asparagus Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 I actually began my current strength training with the Stronglifts 5x5 program, gradually cutting down to 1x5 as the weights got heavier. I mostly cut down the sets as my workouts were starting to take too long and I only get a 1-hour lunchbreak to workout. Saw great strength gains through the program, as most beginners do. 5/3/1 Cycle 2 Set 3 today: 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x2 pullups Squats:5x135 lbs ATG5x185 ATG5x225 ATG5x255 ATG6x285 parallel Ab wheel: 5x12Lunges: 5x15 Time to buy/make my own jump rope. All the plastic ones at the gym save one have been broken and not replaced. That leaves the choice between a rawhide rope and a plastic one that is just a bit too short and even if I used the rawhide one, it's way too long. Squats were good today. I expected to hit 6 and I did. A good finish to a good cycle. Ab wheel and lunges also went well. I can definitely up the reps on the wheel and start adding weight on the lunges. The wheel was a bit difficult at the end of the sets, but I could probably lunge for quite a few more reps without problem. I'm going to skip the deload week again, as the 65%/75%/85% first set is easy enough. I'll probably continue to skip deloads until hitting 5 reps on the 95% sets becomes difficult and then I'll think about it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 1 today: 5x100 jump rope alternated w/ 5x2 pullups Military press:5x45 lbs5x755x955x1107x125 pullups: 4x7, 1x4 alternating gripsdips: 6x8 steps: 4 sets of 5x28 steps, 2 min rest inbetweenHR right after: 162 BPMgot distracted and didn't take recovery HR Was hoping for 8 on the military press. I made the mistake of pausing on the bottom after the 7th rep and didn't keep tight so I couldn't get it up for a try at 8. 7x125 is less than the 7x130 I did last cycle, but this is the first set of the new cycle so I'm fine with the lower performance today. Pullups were going great, even with a couple pauses near the end of the sets, but when it came time for that last set my arms were shot. I scaled back my planned 5x9 dips sets to 6x8 after falling short on the pullups. I probably could have hit most of the sets at 9 reps, but knew I wouldn't be able to finish out all 5 sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Good pressing, nearly a plate a side for 7 or 8 reps is nice! Got your PM as well, absolutely fine. I actually really appreciated the heads up and FWIW I won't be ordering it again once this one is finished. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 I won't stop until I can at least Military press my bodyweight. That's probably a little while away (currently around 194 lbs)... Of course once I get to that point I probably won't want to stop progressing. I have no idea how far I plan to take this whole strength thing, although I will stick to my original plan of not breaking 200 lbs bodyweight. Hopefully I can replace some of my fat with muscle to keep under that limit and keep gaining strength for a while. That should be possible, as I am probably around 18% BF at the moment. Of course my genetics tend towards carrying a bit of fat so I'll have to wait and see how easy that is. I'm glad everything's cool. I've still got a couple tubs of the stuff myself, as they were on sale right before that message thread came out and I stocked up on it. 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 1 today: 2 pullups5 minutes on treadmill at max incline, brisk walking pace3 pullups Deadlift:5x135 lbs5x2055x2455x2859x325 Glute ham raise: 5x12Leg raise: 5x11 My homemade jump rope ended up being a bit too light so I have to use a lot of arm energy to keep it moving. That would probably be fine but I found it challenging to keep the rhythm on the different jumps I do. I'd rather not deal with it so I'll just order one. Experimented with my grip a little on the Deadlifts. Normally I lift double pronated for all my warmups and only do over/under for the final set. I've tried hook grip before but it's quite painful and I usually can't finish the set with it. I read something about over/under grips leading to postural and muscle imbalances, so I thought I'd switch it up a little to balance things out. I usually use left supinated and right pronated, so today I went the other way around. I did the first 4 reps left pronated and right supinated, but then noticed that my shoulders were horribly out of alignment, one side being much more forward than the other at the top of the lift (I don't recall which one). I then switched back to my usual method and my shoulders same much more in line at the top. I finished out the set that way. The bar bounced a little on rep 8 so I had to reset for rep 9. I probably could have hit 10, thinking about it afterwards, but due to the grip issues and resetting a couple times my momentum was lost after #9. I'm going to have to give the grip issue some thought and figure out where to go. I've given the hook grip some thought, but I've read that it can lead to thumb damage so I'm hesitant to try it. I know that you need to "break in" your thumbs so that they get used to the strain, but I'm not sure I want to do that. I just have to figure out which I'm more willing to risk: thumb damage or muscle balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 1 today: 5 minutes on bike5x2 pullups alternated w/ 5x2 pushups