Another Single Factor 5x5 Journal

[blut wump]

I don't blame you. Listen to your knees most of all and your adductors.

I noticed that the book goes into a lot of detail about stance and form.

 

[anotherbutters]

Pre-journal dual factor summary

Below are the results of the dual factor I ran immediately before starting this single factor 5x5. I'm just adding it here so I can refer back to it. I was eating far too little (2200 - 2800 cals) for most of it and only started eating more on about week 7. Still, not bad gains!

             est | dual factor (23rd May - 25th Jul 2005) | est 
             5RM | 1   2   3   4   5   6   7    8     9   | 5RM 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
squat 3x3 |      |                 78  83  88   90.5  93  |     
squat 1x5 |  83  | 78  78  83  88F                        | 90 (8.4%)
squat 5x5 |      | 68  73  78F 78                         |     
----------------------------------------------------------------------
bench 3x3 |      |                 50  55  60.5 60F   60F |     
bench 1x5 |  50  | 38  43  50  55                         | 57.5 (15%)
bench 5x5 |      | 33  40  45  50                         |     
----------------------------------------------------------------------
dead 3x3  |      |                 105 110 115  117.5 120 |     
dead 1x5  |  100 |                                        | 115 (15%)
dead 5x5  |      | 75  85  95  105                        |     
----------------------------------------------------------------------
bodyweight|      | 67  67  67  67  67  67  69   70    71  |
----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[anotherbutters]

Single factor summary so far

I'll post new copies of this chart once in a while. Here's the summary so far, starting from the 5RM estimates I made at the end of the dual factor above.

            est  | single factor (started 25 July 2005)
            5RM  | 1   2   3    4     5     6      | increase so far
---------------------------------------------------------------------
squat 1x5 | 90   | 83  88  90.5 93    50    60     | -30kg *
---------------------------------------------------------------------
bench 1x5 | 57.5 | 55  60  61   62.5  63.5F 63.5   | 6kg (10.4%)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
dead 1x5  | 115  | 110 115 120  122.5 125   127.5F | 10kg (8.7%)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
bodyweight|      | 72  72  73   73    74    75     |
---------------------------------------------------------------------

All weights in kg
F = failure
* changed to freeweight

 

[Jim Ouini]

Even though you've made some nice gains on all your lifts already, I think it'll be interesting to see if your progress is even better since you switched from smith to back squat i.e, they say squat drives everything so you may be in for even better gains.

 

[anotherbutters]

Yep, I'm free of my shackles, both metaphorically and physically!

On another note, whilst replying to |D_J^B_J|'s thread (way too much punctuation in there), I'm going to start tracking my bodyweight, with a view to adding 0.7kg per week. That's 40lbs in 6 months.

I'm going to run this program for all it's worth and plan on bulking until next spring. I've never weighed more than I am now (75kg, 165lb), so I'm looking forward to seeing the difference.

 

[blut wump]

That should be interesting. Whenever I've tried to bulk I've just gotten chubbier. I've been at my current weight, plus or minus a few pounds, throughout this year.

 

[Jim Ouini]

I went from 178 to 204 after back to back 5 x 5's and eating indiscriminately.

Now I'm down to 195 after watching my diet and doing some sled dragging (not seriously though, only 2-3 x week, so maybe not a factor).

I plan on Korte in 2 weeks and I plan to recalculate cals and try to get back to 205 or so but eating smarter this time.

 

[anotherbutters]

I have gone chubbier, there's no doubt about it, but my arms are up 0.5" and my chest and legs are up by over an inch since starting the single factor, so I'm not too worried, yet.

I'm trying to be sensible about it so I don't put on too much fat, but also don't short-change any gains in muscle. Any fat I put on now, I'm going to want to take off later.

The 'cannot wear' section of my wardrobe is getting bigger by the week

 

[blut wump]

I've split two pairs of shorts over the past fortnight. The first one was just wear and tear but the second pair went due to increased thigh size, or so I reckon. My thighs have significantly changed shape and size over the course of the Korte and the previous 5x5.

 

[anotherbutters]

The Blutterfly has started to hatch.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 7, Monday

Bodyweight: 76kg (target: 76.2)

1. Freeweight back squat conditioning (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
50 x 5
55 x 5
60 x 5
65 x 5
70 x 5 (up from 60 on friday)

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
57.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
65 x 5 (up 1.5) -------- PR

3. Row (kg)
20 x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
35 x 5 (up 2)
40 x 5 (up 2)
45 x 5 (up 2)
50 x 5 (up 2)
56 x 5 (up 0.5) --------- PR


Comments

I'm ramping up the back squats. I'm going to do 80kg on Friday, try 90kg on Monday for 5 reps, then carry on with the SF program as prescribed. Knees and adductors permitting, of course.

Another PR on bench. I'm really happy with this one, not just because of the weight, but because I finally feel like my form is pretty good. I've learnt a lot from Starting Strength, but it's taken a few workouts to remember everything and apply everything during each rep. A foot slipped during the first rep, but I recovered ok (my bench is quite high at 21.5" and I don't have rubber mats down yet).

Another rows PR too. I'm definitely standing up a bit, but I think it's only a small amount and I'm going to accept it for now. I'll keep an eye on it. I noticed Blut Wump said you should try to row a similar amount to your bench somewhere, so I'm going to keep ramping up the rows rather than stop and try to get perfect form.

 

[blut wump]

Have you tried putting some plates down on the floor to have your feet on while benching? It's one of the suggestions in SS.

The row/bench equivalence was something I gleamed from madcow2. He mentioned it a few times and seemed pleased when he noted that mine were comparable during my first 5x5.

Congrats on the new PRs and good luck with ramping the squats.

 

[anotherbutters]

Yeah, I thought about that, but the plates I have are metal so they're pretty thin, they slide when they're on top of each other and they slide when they're on the wooden platform I have. So not good all round really. I knew my feet might slip, but I didn't really expect it to happen. It was a pretty good wobble!

I have 140kg of weights including the bar and I'm up to 127.5kg on my deads, so I'm going to need some new plates soon if things go according to plan. I was thinking of getting a couple of 20kg bumper plates, so if I get them now, I can use them.

 

[Jim Ouini]

As far as rows I had a bit of body english on some of my heavy sets. Mr. Cow said it's all good as long as you know what's going on.

Funny enough, a buddy of mine at the gym asked me how to do these and I described the Pendlay row but it's hard to get away from what you know so he set up with perfect form but 1st rep was back to upright upper body and extending the knees almost.

 

[Guinness5.0]

The row/bench equivalence was something I gleamed from madcow2. He mentioned it a few times and seemed pleased when he noted that mine were comparable during my first 5x5.

If I remeber right it has to do with shoulder health. If you bench a ton more than you row a strength imbalance exists that could lead to shoulder injury.

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks for the comments on rows guys. Guinness, that makes sense about the imbalance. I'm going to have to look up Pendlay and what's the other one, JS (John Smith) rows? I'm not sure which one I'm doing. I know I read something linked from the main 5x5 page, but it was a long time ago.

I've just taken a look at my stance side on in the mirror and my shins are vertical, my knees are slightly bent, my quads are about 20 degrees off vertical, the top of my back is horizontal, I have a bigger gut than I thought, and I row the bar to half way between the nipple line and my belly button.

 

[Jim Ouini]

the top of my back is horizontal, I have a bigger gut than I thought

Anyway, I believe Pendlay and JS rows are the same, or at least similar enough for our purposes.

And just to chime in with what G5.0 said, I think I read the imbalance can cause a lot of cuff problems.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 7, Wednesday

Arghh!!! What have I done???

I bought a couple of 1x2m rubber mats for my platform and now my house stinks like a tyre shop. When I walk in the front door, the smell just hits me.

Ok, so last week I failed miserably on deadlifts. I now have a proper (albeit smelly) platform, I bought some chalk, I wasn't knackered from staying up late last night... and I have a new PR


1. Light free weight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
50 x 5
55 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5

2. Deads (kg)
60 x 9 (warmup)
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 (overhand with chalk)
115 x 5 (one overhand, four mixed)
127.5 x 5 (same weight, mixed grip, no straps, chalk) ------ PR!

3. Military Press (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
25 x 5 (up 2.5)
27.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
30 x 5 (up 2.5)
32.5 x 5 (kept low to save myself)
40 x 5 (up 1.5) ------------ PR!

