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

[Cure]

Humbug, I hurt my back a bit the other day, I think it was the OH Press that did it, in future Im not gonna be stupid trying to force reps out.
Luckily I only over worked it a bit, its nothing serious but it could have been.

Ive done pilates and yoga this week as well, which are both great and a very good compliment to my strenght program.

Yesterdays workout (A)-

Back Squats,

warmups to 3x5x87.5kg
-These were very challenging, but form and debth were still acceptable. Im going to add 2.5kg per session from now on and really focus on stability and good form.

Bench Press-
I was worried because my triceps were aching, but I still managed to get 3x5x57.5kg with no problems or stalling.
Next week I have two bench sessions so Im going to try for 3x5x60 next friday.

Deadlift-
8xbar
5x40
5x60
3x70
3x80
3x90
2x100
5x107.5kg

Happy with these.

Diet is going well, lots of meat and milk (whole chicken yesterday!) but I'm really bad at remembering to take my supplements. Will work on getting it right all the time. And I still need to eat MORE!!

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Nice going on the deads! Remember and put PR after it if it is the most you have ever done.

As far as supps go, just take them all before you go to bed.

Keep it up.

 

[Cure]

haha, it seems a bit silly to put PR after stuff when Im increasing the weight every few days, hence why I stopped. But if you insist.

Supps are meant to be taken with a meal are they not? I guess it probably doesnt matter all that much.

Just need to get better at remembering. Ill take them now..

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Take them all with your last meal then

 

[Quiksilver]

I take mine at breakfast and at last meal before bed, those are the controllable meals I have when I'm at home. Put your supps in ziplock bags(everything for the day in 1 bag) to make it easier.

 

[Cure]

Yesterdays workout-

Was feeling quite lethargic.

warmup- 1k row, stretches, mobility drills,

Front squats- warmups to 3x5x77.5 Kg PR.
These were REALLY difficult and I could feel my back muscles were right on the limit keeping me upright, but managed them all, same weight but better form next time.

OH Press- warmups to 3x5x40 Kg PR, happy with these! Im now OH Pressing the same weight I was benching when I started. woo! Next goal is to get 50kg.

Power Cleans- technique work with 40kg, these were difficult, didnt have enough energy, must be better next week!

pull/chin ups, a couple of sets on the assist machine, lazy, heart wasnt in it.

I've been doing quite well with diet though.

Yesterday I had milk, skimmed milk power, half a chicken, two chicken breasts, 125g Qwark, 50g peanuts and a slection of bread, potatoes, plus my supps and fruit/veg.

Enjoying my weekend off, back to the weights on monday, might do my first Bench work set with 60kg to see how it feels.

Cure.

 

[Cure]

yesterdays workout- Day A.

Row- 1km in 3.45, shattered by the end of it, had to walk it off to get the lactic acid out prior to mobility drills.

back squats- warm ups to 3x5x90kg.
These were difficult. On my last warm up and first attempt at the first set my left shoulder was hurting a lot as soon as I got under the bar. So I adjusted my grip, but I think Ive hurt my shoulder a bit as it felt unstable benching.

Im going to stay at 90kg now for a couple of weeks at least while I get form spot on again, as its started to drift. Then will go for 100kg when I get back from Christmas break.

Bench- warmups to 3x5x57.5
Didn't have a lot of energy and had shoulder issues mentioned, but got through it with no problems.
I want to bench my body weight dammit!! :trouble: only 15kg to go..

Deadlift- warmups to 5x110
These were odd, form was fine, the weight was fine, my grip was the issue. had to change round for the 5th rep and felt like I was going to drop it.

I need to strengthen my grip, any ideas?

Diet still ok, not amazing, but ok,will work on this as time permits. I'm going to buy a gas stove soon which will make it possible to cook mince

I have seven workouts until I go home for Christmas, starting up again on Monday 4th of January. I aim to hit all my targets before Christmas. Getting 60kg on the power clean will be very difficult but the rest are obtainable.

