Phineas decides to move north of vag with 5/3/1

[Phineas]

i love pressing too =)

YouTube Video

That is savage!

 

[omerta2010]

Thanks man, where do you guys get those charts for increase in lifts? I want to use those too.

Juggs has a spreadsheet over in the strength forum or you can pm me your email and I can send you the one I use.

 

[omerta2010]

That is savage!

I'm with you.

I hate deload week but have to admit I always come back off of it stronger.

 

[Phineas]

Mesocycle B, Week 4: DELOAD (Sun, March 20, 2011)

Deadlifts:

5 x 115 lbs
5 x 145 lbs
5 x 175 lbs

Military Press:

5 x 65 lbs
5 x 75 lbs
5 x 85 lbs

BB Split Squats:

8 x 115 lbs
8 x 115 lbs
8 x 115 lbs

Bar Dips:

6 x BW (190)
6 x BW
6 x BW
6 x BW

Chinups:

6 x BW
6 x BW
6 x BW
6 x BW

BB Curls: (decided to do some quick jersey shore pump sets)

13 x 60 lbs

Overhead Cable Tricep Extensions:

30 x 60 lbs

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

Second of two boring deload workouts. All light as fuck and easy. My friend and I threw in the two isolations at the end for the hell of it. Just to get a pump to look good in the mirror for a few minutes. That's basically their only value.

Intentionally going light really puts things into perspective. This is how to used to workout when I was a runner and how so many people workout in my gym. Going through the motions with so little exertion. I guess they just "don't want to get too big".

Fucking idiots. Anyway, mesocycle C starts thursday so I'm pretty excited. Getting into the thick of things. Maybe my bench will finally start to go up. I'll be cutting but truthfully smooth technique on bench will make up for lack of calories, and my leg drive is improving every workout. I'll consider my bench a success in cycle C if on week 3 at 220 lbs I can rep for 4, which is how many I got on 215 lbs in week 3 of cycle B

We'll see. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to having a six pack, or whatever combination of pack I turn out with. I have some well developed abs under my blanket o'flab. Can see the outline of them just not much else. Excited! All I'll need is a tap out shirt and a spray tan and I'll be ready to hit the clubs.

But seriously, I hate clubs with a passion. Pubs are the way to go.

 

[Gazhole]

You only have to worry if your abs turn out to be an odd number.

Deload sessions piss me off, lol. I just take a week off and save myself being enraged all week

And yeah, pubs > clubs. The more clubby a place gets the worse it is.

 

[davegmb]

I know you only threw them in for 'shits and giggles' but overhead rope extensions with 60lbs for 30 reps is actually quite impressive if your machine is anything like ours!

 

[Phineas]

You only have to worry if your abs turn out to be an odd number.

Deload sessions piss me off, lol. I just take a week off and save myself being enraged all week

And yeah, pubs > clubs. The more clubby a place gets the worse it is.

Agreed. Maybe it'll turn out I was adopted, and born in Wales. Do all Welsh people like drinking beer and carrying heavy objects short distances?

I know you only threw them in for 'shits and giggles' but overhead rope extensions with 60lbs for 30 reps is actually quite impressive if your machine is anything like ours!

Well thank you but it's not impressive at all. I suck at a lot of isolation, especially curls. It's strange because I can row a lot and I'm good at pullups/chinups (endurance side a little shaky but low reps with added weight is solid) but isolation is a different matter.

If it's high reps I'm usually better because then it's just a matter of how long can you take the pain, and as a former marathon'er I have a very good threshold for pain. I do enjoy overhead extensions and leg extensions. I never do them except the overheads in baby got back, but they're fun nonetheless. Leg extensions I like just because they pump your quads a ridiculous amount.

 

[Gazhole]

Agreed. Maybe it'll turn out I was adopted, and born in Wales. Do all Welsh people like drinking beer and carrying heavy objects short distances?

Well sheep aren't light or attractive so i'll let you answer that one yourself.

Thought i'd get in there with that joke before anybody else did. DAVE.

