350 Wilks or bust

[strideknight]

Well, I figured it was about time to start up my log again. My old one left off at the end of my last TM cycle here.

Basically, in December I started my own business, which is going quite well now, but required a stupid amount of start-up time. Then I became a father in February. So from December til the end of March I barely hit the gym once a month maybe because life was a crazy mess. In April things started evening out, and I got back into the groove and worked back up to roughly where I was before. I started a new Texas Method cycle in June, and just recently set an OHP PR of 225, so everything seems to be going well strength wise. However, all that sitting in a chair and long hours has been crap for my diet and I'm still a fatass.

So, my new goal is to stop assing around and get a Wilks of 350. I figure thats a decent place to start actually competing. Obviously it'll require a combination of weight loss and increasing my lifts, so it's good motivation all around.

Previous PRs: 5x425 squat, 5x460 deadlift, 275 bench, 215 OHP, 205x5 Clean
Wilks: ~288

New Texas Method spreadsheet link

14/06/30 TM 1b Volume 1

Squat: 5x5x380
Bench: 5x5x240
Deadlift: 3x455, 2x2x455
Dips: 3x8x85 assist
Chins: 3x5x120 assist

Notes: Grip gave out on deadlift, probably going to have to start mixed grip, straps aren't cutting it, just hope my elbow doesn't get wonky. Need to start using grippers again.

[strideknight]

14/07/03 TM2 1b Light 1

Squat: 2x5x315
Press: 3x5x175
RDL: 3x4x225
Chins: 3x5x125 assist
Dips: 3x5x85 assist

Notes: Vastus medialis is still wicked sore from Volume day, overall felt better after the workout tho. RDLs were easy, felt them in my hamstrings, but grip was giving out after four reps - could feel it in my forearms tho, probably will help the deadlift. There was a helluva electrical storm while I was lifting, probably 100-120 flashes per minute, looked like daylight outside. Crazy but awesome.

[strideknight]

14/07/06 TM2 1b PR 1

Squat: (5x) 4x420, 1x, 1x
Bench: (2x) 1x290 PR
Cleans: (5x3) 1x200, 3x, 2x, 3x, 1x
Chins: 3x6x125 assist
Dips: 3x6x85 assist

Notes: Annoyed with coming up one short on squats, want to say its lack of carbs, sleep, whatever, but I realized last week I accidentally did 5x405 not 5x415, and the four were pretty solid. Just going to trust the system and feel confident about next week. Plus, bench PR made me happy. Cleans were hard, and the first set was getting me discouraged, but I found the rest were much better as long as I really focused on form - on the jump and keeping elbows straight and they went much better.

[strideknight]

14/06/30 TM 1b Volume 1

Squat: 5x5x380
Press: 5x5x185
Deadlift: 5x455
Static hold: 3x365 mixed grip
Dips: 3x7x85 assist
Chins: 3x5x120 assist
Hammer curls: 3x3x45 with fatgripz

Notes: Squats felt fine, albeit tough, but I've noticed I have a slight tendency in the hole to have the bar move forward a bit. Watching the video, it seems like once my hips hit bottom they start coming back up before the bar momentum reverses, resulting in my back angle closing slightly and the bar moving forward a tiny bit. Will have to work on that somehow. Press was good, normal grueling. For the deadlift I tried mixed grip for the first time in a while. My elbow didn't bother me this time, altho I find that my supinated hand goes out an extra inch or two laterally, no way to get the same tight position. Seems like an anatomical issue? I thought I remember seeing something about that here on the forums, will have to look later. Still couldn't pull my work weight mixed grip, but I used liquid chalk and that with the straps actually worked exceedingly well. As can be seen from the video, hitched a bit at the top once or twice, still hard getting full lockout with grip, but overall pretty decent.

[strideknight]

14/07/13 TM2 1b Light 2

Squat: 2x5x315
Bench: 3x5x215
RDL: 3x5x225
Chins: 3x6x125 assist
Dips: 3x7x85 assist
Hammer curls: 3x3x45

Notes: Grip strength was totally gassed today. RDLs and curls were hard as hell to hold onto, but felt fine. Forearms felt like sausages that were going to explode. Really need to dig out my CoC grippers. Looking forward to PR day.