4. Pullups
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 3
BW x 3
BW x 3

Comments

First time using chalk. Excellent stuff! I tried double overhand grip on 115kg just to see what would happen but I could only manage one rep and had to switch to mixed. I was so confident about my grip, I didn't even wrap the straps around my wrist for the top set. On the top set, I could feel the skin on a couple of fingers pulling on the fourth rep but I carried on. I didn't quite lock out on the last rep, but I had to put the bar down quick as I couldn't hold it any longer. If my grip was a little better, I could probably have 'bumped' the bar up a little and locked out properly. I'm counting it anyway because it was close enough. Another 2.5kg next week!

I did a mini-PR on military last week (0.5kg) because the next jump is a big one, which I managed today. Today's was a 1.5kg jump, which doesn't sound like much, but from 38.5kg, it's a 4% increase. That's a lot when I'm trying to increase every week. Anyway, I felt strong today and it just went up!

After raising my rack onto its stilts I did the pullups. I used straps, which made a lot of difference. I think my grip was holding me back a lot in the past on these. I managed four in a row at bodyweight, which is a first for me, although there was a lot of kicking going on, lol. I'm thinking of increasing the volume on these as I want to get better at them and I don't think I put in enough reps. I'm thinking of doing 25 reps, taking as many sets as it takes. What do you think? I didn't have time today though.

Another excellent workout and more PRs!

I'm loving the home gym by the way, I only wish I'd have done it sooner.

 

[blut wump]

Those mats can be a bit smelly. My wife buys them for the stables and we usually leave them out for a few days so as not to upset the horses. In a few years time you won't notice it hardly at all anymore.

Congrats on the PRs. It sounds like these were hard-fought. I keep thinking of investing in some chalk. I might do it again tonight. Congrats also on the grip-work paying off.

Sorry I can't help you on the pull-ups. I've resigned myself to pulldowns these past couple of months.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I like the target rep training idea for pullups, particularly since you're still in single-factor. You may want to do it progressively also- start low (20 pulllups regardless of # of sets) then increase it weekly. Progressive resistance is key and this seems like a decent way to go about it for pullups IMO.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 7, Friday

1. Freeweight back squat conditioning (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
65 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
45 x 5 (up 5)
50 x 5 (up 5)
55 x 5 (up 5)
60 x 5 (up 2.5)
66 x 3 (up 1)
55 x 8 (up 5)

3. Row (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
35 x 9
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
57.5 x 3 (up 1.5)
45 x 8

Comments

Nothing remarkable today. It felt good to get some weight on the bar for squats. I think I might do 85kg on Monday rather than the 90kg I said I would, then do 90 on the Friday. I was on the verge of losing my balance a couple of times today and I'm getting close to what I think my 5RM might be, so I'll take the extra step.

I upped all the bench weights as the top set was getting a bit far from the others. I have rubber mats down now, so I put a plate under each foot as the bench is a bit high.

Rows were done with pretty good form.

I took a look in the mirror after the workout and my god, my lats were big! I can only imagine what I'm going to look like if I can maintain progress like this for another 4 or 5 months.

Something else to note - I had DOMS for the first time ever in my biceps yesterday and today from the pullups. They're up to 13.75" now (were 13" a few weeks ago). Yay!

Those mats can be a bit smelly. ... In a few years time you won't notice it hardly at all anymore.

That's what I was worried about

 

[anotherbutters]

Some targets. These assume linear progress with weekly increases of 1.25kg on bench, 2.5kg on squat and 2.5kg on deads. I don't expect the linear progress to continue this long, and I'm new to freeweight squats so I don't know if I can meet these increases, so I don't really expect to meet these targets! But it's nice to have something to aim for anyway. I'd be really happy with the final weights if I could meet them!

week bodyweight	bench	squat	dead (kg/lb)
---------------------------------------
1    72
2    72.7/160
3    73.4
4    74.1
5    74.8
6    75.5
7    76.2  -----------------------------  NOW
8    76.9	66/145	90/198	130/286
9    77.6/170
10   78.3
11   79
12   79.7
13   80.4
14   81.1
15   81.8/180
16   82.5
17   83.2
18   83.9
19   84.6
20   85.3
21   86
22   86.7/190
23   87.4
24   88.1
25   88.8
26   89.5
27   90.2
28   90.9/200	91/200	140/308	180/396

Edit: Why do code tags increase the page width so much? I hate that! At least I made my 150th post and have Karmic power!

 

[blut wump]

Yay, he who has the power has it now.

The code tags aren't perfect but they're better than the alternatives. I've taken to slapping Bold tags around code sections.

That extra bodyweight will get stares and accusations if it's even moderately lean. Your lifts will probably rise a lot faster than you plot if your bodyweight does climb like that.

 

[anotherbutters]

I expect there will be a little bit of fat in there

I'm not sure what to expect of the strength gains. The linear gains will slow down over time, but by the same token, the longer I go, the less of an increase they become, percentage wise. It's kind of self-regulating!

Now, back to my steak and veggies that are piled so high I can't see the plate.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 8, Monday

Bodyweight: 75kg (target: 76.9) WTF!

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5
85 x 5

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
45 x 5 (up 5)
50 x 5 (up 5)
55 x 5 (up 5)
60 x 5 (up 2.5)
66 x 5 (up 1) -------- PR

3. Row (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
35 x 5
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
57.5 x 5 (up 1.5) --------- PR


Comments

I'm really, really, really sick of my diet now! I find that I have to eat consistently in order to get the calories, otherwise my bodyweight goes all over the place. I've been having three portions of chicken, rice, tomato and various garnishes every day for several months now as part of my 6 daily meals. This past week, I've been trying to change it up and as a result my bodyweight's dropped. I need to sit down and work out something new and stick to it. Just no more rice. If I see one more grain of rice, I'm going to hurl. Hang on, what did I just cook myself three portions of whilst I was working out?

Squats - I'm out of the conditioning phase and doing these for real now. 85kg felt nice and heavy and I'm looking forward to the 90 triple on Friday. I don't have any more knee pains, although my left knee always feels a little 'loose'.

Bench was messy. I was all over the place with 60kg, then on the top set I lifted one of my feet on the 4th rep. It didn't slip, I just lifted it. I don't know why but the bar sure made an interesting path. I think he mentions it in Starting Strength - something you only do once! I managed to lock it out anyway, had to take a massive breath and went for the final rep. All I had on my mind was that if I miss this rep, I won't be able to increase on Friday, so I pushed and got it. Very messy, but it still counts

Nothing much to report on rows. The final rep wasn't quite to my stomach, but that's probably because my stomach wasn't hanging down as much as last week The other reps were solid with little standing up so I'm counting it. I tend to keep counting these less than perfect reps on rows, but so long as I can keep this form whilst the weight goes up, I'm happy.

I have to say, when I started this journal eight weeks ago, I was a little skeptical as to whether I'd make any progress at all. I know everyone said it was a good program, but I'd already been lifting for about 8 months prior with minimal results. I was pretty despondent, but madcow, bless him, rescued me from another forum and brought me over here. For any other newbie that can't seem to gain, all I can say is excess calories, compound movements and ever-increasing intensity have been key for me. Who knows where I'll end up a few months from now. What an excellent adventure!

 

[anotherbutters]

I forgot to mention, I tried needsize's ab routine today. Actually, I spent more time trying to figure out how to set up the bench than doing the routine.

The decline bench would have been perfect as I could lock the leg extension pads in place, wrap my legs around them and pull myself up against them. But it only declines to probably 20 degrees at the most.

Then I tried hooking my legs over the bar and leaning back onto the incline bench. That was better for the incline, but I didn't have anything to hold my feet down so I couldn't concentrate on my abs. And it was impossibly difficult to get in to and out of place!

I think I might try using the leg extension and resting one end of the bench on the bar or on a couple of small crates. It might be a bit unstable on the bar, socrates might be better.

 

[blut wump]

Did you pick up the update to Needsize's routine? I think he originally posted it as going down to parallel, holding for 5 and then coming back up. On another forum he posted an update of: go down to parallel, hold for five, go all the way down, come back up. It does add to the exercise.

I find myself looking out for your updates and it is fascinating to see someone progressing so steadily and regularly.

