TangoDown
Member
Yes, though that will hopefully change in 2 weeks.
And yes, if you're alluding to the fact that they are the same, they are the same. I was doing pullups a long time before I started with HST/real weight lifting.
Madcow 5x5, Time to Go Super Saiyan! *screams for 20 minutes*
- Thread starter TangoDown
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Yes, though that will hopefully change in 2 weeks.
And yes, if you're alluding to the fact that they are the same, they are the same. I was doing pullups a long time before I started with HST/real weight lifting.
TangoDown
Member
I updated this thread for the first time since November in early Feburary, and my Pendlay Row was 160lb x 5 and bench was 165lb x 5 - those were numbers from the cycle before my previous cycle. Bench stalled at 165lb at the end of the previous cycle, and row went up to 165lb x 4. I believe bench stall was due to form issues - i.e. grip width was too narrow and hence forearms were pointing inward to an extent and thus I was not generating as much power from the lift.
Albeit, if my bench is not 170lb x 5 and my row is not like 170lb x 3 in good form in 2 weeks, I will probably switch back to HST like you suggested. I'd like to do Wendler's 5/3/1 but I doubt I have the time for it at my school gym where I'm lucky to have 50 minutes before I have to buck out.
If this is the case, maybe you can help me iron out a decent program/hst variant.
As for diet, I'm taking in about 3500 calories on lift days and about 3000-3500 on non-lift days. Protein is about 150 grams/day.
Albeit, if my bench is not 170lb x 5 and my row is not like 170lb x 3 in good form in 2 weeks, I will probably switch back to HST like you suggested. I'd like to do Wendler's 5/3/1 but I doubt I have the time for it at my school gym where I'm lucky to have 50 minutes before I have to buck out.
If this is the case, maybe you can help me iron out a decent program/hst variant.
As for diet, I'm taking in about 3500 calories on lift days and about 3000-3500 on non-lift days. Protein is about 150 grams/day.
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I'm just wondering if a second work set wouldn't be of value to you.
I noticed you said you have long arms (relative to height obviously), it might be worth considering incline bench; that's my anecdotal take on it. Flat bench is a very poorly designed exercise from the perspective of leverage.
I have to figure that that diet intake is enough, considering your current strength. Are you gaining on the scales?
I noticed you said you have long arms (relative to height obviously), it might be worth considering incline bench; that's my anecdotal take on it. Flat bench is a very poorly designed exercise from the perspective of leverage.
I have to figure that that diet intake is enough, considering your current strength. Are you gaining on the scales?
TangoDown
Member
No incline barbell bench at my school gym, unfortunately.
Scale increasing about 0.25-1lb a week.
Yeah, I wonder if that's the case too.
I know you've got a ton of experience in this realm. What is something I could do in 50 minutes 2 times a week (and unlimited time once a week, thus 3 times total) in the realm of powerlifting and strength gain where I could continuously see an increase to the 3 main lifts? It seems like my DL and my squat are not stalling, but my upper body has. That will be confirmed or dismissed in 2 weeks.
TangoDown
Member
Stats: 5'8", 165lb
Squat (Light): 105lb x 5, 130lb x 5, 160lb x 5, 160lb x 5
Military Press (Strict): 70lb x 5, 85lb x 5, 95lb x 5, 110lb x 5
Conventional Deadlift: 150lb x 5, 190lb x 5, 225lb x 3, 255lb x 5
E-Z Bar Curl: Bar + 60lb x 10, Bar + 60lb x 8
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Squat felt fine.
Military Press, I'm experimenting with a slightly narrower grip. Felt pretty hard but we'll see how 115lb goes. Watched a Rippetoe video on it and gonna see if I can't get form perfect.
Deadlift felt pretty good. Confident a PR is coming there.
E-Z Bar curls will be hitting a PR for sure next week.
Apparently I'm 165lb now.
Squat (Light): 105lb x 5, 130lb x 5, 160lb x 5, 160lb x 5
Military Press (Strict): 70lb x 5, 85lb x 5, 95lb x 5, 110lb x 5
Conventional Deadlift: 150lb x 5, 190lb x 5, 225lb x 3, 255lb x 5
E-Z Bar Curl: Bar + 60lb x 10, Bar + 60lb x 8
______________________________________
Squat felt fine.
