5/3/1 + SNS Focus XT - hesselingj

[hesselingj]

Overview

I’ve already begun a variation of 5/3/1 and completed my first week. I’ll be recording for at least the first cycle and likely the second (4-8 weeks) and recording my progress as well as any pertinent factors that relate to my progress.

Background

I was always an athlete when I was younger but never treated seriously the idea of taking care of my body in general. Late in high school I began to do this by lifting and eating healthier but without any true direction. There was no methodology to my approach until I entered college and met some guys that were nice enough to help me out and motivate me to take it more seriously. Here are the programs I’ve tried since then:

Variations of 5x5 strength training
Westside
Starting Strength
4x8 variation

My goals for the first cycle and beyond

Continue my progress coming from 4x8 and fuel my body optimally to maintain muscle gains without gaining fat. My four main lifts will be military press, deadlift, bench press, and squat; done on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (in order). I’ll also typically be doing some kind of cardio on Wednesdays and Saturdays as prescribed by a typical 5/3/1 program. This log will be run with SNS’ Focus XT pre-workout. I’ll try to include as much as I can as to how it helps me throughout my workouts. You can view the nutritional profile of Focus XT on SNS' website or on jhouser's log of it, which you should also check out
Focus XT is made up mostly of nootropics as well as some caffeine, which results in a different approach to a pre-workout then most use. These nootropics are meant to increase mental focus and performance, helping with your lifts in a unique way.

Training Regimen

Each day will start with some static stretching and a main lift warm-up (1x5 @ 40%, 1x5 @ 50%, 1x3 @ 60%). As prescribed by the program, each main lift’s weight will be calculated according to a training max of 90% of my 1RM which I took the week prior to the beginning of the program. The rest of the regimen will go as follows (keep in mind I’ve already completed my first week):

Here is the first week

Monday
Standing Military Press
Training max: 120 lbs.
1x5x(65%xT1RM)
1x5x(75%xT1RM)
1x5x(85%xT1RM)+1*
Dips – 5x15
Chin-ups – 5x8


Tuesday
Deadlift
Training max: 300 lbs.
1x5x(65%xT1RM)
1x5x(75%xT1RM)
1x5x(85%xT1RM)+1*
Good mornings – 5x12
Hanging leg raise – 5x15

Thursday
Bench Press
Training max: 185 lbs.
1x5x(65%xT1RM)
1x5x(75%xT1RM)
1x5x(85%xT1RM)+1*
Dumbbell b.p. – 5x10
Dumbbell row – 5x10

Friday
Squat
Training max: 230 lbs.
1x5x(65%xT1RM)
1x5x(75%xT1RM)
1x5x(85%xT1RM)+1*
Leg Press– 5x15
Leg curl – 5x10

* = This “+1” set means that on top of the prescribed reps, I’ll be performing as many reps as I can, following those three. The program is very specific in pointing out not to go to complete “exhaustion”, but to go until you can no longer perform a rep with reasonably good form.

Week Two:

Week two will be comprised of the same thing, except my main lift sets will be at 70%, 80% and 90% for a 3x3 rep scheme. This is along with the +1 sets I described. This is also followed by the two accessory lifts at the prescribed rep scheme.

Week Three:

Week three, as you could guess, is the same as the previous two, however with the 5/3/1 implementation on the main lift. As follows:

75% x 5

85% x 3
95% x 1 (+1)

All followed by the accessory lifts at the usual rep scheme.


Week Four:

Week four is a little different and for good reason. The main lift for each day goes like this:

40% x 5
50% x 5
60% x 5

Note that my last set on this week does not include a +1 set. This week is used as a deloading week, for the purpose of resting your body to get right back to it the very next week. The program is very emphatic on the time you need to rest your body, so that you don’t overwork it. Hence the 90% training max.

That concludes the cycle and basically the entire program. I’ll be reserving the ability to change the accessory lifts after each cycle if I see fit, but I haven’t had anything else in mind yet. I hope to be as helpful as I can with this program, which is why I was sure to set my maxes to be as representative as possible. Also to make sure to do it as “by the book” as possible. I’ll try to include some dieting strengths (or downfalls :/) and explain my feel for the day and my lifts as it goes. I’ll also include how my first week faired to be as thorough as possible.

