Week 17 Training Log - 4th Week Out/1 Year on Wendler's 5/3/1

I've been keeping track of my workouts now for about a year (though I've only been posting them to the blog since New Year's).  I email my workouts to a good friend and training partner from my time in Atlanta - the email stays in my inbox...which is saying something because nothing brings me greater organizational joy than filing emails (though I have gotten to file the workout logs each time the gmail conversation hits 100).  Long story short, about a year ago I shifted from making up my own workout splits (typically something like bench/chest, squat/legs, deadlift/back) I bought Jim Wendler's Beyond 5/3/1 e-book (at the recommendation of aforementioned friend), read it, and started the program.  Since last week had been just over a year on the program, I looked at what my 3 sets of 3 week looked like last April - turns out the program works.

Add to this that my form is leaps and bounds from where it was then and you have a ringing endorsement of the program.  I would highly recommend it to anyone with a good base of strength and who is at least somewhat accustomed to heavy weight training 3-4x/week.

Those familiar with the program may note that doing the 3x3 week after the 5/3/1 week is not how the program goes...you'd be right, but the meet I'm prepping for got moved, so I had to adjust.

Here's last week's workouts:

Monday, April 20

Squats

5 x 45

5 x 95

5 x 135

5 x 185

5 x 215

Working Sets

3 x 245

3 x 280

3 x 315

1 x 340

1 x 360 (fail, but wanted to try double body weight - got it moving back up a little bit but stuck)

1 x 315

Trap Bar Deads

5 x 135

10 x 225

2 x 8 x 250

2 x 8 x 275

Superset Back extensions/cable crunches 

5 x 10/20

Tuesday, April 21

5 x 45

5 x 95

5 x 135

5 x 165

Working Sets

3 x 195

3 x 225

3 x 255

rest/pause @195 15/4/1

Shouldersaver 2 board

5 x 225

4 x 225

3 x 5 x 205

Superset Lat pulldowns/straight arm pull downs

5 x 10/10

Thursday, April 23

Deadlift

5 x 45

5 x 135

5 x 185

5 x 225

5 x 275

Working Sets

3 x 315

3 x 360

3 x 405

15 x 315

Band deadlifts

5 x 135 + monster mini

5 x 135 + light

5 x 135 + average

5 x 185 + light

1 x 225 + light

2 x 1 x 255 + light

1 x 255 + average

Friday, April 24

Overhead press

5 x 45

5 x 85

5 x 100

5 x 115

Working Sets

3 x 130

3 x 145

3 x 160

10 x 130

Dumbbell Incline Bench

8 x 60; 65; 70; 75

5 x 80

Single Arm Landmine Rows

10 x bar

10 x 25

10 x 45

2 x 7 x 70

Cable rows

5 x 20 @90lbs

Week 16 - Five Week Out Max Week

The Staunton Open Bench Press/Deadlift competition is on May 16th.  In preparation for this, we took a car trip to a friend's gym in Lewisburg, WV to do sort of a mock meet - pack food, supplements, lifting stuff, drive a little bit, and then warm up and max on bench and deadlift.  It was a great day, I hit a PR deadlift of 455 (pictured) and benched 280 with a slight pause.  Squat day and overhead press day were good, but the mock meet was certainly the highlight of the week.  Should note that, at the actual meet, warm up/leadup lifts will not be nearly as intense.

Plan from here out is to do two more heavy weeks with accessories focusing solely on bench and deadlift related movements (dumbbell bench, hex bar deads, lots of lats) then a week of deload, then a week off the week before the meet to rest, stretch, and get ready.  A week later, I'll head to France to start prep for my first full powerlifting meet (hopefully) in September.  Stay tuned.