Military Press, I'm experimenting with a slightly narrower grip. Felt pretty hard but we'll see how 115lb goes. Watched a Rippetoe video on it and gonna see if I can't get form perfect.
Deadlift felt pretty good. Confident a PR is coming there.
E-Z Bar curls will be hitting a PR for sure next week.
Apparently I'm 165lb now.
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Well if the scales are going vertically, and the waistline isn't going (too) horizontal, then you're definitely doing those things right. Although 1/4 of a pound is only 110gms in measurements that count, so personally I'm calling that one clothes/food in bowels/hydration/not statistically significant.
My type of training draws on HST principles but these days isn't obviously reminiscent of vanilla-HST.
I increment when I can, SD when size and//or strength gains stop (or when the body says 'break time'). I don't do too much in the way of warmups; I think they're overrated//overvalued if you aren't injured and additionally, I don't work legs for size these days (big enough, and the benefits of plyometric training are of more value to the activities I like to do). I basically advocate training up to your 5RM, and then pushing that # higher until you can't. SD//deload, start again at what would be a couple of increments below 5RM, work your way back up to 5RM and keep clustering using a rep count of 11-17ish. you can keep pushing it with clustered-singles to get that rep count higher, but CNS-wise it will come back to bite you.
I think volume is certainly important, and obviously I think rep-count is more important than set-rep matrix, but load always matters the most.
It's also not easy to 'grow' all lifts, and therefore body-parts, over the same time period. If your deads and squats are going up, you might just have to ride that and not expect the same for upper-body right now. Having said that, there's no reason all of them can't go up at the same time.
High-rep work is critical IMO. Keeps your partitioning where you want it to be, will prevent excess fat gain and keeps you looking good and full (shuttling glycogen into your muscles is what makes us look 'full') - critical from a psychological and motivational perspective.
For me, I'd be wanting to get this done:
10-12 deadlift reps
10 squat reps
10-12 row/pull/chin reps
10-12 pushing-chain reps
50minutes is not a lot of time.
So I think I would alternate the leg exercises between workouts. I wouldn't waste much time on warm ups (waste from my a time perspective). Especially considering that once you do your first upper-body exercise, your elbows, shoulders and spine are essentially 'warmed up'. I'd cluster my reps, try and make sure I'm resting a solid 2.5 or 3 mins between clusters and throw in a high rep set at the end, ballpark 15-20RM. This would be for upper body only, as walking is 'high rep' work for the legs.
All reps above to be done at the working load. Maybe a warm up set around 70% of that load if required.
I'm also not a massive believer in 'strict, perfect, slow-as-mollases reps that take away from power and natural concentric&eccentric speeds.
Pretty much everything I've learned & observed over the years says that size and strength go hand-in-hand. HST as a series of principles that optimises 'extraction' of size from each level of strength you attain, but ultimately you need both. Lifting technique helps; getting better at a given movement. Nothing there is surprising. But your strongest lean 80kg guy is not lifting as much as your strongest lean 100kg guy.
I don't think the isolations are necessary at all, but it's hard to get ppl accepting that sometimes.
TangoDown
Member
Tell me if I'm understanding what you wrote:
So I'd be starting the cycle somewhat below 5 rep max, push to a 5 rep max, and then go beyond - all while clustering to continuously hit the desired rep range of 10-15 reps.
So the first session of the cycle where the load is below 5 rep max would involve getting all 10 reps of whatever exercise, maybe in one straight set without the need to cluster depending on how light the load is.
So say for the first session, Bench (10 rep max): 155lb x 10 reps + 3 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered (15 total)
2 sessions later (due to repeating the load twice in one week), Bench: 160lb x 6 reps + 4 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered (12 total)
2 sessions later (due to repeating the load twice in one week), Bench (5 rep max): 165lb x 5 reps + 3 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered + 2 Reps clustered (12 total)
2 sessions later (due to repeating the load twice in one week), Bench (3 rep max): 170lb x 3 reps + 2 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered + 1 rep clustered (10 reps total)
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Upper body exercises can also have 15-20 rep set at the end with a lighter load.
