Huzzah! Deload is over. 😉

I’m happy for it, as it really was a good break and recovery time. But one thing that comes out of it? I really am not sure I can keep doing pull-ups. The amount of stress it seems to be putting on my shoulders and elbows is a lot. Frankly, that bums me out as it’s been so awesome to not suck (as much) at pull-ups any more. I’m going to keep going for a bit as I already have some changes planned to try to reduce some of the joint stress, so I want to see how those go before I make a full switch. But it’s on my mind.

anyways, that’s that.

Feeling energized and ready to get back into it.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Press
  • bar x whatever
  • 60 x 5 (warmup sets superset with band pull-aparts)
  • 60 x 5
  • 75 x 5
  • 75 x 5 (work sets superset with pull-ups)
  • 90 x 5
  • 90 x 5
• Close-Grip Bench Press
  • 85 x 5 (sets superset with pull-ups)
  • 105 x 5
  • 125 x 5
• V-Bar Pulldowns
  • 110 x 12
  • 110 x 12
• Face Pulls
  • 100 x 12
  • 100 x 12
• Lying Triceps Extensions
  • 60 x 12
  • 60 x 12
• Close-grip EZ-bar Curls
  • 55 x 12
  • 55 x 12

Again, it’s deload week.

And you know what? I’m really glad I took it. My joints and everything are feeling really good. I can only wonder how I’d feel if I did go the additional 3 weeks.

So, huzzah.

Nothing else much to report. It’s just a deload day.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Deadlift
  • 135 x 5
  • 135 x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 195 x 5
  • 195 x 5
• Front Squat
  • 95 x 5
  • 115 x 5
  • 140 x 5
• Elevated Glute Bridges
  • BW x 12
  • BW x 12
• Crunches
  • BW x 12
  • BW x 12
• Seated Calf Raises
  • 35 x 12
  • 35 x 12

Deloading. Not much exciting to say. 🙂

But a few comments:

Accidentally tucked my feet more than usual while benching. That’s been a problem for me in the past because it really caused my butt to lift, but not so today. I think because I’m finding the direction of my drive is different — more up into my head, instead of up off the bench. That said, I’m not sure the tuck gets me as much. Still, was interesting to play with and I’ll probably continue to play with this a bit.

I am wondering if I may need to stop pull-ups for a bit. I think above all things they are what’s making my elbows hate life. Ugh. But that said, today I found that if I pulled my elbows in — as if I was trying to touch them together while pulling myself up — that seemed to make my joints not feel as stressed. I need to explore that a bit more. It’s not a huge change, not actually trying to touch them, just not letting them flare out, y’know?

To that, I also think I may ditch the overhead extensions for the same reason. Stupid elbows.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Bench Press
  • bar x whatever
  • 95 x 5 (warmup sets superset with band pull-aparts)
  • 95 x 5
  • 115 x 5
  • 115 x 5 (work sets superset with neutral-grip pull-ups)
  • 140 x 5
  • 140 x 5
• Incline Press
  • 85 x 5 (sets superset with neutral-grip pull-ups)
  • 105 x 5
  • 125 x 5
• Cable Rows
  • 100 x 12
  • 100 x 12
• Shrugs
  • 205 x 12
  • 205 x 12
• Overhead Triceps Extensions (superset with curls)
  • 60 x 12
  • 60 x 12
• Hammer Curls (alternate, across body)
  • 25e x 12
  • 25e x 12

Sometimes you just have to listen to your body.

I was all set to start another cycle, to go 9 weeks before deloading. But when I woke up this morning I just wasn’t feeling it. I stepped back, looked at everything, and in the end opted to take this week as a deload. I’m getting all excited by the momentum, about being back on track, all those things, and I’m just excited to keep going. Well, if I want to keep going for the long run, I need to pace myself. There have also been other things going on in my life that are affecting my recovery, so it’s best for me to deload now. I’ll hate it, but if the whole week I’m just anxious to get back at things, that’s a good sign. 🙂

So, did the deload per protocol, cut assistance work “in half”, and just got some work in. Nothing big, but honestly I felt really good afterwards — like it was just what the doctor ordered. So, probably a smart thing for me to just run 6-week cycles and take the deload like it or not.

Weight has been holding steady at 230. That will be a bit of a challenge this week, but I just need to keep carb intake under control and I should be OK.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Squats
  • bar x whatever
  • 110 x 5
  • 110 x 5
  • 135 x 5
  • 135 x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 165 x 5
• Straight-leg Deadlift
  • 135 x 5
  • 150 x 5
  • 175 x 5
• Leg Curls
  • 30 x 12
  • 30 x 12
• Hyperextensions
  • BW x 10
  • BW x 10
• Crunches
  • BW x 10
  • BW x 10
• Standing Calf Raises
  • 50 x 10
  • 50 x 10

It just keeps going. Huzzah.

