bigger stronger faster with the help of 5/3/1

capo180

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Hello there! I am kinda new around here. Just really got started into powerlifting type training after reading and watching videos for hours online I decided to go full speed ahead with 5/3/1. For assistance work I am doing boring but big. I am really after a 1000 lb total at 198 lbs. Right now I am about 185 my current maxes are:
squat- 285
bench- 225
dead- 365
OH press- 165

I dont like those numbers at all.. Kind of a product of me hurting my back a little bit in May and dropping about 10 lbs.. no more excuses or other bs though. With 5/3/1 I just want to move the weight up slowly and get back in better shape (starting at 90% of maxes per Wendler). I would hope to be able to compete in my first powerlifting meet in April to get an official total.

today i did my first squat work out.

week 1 day A

warm up (stretch, foamroll, dynamic)

squat - 135x5 135x5
work sets 190x 5
205x5
215x5+4 (could of hit 2 more but stopped)
135x10x3 125x10 115x10

Goodmornings
95x10 105x10x2 115x10 125x10

cool down (stretch foam roll)

Good first lift. weight was moving good. its going to take sometime to get used to the squat volume.
 

capo180

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Today is a rest day.. Legs sure are nice and sore from that volume on squats. Plan on stretching and foam rolling throughout the day. Might go on a short jog later.

Tomorrow is bench day!
 

capo180

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week 1 day B

warm-up
stretch
rotator cuff warm up

bb bench press
warm up- bar x 15-20 95x10 135x5
work sets- 150x5 160x5 170x11
boring but big- 115x3x10 105x2x10

db row
45x20 50x2x20 (forearms about burnt out) 40x2x20

stretch
foam roll (legs, low back, upper back)

notes- rows were more difficult then anticipated. bench press was quick. DOMS from squats are still pretty severe. But I feel ready to deadlift tomorrow. felt good to be in and out of the gym in about 50 mins.
 
bolt10

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Good luck on your goals man. Lots of good guys in this section to help you out if you check the logs. 531 is an AM favorite. :)
 
CountryLiftin

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Welcome to 5-3-1 shoot me any questions you have about it, I've been doing variants for 7 months now. you'll love it.
 

capo180

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Thanks guys! I was looking through some logs before I started 5/3/1 myself. Seems to be a pretty good program for most guys that use it!
 
CountryLiftin

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Yes sir, it works. Plain and simple.
 

capo180

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week 1 day C

didn't sleep very well last night.. woke up at 4 am and rolled around until about 7:30 then had to do a physical exam for a new job.. came home and took a nap for 2 hours after that woke up did a bunch of foam rolling/stretching then hit the gym!

warm-up

foam rolling (legs,back,triceps)
stretched out the hips, hams, quads

deadlift
warm ups - barx15 135x2x5 185x5 225x3
work sets - 245x5 260x5 280x11
h ttp://www . youtube .com/ watch?v=0pUW9Xhfyoc (280x11)
boring but big - 175x3x10 165x2x10

abs -
3 sets of sit ups on decline bench
2 sets of hanging leg raises

cool down -
stretch
foam roll

notes - another strong gym day. very happy with my performance on deads today. give me feedback on the video I posted if you guys could. I need all the help I can get to be a bigger stronger faster version of myself. BTW i switched grip on rep 8 i think in that video to an over under grip to help me get a few more reps out. could of probably hit 13-14 reps on that weight.. but Wendler says to leave some in the bag. powerlifting is a marathon not a sprint.

"Rome wasn't built in a day."
 
CountryLiftin

CountryLiftin

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Get your hips down a little lower and flatten out the lower back. Keep your chest up and keep a strong back through the pull. And you don't need to lean back so far at the top, you're leaning so far your knees bend again. Just lock out it. You look strong and with some form tweaks you'll be lifting even more. Good head/neutral neck position.
 

capo180

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Thanks for the advice.. Yeah I really focused on keeping a neutral head today and kinda missed the other keys. Next week will look 100% better.
 
