Lol's New HST Log

I figured you'd like the 5/3/1, and it should be fun discussing it as it fits into my long term goals quite well. I've been looking for a "slow cooking" approach that appealed to me for quite a while (something like Hepburn or Justa prescribes), and Wendler's rendition of the concept is pretty solid.

It should be fun labcoating about it in the months to come, whenever I happen to make the switch.
 
Fri 27/03/09

5/3/1 Week 1 - Bench 5s

Still sore as heck from Wednesday's w/o: hams, upper back and abs in particular.

After a bunch of warmups, decided to give bench a shot. It didn't feel too uncomfortable but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to feel the full effect.

I based my figures for bench on 65%, 75% and 85% of my current estimated 1RM of 250lb. Sadly, being a doofus, I forgot that I'm supposed to be basing my %ages on 90% of my 1RM (225lb). So I should have used 67.5kg (149lb), 77.5kg (171lb), 87.5kg (193lb) to the nearest 2.5kg. Ne'er mind.

Main lift:

Bench: warmups then 5 x 75kg (165lb), 5 x 85kg (187lb), 8 x 95kg (209lb) - last set was a bit crap really. I was hoping to get at least 10 with that but my strength fled after the 5th rep. At least I have plenty of scope for improvement!

Assistance:

Unilateral DB Rows: 20 x 36kg (79lb), 15 x 46kg (101lb), 15 x 56kg (123lb)

Unilateral DB Press: 10, 10, 15 x 24.5kg (54lb) - bit light for my right arm but left arm struggled a bit especially on the last set. I need to develop better left arm co-ordination. I'm glad I'm doing some unilateral stuff as assistance work.

EZ-bar Curls: 15, 10, 10 x 41kg (90lb)

I honestly don't feel like I've done much after that. Just nicely tired. I'll take that as a good thing as I have to squat tomorrow.

If my shoulder hangs in there, I may add in a couple of 10-rep sets of bench following the heavy sets of 5. Or I'll do some dips. I tried some bw dips after bench tonight but got a bit of a twinge in the old AC joint so scrapped that idea.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Mar. 20 2009,10:11)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I'm pretty sure that you can get the gymnasts look if you have the right genetics, your training isn't retarded, and you diet down to low bf levels. However, if you want to be able to DO even half of what a half-decent gymnast does you'll definitely need to start working on some of the strength, flexibility, agility exercises presented in the book, as well as having the right genetics.</div>
Yeah, I definitely do not have the right genetics. Nevertheless, I am still fighting the battle of the bulge and it never hurts to have goals!
 
Sat 28/03/09

5/3/1 Week 1 – Squat 5s

Feeling pretty good in general but left AC joint nicely sore again after yesterday's bench session – I know I keep saying it, but I really will have to skip bench for a while. For the rest of my 5/3/1 sessions I'll stick with press, deads and squats. I may do some dips for assistance work if the situation improves but definitely no benching.

Main lift:

Squats: warmups then 5 x 100kg (220lb), 5 x 115kg (253lb), 14 x 130kg (287lb) PR

I suppose I should have tried for a 15th rep but at the time it felt like I had done enough!  
smile.gif
  300lb for 15 reps is not a million miles away anymore.

Assistance:

Goodmornings: 3 x 10 x 60kg (132lb) - light, but I haven't done these in ages so needed to get my form in check. I'm doing a really ballistic concentric.

Front Squats: 3 x 10 x 70kg (154lb) - not hard but good for a pump. I'll increase this next time and do them before GMs.

DB Side Bends: 3 x 15 x 36kg (79lb) - not heavy but I know I'll have sore obliques tomorrow.

Good fun workout to round off a pretty good week.

I really like the fact that there's only one exercise to really push hard at each session and for only one set! Assistance work was all a bit light tonight but I kept really good form.

It's a shame about bench but I just need to be patient and let this darn shoulder heal. If my squats and deads go up and if I can increase my press I'll be well pleased. I've read that a lot of Oly lifters never do bench as a specific exercise yet they can bench respectable loads if need be. I hope that turns out to be the case for me.
 
<div>
(Lol @ Mar. 28 2009,4:58)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">For the rest of my 5/3/1 sessions I'll stick with press, deads and squats.

Squats: warmups then 5 x 100kg (220lb), 5 x 115kg (253lb), 14 x 130kg (287lb) PR</div>
It's hard to beat press, deads, and squats.

It's also good to hit an occasional PR from time to time. Good going!
smile.gif
 
Mon 30/03/09

5/3/1 Week 2 – Press 3s

3 reps per work set for main lifts this week. Final set taken to a rep shy of failure.

Press: warmups then 3 x 50kg (110lb), 3 x 57.5kg (142lb), 5 x 65kg (142lb)

(Loads calculated as 70%, 80%, 90%  of 158lb – 90% of 1RM ~ 175lb)

Assistance:

Dips: 5 x 15 x bw - last set did 30 reps. Shoulder was initially pretty sore doing these but it improved as I progressed through the sets.

