12-30-13

1.  KB Swing, 53lbs
10; 15; 25; 100

Notes
This was a prep day for the 10,000 Kettlebell Challenge (Dan John).  Basically, this is a GPP program.  I need and want this.  I care about two things right now: 1) my squat; and 2) my bodyfat/conditioning.  In this program, you rotate the KB swings with a strength movement.

I'm kind of in a weird place right now.  Because of my knee, my body can't keep up with moderate training goals.  At the same time, I want to keep pressing forward. So that leaves me in the awkward position of setting out to do things that may not be possible.  In any event, hinging type stuff doesn't typically bother things, although tonight the 100 reps left my knee a little numb.  MRI is scheduled for this coming Thursday at 2:30 p.m.  Its moving slowly, but at least I'm finally addressing it.

My girlfriend is doing this program, and I have no doubt she will complete it.  And unlike me, she'll probably do it exactly as prescribed haha.

12/29/13

1.  Jog/Walk
-1.5 miles
-22 minutes

2.  Squat
135x3 for a bunch of sets  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RydswpAWR3Q

Notes
I've squatted the past 3 out of 4 days, and the knees are just mildly sore.  Gabe has been giving me constant feedback, which I'm very thankful for, and he said the above squats look a lot better.  Still a long way to go though.  A long, long way.

 I've watched a shitload of Rippetoe videos and read the forums and all that.  One of the thing I really like about the Rippetoe approach is that its a complete system.  He has well thought out philosophy on the cross-section of kinesiology and strength, and he uses that philosophy to give specific prescriptions that can be applied to anyone, regardless of body type.  Who else has done that?  Answer: no one.  Not a single person has done anything that even approaches Rippetoe's development on strength movements.

 I have no clue whether this squat style will ultimately work out for me.  None.  But what I do know, is, its not been uncommon for me to completely write shit off because of my ego.  I've seen it repeated time and time again in the past couple years.  So fuck it, I'll give it a shot.*

*Disclaimer: scheduled for an MRI, so we'll see what happens.

12/28/13

1.  Box Squat
225x3; 275x1; 275x1; 315x1; 315x1; 315x1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNGB8FyCuY4

2.  Deadlift
315x3; 365x3; 405x3; 455x2  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWkc9pSD21o

3.  OHP
185x1; 200x1; 135x13   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3QCUEi6Bg

Notes
Probably the most effort I've put forth in a training session in 2-3 months, at least in terms overall bar intensity. Analysis:

Box squat - Meh.  I feel like most of the technical elements are correct.  It just looks a little awkward because I'm combining styles into a box squat.  I'm trying to emphasize hip action and setting my knees. For what its worth, these almost felt good on my knees.

Deadlift - I really like my back angle my setup.  I think I'm over the bar a little.  My number one criticism is locking the knees out ahead of the hips.  I'm not sure why I'm doing that.  In any event, my hinge is strong as fuuuck right now because thats all I do.  Next week I'll focus on blasting though with my glutes faster.

OHP - Not much to say other than it was a true max. Got a little crooked.  Back angle was decent (for me), considering how I used to look.  I *think* that is an acceptable amount of arch for a max, but I'm not sure.

Overall - Lots to work on, I'm glad I have a new/fast way to take vids.  I'm fat and out of shape, but things are starting to come together.

12/27/13

1. BTN Jerk
225x1; 265x1; 280x1 (PR)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUnznPpsIi4

2.  Box Squat
BWx10; BWx10; BWx10

3a. One Arm Neutral DB Bench
50x12; 50x12; 50x12

3b. Hypers
10; 10; 10

Notes
Had no plan tonight.  I've got the Saturday morning session tomorrow, so I didn't want to do anything too taxing.   This was basically a "fuck you" PR at my soft, deconditioned body haha.  Its funny how much that one shaky lock out really beat me up.  I feel like I had a huge workout tonight.  Just a product of being out of shape.  In any event, I'm starting to piece together a more cohesive plan.

12/26/13

1. Low Box Squat
225x3; 225x5; 225x3; 225x3; 225x3; 225x3; 225x3

2b. RDL
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

2b.  3 Month Pullover
60x6; 60x6 60x6

Notes
Setup for backsquat was low bar, elbow up, semi-narrow stance, and a 20 degree toe out.  Basically, a "natural" squat except with an exaggerated sit back. I liked the Rippetoe bar setup today.  No idea why it worked better than last time.  My knees were only semi irritated.  I also switched to 12 inch box as opposed to a ~16 bench.  It was harder but didn't feel too bad. *shrug.*

Last workout was almost a week ago.  In the interim, I ate a lot and drank a lot.  Now, I feel soft and weak.  I'm coming up with a plan for the New Year.  Generally, I hate that shit, but I feel ready to get back on the wagon.  I also really helped to have a couple of days off work, and also for things to be slow right now.  Courts basically shut down in mid to late December.  So, for the first time since September I feel like I can relax.

For now, its about gaining momentum, turning it into habit, and turning that into routine.

12/19/13

1.  Deadlift
315x3; 365x3; 405x8

2.  Bent Row
135x8; 135x8; 135x8

Notes
Quick Friday night workout.  405 set was done for psychological purposes, not necessarily training effect.

I'm tired of dealing with the injuries.  I feel like shit after most lifting sessions.  Review my entries from the past few months.  Its always about how much or how little something fucks me up.  It never used to be like that.  What amazes me, is how fucking fast this all went to the shitter, and how things seem to just get worse lol.

In any event, aside from my knee(s), deadlifts felt awesome.  Its worth noting that I was marginal sore from box squats last night, which basically hits all the same shit as pulling.  But not as bad as I thought I would be.  As I said in a text to Matt, I forgot some of the cool shit about box squats.  One being that it significantly reduces soreness because the trenth

12/18/13

1.  Box Squat
135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x; 225x5; 225x5; 275x8; 275x5

2.  3 Month Pullover
55x6; 55x6; 55x6

Notes
Thursday night.  Took me a long time to get the squat going.  I'm sitting way back on these.  I tried high bar feet normal, low bar feet normal, high bar feet semi-wide, low bar feet semi-wide.  For whatever reason, high bar semi wide with toes pointed out felt the best.  That is the position I used for 275x8.  I know low bar is the standard on this lift, but from now on with regard to the squat: 1) I'm doing what feels good/safe; 2) verifying with video that my alignment, etc is in order.  There are tons of ways to do it "right."  The right way for me right now is the way that doesn't fuck me up.

With that said, I want to squat with a low bar.  Its just going to take a while to get to that point.  Gabe has the best looking squat of anyone I know hands down, and he recommends the basic Rippetoe approach.  So its something I definitely want to legitimately try, I just need to get a bunch of other shit in order first.  In the meantime, I'm pleased to find a movement that feels "ok" on my knee.  It still gets hot and inflamed no matter what, but it doesn't feel at risk of popping out, etc on the box squat.

12/15/13

1a.  Incline CG
135x10; 135x10; 135x10; 135x10; 135x10

1b.  YTI's
5x5; 5x5; 5x5

2a.  Hip Thrust
BWx20; BWx20; BWx20

2b.  Cable Curl
50x20; 50x20; 50x20

3.  Lunge Variations

Notes
After a somewhat negative post yesterday, I'm happy to report my spirits are up and I will continue to lift weights.  Haha.  I was expecting pain/weird nerve issues on the incline but experienced none.  This was a quick Sunday night pump/stretch session.

ALSO, I found a nice lunge variation that feels great and is relatively easy on my knees.  Basically, setup in a 90/90 split squat but with the front foot raised on a platform.  Then, instead of dropping straight down, I do a combination of dropping/lunging forward.  Great stretch and feels safe.  I don't like all of the tension I need to use on regular 90/90s to get the angles right.  Even if I squeeze in the right places, invariably I feel sheering in my knees.

12/14/13

1. Box Squat
275x2; 315x1; 315x2; 335x1; 275x3

2. Zercher from Pins
225x8; 275x3

3.  Pendlay Row
225x3; 225x3; 225x3

4.  Band Face Pulls
10; 10; 10

Notes
Last week, in an email I jokingly told Gabe I'd probably end up running ladders for 2 weeks.  I certainly did not foresee a grand total of 2 days.  When I try to bench, I get a shooting pain that runs from my shoulder down to the palm of my hand and my hand go numb lol.  What in the ever living hell is that?

So my shoulder is fucked, can't bench.  Knee is fucked, can't squat the way I want to, and even deadlifts leave it feeling all weird for a few days.

I don't know.

In any event, the box squats felt relatively fine on my knee, mostly because I'm sitting back like a mofo.  It definitely felt good to have something on my back for a change.

12/12/13

1a.  Pendlay
185x5; 185x5; 185x5

1b.  Neutral Grip Incline DB Press
50x10; 50x10; 50x10

1c.  KB Swing
80x10; 80x10; 80x10

Did another round of 3 exercises, can't remember what I did.

12/10/13 - Small Workout

1a. RDL
225x8; 225x8; 225x8

1b.  Split Stance Cable Pull
90x8; 90x8; 90x8

2.  Facepull
60x10; 60x10; 60x10

2b.  Band Pull Apart
40 reps

Ladders Day 2

1a.  Deadlift
365x1; 365x2; 365x3; 365x1; 365x2; 365x3; 365x1; 365x2; 365x3

1b.  Bench
275x1; 275x2; 275x3; 275x1; 275x2; 275x3; 275x1

2. Pendlay w/ Straps
225x3; 275x2

3a. Suitcase Deadlift
135x3; 135x3; 135x3

3b.  Waiter Walk
3 trips 70lbs

3c.  Facepulls
60x15; 60x15; 60x15

3d.  Windmill
70x1; 70x1; 70x1

4a.  DB Curl
40x6; 40x6; 40x6

4b.  Back Extensions
10; 10; 10

Notes
Ladders felt good.  I really enjoy this type of training.  Its heavy enough to not feel like a bitch, but the lower reps keep the training intensity moderate.

I need to get back into some of the weighted carries and stuff.  I was doing it pretty consistently for 3 years, week in week out.  Just kinda stopped over the summer.  No real reason.  In any event, I think it helps keep my body hard.  One of the greatest benefits of the kettlebells, at least the way I use them, is the lateral core stuff.  I really can't think of a better way to train this area as effectively.

