Blackwell's SF 5x5 Journal

[anotherbutters]

ok I plotted out assuming it's always a Pyramid a 4 week or 8 week 5x5 SF to get me to a top set PR of 5
and if I do it from 8 weeks it will start so light it's like a joke
but if I do it from 4 I don't know if I'll get sufficient Ramp..

No, you've got it wrong. The SF is a supercompensation style workout - you simply try to lift slightly heavier weights (2-3%) from week to week. You don't build up to a PR over a number of weeks. The idea is that you hit new PRs every week. For someone relatively new to lifting, that should be possible.

There is no ramp to plot out. No loading/deloading. Just eat well, eat enough, and lift heavier weights.

 

[blackwell33]

Anyone with any questions regarding this program can refer to the link below. I took my workout straight from this article. If there is anything else that is unclear that's not in the article go ahead and post it and we'll try to help you out.

http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/manrodt4.htm

 

[blackwell33]

Official week 1-

workout 1-

I had a pretty decent workout. The newbie, back to the gym soreness has worked its way out and I'm feeling good. I used the same numbers as I finished with on last week. I powered through all of my reps with good form. On my bench I had to have a spot for my last rep on my 5th set last week. Today I put up all 5 myself. Only other thing that hindered me was an ingrown toenail that appeared yesterday. That b!tch felt like it would explode while I was squatting!

squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 245

bench- 5x, 135, 155, 175, 195, 205 <-- got em all this time!

rows- used pulley machine again for this week.

back and midsection feeling better so I will more than likely start BB bent over rows and my sets of deadlifts next week. looking forward to this!

 

[blackwell33]

Week 1-

Workout 2, Light Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 185, 205, 225

Incline Bench- 5x 135, 145, 155, 165

Rows- 4 sets

Sit Ups- 3 sets unweighted

Hypers- 2 sets unweighted

Tonight was a decent workout. I felt good through every rep of everything I did. Incline bench was light, I will probably move up 10 lbs on all sets next week. Squats were solid and I feel like I'm really finding my groove. My form feels perfect while going through the push and at the bottom during the shift in momentum to go back up. I should make a decent gain by next week.
Also something I forgot to mention on my first workout log, I did weighted situps and hypers.. usually 4 sets. 2 sets with 25# plate and 2 sets with 35# plate held on my chest. I do my situps on a decline bench.

Goals for friday- fridays I will do 3 sets as on monday, 1 triple + 2.5%, then back off and do 8 reps of the weight I used on my 3rd set.

squat- 3x 255
bench- 3x 210

 

[blackwell33]

Week 1-

Workout 3, Moderate Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 185, 205, 225
3x 255 <-------- HIT MY GOAL!!!
8x 205


Bench- 5x 135, 155, 175, 195
3x 210 <--------HIT MY GOAL!!!
8x 175

Deadlift- 5x 135, 185, 225

Bent over rows- 5 sets of 5
Tricep extensions- 3 sets of 10
Bicep curls BB- 3 sets of 10

One hell of a workout. I hit all my goals and had plenty of room to add more. I didn't though. I'm going to take it one week at a time and build up that way. That way I don't plateau as fast. I introduced myself to deadlifts for the first time since highschool. I didn't lift heavy.. but it was heavy enough for today, ha. I'm going to try to hit those full force on day 1 of next week. It may take me a few days to get a feel for the correct form all the way through the lift.. it felt ok today but needs work. My lower back muscles are definately feeling it tonight..

Looking forward to next week and the gains that I should make.

 

[blut wump]

Looking good, congrats on week 1.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Congrats on hitting your targets.

BTW, how many times per week will you be deadlifting on your program? If you're going off original Starr program I believe he had it 2 x week (M-F, can't remember the sets/reps/intensity). I vaguely remember MC2 saying he wasn't a big fan of that layout and had them subbed in for high pulls on light day.

 

[blackwell33]

Thanks, guys. The numbers are small now but I guess we have to start somewhere.

I will be deadlifting 2 times a week just as you said. Mon and Friday. Wednesday I will do BB rows just because I'm not a fan of the high pulls, atleast for now. I still have a long way to go to get my back strength where I want it.

 

[blackwell33]

Week 2-

Workout 1, Heavy Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 195, 215, 235, 255

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200, 210

Deadlift- 5x 135, 185, 225

Bent over rows- 3 sets of 5

2 sets weighted hypers

4 sets weightes situps decline

Overall an ok workout. Weather is changing and Koeans are harvesting rice. This stirs up a lot of allergies and keeps everyone sick with the "Korean Crud" this time of year. I don't feel like I recovered fully from last friday, I'm assuming from being sick.
I increased weights in both squats and bench through the entire workout. I added 10 lbs to every set of squat and 5 pounds to every set of bench. I finished them all. My last 2 reps on squat were a bit wavering and my knees tried to bend inside. I may stick with these weights on more week just to be solid before moving on. WE'll see how the rest of the week goes. On bench, I felt great and maintained good form throughout. Last rep on 5th set I had to grunt to get it up, but I didn't hesitate. ha
Looking forward to the rest of the week to see how it unfolds. I should beb able to make new gains on Friday, but we'll see.

 

[anotherbutters]

Any particular reason why you're deadlifting twice per week? You said you were substituting high pulls with deads, which means deadlifting on Wednesdays. And powercleans with rows, which means rowing on Monday and Fridays. It looks like you're doing a bit of both, with rows and deads yesterday.

I was expecting this as the core exercises:

Mon: squat, bench, row
Wed: squat, dead, incline
Fri: squat, bench, row