Background
Prior to January of 2023, for the past 15 years or so, my physical activity consisted of walking, cycling, and light jogging now and then. I’m in my thirties and, admittedly, more skinny fat than skinny at this point. My baby girl was born early 2022 and during her first year I decided I wanted to get physically stronger to be there for her as long as possible.
So far
My local gym had a great offer on memberships during Christmas holidays. At first, I simply went there and did something - I wanted to make it a habit. Some time in February I was hitting the gym 3 times a week and I googled up some ‘beginner program’. It had way too much of everything and quickly burned out all the fun from exercising. Then I stumbled upon some 5/3/1 beginner spreadsheet and for the past two months have been following it. The idea of set percentages and always knowing what to do feels awesome. Obviously, no single spreadsheet can include all the knowledge in the books and I found out the hard way I’ve been half-assing (quarter-assing, maybe?) my workouts. I quickly grabbed all the books and read them through back-to-back. The philosophy behind 5/3/1 fits my mindset perfectly!
Starting over with 5/3/1, properly this time
Using the 1RM formula described in the books and my latest AMRAPs, my estimated 1RMs are as follows:
- Squat 92,5 kg
- Bench 75 kg
- Deadlift 110 kg
- Press 50 kg
Starting tomorrow, I am going to start following the beginner routine described in ‘Forever’. I’ll be using 85% for squat and bench, and 90% for deadlift and press. Additionally, I am going to commit myself to the following:
- If I go to the gym, I will give my absolute best every single time
- I will eat 5 proper meals a day - no more ‘Oh I’m not that hungry yet so I can eat light’
- I will give myself the chance to get 8+ hours of sleep every night. ‘15 more minutes of scrolling on the phone won’t hurt’ is a horrible excuse
- I will deload every 7th week, even if I don’t want to or feel the need to do so. Plenty of load on me from exercising, working full time, and having a family
I finally realize I want to commit to playing the long game and not look at the amount of weight on the bar. My daughter is going to be moving out in maybe 18 odd years and I am going to be there to help her carry absolutely anything 
4 Likes
I love the username
I am going to enjoy the log too
1 Like
Hehe, thanks! I grew up with the monkey island games, first seeing my older cousins play them and later going through them all myself. Guybrush has to be one of my favourite fictional characters
2 Likes
And off we go!
As stated in my opening post, I’ll be following the beginner routine in “Forever”. Today was workout A1 of my first cycle. Sets for squat were 55x5, 62.5x5, 70x5, 55x5x5.
I tried out a slightly wider stance for squat but it didn’t feel great, I felt like some power was missing. I don’t feel like I need to change anything, just gave it a go.
Sets for bench were 45x5,52.5x5,57.5x5,45x5x5. Finished off with the bodyweight assistance work as prescribed. I can see why it might be a good idea to increase your TM in tiny steps with the two-week cycles and double exercises per workout. I’m also glad I read through the books and stopped following the silly spreadsheet I had.
Conditioning day tomorrow. There’s a nice little track near me, I think I’ll opt for the 4-6x400m runs just to see how it goes. Feeling extremely excited about getting all this done, can’t wait for Wed and deadlifts
3 Likes
Welcome, following along!
(Instead of updating the log after each workout, I figured I’d make notes when there’s progress in my lifts and/or mindset)
It seems I am not in as bad shape as I thought I would be. Running 5x400 m went fine and I know I could make a mile without stopping. Won’t break any records, that’s for sure, but a small personal triumph for me!
First time doing the beginner routine workout B today. Never done that many deadlift sets before heh. I feel like my training max is accurate right now - I hit all the reps & sets but need to bust a fraction of my ass to get everything done. I feel like I can push myself more with fixed number of sets and reps, instead of the AMRAP sets in the basic 5/3/1. Maybe it has something to do with being a beginner and not quite knowing how much gas there is left in my tank. I also timed my lifts+supplemental lifts to see where I was. 14:04 for deadlift, 13:45 for press. Seems to be within the given goals in “Forever”.
I also decided to treat the assistance bodyweight circuits as assistance for now. I’m not following the reps too carefully and simply aim for 5 solid rounds. I was sweating and out of breath after the last one and that’s good enough for me.
4 Likes
Had a busy day on Thursday, couldn’t fit any running. But, I did manage to go for a brisk 20 minute walk between running errands. In the past, I would’ve sat in some coffee house. Baby steps towards the right choices.
Last day of lifting today, A2 so squat and bench. Not that the numbers matter much unless you’re me, but squat was 50x5, 57.5x5 and 65x5 and bench 42.5x5, 50x5 and 55x5. Both finished off with the FSL sets and I finished the workout with another bodyweight circuit x5. Pushups are starting to feel easier than ever and I can manage to do several chinups/pullups even after the main lifts. Not long ago I struggled to do even a single chinup.
