Press: Phase 5 deload

Press: worked up to 40 x 5

Push ups: 5 sets of 10

Squat: Phase 5, Week 3

Squat: worked up to 95 x 11

More squats: 100 x 2, 110 x 2, 120 x 1, 60 x 10

Sit ups: 27 total

Side bends: 58 total

Really enjoyed my squats today. The heavier ones felt good and went up quickly: felt like I had a good amount left in the tank.

Deload next week.

Bench: Phase 5, Week 3

Bench: worked up to 82.5 x 15

Dumbbell bench: 21 x 10 (x 3)

Dumbbell row: 11 x 10, 21 x 15 (x 3)

Dumbbell curl: 16 x 10

Hammer curl: 16 x 10

Trained at home. Happy with the bench reps: 15 with just over my bodyweight.

Thus far in my 5/3/1 career I’ve been adding 1 kg to upper and 2 kg to lower body exercises. For the next phases I’m going to add a little more weight. Wendler recommends 5 lbs (2.27 kg) for upper and 10 lbs (4.54 kg) for lower body exercises. I’m going to round this down to 2 and 4 and see how it goes.

Rusting plate with abandoned cobweb? Check.

Rusting mismatched plates on rusting adjustable dumbbells? Check. Plastic dumbbells creeping into the shot making it less cool? Check.

Black and white training montage? Check. Look out for next level filmmaking prowess during the dumbbell bench press.

Deadlift: Phase 5, Week 3

Deadlift: worked up to 127.5 x 8

Barbell shrug: 60 x 10, 85 x 20

Hamstring curl: 32 x 10 (x 3)

Calf raise: 15 x 12 (x 3)

Press: Phase 5, Week 3

Press: worked up to 60 x 9

B/W dips: 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 (35)

B/W chins: 5, 5, 4, 4, 4 (22)

Pleased with the press reps with this weight. Getting closer to breaking into new ground as I’m approaching previous strength levels.

Here are some chins from today. Pull from a full stretch at the bottom and get your chin as high as you can.

Squat: Phase 5, Week 2

5/3/1 squat: worked up to 90 x 6

Repetition squat: 100 x 2, 100 x 2, 100 x 2

Sit ups: 26 total

Side bends: 56 total

Unable to get to the gym today, so trained at home. Was out a lot of the day and couldn’t eat much. As a result left a lot in the tank and had an easy session. Gradually feeling the benefit of the upper back work I’ve done, in terms of cushioning the bar.

Filmed it. Then made it black and white.

Bench: Phase 5, Week 2

Bench: worked up to 77.5 x 15

Dumbbell bench: 20 x 9 (x 3)

Dumbbell row: 10 x 10, 20 x 14 (x 3)

Dumbbell curl: 15 x 10

Hammer curl: 15 x 10

Kept the pace up and had to rest-pause my curls.

Deadlift: Phase 5, Week 2

Deadlift: worked up to 122.5 x 8

Barbell shrug: 60 x 10, 82.5 x 24

Hamstring curl: 27 x 15 (x 3)

Dumbbell calf raise: 15 x 11 (x 3)

Barbell shrug. Keep it explosive with a full range of movement. No shoulder rolling, just up and down.

Press: Phase 5, Week 2

Press: worked up to 57.5 x 10

B/W dips: 30 total

B/W chins: 21 total

Cleaned weight from floor to press. Gradually increasing the dip/chin volume now.

Squat: Phase 5, Week 1

Squat: worked up to 85 x 10

Further squats: 100 x 1, 110 x 1, 120 x 1, 60 x 10

Sit ups: 25 total

Side bends: 54 total

Decided to do a few singles after my 5/3/1 squats. They felt fine, I’ve not handled a high percentage in any exercise for months. Interestingly they revealed a strength imbalance: my left leg/hip is weaker than my right.