On a related note, I met an old friend yesterday whom I'd not seen for a year. When he saw me he stopped and did a double-take and asked whether I was trying to turn myself into a Barbarian Dungeons and Dragons character. I'd thought myself quite meaty a year ago and it was very pleasing to see his reaction to the results of madcow's teachings.

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks, that means a lot.

I didn't get the update to needsize's routine. I thought it was go down to about 45 degrees below, hold for 5 then back up (which is neither of the two you said!). It put too much of a strain on my neck for my liking though, even though I wasn't holding my head with my hands. I tried relaxing my neck but couldn't.

I'll experiment a bit more on Friday.

lol at the Dungeons and Dragons character. What were you following prior to madcow and how long ago was that?

 

[blut wump]

I've lifted on and off for decades but, before coming on here, I'd been lifting steadily for around two years. I was just doing the usual kind of things: turning up at the gym and doing whatever felt right. I would work hard for about a month to six weeks and try to finish the cycle better than the previous one and then take a week off to 'deload' before everything broke, although I wasn't aware of any dual-factor theory then. I just saw it as managing my layoffs before they mis-managed me.

I'd discovered creatine and tribulus and its ilk and was considering pro-hormones which is how I stumbled onto this site last December. I spotted the 5x5 while browsing a thread that madcow had posted it in and immediately recognised the jewel that it is. I saw it as an interesting direction to take my workouts and a good way to begin to strengthen my bad back with more floor work. I started my first run of the 5x5 last January. The rest is history.

 

[anotherbutters]

I hadn't really done any exercise for years, then decided I ought to lose the belly last July (age 32). I wasn't massive at 75kg, but too big for my liking (70kg is better). I bought myself an incredibly expensive rowing machine and made great gains in fitness and lost some weight, but ended up just looking like a skinnier version of the old me.

So then I got some cheap weights and followed a routine laid down in the rowing machine handbook and got hooked from there, gradually moved away from the rowing and cardio and more into weights. Progressed to Max-OT but stalled very quickly and grew frustrated. Learned a lot about diet, switched to Mike Mentzer's HIT for a month then discovered the DF 5x5 on another forum.

So I haven't really lost that much time getting to where I am now, I only wish I'd have started the whole process ten years ago!

I just read the summary of your DF 5x5 from March. You did a 190kg squat for 1x3 back then, yet you're aiming for a 160kg single now. What happened? Was it a 190 smith squat or were you set back by injury?

 

[blut wump]

Yes it was on the Smith. I was still working out at a leisure center. They had a single free bar and a Smith machine and a few pulley machines and DBs upto 25Kg. They had a couple of benches but no 'benching benches' so most of my workout was on the Smith with the rest on machines and some DB work.

I knew this wasn't ideal but had no idea how suboptimal it really was. That's what I meant about the floor work: the row and deadlift I could do away from the Smith and start to work on my back in new and interesting ways. I was already being quite creative with the various pulley machines but it wasn't enough. I switched to a real gym straight after that 5x5 and it's taking an age to get back to where I thought I already was. It's been an education.

 

[Jim Ouini]

AB: Meal replacement shakes are real helpful for people like myself who aren't big eaters. But beyond that the list of clean whole foods really seems depressingly short to me (at least of the foods I can easily cook) - chicken, lean beef, fish, green veggie, brown rice/pasta, yams, oatmeal...

MC2 always talked about how difficult it was to eat clean and get the requisite amount of calories to bulk, especially for people who are already lean...probably you've already read his diatribe in the 5 x 5 thread.

BW: Nice story about the D&D compliment. You were a big dude already so the changes must be pretty apparent. Your traps must be a lot bigger from all the pulling, usually people notice that.

Or maybe you were walking around town in a muscle tee and spandex shorts?

 

[Guinness5.0]

Or maybe you were walking around town in a muscle tee and spandex shorts?

And a fanny pack. Neon green.

 

[Jim Ouini]

And a fanny pack. Neon green.

Yep. With his weight belt underneath

 

[blut wump]

I think it was mostly the two-headed axe slung over my shoulder and the leggy brunette slung over the other shoulder. The oversized fur jock-strap might have had something to do with it, too.

He said that I was a lot bigger at the top rather than the alternative. I reckoned it would be seen as a bit faggotty to press him for details so didn't.

 

[anotherbutters]

BW: I hope that wasn't his wife over your shoulder.

Jim: I hadn't even thought about meal replacements, thanks. Although I'd prefer to stick to whole foods. The problem is finding a complex carb that I can bulk on, and which I can prepare before work and take it in with me. Veggies aren't calorific enough and stink the office out, and I don't know what I'd do with oatmeal other than gag it down with water (nowhere to make porridge). I could eat like normal people in the canteen But they eat at 12pm and I eat at 10am, 1pm and 4pm whilst at work. Yams? Ahh.. Sweet potatos. Cool! I haven't had those in ages. < goes to buy 10kg sweet potatos... >

|D_J^B_J|:

And on a side note (I guess now is the ideal time to say this), we love beating you and we will still own you in the cricket by the end of the Ashes series )

One word: Strewth!

 

[blut wump]

I eat my oats just in a bowl with milk, often with some protein powder mixed in. Maybe not to everyone's taste but easy to prepare. I normally microwave my sweet potatoes. They cook in two to three minutes.

Have you considered posting in diet forum for hints and tips?

For protein check out www.myprotein.co.uk

Being short for "God's Truth", that's arguably two words.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Yeah I think I'm going to chug a coupla these a day in addition to my normal meals:

uncooked oats
protein powder
banana
ANPB
skim milk

Blend into rich frothy shake.

I haven't done the stats yet but I figure it's good for maybe 400-500 cals. I've tried variations and not cooking the oats makes it easier to drink. Helps to have a kick ass blender.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Yeah I think I'm going to chug a coupla these a day in addition to my normal meals:

uncooked oats
protein powder
banana
ANPB
skim milk

Blend into rich frothy shake.

I haven't done the stats yet but I figure it's good for maybe 400-500 cals. I've tried variations and not cooking the oats makes it easier to drink. Helps to have a kick ass blender.

I just told him more or less the same thing in a k message. Great minds think alike.

So do ours

 

[Jim Ouini]

Great minds think alike.

So do ours

touche'

 

[anotherbutters]

Would a shake like that settle if I made it and took it to work for later? It sounds nice! I guess if it settles I could take it to work in a bowl and eat it like a dessert

BW: that's where I get my supps from already. Great minds... I just got 10kg dextrose from them as it was on offer! It's sat next to 50 cans of tuna, which were on offer from elsewhere. And I wonder why I get sick of certain foods.

Just bought some yams. It's going to be a welcome break from eating nearly half a kilo of rice per day




Queue google adverts...

 

[anotherbutters]

Damn, just missed out on another ebay purchase. I need another couple of 20kg plates and I like a bargain, but you only ever see full sets on ebay. Apart from the sale I just missed out on. 50 x 20kg plates and 15 x 15kg, 10kg and 5kg plates! 1450kg would have kept me going for a while

I bid up to £333, but they went for £740.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Regarding the shake setlling, just give your thermos a shake and everything will redistrbute, albeit a little flatly.

 

[blut wump]

Damn, just missed out on another ebay purchase. I need another couple of 20kg plates and I like a bargain, but you only ever see full sets on ebay. Apart from the sale I just missed out on. 50 x 20kg plates and 15 x 15kg, 10kg and 5kg plates! 1450kg would have kept me going for a while

I bid up to £333, but they went for £740.

Unlucky. Have you checked to see what your current bar is rated to? Nothing worse than a bar bending while you're trying to get it out of the hooks.

Ok that's not strictly true but it can be a nuisance.

 

[anotherbutters]

I wasn't going to keep all of the weights! Most of them would have gone back on ebay a few at a time.

I don't know what the bar's rated to. There are no markings on it so I presume there's no way of really finding out. I'd assume most bars would be able to take four plates without bending, which I'm a long way off yet for deads. And when I get there, it'd be a nice pub story

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 8, Wednesday

1. Light free weight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5
70 x 5

2. Deads (kg)
60 x 9 (warmup)
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 (overhand)
115 x 5 (one overhand, four mixed)
130 x 5 (up 2.5, mixed grip, no straps, chalk) ------ PR!