Pressing doesn’t hit that 10-rep threshold because it was THE one thing that had a true 1RM figured out. But I’m still hitting more weight, more reps, everything going up and progressing. So hey… great!

As well, my setup is getting better. One thing I did today was letting out just a tiny bit of air after I unracked the bar. That was ok and helped, but it was also bad because I did loose a little. Next time I’m going to try the opposite: start with maybe 90-95% air, then unrack, then give a slight inhale. It may be a little tougher to do right, but we’ll see. Point is, I’m finally getting a better setup with Press. I still have work to do on it, but it’s getting there.

A few other changes.

I’ve been feeling some elbow discomfort, so chins are just a problem. I don’t want to stop chinning, so in between sets I would just examine different grips and how it felt against my joints. In the end? Standard pronated-grip pull-ups. I also reduced my reps today, just by a couple per set, so I got some work but didn’t beat myself up too much.

Finally, extensions went back to a prior form. I used to lower the bar behind my head. Then I changed to lower to my forehead. But I’m going to go back to behind the head. To the forehead seems to cause me more elbow issues than behind the head. As well, to the forehead doesn’t give me as much range of motion — nor a consistent range of motion — because I’m trying to not bash in my forehead. When I go behind my head, the range is always the same because there’s a better index point for the bottom of the movement. It also didn’t cause me any elbow issues that I can remember.

So with that…..

To press forward another 3 weeks or deload?

I’m going to press forward, but I suspect 9 weeks will then require a deload before I go again (but I’ll make that call in 3 weeks).

I’m going to make only minor adjustments to the program. Everything’s generally working, so why change? My body hasn’t adapted, things aren’t slowing down, progress continues at a crazy rate, so don’t change anything. The minor changes I will make are like the above: changing pull-ups instead of chin-ups, changing my triceps work slightly, all to avoid aggravating my elbows. But that’s all the changing.

So, onwards!

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Press
  • bar x whatever
  • 60 x 5 (warmup sets superset with band pull-aparts)
  • 75 x 5
  • 90 x 3
  • 115 x 5 (work sets superset with pull-ups)
  • 130 x 3
  • 145 x 8 (8RM PR)
• Close-Grip Bench Press
  • 135 x 5 (sets superset with pull-ups)
  • 160 x 5
  • 180 x 5
• V-Bar Pulldowns
  • 110 x 20
  • 110 x 16
  • 110 x 12
• Face Pulls
  • 100 x 20
  • 100 x 18
  • 100 x 14
• Lying Triceps Extensions (superset with curls)
  • 60 x 20
  • 60 x 15
  • 60 x 12
• Close-grip EZ-bar Curls
  • 55 x 20
  • 60 x 12 (whoops! forgot to strip off the 2.5s!)
  • 55 x 12

It just keeps rolling!

Much deadlifting today. 10RM set.

One thing I’m trying to do with my deadlifting is get “back” more. When I set up, my hips tend to be a little high, because I am stronger at pulling with my back than my legs. I notice when I do this, my weight is forward — I’ll feel the pull more towards the front/ball of my foot than the mid-foot. So I’ve really been working on trying to get my hips lower, start lower, push “through my heels” (which may actually get me mid-foot), and to “pull backwards” like I’m trying to fall backwards. It’s all mental cues, but the goal is to get the weight moving up the mid-foot and to be using my legs more. Yeah, I could probably pull more if I leveraged my back more, but I’m trying to build my legs up so….

And today I did something I hadn’t in ages: used a mixed grip. I’ve been double-overhanding it and been quite happy. But I figure as the weights get heavier, as the gym keeps being so humid and sweaty, I better start to mix-grip it. I only did it on the last set and it threw me a little bit because it was an unfamiliar feeling and I didn’t have my hand placement just right so the bar was a little unbalanced (not much, but just a wee). But no big deal; just tells me to mix-grip it on my work sets from here out, need it or not, to get back to it.

Front squats went well.

But all the assistance work — yeah, this is what I need to reexamine to figure what I’m really going to get benefit from or not. Much thinking.

