Entry #253

Lifted on 5 hours of sleep, maybe less.

Bench press:
215 x 3
245 x 3
275 x 8
> 15 pound increase in a week. What'd I say about it being all in the form? One thing I feel like I'm not doing enough of is pulling the bar apart hard enough to engage the lats. 

Neutral-grip dumbbell press:
120s x 6, 5, 5, 5, 5

Band pressdowns:
x 25

Supinated cable rows:
165 x 12, 12, 10, 10, 10

Seated dumbbell curls with Fat Gripz:
37.5s x 16 

Got a heating pad and it's working wonders for my back. I don't have back pain or anything, it just feels damn good and relieves stiffness after deadlifts.

Ate a big dinner and about to go for seconds at Cheesecake Factory now. I'll be the guy with the tiger carcass.

Entry #952

Deadlifts:
315 x 3
365 x 3
405 x 10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYsM6ma5cYc

I feel like I wasn't ripping the weight off the floor like I've been aiming to do lately. My lockout was the stronger portion of the ROM. It's probably a result of so many high rep sets and not enough maximal pulls. It's been ages since I've done anything less than a 5RM. My plan is to let the routine sort me out and get me there eventually as I continue to up the weight, but I'm a little cautious about the increased chance of injury in the meantime.

Good mornings:
205 x 8, 8, 8, 8
135 x 12

Jackknives on exercise ball:
8, 8, 8, 6, 8
> Pretty decent exercise. Not as good as planks but they help heal my back.

Entry #951

Got a digital scale to record my weight more accurately at home. In the morning on an empty stomach with no clothes I weigh 216. Lots lighter than I was expecting. Think I might go all the way down to 200.

Back was massively sore all the way up until yesterday, but still did squats. Took it easy and did 330 x 6. My right fibula has been hurting for a few weeks during squats, right below the knee. Not sure what's up with that, but it might be from sitting on my knees too much. Also did high step-ups with just the bar, an exercise I picked up from reading Angel Spassov.

Today:

Overhead press:
140 x 3
160 x 3
180 x 8
> 1 rep improvement at a lighter bodyweight. Swell.

Arnold press:
80s x 8, 8, 6, 5, 5

NG pull-ups:
45 x 8, 8, 6, 5, 5 

Bilateral dumbbell curls with Fat Gripz:
50s x 8, 8, 8 

950

Lifted at a different gym today, the one I plan on moving over to.

Bench press:
200 x 5
230 x 5
260 x 8
> Was aiming for at least 10, but my back is sore from Tuesday to the point that it's extremely debilitating; I can hardly bend over. It was all arm power because I couldn't get a strong arch. I'm not sweating this.

Neutral-grip dumbbell press:
112s x 8, 5, 5
80s x 8
60s x 12
> It's the only way to get a full ROM with my dumbbell handles, since I have to use big 25s for plates. I like the grip, though. Makes me feel like I have a Swiss bar.

Cable rows:
135 x 15, 12, 10, 10, 10
> These machines are all over the place. 200 on one is the equivalent of 90 on another.

Turkish get-ups:
12 kg x 3
> This place has kettlebells. Still doesn't make up for the lack of a power rack, though. 

Deadlifts:
295 x 5
337.5 x 5
385 x 12

Good mornings:
205 x 8, 8, 8
135 x 12

Leg raises:
35 x 12, 10, 8
Weightless x 15, 12
> Worthless exercise. Ditching these for something else next week. 

Deadlifts went fine, but good mornings made my back ridiculously sore. Haven't done them in a long time.

Entry #948

Did five hill sprints last night. I'm not doing them in rapid succession anymore, but instead resting and going at it again when I feel rested. I'm doing this so every run is at max performance.

I also did, and am planning on to start doing regularly, yoga. Shit's pretty hard.

I'm also going to no longer relegate Turkish get-ups to an afterthought and will start doing them at the end of every workout except squat day. I already do a lot of prehab movements as warm-ups, so this should work even more effectively for injury prevention. Gonna start with 3 sets of 3 reps.

