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Buildingup24
New member
You could take your roommate under your wing man. It could honestly change his whole outlook on life. You'll also benefit wit a guy to gout with and go to gym with. Just my thoughts. Sick log btw
My Training Log
- Thread starter amounirl
- Start date
NoFatChicks91
New member
^ that's what I'm sayin man someone like him could really help that poor guy out!
Thanks guys! Yeah my roommate has class during the only time I'm free to go to the gym on Mon/Thurs, he can only come on Saturdays, so I usually go with this other guy from my floor, but I definitely want to help my roommate out and at least give him some advice for days when we can't lift together. I also gave him some girl advice, and he actually got some girls' numbers and met a new friend since we started lifting together so that's definitely progress!
About 5x5 vs 5/3/1, 5x5 you gain 5 lbs on every lift every time you perform it (in theory), but one can only progress for so long that way. Eventually linear gains will stop, so you have to switch to a slower program like 5/3/1, which has you gaining 5-10 lbs on each lift as opposed to 20-60 (60 for 3x/week squats), per month. I like 5/3/1 better because it accommodates for bad days in the gym, and it's more balanced in that you can throw in your own assistance work to target weak points, or to get some more hypertrophy/definition (sarcoplasmic growth) instead of just straight strength/mass (myofibrular growth). Just depends on where you're at in your training, right now I care mostly about strength and there's hopefully still linear gains to be made, so I'm going to milk linear progression as best I can, while maintaining my physique with a few low priority isolation lifts.
10-8-12: Low Bar/Bench/Rows
Low Bar Squat
5x225
5x255
3x5x285
Bench
220x5/4/3
135x10 thumbless/close grip
Barbell Rows
5x10x95
1x10x95 underhand
Power Clean
3x185 1 rep PR
1x205 20 lb PR
1x225 40 lb PR!!!
Today was a good day and a bad day. My buddy needed his bike and my bike is still broken (it's going to cost 50 bucks to fix which I need to save up for), so I had to walk to the gym. Wasn't as bad as I thought, it's only like 1-2 miles I'm estimating, when before I thought it was 3-4, but it still sucks carrying my gym bag that far. My shoulders are still sore as hell from inclines and dips on Saturday, which I"m sure is the reason why my bench sucked today. My hamstrings were also sore but my squat felt stronger than last week, even though it was 10 lbs heavier, only thing is my technique didn't feel as solid as usual, probably because I hadn't ridden a bike so my hips weren't as warmed up as I'm used to. Next time I walk to the gym I"ll just ride the exercise bike for a bit to warm up when I get there. Either way I"m glad my squat is going up again.
Bench sucked. Again it's probably because of dips/inclines, I'll just do dips and inclines on deadlift day instead and OHP on Saturday, since I'm used to OHP and don't get as sore from it, and it's on such a different plane from bench that even if it does effect it, it won't be as much. Plus doing dips after deads I'll be so tired that it will limit the weight I can use, and preserve my shoulders. I'll try 3x5x225 next week but if I can't get it I'll drop down to 4x4. I hate working with under 2 plates on bench, maybe it's stupid, maybe it's ego, or maybe I've milked all my linear potential out of the bench press, and have to switch to 5/3/1 for it. I've been benching for 2.5 years after all. I'll figure it out, as long as the weight goes up and I'm getting a good amount of volume I should be good (volume is another reason why it might serve me well to switch to 5/3/1 for bench.)
Rows also sucked, my traps have been really sore lately, so I just did them all bodybuilding style, focusing on the muscle instead of the movement. I might just keep doing bodybuilding style for pendlay rows and strength for weighted chins, the strength curve on chin ups is better for strength work anyways, you can have a grinder and still make the rep, instead of everything having to be dynamic.
I was really pissed off going to the gym today because of some outside stuff, and even more pissed off after having a sh*tty bench and row, so I decided to throw around some weight on power cleans so I could at least feel better leaving the gym than going in. I was surprised with how strong I felt. My last warm up set with 165 felt heavy, so I switched to hook grip, surprisingly pain free, and smashed my previous 2 rep PR with plenty left in the tank. I decided to max out and got 205. It felt so easy that I decided to see if I could clean 2 plates. I didn't bring my camera to the gym but I got it on my phone camera, I don't have my connector cable but I'll see if I can text it to my email or something so I can put it up. Technique was really good on these too (except the last one where I almost feel forward), caught it right on the collar bones in a front squat position, wasn't supporting it with the arms at all, and didn't reverse curl it. Only thing is I barely squat down to catch it, so I was racking it in basically a completely standing upright position. Still, it was all hips, which is good. I really hope I can get the video up, this is my first lift I"m proud of in a long time.
