You owe it to yourself to check it out next time you feel like watching some TV. It’s an adult cartoon and it’s friggin hilarious
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Just hopped on to pos an update:
Weight: 173 <— going wrong direction
Had a rather logistically challenging weekend during which I started getting sick.
I think I contracted it by visiting this forum too much and specifically @Frank_C’s log as we have the same symptoms…
At any rate, I pushed out Monday workout to today in hopes I would feel better; NOPE
This may be a week I just have to get to the gym and grind out some sessions between running to the crapper just to maintain.
Lost weight as my appetite has been in the shitter too.
Alas, got a ton of sleep last night so hopefully I’ll kick this crud and be done with it soon.
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Hey, I was happy to be in the 222’s last week and I was 224 lbs after pizza on Saturday. The diarrhea hit me Sunday and wouldn’t you know it, I’m in the 220’s today! Silver lining to illness—no appetite while your body is fighting like hell to get healthy means caloric deficit lol!
C1/W5/D1 - Wednesday 12/06/2017
Weight: 174.2
Warmup:
- Nimble 11
- 100 singles jump rope
- Band pulls, shoulder mobility
- 20# smash ball bent over smash
Military Press:
95x3
110x3
125x10 - just didn’t have it on the press today
Deadlift:
200x3
230x3
260x18 - BOOYAH!
Assistance: JACKSHIT
NOTES:
- another week having to combine days as I was sick Monday and Tuesday
- opted for Jack Shit assistance because I didn’t want to run myself further into the ground
- wasn’t surprised I couldn’t beat my e1RM on OHP
- Shocked as shit that DL felt light and I felt strong
- I’m riding out these lower TMs until I finish week 7 (first cycle)
- I will then move them up more than +5/+10 to start second 7 weeks of Triumvirate
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C1/W5/D2 - Thursday 12/07/2017
Weight: AWWW Crap, forgot to weigh in again…
Warmup:
- Nimble 11
- 200 singles jump rope (100 single legs)
- Band pulls, shoulder mobility
- 3x10 25# smash ball bent over smash
Bench Press:
140x3
160x3
180x14 - BOOYAH REP PR
Superset assistance lifts
DB Bench 5x15 @45
DB Rows 5x10 @75
NOTES:
- Didn’t let elbow drop too low on DB bench (trying to prevent shoulder pain/biceps tendonitis)
- I had been going deep on these to get good pec stretch but I think I’m irritating my shoulders
- Still not really solid on my technique for benching
- Feels like I wasn’t pressed into the bench as well as last week
- Didn’t use wrist wraps today and my right wrist is a little sore but need to work the flexibility/ROM there
at tomorrow’s squat session and I need 18 reps @245 to better my e1RM from last week by one pound (392 vs 391)- I’m going to get as many as I can but I am not coming out from under that bar until I get at least 20!
- Still somewhat congested but feel much better than I did Monday and Tuesday
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haha, if you keep this up you are gonna be squatting 400lbs for 20 in a couple years easy.
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Man, that would be awesome. I’ve never had more than 315 on my back so once I handle 315x5, I’ll be excited.
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Do you mean that you will go up by more than the recomended amount ? Jim has said many times not do to do that. The reps will eventually come down, maybe cap your PR set for days where you don’t feel great ? Choose your battles and enjoy the high reps and PRs!
C1/W5/D3 - Friday 12/8/2017
weight: 174.4
Warmup:
- Defranco’s Nimble 11
- Hang / deep squat / hang (30-60 seconds each)
- Band pulls, shoulder mobility
- Pre-Squat primer
- A1. Alternating over-head medball side slams, 2-3 reps per side
- A2. Depth vertical jump from box, 1 rep
Squat:
190x5
220x5
245x20 BOOYAH! REP PR
Superset assistance lifts:
Leg Press 2x10 @270 / 3x10 @320
Leg Curl 2x10 @60 / 3x8 @100
face pulls 5x20 @20 (cable machine)
NOTES:
- REP PR for Squat @245
- I know the e1RM calculators break down at higher reps
- For comparison that’s a e1RM of 408 vs last week’s 391
- 20 Reps this week was more challenging
- Wasn’t sure how today was going to go:
- worked on my grip (no thumb and flat wrist ala Rippetoe) to help shoulders
- worked on my lift off and step back
- warmup sets felt VERY heavy for some reason
- once I got to working sets, everything started loosening up
- top set started good but at rep 5 I had the thought, “no way I am getting 18 of these”
- quickly stopped focusing on the top of the mountain and forced myself into “just one more” mindset
- when I got to 18, I was almost shocked and I went low enough to lightly tap left side on safety bar
- Came out of the hole fine and thought, “one more”
- locked out 19 and thought, “you’re not done yet!”
