Week 2: 20 - 24 August

FRONT SQUAT	88	x	5	:	103
FRONT SQUAT	85	x	7	:	105
BENCH	83	x	5	:	97
BENCH	75	x	5	:	87
HANG CLEAN	65	x	3	:	71
DEADLIFT	130	x	5

Week 1: 13 - 17 August

A slight change to the plan. Included some 5x5 and dropped Press, as my left shoulder is unhappy with it.
Tired of always having one shoulder or the other complaining. I must be getting old or soft. Possibly both.
With the current split some exercises will be done twice a week. Once 531, and once 5x5.

FRONT SQUAT	83	x	5	:	97
FRONT SQUAT	75	x	5	:	87
BENCH	75	x	5	:	87
HANG CLEAN	60	x	5	:	70
DEADLIFT	110	x	5

A Workout Update

By now you may have noticed that I have not posted a workout in a while.
Firstly, I was laid low by the Spanish Influenza. At least it felt that bad.
But, I bounced back, and went at it with my training. But, there is a catch.
I was questioning the validity of my training paradigm. Not the effectiveness of 531 or 5x5.
Rather, I was questioning whether it was the best for me. And I was thinking long term.
My shoulder is not happy with the low-bar position, or with overhead pressing.
My lower back has started to talk to me in language I've never heard before.
In short, I felt like I was barreling along toward an early retirement from training. That is unacceptable.
At the same time, I was reading some prehab\rehab\injury prevention type stuff. One article stood out.
"21 Exercises For Injury-free Mass" by Bret Contreras.
Its geared toward the man made of glass, which isn't me, but it gave me an idea.
What if I used the big exercises to "test" my strength, and stuck to safer versions to "train" it?
Could it work if I only had to load up the barbell and strain once a month? (Less exposure).
Could the "safe" exercises still help me to improve, but save me from further injury?
It was a theory that I had to test, as there are several advantages:
1. No injuries means more training time.
2. Less spinal loading means increased recovery.
3. Less chance to grow stale on the big exercises.
Yes, there are negatives, like not getting practice at the specific lifts. Nothing is perfect.
I've put together a simple A-B Split using the exercises from the article.
The plan is still geared more towards a 5-rep strength approach (with a bit of hypertrophy thrown in).
I'll go for one cycle of 4 weeks, then retest my strength and see where I am.
Hopefully the same-but-different exercises I chose will work.
Time will tell...

Workouts 57, 58, 59

WEEK 1 of the new plan. It's mostly tweaking of the previous method.
I will have to give it a fair shot of at least one cycle. 
It's not perfect. (Is it ever?). But, I think I might be getting the basic pattern right.
Time (and increasing strength) will tell. 
Hopefully the shoulder stability work will keep me from breaking down.


MON
 SQUAT
65x5, 90x5, 110x5, 110x5, 110x5
 BENCH
50x5, 70x5, 85x5, 85x5, 85x5
 RACK CLEAN
60x3, 60x3, 60x3, 60x3, 60x3


WED
 TGU                             24x3
 REVERSE CRUNCH      8,6
 WALL SLIDES              10,10
 PLANK                        45s, 15s
 YTLI + WING                10+5
 DISLOCATIONS             5, 5
 INV ROW                      10,10,10
 SCAP PUSHUP            10,10,10
 SWINGS                     24x15,15,10,10


FRI
 SQUAT
70x5, 90x5, 113x5, 113x5, 113x5
 PRESS
20x5, 30x5, 35x5, 35x5, 35x5
 DEADLIFT
70x5, 95x5, 120x5 
CHIN
15x3, 15x4, 15x3

Workout 54 55 56

Mon [13/02/2012]
 Heavy Deadlift
 Shoulder Press
 Squat

Wed
 Turkish Getup
 Pushup
 Swing
 Goblet Squat
[Skipped some exercises]

Fri
 Squat
 Bench
 Row

This arrangement didn't work out exactly as planned. There were one or two logistical issues that upset the week too. In the end I just didn't feel that I had the balance right for my goals.

Next week will be similar, but a better arrangement, and hopefully better matching with my prehab/rehab and goals.

Workouts This Week v2

Well, some more tweaking went on, and things changed a little.

I needed to make one or two changes to my new plan, so it's actually very close to the previous one again.
I've got Wed a bit more firmed up, and include Kettlebells, which I've missed a bit.
I also trimmed the Bodyweight stuff to bare bones. Plus a little bit of rehab work for my shoulders thrown in.
Hopefully I have the balance right now. We'll know in a few weeks.

There is still inspiration from "Power to the People", "Madcow 5x5", 531, "Enter the Kettlebell".
It's a bit eclectic, but so are my goals.

Along with all this I've changed my eating plan. I've tried a couple of Intermittent Fasting approaches, but none of them have really worked for me. The LeanGains approach is a bit more to my liking. It's been almost a week already, and so far, so good.

The next cycle is under way...

