Foxriver's 3x5 journal

[foxriver]

So after some sound advice from a few forumites, I decided that it was in fact a good idea to start small, and boy has it paid off. I can't imagine doing 5x5 at this level.

Anyway, I decided to take this week to figure out my starting weights, and to practice my form and sort of get a feel for oly lifts.

As you'll notice the weights are all different each time, since I really had no idea what to start with, so I started much smaller than where I thought I should be, just to warm up, and increase until I found where I felt to be in the range. That said, these figures may not quite be accurate since it may have been muscle fatigue towards the heavier weights and not the weight itself, but I think that once I start the program, I should follow through properly. It may just take me a few extra weeks to "catch up".

****ALL WEIGHTS MEASURED IN POUNDS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED****

Supplements: Some generic multi-vitamin once daily (very basic), Designer Whey Strawberry, MET-Rx Amped ECN Fruit Punch, Hydroxycut Hardcore as directed on the bottle. Protein says 1-3 scoops per serving, I take 2 per serving.

Side note: I have no idea why I wanted to start taking supplements in the first place other than I thought they would help. If you guys think I'm wasting money, please say so.

Starting Weight Monday morning: 206.5

Week 1
Monday:

Deadlifts: 115, 135, 155, 175, 185

As I said before, it may have been that I did too many sets and I was tiring, but 185 felt good. I'll find out friday when I go for round 2 of week 1.

Decline Bench Crunches: 3x30
Russian Twists: 2x30 each side with 3kg medicine ball

Squats: 95, 115, 135, 155, 175

The last set felt painful, but in a good way. My legs never felt like they would give out and buckle, but again, the "warmup" sets may have been too much.

Bench: 45, 65, 95, 115, 135

The 135 set went smoother than I thought it would. In fact, I'm thinking I should be able to start with that on Friday as my regular 3x5, but I will also start week 1 at that weight. (See reason at Wednesday's Squats)

Monday Evening weight: 209

Wednesday:
Starting Weight Wednesday: 211

Same ab workout as Monday.

Squats: 140, 160, failed 180, another set of 140

I'm sure like most beginner bbers, 48 hours after the workout is when that body part is most sore. And that proved true for me today. I stretched for a good 25 minutes before I started today. Probably didn't drink enough water. I had about 80 oz. in me before I started the workout, and the rule of thumb is what? 2/3 body weight in oz. per day? So at 210 lbs. I should have about 140 oz. So I was just over half way there. Anyway I started the weights and felt fine, then at 180, I did one imperfect rep, lost form, and racked it. I said no way, and I stripped it back down to 140 to finish off a 3rd set, as I was starting to feel a bit of a pull in the hamstring.

For the military presses and pendlay rows, as the gym was starting to crowd around this time, I used those pre-made barbells rather than plates to let the people doing squats and seated presses use the regular bars. I don't think it makes much of a difference does it? Especially since the pre-made bars only go up to 120 lbs, and I am nowhere near that yet. Only downside is they only go in 10 lb increments.

Military Press 8x40, 5x 60, 5x80

The last weight felt good, and I may even be able to hit up 90 for 3 sets, but I'd rather start small and make sure I can do all 3 sets of 5.

Pendlay Rows?: 60, 80, 90

I'm not sure I did Pendlay rows, or some other type. Basically I followed one of the video links in the sticky. I did them like a deadlift where the bar was placed back on the ground each time and paused a second to keep from having any momentum. It was hard at first to pull the weight to my neck, I kept wanting to pull it to the spot where my chest meets my abs, but after a couple of focused reps I was able to pull it together.

Wednesday Night Weight: 214

Since this is my first journal, I welcome any and all critique. I do tend to ramble and shift from one thought to another, same as I did back in High School English, so try to bear with me.

I would like to hear your thoughts, from the weights I have listed above on the squats, where you think I should start Friday so that I don't get so sore that I can't do the 3x5. I was thinking around the 140-150 range to sort of split the difference. I'd also like to hear about the supplements I'm taking, and whether I should add or subtract any of them to aid in the rebuilding process.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Just skimmed the post and don't have much time right now, so this might not be up to my usual standards of eloquence:

1. Start simple with the supplements: multi, fish oil, maybe creatine. You can add other stuff later, but again simpler is usually better and cheaper (e.g. good ol' caffeine and/or ephedrine rather than some overpriced pre-packaged "fat burner"). And whatever you do, DON'T buy any more MuscleTech stuff.
2. Note the number of reps at each weight. I assume those Monday weights were 5s, but as you have them written now someone might think they were singles.
3. The spot to which you wanted to pull the Pendlay rows (upper abs) was correct. Don't pull them to your neck.
4. The soreness should decrease as your conditioning improves. Most people don't report having any more of the "raging DOMS" after a week or so and usually it's much improved by Thursday or Friday of the first week.

