Iron and Brass - my 5-3-1 experience

[AlphaBrass01]

A little background. I started lifting as part of losing weight. I started at a little over 280 and lost a lot of weight. I think I was 156 or so at my lightest. Since then, I've been trying to gain strength. I'm just finished about twelve weeks worth of a WS4SB template. While using this program, I saw how much I enjoyed training for strength, and have decided to give 5-3-1 a try. It appeals to me largely because it is very regimented. The percentages leave less to chance, which is good for someone who is a bit OCD like me. Also, sticking to Wendler's "Boring But Big" idea of assistance exercises gives will force me to stay simple with what I do.

I'm a little nervous about not having any direct arm or calf work (my calves are one of my favorite groups), but I think this will be good, as I tend to over-complicate programs. I'm planning on using weighted exercises for one lower and one upper day and body weight exercises for the other two days. I won't be including ab work, as I prefer to do that with cardio. I know my cardio will seem like A LOT to most people, but I find some cardio after lifting makes me feel better for the rest of the day, and a couple of endurance days keeps me feeling good. It may not fully support the strength goal, but I spent way too many years being the fat kid who couldn't finish the mile run in gym class, and doing it makes me feel good.

I'll start tomorrow with legs and we'll see how it goes from there!

[AlphaBrass01]

Just a little bit more information to start out. I mentioned that I'm pretty OCD, which has been a part of what has helped me get to where I am from where I was. It has been a part of how I approach things for a long time, and interestingly enough, helped a lot with my musical development (I've played [French] horn for years, and play freelance whenever possible, hence my user name and the title of the thread) as well as my diet and training. I find that the way I practice horn has fed naturally into the way I train. The similarities surprise me, but really make sense.

Well, I figured I should start this thing with a bang, so squats it was this morning.


Warmup Squats: 5x155; 5x190; 3x230
Work Squats: 5x250; 5x290; 9x325
Assistance Squats: 5x10x190
Standing One Leg Hamstring Curls: 5x10x80
Elliptical: 2.52 miles in 10 minutes


I expect some of my assistance stuff to be pretty low. I'm trying to use lifts or variations of lifts that I don't have a lot of experience with. I've never used this particular ham machine. I've never done much one armed row stuff. I've shied away from pullups in the past. Also, I'm thinking GHRs will happen, and I've NEVER done one before, so this whole thing will be pretty new to me.

This day definitely accomplished one thing I was after. I wanted to cut the time of my workouts down. Over-complicating my routine, as I have a tendency to do, had added too much time to everything, and I as sure that I had reached a point of diminishing returns. This simplified things and I got out of the gym much more quickly and still felt pretty much dead when I left. Good deal.

[AlphaBrass01]

So, it felt strange to bench reps at such a low weight, but I felt it. It didn't push me quite as much as squats did yesterday; I was probably a bit more conservative on my 1MR estimate for this.

I think I hit my right side harder with the rows. I need to concentrate on the form with my left side - might have gotten a little loose with it because my left hand grip isn't quite as strong and wasn't as steady.

Warmup Bench: 5x95; 5x120; 3x145
Work Bench: 5x160; 5x185; 9x210
Assist Bench: 5x10x120
One Arm Dumbbell Row: 5x10x45
Elliptical: 2.49 miles in 10 minutes

I can feel my legs a lot from yesterday - good stuff. I can also feel my face from my horn practice session last night - killed my embouchure. It's interesting how much playing and lifting equate when I think about it.

[AlphaBrass01]

Endurance and heavy abs today - I know it's a lot, but like I've said, it leaves me feeling good, and actually feels like it loosens up my legs a bit.


Stepmill: 55 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.69 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 15x145; 15x145; 15x150; 15x150
Elliptical: 2.45 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 7.57 miles in 20 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

So, GHRs were NOT going to happen after deadlifts today. I did some bodyweight back raises, instead, which still got my glutes going, in a more limited capacity, and REALLY exhausted my erector muscles - pretty tiring session.

Warmup Deads: 5x145; 5x180; 3x220
Work Deads: 5x235; 5x275; 10x310
Assistance Deads: 5x10x180
Bodyweight Back Raises (to failure): 26; 22; 21; 19; 19
Elliptical: 2.58 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

Stepmill: 55 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.69 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 15x145; 15x145; 15x150; 15x150
Elliptical: 2.47 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 7.55 miles in 20 minutes

I will say that I don't feel as completely beat directly after my workouts as usual, but I sure as heck feel it more the next day.

[AlphaBrass01]

So, Saturdays will definitely be my b**** days on this setup. They involve two exercises I've never really focused much on. When I started working out, I sucked at pullups, and never really incorporated them, and I've always just done other things for shoulders.

The good thing is that I definitely feel the military presses in my traps as well as the rest of my shoulder area, and I feel the pullups in my bis a lot more than I expected.

