My first intermediate log (May 24, 2021-?)

[CommanderFun]

For this log I'll be starting off with a four-day texas method approach, where each lift gets an intensity day and a volume day every week. I'm starting with some of the intensity weights backed off slightly. I'm beginning with just simple, short workouts with the intensity set followed by the volume sets. I will probably try to work in chins or pulldowns after the first week. I will perhaps add in more extras as time goes on as I feel it may be needed. But right now chins are the main thing I want to build up. I have been planning to start cutting weight when july begins, I might adapt this program and just train through the cut with it. I like to do weigh-ins monday regardless of my weight goals, to keep an eye on things. I'll be using power cleans for the pull volume at first, I don't know if I can really put up enough in a power clean to actually constitute valuable volume stress though.

[CommanderFun]

Monday 5/24/2021

Weigh-in: 88.8 pounds

Bench 220x5
Press 125x5x5

Nothing to really report here. Last rep of the bench got hung up a little on the way up. Not a big deal for an intensity set I don't think, but something worth making a note of for later consideration. I did do it for 3 sets successfully last week, though.

[CommanderFun]

Tuesday 5/25/2021

Deadlift 365x5
Squat 250x5x5

God damn that was brutal. Form was falling apart even at 250 on the first set. The 365 deadlift even felt harder than the one I did last week. I probably should've backed off the weights more. This is not a good start for the lower body work for sure. I will have to consult the books and forums for ideas on what to do.

[Bill Anders]

Makes sense. You jumped from "Squat 290x5, 260x5x2" on Friday to "260x5x5" on Tuesday. IIRC from PPST, you'd start 5x5 at 90% of that Friday 2x5 set, so it would have been 235x5x5.

I also recall Sully mentioning in BBRx that you'd need to do a bit of a reset without change in intensity. So this first week would have been 260x5x1, then next week 260x5x2, then 260x5x3-4, etc. It gives your body a chance to recover a bit from the push you were doing at your late stage LP while adapting to the volume.

But I don't have the books handy to confirm.

[CommanderFun]

The guideline I've found was to set the intensity weight at the last weight you finished for 3 sets of 5, which for me would technically be 285. But Paul Horn's very useful video recommended backing off like 10 pounds from your best top set if you concluded the novice program using a top set/backoff. So I worked out the volume weight with an intensity of 280, and got 250. I'll probably need to drop out the intensity weights further for both deadlift and squat. I feel like there is a sort of fatigue I get from really pushing against limit loads that just doesn't happen otherwise, and it takes more time to recover. It hits me especially bad on deadlifts and squats. I thought 250 would be fine, since 250 for 3 sets of 5 was fine a few weeks ago. Today was the mid week rest day, I decided to go for a little walk to help maybe push some blood through the legs and clear the inflammation up some. Seems to have been a little helpful. It might be because I don't move around a lot on my feet during the day anymore that it is actually causing that inflammatory shit to hang around longer and start to accumulate.

[CommanderFun]

Thursday 5/27/2021

Press 140x5
Bench 195x5x5

Another "nothing to report" day. The upper body shit just doesn't burn me out like the lower body stuff does. Tomorrow I may try cranking that intensity squat set down to 270, see if that gives me a better result. Legs still don't feel 100% today, but they're getting close. I know I will probably back the power clean off to 125 as I had originally planned to increment by 5 to 135, then 2.5s thereafter. Pushing it hard to 140 really threw my form off.

[CommanderFun]

Friday 5/29/2021

Squat 270x5
Power Clean 125x3x5

Squat was hard but doable. Didn't leave me with wet noodles for legs when I had to do the cleans. Still having trouble nailing them down perfectly. Some reps seem to go great, totally smooth right up to the catch in the rack position. Others it feels like I did something wrong, but they still rack.

[CommanderFun]

Monday 5/31/2021

Weigh-In: 288.2

Bench 222.5x5
Press 127.5x5x5

Bench felt great, like I could've done one or two more. Press was also nice and smooth. I don't know how much more tweaking I'll have to do for my squatting and pulling, but pressing is off to a great start. I sense a lot of mileage as far as progress goes at this pace. Also jumped on a chinup bar after lifting just to see if I could still do one. Pulled off a single okay. I don't think I could've completed a second rep though, but it's nice to have an idea of where I'm at.

[carson]

Commander: What is your age and height?

Good work.

[CommanderFun]

36, getting close to 37. Height is 6'2".