3. Military Press (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
25 x 5
27.5 x 5
30 x 5
35 x 5 (up 2.5)
41 x 5 (up 1) ------------ PR!

4. Pullups
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 3
BW x 3
BW x 2

Comments

This is madness! More PRs! I won't tempt fate by asking when is this going to end, but... oh, damn it.

Squats seemed pretty hard today so I did four sets at 70kg rather than jump up to 75kg. It's supposed to be a light day anyway.

I was looking forward to getting the 130kg deadlift PR today, but not actually doing it I always seem to go through the same kind of thoughts as I go through the sets. During warmups I start to feel my lower back getting ever so slightly sore (not in a bad way) and I wonder how much I'll be able to lift today. The first and second work sets go by and I think, hmm, this is getting heavy. Then on the third set, things always click into place and I feel good and my confidence grows, probably because I start breathing correctly and think about form more. I usually find the fourth set heavy, but I know I can do it, so I try not to worry about it, but I always think there's no way I can do an even heavier set. Then on the final set, my thoughts change per rep - first three reps were ok today and I thought "hang on, I just might do this", fourth rep was "oh my god, this is nuts", fifth set was "holy f**ing crap". But I did it yet again - I got a PR!

I was having trouble locking out on the top two reps today (I only had trouble on the last rep last week) and I really feel like this is it. I just can't imagine adding another 2.5kg next week. Insanity.

But that's why I like deads

Military press was hilarious. I was so fired up with adrenaline after doing the deads I nearly put the warmups and the first three work sets through the ceiling. Fourth set was moderately hard and fifth set was ok. Tempo was much faster today. On the top set, I usually take a bit of a breath between each rep but today I just fired them all out. I could probably have done a 2kg increase, but I think it's best to keep the increases steady and not be greedy.

Pullups were marginally better than last week.

I think I'm going to have to start working out in the evenings rather than before work. I was nearly an hour late today! And I end up working out whilst I'm preparing the day's meals and can't concentrate on the workout. I know test levels are higher in the morning, but I can't see that will have much of a difference at my level. Anyone?

BTW, I just bought myself a blender (the kick ass model, as specified) and made myself one of them there banana/whey/ANPB/milk shakes. 33 years old and I've never used a blender before. That banana got totally owned, lol. Absolutely delicious! I'll have to sit down and work out the calories, but I think this is the solution to my food crisis. I'm already going off sweet potatoes. Thanks guys.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Nice, really impressed with your deads. 3 plates I think is right around the corner, I bet you could get a single with it at least...have you tried it?

As far as your blender goes, I'm sure you think it kicks ass but unless you got one of these it's 'just OK'

http://vitamix.com/

I got mine about 4yrs ago, kinda pricey but I've used it probably twice per day every day since then so I figure I'm making money

 

[anotherbutters]

Wow. 2+ peak horsepower motor. Your blender kicks my blender's ass.

I haven't tried the 140 single. If things go to plan, I should be trying 140 for reps in 4 weeks time I don't actually have three plates yet, so it'd be one plate and all the shrapnel I have.

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

|D_J^B_J|:

One word: Strewth!

My comment obviously came back to bite me on the arse, but that's the good thing about sport.

I think every proud Australian would agree that nothing compares to losing the Ashes to England, but it's been 18 long years for you lot, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Damn Freddy Flintoff!

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

Also, well done on your kick-arse progress in the gym.

You seem to be progressing much better than I am at the moment. I think it has to do with the amount of sleep I'm getting. When I have a good week of sleep I tend to break all my PRs, but when I don't get much sleep I tend to only break 2 out of the 5.

Out of interest, how many hours sleep are you getting?
Do you have any other external factors that may be affecting your progress in the gym (stress, mental workload, etc)?

 

[blut wump]

How does that 130Kg without straps compare with your last top set with straps? Have you had a surge in grip strength?

I was also wondering whether it might be a good thing to do some lighter warmups. You are starting out as warmup with almost 50% of your 5RM for 9 reps. That's pretty much a working set right there. On the other hand, don't break a winning formula.

Oh, did we win the Ashes yet again? It's the taking part that counts not the winning. Until you win, anyway.

 

[Jim Ouini]

I haven't tried the 140 single. If things go to plan, I should be trying 140 for reps in 4 weeks time I don't actually have three plates yet, so it'd be one plate and all the shrapnel I have.

You are a patient lifter, I need to learn this.

 

[anotherbutters]

|D_J^B_J|: Thanks for the comments sport! I think the amount I'm eating and being consistent with it has been key to my progress. I think I'm right on the edge of eating too much, i.e. if I ate any more, it'd just go on as pure fat.

I try to go to bed around 10 - 10:30pm and never set an alarm clock to make sure I get as much sleep as possible. I usually wake around 1-2pm to go pee, and I pop downstairs for a mouthful of cottage cheese and a big glass of milk. Which means I usually end up waking yet again in the middle of the night to go pee again . I usually wake between 6.30 and 7.30am, so that's about 8 interrupted hours I guess. I've not been getting to sleep that easily this week though and I've been tired during the day.

As for other stresses, I have a full time job, but it's pretty stress free because I never do any work Seriously, it's a well paid office job, but they're planning on sending all our jobs to India in January and making us redundant, so none of us are doing much at the moment. It's alright for some, eh? But I also have a house that I'm renovating, so I spend time on that every evening and weekend, which means I don't really get a break from one week to the next (apart from when I go to work ). The extra work on the house obviously isn't affecting my progress though.

What I will say is that I put my weight training above everything else and fit everything else in around it. If it means stopping work on my house so I can go home to go to bed, then I'll drop my tools and go home. If it means being late for work because I'm working out, then I'll be late. If it means having all my colleagues bitching at me every day because of my smelly food... You get the picture I'm setting PRs, so I'm happy.

I write too much

BW: I think each week my grip has only just been good enough and I'm always about to drop the bar as the 5th rep is going back to the floor. When I've used straps, it's been because I've found deads hard because of other reasons, e.g. gardening the night before, so all my muscles were weaker, not just my grip. I think chalk has definitely helped the past couple of weeks, so it's probably bought me some time. I can't imagine holding on to the bar next week without straps. I always feel as though I'm at the limit.

I hadn't even considered the 9 rep warmup being too heavy. Doing lighter warmups would mean spreading the sets out even more, and you're the one who didn't like spreading yours out Besides, if I go lighter, the bar will get lower as the plates are smaller, although I guess it wouldn't matter too much as the weight would be more manageable. I might try 50kg next week, thanks.

Jim, I might appear patient, but most of the time I feel as though progress is painfully slow, especially with bench presses. But when I look at the increases in percentage terms, I realise I'm doing pretty good at the moment. I don't want to do anything that might compromise the gains like doing the odd single here and there. Like I said earlier, if I carry on adding 2.5kg to my deads each week, I ought to be doing 5 reps with three plates in four weeks time, which scares the hell out of me! At the moment, I can't imagine ever being able to lift that amount, never mind doing 5 reps.

My favourite exercise is turning out to be the military press. It's the lightest of all the lifts, but it's going up as fast as my bench in kg terms. I haven't looked at the percentages, but it must be pretty good.

 

[anotherbutters]

After reading a couple of other posts, I should probably point out that I've cut virtually all the booze out. I'll have a couple when I go out, but I try to switch to a soft drink after that. It's incredibly hard for me, but I think about the momentum I've built up setting PRs week after week and don't want to break that. I used to knock back a bottle of red wine most nights after work without even thinking about it, now it's just special occasions.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 8, Friday

My bodyweight's back up to 77kg this morning. It was unexpectedly down to 75kg on Monday. I'm not sure how much I've been eating whilst I've been making changes to my diet, so I've probably had a few days undereating and a few over. I'll post my diet once I'm happy with it.

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 0 - put 80 on the bar by mistake, so accidentally missed this one
80 x 5
90 x 3
75 x 8

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
60 x 5
67.5 x 3 (up 1.5)
55 x 8

3. Row (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
35 x 9
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
58.5 x 3 (up 1)
45 x 8

Comments

Not much to report, as per usual on Fridays. Today's just a triple day in preparation for Monday, followed by a back-off set.

