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Blackwell's SF 5x5 Journal

blackwell33

blackwell33

New member
Hey guys, decided to go ahead and make this journal. I thought it would hold me accountable and keep me motivated to stay in gym as well as be able to come back and look at my progress over the weeks and months to come. Feel free to throw in advice, constructive criticism or just a plain ol' smart ass comment for a good laugh every once in a while!

I haven't lifted seriously since I played football in high school so now I'm motivated to come back. I am spending this year in Korea with the Army so this is a good way for me to let off steam and pass the time. I tore my MCL on my left knee my senior year and I haven't lifted seriously since then.

Goals- Mass! Mass! and more MASS!

I'm 22
5'11"
194 lbs as of today
appx 18% BF

I eat a healthy diet. I don't count calories but I'm quite sure I eat enough for my bulk. I eat 5-6 times a day. Usually 2 protein shakes a day with raw eggs, ANPB, raw oats or any combination of the above (one at night PW and one for breakfast). between I eat clean and healthy majority of the time. I eat a lot of chicken breasts and tuna, fresh greens like spinach, brocolli, rice and whole wheat pastas, LF cheeses, cottage cheese, yogurts, whole wheat breads and wraps, ANPB and minimal fresh fruits. I live in army barracks and all I have is a microwave which makes it difficult.

In my workout I substituted Power Cleans for Rows and High Pulls for deadlifts. This is my second week back in the gym and I haven't deadlifted yet. I have a history of back trouble so I'm weary of my form and doing the right thing. I'm ordering "Starting Strength" this week so I can get a better idea of how to pull correctly and minimize my risk for injury. The last thing I need is a herniated disk from my own stupidity. In the meantime I'm working hard on my weighted situps and weighted hypers to build that strong core and back. Not to mention this workout is taxing as hell! My first week I don't think i could've deadlifted anyways after 5 killer sets of squats. Now that "new, back to the gym" soreness is leaving and I'm feeling strong through all of my lifts. Today was the end of my second week. here are my numbers..

squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 245

bench- 5x, 135, 155, 175, 195, 205 <-- lil help on last rep of 205

Rows- This week I used a pulley machine. Next week will move to BB bent over rows.



Now drop soldier and beat your face!
 
Last edited:
Great to see another SF journal. I've been doing the single factor for the past seven weeks and am quite happy with it so far. Needless to say, this board, the SF journals, and Starting Strength have been invaluable.

Looks like you have a pretty solid plan, but I have a few questions. You said that you're substituting the Olympic lifts for deads/rows but then that you haven't deadlifted yet. Am I correct in assuming this means you're doing what most others have done and using deads/rows in place of the Olympic lifts? Also, although it depends on what your aesthetic/strength goals are, at 18% BF you might want to consider cutting a bit before bulking. Obviously, you won't be adding muscle mass while hypocaloric, but the program should still be very effective for maintaining or, given that you haven't lifted in a while, perhaps even increasing strength.
 
I'm starting to feel guilty - what have I done?!! This board is awash with single factor journals ;)

It sounds like you're all wound up and ready to go blackwell. Starting Strength on order, good diet, motivated...

Good luck!
 
Simian- right, I have replaced the olympic lifts with rows/deads.The reason I haven't deadlifted yet is because I have a history of back trouble and I wanted to build the strength in my back, abs and legs before i just jump in. After my first week of wrkout I was shocked to learn how taxing this program is. My deadlifts will begin soon. Trust me, I'm anxious to get started as well.

'notherbutter- don't feel guilty,lol, I think this is a hell of a program that you're promoting. Thanks for the comments and motivation.
 
Yes, that's how it's laid out to start with. When you plateau, you manipulate volume to break through it. Doing straight sets of 5 is one way of doing that.
 
Congrats on starting the journal and congrats on getting back into the gym.

Don't worry about the flab. It'll start to melt away at first just from the general changes to your metabolism and the fact that you're going to be adding quite a bit of muscle over the next couple of months. I usually find that I lose interest in the crappier foods when I get back into the gym after a layoff and my diet cleans itself up pretty rapidly. It looks like yours is doing well enough already.

