RipStone's 5x5-GFH journal

[RipStone]

I made two slight changes for my proposed program about. I am doing hammer chins instead of palms facing chins and I will do pull-throughs instead of GHRs on wed cus I feel pull-throughs are less taxing than GHRs and I dont want to risk CNS burn out at all. Plus, pull-throughs hit my lower back a little more,

Anyway, I lifted this morning and tried to find some RMs for Wednesday's proposed workout. I did hammer-chins instead of rows cus I did rows on Monday. Plus, I needed to find my RM for hammer-chins and I already have a good idea what I can handle for rows.

conventional deadlifts:
-SLDLs x135 x8(warmup the hammies and low back)
-135x5
-185x5
-225x5
-250x5(I handled this load pretty easily and I estimate I could handle another 15-20lbs. These are so uncomfortable for me to do for some reason. Sumo DLs just come off the floor smoothly while these feel akward. I checked my form from the side and it semmed good

standing OH press:
-bar x8
-60x8
-85x8
-120x3
-130x3(I had to find my equilibrium for a second, but after that I pushed 3 reps pretty easily. I estimate I could have handled 135x3).

-hammer chins:
-BWx5
-BWx5
-10x5
-10x5
-20x5(I wasnt sure I was gonna be able to do this, but I did it with no problem. I could have handled 5-10 more lbs.)

CGBP:
-135x6
-135x6
-135x6
-135x6( I performed these with my ring fingers on the middle rings of the bar. All of these reps explosive cus the load seemed pretty light. Probabaly could do at least 10 more lbs for all 4 sets).

-cable pull-throughs:
-100x10
-100x10(very easy, but thats ok for assitance work)

comments: I think I have a good idea of what loads I can handle now for some of these new rep/set schemes and exercises, so it was a successful day.

Questions:

1. Any more opinions on my proposed program would be really appreciated? (pretty, pretty please with sugar on top....I'll be your best freind, hehe).

2. For conventional deadlifts, where do you guys posisition the bar relative to your ankles and feet? For sumos I always started the bar basiclly so it was rubbing againt my ankles. But for conv. DLs, this posisition seems akward cus I need to stand less vetically(ie my back is more parallel to the ground w/ conv. DLs, while with sumo DLs my back is more perpendicular with the ground).

Thanks guys.

 

[RipStone]

I made two slight changes for my proposed program about. I am doing hammer chins instead of palms facing chins and I will do pull-throughs instead of GHRs on wed cus I feel pull-throughs are less taxing than GHRs and I dont want to risk CNS burn out at all. Plus, pull-throughs hit my lower back a little more,

Anyway, I lifted this morning and tried to find some RMs for Wednesday's proposed workout. I did hammer-chins instead of rows cus I did rows on Monday. Plus, I needed to find my RM for hammer-chins and I already have a good idea what I can handle for rows.

conventional deadlifts:
-SLDLs x135 x8(warmup the hammies and low back)
-135x5
-185x5
-225x5
-250x5(I handled this load pretty easily and I estimate I could handle another 15-20lbs. These are so uncomfortable for me to do for some reason. Sumo DLs just come off the floor smoothly while these feel akward. I checked my form from the side and it semmed good

standing OH press:
-bar x8
-60x8
-85x8
-120x3
-130x3(I had to find my equilibrium for a second, but after that I pushed 3 reps pretty easily. I estimate I could have handled 135x3).

-hammer chins:
-BWx5
-BWx5
-10x5
-10x5
-20x5(I wasnt sure I was gonna be able to do this, but I did it with no problem. I could have handled 5-10 more lbs.)

CGBP:
-135x6
-135x6
-135x6
-135x6( I performed these with my ring fingers on the middle rings of the bar. All of these reps explosive cus the load seemed pretty light. Probabaly could do at least 10 more lbs for all 4 sets).

-cable pull-throughs:
-100x10
-100x10(very easy, but thats ok for assitance work)

comments: I think I have a good idea of what loads I can handle now for some of these new rep/set schemes and exercises, so it was a successful day.

Questions:

1. Any more opinions on my proposed program would be really appreciated? (pretty, pretty please with sugar on top....I'll be your best freind, hehe).

2. For conventional deadlifts, where do you guys posisition the bar relative to your ankles and feet? For sumos I always started the bar basiclly so it was rubbing againt my ankles. But for conv. DLs, this posisition seems akward cus I need to stand less vetically(ie my back is more parallel to the ground w/ conv. DLs, while with sumo DLs my back is more perpendicular with the ground).

