26 Apr 10 *Commentary: 5/3/1 Cycle #2

New cycle, new numbers, *finger crossed* new/more records!

Training Maxes

MILITARY PRESS 110
DEADLIFT 245
BENCH 205
SQUAT 245


todays lift, squat:

160×5

185×5

215×6

bbsqt

135×15,10

ham curl

emptybar x 15,15,

20×10,10

24.04.10 deadlift

135×5,5,5

pulldowns 90×10,100×15,10

military press

65×5

75×5

85×5

Commentary: Cooldown Week

and so this successful cycle comes to a close; over the next week i’ll be deloading and also prepping for the pt test on may1. then it’ll be another startup as i head into the early summer months looking to add on another 10-15 lbs onto all lifts across the board.

hitting 225 in the squat and dead was surprisingly easy and fast. i really don’t like the idea of getting ahead of myself, but the idea of hitting 315 by the end of the year for squat and pulls seems very probable. as for the bench, i’ve always felt that it was my weakest point, but i’m seeing (the obvious) that a big part of it just might be mental. of course, we’ll see over the course of the next two months when i increase the increments and the challenge sets in.

in other news, as i’ve been adding more running into my regimen i’ve discovered that it’s a hole in my overall fitness that i’ve been ignoring. hopefully i can bring this back up to the same level as my lifting, if not more intense…

i’m also working on a persuasive speech for my public speaking class, my topic being nutrition..hopefully i’ll find the time to convert the powerpoint into a mini-article and post it up here. stay tuned and train hard

- spense

squat

185×5

205×3

225×3

bb sqt 135×10,10,10

bench press

115×5

135×3

185 x10

bb bench 135×10, 95×10,10

bb incl bench 95×15,10,10

**had a wild hair and said f*** it and went with 185. pumped up, i pushed great reps and was pleasantly surprised at the end result. ended doing the original set as a supplementary workout. i’m definitely bumping the weight for my next cycle

deadlift

185×5

205×3

225×3

pulldowns 100×10, 120×12

military press

75×5

85×5

95×10

the military press for me is another thing i’m no longer gonna mess around with….it’s about time i start pushing some real weight. these numbers will be a factor in the next 5/3/1 cycle i’ll run..

squat

155×5

185×5

205×7

bench press

95×5

115×5

125×5

bb bench 95×10,10,10

bb incline 95×10,12

deadlift

155×5

185×5

205×7

pulldowns 90×10, 120×15

db rows 25×15,15,10,10

military press

65×5

75×5

85×7

45×15,10,10

squat

170×5

195×3

215×5

lunges

bwx25

leg press

90×15, 140×15,20

bench press

bench press

105 x 5

115 x 3

135 x 5

incline bp x 50

deadlift

deadlift

170×5

195×3

215×3

good morning x 50

chins x 25

military press

military press

75×5

85×3

95×3

dips

BWx25

shrugs

135×50

squat

squat

155×5, 175×5, 195×7

dumbbell lunges, each leg

20×6,10,10

deadlift

barbell deadlift

155×5, 175×5, 205×7

back raise

BWx10,10,10

pull throughs

50×10, 85×10, 85×10, 100×10

*Commentary: PT test and a Re-programming

took the pt test this past weekend at my units drill. did mediocre on the pushups and situps; did especially horrible on the 2 mile run.
numbers respectively are: 50/54/17:36 or something like that

anyway, heres day 1 of my new program, which isn’t new to me per se. i’ve done it before, with tremendous success, and have wanted to restart it for a long long time. it’s the 5/3/1 by jim wendler, featured here on elitefts.com

so here’s the numbers for today:

military press
65×5, 75×5, 85×5
dips, BW
181lbs x 5,5,8,7
chin ups, BW & supported
181lbs x 5
151 lbs x 5, 5, 5, 3, 2
single dumbbell press, per arm
20×15
30×15

Great Aloha Run, 8.15 mi

 

unofficial time: 1:51. not that a few minutes makes a difference when the official one comes out; the point being here that i’m 50 minutes slower since the last time i ran it, before deployment.

well, theres always next year!

military press

45×5

55×5

65×5

dips bwx25

3 mi "Whoo hoo"

bench press

barbell bench press 135×5; 155×5,5

dumbbell incline press 25×5,5; 35×15

kneeling cable crunch 50×15; 80×15; 90×8

parallel bar dip 185×5; 150×15; 150×8

squat

Back squat 135×5; 185×5; 205×5

Lunging step up 25×10,10,10

Hanging leg raise BWx10,10,10

it doesn’t look like much. but work in the intensity and you don’t need a million exercises to get the job done. in and out…no jerking around

edit: i read back a few days ago. i realize that i’ve skipped around and switch the deadlift and squat. this is because sometimes i dont like to wait at my local gym for someone to finish at the squat rack. esp if theyre twice my size. so…im benching tmrw and doing the 3 mi on friday. i’ll rest saturday and do another 3mi sunday.

thats how life goes sometimes…you jus gotta make adjustments and not let obstacles throw you off the main path

deadlift

i was going to pull and squat today, but the gym was just too busy with the regulars for me to stick around and wait for a rack to open. here are the numbers:

deadlift 135×5, 185×5, 225×5, 185×5

assisted pullup 135×5,5  165×5

dumbbell row 45×10,10,10

on another note, the pulls felt surprisingly challenging. it still felt good – but i can’t wait to start lifting heavy once the race passes.

*Commentary: The Week at a Glance

mon – sqt

tue – 2mi

wed – deadlift

thurs – 3 mi

fri – bench

sat- rest

sun – 3mi

conservative lifters might warn against taking only one day off during the week, especially because of the fact that the running workload is ever-increasing. bear in mind however, that the weights involved, regardless of my capacity and limits, aren’t that much in comparison the running work. squatting 205 isn’t going to ruin my knees, even after a long-run sunday. the point is i’m lifting to maintain my muscle memory.

after the great aloha run, the shift will change quickly towards the end of february. i’ll be starting the 5/3/1 program again, something i’ve used extensively before. i’m hungering to get back to lifting heavy, but first things first – raceday!

2.25 mi "Crazy Eight"

Upper Body Split

Barbell BP
135 x5, 150 x 5, 175 x 5
Barbell Row
105 x 5, 105 x 5, 105 x 5
Dumbbell Incline BP
35 x 10, 35 x 10, 35 x 10
Assisted Pull-up
120 x 5, 150 x 5, 175 x 5
Kneeling Cable Crunch
70 x 12, 80 x 12, 90 x 12
Reverse Crunch
BW x 15, BW x 20, BW x 15