Sousa's Strength Log

[Paul Sousa]

Just started back today after a three week down period. Planning on doing 16 weeks of SS and then see where to go from there. My goal is to get to at least 230 lbs. by February/March of next year. I am currently 6' and ~195-200 lbs.

My lift goals at the end of the 16 weeks are a 315x5 squat, 225x5 bench, 405x5 dead, 165x5 press and a 205x3 PC.

11/10/09:

Squat - 175x5x3

Bench - 155x5x3

Dead - 245x5x1

Felt really good and I have been working on hip mobility during my down time which has helped alot with my depth. The squats were not too tough but I need to stay focused on keeping my torso tight. The couple form issues I had were more of a lapse in focus than strength. Bench was really easy as I have the typical history of upper body bias in my training. Deads were also easy. Can't wait to see what kind of gains I make doing strictly SS. Last time I tried it I was also on two soccer teams and also played pick-up football regularly so I burned myself out quickly. I also didn't eat enough and didn't get adequate sleep. I'm not playing any soccer currently and thanks to 70sbig.com I have a solid grasp on my eating (I put on 12 pounds in two weeks at the start of October doing the CFWF program and eating alot).

[Paul Sousa]

11/12/09:

Squat - 180x5x3

Press - 115x5x3

PC - 135x3x5

Felt good, nice and light. Bodyweight is up to 204 so I am happy about that.

On a side note, this was my second time back to my old gym and it was pretty cool to see a couple younger guys come up to squat racks next to me and actually do legit deep squats. I can't remember a time there was three people doing real squats at the same time there.

[Paul Sousa]

11/14/09:

Squat - 185x5x3

Bench - 160x5x3

DL - 255x5x1

All sets completed without any issues. Thinking the bench started too light, but I'll keep making 5 lb. jumps and it should get heavy quick. DL again was really easy. Love eating a ton though.

[misspelledgeoff]

your stats are very close to mine when I started in August. I think your goals are well within reach. good luck.

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks Geoff! Looking at the numbers I have for a goal they seem almost unattainable, but I've seen enough people get there with hard training and eating so I'm confident I can get there.

[misspelledgeoff]

you will get there. just don't scrimp on the eating and do some form checks every once in awhile to make sure bad habits don't creap in. video taping yourself helps immensely. my squat should be in the mid 300's for worksets but I had to take a major reset because my form was shit.

out of curiousity, why are you planning on only 16 weeks of SS instead of milking the linear gains as long as you can?




Thanks Geoff! Looking at the numbers I have for a goal they seem almost unattainable, but I've seen enough people get there with hard training and eating so I'm confident I can get there.

[Paul Sousa]

The only reason for the 16 week period is so I can set goals to have by the end of that time. I may continue on SS after that, but I want to focus on the next 16 weeks. My wife is also due the end of February so 16 weeks puts me right around that time and I don't know what my schedule will end up being for a short while after that.

[misspelledgeoff]

gotcha. your first kid?

[JC400]

Keep up the good work Sousa! Those goals are definitely attainable. Just make sure you up the weight conservatively each session and you will be fine.

SS + ton of food and your lifts can only go up.

Look forward to watching your progress.

[Paul Sousa]

Yup, my first. And it's a boy. :) Can't wait to start training with him.

Thanks JC! I've been going with 10 lb. jumps on my DL each workout and 5lb jumps on squats, bench, press and PC with the expectation that I'll decrease to 2.5 lb. jumps on bench and press after not too long.

Random note, I seem to be naturally better at the press and DL than the other lifts for some reason. Does that make any sense? Not sure why as they are the two lifts I've probably focused on least in all my training (aside form PC).

[misspelledgeoff]

get him under the bar early. just had my third boy in late July. i'm going to make my oldest start lifting as soon as i get my garage gym setup. he's 8.

[JC400]

Random note, I seem to be naturally better at the press and DL than the other lifts for some reason. Does that make any sense? Not sure why as they are the two lifts I've probably focused on least in all my training (aside form PC).

I get this as well, can go without training my DL for ages and after a few sessions it is right back where I left off. I think it is probably something to do with length of limbs and how they work as levers etc? I think everyone has 1/2 of the lifts they are mechanically better suited to. Press and DL are not a bad two to have mate!

[Paul Sousa]

11/17/09:

Squat - 190x5x3

Press - 120x5x3

PC - 140x3x5

Third set of squats fried my quads for some reason. They were crazy tight by the time I started doing PC's. Didn't have any trouble getting the weight up, just killed my quads. Press was fairly easy again, should have no problem with 5lb. increases for the forseeable future. PC's were easy. Form seemed to improve as I kept going. Trying to rid myself of a donkey kick.

[Mr.City]

5 lbs jumps are still going on your presses? Wow.

[Paul Sousa]

5 lbs jumps are still going on your presses? Wow.

Well, I am still getting back to my old PR's from the beginning of the year. Long story short I overtrained in the spring, then took the summer off from the gym and did outdoor conditioning workouts only with odd objects and bodyweight stuff. My best press before was 140x5 so I am confident I can get at least there before switching to 2.5 lb. increases.

[Paul Sousa]

11/19/09:

Squat - 195x5x3

Bench - 165x5x3

DL - 265x5x1

Again the quads were the most tired after the squats. Not as bad as Tuesday, but still burned by the end. Mainly the lower end, about the last third near my knees. Not sure if it is normal or not. I've worked to fix my chest caving which used to lead to hip pain and my hips feel fine. Hopefully I can get someone to join me for a workout and tape some sets. This is probably a PR if my form is solid (which I feel like it is).

Bench again felt easy, which it should since my old PR was 195. I hope to keep with the 5 lb. jumps until at least that point.

DL was also fairly easy. My old PR for 5 reps was 275 so I am confident that will be broken next week.

[Paul Sousa]

Hmm, went to get lunch and while standing in line I got a weird knee type pain. I got it when I locked my knees out in full extension while standing. It only happens in my left knee area, on the outer side of it, and it seems worst right around the top of the fibula. I can intensify it by contracting my leg muslces while standing with it in full extension. No pain at all while walking or squatting though. Anyone have any idea what it could be? If it's nothing major I can just avoid doing what causes the pain, but wanted to see if anyone knew more about possible causes.

[Sami]

Nice, our lifts are pretty similar, give or take. I'll be keeping tabs. :)

Hope your knee gets sorted.

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks Sami! The knee thing is weird, it only hurts in that one scenario. I'll rest it up tonight and do some foam rolling, ice and ibuprofen. Going for 200x5x3 on squats tomorrow.

[August West]

Hmm, went to get lunch and while standing in line I got a weird knee type pain. I got it when I locked my knees out in full extension while standing.

I've experienced this too, but no idea yet what the source is. Only noticeable at extension, so it's usually easy to ignore. Would definitely be good to know if this is a form problem though, before the weights get too heavy. In my case I struggle with knees that don't want to point as far out as my feet, which I'm working on - but maybe it's something else entirely. Got to be a good sign that it doesn't hurt during squats or walking, though.

[Paul Sousa]

I've experienced this too, but no idea yet what the source is. Only noticeable at extension, so it's usually easy to ignore. Would definitely be good to know if this is a form problem though, before the weights get too heavy. In my case I struggle with knees that don't want to point as far out as my feet, which I'm working on - but maybe it's something else entirely. Got to be a good sign that it doesn't hurt during squats or walking, though.

After you squat, where are you sorest? My quads right above my knee are really sore after I squat now. Used to be my adductors and hip flexors that would get the brunt of it, but I've tried to fix my chest caving and since then it's my quads that get killed.

[Paul Sousa]

11/21/09:

Squats - 200x5x3

Press - 125x5x3

PC - 145x3x5

Tonight was rough. Forgot the gym closed at 7 on Saturdays and got there at 6. Finished the whole workout by 6:55. Got every rep though. Definitely glad I have two days rest now.

Squats actually didn't seem too bad. Hoping to get someone to come with me to video me to see if my form is why my quads seem to be getting the brunt of things.

Presses got tough by the third set, but that'll happen when you do all 3 sets within 10 minutes I guess.

Power Cleans were definitely not the prettiest, but again I think the time crunch had a big part in that.

[August West]

After you squat, where are you sorest? My quads right above my knee are really sore after I squat now. Used to be my adductors and hip flexors that would get the brunt of it, but I've tried to fix my chest caving and since then it's my quads that get killed.

Lately it's been the muscles at the front of my hips that feel it most, but actually the knee issue has been getting less frequent so maybe I'm replacing one bad habit with another. Definitely still working on keeping the chest up like you mentioned. Oh well, I am sure all kinds of hurt are going to get familiar as the weight gets more serious. Might as well keep eating lots and squatting.

[Paul Sousa]

11/24/09:

Squat - 205x5x3

Bench - 170x5x3

DL - 275x5x1

Squats are definitely getting harder. Still feeling it mainly in my quads immediately after my sets. They feel better by the end of the workout though. The knee pain I experienced a few days ago seems to be gone now. I am wondering if my quads are just the weak link in my squat? Seems logical since my DL is so far ahead of it. Oh well, I'll keep eating and increasing the weight and just suck it up.

Bench was still easy which I like. I was thinking I would start to feel a bit of a slow down at this point but I haven't. I definitely have at least afew more workouts with 5 lb. jumps in me.

Deads were good. Wouldn't say easy, but still far from hard. Next DL day will be a PR for me for a set of 5, can't wait.

Going to miss a day on T-Day. Playing in an annual football game with some friends and don't want to try and lift after that. I'll just take the day of rest and will continue Saturday with my next workout.

[Paul Sousa]

11/29/09:

Squat - 210x5x3

Press - 130x5x3

PC - N/A

Back after several days off from the holiday. Squats weren't too tough, but still am feeling it primarily in the quads.

Press wasn't bad either, still not close to a stall. Definitely will hit 135 on Thursday and we'll see if I can keep going with 5 lb. jumps after that.

Skipped the PC's today due to my wrist/forearm still being banged up from playing the line in a football game on T-Day. Had some pain with an empty bar in the rack position so figured I'd give it til Thursday to heal and then give them a go.

[Paul Sousa]

12/2/09:

Squat - 215x5x3

Bench - 175x5x3

DL - 285x5x1

Tonight was rough. I don't think I've been eating enough the past few days. Gonna make that my primary focus.

Squats are getting tougher, but I still feel it mainly in my quads. Not sure what to do about it. I need to get my form on video, but don't have anyone to tape it for me. I am thinking I may be going a bit too deep and my knees may be sliding forward as a result? But that's just a guess. Hopefully I can get it taped soon.

Bench was still pretty easy. Best part of the night.

DL was tough. I felt spent by the time I got to them, I think due to the lack of calories as of late. I also used a different bar than normal. Had a thinner bar and a sharper knurling. Wasn't a big fan of either.

Going to make sure I get at least 5k cals and enough protein between now and next workout to see what kind of difference it makes. Off to eat a half dozen eggs, some bacon and a couple big glasses of egg nog for dinner.

[Paul Sousa]

12/4/09:

Squat - 220x5x2 (did not attempte third set)

Press - 135x5x3

PC - N/A

Tonight sucked. Squats were very painful in my quads. I am not sure what the deal is, but it got to the point where I wasn't comfortable getting under the bar for the third set. I am thinking of resetting down to 135 to focus on form and make 20 pound jumps up to 175, then do 10 pound jumps back up to 215, then go to 5 pound jumps. The only thing I can think is I am not keeping tension in my hamstrings/glutes so I am going to make that my priority. Will my other lifts suffer if I do this though?

Press wasn't too tough again. I think 140 will be very doable next go around and then we'll see if the 5 lb. jumps will continue.

Started to warm up for PC's, but when I tried 95 lbs. I got the pain in my wrist that I had the other night. Not sure what I did to it, but I'm hoping it's gone by the next workout with PC's.

I hate that I suck so bad at squatting. Pressing and DLing seem so natural, but the squat is my mortal enemy.