I put the wrong weights on the bar during squats so I missed one set by mistake. I wasn't sure whether to go back to it, but I decided not to in the end. It's a little less volume, but it's not the end of the world. 80kg felt heavy and I very nearly wimped out of doing the 90kg triple in favour of 85kg. But then I thought that I'm already behind with my squats, so I didn't want to waste yet another week (impatient me ), so I stuck with the 90 and to my surprise it felt no harder than the 80! I probably could have knocked out 5 reps there and then.

Bench was hard and I only just locked out the final rep on the triple after a slight lapse of concentration. Hopefully I'll get 5 reps on Monday.

Rows were hard. Nothing much else to say about them.

---

Blut Wump, I still feel sorry for you man! You put so much blood and guts into your Korte, your log was the first one I always checked when I logged on. And just when it was getting to the exciting bit, bam, you get hit by an injury. I just hope you can get something out of the loading you're still running with, especially the three plates on bench. Hope things get better over the weekend.

 

[blut wump]

Thanks for your kind words. It's been 48 hours and I'm not feeling nearly so sore unless I tense myself. I skipped the gym today but I intend to be back in there on Monday and to keep it light.

When I prod at the muscle I can feel a slight ridge which might be bad. I've never had anything like this before and, from what I've read, it's basically a type II muscle tear. It should heal fully in around 6-8 weeks. I get the odd moment of panic when I wonder whether I might need surgery but I have basic day-to-day functionality and no bruising nor ongoing pain. I'll try to get in plenty of stretching after my pitifully light workouts.

I'll just try to learn from it and move on. I'm staying on my tribulus, zma and glutamine supplementation in the hope that it all helps with the healing process. I think overall I just wore the muscles down. I just wasn't well enough conditioned for the workload I subjected myself to. 100% for grit and guts, somewhat less for good sense.

 

[anotherbutters]

If you even thought of surgery, that's worse than I thought then. 6-8 weeks, man, I could add 6kg to my bench in that time, lmao (and I'd be really happy!)

I had something 'go' during machine calf raises 6 months ago. I was up to about 160kg, just two plates short of the stack and my left shoulder just collapsed with a crunch. I still don't know what it was, but I couldn't pull anything (like shrugs) for several weeks.

I followed your journal carefully and thought whilst you were loading that you might have been pushing it too hard, but it's difficult to tell as the Korte is designed for someone near their peak, who probably isn't going to gain that much during the loading phase. I think you were probably right to adjust as you did, but I guess it's impossible to say how much is the right amount. There are just too many variables.

I hope you can still bench.

 

[anotherbutters]

New diet, workout days.

07:00 - brekky (49 P / 81 C / 26 F / 752 cals)
1 Whole egg
6 Egg whites
Oats, 80g
Semi-Sk Milk, 1/2 pint
Almonds / Honey / Blueberries (thrown into the porridge)
Kiwi fruit

10:00 - shake (39 P / 99 C / 16 F / 695 cals)
Banana
Oats, 80g
Semi-Sk Milk, 1 pint
Whey, 10g
(with peanut butter on non-workout days)

13:00 - lunch (38 P / 77 C / 14 F / 586 cals)
Chicken breast
Brown rice, 100g
Tomato
Omega 3-6-9 Oil, 5ml
Olive Oil, 5ml

16:00 - shake (39 P / 99 C / 16 F / 695 cals)
Banana
Oats, 80g
Semi-Sk Milk, 1 pint
Whey, 10g
(with peanut butter on non-workout days)

18:00 - pre-workout (29 P / 38 C / 0 F / 268 cals)
Whey, 30g
Maltodextrin, 40g

19:15 - post-workout (29 P / 65 C / 0 F / 376 cals)
Whey, 30g
Dextrose, 70g

20:00 - PWO meal (41 P / 82 C / 1 F / 508 cals)
Chicken breast
Baked Potato (medium)

22:00 - before bed (33 P / 37 C / 13 F / 393 cals)
Ny-Tro PRO-40, 1/2
Oats, 20g
Semi-Sk Milk, 1/2 pint
Omega 3-6-9 Oil, 5ml

02:00 - snack when I wake (11 P / 11 C / 3 F / 112 cals)
Semi-Sk Milk, 1/4 pint
Cottage cheese, 50g

TOTAL: 309 P / 590 C / 88 F / 4385 cals (28% / 54% / 18%)


Comments

I'm not exactly sure how much I've been eating recently, although I have been fairly consistent on the whole. I don't weigh my food as I cook it, but it's pretty much as above. I'll tweak the above after a week or so to dial in my target weekly weight increase of 0.7kg.

Non-workout days are similar to the above, without the workout shakes of course. They come in at:

TOTAL: 260 P / 495 C / 107 F / 3985 cals (26% / 50% / 24%)

I not particularly concerned with the macros being different. It's a clean diet, I get enough protein and I get the calories I want.

If I workout in the morning instead of evening, I'll probably ditch the pre-workout drink as I'm usually full from the hearty breakfast even after letting it settle for an hour.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 9, Monday

Bodyweight: 76.5kg (target: 77.6)

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5
90 x 5 (up 5) -------------- PR

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
60 x 5
67.5 x 5 (up 1.5) -------- PR

3. Row (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
40 x 5 (up 5)
45 x 5 (up 5)
50 x 5 (up 5)
52.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
58.5 x 5 (up 1) --------- PR


Comments

My bodyweight was actually 77kg yesterday, so I don't think I'm too far behind my target. I'm not planning on over-eating in order to catch up as I'll probably just put on fat, but I might hit it whilst I figure out the quantities in my new diet. I love having the shakes in the diet by the way as they break up the eating pattern and they're really quick to down, so thanks again guys!

Squats weren't close to failure today, so I probably could have done 92.5kg. This is my first proper PR attempt day with freeweight backsquats, so I'm calling 90kg a PR. I'm really happy with that as 93kg was my highest on smith machine back squats. I've got a bit of a thing with 93kg as that was my highest in the DF 5x5 and I'd also reached it several months ago in my Max-OT days. I've never gotten past it, so I'll be really happy if I get 95kg in a couple of weeks time with freeweights. And of course two plates is just around the corner (saying that for squats makes me realise how much of a lightweight I really am )

On the fourth set on bench press, I'd noticed myself stretching to unrack the bar, and in doing so, undoing the tightness between my shoulder blades. And once I had the weight, I couldn't reset my shoulder blades. So I dropped the rack down a notch (which is a lot, at nearly 3") for the final set. But unracking became even harder and put a lot of uncomfortable pressure on my shoulder blades and meant that I had to push to lock out before I even started the set. I started, then on the third rep, only just locked out. The funny bit is that I carried on and managed two more reps and when I'd finished, started laughing and said "you guys", meaning you lot on here. I managed the PR because I didn't want to let you down It was pretty messy, but I seem to be able to lock out, however slowly, if I can just get it off my chest.

Rows had only just acceptable form.

As an aside, I did a lot of furniture moving over the weekend as I'm nearly finished on a house I've been refurbishing. I moved a double mattress (queen size, I think 4'6" wide) on my own, out of the house into the Land Rover, then out of the Land Rover into the new house and up the stairs. I tell you, tugging a mattress around is one hell of a way of working your grip strength! My fingers were still tight this morning. Lets see what happens when I do deads on Wednesday!

 

[blut wump]

Congrats on getting your squat back up to where you had the Smith squat. It seems like it's been a painless process. You make me wonder whether I'm mentally holding myself back on squats. Maybe I still have fears for my back.

You'll just have to work with the bench. You're right that you can't set yourself once you're under load. It's not even worth trying to do. There was one thing which stuck in my mind from 'Starting Strength' and that was to rotate your chest up. I always tried to form my arch from the lower back whereas forming from the chest raised the lower back automatically. Oddly, I can get weights off my chest but have a sticking point about three or four inches up.

I know what you mean with the 'you guys'. I had similar motivation on my Korte and as I sat there last Wednesday, holding that Judas of a muscle, I was thinking in anguish about posting up on the log. If your lockout is starting to become a problem, it might be time to work in some triceps exercises. With luck, though, the act of straining to lock out might be enough just as doing deadlift can be enough to work your grip for future lifts.

Congrats again.

 

[anotherbutters]

Ah, I keep forgetting the raise your chest bit!

 

[Jim Ouini]

Thanks for doing my food stats for me AB

Actually I'm going to calc my caloric requirements today anyway so I'm just going to pilfer some of your numbers.