I'm not very versed in clustering. Would I do the first set at as many reps as possible right before failure? So if I'm on my current 5 rep max of 165lb - I'd do 5 reps and then rest 2 minutes and then do 3-4 reps, and repeat process until I hit 12? Or would the first set of 165lb before the cluster be less than my max?
Also, when would I test for a PR (i.e. seeing if 170lb is my new 5 rep max)? Would it be during the progression or on the last day of the cycle?
Thanks for the help, man. I really appreciate it.
So I'd be starting the cycle somewhat below 5 rep max, push to a 5 rep max, and then go beyond - all while clustering to continuously hit the desired rep range of 10-15 reps.
So the first session of the cycle where the load is below 5 rep max would involve getting all 10 reps of whatever exercise, maybe in one straight set without the need to cluster depending on how light the load is.
So say for the first session, Bench (10 rep max): 155lb x 10 reps + 3 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered (15 total)
2 sessions later (due to repeating the load twice in one week), Bench: 160lb x 6 reps + 4 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered (12 total)
2 sessions later (due to repeating the load twice in one week), Bench (5 rep max): 165lb x 5 reps + 3 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered + 2 Reps clustered (12 total)
2 sessions later (due to repeating the load twice in one week), Bench (3 rep max): 170lb x 3 reps + 2 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered + 2 reps clustered + 1 rep clustered (10 reps total)
___________________
Upper body exercises can also have 15-20 rep set at the end with a lighter load.
I'm not very versed in clustering. Would I do the first set at as many reps as possible right before failure? So if I'm on my current 5 rep max of 165lb - I'd do 5 reps and then rest 2 minutes and then do 3-4 reps, and repeat process until I hit 12? Or would the first set of 165lb before the cluster be less than my max?
Also, when would I test for a PR (i.e. seeing if 170lb is my new 5 rep max)? Would it be during the progression or on the last day of the cycle?
Thanks for the help, man. I really appreciate it.
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Yeh, that's the right ballpark.
You want the last rep of any cluster to be the one before failure.
The increments are less strict and planned. Essentially, once you complete a given rep count (10-12) at working load, you bump it for the next session, and keep repeating until it's time to SD. If you can't complete 3 reps for the first cluster, then;
a) You're going to be in the gym for a while
b) You're probably one increment too heavy
That's more or less how I go. A bit of body language is fine but obviously form matters.
The idea behind clustering is essentially to combine requisite load stimulus with requisite time under tension. You don't care if you did 3 sets of 5. What you're more concerned about is 15 reps. If you did them 6, 5, 4 or 3,3,3,3,3 it doesn't matter. Obviously when you raise the load, your clusters will have less reps, when you get stronger then they'll have more and there will be fewer of them.
Re: your example of bench press 5RM = 165lbs. You might find it goes 5,5,2. It might be that you're having a good day and you get 6 on that first set, then 4, then 2. It might go 5,3,3,1-2. You can't be sure how many you're going to get out until you literally do them. Once you can complete 12 reps in a reasonable # of clusters (more than 5 is probably an indication your load is too high if you're wanting to get it all done in 50mins), then raise the weight for the next workout.
It's key to eat. Protein is obviously relevant, as are fats. I like caffeine in general and have started on creatine again (yes, drinking litreSSS per day right now ... bit annoying but anyway) but whatever works is fine.
Personally, I don't 'test' PRs. I just keep working out. When I can do more reps in a cluster (say 5 or 6 without any extra body language to complete the concentric), I bump the weight. When I'm ready to SD, whatever weight I managed to get a 5-rep cluster on is naturally my new 5RM. Again, the concept is to get the load and TUT done, and if I want to I can always check my log and track PRs later.
If you can do 165lbs for 5 once, and then 5 again in a few minutes, my thoughts are that you should bump to 170 and get the 12 reps done there. You might be able to do 5 already for that first cluster and not realise it, or you might go 3,3,3,3 or 3,3,2,2 (10 reps). And then in a few workouts your 170 would hopefully go 5,3,3 or something, in which case your 5RM is now 170.
