My new years journal-Single factor 5x5

[Phaded]

got any before after pics?

 

[asdfzxcv]

Something I wanted to try was to change the number of reps when I reset. It can get a bit boring doing 5's all the time, even when you're setting PR's. Changing the exercises a bit is a good idea.

How about doing 3x3 next week, as a bit of a deload and to see what they feel like?

I will see if I can get more mileage out of the 5's first as they have been effective up to this point and I dont want to mess with them till next time I have to reset.

I think it would be wise just to take this coming week very lightly if I am going to embark on another sf 5x5 run.I will do some light lifting,but it will be more to alleviate boredom then then anything else.This week might be a good week to focus on chin-ups as I have really neglected them lately.I will also practise my form on power cleans for the upcoming run of 5x5 and some light front/overhead squats should cover the lower body.

 

[asdfzxcv]

got any before after pics?

No before/after shots

I put on 10lb without really focusing on bulking that much.I am still skinny/fat
but with a bit more muscle and strength.My back in general seemed to get a bit bigger,same as my legs.This time I may even run this at a very slight caloric deficiet to see if I can lose some fat whilst still getting stronger via neural adaptation.

 

[asdfzxcv]

Been looking over various forums and I happened to stumble across HST training.At first I thought it might be some crappy magazine program but it actually looks half decent.Although it isnt as strength orientated as 5x5 it seems to share some characteristics such as the high frequency,full body training with emphasis on increasing weight over the allocated time periods.The part that interests me is the fact that the program finishes in the 5 rep range,which would provide a perfect opportunity to follow it with a 5x5 cycle.

So I am torn as to my direction as of now.The options I am considering are
a)start a new 5x5 cycle,this is still the main choice in my mind
b)Try a 6-8week cycle of hst followed by another sf 5x5 run,Wouldnt hit PR's as fast but the higher reps at the beggining of the cycle would provide metabolic/anaerobic conditioning.

Either way I will probably run either option with a mild calorie deficiet(250-500cal) and try to get some fat off me(about 20%bf so bulking probably aint wise).I will give this some consideration in the next few days

 

[mphowells]

I'm in same boat, 1 week of 5x5 left, thinking HST. Currently trying to work the f*cking HSt calculator but failing. feeling like a tool because it looks simple!lol

 

[asdfzxcv]

I'm in same boat, 1 week of 5x5 left, thinking HST. Currently trying to work the f*cking HSt calculator but failing. feeling like a tool because it looks simple!lol

You put your max in the last column for that rep range,then where it says ''inc'' put how much you want each workout to increase by.

Eg-say your max is 150 for 10 reps and you put and increment of 10,you will get a readout of 100,110,120,130,140,150 over that time period.It is similiar to 5x5 in the way you ramp up to your records over a few weeks it seems.I am still getting the finer points but ask if you have questions.

 

[mphowells]

I see, cheers. To be honest i was expecting the calculator to do more than that (not sure what,lol)

I've spent a lot of today doing some good reading up and like you have a few finer points to iron out. For the exercises i think i will have very little change in what i do throught the whole program. Amounts of reps are the main confusion for me at the moment.

 

[asdfzxcv]

Same here,I am not sure whether to use 15,10,5 over 6weeks or extend it to 15,12,8,5 over 8 weeks,I am leaning towards the latter opinion as it allows for a larger ramp up.In regards to exercises I am coming up a bit short myself.So far I have squats,bench,push press,power cleans,chins/dips(although I cant do 15 of these I will try to add resistance over the program).I really want to do deadlifts as well,but they may get too taxing in the later weeks so I will probably use power cleans as my main pull.As you can see I am not big on isolation moves so it limits the selection somewhat,I may have to add in some bicep/tricep exercise just as a space filler lol.Nevertheless I am excited about starting this,I am interested in seeing how I respond to the 15 rep sets after doing 5x5.

Good luck to you too.

 

[anotherbutters]

I've heard quite a few times that HST compliments the 5x5 quite nicely. HST has more emphasis on size; 5x5 on strength. People have reported good results whilst cutting too. I've just started a 6 week run of HST myself, even though I still can't squat yet. I'm doing 15, 12, 10, 8, 5 and 3 reps. I didn't bother testing my 15/10/5 rep maxes and set it up as described here:

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5859160&postcount=239

 

[dosteov]

You put your max in the last column for that rep range,then where it says ''inc'' put how much you want each workout to increase by.

Eg-say your max is 150 for 10 reps and you put and increment of 10,you will get a readout of 100,110,120,130,140,150 over that time period.It is similiar to 5x5 in the way you ramp up to your records over a few weeks it seems.I am still getting the finer points but ask if you have questions.

Great journal man! I've been debating wether to jump on the 5x5 or the HST (currently doing the one body part per week thing). The thing that confuses me about HST is that there is no mention about increasing your lifts. I mean you get your 15, 10 and 5 rep maxes and then work up to there. There's no mention of increasing the weight past your maxes. Am I right about this?