Awakening of the Beast

Training Logs
1

Figured I would come out of hiding and join in on this training log fun. Had an account here last year but couldnt find my login info, alas here I am anew.

Stats:
Age: 25
Height: 5’6
Weight: 160ish

Lifts: Squat- 300 (know I have more than this in me, but have been dealing with knee injury), Bench- 245, Deadlift- 435

Boring background, (somewhat) relevant info, etc: Been training with the barbell for about a year and a half. Did Starting Strength with my brother in a friend’s backyard for a few months, and have subsequently been hooked on strength training ever since. Before this I did mess around with sandbag training and crossfit type workouts, but got bored easily.

Progressed into 5/3/1 for quite a few cycles but unfortunately started reading too much and program hopped for a while. Now, I am back training with 5/3/1 and giving his Beyond 5/3/1 program from this site a shot.

I lift alone in my trailer (lol, that sounds funny when I write it down), utilizing what equipment i have. Barbell, weights, dumbbell handles, bench, and a recently acquired squat rack. Before this I was half squatting weights out of my bench and walking them out 5 feet backwards…lol, not a good or safe setup.

Oh yeah almost forgot, I do work long hours of manual labor (a feed store’s warehouse, selling grain and shit), so this does affect my training quite a bit.

And there we have it, feel free to jump in and comment, bitch at me, and generally hold me accountable. I will start off by putting my last few training sessions below.

2

All right, back from work, fairly easy day. Got some venison cooking on the stove… yummm.

Here are my last two sessions.

11/9 Week 1/Day 1
Warmup with Agile 8/ jump rope.

Dynamic- 3x5 jump squats with bar first set, then 65 last two sets.

  • These are fun, but kind of awkward especially on the catch.

Squat- barx10, 135x2x5
185x3, 215x3, 240x8
-Definitely couldve gotten 3-5 more, but did not want to push it with my knee.

Bench- 5x5 at 165, all reps paused. 60 seconds between sets.

  • Easy as shit. Pausing is still kinda new to me however.

Assistance: I kind of loathe assistance work, so this was all supersetted.
50 chinups/ Side Bend with 50 pounds on DB Handle 2x25/Band Pushdowns 3x25
-Chins done with alternating grips.
-Side bends, damn I think i used to much weight on this or something, my side abs or whatever are still sore 3 days later.
-Love the band pushdowns.

Overall good workout, especially happy being able to squat again. Had been forced to switch out to wide front squats to pins prior to this.

3

11/11 Week 1/ Day 2

Warmup- Agile 8/ Jump rope… i really suck at jump rope, but getting better.

Dynamic- Bench jumps 3x5
Kind of making up these dynamics as I go, as i don’t have all the options listed in the program.

Deadlift- 135x2x5, 225x3
275x3, 315x3, 350x 7
-Ehhh, not bad… I really hate repping deadlifts, has to be said.

Push Press - Have been using this as a main lift as it feels better on my shoulder for some reason.
some warmups, then:
115- 5x5 (60 sec rest between each)
-Felt strong, easily strict pressed this on the last set, and shoulder felt great.

Assistance- supersetted again.
BB Curl 65 3x10/Back Raise 3x15/ Band Pull Aparts 100 total.

Decent workout, still enjoying the push press.

Okay that’s it until I lift again on Friday, in the meantime… looks like I will be busy unloading 90,000 pounds of grain tomorrow. Time for some rest.

4

All right, somewhat frustrating session today. I don’t know if it’s all the overtime I am working or what but im contemplating changing up my training to hopefully reinvigorate myself. Sound like a pussy lol.

Anyway-
11/15 Week 1 Day 3

Warmup,

Dynamic- Jump Squats 3x5 at 95/95/115
-felt good

Squats- warmups then 200 5x5 with 60 secs rest
-did not feel good for some reason. Felt unstable and could not get into a good position. Never used to have this problem before my knee got fucked up…bleh. I think this set the tone for my workout, not good.