- Locked out 20 and it felt really good. RPE ~ 9-9.5
- Ordered a flexible leg tripod from Amazon yesterday so I can do my own video from now on
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Ya, I have been back and forth on whether to increase more than the 5/10 because of Jim’s recommendations. Right now, though, I feel like I’m not getting any “work” in until half way through my top set. The 15+ reps have been beneficial in this first cycle for my mental focus and fortitude but I’d rather not live in that world too much longer. If I were going to run Triumvirate all of 2018, I would probably not increase the TMs and just let the reps come down like you say.
Since I’ll be rotating in 1.1 then 1.2 and then Beach Body Challenge, I think it’s more beneficial to set my TMs a little higher so that I’m getting the most benefit from those programs.
I said, “I think” because I’m obviously not an expert and I was conflicted about going against Jim’s recommendations like you mention.
I don’t want to discount your input at all since it’s a very valid point. Who knows, by the time that comes I may be back in the camp to not mess with the TMs at all and just carry on as is.
Finally, I don’t do well with “maybe cap your PR set for days where you don’t feel great ?”
I’m a go hard and go fast kinda guy. I need the motivation to push myself to “more” which is probably detrimental in some ways but it gets me through.
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Yeah I understand don’t worry ! Make sure you can get 5 strong reps at your TM to endure long term progress with your programs, enjoy !
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Which program are you specifically doing? Just so I can follow? I see you started with Triumvirate. Is that what you’re still on?
Hell yeah! Killin’ it man!
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Ya man. I started Tri on 6 November so this is my 5th week.
Hadn’t lifted for 3-4 years prior to that.
-
Going to run two 7 week cycles of Triumvirate
- 6 week protocol from the Beyond book
- which is two 3 week cycles back to back with the 7th week deload)
-
Then go through Beyond 1.1, 1.2 and Beach Body Challenge in order
-
That will get me to June 2018 and then maybe Krypteia or some of Thib’s stuff
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Killing it man!
I agree with upping your TM’s beyond the typical 5/10lbs for a cycle or two. You are an exception to the general rule. I’m sure you’re experiencing a lot of quick strength gains as your previous muscle/strength is returning from before your layoff. (Muscle memory is real!)
Also, I would almost argue that by NOT increasing your TM’s further you’re going against Wendler’s recommendations. You are currently hitting 20 reps on your 5’s week (I think?). A 20rep max is typically under 60% of someone’s 1RM. 5’s week top set calls for 85% of your TM (85% of a 90%TM = 76.5% of a 1RM), and you’re currently using LESS than 60%!
I hope that didn’t come off confrontational at all, I was just trying to put your mind at ease and make you feel more confident in the decision to raise your TM’s to an appropriate weight! High rep sets definitely have their place in training, but that isn’t the way 5/3/1 was designed to be run, IMO.
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not at all man!
You laid out exactly what I was thinking in terms of not getting the most benefit.
By continuing with the low TMs I’m doing some damn good high rep training but am not keeping in line with the way Jim laid out 5/3/1 percentages.
I made the decision to ride the lower TMs out through my first 7 weeks because I think they high reps have been valuable in calling on some inner mental strength and focus but continuing like this wouldn’t really be doing 5/3/1 the way it was designed.
Yeah I’ve been happy that my strength gains have come back as fast as they have. Didn’t really know what to expect other than I thought it would be a more gradual process.
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Worst case scenario you stall with the higher TMs and end up resetting. That’s not a big deal. I think a lot of people try to follow the five steps forward, three steps back. That’s five cycles of increasing the TM and then going back to the cycle three weights for your sixth cycle. I think. I’ve never actually done it.
So I think it would look like this :
Cycle 1: 300 TM
Cycle 2: 310
Cycle 3: 320
Cycle 4: 330
Cycle 5: 340
Cycle 6: 320
Cycle 7: 330
And so on…
Yeah, I’ve seen people mention this. Are they still referring to a “cycle” as a 4 week thing (3 weeks plus a deload) in that progression?
A cycle is still 3 weeks but deloading week 4 or 7 is up to you.
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C1/W6/D1 - Monday 12/11/2017
Weight: 174.4
Warmup:
- Nimble 11
- face pulls, shoulder mobility
- 3x5 20# smash ball overhead throws
Military Press:
105x5
115x3
130x10
Supersetted assistance
Cable cross 5x15 @15
Chin-ups (50) 4x10, 1x8, 1x2
face pulls 5x10 @15
NOTES:
- REP PR and weight PR for 130#
- although didn’t beat my e1RM from week 3, still nice to put up 130x10
- took video today to get some feedback on OHP form/comments/critiques
105x5
115x3
130x10
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