Another Single Factor 5x5 Journal

[anotherbutters]

Week 5, Friday

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 5

2. Bench (kg)
30 x 9 (warmup)
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
63.5 x 3 (no change)
50 x 8 (forgot again)

3. Row (kg)
28 x 9 (warmup)
33 x 5 (up 5)
38 x 5 (up 5)
43 x 5 (up 5)
48 x 5 (up 2.5)
55.5 x 3 (up 1.5)
43 x 8 (up 5)

Comments

I decided to squat again today. My knee was still a little sore yesterday, but ok this morning, so I thought I'd hit it again. It was like this when I started running a while back. No matter how much time I gave it to get better, it always ached when I ran again. So I decided to keep running, but slowly increase the speed and take glucosamine. After a few weeks, I was running at top whack and the aches had stopped. So I'm going to try the same with squats.

My knee aches now that I've done them, but it's only a mild ache and it doesn't cave in under me, which is what it used to do when I ran. Bear with me on this, I know you're probably thinking I'm crazy.

I kept the same weight as last week on bench as I missed the 5 reps on Monday. I'll have another go next week. I'm getting sick of the PTs at the gym - I got another one of them to spot for me today and he had his fingers all over the bar. It wasn't a PR attempt, so I wasn't too bothered, but I'll make sure they know to keep their paws off on Monday.

Rows were surprisingly good. I always had trouble with 53kg, but 55.5kg went up today with good form. It felt as though something 'clicked' and I could suddenly do them (and it wasn't my back ).

 

[anotherbutters]

<rant>

I'm officially sick of how k works on this board! There are some people like Blut Wump, Guinness and a few others who regularly give out good advice, but I can't give k to them because I've already given it to them and I have to spread it around to god knows how many other people before I can give it to them again.

I know rules need to be in place in order to stop k being abused, but to be honest, there's a limit to how much time I want to spend in the other forums finding other people to give k to, just so I can give it to the people I really want to give it to in here.

So anyway, thanks to all the regulars. A lot of the time I want to give k out but I can't. I've just given as much as I can in a semi-random fashion in the C&C forum, but now I can't give it out to the regulars because I've given out too much today. Argh!

</rant>

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 6, Monday

Wow, week 6 already. The week numbers don't really mean anything, it's not like the dual factor where things change after a certain number of weeks. I just include them so it's easier to refer back to weeks if I have to.

1. Freeweight back squat conditioning (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5

2. Bench (kg)
30 x 9 (warmup)
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
63.5 x 5 (second attempt) -------- PR!

3. Row (kg)
28 x 5 (warmup)
33 x 5 (up 5)
38 x 5 (up 5)
43 x 5 (up 5)
48 x 5 (up 2.5)
55.5 x 5 (up 1.5) --------- PR!


Comments

More PRs as per usual Jim

Squats - my knee felt fine after Friday's squats and feels fine now after today's workout. I bumped the weight up from 50kg and it still feels light, but not as toy-like as last week. I might do another 5x55kg on Weds then increase just the final couple of reps to 60kg on Friday. I'm focusing on form whilst I'm at these light weights. My breathing was always wrong - breathing in on the way down and out on the way up. Now I'm taking a breath at the top, keeping a solid core and taking a top-up breath at the top of each rep. I'm also trying to keep my knees out wide and stay tight at the bottom with a little bounce. I really like freeweight squats - feels good!

Bench - I had the 'good' spotter in the gym today, but even so, I laid down the ground-rules: no touching the bar at all unless I'm really struggling and it's going down when it should be going up. I did the full set and racked it at the end without him getting close to the bar Another PR, and I'm a happy man.

Rows - felt good. I think I've been focusing on keeping my back arched these last few times, which has helped with form and seems to be stopping me from lifting my body up. Another PR today. I still can't believe I just did 5 reps at 55.5kg

Some great news - I've just won one of these on ebay for a great price, along with 140kg of olympic weights:

http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/product_info_new.asp?prdID=3434

The spotter bars mean I should be able to squat and bench in safety without a spotter, so I'm going to give up the gym membership and start working out at home. I'm so, so happy - there's no holding me back now!

