Monday 1/31/11

Afternoon:

Back squat - 45lbs 1x5, 60lbs 1x5, 75lbs 1x5, 90lbs 1x3, 95lbs 1x5, 110lbs 1x5, 125lbs 1x7

Double swings 2x 20kg - 5x10

Skullcrushers 22lbs - 5x10

Squat baseline 7 reps of 125lbs. Sad but it's where I am.

I'm going to be doing Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 for the future. I'm planning on at least 6 months of just steady plugging along. I'll be doing the Boring But Big variation of the assistance exercises but alternating the exercises so that I'll be doing each movement twice a week for now with the exception of the deadlift. So on press day I'll be doing the bench version of BBB as an assistance exercise, etc.

I'm weak...very weak and I need to fix that. I'm stronger in some areas than I was early last year and weaker in others.

Wednesday 1/26/11

Afternoon:

Deadlift - 135lbs 3x5, 225lbs 1x3, 280lbs 3x3, 300lbs 3x2, 320lbs 3x1

Dips bodyweight - 10x2

Barbell curl - 45lbs 3x10

Afterwards I messed around with some double 20kg bell swings and cleans.

My plan now is to increase how much I move and get some conditioning back as well as get stronger.

Tuesday 1/25/11

Afternoon:

Two handed swings 24kg - 2x10, 1x15

One handed swings 24kg - 3x5/5, 2x10/10

Two handed swings 24kg - 2x20

Two handed swings 28kg - 3x10

I am going to start doing swings a couple of days a week to get my conditioning up.

Monday 1/24/11

Afternoon:

Front squat - 45lbs 2x5, 50lbs 1x5, 80lbs 1x3, 105lbs 1x2, 135lbs 3x5

C&P ladders - 24kg - 5x1,2,3

Barbell row - 65lbs 3x10

Back into the basic strength building routine I was doing before my 3 weeks on the Bear.

I know that I'm going to get sore from the squats after only having deadlifted the last 3 weeks.

Thursday 1/20/11

Afternoon:

Barbell press - 45lbs 2x5, 60lbs 1x5, 80lbs 1x3, 95lbs 1x3, 115lbs 5x5

Deadlift - 135lbs 2x5, 225lbs 1x3, 260lbs 1x2, 310lbs 2x3, (volume sets - 90 seconds rest between sets) 275lbs 10x5

I think I'm going to terminate my Bear and go back to what I was doing just before I took these 3 weeks.

I consider these 3 weeks to be a big success. From 4 sets to 10 sets of 275lbs with the 90 seconds rest between sets in 3 weeks is a great sign of progress. Oh yeah...I easily gained at least 10 lbs in those 3 weeks. I'm about 222 lbs right now give or take depending on how hydrated I am.

That was also a pr for me in the barbell press. I was kind of thinking I'd already hit 115lbs for sets of 5 in the past, but I was wrong. Early this year I hit sets of 5 with 100lbs and wrote that they felt heavy. I'm still weak, but I'm stronger than I was and that's pretty cool. Lots of work ahead, but a step forward.

I was a bit soft after just concentrating on my strength just before this bear. I visually look to be of similar leanness, but I just happen to be about 10 -12 lbs heavier. My posterior chain feels like it's ready to go to work!

Monday 1/17/11

Afternoon:

Barbell press - 45lbs 2x5, 60lbs 1x5, 75lbs 1x3, 95lbs 1x3, 112.5lbs 5x5

Deadlift - 135lbs 2x5, 185lbs 1x3, 260lbs 1x2, 310lbs 2x3, (volume sets - 90 seconds rest between sets) 275lbs 9x5

One more set added. 20 sets is a ways off, but honestly I understand what Pavel was saying in PTTP about your sets being between 5 and 20. The pump I get from these volume sets is insane. My spinal erectors feel like they are going to pop off my back. Definitely need to stretch and release tension on my off days.

Thursday 1/13/11

Afternoon:

Barbell press - 45lbs 2x5, 60lbs 1x5, 75lbs 1x3, 90lbs 1x3, 110lbs 5x5

Deadlift - 135lbs 2x5, 185lbs 1x3, 260lbs 1x2, 310lbs 2x3, (volume sets - 90 seconds rest between sets) 275lbs 8x5

Good result. Two more sets than Monday. I could have done another 4 reps if I would have wanted. The last rep of the 8th set was pretty slow to lockout so another 5 rep set wasn't to be. Still I'm making steady progress in adding sets.

And weight as well. I'm about 218lbs now.

Monday 1/10/11

Afternoon:

Barbell press - 45lbs 2x5, 55lbs 1x5, 70lbs 1x3, 85lbs 1x3, 105lbs 5x5

Deadlift - 135lbs 2x5, 185lbs 1x3, 260lbs 1x2, 310lbs 2x3, (volume sets - 90 seconds rest between sets) 275lbs 6x5, 1x4

Another set added. Good stuff. I had a cold starting last week on my first day doing the Bear. It's still kind of hanging around, but I felt pretty strong today regardless.

Thursday 1/6/11

Afternoon:

Barbell press - 45lbs 2x5, 55lbs 1x5, 70lbs 1x3, 85lbs 1x3, 100lbs 5x5

Deadlift - 135lbs 2x5, 185lbs 1x3, 260lbs 1x2, 310lbs 2x3, (volume sets - 90 seconds rest between sets) 275lbs 5x5, 1x4

So far so good. I would have been very happy with 6 full sets but one more set than Tuesday is a good result considering how hard these feel.

I've been locked on with my diet. Eating is a chore and it seems like I'm always eating even if I'm sort of full from the last meal. Eating well and about a half gallon of milk a day for starters.

Monday 1/3/11

Afternoon:

Barbell press - 45lbs 2x5, 50lbs 1x5, 65lbs 1x3, 80lbs 1x3, 95lbs 5x5

Deadlift - 135lbs 2x5, 185lbs 1x3, 260lbs 1x2, 310lbs 2x3, (volume sets - 90 seconds rest between sets) 275lbs 4x5, 1x4

I wanted 5 volume sets to start with and almost got it. I kind of lost my gumption by that last rep and that was enough. 90 seconds rest goes faster and faster as you do sets. Getting up above 10 sets by my second week will be a pretty good result if things work out well.

Saturday 1/1/11

Happy New Year!

I am going to transition next week into the Bear routine from Pavel's PTTP. I gave myself Friday off to give myself more recovery from what I could consider to be the end of a cycle.

The past year has actually been a very good one for me.

At the beginning of the year I was still recovering from my hip replacement and then my second knee scope surgery.

I earned my HKC in April and then my RKC in September.

I first pressed the 32kg bell early this year at about 220 lbs. Once my weight came down below 200 lbs and I couldn't do any overhead or one handed work (due to a torn finger tendon) I lost that press for a while.

I can press the 32kg bell more solidly than I could early this year now and at a lower bodyweight (208lbs compared to 220lbs). The 36kg bell should be pretty close at this point.

In short after last year I'm finally stronger than I was before my hip replacement. It took a lot of hard work and ego checking to get here. I'm not strong yet by any means but I'm closer and I feel the upcoming year will finally yield some decent pr's.

Here is to no injuries and productive training for a whole year! I can't imagine anything better than that.