[Webbie]

When my quads are more sore than my hammies it's usually because I have introduced a new defect in my squat. I would video a set @ 200 or so and see how you look. I want some weight on the bar to know what to fix. The weight will show you your weakness...that's what you want to see. I have a checklist I run through...watch the set and check for depth first, watch a second time looking for any softness in my back (not lifting my chest, or hips and shoulders out of synch), third time focusing on knees near the bottom. If I can't find anything after watching the video three times looking for those things then I conclude that maybe it's because the weight is just really fucking heavy and it hurts to get stronger :)

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks Webbie, I think I can get a video up next Saturday. I am definitely hoping it's the latter. If my form is okay I can deal with the pain, but it's to the point that I am thinking it has to be form related.

[Paul Sousa]

So I decided to switch to Wendler's 5/3/1 starting tonight. The reason for the change is that I miss playing sports. Starting Strength requires (at least for me) complete dedication in order to fully recover workout to workout and I was starting to really miss playing football on Saturdays and the random soccer games I would be invited to join in. From reading about 5/3/1 it sounds like I can still make steady, albeit slower, gains while allowing for being active outside the gym. This is by no means me being dissatisfied with SS, the program works and works well.

So tonight:

12/7/09:

Press - 95x5, 110x5, 125x5

Dips - 10/10/8

Chins - 5/5/4

Press was very easy, but that is how the program starts from what I've read.

The bodyweight stuff I did for accessory work was about as bad as I thought it would be. I hadn't really done any BW stuff while doing SS and 30 lbs. later my dips and chins showed for it. I was also trying to keep to the 1 minute rests between sets. I am looking forward to these improving.

I am sure the DL and squat workouts will be a bit more taxing, but I can definitely see this letting me be active as I want and not interfering with my gains.

[K.Diesel]

Press was very easy, but that is how the program starts from what I've read.


Paul, quick question - could you have done more than 5 reps on your last press set? If so, go for the extra reps on the 3rd set! I ask since you said it was easy.

I think you'll find the degree of exertion in these workouts will be determined by how much volume you do after your 3 main sets for the core lifts. Since you have sports interests outside the gym, you probably will do well on 5/3/1 and be able to scale additional volume up or down depending on your schedule.

[Paul Sousa]

Paul, quick question - could you have done more than 5 reps on your last press set? If so, go for the extra reps on the 3rd set! I ask since you said it was easy.

Crap, I forgot the third set is supposed to be the 5+ set. I'll make sure to do that goinng forward. I definitely had some more reps in that last set.

Oh, and I cut the volume on the accessory lifts mainly because my rep range was so low. Not sure if that's logical, but I am figuring once I can get 3 sets of at least 10 reps I will then add a 4th set, then the same thing til I add a 5th set. Does that make any sense to do?

[Paul Sousa]

12/8/09:

Deadlift - 205x5, 235x5, 265x8

Good Mornings - 45x12, 65x12, 65x12

Hanging Knee Raises - 15/15/15

Didn't really feel like going to the gym tonight, but dragged myself there and think I did pretty well in spite of my lack of energy.

Deadlift was good. First two sets were easy and the third set was tough since I remembered it's supposed to be for max reps. I did as many reps as I felt I could without losing the arch in my back. I probably could have done another couple with somewhat compromised form, but I'm not sure what is the norm for max reps on DL.

I went conservative with Good Mornings as I've never actually done them before. Definitely felt them in my low back. I could have done a little more weight with this volume, but I figured better to be safe for now.

I did Hanging Knee Raises instead of Hanging Leg Raises since my abs are definitely a weak spot. Not sure if it is an appropriate substitute, but they were tough.

Definitely harder tonight than last night, but I guess that is expected when comparing a DL workout to a Press workout.

[Paul Sousa]

12/10/09:

Bench - 135x5, 155x5, 175x12

DB Bench - 40x15x3

DB Row - 50x10, 60x10, 70x10

So I think I may have underestimated my bench 1rm. I got 12 reps at 175 and that was without a spotter. Pretty sure I had another couple in me, but wanted to play it safe. I think I'll make a 10 lb. jump on my bench after this cycle.

DB bench and rows felt good. Been a long time since I've done either.

The 5/3/1 book came today so I'll read through it and see if I need to tweak anything.

[Paul Sousa]

12/12/09:

Squat - 150x5, 175x5, 195x8

Walking Lunges - 30x10, 15x12, 15x12

Weighted Situps - 10x10, 10x10, 10x10

Still not happy with my squats. I forgot to bring me camera today because my cousin trained with me and could have taped it. I'm going to be training with a friend starting in January so I'll get it taped then and keep working on it. 195 didn't feel too heavy or anything, but by the 8th rep I just wasn't happy with how my form felt and stopped. It was fairly tough, but I am sure I could get more.

I do not like lunges. I think between how I felt after squatting and starting with too much weight I just made a mess of them. I'll do better next week.

Weighted sit-ups felt good. I feel like my abs are weak so between the hanging leg raises on Tuesdays and these I should make some good progress this cycle.

I'm going to stick with all the accessories I've done this week for this whole cycle and then reevaluate.

[Paul Sousa]

Week 2 of my first 5/3/1 cycle!

12/14/09:

Press - 105x3, 115x3, 130x9

Dips - 10/10/10

Chins - 5/5/5

I like press day, it's quick and not brutal like deads and squats. Combines nicely with Monday. Press felt good. Happy with 9 reps at 130. I am sure I had another in me, but after reading the book it looks like you should stop with one in the tank and not try to go to failure.

Dips felt better. I got 3 sets of 10 so I will add a fourth set next Monday.

Chins are still tough compared to when I was under 190, but that's to be expected. Happy to be getting 3 sets of 5 at 220. I'll add a fourth set next week and work to 4 sets of 5.

So far I am still really enjoying this program. I'm in and out in under an hour and my energy levels are great outside of the gym.

[Paul Sousa]

12/15/09:

Deadlift - 215x3, 250x3, 280x9

Good Mornings - 65x12x3

Hanging Leg Raises - 6/6/6

Tonight felt really good. I got to the gym feeling rested and ready to go and couldn't wait for my third set. 215 and 250 felt light. I expected 280 to feel fairly heavy, but the first rep felt easy. I was hoping for 6-8 reps with it, but at 8 I knew I had at least one more. I probably had a 10th, but I'm trying to stick to the "leave one in the tank" guideline. Really happy with this since last week I only managed 8 reps at 265.

Stayed at 65 lbs. for all three sets of GM's. I'm really liking them, I can feel them in my hamstrings alot when I'm done. Can probably go up next week.

Hanging Lef Raises were the one down part of tonight. I decided to not bother with knee raises and start working towards what Wendler shows in the book (toes to bar style). I definitely lack ab strength and/or flexibility to get my toes that high. I went so my legs were above parallel, and it was pretty tough. I'll keep at it though, I'm happy to be improving on these weak spots.

[Paul Sousa]

12/18/09:

Bench - 145x3, 165x3, 185x13

DB Bench - 45x15, 50x15x2

DB Row - 70x10x3

50 ft. Farmer's Walk w/ DBs - 80/85/90

I keep surprising myself with my pressing. I was hoping for 10 reps tonight and ended up with a solid 13. I didn't have a spotter again so I'm sure I had at least another one left. Based on Wendler's calculator my estimated 1RM would be 265 which I would be very happy about if it's accurate.

DB Bench felt good, went up to 50 lbs. and it was tough, but not to failure.

DB Rows were pretty much the same.

Added some Farmer's Walks for fun. By the third walk my grip was spent. I'm going to try and add some strongman/conditioning stuff to my Press and Bench workouts going forward.

[Paul Sousa]

12/19/09:

Squat - 165x3, 185x3, 205x9

Walking Lunges - 12, 10x12, 10x12

Weighted Sit-ups - 10x10, 10x10, 10x10

Squats actually felt good today! I think I figured out my form issues. A combination of my stance being a bit too wide and my torso staying too upright. I narrowed my stance a little and focused on looking at the ground (I was also looking straight ahead before) which helped keep my chest lower. Still plenty of work to do before it stays consistently good, but I'm in the right direction.

I still hate lunges. Didn't add any weight the first set to try and feel comfortable with them. I think I'm going to go with standard (non-walking) lunges the next two weeks. I think when I walk I transition my weight to my forefoot and it's bugging my knees a bit.

Weighted sit-ups were good. They are always tough, but I feel like my ab strength is coming up quickly.

[Paul Sousa]

12/22/09:

Press - 110x5, 125x3, 140x8

Today really sold me on 5/3/1. I've been feeling like crap the past couple of days and decided today would be a perfect day to use the "I'm not doing jack shit" plan. I went in with a goal of 8 reps on my third set, went in and got it, and then left. It was maybe a total of 15 minutes in and out of the gym. Using the 1rm calculator from the book my estimated 1rm off today's work would be 177 lbs., which if accurate would be the strongest I've ever been with the press. Pretty happy about it. Now hopefully I'll wake up feeling better since tomorrow is deadlift day.

[Paul Sousa]

12/23/09:

Deadlift - 235x5, 265x3, 295x7

GM - 65x12x5

Hanging Leg Raises - 6x5

Good and bad last night. I forgot what my target was for reps on the third set. 7 reps ties me with last week's reps on DL, but I think I could have pulled an 8th. After the set I felt bad about it so I increased the volume I had planned for my accessory lifts. Still, 7 reps is pretty good so I'm not all that upset about it.

[Paul Sousa]

12/26/09:

Bench - 155x5, 175x3, 195x11

DB Bench - 50x15x3

DB Row - 70x10x3

I really need a spotter. I hit 11 reps and stopped since I was alone. Maybe 1 more left, but didn't want to risk it. I'm happy with the program so far though. Next week is the deload week and then hit it hard again with the increased weights.

[Paul Sousa]

12/27/09:

Squat - 175x5, 195x3, 220x7

Walking Lunges - 10x12x3

Weighted Situps - 10x10x3

Squats are feeling better form wise so I am happy about that. It's still my least confident lift, but I am getting more comfortable with it. Hopefully I'll start to close the gap between it and my deadlift over the next year. Deload next week!

[Paul Sousa]

12/28/09:

Deload Week

Press - 60x5, 75x5, 85x5

Dips - 8x3

Chins - 5x3

My first time on a program with deload cycles. It was weird pressing such little weight and stopping. Also decreased the volume on the accessories. I think these weeks will be good for me since I have a tendency to push things too far and then end up burnt out.

[Paul Sousa]

For anyone who is looking in here and has experience with 5/3/1 I am hoping to get some input on my next cycle. I think I am going to try the Boring But Big template for the accessory work, but with some changes. Here is what I'm thinking.

Day 1:
Press (work sets)
Press 5x10 @ 40%
Dips 5x10
Chins 2xMax Reps

Day 2:
Deadlift (work sets)
Deadlift 5x10 @ 40%
Good Mornings 5x12
Chins 2xMax Reps

Day 3:
Bench (work sets)
Bench 5x10 @ 40%
DB Rows 5x10
Chins 2xMax Reps

Day 4:
Squat (work sets)
Squat 5x10 @ 40%
Weighted Sit-ups 5x10
Chins 2xMax Reps

My main question is with the chins. They are definitely my weakest spot right now and I am trying to think of a way to improve them. I feel like one cycle of this would really help and then after the cycle I would add them in on a single day as an accessory. Any thoughts?

[Paul Sousa]

Finally weighed in at 220 this morning! :)

[Paul Sousa]

12/29/09:

Deload Week

Deadlift - 135x5, 155x5, 185x5

Good Mornings - 65x8x3

Hanging Leg Raises - 6/6/4*

*Blasted a loud fart on fourth rep and decided to call it a day

Not much to talk about, nice and easy as a deload workout probably should be.

[Paul Sousa]

12/31/09:

Deload Week

Bench - 85x5, 105x5, 125x5

DB Bench - 50x10x3

DB Row - 70x8x3

Getting anxious for next week to hit heavy weights again.