I'll probably need to up the deadlift weight after a couple more sessions, or change the rep scheme.  365 felt a little light.

Ladders Day 1

1a.  Bench
275x1; 275x2; 275x3; 275x1; 275x2; 275x3

1b.  DB Row
70x3; 70x5; 70x8; 70x3; 70x5; 70x8

2a.  KB Swing
53x10; 53x10; 53x10

2b.  KB Snatch
53x5; 53x5; 53x5;

2c. Chins
3; 4; 5

3a. Band Pull Apart
15; 15; 15

3b.  DB Curl
45x5; 45x5; 45x5

Notes
Decided to give ladders a go.  275 is a good weight to start with.  LOL at my fucking SHOULDER being so impinged my left hand tingles under the bar.  I was basically waiting for my arm to collapse with each rep.  I have to just lol at this dumb shit.  Anyways.

DB row weight was way too low and easy.  I've decided I'm supersetting most of my stuff from here on out.  I'm getting fat as fuck and deconditioned.  

FAT BOY OUT

12/02/13

1. Squat
185x3; 225x3; 275x3; 295x1; 225x3; 225x3

2.  Deadlift
315x3; 315x5; 315x11

Notes
I lost patience with squat tonight and just went up to test the waters.  Didn't feel great, but didn't feel horrible. In hindsight, I really wish I had the discipline to just do a couple of controlled sets at 225.  I'm extremely sore already. My body and joints are completely de-conditioned to "heavy" barbell stuff.  I don't know, maybe thats why I just decided to go up.

Started the session with a nice 30 minute warm-up.  It helped.

Edit: after some at-home relaxation, things don't feel too bad. Knees are a little hot, but not bad all things considered.

Thanksgiving Week Review

Last week I was happy to make it into the gym Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.  I'm not logging my workouts because quite frankly, I forget most of what I did.  I was able to hang out and lift with Matt on Wednesday and Thanksgiving morning, which was a ton of fun.  My old training partner, Chris, also spotted me on a 315 bench on Wednesday night.  He came in to hang out and catch up even though he had already lifted earlier in the day.  I thought that was damn cool of him and made the session that much more fun.

The only negative to report is that Thursday morning I severly pinched something in my left shoulder while overheading pressing.  Hard to describe what it feels like other than an impingement.  It got consistently worse until I finally put in a 60 minute total mobility session last night.  

I've let the mobility, warm-ups, and soft tissue work fall to the wayside in the past couple of months.  Its not that I want to, its just that I don't have the time or energy to do it when I can barely fit 2 shitty sessions in a week.  So, its kind of caught up with me.  Its not terrible - I do active thoracic stretching literally everyday, its just some tissue work that I need to grind out.

11/23/13

1.  Deadlift
315x3; 365x1; 385x1; 405x1; 425x1; 315x5; 315x10

2.  Bench
225x3; 275x1; 315x1; 275x3; 275x3

3.  Squat
135x5; 185x3

4.  Bent row
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

Notes
Mediocre strength today.  Can't expect much with the workout frequency.  Squats felt better than last night.  I'm really sore - like sore as fuuuck.

11/22/13

1. Backsquat
135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3

2. Overhead Press
135x5; 135x5; 135x5

3.  BB Curl
45x50

11/19/13

1a.  Overhead Press
115x5; 115x5; 115x5; 115x5

1b. 90/90 Lunge
115x2; 115x2; 115x2; 115x2

2.  Backsquat
135x5; 135x5; 135x5; 135x5; 135x5

3a.  Bench
135x15; 135x15; 135x15

3b.  Cable Row
100x15; 100x15; 100x15

Notes
Searching for a comfortable hand setup and bar placement on the overheads.  I'll probably stay at 115 for a few weeks and work up in reps.  Maybe throw in some increasingly heavy singles like I originally did with BTN.

I experimented with low bar and high bar squats.  Low bar I was just bouncing off the crease of my hips.  High bar I was getting stretch reflex.  Also, no knee extension, so it felt fine.   Quads were on fire lol.

11/16/13

1. Deadlift
315x3; 365x1; 385x1; 385x1; 405x1; 315x5; 315x5

2. Bench
250x3; 275x3; 285x3; 185x22 (PR)

3.  Overhead Press
95x5; 95x5; 95x5; 95x5

4a. Facepulls
15; 15; 15

4b. Decline Leg Drop
6; 6; 6

5a.  3 Month Pullover
70x2; 70x2; 70x2

5b.  BW Hip Thrusts
15; 15; 15

5c.  Curls
35x10; 35x10; 35x10

Notes
Deads felt fine.  No groove really but not bad.  Bench was meh.  Kind of went off-plan in terms of percentages mostly because I was lifting with a bunch of other people and having fun.

My entire body felt inflamed and wrecked after this session.  Seriously, just kind of felt old haha.  I'm just totally deconditioned at this point.  I still have the skill to do the lifts, it just takes so much out of me.  I'll get it back, but wow, really its nuts how this workout left me feeling like I got hit by a train.

11/12/13

1.  Bench
205x5; 225x5; 260x5 . . . 185x10

2a. RDL w/ DB's
100x15; 100x15; 100x15

2b.  Facepulls
50x10; 50x10; 50x10

3a.  Hip Thrusts
12; 12

3b.  Pushups
12; 12

3c.  Curls
40x8; 40x8

Notes
Quick after work session in the apartment.  I'm going to run 531 percentages for some of the lifts.  This is the tentative plan:

Day 1
-Bench
-RDL

Day 2
-Overhead
-Pendlay

Assistance as needed. The last couple of months I've used assistance mostly for joint function and posture. I like this approach.  I'm really just maintenance training at this point.  If I hit some barbell PR's, sweet.

11/09/13

1. Deadlift
315x1; 315x1

2.  BTN Press
165x3; 165x3; 165x3

3a. DB Row
85x8; 85x8; 85x8

3b.  Decline Ab Drops
6; 6; 6

Notes
This was the morning after my Friday session.  My back was really sore.  I talked more than lifted.

11/08/13

1. Deadlift
315x3; 365x2; 365x2; 365x2

2.  Bench
225x3; 245x1; 275x1; 300x1; 315x1; 185x20

3. Bent Row
135x5; 135x5; 135x5

4.  BTN Jerk
245x1

Notes
Fun session just shooting the shit with everyone.  Bench felt solid.  315 went up relatively smoothly.  My upper body definitely functions differently now when pressing.  I wouldn't have dreamed of trying this weight before without actually building up through a program, etc.

Edit: forgot to talk about deadlift. Haven't pulled in a few months.  Felt relatively solid and went up fast.  Pendlays are the truth.

11/04/13

1. Flat Bench
225x3; 225x3; 255x2; 275x5

2. Pendlay Row
185x5; 225x5; 225x5

3.  Hip Thrusts with 5 second contraction at top
BWx10; BWx10

Notes
My last legit bench session was April 28th - 190 days ago.  I had no real expectations tonight, especially considering I maxed on a heavy press yesterday.

My shoulder and upper back/scapular stability feel completely different than I've ever felt before on flat bench.  I lack the technical acumen to describe what was happening, so I'll leave it at "it felt good."  275x5 felt very easy considering I have zero groove for this lift.  Traditionally, 275x5 has been my baseline where I feel I'm strong enough to start training heavy.  Also, usually it takes me a few weeks to get to that point.  I feel I'm way past that, so next week I'll start some bench programming.

Update

I let the blogging get away from me for about 3 weeks.  I lost interest because my workouts became random and unplanned.  I've been averaging about 2 sessions a week.  And they certainly haven't been big ones.  But for whatever reason, my strength has been excellent, and I've set the following PR's:

Incline: 185x16; 290x1

BTN Press: 135x12; 195x1; 200x1

I'm very happy with the incline - that is a 15lb PR.  I'm also pleased with the BTN press.  When I started messing around with this lift 5-6 months ago, 115x5 was difficult.  And after I got a groove going, I told myself I was going to keep with it until I hit 200 for a single.

I think the PR's are simply a demonstration of strength.  What I mean by that is, I certainly haven't been building any strength lately.  I think that the 3+ months of 531 did some nice things.  And who knows.  January - May working out 7 days week with Connor probably did some good shit too.  So the past few weeks I've been well rested from lifting, and I'm fresh enough every session to hit heavy weights. Don't really know, don't really care. 

I'm not really sure what my plan is from here.  I do know I'm dropping incline and BTN and moving back to regular bench and traditional overhead.  I'm not sure if I'm sticking with RDL's or going back to some conventional deadlifts.  I feel the RDL's and hip thrusts are a nice 1-2 combo for what I need right now.   I tried some goblet squats to a box tonight and everything felt fine.  *shrug* (Minus the fact  that could barely complete a rep without falling over).   

I've come to accept I'm not going to have 4x a week ball busting sessions for the foreseeable future.  Work has been exhausting me.  But I'm slowly adjusting to the lifestyle.  I'm getting better sleep, learning how to make my diet work with the schedule, and also learning how to effectively fit training into the whole scheme.  

In a weird way, this is why I love training and everything that goes with it.  There are always knew challenges to be addressed.  Sometime it feels like there are more valleys than peaks, but for me, all the fun is in climbing back to the top.

Tonight's workout:

1.  BTN Press

135x5; 155x3; 170x1; 185x1; 200x1 (PR); 135x5; 135x5

2a.  RDL

225x6; 225x6; 225x6

2b. Pushup

BWx12; BWx12; BWx12

2c.  Windmill

70x2; 70x2; 70x2

3a.  DB Row

85x6; 85x6 85x6

3b.  Decline Leg Drop

6; 6; 6

4a.  Hypers

10; 10; 10

4b.  Band Pull aparts

20; 20; 20

5.  Goblet squat to box

Bwx5; 35x3; 35x3

531 Day 29

1.  Incline
185x5; 225x3; 255x5 (PR) . . . 225x9 . . . 135x10

2.  BB Row
135x10; 135x10; 135x10; 135x10

Notes
5 lb PR at 255 (formerly 250x5), and 1 rep PR at 225 (formerly 225x8). Wanted to go for a one rep max tonight, but the TV guy called and said he was 10 minutes away as I was warming up. So I just had Amanda spot me and I banged out some rep PR's.  Surprised I'm still hitting decent weights at this point. *shrug* Finished the above sets in 15 minutes then ran my ass home to welcome my new Panasonic 65 inch plasma.