Hope all that makes sense.
Eat; recovery, size, strength, mood etc ... Eat.
You want the last rep of any cluster to be the one before failure.
The increments are less strict and planned. Essentially, once you complete a given rep count (10-12) at working load, you bump it for the next session, and keep repeating until it's time to SD. If you can't complete 3 reps for the first cluster, then;
a) You're going to be in the gym for a while
b) You're probably one increment too heavy
That's more or less how I go. A bit of body language is fine but obviously form matters.
The idea behind clustering is essentially to combine requisite load stimulus with requisite time under tension. You don't care if you did 3 sets of 5. What you're more concerned about is 15 reps. If you did them 6, 5, 4 or 3,3,3,3,3 it doesn't matter. Obviously when you raise the load, your clusters will have less reps, when you get stronger then they'll have more and there will be fewer of them.
Re: your example of bench press 5RM = 165lbs. You might find it goes 5,5,2. It might be that you're having a good day and you get 6 on that first set, then 4, then 2. It might go 5,3,3,1-2. You can't be sure how many you're going to get out until you literally do them. Once you can complete 12 reps in a reasonable # of clusters (more than 5 is probably an indication your load is too high if you're wanting to get it all done in 50mins), then raise the weight for the next workout.
It's key to eat. Protein is obviously relevant, as are fats. I like caffeine in general and have started on creatine again (yes, drinking litreSSS per day right now ... bit annoying but anyway) but whatever works is fine.
Personally, I don't 'test' PRs. I just keep working out. When I can do more reps in a cluster (say 5 or 6 without any extra body language to complete the concentric), I bump the weight. When I'm ready to SD, whatever weight I managed to get a 5-rep cluster on is naturally my new 5RM. Again, the concept is to get the load and TUT done, and if I want to I can always check my log and track PRs later.
If you can do 165lbs for 5 once, and then 5 again in a few minutes, my thoughts are that you should bump to 170 and get the 12 reps done there. You might be able to do 5 already for that first cluster and not realise it, or you might go 3,3,3,3 or 3,3,2,2 (10 reps). And then in a few workouts your 170 would hopefully go 5,3,3 or something, in which case your 5RM is now 170.
Hope all that makes sense.
Eat; recovery, size, strength, mood etc ... Eat.
TangoDown
Member
Awesome, makes a lot of sense.
I'm gonna see if my bench doesn't increase to 170lb x 5 at the end of this cycle with Intermediate 5x5. If it doesn't, I'll switch to this variant of HST right after this cycle ends and give it a go (and I'll probably ask you a few question beforehand). If my bench does increase, I'm probably going to stick with Intermediate 5x5 until the end of the semester (ends in May). At that point in time, I'll probably start going back to the YMCA 3 times a week and thus won't be confined to 45-50 minutes per session, OR I'll be moved into a new place and start accumulating weights and a power rack from Craigslist and Ebay lol. And at this point, I'll probably switch to this HST variant.
At the moment I feel like I'm probably 15-16% body fat. I'll keep the moderately slow bulk until I can't tolerate what I see in the mirror anymore. As for diet, I don't restrict carbs or fats. Don't take creatine though, though I guess I could. And I do try to get in some caffeine before a workout if I can.
I'm gonna see if my bench doesn't increase to 170lb x 5 at the end of this cycle with Intermediate 5x5. If it doesn't, I'll switch to this variant of HST right after this cycle ends and give it a go (and I'll probably ask you a few question beforehand). If my bench does increase, I'm probably going to stick with Intermediate 5x5 until the end of the semester (ends in May). At that point in time, I'll probably start going back to the YMCA 3 times a week and thus won't be confined to 45-50 minutes per session, OR I'll be moved into a new place and start accumulating weights and a power rack from Craigslist and Ebay lol. And at this point, I'll probably switch to this HST variant.
At the moment I feel like I'm probably 15-16% body fat. I'll keep the moderately slow bulk until I can't tolerate what I see in the mirror anymore. As for diet, I don't restrict carbs or fats. Don't take creatine though, though I guess I could. And I do try to get in some caffeine before a workout if I can.