[Paul Sousa]

1/1/10:

Deload Week

Squat - 95x5, 115x5, 135x5

Walking Lunges - 10x8x3

Weighted Situps - 10x8x3

End of the first cycle. Anxious for Monday to get here to star the next cycle.

And if anyone has any thoughts on the accessory work I posted a few days ago feel free to post. Thanks!

[Paul Sousa]

1/4/10:

Cycle 2/Week 1/Day1

Press - 100x5, 115x5, 130x11

Accessories:

Press - 75x10x5

Dips - N/A

Chins - N/A

Start of my second cycle. Press felt strong and was happy to get 11 reps. Cut it short after my accessory sets of press as my elbow/bicep was feeling wrecked. I played dodgeball this weekend and since I am all arm when I throw, and dodgeballs weigh next to nothing, it wreaked havoc on my arm. May put my schedule off a day and rest tomorrow.

[Paul Sousa]

1/6/10:

Cycle 2/Week 1/Day 2

Deadlift - 210x5, 240x5, 270x11

Accessories:

Deadlift - 160x10, 135x10x2

Good Mornings - 75x12x5

Chins - 6/5

My grip strength did me in tonight. I hit 11 reps and my legs and back had more in them, but my grip was completely spent (slight slipping had started causing a bit of a breakdown in form the last couple reps). 11 was my goal though so I am happy.

Wanted to do 5 sets of 10 at 160 for deadlift as my first accessory lift, but after the first set I realized 5 sets is probably too much volume for me for now. I'll see if I can get a fourth set in next week.

Good Mornings felt good though, went up to 75 lbs. for this cycle and seemed to be fine.

And I am happy with my chins, got a solid 6 and 5 reps. If I can do that 4 times a week it should really help build them.

[K.Diesel]

For anyone who is looking in here and has experience with 5/3/1 I am hoping to get some input on my next cycle. I think I am going to try the Boring But Big template for the accessory work, but with some changes. Here is what I'm thinking.

Day 1:
Press (work sets)
Press 5x10 @ 40%
Dips 5x10
Chins 2xMax Reps

Day 2:
Deadlift (work sets)
Deadlift 5x10 @ 40%
Good Mornings 5x12
Chins 2xMax Reps

Day 3:
Bench (work sets)
Bench 5x10 @ 40%
DB Rows 5x10
Chins 2xMax Reps

Day 4:
Squat (work sets)
Squat 5x10 @ 40%
Weighted Sit-ups 5x10
Chins 2xMax Reps

My main question is with the chins. They are definitely my weakest spot right now and I am trying to think of a way to improve them. I feel like one cycle of this would really help and then after the cycle I would add them in on a single day as an accessory. Any thoughts?

Paul, sorry I lost track of your log for a while on this new forum. So many logs now that get updated so fast! I'll subscribe to it because I like to keep up with other 5/3/1 logs to see how people are doing with it. I say "other", even though I'm not doing 5/3/1 right now. I plan to go back to it after my next meet in March.

Anyway, your boring but big format looks fine to me. You'll know after the 1st few workouts (some of which you've already done) what kind of adjustments you need to make, if any, to the intensity (40%). Weeks 2 and 3, you'll have to ramp it up by increasing reps or increasing weight. So you may want to try to get more than 50 reps over 5 sets with 40% in week 2. Another option is to try a higher % on weeks 2 and 3, and see if you can get 10 reps per set with that. Also, you could just plan to do 5 x 8 or something like that. (i.e. on week 2, assistance presses, do 5 sets of 8 with 45%)

I'm not that fond of high rep deadlifting, so I would probably do 10x5 instead of 5x10, with shorter rest periods between sets than you would do for the 10 rep sets. That would probably help your grip a bit as well, since you won't have to hold the bar as long during each set, but you'll still get the reps. If you can't hit 10, just do as many sets of 5 as you can. But have the goal of deadlifting more total poundage in each assistance lift portion of the workouts.

I'd definitely go for total volume on chins since you're doing 5 or 6 per set. Shoot for as many sets of 2-3 as you can do, rather than 2 sets of max reps each workout. And I'd only chin twice a week, on press day and bench day. Perhaps you could alternate each approach: on the 1st day where you do 2 sets x max reps, then on the 2nd day, do 2-3 reps for max sets until you can't do at least 2 reps per set.

I'd add another ab exercise on day 1 or 2, especially if you use a belt for your squat/dead/press work sets. Probably should do them on deadlift day, just to even it out with your squat day.

Hope that is helpful and not confusing. If you find it worthless, you know what to do with it. :) Either way, I wish you the best.

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks K. Diesel! That is alot of good info, I really appreciate it. I like that idea of doing chins twice per week and alternating between rep maxes and max sets, I'll start that this week. I also like the 10 sets of 5 idea for the DL accessory work.

I don have a question on the weight I'm using. I feel like I way underestimated some of my maxes. I had to do 11 reps last night on my DL to beat my PR from the first cycle. That seems like alot of reps for the DL. Also, tonight I'll be benching and I'll need to do at least 15 reps to PR. I feel like that is getting way too high in the rep range. I am thinking about increasing the base numbers by a good amount for these two lifts, but wanted to get an experienced person's input.

Thanks again!

[beast]

Its supposed to be set up so you do your main lift then chest/shoulder accessory, then back work and then either a few sets of direct arm work if you wish for tris or even bis.

So eg..

Press 5 3 1

then dips

then chins

then arms if you want

or if you do boring but big you drop the shoulder/chest assistance like dips and do 5*10 of the main excersise

e.g Press 5 3 1

boring but big press

chins

[Paul Sousa]

Its supposed to be set up so you do your main lift then chest/shoulder accessory, then back work and then either a few sets of direct arm work if you wish for tris or even bis.

So eg..

Press 5 3 1

then dips

then chins

then arms if you want

or if you do boring but big you drop the shoulder/chest assistance like dips and do 5*10 of the main excersise

e.g Press 5 3 1

boring but big press

chins

So you'd suggest switching the dips on press day to chins and scrap the dips altogether? Or should I do chins twice a week as planned, but do another back accessory instead of the dips? And on DL day would you suggest I swap the GMs for ab work? The thing I love about this program is how you can tweak it, so any ways I can improve it are welcome.

[Cmanuel]

Sousa, why do you train? Is it for strength or is it for physical appearance? If you had to pick one or the other what would it be?

I've been on 5-3-1 for a while now... Maybe I can help a bit.

[Paul Sousa]

Definitely strength. Ever since I grew a permanent sweater vest I gave up the dream of a six pack. I figured I'd start experimenting with the different templates in the book and try to find what works, but if those with more experience than me have some tips I am all ears. I know you are damn strong so any advice you have is appreciated.

[Cmanuel]

Definitely strength. Ever since I grew a permanent sweater vest I gave up the dream of a six pack. I figured I'd start experimenting with the different templates in the book and try to find what works, but if those with more experience than me have some tips I am all ears. I know you are damn strong so any advice you have is appreciated.

Cool, and LMAO at the schwetter vest quote haha.

Anyways, you've gotten some great advice from K. Diesel, so i'll try to add on to it.

For me, boring but big didn't really do much. Now thats not to say that volume doesn't spur progress in trainees, because it works for many. I just felt that the 5x10 assistance sets were a bit much for me and that my body didn't progress well with the added volume. So I switched to basic principles in the triumverate plan. I compete, so I basically just pick 2-3 assistance exercises. I chose ones I felt would bring up weak areas in my lifts and chose to do themfor 3-4 sets of 8-10 (I dont do the prescribed 5 sets of 10, again, for the volume reason). So far I have had constant progress for a good 5-6 months on this style.

My current setup is like this (this changes sometimes between cycles if I feel the need to focus on different sticking points)
Monday - Squat
Assistance - Good mornings, Glute Ham raises

Tuesday - Bench press
Assistance - CG Bench 3x10, incline bench 3x10, DB Rows (3x10 or sometimes all out rep efforts with something heavy like a 120-140lber)

Thursday - Standing Press
Assistance - Chins, Weighted dips. There are a few ways to approach chins. For previous cycles I did 5 sets to failure and that seemed to increase my chin strength. For this cycle, I'm probably going to alternate week to week with doing 50-75 total rep (as many sets as i need) BW chins with weighted chins for 5 sets of 5-8

Friday - Deadlift
Assistance (this part is new for this cycle) - Rack Pulls 3x3 very heavy with straps, wide grip shrugs 3x12-15 while slightly bent over, and 3x10 weighted hyperextensions

This is what i'm on now and even though its written out as a plan, I sometimes play it by ear. Over time you will learn to figure out what works best for you and will learn how to make minor adjustments.

I'm not saying that this plan will be best for you... you will have to figure that out for yourself. Dont overthink things, in fact i would probably just stick with your modified boring but big template, except maybe do chins on 2 days a week instead of 4.

LOL that was a lame post on my behalf... I did a lot of yapping but didnt give a lot of good input. Oh well, damnit.

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks CManuel! I really liked the trimuvirate during my first cycle. I am giving the boring but big thing a try basically just to experiment and see how it works. I have a feeling the volume is going to be a bit much (and I already cut my DL accessory sets down to 3 last night). I plan on lifting for a long time so I'll keep on tinkering.

One question I still have though is whether I should increase my weights on DL and Bench. I DL'd 11 reps last night to hit a PR (based on Wendler's 1rm calculator) and I need to do 15 reps on the bench tonight to do the same. That seems like alot of reps, possibly too many to really be beneficial from a strength perspective. I was thinking about upping my base weight so that my rep maxes are less than 10 reps for a PR, what do you think?

[beast]

For assistance boring but big assistance you do it like this from book:

Sunday
Military Press – 3 sets of 5 reps (or whatever week you’re on)
Military Press – 5 sets of 10 reps
Chin-ups – 5 sets of 10 reps
Monday
Deadlift – 3 sets of 5 reps (or whatever week you’re on)
Deadlift – 5 sets of 10 reps
Hanging Leg Raise – 5 sets of 15 reps
Wednesday
Bench Press - 3 sets of 5 reps (or whatever week you’re on)
Bench Press – 5 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Row – 5 sets of 10 reps
Friday
Squat - 3 sets of 5 reps (or whatever week you’re on)
Squat – 5 sets of 10 reps
Leg Curl – 5 sets of 10 reps

Notice it is virtually the triumvirate 3 exercises but instead of chest/shoulder assistance the 5*10 of main movement which can be sets across or ramped down. So yes, you drop the dips if you are doing boring but big however you could do:

bench 5 3 1
dips/db bench/pushups ect
chins/rows ect or 3 sets of each
tris isolation

press 5 3 1
5*10 press
chins/rows ect or 3 sets of each
tris isolation

or vice versa so both excersises don't have to be the same template also you can mix it up this way:

bench 5 3 1
press 5*10
chins/rows ect or 3 sets of each
tris isolation

press 5 3 1
bench 5*10
chins/rows ect or 3 sets of each
tris isolation

Personally i don't like to do boring but big as i like to experiment with other lifts. Also if i hit 14 reps on main excersise to drop down to 10 reps would mean a heavier weight or using too light weight which is just pointless work.

So always do back work on upper body days but boring but big work is instead of chest/shoulder assistance for upper body and instead of quad assistance for lower body. You don't do both. This not just me saying as someone posted a basically identical template to yours on efs q and a, and jim said they were doing too much

Personally i do this, thats if you're interested:

Mon Deadlift 5 3 1
4*6-9/5*10-20 Sumo deadlift stiff leg (i like these a lot)
5*10-20 leg press (sometimes do 5*20 to jack up legs mainly for size with 30 sec to minute/or heavy rest pause e.g 8 reps 15 sec rest, 3 reps 15 sec rest and 1/2 more reps)
then abs if i can be bothered but rarely as i see no point hasn't limited me yet nor did it in ss.

Wed Bench 5 3 1
Dips either 4*6-10 weighted or 5*10-20 or even rest paused when weighted like leg presses-however only do this on third week so i don't fry myself as they are truly to failure.
Chins/or one set of kroc rows to failure with first week starting at 10 rep max trying each week to get more reps until i reach 20 then moving to a heavier dbell, this usually takes two cycles and has been quite effective. If i do the kroc rows i will either do 3 sets of bw horizontal rows or cable rows for 10-12 reps after.