Cure

 

[Quagmire911]

Something I like to do for grip is hang onto a chinup bar for as long as possible. When it gets to easy you can add weight to your body, or progress to hanging on with only one hand.

You could also look into getting a captains of crush gripper if you want. Ironmind make them. I'd recommend starting with the 100lb one called "the trainer", and maybe getting the no.1 at the same time.

 

[Rampage1]

you have made good progress so far. My advice on the bench is just keep upping the weight. Try the 60 kg next week and even if you are doing 1 rep of it, it is fine. Have a spotter, you dont need to have and exact 5 reps every time.

I for example have move up 20 kg in the past 2 months on my bench by just pushing myself to the max. I am now doing 85 kg for reps when I was doing 65, all because my spotter pushed me into lifting heavier weights and forcing my body to acclimatise to the heavier weights and get stronger. With your bodyweight, I think that you should naturally be lifting heavier weights anyway so just force a little extra weight on yourself will adjust quicker than you think! thats my $0.02

 

[Cure]

Rampage, thanks, you are quite right. For my body weight I should be lifting more and I should be pushing more.
Lifting with a fixed 5 reps per set is the first thing Im going to drop when I get to the end of the current program. It seems silly to lift 5 reps each time when I would make faster progress lifting 4-7 depending on how much I can manage.

Ill try 60kg tommorow with a spotter and see how it goes, I dont normally have one.

Quag, cheers, I wont get a gripper just yet, its not practical, but I will certainly try hanging off the bar.

yesterdays workout-

Front squats- warmups to 3x5x80kg PR.
These felt more stable than last time despite putting more weight on the bar, no back trouble at all. Harder on my arms and shoulders than on my legs, my grip adapts slower than my leg muscles I think.

OH Press- warmups to 3x5x40kg
Difficult, but managed all reps with good form, and no shoulder pain/instability.

Power cleans- warmups to 5x3x55kg,
I just went for it, and managed it, but form is still a little off. Im lifting to much with my arms and not enough with my legs.

Didnt do pulls ups.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

I'd be careful with saying "4-7 reps depending on how much I can manage".

There is quite a big difference physically between 4 reps and 7. You need to have a plan and stick to it.

This isn't a race, it isn't about what you "should" be benching. It is about progress from week to week. 1+1+1+1 as DC put it. Do this and you will be benching bw in no time, just focus on the workout in hand.

You have made good progress over the last few months. Stick to what you are doing. When you start to stall on Rippetoe, deload, and keep going. I think it is standard to deload twice on Rippetoe before altering the programming.

Once you stall after deloading once or twice, then it is time to look at a new plan. Good options will be IA's simple power based routine at the start of this thread in my first post, option B in where to start, or 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler.

There is a lot of temptation to throw as much weight on the bar as possible, and to get a spotter to "force out reps". Most of these people get no where. Carefully planned progression is what works. Here is a good metaphor: I am trying to get lean. I gradually lose 1-2lbs every week over the course of weeks/months and get where I want to go. What people that fail at dieting and weight training do is say "hey, it'll work even better if I eat only 50% of my daily calories". They end up chewing up muscle and in their desperation turn to cookies anc crisps, we all know where that ends up. So yes, slow and steady wins the race in this game.

Quagmire

 

[Rampage1]

Slow and steady wins the race but if you are capable of quick progression you should be going for it instead of sticking to minute gains when you could have more. The quicker you get past one hurdle the quicker you move on to the next one imo! Diet should not be compared to training in this case....the simple facts are he will grow if he is lifting heavier weights and progressing each workout, the quicker he progresses the quicker he will grow, just keep measuring what exact reps you are doing so you can then beat that the next time by either adding more weight or reps, its quite simple really

 

[Quagmire911]

Come now don't be obtuse!

Clearly you should follow the quickest progression possible. Therefore the best thing to do is follow the best route between a 60kg and 90kg bench. However, most guys at my gym do forced reps with a weight they can't handle whilst their spotters scream "it's all you man". There is a tendency for people to over step their bounds...