 

[blut wump]

<rant>

I'm officially sick of how k works on this board! There are some people like Blut Wump, Guinness and a few others who regularly give out good advice, but I can't give k to them because I've already given it to them and I have to spread it around to god knows how many other people before I can give it to them again.

I know rules need to be in place in order to stop k being abused, but to be honest, there's a limit to how much time I want to spend in the other forums finding other people to give k to, just so I can give it to the people I really want to give it to in here.

So anyway, thanks to all the regulars. A lot of the time I want to give k out but I can't. I've just given as much as I can in a semi-random fashion in the C&C forum, but now I can't give it out to the regulars because I've given out too much today. Argh!

</rant>

First, thanks for the kind words.

We've all been and often are in this situation where you have a small handful of people you want to thank and the system stops you. I think the rule was in place to stop madcow taking all of the daily K from the weights forum.

Over in the C&C forum people use K just as a way to greet each other and many play the K-game where it's all about getting your K as high as possible. I think some even make K loans and get interest payments on them. The list goes on. Without the restrictions, many people would start the day by dumping all of their K onto their friends and then log off. People would create extra accounts or 'alters' to feed other accounts. It'd be a farce.

BTW I just made it into the top 100!

Over here we just say 'Thanks' and 'Congrats' with the occasional 'Good Post'. It's always nice to receive K but anyone who has been here even a short while knows how hard it can be to give the stuff out to where you really want it to go.

It looks like the squat is settling in nicely. Try to lose the bounce if you can. It might make life a little easier on your knees. It's not really a bad thing to have that little bounce but it's better if you don't come to depend on it. Another breathing technique for later is the 'partial valsalva' where you slowly push the air out as you come up. It can be bad for your blood pressure, though, as it forces everything to get ever tighter. Settle for grunts and groans for now.

Congrats on the PRs!

 

[Jim Ouini]

Nice. So Week 6 and still going strong...in SF you just keep going and going and going (and going) until you stall and then start cycling your volume?

Congrats on the winning the workout station - that looks like a pretty sweet setup.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Nice work. It looks like your new home gym is great for squats- it seems that you just barely have to step back after you step under the bar. I hate having to walk back two steps with PR weight for a triple 'cause it feels like an injury waiting to happen.

I just may have to keep an eye on ebay for a decent power rack. I really think I'd do best training at home with the music blasting and being able to drop weights and make noise without offending others' delicate sensibilities.

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks Blut Wump. On the K thing, I was just a bit frustrated the other day, but I also found it funny at the same time. I'd just given in to the rules and spread a load of K in C&C, then found out when I came back into this forum that I'd given out my lot for the day If I spent more time in the C&C section I'm sure I'd use it just the same as everyone else.

Regarding the bounce, I was trying to follow Starting Strength advice. It isn't supposed to involve the knee, but is accomplished with the hips and happens when the hamstrings are fully stretched. It uses the stretch reflex of the hamstrings, which should be kept taut at the bottom. If the hamstrings are relaxed at the bottom, then you're right, it could hurt the knee. To be honest, I'm not sure I got it right and I'm going to have to re-read that section a few times and practice more before I fully understand it. Page 43 when you get your book

I'm sure my breathing will change as I add the weight. It feels a bit wierd holding my breath for the whole rep.

Jim, you are correct sir. I milk the simple gains for as much as I can, then start manipulating volume. After stalling, I'd try dropping some of the warmup reps, so I'd do 5, 5, 3, 1, 5 reps, which should keep me fresher for the top set and give me PRs for two or three more weeks. Then I'd try more volume - lower the weight a bit and start doing 5 sets at the same weight, which should get me past the sticking point. Then when I stall again, I start pyramiding again, which should get me through that sticking point. Then it's pretty much dual factor.

I like the programming of this. It's not just a simple BB style split - there are things to do when you stall. It's going to be interesting in 6-12 months time to look back and see how fast the gains were at various stages. I'm particularly interested in whether I can make quicker gains on single or dual factor. I assume single factor and newbie gains will beat dual factor, but who knows. It would give credence to the advice of starting off on the SF.

I still haven't been able to get in touch with the seller of the bench system I won. I just hope he's been out for the day. I'd hate to lose it. The seller hasn't sold before, so he doesn't have any prior feedback to go by.

