So i have been thinking about starting a training log here for sometime.
I am now starting my second cycle of 5/3/1 and i’m really liking this program because i feel it’s easier to stay motivated and track your progress with the rep records than say linear progression or doing massive amounts of sets.
I started my first 5/3/1 cycle after a 2 month layoff due to being sick, so i am not setting all time PR’s yet, but i am gaining my strenght back fairly quickly (maybe because i wasn’t strong in the first place).
Some info about me:
18 years old ~80kgs/175lbs @ 188cm/6"2
Bench PR: 105kgx1 90kgx5
Current: 82.5kgx5
Squat PR: 115kgx5
Current: 100kgx5
Deadlift PR: 150kgx3
Current: 140kgx3
In this second post i will address everything i forgot in the op.
So the way i run 5/3/1 is with joker sets on most days. If i’m feeling crappy i will either stop at the top set or possibly use fsl (first set last) for AMRAP.
My training days are setup in a bodybuild’ish way and i don’t have a set plan for accessories. That said i tend to use BBB template for ohp and bench on the opposite days.
I also forgot to put my ohp stats in the opening post so:
OHP PR: 55x3
Current: 52.5x3
I have deadlifts later tonight, hoping to hit 130x5 as a joker set. ( i didnt test my deadlift after the layoff so i set my max a little too low and i’ve been getting 12-15 reps in my + sets, so i doubled my deadlift increase to 10kg per cycle until my 1+ set comes down to the 3-5 range)
Left alot in the tank in the 5+ set (107.5) as i don’t feel all-out deadlift sets for 12+ reps are very safe or effective. Joker sets went according to plan and i felt like there was 1-2 reps left in the tank at the 130x5 set.
I moved on to lat pulldowns to get some blood flow in the lats
Lat pulldowns:
40kgx15
50kgx12
60kgx8 dropset 40kgx8
Overall a pretty good workout! Was also coaching my qf on block pulls so i lost some focus during the workout (usually i tend to do a little more volume)
Tomorrow’s workout is gonna be ohp+light bench and a lot of bodybuilding work.
OHP today, did this workout pretty late started around 9:30 pm and was finished around 11 pm. I generally feel most energetic working out late so i like it.
Sets on ohp went:
20kgx10x2
30kgx5
35kgx5
40kgx5
42.5kgx12 (PR +1 rep)
Joker set:
47.5kgx5
FSL:
30kgx15
Overall pretty good, was aiming for 12 reps with the 42.5kg and got it. I was hoping to maybe hit 50kgx5 as a joker set which would also have been a PR, but the 47.5kgx5 felt heavy enough. The last reps on the 42.5kgx12 set were very slow but form was solid.
After that i decided to do some db floor press because i haven’t done it in a while and i wanna bring up my tri’s a bit. Well they ended up feeling very sucky on my right shoulder and i didn’t really get a good feel for them but oh well.
DB floor press
10kgx20 (per hand)
15kgx15
20kgx10x3
Yeah, i really suck at all kinds of db presses. Followed up with some fluff for arms, pecs and shoulders:
So i was supposted to do squats on friday and bench on satutday, ended up getting drunk with my gf and friends on friday and spent saturday hungover.
I went to the gym with a friend today and he was doing bench so i figured i’ll do my bench workout today because tomorrow i will most likely not have a spotter. I was expecting this would not be a great workout because i wasn’t feeling 100% yet. Well i was right.
Bench press:
20kgx12x2
40kgx12
60kgx3
70kgx3
80kgx7
Joker set:
85kgx3
First set last:
60kgx10x2 (close grip)
We used a crappy slippery bench which makes it hard to stay properly tight during sets. Still my 3+ wasn’t as bad as i expected, im pretty satisfied with 7 reps.
Seated db overhead:
10kgsx10 (per hand)
15kgx10x5
Cable chest flies:
X15
X12
X10
Lateral raises:
10kgx20
12.5kgx12x3
I was frustrated with myself because i usually have to hold myself back from doing too much accesories but today i wasn’t feeling it, so i did a torture dropset on lateral raises:
12.5kgx10
8kgx10
4kgx8 (slow lifts and hold at the top)
Rear delt raises:
8kgx25x2
Finished up with rope pushdowns supersetted with hammer curls for 5x15/15
Did squats today, started my workout pretty late around 10 pm.
