My Training Journal - Bill Starr's Single Factor 5 x 5

[Madcow2]

Just looking, your bench is weaker than your squat yet you start it higher and do 2 sets at 40kg. I don't know when exactly you started this program but give it some time.

A few things you can do:
-space out your sets for so you are fresher for your top set (just make sure they aren't too spaced out and you get crushed)
-Drop back a bit and work up again over the course of a few weeks before trying to set a new PR
-Focus on bringing up the weight on the other sets for a few weeks (the net impact is higher workload), when you drop them down and space them out wider you'll probably PR
-work on technique and accelerating the bar in the concentric phase to generate maximum force (do not jerk it, just smooth acceleration)
-take one bench day, go easy on some other stuff and do a lot of work with that weight. Say 60kg is your best set of 5. Get 20 reps. Not all at once but over a long period. Just keep working with that weight. Even if it comes to several minutes between doubles and singles. Do 20 total reps. Take it easy with no records if you do any other pressing/bench for the rest of the week and the following week you will likely find yourself better and able to break the plateau. There are lots of plateau busting methods. This is just one.
-In general keep eating, squatting, pulling, and rowing - they will also drive your bench up.
-After perfecting your technique and learning to accelerate, take a look at where your bench breaks down and identify areas where you are weak.

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

Awesome post Madcow - wouldn't have expected anything less... In hindsight it doesn't make sense to start my first set of bench at a higher weight than my squat when my squat max is heavier.

I'll try spacing out the sets further next time and see if it makes the final set any easier.

When you suggest 'dropping back a bit and working up again over the course of a few weeks before trying to set a new PR', I assume you mean to decrease the intensity (weight), right? Or do you mean to decrease the volume (# of reps)?

Also, when you say 'take one bench day, go easy on some other stuff and do a lot of work with that weight. Say 60kg is your best set of 5. Get 20 reps. Not all at once but over a long period. Just keep working with that weight. Even if it comes to several minutes between doubles and singles. Do 20 total reps. Take it easy with no records if you do any other pressing/bench for the rest of the week and the following week you will likely find yourself better and able to break the plateau. There are lots of plateau busting methods. This is just one.':
I don't fully understand this. Say my best set of five was 60kg, do you mean to lift to failure on each set until I reach 20 reps of that weight with any number of sets? An example being 60kg x 5, 60kg x 5, 60kg x 4, 60kg x 3, 60kg x 2 and 60kg x 1?

 

[Madcow2]

Awesome post Madcow - wouldn't have expected anything less... In hindsight it doesn't make sense to start my first set of bench at a higher weight than my squat when my squat max is heavier.

I'll try spacing out the sets further next time and see if it makes the final set any easier.

When you suggest 'dropping back a bit and working up again over the course of a few weeks before trying to set a new PR', I assume you mean to decrease the intensity (weight), right? Or do you mean to decrease the volume (# of reps)?

I meant the weight and then push it back up gradually and break through. That said, you could try training triples and doubles for a bit too to get the weight up before going back to sets of 5's.

Also, when you say 'take one bench day, go easy on some other stuff and do a lot of work with that weight. Say 60kg is your best set of 5. Get 20 reps. Not all at once but over a long period. Just keep working with that weight. Even if it comes to several minutes between doubles and singles. Do 20 total reps. Take it easy with no records if you do any other pressing/bench for the rest of the week and the following week you will likely find yourself better and able to break the plateau. There are lots of plateau busting methods. This is just one.':
I don't fully understand this. Say my best set of five was 60kg, do you mean to lift to failure on each set until I reach 20 reps of that weight with any number of sets? An example being 60kg x 5, 60kg x 5, 60kg x 4, 60kg x 3, 60kg x 2 and 60kg x 1?

What I mean is do 20 reps in your workout with 60kg. Number of sets doesn't matter, do what you can at any time, rack the weight, recover a bit, push some more reps. You might need a lot of time to do this.

Note - just concentrate on pushing everything within the confines of the program for now. Your bench was out of line with your other lifts so it's going to take time for those to build in (they are now as you can see). This will start driving your poundages up. Right now, I'd worry less about the bench and more about the other core lifts. The stuff above is if you really get stuck and the only reason I think you are stuck is because you've spent time on the bench but not a lot on anything else. Maybe spend some time perfecting technique by reading the bench sticky in the PL forum.

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

Had Wednesday off. I felt extremely tired on Wednesday - like all I wanted to do was sleep all day. I'll have to assume that it's because I'm recovering from a virus, but if it happens again soon I'll need to see someone about it.

Thursday:

Front Squats (light):
45kg x 5
55kg x 5
55kg x 5
55kg x 5

BB Military Press:
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
37.5 kg x 5
40kg x 4

Did these for the first time. Still not 100% sure about form.
Should one leg be further in front of the other to prevent me from falling backwards (in my final rep I felt very unstable)?

Also, would it stimulate more shoulder growth if I did them without the leg drive? Or is it better to be pushing more weight and using the leg drive as momentum?

If someone could provide me with a link to a video it would be very much appreciated.

Deadlifts:
60kg
70kg
80kg
90kg

I hadn't done conventional DLs for a few months, so I decided to do a moderate weight for the last set (I probably could have fought through another couple of reps at that weight). Next week I'll push up to 100kg, and go for a new PR the following week.

