Assessment of last cycle: Struggled to find any kind of consistency, and vacillated between an ED Push-Pull split three times a week, with aerobic and conditioning each day, and an EOD six-lift fullbody workout three times a week alternating with an aerobic and/or conditioning day.
Plan for this cycle: Try in earnest the first option, an ED split between aerobic in the morning and lifting/conditioning in the afternoon. The am aerobic work will mostly be taking a longer cycling route to work in the morning, 3-8 miles, instead of the shortest route, which is one mile. The lifting will be a Push-Pull split among my six main bilateral, compound-joint lifts: the five barbell lifts (Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Deadlift, Row) plus Pulldown/Chinups.
Push: Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press.
Pull: Deadlift, Pendlay Row, Pulldowns/Chinups.
If I get ambitious I may also work in one or two assistance lifts each workout:
Push: Dips, Dumbbell Presses, Overhead Squat, Pullover.
Pull: Stiff-legged Deadlifts, Dumbbell or Cable Rows.
I will try to start progressively microloading loading from a lower base than I have in the past, maybe 3RM x 205 for the squat, in order to rebuild my work capacity, but also to better focus on the aerobic work and/or conditioning.
Conditioning will be either HIIT on the Airdyne (Push days) and Rower (Pull days), or Sled pushes and pulls.
So an idealized weekly routine would look like this:
Monday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Tuesday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Wednesday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Thursday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Friday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Saturday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Sunday: longer bike ride?
---------------Week 1: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.08.11
Aerobic
Canoeing with family on St. Croix River. Wow, we found a great new outdoor activity that everyone enjoys. And I don't have to worry about my knees. It's great with the kids a little older and family outings becoming more active in approach.
Monday, 19.08.12
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 150
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 210
OP: 5 @ 65/85/100
Hmnn, I seemed to have stopped micro-loading. Looks like I'm going up in five-pound increments. I'll probably start microloading at SQ 3RM 225 or so.
Tuesday, 19.08.13
Lifting
PD: 3 x 5 @ 150
RW: 5 @ 135
SDL: 3 x 3 @ 185
I had a little bit of a knot in my right shoulder blade, so I started with Pulldowns to stretch it out a bit, then avoided heavier Deadlifts.
Wednesday, 19.08.14
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
Was a little sore and tired, so went with my base loads in order to maintain consistency. I guess the goal for this week is just to get in three Push-Pull splits, then next week perhaps begin working in more aerobic/conditioning stuff.
Thursday, 19.08.15
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 235
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 150
Friday, 19.08.16
Saturday, 19.08.17
---------------Week 2: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.08.18
Monday, 19.08.19
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 5 @ 135, 3 x 185
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Accidentally did a set of 3RM rows with my last warmup load for the Deadlifts. Liked the extra intensity, so did another set on purpose. May have to do the upper body stuff at 3RM occasionally. Or reinstall the 'weekly wave' (5RM/7RM/3RM) if I continue to do Full Body three times a week. I kept everything light just to see how my body would react to doing all six lifts in the same session again. Felt OK. I just don't know if I'll ever have the time or inclination to execute my ideal routine of aerobic in the morning and lifting and conditioning in the afternoon. Maybe I'll just switch back and forth when it suits me.
Tuesday, 19.08.20
Wednesday, 19.08.21
Lifting
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 185
OP: 2 x 3 @ 95
DL: 2 x 3 @ 225
RW: 2 x 3 @ 135
Had less than 30 minutes, so just did two sets of four of the six main lifts. Also just did three reps for everything. Hmnn, I might go back to that.
Also, lately I've been doing Stiff-legged Deadlifts on my Deadlift warmup sets. Saves the knees a bit and gives me a nice hammy stretch.
Also-also, wondering about finishing a workout once in a while with a circuit of:
Landmine
Pullover
Dips
DB Row
Cable Row
Overhead Squat
They are all lifts requiring little or no setup or warmup, so could be done fairly quickly. I would probably do them with lite loads and higher reps.
Thursday, 19.08.22
Friday, 19.08.23
Saturday, 19.08.24
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95
BP: 3 x 3 @ 135
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
PD: 3 x 3 @ 120
Tried everything at 3RM, not sure about this. Upper body lifts kind of want to be five lifts, but I like how quickly a three-rep set goes.
---------------Week 3: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.08.25
Aerobic
Full day shuffling at the Minnesota State Fair.
Monday, 19.08.26
Tuesday, 19.08.27
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
SQ: 3 @ 185/195/195
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
PD: 5/10 @ 120
Wednesday, 19.08.28
Thursday, 19.08.29
Friday, 19.08.30
Saturday, 19.08.31
---------------Week 4: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.01
Does mini golf count?