 

[lynnlynn]

Oh sweet! Built -- sorry I just PM'd you. I'll repost it here.

Hi Lynn! Thanks a million for coming to help. I really appreciate it.

Yes I'm wanting to cut but continue to use 5/3/1 to gain or at the very least maintain my strength. I've made pretty good gains on squats and deads so far, minor on military, and not really much on bench. Also, my assistance exercises have all gone up in weight, numbers, or for bodyweight just form improvements!

Here's my proposed variation of the Triumvirate:

Squats:

(1.) Squats: 5/3/1
(2.) Deadlifts: 5 x 3 @ 90% of reduced max
(3.) DB Bench Rows: 4 x 6

Bench Press:

(1.) Bench Press: 5/3/1
(2.) BB Military Press: 4 x 5 @ 85% of reduced max
(3.) BB Split Squats: 3 x 6

Deadlifts:

(1.) Deadlifts: 5/3/1
(2.) Squats: 5 x 3 @ 90% of reduced max
(3.) Chinups: 5 x 5

Military Press:

(1.) Military Press: 5/3/1
(2.) Bench Press: 4 x 5 @ 85% of reduced max
(3.) BB Romanians: 3 x 6

I know it looks kind of odd but I want to have steady stimulation throughout the week so as to not overwork any muscles during a time where my recovery will be hindered.

I also want to repeat the main lifts as an assistance (but heavy of course) for technique work, and just because the main lifts kick ass.

I have my diet almost done, just a couple things to tweak. Going to be a basic carb cycling. Approx 2,550 on non training days, 2,850 training days, and refeeds once a week initially (maintenance is about 3,000-3,100). Macros are (non training days) 135g fat (I think it was about 30 sat, 35 poly, 70 mono), 65g carbs, 265g protein. An additional 60g carbs from pasta, bread, or likely potatoes on training days

I chose potatoes because by weight they're the least carb dense of the bunch (e.g. 85g pasta...about 150g cooked = 300 cals, 60g carbs...bagel 105g = 300 cals 60g cabrs...whereas for that amount of cals and carbs in potatoes takes 400g. Basically, more volume in my stomach to get the same nutrients and of course I'm looking for more bites per calorie.

Let me know what you think. I'm wanting to run this for 2-3 months with a goal of 8-12 lbs fat lost, so 4 lbs a month, a pretty reasonable goal. I was wanting to run one more cycle on a bulk but now I'm thinking I'll just get to it next Saturday, March 26.

Supps: multi, whey isolate, creatine mono, and BCAAs (haven't taken them since last cut).

Height: 5'8 - 5'9
Weight: approx 192-193 lbs
BF: estimated 13%

Thanks!!! It's great to have a powerlifter dropping by!

Ok, there's what i've done in the past while cutting:
Squat 5/3/1 followed by
Back assistance, picked from: DB row, BOR, Pendlay row, pull-ups, Kroc rows, weighted reverse hypers. These are kept to 3 or 4 sets of 6-8 reps. I do them as heavy as I can and still hit the target number of reps.
Deadlift 5/3/1 followed by
Leg Assistance picked from: Low box squat, OH squat, Bulgarian split squat, GHR's, leg curl, RDL, SLDL. Same idea as the squat day as far as sets/reps are concerned.

I do deviate from the 5/3/1 plan in terms of bench, in that I don't follow the 5/3/1 plan for bench.

As far as eating is concerned, I've followed a carb-cycling plan. I eat my carbs right after I finish a WO. I don't do re-feeds.

 

[Phineas]

Ok, there's what i've done in the past while cutting:
Squat 5/3/1 followed by
Back assistance, picked from: DB row, BOR, Pendlay row, pull-ups, Kroc rows, weighted reverse hypers. These are kept to 3 or 4 sets of 6-8 reps. I do them as heavy as I can and still hit the target number of reps.
Deadlift 5/3/1 followed by
Leg Assistance picked from: Low box squat, OH squat, Bulgarian split squat, GHR's, leg curl, RDL, SLDL. Same idea as the squat day as far as sets/reps are concerned.