Get into the habit of counting any rep that needs any kind of help as a fail. The last thing you need is to be using too much weight after a spotter tells you he only used finger help and you come to need it every week. Tell the spotter he's there to save you not to help you.

I got into the 5x5 as part of a back rehab. Just listen to your back on any given day and don't over-rule its advice. I've found that my back problems have gone down as my deadlift strength has gone up.
 
When you stall with SF training, is it advised to drop the reps from 5 to 3, like one would during the intensity phase of the DF program?
 
anotherbutters said:
Yes, that's how it's laid out to start with. When you plateau, you manipulate volume to break through it. Doing straight sets of 5 is one way of doing that.
Click to expand...

ok I plotted out assuming it's always a Pyramid a 4 week or 8 week 5x5 SF to get me to a top set PR of 5
and if I do it from 8 weeks it will start so light it's like a joke
but if I do it from 4 I don't know if I'll get sufficient Ramp..
 
Kane Fan said:
ok I plotted out assuming it's always a Pyramid a 4 week or 8 week 5x5 SF to get me to a top set PR of 5
and if I do it from 8 weeks it will start so light it's like a joke
but if I do it from 4 I don't know if I'll get sufficient Ramp..
Click to expand...

No, you've got it wrong. The SF is a supercompensation style workout - you simply try to lift slightly heavier weights (2-3%) from week to week. You don't build up to a PR over a number of weeks. The idea is that you hit new PRs every week. For someone relatively new to lifting, that should be possible.

There is no ramp to plot out. No loading/deloading. Just eat well, eat enough, and lift heavier weights.
 
Official week 1-

workout 1-

I had a pretty decent workout. The newbie, back to the gym soreness has worked its way out and I'm feeling good. I used the same numbers as I finished with on last week. I powered through all of my reps with good form. On my bench I had to have a spot for my last rep on my 5th set last week. Today I put up all 5 myself. Only other thing that hindered me was an ingrown toenail that appeared yesterday. That b!tch felt like it would explode while I was squatting!

squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 245

bench- 5x, 135, 155, 175, 195, 205 <-- got em all this time!

rows- used pulley machine again for this week.

back and midsection feeling better so I will more than likely start BB bent over rows and my sets of deadlifts next week. looking forward to this!
 
Week 1-

Workout 2, Light Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 185, 205, 225

Incline Bench- 5x 135, 145, 155, 165

Rows- 4 sets

Sit Ups- 3 sets unweighted

Hypers- 2 sets unweighted

Tonight was a decent workout. I felt good through every rep of everything I did. Incline bench was light, I will probably move up 10 lbs on all sets next week. Squats were solid and I feel like I'm really finding my groove. My form feels perfect while going through the push and at the bottom during the shift in momentum to go back up. I should make a decent gain by next week.
Also something I forgot to mention on my first workout log, I did weighted situps and hypers.. usually 4 sets. 2 sets with 25# plate and 2 sets with 35# plate held on my chest. I do my situps on a decline bench.

Goals for friday- fridays I will do 3 sets as on monday, 1 triple + 2.5%, then back off and do 8 reps of the weight I used on my 3rd set.

squat- 3x 255
bench- 3x 210
 
Week 1-

Workout 3, Moderate Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 185, 205, 225
3x 255 <-------- HIT MY GOAL!!!
8x 205


Bench- 5x 135, 155, 175, 195
3x 210 <--------HIT MY GOAL!!!
8x 175

Deadlift- 5x 135, 185, 225

Bent over rows- 5 sets of 5
Tricep extensions- 3 sets of 10
Bicep curls BB- 3 sets of 10

One hell of a workout. I hit all my goals and had plenty of room to add more. I didn't though. I'm going to take it one week at a time and build up that way. That way I don't plateau as fast. I introduced myself to deadlifts for the first time since highschool. I didn't lift heavy.. but it was heavy enough for today, ha. I'm going to try to hit those full force on day 1 of next week. It may take me a few days to get a feel for the correct form all the way through the lift.. it felt ok today but needs work. My lower back muscles are definately feeling it tonight..