Passed an ego check today, as well. While benching some other guy roughly the same size as me was doing bench presses with slightly bigger weights than I was. I immediately felt the need to match his weights but then I figured, “Hey, I know what my goals are and they do not involve some random dude at the gym. I have no idea about his training background or goals, nor do they matter”. Finished off my lifts and went to do my assistance work.
I also realized I’m starting to think about nutrition way more. I knew I was going to be having some low-protein leftovers from yesterday for lunch, so I drank a protein shake before the meal. Already have my mind set on Monday and the next day of lifting! If you’re reading this, have a great weekend!
3 Likes
Another two days of lifting done!
Monday was workout B2, no issues there. It has been scorching here (we hit 29C on Tuesday) and I don’t do well with that kind of temperature. Very light jogging and walking on Tuesday.
Today was the time for A3, so the last squat and bench workouts for this cycle! Bench was
and squats
Followed up with the bodyweight assistance circuits, as always. Squats felt good, and bench press went really well. Maybe I’ve gained some upper body strength, but I could really squeeze my shoulder blades together and keep them locked. Decided to add 2,5 kg to both lifts. Just to be on the safe side, there’s way more volume on both lifts than I used to do.
3 Likes
Finished up my first cycle on Friday! New TMs now
- squat 80
- bench 67,5
- deadlift 105
- press 47,5
Messed up my schedule for today and only had the time to do the main lifts:
- squats 55 65 72.5 FSL
- bench 47.5 55 60 FSL
2 Likes
Second cycle done! Kid got sick from daycare and my wife caught it, too. Haven’t had the time to do any extra conditioning but I did get all my lifting done! New TMs
- squat 85 kg
- bench 70 kg
- deadlift 110 kg
- press 50 kg
Maybe it’s the busy times or not eating enough, but I feel like my recovery is lacking. Thinking about switching to the ‘regular’ 5s PRO + FSL instead of doing two major lifts each workout
4 Likes
Third cycle done! For some reason I was feeling unsure about my lifting on Friday and already decided to simply repeat the cycle if I fail - did all lifts without any issues. New TMs now squat 90kg, bench 72.5 kg, deadlift 115 kg and press 52.5 kg.
I’ve done three 2-week cycles in a row now, time for the 7th week protocol, for sure. Going to go with the deload version, so working up to 1xTM and going home. Might go with 2 cycles + deload from now on
3 Likes
The deload week was much needed. Hit all my TMs!
Another cycle done, new TMs now squat 95kg, bench 75 kg, deadlift 120kg and press 55 kg. Can’t wait for next week!
3 Likes
Another cycle done! It was bound to happen, but missed my first reps this cycle. Got 4 reps instead of 5 on the last set of both bench and press. It was really close and I know I could most likely hit all 5 next week, but I’ve decided to follow the book and back up three cycles. After all, I’ve got the rest of my life to work out
3 Likes
Rough couple of weeks. First got covid, which turned into bacterial bronchitis. A week of fever (up to 39C), followed by a week of antibiotics. Another week of total rest ordered by the doc. Hopefully can get back to training this week!
1 Like
Finally back in action! Easing my way back to working out, getting incredibly sore after each session after the break. Still not feeling fully recovered, the bug really did a number on me. Been doing this and that, getting back to the programme next week. Might have to turn the dial back a few weeks
3 Likes
In for the follow on all the good work happening here.
Funny how those tiny little people make you want to square away your life.
New year, same goals! The holiday season was busy and I basically forgot I was keeping the log here
My kid got her first inner ear infection the day before Christmas, which was naturally followed by me and the wife having a cold. Two weeks of snot left and right! Finally got back to working out, and finished off the cycle I was on before the holidays.
My gym recently got this assisted dip/pull machine and it feels so good to get proper assistance work done even after rough main lifts.
2 Likes
Phew, another cycle or two done. I think it’s time to shake things up!
I’ve still been doing the beginner programme from the latest books but it’s starting to feel like I just don’t recover from two main lifts per workout. I could only rest more by reducing the time I spend with my kid and that ain’t happening, for sure! I also now have less time to spend per workout session. I figured I’d be upset (somehow) but I’ve reached some minor goals I had set for myself - squat and deadlift TM over 100 kg and benched 80 kg.
I’ll be switching over to 5s PRO + FSL, but spread out over 3 days:
- Mon squat + ohp
- Wed deadlift
- Fri bench
Cycle will now be 3 weeks instead of 2 and I can put some more emphasis on the accessories. Interested to see if this will sort things out!
4 Likes
Couple of weeks later, I can already feel the change was needed. I’ve been sleeping much, much better, getting some much needed proper rest each night.
Passed another personal goal as I had 100 kg as my squat work weight. Doing both squat and ohp on the same day was too much, I’ll have to see if I could squeeze in a fourth workout or simply let it bleed over to the next week. Keep on lifting everyone!
5 Likes
