PDA

View Full Version : Darkane's get strong as fuck log. 5/3/1



Darkane
11-11-2009, 10:22 PM
Doing the 5/3/1. Gonna log every single lift/rep I do. Gonna see how well this will work.

I'm actually quite weak for my size, I look a lot stronger. Seems I have better "bodybuilding" genetics than strength.

Current Maxes:

Deadlift: 150kg (#330) [I have to be extremely cautious when I deadlift because of my back. This max was made with double overhand grip and proper form. No grip and rip here]

Flat Bench: #235 [Narrow grip, Hands inside the rings. Fairly weak here, have not flat benched in over 1.5 years. Was focusing on dumbbell and some incline work, still only 20 pounds off my all time max and 24 pounds lighter in bodyweight]

Squat: #315 [18" box which is more than parallel for me. I don't know what happened here I'm good for at least 30-40 more pounds. My CNS was shit today. Oh well that's what it is, Got news of a death in the family yesterday which didn't help either.]

Military press: 70kg (#154) [Went up fairly slow, quite the grinder rep. Looking to bring this lift up quite a lot]

Assistance work is either going to be Boring but Big, or Bodyweight. Haven't decided yet. Any opinions?

Routine will run on a caloric deficit, at least until the end of December. Size gains should be kept to a minimum but strength should be decent.

Feel free to comment.

Mibz
11-11-2009, 10:58 PM
Tits or GTFO

Good luck though.

dandia89
11-11-2009, 11:40 PM
why are you doing a double overhand grip for deadlift?

A790
11-12-2009, 12:45 AM
Originally posted by dandia89
why are you doing a double overhand grip for deadlift?
Builds forearms/grip strength.

Good luck Darkane!

Darkane
11-12-2009, 01:45 AM
Originally posted by dandia89
why are you doing a double overhand grip for deadlift?

What A790 said as well as a couple other reasons.

1) When I pull strong man mixed grip I tend to 'pull' the bar to the right with my overhand. This scraps my shin which is no big deal but more importantly sets the weight further away on my left side putting more pressure on my left S.I. joint.

2) Pulling double overhand will prevent all possible bicep tears or pulls. Mind you the weight I'm pulling isn't near enough, but what the hell. Also being symmetrical with the grip will allow in essence the same upper back stimuli as opposed to different firing patterns with a mixed grip.

Oz-
11-12-2009, 08:01 AM
Your strength will significantly decrease going double overhand. I would suggest only keeping it that grip when you are doing 3 or less reps. Even though the weight you are pulling isn't too much to concern yourself with a bicep tear, you should still be aware. If you pull properly without engaging your arms/biceps, then you don't have to worry too much about the bicep tear.

Bench press - your strength will go up just from the CNS side of things. If you haven't done the lift in 1.5 years, in the next 1-3 months this lift will go up.

With the military press, I hope you are going to be standing and not doing the sitting one. Keep your feet fairly close together for helping with the strong base. My one thing with this lift is to really fire your head forward once the bar clears, really helped me with the lockout.

As for the routines, I always went with Triumvate as the accessory work really helped me with my main lifts (ie: Kroc rows for DL lockout and grip strength 150#DB x 20-50 ). Also give you enough variety to change them up when you get bored with the exercise.

From a kcal deficit perspective, my bench and military press continued to climb up in numbers. The only ones that I had trouble with were DL and Squat. DL not so much on the 1RM, but my 405 x 10 went down to 405 x 6 was unable to get back into the pull. My squat 1RM was impacted greatly by my leverages and only now learning how to squat again. Mind you my widowmaker wasn't affected to much as I could still do it for 315 x 20.

Good luck, its a great routine. The worst thing you could do with this thing is overthink it.

Oz-
11-12-2009, 10:54 AM
One last thing. Get a belt, Inzer lever belts are amazing and they will definitely help keep your back from getting injured again.

lint
11-12-2009, 11:03 AM
Originally posted by Oz-
Kroc rows for DL lockout and grip strength 150#DB x 20-50

Holy shit

Oz-
11-12-2009, 11:13 AM
Originally posted by lint


Holy shit

I am on the low range of that and my grip strength is where I the DB not on the row part. But I was using that for an example on the range of reps for a Kroc row.

I started with 90# for the Kroc rows and just kept jumping up once I started hitting the 35 rep mark. Other thing I do is actually tell myself "Don't be a pussy" before each set of these.

Sorry Darkane...back to your journal.

liquidboi69
11-12-2009, 05:34 PM
Originally posted by Oz-
One last thing. Get a belt, Inzer lever belts are amazing and they will definitely help keep your back from getting injured again.
Ya these belts are the best in my opinion as well. If you don't have one and end up ordering one, do not order from Inzer themselves go to IronGladiators.Com, as Inzer's customer service/duty charges suck. (I did a group order with two belts and two suits and the shipping was only 15.)

