Robert Jan said:
So what if I try to do a 5x5 with a certain weight and I don't make it, and end up doing for instance
5,5,5,4,3 because I'm fatigued?
Should I take less weight next week? Or see if I can do 5x5 with this weight next week?
the first time you fail all 5x5, you stay at the same weight the following week and try again. i stalled on my BB curl 3 different times, only to hit all 5x5 the following week. if, however, you fail 2 weeks in a row, the following week, increase by 5lbs, but do 5 sets of 3. do 5x3 for 4 weeks, adding 5lbs each week. at the end of 4 weeks, go back to where you failed 5x5 and you should be able to get all 5x5. then keep going until you fail 5x5 2 weeks in a row again.
as of now, i'm about to go to 5x3 on at least one lift (flat bench). i ran that routine listed above for 15 weeks straight. my max bench increased from 200x3 to 235x3. i also hit a 315x1 squat and 305x1 deadlift (and only started deadlifting at the beginning of those 15 weeks).
my legs require more work than what is in that routine above. after a few weeks of running that routine, i added box squats 10x2 and leg curls to the monday workout. that additional work helped my full squats tremendously.
the non 5x5 exercises i do 3 sets of each, upward pyramid. 10, 8, 5-6 reps. this, to me, works very well. i had a very hard time picking a weight i could do to failure for 2 sets of 8-10. doing 3 sets with the rep scheme listed above, however, allows me to just about hit failure on each set, and definetly on the last set. if i hit all 6 reps on the last set and they feel solid, i'll bump up the weight the following week across all 3 sets. example - on chest day, i'll do incline dbs 50, 60, 70lbs.
i had to modify the routine to suit my summer schedule. i am able to hit the gym M-TH, but that's it. i wasn't comfortable taking 3 days in a row off either. i have weights at home, but not enough to do any heavier exercises. i split the routine up quite a bit more so it covered 5 days. i started it in the beginning of June and was forced into a break this week (well, stress was aiding this as well). i'll be changing things around the last week of August, as i'll be able to hit the gym 5 days a week again. here's the current routine:
Monday
Flat Bench 5x5
Incline dbs 10, 8, 5-6
Cable Flies 10, 8, 5-6
Box Squat 10x2
Seated Calves 5x15
Tuesday
Seated OHP 5x5
Cable Lat Raises 12, 10, 8, 5-6
Deadlift 5x5 (usually do 10 on the last set)
Pullups 2 sets both to failure
Shrugs 10, 8, 5-6
Neutral/Close Grip Pulldowns (hands facing each other) 10, 8, 5-6
Wednesday
Squats 5x5
SLDL 10, 8, 5-6
Standing Calf Raises 5x15
Thursday
Incline Bench 5x5
Close Grip Bench 5x5
Dips 2 sets to failure, been adding weight recently
Tricep pushdown 10, 8, 5-6
Friday
BB Curl 5x5 (i've just dropped this, hurts my forearms like hell)
Iso Curls 10, 8, 5-6
Hammer Curls 10, 8, 5-6
Wrist Curls - many sets, normal and reverse
ABS - done 2-3x a week. no set day for them, just whenever i kick myself hard enough to do them. usually 3 sets of decline situps, the last 2 sets weighted.
strengthy wise, my squat and deadlift are still progressing, and i'm satisfied with both for now. size/looks wise, however, i'm not so sure about progress. i'll be able to tell for sure by the end of summer when i compare to pics i took the beginning of June. i've also cleaned up the diet a lot so i could slim down a bit. If you've paid attention to threads i've posted in C&C, however, you know that i've been pretty stressed out the past month or so. i've dropped from 170 down to 160lbs and i'm not happy about it at all. yes my intent this summer was to drop a little bodyfat, but not to lose weight. I maintained 170lbs all through June and was seeing a bit more of my abs every day. so considering my stress level and the loss of 10lbs, it's going to be hard to judge how well this routine is working for me.
hope some of this helps out. if not, well, i tried
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