Overhead press:
130 x 5
150 x 5
170 x 9
> Same amount as about three weeks ago, but the fact that I did 5 reps instead of 3 in the build-up sets, that I'm no longer on creatine, and that I've been losing even more weight leads me to be happy with this.

Arnold press:
75 x 10, 8, 7
(Standing)
60 x 3 and 50 x 3 (one set)
35 x 10
> Tired out fast. Shoulder felt prime, though.

NG pull-ups:
35 x 8, 8, 7, 5, 5

Bilateral hammer curls with Fat Gripz:
42.5 x 10, 10, 10 

Going to go out and sprint later tonight. 

Entry #946

I have DSL again. Updates should be more frequent.

Deload went great. There were actually a lot of things I wanted to record but didn't have the means of doing because of shitty internet.

Maxes I will be operating with this time:

Overhead press: 220
Deadlift: 500
Bench press: 340
Squat: 430

945

Had the day before yesterday recorded but Xanga ate it up. Did band-handle squats, 365 for 3. Today and the rest of thebweek is a deload, and I don't think it's worth recording.

944

Success. No shoulder pain. In fact, my shoulder felt better after lifting.

Bench press:
225 x 5
255 x 3
285 x 6
> Wanted to get 7, but oh well. Shoulder felt great but I feel mentally held back, like I can't really power it up as explosively as I should be vying for. Better to be careful, though.

Crazy plates:
175 x 8, 8, 8, 8, 8
> Whoa. Used the 10 lb plates instead of 25s. Despite going way heavier it's so much easier when the plates don't hit the floor.

Dumbbell rows:
142 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
> Never pulled this heavy with one arm at a time before. Used my own dumbbell handles.

Preacher curls:
85 x 12

943

At the gym right now benching, the weight feels like air. About to try my heaviest set. Hopefully my shoulder holds.

942

Deadlifts yesterday: 417.5 for either 7 or 8 reps. Lost count. If it was 7 then I did less than last week, 8 and I did more. Oh well, I'm only going to stress my week 4 maxes compared to the next cycle.

Been doing lots and lots of hour-long walks, and so far have done hill sprints twice this week. Decided to move these onto the same days as lifting so that the day after can be a more complete restorative day, with just walking as exercise.

Yesterday I did something stupid. I stretched my shoulder quite extensively to make it more flexible for powerlifting squats. Today it kept clicking as result. I didn't even realize what it stemmed from at first. No pain at all, I can just feel it click when I move the arm above my head. It did it a bit on my walk, too. I violated the utmost important principle I learned from Stuart McGill: stability before flexibility. I'm not going to worry about doing low-bar squats right now. I can bench and overhead press, and that's pretty damn miraculous. Just going to keep doing band-handle or Olympic squats for the foreseeable future.

When I was doing the stretches my shoulder hurt for the duration of them, but I felt it was productive pain. Not going to accept that anymore. I'll work on flexibility when there's no pain from pulling it way back.

Not sure if I'm going to barbell bench tomorrow, just out of safety. Might do dumbbells.

941

Overhead press:
140 x 5
160 x 3
180 x 7
> Shoulder hurt a little bit. Not sure if it's just that I'm reaching my weight limit for the state that it's still in or if I need to focus on keeping tighter.

Dips:
45 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Pull-ups:
45 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Mediocre session; felt shaky and hungry during OHP. Eat more carbs pre-workout, even on low carb days.

940

Squats:
265 x 3
305 x 3
Band-handle squats:
345 x 6
> Figured out the source of my hand pain: low bar squats from last week. As a result of poor shoulder flexibility I was supporting too much of the weight in my hands. Hurt much more this time so I changed the exercise to use bands. Weight suffered as a result of the stance difference.

Front squats:
225 x 6, 6, 7

Planks

940

Squats:
265 x 3
305 x 3
Band-handle squats:
345 x 6
> Figured out the source of my hand pain: low bar squats from last week. As a result of poor shoulder flexibility I was supporting too much of the weight in my hands. Hurt much more this time so I changed the exercise to use bands. Weight suffered as a result of the stance difference.

