Another Single Factor 5x5 Journal

[anotherbutters]

I didn't think asking about eggs would cause so much debate hehe.

Well I don't have much in the way of training to talk about now

 

[Cynical Simian]

To be honest, I wish I could just cut off the last 10 pages of this thread and leave it at that. Because anybody that reads all the way to the end will be sorely disappointed to see things didn't get better.

"Uh-oh, shouldn't do the SF 5x5 if I don't want to have back and kidney problems."

lol there is your problem, you're supposed to get a woman to do all that stuff for you!

Or, better yet, Britain could just recolonize a few countries and everybody could have a personal indigenous egg peeler to go along with their personal chickens.

 

[anotherbutters]

Wouldn't you just hate it if your browser crashed after you'd typed up a workout, just before you were about to hit submit

Week 21, Friday

1. Freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 9 ... warmup
bar x 9 ... OH squats
40 x 5
50 x 5 x 6 sets ..... (110lb)

2. Bench (kg)
bar x 9 .......... warmup
40 x 5
45 x 5
50 x 5
55 x 5
65 x 5 ........... (143lb) ....... not too hard, so I did 5 reps rather than a triple
55 x 14 ........................... got carried away a bit on the back off set

3. Powercleans (kg)
bar x 5 .......... warmup
30 x 5
35 x 5
40 x 5
45 x 3 ........... switching to triples for the heavier sets
47.5 x 3 ........ (105lb) ........... still getting used to these, but it's a PR!


Comments

My back feels like there's never been anything wrong with it. I still kept the weight down on squats, but did a bit more volume. My stance was ok, not twisted.

I watched a clip from the net to check my form on OH squats and realised I need to use a very wide grip on the bar. I had a normal shoulder width grip before and when I tried to break parallel, I couldn't keep my arms straight. I'm not sure whether these are good for a warmup or whether I need to warm up before trying these! I have a pretty healthy arch in my back trying to keep the bar above my head when I get near the hole. I still don't get all the way down.

Bench was fun. Felt easier than Monday.

My form was lousy on powercleans today. I'm going to do triples for the last set or two on these from now on. 47.5kg is light, but I haven't done it before, so I guess that makes it a PR I think my form needs to get a lot better on these and a lot more consistent.

I've just noticed this is my first whole week of workouts since I took that week off in week 14/15. And I've done some cardio too. Yay!

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 21, Sunday

Cardio

10 mins above 150bpm on the rowing machine.

I forgot how good cardio in the morning makes you feel for the rest of the day.

 

[anotherbutters]

Guys, I'm going to stop this journal. I've not logged anything interesting for 6 or 7 weeks now. The first 14 weeks of this program were great, with good strength and size gains, although I over did it on the food and put on a fair amount of fat (went from about 160lb to 180lb).

Since I tweaked my back a few weeks ago, all I've been logging is rehab. I think I'm fixed now and ready to start again, but I've thought that a few times. Even when I really do start, it's going to take a few weeks to get back up to PR weights, so I'm going to spare you the details.

When I started this journal, I'd only just read about the SF5x5. Since then, I've learnt loads from everyone who's posted on here so I just want to say a big THANK YOU! (Special mention for BW as he's given me loads of K, er, I mean support ). I've got a lot out of this journal and I hope some of you got something out of it too.

This journal still gets a lot of hits, so I know people are still watching. But don't worry, I will be back in the New Year with a new journal as soon as I'm close to those PRs

It's been fun!

 

[Jim Ouini]

I know it's a closed thread but this sure had been a great reference for a lot us

Looking forward to your new one.

 

[blut wump]

We'll miss the updates but you're right; this has become a little C&C in the weights forum. I've enjoyed the journal right from the start and always looked out for fresh entries.

Good luck with your rehab and I'm sure I'm not the only one who'll be anticipating the start of Mark II.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Pulling a young_squatter, closing your EF journal and slinking off to bb.com with a program built around curls and cable crossovers, eh?

Do you know what you'll be doing next, assuming no further setbacks? Things were really getting interesting (or frustrating from your perspective, I guess) before your back issues. How you transition out of the SF will be a new/informative addition to the madcow canon.

Anyway, hope your rehab/"Guinness recomp" goes well. Looking forward to the new journal.

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

CS: I know, it was just getting interesting for me too. With hindsight, I now realise I was too keen on keeping the intensity high when I stalled. I learnt a lot from the discussions that went on at the time (and since), so I ought to handle the next stall a lot better. I'm keeping my eye on Ripstone to see what he does when he stalls.

Don't worry, the last thing I'm doing is leaving for bb.com! I'll be continuing with the SF. Nothing's changed there. I really liked Glenn's post a while back on changing the set/rep scheme when you reset after stalling, so I'll probably do that when I stall again. To be honest, I was pretty bored with the exact same routine after 14 weeks, so a change like that would make a lot of difference.

 

[TheGymGroup]

This was a great read.

I would love to see an update from anotherbutters.

Are you still training? Have you got any stronger? Are you still using Madcow?