re: Let's go N.O.V this Summer with 5/3/1!

W2D1 - Press - "Finally, I got it right!"

I got a job. So now I'm just like all you assholes, missed almost an entire week of training because I was too busy with my "unmarried & childless" life to lift for 50 minutes a day. I don't know how I'm gonna get the sessions in now. I'm committed to working 3 shifts every 6 weeks....that's oppressive! How will I even do meal prep now?

Warm-up: banded face fulls and pull aparts, KB swings and jump rope to get the HR up.
Press:
Warmup Sets:
45lb x 5 x 2
95lb x 5 x 2
135lb x 1

Work Sets:
155lb x 3
175lb x 3
195lb x 11(AMRAP)

Notes:
So after a wonderful first week on 5/3/1 wherein I started way too low on the press I "kinda sorta" re-did W1D1 last Monday(05/27) with the press by upping the weight and doing the 5, 5, 5+ rep scheme, aaaaaaaand then I fricked off with new job shite for the rest of the week cuz I'm a wimp. So I definitely re-started week #2 tonight, which should be the start of week#3.

I very nearly just did two sets of 5 and then an AMRAP because I'm so damn programmed to do "5's" ...I felt like I broke some deep cosmic law by doing two sets of 3 followed by an AMRAP, but it was okay, a rift in the space time continuum was not opened by my not doing sets of 5. Seriously, it was okay.

I got fricking angry at that damn bar with 195lb on it, did not expect an 11. After the two opening work sets I was thinking maybe 6 or 7 reps, but I got angry, you see. Larry Allen died.... I had to do it for Larry, you see. Now I'm gonna go walk and then eat. frick doing additional shite, MAIN LIFTS ONLY! POUR GAS ON IT!

denim, check your email when you can. hit you with a good bit of stuff for you to review.

I’m doing 531 first set last at the moment, lifting Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. I’ve been doing this for like 3 months I do 20-25 miles a week. Things have been going good. I got a lot going on with a calorie deficit, heavy weights, and running but I’m on the 531 path with you.

Ohhhhhh, Dr. Denim is a bad, bad, bad boy. He's neglecting his training log.....he's neglecting his training.....he's just...just...neglectful

'Twas not my fault, brothers and sisters, the economic pressure of adulthood sounded it's clarion and I had to answer, Yes! I had to get a job. Pickled Rats Balls, that's just the pits! But...I AM an adult, it had to happen at some point. I think this is where I'm supposed to curse that old fellow, Joseph R. Biden, (checking with my tigerdroppings advisory team, they say anytime is a good time to curse old Joseph, so...OK)

Damn You Joseph R. Biden, you stinky dicklicker! There, done. I feel filthy lowering myself into politics, so that's all I can do on that.

This "Job" has caused me much woe in the scheduling department and I feel as if my valuable time is being nibbled and nipped away bit by bit just so I can have a few wrinkled dollars to stuff into my pantaloons. But! I do continue to train, my intent here is to log not only my training but to provide a review of sorts of the basic 5/3/1 training programming so any interested parties can peer "under the hood" and decide if this is a set of methods that may serve them in their training.

Life inevitably gets busy at times and one of, (if not the Number 1 thing), the things I look for in my programming is a way to put the training on "Cruise Control" when other commitments are making it difficult to A) train consistently, B) train passionately, or C) Both A & B together at the same time. For most of May and all of June I was in a C type of situation, and I can say that the basic core foundation of 5/3/1 methodology has pleased me because I have been able to put it on Cruise Control very easily. I just keep doing week #1 over and over. A couple times I made it to week #2, but I've yet to actually finish a single 4 week cycle of 5/3/1. At the moment I'm visiting my "Persistent Female Companion" in Vietnam, and that is presenting me with a whole new set of obstacles to overcome, so the struggle continues. But....we must remain North of Vag,...yes? Yes!