CountryLiftin

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Good to hear man as long as you improve every week or at least learn something that's what matters.
 
atanocc

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Wattup! Gotta see how thangs going on the other side of town ha nice lifting
 

capo180

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week1 cycle1 day D

traps and upper back were quite tight/sore before going to the gym. tried stretching them out felt alright, still felt tightness during my reps on OH press. any ideas on how to alleviate this tightness??

warm-up
rotator cuffs
stretching
foam rolling (low back, upper back, hams)

OH press
warm-up - barx20 95x2x5
work sets - 110x5 120x5 125x9
boring but big - 85x10 75x3x10 65x10

chin ups (bw) - 10,10,8,8,9

cool down
stretching

notes - OH work was a little more difficult than i thought it would be. chins went well, after set 3 i was pretty fatigued but still had two more good sets. all in all good 1st week of 5/3/1.. looking forward to starting week 2 in a few days. and my weight is up to 193 this morning, ate a little too much yesterday lol.

need to pick up a lacrosse ball for my upper back and glutes.
 

capo180

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cycle 1 week 2 day A

fasted work out this morning nothing but NO xplode and modern bcaa in my stomach. yesterday was Country Jam at the fairgrounds so i was out in the sun baking for the whole day.. got a nice tan/burn hahah. well anyways.

warm-up
simple stretching of the hips and hams

squats-
warm-ups - barx15 135x5 185x4 190x3
work sets - 205x3 215x3 230x6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uRJFYt21VY
boring but big - 135x5x10

good mornings
105x2x10 115x10 125x10 135x10

cool down
stretch hips and hams

notes - quick work out (45 mins) sets of 10 on squats were easier than last week. hit 135 on all 5 sets. doubled my reps on last set of 3s. hopefully i can keep that throughout the next week. give me feed back on squat form. everything felt okay.
 

capo180

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I think I leaned a bit forward on squats yesterday. I wasn't forcing my knees out like I want too.

Today is a recovery day. I'm not really sore like last week. Still woke up did some hip mobility work and a little foam rolling to begin the day.

Bench day tomorrow.
 
atanocc

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I think I leaned a bit forward on squats yesterday. I wasn't forcing my knees out like I want too.

Today is a recovery day. I'm not really sore like last week. Still woke up did some hip mobility work and a little foam rolling to begin the day.

Bench day tomorrow.
From what I saw.. Depth looked great! the leaning wasnt bad at all .. maybe u felt otherwise. But looked good to me. Keep it up brotha
 

capo180

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From what I saw.. Depth looked great! the leaning wasnt bad at all .. maybe u felt otherwise. But looked good to me. Keep it up brotha
thanks man. i just had a little incident back in may when i hurt my back while squating, left me out about a month.. i felt good with those squats the other day though. i just nit-pick my form lol.
 

capo180

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cycle 1 week 2 day B

bench day is here! feel pretty good today. my first couple of bench sets felt like poo but my last set went for 8 reps which is great. also got some video of me benching..

warm-up
static shoulder stretching
arm swings
other RC work

bench press
warm ups - barx10 95x5 135x3
work sets - 160x3 170x3 185x8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoDAmakS7DU
boring but big - 115x5x10

DB rows
45x3x20 50x2x20

cool down
band pull-a-parts
did some broomsticks (snatch grip bringing stick above the head and behind the back while rotating shoulders and attempting to touch low back)

notes - 40-45 min workout. 115 is more like 60% of my working max, every rep was pretty easy.. did pauses on last few reps of each set of 10. row were fun once again, got a nice burn in the forearms once again. i dont know what i was starring at during that bench video haha.. but after that i focused on fixating my eyes on a speaker in the ceiling lol, seemed to help.
 

capo180

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cycle 1 week 2 day C

planned on this being an off day.. but i felt good after working 9 hours so i said why not hit some deads..

haha well anyways.

warm-up
static stretching (hips, hams)
wall squats

deads
warm ups - 135x5 185x5 225x3
work sets - 260x3 280x3 295x8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwR3qXNU_A0
boring but big - 175x5x10

decline sit ups
4x15 1x20

cool down
stretching low back and hams
about to foam roll now..