Looking forward to next week and the gains that I should make.
 
Congrats on hitting your targets.

BTW, how many times per week will you be deadlifting on your program? If you're going off original Starr program I believe he had it 2 x week (M-F, can't remember the sets/reps/intensity). I vaguely remember MC2 saying he wasn't a big fan of that layout and had them subbed in for high pulls on light day.
 
Thanks, guys. The numbers are small now but I guess we have to start somewhere.

I will be deadlifting 2 times a week just as you said. Mon and Friday. Wednesday I will do BB rows just because I'm not a fan of the high pulls, atleast for now. I still have a long way to go to get my back strength where I want it.
 
Week 2-

Workout 1, Heavy Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 195, 215, 235, 255

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200, 210

Deadlift- 5x 135, 185, 225

Bent over rows- 3 sets of 5

2 sets weighted hypers

4 sets weightes situps decline

Overall an ok workout. Weather is changing and Koeans are harvesting rice. This stirs up a lot of allergies and keeps everyone sick with the "Korean Crud" this time of year. I don't feel like I recovered fully from last friday, I'm assuming from being sick.
I increased weights in both squats and bench through the entire workout. I added 10 lbs to every set of squat and 5 pounds to every set of bench. I finished them all. My last 2 reps on squat were a bit wavering and my knees tried to bend inside. I may stick with these weights on more week just to be solid before moving on. WE'll see how the rest of the week goes. On bench, I felt great and maintained good form throughout. Last rep on 5th set I had to grunt to get it up, but I didn't hesitate. ha
Looking forward to the rest of the week to see how it unfolds. I should beb able to make new gains on Friday, but we'll see.
 
Any particular reason why you're deadlifting twice per week? You said you were substituting high pulls with deads, which means deadlifting on Wednesdays. And powercleans with rows, which means rowing on Monday and Fridays. It looks like you're doing a bit of both, with rows and deads yesterday.

I was expecting this as the core exercises:

Mon: squat, bench, row
Wed: squat, dead, incline
Fri: squat, bench, row
 
The article that I got this from has powercleans on Mon and Fri. Then it states that the power cleans can be substituted with deads. It has High Pulls for the Wed workout. I substituted rows for high pulls.

Do you think that 2 times a week is too much or could be overtraining? I'm definitely feeling it. Should I reconsider? When do you do your deads? Thanks for bringing this up.. I might need to rethink how I am doing this. Let me know what u think..
 
I'm completely confused. I must be seeing things!

The single factor program popularised by madcow is the same as the one you linked to and both of them say that you can replace powercleans with deadlifts, which is on Mon and Fri. How come I've never noticed until now?! :confused:

I actually did a run of the dual factor 5x5 before starting my single factor. Madcow's description of the dual factor is based on non-olympic lifts and you row on Mon and Fri, and deadlift on Wed.

When I started the single factor, I just kept the same exercises from the dual factor. The difference was just that I didn't try to load/deload.

I don't think there's a 'right' answer. I think you said you had a history of back trouble, so I'd be inclined to deadlift once per week just because of that. And it will get taxing deadlifting twice per week once the weight goes up.

Are you doing any pullups anywhere? That's a good exercise to throw in.
 
MC2 touched briefly on this in another thread, he wasn't a big fan of the 2 times/week deadlifting, but if you want to do it, he suggested a light 'speed' day (I think speed deads are usually ~55% 1RM).

Otherwise it's the layout AB has in his post.
 
Jim Ouini said:
he suggested a light 'speed' day (I think speed deads are usually ~55% 1RM).

Otherwise it's the layout AB has in his post.
Click to expand...
Yeah it says speed deads, which are a whole lot less taxing than regular deads.

I'd say do it like AB has it listed.
 