 

[Cure]

cheers for the input guys, I think I should clarify a few things.

Im trying to gain strenght as fast as possible, but I know that the best way isnt chucking weight on the bar, and Ill certainly never be one of those guys who treats benching as a team sport
I know its best to follow the programme as long as I can, Im just an impatient perfectionist! Its difficult for me to not tamper with it!

Quag, 4-7 is too big a range. What I mean is that I find it easier to progress by lifting a weight 5 times, then 6 times, then 7 times, then adding a bit of weight and dropping back to 5 reps. That way I make gradual improvement every session.
Im thinking I might just get some 0.5kg weights of my own and take them to the gym to do 1kg increments.

I think that more than anything else improving my diet will help me make more gains than anything else I can do.

yesterdays workout (A)

Back squats-

barx8
65x5
75x4
90x5
90x5
90x2 followed by lowering the bar to fast, losing my balance and having to dump the bar on the pins, how embarrasing!!
90x5

Bench-
barx8 - like pushing air
40x5 - easy
50x3 meh

3x5x60kg, hurray!!
Finally on the big plates, new goal- body weight. Which is currently 73kg (and going up nicly).
My bench has gotta go up faster than my body weight, which shouldnt be to much of a problem.

Deadlifts- ran out of time so had to skip these, annoying.

Not quite sure how Im going to arrange my workouts in the next couple of weeks but will update as and when I do them.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

I see (on the 4-7 thing). If you were to do this I think it would be better to do 6, 7, 8. As for 0.5kg plates, I don't think they are terribly useful for the big lifts, they are better for increasing smaller iso movements.

Here is an set scheme based on rep work:

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_...raining_performance/the_five_percent_solution

5/3/1 is another spin on this and there are others.

Stick with Rippetoe till you exhaust it though.

 

[Cure]

Quag cheers for the links, good stuff.
You're quite right 6-8 would be a better rep range. Especially as Ive been working with 5.
The 0.5kg would be primarily for the presses, as these are the lifts where a 2.5kg increase is often to much in one go.

How will I know when Ive exhausted rippetoe? Obviously the longer I can continue with it the better. As monotonous as it gets, no point fixing it if its not broken, as was pointed out to me at the start of this thread.

todays workout-

Front squats-
barx8
40x5
60x5
70x3
work- 3x5x80kg

Tough but form was good, will try 85kg on friday. With this lift Its my sholders and wrists that are holding me back I think, as the weight gets unstable in the grip toward the end of each set.

OH Press-
barx5
32.5x5
42.5x5
42.5x5
40x5

Could manage the higher weight for the first two sets, but reduced it for the last set as there was no point trying to get 5 reps and failing (as I knew I would). Will get it for all 3 sets on friday.

Power cleans-
barx a few
40x3
50x3
57.5x3x5

These were ok, last couple of sets were better as was using my legs more.
I dont like power cleans, they are complicated and difficult and I never feel like Im doing it right even though I think my form is pretty ok.
It seems impossible to jump up without the bar going under my knees at the bottom of the jump, which results in a half hearted jump and far to much use of my arms.

Give me pendlay rows anyday.. can I swap back?

pulls ups- three sets, various grips, rubbish as usual, I dont know why Im so crap at these

on the plus side - I bought 7 cans of red salmon on special offer today, 80g of protein per can! :rockon:

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

If you can't safely do cleans, just do rows.

How many reps did you get on the pullups? It might be a better idea to do pulldowns until your strength is better on them. Something like 2-3 sets in the 8-12 rep range.

By exhausting Rippetoe, I mean to the point you no longer see gains from doing it. So after you stall and deload 1-2 times.

Keep it up,

Quagmire

Edit- You said in my journal you'll need to lose fat at some point. If you're unhappy with your fat levels I'd take care of that before putting on muscle. There is no need to be/get chubby whilst putting muscle on. Psychologically it is better as well. What cardio are you doing at the moment?

