Changing 5x5 exercises for new cycle, what to do, how much weight, 5x5ers I need help

[CobraUTAH]

Well I started my cutting cycle and diet this past Monday 6/2/03.
Anyway I was doing flat barbell bench for chest with the two other exercises of 2x10. Well now I'm doing incline barbell press with 2x10 of flat dumbbell press and cable crossovers. My big question is for my arms. I was doing straight bar curls for 5x5, and they were amazing my arms grew a ton. I didn't lift arms at all during the last two weeks of my bulking cycle so I could focus on maxing legs and chest. Now I'm starting my new cycle I chose 5x5 with EZ bar curls and then alternating curls and concentration curls for the 2x10 sets. I also dropped my weight down quite a bit from the previous cycle because of sore wrists and because I don't really know where I should be as far as weight with the new exercises. My question then is should I start low on weight when I change exercises or try to find the weight that will keep the intensity near what it was on the last cycle. I'm keeping my leg and shoulder routines the same because I don't want to change anything about them and I don't think there are any exercises better than the one's I'm doing for those two muscle groups. I'm changing to weighted chin-ups for back 5x5, from cable rows. Another concern about changing mainly caused by my arms having shrunk a bit since I was off two weeks from doing arms 5x5, they actually lost about a half inch. Is that normal? Is it the creatine not being in my system that has caused my body to lose some girth in places?

 

[SofaGeorge]

Post your complete routine in form like:

bench press 5 x 5
weighted dips 2 x 10
incline dumbell press 2 x 10

Then it will be easier to change around.

 

[ffknight84]

i use excel to plan my entire workouts and track my food intakes, etc. If you decent with a computer i would suggest that, cause it is very easy to see what ur doing how much of it, and just as easy to change around. I did it like that, and it was easy as hell to look at, see where i am, and to change things.

 

[CobraUTAH]

I do use Excel for all my workout logging and planning. My question was mainly with arms routine, what would be another big size builder like straight bar curls, or isn't there anything? Also triceps I need a good 5x5 other than dips. I'm currently trying french curls but I don't know if that will be good enough. I'd like to try closegrip bench but since I do arms the day after chest I'm to sore to do any bench work.

 

[SofaGeorge]

For triceps there are only three GREAT exercises:

close grip bench
weighted dips
skull crushers

Anything else is a secondary exercise

you can use EZ bar curls in place of straight bar curls

after that the best biceps exercises for me are

incline dumbell press and one arm concentration curls

 

[CobraUTAH]

Thanks Sofa that's what I thought.

 

[Lee]

close grip bench seems to be really popular around here. i tried em once and thought dips and skulls worked better

 

[ffknight84]

i think i misread ur first post, musta been to early in the morning...

anyways, im doing skull crushers right now for my 5x5, and for the bis i am doing the straight bars.

the only suggestion i can think of might be preachers, i really like those, or hammer grip to throw a little forearm in there. Another could be pull ups but change the grip so that it focuses on ur bis. Thats all i can think of at the moment