Bench:5x45 lbs5x655x1055x1405x1609x180 DB Row: 2x10x50 lbs, 20x75Pullups: 4x3, 1x6 alternating grips Steps: 5 sets of 4x28 steps, 1.5 minutes rest inbetweenHR right after: 168 BPM25 minutes later: 94 BPM Still no jump rope. Bench went fine. I tried to hit 10 reps but failed. Did a couple reps more on rows than last time. Body weight is up to ~196 lbs. While I was lifting I saw an obviously rookie lifter doing a medley of different dumbbell lifts along with barbell front squats and deadlifts with absolutely horrid form. I gave him some advice on his form so he hopefully won't injure himself. My form isn't perfect on those lifts, but I think it's pretty good, and definitely good enough that I don't hurt at all when lifting heavy. That's my good karma for the week - now I need to go insult some old people or something to balance it out. /JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 1 today: 5 wide grip pullups5 minutes treadmill2x5 wide grip pullups Squats, ATG:5x45 lbs5x1055x1605x2005x2309x260 short workout - no assistance Went ATG on the final set of squats for the first time. 260 is only 85% of my target this cycle (305) and only 76% of my theoretical parallel squat 1RM (340), so I was sure that I could do at least a few of them. I had to pause each time before the last few reps, but I'm happy that I could bang out so many. I'm curious to see how hard it is later in the cycle when the weights get heavier. Going to stick with it regardless. I did notice that towards the end of the set I was a little forward in my balance, so my hips didn't get as low since my knees poked out a bit farther than usual. I still went down until my hams and calves were squashed together though. I didn't have a lot of time today so I had to skip out on the assistance work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 6 reps with 85% is solid, well done! As you said, the leaning forward was probably due to fatigue if you don't normally do that. Great work though mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Thanks. This cycle has been great so far, I'm really feeling stronger and loving it! 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 2 today: Quick set of 3 pullups then 5 minutes on treadmill Military:5x45 lbs5x753x1053x1207x135 Pullups: 5x7 alternating gripsDips: 5x8 Still no jump rope replacements at the gym. I guess I'll have to go ahead and order one for myself. I figured I'd get 6 presses today, but I was feeling great on #6 so I went for it and handily pressed #7. It got really slow about half-way up as usual, I yelled a bit, lockout was super-slow, but I hit it. Finishing the pullups sets was probably easier because I didn't do my usual warmup pullups. I scaled back my programmed dips to 8 reps instead of 9 which turned out to be reasonable as it was difficult to even finish 8 reps each set. I didn't run today because I got a late start at the gym and had to get back to the office. That means no running this week. So far I'm definitely noticing some strength gains on the 5/3/1 program even though it's only been 2.5 months. I've bounced back from my 6 week break quicker than I thought I would, which is probably due to the all out reps on the last set of each workout. I've been hitting decent reps on all my lifts which theoretically translate to 1RM strength gains. I'm probably not going to test my maxes until the end of the year, so I'll stick with the program at least until then. At that point I might switch to Madcow for more emphasis on benching (twice a week) or change up my assistance for more chest and back support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 Experienced a little soreness in the quads after Tuesday's ATG squats, lasted through today but I didn't feel it anymore by the time I left for the gym. 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 2 today: 3 pullups, 5 minutes treadmill, 3 pullups Deadlift:5x155 lbs5x2253x2703x3057x345 GHR: 4x13, 1x15Leg raise: 3x12, 2x12 I tried the hook grip today, with poor results. It seems that my hook grip is actually weaker than my double overhand. I'm probably doing it wrong, but it's uncomfortable as hell, painful, weak, and just plain doesn't feel right. I used it on my first two sets, which were very light but my grip was crap and it was difficult keeping the bar from slipping down to my fingers. Then I switched back to DOH grip for the next two and they went as normal. I then tried hook grip again on my last set and I could barely get the first rep down to the floor again before my grip gave out. I thought it might have just been bad thumb position so I quickly adjusted and went again, but as soon as the bar left the floor it slipped into my fingers and stayed there for the whole ROM. I gave up on it and switched to over/under but my momentum and concentration were gone. The rest of the lift went like crap - my form was off, my breathing was off, I had to pause twice to balance myself to finish the set whereas normally I'd just bang it all out in one go. I might just be stuck with over/under on my work sets... The stand that I usually do my leg raises on was heavily occupied so I did the first 3 sets on the decline situp bench, holding onto the foot pad handle and raising my legs until they were vertical. This was much harder than the leg raises I have been doing (propped up on forearms, raising legs until feet are at/above eye level). I could barely