B Rock Re-Enters PL with 5-3-1!

Training Training Logs
1

Well ladies and gentlemen…I’m back (into powerlifting)

This will be my final attempt at SLOWLY getting strong again. Last time I jumped the gun and within 8 weeks was pulling 485 for doubles with two sets of chains on there. Too much, too fast.

This time around I have HIGHLY dialed back my numbers with deads and front squats. I’d like to do two or three rounds of 5-3-1 (probably 3 or more) before I compete.

But about a year ago when I turned 25 I set a goal of beating my current PL meet numbers and GOD DAMMIT I WILL!

Current Goals:
Bench: 305lbs @ 192lbs (in 198lb class)
→ I just hit 320 in the gym last week so I feel good about smashing this number
Deadlift: 525 @ 195lbs (in 198lb class, in 2007)
→ This is my daunting task. The weight isn’t that much (to me) but it’s GETTING there that will be the struggle within. (Metallica fans anyone?)

So here are my last two workouts:

Day 1, Week 1:

Front Squat:
135x5
140x5
150x5
160x5,10

Stiff Leg DL:
95x5
115x5
135x5
155x5,10

Split Squat:
60lb DBx8,8,8,6
(Almost puked)

GHR:
6-6-6

Steady State Cardio for 12min

Day 2, Week 1

Bench:
135x5
185x5
220x5
235x5
250x7

Close Grip Pin Press:
225x5
275x5,5,5,3

Incline DB Bench:
60x8
70x8,8,8

Rolling DB Extensions:
50x5
35x10,x10
(Totally underestimated the difficulty of these, starting with 30s next week)

Jump Rope 5 sets of 80 skips.

I’ll do my best to keep up with this log and answer any questions y’all may have.

My diet is pretty dialed in right now. I have a high and low carb day with about 3100 calories that I will follow 6.5 days of the week. The weekends I might have a different meal here or there but it won’t be too bad b/c I’d like to stay as lean as I can and get into the 198 class.

Current Weight: 212 lbs

2

First time doing a true “Deadlift Day” since March 09. It went very well. Everything felt 100% from my grip to back/hips and my legs. Outstanding! Granted it was very light weight though haha.

Deadlift:
135x5
185x5
235x5
250x5
270x5
done.

DB Row:
140x5,5,5 then my form started to suck
120x5,8

Standing Wide Grip Cable Row (High row to sternum)
100x10
130x8
155x10
160x15
*This is what sucked about doing this for the first time, I spent all 4 sets finding a good enough weight. Starting with 190 next week.

Pull Thru:
150x10 (This isn’t meant to be a ‘strength’ exercise so I dropped the weight and paused at the top for longer)
140x10,10

10min of cardio with 4 all out sprints, got a good sweat on! I smelled ripe!

3

Shitty shitty overhead press day. Ugh I am upset with myself. here is why:

OHP:
135x5
140x5
150x5
160x3, I was aiming to hit over 5 with this.
145x8
*The old me would blame this on something like high(er) rep benching, but this time I’m just gonna say that next week the OHP will pay.

Shrugs:
355x5
385x5
405x5,5,3
The ROM in the last two started to suffer but this is as much of an exercise in trap strengthening/building as much as it is a grip builder for my deadlift so I stuck with the heavier weight.

Side Raises:
30x8,8
25x8,8
That last set of 30s the form started to suffer so I dropped weight and slowed the reps down on the negative side.

Ab Roller: 10,10,10 (hawt abz? no.)
Tall Kneeling Cable Chop: 20x6,8 per side

Jump Rope 5 sets of 80-90 skips.

4

Showed up at the gym at 1:18 to train to find out the gym closed at 1:00.

dam you holiday hours!

same hours tomorrow…i will be prepared!

5

Training looks awesome so far, any idea on how long till you switch back to BB?

6

Bench Day at 10am…awesome (not)

135x8
185x6
235x3
250x3
265x5

Pin Press
225x5
255x5
275x5
300x5
315x3

Inc DB Press
70lb 4x8

Rolling DB Press
30lbs 3x10

Jump Rope 5 sets of 80 skips

I hate training with only one meal in me.

7

[quote]BlackLabel wrote:
Training looks awesome so far, any idea on how long till you switch back to BB?[/quote]

about a week, maybe less. then crossfit. then a deload week or two.

8

I somehow hurt my lower right lat muscle training yesterday. I’m not sure on which set, but it was with bench for sure. I may have lifted my butt up and has a slight twist at some point but god it sucks today.

9

Pullin’ Day (finally!)

Dead Lifts:
135x5
225x5
250x3
270x3
285x8
–>All these still felt just fine. The weight remains super light for this cycle. It’s all a mental game here. Having my form checked and rechecked for anything that may cause an issue down the road.

DB Row:
130lb 5x5

Standing Wide Grip Cable Row
190x10, 215*x10,10,10

  • = Whole rack, now I gotta find another rack/lift to do instead.