Monday, April 13
Squats
5 x 45

5 x 135

5 x 185

5 x 225

Working Sets5 x 265
3 x 295
1 x 330
10 x 265

Band squats (light bands)
5 x 135, 165
3 x 185, 205, 225

Front Squats
3 x 8 @135

Thursday, April 16th

Max Dead and Max Bench

Deadlift

5 x 45, 135, 185, 225, 275

5 x 330

3 x 375

1 x 420

1 x 455 (PR)

1 x 465 (fail)

10 x 225

Bench

5 x 45, 95, 135, 175

5 x 205

3 x 235

1 x 260

1 x 270

1 x 280

5 x 225

Saturday, April 18th

Overhead press

5 x 45; 95; 115

5 x 135

3 x 160 (was supposed to be 150 but i cant add)

1 x 175

TBar rows

5 x 20 (50lbs first set then 75 lbs for four sets - used 25 lb plates)

Cable rows

3 x 20

Week 15 Training Log (6 weeks out) "De-load"...kind of

Last week was kind of a de-load week.  Wanted to just get the main lifts in without a lot of accessories - so not a traditional deload but feel good this week.  Lifted three days after taking a couple off.  Also, this week is six weeks out from the competition on may 16th - the meet got moved, so I shifted some things around - I have a 5/3/1 week left, two more training weeks, one deload and an off week before the meet.

A lot of other stuff going on outside of the gym that I'm sure I'll get to at some point.  Overall, happy with this week, hit back/triceps hard on overhead press day as I think tricep strength is a sticking point on bench.  I also started adding a sumo rep in at the end of each set on deadlift to add some posterior chain work in.

Thursday, April 9

Squat

5 x 45

5 x 95

5 x 135

5 x 185

5 x 205

Working Sets

3 x 240

3 x 275

2 x 310, 1 x 310 (was also on the bad squat rack, so didn't push the third rep - felt like I could have gotten it, though.

Bench

5 x 45

5 x 95

5 x 135

5 x 160

Working Sets

3 x 190

3 x 220

3 x 250

Friday, April 10
Deadlifts

5 x 45

5 x 95

5 x 135

5 x 185

5 x 225 +1 Sumo

5 x 265 +1 Sumo

Working Sets

3 x 305 + 1 Sumo

3 x 350 + 1 Sumo

3 x 1 x 400 – want to get used to singles so regripped, repositioned after each rep

Saturday, April 11 
Overhead Press

5 x 45

5 x 85

5 x 105

Working Sets

3 x 125

3 x 140

3 x 155

Rest/Pause @125: 11/3/1

One-arm overhead dumbbell press +fat gripz

5 x 5 @40; 45; 45; 50; 50

Bent over rows

5 x 135

5 x 155

3 x 3 x 175

Close Grip incline bench (Smith machine)

5 x 8 plate on each side

Dips

10 x 10

Week Fourteen Training Log - 7 weeks out

Last week was a good week - it started off as the week of 20 sets, squatting 225 twenty times and benching 180 twenty times.  Deadlift day, I attempted what I was hoping to be my meet opener (405) for three reps and nailed it.  Last October, I was called for a technical issue with pulling 405 so it was a no-lift, so I'm confident that I will get that weight and then some at the next meet.

Next week is a sort of de-load week due to meet rescheduling, but this week was an encouraging one.  Except for "landmine" squats, I don't like those very much and don't know that I'll be doing them again - will probably switch to front squats.

Monday, March 30

Squat

5 x 45; 135; 185

Working Sets

5 x 225

5 x 260

5 x 295

20 x 225

Band Squat

5 x 135 + light bands

3 x 5 x 185 + light bands

Landmine Squats

10; 8; 8; 4

Tuesday, March 31

Bench

5 x 45; 95; 135

Working Sets

5 x 180

5 x 205

5 x 235

Rest/pause @180 20/4/2

Bench Shouldersaver board press

5 x 5 @1bd/5@2bd @175

Lat pulldowns w.fat gripz 3 x 20 @140

Chest support Tbar Rows

5 x 90

3 x 3 x 115

Thursday, April 2

Deadlift

5 x 45, 95, 135, 205, 245

Working Sets

5 x 285

5 x 330

5 x 385 (was supposed to be 375 but I can't do math)

3 x 405 - wanted to get meet opener for three

Deficit deadlifts

5 x 5 x 225

Friday, April 3

Overhead Press
5 x 45; 75, 95
5 x 115
5 x 130
5 x 150
Rest/pause. @115 12/3/1

Incline bench w.fat gripz
5 x 45; 115; 135; 155
3  x 175; 195; 215

Dips 5 sets 25/18/12/8/7

Tbar rows
5 x 45; 90; 135
3 x 3 x 180