531 Day 28

Cycle 3 Week 3

531

1. BTN Press

135x5; 150x3; 165x1 . . . 190x1 (PR); 200x0 . . . 135x12 (PR)

2a. Bent Row (45 deg)

135x8; 135x8; 135x8

2b.  Hypers

10; 10; 10

Notes

Finally hit a new 1 rep on BTN press. Only 5 pounds, but its a PR.  135x12 is a 4 rep jump over my prior PR.  I was so close to 200, I just ran out of juice.  I have it in me, and I'm hitting that shit before I move on from this exercise.

Strength can be a weird  thing.  I've been sick, my triceps were sore as fuck today, and I completely annihilated my biceps walking halfway across the city with 2 pumpkins.  I wasn't even going to lift tonight, but its been so sporadic I basically forced myself so I didn't lose anything. In short, my strength should've sucked.  But it didn't.  So who fucking knows.

I've pretty much given up on trying to time shit or account for all the variables.   Sometimes sleep matters, sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes diet matters, sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes stress is a strength killer, and sometimes its a motivator.  The list goes on and on.  I enjoy structure and I think its great to have a plan. At the same time, building in a little flexibility seems to be working well for me.

531 Day 27

Cycle 3 Week 3

531

1.  Incline
185x5; 205x3; 225x1 . . .  245x2; 245x2; 260x1; 275x1 . . . 225x5; 185x8; 185x8

2a.  Inverted Row
10; 10; 10

2b. Windmill
70x3; 70x3; 70x3

3.  3 Month Position Pullover
44x8; 44x8; 44x8

Notes
Blah night.  Bar didn't feel great warming up, but I decided to work up and see how it went.  275 is my 1 rep max.  I have a new PR in me for sure, its just hitting it on the right night.  This session was on Wednesday.

Extra workout Day 22

1a.  RDL
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

1b. Pushup
10; 10; 10

2a. Hip Thrusts
10; 10; 10

2b.  Chins
5; 5; 5

3a.  Facepulls w/ Band
15; 15; 15

3b.  DB Curls
35x8; 35x8; 35x8

Notes
Quick apartment session at 9pm.  Got home at 845, rushed downstairs, did a token session, then came back up and ate at 915.  These sessions are more for health than anything else at this point haha.  I basically use weight to stretch and get my joints moving on different planes.  Still feels good, and keeps me moving well.

531 Day 26

Cycle 3 Week 2

1.  BTN Press
135x3; 155x3; 165x3. . . 135x3; 135x3

2. Pendlay
165x3; 185x3; 210x3 . . . 225x2; 235x5 (PR) . . . 135x5; 135x5

3a.  Pushups?

3b. Hip Thrusts
135x8; 135x8; 135x8

Some other stuff

Notes
This was on Saturday. Lifting sessions are pretty haphazard right now. I was just going to run straight sets, but I said fuck it, and hit a decent pendlay PR.  Previous PR was 225x5.  Honestly don't remember what else I did, although I do remember the hip thrusts, which are starting to feel great.  I've found my foot angle and placement make a big difference in the glute contraction.  Pushing the knees out seems to work well.

Extra Day 21

Warmup: Pushup x 10 , 10; Chin x5, x5

1a.  Close grip bench

135x10; 135x10; 135x10

1b.  Facepulls w/ band

12; 12; 12

2a. Single Leg Quad Extension

10x8; 10x8; 10x8

2b.  Scaption

2.5x10; 2.5x10; 2.5x10

2c. Curl

40x8; 40x8; 40x8

Notes

Quick little pump in the apartment before dinner.  I'm dropping 531 to 2x during the week, and then on the weekend I'll do a bigger muscle building/conditioning/carry session.  This may be my last cycle with it for a while.  I'm loving the progress, but I have other fish to fry.

Also, front delts were insanely sore from incline.... Like insanely sore.  Pushups legit hurt.

531 Day 25

Cycle 3 Week 2

1. Incline

165x3; 185x3; 210x12(PR) . . . 225x2; 250x5 (PR) . . . 135x10; 135x10

2a.  Strict BB Row

135x8; 135x8; 135x8; 135x8

2b.  Hip Thrusts

BWx10; 70x8; 70x8; BWx10

3a.  KB Windmill

70x3; 70x3

3b. Facepulls

60x15; 60x15

Notes

Demolished incline tonight. Wasn't even feeling great warming up, but the reps just kept cranking out. Previous high rep PR was 205x11, so up in weight and a rep. Previous PR at 250 was a double. I feel really good about 250x5.  After a fatiguing set too.  By far the best incline pressing I've ever done.

531 Day 24

Cycle 3 Week 1

1.  BTN Press
115x5; 135x5; 160x6(PR) . . . 175x1 . . . 115x8; 115x8

2a.  Bent Row (45 degrees)
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

2b.  KB Swing
70x15; 70x15; 70x15

3a.  Glute Thrusts
10; 10

3b.  Curls
40x10; 40x10

Notes
One rep PR at 160 for BTN press.  Although, I'm like 90% sure I hit 7 reps.  During the set I was like wtf this is harder than I expected.  Sure enough - loaded the bar wrong.  Was supposed to be 150.  Oh well, still hit a solid PR. I've really started to like this lift a lot.  It is by far the most fun I've ever had with any pressing variation.  It just feels good.  I usually drop the bar onto my traps at the halfway point on the way down.  It requires legit bar control and it looks cool.

With that said, this is my last cycle using it.  My shoulder are starting to get a little achy.  I don't think that means there is anything wrong with the lift, its just time to work on a different plane or angle.  I've been doing these for like 9-12 weeks at this point.  I'm glad I put the time it though.  Its a technical movement that needs to be grooved to get much out of it.  In the future, I'll probably do 3-6 week runs with it.

Going super strict on the bent rows and actually getting a back contraction.  10th rep on the 3rd set was challenging.

531 Day 23

Cycle 3 Week 1

1.  Incline
155x5; 175x5; 205x11 (PR) . . . 225x1; 245x1 . . . 135x10; 135x10; 135x10

2a.  Bent Row 45 degree
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

2b.  Windmill
70x3; 70x3

3a.  Hip Thrusts
BWx15; BWx15; BWx15

3b.  Seated Palms Out Curls
25x10; 25x10; 25x10

Notes
Surprised how good the 205 PR felt.  So I did the deload pretty close to as prescribed for incline.  I just went up near my training max and did a triple.  Anyways, didn't feel like I lost much, if anything.  205x11 is a technical PR, although my 12 rep PR is 185, so this is considerably more weight and only a rep less.

Bent row was fun and felt good for a change.  Really hard if you squeeze at the top.

Continue to improve on hip thrust.  I need to be better about setting my ribs at the bottom.  On higher reps, I start to get sloppy.

531 Day 22

1.  Power Clean and Jerk
135x1; 135x1;185x1; 185x1; 225x1; 225x1

2.  Pendlay
155x5; 180x5; 205x5 . . . 155x5; 155x5; 155x5

3a.  Hip Thrusts
70x10; 70x10; 70x10

3b.  KB Swing
70x15; 70x15; 70x15

3c.  Pushups
12; 12; 12

4. Facepulls
70x20; 70x20

Notes
Feel like I'm losing steam.  I'm just exhausted.  Omitted jokers because 205 felt heavy enough.  The little circuit actually got me breathing and sweating hard.  Also, I've noticed a few people doing hip thrusts at the gym, including some chicks.  Everyone loves to load the weight up, but no one is maximally extending their hips.  The heavier it gets, the worse it is.  Whats the point?  70x10 hits my glutes pretty damn hard right  now.

531 Day 21

Deload

1a.  Incline
185x3; 225x3; 135x12; 135x12

1b.  DB Row
70x10; 70x10; 70x10

2a.  KB Swing
70x10; 70x10; 70x10

2b. Hip Thrusts
BWx15; BWx15; BWx15

2c. Windmill
70x3; 70x3; 70x3

Notes
This was yesterday morning before I went into work.  I have to work most of the day today as well.  On target to hit about 70 hours this week. It feels weird only having 3 very light sessions in a week, but hopefully the down time leaves me feeling refreshed.

I've noticed that the long hours of sitting is really leaving me tight and cramped in my hips and upper back.  Also, I walk about a mile each way to work, and the dress shoes coupled with the pavement is shortening my calves.  To counter this, I've been stretching in my office everyday at around 11am and 3pm.  I just shut my door and go at it, doing all sorts of thoracic bridges, glute thrusts, etc haha.  I'm also going to order a couple of fresh kettebells to keep at the office. I think I'm going to turn my afternoon stretch session into a mini workout. Pushups, swings, planks and stuff like that. My boss has a walking treadmill in his office and other attorneys have stationary bikes and stuff.  I'm going to dedicate a corner of my office to the fitness gear I like.

Extra Workout Day 20

1a. Hip Thrusts
20; 20

1b. Pushups
15; 15

1c. Chins
5; 5

2a. One Arm DB Bench
50x10; 50x10

2b. One Arm Split Stance Cable Row
70x10; 70x10

Notes
This was Wednesday or Thursday night I think.  I like the Hip thrust/pushup/chin superset.  Might try that out as a final warmup type thing.

531 Day 20

Deload

1. Pendlay
155x5; 175x5; 205x11 (PR) . . . 225x3 . . . 155x5; 155x5

2.  BTN Jerk
135x3; 155x2; 185x2; 225x1

3a.  Hip Thrust
135x8; 135x8

3b.  Windmill
70x2; 70x2

4a. Split Squat One Arm KB Press
45x5; 45x5

4b. DB Curl
40x8; 40x8

Notes
So I wasn't sure whether I wanted to deload or not today.  I decided it was time on Pendlays.  Just didn't feel fresh, and I don't think 3 more weeks would have been a positive experience.  I'm going to take this week to stretch out and recover. Maybe go for a jerk PR later.