Pull-ups:
BW + 7.5kg x 7
BW +7.5kg x 6
BW + 10kg x 4 --> dropped the weight and did two more reps

Donkey calf raise:
60kg x 12
60kg x 12

Decline Crunches:
BW + 5kg x 12
BW + 5kg x 12

 

[Guinness5.0]

BB Military Press:
30kg x 5
35kg x 5
37.5 kg x 5
40kg x 4

Did these for the first time. Still not 100% sure about form.
Should one leg be further in front of the other to prevent me from falling backwards (in my final rep I felt very unstable)?

Also, would it stimulate more shoulder growth if I did them without the leg drive? Or is it better to be pushing more weight and using the leg drive as momentum?

If someone could provide me with a link to a video it would be very much appreciated.

That "not steady" feeling should go away with time. It did for me. It's just a matter of balance and core strength. I found that getting the right amount of leaning back was key, at least for strict military. If you're going to use push press, then I can't help as I'm learning that one right now
vids:
http://www.uwlax.edu/strengthcenter/videos/video_index.htm

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

Saturday:

Squat:
45kg
50kg
55kg
60kg
67.5kg

I decided to increase the workload of my squats by increasing my five previous 'warmup sets' so that I can space them out a bit more next time and be more likely to hit a new PR. I actually ended up getting through them all fairly easily.

Bench:
35 x 5
40 x 5
45 x 5
55 x 5
62.5 x 5

Spacing out the sets certainly seemed to help, and made the final set much easier. However, I think I was lying too far back on the bench, so as I pushed the bar up on the fourth rep, the bar hit the rack which fucked up my form.

Row:
30 x 5
35 x 5
40 x 5
42.5 x 5
47.5 x 5

My row doesn't seem to be progressing as well as my other lifts. I also think I was cheating with my form on the last set. I'll see how I go with this weight next week before trying some 'techniques' to push my PR up.

Dips:
BW + 10kg x 8
BW + 12.5kg x 8
BW + 15kg x 5

Pushdowns
3 sets of 8

P.S. Sorry about the late entry (I'll explain more on the next post).

 

[|D_J^B_J|]

Now - the reason for my lateness... I went away with a few mates on Saturday night and Sunday night. Not sure if it did me any good though. I ate as much as I could (good), I drank until my liver could handle no more (not so good) and I was partying all night so barely got any sleep (bad). I could feel it on Monday because I was half asleep all day and felt like shit from all the alcohol. I was still severely undersleeped by Tuesday, and I'm fairly certain it would have affected my workout.

Tuesday:

Bench:
35 x 5
40 x 5
45 x 5
55 x 5
62.5 x 5

I didn't hit the bar on the way up this time , and managed all 5 reps cleanly. I think I'll stick with this weight for my next workout though, just to be sure, and then go for a new PR next week.

Squat:
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
70 x 5 (New PR! )

I've only just started squating a month or two ago, so I've still got a long way to go, but nothing beats the feeling after setting a new PR, no matter how small (Okay, so maybe I can think of one better feeling ).
I think I'll stick with this weight for another couple of workouts before ramping it up again next week.

Row:
30 x 5
35 x 5
40 x 5
42.5 x 5
47.5 x 5

The final set still felt awkward - I had to cheat and raise my back above 90 degrees on the final rep. I'll see how I go after my next workout and if I'm still struggling at that weight, I'll drop back a bit and push up over the course of a couple of weeks.

I guess it's harder to increase the weights with rows because it is weaker than my other lifts (which is usually the case), so each weight increase is a greater percentage of total weight of the previous lift.

DB Bicept curls:
12.5 x 8
12.5 x 8
12.5 x 8

Decline sit-ups (weighted):
3 sets of BW + 5kg

 

[anotherbutters]

Hi,

I thought I'd post a cross-single-factor-journal "Hello"! We're both pushing up about the same weights at the moment, but you're a good 14 years younger than me (boy, that makes me feel old), so I expect you'll make quicker progress. We'll see...

I read your comment on the size of the jump when increasing weights at our level. Get yourself some microplates. I got myself two 1.25kg and two 0.5kg plates as my gym's smallest are 2.5kg. They were dirt cheap, and I think they're probably the most useful thing I've bought. Ramping up the weights is just impossible without them. I added just 1kg to my row this week.

Keep up the good work!

 

[anotherbutters]

BTW, what's your diet like? Are you eating everything in site? Is your weight going up?

 

[blut wump]

Hi,

I thought I'd post a cross-single-factor-journal "Hello"! We're both pushing up about the same weights at the moment, but you're a good 14 years younger than me (boy, that makes me feel old), so I expect you'll make quicker progress. We'll see...

I read your comment on the size of the jump when increasing weights at our level. Get yourself some microplates. I got myself two 1.25kg and two 0.5kg plates as my gym's smallest are 2.5kg. They were dirt cheap, and I think they're probably the most useful thing I've bought. Ramping up the weights is just impossible without them. I added just 1kg to my row this week.

Keep up the good work!

Where did you get the micro-plates? I've seen them advertised at gymratz going down to 0.125Kg (0.27 pounds) but they were £20 a pair.