Adena

I have never even attempted overhead squats (yet), so kudos to you for trying, even if they were ugly!

OHP Day SOHP: 1x3x45 1x3x50 1x3x55 1x4x65 Press Starts: 3x3x70 True to my word, I'm mixing things up. I did deadlift assistance exercises after my heavy overhead press work. Good Mornings: 1x12x95 2x12x105 Assisted Wide Grip Pull-Ups (with supposedly 54 lb of assitance): 1x14 1x7 1x5 Farmer's Walks: 3x90 Plate Pinches (with two 5lb plates between thumb and fingers): 3 sets to failure for each hand Squat Day Foam rolling and stretching for about ten minutes Parallel Squats: 1x3x140 1x3x160 1x3x180 Front Squats: 5x3x95 Then I did my light bench assistance. BOR: 2x10x95 1x9x95 Push-Ups: 1x20 1x18 1x16 Wow, those are way easier when I'm not all tuckered out from benching. Tricep Extensions: 3x12x30 I think these rather minor changes are breathing new life into my routine. It was just what I needed!

I definitely had a fun weekend in the gym. Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x5x135 1x5x165 1x5x190 1x5x215 Rack Pulls (from about knee level): 3x2x245 Farmer's Walks: 3x90 Assisted Wide Grip Pull-Ups: 1x8 1x7 1x6 This time I was using a different assistance machine, and it said I was using 48 lb of counterbalancing weight. See what I mean about the other machine being inaccurate? Plate Pinches (two 5lb plates pinched together): 3 sets until failure for each hand Bench Day Bench Press: 1x5x45 1x5x75 1x5x85 1x6x95 1x7x90 1x8x85 1x10x80 1x11x75 1x11x70 BOR: 3x8x95 Push-Ups: 1x14 1x10 1x7 Tricep Extensions: 1x10x20 2x12x25 Also ran intervals on my rest day before these two day strength sessions, then ran at a steady pace on a treadmill yesterday for 30 minutes because it was raining. Tonight I'm going to do overhead presses, yes! Then I think light deadlift assistance. I kind of mixed up the order of things last week, but I'm intending to do Overhead Press Day, Squat Day, rest day, Bench Day, Deadlift Day, two rest days. Usually I do cardio on my rest days, but not always.

Wow, I haven't done those in a long time, MaryStella. You must've been reading my log from a long time ago! No momentum situps are pretty much what they sound like. You start from the position of laying on your back with your legs stretched straight out. Then you sit up, ending with your knees still straight and legs still on the ground. They're easier to do without having someone hold onto your feet, but they're a little more difficult in other ways.

Thanks, MaryStella! Mosh, I'll PM you my email address.

Squat Day Parallel Squats: 1x5x45 1x5x130 1x5x150 1x5x170 Oly Squats: 3x6x135 Lunges with 45 lb plate held overhead: 3x12 lunges each leg OHP Press Day! SOHP: 1x5x45 1x5x50 1x5x55 1x5x60 Push Press: 1x6x65 2x5x65 Press Starts: 1x3x65 2x5x65 Bodyweight Dips: 3x6 Assisted Chin-Ups with supposedly 65 lbs of counterbalancing weight; doesn't sound right to me, but oh well: 1x8 1x5 1x4 It doesn't take much convincing for me to throw in an overhead press day, guys, so thanks for reminding me of its existence! Honestly, what with being a newlywed and a bunch of stuff I've been worrying about lately, I guess I just sort of forgot about it. I never intended to abandon the overhead press. It's been a while since I've done front squats and since I've gotten the ok that it's normal to grip with just a few fingers if your wrists are not that flexible, I'm ready to give them another try. Ever squash your fingers between the bar and your own collarbone? Yeaaaah...working on that whole clumsiness thing.

I'd appreciate that, Mosh! I'm interested in the more advanced one too, although I hear the basic gist of it is switching the sets-of-5 week with the sets-of-3 week so you have a mini-deload during week two, and also you're not supposed to go to failure in the last set during week two.

I can't imagine lifting heavy with less than a minute between sets. Way to go!

