skullcrushers. But it was a great workout, arms looked big by the end, and it was fun.
So, that's that. Gonna try and stay a little stricter on myself with diet (i.e. eating less and keeping carbs healthy/low) to keep the weight coming off. Other than that, just gonna keep at it!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Bench 220 x 1
Today was alright. Feeling a little downtrodden.
Started with 5/3/1 bench, which honestly felt great up until my heavy single. Warmed up a ton, including some pushups, plate raises, and extra band stuff I don't normally do, which felt great. Did some things slightly different with the benching itself; first off, unracked in a slightly differrent way, flaring my elbows a little more, which felt good up until 220 - I think it can work, I just need to be more agressive with it and perhaps set up a little further back. Secondly, in my warmups sets at 95 and 135 I started with long pause reps, then moved on to short pause and touch n go. I don't know why, but long pause always feels best to me. Anyways, hit 95 and 135, then moved on to 175 x 5, and 195 x 3, both solid and easy. Loaded up 220 and hit it for a single, and it just wasn't too great. Had a little trouble getting it out, then the rep itself was just a little slower and more grindy than I wanted. However, as I have been saying perhaps this isn't a bad thing - being able to press through a slower rep might actually be good for me. So I am goign to continue to just plug along, trust my programming, and try my best to only doubt/rethink it if I end up failing.
Next, backed off to 195 and hit it for 3 long paused reps on the 3 mins. I love the way these feel. The weight just sits on my chest and I feel like it should be impossible to move, and yet on reps 1 and 2 I moved it so fast and easily. 3 was pretty tough though. Similar story at 175 - reps 1-4 were easy, 5 slowed down and got a little grindy.
Next up, heavy rows. I pushed these up to 205 today. I really feel like I should work these up heavier and heavier over the course of the summer - it just makes sense to me that the more weight I can confidently row, for reps, the easier and easier deadlifts with similarly heavy weights will be. So for example, rowing 155 for 5 x 10 with perfect form is great, but rowing 255 for a few sets of 4-6, even with shitty form, will do more for my back in relation to my deadlifts. Lower back felt kind of shitty on these, though, and I want to really be careful not to hurt myself. Rowed 205 for 3 x 10 though, on the 3 minutes. Really felt it in my lower lats.
Next, strict press went well. Loaded up 140 today, and hit it for a 5 x 5, on the 2 minutes. Ended up getting through the whole thing, and getting a REALLY tough 6th rep on the final set. Nothing crazy impressive, but that's some quality volume, and I think I am really improving my ability to press with less rest (i.e. work capacity). I'm thinking maybe next week I will do something like 5-4-3-2-1-max.
Finally, light rows - 5 x 10 at 135, underhand, on the 2 mins. I definitely liked doing them at this slightly heavier weight better. I just never really feel the lighter weights much. But this was light enough that I could still do sets of 10 on the 2 mins, while also feeling it a lot in my back and having to be a little less strict. Maybe I will keep the weight at 135 for light stuff, for a while at least, and just play with reps and sets.
So overall, good day. Not feeling great about the strength portion, and I just kind of don't feel like I am leaning out as much as I want right now. But workout was fine, I look good, and I am making progress. It is just hard not to get impatient and despondent - what I REALLY want is to get stronger, but I am trying to work on work capacity, losing fat, etc... so I'm annoyed about not feeling strong, and when I don;t even LOOK as good as I want, it just gets me angry haha. But that's okay. Just gotta keep the chin up. I'm doing great, and come fall I will be very happy that I put in the time to look better, recover better, and improve my ceiling for strength gains. Lets keep at it.
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