@ 'you guys'

 

[anotherbutters]

Argh! Bodyweight's back down to 75kg (should be 77.5)! Even at 700-800 calories, those shakes just don't leave me feeling full for long.

 

[blut wump]

I sometime's wonder, when I'm eating lots, just what my body thinks it's doing not gaining weight? I can imagine the food going through the gut and the little gut-workers saying, "Move along now. No room for you calories here."

 

[anotherbutters]

When I started increasing the amount I ate, my little gut-workers just seemed to run faster and burn it off, the little blighters. I had to get above 4,000 calories before there were some left over for the little muscle-builder-workers.

I already think I was a little conservative with the diet I posted yesterday. I downed a litre bottle of milk this afternoon just to keep me topped up, which is another 500 calories.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 9, Wednesday

As you know, my diet's been a bit inconsistent recently and I've not been putting on weight as planned. I guess that means not much muscle building has been happening. And none of us expected these gains to carry on at the rate they were, did we? I've been piling weight onto my deadlift week after week like I have no respect for it.

But... those gains haven't stalled! Nope, not only did I set three PRs today, but I also did a single at 140kg (308lb) deadlift, just for Jim. Today, anotherbutters ruled the little gym that is his dining room. Today, I kicked ass

1. Light freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
75 x 5
75 x 5

2. Deads (kg)
50 x 9 (warmup, down 10kg)
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 (overhand)
115 x 5 (one overhand, four mixed)
132.5 x 5 (up 2.5, mixed grip, no straps, chalk) ------ PR!

3. Military Press (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
27.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
30 x 5 (up 2.5)
32.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
35 x 5 (up 2.5)
42.5 x 5 (up 1.5) ------------ PR!

4. Pullups
BW x 4 (+1 partial rep) --------------- PR!
BW x 3 (+2)
BW x 2 (+2)
BW x 3 (+1)
BW x 3

(partial rep = chin just under the bar)

Comments

I found squats heavy at 70kg last week, but went up to the 75kg weight for today (light day), without any worries.

I started deads off with a lighter warmup than usual and it felt better, so thanks for the tip BW. My mixed grip was failing on the final rep of the 4th set, even with chalk, which was a bit worrying. On the top set, my grip was solid for the first 3 reps, which surprised me, then started to fail on the last two. I didn't quite lock out on the final rep and tried to bump the bar up, but couldn't, so I settled for almost locked out. I'm pretty sure my legs were locked out, but I couldn't quite get my back to sit back into the groove, if you know what I mean. I dropped the bar when I was putting it down, but it was only about an inch at the most.

Last week, I really thought 130kg was my limit and would become a sticking point, but with my grip being solid for the first three reps today, that made the lifts feel better, and I'm no longer worried about having reached a sticking point. Today felt no harder than last week (still just 'incredibly' hard). I'm looking forward to trying 135kg next week, which is just shy of 300lb. It still scares the crap out of me, but I'm looking forward to it all the same

Oh yes, and I attempted and very nearly got 140kg for a single. I used straps because I was more concerned with getting the lift, not my grip strength. I didn't quite lock out my back, but it was very close. I didn't want to bump the bar up because it felt like I was compressing my lower back in a bad way. Jeez, I'm supposed to be doing that for reps in 3 weeks! BTW, apart from a few microplates I bought a couple of months ago, 140kg is all the weight I have, so I actually had nine plates on the bar today I've ordered some bumper plates, which arrive on the next ship in from some land far, far away in 2-3 weeks. 200kg plus the bar should keep me going for another year or so.

I did a bigger increase on military press than last week, simply because that's the smallest increase I can make with my plates. I have to alternate between 1kg and 1.5kg increases week by week, so I make the same increases on military as I do on bench and rows, even though the weight is less on military. I also bumped up the warmup sets because I found them too easy last week. The top set was hard today, but I managed it. No sticking points. This is fun

I managed 5 reps (ok, 4 reps with one partial) on pullups, which is a PR. I think my strength must have gone up a little, but my weight's about the same or lower than last week, which helps. I worked out in the morning again and was late for work again, so I didn't have time to do any more sets.

Today, I'm a happy man!

 

[Jim Ouini]

Nice, congrats. It's nice problem to be running out of plates

What do you mean by 'bumping the bar'?

 

[anotherbutters]

What do you mean by 'bumping the bar'?

A really tiny knee bend followed by a bit of thrust from the legs. Just to give a little bit of momentum so I can get the bar high enough that I can get my back back.

I don't think it's a good thing to do though as I'm probably setting myself up for injury, so I only ever do it once when I try it. Maybe it's an issue with form that only manifests itself on the really heavy lifts when a bit of fatigue has set in.

What's considered a successful lift in competition? Knees locked out? Or does your back have to be set back somewhat? I feel like maybe my shoulders are too far forward.

 

[blut wump]

You'd fail in a competition. Any knee rebend or 'hitching' is a fail. This is usually an indicator that it's not generally a safe thing to be doing.

'Starting Strength' p130: "The deadlift is not finished until the shoulders are back and the chest is up", also: "The bar is locked out by lifting the chest, pulling the shoulders back and bringing the knees, hips and lumbar spine into extension simultaneously".

You might be getting to the stage where it can help a lot to bring your hips strongly into the movement as the bar passes your knees. Thrust with the hips and pull back (not up) with your traps. It can add speed at the top and more than once in the Korte I felt concern for my delicate bits.

You might also need to think about adding Power Shrugs into your workouts as an assistance exercise if you feel that you've identified a weakness. Before this gets over-analyzed, though, see what next time brings and whether you really do have a weakness.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Yeah I think they call it 'double pull' (or in the case of the guy in QS sis's deadlift vid 'a quadruple pull' )

 

[anotherbutters]

Hitching, that's the term I was looking for. I think I'm due for another read of Starting Strength.

I'll have to practice my hip thrusting

 

[anotherbutters]

Haha, I've just found QS's sis's deadlift thread. I watched the first vid thinking it would be Max and was disappointed. I've seen some of his vids before. Tweakle saved the day. I didn't realise you could search on putfile. I'm having a ball watching them!

 

[anotherbutters]

This is week 9 and I've finished the PR workouts, so here's a summary update. Nine weeks doesn't mark anything significant in the SF 5x5, but I think it's useful to see what kind of gains I've managed in the same amount of time that you'd spend on a dual factor cycle.

I posted my dual factor results a while back here. I don't think it's valid to compare these as I wasn't eating enough on the DF, but they're there if you want to see them.

        est  | single factor (25 July - 24 Sept 2005)
        5RM  | 1   2    3    4     5     6      7     8    9     | gain
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
squat | 90   | 83  88   90.5 93    50    60     80    85   90    | 0kg *
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bench | 57.5 | 55  60   61   62.5  63.5F 63.5   65    66   67.5  | 10kg (17%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dead  | 115  | 110 115  120  122.5 125   127.5F 127.5 130  132.5 | 17.5kg (15%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
miltry| 34   | 33  34   35.5 36.5  38    38.5   40    41   42.5  | 8.5kg (25%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
row   | 48   | 48  50.5 51.5 53    54    55.5   56    57.5 58.5  | 10.5kg (22%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bodywt|      | 72  72   73   73    74    75     76    76.5 77    | 5kg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* changed to freeweight squats

All weights in kg.  All the above are for 5 reps.

To anyone out there who is interested in the effectiveness of the single factor 5x5 for someone who's been lifting for less than a couple of years, you only have to look at these results. The weights themselves still aren't that heavy. My bench is still only 148lb. But that's ok. The important thing is that it's going up, and I expect I'm close to the limit of how fast it can go up.

I've recommended this program to several people, including on another board. Some of them said it looked like overtraining, with squatting three times a week and benching twice a week. Some of them couldn't stand the thought of ditching their favourite isolation exercise. Pffft! This program rocks.

Note that I started week 1 just below my estimated 5 rep max, so you could argue I made the above gains in 8 weeks, not 9. If I added next week's results, the gains would be even higher.

Also note, and very significantly, that I haven't been doing heavy freeweight squats during these 9 weeks because I switched from smith machine squats to freeweights and had to go through a few weeks of conditioning. I'm sure lots of people will argue that had I been doing squats, the results might have been even better.

