Wendler 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Week 1
- Press: 135 x 5+: 5
- Clean (as warmup for DL): 135, 165, 180, 195, 200 (PR!), 205x
- Deadlift: 300 x 5+: 8 (rep PR)
The big news for the day is the 200 lb clean PR! I wrote down 200 lbs a long time ago as a major goal so it is nice to finally get this off my back. The Olympic lifts are a mental game and hopefully this opens up the flood gates. A big part of getting this was trying to just clear my mind of all the technical details and just let my body do its job as I’ve been teaching it with all of the technique work lately. Seemed to work as intended. Figures it is on a day with no video camera!
The upper body disappointment continues. I need to figure out why this is happening. I’m considering trying a hybrid of 5/3/1 lower body with GSLP upper body. I’d be happy with slow progress but this is looking like regression. One issue to consider is the Olympic work that I’ve added since switching from GSLP to 5/3/1. The jerks and the snatches mean I’m putting weight over my head a lot more often than before. Maybe the regression on the slow lifts is being caused by the increased volume of upper body work from this?
To put things into perspective, a year ago overhead pressing 135 lbs for even one rep seemed like a distant dream. It’s nice to be in the position now to be worrying about whether I can get more than five reps with that weight.
Deadlift felt good. According to my records, 300×8 is a rep PR at that weight. It felt like I could get a 9th rep but form was starting to diminish from fatigue so I didn’t try.
I skipped out on assistance. Abs are still sore from the other day. Attempted a dip but it felt like a no-go. Figured I earned a break with the PRs.
Food
Last night, I ground up some side meat from a whole tenderloin and made a few days worth of chili from it. Turned out great. Saw banana peppers suggested on Barbell Shrugged and that really made a difference. This is a solid meal that was pretty easy to make and also has a lot of tweakability in terms of flavor and macros. Definitely will be a staple in the future.
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