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

Heavy Metal Squared

This journal originally started out for me and my friend Joel, as a training log. We trained together for a few months, but then unfortunately Joel had to move away. So back to training alone!

I will be trying to build size and strength from a 5x5 routine, based around the 3 major powerlifting lifts of bench press, squats and deadlifts.
Only real concern is to build mass and strength for playing rugby!

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Tom Starting Stats

Height = 5'8''
Starting weight = ~10.5 stones.
Current weight = 11st 10lb


5 Rep Max
Bench Press = 45Kgx5 (tech is totaly useless though)
Squat = 65Kgx5
Deadlift = 110x5 (from some time ago)



1 Rep Max
Bench Press = 50Kg
Squat = 95Kg
Deadlift = 125Kg
 
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Aims

• Deadlift 200Kg (150kg by end of 2012)
• Squat 150Kg (120kg by the end of 2012)
• Bench press 100Kg (80kg by end of 2012)
• Power clean 100kg (70kg by the end of 2012)
• Bulk to ~14/15 stone
• Grow a manly beard (currently have pathetic facial hair for a 30 year old).

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My Garage Dungeon Gym

Pic to be added later!

Equipment is very basic, but it does the job for now. Will add more as and when it is required!
I have a cheap bench and a rudimentary squat rack, type of thing made out of iron girders with brackets welded to them. going for the Rocky 4, training in Russia feel.
This was later upgraded to a power cage and an olympic bar setup, with a new flat bench!

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Stronglifts 5x5 Strength Buidling Routine

Workout A

Squats 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Inverted Rows 3xfailure
Push ups 3xfailure
Reverse crunches 3x12

Workout B

Squats 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5
Deadlifts 1x5
Pull Ups/Chin Ups 3xfailure (alternate)
Planks 3x30secs

For more information see > http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

What follows is a series of training sessions that me and Joel have started with, to get us going.
I will try and put them all in and keep any new ones up to date, as we go.

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11/5/2010 - Starter Session

This was just a session to show Joel my garage and get a few feels of a few lifts again, as we both haden't done any weights for ages.

Flat Bench
Worked up to 40Kgs - 2x5 and 2x8

Bent Over Rows
25Kgs - 3x10 and 3x10
35Kgs - 2x5 and 2x8

Flat Bench Flies
5Kgs (per hand) - 3x8 and 3x8

Deadlifts
45Kgs - 3x10 and 3x10

Just a quick session to get acclimatised with lifting again.
All lifts need practice!

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13/5/2010 - Biceps + Triceps

Bicep Curls
10Kgs (per hand) - 3x8 and 3x8

Tricep Kickbacks
5Kgs - 3x8 (first time i'd ever done these, stung like a bitch)
10Kgs - 3x8

EZ Bar Bicep Curls
20Kgs - 3x8 and 3x8

Dumbell Tricep Extensions
15Kgs - 3x8-10 and 3x8-10

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Wednesday 19/5/2010 - Legs + Shoulders

Squats
25Kg - 2x10 and 2x10
35Kg - 2x10 and 2x10
45Kg - 1x8 and 1x8

Arnold Presses
10Kgs (per hand) - 2x8 and 3x8

Tom was having troubled with an old shoulder injury.

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Monday 7/6/2010 - Chest + Shoulders

Flat Bench Press
Warmup at 25kgs - 1x10 and 1x10
35kg - 4x5
45kg - 2x5
50kg - 3x5
40kg - 1x5

Tom was stiff from playing cricket and bowling. Couldn't get the feel, or balance.

Arnold Presses
10kg (per hand) - 8,5,6 and 8,8,8

Dumbell Flat Flies
5kg (per hand) - 3x8 and 3x8

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Wednesday 9/6/2010 - Biceps + Triceps

Bicep Curls
10kg (per hand) - 3x8 and 3x8

During the rest period we did the Plank for a minute as a core stability exercise. This was done twice during the bicep curls, between sets.

Tricep Kickbacks
5kg - 3x8
10kg - 3x8

1 minute plank after sets!

Hammer Curls
10kg (per hand) - 3x8 and 3x8

Close Grip Bench Press
15kg (warmup) - 1x10 and 1x10
25kg - 3x8 and 3x8

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First 'proper' session!

Monday 14/6/2010

Squats
25kg (warmup) - 10 and 10
45kg - 5 each
55kg - 5 each
65kg - 5,5 and 5,5
75kg - 1 and 2

Joel just had to do an extra rep!

Calf Raises
75kg - 10,10,10 and 8,10,10

Done with barbel on shoulders.