TangoDown
Member
One more thing: Should the total reps decrease as the cycle moves on - I.E. I'm trying for 15 at the beginning, and then by the time I'm passed by 5 rep max I'm only trying for 10?
And from what I gathered, if I can complete a lift in 1-4 total clustered sets (totaling a rep goal), I should progress to a higher load? So if I get 5, 4, 3 for 12 total reps, I can progress, but if I get like 3 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 etc to get 12 total reps, I should probably deload/SD? Same goes for something like 5 x 2 x 1 x 1 etc, showing my nervous system is shot and it's time for a break?
Also, how long is a cycle usually? I'm guessing about 6 weeks?
And from what I gathered, if I can complete a lift in 1-4 total clustered sets (totaling a rep goal), I should progress to a higher load? So if I get 5, 4, 3 for 12 total reps, I can progress, but if I get like 3 x 2 x 1 x 1 x 1 etc to get 12 total reps, I should probably deload/SD? Same goes for something like 5 x 2 x 1 x 1 etc, showing my nervous system is shot and it's time for a break?
Also, how long is a cycle usually? I'm guessing about 6 weeks?
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Total reps should be in that 10-12 bracket. I wouldn't decrease them, I just do what I feel I can do for that workout. Obviously if you get out 15 easy (you know, instead of just hitting 12 5,5,2 you bust out 5,5,5), then bump the weight but don't overdo the volume. You're working at 5RM range + here, increasing your maxes. CNS is a major factor here. Now, your CNS is just like anybody else's; capable, but it's also vulnerable if over-worked on a given day. 10-12 is the range I use, sometimes I'll get greedy and push it out to 15 or a little higher but the next workout I tend to feel a bit drained.
If you get 5,4,3, go ahead progress. If you got 5,2,1,1,1,1 etc, I'd say you're still good to go. It seems to me that with regard to a workout like that, you're maybe a tiny bit tired or that '5' is the first time you did it, maybe your rest was a little off etc. 3,2,1,1,1,1 - either take it down an increment, or time to SD.
For me, I like to workout for long cycles, not SD'ing until I'm literally done.
The other thing you can do if you feel like you might be on the edge of SD time is just skip one day. If your following workout after the skip isn't back to bouncy, then yeh, SD. Training at these loads is going to get results, but there's a finer line to walk w/regard to CNS than in the 10's or low 5's range.
What you need to remember is to increase the weight when you can, not by structure. That's the predominant difference between how I train compared to vanilla-HST.
For deads and squats I'd probably raise by 2.5kg or 5kg total (1.25 or 2.5 on either side), bench and rows, yup - 1.25kg plate on each side.
**Obviously the equivalent plate in poundage.
For deads and squats I'd probably raise by 2.5kg or 5kg total (1.25 or 2.5 on either side), bench and rows, yup - 1.25kg plate on each side.
**Obviously the equivalent plate in poundage.
TangoDown
Member
One thing I didn't quite understand, and I apologize for all these questions lol.
You say, when I get to the point where I'm hitting 3 reps in my first set, I should stay with that weight until I can pump out 4-5 on that first set in a few sessions? Then when I'm pumping out 5 on that first set and the resulting clusters aren't like 1,1, 1 every single session despite adequate rest between clusters (indicating CNS fatigue), I'd move the weight up.
Also, I've got two 5/8th pound magnetic weights that I could put on both plates for a total of 1.25lb. I believe there are also 2.5lb magnets at the YMCA (I can put one in the middle of the bar). Since the distance between my 10 rep max, 5 rep max, and 3 rep max are not great on bench press/row, would it be a good idea to microload versus push 5lb to extend the cycle's length?
You say, when I get to the point where I'm hitting 3 reps in my first set, I should stay with that weight until I can pump out 4-5 on that first set in a few sessions? Then when I'm pumping out 5 on that first set and the resulting clusters aren't like 1,1, 1 every single session despite adequate rest between clusters (indicating CNS fatigue), I'd move the weight up.
Also, I've got two 5/8th pound magnetic weights that I could put on both plates for a total of 1.25lb. I believe there are also 2.5lb magnets at the YMCA (I can put one in the middle of the bar). Since the distance between my 10 rep max, 5 rep max, and 3 rep max are not great on bench press/row, would it be a good idea to microload versus push 5lb to extend the cycle's length?
