Another Single Factor 5x5 Journal

[anotherbutters]

Week 15, Friday - first workout after week off

Bodyweight: 81.5kg/179lb

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 9 x 2 .... warmup
40 x 9 ........... warmup
60 x 5
70 x 5
80 x 5
90 x 5
102.5 x 4 .......... (226lb) (5RM is 105kg)

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 .......... warmup
30 x 9 ........... warmup
47.5 x 5
52.5 x 5
58.5 x 5
63.5 x 5
71 x 4 ........... (156lb) (5RM is 72.5kg)

3. Powercleans (kg) - learning
bar/bar/bar - lots of small sets
30 x 5
35 x 3
35 x 3
40 x 3
40 x 3
45 x 3

4. Abs
Planks - 20 secs per side (right, front, left), total 3 min 33 secs ..... PR!
Crunches - 3 x 15


Comments

Today was a test day to see where I stand after the week off.

Squats were a little disappointing. I'm not sure if I could've done another rep, but I didn't go all out trying. I'll stick to this weight and get 5 reps on Monday, then match my PR the week after.

Bench felt quite good. I stopped at 4 reps, but I probably could have squeezed out another one if I really tried. They weren't impossibly hard, like they have been in the past, so I think my strength on bench is at least as good as it was before the week off. I'm a bit cautious about saying I'm stronger

I've never done powercleans before, so I played with lots of small sets after reading Starting Strength. I managed to rack it quite a few times, but most of the time it landed in the centre of my chest so I'll be nice and bruised tomorrow. The transition from deadlifting the bar to the thigh into the jump wasn't that fluid, but it'll come. The weight wasn't that heavy, but that wasn't the point of today.

I wasn't sure that they were a good sub for rows, but after looking into it a bit more, they seem to be, so I'm going to make the switch. I'll be doing these twice a week so I'll get plenty of practice. I might even swap light back squats for front squats on Wednesdays as I'll know how to clean.

Thanks for the suggestion AI.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

They're actually easier to learn with slightly more weight on the bar. I started with 65-75 lbs. or so. Felt more fluid. The weightless bar didn't have as much resistance (obviously) so it didn't fit in any kind've "groove". Maybe it's me, but it felt better with a bit of weight. I got a feel quicker.

 

[anotherbutters]

I thought I read that you're supposed to clip the chest on the way past as well as the thighs, but now I realise it's just the thighs you want to touch. I'll have to re-read the chapter again now that I've tried them. Having a bit more weight on the bar did help.

Dropping the weight down to my thighs and catching it didn't pose any problems. I've attempted these before but my wrists just couldn't cope after being bent back in the rack position. I must have gained a bit of flexibility from somewhere.

 

[blut wump]

Remember that it's not speed from the floor that allows you to snap it up to your shoulders; it's all down to the rebend and snap after it passes the knees. In days of yore, it used to be considered a fail if the bar touched the body at all on the way up.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 15, Saturday

1. Grip work - Ivanko gripper

Spring positions (poundage) - sets x reps
1 & 6 (85lb) - 1 x 9
1 & 7 (101lb) - 2 x 9
2 & 7 (109lb) - 2 x 9
4 & 6 (113lb) - 1 x 9
3 & 7 (119lb) - 1 x 9 - closed
2 & 8 (128lb) - 1 x 9 - not quite closed
1 & 9 (140lb) - 1 x 4 LH, 1 x 9 RH - closed (same as CoC #1)

Once you start playing with a gripper, it's difficult to put down I kept saying "ok, that's it", but then I'd increase the poundage and do 'just one more set'.

I don't have any grip tape around the handle yet, so I hold the frame with my other hand to stop it from turning. I think that might be giving me some assistance though. Still, I managed 9 reps with my right hand on the equivalent of a Coc #1. It'll be interesting to see how this affects my deadlift.

 

[anotherbutters]

I feel like I ought to start conservatively next week (week 16) after a week off, match PRs the following week, then set new PRs the week after. The trouble is, that sets me back a LOT and will only pay for itself if I make continued gains thereafter for a while. This is the bit I really don't like because I've already taken a week off and I'm planning on matching PRs two weeks later, which means three weeks of downtime. Maybe I ought to match PRs next week, skipping the weights in week 16 above.

So now I realise what I wrote the other day is wrong. From madcow's replies to me in this thread, I now realise the bleedin' obvious - it's the progressive increases in weight that drives strength, not the setting of PRs every week.

In order to break through the plateau, I need to get the progression going again, which means backing off 3 or 4 weeks and ramping up again. My original plan was to get back to setting PRs ASAP, but that would have resulted in me just stalling again. Here's the revised, revised plan:

week bodywt squat bench  dead      military
-----------------------------------------
12   79.5   100   71F    135F      46
13   80     102.5 71     125       47.5F
14   80.5   105   72.5   130x3x2   47.5F
15   81.5   (week off) 
>> proposed:             (2x3)
16          97.5  68.5   127.5     42.5       
17          100   70     130       43.5       
18          102.5 71     132.5     45     
19          105   72.5   135       46

I'm going to match PRs in week 19 and break them in 20. I'm sticking with the triples on deads and I'm going to do powercleans instead of rows.

 

[blut wump]

Five weeks seems a long time to wait before surpassing old records. One of the aspects of the single factor is that it deliberately has low volume to permit adequate recovery. If you couple that with the deload week you've just taken, I think you'd be losing drive rather than gaining momentum. I think you'd be better served by aiming to slightly surpass yourself in three weeks or even two. Still, just my opinion.

I dug out my COC grippers, which I've not used in months after popping a knuckle last time I used them, which, sadly, was during the first week of owning them. I managed 4 full closures with the #1 with each hand after a bit of warmup on the COC trainer. I seem to recall closing it for one rep with each hand when I first got them. To get nine on your first session is astounding enough to make me wonder whether the equivalence to COC #1 is accurate. They are kind of fun, though. I recall a lad at work had some 'normal' grippers which he found hard and I used to annoy him by hammering them out like castenets.

 

[Jim Ouini]

If I ran SF for 4 weeks, do you guys think it would be good for a few PR's? Since the previous 20yrs training have been 1 bodypart/week, I'd probably classify myself as a beginner, using GP's definition.

 

[blut wump]

Trying to cram something into a few weeks before Christmas?

I'm currently trying to put together 'Conjugate Wump' - a 4x per week split of basic Upper-body / Lower-body with heavy and light days. Heavy being 5x3 and light being 4x8 which might get worked around to 10x3 or 8x3 for light and heavy might turn into doubles and singles.

Edit:
Changed Heavy 3x5 to 5x3 (5 sets of 3 reps). I get confused with this American way of writing (Sets x Reps) rather than (Reps x Sets)

 

[Jim Ouini]

Yep exactly....

I know you're still plotting, but is it upper body day and lower body day? Any assistance? Aiming for PR's by xmas?