Cure's 6 month strength building plan. Advice and comments sought.

[Cure]

well I actually lost weight this week.

I've had a horrible cold, which has contributed to low motivation and low appetite the last couple of days. I now weight 70.4kg, only a few hundred grammes less but its still annoying to go backward.

I think Ive worked out what was going wrong with my squat. Essentially-

My hamstrings are not flexible enough.

This was fine when I was using the high bar grip, but when I switched to low bar I had to lean forward more.

This increased lean, combined with trying to go well below parallel, meant that My hamstrings tightened up, causing my lower back to round without me really noticing.

Thus rounded lower back= less stability and less power transfered to the bar, no wonder I was struggeling. I also think this is a partial cause of a minor muscle strain in my mid back.

therefore..

Ive decided to take a weeks break from lifting heavy weights. This is partly to let my back recouperate properly and partly because personal circumstances mean I will be away from the gym next week.
I am going to do a week of HIIT and body weight exercises including some low intensity pylometrics stuff for the legs, plus a lot of hamstring stretching!
This is the sort of exercise Ive neglected recently, so it will be usefull to mix things up a bit.

I will restart my weights program with a lot more motivation and a lot more calories, on monday the 26th.

Cure.

 

[Cure]

evening all.

I have started up the weights program again after a lay off.

last sunday- Day A - all lifts were lower than before the layoff but I expected this.

Tuesday- Day B, I did front squats and power cleans, both with 50kg working sets. And OHP 35kg.

Today I did workout day A.

squats
Barx10
40x5
50x4
60x4
70x5x3

I was much happier about these, 70kg again and still had energy. I feel like I can start increasing the weight again slowly. I will add 2.5kg once or twice a week and see how it goes with mixing in the front squats.

Bench-
barx5x2
30x5
40x5
55x5
55x5
55x4 (failed last rep)

Deadlift- warmed up to a 95kgx5 working set. Not my max (100) but will get there again. I plan on adding 2.5kg per session to my deadlift working set.

My back injury seems to have healed up nicely but will be keeping an eye on it.
My diet has been better the last few days. Im going to keep getting my milk down me and try and eat a large ammount of meat each day, for example half a chicken.
I will hopefully now be able to make steady progress over the next few months.

Current targets-
90kg squat
120kg deadlift.
60kg bench (nearly there!)
40kg OHP (also nearly there!)
60kg Power clean.

The squat is the one that needs the most improvement. Hopefully by eating loads more, and mixing back squats with lighter front squats (to give my legs more of a break) I can make good progress.

thanks.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Keep up the good work, the deadlifts coming on!

Remember and sit back on the squat!

 

[Cure]

Thanks Quag,

Im squatting as low as I can with good form, which isnt very low, slightly below parallel. I cant squat any lower than that at the moment because my hamstrings are tight and it causes my lower back to round, which was really doing my back in.
I will keep stretching and try to get it down lower.
Might it be worth switching back to putting a wedge under my heel? I know its "cheating" but it helps while im not flexible.

Yesterdays workout was utter sh!t.

Front squats 3x5 with 55kg, which I was happy with.
OHP but failed the last rep of the last set, annoying.
tried a few pulls ups, barely managed 8 in 3 sets, didn't have any energy at all for cleans so skipped them.
I know what the problem was, hadnt eaten enough, didnt ahve any energy.

Will eat more in future, especially on workout days!

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Here are some mobility drills that you can do before the weights:

http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=1778726

I do most of these every week before I lift. Definitely helps get you into a fuller rom. Takes away tightness.

These are called dynamic stretches and are the kind you want to do before you lift. Static stretches are the other type that are the only ones that most people do- when you hold or stay in a certain position. You don't want to static stretch before you lift, only after. They temporarily make you weaker, but contribute to strength in the long term by helping to restor the muscle to its full length.

With the squat I wouldn't bother with a wedge. I would use a box and set it at the height you are comfortable squatting too without your back rounding or form breaking down. Then over a few weeks/months work on the stretches and lower the box height every week or two and you'll get a better rom in no time. This isn't proper box squatting I'm talking about where you sit on the box, here you are only using it to make sure your in the rom you are comfortable with. So you squat down and go back up just as you feel the box beneath you. No bouncing off it or anything like that.

Keep it up,

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Thanks Quag,

I tried out the mobility drills today and they felt really good, Ill definatly be incorporating them into my warm up from now on! And thanks for the info about the stretches, will do those post workout in future.
Not sure the box thing will work as my gym doesnt have any adjustable boxes.