I do deviate from the 5/3/1 plan in terms of bench, in that I don't follow the 5/3/1 plan for bench.

As far as eating is concerned, I've followed a carb-cycling plan. I eat my carbs right after I finish a WO. I don't do re-feeds.

Thanks for the info, Lynn.

What about military press?

So, you do only one assistance lift after the 5/3/1 set? Isn't the triumvirate two assistant sets, or is this just personal preference?

How did you setup your bench days?

I'm also going to carb cycle. I feel it's the simplest way to cut if you're not an expert dieter/competitve bb'er. Why no refeeds, though? Also, why the carbs post as opposed to pre-workout? Didn't you find workouts to be difficult, especially the rep outs, when fueled purely off protein and fat?

Thanks again!

 

[lynnlynn]

Thanks for the info, Lynn.

What about military press?

So, you do only one assistance lift after the 5/3/1 set? Isn't the triumvirate two assistant sets, or is this just personal preference?

How did you setup your bench days?

I'm also going to carb cycle. I feel it's the simplest way to cut if you're not an expert dieter/competitve bb'er. Why no refeeds, though? Also, why the carbs post as opposed to pre-workout? Didn't you find workouts to be difficult, especially the rep outs, when fueled purely off protein and fat?

Thanks again!

Millies were set up the same way as squat and DL, 5/3/1 followed by assistance.

I do 3 or 4 assistance exercises after the 5/3/1 set. I pick them based on what I need to work on, although some things, like pull-ups, always remain in the rotation.

I bench twice a week, one day heavier doubles and singles and another day lighter, DE work. I also mix in incline/decline bench and DB stuff as well.

I don't do re-feeds because I felt like crap after them and they seemed to trigger more carb cravings. I have carbs post-WO instead of before because I found that if I had them before I'd be hungry halfway through the WO. This is just worked for me. I'm just more comfortable this way, you might find that pre-WO carbs work better for you.

 

[Phineas]

Millies were set up the same way as squat and DL, 5/3/1 followed by assistance.

I do 3 or 4 assistance exercises after the 5/3/1 set. I pick them based on what I need to work on, although some things, like pull-ups, always remain in the rotation.

I bench twice a week, one day heavier doubles and singles and another day lighter, DE work. I also mix in incline/decline bench and DB stuff as well.

I don't do re-feeds because I felt like crap after them and they seemed to trigger more carb cravings. I have carbs post-WO instead of before because I found that if I had them before I'd be hungry halfway through the WO. This is just worked for me. I'm just more comfortable this way, you might find that pre-WO carbs work better for you.

Cool, thanks!

So, you did the 3 assistance sets when cutting and found the volume was fine? What was your calorie deficit?

As for carbs, maybe I'll give your method a shot. I've arranged to my diet to have more food later in the day when at home so I can go to sleep more satisfied so I shouldn't have any late-night cravings. Also gonna try Built's method of having a whey shake about 20 minutes before the meal to promote satiety.

How did your numbers progress over the cut?

 

[the other half]

enjoy the deload week, and go back and start kicking some ass on that program.

 

[Phineas]

Millies were set up the same way as squat and DL, 5/3/1 followed by assistance.

I do 3 or 4 assistance exercises after the 5/3/1 set. I pick them based on what I need to work on, although some things, like pull-ups, always remain in the rotation.

I bench twice a week, one day heavier doubles and singles and another day lighter, DE work. I also mix in incline/decline bench and DB stuff as well.

I don't do re-feeds because I felt like crap after them and they seemed to trigger more carb cravings. I have carbs post-WO instead of before because I found that if I had them before I'd be hungry halfway through the WO. This is just worked for me. I'm just more comfortable this way, you might find that pre-WO carbs work better for you.

Forgot to ask...3 or 4x a week?

 

[Phineas]

enjoy the deload week, and go back and start kicking some ass on that program.

Thanks! Looking forward to Thursday's squat session.

