ExRx.net

[pdellorto]

I did my 2nd cycle (minus the deload, next week) of 5/3/1 on trap bar deadlifts.

So far, so good. I did the following final "AMRAP" sets. Notation is reps x pounds (estimated 1RM)

Cycle 1 - working max 270, based on previous 3 x 1 x 300
15 x 230 (337)
13 x 245 (343)
5 x 255 (289)

Cycle 2 - working max 280
15 x 240 (352)
3 x 250* (267)
11 x 265 (353)

* No attempt to crack the minimum reps.

I know the estimated 1RM isn't really that accurate. But it's a useful way to convert rep counts for comparison and know if I'm making progress overall or not. I need some way to know if 11 x 265 is good when I'm doing 15 x 240. I don't use the 1RM calculator from 5/3/1, I use another one.

Most of those are rep PRs - only the 3 x 250 was a rep count I'd hit for that weight before.

Looking forward to cycle 3, I'm trying to decide if I want to use a working max of 290 (+10 pounds) or be more conservative and use a max of 285 (+5 pounds). Right now, I'm planning on another 10-pound jump because my last day's lifting was a big rep PR, and I'd like to get a little heavier work in.

I like the boring-but-big accessory work. The extra work is nice, the short rests I use (1 minute rigidly timed) makes it conditioning as much as hypertrophy-specific. And it makes for a really short workout. I think I will stay with that again for a third cycle, but now my 50% will mean I'm lifting 145. I could go for a little more but not yet, I think.

Still not sure what I'll couple the BBB template with - probably not Swiss ball leg curls again. Maybe glute bridges? Lightly weighted lunges for 5 x 15 or bodyweight ones for 3 x 25? I can't decide yet. Trap bar DLs call on my quads pretty well, but my hamstrings are getting fried when I combine them with SBLCs. Maybe I'll work something for my glutes specifically.

Anyway, just my thoughts on the protocol and where I'm going with it next. I'd welcome suggestions.

[Jungledoc]

Hey, I meant to congratulate you on your 100th workout at DeFrancos last week. It seems like some sort of a milestone!

[pdellorto]

It does seem like one, doesn't it? I try not to think about the sum total I spent. Although, interestingly, it's cheaper than if I'd been getting coaching at my local fitness club, YMCA, or personal training studio!

But yeah, geez, I've been there over 100 times. And well more than a year now. The sucky part is that over 100 sessions into it, and they still haven't really scratched the surface of how miserably hard yet productive they can make my workouts. Heh.

[Jason Nunn]

Little off topic, but when's the next fight?

[pdellorto]

[pdellorto]

I thought it over and ran the numbers. I'm going to go with a 5-pound increase on my training max this cycle for 5/3/1.

I think 10 pounds is well within my grasp, but I have three reasons to go for 5:

1) I'm doing a lot of working out, so it's better to err on the conservative side when raising weights.
2) I'm a bad example of "practice what you preach" if I tell people to err on the conservative side, but then I err on the high side.
3) If I do 285, not 290, my 5/3/1 week's final set is 270. I've previously 3-repped 270, so I think this is a chance to see how much improvement I've gotten at that weight. If I did 290 it would be 275 and I'd skip a chance to see what kind of rep max 270 really is for me.

I'm doing 5 x 10 x 145 on the BBB template, but I still have not decided what to pair it with.

[wilburburns]

What makes a Kroc row different from a basic 1 arm DB row?

Kroc Row
http://kettlebellplanet.blogspot.com/2009/10/workout-of-day-plus-what-are-kroc-rows.html

Dumbbell Bent-over Row
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/DBBentOverRow.html

Good job on the Reps....

Cliff

[pdellorto]

[wilburburns]

[pdellorto]

I think it's not so much sloppy form as being fast rather than deliberate and slow. Though sloppy form can result, it's not encouraged.

It's a fun way to do rows, though. One set and done for high reps really pounds your body in a whole new way compared to 3 x 10 or 5 x 5 or 4 x 6 or whatever else you've done.

[stuward]

Pete, I want to go to your gym. It looks like a lot of fun.

[pdellorto]

It's a lot of fun. Assuming "hard work" is good fun to you, of course.