Bench- warmups to 155x3, 175x3, 200x8
-this was decent, definitely a pr for paused bench, but my fuckin shoulder was acting up. Need to reevaluate bench form, think i am going too high on chest.

Assistance-
By this time, i was pretty aggravated, but i blew threw my assistance rapidly.
50 chins/2x25 side bends/band pushdowns 3x25… all jumbled into one superset.

That’s all… looking into CT’s layer system, seems like a brutal workout… maybe i will give that a shot. Gonna mull it over a bit. We shall see.

5

Sooo, sticking with 5/3/1 for now… think i might add in some down sets to get more volume with the main lifts however. I did this on sunday, forgot to post.

11/17
-Rushed into this session after work, skipped warmup (stupid, I am aware) and did this in about 30 minutes with little to no rest.

Deadlift- 5x3 at 295
-Fairly easy

Push press- 110x3, 125x3, 140x8
-Felt good, explosive… probably had more reps in me if i had actually rested.

Boring assistance- BB curl 3x10/back raise 3x10/ band pull apart x100 total
-I could really take or leave the curl and raise, do love the pull aparts however.

Seems a common theme that I just loathe all assistance work, not really sure why. I used to do boring but big, and I guess I enjoyed the simplicity of that… just hammering away on the big lifts. Anyway that is my reasoning for adding down sets… gonna try this later today with squats, and will let you all know how it goes.

6

Today’s session:

11/19

Warmup with agile 8.

Squat- 175x5, 200x5, 225 x 12
-decent i guess, paused the last rep for some godawful reason lol
down sets- 200x8, 175x2x8
-these were easy, did them with pretty much no rest. felt good to get some extra volume in.

Bench-165-5x5 (about 30 sec rest between, all paused and varied grips)

Assistance- 50 chins/2 x 25 side bends/ 3 x 25 band pushdowns

Overall, good workout. Think i will include downsets on every workout pyramiding down as such:
3’s week- 80x6, 70x2x6
5’s week- 75x8, 65x2x8
1’s week- 85x4, 75x2x4

Tried to take a couple of pumped pics to give an idea of my physique, that arent too embarrassing lol. will see if i can upload in a bit.

7

Pics: Please note i have no clue how to pose or any of that shit. Also, I do have loose skin issues from being a fat fuck in the past…

8

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9

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10

Been trying to post this a couple of times, here we go again:

Training on 11/22, PM after work:

Deadlift- warmup to
255x5, 295x5, 330x5x3
-pretty good, weight felt lighter as sets went on
-superset these with leg raises

Push Press- warmup to
100x5, 115x5, 130x5x5
-Solid. Strict pressed last 4 reps of last set.
-Superset with L-pullups or whatever you want to call them

Finished with a superset of 25 plate raise/band pull apart, which pumped my shoulders nicely.

Training-wise, this is a little different. I kind of threw together a 531esque program, which i will tentatively follow. Deviating from the program is usually not a good thing, but I will take full responsibility for my ineptitude, should i fail.

This is what it will look like:
Two main lifts a day/ 3 days a week: Deadlift/Push Press and Squat/Bench
3’s week: Go for rep PR
5’s week: Top set at 85% for 5x5 (5x3 for Deads)
1’s week: Work up in singles from top set/ attempt new PR if feeling it.
-All assistance work will be supersetted with main lifts, aside from a pump finisher set.
-Down sets will be done by feel.

I am aware that this will put me through a full cycle of 531 in 2 weeks. If i fail it is because I am weak. NO REMORSE, NO REGERT.

11

Training on 11/24:

Squat- warmup to
175x5, 200x5, 225x5x5
-Pretty good, tried a few different setups with the squat.
-Superset with Side bends.

Bench- warmup
145x5, 165x5, 185x5x5
-Fairly easy… also played around with technique a bit, and did some long pauses for the hell of it.
-Superset with band pull aparts.

Finishing super set of DB Fly/Chin Ups/Band pushdowns.
-Broke band on last rep of last set due to overwhelming tricep strength, lol.