Final note is that I'm 33. Ok, not that old, but anyone in their late teens or early twenties should have growth left in them and will do even better than me. If they can lay off the booze and eat enough that is (I remember what I was like back then ).

...and I thought I was pushing myself on deadlifts - in percentage terms, that's my smallest gain at 'only' 15%!

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 9, Friday

My bodyweight doesn't usually change much from day to day. My eating has been fairly consistent this week since I posted my diet, yet my bodyweight's done this (in kg):

Mon: 76.5
Tue: 75.5
Thu: 77
Fri: 78.5 (today)

Wow, I gained 3kg in three days! I took measurements on Tuesday and this morning (same time of day) and they're pretty much the same. I must be getting denser

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5
92.5 x 3 (up 2.5)
75 x 8

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
62.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
68.5 x 3 (up 1)
55 x 15 (got carried away a bit here)

3. Row (kg)
30 x 9 (warmup)
40 x 5 (up 5)
45 x 5 (up 5)
50 x 5 (up 5)
52.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
60 x 3 (up 1.5)
50 x 8 (up 5)

Comments

Squats felt fine. Could have done 95kg probably, but I think it's best to keep the increases going rather than jump too quickly. I'd like my squat to be a lot higher but I'm just going to have to be patient.

I practiced raising my chest and keeping my elbows in on bench, two things I haven't been doing up to now. Felt better. I really got carried away on the back-off set. I'll have to increase some of the earlier sets a bit on Monday (the back-off set is supposed to be the same weight as the 3rd set).

I used the 20kg plates for the first time on rows. The bar was appreciably higher, which meant there wasn't as much momentum off the floor and ROM seemed quite a bit less (I've got short legs ). The back-off set was pretty knackering as it was 5kg higher than last week. Good stuff.

This was my first evening workout. I usually work out in the morning before work and don't have time for assistance exercises. Tonight, I just couldn't be bothered. Not a good attitude, but hey, it's Friday night.

 

[Kane Fan]

I suspected the difference to be quite big. I've looked around and there isn't anything I can use. There is one bench with a rack attached to it, but it's too low to squat under, the rack's facing the wrong way and the bench itself would be in the way to squat down anyway. There are no out-facing hooks on the smith machine that I could rest a bar on either.

There are no racks for military - I just clean it because it's pretty light anyway (I'm pretty new to these).

It really annoys me that the gym doesn't have anything I can use. They are getting a squat rack/cage, it's just a matter of time. Things seem to be changing - they've reorganised the room to make way for the new equipment, but it hasn't arrived yet. So I'd rather hang in there and wait rather than join another gym. I'll be changing jobs soon (I'm in IT and mine's just been outsourced to India!) and I might end up relocating, so it doesn't make sense to join another gym right now.

Would it be worth trying to incorporate front squats somehow? I haven't tried, so I don't know if I could clean enough to make them worthwhile. I'd look like a real a$$ if I had to dump them

do you know two people that liek to workout that you can count on?
your squat weight is low enough that while you are forced to lift in this joke of a gym you should be able to have two guys lift the bar up and you can dip down beneath it to squat
that can work pretty well till your over 315 lbs
depending on how big a set of peole you know

 

[anotherbutters]

I left the gym about three weeks ago, got myself one of these off ebay with 300lb weights:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ptec/wbr.html

I workout at home now. Squats no longer a problem.

 

[Kane Fan]

sorry didn't want to read all 9 pages hehe

 

[anotherbutters]

I've got DOMS in my legs for the second day running I guess I'm up to a stimulating weight on squats now!

I don't usually have any soreness at all, since I've been doing the same exercises for a few months now.

 

[blut wump]

I've had some doms after my one-week layoff. At least I expected mine.

Hold the 'down' position a few times in your bar-only warmup sets to help to get a stretch. Do you break your old Smith weights this week on free-weight squats?

I was just looking at your progress chart. Those are very nice gains. When I look at strength gains like those, or look at my own workout diary and can see steady progression over time, I find it hard to imagine training for 'looks' or 'physique'. As you're experiencing, the body has no choice but to recomposition itself and grow muscle. The 'physique' is just a bonus by-product. Of course, it helps not to mind looking like an ox. I think I'm rambling...

 

[anotherbutters]

What BF% does your typical ox have? I think I'm putting on a fair amount of fat, maybe too much. No signs of horns or a shaggy coat yet.

I was quite surprised at the consistency of the gains when I wrote out the chart - only two missed PRs. You're right, my focus on training has become chasing the gains. It's addictive. I stay off the booze, eat well and sleep lots, just because if I miss a PR, it's not just one workout I've screwed up, it's a whole week I've lost. And it will spoil the chart, lol. Sometimes I wonder whether it's becoming an obsession. Whatever, so long as I keep setting PRs When I get round to cutting, it's going to be so depressing!

I should be squatting 92.5kg tomorrow. My smith 5RM was 93kg, so I'll still be behind. I'm sorely tempted to throw on 95kg and get it done with. I reckon I could have done 92.5kg x 5 on Friday, so I'm wondering whether I could jump to 95kg tomorrow. I don't know whether my newness to freeweight squats means I can get away with a few big jumps. The risk of stalling always curtails my impatience.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 10, Monday

Bodyweight: 78kg (target: 78.3)

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5
92.5 x 5 (up 2.5) -------------- PR

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 9 (warmup)
47.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
52.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
57.5 x 5 (up 2.2)
62.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
68.5 x 5 (up 1) -------- PR

3. Row (kg)
30 x 9 (warmup)
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5 (up 2.5)
60 x 5 (up 1.5) --------- PR


Comments

My bodyweight fluctuations seem to have stabilized and put me on my target weight for this week. Magic!

Squats were ok. I nearly stopped half way up on the last rep, but I think it was because I lost concentration and lost my balance slightly. I've been trying to make sure I sit back and not let my knees go forward any more than the initial movement. I fell backwards slightly when I was warming up with the bar, so I think I'm back as far as I can go. I don't think it's a problem, but I still think about it. I might have been able to do 95kg if I stopped thinking about my knees. Ah well, I'll have it next week.

If you set a PR on bench today, your word of exclamation must be 'wicked'.

"Wicked!" I can't wait to hit 70kg next week. Back in week two, I benched 60kg for 5 reps and posted this:

I told my mate about getting the microweights and trying to increase the weight each week. He said I'd never add 10kg to my bench in 10 weeks, which kinda gave me something to aim for!

I had the same concern for rows as I do every week - was my form good enough? I noticed the bar wasn't to my gut on the 4th rep, tried to get it to the top on the 5th and almost got it there. I think I'll still count it as I wasn't standing up too much. All the other sets had good form.

I've just noticed, my bench hit 150lbs today. Lightweight, baby

 

[BiggT]

You damn Europeans and your kilos, lol, I need to bust out my calculator and multiply everything by 2.2 to follow your journal. Actually....could it be us damn Americans and our stubborness not to convert to the metric system??? Nahhh, it is the rest of the world, they're crazy lol.

Just kidding with you, man.....journal is looking good. It is a good sign when you freak out about form and not counting a rep. if you're that concerned, I am sure it was fine. Keep it up.

 

[blut wump]

Not only hit 150 but broke it and, what's more, broke it for 5 reps. In American weight, it'd be 135 for the 60Kgs and another 11 for the two 2.5Kgs plus 7.7 for the extra 3.5Kgs. I reckon they'd call that 155 lbs.

Congrats on another solid set of PRs. Your transition from Smith to free is now complete and looks to have been completely painless. Congrats on that, too.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Lightweight, baby

Speaking of Colemanisms, there's this PT who idolizes Ronnie at the gym and is always quoting him or talking about him. Like I was working in with him once and he told me he ate like 10 BBQ chicken breasts/day 'just like Ronnie Coleman'.

Anyway, I saw him doing those side raises where you belly up to an incline bench with 30 or 50lb db's and some guy says to him 'damn that's a lot of weight' or somesuch. So he replies with how 'everybody wants to be a bodybuilder but nobody wants to lift heavy ass weight.'

 

[blut wump]

I first heard of Ronnie Coleman just under a year ago. I'd just set a PR and was feeling happy with myself and the guy I was effusing my glee over asked what I reckoned Ronnie Coleman would be able to bench. I knew Gene Rychlak had just done 1005lbs but had no idea who RC was. I had to look him up on the 'Net when I got home.