I would definitely suggest getting a belt for the triples and singles 5/3/1 makes you do. If you are worried about not developing your core, just add more core assistance work/don't use a belt for the 5's if you are comfortable with the weight.

Good luck on your lifts.

Darkane
11-13-2009, 02:45 PM
Originally posted by liquidboi69

Ya these belts are the best in my opinion as well. If you don't have one and end up ordering one, do not order from Inzer themselves go to IronGladiators.Com, as Inzer's customer service/duty charges suck. (I did a group order with two belts and two suits and the shipping was only 15.)

I would definitely suggest getting a belt for the triples and singles 5/3/1 makes you do. If you are worried about not developing your core, just add more core assistance work/don't use a belt for the 5's if you are comfortable with the weight.

Good luck on your lifts.

I have an ATP 4" single prong belt. It's fantastic.

I use it usually during my last warm up set into my working sets. :thumbsup:

http://www.prowriststraps.com/inc/sdetail/124792

Darkane
11-16-2009, 07:10 PM
Nov 16: Standing Press.

Warm up: (Will not always post warmup, just an Idea)
-5 minutes around the track
-IT band foam roll
-Hamstring foamroll
-Lowerback/S.I. joint foam roll
-Upperback foamroll

-Cat/Camel back mobility drill
-45 degree knee drop side/side back mobility drill

Lifting: (* Denotes really explosive zero troubles with the set)
-Warm up Bar x10, 65x5, 75x5, 85x3 (All moving the bar as explosively as possible)
-Work set 90x5*, 105x5*, 120x10. Hammered 10 reps on the last set.

Assistance work: (Boring, But Big)
-Standing Press 70x10*, 10*, 10*, 10*, 10*.
(Good explosive here. Rest times cut to 60 seconds for the anabolic hormones stimulation)

-BW chinups 5*,5,4,4,3. (Pretty good, used Fatbar for grip work. Forearm pump was amazing, full ROM on these.)

Cardio:
-20 minutes brisk walk around the track after the weights.

Thoughts:

Great workout seeing how I went to bed at 7:30am and was up at 12:30pm. Love night shift lol. According to my excel spreadsheet the 10reps on the last set puts me at a 160 max. I chose the Boring, But Big assistance to help my nervous system learn the firing patterns of these big lifts again.

I won't grow from it with a caloric deficit, but my Nervous system can learn how to lift and recruit lots of motor units making me strong!

Darkane
11-18-2009, 03:25 PM
Nov 18th: Deadlift

Warm up: (Will not always post warmup, just an Idea)
-Jump rope. 100 double leg, 15/15 singles, 100 double.
-IT band foam roll
-Hamstring/Quads foamroll
-Lowerback/S.I. joint foam roll
-Upperback foamroll

-Cat/Camel back mobility drill
-45 degree knee drop side/side back mobility drill
-Don Tigny's S.I. joint mobilization
-Hip flexor stretch
-Yoga Breathing push ups with waist on ground (not sure what it's called)
-Yoga breathing squats BWx20

Lifting: (* Denotes really explosive zero troubles with the set)
-Warm up Bar x10, 135x5, 155x5, 175x3 (All moving the bar as explosively as possible)
-Work set 195x5*, 225x5*, 250x11. 11 reps - form started to break down. Had 1.5-2 reps in the tank which is where Wendler says to stop anyway. 4" Belt used. Reset on every Rep. This also puts my max according to the formula at 341.5lbs.

Assistance work: (Boring, But Big) No Belt used for these/Touch and go style.

-Deadlift 150x10*, 150*, 150*, 150*, 150*.
(Good explosive here. Rest times cut to 60 seconds for the anabolic hormones stimulation)
-DeadHang - 45seconds. Decompression of S.I./Lowerback.
-Hanging Leg Raises: 6*, 6*, 6, 6, 6. Pretty good felt it in the core, also further decompressed me.

Cardio:
-20 minutes brisk walk around the track after the weights. Did some calculating and I'm almost exactly at 4mph. That works out to 6km/hr. So every 20 minute session for me is 2km walked, and just for shits and giggles 1140 steps/km :D

Thoughts:

Good workout. Seems my nervous system is priming up which is good.

Stay Strong

TurboD
11-19-2009, 12:18 AM
I did a dead lift routine this evening and I wish I would have read this before I set off.

So many good ideas for stretching and decompression, even just reading them I can tell they will make my sets and day after experience much better.

keep it up.