Enjoying this set up so far, excited to lift some heavy singles/hopefully hit some PRs in the coming days!

12

Thinking out loud here…

My training the past year has been good. Not great, but good. I tend to create very high expectations of what I should be able to achieve, and should I miss these goals, it can infuriate me.

I need to take stock of the things I have achieved and be proud of them, instead of focusing on the missteps and imperfections.

Personally, I have developed immensely in life over the past year, and am always striving to be a better person than I was yesterday. This applies to training as well, but mostly to life in general.

I have overcome some tremendous mental and physical barriers, which had been eating away at me for years, and am looking forward to improving myself further in both mind and body.

For this, I am proud.

13

[quote]burialatsea wrote:
Thinking out loud here…

My training the past year has been good. Not great, but good. I tend to create very high expectations of what I should be able to achieve, and should I miss these goals, it can infuriate me.

I need to take stock of the things I have achieved and be proud of them, instead of focusing on the missteps and imperfections.

Personally, I have developed immensely in life over the past year, and am always striving to be a better person than I was yesterday. This applies to training as well, but mostly to life in general.

I have overcome some tremendous mental and physical barriers, which had been eating away at me for years, and am looking forward to improving myself further in both mind and body.

For this, I am proud.
[/quote]

As you should be. I think the most important thing we overlook is recognizing how far we’ve come as individuals through rising up from our hard times. I can’t count how many slumps and crevices I’ve fallen into that I thought I’d never get out. The one thing that really kept me going is trying to remember why I got into this in the first place. Why a pudgy 14 year old kid was fascinated by strength and the thought of somebody benching and squatting over 300lbs being admirable. I ponder of all the toil and epiphany’s I had as a 14-16 year old kid and how happy I was to hit PR’s and to smile ear to ear after doing so. I guess that feeling in my belly is what drives me forward. The pain and desire sometimes is so overwhelming in the present, that I can only look to the past for inspiration.

Little ramble, reading what you said got me thinking lol.

I’m gonna stick around in here, keep this thing updated!

14

[quote]strongmanvinny wrote:

[quote]burialatsea wrote:
Thinking out loud here…

My training the past year has been good. Not great, but good. I tend to create very high expectations of what I should be able to achieve, and should I miss these goals, it can infuriate me.

I need to take stock of the things I have achieved and be proud of them, instead of focusing on the missteps and imperfections.

Personally, I have developed immensely in life over the past year, and am always striving to be a better person than I was yesterday. This applies to training as well, but mostly to life in general.

I have overcome some tremendous mental and physical barriers, which had been eating away at me for years, and am looking forward to improving myself further in both mind and body.

For this, I am proud.
[/quote]

As you should be. I think the most important thing we overlook is recognizing how far we’ve come as individuals through rising up from our hard times. I can’t count how many slumps and crevices I’ve fallen into that I thought I’d never get out. The one thing that really kept me going is trying to remember why I got into this in the first place. Why a pudgy 14 year old kid was fascinated by strength and the thought of somebody benching and squatting over 300lbs being admirable. I ponder of all the toil and epiphany’s I had as a 14-16 year old kid and how happy I was to hit PR’s and to smile ear to ear after doing so. I guess that feeling in my belly is what drives me forward. The pain and desire sometimes is so overwhelming in the present, that I can only look to the past for inspiration.

Little ramble, reading what you said got me thinking lol.

I’m gonna stick around in here, keep this thing updated![/quote]

Thanks for coming along! Glad you can relate to what I wrote.

I am always striving for more it seems, whether it be more weight on the bar, or more development in life. Which is a good thing, but as you said sometimes you become caught up in this constant drive forward, and lose sight of what you have all ready accomplished.

And, yes, it is truly fucking addictive to smash a weight and feel strong, and when you lose that sense of immediate gratification, it can be crushing.

15

Weighed in at a massive 159 pounds.