 

[lynnlynn]

Cool, thanks!

So, you did the 3 assistance sets when cutting and found the volume was fine? What was your calorie deficit?

As for carbs, maybe I'll give your method a shot. I've arranged to my diet to have more food later in the day when at home so I can go to sleep more satisfied so I shouldn't have any late-night cravings. Also gonna try Built's method of having a whey shake about 20 minutes before the meal to promote satiety.

How did your numbers progress over the cut?

Yes, I did 3 or 4 assistance exercsises and did 3 or 4 sets in each. The volume was fine, I just kept the weights pretty heavy and kept the reps in the lower range.

I did this as a long, slow cut, aiming to loose about a pound a week, so my deficit was only about 400 cal per day.

I find that having a whole bunch of protein in the morning made me happy. I'll have eggs, a shake, CC and tuna.

 

[lynnlynn]

Forgot to ask...3 or 4x a week?

I gym 4 times per week.

 

[Phineas]

Yes, I did 3 or 4 assistance exercsises and did 3 or 4 sets in each. The volume was fine, I just kept the weights pretty heavy and kept the reps in the lower range.

I did this as a long, slow cut, aiming to loose about a pound a week, so my deficit was only about 400 cal per day.

I find that having a whole bunch of protein in the morning made me happy. I'll have eggs, a shake, CC and tuna.

I gym 4 times per week.

That's basically the goal I'm aiming for. 500 cals a day, so approx 1lb a week.

I also like to have lots of protein in the morning. As it is, my cutting diet's first meal, which will be somewhere around 10-11 (trying to push meals back a bit so I can eat more in a shorter time), will be:

-1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1 scoop whey (20 mins prior)
- cup skim milk
-4 whole eggs
-2-3 slices turkey bacon

So, that's 82-87g protein. I might take my 3 tbls olive oil in this meal, as well.

I've been debating about training 5/3/1 4x a week. I've been doing 3x with good results but I always found my body responded best to higher frequency/low volume when it came to the major movements like squats and deads. On boring but big it's higher volume but if I'm adjusting the assistance to be heavy/low rep work then 4x might help me. Then again, I need lots of recovery time. I'll have to sit on that one.

Thanks Lynn.

 

[omerta2010]

Sounds like your plan is coming along nicely.

I hit the gym 4x a week, and do the higher weight lower volume approach to the accessory exercises. Seems to work well so far.

 

[lynnlynn]

You are welcome.

I'm finishing up a cycle of 5/3/1 next week. Perhaps I'll keep a training log here so we can compare notes more easily.

 

[omerta2010]

You are welcome.

I'm finishing up a cycle of 5/3/1 next week. Perhaps I'll keep a training log here so we can compare notes more easily.

Please do, I'd be interested as well.

 

[Phineas]

Mesocycle C, Week 1: Squats (Thurs, March 24, 2011)

Warmup Sets:

5 x 105 lbs
5 x 135 lbs
5 x 155 lbs

Working Sets:

5 x 170 lbs
5 x 200 lbs
> 5 x 225 lbs = 11

Deadlifts:

3 x 255 lbs
3 x 255 lbs
3 x 255 lbs
3 x 255 lbs

Box Squats:

6 x 185 lbs
6 x 195 lbs
6 x 200 lbs
6 x 205 lbs

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

First workout with the new setup. Playing around with it for the first week to see how I find this volume works, particularly after Saturday when I start cutting.

Rep out was decent in numbers but my form was off tonight. The weight felt heavier than it should have. I'm having trouble maintaining back tightness on the rep outs when getting out of the hole. It's a hip flexibility/strength issue. This is why I thought box squats might be a good idea. The box is conveniently the depth I squat. I'm doing pauses on the box and really using my hips to get me up.

Deadlifts were okay. Been a while since I did heavy-ish sets after a rep out so it felt weird.

 

[ihateschoolmt]

Ouch squats deads and more squats that's a exhausting workout.

 

[davegmb]

Well sheep aren't light or attractive so i'll let you answer that one yourself.