finish the third set, even with pauses near the end. I switched back to my old style for the last 2 sets and my core was done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 2 today: 4 pullups5 minutes treadmill4 pullups Bench:5x45 lbs5x953x1503x1707x190 DB row: 2x10x50 lbs, 25Lx75, 24Rx75Pullups: 4x3, 1x6 Hitting 7 reps on bench today was easy. I probably could have muscled out 8, but last bench session I went for that extra rep I felt good about and ended up stuck under the bar. Hit more on the rows than I thought I would, 25 on the left and 24 on the right. My form was a little shitty at the end, but I'm not surprised given that I was able to do 5 more reps than last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Great benching there buddy, good progress as well. Are you just benching 'touch and go' style or do you like to pause on the chest? Hope you had a great weekend and didn't have to work haha MF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 I generally just touch and go on the bench. I'm pretty happy with the bench progress I'm making, 5/3/1 is working out great so far. Haha, no work, but I do have a toddler at home so I'm plenty busy all weekend long, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Haha, no work, but I do have a toddler at home so I'm plenty busy all weekend long, lol.Yeah, I know what that feels like. My eldest daughter is 6 and the younger one turns 4 next month, make the most of them being a toddler as they grow up so fast !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 2 today: 5 pullups5 mins treadmill5 pullups Squats:5x115 lbs5x1653x2153x2457x275 pullups: 3x3Ab wheel: 5x15Lunges: 5x15 +20 lbs each leg The weights felt heavy today on squats. I didn't have good concentration on the final set and resulted in poor form and poor depth. The first few went OK, but then I started leaning farther forward and not getting much past parallel on the last few, although I'm sure my knees were well out past my toes so my leg angle was really small. I let my shoulders go slack and the bar sunk down a little low, which is what made me lean forward at the bottom to keep balance. Hopefully I feel a little better going into the squats next set, I'd like to finish out this cycle on a good workout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 3 today: 3 slow pullups5 minutes treadmill Military10x45 lbs5x755x1103x1255x140 Pullups: 8,8,8,6,8 alternating gripsDips: 6x8 The final set on Military is green for technically passing my requirement, but I was shooting for 6 reps on it. I'm a little disappointed but on rep 5 I knew I wouldn't hit 6. It's still a slight increase (2 lbs) on my 1RM calculation from last cycle, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I figured I'd do better than 2 lbs in a month, though. However, at the end of last month I was only hitting 5x6 pullups, so that's a pretty good increase. Dips was an easy 8 reps per set and I probably could have hit 9; I'll go for 5x9 next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Well you were only one rep off, and nice work for realising that you probably wouldn't have got it. I wouldn't feel too pissed off, still a good heavy set for decent reps there. Good stuff! MF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Thanks, MF. 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 3 today: 5 minutes treadmill Deadlift:5x135 lbs hook grip5x225 hook grip5x285 4 hook grip, 1 DOH3x325 DOH6x365 over/under Glute ham raise: 5x15Leg raise: 5x13Standing bar hold, 225 lbs double overhand grip: 3x30 seconds, 1 minute rest in between I think I'm going to keep working on the hook grip on my deadlift days and try to do all my warmups with it. Once it failed on the 3rd warmup set I decided to switch to double overhand. I was barely able to hit all 3 at 325 w/ double overhand. My grip was about to fail on the last rep at 365, even with over/under. That last one was a grinder, but it felt great to get it up. I wouldn't have been happy with only 5 reps on this so I made myself do it. I could barely finish out the leg raise. At the end of the last two sets my toes were barely at chest level. For some added grip work, as per VE's suggestions in a separate thread, I added some static holds at the end of the workout. The bar was down in my fingers at the end of the third set. Tried to do a static hang after stretching out and couldn't hold onto the pullup bar at all. My hands are worked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganEssentials Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Glad to see the static holds being put in there for grip work! Give them a month or two done a few times per week, eventually you'll find that there won't be a deadlift you'll worry about losing due to lack of grip strength! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I agree, I always like to do a few sets of 'grip work', whether that's static holds or bar hangs it all comes together to serve the same purpose. To add to that, I stopped using straps years ago and that's also helped my grip strength no end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 I've never used straps, so I don't have a basis for comparison, but I don't plan to use them. I subscribe to the "totally raw" school as far as lifting goes. I like to lift only what my body can do by itself. I'm sure I could lift more with "help" but that's not what I'm after. I've got nothing against anyone who uses straps/belts/etc., as long as they're using them for the right reason (not because they can't be bothered to train properly). I will also probably never enter a competition (although I have a fantasy about getting huge and doing strongman, which will probably never happen because I don't want to get huge). Thanks for the encouragement, guys! 