Programme is going pretty sh!t at the moment, two cold's back to back, with associated lack of appetite, has knocked me way of shedual. I didnt do weights today, just stretches and the drills.

I dont want to exacerbate the cold so ill get started again as soon as Im better.

Im eating ok still, gettting in as much as possible. I weighed 70.5kg today so Im not losing weight or strenght, just not gaining any.

Cant wait to get started again, Ive got targets to hit!

 

[Cure]

Righty. Time to start doing things properly. Ive been faffing about for weeks now and I only have 8 weeks left for this thread!

From now I will motivate myself properly, eat enormous ammounts, lift right, and make as much progress as possible, documenting each of my remaining 22 workouts (approx). I will be doing

11x A.

Back squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

alternating with 11x B.

Front squat 3x5
OH Press 3x5
Power Clean 5x3
Pull ups 3xmax (max=4/5)

Yesterday was day A.

Squat 10xbar, 5x30, 5x40, 4x50 3x60 3x5x70kg
Bench 2x5xbar, 5x30, 5x40, 2x5x55kg, 5x50kg
Deadlift 5xbar, 5x50, 5x60, 4x70, 2x80, 2x90 5x95kg


To consume enough protien, I will aim for at least half a kilo of meat per day, plus my milk and anything else I can get down me. Might also get some whey protein again.

Cure

 

[Cure]

Today was day B. It went really well.

Front squats
10xbar, 5x30,5x40 3x50, 3x5x60.
Despite my legs aching prior to the workout, and the increased weight, these felt really fine. Only my grip on the bar was stopping me lifting more. I plan to add a few kilos per session to both types of squat for as long as possible.

Pull ups
Im still pathetic at these, but managed a few sets of 4/5.

OH Press. 8xbar, 5x30, 3x5x37.5.
So close to the 40kg mark now. Today was difficult but form didnt suffer, which is how it should be. Felt strong.

Power cleans.
warm ups, and 5 sets of 3 at 55kg, which is slightly higher than last time. Form was dogdy on a few reps here and there, but in each case it was because I DIDNT lift the bar fast enough, rather than because I couldnt.
I need to work on technique for this lift still. So may add in a few extra sets at a much lighter weight, after my work sets.

Other stuff-
Got a multivitamin thingy today. It was cheap so I figured why not. Its got cod liver oil, plus vits A,B1-12, C,D,E and some other stuff.

Are there any other supplements that are reccomended for people on strenght training programmes? Ive done some research on it but so much info seems to be provided by supplement companys with an obvious interest in flogging products.

Next workout Day A, on wednesday/thursday.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Here is a post I made in Kbear's log:


"Don't know if I've mentioned supps before to you. There are some basics that are a very good idea- especially if you don't eat a lot of fruit and veggies and also because you drink. You also mentioned in log that you have a sleep issue, this suggests nutritional problems.

I see the same base level supps recommended everywhere. IA has a "base level" recommendation which he says is stuff that you must get. From here:

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3383

1 mega-dose multi-vitamin and full spectrum mineral packs

2000 mgs vit C a day

300% calcium/magnesium/zinc a day

4-10 grams of fish oil

I personally don't know if his cal/mag/zinc is a touch high, but he has trained thousands of people so I'm sure he has good reason to recommend that much. I personally like going with around double the RDA. This is very similar to what Warboss had me on although his cal/zinc/mag were closer to rda/double rda. You have to take into consideration how much the multi would give you of each of these three, and then make them up the full amount seperatley.

All of this can start to get costly, which is another reason to maybe aim for rda/double rda- you'll still be covering bases. From what I've read rda is generally considered low by a lot of people, and that is for the general population. Lifter's require more, which is why I think double rda is a good idea. See what works for you. You have to remember as well that your diet shouldn't be completley shi*, on the contrary it should be as good as possible, and it should provide a lot of nutrients, particularly zinc from beef. However I've found that magnesium is potentially one of the biggest issues in the modern diet. We used to get a lot more in our diet from water/vegetables, but levels are declining because of farming practices and water filtration. It is used in 300+ reactions in the body and is critical for optimum function. Poliquin says 100% of his athletes are deficient when they first come to him. From what I have read I think magnesium is a no brainer for many people.

A good multi is the beverley international super pak, it's IA's first recommendation. His second is the NOW Adam multi.

For the cal/mag/zinc you want forms ending in ate. Citrate seems to be the most economical.

I'd really try and afford this stuff. If you can afford the booze, you can afford this stuff- that's my argument anyway. Another supp that is fairly cheap and might be a good idea if you find it hard to gain weight/digest food is betaine hydrochloride. If you have digestion problems (alcohol will raise your risk) then you might absorb your vitamins poorly.

