Thought i'd start a log up here again so here goes.

After much procrastination and a couple of weeks of crap training and poor diet over easter I settled on a new program. I choose wendlers 5/3/1 because i needed a program with set progressions each week with some periodisation thrown in. Also one that i can keep up year round without getting bored and 5/3/1 seemed to fit the bill. If anyone wants a link to the ebook i can post it up, Its a good read regardless of the program.

Diet is 2000-2200 calories a day, carbs under 70 each day and protein at 180g which is heavily supplemented with forza t5's to keep appetite at bay and hopefully speed up the fat burning a little. Weight was 97kg last week and after 7 days is down to 94 so it seems to be doing the job, going to keep going till 88-89.

Current lifts -
Squat 130kg x 5
Deadlift 160kg x 10 (200ish 1rm)
Bench - 90kg x 10
Pushpress - 75kg x 1

Already 3 weeks in and this is the first week of 1's, heres todays workout :

Week 3 - 1's

Tuesday - Squat

Squat -
W.U - 60kg x 8, 60kg x 5
100kg x 5
115kg x 3
130kg x 5

Good mornings -
60kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 5
70kg x 6

Dumbbell lunges -
16kg x 6 (each leg)
16kg x 6
16kg x 6

DB pullins (awesome core exercise)
5kg x 8 x 3

Comments -
Happy with the squats, wanted 6 though . Pullins are deceptively tough, thought 5kg would be a warm up weight but i was seriously struggling on them! Shows how pitifully weak my core is.

The pullins certainly hit the core hard. Keep at them, you'll be surprised how quick you progress and the additional core strength will carry over to everything else.

Yeah, i can definitely see them having great carry over for climbing.

Week 3 - 1's

Wensday - Bench

Flat bench -
W.U 60kg x 8, 60kg x 5
75kg x 5
85kg x 3
95kg x 8


Chest supported BB row -
60kg x 8
70kg x 8
70kg x 6
70kg x 5

Dips -
bw x 5
+10KG X 5
+12KG X 3
+16KG X 3

Comments -
Cut it short today due to horrible forearm tendonitus, it doesn't seem to be be affecting my lifts but just making it painfull! Been climbing to much recently, think i need to cut it back for a while. Happy with the bench though, basically a 10kg improvement on the beginning of the micro-cycle.

Rob

Do you do those BB rows on that machine type apparatus or with a normal bench and lay face down?

My gyms got this nifty adjustable height flat bench, raises up enough so you can stretch your arms fully whilst laying flat. I really rate these over standard BB BOR, takes the leg drive out and saves the lower back.

Wow that's some serious deadlifting!!
160x10?! Yikes!

ha thanks! i think i could have squeezed another 2 out on that set aswell. My deadlift outshines all my other lifts, and i've got a feeling this 5/3/1 approach is going to bump it up even more. I wish my squat was 160kg

I think a 70% ratio between squat and dead is pretty standard. My lifts are pretty similar.

Well after a terrible nights sleep of 3 hours and generally feeling like a pig has shat in my head, i managed to have an allright session today:

Week 3 - 1's

Friday - Deadlift

Deadlifts -
60kg x 8
100kg x 5
140kg x 3
150kg x 5
160kg x 3
170kg x 10 PB!

Front squats -
40kg x 8
60kg x 5
80kg x 5
60kg x 5 x 3

DB pullins -
5kg x 12 x 2

Comments -
Clearly understimated my deadlift 1RM, i shouldn't be bashing out 10 reps in the singles week. Not sure where 170kg x 10 puts me in the 1 rep range, i reacon about 210 which is awesome!! Another problem with high rep deadlifts is i loose form when i'm in the zone for too long. Front squats where useless, technique gone and flexibility was hindering me.

RoB wrote:ha thanks! i think i could have squeezed another 2 out on that set aswell. My deadlift outshines all my other lifts, and i've got a feeling this 5/3/1 approach is going to bump it up even more. I wish my squat was 160kg

I reckon you could pull more than 200kg with 160x10-12 mate.

what he said ^^

Nice DL for those reps! Strong without doubt!

hmm i am starting to think that, i mean i got 170 x 10 today with another few left in the tank! I think i need to retest my 1 rep max. Might give it a go next week and go for 220kg, but next week is meant to be a a deload. Although i really don't think i need a deload after only 3 weeks.