Along with my accessory lifts, my main lifts went like this:

Monday: I hit all of my prescribed reps as well as 12 reps on my +1. Needless to say this was a good day for me.

Tuesday: I was a complete idiot and did my +1 rep at my true 1RM instead of my training one, so I hit 285x8 and immediately knew it wasn’t right. It was a sizeable +1 set and I felt proud…and stupid.

Thursday: For my +1 set of bench press I hit 155x10. This was a great day for me and I couldn’t have felt better about it. I’ve always struggled with this lift so this day was a great start.

Friday: I hit 9x195 for this set but it just didn’t feel that great. I had to lift at my dad’s house so it was difficult to focus, plus I had to skip my leg press due to lack of equipment.



Here are the supplements I’ll be taking throughout the program:

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey
Serious Nutrition Solutions Focus XT
Micronized Creatine Capsules
Vasolate Casein

[jhouser]

Nice coding you've got there

I appreciate the shout out, too. I'm interested to see how 5/3/1 does for you. I think with your previous training it's the perfect step for you to get into heavier weights and acclimate your body to maximal efforts.

The Focus XT will also be extremely useful for schooling, as I've noticed in the past two weeks. Hopefully you'll like it as well as I do thus far.

[hesselingj]

Monday, April 30, 2012

Standing Military Press
Warm-up
1x5x50
1x5x60
1x3x70

3x85
3x95
9x110

Dips: 5x10 (weighted 35 lbs.)
Chin-ups: 5x8

Weight today: 172.6

I woke up this morning with a lot on my mind and to be perfectly honest, today was the worst day to start a new log. I woke up a little later than usual, took Focus XT and ran to the gym to wake up a little since I was a little more recently removed from my bed than usual. Once I got to the gym I left my phone alone, which I usually don’t do, and got to work. Warm-ups and working sets for military press felt great, and I felt genuinely focused, which was quite an achievement with what I could have been thinking about. I was particularly focused on my +1 set which helped me get the nine reps. This is a great number for me and I was happy. After that, I kind of went through the motions with my accessories, with little to explain as far as focus or lack thereof. Overall it was a solid workout and I left the gym fairly satisfied.

On a side note, I got my usual one gallon + of water in for the day and I’ll take 2000mg of micronize creatine before bed. This is less than the usual dosage but I’ve been taking this particular creatine for a while now and believe I’m saturated enough to only need to maintain it.

Until tomorrow

[hesselingj]

Thanks Houser, I'm really enthusiastic about this program, and I definitely believe that this is what I need to get used to the heavier weights again. You know that much of this log is thanks to you.

I'll also make sure to keep a tab on my general mental performance, as us college students can always use it.

[UncleWade]

I woke up this morning with a lot on my mind and to be perfectly honest, today was the worst day to start a new log. I woke up a little later than usual, took Focus XT and ran to the gym to wake up a little since I was a little more recently removed from my bed than usual. Once I got to the gym I left my phone alone, which I usually don’t do, and got to work. Warm-ups and working sets for military press felt great, and I felt genuinely focused, which was quite an achievement with what I could have been thinking about. I was particularly focused on my +1 set which helped me get the nine reps. This is a great number for me and I was happy. After that, I kind of went through the motions with my accessories, with little to explain as far as focus or lack thereof. Overall it was a solid workout and I left the gym fairly satisfied.

Glad to see you crush some heavy weight and have a good focus through your working sets.

Going through the motions with your assistance exercises isn't something to shy away from with 5/3/1; because you're doing a lighter weight just to stimulate the muscles rather than destroy them, it's much easier to have a more lackadaisical mindset.

On a side note, I got my usual one gallon + of water in for the day and I’ll take 2000mg of micronize creatine before bed. This is less than the usual dosage but I’ve been taking this particular creatine for a while now and believe I’m saturated enough to only need to maintain it.

Between 2-3g of creatine monohydrate should suffice to maintain saturation, so you're correct.

