Repair and prepare - my journal on the road back to 5x5

[anotherbutters]

I have 4 weeks without squatting in mind, but when I do start, it's going to be hard not to go nuts with it. I want 3 plates by the end of the year and the clock's ticking. I also want a 4 plate dead, but that might be a little trickier!

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

I've actually found squats to bother my lower back more than deadlifts. The way I deadlift seems to help. Oly style, shoulders over the bar.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 5, Friday (Thursday's exercises)


1. Chins
I did 8 x 3 reps last week and pulled 6 x 4 out of the bag on Tuesday. I'd have been pleased to have matched 6 x 4 again today.
BW x 5 x 5 reps .................. Holy crap! How did I manage that? ..... PR!

2. Hypers
BW x 15
1.25kg x 15
2.5kg x 15 .......... tried adding a little weight (5lb). Pretty hard!

3. Reverse hypers
BW x 15
1.25kg x 4 ......... couldn't stop laughing. details below
1.25kg x 13
BW x 15

4. Core work
Curlups, planks & side-bridges, bird-dogs: 6 x 12 secs each ...... absolute hell!


Comments

Another fun workout. I'm enjoying myself these days.

I've developed a little cheat for chins that seems to be really helping. Rather than start with my arms completely straight, I grab the bar with a little bend in them. It's only a little bend, but it seems to make all the difference (I've also covered up the protruding metal from my rack with a towel, and no longer worry about hitting it with my knees). Anyway, I managed 5x5 today, which is a first! The 5th reps weren't pretty, but given that I struggled with 4 reps on Tuesday, that's progress.

I tried adding weight to hypers, but I should probably just leave them at bodyweight since I'm doing them frequently. I figured out a way of adding weight to reverse hypers too, by tying my shoelaces to each other, through a small plate. Picture the scene: I lean forward over the bench and start to raise my legs behind me, with a weight attached to the end of them on a piece of cord. As soon as I did the first rep, I thought "trubuchet!" I absolutely pissed my sides laughing and had to stop. It was just too much, thinking of my laces coming undone and launching the weight at the ceiling, smashing the light fitting above me, which would come down on the back of my head.

Damn you AI, keeping my abs contracted during the planks was absolute hell! I did them circuit style, 12 seconds each side and on my front, for 6 sets, all without a break, keeping my abs contracted the whole time. Keeping them contracted seems to be a completely separate act to doing the planks/bridges. It's as though I'm doing them along with the planks/bridges with little interaction between the two exercises. I thought it would feel different. Maybe I'm not contracting them enough. The bird-dogs were hard, but only because I was contracting my abs again, and I did all 6 sets without a break.

My arms are up 1/4" since about 4 weeks ago (now a massive 14.25", lol), even though I'm not really bulking. I keep wanting to get rid of the fat around my waist, but I keep noticing I look better with more muscle on me

 

[Jim Ouini]

Congrats on the pullup PR...I too can do better if I don't fully extend my arms.

You're going to have to see a vet soon - your pythons are getting sick.

(and oldie but a goodie )

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Not sure what you meant when you were talking about them feeling seperate there, AB. Perhaps you can run it by me again?

Birddogs get fun with ankle and wrist weights.

 

[Island Son]

congrats on making 5x5 pullups. That's the hardest step.
next is the 5lb plate!

 

[nelmsjer]

Nice job on the pullups, bud. On to the next goal!

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks everyone.

Lol, Jim. I think they look more ill than sick at the moment, but they're getting better

AI - since side bridges hit the obliques rather than the rectus abdominis, I can perform them without contracting my abs. Contracting my abs is a separate, additional thing that I'm doing.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Contracting abs on side bridges still seems to make them more effective. Either that, or it's just harder. Either way, I agree - seperate thing, no need to contract for side bridges, really. Mainly for curlups, honestly. Birddogs if you need the extra "umph", but weights will do that.

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 5, Saturday (yesterday's exercises)


1. Hip Squats (kg) (1x5)
- waiting for hip belt -

2. Bench (kg) (8x3)
warmup: bar x 9, 40 x 5
45 x 3 .............. up 2.5
50 x 3 .............. up 2.5
53.5 x 3 ............ up 3.5
57.5 x 3 ............ up 2.5
61 x 3 ............... up 1
63.5 x 3 ............ up 1
67.5 x 3 ............ up 2.5
72.5 x 3 ............ up 2.5 ............ (160lb) ...... 5RM weight, at last

3. Supported rows (kg) (8x3)
42.5 x 5 ............ up 1.5
45 x 3 ............... up 1.5
47.5 x 3 ............ up 1.5
50 x 3 ............... up 1.5
52.5 x 3 ............ up 2.5
55 x 3 ............... up 2.5
57.5 x 3 ............ up 1.5
60 x 3 ............... up 1.5 .......... (132lb) ........ 1 plate

4. Ivanko Gripper (lb)
warmup: 87 x 8, 113 x 3, 119 x 3
130 x 5 x 7 ....... up 2 reps on last week

5. Core work
Curlups, planks & side-bridges, bird-dogs: 6 x 12 secs each


Comments

I seem to have had a bit of a spurt of strength this week. I've changed my form a little bit on chins as mentioned yesterday, and I've started doing rows underhand, which is a lot easier, but I still think I've made a big improvement on last week. Bench is now at my 5RM weight at last. I stalled on the last rep, but managed to push through anyway. Rows were easy enough and I could've knocked out a few more reps. The difference in bar height, now that I'm up to 1 plate, isn't that noticeable for some reason.

The gripper work is getting hard, but I think I'll try and go for 7,8,9 reps next week, up from 5,6,7 this week. Core work - hard, but not a problem if I don't contract my abs