 

[carlsuen]

don't worry so much with the supps and stuff.. are really training to be a BB to compete? if so.. i won't be much help at that department cuz i'm hopeless there..

regarding your rows.. did i read correctly that u said u rowed to your neck? and that u kept pulling to your upper abs area? the latter is actually correct.. and keeping your back arched at 90 degrees give and take..

and never used the fixed bar.. 10lbs increments is alot.. don't mind the other ppl.. you are also trying to progress.. so hog the oly bar thru out all your workouts cuz that's the only piece of equipment you'll be using.. beside the squat rack of cuz.. if the gym is too small or has minimal equipment, consider changing to a fully equiped one..

starting weights for ALL programs should be 20-30% lower on all your maxes.. so say 180 is your max, start with 150-160 first..

as for water, drink 4-5 litres a day and you'll be fine.. don't be too caught up with all these micro details.. you'll be fine.. how is your training back ground? if i'm not mistaken, u have never some of these lifts prior to this program right? so don't worry about the oly lifts first.. as they're very advanced and you should build a strong foundation on these first before venturing there.. unless u have a oly coach that is..

so i dunno whether i answered all your questions, i'm sure more knowledgeable ppl will drop their input too.. everyone's happy and willing to help new ppl here.. welcome aboard and ask more questions if u need..

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

Supplements: Some generic multi-vitamin once daily (very basic), Designer Whey Strawberry, MET-Rx Amped ECN Fruit Punch, Hydroxycut Hardcore as directed on the bottle. Protein says 1-3 scoops per serving, I take 2 per serving.



Side note: I have no idea why I wanted to start taking supplements in the first place other than I thought they would help. If you guys think I'm wasting money, please say so.

IMHO, drop everything except the multi-vitamin. Take the extra cash and spend on chicken/beef.

Soreness will go away in 2-3 weeks. Once you get used to squatting 3 times a week, you won't even notice it. If you really want, start a bit lighter....but it'll just take it longer to go away. Also, don't STOP going to the gym. If you do, say you workout for a few months then stop for a month. The soreness will be back, and your strength will atrophy. KEEP WITH IT.

Other than that, post up some vids of you performing squats/deads, just to make sure you are doing them correctly. Congrats for picking a decent program!!!

 

[carcass]

When you do military press, would it be the same if using dumbbells?(standing) The gym i go to only has a small EZ curl bar to add custom weights and dun have the straight one

 

[carlsuen]

time to change gyms..

 

[foxriver]

So today is my off day, and let me tell you something. I am not as sore as yesterday, but I certainly find myself walking funny. It seems as though my knees want to buckle, but its just shy of that actually happening. If any of you have been a pitcher in baseball, and after a long game your arm feels like jell-o, that's what my legs feel like.

Some added questions on the lifts in the 3x5.

Do any of the exercises work the calves? I was thinking of doing calf raises before each set of squats since my calves are not sore at all, and I can't recall whether they burned while doing the squats. Also, (disclaimer: yes I know that madcow said not to fuck with the extra stuff) which exercise is supposed to be working the biceps? I used to do preacher curls all the time, but these lifts don't seem to target them much. Either that or I'm doing something entirely wrong. Triceps I understand fully well on the bench press along with the pecs, but the pendlay rows and deadlifts seem to do nothing. The military press is mostly shoulders and triceps again, so where do the bis come in?

 

[foxriver]

Also, when I am doing squats, am I doing the right ones? I'm not sure whether its the squats with the bar on the back/shoulders or whether I should be doing the front squats. If I am supposed to be doing the front squats, should it be a lesser weight than the shoulders/back squats?

 

[carlsuen]

u should be doing back squats.. full on.. front squat will come later.. yes what madcow says is true.. DON'T FUCK WITH THE PROGRAM!! just stick with it.. heavy pulling and pressing 3 times a week is enough to kill your arms whether you feel it or not.. if u don't feel it yet, it's prolly because the weights are not heavy enough for u to feel them yet..

bicep curling will only get in your way of effective pulling and pressing.. if u REALLY insist which most of us here i believe will not recommend, then do them on the last day of the week.. 3x8-10 that's it..

or better yet. throw the curls out.. do chinups instead..