Front squats:
225 x 6, 6, 7

Planks

Entry #939

Bench press:
210 x 3
240 x 3
270 x 8
> This is actually considered 5 lbs less than doing 255 x 10 last week, according to my rep calculator. Oh well. Considering this is my first time going this high after my shoulder injury I'm happy with my performance.

Crazy plates:
155 x 8, 8, 7, 6, 6
> Plates kept hitting the floor. Use 10 lb plates next time.

Dumbbell rows:
125s x 8, 8, 8, 7, 5

Preacher curls:
70 x 8, 8, 6
> Just guessing the weight of the EZ bar, they vary.

Drinking more red wine after reading about the anti-estrogenic factors.

Entry #938

Midnight training last night:

Deadlifts:
307.5 x 3
357.5 x 3
395 x 11
> First set was the hardest. 395 felt very light.

GHR, with bands:
7, 7, 7
Bodyweight:
6, 7
> Ditched the resistance to isolate the hamstrings better.

Ab-roller

Entry #937

Went on a 50 minute walk. Felt fucking hungry. I'm sitting at home now waiting for my steak to finish.

I'm no chef but I think I make a pretty badass steak. Use organic butter with live microbial cultures, cook the steak (I use chuck because it has more fat) until rare, and drench with olive oil and feta cheese. You're on your way to becoming Kratos.

Entry #936

Several hours after lifting last night I did hill sprints. First time doing them in Oregon. It's not nearly as steep as my favorite one in California but it gets the job done, and it's much longer. Did one test run and three full-out sprints.

Entry #935

Overhead press:
132.5 x 3
152.5 x 3
170 x 9
> Shoulder felt great.

Dips:
25 x 8, 4 sets

Band pull-aparts:
25

Pull-ups:
25 x 8, 8, 5, 5, 5

Curls with Fat Gripz:
50s x 8, 7, 6

Left hand has been hurting really badly for some reason the past few days but it felt much better today.

Entry #934

Posting this from my phone.

Major milestone again: I can do bench press and low bar squats.

Thursday:

Bench press:
195 x 5
230 x 5
255 x 10

Crazy plates:
140 x 9, 10, 9, 8, 7
> Got the idea to use these as shoulder rehab from Louie Simmons.

Dumbbell rows:
125 x 8, 8, 7, 6, 5

Curls

Today:

Squats:
247.5 x 5
285 x 5
325 x 9

Clean-grip front squats:
205 x 7, 3 sets

Planks

Entry #933

Went swimming early in the afternoon, and went on an hour-long walk in the evening. Starting to look real slim.

Cheat day tomorrow. Fuck to the yeah.

Entry #932

Back on 5/3/1. Starr's routine was KILLING my shins, probably from doing Olympic squats ATG (still can't do low bar squats with my shoulder).

Sunday:

OHP:
122.5 x 5
140 x 5
160 x 10

Yesterday:

Deadlifts:
285 x 5
330 x 5
375 x 12

Not counting accessory work

Basically I seem to be at the same level of strength as I was before my shoulder subluxed. That's pretty good.

Entry #931

Huge milestone. Was able to overhead press 175 with no shoulder pain. First time doing barbell pressing since the incident.

I've been on a steady diet of daily Turkish get-ups. Not sure how much they've been contributing, but I'm going to keep doing 'em.

Safety-band squats:
287.5, 5x5
> Shins have been hurting lately. Remember to take Animal Pak tonight.

Deadlifts:
410 x 5
415 x 5
415 x 5

Overhead press:
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5

NG pull-ups:
45, 5x5

Entry #930

Band squats:
5x5, 330
> Legs felt sore after the first set, probably from last week.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
Right arm
70, 90, 105, 120 x 5
135 x 1
130 x 4
---
Left arm
45, 55, 65 x 10
75 x 5
80 x 17
> 135 felt like a ton while 130 was way easier. Just a result of not keeping tense properly.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
70, 90, 105, 115, 130 x 5
> Nice, I can pull heavy with my left arm, too.

These workouts are taking me around an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Gonna try to go faster next time.

Entry #929

HIIT yesterday for about 9 minutes. 12/45 intervals.