Thought i'd get in there with that joke before anybody else did. DAVE.

Haha im glad we got that out the way, the temptation would be too much

 

[Phineas]

Mesocycle C, Week 1: Bench Press (Sat, March 26, 2011)

Warmup Sets:

5 x 95 lbs
5 x 115 lbs
5 x 135 lbs

Working Sets:

5 x 150 lbs
5 x 170 lbs
> 5 x 195 lbs = 8

Rack Pulls (knee height):

5 x 295 lbs
5 x 300 lbs
5 x 300 lbs
5 x 300 lbs

Bar Dips:

5 x BW (191) + 35 lbs
5 x BW + 45 lbs
5 x BW + 45 lbs
5 x BW + 45 lbs

DB Bench Rows:

8 x 95 lbs
8 x 100 lbs
8 x 105 lbs
8 x 110 lbs

(45 Degree Incline) Leg Press Calf Extensions:

20 x 450 lbs
20 x 450 lbs
20 x 450 lbs

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

I know this LOOKS like a long workout, but the only part I was really exerting myself is the 3rd bench set, the rack pulls, dips, and rows.

Damn fine workout. Bench is still pissing me off. I matched my best, though. I did that weight and reps in week 2 of cycle A so this shows no improvement in numbers but I can tell my pushing muscles are stronger as the first few reps were as smooth as could be. Problem is still my leg drive. My feet slipped and my full body tightness went to shit, which fucked my bar path. I'm feeling positive though because I've added as the first accessory lift for military press day bench press for heavy reps. The thing is the 5 x 10 on boring but big lets you work on technique but with really light weight. When time comes to go heavy it's a whole different experience so I wanted to add some heavier assistance benching. I guarantee that once I get my legs firmly in position for the whole set my numbers will go ape shit.

Still, pretty awesome rest of the workout. Rack pulls were fun and smooth. Can probably move up to 315 next time. First time ever doing weighted bar dips! I prefer the low reps on these. They didn't seem to mess with my shoulders like the high reps do. I go deep on dips so with my weight and the 45 I was pushing 235 lbs deep and it felt awesome.

PR on rows! Holy fuck I didn't think I had in me to 110. My numbers keep going up on those. Love it. Form was awesome, too.

The nice thing is these lower volume high weight workouts don't take as much out of me. They're challenging but I leave feeling great. Always preferred low rep work.

Also started cutting today. Using Built's method of whey shake 20 mins before meals for satiety and also eating fewer meals and more later in the day to end the day with more food. Fuck does that women have any ideas that aren't pure brillance! It's 8:40 my time and I still have 6oz ground beef, 10 oz chickn, tons of veges, and a few others odds'n'ends to eat, and I'm not starving. Granted it's the first day but still I take this as a good sign.

Gotta go for a run now, then come home and indulge on that beef and chicken.

 

[ihateschoolmt]

Wow 110 for DB rows is awesome. Good luck on that cut, how much weight are you trying to loose?

 

[davegmb]

Great job on the PR and glad to see the rack pulls in there, keep meaning to do these

 

[Phineas]

Mesocycle C, Week 1: Deadlifts

Warmup Sets:

5 x 115 lbs
5 x 140 lbs
5 x 175 lbs

Working Sets:

5 x 190 lbs
5 x 215 lbs
> 5 x 245 lbs = 12

Squats:

3 x 225 lbs
3 x 235 lbs
3 x 240 lbs
3 x 245 lbs

BB Romanian Deadlifts:

8 x 205 lbs
8 x 215 lbs
8 x 225 lbs
8 x 225 lbs

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

Gotta get going to a dinner so quick comments.

Rep out felt good. Lower back was bad going into it. Stretched a lot, made a PR.

Assistance squats form was amazing. I much prefer low rep heavy work for assistance.

PR on romanians.

Down to 188 lbs. Mostly water weight, of course.

 

[davegmb]

Still hitting PR's, program is obviously working for you

 

[ihateschoolmt]

Nice lookin rep out man. PRs always feel good.