 

[oso0690]

So today is my off day, and let me tell you something. I am not as sore as yesterday, but I certainly find myself walking funny. It seems as though my knees want to buckle, but its just shy of that actually happening. If any of you have been a pitcher in baseball, and after a long game your arm feels like jell-o, that's what my legs feel like.

Some added questions on the lifts in the 3x5.

Do any of the exercises work the calves? I was thinking of doing calf raises before each set of squats since my calves are not sore at all, and I can't recall whether they burned while doing the squats. Also, (disclaimer: yes I know that madcow said not to fuck with the extra stuff) which exercise is supposed to be working the biceps? I used to do preacher curls all the time, but these lifts don't seem to target them much. Either that or I'm doing something entirely wrong. Triceps I understand fully well on the bench press along with the pecs, but the pendlay rows and deadlifts seem to do nothing. The military press is mostly shoulders and triceps again, so where do the bis come in?

Squats work calves. I personally don't think they're needed and mine grow very well from squats, but if you really want to do calf raises, do a few sets but make sure that they do not interfere with any of the major lifts.

Rows work the biceps. don't worry they'll grow well if you keep adding weight to rows.

Remember that if you eat enough you'll grow so make sure that scale is going higher EDIT: only if you're bulking lol

Carlsuen got it right lol

 

[Cynical Simian]

^^^Exactly (to the last two posts). Don't dilute your progress by throwing a bunch of isolation stuff in there. The Rippetoe program has you adding weight to the bar on a few big lifts at a very high rate, and not hampering your recovery with superfluous exercises is part of the design.

 

[foxriver]

^^^Exactly (to the last two posts). Don't dilute your progress by throwing a bunch of isolation stuff in there. The Rippetoe program has you adding weight to the bar on a few big lifts at a very high rate, and not hampering your recovery with superfluous exercises is part of the design.

I think I understand what you have all just stated. I don't suppose anyone would recommend a program that blatantly omits an important body part. I think what is happening is my biceps are stronger at this point than my back, which is why it feels like I am not working them out, but this with time will balance out.

I totally crapped out today. Didn't go to the gym because of the soreness, and a few pre-scheduled appointments I had after work. Not a big deal since I was using this week to find out where my weights should be. I will most likely go full tilt boogie on the 3x5 next Monday, and like I mentioned before, I think I will run with the 140 lb squats and see how that bites me for 3 times a week. I'm still walking a little bit funny, it seems like my legs will buckle. Not so much the left leg, but certainly the right one. To give you an idea of what it feels like, let me explain:

Normally when you walk you do not lock your knees. They are slightly bent. Well now when I walk, I can't quite get comfortable, nor control my right leg from locking at the knee. Its a little wobbly. Almost like a newborn horse. A little shaky. I figure giving it the weekend to rest, I should be back to normal on Monday and I won't overstress it next week. Don't think that I'm giving up already. I think my ego was bigger than my legs since I never really used to work them much. I pretty much only did the 45 degree leg press contraption at the gym one day a week, throwing in calf raises on it at the end of the set.

 

[carlsuen]

I think I understand what you have all just stated. I don't suppose anyone would recommend a program that blatantly omits an important body part. I think what is happening is my biceps are stronger at this point than my back, which is why it feels like I am not working them out, but this with time will balance out.

I totally crapped out today. Didn't go to the gym because of the soreness, and a few pre-scheduled appointments I had after work. Not a big deal since I was using this week to find out where my weights should be. I will most likely go full tilt boogie on the 3x5 next Monday, and like I mentioned before, I think I will run with the 140 lb squats and see how that bites me for 3 times a week. I'm still walking a little bit funny, it seems like my legs will buckle. Not so much the left leg, but certainly the right one. To give you an idea of what it feels like, let me explain:

Normally when you walk you do not lock your knees. They are slightly bent. Well now when I walk, I can't quite get comfortable, nor control my right leg from locking at the knee. Its a little wobbly. Almost like a newborn horse. A little shaky. I figure giving it the weekend to rest, I should be back to normal on Monday and I won't overstress it next week. Don't think that I'm giving up already. I think my ego was bigger than my legs since I never really used to work them much. I pretty much only did the 45 degree leg press contraption at the gym one day a week, throwing in calf raises on it at the end of the set.

lol dude.. this is only the first month.. max.. after that u'll begin to feel how powerful your legs truely are..