What the hell! Those deads are crazy.

Pathetic fronts though.

Thats exactly what my training partner said... smashed him on deads and he made me look like a little girl front squatting 120 like its nothing.

Saturday - Push press

Push press -
W.U bar x 8, 40kg x 8
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
65kg x 7
60kg x 3
60kg x 3

Wide Grip chins -
bw x 5
+15kg x 3
+10kg x 3 x 2
+10kg x 2 x 2

Incline BB bench -
60kg x 5
75kg x 3
90kg x 1
60kg x 8

Skull crushers -
EZ bar + 10kg each side x 5 (elbow tendonitus flared up)

Comments -
Went over the top with sets on the Push press oh well. Happy with the chins, considering i could only do about 1 wide grip chin at the beginning of the year. Either i'm progressing to quick for this program or i've underestimated my 1 rep maxes massively, although i was expecting to get maybe 2 reps over the target for each week +6 reps is a bit silly on a strength program. Need to sort out the numbers before the next cycle.

This week was meant to be a deload but i thought i'd take the opportunity to re test my 1 rep max's and take a de load next week before starting a new cycle.

Week 4 - establishing 1RM

Monday - Squat

Squat -
W.U 60kg x 8, 100kg x 3
110kg x 3
120kg x 1
130kg x 1
140kg x 1
150kg x 1
155kg x 1 PB!!

Good mornings -
60kg x 5
80kg x 3 (lower back was shot by now)
60kg x 5

DB lunges -
16kg x 8 (each leg)
16kg x 6
16kg x 8

DB pullins -
5kg x 3 sets of not sure how many reps... felt stronger on these though.

Comments -
Well happy with the squats, I'm pretty certain it was to depth as well. Getting closer to my only goal of a 500kg total I think. I'm going for a 220kg pull on Friday (which i'm certain i'll nail) and a 110kg bench tomorrow. Not to sure on that though. I also treated myself to two krispy kremes as my post workout nutrition

Tuesday - Bench

Flat Bench -
W.U - 60kg x 12, 60kg x 8
80kg x 5
90kg x 3
100kg x 1
110kg x 1
112.5kg x 1

Chest supported BB row -
60kg x 8
70kg x 8
70kg x 8
70kg x 7

Dips -
bw x 5
+16kg x 3
+20kg x 3
+24kg x 3 x 3

Close grip chins
BW x 5
20kg x 2
15kg x 3
3 or 4 random sets.

Comments -
Good sesh, happy with bench and about what i was expecting. Although ass came off the bench on the 112.5 so not particulaly good form!

I like that you complained of a 3hr crap sleep and managed a new PB on deads. Great work on the squat PB too and the benching is looking very respectable. DB pullins you can go more than 5kg I reckon.

With the front squats, the flexibility issues, is this normal? Or just cause you'd been DLing. I find I get such forearm pump from doing deads, I cannot use a clean grip at all if I do front squats after...UNLESS...I clean the bar up into place. If I just take it off the rack I'd have to go x-grip

ha yeah unless i'm completely burnt out from overtraining not much will effect my strength in the gym.. i've hit a squat PB after a 24 fast before. I cant work out why the DB pullins are so hard, i think i could up the weight but i get ridiculously out of breath! I'll go a bit heavier next time though.

The front squat is is just being incredibly inflexible in both the upper and lower body from siting in a chair 90% of my life and not having done them for a couple of months.... my forearms never get pumped from deadlifts really.

Even Alex is only on about 15kg for DB pullins. They are very hard.

There is definitely a technique to the pullins. I find that if the DBs are further forward than you would place them if doing press-ups on them, you can lift slightly heavier. Mainly due to the fact that they're not too far out to the side and making you off-balance. But they still work.

If you do Renegade Rows (press-up then pullin) you can't do that of course; but then it is a different exercise.

Ahhhh so that must be what I am doing then! Will make sure I place them as per pressup position next time. I think what confused me was the fact the description of the technique specifically says "Grab a heavy pair of DBs"

Does it? By me or that dude on T-Nation?

tbh I think that placing them as I say above (more in front of your head) is better tbh. But for Renegade Rows (press-up then DB Pullin) you have to place them as per press-up hand position.

The dude on T-Nation.

Ah i've been doing the old renegade rows then. I'll give the standard pullins a go with the DB's a bit further foreward.