Friday Squat 5 3 1
One legged bw box squats like pistols with a box and done for 5 sets either weighted or very high reps i do it on like a bench so is very slightly above parrellel but a killer for the glutes.

Then maybe some 45 degree back raises for 3-4 sets but never ever to failure to these as i have found they are not an essential exercise and can over train me if not careful. After all they are only an isolation exercise

Sun Millitary 5 3 1
Either dips but if i go heavy on bench day with dips i will do for bw reps or vice versa so twice a week one weighted one for reps/ also i sometimes do diamond pressups instead or pressups with jumpstretch bands for resistance instead of dips
Chins again but vary the grips

For me the most useful assistance has been chins, dips, stiff leg sumos, pistol box squats and kroc rows. Apart from the rows and pistols i try and focus on bilateral lifts as you get stronger quicker

I started on 5 3 1 6 months ago with a 225 bench for 3*5 press 160 3*5 and squat 297 3*5. I never really did deads as i could never get form right as i 6ft 5 and taxed me too much for recovery on squats, my rationale was get strong on squats and deadlift will go up which is did, now i do sumos which i in the groove ultimately i would be better with normal deads for back strength. But i would rather not get injured, also if i can up my sumo to 600 im sure i can to 500 in normal dead if my pullup strength is sufficient.

Now 6 months later i can do bench 225 *18 and 290 for 5, squat 315 * 14 and 375 for 6 also sumo dead 500 for 2. Seems to be working

Hope this helps

[Cmanuel]

One question I still have though is whether I should increase my weights on DL and Bench. I DL'd 11 reps last night to hit a PR (based on Wendler's 1rm calculator) and I need to do 15 reps on the bench tonight to do the same. That seems like alot of reps, possibly too many to really be beneficial from a strength perspective. I was thinking about upping my base weight so that my rep maxes are less than 10 reps for a PR, what do you think?

I would increase the bench maybe 15 lbs over whatever number you were using to calculate set/reps when you hit 15 reps. As long as you are in the 5-10 range (i like to be closer to 10) then you're golden. Keep progresing on deadlift as planned. If you hit another 11 rep deadlift next week then yes I would probably increase 5-10 lbs over what the expected increase would be.

[Paul Sousa]

Wow, thank for all the info guys. There is alot in there and I'm going to try and apply different suggestions as I keep going. I'm going to modify this cycle a bit, but am going to finish it with the boring but big style. I think I'll go back to a triumvirate style next cycle.

I also bumped my bench by alot today. I knew I was being conservative on my sets last cycle since I never bothered to grab a spotter. I was supposed to use 210 as my base, but I upped it to 240. I'll post my workout below.

[Paul Sousa]

1/7/10:

Cycle 2/Week 1/Day 3

Bench - 155x5, 180x5, 205x11

Assistance:

Bench - 95x10x5

DB Row - 75x10x5

I was not expecting 205 to feel as light as it did. I calculated I would need 10 reps to have a PR based on the 1rm calculator, and I was not too confident about getting it since I haven't even benched 205 in a couple years. I ended up with a solid 11 reps. I definitely asked for a spot on this one which helped my confidence. I think it was a good idea to jump up on this one.

Accessory work was good, but I already can tell I'm not going to be a big fan of the Boring But Big routine. Already looking forward to going back to a Triumvirate style plan.

On another note, I recruited a couple friends to enter a Highland Games competiton this summer. It has an amateur category and I think it'll be a blast. Anyone have any tips on how to practice for it?

[Paul Sousa]

1/9/10:

Cycle 2/Week 1/Day 4

Squat - 165x5, 190x5, 215x10

Accessories:

Squat - 100x10x5

Weighted Situps - 10x10x5

Conditioning:

Jump Rope - several sets of max jumps

Squat felt really good today. 215 for 10 reps is easily the best I've ever done in a set. My low back was also still sore from my deadlift workout (definitely dumping the GM's next week!).

Accessory work felt good, volume seemed pretty spot on. So far the deadlift day is the only day the volume seemed too much.

Bought a jump rope to add some conditioning. Never really did it before, and my conditioning is pretty low right now, so I could only manage about 10-15 jumps at a time. Did a few sets of that. Definitely tiring.

I also noticed my gym has a couple old heavy bags laying around. Thinking I might do some conditioning work with them every so often. Probably do a few rounds of alternating cleans to shoulder with them.

[Paul Sousa]

1/11/10:

Cycle 2/Week 2/Day 1

Press - 105x3, 120x3, 135x10

Accessories:

Press - 75x10x5

Chins - 5/5/5

Conditioning:

Jump Rope - 4 rounds of max jumps

I wasn't too into it tonight. I think it was the busyness of the gym. Mondays in January suck. Even with that my gym is huge so I didn't have to wait for anything.

Press felt okay. Never really felt like I hit my groove. Even with that I got 10 at 135 which is another PR based on Wendler's calculator. I got my wrist wraps in just before I left for the gym and used them on that set. I think they need to break in a bit (anyone have any tips to expedite that?). I'll try them again Thursday when I bench.

Accessory press was pretty straightforward. Using 50% for this since it hasn't seemed like too much.

Chins are still a struggle, but I'm going to start the twice a week attack with three sets of max reps on Press day and max sets of 2 reps on Bench day.

Finished with some more jump rope work. First set went for almost a minute straight. After that I probably averaged about 30 jumps per round for the last three. Feeling like I'm developing some rhythm with it.

[Paul Sousa]

1/12/10:

Cycle 2/Week 2/Day 2

Deadlift - 225x3, 255x3, 290x9

Accessories:

Deadlift - 135x5x5

Hanging Leg Raises - 6/6/6

Deadlift felt good tonight. The only issue I had was grip strength, but then I switched to a hook grip (not sure why I hadn't been using it) halfway through the set and no more issue.

Accessory DL's on the other hand sucked. I do not like light weight DL's for volume. I don't stay focused enough and since the weight is light enough I end up not tensing my hammies/glutes and use all back on them. I realized this after the fourth set, fixed it in the fifth which made it better, but at that point my low back was fried. Didn't do the last 5 sets I had planned. I will be switching back to GM's next week, don't want to keep dicking around with something I'm not finding beneficial.

Hanging leg raises were also rough. My ab strength is better and I coudl have done more, but my shoulders could only handle me hanging long enough for the 6 reps. Not sure if the strain on them is something that will lessen if I keep doing them?

[Paul Sousa]

1/14/10:

Cycle 2/Week 2/Day 3

Bench - 170x3, 190x3, 215x10

Accessories:

Bench - 95x10x5

DB Rows - 75x10x5

BB Shrugs - 135x15x3

Felt really good tonight. Anytime I have ever benched over 200 before it usually puts a ton of strain on my shoulders, elbows and upper back. 215 felt light tonight and my joints feel great. It's amazing what happens when you use proper form. Only thing weird was I got a pretty good headache located around my left temple at the end of my max rep set.

Accessory bench was pretty straightforward. Probably a bit light so I'm going to bump it up a bit next week.

DB Rows were good too. Think I'll keep them at 75 for the rest of this cycle and go to 80 next cycle.

Okay, so I was aksed why I am lifting before and said it wasn't for aesthetic reasons. Well, that is pretty much completely true. The one thing I do want though aesthetically is to get a big yoke. Something about hulking traps just looks awesome to me. As a result I decided to add some shrugs. Not sure if this is the bext path to getting yoked, but figured it wouldn't hurt. If anyone has any better ideas I am all ears.

[Paul Sousa]

1/15/10:

Cycle 2/Week 2/Day 4

Squat - 175x3, 200x3, 225x10

Accessories:

Weighted Situps - 10x10x3

Time crunch today so I made sure I got my max reps and some ab work. Squats felt really good, was aiming for 9 reps and got a not too tough 10.

[K.Diesel]

Okay, so I was aksed why I am lifting before and said it wasn't for aesthetic reasons. Well, that is pretty much completely true. The one thing I do want though aesthetically is to get a big yoke. Something about hulking traps just looks awesome to me. As a result I decided to add some shrugs. Not sure if this is the bext path to getting yoked, but figured it wouldn't hurt. If anyone has any better ideas I am all ears.

From Mr. Wendler himself...

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/the_yoke.htm

[Paul Sousa]

From Mr. Wendler himself...

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/the_yoke.htm

Thanks K! This is great!

[Paul Sousa]

1/19/10:

Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 1

Press - 115x5, 130x3, 140x8*

Accessories:

Dips - 10/10/10/8/8

Chins - 2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2/3

Conditioning:

Jump Rope - 4 rounds of max reps (~30 second rest between rounds)

So I screwed up on my max rep set. I was supposed to do 145 for max reps, but I only loaded 140 by mistake. I got 8 reps, I am sure I could have done a ninth but for some reason stopped. Prett pissed at myself all around on this one.

Went back to the Triumvirate template. I decided there's no reason to finish my BBB cycle if I am already planning on changing back. Was pretty happy with my dips. For chins I'm going to do 9 sets of 2 and a tenth set for max reps (minimal rest between sets).

Jumping rope continues to be tough but fun. My calves are on fire by the end.

[Paul Sousa]

1/20/10:

Cycle 2/Week3/Day 2

Deadlift - 240x5, 270x3, 305x9

Accessories:

Good Mornings - 85x10x5

Weighted Situps - 10x10x5

BB Shrugs - 135x15x3

Deadlift felt great tonight. First time DLing over 300 in close to a year, and 9 reps is the most I have ever done. Very happy about that.

GM's felt good. I'll stick with 85lbs. for a while. Went with weighted situps instead of hanging leg raises tonight due to the fact that all the nearby places to hang from were in use. Added some shrugs at the end in my pursuit of a big yoke.

[Paul Sousa]

1/22/10:

Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 3

Bench - 180x5, 205x3, 230x7

Accessories:

DB Bench - 60x15x2, 60x14, 55x15x2

Kroc Rows - 90x15x2

Wasn't that into it tonight, not sure why. I still got the 7 reps I was aiming for on the bench, but didn't feel as energetic as usual. One thought is that I drank less milk today than I normally do by the time I hit the gym. I had a huge steak tip sub though, so it wasn't a caloric issue.

DB bench felt good, but I jumped up too quickly. I should have done 55lbs. for all sets, I'll go with that next cycle.

Not sure how I feel about Kroc rows. I think for now I'll stick with standard DB rows. They were tough, but they felt sloppy by the ends of the set. I think five solid sets of 10 good reps is going to do more for me now.

[Paul Sousa]

1/23/10:

Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 4

Squats - 190x5, 215x3, 240x7

Accessories:

Walking Lunges - 10x12x3

Weighted Situps - 10x10x3

Well, not sure I'm happy with today. I was nervous about 240 since it's the most I've ever squatted. I filmed the set and I think at least a couple reps were high. The angle is bad though, and I think the white line in my shorts plays an optical illusion with determining depth. Here they are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_wQ_OGJcYo Feel free to shred me.

Still haven't found a squat accessory I love. Went with walking lunges today, but really hate them and not sure how much they help. Also did weighted situps. My accessory volume was low because I had my cousin with me and was showing him some lifts as he is starting to train.

[Paul Sousa]

1/25/10:

Cycle 2/Week 4(Deload)/Day 1

Press - 60x5, 75x5, 90x5

Accessories:

Bradford Press - 95x10, 95x8, 85x10

Chins - 6/5/4

Deload week, not much to say. Tried the Bradford Press for a press accessory. I liked it alot and am going to use it this next cycle.

[Paul Sousa]

1/26/10:

Cycle 2/Week 4(Deload)/Day 2

Deadlift - 135x5, 165x5, 195x5

Accessories:

Good Mornings - 85x12x3

Hanging Leg Raises - 8/6/6

Pretty straightforward deload. Thinking about switching the leg raises for something else. My shoulders hurt a bit after the set and they give out before my abs do.