Monday, 19.09.02
Tuesday, 19.09.03
Wednesday, 19.09.04
Thursday, 19.09.05
Friday, 19.09.06
Saturday, 19.09.07
Aerobic
2 mi Bike Commute.
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
---------------Week 5: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.08
LIfting
DL 2/3/3 @ 225
Aerobic
Rowing, 20 minutes, steady.
Monday, 19.09.09
Aerobic
2 mi Bike Commute.
Tuesday, 19.09.10
Aerobic
1 mi Bike Commute, 10 mi Bike Ride.
Wednesday, 19.09.11
Thursday, 19.09.12
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95
BP: 3 x 3 @ 135
Was going to do all the pulls too, but started to feel nauseous on the bench. A shower later, I felt fine, but then it was dinner time . . .
Friday, 19.09.13
Saturday, 19.09.14
Lifting
SDL: 3 x 3 @ 185
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Aerobic
20 mins Rower
---------------Week 6: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.15
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 195
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 139
Aerobic
6 mi Bike Ride with the kids through the neighborhood and fairgrounds. It was cool for them to see the fairgrounds transformed back to normal just a few weeks after the State Fair. The Minnesota State Fair is massive, the biggest in the country I think, with well over two million visitors over a 12 day period. And then it becomes a ghost town for walkers, joggers, and special events, like horse and car shows.
Monday, 19.09.16
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Aerobic
8 mins Rower.
My right knee felt a little pain on the rower, so I stopped after eight minutes. I guess the goal for the remainder of this cycle is to find out once and for all if I can really do a Push/Pull split three times a week. So I'll continue to keep the loads relatively light and not push things until I know for sure that my body is able to recover from lifting every day for six days straight.
Tuesday, 19.09.17
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 200
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 145
The consistency is starting to pay off, the lifts are getting easier. I think I felt 225 on the last Squat set--200 went up pretty easily. Didn't do my aerobic portion, as the kids were begging to jump into the pool. Probably the last week for it before we pack the Intex pool up for the winter.
Wednesday, 19.09.18
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 235
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 140
Didn't have time for the aerobic portion, my son got a late reschedule for a flag football game at 6pm on the other side of town. Wow, I really appreciate not having to drive through rushhour most days.
The ED Push/Pull split seems to be taking. Hope I can keep it up. I really prefer doing just three main lifts to six.
Toying with the idea of three one-set finishers for each split: Dips, Pullovers, and DB Press or Overhead Squats for Push days; DB Row, Landmine Twist, and lite Power Clean or Back Extensions for Pull days.
Thursday, 19.09.19
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 205
Kids were clamoring for one last dip in the pool during our week in the 80s, so I only did squats. 205 felt pretty solid, so I may try to get up to 225 by the end of the cycle before I start microloading and working harder to get the aerobic portion in.
Friday, 19.09.20
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 235
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 145
Saturday, 19.09.21
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 210
OP: 3 x 5 @ 100
BP: 3 x 5 @ 150
---------------Week 7: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.22
Yardwork.
Monday, 19.09.23
Lifting
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 210
My lower back was a bit fatigued from yardwork, so I made sure my squat technique was spot on. Still, at the end of the second set it felt like it might give out, so I shut it down. I was running a bit late anyway, and had to get my son to flag football practice.
I seem to be sticking to the plan to get up to 225 by the end of the cycle and then start micro-loading. So I'll go for 215 this Wednesday and Friday, then 220 next Monday and Wednesday, then 225 on the last Friday of the cycle. A 225-pound 3RM squat, or 250-pound 1RM, is the next sort of base after the minimal 185-pound 3RM. Then 275-pound 3RM represents pretty decent fitness, and 315-pound 3RM the goal, for now anyway. I got close once before, so it would be nice to finally get there and then assess whether to stay pat until age brings it down, or push further to see what's still possible. A 315-pound 3RM Squat would project to a 350-pound 1RM, and correspond to a 1RM Deadlift of 405 pounds and a 3RM of 365 pounds, according to the Iron Ratio.
Tuesday, 19.09.24
Lower back was still a bit sore/fatigued, so I decided to be smart and let it rest another day.
Wednesday, 19.09.25
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 215
OP: 3 x 5 @ 100
BP: 3 x 5 @ 155
Everything felt solid.
Thursday, 19.09.26
Head cold coming on . . .
Friday, 19.09.27
Slept all afternoon.
