Paterfamilias' Log

[paterfamilias]

Yeah. I got tired of the old log. I'm starting a new one for 2014 and beyond. The old log was here.

Here's where I am at the start of 2014:
Age: 46
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 220 (a bit of post holiday bloat)
Squat: 435
Bench: 335
Deadlift: 475
Press: 215
PL total (gym): 1245
Age-adjusted Wilks rating: 370.9

I'm running a modified 5/3/1, which soon will go to two days a week because of my schedule. For the past couple of cycles I've been treating my 5's week like volume day on TM (at least for squats) and doing sets across, instead of one AMRAP set. I felt like I wasn't getting enough volume, so I also do a warm up on squats (sets of 5 to 275) every day, whether I'm working squats or not. For 3's and 1's week, I do the straight up 5/3/1 workout, with squats to warm up every day.
I shoot for > 3000 calories a day (big workout days it's closer to 4000), with macros at 300g protein, 300g carbs and 150g of fat. This may adjust and become stricter; I'm considering following Jordan Feigenbaum's fluffy intermediate example plan. I'm not exactly fluffy, but I'd like to be a little bit leaner walking around. I think my bf is in the low- to mid-20's, but I may be wrong. I did the 7 point caliper test in late summer and came back with 21%, which seems low.

My goals for 2014:
Get 1,200 in competition.
Get 1,300 gym total.
Deadlift 500.
Bench 365.
Squat 465.
Press 245.

[paterfamilias]

Dammit. I could have called it "5/3/1 In The Nine-Oh-Seven." Maybe the next time i get restless.

[paterfamilias]

Oh yeah. This is a log.

Today was my first regular workout since before Christmas. I felt it. I will be slamming protein and eating burger tonight.

Warmup on elliptical.

Squat: 45x5x2, 195x5, 235x5 (supposed to be 3. Sue me. My graduate degree is in a mathematical discipline, not an arithmetical* discipline.), 255x5, 295x5, 335x5, 335x5, 335x5

The first heavy work set was ugly. It seems my body forgot what it has learned about squats in the past few months. Sets two and three were fine … I got tight before each rep (I visualize Tescherer's (sp?) routine before each squat), and I got the bounce out of the hole. Still, pretty grueling after being a slack-ass for a few weeks.

*Yeah, maybe counting isn't arithmetic.

[paterfamilias]

Bench day:
Warm-up on squats. Slow and thoughtful 5s to 225 to wring out still-lingering DOMS from Monday.

Bench:
45x5x3, 115x5, 145x5, 170x3
190x5, 220x5, 250x5, 250x5, 250x4,1, all paused

[paterfamilias]

I'm fighting something health-wise, so I took it easy today. No AMRAP sets.

Press: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5

DL: 135x5, 170x5, 215x5, 255x3, 280x5, 320x5, 365x5

[paterfamilias]

I almost didn't go in today, but I went, and it was good.
Warm-up: 8 mins on elliptical
Squat 5/3/1: 45x5x2, 155x5, 195x5, 235x3, 275x3, 315x3, 350x7 (~431), 275x10
When I finished my AMRAP set, everyone (the latest crop of undergrad bros, mostly) had stopped lifting and turned to see what the water buffalo noises coming from the squat rack were about.

[paterfamilias]

Warm-up: Squats, 5's to 275. All paused, working out Monday's squat session. Felt good. 275 has never felt lighter.

Bench Press 5/3/1: 45x5x2; 115x5; 145x5; 175x3; 205x3; 235x3; 265x8(~335),4,3 rest-pause.

I lost the count on the AMRAP set. It was definitely eight, but it might have been nine. Such is life.

[paterfamilias]

Wednesday, the first day of my new schedule ... Two evenings a week instead of three midday workouts a week. Dialing in my feed schedule will be at the top of my list of priorities. My stomach was too full of greasy food for this.

First impressions: Evening crowd is more of a bro crowd. There are three potential squat racks, and when I walked in, someone was curling in each of them.

Warm-up: Squats, 5's to 275

Press 5/3/1: 45x5x2, 85x5, 105x5, 125x3 145x3, 165x3, 185x5,3,2 rest-pause. Already feeling the lack of midday caffeine bomb.

Deadlift 5/3/1: 135x5, 170x5, 215x5, 255x3, 300x3, 340x3, 385x5.
Meh. I thought the place was open another hour, but the lights flicked off after I finished my second to last set. So I launched into the final set without any rest. Would have needed 8 for a PR.

[paterfamilias]

Jujitsu yesterday, with first free-rolling in months: Before class I thought I was going to gas out and have a cardiac event at the first hint of intensity. I didn't. I did eventually gas out, but it wasn't embarrassingly soon. Intense lifting without doing cardio does't kill your ability to do lung-intensive workouts. Who knew? Seems like I may have heard that somewhere ...

[paterfamilias]

My second night workout. This time with light carby dinner, followed by protein and BCAAs. Much better.
Squat 5/3/1: 45x5x2, 155x5, 195x5, 235x3, 295x5, 335x3, 370x6 (rep PR, ~443.5), 295x10
Bench 5/3/1: 45x5x2, 115x5, 145x5, 175x3, 220x5, 250x3, 280x5,2,2. I wasn't feeling bench tonight. Maybe due to the max-effort squats.
Power Cleans !: 135x3, 155x3, 185x3, 205x3. First PCs in a while. They felt good. All the focus on DL technique has helped me with keeping a flat back for these.