80 minute hungry walk today with whey dissolving in my mouth for the BCAAs.

Entry #928

Safety-band squats:
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
315 x 5
350 x 5
> ATG. Had to use the squat rack instead of the power racks due to curl jockies and had a really long walk-out to contend with since the sides are too high for me to go all the way down.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
125 x 5, 4, 5, 4, 5 (right arm)
60 x 10, 65 x 10, 65 x 15, 65 x 15, 70 x 15 (left arm)
> Weird, my reps kept fluctuating with the 125 dumbbell. I found that a lot of it was about tension and breathing.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
125 x 5, 5 sets (right arm)
75 x 10 with Fat Gripz, 5 sets (left arm)

Some dude next to me put up 405, then 500 on the bar. He proceeded to do reps of quarter squats. Actually they were shallower than that.

I guess it's something (but not much) if you can even hold that weight up, but why don't you just do real squats so you can eventually squat that weight for...well, real? You're not getting heightened quad activation or whatever from pussy squats, stop kidding yourself.

Entry #927

Captains of Crush trainer: 37 reps, 20 reps, 12 reps (both hands)

Practiced Turkish get-ups with my dumbbell handles.

Entry #926

Might get kicked out of the apartment. Gonna tell the landlord to shut up and squat.

Yesterday:

Safety-band squats:
285, 5x5
> Doing Bill Star's template so this is 12% less than day 1. Legs were sore as sin going in but now they feel a lot better. Already getting used to squatting thrice a week.

Deadlifts:
315 x 5 (overhand)
405 x 2 (overhand; grip failed)
405 x 5
> Just testing the waters. Really happy that my shoulder can handle deadlifts. Was originally going to do one-handed deadlifts. And 405 pronated is pretty swell. Also, I've never done deads this heavy after squats.

One-armed dumbbell strict press, standing:
75 x 5, 5 sets (right arm)
32.5 x 6, 35 x 15, 40 x 20, 45 x 8, 45 x 7 (left arm)
> Felt some clicking in both shoulders. Going to start prehabbing with Turkish get-ups.

NG pull-ups:
x 5
32.5 x 5, 5
35 x 5, 5
> Sweet, I can do pull-ups now, too.

Great session. Can't wait until I can bench press.

Entry #925

Tried out a free day at Crunch Fitness today. These were the two main dilemmas I was faced with:

1. No squat/power rack.

2. Dumbbells that only go up to 80.

Solutions:

1. Squat in the Mactrack rack.

2. Bring my own dumbbell bars.

The first one almost ended in disaster. First I tried to set the bar up on parallel bars at a dip station. It sucked; my feet had no room so I had to stand like a ballerina and then tried to shuffle out. And it was way too low so I was doing a quarter-squat every time I needed to unrack. So I was cleaning up after trying 225 and the bar suddenly tips over and nearly impales this little Asian girl using the cables right next to me. It went right between her feet. I apologized profusely over and over again while she just smiled and shyly said it was okay. Then I apologized to her mom nearby and brother and they brushed it off. Damn, you get used to assholes so much that it's almost uncomfortable when someone is that nice.

Next I went over to the Maxrack. Also known as a Jones machine, it's like a Smith but with 3D movement. Still a POS. I brought over an Olympic bar and set it on the little knurls that rack the machine bar. The barbell wasn't long enough so it sat crooked because one side was resting on the bar past the collars. Then a breakthrough: I managed to fit it in between the plates but past the collar as long as the plates were loosely secured. I'm doing a terrible job illustrating this, but basically, I got the bar straight and was able to do squats. Reracking is kind of a pain but even when it's crooked I can get it out again.

All of this trial-and-error was kind of fatiguing but I still had a better session than last time.

Safety-band squats:
325 x 5, 4 sets
325 x 3, 1 set

Unilateral dumbbell press:
60, 80, 100, 115, 125 x 5; right arm
50 x 5, 10, 15, 20, 25; left arm
> With my good arm I progressed on weight, and with the bad I progressed with reps.