Saturday, 19.09.28
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 155
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 205
Still feeling sick, but I got some lifting in. I forgot to add the five-pound plates on the Squat though.
---------------Week 8: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.29
Monday, 19.09.30
Ill still lingering, but probably could've worked out.
Tuesday, 19.10.01
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 220
OP: 3 x 5 @ 105
Energy levels more-or-less back to normal, both lifts felt solid, but I left out the Bench Press to make sure I wasn't overdoing it. Looks like I should be able to begin the next cycle at 225 for my Squat 3RM.
It's all arbitrary, but I take these plate-based milestones--185, 225, 275, 315, 265, 405--somewhat seriously. For the Squat 3RM, 185 is the base, 225 means I'm back in decent shape, 275 is good resistance and proven to be sustainable, and 315 is the goal, for the foreseeable future anyway. 315 means a 350 1RM Squat and a 405 1RM Deadlift, along with a 265 1RM Bench and a 1RM 175 OP. I'm not getting any younger, it's kind of now or never if I'm ever going to see those loads. Four plates on either side of a DL would be pretty cool. Whether or not my joints would still be able to handle the stress is an open question. I don't want to end up like Paul Jordan.
Ah, the folly of young men. I might continue to stick to 3RMs and eschew the risks of attempting 1RMs, even though the Iron Ratio and System of Percentages says I should be able to make their projections.
Wednesday, 19.10.02
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 255
PD: 3 x 5 @ 155
It'd been almost two weeks without any pulls, so I skipped the Rows to make sure I wasn't overdoing it. But the DL felt pretty solid. Still not sure how it's going to be doing Deadlifts over 300 on the upstairs floor. Might have to do them in the garage at some point.
Thursday, 19.10.03
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 220
OP: 3 x 5 @ 105
BP: 3 x 5 @ 155
The cool thing about 220 is all the different plate sizes looking like a real bell at the end of the barbell: 45-25-10-5-2.5.
Friday, 19.10.04
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 255
RW: 3 x 5 @ 145
PD: 3 x 5 @ 155
Saturday, 19.10.05
Plan for this cycle: Try in earnest the first option, an ED split between aerobic in the morning and lifting/conditioning in the afternoon. The am aerobic work will mostly be taking a longer cycling route to work in the morning, 3-8 miles, instead of the shortest route, which is one mile. The lifting will be a Push-Pull split among my six main bilateral, compound-joint lifts: the five barbell lifts (Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Deadlift, Row) plus Pulldown/Chinups.
Push: Squat, Bench Press, Overhead Press.
Pull: Deadlift, Pendlay Row, Pulldowns/Chinups.
If I get ambitious I may also work in one or two assistance lifts each workout:
Push: Dips, Dumbbell Presses, Overhead Squat, Pullover.
Pull: Stiff-legged Deadlifts, Dumbbell or Cable Rows.
I will try to start progressively microloading loading from a lower base than I have in the past, maybe 3RM x 205 for the squat, in order to rebuild my work capacity, but also to better focus on the aerobic work and/or conditioning.
Conditioning will be either HIIT on the Airdyne (Push days) and Rower (Pull days), or Sled pushes and pulls.
So an idealized weekly routine would look like this:
Monday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Tuesday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Wednesday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Thursday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Friday: AM cycling; PM Push (SQ/BP/OP) + Airdyne HIIT or Sled Pushes
Saturday: AM cycling; PM Pull (DL/RW/PD) + Rower HIIT or Sled Pulls
Sunday: longer bike ride?
---------------Week 1: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.08.11
Aerobic
Canoeing with family on St. Croix River. Wow, we found a great new outdoor activity that everyone enjoys. And I don't have to worry about my knees. It's great with the kids a little older and family outings becoming more active in approach.
Monday, 19.08.12
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 150
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 210
OP: 5 @ 65/85/100
Hmnn, I seemed to have stopped micro-loading. Looks like I'm going up in five-pound increments. I'll probably start microloading at SQ 3RM 225 or so.
Tuesday, 19.08.13
Lifting
PD: 3 x 5 @ 150
RW: 5 @ 135
SDL: 3 x 3 @ 185
I had a little bit of a knot in my right shoulder blade, so I started with Pulldowns to stretch it out a bit, then avoided heavier Deadlifts.
Wednesday, 19.08.14
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
Was a little sore and tired, so went with my base loads in order to maintain consistency. I guess the goal for this week is just to get in three Push-Pull splits, then next week perhaps begin working in more aerobic/conditioning stuff.
