Thursday 21 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 66
Military Press
135x5
150x5
170x10
Chin-ups
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
Delt Triad
10x12
10x12
10x12
Friday 22 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 67
EZ Bar Curls
65x5
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x3
65x20
Skullcrushers
65x5
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x3
65x20
Saturday 23 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 68
Half marathon in less than ideal conditions. Got it done. This was all about mental toughness.
Monday 25 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 70
Bench
210x5
240x5
275x11
DB Fly
40x10
40x10
40x10
40x10
Bat Wings (from that Rhomboid T-Nation article)
20x5
40x5
50x10
50x10
Rotator Cuff Work
2 sets @ 10lbs and 20lbs
Ran about 2 miles this morning to try and get some of my soreness out from the half marathon.
Bench press absolutely flew up today. I think taking the week off from lifting really helped my body recover. Today was supposed to be my deadlift day, but I was still pretty sore from the half marathon. I will do deadlifts tomorrow.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 71
Deadlift
275x5
315x5
365x7
Back Extensions
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
Hanging Leg Raises
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
BWx10
Today was a great workout. The deadlift felt fairly light and I definitely could have pulled at least two more reps with solid form. This just showed me that the week off truly pays dividends.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 72
EZ Bar Curls
65x12
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x5
Skullcrushers
65x12
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x5
Thursday 28 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 73
Squats
245x5
275x5
325x7
365x1
Front Squats
135x10
135x10
185x8
205x4
225x2
Squats
I just did some singles and doubles with 225, 275, and 315 to work on my form and keeping a really tight upper back.
I also ran about 2.65 miles up the big hill in 21:50.
Friday 29 April 2011
Cycle 4
Week 1
Day 74
Military Press
135x5
150x5
175x9
135x8
135x7
115x10
Bat Wings
35x10
45x10
55x8
Sunday 1 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 76
Deadlift
295x3
365x3
405x5
455x1
Back Extension
5x10 for 5 sets
Hanging Leg Raise
5x15 for 5 sets
Some rear delt work
Monday 2 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 77
Bench
225x3
260x3
290x6
T-Bar Row
6 sets with a good squeeze
DB Row
1 light and 1 heavy set
Chin-ups
4 sets around 8-10 reps
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 78
Donkey Calf Raises
2 sets of DC style with 90lbs @ 3 minutes each
Hanging Leg Raises
5x15
I did deadlifts on Sunday instead of Monday this week, so I took a day to do some extra work while my workout partners catch up to the regular routine.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 79
Skullcrushers
65x10
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x5
EZ Bar Curl
65x10
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x5
38 Chin-ups
38 Lunges
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 79
EZ Bar Curls
65x10
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x5
Skullcrushers
65x10
85x5
105x5
115x5
120x5
38 Chin-ups
38 Lunges
Thursday 5 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 80
Military Press
140x3
160x3
180x8
115x12
115x10
95x12
Chin-ups
6 sets of 8-10 reps
Chest Pulls (like a face pull, but I tried pulling it to my chest to hit more upper back)
70x12
90x10
100x10
100x10
Friday 6 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 2
Day 81
Squat
255x3
290x3
335x6
Glute-Hame Raise
5x10 for 5 sets
Leg Raises
50x10 for 5 sets
Today was a great workout. Last week I squatted 325x7 and this week it was 335x6. My knee is getting sore from the running I have been doing, so I am going to take it easy on the running and assistance squatting for a little while. I am sure it will be ok.
Saturday 7 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 3
Day 82
Bench Press
240x5
275x3
305x5
T-Bar Row
90x12
100x12
110x10
115x10
Chin-ups
4 sets of 10
Face Pulls
70x12
70x12
Rear Delt Raise
10x10
10x10
Sunday 8 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 3
Day 83
Deadlift
Worked up to a new PR of 485lbs today
Hanging Leg Raises
4 sets of 15
SLDL
2 easy sets of 135
Today I finally beat my PR on deadlift and did 485lbs. I have been stuck at this weight for a good while, so it was awesome to finally see some progression.
Monday 9 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 3
Day 84
Military Press
150x5
170x3
190x4
BB Front Raise
45x12 for 5 sets
DB Lateral Raise
20x12 for 3 sets
Today was a very good workout. I usually do like 50 or 60 chin-ups on this day, but my shoulder has been bothering me over the last two days and I didn’t want to push it. The 190x4 was super strict and I need to keep staying strict. In the past, I have started using a little too much leg drive.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Cycle 4
Week 3
Day 85
Squat
275x5
315x3
345x4
Front Squats
135x10
135x10
Back Extensions
BWx2 sets
After a long hiatus from recording my training in this online log, I have decided I will start to write things down again.
Right now I am in my deload week of my first cycle. I am doing “Boring but Big” for the assistance work in a bit of a different order that suits my goals. These will be my maxes (not training max) starting the next cycle.
Bench- 305
Squat- 375
Military Press- 190
Deadlift- 465*
- I use the trap bar for deadlifting because it is easier on my lower back.
For conditioning, on the lower body days I am running 400m sprints after the main lift but before assistance. I know this is different, but it is working for me. I add a 400m sprint every week on my deadlift day. On upper body lifting days or days off from lifting I do 30 minutes of cardio on the bike, elliptical, or walking at a high incline. I need to stay in shape because I have to run a tested 2-mile time for the Army.
As a side note, over the summer I got my parents (52 years old) working on 5/3/1 and they are loving it. They were a bit hesitant at first, but they have had no injuries and are making progress. This program truly works for anyone that’s willing to do it correctly and put in the hard work.