MKW’s “Making My Own Luck” Towards a 1,000 Pound Total Log

[JerG]

Sounds like everything is going really well man. Pound for pound, your OHP is really strong. Your work hours are insane too btw, especially for someone just starting out. I'm amazed that they are asking that much out of you already, but that could be a good thing in some ways.

Do you just lift on the weekends then? I cannot imagine being motivated to lift after working all day. Do you stare at a computer screen? I feel like doing that is so taxing heh. But I guess with the morning commute, lifting after work may be your only option.

[MKW]

Damn huge PR!

Pretty awesome while dropping lbs.

140x10 for your OHP Big time congrats on that rep PR.

Thanks boys!

Sounds like everything is going really well man. Pound for pound, your OHP is really strong. Your work hours are insane too btw, especially for someone just starting out. I'm amazed that they are asking that much out of you already, but that could be a good thing in some ways.

Do you just lift on the weekends then? I cannot imagine being motivated to lift after working all day. Do you stare at a computer screen? I feel like doing that is so taxing heh. But I guess with the morning commute, lifting after work may be your only option.

Thanks Jeremy. The biggest problem with the hours is the commute. Hours are 9 until about 8, although a couple of times this week (like yesterday) I left around 8:45. With the commute though a day like yesterday was 7:33 AM train in and a 9:07 train home. A big part of it is that since I'm new, I'm pretty slow on my tasks (for example I was the last person there last night). Another temporary issue is another worker is on a long vacation abroad so we are picking up the slack until he gets back. I think once I settle in it will be more like 7:30 PM exits most nights which is doable, especially if I lived in NYC.

Haha yeah I primarily stare at a computer screen but I am enjoying it. My current workout split is Saturday/Sunday, Tuesday/Wednesday. It sucks to lift after work and then go on the train but my iPhone keeps me company, haha. Wednesday I got out a little later than I wanted to and, because of the gym, took a 10:22 PM home (got in around 11:30). That one I won't sugarcoat, it blew.

Workout coming.

[MKW]

January 12, 2013: 5/3/1 Cycle 3, Week 2, Day 1

Box Squat

I went on a bit of a shopping spree with my Mom earlier (not complaining) to get presentable clothes so I was short on time on this one. I was OK with that though because I don't want to kill it with volume when I'm doing cardio/caloric deficit anyway.

Box Squats:

- 195 x 3
- 220 x 3
- 245 x 10 PR Big PR. I hit 245 x 8 on December 23rd as last cycle's 1+ day. Beltless.
- 245 x 1. Used my belt because I want to get used to the Inzer Lever. Honestly I don't really like it but I know it just needs to break in.
- 245 x 1

Cardio:

- 10 sprints on the recumbent bike.

Limped out. Bench tomorrow, 225 on my 3+ day. I'll check everyone's logs now.

[Anthony21]

January 12, 2013: 5/3/1 Cycle 3, Week 2, Day 1

Box Squat

I went on a bit of a shopping spree with my Mom earlier (not complaining) to get presentable clothes so I was short on time on this one. I was OK with that though because I don't want to kill it with volume when I'm doing cardio/caloric deficit anyway.

Box Squats:

- 195 x 3
- 220 x 3
- 245 x 10 PR Big PR. I hit 245 x 8 on December 23rd as last cycle's 1+ day. Beltless.
- 245 x 1. Used my belt because I want to get used to the Inzer Lever. Honestly I don't really like it but I know it just needs to break in.
- 245 x 1

Cardio:

- 10 sprints on the recumbent bike.

Limped out. Bench tomorrow, 225 on my 3+ day. I'll check everyone's logs now.

Big time box squat PR bro, you're just getting stronger and stronger.

[Filmbuff81]

Big PR mark! Awesome job! Very impressive.

Good inspiration for when I finally get back in a groove.

[MKW]

Big time box squat PR bro, you're just getting stronger and stronger.

Big PR mark! Awesome job! Very impressive.

Good inspiration for when I finally get back in a groove.

Thanks boys!

[MKW]

January 13, 2013: 5/3/1 Cycle 3, Week 2, Day 2

Bench Press

Conditions were not optimal today. Long day of studying and not as much sleep as I would like due to a later-than-usual night. Oh well, gotta live!