It's good to see that irony and sarcasm have been allowed to thrive in the colonies.

 

[anotherbutters]

In American weight, it'd be 135 for the 60Kgs and another 11 for the two 2.5Kgs plus 7.7 for the extra 3.5Kgs. I reckon they'd call that 155 lbs.

So american plates are 1lb heavier at 45lbs? That would make it less impressive if someone in the UK just said they'd benched three plates wouldn't it?

Your transition from Smith to free is now complete and looks to have been completely painless.

I won't mention that I hit my knee with a 10kg plate when I unloaded the bar then.

Speaking of Colemanisms

I didn't realise it was! I like the other quote though.

 

[blut wump]

You're in a fine position to lay this to rest.

My current gym doesn't have a weight scale but many of the 20Kg plates have 20Kg and 45 lbs embossed on them. If you have a weight scale at home, along with your home plates, perhaps you could weigh yourself with and without a 20Kg plate in your arms. Are they 20Kgs or are they 45lbs?

 

[anotherbutters]

Or add to the confusion...

My plates have 20kg/44lb stamped on them, not 45. I put both of them on the bathroom scales sans myself and they came in at 38.25kg. I've been short-changed! I expected them to be out by a little bit, but not that much.

The scales are probably out by a bit too. They're just cheap bathroom scales.

I hope my new bumper plates don't weigh more than these plates!

 

[blut wump]

Or add to the confusion...

My plates have 20kg/44lb stamped on them, not 45. I put both of them on the bathroom scales sans myself and they came in at 38.25kg. I've been short-changed! I expected them to be out by a little bit, but not that much.

The scales are probably out by a bit too. They're just cheap bathroom scales.

I hope my new bumper plates don't weigh more than these plates!

I usually prefer to take two weighted measurements and use the difference since I rarely trust the zero-point. Almost a Kilo short on each seems a pretty drastic shortfall. A lot of bathroom scales only work properly for someone standing on them too since they're sensitive to where the pressure is. You'd better find out whether they are equally light or whether you have an imbalance.

 

[anotherbutters]

I tried again as you said. The surface that I put the scales on alters the weight it records. On carpet, I weigh 80kg exactly. With the scales on the hard rubber matting, I weigh 78kg!

On carpet, myself with one plate is 100kg+ (just over). With the other plate, we're 99kg, so I have a light plate. These scales aren't that accurate for measuring absolute values, so I still can't say whether they're 44lb or 45lb.

Edited...

I just did some looking around on the net and Oly standard plates are measured in kg, i.e. 20kg, or 44lb. It also appears that you can buy plates measured in kg or lbs, i.e. 20kg or 45lb (the accurate Ivanko plates). So does this mean a 'plate' doesn't always mean the same thing?

 

[blut wump]

There are some plates at my gym which have both 20Kg and 45 pounds marked on them. Don't forget that there's the bar too. That gets counted either as 20Kg or 45lbs. From what you say, though, there's no standard gym plate, anyway, and once you're up even to 3 plates a side there's a seven pounds leeway.

 

[Guinness5.0]

all the plates i've seen that list both metric and english weight say 20.2 kg and 45 pounds

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 10, Wednesday

Bodyweight: 78kg/172lb

Failure at last.

1. Light freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
75 x 5
75kg/165lb x 5

2. Deads (kg)
50 x 9 (warmup)
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 (overhand)
117.5 x 5 (up 2.5, mixed)
135kg/297lb x 4 (up 2.5, mixed grip, no straps, chalk) -- straps for 5th rep but couldn't lock out

3. Military Press (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 5 (up 2.5)
32.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
35 x 5 (up 2.5)
37.5 (up 2.5)
43.5kg/96lb x 5 (up 1) ------------ PR!

4. Pullups
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 3
= 17 reps, up 2 ------- PR!

Comments

I found the 4th set of deads quite hard. The bar pulled the skin on my left hand fingers quite badly and I'm surprised it didn't break the skin. I tried supinating the left hand for a change but didn't like it (I'm right handed and incredibly uni-dexterous).

I loaded up the bar for the final set and realised I had too many plates left. I have 140kg including the bar, yet the bar was up to 135 and I had 10kg left. I counted and counted again and realised I actually have 145kg (319lb), not 140. So... remember that single I did last week where I put all the plates on the bar, thinking it was 140... No wonder I thought it was heavy, lol. Unfortunately, I didn't lock it out last week, so I didn't get it.

Anyway, final set on deads, I managed three reps with mixed grip, chalk and plenty of grunting. But then I completely psyched out and couldn't pull. After about 30 secs, I managed another rep ok. I wrapped the straps around quickly for the 5th rep, but it was just too heavy. I got the bar up, but couldn't lock out my shoulders, and remembering our friend Max, decided not to hitch the bar up and let the PR go instead.

BW, I tried thrusting my hips more and pulling my shoulders back in the lower sets, but just forgot in the heavier ones. I guess when it gets heavier, normal technique takes over unless you really concentrate on changing it.

Military press was hard, but I got it. I felt it in my lower back for two of the reps for the first time ever. Not enough to worry about it, but I thought I'd mention it.

I think I got higher on pullups than last week. I'm definitely getting stronger on these. Woohoo! Two more full reps than last week, so that's another PR.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Hey it was bound to happen bro. Good work. I imagine there's plenty of room for improvement in your squat and therefore plenty of room overall for the program. Keep it up!

 

[blut wump]

Congrats on failing. You finally have something to think about besides shopping for stronger chairs to bear your burgeoning bulk.

How do you proceed from here? Do you simply try again at the same weight next week or is there some magical methodology with manipulating volume to keep the program moving? It is beginning to seem that there is a problem with lockout on the deads.

Don't worry about a single failure. It's not necessarily any indication of whether you'll get it next week.

Congrats on the PRs.

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks guys. To be honest, I think I've been hitching the last rep for the past couple of weeks without knowing what hitching was, so I'm still kind of happy that I managed four reps today at a higher weight.

I read the Starting Strength deadlift chapter again and found this on page 121: "The function of the back muscles during the deadlift is the transmission of hip and leg power to the bar. If the back rounds during the process, it cannot be straightened after the knees and hips lock out." And it has a drawing of some poor guy stooped over.

That's my problem, but I'm not sure what I need to do to correct it. If you start the pull with your shoulders forward, then you need to pull them back at some point. It's not as though they're always back and need holding there. I think I'm missing something subtle somewhere. I'm sure it would feel wrong to hold my shoulders back by retracting my shoulder blades, even slightly.

 

[blut wump]

Page 130: Once the bar has completed ...

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I try to think in terms of simultaneously thrusting with the hips and pulling back with the traps after the bar has passed my knees. I remember when I started doing this that it made the top part of the lift seem easier. I've not yet had a lockout problem, though. Maybe it really is time to think of shrugs and rack-pulls.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I don't think you need to worry much about your shoulders- if you're standing up w/ a straight back you're done. My shoulders sag quite a bit at teh top of a dead but as long as I'm upright (spinally speaking ) with knees extended it's a complete rep

 

[blut wump]

I think a failure to pull your shoulders back (not exageratedly so) is cause for red lights on a lift.

'Starting Strength' p130: "The deadlift is not finished until the shoulders are back and the chest is up"

 

[anotherbutters]

I agree, I need to get the shoulders back, otherwise I'm slumped forward.

Ah, page 130, got it now. "Once the bar has completed the trip up the legs, there are several ways to finish the deadlift, only one of them correct. The bar is locked out by lifting the chest, pulling the shoulders back, and bringing the knees, hips and lumbar spine into extension simultaneously."

I don't think I've been lifting my chest. I certainly haven't been thinking about it. That has to help with getting the shoulders back.

I don't know how critical the timing is. I wondered whether I was locking out some parts before the others, then I'm not able to lock out the rest. I don't think it's an issue, but it crossed my mind.

I think the chest is the thing I need to focus on. Thanks BW.

Oh, your question earlier about what to do next, now that my deadlift has stopped... From memory, I think I wait until both squats and deads have stopped for a couple of weeks. As Guinness said, there's plenty of room for growth in my squat, so I don't think I'm anywhere near that point yet. I hope.