Thursday, 19.08.15
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 235
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 150
Friday, 19.08.16
Saturday, 19.08.17
---------------Week 2: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.08.18
Monday, 19.08.19
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 5 @ 135, 3 x 185
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Accidentally did a set of 3RM rows with my last warmup load for the Deadlifts. Liked the extra intensity, so did another set on purpose. May have to do the upper body stuff at 3RM occasionally. Or reinstall the 'weekly wave' (5RM/7RM/3RM) if I continue to do Full Body three times a week. I kept everything light just to see how my body would react to doing all six lifts in the same session again. Felt OK. I just don't know if I'll ever have the time or inclination to execute my ideal routine of aerobic in the morning and lifting and conditioning in the afternoon. Maybe I'll just switch back and forth when it suits me.
Tuesday, 19.08.20
Wednesday, 19.08.21
Lifting
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 185
OP: 2 x 3 @ 95
DL: 2 x 3 @ 225
RW: 2 x 3 @ 135
Had less than 30 minutes, so just did two sets of four of the six main lifts. Also just did three reps for everything. Hmnn, I might go back to that.
Also, lately I've been doing Stiff-legged Deadlifts on my Deadlift warmup sets. Saves the knees a bit and gives me a nice hammy stretch.
Also-also, wondering about finishing a workout once in a while with a circuit of:
Landmine
Pullover
Dips
DB Row
Cable Row
Overhead Squat
They are all lifts requiring little or no setup or warmup, so could be done fairly quickly. I would probably do them with lite loads and higher reps.
Thursday, 19.08.22
Friday, 19.08.23
Saturday, 19.08.24
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95
BP: 3 x 3 @ 135
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
PD: 3 x 3 @ 120
Tried everything at 3RM, not sure about this. Upper body lifts kind of want to be five lifts, but I like how quickly a three-rep set goes.
---------------Week 3: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.08.25
Aerobic
Full day shuffling at the Minnesota State Fair.
Monday, 19.08.26
Tuesday, 19.08.27
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
BP: 3 x 5 @ 135
SQ: 3 @ 185/195/195
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
PD: 5/10 @ 120
Wednesday, 19.08.28
Thursday, 19.08.29
Friday, 19.08.30
Saturday, 19.08.31
---------------Week 4: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.01
Does mini golf count?
Monday, 19.09.02
Tuesday, 19.09.03
Wednesday, 19.09.04
Thursday, 19.09.05
Friday, 19.09.06
Saturday, 19.09.07
Aerobic
2 mi Bike Commute.
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
---------------Week 5: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.08
LIfting
DL 2/3/3 @ 225
Aerobic
Rowing, 20 minutes, steady.
Monday, 19.09.09
Aerobic
2 mi Bike Commute.
Tuesday, 19.09.10
Aerobic
1 mi Bike Commute, 10 mi Bike Ride.
Wednesday, 19.09.11
Thursday, 19.09.12
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 185
OP: 3 x 3 @ 95
BP: 3 x 3 @ 135
Was going to do all the pulls too, but started to feel nauseous on the bench. A shower later, I felt fine, but then it was dinner time . . .
Friday, 19.09.13
Saturday, 19.09.14
Lifting
SDL: 3 x 3 @ 185
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Aerobic
20 mins Rower
---------------Week 6: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.15
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 195
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 139
Aerobic
6 mi Bike Ride with the kids through the neighborhood and fairgrounds. It was cool for them to see the fairgrounds transformed back to normal just a few weeks after the State Fair. The Minnesota State Fair is massive, the biggest in the country I think, with well over two million visitors over a 12 day period. And then it becomes a ghost town for walkers, joggers, and special events, like horse and car shows.
Monday, 19.09.16
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 225
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 120
Aerobic
8 mins Rower.
My right knee felt a little pain on the rower, so I stopped after eight minutes. I guess the goal for the remainder of this cycle is to find out once and for all if I can really do a Push/Pull split three times a week. So I'll continue to keep the loads relatively light and not push things until I know for sure that my body is able to recover from lifting every day for six days straight.
Tuesday, 19.09.17
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 200
OP: 3 x 5 @ 95
BP: 3 x 5 @ 145
The consistency is starting to pay off, the lifts are getting easier. I think I felt 225 on the last Squat set--200 went up pretty easily. Didn't do my aerobic portion, as the kids were begging to jump into the pool. Probably the last week for it before we pack the Intex pool up for the winter.
Wednesday, 19.09.18
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 235
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 140
Didn't have time for the aerobic portion, my son got a late reschedule for a flag football game at 6pm on the other side of town. Wow, I really appreciate not having to drive through rushhour most days.