Pull Thru
140x10,10,10

Cardio, fast steady pace for 10min.

Home, food, done.

10

Overhead day…still not happy with how it’s going so far, and i even dropped teh weight a bit.

OHP:
barx15
95x5
140x3
150x3
160x3

Shrugs:
355x5
385x5
405x5,5,3

Side Raises
30x8,8,7,7

Ab Roller | Shoulder Prehab
10-7-10 | 4 ways x 8

Cable Chops
20x6, 25x6

Jump Rope 5 sets of 80+ skips…

11

Front Squat Day. The rest of this week will be my “testing” week but since I missed my 3 rep week for squats last week I wanted to do a 3 rep day today. My front squats aren’t really heavy this cycle so I’m not worried about testing my “max” with them.

F. Squats:
140x3
160x3
170x3
180x3
My elbows really bugged me today. And I did a bunch of warm up stuff too…weird.

Stiff Leg DL:
95x6
115x5
135x5
155x5
175x5
Not bringing my back past parallel on these and focusing on slow, deliberate movements.

Split Squats (aka the things that always make me walk funny and or wanna vomit)
55lbsx8,8,8,6

GHR on lat pulldown machine:
6-6-6
I am only going about 1/2 the distance b/c after that point (right now) I just fall.

10min of fast & steady paced cardio…tons of sweat.

12

The official start of the “testing week” for my first cycle back.

Bench Press: My “95% of 1RM” for this cycle was 280

135x6
185x4
220x5
250x3
280x3, all three went up nice and fast.

Close Grip Pin Press
255x5
285x5
305x3,2 (not sure what happened here but it felt glued to the ground)
275x5

Incline DB Press:
75x8,8,8,7

Rolling DB Extensions:
75x10,10,10

Jump Rope 5x80ish skips, some more some less. Not fun to do the day after leg day.

13

It’s finally Deadlift day!!!
-And “testing” week…so I got to use “semi-heavy” weight.

Deads:
135x5
185x5
235x5
270x3
300x8*

  • = this is an example of how ‘dialed down’ my deadlift estimates were. my “1rm estimate” was 315lbs for this cycle. I’ll probably bump it to 400+ for the next one. We’ll see

DB Row
130lbs 5x5

Lat Pull Downs (replacing the standing wide grip cable rows)
145x8
150x8
155x7
150x5

Pull Thru
140lbs 3x10

Steady State Cardio, 12mph for about 12min.

14

Awesome looking 5/3/1 log man. I just started, and it’s good to see someone who also is progressing. I like how you do your upper back accessory work on deadlift day…I do the same. Keep up the hard work.

15

[quote]ebomb5522 wrote:
Awesome looking 5/3/1 log man. I just started, and it’s good to see someone who also is progressing. I like how you do your upper back accessory work on deadlift day…I do the same. Keep up the hard work. [/quote]

I like how everything went this time around. But I am not gonna do lat pulldowns on my next cycle, I’m gonna do weighted pull ups instead.

16

Today was supposed to be my OHP testing day but I didn’t make it to the gym. I spent the whole day packing up for the big move back to NY. A 16’ penske truck took about 4hrs and 4 guys to fill up. After packing that and moving into a hotel, it was about 7pm.

So instead of that I used my bands to do the following:

front delt raises
side delt raises
curls
rev grip curls
push ups
dips (between chairs)
body weight squats
crunches

I did a ton of all of these in a non-stop circuit. sweat my balls off. so between that and all teh up/down stairs and heavy lifting I did packing it’s safe to assume that I burned a lot of calories today.

This sunday I start my deload.

17

This weekend killed two workouts, I’m pretty pissed about it. I didn’t get to start my deload day sunday b/c I got home at 4 and gym was closed at 5. Long weekend of driving to/from NY.

Deload bench later on today though. My body needs it.

18

Bench De-Load Day:
135x8
175x5
195x5
205x5

Incline DB Bench
75x6
80x6,6

Rolling DB Extension (supersetted with) EZ Bar Curls

35x5 & 115x5
40x5 & 115x5
40x5 & 115x5

10min steady state cardio.

Quick day!

19

I gotta say that I’m pretty pumped to move back to upstate NY and train with my friends and the rest of the WL team. There I will have access to all our toys and be back training at a gym with lots of big dudes who mean business.

Toys I can’t wait to play with:
-Log
-Safety squat bar
-Thick Bar
-Farmers Handles
-Yoke
-Rubber Weights (power cleans, here I come!)
-Anything else they have that I have yet to play with!

I can’t say enough about how great it is to train (consistently) with people that are like-minded. The past year and a half has been great for me for many reasons at my gym (met new people and gained 30lbs) but getting back to my lifting “roots” with my team will really kick me into high gear.

20

Deadlift De Load Day

135x5
190x5
205x5
220x5

DB Row
110x10,10,10

Lat Pulldown
140x10
135x9
120x10

Jump rope.

35min. done. sweet.