Current 5/3/1 Program

[ghostface_nilla]

Deadlift Day (1/22/16)

Front squat
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3

Deadlift (5/3/1)
135x6
135x6
225x5
275x3

320x5
360x3
405x3

Joker
455x1

First Set Last
315x5

Pull-ups
Unweighted - 8
20# - 8
25# - 5
25# - 5

Felt pretty good. My hamstrings were pretty tight for one reason or another, but I still powered through my sets and hit a new PR at 455.

 

[Bullmuscle7]

Excellent PR on that dead brother!!!

You are doing great...but where ya been????


Post up!!!

 

[ghostface_nilla]

Excellent PR on that dead brother!!!

You are doing great...but where ya been????


Post up!!!

Yea sorry for the disappearance. I'm recovering from a pretty nasty ankle sprain so I haven't been lifting too much lately. No ligament tears that I know of but a ton of swelling and pain. I'm just getting back on my feet this past week. Walking is getting a little easier but I'm still in a lot of pain at the end of the day for putting weight on it.

I cut squats and deadlifts our completely for now, tried benching this past Wednesday without much leg drive and just felt weak. It's been frustrating to take all this time off, and I know I won't be able to squat for some time so I haven't been in the greatest mood lately. I feel like all of my progress from the past 6 months is going to be lost. I'll try to post some updates on my ankle and any time I can put in in the gym.

 

[Bullmuscle7]

Your progress will not be lost.

Most of us on here who are serious have had to deal with injury.

At first it seems injury sucks. But to the serious lifter... They turn that around.

Injury=Opportunity.

Whether it be to hone diet or figure new exercises.

Focus on upper body for a while. Make your arms bigger.

Just do something to enjoy, stay positive and keep your body in a state of growth.

Log it. You will get my support and others!!!

 

[ghostface_nilla]

Your progress will not be lost.

Most of us on here who are serious have had to deal with injury.

At first it seems injury sucks. But to the serious lifter... They turn that around.

Injury=Opportunity.

Whether it be to hone diet or figure new exercises.

Focus on upper body for a while. Make your arms bigger.

Just do something to enjoy, stay positive and keep your body in a state of growth.

Log it. You will get my support and others!!!

Thanks for the support. I know I'm not the only one here to have an injury that hinders their progress. And it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. I'm grateful there are no tears or fractures.

And like you said, I can train upper body a lot more now while my ankle heals up. I've been focusing on the big three so much it'll be nice to hit some upper body exercises I've been slacking on. Curls for the girls!

 

[Bullmuscle7]

Go at it brother!!! Keep this log rollin!!!

 

[ghostface_nilla]

Tuesday (2/9/16) Shoulders

Standing OHP
95x6
95x6
115x5
115x5
115x3
95x8

Leaning DB Lateral Raise
15x8 - 3 sets

Front Raise
20x8
20x8
15x12

Cable Face Pull
10, 10, 10 - not sure what the weight was

Incline Bench DB Reverse Fly
20x8 - 3 sets


Wednesday (2/10/16) Chest

Bench
135x8
185x4
210x5
240x3
275x1
275x1
275x1
225x5

DB Incline
65x10 - 3 sets

Pull-ups
50 total


Friday (2/12/16) Arms

Close Grip Bench
135x8
185x6
205x6
225x4
205x5
185x5
135x10

Hammer Curls
35x12 - 3 sets

Dips
BWx15
45# x 10
70# x 6
45# x 8
45# x6
BW x 10

Neutral Grip Pull-up
BW x 10
25# x 6
25# x 6
BW x 6

Cable Tricep Kickback
3x15

EZ Bar Drag Curl
45x10 - 3 sets

Abs
Ankle Mobility Exercises

I'm happy with this week in the gym. My ankle still hurts, though getting better, and I made in three times to work on things I can while the ankle heals. Standing OHP went pretty well. It seems I can start adding weight as long as I'm not bending or flexing the ankle, static weight wasn't too bad. Bench still didn't feel great as I put most of the leg drive on my toes, so benching with my heels on the ground is still taking some time to get used to. With that said, heavy singles at 275 went better than expected. I hit a full day of arms today, which I haven't done in a while. Finished off with abs and some ankle mobility stuff, dorsiflexion/plantarflexion with some resistance bands and rotation. Hope to be getting back to squats and deads soon.

 

[Bullmuscle7]

See!!! There's a lot you can do.

The bench is impressive but I love the pullups. They are so important I think to building your back.

You did great and I'm glad you are back at it!!!

 

[C T J]

I was thinking Vagina Monologues

In that case, post in mine.

 

[C T J]

Sweet training Ghostface. I did 531 for about a year. Good stuff.

 

[ghostface_nilla]

Decided to change things up. I switched off the 5/3/1 for the time being while my ankle heals up. With the extra time I decided to do a Smolov Jr bench cycle.

Bench/Back 2/15/16

Bench
95x10
135x5
185x3

200x6
200x6
200x6
200x6
200x6
200x6

Pull-ups
10,6,6,6,6

DB Row on flat bench
100x8
100x8
100x8

Pec-dec Reverse Fly
3x12

Cable Pullover
3x12

Since I can't squat or deadlift for a bit, I figured I'd up my bench and have been eying the Smolov Jr for some time. 3 week cycle, bench 4x per week. I'm hoping that after the 3 weeks I can get back to squats and deadlifts with some light stuff and get back in the motion of the exercises, and when I feel healed up I'll probably end up going back to the 5/3/1. I really like the progress I've made with it and the simplicity really fits my schedule. First day of Smolov Jr felt pretty good. 6x6 was more volume than I'm used to but it felt smooth through the last set. Rounded out my workout with some back accessories.

 

[Bullmuscle7]

Hope smolov gives you great growth!!!