Chins: 5 x 10 x bw

Standing Triceps Extensions: 4 x 15 x 31kg (68lb), 3 x 12 x 41kg (90lb)

As can be seen from the results of my final set of presses, my left shoulder is holding me back. 5 reps with 142lb points to a 1RM around 165lb which is way lower than it should be. I hope that by dropping bench for a while I will see some improvement in my pressing, and that continuing to press and do dips doesn't interfere with the healing process too much.
 
Tue 31/03/09

10 mins as fast as possible on stationary bike. (It's a Gold's Gym race trainer thing.)

Rats! Didn't quite manage a 3000 score. Made it to 2990 which is 5 points off my best to date.

In order to attain a 3000 score, I have to keep to a rate of 5 points per second which seems impossibly hard. I'm cycling at just over 90 revs per minute to clock up this score, with the arbitrary friction dial set to one stop off maximum (although it doesn't initially feel like a whole lot of resistance but that soon changes).

Massive pump in quads during and afterwards. Took about 10 mins for my heart to recover sinus rhythm but I didn't feel too bad.
 
Wed 01/04/09

5/3/1 Week 2 – Deads 3s

Loads for deads based on an estimated current 1RM of 450lb. 90% of that is 405lb or 184kg. Then 70%, 80% and 90% figures rounded to the nearest 2.5kg.

5 mins on bike.

Deads: warmups then 3 x 130kg (286lb), 3 x 147.5kg (325lb), 8 x 165kg (363lb)

Hook grip for all reps. Oly shoes. Last set was hard. Started to lose extension on the 8th rep so stopped there. Took a few extra breaths before the 8th rep too.

RDLs: 3 x 10 x 115kg (253lb) - plates to floor for all reps.

Power Cleans: 30 x 65kg (143lb) - I did these outside in the sun, mainly in groups of 5 reps. Several jerks too. Wish I could train outside more often.

Hanging Leg Raises: 10, 5, 5, 5, 5 - shins to bar for all reps. These didn't feel any easier than last week. Hard.


Interestingly, if I use Jim Wendler's 1RM estimator for my deads I get 363 x 8 x 0.0333 + 363 =~460.

Using exrx.net's 1RM calculator I get 451.

So my guesstimate that my 1RM is currently around 450 seems to have been pretty good.
 
Fri 03/04/09

5/3/1 Week 2 - Dip 3s

No benching for a while so I've picked dips as my replacement power exercise. Hope left AC joint can cope with this.

Current estimated 1RM for dips of bw+50kg (110lb)
Figures for work sets are based on 90% of load added for 1RM =&gt; 45kg (99lb) (rather than 90% of bw+load). All calcs rounded to the nearest 1.25kg (2.75lb).

Dips: warmups then 3 x bw+31.25kg (68.75lb), 3 x bw+36.25kg (80lb), 10 x bw+40kg (88lb)

Assistance:

Unilateral DB Rows: 3 x 10 x 56kg (123lb), 15 x 58.5kg (129lb) - that last set was pretty hard. Left hand grip started to suffer a bit after 10th rep.

Unilateral DB Press: 3 x 10 x 26kg (57lb) - pretty easy for my right arm but almost impossible for my left arm and it was a bit uncomfortable.

EZ-bar Curls: 3 x 10 x 46kg (101lb) - final set was hard but good. All reps nice and strict.

Overall, good workout but shoulder definitely suffered a bit so I might have to adjust things again next week.
 
Sat 04/04/09

5/3/1 Week 2 – Squat 3s

Left AC joint sore again after yesterday's session but not quite as bad as last week.

Estimated current 1RM for squats of 170.5kg (375lb)
Figures for work sets are based on 90% of load added for 1RM =&gt; 153.5kg (338lb).
All calcs rounded to the nearest 2.5kg (5.5lb).

Squats: warmups then 3 x 110kg (242lb), 3 x 122.5kg (270lb), 8 x 140kg (308lb)

From the first work set I knew these were going to be hard. They were. I was hoping to get 10 reps with 308 but I fell way short.

Assistance:

Front Squats: 3 x 10 x 80kg (176lb) - quite hard

It's late so I've decided to finish here and do the rest tomorrow.
 
Sun 05/04/09

Finishing up assistance work:

Squats: 15, 20 x 80kg (176lb) - low bar, continuous reps. Nice burn and pump.

Side-bends: 3 x 15 x 41kg (90lb)

I was thinking that my poorer than expected effort yesterday might be due to the lack of creatine in my diet now. I have been off it for about three weeks now and I eat very little red meat. I'll keep off it for another month and then see if/how things change when I go back on.
 
Tue 07/04/09

5/3/1 Week 3 – Press

So this week I'm doing 5 x 75%, 3 x 85%, 1+ x 95% for the work sets for the main lifts. I'll be hoping to get three or more reps on the last set.

For the press, these calcs are based on 90% of 175lb (1RM) -&gt; 158lb.

Rather pushed for time tonight so did the best I could.