Bench Press:

- 175 x 3
- 205 x 3
- 225 x 5. I actually lost a rep here from another week. I wanted 7 and would have had six but had one of those awful spotters who tried to touch the bar after the 5th rep, causing me to say "No, no, I got it! I got it!" and of course that ruined the next rep. I thought I was going to have 7 after the first 2 reps. Oh well, next time.
- 225 x 1. 10+ reps easy. I need to get over the mental block of reps at 225.
- 225 x 1
- 150 x 10
- 150 x 10
- 150 x 10
- 150 x 10
- 150 x 10

T-Bar Rows (using 35s for more ROM):

- 70 pounds added x 15
- 90 pounds added x 15
- 115 pounds added x 15
- 115 pounds added x 15
- 115 pounds added x 15

DB Hammer Curls (strict 60 second rest):

- 35s x 10 (+5 pounds from last time)
- 35s x 8
- 30s x 12

DB Shrugs (30 seconds rest.. I'm noticing trap changes since I started doing it like this):

- 75s x 15
- 75s x 15
- 75s x 15
- 75s x 15
- 75s x 15

Post-Workout Nachos (who says you can't eat what you like on a cut?):



- 6 oz chicken
- 3 servings of whole grain tortilla chips
- 2 servings of mozzarella cheese
- 1 serving of chick peas
- onions

Notes:

- Eh, decent workout. I think I have a mental block with reps at 225. I need to get over that. If you saw my 1 reppers at 225 you'd think I had 7-8 easy. I'll get there.

[Filmbuff81]

Awesome job Mark.

At least you have the motivation to get in regardless of the circumstances.

[styler]

Nice volume on the workout...you've packed some more sets since earlier. I'm going to have to try that approach with the db shrugs.

[Anthony21]

Big time bench day bro, nice work and don't beat yourself down so much. Nice postworkout meal brother.

[ulsak]

Very nice benching bro! As for traps, you should go for Karkowsky Rows..

[Gordon Bombay]

Nachos on a cut bro? Hnnnnngghhh. I haven't been keeping up. What are you trying to cut down too?

Still rockin' I see.

[MKW]

Thanks boys! GB, I am just mini-cutting. I started around 189-191 and would like to get to around 185 but I'm not going to push it to do so. I already started adding calories back in to transition from a mini-cut to a mini-reverse.

Update: Sorry to everyone whose logs I haven't been active in the last couple of weeks. My schedule has been pretty insane (10:22 train home Wednesday, 11:22 train home Thursday/Friday, 10:22 train home Saturday... yes Saturday ). It should lighten up within a week at the latest, which will correspond with the beginning of Cycle 4. I will be back posting here as much as possible and am planning to post out Cycle Four goals in a few days. Starts Saturday.

In terms of lifts, they've been pretty terrible the last two weeks. No PRs to report. I'm still in the middle of the train/no sleep/work/study adjustment and didn't do any favors attempting a mini-cut under suboptimal conditions. It did more harm than good because I'm not yet comfortable at work to turn down lunch (social aspects), so it left me with a lot of estimates. I will slow gain until June and then consider the merits of another cut, particularly if I now feel more comfortable bringing lunch and losing the social aspect for a month or two.

I'll try and check in on everyone's log in the next day or two.

[Filmbuff81]

At least you are getting in there!

Even if no PR's you will at least maintain for the most part so that once you adjust the gains will come again.

[lllDBOlll]

Nice Benching and Box Squatting

Me Gusta Cheesy Nachos

[MKW]

Thanks boys! I'm genuinely sorry for how little I have been on here. Cycle 3 of 5/3/1 was a bit of a bust, particularly the last two weeks. I tried to mini as best as possible but my days were just absurd. 11:22 PM home again last night. With any luck I will have a sublet in NYC in the next week or two to make the days more tolerable from a time standpoint. Not complaining, just giving a reason for my lack of activity. Studied a solid 6 hours or so today but also hit my first workout of Cycle 4. It's time to get back on here and I think Cycle 4 is a good time to do so. I am also going to start using a Google Doc instead of a notebook, that way I can copy/paste and save time.

February 2, 2013: 5/3/1 Cycle 4, Week 1, Day 1

Box Squats

Box Squats:

- 135 x 5
- 175 x 3
- 190 x 5
- 215 x 5
- 240 x 13 (belt) PR
- 275 x 1 (not hard, belt)
- 160 x 10
- 160 x 10
- 160 x 10
- 160 x 10
- 160 x 10

(BBB not very difficult. Used a belt)

Calf Raise SS Cable Crunch:

- 1 plate x 20 SS 130 x 20
- 2 plates x 15 SS 200 x 12 (stack)
- 2 plates x 20 SS 200 x 12 (stack)

Notes:

- Squats felt great. Cut is over. I’m going to somewhat reverse as best as possible. Calories will be around 2,650 to start.

[Filmbuff81]

Big day.

Only suggestion would be to lose the belt for BBB.

But amazing day man!

[MKW]

Big day.

Only suggestion would be to lose the belt for BBB.

But amazing day man!