Some other stuff you can then start to think about is vitamin e, green tea, b vitamins, creatine. The list can go on and on if your budget is big enough.

For sleep though zinc and magnesium comes highly recommended from a lot of people.

Hope this helps,

Quagmire

Ps- Epsom salts are a great recovery after your workouts. You put 400-600g in a bath and go in for at least 15 minutes. They are magnesium sulfate, so it helps to boost your magnesium levels. Sulfate is good to. I've heard they are excellent for relaxing and sleep. Had my first one today, it was great."



Don't know if you drink or not, but the same basic supps still apply...I'd try and get one of the multi's mentioned above. A lot of the cheaper ones are poorly absorbed and have stuff in them that you don't want.

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Thanks quag,
2000mg of vit C is a LOT!
On top of the current multivit Ive got Ill get a CMZ tablet and some liquid cod liver oil and see how that goes for a couple of months.

Im not drinking at the moment, gave up a few weeks ago and dont plan on drinking now for quite a while. Feel much better for it, even if nights out clubbing arn't as interesting!

yesterdays workout-

Bench- warmups plus 3x55kg. Did the sets pretty fast, forced the weight out, felt strong even though the bar felt heavy. Will do 57.5 next time.

Squats- warmups, 3x75kg. REALLY pleased with this. equal to the highests I lifted before I stalled, with proper form, below parralel, and with energy left in the tank still. Im gonna add 2.5kg per session now for as long as I can.

Deads- skipped these cos I ran out of time, humbug! annoyed at myself. Im gonna allow 1.5 hours per gym session from now on, just so I can definatly get everything in even if its busy.

workout B tommorow. Im going to try and add more weight to the front squats.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

I took 13g of vitamin c the other day

 

[Cure]

your're insane! frankly. if only you'd taken that much vitamin A you could see in the dark by now!

Todays workout-

Front squats
8xbar, 5x30, 5x50 3x5x62.5kg
Slightly more weight, still had more to give, 65kg next time.

Press, 8xbar, 5x30, 3x5x37.5.
This was good, If I feel strong next time Im gonna go for the magic 40kg.

Deadlift (did these instead of cleans as Ive not done them for ages)
warmups from 8x50 to 2x90
workset- 5x100kg

I need to get this lift moving up again, I got to 100kg over a MONTH ago, and its not gone up since, So from now On Im going to add 2.5kg per session. Aiming for atleast 120kg in the short term.

Also today-
I bought liquid cod liver oil, a couple of teaspoons a day.

And combined mag/zinc/calcium tablets. - two tablets a day gives me approx 100% RDA of each, plus whats in my diet already. So that should be sufficient for now.

A shaker- to mix shakes finnally! My shakes are going to consist of whole milk, and skimmed milk power.
4 shakes a day (pint of milk plus 30-40g of powder) is a VERY cheap way to get well over 2000 calories and over 100g of protein per day.
Add in lots of meat, fruit/veg and some bread/oats on occasion and Im eating pretty damn well to bulk up.

Feeling very good about things at the moment, can almost see myself growing.

Cure.

edited for spelling.

 

[Quagmire911]

Btw what I said about the magnesium and calcium competing for absorbtion, it isn't a terribly big deal. Just finish the tablets you have now and when it is time to replace them buy them seperate. 100% rda is a good level to begin with.

However check the tablets and makesure that the three are in a form ending in ate. If they are oxide, you may as well throw them in the bin.

And watch your fat levels closley, milk doesn't agree with some people. Keep your cardio up.

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Todays workout- Day A.

Squats- warmups, 3x5 80kg.
I meant to use 77.5 but couldnt get the smaller weights, upping it by 5 worked fine. they were difficult but in a good way

Bench- warmups. 5x57.5, 5x55, 5x55
Tried the 57.5 and got all 5 reps but it was to heavy for the remaining sets. Will try again next time!

Deadlift, 50x8, 60x5, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 102.5x5
Pleased with this.

Diet is still going fairly well but need to get it better regulated as far as timings go, Im not eating anything like enough early on in the day.

Quag, regarding the supp's etc.

Ive checked the label and the magnesium is an oxide, which is annoying , Ive done a bit of reading and can see why you recommend chucking them away.
Im considering writing to Holland and Barrett and complaining, haha.
Considering the enormous amount of milk I drink, Im pretty sure Im fine for calcium intake, So perhaps I should just take magnesium and zinc separately?