About 5x5 vs 5/3/1, 5x5 you gain 5 lbs on every lift every time you perform it (in theory), but one can only progress for so long that way. Eventually linear gains will stop, so you have to switch to a slower program like 5/3/1, which has you gaining 5-10 lbs on each lift as opposed to 20-60 (60 for 3x/week squats), per month. I like 5/3/1 better because it accommodates for bad days in the gym, and it's more balanced in that you can throw in your own assistance work to target weak points, or to get some more hypertrophy/definition (sarcoplasmic growth) instead of just straight strength/mass (myofibrular growth). Just depends on where you're at in your training, right now I care mostly about strength and there's hopefully still linear gains to be made, so I'm going to milk linear progression as best I can, while maintaining my physique with a few low priority isolation lifts.
10-8-12: Low Bar/Bench/Rows
Low Bar Squat
5x225
5x255
3x5x285
Bench
220x5/4/3
135x10 thumbless/close grip
Barbell Rows
5x10x95
1x10x95 underhand
Power Clean
3x185 1 rep PR
1x205 20 lb PR
1x225 40 lb PR!!!
Today was a good day and a bad day. My buddy needed his bike and my bike is still broken (it's going to cost 50 bucks to fix which I need to save up for), so I had to walk to the gym. Wasn't as bad as I thought, it's only like 1-2 miles I'm estimating, when before I thought it was 3-4, but it still sucks carrying my gym bag that far. My shoulders are still sore as hell from inclines and dips on Saturday, which I"m sure is the reason why my bench sucked today. My hamstrings were also sore but my squat felt stronger than last week, even though it was 10 lbs heavier, only thing is my technique didn't feel as solid as usual, probably because I hadn't ridden a bike so my hips weren't as warmed up as I'm used to. Next time I walk to the gym I"ll just ride the exercise bike for a bit to warm up when I get there. Either way I"m glad my squat is going up again.
Bench sucked. Again it's probably because of dips/inclines, I'll just do dips and inclines on deadlift day instead and OHP on Saturday, since I'm used to OHP and don't get as sore from it, and it's on such a different plane from bench that even if it does effect it, it won't be as much. Plus doing dips after deads I'll be so tired that it will limit the weight I can use, and preserve my shoulders. I'll try 3x5x225 next week but if I can't get it I'll drop down to 4x4. I hate working with under 2 plates on bench, maybe it's stupid, maybe it's ego, or maybe I've milked all my linear potential out of the bench press, and have to switch to 5/3/1 for it. I've been benching for 2.5 years after all. I'll figure it out, as long as the weight goes up and I'm getting a good amount of volume I should be good (volume is another reason why it might serve me well to switch to 5/3/1 for bench.)
Rows also sucked, my traps have been really sore lately, so I just did them all bodybuilding style, focusing on the muscle instead of the movement. I might just keep doing bodybuilding style for pendlay rows and strength for weighted chins, the strength curve on chin ups is better for strength work anyways, you can have a grinder and still make the rep, instead of everything having to be dynamic.
I was really pissed off going to the gym today because of some outside stuff, and even more pissed off after having a sh*tty bench and row, so I decided to throw around some weight on power cleans so I could at least feel better leaving the gym than going in. I was surprised with how strong I felt. My last warm up set with 165 felt heavy, so I switched to hook grip, surprisingly pain free, and smashed my previous 2 rep PR with plenty left in the tank. I decided to max out and got 205. It felt so easy that I decided to see if I could clean 2 plates. I didn't bring my camera to the gym but I got it on my phone camera, I don't have my connector cable but I'll see if I can text it to my email or something so I can put it up. Technique was really good on these too (except the last one where I almost feel forward), caught it right on the collar bones in a front squat position, wasn't supporting it with the arms at all, and didn't reverse curl it. Only thing is I barely squat down to catch it, so I was racking it in basically a completely standing upright position. Still, it was all hips, which is good. I really hope I can get the video up, this is my first lift I"m proud of in a long time.