Hip thrust and heavy KB Windmill was an awesome superset.  I get neutral max hip extension/glute activation with the thrusts.  I feel the windmill does the opposite with the hips - they go back in flexion, and at the same opens up the thoracic shit/shoulder. Anyways, I'm gonna remember this 1-2 combo for the future.

Extra Workout Day 10

1.  RDL
135x12; 135x12; 135x12

2.  Hip Thrust
BWx15; 135x8; 135x8

3a. Windmill
45x8; 45x8

3b.  One Arm Standing DB Press
40x8; 40x8

Notes
This was on Sunday.  More of stretching session than anything else. Enjoying the hip thrusts.

531 Day 19

Cycle 2 Week 3

1. Incline
175x5; 195x3; 225x7 (PR) . . . 250x1; 275x1 . . . 185x5; 185x5

2a.  Hip Thrusts
BWx15; BWx15; 85x8

2b.  DB Row
85x8; 85x8; 85x8

2c.  Scaption
2.5x8; 2.5x8; 2.5x8

3a. Facepull
80x20; 80x20

3b. Split Kneeling Cable Raise
80x7; 60x5

Notes
Solid incline PR at 225x7.  Old PR was 225x5. Left 1-2 in the tank as well.    275x1 ties my incline one rep max.  It was a slight grind, but not bad.  I was hoping for a double, but didn't want to risk a missed lift when things are going so well, so I racked it. Also, I felt moderate fatigue in my triceps from the 225 set.  I have no doubt I could have gone heavier without a fatiguing rep set beforehand.  Thats kinda the catch .22 of this setup of 531 I guess.  I'm not complaining, the reps are great and obviously what is behind the strength gains.  I want the 1 rep maxes mostly for my ego.  Got to try to be patient.

531 Day 18

Cycle 2 Week 3

1. Pendlay Row
175x5; 195x3; 220x8 (PR) . . . 225x3; 250x4 (PR) . . . 170x3; 170x3

2.  BTN Press
135x5; 145x3; 160x5 (PR) . . . 170x3 (PR) . . . 135x5; 135x5

3a.  Hip Thrusts
BWx20; 45x15

3b.  Facepulls
20; 20

3c.  Windmill
45x5; 45x5

Notes
Felt strong.  Adjusting to the new job and schedule is taking a lot out of me. Feels good to hit medium-high rep PR's, as well as heavy PR's on the same day.

Been working on hip thrusts because I realized I basically never get max hip extension other than a few glute bridges during warmups.  Also, I've been over flexing my hips with all the deadlifts and pendlays.  Basically, my front hip flexors are shortening.  But my knees, ankles, all feel great and opened up after the hip thrusts.

lol at all of the awkward stares as I maximally thrust my hips into the air with heavy, strained grunts.

Extra Workout 9

1a. RDL
135x8; 135x8 135x8

1b. Scaption
2.5x8; 2.5x8; 2.5x8

2a. Bent Row
135x8; 135x8; 135x8

2b.  Facepull
15; 15; 15

3a.  Strict Curls
30x10; 30x10

3b.  Side Plank
2 sets

Notes
I was still half-drunk on Sunday from all the NFL beer/chips.  Little pump action in the apartment gym made me feel better... A little better, not much though.

531 Day 17

Cycle 2 Week 2

1.  Deadlift

315x3; 365x3; 405x3

2.  Hip Thrust

BWx15; BWx15; 45x6

Notes

Mentally exhausted last night after my first week of work.

531 Day 16

Cycle 2 Week 2

1.  Incline
160x3; 185x3; 205x10 (PR) . . . 225x3; 245x3 (PR) . . .  160x8; 160x8; 160x8

2.  DB Row
90x6; 90x6; 90x6

3a.  Cable Row
120x10; 120x10

3b.  Glute Thrust
BWx10; BWx10

4.  Scaption
3 sets

Notes
This blog has almost 450 posts from the past 2.5 years.  I decided to search and capture as many PR's as possible. I found about 25 different lifts (a few more I don't care about), for a total of ~100 PR's in different rep ranges. It goes without saying I care a lot more about some more than others.

This new style of 531 gives me the opportunity to hit PR's often. So,  I made a google doc with all my PR's.  Then, I just go to the gym, pull it up on my phone, and hit PR's.

I'm not fooling myself with this approach.  I've talked a little about Fuck Yeah PR's! verses  technical "personal records."  Fuck Yeah PR's are exciting.  They take intensity, high effort, and are usually in the big bad-ass lifts. They make you proud.  They are memorable.  Technical PR's, on the other hand, aren't as exciting but in my mind they are still valuable.  I see technical PR's as a way to fill out rep ranges.  I also call them "technical" because I know that it might be a new lift, or that it may simply be a set in a given rep range that I could have done before, but simply did something else on that day.

Either way, regardless of what category a PR falls in, I think they are great and they make me happy.  It means I'm moving in the right direction.  More weight for more reps.

531 Day 15

Cycle 2 Week 2

1.  Pendlay

160x3; 185x3; 205x10 (PR) . . . 225x2; 245x2 . . . 160x3; 160x3; 160x3

2.  BTN Press

115x3; 135x3; 155x7 (PR) . . . 160x1 . . . 115x8; 115x8

3.  Facepulls

20; 20

4a.  Scaption

4b.  Planks

Notes

Pendlay was a 2 rep PR at 205 lbs. BTN press was a 5lb PR at 7 reps.  I'm pretty fluid with the jokers/first set last right now, but it seems to be working.  I'm hitting solid PR's almost every week.  At first, I was worried about whether my lift selection would do much for me.  I have no doubt now.  My body is really starting to harden up.  I'm starting to feel grooved with the BTN and Pendlay especially.  I think I'll stay with the pendlay/btn/incline/deadlift setup for another cycle.  Then I'll rotate in regular press, and close grip bench or something like that.

Extra Workout 8 - Labor Day Conditioning

1.  65lb Snatch
3 Rounds in 5 minutes, 34 total reps

2.  225 Sled Push
3 Rounds Max Effort


Over the weekend I met up with a bunch of DC friends on top of the roof for some Strongman type conditioning.  We broke into 5 teams of 3.  Two guys and one gal per team. Then we did 5 minute rounds where each team member rotated through as fast as possible.  I was hungover and threw up after the sled push.

It was a fun day.  We all went out to the river after words and grilled and drank the day away.  I'm in the back left in the picture below.  Its fun to be in the city with so many people that share a similar passio.  It might be hard to tell from the picture, but there five dudes there that can pull 500+.  Not bad for a crowd of professionals.

531 Day 14

Cycle 2 Week 1

1.  Deadlift
295x5; 340x5; 385x5 . . . 405x2; 425x2; 455x1; 475x1; 495x1 . . . 295x5; 295x5; 295x5

2.  BTN Press
115x5; 130x5; 140x8 . . . 115x5; 115x5; 115x5

3a.  Cable Row
120x12; 120x12; 120x12

3b.  Windmill
45x5; 45x5; 45x5

4a.  Scaption
2.5x8; 2.5x8

4b. Curls
30x12; 30x12

Notes
First lift at Balance Gym in DC.  Balance is a great gym. Strong lifters and quality equipment.  They have 3 platforms with squat racks, and then 4-5 separate Rogue monster racks.  Nice glute hams, bands/rollers/pvc everywhere, quality bars.  Essentially everything an average strength trainee would want or need.

I met up with my good friend, and also met some big dudes that were squatting.  Got me pumped so I went a little overboard with the joker sets.  Sore as fuck today.  I'm meeting 10-15 people at noon for team strongman events. One event is max 315 deadlifts for 10 minutes (ppl on the team rotate).  I am so incredibly fucked.

531 Day 13

Cycle 2 Week 1

5 Day

1. Pendlay
155x5; 175x5; 195x5 . . . 205x3; 225x3 . . . 155x3; 155x3; 155x3

2. Incline
145x5; 165x5; 185x5 . . . 145x8; 145x8; 145x8

3a. Split Squats
BWx6; BWx3

3b. Scaption
2.5x8; 2.5x8

Notes
Moved into DC apartment yesterday. Started the drive around 4:30 a.m. and got down to DC in 9 hours.  I was completely moved in by 3pm. Sweated my ass off.  I had an amazing summer in NH.  I spent a lot of it studying, but also had my fill of golf, working out, and hanging with friends.  I'm excited to be in DC, but will certainly miss things about the summer.

So I decided to run 531 a second time but I'm going to combine the pendlay and overhead day.  So it will be: 1) Pendlay/Overhead, 2) Incline, 3) Deadlift.

I did the above in my apartment gym. Ceiling wasn't high enough for overheads.  The apartment gym is small, but nice for what it is. It has a half rack with about 400 lbs, dumbbells, and a solid cable crossover type setup. I can get a good workout there in a pinch.  Most of the time however, I'll just walk 2 blocks to Balance Gym and do my normal lifts.  I'll stop by tonight to sign up.

Skipped the incline jokers.  No spotter and I was using a rigged up DB bench for inclines. I use lower rep ranges for pendlay back offs because it just feels right.

Peak Day

Peak Day

1.  Incline

185x3; 185x3; 225x2; 245x1; 265x0

2. Deadlift

315x3; 365x1; 405x1 . . . . stopped workout

---------------------------------------------------

3.  Deadlift

315x3; 315x3

4a. RDL

135x12; 135x12; 135x12

4b. Incline

135x8; 135x8; 135x8

5. Facepulls

70x10; 70x10; 70x10

6.  Seated Strict Curl (Palm Out)

30x8; 30x8; 30x8

Notes

What a shitty "peak."  Ordinarily I'm pretty good at executing mini peaks.  Its basically the only thing I do since life has forced me into short run routines for the past year. In short, I tried to fit too much into a short period.  I started this 5/3/1 cycle on the 3rd or 4th of this month, finished it in 18 days, and also managed a total of 19 workouts in that time.  On top of that I played golf basically everyday. My body is sore and achy.  I played 18 holes today, and going to the gym I kind of knew what was coming.  Warming up I felt tired and weak.