[K.Diesel]

On your squats, some of them looked a tad high, but certainly not all. I've also seen multi-ply lifts higher than your highest squat get 3 white lights too. So I wouldn't fret about it. Overall, the set looked fine and since that was the most you've ever squatted, then congrats on the PR.

As for walking lunges, they're a staple for me. I think they help improve the squat. Still, here's an important disclaimer that would probably make for a good discussion for another thread: I don't know that there's a proven way to quantify if/how any assistance exercise helps a core lift. So if you don't like them, I'd say scrap them unless you strongly believe they are helping your core lifts go up.

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks K., I appreciate the feedback! I know I have a bit more depth in me and was hesitant to go lower during the set. At least it was passable as a set.

I am thinking of using front squats as my squat accessory this cycle, 5 sets of 10 BBB style. I feel like my quads may be missing out a bit overall and am hoping this will help address that. I've also been lurking on the Marunde Muscle site and it seems front squats are a favorite of strongmen so I figure they're worth a shot.

[K.Diesel]

No problem Paul. I toy with front squats every now and then, but usually get frustrated at my inability to comfortably, or more likely securely, rack the bar. Clean grip doesn't work well for me, and cross-arm doesn't let me do as many reps as my legs could really tolerate. I admire anyone who can do them well. If you can do them, run with them.

[Paul Sousa]

Have you tried doing them with straps? I am going to try and do them in the rack, but if I'm unable I'm planning on getting some straps to help. I'm not an Oly guy so building my flexibility for the rack isn't a huge concern for me.

[Paul Sousa]

1/28/10:

Cycle 2/Week 4(Deload)/Day 3

Bench - 95x5, 120x5, 145x5

Accessories:

Dips - 10/10/10

DB Rows - 80x10x3

BB Shrugs - 135x15, 185x15, 225x15

Not much to note. Did shrugs in my quest for a big yoke.

[Paul Sousa]

1/29/10:

Cycle 2/Week 4(Deload)/Day 4

Squats - 100x5, 125x5, 150x5

Accessories:

Front squat - 100x5x3

Squats were fine. Front squats were tough since my rack position has gone to crap. Going to program them in for my accessory work this cycle. Might get some straps to use since my flexibility isn't where it used to be.

[Paul Sousa]

2/2/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 1

Press - 100x5, 115x5, 130x13

Accessories:

Bradford Press - 85x10x5

Chins - 6/5/4/4/4

Press felt good tonight. The weights were actually the same this workout as they were week 1 of last cycle and I got 2 more reps without going to complete failure. Happy to see I made some gains even with some erratic accessory work last cycle.

I really like the Bradford Press. My shoulders and upper back really feel it after each set. It'll be interesting to see if it helps my press.

Chins are holding steady with the reps I got, but I am planning on staying consistent with how I have them programmed and will wait to see the results.

[Paul Sousa]

2/3/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 2

Deadlift - 215x5, 250x5, 280x13

Accessories:

GM - 95x12x5

DB Side Bends - 50x10x5

Tonight was great. I had a slight twinge in my back today, most likely due to a lack of stretching the past few days, and that annoying voice was telling me to take the night off. I shut that voice up and went and got my PR. 13 reps is tiring.

GMs and side bends felt good.

[Paul Sousa]

2/5/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 3

Bench - 160x5, 185x5, 210x11*

Accessories:

DB Bench - 55x15x5

DB Row - 80x10x5

Tonight was the first time not having a training partner effected me. I REALLY wanted 12 reps on the bench. I asked a guy to spot me and told him I didn't want any forced reps and to only help if I was getting crushed. So I started my set, got 11 reps no problem, started the 12th, and when the bar speed started to slow a bit I suddenly felt a boost as he began to assist me. I racked it after that. He asked if the spot was okay and I said it was good and thanked him, but I was pissed because I definitely had the lift on my own. 11 reps keeps me on par with last cycle, but a 12th would have been a nice PR (based on Wendler's 1rm calc).

Accessory work went well, lots of DB bench volume which always feels good.

Time to eat.

[Paul Sousa]

Well, the past week was pretty awesome. Sunday, 2/7/10, my son Gabriel Robert was born at 8:06pm. :) He weighed 7lbs. 15oz. and was 21.5 inches. Most amazing experience of my life.

As expected, things were pretty crazy all week and I had no interest in squeezing gym time into all the madness. As a result I decided to take this week to test all my 1 rep maxes and then start a new 5/3/1 cycle next week based on those numbers. My eating/sleep was pretty poor this past week, but I somehow maintained my bodyweight. So here goes.

2/15/10:

Press - 1rm 180

Warmed up and then did 165 as my first single, went up easy. Moved to 175, was pretty tough, but the lockout wasn't bad. Gave myself a few minutes and decided to shoot for 180. It was a grind, but I got it and held the lockout a few seconds to be confident. Very happy with it since my estimated 1RM based on my last Press workout would have been 186lbs. I'll recalculate my next cycle based on 180 as my max which is cool since it is more than I was using. It'll be interesting to see how all my maxes compare to the estimates.

[Paul Sousa]

2/16/10:

Deadlift - 1rm 405

Very happy again! This was about my estimated max based on my last DL workout, and is 45lbs more than I have ever pulled before. I also felt my form didn't suffer too badly when I pulled it. I tried for 425 after it and got it a couple inches of the ground, but started to feel my back give and shut it down. Couldn't be happier right now!

[famendoza]

Good job on the max DL! I plan on hitting that number in summer!

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

Well, the past week was pretty awesome. my son Gabriel Robert was born

Congratulations Paul.


IPB


PS
and for your press 1RM too.

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks guys! My son is awesome, and so far he has been great with sleeping. I think he knows his dad needs to recover to keep getting stronger. :)

Shooting for 275-280 on the bench tomorrow and hopefully at least 300 on the squat on Friday (I really suck at squatting).

[Paul Sousa]

2/18/10:

Bench - 1rm 265

So I got 265 with relative ease today, and then failed completely at 275. Not sure why it went from no struggle to fail with only a 10lb jump, but it is what it is.

[Paul Sousa]

2/22/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 1 (restarting 3rd cycle)

Press - 105x5, 122x5, 138x11

Accessories:

Bradford Press - 95x10x3

Chins - 7/6/6

Face Pulls - 12x3

I was worried I might have lost some given the hectic past couple weeks, but I got 11 reps at 138 which is a PR. Felt really good.

I've reduced volume and increased intensity with my accessories to try and lessen the duration of my workouts. With a 2 week old son at home less time in the gym is key.

[Paul Sousa]

2/24/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 2

DL - 235x5, 275x5, 310x10

Accessories:

PC - 135x3, 155x5, 165x3x2, 175x3

DB Side Bends - 60x10x3

Deadlift felt great tonight. the set of 275 felt really light and made me confident going for max reps at 310. This cycle my DL is bumped up quite a bit based on my 1RM from last week so I was a bit nervous. I was hoping for 9 reps, but once I got the 9th I knew I had at least one more. Very happy to set a PR after the last couple weeks.

I decided to add power cleans as an accessory as I am trying to get some athleticism back. I know the efficacy of oly lifts improving athleticism is somewhat of a hot topic, but I feel it helps me alot.

Side bends were easy, will probably increase the weight next week.

Also did a few minutes on the treadmill jogging at a steep inlcine. I wanted to do sprint intervals, but failed hard at figuring out how to program the treadmill. Can't wait for the weather to clear up a bit so I can run outdoors and not worry about programming a treadmill. Really need to improve my conditioning.

[Paul Sousa]

2/26/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 3

Bench - 155x5, 179x5, 203x11

Accessories:

DB Bench - 60x15x3

DB Rows - 80x10x3

[Paul Sousa]

2/27/10:

Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 4

Squat - 175x5, 205x5, 230x5

Accessories:

Leg Press - 270x15x3

[Paul Sousa]

3/1/10:

Cycle 3/Week 2/Day 1

Press - 113x3, 130x3, 146x8

Accessories:

Bradford Press - 95x10x3

Chins - 7/6/6

Face Pulls - 15x3

[Paul Sousa]

3/2/10:

Cycle 3/Week 2/Day 2

DL - 255x3, 290x3, 330x6

Accessories:

GM - 95x12, 105x12, 115x12

DB Side Bends - 70x10x3

[Paul Sousa]

Okay, after about a month plus of dicking around I settled on a schedule I am happy with. I also somehow still managed to set a rep max PR on my press during this time (140x11). I have no idea why my press keeps going up even with erratic programming, but no complaints here.

Here is the schedule I am going to follow:

Tuesday:
Incline Bench/Squat (531 style)
Upper Back Accessory (chins, rows, etc.)
Ab work
Conditioning

Thursday:
Press/Deadlift (531 style)
Upper Back work (chins, rows, etc.)
Ab work
Conditioning

Saturday:
Outdoor conditioning (hill sprints, truck pushing, etc.)

My goal is to increase conditioning while still making some strength gains. Ultimately I would like to get into strongman competitions.

[Paul Sousa]

4/14/10:

Incline - 135x5, 155x5, 175x11

Squat - 160x5, 190x5, 215x12

Chins - 6/4 (stopped after this as my wrists were hirting for some reason)

Face Pulls - 3x15

10 minutes on the treadmill

[Paul Sousa]

4/16/10:

Press - 110x5, 125x5, 145x9

DL - 220x5, 255x5, 290x11

BB Rows - 135x10x3

500m row*

*I was planning on doing two 500m intervals, but the only rower available ended up being broken so no matter what setting it was ta it was like it was at 1. The foot straps also slowly loosened. I did one 500m row that took almost 2:30 which is terrible. Decided to call it a day after that.

[Paul Sousa]

4/21/10:

Incline - 145x3, 165x3, 185x9

Squat - 180x3, 205x3, 230x8

Got to the gym late as I had a doctor's appointment after work and promised the wife I'd be home by 8 so no accessory work. Probably had another couple reps in me on both lifts, but no spotter on the incline and a weird twing in my butt cheek made me cut them both short.

I am about to start putting together a gym at my mom's house though. It's an old house that was built by my family and has an attached barn. My mom and sister have been watching my son a couple days a week so it will be really convenient to be able to just workout when I pick him up. I'm picking up a bench/squat stand combo and an oly bar with weights this weekend. I actually bought them a few years ago, then gave them away when I joined a gym, and now they are coming back to me. :)

[Paul Sousa]

4/23/10:

Press - 120x3, 135x3, 155x8 :)

GHR - 3x5

Deadlift - 270x3, 290x3, 305x8

Tonight was a cluster. Started out well with the press, got a solid PR with 155 for 8 reps. After that though the left side of my back felt sore and I thought about skipping DL's and doing GHR's instead. Did 3 sets of 5 and then told myself to not be a douche and just go pull. Those went fine, not a PR, but felt good and probably could ahve done better if I didn't kill my hammies with the GHR's beforehand.

That brings me to another failed attempt at conditioning work. Hopped on a bike, started going, tried to increase the resistance, and then it shut off on itself. Tried a different bike, decided to try an interval program, started going, and it shut off on me about 45 seconds in. Then hopped onto a treadmill to try some sprints instead. Walked for a minute, light jog for a minute, walk for another minute, then boosted the speed to sprint, went about 15 seconds and the tread stopped. The display stayed on and said it was still at my sprint speed, but the tread stopped completely. Tried another treadmill, walked for a minute, boosted it to sprint, and 15 seconds later the same thing happened. Decided it was time to go home then.

On a more positive note I found BJ's carried 5lb. bags of EAS whey protein for only $28. That made me happy.

[msingh]

good job on the presses!

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks! That is somehow the one lift I seem to always make progress on no matter how bad my programming is. Not sure why as it seems the opposite for most folks.

