Gym Routine

[Dante_Lockhart]

Improve you OHP by clenching your buttocks when lifting. Seriously works. Helps stabilise

[Dante_Lockhart]

Good sessions this week. Glad to be hitting heavier weights again. Next lifts in the 5x5 sequence are;

Squats: 100kg (My previous max was 135kg)

Bench: 67.5kg (My previous max was 100kg)

OHP: 42.5kg (My previous max was 50kg)

Rows: 42.5kg (My previous max was 55kg)

Deadlift: 130kg (My previous max was 170kg)

[BOF]

On 26/03/2016 at 17:17, a m ole said:

it's 20kgs, not insignificant! When you first start benching, or I found this at least, you'll be having more of a tough time balancing the bar and keeping it moving in a straight line as opposed to being strong enough to actually move it. Fortunately if you stick at it that comes naturally really quickly. 

Indeed.  Which is why (and it can't be repeated often enough) you MUST MUST MUST use the lighter weights to PERFECT your form from the start, so that it is automatic when you go heavier.  For 3 reasons.  Firstly so that you don't injure yourself at the heavier weight, secondly so that you get the proper benefit to all relevant muscle groups from the lift, and thirdly so that you can concentrate 100% on the effort of lifting, rather than on other things that you shouldn't need to at that point, like balance, corrections etc.

[V01]

Any recommendations for Whey protein? I've had a look at a few and they all seem to be geared towards bulking I'm going to be on a cut for a very very long time. 

 

I'm also trying to eat less carbs. It's turning out to be quite a struggle. I have bran flakes/shreddies at work, is there a higher protein/lower carb alternative, bacon and eggs everyday isn't feasible. 

 

I'm managing to stay under my calorie target, but I'm struggling to come under my carb target.

[Stevo985]

Myprotein.com

Buy their standard whey protein.

You can't gear protein towards bulking unless you put other shit in there.

Your bulking/cutting will depend on your calorie intake. If you're eating a calorie surplus you won't accidentally bulk because of the protein you're using.

You need a high protein det for either goal.

[YLN]

I'm really enjoying the gym at the moment. I used to just like chest day, but since I've started doing OHP, deadlifts and squats I look forward to every day now. I'm on a day break today, and I'm missing it. I've put on close to a stone since the start of the year. I'm as heavy as I've ever been. I'm guessing a lot of it is gone to my legs, but my suit jacket almost doesn't fit anymore, and I'm near to needing to go up a size in tshirts and hoodies. I joined a gym close to me that opens at 6am, so I try to get there as early as possible while the cleaners are still there. Feels great to get a gym session done before a lot of people have gotten out of bed. 

I've been messing about with the gym since the start of the year, doing heavy weights and low reps, few sets and long breaks. It was a waste of time really. I'm doing the Buff Dudes 12 week plan at the moment and afterwards you really feel as if you've done a gym session, compared to what I had been doing previously. Which was basically nothing.

[troon_villan]

Why was it a waste of time?

[YLN]

2 hours ago, troon_villan said:

Why was it a waste of time?

I'm just being dramatic. But at the same time relative to what I've been doing the last few weeks, I wasn't really doing the gym properly I feel. I wasn't doing a lot of reps, and I was concentrating on big heavy impressive weights, and not doing more reps on a more reasonable weight. I'm sure there is some validity to something like what I'd been doing, but not what I was actually doing. Not a waste of time, but I think I could have been using my time a bit better. 

For instance on the bench I would do a set on incline, decline and flat bench. I'd get maybe 5/6 reps on average on the three, and between each, I'd do a set of pull ups. Whereas now I'm doing four sets of incline bench 8 reps one after another with 60 second breaks, and then moving on to flat bench for the same and timing my breaks. It just feels like I've worked the muscle more, after I've done 32 reps on it, compared to 5 and then walk away and do pull ups for a little while, and then back to do a different version of that exercise. 

 

 

[Stevo985]

I've put on 5 pounds in the past month.

Annoyed at myself, even though I have a good excuse!

But needless to say, I'm now back on the cut big time.

Holiday in September, so that's the end goal. 1 pound a week should get me down to 200 pounds, should be pretty lean if I make it

[Dante_Lockhart]

First fail. Squats @ 100kg. Managed 3 sets of 5. Dropped the other 2 sets down to 90kg so I at least finished the 5x5.

Will try again on Wednesday.

[JB]

When trying to increase strength, I would say that it's generally better to avoid training to absolute failure and grinding the last rep/s out. Instead, if you're aiming for 5 reps, choose a weight you could do 7-8 on. Aiming for a triple, choose something you could do for 5-6. That way, you can get good, clean reps in which will be more beneficial in the long term. 

[Stevo985]

16 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

I've put on 5 pounds in the past month.

Annoyed at myself, even though I have a good excuse!

But needless to say, I'm now back on the cut big time.

Holiday in September, so that's the end goal. 1 pound a week should get me down to 200 pounds, should be pretty lean if I make it

This being said, if my fat % measurements are correct, and there's a good chance they aren't :D, then nearly 2 of those 5 pounds is muscle.

Which would make a bit of sense as the past month I've still been hitting the gym hard (it's taken my mind off things so if anything I've been better than usual) and lifts have been going up.

[Dante_Lockhart]

18 minutes ago, JB said:

When trying to increase strength, I would say that it's generally better to avoid training to absolute failure and grinding the last rep/s out. Instead, if you're aiming for 5 reps, choose a weight you could do 7-8 on. Aiming for a triple, choose something you could do for 5-6. That way, you can get good, clean reps in which will be more beneficial in the long term. 

Following SL 5x5. Did it a few years ago. Do your reps, increase next session by 2.5kg. Keep doing that until you fail. Try that weight again the next session. If you fail again drop the weight down 10kg and work back up again. Usually find you breeze past the weight you got stuck on. At least I did.

[JB]

Yeah I've done 5x5 in the past. I've found that I've been at my healthiest and gained strength quickest when I've been conservative with the weight, though. Not (or rarely) failing or grinding out the last couple of reps really helps IMO. 

[Stevo985]

That's standard advice in 5x5 anyway isn't it? To not lift to failure?

I might be remembering wrongly. 

[BOF]

6 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

That's standard advice in 5x5 anyway isn't it? To not lift to failure?

I might be remembering wrongly. 

If you fail then you try that same weight again next time.  If you fail next time then you de-load and take a run at it again.  I didn't de-load the 10kg that Dante is suggesting.  I tended to just go back to my previously successful weight, which usually felt a lot lighter than the first time around.

Re-weight gain.  I've also had a bad month.  But I know once I go back to a routine then it'll fall off, because when I'm gymming regularly, I tend to watch what I eat too.  It all falls into place.

[Stevo985]

I think there is a distinction between "failing" and "lifting to failure" here.

Failing, to me, just means failing to do 5 reps. So if you do 3 and know you can't do a fourth, you stop and you have "Failed".

"Lifting to failure" means you attempt that fourth rep but have to give up because you can't finish the rep.

[BOF]

I get that distinction.  I don't lift to failure on SL, mainly because the lifts in question can injure you if you don't succeed

[Stevo985]

Exactly, that was my point

[Dante_Lockhart]

Yup. I knew I wouldn't be able to do set 4 safely so I didn't attempt it.