After 9 cycles of 5/3/1, it is time for a change.

[BigJosh]

I've decided this is going to be my last cycle of 5/3/1. There have been far to many misses occurring lately. One solution would be to reset everything back to 90% of my current working max. I'm not willing to do that. It is what it is.
Mentally I'm tired of every workout lifting max effort. Physically, I have become inconsistent. I know when I'm burnt out on a routine. And right now, I am burnt.
At 9 months in, I can proudly say I have shown that I am disciplined enough to make a commitment to a program.

So, next week will be the last week. And I will be doing something else for a 2 or 3 months. I am hoping to maybe get some suggestions and guidance from you guys as I go about picking a new routine.

I am not exactly sure what I want yet, but here are some of my thoughts:
-I do not want to be working out with a heavy, max effort load every session. I need some modulation here.
- I am currently eating in a manner to cut fat. So with that in mind I want a routine that will allow me to maintain my current muscle and strength. It would be nice to increase muscle and strength, but if I am going to be realistic, I am just aiming to maintain the best I can.
-3 or 4 days a week. Either one would work.
-With my current low back issues, I will not be deadlifting. At least for the first month or so.
-Some potential options are H/L/M, Upper/lower, A/B, GVT maybe?


That's what I have for now. Suggestions are appreciated. I will be using this thread as I narrow down the options. Thanks.

[EliteDreams]

Adding to those you mentioned,Cube. 3 days a week,and a 4th weakness day,you max sq/b/dead just once every 3 weeks.

[BigJosh]

Originally Posted by EliteDreams

Adding to those you mentioned,Cube. 3 days a week,and a 4th weakness day,you max sq/b/dead just once every 3 weeks.

This is a good suggestion. The cube is something I have been considering down the road. But for now, I do not want a routine where I am chasing numbers. I am not very familiar with the ends and outs of the cube, but a structured routine like this is what I need a break from for a couple months.

[BendtheBar]

Just saw this. Will chime in after dinner.

[mr_bigmuscles]

If you're eating at a deficit, and tired of lifting heavy, why not cut the lifting down to 2 days a week? Squat/OHP one day and Squat/Bench the other. Use the rest of the time to do cardio. I'm a noob and wouldn't know what to suggest for sets/reps.

I don't know, but seems like if you are sick of lifting heavy, take a break and focus on other things.

[ehubbard]

Originally Posted by BigJosh

I've decided this is going to be my last cycle of 5/3/1. There have been far to many misses occurring lately. One solution would be to reset everything back to 90% of my current working max. I'm not willing to do that. It is what it is.

Why are you unwilling to reset the maxes?

Originally Posted by BigJosh

-With my current low back issues, I will not be deadlifting. At least for the first month or so.
.

Band traction. Foam rolling. Lax ball to glutes. Planks. All these should help.

[Fazc]

I'm hesitant to post this Josh, but I hope you take it in the right way. First priority should be to fix what is causing you to hurt yourself. From your comments in the Dip thread I'm not sure if you're willing to do that, but that's what you need to do for long-term progress.

I said it then and I'll say it again now, you can't ignore shit which is hurting you. The fact that you were hurt on such a fundamental exercise as the Deadlift indicates something seriously amiss. It exposes a weakness in your body, that could be strength/flexibility or just plain bad form. It needs to be fixed, not ignored or it will rear it's head on other exercises as well.

I'm willing to bet some foundational work on the Squat and Deadlift is in order.

There I said it, take from that what you will!

[BigJosh]

Originally Posted by ehubbard

Why are you unwilling to reset the maxes?



Band traction. Foam rolling. Lax ball to glutes. Planks. All these should help.

I have reset my maxes once on both my deadlift and squat. At this time I'm not wanting to reset maxes (and stay with the same routine) because I need a break from chasing numbers on a spreedsheet and pushing max effort weight 4 times a week. These may be lame excuses in the eyes of some, but it is where I am at. I think I need the break mentally just as much or more than I need it physically. I've been doing this for 9 months, to me it is a long time.
In the near future I am willing to reset maxes and restart 5/3/1, I am not completely eliminating it from my tool box.

Thanks for the tips. I intend to buy a foam roller soon. I will also add the planks in to my workouts. I am unfamiliar with band traction and lax ball, so I will have to look those up.

Thanks.

[BigJosh]

Originally Posted by Fazc

I'm hesitant to post this Josh, but I hope you take it in the right way. First priority should be to fix what is causing you to hurt yourself. From your comments in the Dip thread I'm not sure if you're willing to do that, but that's what you need to do for long-term progress.

I said it then and I'll say it again now, you can't ignore shit which is hurting you. The fact that you were hurt on such a fundamental exercise as the Deadlift indicates something seriously amiss. It exposes a weakness in your body, that could be strength/flexibility or just plain bad form. It needs to be fixed, not ignored or it will rear it's head on other exercises as well.

I'm willing to bet some foundational work on the Squat and Deadlift is in order.

There I said it, take from that what you will!

Fazc, you mother fu**er. Just kidding man. I appreciate your feed back.
I agree with you completely. There is something wrong here and I do not think it should be ignored. I am willing and able to address the issue.

A little background:
In late 2010 I injured my lower back pretty bad. It was extremely painful. I experienced sciatica. I was off work for a little over a week. My piece of crap doctor at the time refused to do an MRI, instead opted to treat it with pills. It was 2 months before it was even remotely back to normal.
In december 2011 I was able to pull 405 for 2 triples. From that point my deadlift regressed until I completely reset the weight way back and started 5/3/1 in the first quarter of 2012.
In the last 2 or 3 months, I have "tweaked" my back on at least 3 occasions that I can think of deadlifting. This is after a reset I believe 3 cycles ago.
The last time I hurt myself it occurred with a lower weight set. Something like 225 I believe. I can give specifics weights and dates, I will just have to look back in my log.
I actually happened to grab a video of the deadlift session where the injury last occurred, if anyone would like to see it.

I consulted with a member of the forum regarding the latest injury. He watched the video and thought my form was fine. It was decided, because of the reoccurring nature of the injury I probably needed to take a month or so off of deadlifting.
That is the reason I am currently not performing the lift. I am not avoiding it necessarily as I am giving my back time to heal up. I have every intention of deadlifting again in the next 4-8 weeks.
On top of that I intend to begin performing bodyweight Good mornings to help with the rehabilitation process, a la Bill Starr.

Along with that, I am willing and appreciative of any deadlift form critique, programming suggestions and lower back assistance/rehab exercises that anyone may suggest.

Sorry for the novel. Thanks for posting.

[Fazc]

Stick the video up, you can't always tell that much from a video but it can sometimes give an indication.

What you really need to do is find someone local who can give you the once over and check your form.

Also I hate 5/3/1 it's bollocks!