I missed an incline lift, and then during deadlifts I called everything off.  I could tell I was heading down a path of self-destruction.  I've forced shit so many times in the gym I really have nothing left to prove to myself.  My hips feel awful, blah blah blah.  Anyways, in hindsight, this was still a successful run. I hit deadlift, pendlay, and press PR's. I need to rest.

Extra Workout 7

Scap emphasis

1. Scaption
1x10; 1x10; 1x10

2. Pushups
7; 7; 7

3.  BTN Jerk
135x2; 135x2; 135x2

4. Overhead Shrug
95x8; 95x8; 95x8

5a. DB Curl
40x8; 40x8

5b. CG Incline
135x8; 135x8

Notes
Really hammering the scap stuff and I'm seeing great improvements.  These are simple little workouts, but I really like working on specific things on days separate from the big movements.  All week long my rear delts have been insanely sore.  To be honest, I can't ever remember my rear delts being sore, and I wasn't sure what was causing it.

They immediately started burning on the scaption and overhead shrugs tonight. Ding ding ding.  Thats whats been doing it.  I've found that actually the one pound dumbbells are more effective for me during the scaption shrugs.  It just is what it is.  I can feel a great contraction and I think all that upper back shit is starting to move a little better.  I tested the BTN jerks to see what happen with my neck position.  Its pretty crazy, the second I begin to overhead press, my neck juts forward like an ostrich.

When I force my neck to stay neutral and packed, all this weird ass shit moves around in my low scapula and ribs. It kind of feels good in a way.  I find it fascinating that such a minor change in head position really does impact stuff all the way down my spine.  Cool shit.

Edit: pushups also feel completely different in the upper back area.  A couple of days ago Matt said I wasn't getting as much crazy scapular winging like I was before.  Still a work in progress.

Extra Workout 6

Recovery and Conditioning

1. KB Swing
53x15; 53x15; 53x15

2. Facepull
65x40

3. Tire flips
6; 6; 6; 6

4. Backwards sled drag
4 trips x 70 yards

Notes
Fun day. Squeezed in an AM workout this morning, then met some old coworkers for lunch.After lunch I played 18 holes, then came back to the gym for a quick conditioning session.

Legs and lungs were out of commission in short order. Granted, I carried my clubs for 6 miles today, but Ive definitely lost conditioning capacity. Im not too worried about. Right now Im just doing a couple intro sessions before I get to my apartment in DC. Then Ill be back to a normal setup of 2x a week sled pushes and stuff like that.

Extra Workout 5

Scap Emphasis

1a.  Scaption w/ Shrug
1x8; 1x8; 1x8

1b.  3 Month Position Pullover
40x6; 40x6; 40x6

1c.  Overhead Shrug
Barx8; Barx8; Barx8

2a. DB Curl
40x8; 40x8; 40x8

2b.  Hypers
10; 10; 10

2c.  Standing DB Press
25x8; 25x8; 25x8

531 Day 12

Pendlay

1. Pendlay Row (531) (Vids)
165x5; 190x3; 215x7 (PR) . . . 165x2; 165x2; 165x2

2.  Bulgarian Split Squat
BWx8; 53x5; 53x5

3.  DB Row
90x5; 95x5; 100x5

4a.  Tall Kneeling Cable Raise
85x6; 75x6

4b. Scaption
3x8; 3x8; 3x8

5a. Hypers
20; 20

5b.  Roman Chair Leg Raise
16; 16

Notes
Pendlay's felt crisp.  Omitted any joker sets because this is the last day of the mini-cycle, and I may go for a deadlift rep PR on Friday night.

As the videos show, I try to setup my Pendlay in the same manner as my deadlift, except I don't extend my knees/drop my hips to get into position for a pull from the floor.  I've found this approach makes Pendlay's a perfect assistance exercise for deadlifts.  My posterior is completely loaded.  Really gets the hamstrings fatigued.   A couple of months ago, I noted that I thought Pendlay's done like this + RDL's is basically the perfect replacement for deadlifts.  Its a nice combo to have in my toolbox for a time when I don't want to pull heavy from the floor every week.

I'd rate my Pendlay's as fairly strict.  I have a little more bounce than I was expecting, but not too bad.  I am obviously still struggling with upper back/neck posture.  Even when I think I am "packing" my neck, it is actually hyper extended.  Upper back starts to round as I get fatigued. As the sets go on, it gets worse.   I'm aware of it and trying to address this.  Its basically the final piece of spine neutrality that I need to master.

531 Day 11

Incline

1.  Incline Press (531)
165x5; 185x3; 205x5 . . . 225x3; 250x2 . . . 165x8; 165x8; 165x8

2a.  Cable Row
150x10; 150x10; 15x10

2b. Scaption
3x8; 3x8; 3x8

2c. Pushup
5; 5; 5

3a. Facepulls
80x20; 80x20

3b.  Windmills
53x3; 53x3

3c.  Curls
40x6; 40x6

Notes
Meh session.  Felt tired and underfed. My close grip incline PR is 260x2 and 275x1. Not sure if I'll be able to beat this on regular incline in a few days or not.  Also, I think my regular incline grip is borderline close grip anyways.

531 Day 9 and Day 10

Deadlift and BTN Press

1.  Deadlift
335x5; 385x3; 425x10 (PR)

2.  BTN Press
125x5; 140x3; 160x3 (PR) . . . 125x3; 125x3

3.  Cable Row
120x8; 120x8; 120x8

Notes
Sweet deadlift PR.  High rep, but I feel it is legit.  I'm still re-building my confidence, so this was important.  Felt good to have lots of the lifting crowd compliment afterwords.  Ommitted the extra sets because there was no point.

I'll get vids up on the other sets tomorrow or Sunday.  Exhausted right now.

Update: forget to mention I combined two days.  I wanted to get done with the three week cycle ahead of time, rest a couple days, and then maybe try to hit some more PR's before I move.

Update 2 for videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyC1yHz_eEE&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqpfszvXUGI&feature=youtu.be

Extra Workout 4

Scap Emphasis

1.  Scaption w/ Shrug
3x8; 3x8; 3x8; 3x8; 3x8

2.  Overhead Shrug
Barx8; Barx8; Barx8

3. Standing One Arm DB Press
25x6; 20x6

Notes
I basically shrug my traps and jut my head forward on all overhead movements.  I've been doing a bunch of neck mobilities, and I actually finally figured out what a "neutral packed neck" feels like (I think). Before, I was always just hyperextending my neck back.  I think this is why I could never hold the packed position during RDL's.  Anyways, I'm already seeing improvement in overhead movement.  I can actually overhead shrug now.  I'm also utilizing standing DB Press for additional scap work per this Lance Goyke article that Gabe directed me towards.

531 Day 8

Pendlay (Week 2)

1.  Scaption w/ Shrug
5x8; 5x8; 3x8; BWx8

2. Pendlay Row
160x3; 185x3; 205x8 (PR) . . . 225x3; 245x3 (PR) . . . 160x3; 160x3; 160x3

3.  Bulgarian Split Squat
BWx8; BWx8; BWx8

4.  DB Row
90x5; 90x5; 75x5

5a.  Tall Kneeling Cable Raise
70x6; 50x6

5b.  Scaption w/ Shrug (Round 2)
3x8; BWx8

6a.  Hypers
18; 18

6b. Roman Chair Leg Raise
15; 15

Notes
Intensity was off the chain.  Blasted through this in 60 minutes, including warmup.  Solid Pendlay PR's.  Didn't need the triple, but was just in the zone.

Bulgarian stability improves each session. Still lose my balance about one time per set.

Added anti rotation core exercise.

Scaption feels really unique and gets my scaps moving in a way I haven't felt before.  No idea what that means, other than maybe I've been cruising along not really moving shit the way its supposed. Crazy how fast I fatigue on them.  Not sure what drops out, maybe serratus?  Anyways, gonna hit this exercise frequently.

531 Day 7

Incline (Week 2)

1. BB Incline
155x3; 185x3; 205x5 . . . 225x2; 245x1; 255x1 . . .  155x8; 155x8; 155x8

2a.  Cable Row
130x12; 130x12; 130x12

2b.  Pushups
5; 5; 5

3a.  Facepulls
70x20; 7x20

3b.  Windmills
53x5; 53x5

Notes
Press felt ok.  Matt said I was shifting to the right side for stability.  *Shrug* Another day, another stability/movement issue.  I'm going to add in a 4 week anti-rotation movement.

My pushups suck balls.  I never mastered them.  My scaps just don't completely function right.  I did like 10-15 more max effort sets having Matt watch.  Per his suggestion, bottoms up start definitely improves some of the issues, but I still want to be able to do this from the top. I have  a lot of work to do with some stuff Gabe suggested for protraction.

 I really wish I could just fucking squat and do all this shit without a million issues.  I would just say "fuck it," but I'm committed to not fucking up my joints.  So whatever.  I've tried to balance everything the best I can.  Two steps forward, one step back.

Extra Workout 3

1a.  53lb KB Swing
16; 16; 16

1b.  3 Month Position Pullover
50x8; 50x8; 50x8

2.  50 yard Waiter Walk w/ 53lb KB
3 trips down and back

Notes
Nice little Sunday session.  I haven't done waiter walks for 2 months or so.  They became a staple for me over the past couple years.  I was really impressed with the stability I felt today considering I haven't done them. BTN presses + new thoracic mobility work = rock solid overhead stability.

Extra Workout 2

1a. RDL's
135x10; 135x10

1b. 75 degree high incline
45x12; 45x12

2a.  Close grip pull down
120x15; 120x15

2b.  Dips (new form)
8; 8

3a.  Hypers
17; 17

3b. Suitcase Deadlift
135x2; 135x2

3c.  Curls
40x8; 40x8

Notes
Quickly little pump session before grilling some ribeyes at Matt's.  I'm playing with my bodyweight press form (pushups and dips).  Tired, I'll explain later.