notes - good workout for being late.. did a early lift and late lift this week. would rather lift late.. besides that, deads were better this week i think. rounding of back was evident on the last two reps.. i was just pushing for 8 today. and i reached that goal. let me know how my lifts look so far to this point guys. it will help me get better. the last two sets of boring but big for deads were pretty rough today..
 
atanocc

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Nice pullin man.. But try to keep head up n chest up. I see a few reps u had ur head down
 

longhornsp

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Chest up, yes. Head up, no. The spine and neck should all create a straight line when viewing from the side. Ideally you should be focusing on a spot about 6-8 feet in front of you in order to maintain that angle. Same thing with squat, you don't need to look up. Form looked pretty good, Hard to tell from the angle, but what's the little dip move you have going at the top of the movement? Might be something you want to work on, but hard to see if you're just trying to squeeze at the top or what. Have you read Starting Strength? Essential book to have for form questions.Edit: for the BP, keep your head down! lol. Pick a spot in the ceiling and focus on that and don't follow the bar.
 

capo180

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yeah. I'm working on the chest up head down thing. i did the extended neck form for so long. it is taking me a while trying to get used to tucking the head and maintaining proper form. one thing that is helping me is consistently getting my lifts on video..
 
atanocc

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Chest up, yes. Head up, no. The spine and neck should all create a straight line when viewing from the side. Ideally you should be focusing on a spot about 6-8 feet in front of you in order to maintain that angle. Same thing with squat, you don't need to look up. Form looked pretty good, Hard to tell from the angle, but what's the little dip move you have going at the top of the movement? Might be something you want to work on, but hard to see if you're just trying to squeeze at the top or what. Have you read Starting Strength? Essential book to have for form questions.Edit: for the BP, keep your head down! lol. Pick a spot in the ceiling and focus on that and don't follow the bar.
Oo never knew to keep head down! Someone always told me to keep ur head up .. Also for squat hmm.. Cuz I remember also a vid saying keep head up n look 25-30degrees up for squats(so you think you can squat video) well ill have to look it up later to double check
Edit: so yea it did mention to keep head up for squats n Also i checked out " so you think you can DL" and guy there had his head up completely , but didnt really mention too much about it.. But then I looked at mark ripptoe n yea he did mention the chin tuck n chest up .. So I don't really know anymore ha
 
bolt10

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I'd tuck the head and squeeze the glutes more to lock out as opposed to extending at the back (I think that is what is causing your knees unlocking at the top). Don't lean back at the top just stand tall.
 

capo180

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Thanks guys! I need to work on my deads. As far as the chin tucked vs extended I heard that it helps keep the spine in a straight line. I like to just look forward on squats ill sometimes look up if I'm really pushing for one or two more reps.. I dunno if it helps.
 

capo180

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Right shoulder hurts like **** today.. Mostly because of my job (I work in a deli). Thank god I only got another week left here. Starting a new job in 2 weeks! Can't wait.
 

capo180

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cycle 1 week 2 day D

this was a sh*t workout.. wanted to get a little more out of my last set..

warm-up
band pull a parts
stretching shoulders lats and chest

OH press
warm-ups - barx10 95x2x3
work sets - 120x3 125x3 135x5
boring but big - 75x5x10

chin ups - 10,10,10,8,10

cool down
band pull a parts
broomsticks
stretching

notes - not my best day. yesterday i didnt feel very good. and that carried over into the gym this morning.. next week is 5/3/1 so i want to really kill it for those workouts. ill squat either sunday or monday. see how my schedule looks.

Im thinking about running X-Gels (ArA) beginning cycle 3 and running for 50 days.. should help with strength and help put a little weight on me. i want to lift at 198.. i think the meet is in April. so i might go up to 200-205 and look to cut down a bit. i dunno we will see. still a ways out.
 
Sean1332

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Subbed. Good work dude.