I dont need to watch my fat levels at all! Nor do I do any dedicated cardio. I just have a very active lifestyle, I get everywhere by bike.
Ive been eating masses for months now and the amount of fat on me has stayed pretty much the same ie almost none. My genetics were annoying when I was skinny but Im starting to like them

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Sounds like a plan with the zinc and magnesium.

I'd still take a waist measurement once a month and make sure you aren't adding too much fat. You will add fat if you gain a lot of weight. You shouldn't be too badly of if you cycle a lot though.

Keep it up.

 

[Cure]

well I've just taken measurements and the results are frankly, really odd.

They don't seem to have moved noticeably since February when I last took them. In 10 months my chest has grown about 1cm, my arm (tensed) by the same, shoulders have gone up 3-4cm.
This is despite pretty large increases in my lifts since then. Im rather confused, maybe I'm measuring differently.

Quag you're quite right my belly button measurement has crept up. At its lowest it was around 75cm. 80cm in Febuary 09', now its 84cm.
I think Ive done alright to only put on 4cm, given my diet in the last few months and taking in to account that some of the increase is back muscle I hope!) I don't think Ill ever be 75 again!

Ive been able to grab an inch of fat around my stomach my whole life, fat goes on there and on my inner thighs. Id like to get rid of it, but I wont be able to while Im bulking. That said, I don't want it going up anymore. If it goes much above 85 I will start taking cardio seriously.

For the record, here are the current measurements, I will retake them every month or so.

Bellybutton 84cm
Chest 98cm
Shoulders 120cm
Upper Arm (tensed) 31cm
upper leg (middle) 55cm
calf 35cm.

plan for next week- take the "beep test". This will determine if I'm less fit than I was. Last year I could run to level 12.

Cure.

 

[Cure]

Day B.

Front squats
8xbar, 5x30,5x40 3x50, 3x60 3x5x70.
Went for 70kg instead of 65 as planned. 60kg felt quite light still so I added another 10. It was difficult, but I got throught it all with good form. Happy with these.

Pull ups
same as last time, still pathetic, but hopefully improoving.

OH Press. 8xbar, 5x30, 5x40kg, 3x40 (+failed rep) 5x35.
Humbug! upped the weight to soon, but never mind, live and learn. Ill get it next time.

Power cleans.
warm ups, A few sets at 55kg. Got advice from a trainer and adjusted form slightly, need to work on the second part of the pull more. Did a few more sets at 50kg to practice.
Technique only from now on, untill Ive really got it down.

Cure.

 

[Cure]

Todays workout (A) was amazingly awesome.

Quag the mobility drills are definatly helping.
My diet has also contributed to my gains in the last week, Im eating fish and meat like animals are about to go exstinct!

Squat- Warmups to... 3x5x85kg woohoo! 15kg on the bar in two weeks. And I think I can do 90kg on monday after a nice two day rest! This is how my squat is MEANT to go up!

Bench- warmups to... 3x5x57.5kg. All with good form, hard but didnt miss any. Anyone looking in my eyes for the next week will see two 20kg plates, Im so damn close!!

Deadlift- warmups to.. 5x105kg. Good form (had it checked), had more in the tank, will keep adding 2.5kg per session. Aiming for double body weight with these, so about 150kg.

On that note.

Weigh in- 72kg. Im gaining again, woohoo!!

Till monday...

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Good work, keep it up!

 

[Cure]

The two day layoff felt like forever! needed it, but dont like it. bah!

Todays workout Day B

Pulls ups- still crap.
I can still only do 4-5, that said I am getting heavier, so resistance is slightly more than it used to be.

Front squats-
barx6
40x5
50x4
60x2
work sets- 3x5 75kg.

Turns out adding 5kg works just as well for both kinds of squat! These were really hard, particularly the last set, as it should be.

OH Press

barx6
30x5
worksets- 40x5, 40x5, 40x4 (failed last rep)

My failure point on the OH Press is always the same, I get the bar up to just over my forehead, almost at the point where I can get under it but not quite, and then it just sits there and will not move up without my form breaking down completly.
Its very irritating, any pointers for getting through sticking points on lifts? I might try a slighty wider grip so my fore arms are vertical when I reach the sticking point.

Will get 3x5x40kg on friday for sure.

Power cleans-
warmups, plus 4x3 50kg. Then a couple of sets with the bar working on technique.
I think I know what Ive been doing wrong. Ive been flareing the elbows outward as I shrugg, turning the lift into a glorified very-upright row. Using th bar, I was able to keep the elbows in which felt a lot more natural, so on friday I will try just doing 10-15 singles with 50kg, practicing untill I am getting it right.

Looking forward to wednesday, bench and deadlifts! woo!

Cure.