It’s not about calorie dense foods: just more food in general. 4 eggs is not a lot of food. 4 eggs alongside meat would be a much better choice. If you head over to my log, you’ll see my breakfast is 3 whole eggs and 5 whites alongside a pound of meat.
The ad hoc dinner strategy is definitely setting you up to fail. You have your training planned out: now nutrition needs to be planned out. Think of it: you train for maybe an hour a day. The other 23 hours are what are going to impact your results. Time, effort and dedication need to be vested there.
I’m not the biggest fan of peanuts, but they worked for Bill West. It’s good you’re recognizing the need to tackle this.
Starting the 2nd cycle. Felt pretty good coming to this squat workout.
Squat: 97.5kg x5, 112.5x5, 127.5x9, 75 5x10. I might be doing next cycle the 5s progression. The 5x10 was pretty tough. I had the strength but I was cooked. The last 2 sets came up slow, it was more mental than strength. Maybe I overdid the last set of the 5/3/1, though I did have like 1-2 more reps I believe.
I headed over to the leg extensions machine, but I barely could do any reps. I did 2 reps and gave up. There is no reason to overdid. I think I’m gonna be sore tomorrow lol.
Accessories: Dumbbell rows 5x12, dips 5x10, curls 3x10. Added 2 reps to the rows so I can do progressive overload. I maxed out the dumbbells so what I have left is to add reps.
My adductors sore as hell so the workout was a little getting-through in general.
Deadlift: 117.5kg x5, 135x5, 155x10, 90 5x10. At the AMRAP set I aimed for like 9 reps, but after 9 reps I decided to go for another because I felt good during the lift. I feel like the 5x10 strengthens my upper back. Holding for 50 reps 90kg while keeping the upper back straight and up certainly strengthens.
Later I did some lying leg curls, and then switched to seated leg curls. I tried doing some back extensions but I didn’t feel my hamstrings. Also did leg raises with a 5kg pillow or whatever it’s called.
– OHP day –
OHP: 42.5kg x5, 50x5, 55x9, 32.5 5x10.
Accessories: 5x12 dumbbell rows: I’m trying to strengthen my grip so I first do 6 reps without straps, then another 6 reps with straps, obviously with no rest in between; 5x10 dips; 2x8 pull ups: the db rows really fatigued me; some curls and full-rom lateral raises.
Squat: 105kg x3, 120x3, 135x7, 75 5x10. This time the supplemental work was not hard. Had to work but it wasn’t like last week.
I feel like I’m not explosive. My sets are a bit of a grind. They’re not a complete grind because I know myself and I know I have more reps, but the reps move slow or not as expected. It might be because I’m focusing on my technique.
I really feel the hams during the squat. Doing deadlifts 4 days before may be what’s affecting it.
Accessories: 5x10 leg ext, 5x10 leg raises +5kg.
Overall fun. Current BW: 78-79kg. My BW advances some. I always look for more things to eat.
Bench: 72.5kg x3, 85x3, 95x7, 52 5x10. Was a bit tough, left like another rep in the tank on the AMRAP set, which would be grindy.
Accessories: the usual. dips 5x10, dumbbell rows 5x12 (6 reps without straps and another 6 reps with), some curls and lateral raises.
Was a bit of a long workout mainly because of the bench and the rows. I rest about 3 mins between every 5/3/1 working set, and this time I also rested 3 mins between every BBB set. I’m gonna down it to 2 mins, then probably 1.5 mins. Also the rows I rest 3 mins between two sets.
Here is the deadlift day:
Deadlift: 127.5x3, 145x5, 162.5x8, 90 5x10. The AMRAP set was fun. Felt strong. At the 5x10 I got some work on my rear delts lol. Not sure why, just got kind of a pump. My guess is I raised the bar from the ground with my upper back initially.
Accessories: also the usual: leg raises +5kg, 5x10 leg curls.