Tip on your deadlifts- Reset each rep. SQUEEZE your glutes at the top!! You'll notice how your knees unlock and track forwards. Take those shoes off too.
 

capo180

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Thanks man. I wanna get some better shoes to lift in.. Ill try barefoot this week though.
 
Duramaxhd

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I started squatting and deadlifting barefoot a couple of months ago I like how stable you feel and it seems u get more to the floor could just be me though
 

capo180

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cycle 1 week 3 day A


woke up and did some foam rolling felt nice and loose. hit the gym and did some squats! great workout today.

warm-up
foam rolling (groin, IT band, hamstrings)
stretching (hips, hams, lats, chest)
band pull-a-parts 20 reps or so

squats
warm-ups - barx10 135x5
work sets - 190x5 215x3 245x5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBKjJD4SMhM
boring but big - 135x5x10

good mornings
115x2x10 125x10 135x2x10

cool down
stretching (hips, hams)

notes - everything felt great today.. i am going to try to squat with shoes off next week for deload week (didnt see the comment until now). got 245x5 today. pretty happy with getting +4 hopefully i can keep that going thru the week. going to do band pull-a-parts pretty often, i get a little click in my right shoulder from time to time. ive heard its from imbalance of strength within the shoulder so rear-delts are going to be hit pretty often.
 
Duramaxhd

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Nice work
How do u like the foam roller I was thinking of getting one
 

longhornsp

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Squats looked good. I would highly recommend reading the squat section in the 5/3/1 book though. You're wasting energy and tightness dancing around before your first rep. Bouncing the knees and the foot shuffle will get you when you start to get to a heavier weight. 1-2 steps out of the rack and boom, go. You made the weight look easy though...great work



Chucks have always worked well for me. Would like to try some OLY adidas that I've been eyeing but for me I find it hard to justify the cost (vs. benefits).


Have you run ArA before? it's pretty good for strength...stack with carnitine
 
Sean1332

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Squats looked good. I would highly recommend reading the squat section in the 5/3/1 book though. You're wasting energy and tightness dancing around before your first rep. Bouncing the knees and the foot shuffle will get you when you start to get to a heavier weight. 1-2 steps out of the rack and boom, go.

Chucks have always worked well for me. Would like to try some OLY adidas that I've been eyeing but for me I find it hard to justify the cost (vs. benefits).

Have you run ArA before? it's pretty good for strength...stack with carnitine
There's other very good and inexpensive Olympic shoes than the Adidas. VS and Wei-Rui are both great and under $100
 
Sean1332

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cycle 1 week 3 day A

woke up and did some foam rolling felt nice and loose. hit the gym and did some squats! great workout today.

warm-up
foam rolling (groin, IT band, hamstrings)
stretching (hips, hams, lats, chest)
band pull-a-parts 20 reps or so

squats
warm-ups - barx10 135x5
work sets - 190x5 215x3 245x5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBKjJD4SMhM
boring but big - 135x5x10

good mornings
115x2x10 125x10 135x2x10

cool down
stretching (hips, hams)

notes - everything felt great today.. i am going to try to squat with shoes off next week for deload week (didnt see the comment until now). got 245x5 today. pretty happy with getting +4 hopefully i can keep that going thru the week. going to do band pull-a-parts pretty often, i get a little click in my right shoulder from time to time. ive heard its from imbalance of strength within the shoulder so rear-delts are going to be hit pretty often.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/band-pull-apart-super-series-for-healthy-shoulders/

Check that out for the pullaparts. I'll do several hundred every day. It makes a huge difference. Hammering your rear delts, like you said, will be awesome as well. I'll hit my main back accessory, and then do some facepull variants or seated DB cleans.
 

longhornsp

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There's other very good and inexpensive Olympic shoes than the Adidas. VS and Wei-Rui are both great and under $100
Good to know. I think it's something I want to look at more. But even for a $100 at this point in my lifting I'm not sure it's a make or break. Chucks have worked well for my level of lifting.

That being said I'm not planning to ever set the world on fire with my numbers. When I get to 2x my BW on squats I'll be happy.
 
