Kyle's Journey To Getting Big!

[kyle21b]

Bent Over Rows
50kg x 15 reps x 3 sets

Deadlift
65kg x 5 reps
80kg x 5reps
95kg x 5 reps

Felt very easy, worked hard on my form, ensuring it was on point and I was targeting the right areas for when the weights get heavy.

Long Bar Rows
50kg x 15 reps
60kg x 15 reps
70kg x 15 reps

Lat Pulldown

50kg x 15 reps

This was with good form (back bolt upright)

Wide,, leaning back

55kg x 15 reps

Want some width!!

Straight leaning back (perpendicular to weight)

50kg x 15 reps




BICEPS

Standing Reverse Grip Curls
10kg x 20 reps
20kg x 15 reps x 2 sets

First time doing reverse curls, seemed to hit a different part of bicep although this was still a light weight as I am still deloading!!

E-Z Bar Curls

Superset: 10 reps-8-6-8-10 with 15kg-25-30-25-15

Nice session, nothing too heavy but still feel like I worked a little bit. Feel a little more worked than yesterday and I quite enjoyed this session. Enjoying the deload week before the new cycle of 5/3/1 starts next week!!

[kyle21b]

SHOULDERS

Standing OHP
25kg x 5
30kg x 5
35kg x 5

Shrugs
10kg plates, 4 sets x 20 reps

Bent Over Flies (Think that's the name!)
16kg x 12 reps x 2 sets

Upright Row
25kg x 12 reps
30kg x 10 reps x 2 sets

Front/Lateral Raise Superset
8kg x 12 reps x 3 sets

Messed around on the pull up bar aswell, some upside down pull-ups and some general swinging around. Felt a little bit of effort in the shoulders today but still easy enough. Think I'm getting the right feeling now from each exercise. Can't wait to get back into lifting heavy though!!

[kyle21b]

LEGS

Back Squats
60kg x 5 reps
80kg x 5 reps
90kg x 5 reps

Zercher Squats
50kg x 10 reps x 3 sets

Stiff Leg Deadlifts
50kg x 12 reps x 2 sets

GoodMornings
40kg x 12 reps x 2 sets

Calf Raises (Smith Machine)
70kg x 12 reps
50kg x 15 reps x 2 sets

This session felt a little heavier than it should (perhaps the wine that was consumed last night didn't help!!). Got a question, do you think I have enough glute activation work here? I saw a couple of guys at the gym incorporating "glute thrusts" (think that's correct name) into their exercises. I know the squats will activate my glutes and I'm working on the fact that SLDLs will be enough exercise for my glutes. Anyone with any suggestions is more than welcome.

[kyle21b]

That's the end of my first cycle on Wendler's 5/3/1 and it has impressed me so far. Going to start week 1 again next week using 100% of my 1RM instead of 90% as before. Looking at the numbers, it looks very exciting! The 195kg deadlift for reps in week 3 is already playing with my mind!

Hope you all have a good weekend and Kyle will check back in on Monday after a chest session!!

[stavrog1]

Some great lifting mate. Especially for a scrum-half! How old are you out of interest. Will be following this log.

In regards to the glute activation question. I found this a good read last year...T NATION | Dispelling the Glute Myth
As suggested in the article, start introducing some exercises as a warm-up then maybe include hip thrusts when you are well-versed in the exercises and can lift some decent weight.

[kyle21b]

Haha cheers dude. I'm 20. Will give that link a look over, thanks for the advice!

[stavrog1]

Quote

Bent Over Flies (Think that's the name!)
16kg x 12 reps x 2 sets

I think the technical term is reverse flies, makes more sense anyway

Also, on Thursday did reverse lunges as a new addition to my routine. Have to say my glutes have been killing me since then so maybe give them a go for glute activation!

[kyle21b]

That article is immense man (apart from the bits where he bigs himself up too much). Definitely gonna try and add some stuff into my workouts now, no matter how stupid some of the exercises look!

[Dolphinski]

Quote

That's the end of my first cycle on Wendler's 5/3/1 and it has impressed me so far. Going to start week 1 again next week using 100% of my 1RM instead of 90% as before. Looking at the numbers, it looks very exciting! The 195kg deadlift for reps in week 3 is already playing with my mind!

Jim would kick your ass if he saw you doing that. As he says, just do the f**king program, it's set that way because it works. Once you start f**king with it, it's not Wendlers any more. The reason for using 90% is that it allows you constant progression, you're supposed to be working sub maximally for recovery and growth. Wendlers is not designed for fast gains, its designed for slow steady gains, building progressively over each cycle. He's been doing this for years and it just works, why would you want to change it?

Sorry for the rant mate

[kyle21b]

It's alright!

On the website it said use 90% for the first cycle, so I assumed this meant using 100% for the next one...perhaps it was a wrong assumption!