You know what? I’m not even bitter, if I were in their shoes I’d probably do the same thing if the opportunity was presented to me. It just seems like a losing battle right now, lol.
Edit: of course it’s not EVERY girl, but I see it happening fairly often around campus. I’m not one to judge anybody’s preferences, I was just making an observation that I’ll likely have more success in the dating world once I’m older (and more established) as a man. For now, I have too much responsibility (work, school, etc) to really consider a serious relationship with anybody.
“Wandering pain”. Pretty much the life of a lifter, haha. Often, we’ll compensate in a weird way with an injury which places stress on a different part of the body. Pretty sure I tore my hamstring because I had pulled/sprained my quad the week before and was squatting weird on it. You’ll heal up…and find something new to hurt, haha.
Speaking of which, the pain has slightly migrated to my LEFT shoulder. I think my body is just beat up from running two rigorous cycles back to back, so I’m gonna hit my TMs for a single during my upcoming “deload week” and come back stronger. I might also experiment with high-handle trap bar deads, but this would require me to find a rep max and set a TM during my deload.
I definitely earned my deload today - I’m not using a false grip to OHP anymore, and I had better luck following this form tutorial:
As much as I poke fun at Mark, he’s right about this one.
My wrists/shoulders don’t hurt and all the reps I did felt very clean. Glad I have this figured out, now I can build a base for progress without injuring myself. I was never able to press much out of the rack, but I guess that changed today.
Can’t believe I was pretty much doing it wrong the entire time.
Press
45 x 10
95 x 3
125 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 7 - felt really good
170 x 1 - RPE 10 but it felt secure
135 x 5 x 5 - also difficult but I’m working on “staying in the groove” with heavier weights
115 x 10
115 x 7 + 3
95 x 10
Usually I wouldn’t be such an asshole with the volume, but I’m slated to do almost nothing for a week.
140 pull-ups/chin-ups
Standing French Press
65 x 10
55 x 4 x 10
45 x 10
E-Z Bar Curls
70 x 5 x 10
Hoping to come back stronger next cycle, going to switch to 3/5/1 programming with 5s PRO in the middle. Also, pause squats?
While I also like to tease the man, I do also think one of the best plans for any beginner to start would be 6-12 months of starting strength, and then starting in 5-3-1. Mark knows a good amount about lifting and training general strength, it’s just when he talks on other topics that it gets comical
45 x 10
135 x 5
225 x 3
250 x 5
290 x 5
330 x 12
250 x 5 x 5 (beltless)
Switched out my double-layer knee sleeves for the flimsy pieces of shit I’ve had for 3-4 years. There’s not nearly as much compression but my quads feel better without that constant pressure on them.
Also, I joined an old-school boxing club - they’ve been kicking my ass, so I came in pretty fatigued already.
I like what Jim Wendler laid out in the “Help a Friend Get Stronger” article, where it’s 3 months of Starting Strength into 3 months of 5/3/1 for a 6 month kickstart. Just a fantastic article in general.
@round2lifting You are looking jacked! And boxing is a fantastic activity to pick up. Fitness or self defense, it’s a great choice.
@T3hPwnisher thank you! Much appreciated. I like the training environment so far, it reminds me of the old Rocky movies. Looking to get back to my roots “the right way” instead of joining a franchise club with crappy instructors that won’t push me past my limits.
Press
45 x 10
95 x 3
115 x 5
130 x 5
145 x 9
175 x 1 - super grinder but it was clean
115 x 5 x 5
8 sets of 10 pull-ups, sets of 8 + 2 up to 100
200 band pull-aparts
This workout wasn’t super hard, got it all done in 45 minutes.
Going to mess with the trap bar on Monday. Pray for my back guys
135 x 5
225 x 3
315 x 3
365 x 3
405 x 2
455 x 4
405 x 4
365 x 2 x 10
365 x 6 + 1
This took a LOT out of me. Had to find a training max. Grip is holding strong, did these dead-stop but realized I need the belt as tight as I can get it for these.
It’s annoying when you put the bar down and you’re off-center, but my back doesn’t feel terrible. Expecting some soreness, but nothing like it was back when I pulled 365 x 10 on a straight bar a few months ago.
Boxing continues to kick the shit out of me. I want to be an unstoppable, intimidating force of nature and I think this combination is working quite well. Maybe it’ll put some hair on my chest.
Bench
45 x 10
95 x 3
135 x 3
155 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 9
155 x 5 x 5
80 pull-ups
Got this done in a half-hour, barely broke a sweat, and went to boxing. My 5/3/1 workout is laughably easy compared to the shit I endure every time I step foot in the other gym. Wanted more on the top set, but I was forced to work out at the shitty commercial gym today.
I also lost 5 pounds, so I’m sitting firmly at 195. A win is a win
This type of gym was literally my dream in 8th grade. Still is, to be honest.
I think you’ve said before but I can’t remember - where do you live? I’m thinking NY for some reason. You don’t have to get more specific if you don’t want to.
Oh, god. I realize why I stopped benching at this stupid gym. I couldn’t get set up properly on the rock-hard 2 x 4 they call a bench and tweaked my lower back during the set. Nothing serious, just aggravating.
It’s not really safe to handle heavier weights when I’m literally falling off the bench with a bar in my hands. My shoulders are way too wide to fit comfortably.
I’d rather overhead press twice a week instead.
Bench
45 x 10
95 x 3
135 x 3
165 x 3
185 x 3
210 x 6 + 1
165 x 5 x 5
I have to respectfully bow out here. 5/3/1 isn’t the best fit for me right now; it’s too much on top of boxing. I feel good for the first two weeks of every cycle, but I run out of steam by 5/3/1 week. Unless I eat like a dog, I can’t put up consistent numbers with any of my lifts.
Going to finish this cycle and move onto PTTP - the only program I’ve ever run where my nutrition and recovery were complete shit and I was still able to make consistent progress. I have the feeling I’m also coming down with something, so I’ve been pouring buckets of sweat during my workouts.
Squat
45 x 10
135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 5
325 x 3
365 x 6
295 x 5 x 5
Normally, I’d be fresh and feeling good with this sort of volume and weight. Right now, I feel nauseous and exhausted. Giving up boxing isn’t an option because squatting five plates won’t teach me how to fight.
