Decided to start my first training log… Not sure if anyone will see it, but I figure it’s worth doing on the chance that someone knowledgeable might see and tell me what I’m doing like an idiot so I fix it.
Autobiography:
5’9 and a half
around 200 lbs
24 years old
lifting for 7 years, unfortunately the vast majority of that time was spent screwing around doing whatever at random
the only significant injury I have is I tore some muscle in the left side of my lower back 6 years ago and have subsequently re-torn it 3 more times since then. The left side of my lower back is probably mostly scar tissue at this point lol. After 6 years of dumb, I went to a chiro who is also a powerlifter (awesome) and he addressed the flexibility and form issues that were screwing up my back. Been real good ever since, both sides of my back are finally starting to feel the same.
So here starts the log. I am doing 5/3/1. This is the first formal lifting program I have ever done (unless there is a lifting program that tells you to do whatever you want at random).
I started a few weeks ago, so the first few posts will be catch up.
Bench:
185 5x
215 5x
240 12x Certainly a rep PR. I was pleased with this.
Incline:
135 10x
135 10x
135 10x
135 10x
135 10x
Dips:
BW 20x
BW 20x
BW 20x
BW 10x Tired…
BW 20x Back to 20 reps after screwing around and resting too long
I did pullups between bench and incline sets. Not all the sets, just enough to where I got 50 reps of pullups. I did 3 sets of 10, 2 sets of 5, and a last set of 10 again.
Squat: I hate these
240 5x
275 5x
315 5x Just the required reps
SLDL:
185 10x
185 10x This is feeling too light
225 10x Wow fuck this, nevermind, going back to 185
185 10x
185 10x
Leg Curls: This is on some machine
5 sets of 10
Abs:
Situps - 3 sets of 10 with a 10 pound plate behind my head on a decline. There is a huge difference putting it behind your head as opposed to on your chest…
Leg raises - 3 sets of 10
Dumbell side raises or whatever the hell you call them - 3 sets of 10 with 100 pounds
The side bend things felt weird. I’m not a fan.
Abs:
Situps - 3 sets of 10 with no weight on a decline
Ab roller - 3 sets of 10… sort of. This was an epic fail. How does anyone do this thing? It’s like impossible. I am realizing how stupidly weak my abs are. I never did abs in the past.
Dumbell Curls:
35’s 10x Tired from pullups…
25’s 10x In danger of becoming a bodybuilder.
50’s 10x Decided to man up at the end. This is technically a dumbell curl PR lol. But I think it’s like sacrilege for a powerlifter to track those.
Abs:
Decline Situps - 3 sets of 10 with 10lbs behind the head
Ab Roller - 3 sets of 10 (mostly) with half pushups thrown in almost every rep because I can’t actually do these.
Tangent - In last week’s press workout I felt like I barely used my shoulders at all. So I decided to replace Tate Press with 5 sets of 10 more overhead presses!
Press:
135 10x Balls were writing checks my body couldn’t cash.
115 10x Fuck this, putting the small plates on.
95 10x
95 10x
95 10x
Close Grip Bench:
205 10x I learned literally nothing from starting too heavy on the 5 sets of overhead press.
185 10x
185 10x
185 10x
185 10x
Shrugs: Done super strict; no body english.
225 10x
225 10x
225 10x
225 10x
225 10x
Pullups between press sets as usual. 5 sets of 10.
Back Raises:
BW 20x
BW 20x
BW 20x
BW 20x
BW 20x If I start doing these too fast I get pretty dizzy
Tangent - I realized that I made a huge fuckup doing back raises first. I couldn’t remember which I had done first last week, and it was clearly not the back raises. I had an extreme erector pump, and basically doing anything, especially more back stuff was excruciating. My erectors were so swollen up that sitting, standing, and lying down were all painful.
Abs:
Declined Situps - 3 sets of 10 with 10lbs behind the head. Sometimes I give myself a headache doing these from crushing the weight into my skull on the way up.
Ab roller - same shenanigans as always. Anyone who can do these is a wizard.
Tangent - There was some thread on this site around the time of this workout talking about taking like a snatch grip and doing behind the neck presses. I don’t remember what they were called, they were named after someone. Anyway, there was a big fuss about it in the thread, so I had to try them.
EDIT: Klokov press! That’s what it was called. I remember now.
Wide Grip Behind the Neck Press:
115 10x
Tangent - And that’s how long that lasted. Fuck those, I don’t know how anyone possibly does that. My arms don’t even move that way. And we’re back to regular overhead press below.
Tangent - DELOAD! I have never done a scheduled deload before. It felt very weird, awkward, and most of all, boring. I started getting a bit self conscious about lifting like a little babby too. Also I probably put too much load in the deload.
Bench:
115 5x
140 5x
170 5x
Incline:
115 10x
115 10x
115 10x
115 10x
115 10x
Dips:
ten
Pullups between sets. I did 7 sets of 10. I’m getting a lot better at pullups from doing pullups. Imagine that.
Leg press: New addition in lieu of leg curls. My legs feel really weak, so I thought maybe this as an assistance exercise would help? I dunno.
5 sets of 10 of something on this
Abs:
Decline situps 3 sets of 10 with 10lbs behind the head
Ab roller 3 sets of 10 as long as form doesn’t count
Tangent - Praise be! The deload has passed! I went and saw The Expendables 2 immediately before the workout. I think the results speak for themselves.
Bench:
215 5x
230 5x
245 5x
295 1x
315 1x
315 1x
315 1x A triple smoke show of my previous max. These were laughably easy. Stoked about this.
Incline:
205 10x Okay I was riding a little too high from my three heavy singles on bench.
185 10x
185 10x
185 8x You know 315 felt easy at the time, but I am starting to feel like it took a lot out of me lol.
135 10x
Goodmornings:
135 10x
135 10x
135 10x
135 10x
135 10x Never really done these. They feel extremely weird.
Leg press:
5 sets of 10 started with 3 plates per side and ended with 5. I see a bunch of people who can’t squat 315 doing more than that though. I dunno, the leg press is a mystery to me.