Heavy Metal Squared - (Stronglifts 5x5) - Vids Pg2, 3, 6, 7

Yep, just got to keep at it!
The PB's both felt like there was more there.
 
Vids;

Behold my skinny legs and my £4 Primarni boots!
 
Squat 60kg x3 for form check.
 

 
Squat 90kg x1
 

 
Deadlift 125kg x1
 

 
Bench 50kg x1 (including possition cock up)
Put a pause in it, a la powerlifting.
 

 
Music was Pantera - Far Beyond Driven!
Total = 125/95/50 = 270kg.
 
I feel like i'd benefit from a 1 on 1 session with someone who knows what their talking about, to help me with form. Hard to feel what i'm doing wrong at times, but i'm sure i'm doing loads wrong.

Ordered myself some creatine monohydrate and some more protein from myprotein.
Might be doing a few weights tonight!
 
Going on holiday on Friday night after work and am hoping to do a lot of cardio whilst there, to get myself into a good state for the start of the rugby season.
Once I get back I hope to be smashing the weights!

Since getting back from holiday things haven't been great.
I've been screwed at work and am know looking for a new job whilst working there. Thinking about retraining totaly to be honest.
Been pretty down and got a bug too which has left me massively exhausted all the time.
My sleeping patterns been ruined totaly. Waking up late and going to bed at near 3am is not good.
 
Want to get more possitive and get back to weight training.
Rugby season starting soon. Possibly a friendly in 2 days time!
Strarting on the creatine tonight and hoping to get going properly!
Looking back at those video's I think if I train consistently I should be able to gain strength and mass quite well. Just need to keep at it.
 
Think I might ditch bench press and swap it for flat dumbell presses instead. Just can't feel it working the chest.
 
Ok, less whinging now and trying to go to sleep!

Had a good training session. Did some passing work, with fitness and then a load of contact work.
I got almost everything wrong to start with. Body possitions were all wrong, decision making. Sorted it out by the end though!
 
Seems the new coach sees me as a centre, which is no bad thing. So i'm going to stick to playing 12 I think. Need some more bulk, so I can take the crash ball on.
 
Followed the training session by wathcing the 1st team beat local rivals by 31-3, with 5 tries.
Got home and checked the net and Bristol's first season of the game was a resounding, win against Doncaster with a try bonus point as well. Brilliant!

Had a quick session today after work, to get back into it.
Only as quick one to get myself going again.
 
Core
Planks 3x30secs
 
Squats
bar x 10
40kg x 5
60kg - 5/5/5
 
Deadlifts
60kg x 5
90kg x 3
110kg x 1
 
Went light with the weights and worked on technique. Squats felt pretty good. Deadlifts weren't quite right somewhere.
Trying to get back into it, so need to make sure my technique is up to scratch.
 
I'm onto my new protein and creatine monohydrate from myprotein now.
Had a little niggle on the right side of my groin.  Think I twanged something at rugby training on saturday.
 

Morning...just having a nosey, checking you're okay and all is going well....mind that groin thing.....stretch your inner thighs if it's not too painful for you.....errmm...lol...I feel like a right ole perv saying that!!!..hahaha....it's just what I was told when I tweaked mine..but I don't know really...durr....have a good week Mystery Tom...take care mister...

Its been a very busy month. Work has been insane beyond belief!
Luckily we have finished a big project now and things have calmed down a bit.
 
I've started to take up blacksmithing as a hobby and as a way to earn a bit of extra money. Subsequently my garage gym, looks like this;
 

 
Got a lot of work to be done in terms of clearing it all up and being able to get to my weights again. Theres currently wood everywhere from me chopping up a pallete to use as kindling and fire wood.
 
Later today I have my first game of rugby of the season. Hopefully this will help me get a little fitter and get some spark back for training.....
 
Just for fun heres an image of some of the stuff I made on an intro to blacksmithing course;
 

Good game of rugby. We came from behind to win and with a bonus point for 4 tries as well. Top of the table!
 
I was supposed to start at #8, which is quite funny considering the size of me. Ended up playing blindside flank and then scrum half for the last 20 mins. Did pretty well, but was blowing out my arse by the end of the game.
My calves are ruined and I have plenty of bruise, cuts and scrapes and possibly a broken nose. Fun times!

Had another game of rugby. Played scrum half, but swapped to outside centre after around 30 minutes. Ok game, we lost closely, but I got dumped near the end and landed on my spine, which i've bruised a bit. Bugger!
 
My calf muscles are killing me now. Fitness is slowly coming back.
 