Press: warmups then 5 x 60kg (132lb), 3 x 62.5kg (137.5lb), 3 x 67.5kg (148.5lb)

Left shoulder let me down every time. I think if my left matched my right, I would get at least 6 reps with 67.5kg.

Assistance:

Press: 3 x 4 x 60kg (132lb),  1 x 6 x 60kg (132lb) - just wanted to do a few more reps with a decent load.

Dips: skipped these to give shoulder a better break.

Chins: 4 x 10 x bw

@Russ: I always liked side-bends. It's been fun doing them again. I think most bbers worry that they'll spoil their V-taper. Of that, I am not worried.  
smile.gif

Hope your training is going well.
 
Wed 08/04/09

5/3/1 Week 3 – Deads

Short of time again last night but had to get my deads in.

Deads: warmups then 5 x 140kg (308lb); 3 x 160kg (352lb); 5,1,1,1,1 x 175kg (385lb)

Hanging Leg Raises: 10  x bw

I was a bit disappointed I could only manage 5 reps for my final set of deads so I added some singles afterwards. I hoped to get at least 6 and possibly 7. They all felt heavier than I wanted them to and my left traps (and/or rhomboids) were cramping and being a general nuisance.

That aside, it seems I made a BIG mistake with my deads tonight and one that I may regret for a long time. I wore a belt and I did it up a bit tight. At the end of my set of 5 with 385 I felt a little uncomfortable in my groin area. I didn't think much more about it.

This morning, I was sorting some breakfast and felt a little sore in my left groin. I felt along the crease between thigh and abs/obliques and there was a small squishy bit that I didn't recall being there (I have to self-examine this area quite often because of my regular skin cancer, lymph node checks). I compared the right side and sure enough it wasn't there. I pushed on the area on the left and it want away. I strained and I could feel it coming back so I stopped and pressed on it again. Darn. First thought was 'hernia!'

To be honest I couldn't tell whether the slightly odd feeling in my stomach was due to the physical problem or just my anxiety so I thought I ought to gen up on the subject. Googling led me to various bbs posts related to deadlifting induced hernias. Sure enough there are plenty of other folks who have suffered a similar thing. Thankfully, mine seems pretty insignificant right now but it could easily get worse if I just ignore it and push myself hard. That would suck.

From what I've read so far, hernias don't get better, they just get worse if you don't get them sorted. I've prodded and poked the area quite a bit to see if I can figure out exactly where it is. I am reluctant to strain really hard to make it happen again. If I don't take a deep breath and strain while sitting it seems ok but I'm pretty sure that if I assume a squat stance, take a deep breath and then strain I could force it to happen again. So I'm not going to do that.

From the various threads I've read, what seemed to be a common reason for the occurrence was the use of a lifting belt set too tight. I could kick myself all around the block for doing this! Having lifted belt-less for years without incident, I've recently been using one again for some of my heavy sets - following my last cut, I just felt more snug squatting and deadlifting with a belt. For deadlifts, the belt kept moving while setting up so I decided to do it up pretty tight. I think that was my undoing. I guess the poor old fascia in my groin area found itself unable to cope with the extra pressure (my belly couldn't push out because of the belt) and the weakest area gave way a bit.

Well, I've learned a valuable lesson. If any of you folks out there have any thoughts on this I will be pleased to hear them. TIA.
 
This might be obvious but go get it checked. It is probably nothing serious but there is nothing to gain from gambling with that kind of stuff. Good luck with that man!
 
Well that just really stinks Lol! I had a groin injury a couple years ago and tried to work through it only to end up making it worse and having to sit out 9 weeks. Take it easy and don't rush the comeback. Get well and I hope it is nothing serious.
 
Hernia man here!

Doc said it's an inguinal hernia and will require an op. He wants a surgeon to check it out and discuss the options with me. Still waiting for my appointment with the surgeon. I'm thinking I should have a patch fitted because I don't really want to have to stop lifting anything other than pansy weights for the remainder of my time. I might ask him whether he thinks I should have a patch put in the right side too, as a precaution, although I doubt I'd get that on the NHS.

After leaving things to heal for a few weeks it's pretty clear that it isn't going to get any better on its own. As soon as I get to exert myself doing anything, the little bulge comes back. I have found a bit of a work-around though: last night I tried some light squats (225lb) for three sets of 10 with a rolled-up sweatshirt stuffed down my pants to apply some pressure to the area. It worked pretty well and kept everything in place.

With the shirt-stuffed-down-the-pants approach I can do things like bw chins and light cleans but I'm going to be keeping the loads below 10RM for anything that involves squatting. Probably won't be doing any regular deads but I may try RDLs.

My left shoulder has slightly benefited from little to no lifting for two weeks, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped. Old age sucks!

Anyway, I'll update my log again after I've talked to the surgeon. If anyone here has had an inguinal hernia op and is now back to deadlifting heavy stuff again, I'd be very interested to know how you managed things post-op.
 
Sorry to hear about the setback, sir, but that's all it is, you will (easily) recover from this and be kicking the heavy weight's *** again before you know it
smile.gif
 
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