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TangoDown
Member
Stats: 5'8", 165lb
Squat: 160lb x 5, 185lb x 5, 215 x 3, 165lb x 8
Bench Press: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5, 125lb x 8
Pendlay Row: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 165lb x 3
Dumbbell Curl:
Right Arm - 40lb x 12 (PR + 2 reps),
Left Arm - 40lb x 11 (PR + 1 rep)
____________________________________
Squat felt pretty good. I hopefully should be on track for a PR.
Bench, accidentally did 5 reps instead of 3. Made sure grip was wide enough. Was hard but I think I could have at least pushed out 1 more rep. We'll see how 170lb feels next week.
Pendlay felt hard. Don't know if I was cheating or not cus my friend wasn't there today to watch. Was running out of time so skipped the 8-rep set.
PR'd on dumbbell curls. Left arm might have matched the right arm but my grip was essentially fried at that point.
Squat: 160lb x 5, 185lb x 5, 215 x 3, 165lb x 8
Bench Press: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5, 125lb x 8
Pendlay Row: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 165lb x 3
Dumbbell Curl:
Right Arm - 40lb x 12 (PR + 2 reps),
Left Arm - 40lb x 11 (PR + 1 rep)
____________________________________
Squat felt pretty good. I hopefully should be on track for a PR.
Bench, accidentally did 5 reps instead of 3. Made sure grip was wide enough. Was hard but I think I could have at least pushed out 1 more rep. We'll see how 170lb feels next week.
Pendlay felt hard. Don't know if I was cheating or not cus my friend wasn't there today to watch. Was running out of time so skipped the 8-rep set.
PR'd on dumbbell curls. Left arm might have matched the right arm but my grip was essentially fried at that point.
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TangoDown
Member
Stats: 5'8", 165lb
Squat: 215lb x 5 (PR + 5lb)
Bench Press: 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5
Pendlay Row: 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5 (PR +1 rep)
Dumbbell Curl: 40lb x 11
____________________________________
My gym class was canceled today. Luckily, the class an hour later had a nice coach who let me and my friend workout. I was on the clock though (and my 5 Hour Energy shot was not as effective at this point), so I skipped warming up with squat. 215lb x 5 was very hard. We'll see how 220lb feels next week, but I won't have a power rack since I'm on Spring Break so I'm somewhat tentative. Now I will have a mirror in front of me, so the eccentric motion of the lift should be faster than usual.
Now technically, the 215lb was a PR, but I figured I could have pushed to 215lb x 5 last cycle and I had gotten 225lb x 3, so making 215lb x 5 a PR in my mind is questionable lol. I want 220lb x 5 and I want it bad.
Bench, I accidentally lowered the bar above my nipples on the last rep so the last rep was harder than it should have been. Wanting 170lb x 5 next week. We shall see.
Row, I did the set with the least body language possible so I'm counting that as a PR.
Curls, I did with as best form possible as well.
Squat: 215lb x 5 (PR + 5lb)
Bench Press: 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5
Pendlay Row: 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5 (PR +1 rep)
Dumbbell Curl: 40lb x 11
____________________________________
My gym class was canceled today. Luckily, the class an hour later had a nice coach who let me and my friend workout. I was on the clock though (and my 5 Hour Energy shot was not as effective at this point), so I skipped warming up with squat. 215lb x 5 was very hard. We'll see how 220lb feels next week, but I won't have a power rack since I'm on Spring Break so I'm somewhat tentative. Now I will have a mirror in front of me, so the eccentric motion of the lift should be faster than usual.
Now technically, the 215lb was a PR, but I figured I could have pushed to 215lb x 5 last cycle and I had gotten 225lb x 3, so making 215lb x 5 a PR in my mind is questionable lol. I want 220lb x 5 and I want it bad.
Bench, I accidentally lowered the bar above my nipples on the last rep so the last rep was harder than it should have been. Wanting 170lb x 5 next week. We shall see.
Row, I did the set with the least body language possible so I'm counting that as a PR.
Curls, I did with as best form possible as well.