[jhouser]

[center]
I woke up this morning with a lot on my mind and to be perfectly honest, today was the worst day to start a new log. I woke up a little later than usual, took Focus XT and ran to the gym to wake up a little since I was a little more recently removed from my bed than usual. Once I got to the gym I left my phone alone, which I usually don’t do, and got to work. Warm-ups and working sets for military press felt great, and I felt genuinely focused, which was quite an achievement with what I could have been thinking about. I was particularly focused on my +1 set which helped me get the nine reps. This is a great number for me and I was happy. After that, I kind of went through the motions with my accessories, with little to explain as far as focus or lack thereof. Overall it was a solid workout and I left the gym fairly satisfied.

On a side note, I got my usual one gallon + of water in for the day and I’ll take 2000mg of micronize creatine before bed. This is less than the usual dosage but I’ve been taking this particular creatine for a while now and believe I’m saturated enough to only need to maintain it.

Until tomorrow

Ditch the phone and reap the benefits of woman-free workouts

[UncleWade]

Ditch the phone and reap the benefits of woman-free workouts

Ditch the jhouser and reap the benefits of woman-free workouts.

[hesselingj]

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Deadlift
Warm-up
1x5x120
1x5x150
1x3x180

3x210
3x240
9x270

Good mornings: 5x15 (weighted 35 lbs.)
Hanging Leg Raises: 5x8

Weight today: 177.6

Today’s workout was nothing worse than what my expectations could afford. I woke up, took my Focus XT and got ready to go to the gym. I was definitely tired before I got there as I had an especially warm night and I had woken up a few times throughout the night. By the time I got in and started my warm-ups Focus XT had begun to kick in and I started getting ready for my working sets. There was something about this morning that I felt particularly focused, and despite some pretty hilarious and distracting stuff going on at the gym (form shenanigans), I felt like I had tunnel vision every time I stepped up to the bar for my deadlifts. I hit 9 for 270 which is very close to last week’s and I was happy with that. I had to push really hard for the last two but they all felt good. Now that I feel like I’m writing a really boring book, I’ll conclude with saying that my accessories were definitely more taxing than the other days’ usually are because good mornings just add to the stress that deadlifts do enough of and hanging leg raises are just hard.

Supplementation:
Focus XT
O.N. Gold Whey
MicroCreatine tonight

Thanks for checking it out

[hesselingj]

Wade: That's definitely the point of the accessories, so I don't mind admitting it. Some of the days are harder than others in this respect as you'll see in today's log. I'm glad I got the creatine right, as I'm sure I would've been quickly corrected if I was wrong about that. The prescribed dosage is just a little ridiculous with the micronized creatine.

As for women-free workouts, I think I'll take those more often now
And I think I'll pass on throwing jhouser under the bus at least this once. Thanks again for checking it out.

[UncleWade]

Wade: That's definitely the point of the accessories, so I don't mind admitting it. Some of the days are harder than others in this respect as you'll see in today's log. I'm glad I got the creatine right, as I'm sure I would've been quickly corrected if I was wrong about that. The prescribed dosage is just a little ridiculous with the micronized creatine.

As for women-free workouts, I think I'll take those more often now
And I think I'll pass on throwing jhouser under the bus at least this once. Thanks again for checking it out.

Glad to see Focus XT potentiated some more great focus effects for you - 10g of high-quality nootropic compounds should get the job done in that regard.

I also agree that some days' accessory lifts are significantly tougher. One that might be mentioned include good mornings (a very difficult movement to master, and also a high-stress movement) and, as you also mentioned, hanging leg raises. Things like pullups can also be very taxing when done with picture-perfect form.

As to the dosing of creatine, some bottles prescribe up to ~20g per day during loading stages and some sources even cite 3-5g before AND after training. Modern science tells us that's a flawed perspective. Typically 3-5g (at lower body weights, even 2g would be acceptable) per day, taken at your convenience is best. Science also tells us that cycling creatine is not necessary in healthy individuals, and that an insulin spike is not necessary for maximum absorption. It's amazing what you can learn when you look past the marketing.