[Paul Sousa]

4/28/10:

Incline - 155x5, 175x3, 195x7

Squat - 185x5, 215x3, 240x7

Face Pulls - 3x15

Conditioning - 5 minutes of terrible intervals on the treadmill

Everything seemed good last night until I tried to do some intervals. I've been having issues with the lateral portion of my lower legs and my feet going numb when running (it started happening when I started a basketball league in March). Went to the doc's and they suggested I try some Dr. Scholl's inserts. I wore them for my last game and they actually seemed to work, but then last night when I tried running the numbness started up again. This sucks.

[Briks42]

Hey Paul,

After the help you gave me in the conditioning thread I decided to start following your log. You have made some good progress. What do you weigh nowadays?

[Paul Sousa]

I'm up to 234 (that's what I clocked in at last week at the doctor's) and 6' tall. I've suffered from programming ADD and I think my squat especially has suffered as a result (it is pretty awful for my weight). I am going to do my best to just stick with the current program for at least 8 cycles though.

[StrongIslander,NY]

4/23/10:


On a more positive note I found BJ's carried 5lb. bags of EAS whey protein for only $28. That made me happy.



found that too at sams club varies betwn 25.99- 27.99 depending on how choc is doing in c.ommodities. mixes all right and tastes good.

i have since gone on a ham n turkey sandwich binge and milk-dont really miss the protein powder.

[Paul Sousa]

Yeah, I'm trying to maintain my BW so the powder helps me get the protein I need and not add on a ton of calories. I went buck wild over the winter with weight gain and now I need to actually get some strength to go with it.

[StrongIslander,NY]

me too. i kinda of grew into myself and now i'm adding muscle bulk. i fail miserably on all press and bp's but am making progress on squat and DL.
I'M GLAD SUMMER IS HERE- been doing tire pulls with weight and i'm debating to build or buy a prowler-just bought a 10lb sledge at home depot.



i have yet to get a sand bag together but i did fill water to 50lbs in a pilates ball--what a bitch to haul and try to press!

i'm doing a loose ss program- i vary 3x5 5x5 3x3 etc depending on what i feel like doing-the lower poundage higher rep- max weight 3x3.
by july i'll be doing korte 3x3

[Paul Sousa]

4/30/10:

Press - 130x5, 145x3, 160x6

Deadlift - 255x5, 290x3, 325x6

Kroc rows - 80x20x1

Planks - BWx1 min, +25x30secx2

Seated Calf Raises - 50x20x3

I felt a little weak tonight, I really was hoping for 7 reps on press and DL. I am okay with 6, but I feel like I should have been able to get one more each. My accessory work is all over the place. I really need to plan it out in advance and stick to it. I think I'll stick with Kroc rows on my DL day and I'll also do some ab work and calf raises (hoping it helps my achilles tendonitis). On squat day I'm thinking pull-ups, ab work and more calf raises.

[Paul Sousa]

5/1/10:

Decided I would journal my conditioning days as well.

Truck pushes - 4 x 90% max for distance

For anyone interested the truck is a 2001 reg. cab Dodge Dakota. I've been doing this 3 out of the past 4 weeks so far and I finally hit my first goal today of getting it up to 5mph during a push. I'm also still scouting hills to find a good one to do sprints on.

[StrongIslander,NY]

also might wanna try pulls with that truck either rope or heavy chains!!!


Where do you push the truck? Your driveway? a park?

[Paul Sousa]

I might try and rig up some sort of harness, but I'm planning on making a tire sled as my first attempt at DIY gear.

Me and a friend push it in the parking lot at my church. It's cool because along the line we take there is a slight decline and then a slight incline. The decline is actually tough since that's where we start sprinting to make sure we still actually are pushing, but then you hit the incline and come to a slow walk which really kills you at the end.

[Paul Sousa]

Just got an email from someone running a strongman contest in MA to let me know they added a novice division. Looks like it would be a perfect opportunity to try it out, but the contest is in less than 3 weeks and I don't think I can make it. Here's the layout for the novice division:

Event 1 - Axle Clean & Press (180lbs - belts, wraps and chalk only)
Event 2 - Car Deadlift (350lbs - belts, wraps, chalk and straps only)
Event 3 - Keg Medley (150/150/200/250 for 25ft each - belts, wraps, chalk and grip rags only)
Event 4 - Farmer's Walk (220lbs/hand - belts, wraps and chalk only)
Event 5 - Atlas Stones (180/215/240/250/275 onto 52" platform - belts, wraps, chalk and tacky only)

I'm wishing I had more advance notice, but I'll keep my eyes on other contests in hopes they add a similar division. I need to get a start on making some gear to train the events.

[Paul Sousa]

5/5/10:

Cycle 2

Incline - 135x5, 160x5, 180x12

Squat - 170x5, 200x5, 225x10

Pullups - 4/4/3/3

Planks - 3x25lbsx30sec

Jump Rope - 3x50 singles

Incline felt great, squat felt like crap, pullups were weak sauce, planks were tough but good, and jump rope wasn't too bad.

[Paul Sousa]

5/7/10:

Press - 125x5*, 140x5*, 150x9

DL - 230x5, 265x5, 300x10

Intervals - 1 min @ 2.5
1 min @ 6.0
1 min @ 2.5
1 min @ 7.0
2 min @ 2.5
20 sec @ 8.0**
20 sec @ 2.5
1 min @ 7.0

Worked late tonight so got a late start at the gym. *Screwed up on the press and did the first two sets based on next week's weights. Possibly cost me a rep on the final set but oh well. Deads felt good, happy with 10 reps. Then decided to skip accessory work and go straight to conditioning. **Everything was going well until I tried for 8mph and the tread stopped after about 20 seconds. I am convinced it's not anything I am doing wrong as I took my headphones off so I could focus solely on my running. Jumped on another treadmill and did another minute at 7mph to finish it off.

On a bright note though, I think I figured out that my shoes have been the cause of my calves/feet going numb. On a whim I decided to buy some new shoes (Nike Frees) to see if they would be any better and they were. No sign of numbness at all and my feet felt great the whole time.

Oh, and I just did 1 set of 7 on each hand with the CoC #1.

[Paul Sousa]

5/12/10:

Incline - 145x3, 170x3, 190x8

Squat - 185x3, 210x3, 240x8

Pullups - 5/4/4/4

Planks - 3x25lbsx30sec

Intervals - 1 min @ 2.5
1 min @ 6.0
1 min @ 2.5
1 min @ 7.0
1 min @ 2.5
1 min @ 8.0
1 min @ 2.5

Incline felt good, as always at least one rep in the tank as I don't have a spotter. Squat felt really good tonight and 8 reps at 240 is a PR for me. I did pull-ups with the close grip bars that have your palms facing each other and liked it alot. I've been finding normal grip pull-ups and chin-ups have been aggravating my shoulder and wrists. Planks were hard but good. And my running went well, I am psyched to be able to actually run and not have my feet go numb!

About to do a couple sets with the CoC #1 now.

[Paul Sousa]

5/14/10:

Press - 125x3, 140x3, 160x6

DL - 245x3, 280x3, 315x10

Kroc Rows - 95x15x1 each arm

Farmer's Walks - 90x100ft., 95x100ft.

CoC # 1 - 5x2 each hand

Press felt a little weak tonight, but I stopped with a definite rep in the tank. Last time I tried 160 I git 6 reps, but this set felt easier. I am forcing myself to listen to Wendler's advice and not go all out to failure on my max attempts. Deadlift felt awesome. I was hoping for 8 reps, but once I got going the groove felt great and I got 10 no problem. I probably had two more reps in me, but I hit an all time PR with 10 and felt it was good to stop. Kroc rows were great, only ended up doing one set each arm as my back was spent after them. Decided to do a couple farmer's walks for a little bit of conditioning since I'm planning on doing truck pushes and hill sprints tomorrow. They felt good and were a fun little change up for me. Finished with a couple sets of 5 on the CoC #1, left hand is definitely weaker and I was tired as I couldn't fully close it with my left.

[Paul Sousa]

5/15/10:

Truck pushes - 3 x Max distance

Hill sprints - 4 x ~80 yards

Truck pushes were good, about the norm. Only did 3 pushes as we wanted to do some sprints today too. The hill was okay, probably about 80 yards in distance, but not super steep. Still had a good incline to it though. Felt good to sprint again, but I definitely have a ways to go before my conditioning is where I want it.

[Paul Sousa]

I've come to the decision that I want to lost a bit of the weight I put on over the winter. I'm up to 235 lbs. (at 6') and feel my bodyweight is higher than it needs to be for my current strength levels. My goal is to get down to 215 lbs. while still increasing my strength. So here are my goals as of now:

BW - 235 -> 215
SQ - 305 -> 405
DL - 405 -> 495
PR - 195 -> 225
BP - 275 -> 315

I'm going to finish 6 more cycles of 5/3/1 while working on losing the weight and increasing my conditioning, and then I'll retest my 1 rep maxes and adjust appropriately. Wanted to post this in here to keep me honest.

[Paul Sousa]

5/19/10:

Incline - 160x5, 180x3, 200x7

Squat - 200x5, 225x3, 250x6

My energy level sucked today. Thought about skipping altogether but convinced myself to at least get the main lifts in. My max rep sets weren't bad, but I was hoping for one more rep on each. Still not going to failure so I may have been able to squeak out one more, but I'm trying to stay focused on the big picture. And have I mentioned I hate squats? Last week my form felt great, today it seemed awful. I hate this lift.

[Paul Sousa]

Time to get refocused. I went camping on memorial Day and realized after a short hike that I was in awful shape. I've spent the last couple months getting back into soccer and doing some random workouts with no discernable programming involved. I just saw the 5/4/3/2 challenge and threw my name in the ring. Since I don't want to end up like I was in May I am keeping conditioning in my training. Here is my plan:

Day 1:
5/3/1 Squat
5/3/1 Bench
Hill Sprints

Day 2:
5/3/1 Deadlift
5/3/1 Press
Hill Sprints

Day 3:
Strength biased conditioning

I'll test my 1RMs next week and will start pushing for those goals after that.

[Paul Sousa]

Used rep maxes to calculate estimated 1RMs for DL and Press today.

DL: 300x6 = 360

Press: 155x3 = 170

Definitely lost some after 2 months of not training. Gonna test my Squat and Bench on Monday.

[Paul Sousa]

8/9/10:

Squat - 155x5, 175x5, 200x5

Bench - 145x5, 165x5, 185x8

I'm going with a 2 day 531 split, and I'm not doing rep maxes for squat and DL. Lost a good amount off of my bench, but it should go back up quickly I hope. Soccer tomorrow night, DL and Press Thursday, possibly more soccer Friday night, then probably mess with some Oly work on Saturday if I'm up to it.

[StLRPh]

Your doing well Paul. Good luck on the goals. I'm also contemplating adding some conditioning work in after my lower body days. I hate conditioning so we'll see :rolleyes:

[Paul Sousa]

Thanks! I like short, intense conditioning workouts. The only way I can do anything endurance wise is if it's actually playing a sport, or hiking. I've found hill sprints are great to tack on at the end of my workouts. My hill isn't too tall so I try and get at least 10 with the only rest being the walk back down.

[Paul Sousa]

8/19/10:

First day of my experiment into an auto-regulating type of training. I am using the basic format Jamie Lewis described on his Chaos & Pain blog. I am going to take baby steps into it and keep the volume a bit lower than he suggests and slowly increase. I plan on doing 2 days/week for about another month and then the week after Labor Day I should be able to go to 3 days. Let's see how it goes!

Squat (high bar) - 205x2x8 (85%)

Press - 155x2x8 (90%)

Power Clean - 165x1x10 (90%)

The squat felt awesome. The first couple sets I wasn't sure if I would get all 8, but by the 4th set I actually started feeling stronger. I felt great on the 8th set. I was conservative on the weight as well as this was just my second workout since switching to high bar (which I am still loving).

Press was tough, but again I felt stronger about halfway through the sets. But this time by the 8th set I was done. I never felt like I had more than one more rep in me on any set. Rests were a bit longer than I wanted as my brother-in-law and his brother came in the barn and were chatting.

Power cleans were pretty much the same story in terms of feeling stronger about 4 sets in, but like the press I was done by the 10th single. Kept the rest real short on these.