NoFatChicks91
New member
225 powerclean fuckin BADASS haha awesome
10-11-12: 13-14-15
High Bar Squat
worked up to 5x235
Incline Bench
135x5
150x5/4
135x5/5/4
Deadlift
4x4x365
2x415
2x465
Decent day today. My hips were incredibly tight even after spending 10 minutes warming them up, and I didn't want to wear myself out before deads, so I only did 1 set on the high bar squats. I'm thinking since these are still pretty low priority, what I'll do is 3x5 on my non deadlift week, and on deadlift weeks, 1 set of 5 with a drop down set of 8 with ~90% of the 5 set afterwards. Inclines were all right, was experimenting with my grip on these, just using the same grip as I do on OHP right now. I do these really strict, slow, paused, etc. and I'm still finding my groove. They work my shoulders in a way they've never been worked before, and the top half of the movement is really hard to lock out. I think once I get my inclines up it will benefit everything, but for now it sucks. I'll figure it out though, just gotta take it slow, really drill the technique, and get really high volume. 5x5x140 on incline next week.
Deadlifts were rough. The 365 sets felt really heavy, 415 felt like a max double, and I don't even know how I got 465 up once, let alone twice. I had my training partner slap me 3 times right before I lifted 465, maybe that helped. After the first rep I felt something gushing in my nose, and after my 2nd rep I discovered I got a pretty decent nosebleed. Not this intense: Jouko Ahola Deadlift - YouTube , but I still felt pretty badass. As I walked back from the bathroom to wash the blood off, one of the employees told me I can't use the eco chalk I've been using. This pissed me off pretty badly because it doesn't even get everywhere like real chalk does. I'm already making a sacrifice by not using real chalk since I know this gym is pretty strict, so this is completely BS. Even 24 hour fitness let me use real chalk. I'll probably still use it under the radar, unless the same guy is working next time I go. So since my back's been a bit iffy, I got a nosebleed, and I had to put away my chalk, I decided not to do the 365xmax reps set. I think I just need to stretch and foam roll more, I've been neglecting that, then my back/hips should be good again.
High Bar Squat
worked up to 5x235
Incline Bench
135x5
150x5/4
135x5/5/4
Deadlift
4x4x365
2x415
2x465
Decent day today. My hips were incredibly tight even after spending 10 minutes warming them up, and I didn't want to wear myself out before deads, so I only did 1 set on the high bar squats. I'm thinking since these are still pretty low priority, what I'll do is 3x5 on my non deadlift week, and on deadlift weeks, 1 set of 5 with a drop down set of 8 with ~90% of the 5 set afterwards. Inclines were all right, was experimenting with my grip on these, just using the same grip as I do on OHP right now. I do these really strict, slow, paused, etc. and I'm still finding my groove. They work my shoulders in a way they've never been worked before, and the top half of the movement is really hard to lock out. I think once I get my inclines up it will benefit everything, but for now it sucks. I'll figure it out though, just gotta take it slow, really drill the technique, and get really high volume. 5x5x140 on incline next week.
Deadlifts were rough. The 365 sets felt really heavy, 415 felt like a max double, and I don't even know how I got 465 up once, let alone twice. I had my training partner slap me 3 times right before I lifted 465, maybe that helped. After the first rep I felt something gushing in my nose, and after my 2nd rep I discovered I got a pretty decent nosebleed. Not this intense: Jouko Ahola Deadlift - YouTube , but I still felt pretty badass. As I walked back from the bathroom to wash the blood off, one of the employees told me I can't use the eco chalk I've been using. This pissed me off pretty badly because it doesn't even get everywhere like real chalk does. I'm already making a sacrifice by not using real chalk since I know this gym is pretty strict, so this is completely BS. Even 24 hour fitness let me use real chalk. I'll probably still use it under the radar, unless the same guy is working next time I go. So since my back's been a bit iffy, I got a nosebleed, and I had to put away my chalk, I decided not to do the 365xmax reps set. I think I just need to stretch and foam roll more, I've been neglecting that, then my back/hips should be good again.