Bent-over rows:
These started standing and then on the last set I realized I was able enough to support myself on the bench.
60, 80, 100, 110, 115; right arm
60 with Fat Gripz x 5, 10, 15, 20, 25; left arm

Great day.

These are my XMark dumbbell handles. $50 for both off Amazon. Here they're loaded with 125 lbs:



I don't like how the handle is as wide as a barbell. I'd prefer a thick bar. And the handle is too short to fit my Fat Gripz. Gonna think of something to wrap around them. Otherwise they kick ass.

Entry #924

Fuck yeah.

Doing a full-body plan to accommodate my shoulder. Was able to do squats using the exercise bands as handles. High bar, narrower stance, but squats are squats. Thanks go to Emevas for getting the idea started to use vice grips, which got me doing a lot of research and discovering how vintage strongman J.V. Askem would use lifting straps for front squats.

Eventually I came across the Top Squat by Dave Draper, a piece of equipment that latches on to a barbell and mimics a SSB (but with wider handles). This retarded thing was almost $200 and one guy complained that the bar shifts and rattles inside it.

I set out instead to buy a cheap pair of straps off Amazon. In the meantime I simply tried using the gym bands and they worked marvelously.

Safety-band squats:
315 x 5
> ATG. Note to self: low bar, wide stance, don't even bother with ATG as long as I get below parallel. Narrower stance tonight shows me that there's a form for going super deep and a form for simply lifting a helluva lot.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
55, 70, 95, 105, 115 x 5; right arm
45 x 5-30 reps; left arm
> Good thing I ordered my own dumbbell handles because I'm going to blast through 125 easily.

Standing bent-over dumbbell rows:
40, 55, 75, 80 with Fat Gripz; 90 x 5; right arm
40-45 x 5-25 with Fat Gripz; left arm

On a side-note, it's been exactly one year since I subluxed my shoulder the first time (note FreshDre's creepy comments being consistently there back then): http://l3loodfist.xanga.com/731083114/entry-827/

Entry #923

First day back yesterday. Did unilateral dumbbell press, 105 x 8-9 in good hand, 40 x 25-30 in left hand. Didn't do any lat work because I thought I'd go today as a pull day after deadlifts, but rather than that, I'm going to a full-body workout starting tomorrow.

Did a lot of warm-up and rehab/prehab using bent-over shrugs, push-up pluses, and other Diesel and EliteFTS ideas.

Shoulder is feeling fantastic.

Entry #922

Shoulder is feeling better. Wearing a sling seemed to retard recovery more than anything. Still feels weak, though, so I have to be careful, but at least I'm pain-free.

Gonna be revamping my routine to be accommodating for my condition. I've been through this before so I know what to do. All unilateral movements.

In the meantime, I'm sticking with 24 Hour until I can get some heavy dumbbells of my own. Crunch is my new gym of choice, but make no mistake about it: it's purely for the price, $10 a month. They have no squat or power racks and the heaviest dumbbells only go to 80. They fucking suck, but so does 24 Hour. At least Crunch has round plates and kettlebells.

Instead of real racks they have a Jones machine, which is like a Smith machine but with 3D plane movement. A lot better, but still nothing that I want to do squats under. The hooks are big enough for a free bar to fit in, though, as long as I move the machine's bar out of the way. Only problem is the bars aren't long enough so it'll sit crooked when I want to squat. This is going to suck, lol.

But on that note I'm stoked about buying my own equipment. Gonna order a pair of Olympic dumbbell bars for only $50, and I'm even thinking about a portable squat rack for the future that I can fit in my car:

http://www.onlinesports.com/images/gia-we155.gif

Also going to want a trap bar, Swiss bar, and a pair of Kroc row bars, in addition to the bands and boars I already keep there. You know how Civic owners get shit for tricking out their car? This is how to upgrade one the right way.

Lots of happenings in the past few days.

First, I subluxed my shoulder again. This time swimming, haha. Embarrassing. I'm in a sling for a few days.

Second, I deadlifted 392.5 x 10. This prompted a trainer to tell me not to make so much noise. That was the last straw, and I resolved to quit paying a gym that won't support me and my training. I'll no longer be going to 24 Hour Fitness.