The ED Push/Pull split seems to be taking. Hope I can keep it up. I really prefer doing just three main lifts to six.
Toying with the idea of three one-set finishers for each split: Dips, Pullovers, and DB Press or Overhead Squats for Push days; DB Row, Landmine Twist, and lite Power Clean or Back Extensions for Pull days.
Thursday, 19.09.19
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 205
Kids were clamoring for one last dip in the pool during our week in the 80s, so I only did squats. 205 felt pretty solid, so I may try to get up to 225 by the end of the cycle before I start microloading and working harder to get the aerobic portion in.
Friday, 19.09.20
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 235
RW: 3 x 5 @ 135
PD: 3 x 5 @ 145
Saturday, 19.09.21
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 210
OP: 3 x 5 @ 100
BP: 3 x 5 @ 150
---------------Week 7: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.22
Yardwork.
Monday, 19.09.23
Lifting
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 210
My lower back was a bit fatigued from yardwork, so I made sure my squat technique was spot on. Still, at the end of the second set it felt like it might give out, so I shut it down. I was running a bit late anyway, and had to get my son to flag football practice.
I seem to be sticking to the plan to get up to 225 by the end of the cycle and then start micro-loading. So I'll go for 215 this Wednesday and Friday, then 220 next Monday and Wednesday, then 225 on the last Friday of the cycle. A 225-pound 3RM squat, or 250-pound 1RM, is the next sort of base after the minimal 185-pound 3RM. Then 275-pound 3RM represents pretty decent fitness, and 315-pound 3RM the goal, for now anyway. I got close once before, so it would be nice to finally get there and then assess whether to stay pat until age brings it down, or push further to see what's still possible. A 315-pound 3RM Squat would project to a 350-pound 1RM, and correspond to a 1RM Deadlift of 405 pounds and a 3RM of 365 pounds, according to the Iron Ratio.
Tuesday, 19.09.24
Lower back was still a bit sore/fatigued, so I decided to be smart and let it rest another day.
Wednesday, 19.09.25
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 215
OP: 3 x 5 @ 100
BP: 3 x 5 @ 155
Everything felt solid.
Thursday, 19.09.26
Head cold coming on . . .
Friday, 19.09.27
Slept all afternoon.
Saturday, 19.09.28
Lifting
BP: 3 x 5 @ 155
SQ: 2 x 3 @ 205
Still feeling sick, but I got some lifting in. I forgot to add the five-pound plates on the Squat though.
---------------Week 8: Cycle V---------------
Sunday, 19.09.29
Monday, 19.09.30
Ill still lingering, but probably could've worked out.
Tuesday, 19.10.01
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 220
OP: 3 x 5 @ 105
Energy levels more-or-less back to normal, both lifts felt solid, but I left out the Bench Press to make sure I wasn't overdoing it. Looks like I should be able to begin the next cycle at 225 for my Squat 3RM.
It's all arbitrary, but I take these plate-based milestones--185, 225, 275, 315, 265, 405--somewhat seriously. For the Squat 3RM, 185 is the base, 225 means I'm back in decent shape, 275 is good resistance and proven to be sustainable, and 315 is the goal, for the foreseeable future anyway. 315 means a 350 1RM Squat and a 405 1RM Deadlift, along with a 265 1RM Bench and a 1RM 175 OP. I'm not getting any younger, it's kind of now or never if I'm ever going to see those loads. Four plates on either side of a DL would be pretty cool. Whether or not my joints would still be able to handle the stress is an open question. I don't want to end up like Paul Jordan.
Ah, the folly of young men. I might continue to stick to 3RMs and eschew the risks of attempting 1RMs, even though the Iron Ratio and System of Percentages says I should be able to make their projections.
Wednesday, 19.10.02
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 255
PD: 3 x 5 @ 155
It'd been almost two weeks without any pulls, so I skipped the Rows to make sure I wasn't overdoing it. But the DL felt pretty solid. Still not sure how it's going to be doing Deadlifts over 300 on the upstairs floor. Might have to do them in the garage at some point.
Thursday, 19.10.03
Lifting
SQ: 3 x 3 @ 220
OP: 3 x 5 @ 105
BP: 3 x 5 @ 155
The cool thing about 220 is all the different plate sizes looking like a real bell at the end of the barbell: 45-25-10-5-2.5.
Friday, 19.10.04
Lifting
DL: 3 x 3 @ 255
RW: 3 x 5 @ 145
PD: 3 x 5 @ 155
Saturday, 19.10.05
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