Great guys.. thanks a lot. On last friday I threw in about 3 sets of deads to just start getting a feel for it. On Monday I was still feeling it. After 4 sets on monday I was spent. I'll start doing it once a week from now on. It seems like a good idea especially with my back and the fact I haven't been lifting long. I'm using a lot of hypers and BB rows to supplement. Thanks for all the input..
 
Well, this week got totally screwed over. Wednesday I had to work extremely late so I couldn't make it to the gym. Thursday I spent 4-5 hours in the a.m. doing army hand to hand combatives training. This was one of the most exhausting days I've had in a while. Every muscle in my body hurts and I'm all bruised and beat to hell. Anyways, I will continue on Friday with the same weights that I ended with last week. Solid gains will come by next friday though..
 
Week 2-

Workout 3, Moderate Day-


Squat- 5x 155, 185, 205, 225
3x 255

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200
3x 210

Bent over rows- 5 sets of 5
Tricep extensions- 3 sets of 10
Bicep curls BB- 3 sets of 8
weighted decline situps- 4 x 20
weighted hypers- 3 x 15

An ok workout. I locked out on every rep. Everything felt good. I hate that I had to miss a day this week. Nothing could have changed it though. Will repeat this same workout next week and start with the deadlifts full force on wednesday. New gains will be reached on friday..
 
just a note to myself before I forget about it..

week 2 workout 3

weight- 198

Weight is up 9 lbs from 2 weeks ago. I'm sure a lot is water weight. I'm taking creatine in my pwo shakes only on workout days. I also have decided to change my squatting form. After much reading researching and thinking I'm going to start squatting below parallel and widen my stance a bit. This may affect my numbers to begin with, but will be better for me in the long run. I'm just getting started so I figured now would be the time to do it.
 
If you're about to start going below parallel then you might as well get it right from the start and go fully down. Take at least 50lbs off the bar to start. Go fully down and you should feel a kind of 'settling in'. Keep everything tight lest it stress your knees and drive up from the hole.

Start with feet about shoulder width and feet flared to about 30 degrees. Don't let your ego get in the way of getting stronger and just accept that you'll be using less weight for a while.
 
blut wump said:
Keep everything tight lest it stress your knees and drive up from the hole.
Click to expand...

Just to add, in my new book it mentions how knees going over toes isn't necessarily bad, but you have to keep the muscles tight at full flexion lest the tendons and ligaments take the load.
 
Jim Ouini said:
Just to add, in my new book it mentions how knees going over toes isn't necessarily bad, but you have to keep the muscles tight at full flexion lest the tendons and ligaments take the load.
Click to expand...
Once I learned to do this, all my knee problems went away.
 
Jim Ouini said:
Just to add, in my new book it mentions how knees going over toes isn't necessarily bad, but you have to keep the muscles tight at full flexion lest the tendons and ligaments take the load.
Click to expand...
That's great advice. When I was pause squatting I loosened at the bottom and my knees still ache at times b/c of it.
 
Week 3-

Workout 1, Heavy Day-


Squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 235

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200, 210

Bent over rows- 5 sets of 5

2 sets weighted hypers

4 sets weightes situps decline


Squats felt great going farther down. I widened my stance, widened my grip and I loaded the bar a little deeper down on my back. I was surprisingly able to do more than I thought. I was already going below parallel, just not all the way down. I went all the way down until I "bottomed out" and then exploded back up. Do you guys hesitate at the bottom or no? I also didn't use any padding. I've been using a foam wrap that covers the bar. In high school I always used a manta ray collar. I thought it felt pretty damn good without anything tonight though. Thoughts?

Bench was good. I knocked out all reps. Should be adding 5 pounds on friday..

btw- thanks for all the input and tips, invaluable
 
I never use padding, it's just another barrier between you and the bar.

I hesitate at the bottom sometimes, it depends on how I'm feeling. On a max rep I'm in and out mighty sharpish. If you're feeling up for it, you can pause for a solid one-count at the bottom. It'll be harder.
 
You're benching the same this week as last week? Try to increase the weight every Friday for the triple, with the intention of getting 5 reps the following Monday. That applies to all three - squat, bench and row.