Thanks man! Yeah, it was my first day using it with BBB. I didn't really think about it to be honest. I guess it was because this is the first time I have used the belt on squats so I just stuck with it throughout. Definitely looked stupid to someone walking in late in my workout and sees me tired on 160 pound squats with a belt, haha.

[Filmbuff81]

Oh well if it was the first time then it's good to break it in!

You can ditch it eventually

How is the job going? Aside from crazy hours and getting to know everyone.

[MKW]

Oh well if it was the first time then it's good to break it in!

You can ditch it eventually

How is the job going? Aside from crazy hours and getting to know everyone.

Yeah man, I've had the lever for a while but haven't used it on squats. It was more of a hindrance than anything else until the last couple of days when it began breaking in more. It's still not even close to being "there" but it's better.

The job is good. I really like the work. It would be an easy balance without studying as well, but I can handle it and am going to get it all done. Next 4 months = studying, big PRs, and getting as good at this job as I can. Big things! But that's the last I'll say about what I want to do because I HATE talk. I'll post again in four months to review, haha. In the meantime, PRs.

[Gordon Bombay]

How's life going bud? Still kickin it?

I work with a couple guys who plan on taking the CFA II exam again. Their life is work, study, work study.

[MKW]

Well, well, well…

I’ll try to keep this relatively short. I didn’t intentionally decide to take nearly a year off from the site. I had some very impactful personal stuff happen roughly a year ago that really shook me up (no point/interest in getting into it). Needless to say it caused some weight loss and lack of motivation for a month or so. This coincided with me really ramping up my studying for CFA Level II and without meaning to months started passing without posting or checking the site at all.

I never stopped lifting and I’m actually at or around PR’s right now. I just finished up smolov for squats and have decided to get back on 5/3/1, which is easily my favorite routine. Once I landed on the goal of running 12+ cycles in 2014, I realized I needed to get back on the site. It is extremely difficult to replicate this type of community elsewhere. I might be a little inconsistent with posting (work and studying runs me 85ish hours per week) but I’m going to try my best.

Recent highlights off the top of my head:

• 335 box squat PR over Thanksgiving
• DB benched 120s for 3, 105s for 9 over Thanksgiving
• BW+105 for 5 on dips in December

I tend to workout pretty damn late (10:30 to midnight during the week) so I’ll post the workouts the next day more often than not, if I had to guess.

[MKW]

5/3/1 Plan:

My exercises will be box squat, barbell bench, barbell military, and then SLDL. I know, I know, it’s not 5/3/1 if I don’t run it with regular deadlifts. Fine, call it something else then, but it’s 5/3/1 to me. I’d love to run it with deads but my hamstring is such a constant issue and it acts up on me when I go too heavy on deads. Maybe I’ll find a way to incorporate deads back in but for now I’m going to work back up my SLDLs.

I’m starting off the accessory lifts with the periodization bible. I might move over to BBB for a cycle or two if I decide I need a little more time on the actual lifts, particularly bench and military press.

Where I stand with the current lifts:

Squats – I’m at my peak strength here. I’m putting in 335 as my max but I can do more than that right now (that was pre-smolov). That puts my training max at about 300. I ran my first day with the wrong training max and did 250 instead of 255 but oh well.

Bench – I don’t remember the last time I barbell benched so I’m putting in 265 as my max. The most I ever did was 275 (1.5 years ago) and I’m quite a bit stronger with the DBs since then but this will be fluid. I’ll adjust up or down as needed.

BB Military – Not at peak strength but not far off of it. I put 165 as my max. I do this exercise with zero leg drive. I’m pretty sure my PR last year during 5/3/1 was 140x10, which I do not have in me right now.

I’m probably going to skip the first deload but I’ll play all of that by ear.

[MKW]

January 16, 2014: 5/3/1 Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 1

Military Press Day

5+

Military Press:

- 95 x 5
- 110 x 5
- 125 x 10

CGBP:

- 95 x 20
- 135 x 12, 12, 12, 14

WG Lat PD:

- 120 x 15, 15

WG Cable Row:

- 120 x 15, 15

Kroc Rows:

- 50s x 20, 16

Tricep PD (not quite a pushdown, I stand like an idiot but it hits my triceps harder this way):

- 5 sets

Notes:

- OHP is going to blow up over the first few cycles. I haven't done much OHP in the last 6 months and the strength/endurance isn't there on the lift. I wanted 12 and was pretty disappointed that I gassed at 10.

- I'm going to use CGBP as an accessory here this cycle to hopefully have carryover to my BB bench.

- I'm going to build up on Krocs because my grip strength sucks and I'm sick of it. That weight wasn't heavy at all but I'm going to build up. In it for the long haul.

