Yesterday
Boring But Big, 3s Week, Workout 28
BB Squat
113kg x5
129kg x5
145kg x5
97kg 5x10
Accessory
DB Kroc Row 47.5kg x21 (each arm)
Lying Leg Curls Green Band - 2x25 (each leg)
1 arm DB Skullcrushers 14kg - 12,12,12,14 (each arm)
Daily Work
Can’t remember, did pullaparts, curls, pushdowns, core and calves
Today
Active Recovery/Easy Conditioning x40mins steady pace on the bike
Boring But Big, 5s Week, Workout 29
Swiss Bar Bench
71kg x5
82kg x5
93kg x5
55kg 5x10
Accessory
Front Foot Elevated SSB Split Squat, 70kg - 4x11 (each leg)
TB Bent Over Row 72kg - 12, 15,
Lateral raise strip sets
16.5kg x17
14kg x20
9kg x21
4kg x22
Daily Work
Pull-ups x20
Pullaparts x95
Neck x35
Pushdowns x45
Adding some pull-ups to the daily work menu as I’ve dropped them from rotation
Easy Conditioning - 4.75 miles run at steady pace
Boring But Big, 5s Week, Workout 30
BB Deadlift
123kg x5
142kg x5
161kg x5
Snatch Grip Deadlift 65kg - 5x10
Accessory
1 arm DB Floor Press 29kg - 12,12,12,14 (each side)
Banded Crunches Orange Band - 17,18
Curls x0
Daily Work
Pullaparts x65
Pushdowns x10
In a bit late today so only had 40 mins, got the main course in but missed dessert in essence. Will try and hit the curls later in the week.
Hard Conditioning
x8 hill sprints, varying lengths. Not done many of these on BB template as per Jim’s advice but given it’s 5’s week and OHP tomorrow thought I’d throw them in. Actually felt pretty quick. Followed up with 1 mile recovery walk.
Boring But Big, 5s Week, Workout 31
Seated BB OHP
51kg x5
59kg x5
66kg x5
Incline Bench 53kg - 5x10
Accessory
1 arm KB Front Rack March 28kg - 4x12
Chest Supported Swiss Bar Row 85kg - 4x10, 1x8
Overhead Plate Raises 20kg - 22,19
Daily Work
Pullups x20
Pullaparts x70
Pushdowns x40
Neck x35
Boring But Big, 5s Week, Workout 32
BB Back Squat
105kg x5
121kg x5
137kg x5
81kg 5x10
Accessory
DB Kroc Row 47.5kg x23 (each arm)
Single Leg Lying Leg Curls Orange - 12,14,14 (each leg)
1 arm Lying DB Skullcrusher 16kg - 4x10 (each arm)
BB Curls (missed from earlier in the week) 52.5kg - 3x10
Daily Work
Pullaparts x50
Neck x50
PM Workout
Hard Conditioning
For Time
15-12-9-6-3 reps
x2 14kg DB Thrusters
28kg KB Swing
Hand Release Pressups
HLR
Done in 08:29
Yesterday - Active Recovery/Easy Conditioning
40 mins exercise bike, steady pace followed by some light band work focusing on pullaparts and rotator cuff work
Today
Boring But Big, 1s Week, Workout 33
Swiss Bar Bench
82kg x5
93kg x5
104kg x5
76kg 5x10
Accessory
SSB Front Foot Elevated Split Squat 72.5kg - 8, 10, 10, 10 (each leg)
Bent over Trap Bar Row 77kg - 4x10
DB lateral raise strip sets
16.5kg x16
14kg x18
9kg x22
4kg x24
Daily work
Pull-ups x15
Pullaparts x110
Neck x45
Pushdowns x40
Core x35
This was a bit of a grinder especially the top work set which given my last anchor results post BBS shouldn’t much of an issue. This style of lifting hasn’t done much for my strength I suspect which I anticipate will be reflected in the anchor soon to come. On the flip side I’ve had quite a few people tell me I’ve put some size on which of course is the aim of the programme.
Yesterday
Easy Conditioning - 3.25 mile run, steady pace
Today
Boring But Big, 1s Week, Workout 34
BB Deadlift
142kg x5
161kg x5
180kg x5
Snatch Grip Deadlift 91kg - 5x10
Accessory
1 arm DB Floor Press 35kg - 8,9,9,8 (each side)
Banded Crunches Orange - 2x20
BB Curls 52.5kg - 3x10
Daily Work
Neck x50
Pullaparts x50
Pushdowns x30
Bit tough today, nice to have the 4 plates aside as a work set now. Grip was starting to go on the snatch grip last couple of sets. Don’t need the deload for next week but I’m definitely ready for one.
4 plate Dead
3 Plate Squat
2 Plate Bench
1 plate OHP
Those numbers as working sets were always my goals, things have changed slightly but i’d be happy to be lifting those weights for reps!
Yesterday
Easy Conditioning - 4 mile run, steady pace
Today
Boring But Big, 1s Week, Workout 35
Seated BB OHP
59kg x5
66kg x5
74kg x5
Incline Bench 75kg - 5x10
Accessory
1 arm front rack march 32kg - 8,9,9,8
Chest Supported Swiss Bar Row 85kg - 11,11,10,10
Overhead Plate Raises 20kg - 2x20
Daily Work
Pullaparts x85
Neck x50
@rugby_lifting yeah it’s a decent measure, I think I’ll always want more. Very much a glass half empty kind of bloke
Its an idea i toyed with a while ago but ‘can you be small and lift those numbers for say 8 reps’ is something i considered basing my training around. Obviously volume plays a part in that i’d be curious to know.
