Need help please!!

[lavi]

Need help!(training progress)

Well up till now I've avoided posting my #'s to hide how weak I am

I'm 5'6", 17@140 lbs, training since July. My main goal is strength.

My routine is really not going very great for me and I really need to change something. I started the 5x5 after taking a week off.

My capabilities before 5x5:
Deadlift: no idea just started them
Close-grip bench: 120, 2x5
Military press: 105 lbs, 2x5
EZcurl Curls: 75 lbs, 2x5
Bench: 145, 2x5
Squat: no idea just started them



I kept track of my main 5x5 exercises. This is from weeks 1 to 11:

The good:
Deadlift: 120, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215 - (Deads make me happy )
Close-grip bench: 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 135, 140, 145, 145, 150(5x3) next week - also not bad
Squat: 110, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 0 due to high fever, 160, 160 - cant complain

The bad:
Military Press: 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 115, 120(5x3), 125(5x3) failed, 125(5x3 failed) - 10-15 lb gain
EZcurl Curls: 55, 60, 65, 70, 70, 75, 75, 80 (failed to get 1 rep so did 75), 80 (failed to get 1 rep so did 75), 80(3), 85(failed to get 1 rep). - practically no progress for the whole 11 weeks...
Benchpress: 130, 135, 140, 145, 145, 150(fail), 155(5x3 fail), 150(fail), 0 due to high fever, 145, 150 (fail) - practically no progress for the whole 11 weeks.

My accesory stuff has also inched along, but I know that's not supposed to progress too quickly anyway... The only exercises that I know made progress with are close-grip bench and military press, both of which I wasn't really doing before. This is probably why I made progress with them, neural adaption (i think thats what its called)... I'm not trying to come across as whiney, it's just my training is important to me and I put a lot into it. I don't think I'm being unrealistic in expecting better results than I've got, maybe I'm wrong.

*I AM IN NO WAY BASHING THE 5X5 PROGRAM!!! I know it has worked for many people and in fact seeing so many people posting their super 5x5 success is what makes me wonder why this isn't working great for me.*

Except for Back/Tri day, I come home from the gym pissed off that my lifts aren't really improving. I took a week off before the 11 weeks and don't feel "overtrained" at all. The question is, what is the problem and what should I do?

(thanks to those who took the time to go through this post. I previewed it and it gives me a headache just to look at it...)

 

[Lord_Suston]

Write out what you would normally do in a week, example
Flat bench 5x5
inclin bench 2x8
ect... need to know orders of excercises and weight. Then I will help as much as possible, then wirte another post on diet and sleeping routine, yep you heard me diet is key

 

[lavi]

(Many of the exercises I hadn't done before so started at a low weight and are now somewhat plateaued as well. Also started low on other exercises like I'm supposed to )

Monday:
Deads 5x5
Pullups 2x8-10 (0 lbs to 10 lbs - my fault for sticking them in after deads when my grip is friend)
Lever Rows 2x10 (55 lbs to 90 lbs)
Closegrip bench 5x5
Decline skullcrushers 2x10 (30lbs to 50 lbs)
Pushdowns 2x10 (40 lbs to 70 lbs)

Wednesday:
Military press 5x5
upright rows 2x10 (55 lbs to 85 lbs)
Lateral raises (15 lbs to 22.5 lbs)
Ezcurl Curls 5x5
Preacher curls 2x10 (45 lbs to 65 lbs)
Alternating seated dumbbell curls 2x10 (20 lbs to 27.5 lbs - didnt move for a long time, but once my 5x5 curls kept screwing up I had more energy for these and so they moved up)
(Edit: Kneeling cable crunches 5x10) (90 lbs to 120 lbs - hard to move up since I only weigh 140 lbs )

Friday:
Bench press 5x5
Incline bench 2x10 (90 lbs to 105 lbs)
Decline db bench 2x10 (35 lbs to 50 lbs)
Squat 5x5
Leg press 2x10 (230 lbs to 300 lbs)
Lying leg curls 2x10 (130 lbs to 160 lbs)
Calf raises 5x15 (40 lbs to 70 lbs)

(Edit:I also run 1 mile on most tuesdays and 2 miles on most thursdays that i'll simply call "involuntary cardio")

I realize legs should be given higher priority. If I continue 5x5 I was thinking of changing my split to back/tri, chest/bi, and legs/shoulders.




Diet:
~7:30 am: milk w/protein, 30g protein total
~10 am: thick peanut butter sandwhich between classes
~1:30 pm: lotsa chicken/rice, big beefy burrito, or hamburger + small taco
~2:15 pm: pump iron (ive gotten used to working out after a relatively big meal)
~4:15 pm: milk w/protein, 30g protein total
~4:45 pm: bun stuffed with tuna/mayo
~6:00 pm: random crappy high carb snack like pop tarts lol
~7:30 pm: dinner - varies since im fortunate enough not to have to cook yet. I make sure I get in some protein...
~10 pm: random crappy carby snack
~11:30 pm: milk w/protein, 30g protein total

I'm at an estimated 13% bf

Sleep:
6.5-7 hours on weekdays, 7-9 hours on weekends


Thanks very much!