[jhouser]

Ditch the jhouser and reap the benefits of woman-free workouts.

lulz.

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

DeadliftPress
Warm-up
1x5x120
1x5x150
1x3x180

3x210
3x240
9x270

Good mornings: 5x15 (weighted 35 lbs.)
Hanging Leg Raises: 5x8

Weight today: 177.6

Deadlift press, huh? Haha. Your weight is looking solid, gaining at a steady pace. And I like the deadlift numbers, too. I'll have to come around for a couple lifts during May while OSU is still in session and we can hit the weights together.

[hesselingj]

Glad to see Focus XT potentiated some more great focus effects for you - 10g of high-quality nootropic compounds should get the job done in that regard.

I also agree that some days' accessory lifts are significantly tougher. One that might be mentioned include good mornings (a very difficult movement to master, and also a high-stress movement) and, as you also mentioned, hanging leg raises. Things like pullups can also be very taxing when done with picture-perfect form.

As to the dosing of creatine, some bottles prescribe up to ~20g per day during loading stages and some sources even cite 3-5g before AND after training. Modern science tells us that's a flawed perspective. Typically 3-5g (at lower body weights, even 2g would be acceptable) per day, taken at your convenience is best. Science also tells us that cycling creatine is not necessary in healthy individuals, and that an insulin spike is not necessary for maximum absorption. It's amazing what you can learn when you look past the marketing.

Yeah with the nootropics I've found it hard to be able to explain the true advantages I've already experienced. It's difficult to be able to relate the feeling of simply having a sound mind.

Good mornings after deads are definitely one of the most taxing accessories I've encountered thus far. And as for the creatine supplementation, you're exactly right. They way creatine is marketed by the supp companies should be approached very skeptically. I might go up to 3g per day just to make sure, since it's really not that expensive anyway. Thanks for the tips Wade.

[hesselingj]

lulz.



Deadlift press, huh? Haha. Your weight is looking solid, gaining at a steady pace. And I like the deadlift numbers, too. I'll have to come around for a couple lifts during May while OSU is still in session and we can hit the weights together.

Haha yes, deadlift press (editing now). I took your advice on the coding and forgot to double check my work apparently. As we've talked about before, I feel that it's really important for my weight to progress at a very specific pace in order to isolate muscle gains and minimize fat gains. I'm already seeing bigger numbers than I could have honestly hoped for this soon. You do need to come on over and we'll do some work. I've got a month-long window for you, unfortunately.

General note: I'll be doing just cardio tomorrow but I'll have a small post to outline my day with any relevant info.

[UncleWade]

You girls make me so proud.

[hesselingj]

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Did some cardio today, ran about ¾ of a mile from my house to a flood wall and did hill sprints for a 4x5 rep set, no rest between reps and minute rests between sets. The hill is fairly small, maybe 20 or 30 meters, but I definitely got a good work-out in. With the muscle soreness in my quads from deadlift yesterday, it didn’t take much to really feel it. I ran back to my house with some pace and then did some stretching. No supps today other than creatine before bed. I also wasn’t able to get my weight today as I’m a poor scale-less college student who didn’t go to the gym today. That’s all I can think of so:

Until tomorrow

[jhouser]

Thursday, May 2nd, 2012

Did some cardio today, ran about ¾ of a mile from my house to a flood wall and did hill sprints for a 4x5 rep set, no rest between reps and minute rests between sets. The hill is fairly small, maybe 20 or 30 meters, but I definitely got a good work-out in. With the muscle soreness in my quads from deadlift yesterday, it didn’t take much to really feel it. I ran back to my house with some pace and then did some stretching. No supps today other than creatine before bed. I also wasn’t able to get my weight today as I’m a poor scale-less college student who didn’t go to the gym today. That’s all I can think of so:

Until tomorrow

I'm surprised you had much muscle soreness in your quads from deadlifts, it's usually hamstring/back that I feel it in the next day. The stretching should take care of it, though, and hopefully you'll be good to go for squats on friday. I'm usually wary of doing too much conditioning on Wednesday due to that very reason. When it falls between Deadlift and Squat day, I worry it'll inhibit my second lower-body lift.