 

[Cynical Simian]

Not a big deal since I was using this week to find out where my weights should be. I will most likely go full tilt boogie on the 3x5 next Monday, and like I mentioned before, I think I will run with the 140 lb squats and see how that bites me for 3 times a week.

You might want to take another week to get used to the exercises and frequency. Even with the conservative start, you'll pretty quickly get to some difficult weights - if you start at 140, you'll do 145 on Wednesday and 150 on Friday. And especially having skipped Friday's workout, you'll probably have a similar, if slightly less extreme, problem with soreness after Monday's workout.

That's not to say you couldn't just jump in and have a great run if you start tomorrow, but taking another week at "test weights" might be helpful. You could post questions about any form issues rather than trying to work them out as you're simultaneously increasing the weights.

 

[Mercere]

You might want to take another week to get used to the exercises and frequency. Even with the conservative start, you'll pretty quickly get to some difficult weights - if you start at 140, you'll do 145 on Wednesday and 150 on Friday. And especially having skipped Friday's workout, you'll probably have a similar, if slightly less extreme, problem with soreness after Monday's workout.

That's not to say you couldn't just jump in and have a great run if you start tomorrow, but taking another week at "test weights" might be helpful. You could post questions about any form issues rather than trying to work them out as you're simultaneously increasing the weights.

Cynical Simian is right, PR weights come quickly even if you start light. Especially on squats.

 

[GSP]

Cynical Simian is right, PR weights come quickly even if you start light. Especially on squats.

Just in case you need a 3rd opinion on this one, 3X per week PR's compounds itself very quickly! Hell, If you started at 95 lbs and increased 5 lbs. per workout, you'll be pushing 2 plates per side up in under 9 weeks!!

I'm looking forward to following your progress on this, good luck man.

 

[foxriver]

On Cynical Simian's advice, I decided it would be best to use this as another practice week. I also figured, why not start at a lower weight for each exercise. Since the weights will be increasing so rapidly, it's probably smarter this way so I don't overwork my obviously undertrained body. (See last week's catastrophy)

So today I woke up and weighed in at 214.5.

Did Squats/Deadlifts/Bench all at 135 lbs for 5 reps each with the warmups as follows:

Squats - 8 reps at 45 (bar) and then 3 sets of 5 reps @ 135
Deadlifts - 8 reps at 45 (bar) and 3 sets of 5 reps @ 135
Bench - 8 reps @ 45 (bar), 5 reps @ 95, 3 sets of 5 reps @ 135

How did I feel during? Actually quite good. I felt them, but it wasn't as overwhelming as last week. Deadlifts were a bit light, but that will all catch up later in the coming weeks.

How do I feel know about an hour later? My quads are sore, but not nearly as bad as last week. My chest is moderately sore and my back feels tight.

I can't seem to get a good stretch. I use the stretching machine thing at the gym, basically its a seat with handles on either side to twist your body for the middle back (better than the hands on the hips and twisting in my opinion) and the movable bars for the chest. Everything else I do on the floor and I pretty much follow each stretching exercise that is listed here . Usually just one stretch per body part. Anyway, stretching the lower back seems to be tough for me as I can never quite feel it, and the traps/delts seem to not get stretched very well either. Can anyone suggest anything for these areas? I seem to recall someone once telling me to lie on a large yoga ball to help arch my back, but doesn't that stretch the abs? Also when I do the hamstring stretch, I do feel a stretch in the lats, so that helps some.

In any case, my weight at the moment is at 212, which I don't see as a loss since I didn't drink much water at work today (only 64 oz.) and it was about 95 degrees today. (I didn't sweat alot as I work in an office with air conditioning, but still the drive in and to the gym definitely took its toll since my truck's AC is broken and I did sweat quite a bit) Oh well. We'll see how it is tomorrow.

 

[foxriver]

So about today...

It's Wednesday, and I had to go grocery shopping after work. I got home around 6:30 PM. Now, normally once I get home, the trip to the gym is shot, because I no longer feel like getting in my truck, driving 10 minutes down the road lifting, and driving all the way back. Laziness? Not quite, I'm just not a huge fan of driving. Normally I go to the gym right after work because I already have to drive. But today was different. I had to go grocery shopping, as I said, I brought the groceries home, had my girlfriend put them away, changed, and went to the gym. I even amazed myself. I haven't even quite started the 3x5 and I'm already in the "zone".

So today was "test" workout B.