Anyways, damn good day. And with sleep being better (been napping a lot the past few days, and had a very good night sleep last night), I’m feeling good towards going another 3 weeks before I deload.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Deadlift
  • 135 x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 195 x 3
  • 245 x 5
  • 280 x 3
  • 310 x 10 (10RM PR)
• Front Squat
  • 150 x 5
  • 175 x 5
  • 195 x 5
• Elevated Glute Bridges (superset with crunches)
  • BW x 10 (each leg)
  • BW x 10 (each leg)
  • BW x 20 (both legs together)
• Crunches
  • BW x 20
  • BW x 15
  • BW x 10 (the isometric from the one-leg bridges takes something)
• Seated Calf Raises
  • 35 x 15
  • 35 x 15
  • 35 x 15

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The progress continues. Again, the weight goes up, the reps go up, gee if I can’t help but be pleased by progress. And it’s going up across the board — you name it. I’m happy.

So with that, it’s back to two “next cycle” thoughts.

First, to deload or do another 3 weeks. The plan was to just go another 3 weeks. I’ve been feeling good, progress is solid, weights are relatively light (if I’m hitting the 10-rep threshold on my 1+ sets, it’s relatively light), why not? Well, why not is because my sleep has been poor lately, some additional stress in life, so that affects recovery. A little time off may be good for me. Unsure tho. I may still just be feeling beat up from this past weekend’s work. So, I’ll let it ride, continue to focus on my recovery (e.g. naps), and see how I feel come next week and just make the call as I ride along. The plan will be to do another 3 weeks, unless my body tells me otherwise.

Second, to add in “first set last”. Why do it? Because I’d like a little more volume. Why? Because I respond to that. BUT I have to remind myself that my overall weekly volume is up, if not per-session. And let’s face it — I’m making solid progress right now. So really — why change anything? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m making solid progress, so just keep going and milk this for all I can. Eventually progress will stop and that becomes a time to consider changes like this. So, it’s just a change in thinking for me, that I’m still getting used to.

If anything should change, I should certainly reflect on my assistance work. I think the upper body work is alright, but the lower body work I want to continue to look at. We’ll see.

Anyways, just good times, good times.

Music: Crowbar. Because heavy.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Bench Press
  • bar x whatever
  • 95 x 5 (warmup sets superset with band pull-aparts)
  • 115 x 5
  • 140 x 3
  • 175 x 5 (work sets superset with neutral-grip pull-ups)
  • 200 x 3
  • 220 x 10 (10RM PR)
• Incline Press
  • 135 x 5 (sets superset with neutral-grip pull-ups)
  • 160 x 5
  • 180 x 5
• Cable Rows
  • 100 x 20
  • 100 x 20
  • 100 x 16
• Shrugs
  • 205 x 20
  • 205 x 15
  • 205 x 12
• Overhead Triceps Extensions (superset with curls)
  • 60 x 20
  • 60 x 18
  • 60 x 12
• Hammer Curls
  • 25e x 20
  • 25e x 18
  • 25e x 10

Good day, but short day.

I spent all weekend teaching at KR Training. Two days, three classes, 100º heat, 110% humidity — yeah, I’m beat. If it had been any other time, I might have wanted to take Monday (today) off to recover, but I actually don’t feel as beat up as I normally would after an intensive weekend like that. Still, I know I’m down so I opted to make today a “jack shit” day: just get in, do the work, set a PR, leave. It’s all about recovery, and my hole’s dug a little deeper due to the weekend so no need to dig it further.

While I am trying to avoid reminding myself of how I did “last time” and thus set expectations for how to perform today, I did know how I had done and did set expectations for myself. I’m finding if I just go in and crank without preconceived notions, I tend to do not just well but better because I don’t have a mental frame that might actually hold me back. Just keep doing “continuous 1 rep sets” and when it’s time to stop, I’ll know and THEN I can assess how it compares out. But I knew going into it that I wanted to hit at least 8 reps today because that would keep the forward progress going. It’s 5/3/1 week after all and of all weeks, this is the week to kick it.

And sure enough that’s what I did. I actually felt like I could have done a 9th just fine (and still left the 1-2 in the tank), but again, I knew what to hit, I hit it, I don’t want to dig the hole deeper, so that was that. And really, hitting 8 is great because it’s continued progress compared to all prior squat sessions. I am happy.

I did a set of hypers, a set of crunches, then spent about 25 minutes on the elliptical.

And now… to go take a nap.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Squats
  • bar x whatever
  • 110 x 5
  • 135 x 5
  • 165 x 3
  • 205 x 5
  • 235 x 3
  • 260 x 8 (8RM PR)
• Hyperextensions
  • BW x 15
• Crunches
  • BW x 15

Progress continues.