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TangoDown
Member
Stats: 5'8", 166lb (new scale in the gym, which was kind of finicky IMO)
Squat (Light): 135lb x 5, 165lb x 5, 165lb x 5
Military Press (Strict): 70lb x 5, 85lb x 5, 100lb x 5, 115lb x 3 (lolwut), 115lb x 5
Conventional Deadlift: 155lb x 5, 195lb x 5, 230lb x 3, 265lb x 5
Dumbell Curl: 45lb x 7 (PR + 2 reps), 45lb x 5
_____________________________________________________
I was pissed this morning. I venture all the way to my gym which is across the city, walk in, get dressed, and walk into the weight room. Literally 2 minutes in, some woman walks in and goes "excuse me, excuse me, you are all going to have to clear out in the next 5 minutes. We're having a Women's Beginner Strength Training Clinic. The weight room will be open again for public use in an hour and a half."
What the ****? Anyway, we all have to clear out, and the woman at the front desk says to me "well you can still work out [in the cardio/machine room]." I just lol and leave. Grab a burrito and bus home. Now I can't come back to the gym tomorrow because I'm busy all day, so I figure I'd come back later in the day. I bus back and the weight room is basically empty. Cool because when I first got there before I had to clear out, it was packed to the gills. Still annoying as hell though. Makes me wish I lived in a house - let alone one with a basement - and could go get a power rack, a bench, an Olympic bar, and some plates. Wouldn't have to wait for anybody to finish their sets, could work out as slow as I wanted, could work out in my underwear, etc.
One day, I shall make this dream a reality
.
Anyway, squat felt fine.
Military press, I tried a more narrow gripwidth and it didn't work out. Did the repeat of 115lb x 5 after deadlifting and got every rep. Was insanely hard but I'm hoping that was due to being fatigued after previously going to failure with the ****ty form 115lb, and then doing deadlifts.
Deadlift again felt hard but not at failure, but my grip was finicky. I did notice that by the end of the set, most of the chalk was scraped off my hands. I think I'll just add more chalk next time. I'm jumping by 10lb just because I feel like if I were going up by 5 for the entire cycle, I'd have to deload everything but deadlift and that would screw up things. I do reset between each rep when I do my workset as to not be sloppy, so there's about 10 seconds between reps. Somewhat rest-pause I guess, but it's deadlift which requires an insane amount of rest between sets anyway so I doubt 10 seconds between reps is much of an issue.
I think that if adding more chalk remedies the grip issue, I should be able to pull 315lb. I might just do that the week after next. Thinking about doing a 1-rep max day at my school gym (which has a power rack and where I can be as loud as I want) when I'm back from spring break right before I SD.
Anyway, E-Z bar was being used for skull crushers so I decided to do curls with 45s instead. Pushed out 7 reps on the first set. Yes, there was some leaning so it wasn't completely strict curling but I wasn't swinging the weight like a ****tard. So I PR'd there. Might have even been able to push out 1-2 more reps, but my form would have probably deteriorated even more than it already had lol.
Squat (Light): 135lb x 5, 165lb x 5, 165lb x 5
Military Press (Strict): 70lb x 5, 85lb x 5, 100lb x 5, 115lb x 3 (lolwut), 115lb x 5
Conventional Deadlift: 155lb x 5, 195lb x 5, 230lb x 3, 265lb x 5
Dumbell Curl: 45lb x 7 (PR + 2 reps), 45lb x 5
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I was pissed this morning. I venture all the way to my gym which is across the city, walk in, get dressed, and walk into the weight room. Literally 2 minutes in, some woman walks in and goes "excuse me, excuse me, you are all going to have to clear out in the next 5 minutes. We're having a Women's Beginner Strength Training Clinic. The weight room will be open again for public use in an hour and a half."
What the ****? Anyway, we all have to clear out, and the woman at the front desk says to me "well you can still work out [in the cardio/machine room]." I just lol and leave. Grab a burrito and bus home. Now I can't come back to the gym tomorrow because I'm busy all day, so I figure I'd come back later in the day. I bus back and the weight room is basically empty. Cool because when I first got there before I had to clear out, it was packed to the gills. Still annoying as hell though. Makes me wish I lived in a house - let alone one with a basement - and could go get a power rack, a bench, an Olympic bar, and some plates. Wouldn't have to wait for anybody to finish their sets, could work out as slow as I wanted, could work out in my underwear, etc.