Today felt like an overhead day. I dont know why, but it did. The following occurred:

11/25

Dead: warmup
295x5, 330x3, 370x1
-everything feels heavy…

Singles- 390x1, 410xF, 410x1
-This was aggravating, grip was all over the place slipping. So pissed i missed 410, usually i would stop but I had to get it. Dont have chalk/cant really use it in my trailer so I used sand on my hands to help wick the sweat, and nailed 410 easily.

370x3
-quick and easy triple

Strict Press- warmups,
115x5, 130x3, 150x1 PR
-150 felt like there was literally nothing on the bar, and is actually a PR, at this point I thought for sure I had an over BW press in me today.
Singles- 155x1 PR!, 165xF,F, 160xF,F
-lol…that added 5 lbs felt like a hundred, wtf. I kept trying, amping myself up but could not get 165 or 160. Still a 10 lb PR on my strict press.

Moved to Push Press-
165x1, 170x1, 180x1 PR, 185x1 PR!!
-15 lb pr in the push press, excellent.

I then did a massive drop set of mostly strict press, some of the last reps were push pressed. Only rested to change weights.
135x1, 130x3, 125x5, 115x6, 105x7, 95x8, 85x9, 75x10

Awesome workout, took me around 2 hours lol. Pressing felt great today. Always has been my favorite lift and when I had injured my shoulder and was unable to press, it was a nightmare.

I have some videos of these PRs, see if they will work…

155 Press PR

185 Push Press PR

16

Nice OHP PR! I want to tell you something you will find extremely useful on the OHP. Force your head through asap, and always clench your cheeks (you know which ones). The latter is for protecting your lower back, especially if you have hyperlordosis (which I can tell you might have from the videos).

Strong stuff.

17

Thanks man!

Never heard of that hyperlordosis thing, but I will have to research into it more, cause it does kinda sound like what i have… Luckily, from what I have read, it is reversible.

Appreciate the tips on pressing as well. I always try to hit these cues, but with max attempts i seem to say fuck it, get this weight overhead at all costs… probably not a healthy way of doing things in the longterm.

18

Woke up today feeling awful… tired and worn down, wanted to call it a rest day and go feast… BUT i said fuck that shit, and i am glad that i did.

Thanksgiving Day Squats (pre feasting)
Warmups,
200x5, 225x3, 250x1
-Felt so heavy

Singles-
265x1, 280x1, 290x1, 305x1 PR, 320x1 PR

PR 330x1 PR!!!-Fuckin right, over 2x BW

-I dont know what happened here, but once I hit 280, everything was moving great. Bar placement and setup felt so strong. Somewhere within these singles I realized that what was standing in front of me and squatting this weight was entirely in my mind. I honestly believe I could have hit 350 today, but there’s always time for more.

Drop set- 295x3 (rep PR), 250x5, 225x7, 205x9, 185x11
-Very little rest here, after 295, most were done without lockout, except for breaths.

Fucking fantastic session! After this I drove down to the coast to see some family and destroyed some meals. Probably a food PR.

330 Squat PR

edit- oh yeah, weight on the bar is weird because i only have 4 45’s. It is 2 45’s, 1 35, a 10, a 5 and a 2 1/2…lol

19

11/29

Bench- warmups,
165x5, 185x3, 210x1
-Easy reps.

Singles-
220x1, 230x1, 240x1, 255xF,F
-Bleh… tried setting up in my rack for the first time… couldnt seem to get into a good position. Really wanted a bench PR, twas not to be today.

Drop set-
225x1, 205x4, 185x6, 165x8, 155x8, 135x10
-Very little rest, triceps were dying.

-An extremely okay workout. not much to say bout this one.

Next cycle i think that I am going to try subbing in sumo deads with a lowered TM to hopefully prevent any further back problems. I’ve tried these before and it seemed that i could keep a more healthy neutral back throughout the lift.

Looking back, my best sumo dl was 315x7, so that is an estimated 382 max, giving me a Training Max of 345.

20

Good squat PR. Just try not to take so much time standing there. It’s probably not as physically depleting as you’d think, but I’ve bailed on squats because I’ve spent too much time psyching myself out. If you can’t, you must!