Didn’t hit the 10-rep threshold like I’ve been doing everywhere else, but I attribute that to the Press being the 1 movement I had a true 1RM of before I started (instead of fair calculations). But still, hitting 8 is solid for the 3+ week.

And it continues to be a track record of progressing. Comparing against the past few Press sessions, either weight and/or reps have gone up. So it’s still solid progress; slow progress, but solid. Press has always been a slow one for me.

I also found a couple important tweaks to my setup. The past few Press sessions had a little shoulder pain when I got overhead. I have found my index points on the bar when I set up, but I was being a little too strict about them. Basically the point where my thumbnail ends I line up with the edge of the bar knurling. But I was kinda stretching this. When instead I did it relaxed (brought my grip closer together, just a tad), that made all the improvement. I’ll have to see how it goes next week tho — could be that I just got sufficiently warmed up by the time I made this change.

Another thing that’s constantly frustrated me is my breathing — I always debate where to take a breath. You typically take it at the start of the movement, but here you’re at the bottom. I found myself today unracking, getting settled, then exhaling a bit so I could have a fresh breath to press with. Well, taking that breath blew my setup — my chest collapsed (of course) and I lost a lot. So yeah, I have to take my breath, hold it, unrack, settle, press, then at the top finally take my first breath. I kinda hate that because I get a little light-headed from the oxygen deprivation. So I’m trying to do a bunch of stuff to breathe deep a good 6-10 times or so before I unrack the bar. That prolongs my setup, but seems to be leading to better results.

It’s all still something I have to keep working with, but Press setup and technique is something that’s long frustrated and elluded me, and these two things seem to be progress in the right direction. I’ll see how they fare next week.

Also with my chin-ups. The joint stress comes at the bottom, when I’m hanging and it causes the arms to rotate/torque/twist — elbows don’t bend that way. So today I just didn’t go all the way down. I’m not sure I liked that. I mean, it was certainly less stress, but that full extension and starting the pull from there really provides good work. As well, I am really missing out on the shoulder retraction. So…. I dunno. I may stick with it next week, and then next cycle try something else like close-grip v-bar pullups and doing underhand-grip pulldowns. That may work out. I’ll just keep playing until I find what’s going to give me good results and not damage me in the process.

Otherwise, just a good day.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Press
  • bar x whatever
  • 60 x 5 (warmup sets superset with band pull-aparts)
  • 75 x 5
  • 90 x 3
  • 105 x 3 (work sets superset with chin-ups)
  • 120 x 3
  • 140 x 8
• Close-Grip Bench Press
  • 125 x 8 (sets superset with chin-ups)
  • 145 x 8
  • 170 x 6
• V-Bar Pulldowns
  • 110 x 20
  • 110 x 15
  • 110 x 12
• Face Pulls
  • 100 x 20
  • 100 x 15
  • 100 x 15
• Skullcrushers (superset with curls)
  • 60 x 20
  • 60 x 20
  • 60 x 15
• Close-grip EZ-bar Curls
  • 50 x 20
  • 50 x 20
  • 50 x 15

The trend of progress continues.

For sure, things are starting to feel a little heavier, but still there’s progress. Again, the final work set went right up to the 10-rep threshold. Weight goes up, reps go up, life’s good. It won’t last forever, so I’ll just keep taking it as I get it.

That said, front squats were a bit tough today. I’m trying to keep myself leaned back — really, upright, but the mental thought is leaning back so that I do stay upright. That makes it harder, targets more what it should, and keeps the bar from rolling off! That was a tough thing today — it’s very hot and humid in Texas right now, I’m at the gym at a time when there’s no A/C and it’s hotter in the gym than outside, so I’m just drenched in sweat and everything is slippery. I almost lost the bar a couple times just because things were slipping around. I would use chalk, because that would be safer, but stupid gym policies….

I did the glute bridges one-legged today. For sure they are hitting my hamstrings more than anything else. Interesting stuff.

Anyways, good day. Excited for tomorrow, and for next week’s 5/3/1 work.

5/3/1 Simplest Strength Template

• Deadlift
  • 135 x 5
  • 165 x 5
  • 195 x 3
  • 230 x 3
  • 265 x 3
  • 295 x 10
• Front Squat
  • 140 x 8
  • 160 x 8
  • 186 x 6
• Elevated Glute Bridges (one-legged)
  • BW x 10e
  • BW x 10e
  • BW x 10e
• Twisting Crunches
  • BW x 20
  • BW x 14
  • BW x 8
• Seated Calf Raises
  • 35 x 15
  • 35 x 15
  • 35 x 13