 

[Cure]

hey hey,

Yesterdays workout (A)

drank a pint of milk/milk power immediatly before hand, which was stupid as it made me feel really sick and lethargic, no more food in the 30-60 mins before workout.

squats- warmups to 3x5x90kg.

The first two sets felt really really hard, the third suprisingly was slightly easier, no idea why.
I was going as low as possible, below parallel, my flexibility is definatly improving but still work to be done.
Going so low did mean my form suffered a little, with my hips rising before my upper back on some reps, but this should clear up as I get stronger and more flexibile. Will Iron out all form/flexibility issues before I shoot for 100kg.

bench- warmups to 3x5x60kg.

Nothing special to report here, but did feel good using the 20kg plates finally!

Deadlifts-

barx8
40x5
60x5
80x3
90x2
100x1
105x1
110x1
112.5x1

workset- 115x5 PR

Long warmup for these, Because I was going for 5 kg more than last time and wanted form to be spot on. The work set felt like the entire planet was hanging off my arms, but I got through it, no grip issues this time.
120kg next week!

Quag,

Ill persevere with the cleans till the end of the 6 months I think, hopefully they will improve and I will learn to like them, I can see the benefits of the movement.

I could do no pulls ups at all a year and a half ago, gradually improved till I could do about 4-5, but that was 6 months ago and Ive not improved since, I always get stuck on the 5th rep if I use proper form.
I will switch to pull downs, good plan, till I can do 10 reps at body weight, then try pull ups again.

With the body fat, Its not as much of an issue as I made it out to be.

I've always been very skinny wtih a tiny ammount of body fat (inner thights, belly). In the past few months Ive put on an inch or so round my waist, which will need to dissapear at some point, but I can still see my abs If I flex them, so its not anything to worry about!
I just meant that at some point Ill want to strip off a few % points.

My cardio is random cycling everywhere, plus the odd run/dance class. I dont need to do dedicated cardio becasue I have a very active lifestyle, always have, hence why Ive only put on weight since I've been stuffing my face!
Over christmas Im going to wales for a week, So I will indulge in some fell running! If that doesnt get me in shape I dont know what will!

Cure

 

[Quagmire911]

Another option I don't see discussed a lot is DB power cleans. Ross Enamait uses them and I think it would take away some of the issues people have. You could try them. You could also just lower the weight a bit, this is probably a good idea. It's not a race.

With the pulldowns I'd aim a little higher than 10bw before switching back, you want to give yourself the best chance possible. Pulldowns are a different movement neurally so they may or may not carry over. Get to the stage where your doing maybe 15bw or 10 with 5-10kg over bw. Your actual bw plays a huge role in chins though. Keep these strict as well, most people I see cheat on them like hell and are kidding themselves on.

That is good that you are active, but you still need to watch it. Milk gets a lot of people fat, so be careful.

Keep it up, the deadlift is looking good.

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Sure thing, It will take a LONG time to get to 15 pull downs at body weight, bah! but worth it in the long run, will add them in after cleans. And try lowering the weight on the cleans, worthwhile if I can get my technique down.

Fridays workout was rather disasterous. Was fine for energy etc.

Front squats- warmups to 3x5x80kg, these were difficult, I was making sure to go down as low as possible. Hence getting out of the hole at the bottom was challenging, but I managed it, happy with these.

OH Press-

warmups- felt oddly heavy.

42.5kg x3 (failed 3rd or 4th rep) so dropped the weight back down-
40kgx5 (really hard)
40kgx2
My shoulders just gave up half way through the 3rd set and it was pointless carrying on. No idea what the issue was but just couldn't put power on the bar properly. Will try again on Wednesday. Nightmare

Powercleans- warmups to 5x3x58kg.
Did these with a shorter barbell and 20kg plates. which felt better. I was happy with form for most reps. I think I need to focus on ensuring my shrug and jump are simultaneous.

Sunday today and back still aching a little, hopefully be fully recovered tomorrow and ready for another dead lift session.

Cure.