Darkane
11-20-2009, 12:10 AM
Nov 19th: Bench Press

Lifting: (* Denotes really explosive zero troubles with the set)
-Warm up Bar x10, 95x5, 115x5, 125x3 (All moving the bar as explosively as possible)
-Work set 135x5*, 160x5*, 180x14. According to the Formula my bench max is 264. I adjusted form a little and felt much more stable. I don't believe that 264, mind you another 10 might have come on. :thumbsup:

Assistance work: (Boring, But Big)

-Bench125x10*, 125*, 125*, 125*, 125*.
(Good explosive here. Rest times cut to 60 seconds for the anabolic hormones stimulation)
-DB Row #75 x10*, 10*, 10*, 10, 10. (These were done the day after deadlift day. Back was a little sore but did them anyway. No altering the program.)
-Felt like doing Biceps so I just did a set of 3 good chins. I was spent lol.

Cardio:
-20 minutes brisk walk around the track after the weights.

Thoughts:
Had a Cheat meal last night, and a big one today. Lots of desserts and sandwiches and shit. Carbs made a nice help it seems.

Squats on Saturday!

Oz-
11-20-2009, 08:39 AM
Nice work on the deads. Give the Kroc Rows a shot...1 or 2 sets for each and your bicep work is included in there. Just try the biggest DB in your gym and dial it back from there.

Darkane
11-21-2009, 02:13 PM
Originally posted by Oz-
Nice work on the deads. Give the Kroc Rows a shot...1 or 2 sets for each and your bicep work is included in there. Just try the biggest DB in your gym and dial it back from there.

Kroc Row's don't involve the full ROM eh? It's more of an explosive movement rather then strength? I almost need a description on them.

Oz-
11-21-2009, 04:41 PM
Originally posted by Darkane


Kroc Row's don't involve the full ROM eh? It's more of an explosive movement rather then strength? I almost need a description on them.

Video of Matt Kroc doing them

D7jAIdoORxI

Video of MMG (of RedPointFitness fame doing them)

HjgYHylUJhc

A seminar video of him talking on Kroc Rows

RF8Fpssobvc

Darkane
11-21-2009, 06:47 PM
Nov 21: Squat Day

Lifting: (* Denotes really explosive zero troubles with the set)
-Warm up Bar x10, 115x5, 155x5, 175x3 (All moving the bar as explosively as possible)
-Work set 185x5*, 215x5*, 240x12. So with the formula this puts me at a #336 max. Squats felt pretty good here and I used the 18" box and my belt. Left 1-2 in the tank.

Assistance work: (Boring, But Big)

-Squat 145x10*, 145*, 145*, 145*, 145*. (No belt, No box. Good explosive here. Rest times cut to 60 seconds for the anabolic hormones stimulation)

-Seated Hamstring curl machine 170 x10*, 10*, 10*, 10*, 10*.

Cardio:
-20 minutes brisk walk around the track after the weights.

Thoughts:
-Pretty good workout. First time trying Christian Thibaudeau's Peri-workout protocol. I tried the "lite" version with everything cut in half. This is what I did:

Workout -90minutes: 1capful Biotest Liquid GPC
Workout -60minutes: 1 FINiBar
Workout -30minutes: 1 scoop Surge workout fuel
Workout -10minutes: 1 scoop Sugre Recovery
During Workout: 30g Whey blend. (50% hydrolyzed, 25% Isolate, 25% concentrate)
Workout +45minutes: 20g Whey blend
Workout +75minutes: Solid Meal which was Eggwhites for the quick absorption.

Minus the eggwhites this protocol pumped 700cals into my system. With about 80g Carbs, 90g Protein and the rest fats. People have been seeing excellent results on this so we shall see!

Thoughts on the protocol: I felt really good honestly. Oh and to add to that protocol I did an "Athletic" dose of Trans-D Tropin at the same time of the GPC. Athletic protocol for Trans-D is x4/daily 10-11 drops.

Darkane
11-24-2009, 10:45 PM
Nov 23: Military press

This was the first workout done after a day of work. I got to the gym 15 hours after waking up, and with 5.5 hours of sleep.

Working sets:

95x3*, 110x3*, 125x9.

Assistance:

Military 70x5x10, 60sec rest.

Chins 5*, 5, 5, 4, 3 and failed the 4th lol.

Thoughts: Decent energy with the protocol I'm currently doing.

:thumbsup:

Darkane
11-24-2009, 10:56 PM
Nov 24th: Deadlifts

Again after working a shift. 5 hours of sleep.

Worksets:

210x3*, 240x3*, 265x11. Decided to do all sets touch/go now. Seems my form may be a little better with less rounding of the back which is important.