Squats 1x8 @ 45 3x5 @ 135

I was only slightly sore today, and I know for sure this is the weight I should have started at last week, rather than trying to ramp up to 185 to figure out what weight I should be using. I am moderately sore now after the workout, and I'm pretty sure that I'll even be able to hit the 3rd day this week. I've never done the same exercise 3 times in one week before, so we'll see how this goes.

Pendlays 1x8@ 75 3x5 @ 95

Felt pretty good today. I knew I did something at least partially right when I was doing these, since as my legs were slightly bent while pulling up slowly, my legs were wobbling. Not enough to lose balance, but they were trembling while I did the rows. Overall I think it worked pretty well.

Military Press 1x8 @ 45 ABORTED @ 95 (what was I thinking?) 3x5 @ 75

My attempt at keeping the weights on each day close together (obviously the squats will change much faster than everything else, but as for the other 2) was a total loss. I don't know if anyone else does this, but I used the squat rack to hold the weight up high enough for me to get my elbows underneath the bar to start the press. Maybe that's common practice, or whatever, but it dawned on me pretty quickly when I tried to pick the 95 lbs off the floor to attempt the rows. So I ended up deadlifting it to the squat rack and reverse squatted it to the higher rungs. Then I attempted the one rep at 95, failed it miserably, and lowered the weight to 75 which did the trick. My two reps I thought I almost would need a spot... but I pulled through anyway. I'm sure I'll feel like jello tomorrow.

Anyone figure out a good way to stretch the back muscles for me yet? I still can't seem to stretch the middle-back (lats/delts/traps) and lower back. The sides of the lats and external obliques I have no problem stretching, and even the neck is easy to stretch.

EDIT: I forgot to add that I woke up at 211 lbs this morning, and weighed in at 212.5 after my workout. Something can't be right, can it?

 

[foxriver]

So today is a day off, and suprisingly, I do not feel at all sore. Could I be getting used to the 3 day a week workout, or is it likely I'm not doing something right? I seem to be having some trouble sleeping this week, I wake up in the middle of the night now, when I never used to. I wonder if it has anything to do with the protein shake before bed. Any thoughts?

 

[GSP]

So today is a day off, and suprisingly, I do not feel at all sore. Could I be getting used to the 3 day a week workout, or is it likely I'm not doing something right?

Perfectly normal! The first few workouts are the worst in terms of soreness. After that, as long as you don't miss workouts, soreness is generally not an issue. If you take some time off or go light for a week or two, you will get sore again when you pick back up, but for now, it probably won't come back.

 

[foxriver]

That's good to know, because I'm not a big fan of not being able to move for days on end, and if I continue to go and feel the way I feel today, I may never stop! So next week I intend to go full tilt boogie into the 3x5 and drop this whole practice thing.

Work has been driving me nuts this week, and I'm glad I have a constructive outlet to take out my aggression. I may take some photos when I start, and then retake them every couple of weeks to keep a weekly progression. I might just save them and create a slide show/morph type of thing to show the change over time.... who knows. Has anyone "completed" the 3x5 and moved onto the 5x5? I know it is different for everyone, but I wonder how long it took each person who was a novice weightlifter that started the program before they realized they needed to move to the 5x5. Many posts say you can just "tell" but I wonder what signs I should be looking for?

 

[foxriver]

Just so I know, am I even doing the right thing with the 3x5 before I start? Yes it is the beginner's training, but does it matter if I want to lose body fat as well? I'm fairly certain I'm at about 27% right now, and I'd like to lose a good 10-15% at minimum, or maybe around there is fine, since I don't want to torture myself from eating and drinking the things that I like. Anyway, am I doing the right thing by doing 3x5 first before any "cutting" (forgive me if I still dont know the terminology here, i imagine that it something to do with lower calories to burn fat while still lifting) or any cardio intensive training? I do know that I dont want to be skinny by any means, I sorta like the barrel chested/arms 2/3-3/4 size of legs/baby growing on the back of your neck look, that I want to achieve, but my midsection needs ALOT of work. Everything I've read about lifting includes the words "EAT EAT EAT", but even eating lots of low fat meats and soluble carbs I don't see how I could possibly burn the fat without lowering the caloric intake for a bit..

Since I have not yet started the 3x5 (still in my self-regulated "practice" mode) should I do something else for a few months before I hit the heavy stuff? although I have pretended to do the 3x5 the last two weeks, (and my arms do seem to be larger although that may just be my ego, who knows) and I like the workout, I still am worried that its not for me at this point in time.... can anyone support my decision to do the 3x5 and provide how it will help me in the long run fat-wise or should I put it on the back burner for something else in the meantime?