[MKW]

January 18, 2014: 5/3/1 Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 2

Box Squats

5+

Box Squats:

- 195 x 5
- 225 x 5
- 250 x 16 PR

Good Mornings:

- 135 x 12, 12, 12, 12

Leg Extensions ss Leg Curls:

- 3 sets of 12

Seated Incline Hammer Curls:

- 25s x 15, 15, 15

Max Rack Shrugs (front ss back):

- 135 x 20 ss 135 x 20
- 205 x 20 ss 135 x 20
- 205 x 20 ss 135 x 20

Spider Curls:

- 30s x 15, 12, 12

Notes:

- The squats were so damn exhausting. Struggled to catch my breath for a while there. I think I could have hit another 2-4 from a strength perspective but I haven't ever been that high in reps. So gassed.

- I am making a conscious effort to go lighter on some of the accessory lifts like curls and shrugs after re-reading portions of 5/3/1. I also got some fat gripz on a whim (the sale at Elite FTS got me) and I'm looking forward to trying them out today.

[MKW]

Cycle 1 Goals:

- Squat: My 1+ is at 280. I'd like to hit 8.
- Bench: I'd be pretty pleased with 225x5 on my 1+. I should have that but I legitimately haven't BB benched in forever so we'll see.
- Military Press: 140x5

Oh, and for fun, some 2014 goals:

- Box squat 405
- Bench 295
- 185x3 OHP without leg drive
- Greatly improve my grip/functional strength
- Bring my chest up from a bodybuilding perspective
- Get my hamstring to a point where I can deadlift again

[MKW]

January 19, 2014: 5/3/1 Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 3

Bench Press

5+

Bench Press:

- 155 x 5 (used fat gripz)
- 180 x 5 (used fat grips)
- 205 x 10 (no grips)

BBB (used fat gripz):

- 155 x 10
- 155 x 10
- 155 x 10
- 155 x 10
- 155 x 10

Dips:

- BW x 15
- 45 x 8
- 45 x 6
- 45 x 5
- BW x 15

DB Rows:

- 55s x 10, x 10 (with fat grips)
- 55s x 25 (no grips)

WG Cable Row:

- 100 x 20
- 120 x 20
- 140 x 12, x 12

Notes:

- Whoa. I bought the fat grips (I'm done adding the z, autocorrect is killing me) on a whim because they were on sale... they were amazing. My upper body pump was incredible pre-205 set. I called an audible and decided to run BBB on my bench days because I want the extra sets since I haven't BB benched in months, maybe a year. Incredible accessory. My arms are shaking right now. The only negative is that my hands are not big and they were pretty difficult for me to use with the rows. Felt it a lot in my fingers. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

- I was pretty damn happy with 205x10 as my first day back on the movement. I didn't have a spotter and might have left one grinder in the tank.

- Dips took a beating as a result of the benching but they still felt pretty good.

- Off the next two days and then hitting SLDLs/hack squats/biceps/traps on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to trying the grips for curls. That's why I bought them in the first place.

[Filmbuff81]

Welcome back and workouts looking wicked.

I see no problem leaving deads out for a while.

SLDL can help balance out strength and muscle moreso, so it may end up serving you better in the long run.

Still working at the same place? Good for you for training around your long ass work weeks.

[Gordon Bombay]

Hey MK! Glad you're back man. A 295lb bench would be sick.

How'd you do on the CFA?

[MKW]

Welcome back and workouts looking wicked.

I see no problem leaving deads out for a while.

SLDL can help balance out strength and muscle moreso, so it may end up serving you better in the long run.

Still working at the same place? Good for you for training around your long ass work weeks.

Awesome to have you here man. With SLDLs, you think I should run it with the 5/3/1 progression scheme? Or just roll with it in a more customized manner? I'm thinking 5/3/1 rep scheme but start very light. SLDLs + hack squats is a pretty brutal day in its own right.

Yup, I'm still at the same firm. The hours are pretty long but it's the additional studying that puts me over the top. I've got tomorrow off but I'm planning on waking up, getting to work at 9 with my books, and not coming home until 9 at the earliest. I am so close to finishing this thing off and I'm not going to let a lack of effort derail me. I had the same motto last year. It's OK if I don't pass as long as I put it all out there. Failing because I didn't put the work in just isn't acceptable. It sure does make for a ****ty 6 months though, haha.

Hey MK! Glad you're back man. A 295lb bench would be sick.

How'd you do on the CFA?

Sup man! How is everything going with you? Lifting? Work?

295 bench would be a dream. Well, 300 is the dream, but 295 needs to come first. I think I can get there this calendar year. Baby steps though, first I need to get back to my old PR.

I passed Level II and have Level III on June 7. I don't think I can really do it justice just how miserable the Level II process was. I can't believe how tough the spring was but I passed the damn thing. One more!