Overhead press:
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 7

Arnold press:
80s x 8, 6, 5
70s x 6
60s x 8

Band pull-aparts:
25

Weighted NG pull-ups:
45 x 8, 5, 5, 5, 4

Entry #919

Squats:
245 x 5
285 x 5
325 x 7
> Really bad. My knees were bowing in, too, and my right one felt the tiniest of pains, though it's fine now.

My depth might be varying. Even 285 felt harder than normal, as I felt my hamstrings sink into my calves. I feel like I'm doing so much squat analysis that my form is varying every time as I make rectifications and it's making for wildly inconsistent numbers.

I'd say box squats are the answer but I'm wary about deviating from the routine after last time.

Something to note: I made better progress when I timed my rests. Start doing that next week.

Entry #918

Bench press:
200 x 5
230 x 5
260 x 9
> Felt incredibly strong. Warm-up is probably to thank: 6 sets alternating between super fast band presses and doing reps with the bar. Also some push-up pluses which are amazing prehab and help train scapulae retraction. Band pressing does, too, since the further I step away from the rack with the bands in tow the more they pull my arms back.

I'm keeping in mind something I heard Dave Tate say on Iron Radio. Here's what I would do before a heavy set:

"Gonna aim for 10. I'd really like to get that. Maybe get 9 as a safe option. Hopefully 10, though."

Here's what I think now:

"I will for sure get 9."

And that's what I did.

Dumbbell press:
110s x 8, 7, 6
95s x 6
80s x 7
> Failed a couple reps trying to reach 8. Need to watch out. Triceps were heavily fatigued.

Band pressdowns:
20, rest pause, 5

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
115 x 8, 7, 6, 7, 6
> Strict. Might do Kroc-style rows for high reps with the 125s in heavier weeks. Wonder if using a barbell would work.

Bilateral dumbbell curls with Fat Gripz:
50s x 6, 5, 6

Entry #917

Mike Tyson is now a vegan.

In response I ate steak for three meals a day. Goddamn do I need to go shopping.

Tomorrow is cheat day. Time to get fat.

Entry #916

Did a 15-minute circuit of shadowboxing, burpees, and mountain climbers in the apartment. Afterwards I messed around with the Sega game on Eyetoy. No, I'm actually not so senile that I don't know the name and I have to refer to it as "the Sega game" but "Sega Superstars" is Superstupid. Back is incredibly sore today, despite foam rolling last night post-workout.

I'm shaking my head at how good the dorks over at T-Nation are at building the most fervorous hype for their supplements.

"So, if you're considering Indigo-3G,™ but you're on the fence, or worried about cost, stop right there and go no further. It's not for you, at least not at this time."

So if I wanna know more about an ambiguously-named product, I should just walk away now 'cause I'm not hardcore. K, will do.

Wait, one gem in the comment section:

"Jayk:  I just threw up and cried at the same time... Okay, not really, but I was so excited for this, but it's way too expensive.."

Jesus, shut up and squat.

I think it's highly unfortunate that they let this crap bleed into otherwise-great articles. I'll be following along and wrestling with some newfound training revelations from Poliquin or Cosgrove when all of a sudden I'll get to something like "Tip #8: Why do idiots buy the cheapest supps just to save some money? Seriously, you get what you pay for. I only use Metabolic Drive." Completely kills the intellectual momentum.

Entry #915

Deadlifts:
280 x 5
325 x 5
372.5 x 12
> Could have done more. For some reason had my mind mentally set to "12". Weight felt like air. This is the strongest I've ever been on deadlifts. I'm really glad with my grip level, too. I can hang on to 515 for reps (reverse-band) easily, and that was several months ago. Fat Gripz are awesome.

Good mornings:
205 x 8, 5, 7
135 x 10

Ab wheel

Entry #914

Down to 220 lbs. Traditionally I'm used to two things: exploding up in strength and weight or sharp declines in both. Either or. This is very different. I'm slowly, slowly gaining strength and very gradually losing weight. While it can be disheartening as a gut reaction to realizing I haven't put 15 lbs on my bench press since last time, I'm doing very well for myself considering how much less I'm eating (which is still quite a bit).