531 Day 6

Deadlift

1.  Conventional deadlift
315x3; 365x3; 405x5 . . . 425x1 . . . 315x3; 315x3

2. Bulgarian Split Squat
BWx8; BWx8

3.  Decline Leg Drop
6; 6

Notes
Kept this session very moderate because the Club Championship is tomorrow.  I'm the 7th seed, so I don't want to be all sore.  Deads felt fine.  I'm not going to do balls to the wall rep PR's on deadlifts at this point.  That shit can be destructive to my body.  It feels good to do nice clean and crisp reps right now.

Bulgarians... blah.  Unstable, falling all over the place.  A little better than last time.  Gonna keep rolling with bodyweight until I'm popping up and down with precision.

531 Day 5

Press

1.  BTN Press

115x5; 135x5; 150x7 (PR). . . 155x1; 165x1. . . 115x6; 115x6; 115x6

2a.  Cable Row

120x10; 120x10; 120x10

2b.  Pushups

15; 15; 15

3a.  Curls

75x9; 75x9

3b.  Side Plank

2x max hold per side

Notes

Forgot that "531" means sets of 5 the first week, and sets of 3 the second week.  Haha, oops. Got a solid rep PR.  I'll pay attention to the reps next time.

Much preferred the  cable rows over the chins after this session.  Close grip rows feel awesome on my shoulders and scapula.  Therapeutic almost.  I'm going to keep them in replace of the chins.  I don't like dropping chins, but I will go back to them eventually.

531 Day 4

Pendlay

1.  Pendlay Row
145x5; 165x5; 185x12 (PR). . . 205x3. . . 145x3; 145x3; 145x3

2.  Bulgarian Split Squat
BWx5; 53x4; 53x4

3.  DB Row
85x5; 85x5

4a.  Hypers
15; 15

4b.  Roman Chair Leg Raise
15; 15

Notes
Intentionally held back on the pendlays.  I've been lifting a lot lately.  Even so, reps felt crisp.  Last Pendlay session was about 3 weeks ago.  I don't feel like  I lost anything.  I'm happy I've prioritized this movement.  Feels good and strong.  Looking forward to a low rep PR in the next few weeks.

I find it challenging to maintain stability during split squats right now. I get a huge stretch off these and my knee feels fine as long as my front shin stays upright.  It feels good to be doing some unilateral leg work pain free.

531 Day 3

Incline

1.  Incline Press
145x5; 165x5; 185x10. . . 205x3; 225x3. . . 145x8; 145x8; 145x8

2a. Chins
5; 5

2b. Pushups
10; 10

3a.  Facepulls
70x15; 70x15

3b. BB Curls
70x8; 70x8

4. Windmills
3; 3

Notes
Cot damn that was alot of pressing.  I'm either going to have to reduce this press volume or drop chins.  My shoulders were screaming as soon as I hung from the bar.  I've been down this road before.  Heavy press volume + chins = fucked up shoulders.  Now, my chin form is damn near perfect.  Complete dead hang, straight pull up, bar to chest, elbows back, scaps depressed. So I don't think its a form issue.  It just irritates my rotators and shit.

I don't want to suck at chins, but part of me just wants to do high rep cable rows and stuff instead.  Those always feel great.

Extra Workout 1

1a.  Hypers
15; 15; 15; 15

1b.  Decline Leg Raises
6; 6; 6; 6

1c.  Rear Delt Fly
10x15; 10x15; 10x10; 10x10

Notes
I'm going to denote my extra workouts separately from the 531 stuff.  Basically, these are just little sessions to strengthen abs/lower back and pump some areas I need additional work on.  Nothing strenuous, just high volume stuff to get the blood flowing. I really like low intensity bodyweight stuff for recovery.

531 Day 2

Week 1 Day 2

1.  Deadlift
290x5; 335x5; 380x5 (belt)
joker sets skipped
290x3; 290x3 (first set last)

2.  Elevated Incline Forward Lunge
BWx8; BWx8; BWx8

2b.  Bulgarian Split Squat
BWx3; BWx3; BWx3

3a.  Hypers
BWx15; BWx15

3b. Windmills
3; 3

Notes
This was Saturday.  I felt beat up and weak.  I'm still catching up on sleep.  Also, I found the BTN presses completely destroyed me the day before.  My quads and core just felt really weak.  I guess its a good thing I'm bracing hard.

Wore the belt because my lower back is "tweaked." This has never happened to me and its really annoying.  I strained something during the 500lb pull like 2 weeks ago.  Anyways, its not bad, but I'm not messing around with it.  The belt made me feel safe and prevents the lower back from rounding.  I'm going to wear it if it makes me feel better on heavier stuff.  If I don't need it, I won't use it.

This day was before I worked out all my assistance.  Next week will look a little different.

531 Day 1

Week 1  Day 1

1.  BTN Press
110x5; 125x5; 135x8 (PR)
145x3; 150x1 (joker sets)
110x8; 110x8; 110x8 (first set last)

2a. Chins
5; 5

2b. Pushups
15; 15

3a.  Facepulls
60x15; 60x15

3b.  BB Curls
65x8; 65x8

Notes
This was last Friday and my first 531 day.  I really liked the rep scheme.  I rested for about 5-7 minutes in between the joker sets and then 3 down sets.  Eventually, I'd like to finish this cycle hitting 5 down sets.  Shoulders gonna get jaaaacked.

531 Intro

A few weeks back I bought Jim Wendler's new book, Beyond 531.  I immediately loved it, but was already committed to a 6 week mini cycle from Strength Life Legacy.  I used the Strong-15 short timer to hit a 500 lb no belt pull and 185lb behind the neck press.   I think I programmed for 455 and 175, so it definitely worked.  Its a nice short run routine to have in my toolbox.  With that said, the short-timer is exactly as Paul Carter described - a routine to run for a short time.  Its a strength peaking routine.  It doesn't really "build strength" so to speak.   But it was the right decision at the time. I had something semi-structured and hit some nice weights before the bar exam.

I move to DC on August 27th. So now, I'm in my usual position of having a short time to try to make some gainzzz before I move somewhere.  Part of me just wanted to say fuck it and play things by ear, but whatever. I'm going to do a 4 week intro run of a new 531 variation.  If I like it, I'll keep running it when I get to DC.  I can treat the move-in week as a deload if need be.  Chances are however, I can just keep on going with the routine even if I'm a couple days behind because...

I have great news for Deadlifts and Sandies:

I signed an apartment lease that is one block away from the gym. Literally a block.  It should be pretty easy to maintain a schedule even with the new job.

At the same time I need to be honest with myself and realize I might not be doing a damn thing at all for a while.  As soon as I get back on insurance I'll need to get my knee checked out.  I'm fairly confident I'll need surgery. If that is the case, I'm just going to do it as soon as possible.  My training has been severley compromised without squatting.  It hurts my fucking soul not to squat.  Its not like I don't want to try either.  My knee just easily is inflamed and still feels unstable as shit just in everyday life.  If I only have a partial tear, I'm not going to make it worse by squatting.  I'm getting creative and finding ways to progress in the gym anyways.

Without further adieu, here is my split.  The only thing I may change is some of the assistance:

Day 1

1.  BTN Press.  5/3/1 + joker + first set last (sets of 8)
2a.  Chins.  3 sets
2b.  Pushups. 3 sets
3a.  Facepulls.  3 sets, high reps
3b.  BB Curls 3 sets
4.  Side Plank. 2 sets per side

Day 2

1.  Deadlift.  5/3/1 + jokers (singles only) + first set last (triples)
2.  Stationary lunge - forward foot incline and elevated.  3 sets.
3a.  Leg drops. 3 sets.
3b.  3 Month Position pullover.  3 sets

Day 3

1.  BB Incline.  5/3/1 + jokers + first set last (sets of 8)
Same assistance as Day 1, but windmills instead of the plank

Day 4

1.  Pendlay Row.  5/3/1  + jokers + first set last (triples)
2.  Bulgarian Split Squat (3 sets)
3.  DB Row  (3 sets)
4a.  Hypers (2 sets high reps)
4b.  Hanging knee raises  (2 sets high reps)

Quick explanation

This is a little unconventional but I'm running with it.  I know my body and this is what I care about right now.  It seems like a lot of little assistance work, but thats all gravy and basically very low impact stuff.  Almost 50% of my assistance is bodyweight stuff.  The new 5/3/1 setup is significantly higher volume as compared to former 5/3/1 variations.  Its essentially 200% more work in the main lift.  That is where all the stimulus is coming from.

As such, my assistance work is basically centered around light stuff to keep me mobile and to address some of my problem areas.  The single leg work will all be bodyweight for a while, because thats all I need.  I found out I can do both of these movements without knee pain.  I think because my shin remains completely verticle.

Pendlays are weird for a main lift, but I don't care.  Its a legit heavy barbell exercise.  If 4 days are too much, I'll just combine days 3-4 and make move the pendlay rep scheme to assistance.

Beyond this, I'll do small workouts here and there for additional core work and the like.  Although I don't have any dedicated conditioning, I'm playing golf almost everyday now that I'm done with the exam.  Obviously this isn't the same intensity as what I've generally done in the past, but its good enough for a short period.  I'll get back to more intense conditioning in DC.

Days 48 and 49

Day 48

Last Sunday

Don't remember what I did. Basically just did some controlled reps with 135 on RDL, Bent Row, and Incline.

Day 49

Cleans
185x5

Deadlift
315x3; 315x3

Incline
185x5; 185x5; 135x8

Chins
5; 5; 5

Facepulls and Curls

Notes
This was last night.  I finally feel incredibly weak and soft after a summer of reduced lifting.  It wasn't the frequency so much as the past 2 weeks I barely lifted.  I think 2x a week is fine, but I've found that as soon as you stop, things go downhill pretty quickly.  Anyways, I plan to do a couple more workouts like this to get ready for a new routine on Monday.

Day 47

Deadlift

315x3; 365x2; 405x2; 455x1; 495x1 (no belt PR)

BTN Press
135x3; 145x1; 155x1; 155x1; 165x1; 185x1 (PR)

Notes
This is a session from about 10 days ago. I was balls deep in bar exam studying, and went in basically tripping on no sleep.  This was an important day for me psychologically, because I spent most of the summer on a very reduced training schedule.

