Posted by: leoncaruthers at 09:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 34 words, total size 1 kb.

Monday (2-27-2012)
deadlift 315 lb 6
deadlift 285 lb 8
deadlift 255 lb 8
chinups 10, 6, 5

Wednesday
press 120 lb 5
press 105 lb 8
press 95 lb 8
bench 165 lb 2x8
bench 155 lb 7
bench 135 lb 8

Friday
squat 255 lb 6
squat 225 lb 8
squat 185 lb 12
farmer's walk 60 lb kettlebells 50'x4

Weight (Friday): 180 lb

Notes: Trying out Martin Berkhan's take on reverse pyramid training.  I hate it.  Sets with rep counts past 5 give me terrible soreness a couple of days later.  My back is still sore from Friday's workout, to the point that I'm not sure I should even lift today.  I'm sure this works for some people, but I'm not on that list.

Posted by: leoncaruthers at 09:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 132 words, total size 1 kb.

I'm archiving the Texas Method program here just in case the Testosterone Nation link dies someday:

Monday — Volume Day

A) Squats, 5 x 5 @ 90% of 5RM

B) Bench press or overhead press, 5 x 5 @ 90% 5RM

C) Deadlifts, 1 x 5 @ 90% 5RM

Wednesday — Recovery Day

A) Squats, 2 x 5 @ 80% of Monday's work weight

B) Overhead press (if you bench pressed Monday), 3 x 5 at slightly lighter load than previous 5 x 5 OHP weight, or bench press (if OHP on Monday), 3 x 5 @ 90% previous 5 x 5 weight.

C) Chin ups, 3 x Bodyweight

D) Back extensions or glute-ham raise, 5 x 10

Friday — Intensity Day

A) Squats, warm-up, then work up in singles or doubles to one single, new 5RM

B) Bench press, (if you bench pressed Monday) or overhead press (if OHP on Monday), warm-up, then work up in singles or doubles to one single, new 5RM

C) Power clean, 5 x 3 reps or power snatch, 6 x 2 reps (dynamic effort is what counts here)

Posted by: leoncaruthers at 09:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 187 words, total size 1 kb.

I'm not really a novice lifter any more, at least not in the sense that I can reliably add 5lb to a lift every workout, or even every week. I'd hoped to get further before I was forced to consider myself intermediate, but there it is.

Time to consider new programs, so here are my candidates:
The Texas Method
Reverse Pyramid with the Big 3
Madcow's 5x5

If I go with the Big 3, I may just drop bench press and do the standing press exclusively for awhile.  Benching at any kind of real volume seems to tweak my golfer's elbow, and re-injury would utterly suck.

Posted by: leoncaruthers at 08:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 107 words, total size 1 kb.