I actually felt really good at the end of this. I was soaked in sweat, and I was tired, but my joints and mobility felt really good. We'll see how recovery goes, but I have the whole weekend to rest so it shouldn't be a problem at all.

[StLRPh]

solid start to your new programming but if your doing C&P shouldn't you be cussing more and making fun of everone else???

[Paul Sousa]

solid start to your new programming but if your doing C&P shouldn't you be cussing more and making fun of everone else???

I am going to fail miserably at that part of the program. :(

[Paul Sousa]

8/25/10:

Front Squats - 185x1x12

BNT Push Press - 155x3x6

BB Shrugs - 205x15x1

Front squats are still not totally comfortable for me, but they started feeling better as I kept going. I would guess this was 85-90% of my 1RM.

BNT push presses took a couple warmups to get in the groove, but once I did I really liked them. Could have probably done the same volume with 10 pounds more on the bar.

Shrugs didn't go as planned. I only have 300 pounds in weights right now (will be remedied ASAP), but I also don't have a rack I can set the bar low enough. I tried 255, but I needed to do a bit of an upright row to get the bar out and at this point in the workout I couldn't get it out. Went down to 205 and just banged out 15 reps, not terribly hard, but figured it was better than nothing. I contemplated doing some DL's for my pulling lift, but my plan is to do those tomorrow so I held off.

[Paul Sousa]

8/26/10:

Close Grip Bench Press - 185x3x8

Back Squats (High Bar) - 205x5x4

I haven't done close grip bench in ages, and used to hate it, but that was back when I had horrible form on the bench (wide grip, no tucking of elbows). It felt a lot better now that it isn't a complete departure from my normal bench form. Still going a bit conservative on intensity/volume and could have done a bit more one way or the other.

I love high bar squats. I front squatted yesterday and my SI joint was a bit sore today. I decided I'd try warming up and maybe do a light day (was thinking of doing 115 for 2 minutes) but as I warmed up I felt better and better. Decided I felt like going heavy and 205 felt great. My legs feel real springy with the high bar and I feel good in the hips and knees afterwards.

Due to time, and the way my SI joint had felt earlier, I opted out of the deadlift singles I had hoped to do. I also only have 300 pounds total to use right now and I would want some more for singles.

[Paul Sousa]

8/31/10:

BNT Push Press - 185x1x12

Squats (High Bar) - 245x1x12

Hise Shrugs - 135x10, 185x12

Felt like going heavy today. 185 was about my limit with a normal push press about a month ago so I wasn't sure if it would be too much. I ramped up to it and the first couple were tough. The thing I'm noticing when doing a bunch of singles is that the first couple always feel a bit tough (like I am lacking energy), then the next several feel great, then the last couple become tough again. I'm guessing it's CNS related?

I also wasn't sure about 245 on squat since I've only been doing high bar about a month and 240+ always felt terrible when I was doing low bar. They were tough, but just like the push press I felt great from about my third through ninth singles.

I then tried Hise Shrugs as a way to try and overcome my problem with not having a good rack for shrugs. They never felt right, not sure if I was doing them wrong but they weren't natural feeling.

This was a great workout, it definitely tested whether high bar is really a good switch for me and it was a resounding yes. Knees, hips, etc. all felt great afterwards. Whenever I tried weights around 245 with low bar I felt beat up after and my depth was questionable. Depth with high bar has remained consistently below parallel as the weight has increased.

[Paul Sousa]

9/2/10:

Bench - 205x3x1/215x3x4/205x3x3

Squat - 95x24 (in 1 minute)

PC - 135x10 (in <1 minute)

Bench felt good. I haven't done a ton of benching lately and was happy with the weight I was able to use. Rest period were short too, and it seems that impacts bench more than squats or push presses.

For squats I wanted to go light and decided to just set a timer for 1 minute and see how many reps I could get. I think I'll stick with 95 lbs./1 minute until I can get at least 30 reps, then I'll either increase time or weight.

I was thinking about doing heave singles for PC's, but my wrist was bugging me after benching so I decided to do 10 quick reps at 135 aiming to complete them in under 1 minute. I was well under a minute, especially considering the only real rest I took was to push the plates back on the sleeves (need new collars).

[Paul Sousa]

9/4/10:

DL - 300x10

Press - 165x2x1/165x1x3/135x6x1

Went to my first strongman show today (as a spectator), the Mass State Strongman Championship. It was a ton of fun to see live and I'm definitely planning on getting into it next season. It also has me thinking about my programming, but I'm going to hold tight for now based on tonight's workout.

After standing in the sun for a few hours at the show I wasn't really feeling to pumped to train, but I got myself ready and decided to do some pulling and pressing. I haven't DL'd in a month and when I did I pulled 300 for 6 (might have had one more in me, but it was a tough 6). While warming up the weights were feeling light and I noticed the bottom of the pull seemed stronger, wondering if the squats are responsible. I loaded up 300 (all the weight I currently own) and thought I might hopefully get 7 or 8 reps for a small increase. I pulled 10 and might have had a grinder of an 11th in me. Also did this with the double overhand hook grip and never felt any issues there. Needless to say I am pretty happy with the results of the last couple weeks' training. More plates are needed ASAP.

I also felt like doing some strict presses and seeing what I could get since the last time (155x2x8 on 8/19/10). I made a pretty hefty jump to 165 and got 2 tough reps on the first set. I did 3 more singles with short rest. My wrist started to bug me a bit again so I backed it down to 135 for max reps after maybe 30 seconds rest. Pretty happy with this since my weight is still at 215 and the press doesn't move to quick if you're not gaining weight.

[Paul Sousa]

9/7/10:

BNT Push Press - 185x1/190x1x2/195x1x2/200x1/205x1/210x1

Squat - 225x5x4

Wasn't sure if I was going to train today, had some "stomach" issues in the morning. I ended up feeling better by the afternoon and went for it. I decided to push myself with the BTN push press and crushed my old PR. The most weight I've ever had overhead, regardless of the method, was 185. I got 190 pretty easily for a couple singles and decided to try 195. I got that that for another couple singles without much trouble. Decided I could break the 200 lb. barrier and got that for a solid single. I knew I had more in me so up went 205 for another single, just a bit of a battle to lock it out. Then went for 210 for my last and again had a bit of a battle to lock it out, but it was still not my limit. Not sure where this came from as my last time with these 185 singles felt close to my limit.

Squats felt great again, and I used my TK knee sleeves for the first time. Definitely different feeling, but I like them a lot. I really don't think they give too much in terms of carryover, but I felt more confident bouncing out of the whole and wasn't ever worried about me knees. I also kept rests pretty short. I was done with all four sets before two Rage songs were finished playing (and not their long ones like Wake Up).

I am definitely feeling this one already though, especially in my upper back. Gonna pound a chicken parm sub and then sleep.

[Paul Sousa]

No clue who this guy is, but it's pretty sick and good motivation for my squat sessions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_HhFFBFQA8&feature=player_embedded

[Paul Sousa]

Just got back from playing my first game of indoor soccer in almost a year. I played outdoor a bit this summer, but never felt that great while doing so (partly due to playing on rock hard dead grass with cleats). Although my endurance isn't there, my knees, hips, back etc. all feel great. I think between the high bar squat and the mobility stuff I've been doing I've solved all my old problems with pain in those areas.

[Paul Sousa]

9/10/10:

Bench - 225x2x8 (failed the 2nd rep on 7th set)

Squat - 185x1/205x1/225x1/255x1/275x1/285x1/255x5

Think I may be getting the cold my wife and son have had this week, which sucks. I was aiming to set a new squat PR tonight though so I decided to just bench and then do a few singles working up to the new weight, and skip any pulling. Bench went well, excpet for the 7th set, but it was due to lack of focus setting up and my left wrist was at a weird angle.

Squats went great, exactly (or better) than I hoped. The most I've squatted before switching to high bar was 260, and it was questionable on depth and ugly. I wanted 275 tonight and wasn't going to fail. 255 felt light, I threw on the extra plates, got myself ready, and 275 went up with no problem. I got excited and decided to add 10 more pounds and went for 285. I got it with a bit of a fight, but considering I also only took maybe a minute rest after 275 I am happy. All in all a good session.

I also tried to get video of the 275 and 285 squats. Quality isn't good, but I think you can see it well enough.

275 - http://www.youtube.com/user/psousa781?feature=mhum#p/a/u/1/4pANzyFJkb0

285 - http://www.youtube.com/user/psousa781?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/gh9h4o0aAm0

For comparison's sake here I am struggling to get 240 with proper depth (and I was 20 lbs. heavier): http://www.youtube.com/user/psousa781?feature=mhum#p/u/3/T_wQ_OGJcYo

[Paul Sousa]

9/14/10:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of a KB swing/goblet squat couplet w/12kg kettlebell

Ended up coming straight home from work as my wife had a tough day with our son (he has a cold and is grumpy) and needed a break ASAP. She also works from home and hadn't completed much work and needed to get some done. Decided I would play around with the new kettlebell I just got for her. I saw a Dan John article last week where he posted this workout and figured I'd give it a go. No timing or anything, just kept myself honest and took minimal rests to breathe, and never put the kettlebell down. I thought it would be a breeze since it is only 12kg, but it definitely exposed a lack of work capacity as by the end I was sucking wind pretty good. I think I'm going to add some met-con type work to my schedule, probably on Saturdays in the form of barbell complexes and odd object stuff.

[Paul Sousa]

9/16/10:

Squat - 185x2/205x1/225x1/255x1/275x1x6

Press - 135x5/155x2/165x1/175x1/135x7

First real workout since being sick over the weekend and start of the week. Felt like Keeping it short and heavy. I was happy to see 275 felt easier than it did last week. I could have kept going for singles, but cut it at six. I'm thinking if I did a true attempt at a max I'd be close to 300 now.

The press was okay. I thought 175 would have been a bit easier than it was. Granted my rests were short, but it was a real grind. I am definitely missing some strength at the start of the lift, I am thinking it's due to a lack of upper back work like rows and pullups. I'm going to add that in and see what happens.

[Paul Sousa]

9/19/10:

Squat - 185x3/225x1/245x1/275x1/295x1/305x1

BNT Push Press - 155x2/175x1/185x1/195x1/205xF/185x1

Press - 135x7

BB Shrugs - 225x5/315x3/315x5(w/straps)/355x5(w/straps)

CoC #1 - 3 sets of 5 on each hand

Went to the gym today so I had access to more weight. Decided to test my thought that I could hit 300 on the squat. Got 295 without much trouble and decided to go for 305. Took a couple minutes, which is short for a max attempt but longer than I have been doing lately. Unracked it, it didn't feel too heavy surprisingly, and got the rep without a ton of struggle.

Messed with BNT push presses after. Was lacking some hip drive after the squats, and was taking short rests, so I'm not too upset about missing 205. Stripped the 10's and went for 185 right away and got a real ugly single. Decided to finish up with some strict presses.

Felt like doing some more work, but had no idea what, so went for some shrugs since I haven't been able to go heavy enough at my home gym. Definitely cheat shrugs, but the felt good and were fun.

Finished up with some grip work on the #1, haven't been consistent with that lately.

[Paul Sousa]

9/20/10:

Cycle 1/Week 1/Day 1

Squat - 180x5/205x5/230x10

Bench - 145x5/165x5/185x12

BB Rows - 135x8x5

Planks - 3x45 seconds

Back to 5/3/1. I liked the auto-reg, high intensity stuff, but the more I've read about it (Bulgarian methos, Broz, etc.) the more it seems I need to train more often and right now I can't do more than three sessions per week. Maybe sometime down the road if I can get up to at least five days per week I'll give it another go.

Squats felt good. I think yesterdays squats took a bit away from me, but I'm still happy with 10 good reps that didn't hurt me at all. Only downside was I only loaded 230 instead of the 235 I was supposed to do, but oh well.

Bench was good, got the rep total I was expecting, probably could have grinded out a 13th.