[strideknight]

14/7/16 TM2 1b PR 2

Squat: 5x420 (Previous cycle PR)
Press: 2x225 PR
Cleans: (5x3) 2x200, 4x3x200
Chins: 3x4x115 assist
Dips: 3x5x75 assist

Weight lost over TM2 1b: 5lbs

Notes: Squats were good, regular hard. Very happy with my OHP, nice steady improvement - video below. Wobbly as fuck, but it was a 2RM PR, so it shouldn't look good. Cleans went much more smoothly this time - still hard and taking all my concentration, but was able to complete 4 sets. However, I've been pulling them into me too much, or something, because the knurling keeps catching my neck occasionally and giving me wicked looking marks. Makes me look like I'm into auto-erotic asphyxiation or something.

I've decided to program my chins/dips similarly to TM, do a lower assist on PR days for 3x3-5 rep target, and try 5xAMRAP at a higher assist on volume days. Then bump up the weight by 5 lbs every microcycle. I randomly chose -10/+10 on my current numbers today, but it wasn't particularly hard so I'm going to change it to -15/+15.

Happy with 5 lbs lost over the microcycle since my lifts are still going up.
Press video - WARNING, CONTAINS FATASS BELLY:

[strideknight]

14/07/17 HIIT

Rower: 7x 40:120 ~1:40/500m @ ~400 Watts

[strideknight]

14/07/20 TM 1c Volume 1

Squat: 5x5x385 RPE 10,8,9,10,10
Bench: 5x5x247.5 RPE 7-8
Deadlift: 6x460, 2x460 RPE 10 - previous cycle PR
Dips: 8x, 7x, 6x95 assist
Chins: 3x7x135 assist

Notes: Squats felt horrible but solid. After the first set was convinced I was going to have to bail on a later set, but I got them all done. Bench was no thang but a chicken wing. Deadlifts were miserable, video below. I had managed to give myself a blister in my 20 minutes of rowing two days ago (wtf?!), which tore. Then a callous tore. The way that the seam on the Sew-Easy Ironmind straps sit in my hand, if there's any sliding they cut down the middle of my fingers and hurt like a motherfucker. I ordered a pair of the non-sewn as well as loop version of the ironmind straps to give them a try, but all this has done is motivate me to find my CoC grippers and really start using them and doing more static holds. Anyways, deadlift sucked 'cause my hands hurt like hell. Got so distracted I did an extra rep, albeit poorly locked out. Whole thing was too slow as well. Was so annoyed I tried for another set but only got two. Going to count it as five and add weight next week, just not necessarily expect to get them. Also made chins fucking hurt, but oh well.

[strideknight]

14/07/22 TM2 1c Light 1

Squat: 2x5x315 w/2 second pause at bottom
Press: 3x5x185
RDL: 3x5x225
Hammer curls: 3x4x45 w/fatgripz
Power clean & press: 3x5x135
Static holds @ 325 & CoC 3x3 for 10 seconds @ 2.5

Notes: Everything felt good, forgot how rough CoC grippers are, did PC&P to get the heart rate up a bit. Looking forward to PR day.

[strideknight]

14/07/25 TM2 1c PR 1

Squat: 5x425
Bench: (3x) - 1x, 1x, 1x292.5
Cleans: 5x3x202.5
Chins: 3x3x105 assist
Dips: 3x3x65 assist
CoC: 3x10 seconds @ 2.5

Notes: Squats were okay, need to remember to keep the bar a bit lower on my back. Bench pissed me off, hit 2 last PR day, only got 1 this time. From the video, and how it felt, I was damn close. Only got 4 hours sleep, hadn't eaten and haven't been taking creatine for the last four days, so that might've contributed. I've also been thinking that I need to change the way the 5x5 volume day work weights for bench are calculated. Going to try bumping them up another 5-10 lbs, and maybe see if the press calculations need tweaking too. Can't hurt, if I start failing sets I can just dial it back a bit.
Power cleans went really well, I was so pissed about the bench I focused all that anger into my cleans, hehe. Had a questionable rack or two, but I just remembered Rip yelling "GET UNDER IT" at me from the seminar and it worked like a charm. The 30 lb spread on my dips/chins seems to be perfect, rep wise. It got me thinking tho, that my dips are basically 290lb dips (weight-assist), which is right about where my bench is at the moment. Just food for thought.