Sean1332

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Good to know. I think it's something I want to look at more. But even for a $100 at this point in my lifting I'm not sure it's a make or break. Chucks have worked well for my level of lifting.

That being said I'm not planning to ever set the world on fire with my numbers. When I get to 2x my BW on squats I'll be happy.
Touché. Chucks vs Olympic shoes=a completely different squat. If you're strong in chucks still, stick with em. There's too level lifters wearing chucks, and others in Oly. To each their own.
 

capo180

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Thanks guys! the foam roller is great, mine is a trigger point one, a bit more pricey than a regular foam roller but it hits sore muscles a bit harder.. my squat walkout isnt the greatest. i hope that doing so many sets will let me practice and help get my feet where they need to be.

Im going to probably invest in some chucks in a couple of weeks. Im a pretty narrow squater though. i dunno if anything they are a pair of shoes that i can use for the gym even if they dont really help move more weight. i need a new pair of training shoes anyways.

thanks for the article on pull-a-parts im going to check that out later.
 

capo180

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And as far as supps go right now I'm just on basics pre, multi v, creatine, and protein.. Sometimes modern BCAA if I train fasted.

This will be my first time on ArA I hear it produces good strength gains.. I plan on doing 1g-1.5g a day for 50 days.
 

longhornsp

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And as far as supps go right now I'm just on basics pre, multi v, creatine, and protein.. Sometimes modern BCAA if I train fasted.

This will be my first time on ArA I hear it produces good strength gains.. I plan on doing 1g-1.5g a day for 50 days.

The basics are the best way to go.

The ArA can just be used pre-workout, no need to dose it on off days. I would definitely use it with LCLT and GMS (Glycergrow or Hemavol). One of the few natty stacks I think are beneficial outside of the basics
 
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capo180

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cycle 1 week 3 day B

5/3/1 day for bench today. got a really good night sleep. and i felt real good in the gym. weights were flying around.

warm up

band pull-a-parts over and underhand 15 reps each way
stretched the pecs and lats with a heavier band attached to a pull-up bar
lateral raises with 5 lb db 10-12 reps

bench press
warm up - barx10 95x5 135x5
work sets - 150x5 170x3 190x8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdWmJ_mq7Tk
boring but big - 115x5x10

db rows
45x15, 50x15, 55x15, 60x15, 65x15

cooldown

more pull-a-parts (under and over hand) 30 reps total
static stretching (lats, hips, chest)

notes - felt great in the gym today. Real strong workout. Weights moved well from the get go. I can do much more than 115 on BBB sets. Next cycle I will probably go up to 125 for those sets and see how that feels. Went a bit heavier on rows than usual with 15 rep sets instead of 20 rep sets. pull-a-parts after those rows were killer. wanted to do the elite FTS series but i was pretty worn out. probably my best day in the gym so far this summer. taking tomorrow off and then deadlifting weds.
 
atanocc

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cycle 1 week 3 day B

5/3/1 day for bench today. got a really good night sleep. and i felt real good in the gym. weights were flying around.

warm up

band pull-a-parts over and underhand 15 reps each way
stretched the pecs and lats with a heavier band attached to a pull-up bar
lateral raises with 5 lb db 10-12 reps

bench press
warm up - barx10 95x5 135x5
work sets - 150x5 170x3 190x8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdWmJ_mq7Tk
boring but big - 115x5x10

db rows
45x15, 50x15, 55x15, 60x15, 65x15

cooldown

more pull-a-parts (under and over hand) 30 reps total
static stretching (lats, hips, chest)

notes - felt great in the gym today. Real strong workout. Weights moved well from the get go. I can do much more than 115 on BBB sets. Next cycle I will probably go up to 125 for those sets and see how that feels. Went a bit heavier on rows than usual with 15 rep sets instead of 20 rep sets. pull-a-parts after those rows were killer. wanted to do the elite FTS series but i was pretty worn out. probably my best day in the gym so far this summer. taking tomorrow off and then deadlifting weds.
Sleep does the body good!!! Nice job on the presses
 

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