Week 1 Day 1; Squats

First day of squatting, am I am surprised at how different this routine feels already.  On paper it looks like it should be pretty easy, but when I was in the working set and pushing myself beyond that 5+ mark...well, it was interesting to see how different this routine is going to be.  I have to admit, I like the idea of pushing myself towards and beyond some goal every time I'm in the gym.

Squats
Warm Up: 5x135, 5x185

5x215
5x250
8x285 (Goal was 8)

BBB: 5x10 @165lbs

Pull Ups
3x8
I hope to start doing weighted pull ups/chins eventually, but am still recovering from a broken finger and don't want to push my luck

Barbell Curls
2x8 @80lbs

Treadmill
35 minute interval workout:
5 minute warm up
3 rounds of speed pyramid:
30s@11, 30s@6
60s@10, 60s@6
90s@9, 90s@6
60s@10, 90s@6
30s@11, 30s@6
5 minute cool down

Introduction

Introduction


So today I am starting the infamous Wendler's 5/3/1 program.  I have my copy of the book (have had it for a few weeks now) and am looking forward to getting this started.

A little background:  I have been weightlifting fairly consistently for about a year.  I started doing Starting Strength last Spring, switched to mostly any lifting I did during Crossfit, and then decided I wanted to start strength training again.  In January I started Starting Strength again, getting my lifts up higher than they ever were before, and finally switched over to Madcow for about two months.  My current 1RM (or approximate - the numbers I'll be using to determine my lifts for 5/3/1) are:

Squat: 370
Bench: 275
Deadlift: 405
Press: 175

These are 1RM derived by putting my 3RM and 5RM into a calculator, so they may not be exact.  My starting stats are:

Male, 68 inches (5'8), 186.2lbs

So thats that.  My goal is to increase my lifts while cutting some weight.  I know that this is not practical, but that is what I am setting out to do.  I am not setting my lift goals too high with this in consideration.  What I'd like to see are lifts of:

Squat: 405+
Bench: 315+
Deadlift: 450+
Press: 190+

 Sorry for the shitty pictures, I can't find anywhere in my damn house with a combination of a nice mirror and decent lighting.

I will be setting various short term goals every week/month as well.  On top of lifting and strength training, I will be performing other conditioning exercises such as running, swimming, bodyweight exercises, etc.  I'll also try to share interesting articles I come across, and progress pictures every week.