Thanks for the encouragement. I wish I had seen this post yesterday since I had my squat day and just did my normal stuff. I never really thought of doing assistance for a different lift than what I was doing for the main lift in one day, for example doing heavy squats and then working lighter bench assistance, but actually I was talking to a powerlifter at my gym last night who trains that way. I guess I could try that starting next week, and for this week just do a separate OHP day. That's what I was intending to do tonight since I miss them so.

You're probably right. It's partially because I was also struggling with finding enough time to devote to four days a week of strength training. My cardio days definitely don't take up nearly that much time, so it has made a big difference to go in three times instead of four. I could work OHP this month and not work bench for a while, I guess. I really don't like bench press anyway! Oh and also, I've asked a lot of people for help with bench and what assistance exercises to do and nobody has been able to help me. Or maybe they don't want to. So I know I'm hardly working my tris, just not sure what to do for them. I seem to aggravate my old back injury by doing those one dumbbell behind the head thingies. That's another thing, I may fool a lot of people, but I'm actually pretty retarded about lifting weights. I don't know what anything is called. So I'm not sure if what I'm describing is a tricep extension or not. Seems like I'm extending my triceps, but I could say that about a lot of other similar lifts. Aaaaanyway. Thanks for the advice. If you have any specific tricep exercises I could add in that would help, I'm all ears.

I like this program. I think you're going to have fun and see some gains!

Yeah, farmer's walks!

Sorry I haven't been online much lately, guys! To answer a few questions, I have been looking around at meets in my area, but I'm still not sure I understand and have all the stuff I need. For example, for one meet I'm supposed to have some sort of suit, even if I compete raw. Something like a wrestler's getup, I think? So I'm not quite ready. There's a lot of other stuff going on in my life lately so I have been kind of behind on planning to compete this summer. I'm probably not going to make it. I didn't buy the book on 5/3/1, I just got the basic gist of it online. I think there's an article on T-Nation's website where they interview Jim Wendler and he gives the basic program. I don't do overhead press day anymore, even though I prefer doing them to bench, because most meets have you compete in bench instead. One trainer told me that a lot of powerlifters just focus on either bench or overhead press for a while because it's so difficult to gain in both lifts simultaneously. Since I have so much trouble with bench, I just wanted to focus on it for a while. Thanks for all the compliments, I'll just have to keep training so I have an even more impressive deadlift, ha!

Thanks, my deadlift is ok, I guess! Haha, good to know someone understands. I don't like passive aggressive not-exactly-saying-anything-wrong-but-attempting-to-make-you-mad kind of crap. I suppose I have to deal with a few people I don't care for anywhere I go, though.

Yay, periodization!

Thanks, Medman! No, MaryStella, I most certainly do NOT want to do reverse lunges with that much weight! Sounds painful! Aaaah, maybe I'll try it anyway. To be honest with you, I'm incredibly clumsy, and the idea of lunging around with a loaded bar worries me. I always wobble around quite a bit just with a small plate overhead. Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x5x135 1x5x185 1x3x210 1x1x235 So I'm back to where I was before the vacation, which is good, but not really progress. Hopefully now I've gained a little momentum and can continue to crush more weight. I will say this though, I felt a LOT better about my form during this one rep of 235 than the last time I tried it. My whole back was in perfect form, spine protected, and I slowly set the weight down instead of almost dropping it. I was really concentrating. My hands were killing me for some reason, but my back held up just fine. I wasn't even sore the next day. Rack Pulls (from a lower position than usual, right at about my knees): 3x1x245 Farmer's Walks: 2x90 ish in each hand At this point, someone came in to tell me the gym was closing, so that's all I accomplished for Deadlift Day! So today starts my Deload Week, and I went into the Power Room to do light squats. There's this weird trainer who always comes in with his clients to have them do random exercises with light weights and calisthenics, which are fine, but definitely not powerlifting moves. It would be fine if he wasn't kind of weird, but he always sort of passive agressively says something to me about how he wishes I wasn't really in there. Meanwhile, I am friends with the powerlifter (also a personal trainer there) who actually put in all the work to build this room and make it a secluded strength and power workshop, separate from the rest of the gym. I met him before he started building it and acquiring all the equipment. Anyway, this other weird trainer was in there today having some lady do some sort of exercises right in front of the squat rack. I politely asked if they were going to use the squat rack, and he answered, "No, but I'm going to be back here for the next couple of hours." I would have thought maybe that was an innocent comment if he hasn't told me to get out of the room in the past, but it made me wonder if he was trying to get me out of there this time as well. Anyway, I sort of gave him a dirty look and stepped around him and the lady to get into the squat rack. He continued to have her start her lunges from right up against the squat rack the whole time I was there, even though there was the whole rest of the room to use, and the door was open so they were going all the way outside and turning around and coming back. I had to step around them every time I started a new set. Kind of petty and silly, but I found it really annoying. After I got done, I went to go find the powerlifter I'm friends with to try to clarify the situation. It ended up with me saying if it doesn't stop, I would go to Des Moines Strength Institute instead. Maybe that was a bit of an overreaction on my part, but I don't know. I was under the impression that the Power Room was for, I don't know, Power? I might just check out the other gym anyway since it's a little more up my alley. I heard it was pretty grimy, though.