 

[anotherbutters]

Nice work. It looks like your new home gym is great for squats- it seems that you just barely have to step back after you step under the bar. I hate having to walk back two steps with PR weight for a triple 'cause it feels like an injury waiting to happen.

I just may have to keep an eye on ebay for a decent power rack. I really think I'd do best training at home with the music blasting and being able to drop weights and make noise without offending others' delicate sensibilities.

You should try lifting a PR weight from the seated position in the bench press, then walking the length of the bench with it between your legs, then after doing your 3 reps, walking backwards, again with the bench between your legs and sitting down with it, trying to rack it by looking in the mirror 10ft in front of you.

It was a nice try on my part using the bench, but it was never going to work with proper weight.

I can't wait to get my own music blasting whilst I'm working out at home!

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 6, Wednesday

Bodyweight: 75kg

1. Free weight back squats conditioning (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5

2. Deads (kg)
60 x 9 (warmup)
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 (up 5)
115 x 3 (up 5), lost grip ------- FAIL
127.5 x 2 (up 2.5), straps, could barely lock out ------ FAIL

3. Military Press (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
22.5 x 5 (down 0.5)
25 x 5 (down 0.5)
27.5 x 5 (down 1.5)
32.5 x 5 (up 1)
38.5 x 5 (up 0.5) ---------------- mini PR!

4. Pullups
BW x 2
assisted x 5
assisted x 5
BW x 2
BW x 1

Comments

Well, this is my first workout at home! I picked up the bench / squat rack yesterday (6 hour round trip in my Land Rover Defender, which tops out at 76mph with a tailwind) and put it all together at 6am this morning whilst trying to cook breakfast, cook my meals for the rest of the day and generally get ready for work.

I'm going to make a platform out of some plywood and rubber matting but for today the workout was on soft carpet. The rack is absolutely excellent for squatting in, only spoilt by the carpet underfoot. I barely have to step back and I can start to squat. The spotter (safety) bars were a tiny bit too high, but the next setting down is 2.75" lower, which was far too low. If it becomes a problem, I'll raise the area I'm standing on with a thin piece of wood when I squat. Nothing to say about the actual squatting - no pain from my knee. Going heavier on Friday.

Deads were very difficult, mainly because of grip. I was even having trouble with mixed grip on the 3rd set, which I can usually do with double overhand grip. I had to stop on the 4th set because I just couldn't hold on to it any more. The bar at the gym was a matt black thing. The one I have is chromed and it just seems slippier. I used straps on the 5th set, but then I found it just too heavy. I could barely lock out the 2nd rep and finished up quitting. I'm not sure why, it just seemed far heavier than I expected and just didn't feel right. Whether it was the crappy soft carpet underfoot or the realisation that I'm trying to lift 127kg in my dining room at 8am, I don't know. Must stay focussed. Now that I'm working out at home, I'm going to see if I can get some chalk.

I usually do the military press with a 5ft bar that I understood to be 8kg, but I only have a 20kg bar at home, so I had to adjust all the weights to suit. I got a mini PR of just 0.5kg heavier

Pullups were a bit of a right off. I used to use a machine at the gym that gave a measured amount of assistance, which I obviously don't have now. But worse, the bar was too low! My knees were touching the carpet when I hung from the bar on the top setting and the spotter foot-stand attached to the bottom of the rack scraped the front of my knees when I hung there. I've since realised I can hang the bar off the end of the spotter bars with them at the top, which clears my knees from the spotter stand at the bottom. As for the height, I'm going to have to make some kind of 12" high platform out of wood or something and lift the whole rack onto it, then it'll be high enough for me to hang free. It's a bit of a Heath Robinson affair, but it'll work.

All in all, today was a bit of an experiment to see how the new equipment fares. I was disappointed at not getting the deads PR, but we'll see what I can do next week.

If anyone else is interested in this system (Powertec WB-BRS), I can definitely give it the thumbs up. Here it is again: http://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk...36_DCC80545-5DCF-4C3A-92CD-468840D09E148.html. You can just about see the black spotter foot-stand that my knees were scraping.

Oh, and I had great pleasure in asking for the manager at my gym and telling him why I was cancelling my membership, even though I was only 8 months into the minimum 12 month contract.

 

[anotherbutters]

I received some supps today that I ordered in bulk last week. 10kg dextrose in a single plastic bag