Chaos and Pain

It took until last week to realize I'm fucking tired of 5/3/1. I can feel myself walking through workouts and not feeling any stronger because of it. Although I have made some improvements on my bench and overhead press, I have no more use for an upper/lower split (or any split for that matter). I need something difficult. I need something brutal. I need Chaos and Pain.

Chaos and Pain is a blog written by Jamie Lewis, and emphasizes a lifestyle filled with lifting heavy shit. He abhors any talk of naturals vs gearheads, and insists that you can do any fucking thing you want (the Bulgarian Olympic weightlifting team is most often sited as a group of humans who have adapted to train like animals without worrying about overtraining).

I'm starting out with this routine, and seeing how it feels (so far, God damned fantastic). All exercises adhere to the following rep ranges unless otherwise noted.

Rep Ranges
Week1: 85% 1RM, 10x3, 1-2min rest
Week2: 90% 1RM, 12x2, 1-1.5min rest
Week3: 95% 1RM, 15x1, 1min rest

1.
Back Squat
DB Bench
Hammer Curl (3x8)

2.
Deadlift
Clean/Press (clean once, press/push press for reps)

3.
Bench Press
Front Squat
Weighted Chinup*
Partial Squat* (singles only)

4.
Powerclean
Good Morning
Behind the Neck Push Press

I'm still playing with what works and what doesn't, and I expect this format to change quite a bit over the next week or so (it is a far cry from Jamie's sample template, but his whole deal is that you do what you feel like as long as it's heavy).

Jamie Lewis kicking ass

Be brutal. Get stronger.


Edit 1/2013: I come back to this template 2 years later and shake my head. Although my philosophy has not changed dramatically, my approach certainly has (especially in the way I look at different lifts). Live and learn I guess.

Also, I feel like an ass for giving any sort of shit to 5/3/1. I was impatient and a little bit of a bitch. Really, 5/3/1 is the first time I attempted anything truly structured in the gym. Although I have no desire to follow the bread crumbs, the program put me on the right path to what I needed.