Soon I will have my garage cleared and will be able to begin training again. Still got a lot of angle grinding and welding to do first though. Sigh!

Turns out that bruise on my spine has lasted more like 5 weeks, with a lot of swelling and muscular aches. Its just taking forever to heal. I think I landed on an area I hurt before when I was kicking a rugby ball about and slipped and landed on my back, and chipped one of the facets of my spine.
Either way its taken ages to heal, and is a pain in the arse! I've got the all clear from the doctor now though, so will start training again soon. Light to start with!

The spine bruise was a total bugger of an injury. Took ages to heal.
I've also mostly got over a load of other problems as well, but don't want to go into those here. Hopefully re-starting training soon!
 
Going to look at a local gym tonight, which gives a big discount for local rugby players, so I can join for £20 a month for a 6 month contract. Hopefully this will get me motivated to lift again!

Went for a 2 mile run after work. First exercise i've done in months. Sucking in the cold air hurt the lungs a bit, but its for a good cause.
Also did some core work before going for the run. Did some planks and situps.
 
Hoping to get up early and do some weights tomorrow morning before work, using the revised stronglifts 5x5 routines. Which are as follows:
 
Workout A
-------------
Squats 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Bent over rows 5x5
 
Workout B
-------------
Squats 5x5
Overhead press 5x5
Deadlifts 1x5

MysteryTom


Went for a 2 mile run after work. First exercise i've done in months. Sucking in the cold air hurt the lungs a bit, but its for a good cause.
Also did some core work before going for the run. Did some planks and situps.

Hoping to get up early and do some weights tomorrow morning before work, using the revised stronglifts 5x5 routines. Which are as follows:

Workout A
-------------
Squats 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Bent over rows 5x5

Workout B
-------------
Squats 5x5
Overhead press 5x5
Deadlifts 1x5

Best of luck getting back into things mate.
 
Got a nice routine there to add alot of strength! Stick with it.

Well i've had a mega **** day, so get home late and decide to take it out with the first weights session back.
Did a few prone bridges for the core and then onto squats.
Did a warm up of 10 reps with the bar and it feels like I had nothing on my back. Got to 50kg for 5x5 (taking it easy for first session back) and cranked out the first 2 sets easily. Hardly feels like any weight at all. Technique feeling surprisingly good and getting nice hip drive out of the hole etc.

After the 3rd set, both of my hamstrings decided to buggery. Couldn't continue with anything they were so bad! RAGING!!!

 
Nice journal, just spotted the title because I'm doing Stronglifts 5x5 myself. Intended to just have a quick look but got sucked in and read the whole 7 pages.
 
Your journal is very interesting, I'll keep coming back for updates, good luck with your training.

Cheers. Its been a very rough ride so far. Hoping it picks up now! Good luck with your training too. Will find out your journal some time.
 
My legs are aching today. Pathetic considering how easy everything felt yesterday, till the cramp.

Didn't train for a while, as I was saving myself up for a game of rugby, on Saturday.
It was my first game back in months and ironically against the same team, that I got injured against. I got the second half on the wing (boo) and managed to score a try.
 
We won 64-0 and ran in ten tries.
 
Now the Monday after i'm feeling ok. a little stiff, but not too bad all things considered!

Back to it tonight and at least this time there won't be ice on the bar.
Hopefully I won't get the redicullous cramp again. We shall see.....

First training session in ages!
Was starving before starting and had to settle for a banananananana!

Did the warmup and core stuff inside, then went to the garage to do the weights!

Core

Situps - 10, 10, 10
Planks - 30 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec.

Alternating!

Squats

bar - 10
40kg - 5, 5, 5, 5
60kg - 1
80kg - 1

Did the 40kg's to see if i'd get mega cramp again. Was going well so tried for a few singles!

Bench (flat)

bar - 10
30kg - 5, 5, 5
40kg - 5
50kg - 1 (equal PB)

Dumbbell Flies (flat)

5kg per hand - 8, 8, 8

Started light to get back into things. Quite happy with how it went. Might have gone better if I wasn't so bloody starving.

New idea for weekly routine!
 
Workout A - Mon
OHP - 5x5
Deadlift - 1x5
Lateral raises - 3x8
Rear delt raises - 3x8
 
Workout B - Weds
Squats - 5x5
Bench - 5x5
Flies - 3x8
DB kickbacks/lying tricep extensions - 3x8 (alternate weekly)
 
Workout C - Fri
Bent over rows - 5x5
chin ups/pull-ups - x15 (as many sets as necessary)
hammer curls - 3x8