To quickly recap, especially for those who are not familiar with 5/3/1: the first week is 3 sets of 5(final set is AMRAP), Set #1=65% of Training Max(itself is equal to 90% of 1rep max), Set #2=75, Set #3=85%, second week is 3 sets of 3(final set is AMRAP) and add 5% to those week 1 percentages, week #3 is the namesake, 3 sets = 5reps/3reps/1rep, first set of 5 reps @ 75%, second set 3 of reps @ 85%, and the final set is a single rep but it's also an AMRAP @ 95%. It's an elegant way to build towards lifting above 95% of whatever your set training max is for any given training cycle. Week #4 is a deload week, straight 3 sets of 5(no AMRAP sets) with 40%, 50%, and 60%, then start the process over with a modest weight jump(5lbs for press and bench press, 10lb for deadlift and squat).

My personal plan and intent was to do this order, 1:Press, 2:Deadlift, 3:Bench Press, 4:SQUAT every week on a Mon-Tue (Wed-Off) -Thur-Fri schedule. It has seemed that week after week I'll do 2 sessions across that week, and then I'll have to go to work or a class and I'll get derailed and then I'll do the 3rd and 4th sessions during the next week and then I'll get busy again and just say "frick it" and sometime during what is probably week #3, I'll re-start with the week #1 percentages and the sets of 5. I'm not getting any stronger, but I'm perfectly maintaining, and at times like these that is for the best.

When my schedule relaxes and my summer travels die down I will be able to resume a more consistent schedule and then I'll follow the 5/3/1 as it's intended to be followed, but until that point I will continue to maintain my strength/fitness by staying in this mode. My rationale for sticking with repeating week #1 over and over is due to the relatively light intensities with at or above 5 reps to a set. With so much inconsistency in my week to week schedule I'd hate to be pushing myself to lift heavier. When it's time to shift gears I will shift gears, until then...this is working for what I need most right now. Still cutting fat. Bodyweight is down to 253 from 265ish, abdominal girth decreased as well.

2nd week deads today.

255lb x 3
290lb x 3
325lb x 5(AMRAP)*
My left lower back would not un- clench today, so I didn't really push it hard on that AMRAP. I had 8 or 9, but that left lower erector was being cranky so I was merciful towards it.

Assistance movements:
1. Pull downs: 3x10 with 112lbs
2. Alternating DB curls: 3x10 with 15lbs
3. EZ-bar curls: 3x10 with 57lbs

Notes: Everything is a drag because my sleep is so shitty. I'm not enjoying Vietnam that much this summer. My fantasies of moving here semi-permanently are fading fast. Love the gym though. Everything else kinda blows.

I start beginner prep school tonight

so the basics of the program have essentially stayed the same for the most part

differences is he expanded his explanations on everything and factored in more

throws/jumps- he added these in and kind of expanded on these and how to use them as your dynamic effort movement

main lift- can use 5/3/1 og taken to failure, take to goal reps and stop or do the 5's pro which is taking all the sets to 5. 5's pro first showed up in the beyond 531 book. also see joker sets introduced in beyond book

supplemental lift- wendler went on to define this as a secondary lift that helps build the main lift. Many times its a repeat of the main lift at lower percentages. Think 5x5 bench at 50% after you do your main lift for the day. This is what wendler uses to accomplish certain goals

- basic would be first set last LINK. this is where you take the first working set of the day and perform 5x5 with it. this is pretty perfect undulated 3 week wave. also has second set last which is for more intensity. FSL can be considered repetition method or if done properly and especially if using a VBT meter can be considered dynamic method.