This was a mini training peak, but it gave me something to focus my training on for a 6 week period while I was studying and shit. My best rep pulling is 495x5, which for whatever reason I've done 4-5 times.  Nonetheless, pulling this one time was very important to me.  I've never pulled 500 pound without a belt. Moreover, I did it while employing the neutral position I've been working on over and over and over again.

For the sake of posterity, I need to note that I was severely convulsing on the pulls from 405 up to 495.  Matt was at the gym, and literally lol'ing in my face because my entire body was spasming during the pulls.  I knew why it was happening at the time: extreme neural fatigue.  Now, I've seen plenty of dudes talk about how CNS fatigue doesn't exist, yadda yadda yadda.  Well suck my cock, because it does.  Call it whatever you want, but I saw it manifest clear as day in real life. Sleep was lacking, I had too many stimulants for days, and I had been engaged in intense mental work from morning to night nonstop.  Then I go into the gym and body is literally spasming/bucking from deadlifts.  I thought it was neat to see it all play out so vividly in the gym.

Day 46

Deload

1.  Savickus Press
95x5; 115x5; 135x5; 155x3; 175x1

2.  BTB Shrugs
225x8; 315x5; 315x5; 225x8

3.  Decline Leg Drops
6; 6

4.  3 Month Position Pullover
30x8; 40x8; 50x6

Notes
Went to the gym to do some light core stuff and saw my old training partner there.  He was doing some shoulder stuff so I joined him.  Savickus press is sitting on the floor with the pins set at chest level. It completely takes out the leg drive and stabilization.  But, I found it to be extremely anterior core intensive.  It was a really nice variation I think I'll implement in the future.  There is no way I would have been able to hit 175 on this a couple months ago.  Felt god.

Hopefully this stuff doesn't mess with my deload too much haha.  Oh well.

Day 45

Deload

Hypertrophy

1.  RDL
225x5; 225x5; 135x10

2.  45 Deg Bent Row
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

3.  Seated DB OH Press
60x11 (PR, +1); 60x5; 50x10

4a.  Bench
135x31 (PR); 135x15

4b.  KB Row
53x10; 53x10

4c. KB Windmill
53x3; 53x2

5a.  Cable Curl
30 reps

Notes
Went easy on the RDL's and dropped Pendlay's to give my lower back a break this session.

Even though I'm deloading, I decided to go for some high rep PR's.  I don't think it will impact recovery.  Previous 135 bench PR was 30 reps, which was during Big Beyond Belief last October.

Day 44

Deload

Strength/Power

1.  Hang Clean and Jerk
185x1; 185x1; 205x1

2.  Deadlift
315x3; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3

3.  BTN Press
135x5; 135x5; 135x5

4.  Chins
BWx5; 45x3; BWx5

5a. Bench
135x15; 135x15

5b.  DB Row
75x8; 75x8

6a.  3 Month Position Pullover
45x8; 45x8; 45x8 (+5 lbs)

6b.  Decline Leg Drop
8; 8; 8 (+1 set)

6c.  DB Row to External Rotation/YTI's


Notes
Looks like more than it really was.  Deadlift is the only thing  I really need to deload from since I'm only lifting 2x  a week for the most part. I went in today up in the air whether I would deload at all.  I decided to just see how the bar was moving before I made a decision.  The bar didn't have much pop, so I kept it light.

I'm starting to feel a little soft from the less frequent lifting.  Thats to be expected and doesn't bother me too much, but I'll probably throw in a little more pump work here and there.  I particularly like pump work on deloads.  Low impact, and I do movements I haven't been doing to get some blood flow and give my joints a break.

Day 43

Hypertrophy

Clean and Jerks to warm-up

1.  Pendlay Row
225x5 (PR); 225x5; 135x14(PR)

2. RDL
275x8 (PR); 225x4 (50% set)

3. Seated DB Press
60x7; 60x10 (PR); 60x7

4a. Suitcase Deadlift
135x4; 135x3

4b. Facepulls
12; 12

5.  Strict BB Curl
65x12; 65x12

Notes
Solid night to end this 5 week training cycle.  Part of me just wants to keep going because  I'm finally hitting some PR's, but I think I need a break.  I can't lift tomorrow so I went in tonight with one less day of recovery.  The bar isn't moving with as much pop as it has been, although the movements still feel solid as hell.

I feel great about the Pendlay progress.  185x5 was pretty damn tough for me a few weeks back.  I was diligent about just expanding my volume, grooving the movement a bit, and it seemed to pay off.  225 is not a big deal, but I have zero upward movement on these reps.

Seated DB Press has consistently improved. Due to my knee injury, the point of this was to improve all things pull and overhead presses.  I feel good about both right now.

I'm not exactly sure how I'll approach this deload, and whether I'm going to do a mini peak for some heavier deadlifts.  I'm itching to pull 5 plates for some reps, but its probably premature. I'm thinking at this point I'll do another 4-5 week cycle with these movements.  This is what I SHOULD do anyways.  Just keep building a solid base, and then maybe hit something worth talking about.

Day 42

Strength and Power

1. Clean and Jerk
185x1; 185x1; 185x1

2.  Deadlift
315x2; 365x2; 405x1; 455x1(95%); 405x3 (90%)

3. BTN Press
135x2; 155x2; 165x1; 170x1 (93%); 115x12 (-3)

4.  Chins
BWx5; 45x3; 70x2.5 (again); BWx5

5.  3 Month Position Pullover
40x8; 40x8; 40x8 (+5 lbs)

6a.  Decline Leg Drop
7; 7 (+1)

6b.  Prone Row to external Rotation
2 sets

Notes
Decent session.  I knew going in I was just going to do the prescribed reps and keep everything moderate.  I was very sore from Fridays session.  Not only did I do a bunch of fatiguing high rep sets, but I also had one less day to rest than normal (gym closed on the 4th).

Additionally, I'm just starting to feel a little beat up.  I'm only lifting 2x a week, but its week 5 of progressively heavier lift.  Also, I'm still running, golfing, etc 7 out of 7 days a week.

Which brings up a recent decision.  No Tough Mudder.  Its too much.  I cant lift, try to get better at golf, train for a 12 mile race, and also study for the bar.  It was just stressing me out and making me feel like shit since I was only running 2x a week and squeezing in some other half assed cardio here and there.  I'm a little sad I won't get the benefit of all the aerobics, but whatever.  You have to make decisions about what is important.  Also, 5-6 mile walks with a bag on your back multiple times per week certainly doesn't hurt your  aerobic base.  Yes, its very low intensity, but the heartrate is still elevated.

I'm probably going to stop logging the golf stuff. I dunno.  If I'm not lifting during the week, I'm golfing.

Edit:  About the lifts.  455 didn't feel heavy but it was choppy. Same with 170 on BTN press.

Day 41

Hypertrophy

1.  Pendlay Row
205x2; 225x2; 185x10; 185x10; 185x10 (+2 reps, PR) (doubled workload)

2.  RDL
225x20 (+6, PR); 225x6 (50% set)

3.  DB Press
65x6; 65x6; 65x6

4.  Strict Curl
65x11; 65x11 (+1)

5a.  Suitcase deadlift
135x3; 135x3

5b. Facepull
75x20; 75x20

Notes
Decided I wanted to move the hell on from the weights I've been using for a while.  Even though I've been using very moderate weight with RDL's and Pendlay's, I've been treating them as a main movement.  My thought on it is this:  these are probably the two most important barbell assistance exercises for my upper and lower body.  I want my reps and form to be perfect.  After this session, I believe I've patterned the movements well by staying super strict with high reps.

Pendlays were hard as fuck for 10 reps. Just very fatiguing on my posterior to stay down in that position.

RDL's I was just bobbing back and forth hinging like a mofo.  Smoothest hinge I've ever felt.  Its funny because yesterday I did some very basic hinge patterning with the KB, and then today it just felt so natural.  I'm moving the fuck on from 225 now on the RDL's as well.    I've been diligently using 185, 205, 225ish weight on these for months.  I feel solid, so I'm going to load them and see how it goes.  With my current routine, I see no downside to loading these movements as long as I'm getting quality reps.

Day 40

GOLF
-Shot 86 in the morning

CONDITIONING

5 Rounds:

1a.  Waiter Walks
20kg down 40 yards with right, back 40 yards with left

1b.  RDL Hinge Patterning
16kg x 10

2.  One Arm Farmers Walk
32kg down 35 yards with right, back 40 yards with left


Notes
Fun 4th of July.  I spent almost the entire thing outside sweating my ass off.  Humidity was insane. Unfortunately, the golf was terrible.  Absolutely terrible.  My work on the range is not transfering into good swings on the course. I need to think about this and get more organized like I am with lifting.

Conditioning was fun.  I used this as an introductory day to show Matt how I do loaded carries.  I'm writing a 2 month routine for him that addresses movement issues and all of that. I'll post more of it up later.

Day 39

GOLF
-Half a bucket at the range working on driver.
-Six over for 9 holes

Day 38

DRIVING RANGE
1.  62 short shots w/ PW and LW
2.  Half a bucket of drives
-Raining the entire time, but I managed a decent practice session.

CONDITIONING

1. 2 Mile Jog
-23 minutes

2a.  Medium Stance Hypers
15; 15; 15

2b.  CG Incline
135x10; 135x10; 135x10

2c.  DB Curl
35x8; 35x8; 35x8

3. 1/4 Mile Sprint

Notes
Nice range day and a quick little conditioning sesh right after.  I try not to let the rain bother me, because I feel its a competitive advantage if I'm playing against someone in poor conditions.  Nice pump after the jog.  I like throwing in quick "small" sessions here and there.  No need to program, just stretch and pump stuff to feel good.  Sprinted home from the YMCA because it was pouring out.

Day 37

1.  Hang Clean
135x3; 185x2; 205x1; 205x1; 225x1; 235x1 (PR +10 lbs)

2. Deadlift
315x3; 365x2; 405x1; 435x4; 375x3; 375x8

3.  BTN Press
135x2; 145x2; 155x2; 160x1; 160x1; 160x1; 115x15 (PR, +1 rep)

4.  Chins
BWx5; 45x1; 45x2; 45x3; 70x2.5

5. 3 Month Position Pullover
35x8; 35x8; 35x8 (+5 lbs)

6a. Decline Leg Raise
6; 6

6b.  YTI's

Notes
This session exceeded last Monday's.  Felt good.  Hang clean PR, press PR, and solid pulls.

