5/3/1 Round 2: Squat 5RM

Parallel Box Squat: 95x5, 125x5, 155x5, 185x3, 215x2, 225x5, 245x5, 255x5

Parallel Box Squat: 185x10x3. I tried a 4th set but was so spent that I practically dive bombed to the box.

LifeFitness Treadmill: Hill Profile Level 7, 30 Minutes, 3.8 miles per hour.

5/3/1 Round 2: DB Shoulder Press 5RM

Day Before:
LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 7, 45 Minutes

Today:
DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 40x5, 45x3, 55x2, 60x5, 60x5, 65x6

Assisted Dips: 60 lbs of assistance for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps

Assisted Pullups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 3 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 95x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 135x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

Rowing Machine (Aerobics): 20 minutes

5/3/1 Round 2: Deadlift 5RM

Conventional Deadlift: 115x5, 145x5, 175x5, 205x3, 240x2, 255x5, 270x5, 290x6

Leg Curls: 135x7, 6, 5, 4, 4 reps. This machine that I use only has 15 lbs increments.

Arched Back Good Morning: 145xtotal fail. Just didn't have it. Will have to figure something out I guess:

LifeFitness Treadmill: Hill Profile Level 7, 30 Minutes, 3.8 miles per hour.

5/3/1 Round 2: Bench Press 5RM

Flat Bench Press: 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x2, 165x5, 175x5, 185x5 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 135x10x5

Assisted Chinups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 4 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 85x10x5

Hammer Curls: 30x10x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Just Aerobics

LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 6, 45 Minutes

5/3/1: Round 1 Squat Deload

Early Morning:
LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 6, 45 Minutes

Afternoon:
Parallel Box Squat: 95x5, 125x5, 155x5, 175x5

12" Front Box Squat: 145x10x5

Assisted GHR (Light Bands): 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 reps.

5/3/1: Round 1 DB Shoulder Press Deload

DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 35x5, 45x5

Assisted Dips: 75 lbs of assistance for 5 sets of 10

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 95x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 135x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

5/3/1: Round 1 Deadlift Deload

Conventional Deadlift: 115x5, 145x5, 175x5, 205x5

Leg Curls: 120x10x5

Arched Back Good Morning: 145x10x5. After this, my back still felt solid but I stopped the workout after the calf raises. I'll bring the ab work back next week.

Hammer Calf Press: 220x10x3, 220x8x2

5/3/1: Round 1 Bench Deload

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x5

Incline Bench Press: 135x10x5. Struggled the last two sets but I gutted them out.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 85x10x5

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 11, 8, 6, 6, 6 reps

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x5. I got the reps but I was reaching deep to finish each set. Next time, I think hammer curls on the days I do chinups might be a better choice.

5/3/1 Last 2 days

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

May 15th:
DB Shoulder Press: 25x5, 30x5, 35x5, 45x3, 50x2, 55x5, 60x3, 70x3 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Dips: 75 lbs of assistance for 5 sets of 10

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 reps

Hammer ISO Rows: 95x10x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 135x10x5

DB Hammer Curls: 25x10x5

May 16th:
Parallel Box Squat: 55x5, 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 205x2, 225x5, 255x3, 285x1(Rep Out Set). Felt pretty good this morning but decided, just in case, to just go for the single. Did a little more of a warmup and was able to do one clean single . . . . . I passed on trying anything more. Left the gym fresh, no pain anywhere. Deload week will be great.

5/3/1: Deadlift 1RM

Since I had a half assed workout last weekend, and I felt great yesterday, I worked up to a 310 triple, then went to the 325 target and did that twice anyways. And after the cooldown, I went home with a smile:)

Today: LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 5, 45 Minutes

5/3/1: Bench Press 1RM

LifeFitness Elliptical: Hill Profile, Level 5, 45 Minutes

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3, 145x2, 155x5, 175x3, 195x3 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 135x10x4, 135x7.

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 12, 10, 8, 6, 6 reps

Hammer ISO High Rows: 85x10x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x5

Switcheroo

My deadlift workout felt hard again . . . . Fuck!?! On the 3RM day for 5/3/1, I was supposed to rep out with 290 in the end. I struggled to lift it just once. I just walked out of the gym, kinda bummed. Pissed, more like. Didn't do anything else.

A few hours later, it occured to me that maybe I was running into the same problem I once had with the squat/front squat: Since last year I had thrown so much work into deficit deadlifts that my regular deadlift suffered. So now, I could launch the weight better but after I get it off the floor, my lower back engages too soon because the weight is way heavy a few inches off the floor. I also felt as if my lower back was not recovering fast enough and came to the conclusion that with deadlifts one day, good mornings the next leg day, and being in body armor a lot, an overtrained lower back was a foregone conclusion.

I took some days off, and went to work rescheduling my workout. Good mornings will now be an assistance movement on deadlift day, front squats on squat day. On the 1RM squat and deadlift day, just this once, I'm not doing the assistance movements - - - to buy me some extra recovery time - - - but will bring them back on the deload week.

Let's see if this works.

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 5

(All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):

Flat Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3, 145x2, 165x3, 175x3, 185x5 (Rep Out Set)

Incline Bench Press: 125x10x5. Did not have to rest/pause this at all this time.

Hammer ISO High Rows: 42.5x5, 55x5, 70x5, 85x3, 97.5x2, 105x5, 112.5x5, 120x6 (Rep Out Set). An experiment for me. While the 5 sets of 10 is working for me, I'm thinking of applying the 5/3/1 to the rows simply for extra strength to back up my bench and deadlift. Or, I may just use the reps to calculate a new max to do the 5x10.

Hammer ISO Rows: 112.5x3, 120x3, 135x5 (Rep Out Set). This was so that, in case I use the 5/3/1, I could be caught up. Next upper body day, I will do a 5-rep day with the regular rows and the 3 reps with the high rows.

Trap Bar Shrugs: 146x10x5

Preacher Curls: 55x10x2, 55x9+1, 55x7+3, 55+7+3. Getting better, and this even after all the heavy rowing.

5/3/1: Wave 1 Workout 4

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Parallel Box Squat: 90x5, 120x5, 145x5, 175x3, 205x2, 220x5, 235x5, 250x5 (Rep Out Set)

Leg Curls: 120x10x5

Arched Back Good Morning: 145x10x5

Hanging Leg Raises:6, 6, 5, 5, 4 reps

Hammer Calf Press: 210x10x5