Workout 51 52 53

Week 5 of the 12 week plan.

Day 1:
Squat: 5x 60,75,90,105,120
Bench: 5x 55,65,70,80,90
Deadlift: 5x 95,110,125 [cluster of 5]

Day 2:
Pushups: 20 20
Inv Row: 20 14
L-Handstand Pushup: 10
Face Pulls: 10 10
Short Bridge: 20 20
Asst 1 Leg Squat: 6 6
Dips: 20 14
Chins: 5 5 5 3
Bench Lying Raise: 20
Supermans (5Sec): 10

Day 3:
Squat: 5x 60,75,90,105
           3x125
           8x90
Bench: 5x 55,65,70,80
            3x 90
            8x 75
Pendlay Row: 5x 40,55,60,70
         3x 75
         8x 60

The volume is accumulating...
I'm thinking of entering a powerlifting meet next week, we shall see.

Workout 48 49 50

Week 4 of the 12 week plan.

Day 1:
Squat: 5x 60,75,90,105,120
Bench: 5x 50,60,70,75, 85
Deadlift: 5x 95,110,125 [cluster of 5]

Day 2:
Pushups: 20 20
Inv Row: 20 13
Half Handstand Pushup: 6
Face Pulls: 10 10
Short Bridge: 18 18
Asst 1 Leg Squat: 6 6
Dips: 20 13
Chins: 11 8
Bench Lying Raise: 20
Supermans (5Sec): 10

Day 3:
Squat: 5x 60,75,90,105
           3x120
           8x90
Bench: 5x 50,60,70,80
            3x 90
            8x 70
Pendlay Row: 5x 40,50,55,65
         3x 70
         8x 55

Week 4 done, now the hard work begins...

Workout 45 46 47

Week 3 of the 12 week plan.
Trying to get my eating sorted out now.

Day 1:
Squat: 5x 60,70,85,100,115
Bench: 5x 50,60,70,75, 85
Deadlift: 5x 90,105,120
[The Deadlift is tough multi-rep with the small bar - will change last set to cluster of 5]

Day 2:
Pushups: 20 16
Inv Row: 20 11
Half Handstand Pushup: 5
Face Pulls: 10 10
Short Bridge: 15 15
Asst 1 Leg Squat: 6 5
Dips: 19 10
Chins: 10 8
Lying Raise: [skipped]
Supermans (5Sec): 10

Day 3:
Squat: 5x 60,70,85,100
           3x120
           8x85
Bench: 5x 50,60,70,75
            3x 85
            8x 70
Row: 5x 40,50,55,65
         3x 70
         8x 55

Slow steady progress. I feel that the slowly increasing work-load is having an effect.

Workout 42 43 44

Week 2 of the 12 week plan.
Wednesday is more organised now...

Day 1:
Squat: 5x 60,70,85,100,115
Bench: 5x 50,55,65,70,80
Deadlift: 5x 90,105,120

Day 2:
Pushups: 20 15
Inv Row: 20 10
Half Handstand Pushup: 5
Face Pulls: 10 10
Short Bridge: 20 20
Asst 1 Leg Squat: 5 5
Dips: 20 8
Chins: 10 8
Lying Raise: 20
Supermans (5Sec): 10

Day 3:
Squat: 5x 60,70,85,100
           3x115
           8x85
Bench: 5x 50,55,65,70
            3x 85
            8x 65
Row: 5x 50,55,65
         3x 70
         8x 55

It's going quite well. The Low-Bar Squat is still quite difficult to get right.

Workout 39 40 41

In a previous post I mentioned sitting down and looking at my routine on the awesomeness scale. I realised that My bodyweight goals are awesome, so I need to work towards them. But my strength goals are also awesome, so I will work at them too. As both of these goals involve strength, I can work towards them concurrently. A bit of Hypertrophy work thrown in will not go awry.
Therefore I took the 5x5 Template of Mark Rippetoe, the work of Wendler, the original ideas of Bill Starr and added in some bodyweight. Hopefully I left the logic of the classic plan in tact.

Day 1:
Squat: 5x 60,70,85,95,110
Bench: 5x 50,55,65,70,80
Deadlift: 5x 85,100,115

Day 2:
This was a bit of testing and checking this week. Should be working next week.
It will be the 6 Convict Conditioning Exercises: Pushup, Pullup, Squat, Bridge, Leg Raise, Handstand Pushup.
To that I will add a couple of exercise to get some volume, and balance the work.
It'll be good to take some spinal loading out of the program.

Day 3:
Squat: 5x 55,70,85,95
           3x115
           8x85
Bench: 5x 50,55,65,70
            3x 80
            8x 65
Row: 5x 50,55,60
         3x 65
         8x 50

Those who are familiar with the older style routines will recognise the 5x5 Madcow influence.
We'll see in a few weeks whether I got it right or not. The first cycle is meant to be 12 weeks. If I stall sooner than that I messed up.