 

[eitan27]

Lavi, you eat plenty, I'd say you could sleep a little more. Keep working. We all go through periods where we don't progress the way we want.

Also, know that you are lucky to be able to stomach that much milk!!

 

[lavi]

Lavi, you eat plenty, I'd say you could sleep a little more. Keep working. We all go through periods where we don't progress the way we want.

Also, know that you are lucky to be able to stomach that much milk!!

Thanks eitan. The milk in the morning isn't too pleasant but I force it down anyway.

On days I don't work out, I don't have the one in the afternoon either.

Lord_suston - the diet I posted isn't exact and on days I don't work out I do eat *slightly less...

Any suggestions welcome

 

[eitan27]

Oh yea, one last thing:

TRAIN TILL YOU FUCKEN DIE~!!


weee i weigh 140

 

[JKurz1]

I have a hard time believing you consume that much food and still are a buck 40.....your metabolism must be through the roof......guess it's cause you're still a babe....all good though........loose the junk food (poptarts) and get in some more solid protein sources..........you're on the right track there chief....I wish I asked for advice at 14......also, carbs....oats, rice, potatoes, yams...............get some efa's.....fish, etc.....then after, everything is fair game.............

 

[bigdho]

Bro.....aside from getting your diet and routine straight the best thing you could do for your self is just keep at it.If you stayed consistant for the next four years you would be lightyears ahead of alot of poeple.Dont worry about how strong you are right now, shit you are still growing. Just consentrate on mastering the movements and DONT QUIT. Consistancy is the key to ultimate muscularity.

 

[lavi]

I have a hard time believing you consume that much food and still are a buck 40.....your metabolism must be through the roof......guess it's cause you're still a babe....all good though........loose the junk food (poptarts) and get in some more solid protein sources..........you're on the right track there chief....I wish I asked for advice at 14......also, carbs....oats, rice, potatoes, yams...............get some efa's.....fish, etc.....then after, everything is fair game.............

Maybe my idea of a meal is more of a snack to you . Also no car so I tend to do a bit too much walking... I do calves on Friday and they're "sore" usually on wednesday and thursday even if I don't run that week.

Thanks!

 

[JKurz1]

Hey don't get me wrong man...the last you want to do is pass up on food...esp. at your age...you're a growing boy.......like momma says...."EAT UP!"

 

[lavi]

Bro.....aside from getting your diet and routine straight the best thing you could do for your self is just keep at it.If you stayed consistant for the next four years you would be lightyears ahead of alot of poeple.Dont worry about how strong you are right now, shit you are still growing. Just consentrate on mastering the movements and DONT QUIT. Consistancy is the key to ultimate muscularity.

I know what you're saying and I am pretty much consistent. (easier to be consistent with training than with diet ). Past few times I got sick I trained through it, but this time I thought I'd try not training and see if I feel better quicker. These boards have done a ton for my training knowledge, which is also important.

But basically I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong with my training routine. I would expect at my level and based on most people's awesome results with 5x5, I'd progress faster than I have. Did I set up the routine badly? Should I try a different type of routine? Guess I'll wait on lord suston haha


Thanx bro.

 

[bigdho]

One thing that might help with your strenth is review your diet. By that I mean measure out and figure exactly what your daily values are. Strenth has a direct tie to your diet. Make sure your getting enough of everything to grow.Here are some gidelines to follow to get you started.Keep in mind that I dont know your metobolic rate, bf %.and activity level so the figures Ill give you are only gidelines not dead on figures, but it is a good start to put you on the right track.

Protien 1.5-2 x your bodyweight
calories 16-20 x your weight
carbs 2.5-3x your weight
fats .5-1x your weight

As far as your routine as long as you are doing the compound movements(bench,deads,squats) and employing progressive overload every week eat right and sleep you will grow. Just give it time and stay consistant.

 

[Omegasox]

As far as your routine as long as you are doing the compound movements(bench,deads,squats) and employing progressive overload every week eat right and sleep you will grow. Just give it time and stay consistant.

That's all you need to know. Being as young as you are, you're worrying too much about specifics. Eat right, and a lot, and workout consistently and you will grow, end of story. You're not going to get huge overnight, you're going to hit plateau's, you just need to work through them and not let them discourage you.

 

[WalkingBeast]

Aside from eating enough, I think more volume might be the answer. Id go with 12 sets on small muscles and 15 sets for back and legs. You can vary the rep ranges, but Id suggest going to failure with each set, aside from warm-ups. 12-15 reps worked real well for me, but its always good to use a variety of rep ranges. This is the routine I gained most of my size on and I started at 105lbs. Im a slow gainer, but this has worked very well for me over the years. I still incorporate some of the basic principles to this day, but my routines are more instinctual now. Hope that helps

 

[BOOEY]

Yeah if you feel your diet is solid and you're resting enough, maybe you should switch up your training routine. But from what I saw, you made progress in all your lifts, so no shame there. Keep liftin' bro!