How much are you rowing? Are these going up each week too?

Nice to see you're trying ATF squats - keep up the good work. I don't use padding either. I don't even wear a top as I workout at home.
 
thanks for all that info.. ha

but seriously, i didn't increase this week because I missed a workout last week. I could have pushed more, but I wanted to be solid. This friday I will definately be added 5 lbs, maybe 10. We'll have to see how I feel by then.. as for the rows, I am increasing every week. I just wasn't keeping as close track as I was with bench and squat. I'll start throwing my numbers in here for rows as well on the next workout.

and another tidbit of information i should add..

weight- 201lbs.
 
Week 3-

Workout 2, Light Day-


Squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225,

Incline Bench- 5x 135, 155, 165, 175

Deadlift- 5x 155, 185, 205, 225

4 sets situps decline


A good workout, but a change in pace. I had to work out early this morning rather than my usual night workout due to a change in scheduling at work this week. Will be back to normal by Friday, I hope. Squats felt great. Bench felt great. Deadlift, however.. is a work in progress. My lower and upper back are just still really weak for deadlifting I guess. I kept great form until I got to my last set. My shoulder and upper back rounded over and I was just overall tired. It will get better with time. I'm also waiting for "Starting Strength" in the mail. Hopefully that will set me straight on anymore questions I may have on my form. I will see gains on bench and squat on friday..
 
well, I'm finally back. The army has really jerked me around the last couple of weeks. Lots of things going on so I had to work almost a different shift everyday usually 12-15 hours. Going to the gym was near impossible especially considering the odd hours they keep. Anyways, I'm back in the game on Monday come hell or high water. I'm having withdrawels.. like an addiction. My diet has also gone to crap because of lack of time, resources and unsteady or predictable schedule.. if you could even call it that. Really looking forward to getting back in the groove..
 
Week 1-

Workout 1, Heavy Day-


Squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 235 <-- missed last rep

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200, 210

Bent over rows- 5x 95, 115, 135, 145, 160

2 sets weighted hypers

4 sets weightes situps decline

Overall good workout after 2 weeks of being off uncontrollably. My squats were lacking, but I really settled in to the new form I'm using and how low I am going. It felt good and my form stayed true. I will definitely be able to add weight to bench and row, but I will probably use the same weight next week on squats due to missing the last rep. I don't want to get ahead of myself.
 
blackwell33 said:
Week 1-

Workout 1, Heavy Day-


Squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 235 <-- missed last rep

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200, 210

Bent over rows- 5x 95, 115, 135, 145, 160

2 sets weighted hypers

4 sets weightes situps decline

Overall good workout after 2 weeks of being off uncontrollably. My squats were lacking, but I really settled in to the new form I'm using and how low I am going. It felt good and my form stayed true. I will definitely be able to add weight to bench and row, but I will probably use the same weight next week on squats due to missing the last rep. I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Click to expand...

nice workout. strong bench loads....keep it up!

btw, good idea not to get ahead of yourself....smart man.
 
Week 1-

Workout 2, Light Day-


Squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225

Incline Bench- 5x 140, 150, 170, 180

Deadelifts- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225, 235

4 sets weightes situps decline

Posted a little late, but had a good workout on wednesday. Both my squat and bench felt great. I powered through every rep with a lot to spare. I should add 5 pounds on friday easy. Deadlifts are still extremely weak. Its new to me so I'm assuming its going to take a while. I'm working on it though..
 
Week 1-

Workout 3, Moderate Day-


Squat- 5x 135, 185, 205, 225 3x 245 6x 205

Bench- 5x 140, 160, 180, 200 3x 215 6x 180

Bent over rows- 5 sets of 5
Tricep extensions- 3 sets of 10
Bicep curls BB- 3 sets of 8
weighted decline situps- 4 x 20
weighted hypers- 3 x 15

Good solid workout.. made gains on both squat and bench. I feel like I had a little room to spare on both. I can see gains coming over the next couple of weeks.
 
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