Welcome to the forum!

Spelt contains a small amount of gluten, so it really just depends on how sensitive or allergic you are to these things. I know a few people with sensitivities to various foods, but they can still have them once in a while. If you do a lot of baking, you can use brown or white rice flour, buckwheat (which you already mentioned), tapioca flour, sorghum flour, amaranth flour, they even make flours out of quinoa, soy, and chickpeas (garbanzo beans). That will depend on what you find out about your bean sensitivities, though. I'm still experimenting with gluten free baking myself, but it seems like most of the time you can pick two different flours like rice flour and sorghum flour and use half of each to equal the total amount of flour called for, then add a small amount of xantham gum and arrowroot starch to your baked goods, and it should come out sort of all right. I'm still struggling to come up with some good recipes, though, but usually the texture is just slightly different. And the flavor is fine except if you use chickpea flour, haha! Also, yeast does not work at all in gluten free baked goods, so if you can find some good gluten free recipes, they'll also be yeast free. They also make pre-packaged gluten free noodles and breads, some are gross, some are great. I get really bummed out hearing about your health issues, and I hope some of this info helps a little bit!

MEDMAN! I missed ya! Sorry about the shoulder injury.

I just can't believe your poor hands! I hope you can hang onto the handlebars properly the whole time. Good luck!

I wasn't trying to call you out or something, I was just curious what other people do.

Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x3x135 1x3x170 1x3x195 1x3x220 Rack Pulls: 3x3x245 Assisted Wide Grip Pull-Ups: 1x8 1x5 1x4 1x3 Farmer's Walks: We had new farmer's walk bars in the power room today, so I tried them out! They were extremely light, which I didn't expect. I just added 50 lb to each bar and did three sets. They're a lot more awkward than just gripping plates and walking with them. Plate Pinches: 3xtwo 5 lb plates pinched between each hand, as long as I can hold on before they drop. Squat Day Parallel Squat: 1x5x45 1x5x145 1x3x165 1x2x185 Oly Squats: 1x5x145 2x3x145 Lunges with a 35 lb plate held overhead: 1 set Lunges with a 45 lb plate held overhead: 2 sets Bench Day Bench Press: 1x5x45 1x5x85 1x3x95 1x4x105 1x8x90 1x10x85 1x11x80 1x12x75 1x13x70 I think the pyramid down is really working for me. I had to leave the gym early as my husband and I are going to go on a double date with some other newlyweds, and I was too excited to get home and get ready to continue my usual training regimen for the day. I think the extra volume on bench is the most helpful thing for me, anyway. Just found this smiley, ha!

ten minutes? how long are you waiting between each set? most of what i've read says to wait at least 3 minutes between each set if your goal is to get stronger.

Good grief, did I miss something, or did your squat numbers just take a huge jump? Nice work!

No, I do about a 45 degree angle.