[hesselingj]

Thursday,May 3rd, 2012

Bench Press
Warm-up
1x5x75
1x5x90
1x3x110

3x130
3x150
12x165

Dumbbell press 5x10
Dumbbell row 5x10

Weight today: 177.3

If you’ve looked at my numbers before reading this, then you know what I’m about to talk about for this entire synopsis. I didn’t get enough sleep last night, but that’s begun to be less and less of a problem thanks to Focus XT. I took my Focus and gave it plenty of time to kick in, and before I walked into the gym I was already zeroed in on my working sets and ready to go. Up until my 3+ set, it was fairly boring, as it should be to some extent. The last set is designed to be your chance to shine and I definitely did. I hit 165 for 12 reps and it couldn’t have felt better. My form maintained its tightness and I took my time on the last four, keeping all my usual problem aspects in check. From then on I knew it was a great workout regardless of my accessories. My accessories went every bit of smoothly and I walked out a happy man. I made sure to get some thorough work in my chest and back with the accessories and those went really well too.

Squats tomorrow!

[jhouser]

165*12*.0333+165 = 230.99

[hesselingj]

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Squat
Warm-up
1x5x90
1x5x115
1x3x135

3x160
3x185
10x205

Leg Press 5x15
Leg Curl 5x10

Squats have always been a struggle for me. They’ve always scared me and intimidated me into performing really really poorly on them. I went with jhouser to the gym we lifted at last summer because I was in town. I was kind of worried about my numbers, as I was doing 205 for my +1 and that just scared me for some reason. Going through the warm-ups I was going through my form as the Focus XT was hitting me and I started to feel more confident. Working sets went smoothly and then I was hoping to hit 9 for the last set. I ended up at 10 and I was excited. They felt great and it made the accessories that much better. I still seem to be hitting these great numbers for me and not being able to explain it. I think Focus XT has helped tremendously.

Thanks for reading.

[hesselingj]

Monday, May 7, 2012

Military Press
Warm-up
1x5x50
1x5x60
1x3x70

5x90
3x100
9x150

Dips 5x10 (weighted 35 lbs.)
Pull-ups 5x8

Weight today: 172.8

I worked out in the evening for this one so I could make sure I was hydrated and fueled to be ready for my 5/3/1 day. I took my Focus XT and got there ready to do work. I got through my warm ups fast and my working sets were even somewhat hasty, but I was sure not to go too quick. I just wanted to make sure my shoulders were warm for my +1 since it was a big one. I hit 7 which was great for me because of how close this is to my true 1rm. My accessories went really smooth and it all felt good, except I did feel slightly more fatigued than usual. This is probably to a rough Saturday of drinking I had. I was once again so focused that it’s hard to describe what happened for my working sets, which I will probably never complain about.


Thanks again.

[hesselingj]

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Deadlift
Warm-up
1x5x115
1x5x145
1x3x185

5x225
3x255
10x285

Good mornings 5x15 (weighted 35 lbs.)
Hanging leg raises 5x6

Weight today: 173.0

First of all, why does NO ONE go to depth when squatting? I counted four people today…out of five. Anyway, today was pretty much amazing. My second 5/3/1 day of the week was deadlift and I was not exactly looking forward to it considering how taxing deadlift often proves to be. As I got through my warm-up sets and my first working set, I started getting really annoyed by a group of guys that were doing a whole lot of just hanging out while taking infrequent breaks to perform some strange cable work. So I got to my +1 set kind of pissed off at their obnoxiousness and wasn’t sure how it was going to go with them standing right behind me as if I wasn’t about to lift. After four, I was unsure, but before I knew it I was at eight, nine and finally ten, with my grip slipping and the weight hanging by my fingertips by the last rep. My accessories were hell after that since my lower back was on fire and my grip was crap for my hanging leg raises, but obviously I didn’t care.

Thanks for reading!