Hang Clean PR. A little ugly, but got it.  I'm probably going to stop going for heavy singles with these for the rest of the summer.  Its borderline dangerous without bumpers.  I know some people would have no trouble tossing that weight around, but it hurts my joints to have to lower it, etc.

BTN rep PR.  This one was hard as fuuuuck.  I really don't know if I'll be able to get to 20 with this current rep scheme.  I need more moderate rep work.

Deadlifts. Went off the plan a little. I was supposed to only pull 435 for a single, but it just felt so good to be pulling with vigor again. Same with 365.  I'll try to stick to the routine next week.

Spine stuff.  Matt watched me for both deads and BTN presses.  Deads I rounded on 435 for reps 3 and 4 but looked neutral for the first two reps.  No big surprise and to be expected when I'm doing extra reps early in my foray back into deadlifting.  BTN Presses, no back extension, even as I was repping my guts out on 115.  Under high fatigue, I'm using my core correctly. Woot.

Day 36

GOLF
 Played 18 holes in the morning.  Played terrible.  Went back in the afternoon and hit 2 large buckets.  I'm re-planing my swing.  Long story short, this is akin to rebuilding a squat or something like that.  It takes a ton of work.

Run
-42 minutes
-147 avg HR.

So I knew there were trails by my house, I just never took the time to go check them out.  These are seriously awesome and are basically mini mountains to run up and down.

The forefoot running finally clicked.  I really think it was running over the dirt and rocks that made a huge difference, instead of just landing on the hard pavement step after step.  It was like the musculature and tendons of my feet just completely relaxed.  The cool thing about minimalist shoes is your can feel all the rocks, etc below your feet.  It kind of hurts, but in a good way.  Also, you have to look down and constantly pay attention to foot placement., and a lot of the steps have to be lateral.  This really seemed to loosen up my calves, ankles and feet.  Felt good.  Heartrate stayed down.

Day 35

Hypertrophy

1.  Pendlay Row
185x8; 185x8; 185x8 (+1 rep on all sets, dropped one set)

2. RDL
225x14 (PR); 225x7 (50%)

3. Seated OH DB Press
70x5; 70x5

4a.  Super Strict Curls
65x10; 65x10

4b.  Windmills
53x3; 53x3

5.  Facepulls
30 reps

Notes
Exhausted by the time I got to the gym.  Bar studying is mentally draining for me, which in turn, leaves me feeling physically weak.  I have to be 100% "on" all day long. I've been getting good sleep and eating well though, so that has been helpful. But even so, all the physical activity is catching up with me a bit.  Its fun, but I need a few rest days soon.

I grinded out the row and RDL stuff, and then dropped reps and volume on everything else.   RDL's are truly starting to feel grooved after months and months of attention.  On the other hand, I'm completely stunned at how fucking hard it is for me to progress with Pendlay rows.  Back exercises have also been my strongest lifts.  I'm beginning to think it is probably an exercise that is more effective in the 3-5 rep range.  And also, I lifted like a douche for years. Nonetheless, I'm going to keep trucking until I hit 10 reps across the board.

Day 34

Conditioning

1a.  Pullups
5; 5

1b. Dips
10; 10

1c. Hypers
15; 15

1d. Decline Leg Lowers
8; 6

2.  Stair Stepper
-30 minutes
-2.37 miles (+.26 miles)
-Avg HR 168
-Peak HR 178

GOLF
Hit a medium bucket.  Almost all driver.  Vast improvements. Vids later.

Notes
Good little BW circuit before the stair stepper tonight. Made me feel light and springy.  Cardio continues to improve.  My shirt was completely drenched in sweat when I got off the stepper machine.

Day 33

Conditioning

1.  Treadmill
1 mile at 8 min pace (174 Peak HR)
1/4 mile slow jog
1/2 mile 9 Percent incline (183 Peak HR)
1/4 mile slow jog

Time: 22 minutes

2a. Hyperextension
BWx20; BWx20

2b. Roman Chair Raises
BWx10; BWx10

Notes
Raining out so I ran on the treadmill.  I decided to change it up and run 1 mile at a fast pace (for me), and then 1 mile at a very steep incline.  The incline was very difficult and I had to cut it short.  Tough Mudder is still up in the air - incline work is very important since it is up and down a mountain for 10-12 miles.

Did some pump core shit stuff my glutes were sore as hell today.  I love it.  Sore glutes from deadlifting and OH pressing makes me happy.  Obviously I'm working them hard during the hinge, but I also contract them hard during presses. My ability to brace from head to toe has come a long ways.

Day 32

1. Hang Clean and Jerk
165x1; 185x1; 205x1; 225x1

2.  Deadlift
365x1; 405x1; 425x1 (88%); 425x1; 365x3; 365x3

3. Strict BTN Press
135x1; 145x1; 155x1; 165x1; 170x1 (PR); 115x14 (+2)

4.  Weight Chins
45x4; 70x2

5.  3 Month Position Pullovers
30x8; 30x8; 30x8

5a.  Decline Deadbugs
5; 5

5b.  YTI's
2 sets

Notes
One of the best sessions I've had in months.  Everything was crisp, controlled, and explosive.  I felt like a lifter.

Diet and Food Update

One goal I had last semester was to lean out.  I definitely did to some degree, but not to the extent I planned on.  The biggest reason is I just lost the motivation to get really strict on top of training and my final semester.  I was doing school work constantly, and the times where I wasn't, I was basically training nonstop.  This is not to say I ate sloppy - I never do that for more than a day or two.  But the attention to detail wasn't there, and I drank way too much alcohol way too frequently.  This is a physique killer.  Nonetheless, I managed to drop a few pounds of fat and significantly improve my conditioning and aerobic base, which just makes things that much easier now.

I asked Matt to write me a diet because I just didn't want to think about it.  I knew that most of our nutritional philosophies aligned, so it wouldn't be a huge deviation from what I am currently doing.  My only request was that I didn't want to eat breakfast.  At this point, the whole breakfast thing is more of a lifestyle choice than a decision made for body composition purposes.  I think intermittent fasting completely loses its efficacy after a couple years.  Moreover, at least in my humble opinion, the hormonal shit is basically small peanuts.  Here is the basic template:

Monday
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Beef, sweet potato and broccoli

Tuesday
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Chicken w/ Green Beans

Wed
Sausage w/ Eggs, Sliced tomatoes or peppers
Beef stir fry with veggies.  White Rice ,  Dessert of dark chocolate (optional)

Thurs
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Steak w/ sweet potato, dessert optional (Ice cream is best choice)

Fri
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Salmon w/ steamed spinach

Sat
Sausage w/ Eggs, Sliced tomatoes or peppers
Lots of meat for dinner.  Whatever looks good.  Have a beer or two, but keep carbs low otherwise.

Sun
Bacon and eggs, spinach (optional)
Haddock and green beans ,  Dessert of Greek Yogurt and fruit/berries (optional)

The biggest changes for me are carbs on a more frequent basis, and something besides red meat for dinner.  Also, no alcohol and no artificial sweeteners at all.  So far, just these two things have made a huge difference in my mood.

There is a lot more to the diet than the basic template.  For example, I can sub out salads for lunch (per certain guidelines), and I'm drinking tea with coconut oil before my golf and/or low intensity cardio sessions.  I think this is a ingenious idea for many, many reasons. So far so good.  Appetite is fine considering no snacks.

This will be my last run doing IF/Carb Cycling/Backloading type shit for a while. This is the way I've eaten for three years.  I really dialed it in last year and got great results, but I'm starting to feel I have the metabolism of a teenage girl.  I seriously do not eat a ton considering my size and activity level.  One big issue of eating like this year round, is when you want to lean out, what do you change?  There really isn't that much to move around.

After this I'm going to 3-5 meals a day for a while, including breakfast.    I'm starting to believe that nutrition should evolve and rotate just like training. Doing/Eating the same shit week after week eventually will just fizzle out.  You adapt and become efficient with what you got.  That is not to say I won't go back to IF.  I love it for a bunch of reasons, but I don't think I need to be fasting year round.

Anyways, here are some pictures of food from the last week.  I stick by his recommendations for the most part, but I add some flair for my own tastes.  I was 245 when I got back home, and now I'm sitting at 238.  3-4 pounds were by myself just running/walking more, and 2-3 pounds were from this diet (8 days in).  I want to get lower than last time (229), so that I can work to reset my bodyfat again, but this time even lower.

In the past year, I've really morphed my food intake to more "nutritional" choices.  IE, food that is good for me.  I feel great.  I rarely have low energy, almost never have bad training days, and can't remember the last time I was sick.  Maybe its the food, maybe its a coincidence, but it does make me feel good.

Day 31

Golf
-18 holes
-81, Bretwood North (Golds)

Notes
Played great today.  Two mistakes on the back costed me 2 double bogeys and really hurt my score.  It was  shame because I was playing well.  My scores are starting to creep down .  Hopefully I'll be in the 70s by next weekend.

All in all, a solid week of exercise and golf.  I'm a little tired, legs are aching a bit, but I feel good.  Next week, I need to get in at least two long and slow cardio sessions.

Day 30

Golf
-18 holes
-83, Bretwood South (Golds)

Notes
Meh, never found a rhythm.  Putting was solid.

Day 29

Conditioning

12 Rounds:

1a. Farmers Walks
120lbs per hand x 40 yards

1b.  Tire Pull
60 yards

-29 minutes
-512 calories
-Avg HR 159
-Peak HR 177

Golf
-9 holes, Bretwood South
-Three Over, 14 putts.

Notes
Excellent conditioning session followed by a solid day at the course. Conditioning was basically HIIT, although I didn't fall over in agony like a crossfit douche.  Farmers walks felt stable, upright, scapula back, etc.  Overall, a significantly higher avg HR than normal loaded conditioning sessions, but its about time to bump it up.  I'm much stronger aerobically than I was a few months ago.