Thanks guys.

shameless bump

 

[RipStone]

research workout-friday

20- rep squats:
-bar x warmup
-135x8
-160x20--------> PR! ( I HAVE DONE 20 REP SQUATS BEFORE, BUT NEVER WITH THIS MUCH WEIGHT)
-170x15(thought I could handle another 10lbs, but my form started to get bad so I stopped at 15)

bench presscontinuing with SF 5x5 approach)
-95x5
-140x5
-160x5
-172x5
-193x3 TRIPLE (was a little nervous cus of what happened w/ bench on monday)
-160x8 BACK-OFF

rack-pulls(set these up so the bar was at my knees)*
-135x5
-185x8
-225x8
-245x8(all seemed very easy)

face-pulls:
-60x8
-60x8**

triceps; decline ez bar exstensionswanted to aim for 8-12 reps, but the 50lbs bar was being used)
-60x6
-60x6
-60x6

biceps; hammer curls(supersetted with triceps):
-30x8
-30x8
-30x6(should have grabbed 25s to get in 8 reps)

comments: pretty decent workout. just trying to play around with weights to see what I should use if I go ahead with my proposed program(still looking for comments about this PLEASE

* I was aiming to do 3x8(not to failure), but all these sets seemed light. Should I be starting the bar lower, below my knees?? Also do guys usually do more weight with rack-pull compared to normal DLs? I would think so since ROM is a lot less.

BTW, I really enjoyed doing these. I was really able to synchronize my pull from both the upper back and lower body....something I often struggle with when I do normal DLs.

** I was aiming to do 3x8 with these, but when I was done with my 2nd set a trainer comes over to me and asks me what muscles I am doing those for. I said, rear-delts and traps. And he replies, "Oh, I thought you were doing those for biceps". I am like "noooooo". So goes on to tell me that I should do something else for rear-delts and traps...and I had know idea what he was trying to tell me to do. I was kinda pissed cus I didnt ask him for advice and he just comes up to me and interupts my workout. I know he had good intentions and was trying to be helpful, but he does not understand that I was doing these in order to help my deadlift and not to isolate rear-delts and traps. I didnt want to explain to him the real reason why I was doing face-pulls cus I doubt he would have understood cus he is BBer and he is thinking in terms of "back, bis", "tris, delts" days, etc....you get the point. I dont know how I should have handled this, but I am kinda pissed.

IF YOU GUYS WOULD BE SO KIND, I REALLY NEED ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO FOR MY NEXT TRAINING CYCLE.....IS MY PROPOSED PROGRAM (IN POST #238) GOOD FOR MY GOALS AND THE POINT I AM AT IN MY TRAINING....SHOULD I DO SOMETHING ELSE??? HELP!?

 

[anotherbutters]

I wish I could help, but I haven't been doing this long either and haven't really deviated from the stock 5x5 (I've turned into a one trick pony, heh). What's the plan, run with the new routine until you stall, then revert to the 5x5?

Post 238 looks ok to me, just watch the assistance work doesn't affect the core work.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I think there was still plenty left in what you were doing. But the new stuff doesn't look bad. Pick something, think of it like it's the greatest program ever, and gain what you can from it. You know enough to evaluate the merits and results of a prgram. Run it and learn.

But I wtill say you should stick it out w/ the SF but with concessions made for the squat sticking point.

 

[anotherbutters]

Yeah, I was kind of disappointed you didn't quite reach stalling on the SF. It would have been good to see someone resetting and ramping up again. I haven't seen anyone do that yet.

 

[RipStone]

Thanks for the replies anotherbutters and g5.0. I really want to continue with SF 5x5, but I dont know what to do with squats? Wait, a thought just popped into my head. How's this sound...continue with SF 5x5 just as it's layed out, but in order to work on my weak point(low back) and fix the squat issue, I will drop the wednesday squat and add either GMs or rack pulls using an assitance rep/set scheme(4x6 or 3x8). This could work....

 

[Cynical Simian]

I will drop the wednesday squat and add either GMs or rack pulls using an assitance rep/set scheme(4x6 or 3x8).

You already have a very similar and heavy exercise that day. I was considering Wednesday for GMs as well but decided to do a few very light sets of 8 at the end of my Friday workout instead (should be more useful than the calf raises I had there previously ).

 

[anotherbutters]

I agree, you're already pulling heavy on Weds. The SF description suggests weighted hypers on Monday as an assistance exercise, so you might consider those. Or do as CS does with GMs on Friday.

I'd have thought that simply increasing your squat would increase your back strength and keep it in line with everything else.

 

[RipStone]

Ok thanks again guys.

So let me just make sure I have this straight....

Wed: drop squats add keep everything else the same
Fri: add light GMs or rack pulls(maybe 3x8) and keep everything else the same.

BTW, I have been doing hypers on monday. The thing is I feel that I am not able to increase squats anymore cus my weak lower back(im comparison with the rest of my muscles used for squat) is holding me back from increasing my squat. I think the above idea(wed, fri) should help with this.

Sound good? Hope so