Got dextrose in the mail today. 16 lbs for $32 off Amazon. This should last me another year. Not on creatine yet, though it's sitting on my fridge waiting for use.

Overhead press:
125 x 5
145 x 5
165 x 8
> 5 lb increase with 5 lb weight loss. I'll take it.

Arnold press:
75s x 8, 8
70s x 6, 6
60s x 7

Band pull-aparts:
20

NG pull-ups:
10, 10, 6, 5, 8

Entry #914

Entry #913

End deload.

New lift numbers with 90% calculations that I'll be using:

OHP: 215 - 193.5
Deadlift: 485 - 436.5
Bench press: 340 - 306
Squat: 420 - 378

Groovy.

I'm looking super trim. Hopefully I haven't regressed any during the deload. Diet has been going great.

Entry #912

Squats:
150 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5

Front squats (clean grip):
185 x 10, 2 sets
185 x 8, 2 sets

Planks

Entry #911

Bench press:
120 x 5
150 x 5
180 x 5
> Still using the false grip.

Incline dumbbell press:
75s x 15, 9, 8, 7, 6

Band pressdowns:
20

Standing bilateral bent-over dumbbell rows with Fat Gripz:
50s x 15, 10, 10, 8, 8

Hammer curls with Fat Gripz:
35s x 15, 3 sets

Entry #910

Deadlifts with Fat Gripz:
172.5 x 5
212.5 x 5
255 x 5
> Had to very quickly readjust grip a few times on the last set, but this is the heaviest I've pulled with these infernal things on for reps. They make going light less of a bore.

GHR:
Just whatever felt good. 5-8

Ab-wheel rollouts:
3x5
> Can finally do these from a standing position: http://rosstraining.com/blog/2011/03/03/standing-ab-wheel-rollout-tutorial/

Listening to Iron Radio a lot. Latest episode is with Dave Tate.

Entry #909

Caught a bug, probably from sleeping with the fan too close to me on high, and haven't been able to do HIIT this week. Going on hour long brisk-paced walks instead about 2-3 hours after a meal. I spoon whey in my mouth and let it dissolve for the BCAAs during this. Also drinking a lot of green tea lately. Works well for me that I'm deloading.

Got a foam roller in the mail. My back is already thanking me. Also got creatine which I'll take next week.

Entry #908

Deload week.

OHP:
75 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5
> Experimented with thumbless grip here. Felt alright.

Dips:
15, 12, 10, 8, 8

Chins:
8, 8, 8, 5, 5
> Chest touched the bar on almost every rep.

Barbell curls with Fat Gripz:
55 x 15, 10, 8

Entry #907

Squats:
285 x 5
320 x 3
355 x 5
> As deep as I could go. Should have tried for more. Felt mentally held back for not using safety bars, even though I've never failed on squats in 10 years of lifting.

Clean-grip front squats:
225 x 5, 5 sets

Planks

I'm eating steak 5 days a week. WinCo is awesome.

Entry #906

Bench press:
225 x 5
255 x 3
285 x 5

Incline dumbbell press:
105s x 6
105s x 5
105s x 5
105s x 4

Band pull-aparts:
30 reps

Standing bent-over dumbbell rows (bilateral):
70s x 8, 5 sets

Hammer curls with Fat Gripz:
50s x 8, 3 sets

Entry #905

Walked out on my job. Felt great.

Deadlifts:
320 x 5 (pronated)
365 x 3 (pronated)
405 x 9
> Awesome, haha. Could have done 405 overhand but reps were too high for that.

Two days before:

Overhead press:
142.5 x 5
160 x 3
180 x 5

5/3/1 is such a great program, but this is my max week and I'm doing reps higher than 8. Thinking about adding a fifth microcycle for 1-3 reps at an estimated max with no percentages involved, then deloading. Or, I could deload as normal and then repeat the four weeks with the same max estimates, only this time nixing the 90% rule. On the third week I could do the plan of getting rid of percentages for maxes. That might be better for recovery than just an extra week added on, and it would make for a longer preparatory period ala Bill Starr.