Foxriver's 3x5 journal

[foxriver]

That's good to know, because I'm not a big fan of not being able to move for days on end, and if I continue to go and feel the way I feel today, I may never stop! So next week I intend to go full tilt boogie into the 3x5 and drop this whole practice thing.

Work has been driving me nuts this week, and I'm glad I have a constructive outlet to take out my aggression. I may take some photos when I start, and then retake them every couple of weeks to keep a weekly progression. I might just save them and create a slide show/morph type of thing to show the change over time.... who knows. Has anyone "completed" the 3x5 and moved onto the 5x5? I know it is different for everyone, but I wonder how long it took each person who was a novice weightlifter that started the program before they realized they needed to move to the 5x5. Many posts say you can just "tell" but I wonder what signs I should be looking for?

 

[foxriver]

Just so I know, am I even doing the right thing with the 3x5 before I start? Yes it is the beginner's training, but does it matter if I want to lose body fat as well? I'm fairly certain I'm at about 27% right now, and I'd like to lose a good 10-15% at minimum, or maybe around there is fine, since I don't want to torture myself from eating and drinking the things that I like. Anyway, am I doing the right thing by doing 3x5 first before any "cutting" (forgive me if I still dont know the terminology here, i imagine that it something to do with lower calories to burn fat while still lifting) or any cardio intensive training? I do know that I dont want to be skinny by any means, I sorta like the barrel chested/arms 2/3-3/4 size of legs/baby growing on the back of your neck look, that I want to achieve, but my midsection needs ALOT of work. Everything I've read about lifting includes the words "EAT EAT EAT", but even eating lots of low fat meats and soluble carbs I don't see how I could possibly burn the fat without lowering the caloric intake for a bit..

Since I have not yet started the 3x5 (still in my self-regulated "practice" mode) should I do something else for a few months before I hit the heavy stuff? although I have pretended to do the 3x5 the last two weeks, (and my arms do seem to be larger although that may just be my ego, who knows) and I like the workout, I still am worried that its not for me at this point in time.... can anyone support my decision to do the 3x5 and provide how it will help me in the long run fat-wise or should I put it on the back burner for something else in the meantime?

BTW- my intial thought when I joined EF was that I wanted to look like a "superhero/swimmer" type physique, but the more I have read and gotten into the whole lifting thing, I think I'd be more suited and feel better about, looking like Mariusz Pudjianowski, only about 80-100 lbs lighter. After all I have no intentions of competing and I'd like to retain some of my flexibility (I played first base in high school ball and could easily cut a good 7-8 feet off the throw to first from my stretching, just a guess, not sure of the math here, but I'm 6'1" so I think I theoretically could cut that distance from leg to opposite fingertip.... you get the point)

 

[carlsuen]

i think that really depends on u.. whether you wanna start light or not.. but starting the 3x5 anytime for a novice is always the number one choice here.. so don't worry..

and u'll "know" to transition into the 5x5 when u stall on most of your lifts.. and can no longer sustain 3x5 on very heavy weights.. your body will tell u so as fatigue is accumulated..

 

[liegelord]

I think you should stick with the 3x5, it's a great program. As far as losing bodyfat, you do that with diet. This is my first cut and it's been a train wreck until recently. I finally broke down and started keeping a daily log of calories. I'm now losing 1 pound a week and not having strength losses. It may seem like a real pain, but it's worth it and only takes a few minutes a day.

 

[foxriver]

So today was the official start of my 3x5. Because of work schedule, I had to amend the M,W,F lifts to T, Th, Sat instead. No big deal, or so I think.

Felt a bit weaker today.

Deadlifts 1x8 @ 95 3x5 @ 145

Squats 1x8 @ 95 3x5 @ 135

Bench 1x8 @ 95 1x4 @ 135 3x5 @ 115


It went ok, but I was feeling pretty weak when I got to bench. Started with the 135, but realized it was a little bit too heavy, and I actually struggled through the 3x5 @ 115. Overall I think it was a good thing that I didn't push it and risk injury.

Now as for the next day's workout, I am a bit confused. Am I supposed to ramp the weights by 5 lbs each day/cycle or each week of the workout?

Assume Workout Order A,B,A - So would I go up 5 lbs on the second A workout, or wait until the week of B,A,B and add 5 on that A workout, etc?

 

[carlsuen]

u should be adding 5lbs EVERYTIME u go in.. till u can't then u might consider once a week for A and B..

just curious, are u doing dead first followed by squat then bench? if so u should put deads last as it is the most taxing.. as after deads, u'd rarely have any strength left after heavy deads.. so i'd recommend u stick to the original order as per the 3x5..

 

[foxriver]

u should be adding 5lbs EVERYTIME u go in.. till u can't then u might consider once a week for A and B..

just curious, are u doing dead first followed by squat then bench? if so u should put deads last as it is the most taxing.. as after deads, u'd rarely have any strength left after heavy deads.. so i'd recommend u stick to the original order as per the 3x5..

I only did that yesterday since someone was on the squat rack. Probably could have done the bench first, then squats and deads, but I didn't. Good point though, I'll keep it in mind. As for when to change the weights, thanks for clearing it up. I wanted to find out before Thursday so I could start it right away if needed.

 

[carlsuen]

no prob and good luck..

 

[Cynical Simian]

Sorry about recommending this program then disappearing as you started the journal. I've been really busy lately and probably will continue to be for the next few weeks.

One note on your warmups: those 8 reps at 95 you're doing are probably hampering your exercises given that 95 is still a decent portion of the weight you're using for the work sets (especially on bench). Take a look at Glenn's warmup post in the sticky or (once you get it) Rippetoe's warmup recommendations in Starting Strength. Do a ton of reps with the bar if you think more warmup reps would help, then see what sort of progression works best for the warmups with plates on the bar. See what works best for you and don't be afraid to experiment a bit.

 

[foxriver]

Today Workout B

Squats 1 x 8 @ 95, 1 x 6 @ 115, 3 x 5 @ 140
Military 1 x 8 @ 45, 1 x 6 @ 65, 3 x 5 @ 80
Pendlays 1 x 8 @ 65, 1 x 6 @ 85, 3 x 5 @ 100


I feel pretty good today. I had to stretch more between sets of the squats because my hammys were tight, but I made it through pretty easily. Looking forward to Saturday for my first week of 3 days of workouts in a week and week 1 down in the books of my 3x5 program.

CS, didn't get to read your message until after the gym, I'll definitely have to check out the warmup part in the thread.