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 3 today: 4 slow pullups5 minutes treadmill4 slow pullups Bench:5x45 lbs5x955x1355x1603x1806x200 DB rows: 2x10x50 lbs, 19x80Pullups: 5x4 alternating grips steps4 sets 5x28 steps, 1.5 minutes rest between setsHR after: 162 BPM2 minutes after: 12215 minutes after: 104 I really need to get myself a jump rope. Bench went well. The 6 reps at 200 was actually easy and I made it at least 1/3 the way up on #7. I'm making great progress on my bench press, which I'm super happy about. My DB rows are also progressing really quickly, although while doing stronglifts previously I was able to BB row 5x200 lbs so I'm really just building back up at a good pace. I ran steps again for the first time in a couple weeks, pretty standard performance. I forgot to do static holds today. I'll hopefully remember to add them on Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 3 Set 3 4 slow pullups5 minutes treadmill4 slow pullups Squat, ATG5x135 lbs3x1653x2005x2303x2605x290 * Ab wheel: 5x17Lunge: 5x15 +30 lbsBar holds: 225 lbs, 3x30 seconds double overhand Squats were fine up to the last set. All warmups were done ATG. I started the final set ATG, but I kept letting the bar slide down a little on my back as I dropped so it was difficult to get into proper ATG position. I had to reposition the bar after rep 2, and again after rep 4. However, after rep 4 while getting the bar back up into higher position it started to swing a little and I didn't feel comfortable moving right into the next rep as I felt off and the weight was difficult. I racked, paused for 15 seconds to collect myself and then did 2 more reps to parallel (or maybe a little below, not sure). I could have done 5 if I kept the bar in the right spot during the lift. I'm probably going to drop the ab wheel from my program next cycle. I want to start getting some other weighted assistance into my workouts, and while I can always try to balance a plate on my back as I roll out, I'd like to try some other exercises in my limited time. Lunges really wear me out though, especially with the added weight. Did bar holds again, going to try to do them at the end of each session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 1 4 slow pullups5 minutes treadmill4 slow pullups Military press:5x45 lbs5x755x1005x1157x130 - no improvement Pullups: 8,8,8,6,6Shrugs: 10x95 lbs, 10x135, 9x225Bar hold: 225 lbs - 33, 27, 27 seconds Felt good going into the gym today, but lost my focus when it came to the final press set. I let the bar rest on my chest for a split second after the 6th rep and then ended up push-pressing it to start #7. I could have squeezed out all 8 strictly, but wasn't dialed into what I needed to do so I'm calling it at 7 reps. I'm not sure if this affected the rest of my session. I should have been able to hit 5x8 on the pullups. First time doing shrugs so I'm not sure how to rate my performance. I'll give them a couple cycles to fall in line. Bar holds are on par with last week. Maybe I should have done a deload week before this new cycle. I'll definitely do one at the end of this cycle though. I've also dropped a couple lbs over the last few weeks, so that might have something to do with it. Lately I've been passing out at home without eating dinner. I need to make sure I eat something, even if it's a few slices of bread with earth balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Yeah, I would be inclined to lose the ab wheel in favour of things like posterior chain work and placing emphasis on training the transverse abdominus (TVA). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asparagus Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 Good suggestion. I'm doing leg raises so I've already got some ab work in, although I like the idea of more abdominal support muscle work. I was planning on switching to good mornings for my squat day assistance in lieu of the ab wheel, but maybe I'll try some planks instead. 5/3/1 Cycle 4 Set 1 3 slow pullups5 minutes bike3 slow pullups Deadlift:5x135 lbs hook grip5x205 hook5x255 hook5x295 hook9x335 over/under Glute ham raise: 2x15Leg raise: 2x14 Had to catch my breath after rep 8 on deadlift, paused 3 or 4 seconds, then hit #9. I felt a little strain in my lower back muscles, but the bar went up. Had to cut the assistance as I took too long on the deadlift and had to get back to work. No bar holds today either, but at least I had the deadlift as some grip training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini Forklift Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I completely credit having a strong posterior chain to enable me to have a big deadlift. A couple of nights ago I used the 15kg plates for deficit deads and pulled a comfortable 5PPS ~ I got it on video and I'm putting together a compilation of the weeks' training as I'm down at our PL'ing gym this Sunday. Good work there, strong pulling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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