One day, I shall make this dream a reality
.Anyway, squat felt fine.
Military press, I tried a more narrow gripwidth and it didn't work out. Did the repeat of 115lb x 5 after deadlifting and got every rep. Was insanely hard but I'm hoping that was due to being fatigued after previously going to failure with the ****ty form 115lb, and then doing deadlifts.
Deadlift again felt hard but not at failure, but my grip was finicky. I did notice that by the end of the set, most of the chalk was scraped off my hands. I think I'll just add more chalk next time. I'm jumping by 10lb just because I feel like if I were going up by 5 for the entire cycle, I'd have to deload everything but deadlift and that would screw up things. I do reset between each rep when I do my workset as to not be sloppy, so there's about 10 seconds between reps. Somewhat rest-pause I guess, but it's deadlift which requires an insane amount of rest between sets anyway so I doubt 10 seconds between reps is much of an issue.
I think that if adding more chalk remedies the grip issue, I should be able to pull 315lb. I might just do that the week after next. Thinking about doing a 1-rep max day at my school gym (which has a power rack and where I can be as loud as I want) when I'm back from spring break right before I SD.
Anyway, E-Z bar was being used for skull crushers so I decided to do curls with 45s instead. Pushed out 7 reps on the first set. Yes, there was some leaning so it wasn't completely strict curling but I wasn't swinging the weight like a ****tard. So I PR'd there. Might have even been able to push out 1-2 more reps, but my form would have probably deteriorated even more than it already had lol.
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TangoDown
Member
Stats: 5'8", 166lb
Squat: 160lb x 5, 190lb x 5, 220lb x 5 (PR + 5lb)
Bench Press: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 170lb x 3 (PR + 1 rep)
Pendlay Row: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5
E-Z Bar Curl: Bar + 65lb x 10 (PR + 2 reps)
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I'm happy to report that I got the PR on squat I was looking for. My spotter helped me up on the 4th rep when I was 80% done with it, which I didn't ask for, and rep 5 was insanely hard, but I don't think rep 4 made much of a difference.
I'm gonna see how many I can get with 225lb next session. Last cycle I pushed out 3.
Bench, rep 1 and 2 were very explosive, and 3 was off-kilter, but I still got it. 4 barely got off my chest. I have a feeling that because the first 2 reps weren't extremely hard, I could push out at least 4 reps, but we'll see next session when I repeat the weight and remember to initiate leg drive with each rep. Regardless, I still PR'd but barely.
Pendlay, I wasn't going for a PR. 145lb actually felt a ton easier than when I do it at my school gym - I think it was because I wasn't tentative about dropping the weight fast. 165lb felt about the same.
E-Z Bar curls PR'd 2 reps.
Squat: 160lb x 5, 190lb x 5, 220lb x 5 (PR + 5lb)
Bench Press: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 170lb x 3 (PR + 1 rep)
Pendlay Row: 125lb x 5, 145lb x 5, 165lb x 5
E-Z Bar Curl: Bar + 65lb x 10 (PR + 2 reps)
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I'm happy to report that I got the PR on squat I was looking for. My spotter helped me up on the 4th rep when I was 80% done with it, which I didn't ask for, and rep 5 was insanely hard, but I don't think rep 4 made much of a difference.
I'm gonna see how many I can get with 225lb next session. Last cycle I pushed out 3.
Bench, rep 1 and 2 were very explosive, and 3 was off-kilter, but I still got it. 4 barely got off my chest. I have a feeling that because the first 2 reps weren't extremely hard, I could push out at least 4 reps, but we'll see next session when I repeat the weight and remember to initiate leg drive with each rep. Regardless, I still PR'd but barely.
Pendlay, I wasn't going for a PR. 145lb actually felt a ton easier than when I do it at my school gym - I think it was because I wasn't tentative about dropping the weight fast. 165lb felt about the same.
E-Z Bar curls PR'd 2 reps.
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