you also see boring but big(5 x 10),boring but strong(10x5),



assistance work- this is where he made prolly biggest change. in forever he kind of says....unless noted and listed use the following as a guide

push- 50-100 reps
pull- 50-100 reps
single leg/core- 50 to 100 reps

you can spread this across a couple different exercises etc



he also introduced challenges, defined the 6 week cycle(2 of the 3 week cycles then deload for 7th week), introduced the 7th week protocol, etc

but biggest thing in the forever book is he introduced the concept of periodization of the whole program. essentially block periodization to a certain effect

leader templates- higher volume of barbell work, less assistance, less jumps/throws and less hard conditioning. usually lower intensity overall but much more volume on supplemental lifts. usually run 2 or 3 cycles(cycle=6 weeks + 7th week protocol)

anchor templates- higher intensity, less barbell work overall, more assistance work, more jumps and throws. more hard conditioning. sets are pushed harder here, more + sets taken to failure and usually much higher % of 1rm

usually its 2 leaders to 1 anchor but can also do 3:2 or 2:2

he also goes over the importance of the training max, how to use it depending on training age etc.



then in all the books besides the OG 2nd edition....he gives a ton more templates to follow. especially in forever. just template after template.

also on his website he has released templates like 5/3/1 for size- Building the monolith, krypteia 2 day- LINK and many others. also on the private forum he list stuff

I've been feeling fairly beat up lately, mainly doing some form of the Greyskull LP. So I've jumped back into the OG 531. Not going NOV at this time, just doing 531 sets and percentages with my normal accessory work mixed in.

Right now, the fact that I'm working off a set max weight, and only increasing it monthly instead of weekly has been easier on my body. The built in deload week should help with my recovery.

I'd forgotten how enjoyable and hassle free 531 is. I can still get good work sets in, and not feel like I've been hit by a truck the next day.

SQUAT - "Three's Week" of 5/3/1

after a warmup(don't know why this is necessary because it's so fricking hot and humid here in Ho Chi Minh, but I do it out of habit and no matter how hot it is I need to get my body loose at this age)

Warm-Up Sets:
45lb x 5 x 2
135lb x 5
225lb x 5

Work Sets:
310lb x 3
355lb x 3
400lb x 6? 7? or 8? (AMRAP) Honestly, got so damn exhausted during this set I lost count, I think that that is an excellent indicator that the AMRAP was a success, but I do wish I knew with 100% confidence how many reps I got. I'm fairly certain it was 7, but I'm putting 6 in the book because I know I got 6, when it's really hot/humid and I push it on these final AMRAP sets I lose count all the fricking time.

Assistance Work: (I did my best, but I was too in the bag to do much worth a shite. Honestly, at this gym I'm training at here in Vietnam, walking all over the damn floor to collect bumper plates and walking them back to the rack is it's own damn workout. Seriously, I could easily claim 6 sets of 20 yard long farmer's carries with 45-55lbs in each hand)

Step-ups: 1 set of 10 each leg, bodyweight only
Walking Lunges: 20 paces(10 for each leg) bodyweight

Conditioning: frick NO!

I hear yall on the heat, it's a fricking swamp here, the heat aint bad but the humidity is murder. Once I got my body warmed up and going I couldn't stop my HR from getting over 150, just standing up caused it to jump up. Saw a young American kid training there today, I was pleased to see him come in, drop his bag and immediately go test his vertical jump. He then proceeded to do some box jumps, double dumbbell vertical jumps, weighted chins. I thought to myself, "This kid knows how to train!" That's so awesome to see. I'd guess he was 17-18, high school kid, just looked like a typical multi-sport athlete of average size/proportions. But I'm used to seeing guys his age in America at gyms and they just frick around on their phones, joke around with their friends, and waste space doing their half-arse bullshite bodybuilder split routines with no passion, crap form, either no weight OR worse, way too much weight....just bad bad bad all around. To see this kid get after it with modern, proven methods and good technique, clearly he had a plan and knew what he was doing, not fricking around, made me happy. I wish I would have noted what his t-shirt said, it was a school shirt, "Something Academy" no doubt a private school somewhere that probably has coaches worth a shite who taught him something. Maybe, maybe not, it still pleased me to see him doing what he was doing.

(Honestly, I think it said Pineville Academy and I googled that and see that there is a Pineville Christian Academy in Pineville, LA, but I don't remember his shirt saying Christian on it, just Pineville Academy) Navy blue shirt with gold lettering