Arnold presses
10kg (per hand) - 8,8,8 and 8,8,8

Lateral Raises
5kg (per hand) - 7,8,5 and 10,8,8

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Wednesday 16/6/2010
Back + Foreamrs

Deadlifts
45kg (warmup) - 3x10 each.
65Kg - 6,6,6 and 6,5

Bent Over Rows
25kg - 10,8 and 8,10
30kg - 10,8 and 10,10

Power Shrugs
30kg - 10 each
45kg - 8,5 and 10,10

Tom's forearm gave out in the second set. Knackered from deadlifts.

Forearm Reverse Curls
Done with a BB, with weight of 15kg.
3x8 each approximately. Hard to get it to feel like it was working right.

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Both me and Joel were having trouble feeling like we were getting the deadlift technique right. I think our lower backs were straight, but the upper back wasn't straight totaly, especialy on the negative rep. Is this a problem?

We want to get technique sorted well before lifting heavy, to minimise risk of serious inury. The 65kg lift felt easy, and i've done 110kg before with bad technique.

Any help gratefuly appreciated!

Monday 21/6/2010
Chest/Triceps

Bench Press
15kg warmup - x10 both
35kg - 10 each
45kg - 4 and 8
50kg - 8, 8, 6
40kg - 6, 5, 6 and 10

Very weak area for Tom, but finaly have benched and actualy felt like it was working my chest and not just front delts and triceps.

Flies
5kg (per hand) - 10, 12 and 10, 10
7.5kg - 10 each.

Skullcrushers
(done with and EZ curl bar)
10kg - 10, 8, 8 and 10, 8, 10

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Overall a very good session. We tried benching with a closer grip, but couldn't get the feel at all. I finaly tried it with a much wider grip than previously, till my forearms were perpundicular to the floor. Actually was working my chest, so this is a bit possitive for me and hopefully I can improve on this pretty poor area for strength.

After a shower I had to pick up the wife from the mother in laws (joy), so swung by McDonalds on the way and ate over 1500Kcals in one sitting.
Gotta love bulking!

28/06/2010 - Back/Forearms

Deadlifts
Tom

15kg (warmup) - 20
55kg - 10, 10
75kg - 5,6,5
85kg - 5
95 - 1, 3

Joel

15kg (warmup) - 20
55kg - 10, 10
75kg - 5,5,5

Bent Over Rows

Tom

15kg - 8, 10
25kg - 8, 8

Joel

15kg - 8, 8
25kg - 8, 8

Forearm Work

A mix of behind the back dumbell wrist curls and then seated dumbel reverse wrist curls.

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Not a bad session considering I had been asleep until 5 minutes before it started and had a bellyache throughout.
Slowly upped the deadlift weights to see if I could still get the technique solid as it went higher. 95kg went up easily, but the technique was no way near rock solid. Steady steps....

We took tips from the following link for deadlifting advice;

http://stronglifts.com/ho...with-proper-technique/

I also looked at their 5x5 routine, which promises some good gains in mass and strength quickly. Anyone ever used it, or have an experience of it?

Link > http://stronglifts.com/st...ngth-training-program/

Would love some advice on this, as we are certainly thinking about using it.

New squat rack has been ordered and i'm waiting for it to be delivered. :)

Start of a new training method. Decided to go with the Stronglifts 5x5 Beginers strength programme.

Workout A

Squats
Both > 5kg - 10
Both > 20kg - 5,5,5,5,5

Bench Press
Both > 5kg - 20
Both > 20kg - 5,5,5,5,5

Bent Over Rows
Both > 10kg - 12,12,12

Push Ups
Tom - 20,7,15
On the 7 my wrist was hurting, so changed to knuckle press ups on the next set.
Joel - 15,15,12

Reverse Crunches
Tom - 8,9,12
Joel - 12,7,12

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Overall a good workout. The press ups at the end finished off the chest nicely, even though the weights are very low.
Should be alternating between workout A + B and fitting in 3 workouts a week. Adding 2.5kg to each lifts, each session, so weights go up fast.

Hopefuly this will help us both put on some size and strength quick ish.
Now all i've got to do is convince Joel to start up rugby with me. Haha.

Monday is the first pre-season training with a dedicated RAF fitness coach......going to be unpleasant....

 

5/7/2010
Workout B

Squats
Both - BW x 20
22.5kg - 5x5

Overhead Press
Both 5kg bar - x20
15kg - 5x5

Felt a little bizzare, but I think we were getting it by the end. Cleaning the weight from the floor to the shoulders was almost comical in its lack of consistency in technique.

Deadlift
Both - 40kg - 1x5

Pull Ups

Currently we can't do these, but will work out a way to make it possible soon!