Warmup Military: 5x45; 5x60; 3x70
Work Military: 5x80; 5x90; 10x100
Assistance Military: 5x10x60
Bodyweight Wide Grip Pullups (to failure): 16; 13; 11; 11; 11
Elliptical: 2.56 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

So, here are some thoughts on the first week of this template. I know I can't really speak too much to effectiveness or anything like that because, well, it's only been a week, but I still have some initial observations.

First, one thing I was worried about was the fact that i'm losing direct arm and calf work. I know that in the long run, this in't a big deal, especially if you're focusing on strength anyway, but we all have our hangups. I'm glad to say that in this week, I haven't seen anything negative from this. I have definitely felt my biceps and triceps working through the exercises I'm including, and my calves are still being worked with the cardio stuff I do. The stepmill hits them especially well.

Second, I was wondering how so the assistance work I've chosen would leave me. The truth is that it left me VERY sore. It's pretty interesting. The way these workouts have left me feeling confirms my suspicion that I had just overcomplicated what I was doing before. I'm doing fewer sets, and a much simpler and smaller set of lifts, but I feel like I'm getting a better training session in anyway. Maybe my body just reacts better to this type of thing. We'll see how it goes as I settle into the program a bit further.

Regarding individual sessions, they are shorter, but feel much more intense during the workout. I feel completely beat afterwards, but not mentally destroyed.

I really like the boring but big assistance work right now. I've gotten a couple of weird looks and questions when people see me doing so many sets of one exercise, but it doesn't bother me. I get weird looks just for deadlifting at all sometimes.

I'm also feeling that certain muscle groups (especially my back and shoulders) are getting hit from different angles.

Overall, I'm happy with this week and excited to see what happens as this goes on.

[AlphaBrass01]

Happy Labor Day...and by labor, I mean squats.

Warmup Squats: 5x155; 5x190; 3x230
Work Squats: 3x270; 3x310; 7x345
Assistance Squats: 5x10x190
Standing One Leg Hamstring Curls: 3x10x80; 2x10x85
Elliptical: 2.54 miles in 10 minutes

...and now to let the remainder of the long weekend waste away...

[AlphaBrass01]

Warmup Bench: 5x95; 5x120; 3x145
Work Bench: 3x170; 3x195; 7x220
Assist Bench: 5x10x120
One Arm Dumbbell Row: 3x10x45; 2x10x50
Elliptical: 2.53 miles in 10 minutes

All in all, a good day. My chest felt a lot less fatigued than it did after last week's workout...hmm...

[AlphaBrass01]

I've always treated these endurance days as my version of GPP. It's basically a sort of maintenance of an area of fitness that I don't want to lose, but is not really first on the list to push toward improvement. After today, I can tell that I won't be getting as much distance in on the cardio machines during these days while on 5-3-1. My legs seem to stay sore a lot longer and that obviously limits that. I pushed myself HARD this morning, and the number are the lowest I've seen from this type of workout in a long time. I won't get upset about it, though.

I'll also blame work a little bit for this morning. It's been crazy for the past couple of weeks, and I didn't get out of the office until about 9:30 last night, after which I had to drive home, cook for today, and then eat (I was hungry) before hitting the sheets. I slept well, but that doesn't make about 4.5 hours enough. I know sleep is incredibly important, but earning a living has to come first. Hopefully I can get some good rest tonight.

Stepmill: 55 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.69 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 15x145; 15x145; 15x150; 15x150
Elliptical: 2.39 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 7.44 miles in 20 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

I think this was one of the toughest sessions I've had in a long time. I still haven't gotten the best sleep - ANOTHER late night at work last night, but I'm happy with how today went.

Warmup Deads: 5x145; 5x180; 3x220
Work Deads: 3x255; 3x290; 7x330
Assistance Deads: 5x10x180
Bodyweight Back Raises (to failure): 28; 22; 22; 19; 19
Elliptical: 2.55 miles in 10 minutes

[BenT]

training's looking good mate! I'm on 531 as well, and loving it at the moment!

You're right about the assistance work, there's no need to overcomplicate things. The way I see it is to focus on the main lifts, and add in assistance where you feel you need it the most, while keeping in mind training economy as a whole.

[AlphaBrass01]

Exactly! Thanks for your thoughts. I look forward to seeing how progress goes on 5-3-1. Obviously, with a program like this, you can't tell much in the second week.

[AlphaBrass01]

Stepmill: 55 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.69 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 15x150; 15x150; 15x150; 15x150
Elliptical: 2.48 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 7.51 miles in 20 minutes

My legs have recovered a lot more from squats and weren't completely destroyed by deadlifts yesterday. Today felt good, if that can be said of an endurance day.

BTW, I am RIDICULOUSLY ready for the weekend. I'm exhausted, and I'm excited to get to see former and current music students of mine perform tomorrow.