Assistance:

Deads 155x5x10. 60 second rests touch/go

Hanging leg Raises 7,*6*,7,6*,6.

Kroc rows 1x15/15, 90lbs. Just the one quick set with a 90lb dumbbell. Could have went with a 95 or 100 for 15 but just wanted a test run.

Thoughts: The protocol is working great. Energy is up enough during the workouts that even with reduced sleep and a long ass day I can still manage to hits PR's.

This is with no caffeine either. I had 1 cup of green tea today.

Gonna try to quit coffee for a while again in hopes that my adrenal glands will make a speedy recovery from the beating the HOTROX gave em.

Out.

liquidboi69
11-24-2009, 11:35 PM
Originally posted by Darkane
Decided to do all sets touch/go now. Seems my form may be a little better with less rounding of the back which is important.

I have been told it is better to not touch and go, and to pause all sets because it is like wrist straps in principal. It helps you at first, but does not address the issue.

Most of the people can have better form when they touch and go because they are not used to contracting from a dead stop/not using stretch reflex. If you learn to contract your muscles from a dead stop, you will not have that problem.

This is also beneficial for the triples and singles, as you can not touch and go the first rep. Therefore, for most people the first rep will have the worst technique. However, if you always pause reps...you will decrease the likelihood of injuring yourself on triples and singles where dead stop reps make up most of the reps.

But since you do have previous back issues, you would know what's best for you. It is just my suggestion/what I have been taught.

no_joke
11-25-2009, 01:50 PM
I like the amount of detail you put into these logs, especially remarks about technique and whether it is before/after work. I'm going to be working the 12 hour/3-and-1 this winter and I want to try out 5/3/1 because of the comparably shorter workouts. How long are your workouts taking to do?

Darkane
11-25-2009, 10:29 PM
Originally posted by no_joke
I like the amount of detail you put into these logs, especially remarks about technique and whether it is before/after work. I'm going to be working the 12 hour/3-and-1 this winter and I want to try out 5/3/1 because of the comparably shorter workouts. How long are your workouts taking to do?

Depending on the warm-up, 45-60 minutes.

I tend to lean toward the 45 minutes on work days. It's sweet.

Darkane
11-26-2009, 10:17 PM
Nov 26: Bench - 5 hours of sleep

Worksets:

150x3*, 170x3*, 190x12. Pretty good, taped the rung on the 11th rep and did the 12th anyway. Kinda sloppy afterwards but got it up.

Assistance:

Bench 125x5x10. All explosive sets, felt stronger.

Kroc Rows 90lb DBx5x10. Felt good, I can see how these will help with grip and lockout. Going 95pounds next week I think.

Thoughts: Pretty strong workout. Enough said. Kind of excited to see some of my lifts with a full, deep nights sleep.

Onward.

Oz-
11-27-2009, 11:36 AM
Originally posted by Darkane
Nov 26: Bench - 5 hours of sleep

Worksets:

150x3*, 170x3*, 190x12. Pretty good, taped the rung on the 11th rep and did the 12th anyway. Kinda sloppy afterwards but got it up.

Assistance:

Bench 125x5x10. All explosive sets, felt stronger.

Kroc Rows 90lb DBx5x10. Felt good, I can see how these will help with grip and lockout. Going 95pounds next week I think.

Thoughts: Pretty strong workout. Enough said. Kind of excited to see some of my lifts with a full, deep nights sleep.

Onward.

Hitting the rungs on the way up sucks, I tend to do the same thing at the end of the set when tired and the bar starts drifting back over my face. I was able to correct that, by moving away from the Metal Militia style of benching.

With the Kroc Rows try some 120's+ and aim for 50 reps. 20-30 will be more realistic on that weight, but you will be burnt out much more than the 5x10 DB rows. That shit hurts the next day...

Darkane
11-28-2009, 07:07 PM
Originally posted by Oz-


Hitting the rungs on the way up sucks, I tend to do the same thing at the end of the set when tired and the bar starts drifting back over my face. I was able to correct that, by moving away from the Metal Militia style of benching.

With the Kroc Rows try some 120's+ and aim for 50 reps. 20-30 will be more realistic on that weight, but you will be burnt out much more than the 5x10 DB rows. That shit hurts the next day...

Hmm, ok. So just go with 1-2 sets of basically as many as possible reps yeah?

Yeah on my bench setup I was a little to far back. Actually what happened were my traps/shoulders slid back a little and I lost some of my arch. When that happened I was to close to the rung. Oh well stupid slippery vinal benches hah.

Darkane
11-28-2009, 07:15 PM
Nov 28th: Squat - 9 hours sleep, holy shit lol.

Warmup:

-5 minutes brisk walk around the track
-Foam rolled Quads, Hams, IT band, Lowerback/S.I. Joints (twice today), and upper back.
-Hip flexor lunge stretch
-Cat/Camel back mobility drill
-Side to side knee drop low back mobility drill
-Don Tigny's S.I. joint mobility drill
-12 Breathing yoga squats.

Worksets:

-Box Squat - 4" belt, 18" box
200lbs x3*, 230x3* 255x12*. This was fantastic. I felt real strong today and stopped 2 reps short for sure. The reason being is I'm going to squat on friday next week and taking recovery down by a day. Didn't want to destroy my legs. Real happy with this progress. 15lbs in one week.

-Free Squat
150x5x10*. Upped this 5 pounds as well.

-Hamstring curls (Seated)
-150x5x10*. Different machine felt as hard as the last one at 170. Felt good.

Cardio:
-20 Minutes brisk walk post workout.

Thoughts:
-Squat strength is coming back quick. I should be good for 10reps + next week on my 5/3/1. If I hit 10 I'll be very pleased. It will be a PR for me.

I got a body composition test on Monday at 9:30, so I'll update my Darkane gets Ripped semi-log then.

Stay Strong.

Oz-
11-28-2009, 07:39 PM
Originally posted by Darkane


Hmm, ok. So just go with 1-2 sets of basically as many as possible reps yeah?

Pretty much. Depending on the weight and how many reps you get, you will feel spent. Normally my rest is 60-90 seconds between arms, but obviously you know your body much better.

Darkane
11-30-2009, 01:39 PM
Nov 30: Military 5/3/1

Worksets:

105x5*, 120x3*, 130x9. PR for me there, 5 pounds more than last week. Good.

Assistance:

Military 70x4x10*, ans 70x12*. Went 4 sets of 10 for 70 pounds and on the last set did 12 explosively. So a couple more reps there.

Chin ups 5*, 5*, 5*, 5, 4. +1 reps on the last two sets since last week.

Thoughts:

Good workout again. Still getting stronger - As well I saw Andrew today for a Body comp and trained at his gym in Okotoks, it's a decent place with good equipment. Everything you could need. Trap bar, extra Olympic bars, Olympic Half rack, full power rack etc. Lots of bands too.

Anyway I'll update the other log but I'm now 12.8% BF. So not bad.

Also some fucker went through my car last night - Stole cash and some paper work. Not to sure if it was Important papers or not, but I put a hold on my credit cars and going to the bank to put a hold on my account. Motherfuckers.

Out.

liquidboi69
11-30-2009, 04:25 PM
That's a pretty good military:bench ratio. I'm assuming you still have tonnes left in the bench.

I find my bench:military ratio for 10's is like....2:1 =( Not sure if that's normal.

Darkane
11-30-2009, 07:56 PM
Originally posted by liquidboi69
That's a pretty good military:bench ratio. I'm assuming you still have tonnes left in the bench.

I find my bench:military ratio for 10's is like....2:1 =( Not sure if that's normal.

Try Narrowing your grip on the Bench.

Both my Military and Bench grip are exactly the same. Hands inside the rings.

Darkane
12-01-2009, 11:27 PM
Dec 1st: 5/3/1 Deadlift

Worksets:

225x5*, 250x3*, 280x12! Bam +1rep and +15 pounds from last week. Don't know what to say here, but I'm getting much stronger. Good.

Assistance:

Deadlift 160x5x10*. Added another 5 pounds for 10pounds added total. Good.

Kroc rows 105x2x12/12. 2 Sets here, I was fairly taxed from the deads on grip so I could only pull 12 reps each side for 2 sets.

Gun show!! EZ curl bar 1set of 15, 65lbs.

Abs, did ab wheel style with the slidey pads. Not sure what to call it lol.

Thoughts:

Good pulling! I fucked up and did Kroc Rows even though it was hanging leg raise day. I did some abs at the end to compensate.

I had an excellent deadlift workout and it may be in part due to the protocol. Today I had the regular amount recommended for hypertrophy/strength. 2 of everything.

This put an extra 1200 cals into me during the peri-workout window. I decided to do a clean carb up today so I doubled the protocol.

160carbs, 130 protein. Good stuff.

Other foods I had to carb up were 2 almond/oatmeal bars 50gcarbs combined and about 3 cups of peas.

All in all about 300carbs today. Excellent workout and no bloat!

Darkane
12-07-2009, 04:13 PM
Dec 3: Bench 5/3/1 - 7hours of sleep in the day after not sleeping for 23 hours.

Worksets:

160x5*, 180*3, 200x10. Good pressing here, PR.

Assistance:

130x5x10*. +5 pounds over week 1.

Ab wheel 2xAMAP

8*, 7.

Thoughts:

Good bench work, I believe my previous best on flat bench was 205x6. So I should be good for more now!

Darkane
12-07-2009, 04:19 PM
Dec 4: Squat 5/3/1

Worksets:

215x5*, 240x3*, 270x8. Was not firing, CNS was shot. I was looking for 10 reps here, but it wasn't a total blowout.

No assistance work, I was to fried.

Thoughts:

Seeing on Wednesday I drove from Calgary to McMurray and straight to a night shift I didn't sleep for 24 hours. On Thursdays bench day I still had decent nervous system function, but after another night shift and 6hours of broken sleep in the day I just couldn't prime myself. I tried various CNS priming methods but hey one bad workout in a month way above average.

Regardless it still a tied PR for me.

Deload week is next, looking forward to it.

Darkane
12-13-2009, 11:21 PM
Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've just been doing my deload week.

All I did was the 3x5 worksets, then 2x10 assistance. Took a legit deload. I feel decent.

New Training Maxes for Cycle 2: (Last cycle will be in Bracket)

Squat: 302 (284)

Bench: 230 (212)

Deadlift: 324 (297)

Press: 149 (139)

There you have it. I made some real solid gains last cycle and we'll see this first week how concrete they were!

Stay Strong.

Darkane
12-16-2009, 12:12 AM
Military Press Dec 14, 09

Worksets:

95x5*, 110x5*, 125x11. Since two weeks ago gained 2 reps. No complaints!

Assistance:

Military 80x10*, 10*, 10*, 10, 10 -barely. Upped the weight here by 10 pounds. Almost failed the 5th set. But good.

Chins 5x5. Got all the reps. +1 on the last set since 2 weeks ago. Sloppy but managed.

Thoughts:

Strength is up. Not much to say, deadlifts tomorrow!

Out.

Darkane
12-16-2009, 10:51 PM
Deadlift: Dec 16

Worksets:

215x5*, 245x5*, 275x15. Fucking awesome. Two weeks ago was 280x12, so I'm still making great gains here. I probably could have squeezed two more reps, but grip literally failed on the 15th rep coming down. This is double overhand still.

Assistance:

170lbs 5x10*. All sets went nicely. Upped the weight 10 pounds.

Hangings Leg rasies 5, 5*, 5, 4, 3. Doing these proper now touching my feet to the top of the bar/hands.

1 set of DB curls, 35's x16.

Thoughts:

Awesome workout. Good energy, ate two FINibars in the pre-workout protocol and total cals were roughly 950 for the peri workout.

These gains on deadlift have been short of miraculous for me. I can't wait to eat some real calories Come Jan 1st.

For the first time ever I can see my Erector spinae popping (Lower back muscles). This is mostly due to leaning out but I can contribute 'some' of it to the gains hah.

Oh one other thing I've been doing is taking Alpha GPC pre-bed now as well. I read a study in which the A-GPC suppresses somatostatin which is the signal for the brain to stop releasing Growth hormone. Now that STACKED with Trans-D tropin which is growth hormone releasing hormone Analog (clone) makes perfect sense to use together.

So far I think I've even leaned out a little, and strength is up big time.

Stay Strong.

Darkane
12-18-2009, 02:30 PM
Bench: Dec 17th

Cardio: 45minutes brisk walk, fasted 10minutes after waking up. took 1 serving BCAA boost prior. 17g bcaa's.

Worksets:

155x5*, 180x5*, 195x11. Being the greedy fuck that I am, I tried going for a 12th rep and failed. No spotter either. I had enough control of the weight however that I safely racked it on the bottom rung. I 'think' I could have pushed through the rep if I lifted my ass and got loose on my form but I didn't. I'm just pissed I went for it and didn't leave it in the tank. Oh well. Still good.

Assistance:

Bench 5x10, 135lbs. Added 5 pounds to this for the month. First 3 sets were explosive, the last 2 were tough. I attribute this to the serious strain the failed 12th rep put on me during my big workset. Meh.

Kroc row 110lb DB 20 left arm, 20 right arm. +1 rep each side from last week. Something to note Kroc rows are crazy! It's a pretty serious compound movement.

Cardio: 20 min post workout brisk walk.

Thoughts:

My goal reps today were 12 on the bench. I hit 11, but I wanted 12. Couple things that affected me were yesterdays deadlift session. That 275x15 really hit my CNS and I didn't overfeed or anything to compensate. So when I went to the gym I was still a bit fried AND I also did cardio in the morning too which wouldn't help total CNS capacity. Regardless I definitely didn't get weaker which is good.

Took two FINibars during the peri-workout protocol again. These things are to damned delicious!

Tomorrow is Squat day, my body feels beaten up. Gonna foam roll a lot, stretch after an evening walk with my woman. After my bench sessions I had my post workout meal and had a HUGE calorically dense meal. That seemed to help a little.

5 BBQ'ed chicken thighs, tons of greek salad, about 5-6 oz cheese and then for dessert I had 1 package of sugarfree Jello with 1 serving of BCAA boost mixed in for an additional 17g's of amino's.

Stay Strong.

A790
12-18-2009, 04:22 PM
Keep hammering at it bud, you're doing great!

Darkane
12-18-2009, 07:40 PM
Originally posted by A790
Keep hammering at it bud, you're doing great!

Thanks man.

Whats new in your world of training? Start a log :)

A790
12-19-2009, 12:19 AM
Originally posted by Darkane


Thanks man.

Whats new in your world of training? Start a log :)
Haha maybe in the new year. Really busy lately with work and preparation for school. Plus, my lifts aren't nearly as impressive as yours :)

Darkane
12-19-2009, 11:24 PM
Originally posted by A790

Haha maybe in the new year. Really busy lately with work and preparation for school. Plus, my lifts aren't nearly as impressive as yours :)

Lol yeah right, I'm still using girl weights :)

Darkane
12-19-2009, 11:29 PM
Squats: Dec 19th

Worksets:

195x5*, 225x5*, 255x14. Good lifting here, +2 reps from the last time I did 255. CNS was good, lift felt easy and left 1 rep in the tank for sure. I thought about being greedy again but bench press taught me a lesson last time.

Assistance:

5x10, 160lbs. Squats went good, +10lbs since the start.

hamcurls 5x10, 175lbs. +5lbs.

Thoughts: Good workout for sure. CNS was there, and I've come to the conclusion I have a lot of slow twitch muscle. It seems I can grind out reps when it appears I'm spent. Rep 9 and rep 14 were almost the same speed lol. Oh well.

Onward to 3x3 week 2!

Stay strong

Darkane
12-22-2009, 06:04 PM
Dec 21: Military

Worksets:

105x3*, 120x3*, 135x10. Big PR here, went awesome CNS was good.

Assistance:

5x10* 80lbs. All sets explosive, real good.

Chins 5x5, 60sec. Got all reps and not as sloppy as last week.

Thoughts:

Probably my best shoulder day to date. Everything felt light, form was good and I felt good.

Out

Darkane
12-22-2009, 06:08 PM
Deadlift: Dec 22nd - 6 hours of the worst sleep you can imagine.

Worksets:

245x3*, 275x3*, 295x9. Still a PR for me, even though I know I can do 10-12 reps at this weight. Grip was failing on the 6th rep, so I reset and pulled 3 more for a total of 9.

No assistance done

Thoughts:

The building management thought it would be a fantastic Idea to do yearly tests on the fire alarm system today and tomorrow. Since I'm working nights right now I crawled into bed at 7:30 am and started waking up every 10 minutes it seemed until 12:30. I finally slept from 12:30 to 2:00.

In all honesty I shouldn't have went to the gym but I got no other days. I'm driving back to Calgary friday morning after shift so friday is a write off for training. Gonna do my squats on Saturday. Bench will be Thursday however my recovery from that session is gonna suck. Going to work all night then drive right home staying up for over 24hours.

Gotta do what we gotta do ;)

Stay strong.

Darkane
12-28-2009, 06:30 PM
Squat/Bench day Dec 26th

Bad news, I'm gonna be out for a while. I fucked my left S.I. Joint squating and it's left me unable to do much these last 2 days.

Squat worksets:

210x3*, 240x3*, 270x2. Second rep got me. Felt a 'popping' sensation halfway up the second rep. This pissed me off so much, I had slept 11 hours of good sleep, the weight was going up like nothing. I estimate I would have hit 11-12 reps.

But alas. I had my brother watching me. I was upright, tight, sitting back with my belt on and my S.I. still decided to go. I was really mentally drained yesterday because of it but today all I've done is sunk myself in research papers and rehabilitation articles on the S.I. joint. ligaments and musculature surounding it. I'm going to destroy this 'ailment' so it never bothers me again.

One of my new goals is going to be to get my lower back STRONGER than any other part of me so it will go last.

I'll outline how I'm going to do this in my 3rd month of 5/3/1 where I will do a Triumvirate template with assistance/strength spec phase for the lowerback/core, and hamstrings/glutes.

Being stubborn I did bench anyway which didn't actually affect my back.

Bench worksets:

160x3*, 185 x3*, 205x9. I might have been able to do a 10th rep but I had no leg drive and my back arch was minimal because of the injury. Still a PR.

Bench Assistance:

1x10 135lbs. That's it.

Thoughts:

I'm pissed off, and doing simple things like putting on underwear is almost impossible. I did some light foamrolling today and it instantly felt better for 10 minutes. I will regularly foamroll 2 or 3 times a day.

I'm taking no anti-inflammatory like advil, but Upped my fish oil intake a lot. I'm doing 10 flameouts and 10 more grams of true protein fish caps.

I'm taking this whole week off of the gym, then next week going to see If I can finish my 5/3/1 week of Military/bench. The week after is the deload and I will do military, bench and see how the back is for Squat/deads.

Starting the next week hopefully will be Cycle 3 with Triumvirate focusing on weaknesses.

Out.

bball2
12-28-2009, 07:12 PM
That's unfortunate, hope you get better soon man

Oz-
12-29-2009, 01:20 AM
Pick up a thera cane and the trigger point therapy workbook.Sad to hear that injury stopped some of the great momentum that you had going.

kutt3r
01-02-2010, 01:37 PM
Hey Darkane, are you still going to Andrew?

Just wondering if he had given you anything for the lower back.

Darkane
01-04-2010, 06:16 PM
Originally posted by kutt3r
Hey Darkane, are you still going to Andrew?

Just wondering if he had given you anything for the lower back.

Yes I am. Actually we're gonna work on something Jan 11th when he's back. He wrote me a routine with some low back stuff but It's not suited to my goals currently.

I'm basically going to do the 5/3/1 core lifts with a posterior chain/low back specialization rehab.

Also Update:

Back is feeling.. actually decent. The added fish oils, bumped growth hormone, and x2 daily foam rolling sessions seem to be helping.

I'm healing much quicker than last time, in fact I'm back in the gym tomorrow to complete my 5/3/1 shoulders and chest this week.

Next week is the official deload but what I will do is shoulders and chest at the 5/3/1 week weight again and try to squeeze another rep out.

Some additional movements I will be performing are:

Glute hip thrusts
Front/side planks
Ad wheel
Hanging leg raises
Single Leg romanian DB deadlift
DB lunges
Step ups

There will be more, I will write my assistance routine to accompany the 5/3/1 in the coming week<s>.

Stay Strong.

kutt3r
01-04-2010, 11:36 PM
If you need some hip stuff to compliment the lunges try cossack squats, they have been killing my hips, but they feel great and really allowing me to open up.

Darkane
01-05-2010, 07:26 PM
Cossack squats eh? Those look great! I'll add them in with my ATG Yoga breathing Squats.

Jan 5th: Military press (Forgot Log book so I free handed it)

Worksets:

110x5*, 130x3*, 145x5. (I should have been 140 but I was using Kg's and I mis-counted lol)

The last set I was like man wtf, I'm weak today. I could have hit 6 but I racked it to not kill my CNS. It turned out in the end it was 145x5 so Actually a PR I guess hah.

Next week will be 140 x (X).

Assistance:

Military 88pounds x3x10*. Good stuff here + like 18pounds over week Cycle 1, week 1.

Bicep curls 40's x 15 each side

Glute hip thrusts 88pound BB 2x10*. Held last rep on last set for 10 count in a bridge position. Gonna bump this into the 200lb range and start doing sets of 5 reps.

jVlQhlKf-5Q

BB curls 88pounds x 7. Hey it's the gun show :)

Back Hyper extensions 2x10* bodyweight. Really squeezed glutes at the top

Ghetto Glute ham raises on the pulldown station BW x 2 x7. Never tried it on the pulldown station. Many crazy looks I got hahah.

YZXTXw-qrqU&NR=1

Thoughts:

Actually surprisingly good.. I did a full warmup on the lowerbody and wore my belt for the military. Felt real good.

Bench on thursday!

Stay strong.

Darkane
01-13-2010, 04:55 PM
Jan 11th: Military

Worksets:

110x5*, 125x3*, 140x9 PR. Not to bad of a lift here considering I'm coming off a back injury.

Assistance:

Military 85 lbs 5x10. 3 sets explosive, last two tough.

Chins 5x5. Not to bad here either.

Thoughts:

Good, still progressing on the Overhead pressing. I had a bench workout earlier in the week too and it was just BRUTAL. I could only hit 220x3, when I should have been in the 5+ rep area. Just an off day.

Next bench day is Tomorrow, and today/saturday are going to be re-hab type days. No deadlifting or squats, but Glute ham raises, lunges, abs, hypers shit like that.

Out.