Week 2 of my 5/3/1 journey, the 3x3 week in the cycle.

On my AMRAP sets, I managed:

• 10 reps of 345 lbs on deadlift
• 10 reps of 300 lbs on squat
• 10 reps of 160 lbs on bench

I’m still getting decent bar speed and power, although not as good as last week. Next week’s 1+ sets, I think I’ll try to do additional sets at higher weight to 100%/105% or higher of the training max, to get a sense of whether I should jump up more than the 10 lbs/5lbs strongly recommended by Wendler.

Also felt good about 3x5x225 on front squat. I’m moving up pretty quickly on front squats since actually training them consistently for the first time in my life, even though they’re a lower priority (always after I’ve done my back squat work).

As for setbacks, I’ve got some bicep pain flaring up, probably related to how I hold my kids, but interfering a bit with rows and pull ups. I’m gonna take it easy on any pulling motions with my arms for a week or two, see if this goes away.

Had my last nightshift, didn’t want to skip leg day today but it would have been smarter to just go tomorrow and change my PPL routine this week to ULPPL.

I halfassed every exercise and did nothing on my plan. Started with RDLs, didn’t feel anything (bad form), went to do Bulgarian Splitsquats but couldn’t even hold proper form, did only 2 Sets instead of planned 4. Went over to the seated leg curl and just did 2 Sets to failure with medium 60% of my normal weight. The only good thing were the calf raises on the smithmachine, but even they sucked cause a friend of mine told me to change angle of legs. Sure he might be right, but I didn’t do my planned 5x8 Sets on the Calf Raises either cause I changed angle and adjusted weight and somehow ended up with 2 Sets of 8 (how I wanted) and the other 2 with this weird messed up “trying around” Calf Raises cause my friend was watching at 25 Reps without feeling anything.

Honestly I should lay down and go back to the gym later and start from scratch. That was just a waste of time lol.

I like when my friend is in the gym but he always comes up to me explaining what he would do and blablabla and that takes the flow out of my workout.

Yeah my workout isn’t perfect, I am new (since 5 months) but still I just want to do my exercises and not play around with stuff I don’t know.

Just let me do the stuff I know with proper form (Latpulldown, Seated or T Bar Rows, Biceps EZ Bar Curls, Cable Hammer Curls etc…) and don’t come up trying to teach me how to do a standing bent over barbell row. Like I am wasting energy on trying that. I will do it in a year or two but not now.

I’m just doing basic things and I’m happy with that. Got my PPLPPL or my Upper Lower Cardio PPL Routine I swap between each week but I keep the workouts relatively same.

Tactical Barbell Grey Man w3d1

Bench press 4 x 4 @ 205lbs
Zercher squat 4 x 4 @ 240lbs
Dip 4 x 8 @ 210 bw + 45lbs
Incline dumbbell bench 4 x 8 @ 50lbs
Pull up 4 x 8 @ 210lbs bw

I had done some plumbing on the weekend and my lower back was sore making it a bit of a slow / painful workout, should clear up in time for the next workout