Squats are weird for me, no matter how i feel i can almost always do better than last workout. Even if the weight feels heavy and moves sluggish i find i can just push trough. Im convinced squats are 80% mind 20% body.
Squats:
20kgx8x2
50kgx5
60kgx5
70kgx5
82.5kgx13
Was aiming for 15 this set but started getting very out of breath and it was getting hard to stay tight so i decided to call it at 13. After this set i lied on the floor for couple minutes gasping and my legs felt like jelly. I put 90kg for my first joker set to see how i feel.
Joker set:
90kgx5
This felt like absolute shit and i was gonna call it on squats here… But then i decided not to be pussy and put 102.5kg which i was originally hoping to hit for a set of five today.
102.5kgx5
Wasn’t even that hard. (took a good 5-7 minutes of rest after the 90kg set tho)
I Was feeling very nauseous trough squats after the 5+ set so after this set i literally almost threw up.
I decided to just do some quick accesories and go home.
Leg curls (rest pause)
20kgx30
Leg extensions (rest pause)
30kgx40
Absolutely disgusting. Overall a good workout, will see how far i can keep progressing on squats at this rate. (My + sets have been 75kgx10, 80kgx10, 85kgx10 and now 82.5kgx13)
I planned on getting 11 reps on the 3+ set to break my estimated 1rm, 145x3 was also a goal so everything went according to plan.
My deadlifts don’t feel as explosive as they used to, also i feel they are lacking hip drive somewhat. I will work on my setup and consider adding good mornings back to my routine.
Dropsets are pretty though on these especially taxing on the grip, but i like them.
Pullovers:
x20
x12
x12
x12
x12
Nice workout overall got my planned sets on the deadlifts and brought back the good ol’ weighted chinups.
Doing OHP tommorrow i am hoping to hit 45kgx10 which would be a pr and would set my estimated 1RM at 60kg.
Did OHP today, came into this workout feeling a little fatigued from yesterdays deadlifts, also my right shoulder was feeling tight so i did some rotator cuff work and discolations as a warmup.
OHP:
20kgx10x2
30kgx8
Already at this point i felt this wasn’t my best day so i started having doubts about not getting my goal reps today
35kgx3
40kgx3
45kgx9 (failed 10th)
Yeah definetly and off-day. Still i can’t be too upset about tieing my PR but i was really hoping for 10. Also this is my first missed rep in 5/3/1.
Joker set:
47.5kgx3
This felt way heavier than it should have.
First set last
35kgx8x3
Didn’t feel like doing another AMRAP so i just did relatively easy 3x8.
Bench press:
20kgx12x2
40kgx12
55kgx10x4
First 3 sets were close grip, 4th was medium grip and the last set was wide grip (my usual). Triceps were shot after these.
Lateral raises:
10kgx15 (per hand)
12.5kgx10x3
Hammer curls:
10kgx15 (per hand)
12.5kgx12x3
Facepulls:
x30
x30
Took it easy on the accesories today and didn’t do anything extra for the triceps.
Overall this wasn’t my best day but not the absolute worst either. I haven’t been getting enough calories in these past couple days so this was kinda to be expected, i’m gonna work on getting enough food in the rest of the week.
The joker set felt pretty slow so i decided not to push it this time, also i didn’t have much time to be at the gym so i called it quits here.
Overall i’m satisfied with the 5+ set, although i would have liked to go heavier on jokers but i was pretty toasted after that set.
Bench day. I always like training bench for some reason, even though im not really built for it or very good at it. (long arms, skinny frame)
I was feeling a bit stressed about todays 1+ set because i was alone at the gym and this weight is kinda heavy’ish for me.
Yay! 5 reps was my goal today but i had serious doubts about getting it especially without a spotter. I would call this set a 9.5 RPE and i think i would have taken the shot at 1 more rep if i had a spotter.
What i did notice this set is that my setup and form are things i need to work on. My elbows are very flared troughout the reps and i lose some tightness at the bottom. So i decided to start doing some FSL work to fix work on this issue.