Today
Boring But Big, 1s Week, Workout 36
BB Squat
121kg x5
137kg x5
153kg x5
113kg 5x10
Accessory
DB Kroc Row 47.5kg x24 (each side)
1 arm DB Skullcrusher 16kg - 10,11,11,11 (each arm)
Banded Single Leg Lying Curls Orange - 15,15,20 (each leg)
Daily Work
Core x20
Pullaparts x55
Neck x30
Empty BB Unbroken Curls x63
Calves x40
And that’s a wrap on BBB.
Tough session today, got woken up half hour early by the mrs to take our daughter to the toilet. She can’t manage anymore, it really is a good thing I’m strong. Think I probably needed the extra sleep, felt pretty tired and was a bit dizzy into the warmup sets but with today being the BBB finale no way I was not giving this everything. Had to go and get a quick carb boost mid way through which definitely helped.
I’m not going to post a full template review as BBB has been well reviewed and probably the most well known 5/3/1 template but I will capture some things here.
This has been probably my most successful gaining programme since I ran my first actual programme about 10 years ago. Last few weeks I’ve had quite a few people comment about how much bigger I’ve got. Particularly noticeable on my ass, quads, upper back and shoulders. We’ve got a ring doorbell and I’ve noticed a couple of times my upper back musculature is looking particularly pronounced.
I have put some extra girth on my gut, actually found that cutting back on the fats a bit and replacing with carbs has reduced that problem last few weeks. Credit where it’s due I’ve read a couple of things @Andrewgen_Receptors has posted on other peoples logs which prompted this. I ate pretty well most of the time, few times the mrs was ordering takeaway and I opted out. I did end up eating pretty consistently 5-6 meals per day sometimes even higher than that.
Bar one day when I had to take my daughter to a hospital appointment I missed no reps or sets on supplemental volume. On accessories I had a couple of times where time got the better of me and I had to recover it on another workout.
Every workout I hit a minimum of 50 pullaparts, other daily work included neck, pushdowns, curls, core and calves. I did different varieties of these based on feel and time.
All lower body supplemental volume was done sans belt as per Jim’s notes, this was pretty easy to achieve. As usual I ran this 3/5/1 %'s, I also ran my usual split of lifting Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday which I tend to do so I can go to town with assistance a bit more on the Sunday and Tuesday sessions.
For conditioning I did hills twice, the first time I realised Jim was right - it doesn’t fit easy with this template. When I did them a second time it was on 5’s week and on a Wednesday a day after deadlifts and 2 days before squats, this was doable in fairness and I’d probably look to do that pattern again. I also did 1-2 long distance (well for me, anyway) runs at a steady state ala Tactical Barbell Conditioning on non lifting days. On Friday’s I tend to WFH so try and get in some hard conditioning via a WOD style workout, Saturdays were 45 mins steady pace on the exercise bike which worked quite nicely.
Overall, it was my first time running this template and I’m pleased with the results. Will run it again although I’m not anticipating any PR’s on the anchor to come next week but who knows I may be surprised.
Saturday
Easy Conditioning/Active Recovery
45 mins bike followed by short, light full body band circuit
Yesterday
Deload, Workout 1
Swiss Bar Bench
76kg x5
87kg x5
98kg x1
109kg x1
Accessory
RFE SSB Hatfield Split Squat 40kg - 4x10 (each leg)
DB Lateral Raise 9kg - 4x12
Pullaparts - 5x10
Today
Easy Conditioning 3.5 mile run steady pace
In. Glad to see a fellow neck work enjoyer; we’ve got to foster solidarity
Deload Workout 2
BB Deadlift
134kg x5
153kg x3
172kg x1
191kg x1
Accessory
Banded Pushdowns - 3x15
BW Back Extensions - 3x12
BB Curls 45kg - 3x10
Bit of light neck work and pullaparts interspersed. Followed by short walk.
Easy Conditioning
x5 rounds of the following
x10 HLR
x15 KB Swings
x15 BW Squats
Followed by 25 min 20kg vest walk
Deload Workout 3
Seated BB OHP
56kg x5
64kg x3
72kg x1
79kg x1
Accessory
Half Kneeling Pallof Press Black Band - 3x15 (each side)
1 arm Landmine Row 20kg - 3x10 (each side)
1 arm Standing Landmine Press 20kg - 3x10 (each side)
Some neck work and pullaparts interspersed, followed by 30 min 20kg weighted vest walk
Deload workout 4
BB Squat
115kg x5
131kg x3
148kg x1
164kg x1
Accessory
1 arm Flat DB Bench 29kg - 3x12 (each side)
BW Chins - 3x12
Zercher Reverse Lunge bar only - 2x10 (each leg)
That’s it for deload week, unsurprisingly there’s been a noticeable drop in appetite this week so just ate as much as I felt like which was kind of refreshing after the past 9 weeks. Onto the anchor Sunday….
Post BBB 5/3/1 OG Anchor 3s week, Workout 1
Swiss Bar Bench
76kg x3
87kg x3
98kg x8
Accessory
Snatch grip Deadlift SST
81kg x10
95kg x8
108kg x6
RFE SSB Hatfield Squat 60kg - 10, 12, 12 (each leg)
Trap bar row 77kg - 14, 15, 15, 18
DB lateral raise 16.5kg - 10, 12, 12, 12
Pushdowns x40
Daily work
Pullaparts x70
Neck x35
Curls x30
Needed 9 reps for new PR, could of pushed the last rep but would’ve been a dogshit rep