Big Bear: Cant hold me down forever

[bigbear6708]

I have been wasting my time the last 5 months thinking I was getting stronger. FALSE. I have not made any gain at all, I'm glad to have actually broken even. I went in this morning with the mindset to max squat and bench..and improve. Boy was I wrong. I felt like a complete failure and felt like I had been cheated following this program, and esentially I may have been. Looking at my logs, I am JUST NOW working at my true max...it took 5 months, so 5 months ago when I started, I was actually using a 3 or 5 rep max as a single max to work off of. I know this program is designed long term, I still feel cheated.

I dont know where i will go from here. I will still lift to get strong, but Powerlifting will probably not be my priority. I doubt I'll compete anytime soon, so I will use my energy elsewhere. I am still going to workout, and hard..just dont quite know how I will go about it. I am thinking about keeping 5/3/1, with no singles mixed in the weeks(because I dont care about maxxing at this point), and I will probably use my true max and not bring it down to 90% crap..I am going to still sprint/cardio/circuits..to be in overall strenght..thats my goal..overall strenght and conditioning (just short of c$*$$fit...LOL). Once I move and have to do Army PT, I will probably keep only the main lifts of 5/3/1 and do little to no assistance...who knows..I just want to stay "strong"(er) and keep lean.

After listening to the clues over the past couple years, I dont think I was meant to be one of those grossly strong dudes..I did give it a shot though. After coming home from 2 deployments so far, and surviving a very serious colon problem/surgery, I feel I was put here for more than just lifting...I have recenly been guided into a different path with the Army, and feel like Soldiering may be my calling; I enjoy helping and serving people. I will put all my effort into that..and it just so happens, that an aspect of being a Soldier is staying in shape! (Lucky me!! LOL).

I have definately leaned out while doing my current routine, so its not a total loss!

[Commander]

Good luck moving forward, sorry to hear you didn't get the gains you were hoping for.

[bigbear6708]

yeah, half way my fault..I should have recognized I was actually working under my max..and once my singles started to get near where I truely was..it was getting way to hard (flag #2)..still, a little de motivated by it..I'll be good!

[bigbear6708]

o man..been outta here for a while. I am basically tweaking a newer workout plan that will allow me to do Army PT, and weight train as I see fit. The general outline is in days..not specific weekdays..so if Army PT kills me one day, I wont lift..the main goal is to get 3 training sessions a week as my body allows

day1: bench/squat @ 80% 3x5

day 2: deadlift heavy single, squat/deadlift @85% 3x1

day 3: bench/squat @ 90 ish % 5x3

accessory lifts as I see fit.

still tweaking the exact setup I want..things are going well though, and I can already feel some improvement..example, Friday I ran 5 miles, and turned around for day 3 on saturday like nothing even happened.

[superbilt]

5/3/1 is certainly a program designed for the long term. Also, the gains aren't always noticed at first. You may think you have not gained much one day and then you feel good one day and smash a huge PR. Besides traning maxes don't mean very much. I have never once used my real max as my training max and still have gotten stronger. In fact on the Squat I have never even got within 80 lbs of my real max. If you want a program where you can see your strength gains and have variety you might want to look into a Westside program.

[bigbear6708]

thanks superbilt. My rep maxes have went up..and I have gotten some noticeable size, but the strenght gain I was looking for just was not there. I know its a long term program..but I needed to overhaul my training anyway to have more flexiblility once I move.

[Commander]

How are things?

[bigbear6708]

Hey!! Thanks for checking in!! I still troll the threads, just usually dont have time to update my journal daily like I used to, in the middle of trying to move!! I started working out w/ weights 3 days a week

squat/bench (pullups, pushups assistance) 3x5 main lifts, 8-10 assistance
squat/dead (RDL, kettlebell, db row assistance) 3x1main lifts, 8-10 assistance
squat/bench (push press, leg raise assistance) 3x3 main lifts, 8-10 assistance

and doing a jog day and a sprint day with other various bw circuits mixed in..things are going very well, my body is adapting to heavy weights again, and I am continuing to get into very good physical shape (not that I wasnt before!) Ive also changed my youtube channel (trying to simplify my life and ditch the vanity stuff), so subscribe to it! kjbarry86 ....ill try to update a little more often!!!

[Commander]

Originally Posted by bigbear6708

Hey!! Thanks for checking in!! I still troll the threads, just usually dont have time to update my journal daily like I used to, in the middle of trying to move!! I started working out w/ weights 3 days a week

squat/bench (pullups, pushups assistance) 3x5 main lifts, 8-10 assistance
squat/dead (RDL, kettlebell, db row assistance) 3x1main lifts, 8-10 assistance
squat/bench (push press, leg raise assistance) 3x3 main lifts, 8-10 assistance

and doing a jog day and a sprint day with other various bw circuits mixed in..things are going very well, my body is adapting to heavy weights again, and I am continuing to get into very good physical shape (not that I wasnt before!)

Glad to hear things are going well!

Originally Posted by bigbear6708

Ive also changed my youtube channel (trying to simplify my life and ditch the vanity stuff), so subscribe to it! kjbarry86 ....ill try to update a little more often!!!

That's awesome. Can you tell me more about that?

PM me if privacy is required.

I am curious because my wife and I were having a discussion about vanity just last night. God works in mysterious ways.

[bigbear6708]

new game plan...thanks to commander for some insight.

going to try some explosive work, with some heavy work mixed in..not going to post the whole exact routine, as things may/will change day to day depending how I feel. I may add some volume here and there, or take some away..also, "assistance" work will come in the form of Supersets and circuits.

Yesterday to test it out...

squat:
275x5, 5 sets

Superset w/

Bench:
165x5, 5 sets

Cirucit, 3 rounds

Chinups: BWx10, 8, 8
Pushups: BWx20
Situps: 35lbsx15

I am humbled by how much work i did and how destroyed i was.