[jhouser]

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Deadlift
Warm-up
1x5x115
1x5x145
1x3x185

5x225
3x255
10x285

Good mornings 5x15 (weighted 35 lbs.)
Hanging leg raises 5x6

Weight today: 173.0

First of all, why does NO ONE go to depth when squatting? I counted four people today…out of five. Anyway, today was pretty much amazing. My second 5/3/1 day of the week was deadlift and I was not exactly looking forward to it considering how taxing deadlift often proves to be. As I got through my warm-up sets and my first working set, I started getting really annoyed by a group of guys that were doing a whole lot of just hanging out while taking infrequent breaks to perform some strange cable work. So I got to my +1 set kind of pissed off at their obnoxiousness and wasn’t sure how it was going to go with them standing right behind me as if I wasn’t about to lift. After four, I was unsure, but before I knew it I was at eight, nine and finally ten, with my grip slipping and the weight hanging by my fingertips by the last rep. My accessories were hell after that since my lower back was on fire and my grip was crap for my hanging leg raises, but obviously I didn’t care.

Thanks for reading!

Your grip will straighten up before you know it, I'm sure. Not too long ago I made a switch to slow, controlled movements for my DB Rows on Bench day. This made each set last for a long time, meaning my grip got some good work in. Ever since, I've never noticed a problem while deadlifting. Do you use chalk?

Also, the squatting:

[UncleWade]

I'M BACK..








AGAIN.



Looks like good work is getting done in here, keep it up!

[hesselingj]

I was getting lonely!

Thanks guys. My grip (or lack of) so far hasn't actually cut a set short for me yet, which I think is lucky for me. But if I do see a problem with it hindering my sets I thought about kroc rows for my back accessory to see if that'll help. And no, I don't use chalk. they don't have any at the gym but I could always buy some and see if I get yelled at. It would be a quick fix if I get sudden issues.

[jhouser]

They'd be stupid to care about chalk, but a lot of places are like that. It'll make a huge difference for your grip. I wouldn't even think of deadlifting without it. You shouldn't have a hard time finding it for cheap.

[UncleWade]

I was getting lonely!

Thanks guys. My grip (or lack of) so far hasn't actually cut a set short for me yet, which I think is lucky for me. But if I do see a problem with it hindering my sets I thought about kroc rows for my back accessory to see if that'll help. And no, I don't use chalk. they don't have any at the gym but I could always buy some and see if I get yelled at. It would be a quick fix if I get sudden issues.

Did you talk to jhouser about this, or find it in the e-book on your own? Either way, I highly recommend them.

They'd be stupid to care about chalk, but a lot of places are like that. It'll make a huge difference for your grip. I wouldn't even think of deadlifting without it. You shouldn't have a hard time finding it for cheap.

Hell, you get it for free.

[jhouser]

Hell, you get it for free.

I know who's worth keeping around

And if Hesseling would come home for the summer, he'd have chalk supplied at his gym.

[UncleWade]

I know who's worth keeping around

And if Hesseling would come home for the summer, he'd have chalk supplied at his gym.

No way, free chalk!?

[hesselingj]

I know who's worth keeping around

And if Hesseling would come home for the summer, he'd have chalk supplied at his gym.

It's sounding more and more appealing everyday. I could really use the company considering I have no idea what I'm doing this summer.

[hesselingj]

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Bench Press
Warm-up
1x5x75
1x5x90
1x3x115

5x135
3x155
11x175

D.B. Press 5x10
D.B. Row 5x10

Weight today: 173.5

Went to the gym really early today due to the rest of my day being packed with other stuff. To be honest I really wasn’t feeling it even by the time I go to the gym. Even though my bench is my strongest, or one of my strongest lifts, the +1 set was sort of intimidating me today for some reason. I got through my first working set still king of yawning and I knew it was time to get my blood flowing. I did a little stretching and made sure to do my 3 rep set as meticulously as possible to wake up my mind as well as my body. I asked a dude to spot me for a hopeful 8 and ended up with 11. I got up off the bench and was just laughing because I knew I pulled it out of my a$$ and just thanked God for FXT. My accessories were a little more stressed than usual, and it could’ve been because I was a little time-strained. Feeling good about everything.

Thanks for reading.