BTW- my intial thought when I joined EF was that I wanted to look like a "superhero/swimmer" type physique, but the more I have read and gotten into the whole lifting thing, I think I'd be more suited and feel better about, looking like Mariusz Pudjianowski, only about 80-100 lbs lighter. After all I have no intentions of competing and I'd like to retain some of my flexibility (I played first base in high school ball and could easily cut a good 7-8 feet off the throw to first from my stretching, just a guess, not sure of the math here, but I'm 6'1" so I think I theoretically could cut that distance from leg to opposite fingertip.... you get the point)

 

[carlsuen]

i think that really depends on u.. whether you wanna start light or not.. but starting the 3x5 anytime for a novice is always the number one choice here.. so don't worry..

and u'll "know" to transition into the 5x5 when u stall on most of your lifts.. and can no longer sustain 3x5 on very heavy weights.. your body will tell u so as fatigue is accumulated..

 

[liegelord]

I think you should stick with the 3x5, it's a great program. As far as losing bodyfat, you do that with diet. This is my first cut and it's been a train wreck until recently. I finally broke down and started keeping a daily log of calories. I'm now losing 1 pound a week and not having strength losses. It may seem like a real pain, but it's worth it and only takes a few minutes a day.

 

[foxriver]

So today was the official start of my 3x5. Because of work schedule, I had to amend the M,W,F lifts to T, Th, Sat instead. No big deal, or so I think.

Felt a bit weaker today.

Deadlifts 1x8 @ 95 3x5 @ 145

Squats 1x8 @ 95 3x5 @ 135

Bench 1x8 @ 95 1x4 @ 135 3x5 @ 115


It went ok, but I was feeling pretty weak when I got to bench. Started with the 135, but realized it was a little bit too heavy, and I actually struggled through the 3x5 @ 115. Overall I think it was a good thing that I didn't push it and risk injury.

Now as for the next day's workout, I am a bit confused. Am I supposed to ramp the weights by 5 lbs each day/cycle or each week of the workout?

Assume Workout Order A,B,A - So would I go up 5 lbs on the second A workout, or wait until the week of B,A,B and add 5 on that A workout, etc?

 

[carlsuen]

u should be adding 5lbs EVERYTIME u go in.. till u can't then u might consider once a week for A and B..

just curious, are u doing dead first followed by squat then bench? if so u should put deads last as it is the most taxing.. as after deads, u'd rarely have any strength left after heavy deads.. so i'd recommend u stick to the original order as per the 3x5..

 

[foxriver]

u should be adding 5lbs EVERYTIME u go in.. till u can't then u might consider once a week for A and B..

just curious, are u doing dead first followed by squat then bench? if so u should put deads last as it is the most taxing.. as after deads, u'd rarely have any strength left after heavy deads.. so i'd recommend u stick to the original order as per the 3x5..

I only did that yesterday since someone was on the squat rack. Probably could have done the bench first, then squats and deads, but I didn't. Good point though, I'll keep it in mind. As for when to change the weights, thanks for clearing it up. I wanted to find out before Thursday so I could start it right away if needed.

 

[carlsuen]

no prob and good luck..

 

[Cynical Simian]

Sorry about recommending this program then disappearing as you started the journal. I've been really busy lately and probably will continue to be for the next few weeks.

One note on your warmups: those 8 reps at 95 you're doing are probably hampering your exercises given that 95 is still a decent portion of the weight you're using for the work sets (especially on bench). Take a look at Glenn's warmup post in the sticky or (once you get it) Rippetoe's warmup recommendations in Starting Strength. Do a ton of reps with the bar if you think more warmup reps would help, then see what sort of progression works best for the warmups with plates on the bar. See what works best for you and don't be afraid to experiment a bit.

 

[foxriver]

Today Workout B

Squats 1 x 8 @ 95, 1 x 6 @ 115, 3 x 5 @ 140
Military 1 x 8 @ 45, 1 x 6 @ 65, 3 x 5 @ 80
Pendlays 1 x 8 @ 65, 1 x 6 @ 85, 3 x 5 @ 100


I feel pretty good today. I had to stretch more between sets of the squats because my hammys were tight, but I made it through pretty easily. Looking forward to Saturday for my first week of 3 days of workouts in a week and week 1 down in the books of my 3x5 program.

CS, didn't get to read your message until after the gym, I'll definitely have to check out the warmup part in the thread.