Squat: 112.5kg x5, 127.5x3, 142.5x4, 75 5x10. Not sure why I got only 4 reps, I expected to do 6 but the set was becoming very very grindy. I had to use my lower back more.
Pretty weak day, not sure what went wrong.
I want to get big and break PRs, that’s why I’m motivated to use the regular program instead of 5s progression. I’m thinking on doing 5s progression only for the squat, because on the other lifts I think I’m fine. I’m gonna see how the rest of the week will go. Doing 5s progression is also pretty boring lol.
Usually I train in the morning without eating anything. Today I had some things to do first so I trained later, but I still didn’t eat anything. It might’ve affected today’s session, but I feel like its a minority.
Accessories: leg ext superset leg raises, then 2 sets of back extensions.
I’m thinking on doing 5s progression next cycle (without any deload next week), just so I can kind of deload from the regular 5/3/1, then deload one week and repeat.
I feel like a bodybuilder. Almost no intensity, just volume. I do feel like I’m getting big though. It looks like my abdomen area got bigger and my quads also got bigger. It’s nice though. When I was doing Candito 6 week program, I was nervous from the chance of failing reps. Next time when I’ll be doing some peaking program, I won’t be nervous- just isn’t healthy.
Accessories: 5x10 dumbell rows, 5x10 dips, couple of pulldowns, biceps and lateral raises.
I want to get big and break PRs, that’s why I’m motivated to use the regular program instead of 5s progression.
This is backwards thinking.
If you want to get big and break PRs, use this time to SET UP for that. If you try to break those PRs during the set-up time, what are you doing to do when it comes time to actually go for broke?
I’m a big fan of the phrase “sometimes, we have to take a few steps back so we can get a running start for a giant leap forward”. John McCallum referred to this as “softening up”. It works.
Glad to hear you’re gaining some size dude. That’s the system working.
Yep, but I think 5/3/1 could also be used as a strength program, or even a peaking program, isn’t it? I get what you mean, but I don’t want to lose strength gains if there are any that could be gained while running the program.
5/3/1 can be adjusted for anything. BBB is a 5/3/1 program for gaining size.
but I don’t want to lose strength gains if there are any that could be gained while running the program.
You’re not going to make a muscle bigger without making it stronger. This is physically impossible, outside of some sort of surgical intervention. You simply aren’t expressing it’s potential CURRENTLY because that’s not the intent of the training program. First you build the potential, then you express it. If you try to express it while you build it, you accomplish neither.
For some reason, lifting is the only sport where this confuses people. NFL teams practice. They’ll red-shirt players. That means “don’t tackle this dude”. Why? Because that dude is building potential: NOT expressing it. We wait until the game day to express the potential we built in practice.
You’re redshirting right now. Quit trying to get tackled.
I mean AMRAPs are not usually part of an intense phase.
Why not? I think you’re thinking too much like a powerlifter. AMRAPs would certainly feature in the intensification phase for a strongman athlete.
However, if your desire was to look at max weight vs max reps, that would be a time to employ joker sets in the main work. There’s an option to do PR sets and jokers, or just do 5s pro and jokers.
I am kind of a powerlifter, but I don’t try to use sumo or limit my range of motion on squat and deadlift. I’m just trying to get big and strong on the 3 big lifts. I also don’t test 1RMs. So maybe I’m actually a strongman lol. I don’t try to categorize myself, just came to lift.
Where can I read about that? On which 5/3/1 book? I read about joker sets but I’m not sure how it’s related, because it seems as a way to just add more volume.
No. Those guys compete in strongman competitions. But part of strongman competitions is lifting stuff for reps instead of just for 1 rep.
Where can I read about that? On which 5/3/1 book?
Joker sets are introduced in Beyond 5/3/1 and discussed in 5/3/1 Forever.
Joker sets aren’t about more volume: it’s about heavier weight. You’re adding weight with each joker set while keeping the reps the same, working up to a top set.