Plank's
Both - 3x30 sec

8/7/2010
Workout A

Squats

Both - BW x20
25kg - 5x5

Bench Press

Both - 5kg bar x 20 (for form feel)
22.5kg - 5x5
40 - 1
50 - 1

We shouldn't be doing the singles, but we both really just fancied trying it a bit heavier after going insanely show on our 5x5. 3 seconds up and down.
At least we've benched over 100lbs. 110lb.

Bent Over Rows

Both - 12.5kg - 3x10

Slow careful form. Felt like it was working the middle of the back well.

Push Ups

Tom - 15, 8, 8
Joel - 15, 12, x

Joel struggling with stomach soreness. Possibly from last session.

Reverse Crunches

Tom - 10, 10, 10
Joel - 4, 10, 10

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I've ordered a power cage, an olympic bar and weights with a total weight of 145kg and a flat bench, that has a total weight limit of 400lbs.

Once all of that comes, we will be set up for training safely when we go heavier on squats, as the power cage has safety pins....or whatever they are called. It says it takes a total weight of 180kg, and it also has bars that we can do chin ups and pull ups on.

hi tom/joel,,,5x5 is a good program to follow,gets harder as you get stronger ,get plenty good food down you,should see some tidy gains,,what powercage and oly set you orderd,,,,

Ordered this power rack;

http://www.powerhouse-fit...x-cf375-power-rack.php

and a 20kg 7ft oly bar with 125kg total weights. The bar takes up to 360kg, so should last me quite a while.

I've also been look at ;

http://www.exrx.net/Testi...StrengthStandards.html

....that site to see roughly what I should be doing for the powerlifting lifts in the future. Aiming initialy for the 82.5kg catagory.
Quite a way off at the moment!

Writting this up as I eat a very large bowl of pasta with bacon and a tomatoey sauce, with a large protein shake.

12/7/2010
Workout B

Squats
Both - 27.5kg - 5x5
40kg - 1x5

Too little weight. We are going to up this next time to nearer 40kg, as we have got the form ok anyway.

Overhead Press

Both - 17.5kg - 5x5

Deadlift

Both - 50kg - 3x5

Was supposed to be 1x5 but its easy, so we worked on form for a few extra sets.

Planks

Both - 3x30sec

We found these much easier this week, so I suggested we cut the rest period between them down to 30 seconds as well. Made the last set difficult!

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After this session we both came to the conclusion that we need to up the weights on the squats and deadlifts, as we have both already done some lifting and we feel we have now got well back into it and feel we've got the techniques feeling pretty solid.

Swuat to 40kg and deadlift to 65 or 70kg from next time. Bench to 30kg maybe!....

New power rack and bench should come tomorrow. Will assemble them after cricket training. Might put a few pics up of old and new equipment!
Oly weights set should arrive this week too.

Back to the pasta and protein shake. Om nom nom nom!.....

Power rack and bench came yesterday. Didn't have a lot of fun manhandling them into the car. Especialy the large and awkward power rack.

When I got home I build them both, with a bit of help from Joel all with Iron Maiden as the background music.
Took a while, but i'm very impressed with the equipment. Both pieces are totaly rock solid and sensibly engineered.

Can't wait for the training session on thursday now!

Stronglifts is a good routine I think....

Looks like you are quoting the weight on the bar only? Typically the weight quoted includes the bar (with a standard 7ft oly bar weighing 20kg) so when someone says they squatted 100kg, they would normally mean the bar plus 80kg. I don't think you are following this convention as you say you are doing 17.5kg OHP....

Interesting that you are listening to Iron Maiden, I would have thought you a bit too young to enjoy them ;)

Love Maiden. Never too young for them. Especialy at 29!

The bar I currently have is a cheap one from Argos, which only weighs 5kg.
My new olympic bar arrives tomorrow. Then the lifting begins in earnest.

Bench up to 30kg, squat to 40kg and deadlift to 70kg.
Keep grinding away and adding 2.5kg each session. After a few months should be lifting some far more sensible numbers!

Get some pics up when everythings kitted out and good to go

Training tonight, so will try and get a few pics up then!
Might also have a fiddle and see if I can get a video posted up for squats and just to see if I can get that to work.

Any advice regarding youtube, or video editing would be vastly appreciated!

Got my new oly weights in the car at the moment. Little worried the 7ft bar looks a little short for the power rack......hopefully it will fit ok.

Uploading onto youtube is a doddle mate, just so long as you sign up first.

TBH, i didn't edit any of my videos at first, but then only used the bog standard window movie editor to shorten it abit so there's less faffing around.

Ok cheers No.13.
Might have a crack at it later tonight, if I can find some batteries for my camera.....