10-13-12: Front Squat/OHP/Chins
Front Squat
3x5x225
Strict Press
3x5x130
Weighted Chins
3x5x37.5
1x7xBW pull ups
1x5xBW chin ups
Decent day today, one of the quicker workouts I've had at this gym. Front squats felt strong, although my first set I supported it with my wrist a bit on the right side, and the last set it almost slipped off my shoulders. I'm not worried about it though, I was just a bit distracted today is all, some kid who tagged along with me to the gym today kept trying to talk to me when I was trying to focus. He wanted me to train him but he ended up just going and doing curls when I was squatting, and leaving after he got tired of OHP. Strict presses went great, glad that my OHP is finally moving up again. Chins I should have done 3x5x40, but I'm used to just adding a 2.5 and wasn't thinking about the fact that it wasn't on both sides of a barbell. Since I was using 37.5 I wasn't too worn out and was able to do pretty short rest periods, the first 2 sets were easy but the last 2 reps of the last set were grinders. Did some BW pull ups for more volume afterwards, but my arms were way too tired. Then I tried to get a set of 9 chins after that with just BW, but my forearms and biceps were way to worn out and pumped.
I decided not to do good mornings or dips today because my back/hips/shoulders are all really worn out and need a rest. This is mostly due to a lack of mobility/rehab work, but I think it might also be that I'm not taking omega 3s anymore, I have them I just haven't taken any supplements except 50mg zinc and 500mg magnesium on days I don't drink milk (about 1-2 days/week, whenever I start to feel sick from all the dairy). It's great though because I have an endless supply of whole foods ready to eat in a building 200 ft from my dorm, and despite their odd hours I can structure my schedule around it so I get 4-6 solid meals per day. They have organic hormone free milk so on most days I drink 4-10 glasses of milk, without getting gyno. Bulking heaven. Anyways I'll have to start taking fish oil/omega 3s daily again.
Front Squat
3x5x225
Strict Press
3x5x130
Weighted Chins
3x5x37.5
1x7xBW pull ups
1x5xBW chin ups
Decent day today, one of the quicker workouts I've had at this gym. Front squats felt strong, although my first set I supported it with my wrist a bit on the right side, and the last set it almost slipped off my shoulders. I'm not worried about it though, I was just a bit distracted today is all, some kid who tagged along with me to the gym today kept trying to talk to me when I was trying to focus. He wanted me to train him but he ended up just going and doing curls when I was squatting, and leaving after he got tired of OHP. Strict presses went great, glad that my OHP is finally moving up again. Chins I should have done 3x5x40, but I'm used to just adding a 2.5 and wasn't thinking about the fact that it wasn't on both sides of a barbell. Since I was using 37.5 I wasn't too worn out and was able to do pretty short rest periods, the first 2 sets were easy but the last 2 reps of the last set were grinders. Did some BW pull ups for more volume afterwards, but my arms were way too tired. Then I tried to get a set of 9 chins after that with just BW, but my forearms and biceps were way to worn out and pumped.
I decided not to do good mornings or dips today because my back/hips/shoulders are all really worn out and need a rest. This is mostly due to a lack of mobility/rehab work, but I think it might also be that I'm not taking omega 3s anymore, I have them I just haven't taken any supplements except 50mg zinc and 500mg magnesium on days I don't drink milk (about 1-2 days/week, whenever I start to feel sick from all the dairy). It's great though because I have an endless supply of whole foods ready to eat in a building 200 ft from my dorm, and despite their odd hours I can structure my schedule around it so I get 4-6 solid meals per day. They have organic hormone free milk so on most days I drink 4-10 glasses of milk, without getting gyno. Bulking heaven. Anyways I'll have to start taking fish oil/omega 3s daily again.
NoFatChicks91
New member
Yeah those are some sick ass front squats man. I'm still loving that 225 power clean too holy shit, if you aren't doing them that often I can't imagine what you will be throwing up in the air after you do. How are the high bar squats and deads a day apart from the front squats treating you?
Thanks man! Yeah I'm hoping to put up 275 by the end of this school year, at least 315 at some point in the future. I need to start doing clean/jerk though because putting it overhead is way more badass than just to the shoulders, plus I need to work on my overhead strength. The high bar squats/deads don't really seem to effect my front squat, deads I get sore more in the upper/lower back and hamstrings, and high bar squats I'm not moving enough weight yet to be challenging on anything but my traps, since they're not completely used to it yet.
