Mike's quest for Abs and 1100

[MikeM]

OK, I still have to technically hit 1000 first, but I think I'll hit that pretty soon. I also haven't seen my abs in over 35 years so I suspect that may be a bit futile and possibly counter productive to the other goal, but I'm going to be heading in those directions anyway and see what happens.

I like Wendler's current ideas on combining strength and athleticism, so that's exactly what I'll be doing. The first 2-3 months is 5-3-1 with Boring but Big with some strongman/athletic conditioning at the end. The only diference is I'll be cycling deadlifts differently, but more on that later.

So, the basic plan is:
Mondays:
OHP 5-3-1, then 5x 10@50%
Barbell Rows 5x5 to 100%
Lat Pulldowns 5x 8
Front, Side and Rear Raises 3x 10 each
Conditioning will be on the lighter side, easy hills or carries or tosses and throws of some sort. Fun stuff, well not the hills.

Tuesdays:
Squat 5-3-1, then 5x10@50%
Side Bends 5x 12 or Side Plank 3x max
Lunges or Leg Extensions 5x 10
COnditioning heavy - Hard hills, Wheelbarrow runs, prowler, sled, etc.

Wednesday Off

Thursday:
Bench 5-3-1, then 5x 10
Chinups 5x max, plus some assisted
EZ extensions 5x 10 or pushdowns 5x max
DB Curls 4x 10
Rear bandwork
Conditioning lighter - carries, throws, easy hills, etc.

Friday:
Deadlift 5-3-1, then 5x 10 Sumo*
Plank 3x 1 min or BB Rollouts 4x 10
Leg Curls 5x 10 or Back Raises 5x 10
Conditioning heavy - Farmers, Wheelbarrow, Prowler, sled, etc.
*Only doing conventional deadlifts from floor on first and third weeks in between I'll be doing Power Shrugs and Cleans or High Pulls.

Also, I'll be throwing in some singles on the first and third weeks. That was one of the things I didn't like about 5-3-1 is that you hardly ever feel a really heavy weight. I want to do a bit more at the that upper end both for strength purposes and because that i where my form goes to hell, so working on fixing that should be helpful.

Oh, and I separated OHP and Deadlifts because I noticed both of those hammer the crap out of my low back and Lats, so I think doing them far apart will help in that area. We'll see.

I'm starting 15% down from my max's and am going to be easing into the conditioning, etc. Also there's a few more odds and ends that will be done in warmups, recovery lifts and flexibility stuff, etc.

I'm also going to stay on top of my diet a bit more strictly. More precise in protein, less overdoing the fats, totally clean carbs. No junk stuff even for rewards. I'll do this for one month and see where I'm at as well as how I'm adjusting to the increased work load.

This starts tomorrow. I'd appreciate any suggestions and certainly point out any potential problems or things I am doing wrong or that you don't think will work.

Onward and upward.

[ravimolasaria]

Looks good. Best of luck mike ... keep going ...

[JordanK91]

Looking forward to watching you smash 1100 mike

[BendtheBar]

Great goals Mike. First one to see abs wins a steak dinner?

Work hard, enjoy the work.

[rippednmichigan]

You got this Mike, remember diet is the key player in the quest for abs.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[JTurner]

Plan looks good Mike, interested to see how the goals work together for you.

[Kuytrider]

Best of luck Mike, that's a heck of a work load but add a clean and quality diet to the mix and you may surprise yourself on the abs front 1100 will be yours, no doubt about it.

[Fazc]

Keep your eyes on the prize Mike, best of luck!

[moeheep]

Good Luck Mike...Smash 'em

[MikeM]

Thank you for all the positive thoughts fellows! I will do my best to live up to them and I am curious to see where this goes to. We'll see. Yeah BtB, steaks on me if you beat me in uncovering the abzors!

HOWEVER, I have hit a snag right off the bat. I'm going through some serious problems with my teeth and I've been having procedures best left undescribed done over the past week and a half and I am just not really able to lift the way I want to. I can't eat much but soft foods, the jaw pain is giving me headaches, and the antibiotics are making me nauseous, etc. Whining, I know, but it is what it is.

I thought at first I could just live on eggs and protein drinks and once I got started lifting, I'd feel better, but that is not the case. Yesterday's OHP fizzled badly, and I spent 10 minutes staring at my squat rack before bailing on that today too. I just don't feel up to it.

So, my rousing start has fizzled. I'm just going to push everything off and start next week. I had the last procedure done today, I get off the meds Saturday (god willing) and I should be back to eating again by then too.

Just a setback. It was always going to take some time to reach my goals, so now it'll just be one week longer.