[AlphaBrass01]

I'm really excited about working on my overhead press. Obviously, as I've said, I haven't done a lot with it in the past, so I'm starting light, but like a buddy of mine said, "There's just something awesome about lifting heavy stuff above your head."

Warmup Military: 5x45; 5x60; 3x70
Work Military: 3x85; 3x95; 7x110
Assistance Military: 5x10x60
Bodyweight Wide Grip Pullups (to failure): 17; 14; 11; 11; 11
Elliptical: 2.58 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

It was awesome to get out there to see my students perform yesterday. It was also great to see some people from the music education scene who haven't seen me in a while, and hear them comment on the changes in my build. I do get a bit uncomfortable when I'm complimented a lot, but when you've worked really hard for something, it's still great to hear some outside confirmation of the results!

[AlphaBrass01]

It was an okay morning. I probably could have pushed another rep on my heavy set, but part of the reason I'm using this program is to avoid complete failure sets on the core lifts (for the most part). It's okay, since the next light sets of squats completely did my legs in.

Warmup Squats: 5x155; 5x190; 3x230
Work Squats: 5x290; 3x325; 4x365
Assistance Squats: 5x10x190
Standing One Leg Hamstring Curls: 5x10x85
Elliptical: 2.51 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

Warmup Bench: 5x95; 5x120; 3x145
Work Bench: 5x185; 3x210; 4x235
Assist Bench: 5x10x120
One Arm Dumbbell Row: 5x10x50
Elliptical: 2.54 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

It's so funny how sometimes you feel like you've really pushed hard through a cardio session and then realized you didn't do as much as you thought, at least distance-wise. I guess it's due to existing muscle fatigue or whatnot. Either way, that's how it was on the bike for me this morning. I felt like I was driving all the way through it and came out with at least a tenth of a mile less than I expected. I know that on a bike, that's really not much at all, but it's just the idea of it. Whatever.

Stepmill: 55 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.69 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 15x150; 15x150; 15x150; 15x150
Elliptical: 2.43 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 7.34 miles in 20 minutes

Also, I'm going to deload next week. I want to stick with a deload every wave for a while. I'm just wondering how you feel the best way to deal with the assistance lifts would be, specifically with the setup I've been using. Any help would be appreciated.

[AlphaBrass01]

Here's the end of this week. I've been ridiculously busy, which is why I haven't posted after my sessions. Basically, for the last few days, I've either been working, training, sleeping, eating, or cooking, so the computer has been left alone.

Thursday

Warmup Deads: 5x145; 5x180; 3x220
Work Deads: 5x275; 3x310; 5x345
Assistance Deads: 5x10x180
Bodyweight Back Raises (to failure): 29; 23; 22; 20; 20
Elliptical: 2.43 miles in 10 minutes

Friday

Stepmill: 55 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.69 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 4x15x150
Elliptical: 2.39 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 7.47 miles in 20 minutes

Today

Warmup Military: 5x45; 5x60; 3x70
Work Military: 5x90; 3x100; 5x115
Assistance Military: 5x10x60
Bodyweight Wide Grip Pullups (to failure): 17; 15; 12; 12; 11
Elliptical: 2.50 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

This is my first experience with taking it easy and deloading without a specific reason, like an injury, so it's a little bit different for me. I realize I'm not going really low on the assistance stuff, but I am planning on hitting a week like this every cycle, so I don't know how much I need to drop everything. I think that, like everything else, it will be a process of trial and error to see what works best for me. I'm just taking it easy on everything for the week, including my cardio.

Deload Squats: 2x5x155; 2x5x190; 5x230; 3x230
Assistance Squats: 5x10x155
Standing One Leg Hamstring Curls: 5x10x50
Elliptical: 1.48 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

Deload Bench: 2x5x95; 2x5x120; 5x145; 3x145
Assistance Bench: 5x10x95
One Arm Dumbbell Row: 5x10x30
Elliptical: 1.66 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

So, I am starting to understand what one of my friends told me about lighter weeks/deloading. It's good for you, but it's almost more stressful than lifting heavy, in that basically, it's boring.

Stepmill: 37 stories in 10 minutes
Arc Trainer: 0.58 miles in 10 minutes
Free Motion Weighted Crunch: 4x15x90
Elliptical: 1.39 miles in 10 minutes
Stationary Bike: 6.01 miles in 20 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

Deload Deads: 2x5x145; 2x5x180; 5x220; 3x220
Assistance Deads: 5x10x145
Bodyweight Back Raises: 17; 13; 13; 12; 12
Elliptical: 1.59 miles in 10 minutes

[AlphaBrass01]

Sorry for leaving this unattended for the last bit. I will update, but I have had no time, as this week has been pretty crappy. I like being busy at work, but this weekend is basically the first time I've seen the sun since my last post - 12 hour days and working on the weekend has been it.