First set last
67.5kg 5x5 (2~ count pause on all reps)
Really focused on tucking my elbows and staying tight troughout the lift. Also i noticed i feel more explosive of the chest when i bring my grip in by one finger. (Pointer finger on ring-> middle finger on ring)
I have some serious pain above my right knee. Kinda feels like tendonitis or something, can’t squat down even with bodyweight. I’m hoping this will pass and it won’t be anything serious.
Pain is completely gone today, weird. I guess it was just some tendon acting up from my lack of mobility work.
I’m gonna start adding some to my routine to keep me healthy, this isn’t the first time i’ve had this kinda of an “injury”.
Deadlift/back day. I was feeling pretty good today, warmups were flying like an empty bar. I did some back extensions with bw only before my dl warmups.
10 was my goal and i was confident about getting it. Got a little excited for this set, i tend to do that with deadlifts. Felt like an RPE 8 to be honest, but i didn’t want to keep grinding out reps with bad form.
Joker sets:
140kgx1
150kgx2
Pulled first rep with 150 and knew i was good for a double. 140 felt like nothing. I’m getting close to hitting PR’s on the deadlift, kinda excited. (PR is 150x3, 160x1)
OHP day. I actully like the overhead press as a lift, i just really suck at it. It’s so hard to make progress at this lift, even at these babyweights i’m moving.
My estimated 1RM has been stuck at 58-59 KG for like 3 weeks and it’s really pissing me off because i want to hit that 60kg by the end of the year.
OHP:
20kgx10x2
30kgx5
37.5kgx5
42.5kgx3
47.5kgx7
Damn it! I was aiming for 8 reps but my estimated 1rm is still stuck at 59kg.
Joker set:
50kgx5
Actually pretty happy about this. I’ve never actually done 50kg for 5 so technically it’s a PR.
Did 5 pullups between every set. I was supposted to get 5x10 but only got 8 on last 2 sets. Pretty happy with this overall, i’m terrible at all dumbell presses but this is the best db incline has ever felt.
Squat day. 5/3/1 has made me fall in love with squats again. I love going for rep PRs and they give me very fast progress. About 6 weeks ago right before i started 5/3/1 i squatted 80kg for a sloppy set of 5 so my max was definetly under 100kg.
12 reps was my goal for today, so very happy about this. Had to lay down for a minute or 2 after this set.
I was feeling good and this is my last workout before deloading (i deload every 6 weeks) so i went for some singles.
Joker sets
100kgx1
110kgx1
120kgx1 Ties PR
125kgx1 PR!
Very happy about hitting a PR! I’m probably good for 130 fresh, but the + set takes alot out of me.
Finished off with leg curls / leg extensions superset for high reps 10-20 / 20-35 for 6 sets and left the gym with a huge leg pump.
Deload bench. I was going to go later today but my friend called me and asked me to go with him, so i thought i’m gonna do 2 workouts today.
Bench (5 chinups between all sets)
20kgx10x2
50kgx6
60kgx5
70kgx5x3
All done with ~2 count pause. Worked on my form here. I followed this up with lots of delts and arm work.
Giant set /Seated db press/lateral raises/ chinups
Did 3 rounds of these. I used 15kg on db presses for sets of 10 and 10kg on laterals for sets of 15 and did 5 chinups.
Deload OHP. I had a cold last week so i took a couple days off, i always find it better to not lift at all when feeling ill because for me atleast it tends to make things alot worse. I was still not feeling 100% so i took it very easy this session.
OHP
20kgx8x2
30kgx8x2
35kgx8x2
40kgx5
All sets were very easy but after each one i felt oddly fatigued. Did 5 pullups between all sets.
Bench ~2 count pause
50kgx6
60kgx5
70kgx5x2
Also easy sets. Worked on my form and setup. 5 pullups between all sets.
Incline db bench
12.5kgx15
20kgx15x2
Easy. Wasn’t feeling like lifting at this point.
Cable pushdown / hammercurl superset
3x15/15
Facepulls
2x30
Laziest workout ever. Average RPE was probably like 5-6.
Did an easy 3x8 with 80kg, it’s more weight and volume than the actual deload calls for but these sets were easy and i think that’s what really matters.? It feels kinda pointless to bring yourself to the gym and basically do a warmup of squats.
Did hamstring curls and leg extensions for lots x lots, about 12 sets in total of 8-30 reps.
Leg raises
BWx12x3
This was my last deload workout. Excited to get after some rep PRs again!