Haven't done any real rowing in a while so I started on the lighter side with the BB rows. They felt good and I'm happy to be getting some upper back work in again.

Finished with some planks, which were tougher than expected which I figure is due to a lack of ab work lately and my low back being worked from the rows.

And I am still loving high bar squats.

[Paul Sousa]

9/23/10:

Cycle 1/Week 1/Day 2

DL - 225x5/255x5/290x10

Press - 100x5/115x5/130x10

Pullups - 3/3/3/3

Planks - 3x45 seconds

CoC #1 - 3 sets of 5 on each hand

Went to the gym today as my nephew is sick and wasn't going to work out and I was running late from work (I can get through the workout faster at the gym). I ended up screwing myself by not paying attention to bar selection and also not having chalk with me. I stupidly used a 32mm bar with smooth knurling. First two work sets weren't bad, but on my max rep set I had to reset my grip for my 9th and 10th reps. It got annoying so I stopped, but I know I had at least two more reps (I honestly think I could have hit 15 reps if my grip was there). Teaches me for not planning properly for my DL sessions.

Press was okay. I guess I'm still used to where I used to be when I was 20 lbs. heavier. In the grand scheme of things I am much happier as I feel better, my squat is stronger, my DL is about the same, and I am able to play sports and not want to die. But I still hate that I can only get 10 reps at 130. Oh well, it'll come back.

Pullups were pitiful. I can't remember the last time I did any and my rhythm with them was horrendous. I need to keep working these consistently. Time to build a pullup bar in the barn.

Planks and grip work to finish it off, nothing to write about here.

[Carnivroar]

Just curious why do you do 10 reps? I think you definitely have a 3 plate 5RM in you.

[Paul Sousa]

Just curious why do you do 10 reps? I think you definitely have a 3 plate 5RM in you.

I'm running 5/3/1 now. It's basically 4 week cycle that breaks down like this:

Week 1 - 5 reps x 65%/5 reps x 75%/max reps x 85%
Week 2 - 3 reps x 70%/3 reps x 80%/max reps x 90%
Week 3 - 5 reps x 75%/3 reps x 85%/max reps x 95%
Week 4 - 5 reps x 40%/5 reps x 50%/5 reps x 60% (deload)

Then increase the training max those percentages are based off of and repeat.

I should easily have 5 reps at 315. If I actually used a bar with some knurling and had chalk I am confident I would have pulled at least 12 and possibly 15 reps at 290.

[Paul Sousa]

9/28/10:

Cycle 1/Week 2/Day 1

Squat - 195x3/220x3/250x8

Bench - 155x3/175x3/195x10

BB Row - 135x10x3

Planks - 3x1 minute

Squats felt good tonight, first two work sets had great speed. The max rep set was tough, but it's also a squat PR for me regardless of bar position so I am really happy.

Bench was good too, except that I didn't double check my notebook for my max rep set and loaded 195 instead of 200. Not a huge difference, but still annoyed at myself.

Rows and planks went well. Going to keep the rows at 135x10x3 for this cycle and will up the weight next cycle.

[Paul Sousa]

9/30/10:

Cycle 1/Week 2/Day 2

DL - 240x3/270x3/305x10

Press - 110x3/125x3/140x8

Pullups - 3/3/3/3

Tonight was good as I remembered chalk this time. :) DL felt great and pulled a solid 10 and left one in the tank. Made me feel better about last week's grip mishap.

Press was solid, happy with 8 reps. Only thing to note is lack of focus on my first warmup set that resulted in hitting myself in the forehead with the center knurling on one rep.

Pullups still aren't good. I did the same volume as last week, but took much shorter rests between sets.

[Paul Sousa]

10/25/10:

Texas Method - Week 1 - Volume Day

Squat - 225x5x5

Bench - 185x5x5

BB Bent Row* - 135x5x5

I love having programming ADHD. I am determined to stick with this one for at least 4 months though. I'm using a TM style template as I am considering myself an intermediate due to a few factors. Basically, If all I had to worry about was training then I would try to run SS for a bit, but that's not the case. I get up early every morning when my son gets up and let my wife sleep some extra. Then I have work. The I either come straight home and spend time with my wife and son, or I train and then go home and spend time with my wife (my son is asleep by then). Since I enjoy being with my wife and don't want to cut our time together short we typically don't get to bed until 11. I might get a full 7 hours on a good night. Oh, and I also play soccer one night per week. So basically I feel I'm at a point that my life will not allow me to continue with SS and I am giving TM a shot.

As for tonight, squats and bench were no problem. I deloaded quite a bit on both since I've never done 5x5 before. The * is because I was supposed to do Power Cleans, but the spot in the barn (I train there on Mondays) where I do PC's had no light. There was just enough space near the rack/bench to do rows so I did 5x5 with almost no rest between sets. Will make sure to get the PC's in next week.

[Paul Sousa]

10/28/10:

Texas Method - Week 1 - Light Day

Front Squat - 135x3x3

Press - 135x3x3

Good Mornings - 95x10x5

Chins - 6/5/4

Nothing much to note tonight. Front squats were easy, press was pretty easy since I started fairly light, good mornings felt good, and chins weren't bad considering I haven't done them really in ages. Can't wait for my first intensity day.

[Paul Sousa]

10/30/10:

Texas Method - Week 1 - Intensity Day

Squat - 255x3x3

Bench - 205x3x3

Deadlift - 315x5

Edit - didn't have time to leave notes this morning when I posted my session. Due to poor planning I got to the gym an hour before close. I actually got through the entire session in 40 minutes which I'm sure isn't ideal. Squat wasn't too bad, but 255 felt heavier than I thought it should have. Bench was a breeze. Deads weren't bad, but I was just tired by the time I got to them. Need to make sure I plan better so I don't feel rushed.

[stronger]

3 sets of 3 sounds like tons of volume for intensity day. Any reason you're doing it?

[Paul Sousa]

3 sets of 3 sounds like tons of volume for intensity day. Any reason you're doing it?

Basically because I started the program before getting and reading PP so I used the TM wiki as my source. I also love using triples and doubles at higher intensity. I honestly didn't think 3x3 was much volume, but I've seen a lot of folks use one top set of five. Would 3 sets of 2 be better maybe? Or should I do the top set of 5?

[Paul Sousa]

10/19/11:

BW - 225 lbs.

Bench - 165x5/190x5/220x8

Squat - 200x5/230x5/260x7

RDL - 135x8x3

Pullups - 22 in 5 minutes


Decided to start logging here again. Going to be doing a 2 day/week schedule for a few months as my wife is close to having our second son, and out first is only 1.5 years old, so time away from home needs to be limited. The last 2-3 weeks have been sporadic at best so my reps were a bit low, especially on squats. I hit 275 for 11 about a month ago, but I've only squatted maybe 2-3 times since then and my squat lives and dies with frequency. Eased into the RDL's, I'll increase volume or weight a bit every week. Looking to make slow progress strength wise and also drop a few pounds while I'm limited in my training frequency.

[ColoWayno]

Welcome back.

[Paul Sousa]

Welcome back.

Thanks Wayne!

[Cmanuel]

Paul what other sites do you frequently visit? I no longer go to WBB anymore for obvious reasons, but am curious what other sites are out there that are similar.

[Paul Sousa]

Paul what other sites do you frequently visit? I no longer go to WBB anymore for obvious reasons, but am curious what other sites are out there that are similar.

I don't spend much time on forums anymore, but most recently I would spend time lurking on Marunde and IGX, mainly just check threads that looked like they would have some good info. I also read Wendler's posts on his site, as well as Paul Carter's blog at www.lift-run-bang.com.

[Paul Sousa]

10/22/11:

Press - 115x5/135x5/150x8

DL - 275x5/315x5/350x9

Squat - 155x10x3

Hammer Iso Rows - 180x10x2

[Paul Sousa]

10/26/11:

BW - 220.5

Bench - 185x3/215x3/230x6

Box Jumps - 28" for 3 sets of 5

Squat - 215x3/245x3/280x6

RDL - 155x8x3

Chins - +25 lbs. 1/2/3 ladder x 2

[Paul Sousa]

10/29/11:

Press - 125x3/140x3/160x7

Incline Close Grip Bench - 155x10/155x6/135x6

Bounding - 3 sets of 5

DL - 290x3/330x3/375x6

Squat - 135x10/155x10

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

11/2/11:

BW - 220 lbs.

Bench - 190x5/220x3/245x5

Squat - 230x5/260x3/295x5

RDL - 185x8x3

Dips + Chins - +25x5+1/2/3 x 3


Tried low bar tonight for the first time in about a year and a half, took a video of my last warmup set if anyone cares to look and comment. I hated low bar (which is why I switched) but I actually liked it tonight.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZjZGDiF6M

[hamburgerfan]

You've got some knee slide going on. That weight was obviously very light for you, so it shouldn't be hard to fix if you take the reps a little slower. Just sit back and try to keep the hamstring tension.

[Paul Sousa]

You've got some knee slide going on. That weight was obviously very light for you, so it shouldn't be hard to fix if you take the reps a little slower. Just sit back and try to keep the hamstring tension.

Thanks for the feedback. It definitely was light, I'll get a working set next week to post.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

11/5/11:

Press - 135x5/150x3/170x4

CGBP - 155x10x3

DL - 315x5/355x3/395x4

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[utexas61]

Congrats on your upcoming kiddo.

Press is looking solid. Keep it up

[Paul Sousa]

Congrats on your upcoming kiddo.

Press is looking solid. Keep it up

Thanks man! How's your press doing? You hit 225x5 yet?

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

11/10/11:

Bench - 175x5/205x5/225x8

Squat - 210x5/240x5/270x7


Squat felt off tonight. Only second time trying low bar, but I just couldn't get in a rhythm tonight. I also just got over a cold and my legs were stupidly sore before today, so that probably played a factor.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[gamedog]

11/10/11:

Bench - 175x5/205x5/225x8

Squat - 210x5/240x5/270x7


Squat felt off tonight. Only second time trying low bar, but I just couldn't get in a rhythm tonight. I also just got over a cold and my legs were stupidly sore before today, so that probably played a factor.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

What a funny coincidence, I started logging here again too recently LOL

[Paul Sousa]

What a funny coincidence, I started logging here again too recently LOL

I saw that! We need DC2 back on here now!

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

11/12/11:

Press - 155x5x3

DL - 405x5

Front Squat - 135x2/155x2/185x2/205x2

Chins -5x5

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

11/19/11:

DL - worked up to 440x1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfz3K_lCaZo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Press - 140x5/150x5/160x5

Chins - 9/8/8

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

11/23/11:

Power Clean + Push Press - 135x1+3x2/155x1+3/165x1+3/175x1+3/185x1+3/195x1+1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBCjAeGfK4Q&feature=channel_video_title

Front Squat - 135x2/155x2/175x2/195x2/225x2


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgD6XNXy3Es&feature=channel_video_title

Chins - +25x3x3

[Paul Sousa]

11/26/11:

DL - 320x17 (weak sauce)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKk1CpLKJ9o&

Press - 155x3/165x3/175x3

Chins - 9/7/7

[Paul Sousa]

11/29/11:

Bench - 215x5/225x5/235x4

Squat - 255x5/265x5/275x5

RDL - 155x5x3

RBEs - 10x10x3

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

12/3/11:

Press - 145x5/155x5/165x5

Squat - 275x3/285x3/295x3

RDL - 165x5x3

RBEs - 10x10x3

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

12/6/11:

Bench - 225x3/235x3/245x3

Squat - 265x5/275x5/285x5

RDL - 175x5x3

RBEs - 10x10x2


First session at the new gym, did the RBEs on a GHR instead of a 45 degree.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

12/10/11:

Press - 160x3/170x3/180x3

Squat - 285x3/295x3/305x3

RDL - 175x5x3

RBE - 10x10x3

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Paul Sousa]

12/14/11:

Bench - 215x5/225x5/235x5

Squat - 275x5/285x5/295x5

Rack Pulls - 135x3/225x3/315x3/405x1

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk