_tim's Log

A rare Saturday workout....

WU: 15:00 run (treadmill): 7.1 MPH, .05 incline; 1.76 miles run. With CD, 1.86 miles, 296 calories burned.

BB Row: 155, 165, 175 x 6; 185 x 6,2,2,2
This is +5 for the cycle, which given the layoff for this lift is remarkable.

Pause Bench: 185, 195, 205 x 6; 215 x 3,1,1,2,2,2
I was pretty tied by this point after the run and BB Rows. Regardless, I wanted to tie the cycle max even if it meant clustering more than just the 3 RP sets.

Pause Squats: 185, 205 x 6; 225 x 2
This was a low back test, pure and simple. We'll see how I feel in the morning tomorrow and based on that I'll make a decision about deads on Monday.

Happy I got this one in - I needed the stress relief.
 
From VERY early this morning...

Pause Standing Press: 105, 115 x 6; 120 x 6, 1,1,2,2 Drop: 95 x 8
OK - I'm adjusting to a new schedule. My workouts for the next two weeks may be on the horrible side if I don't adjust to it soon. Getting up at 5:00 hasn't been anything I've done regularly in about 8 years. I'm going to try this for 3 weeks - if I can survive it, great. If not, I'm going to figure out a new workout schedule.

Pause Chins: BW x 6; +10 x 5,1,2,2,2
I did a few pulldown sets to warm up and it didn't make much difference. BW is 205.

No time for deads, unfortunately.
 
An update...

I re-injured a part of my back when sleeping (yep - friggity SLEEPING) two nights ago, and have been staying away from the gym as a result. This is 100% a result of me not working out on a regular basis.

So - as much as I hate to say this, I'm going to abandon the rest of the HCT-12 cycle I had planned as I won't be doing anything but cardio and bodyweight exercises through the weekend.

What I do next will be one of three things, and I'd welcome anyone to comment. No matter what, it's going to be a year-long commitment.

Explanation... Next week I turn 34. For the past couple years, I've swayed tremendously in my training and haven't had a good rhythm at all. I need to force myself to stay true to a given course, no matter what. So - from 34 to 35, I'm going to do a singular training methodology (a macrocycle), broken up into microcycles consistent with the chosen methodology. The options:

1) 12 months of Wendler 5-3-1 (strength model). More than likely, I'd do almost the exact same routine I programmed for my last 5/3/1 cycle. So - as soon as the deloads complete, a new cycle begins with progressed loads. The regimented, progressive approach makes a lot of sense to me.

2) 12 months of triples. For those who are unfamiliar with my triples cycles, take a look back through my log for the explanation. I'd program these a bit differently than in the past - instead of purely push/pull routines, I'd have an A and B in which there would be a push, pull and lower body lift each workout. I believe that will alleviate many of the problems I had in the past with fatigue.

3) 12 months of autoregulated training. This is something I've wanted to try for a while, but not necessarily on this scale time-wise. A big focus would be strength, but there certainly would be endurance and cardio elements as well. The best part of this methodology is that it allows the body to dictate what comes next. This could have all kinds of benefits given some of the things I deal with on a frequent basis - back pulls, schedule difficulties, etc. The key factor that would determine success would be 1-RM and 3-RM numbers at the end of the cycle.

OK. So that's it. The simple reason why HST isn't an option - I don't really want to train specifically to get bigger. That comes naturally with strength, which is my focus moreso than size.

I'm open to your suggestions based on the three choices. No matter what, I'm picking a methodology and sticking to it for a full year. Regardless of the choice, cardio and yoga will be regular parts of my weekly routine for health reasons.
 
Well folks, made my decision. I'm going to do 12 months of Wendler 5/3/1 (strength template - core + 2 assistance), starting next week. I'm actually going to follow Jim's model to a T - no customization. We'll see how it all plays out. There will be 3 workout days per week, and 2 conditioning days (time allowing). I'll record all the starting data with next week's first post.
 
Tell you what, Seeker... I'll post quarterly picture updates during this year of Wendler. That may be a good time for my first picture posts!
 
All the best with your plan Tim. I'll pop in from time-to-time to see how you are getting on.

Re your plan:

I'm fairly certain of two things:

1) if you can make it to the gym consistently for a whole year, you should make some great gains in strength and size using Wendler's 5/3/1; the short cycles are great for goal setting and feeling a sense of achievement.

2) you'll need to manage your cals and macros effectively to get the results you deserve.

I'm sure you'll manage both if you set your mind to it.

I'd like to hear that you've made some specific lifting goals, both for the short-term and for a year from now.

Finally, I really hope you can steer clear of injury this year. At 34, you are still young enough not to have to worry too much about aching joints, but getting into good habits now - regular stretching and warming up - will hold you in good stead for the years ahead. I wish I'd taken the time to do so sooner than I did.

Take care.

PS. I may still beat you to a 300lb bench but it'll probably be at least another month before I can really get back to lifting with any focus. There's your window of opportunity! :o)
 
Thank you, Lol. The advice you gave me is very sound; the one thing I've never been good at is my diet. That needs to change for sure in order for me to hit my goals. In regard to the 300 pound bench race, it may be a couple months yet before that single is in my future. The 1-RM I set for this first microcycle is 245. So - it likely will be winter before I hit the 300-pound bench... But I will - that I am sure of - during the next 12 months.

Speaking of bench....

12 Months Of Wendler BEGINS!

Pause Bench: 185, 195 x 5; 205 x 7
The loads were ~75, 80 and 85% of the 1-RM.

Repetition Bench: 5 x 10 @ 135
I once again am going to be stubborn here. The repetition work is supposed to be at 50% - which would be 125 or thereabouts. I do not bench with less than a plate on each side. It's a dumb pride thing, and it's just how it is with me.

DB Rows: 5 x 10 @ 50
This may be tricky as time goes on. I plan on progressing the assistance work if it becomes less than challenging - especially the back lifts. Thing is, the DB's in the new gym go up by 10's until they hit 70 pounds. Dunno - we'll see how it goes.

OK - so the year of Wendler is off and running. I'm hoping to hit a few milestones as time goes on, and to eclipse what to date have been my 1-RM PR's.
 
Conditioning...

Tabata (Elliptical): 4:00, 1:45 CD
Got some very strange looks from the 20-somethings around me. These segments were HARD. I'm in desperate need of some endurance - so the conditioning workouts will be an even split between endurance and pure conditioning.

BW Stuff...
Pushup to Plank: 12
Mountain Climbers: 12
Spiderman Pushup: 12
COOKED. See - endurance is lacking!

I'm going to try to get a BF analysis done this week so I have a full set of information to compare against as time goes on. I'm going to measure BF, weight, size of major muscle groups, and 1-RM progress.
 
WU: 7 minute run/jog at 7.1 MPH.

Pause Squats: 205, 215 x 5; 225 x 7
All reps low bar, ATG, no belt.

Repetition Squats (not paused): 5 x 10 @ 135

Bench Abs (triple reps): 3 x 10 @ 135
I added these to squat day because I felt that doing leg curls after paused squats would overwork the hamstrings. Besides, my abs can use the work to counter the work I do to strengthen my lower back.

Good start to the cycle thus far; I'm adjusting to the earlier wake-up times pretty well.
 
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Birthday Fun!

Tabata - Elliptical: 4:00
Easier than last time, but still wickedly evil.

Treadmill: 21:00, Random inclines, 6.5MPH, 2.3 miles (w/cd, 2.41 miles)
I wanted to quit so bad at the 9:00 mark. I made every excuse I could in my head to stop the madness and go stretch. But, I pushed through, and got to the target of 21 minutes. The next time I do this Tabata/Treadmill thing, I'm hoping for a 30:00 run session. When I hit that, I'm going to increase the Tabata cycles by 2 and make it a 5:00 try-not-to-puke fest. I'm still working toward the ultimate goal of 10:00 of HIIT and 30:00 of regular cardio. Dare I say that's a goal for this 12 month jaunt of mine?
 
Pause Standing Press: 110, 115 x 5; 125 x 6
The sixth rep at 125 truly was ME. It probably took a good 15 seconds or so just to get the bar up.

Repetition Standing Press: 5 x 10 @ 75
The last set was clustered 8-2.

Slightly Paused Chins: BW x 10, 6, 3, 3, 3.5
Wendler calls for 5 sets to failure - but I'm shooting for a 5 x 10 like the other assistance work. BW today was 203.

OK - 1st week in the bag. Happy with the consistency thus far.
 
So true, TR.... So true.

WEEK 2!

Deads: 250, 270 x 5; 285 x 8
Happy with the ME work - I probably had 2 more in the tank but stopped when I felt as though form may be compromised if I continued.

Repetition Deads: 5 x 8 @ 175
These were touch and go reps, and the rest between sets was no more than a minute.

Hanging Leg Raise: 5 x 12
Yeah - they're back. The last 2 sets were really, really hard.

Triples begin Wednesday!
 
Conditioning!

Tabata - Elliptical: 4:00/1:00 CD
Getting better at this...

Treadmill: 10:00 @ 3.3-7.1
I used one of the newer treadmills today not realizing how the intervals showed on the display. I hit a fairly big incline at 7.1 MPH for about 2:00 and it killed me. I walked to the 10:00 mark from there.

Core Compound Work: 2 x 12...
Spiderman Pushup
Pushup to Plank
My abs are still crying. Really. They are. Real tears. Sobbing. Maybe I shouldn't have done this after the hanging leg raises yesterday? Nah. The core deserves to be punished now and again! :)
 
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Pause Bench: 190, 205 x 3; 215 x 5
I felt stronger and more in control of the bar for the 215 set than I did for the 205 set. Odd.

I was later than poo today, so I supersetted the assistance work...

Repetition Bench: 5 x 10 @ 135
|
DB Row: 5 x 10 @ 60

I won't call this metabolic - it was no Tabata - but it was a fun upper body jaunt regardless.
 
Conditioning!

Tabata (Elliptical): 4:00, 1:30 CD
What can I say? Very typical Tabata... Intense.

Treadmill: 22:00, 3.8 - 7.1, intervals (incline), 2.0 miles
I'm not gonna lie here - I walked at least 30-35% of the time. I think next time, I'll just do the manual setting and skip the inclines and see if I can hit that 30:00 mark, jogging the whole time.

Very nice DOMS in my pecs today. I actually upped the protein a bit yesterday and I think it made a difference. I'm trying like crazy to be better about my caloric/protein intake. Baby steps.

EDIT!

This year for my birthday, I bought myself Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 ebook and have been reading it and making some drastic realizations. Let me first say this - Jim's very simple approach to training resonates with me, and for that reason I think that this yearlong mesocycle will actually turn into something much more substantial. Secondly - reading the book has opened my eyes to something... I first got turned onto 5/3/1 based on Lol's cycle a while back, and went about looking for the schematics - which I found on T-Nation.com. Here's the thing, folks... The guy who wrote that post got it about 80% right, but the last 20% pretty much is dead wrong or missing. Regardless of your training approach, be it HST/SST or otherwise, PLEASE go to the source of whatever program you're using, study up - and based on your understanding of the program, make it happen. There are a lot of great folks on message boards who help and critique - we do it all the time here - happily. Thing is, I think a fairly high percentage of folks do a program without fully understanding it, or only having a fraction of the whole picture.

This soap box rant is nothing more than this... Please folks - even if you are solid in what you're doing, find the original source of your training program and re-read it (or read it for the first time). You'll make a few realizations that may really affect how you train.

OK - I'm done now. :)
 
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Pause Squats: 210, 225 x 3; 240 x 5
All reps ATG, no exception. Bar was somewhere in the low bar area, but not quite all the way down. It was balanced, and didn't force a GM-like eccentric - that's all that matters.

Repetition Squats: 5 x 10 @ 135
Sets 4 and 5 were good 'n burnin'. Now THESE were low bar - I had the thing down to the midway point of my shoulder blades.

Bench Abs (triple reps): 2 x 10 @ 135
I had more in the tank for a set 3, but time was against me. So - I called it a day and stretched.

Week 2 is IN THE BAG! Very happy with the cycle thus far.
 
Gym was closed yesterday for Labor Day. So - a rare Tuesday strength wo!

Week 3!

Pause Standing Press: 115, 125 x 3; 130 x 5
I'm feeling progress here - and I like it!

Repetition Standing Press: 5 x 10 @ 75
Made it all the way through without clustering!

Chins: 10, 6, 3, 4, 3
Slightly better than last time. I already laid out the assistance for cycle 2, and chins/pullups will be much more present throughout. BW today was 201.
 
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