Author Topic: _bruce_ - 5x5 - from tit to breast... to EVEREST  (Read 33440 times)

_bruce_

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_bruce_ - 5x5 - from tit to breast... to EVEREST
« on: June 02, 2008, 01:53:46 PM »
Current status: edge of fluffiness

Goal: more muscle, leaner - rugged appearence which fits me.

Height:   5' 8"
Weight:  185lb - 190lb

For those who like reading:
I don't have lofty goals. I'm happy the way I am, just wan't to shed some fat, more arms and shoulders.
Only strong bodyparts that I have are forearms, calves - both which I've never trained... the irony of genetics.
Chest is nice.
Rest sucks.

My current diet is mainly fat and protein. Low carbs.
This makes me feel better than a carb approach - no gas, emotionally more stable

I used to eat around 3-5 pizzas a day and around 2lb of cookies - good times.
This brought me to around 200lbs of brutal appearance.
I used to train every 4 - 14 days which enabled me not to get too fat, not crossing the 200lbs belly-barrier.


This is what I currently eat for the day...

Mo-Fr
Morning:   2 cups of coffee(little milk), ~40g protein powder, salad with pumpkinseed-oil
Lunch:     100g shrimp/or 100-200 tuna or macarel + salad with pumpkinseed-oil
Evening:   ~100-200g ham, 8-10 eggwhites, salad with pumpkinseed-oil
Late    :   2 cups of coffee, ~40g protein powder, salad with pumpkinseed-oil

Sa-Su
Coffee, some meat, whole grain noodles, brown rice, salad + healthy oil, salmon, piece of cake(selfmade low sugar)

repeat


Training history:
tried different styles for many years - always stopped. Never pushed it. Though I came to the conclusion that high volume ain't my thing.

My foray into 5x5... could be that I don't have understood all of it - so feel free to add your thoughts and suggestions.
Weights were a guess and only fitted for 2 exercises - rest was too light.
Basic log layout from bb . com



5x5 Weightlifting Program - 12 Weeks: Monday. 90 seconds between sets. 3 minutes
between exercises.

DAY: Tuesday
DATE: June the 03rd/2008
TIME: 21:00 - 21:47

pm

CARDIO TODAY? YES - 25 min


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
: 47 min.

WEIGHT: ~185 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: So, so. But I'm motivated and curious how it will go.


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Chin-ups -      5 reps       +   0 kg/  0 lbs... last one was close - perfect

Dumbbell Calf Raises -    5 reps       + 40kg/   90 lbs... mhhh  

Dumbbell Military Press - 5 reps       +  20kg/  45 lbs... was too light - try 22.5kg next time)      

Rear Delt Row -             5 reps       +  40kg/  90 lbs... last one was close - perfect

Close grip bench press -  5 reps       +  40kg/  90 lbs... too light - try 45-50 next time


Felt great, feel refreshed + slightly amped

.

The Master

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2008, 06:53:59 PM »
Current status: edge of fluffiness

Goal: more muscle, leaner - rugged appearence which fits me.

Height:   5' 8"
Weight:  185lb - 190lb

For those who like reading:
I don't have lofty goals. I'm happy the way I am, just wan't to shed some fat, more arms and shoulders.
Only strong bodyparts that I have are forearms, calves - both which I've never trained... the irony of genetics.
Chest is nice.
Rest sucks.

My current diet is mainly fat and protein. Low carbs.
This makes me feel better than a carb approach - no gas, emotionally more stable

I used to eat around 3-5 pizzas a day and around 2lb of cookies - good times.
This brought me to around 200lbs of brutal appearance.
I used to train every 4 - 14 days which enabled me not to get too fat, not crossing the 200lbs belly-barrier.


This is what I currently eat for the day...

Mo-Fr
Morning:   2 cups of coffee(little milk), ~40g protein powder, salad with pumpkinseed-oil
Lunch:     100g shrimp/or 100-200 tuna or macarel + salad with pumpkinseed-oil
Evening:   ~100-200g ham, 8-10 eggwhites, salad with pumpkinseed-oil
Late    :   2 cups of coffee, ~40g protein powder, salad with pumpkinseed-oil

Sa-Su
Coffee, some meat, whole grain noodles, brown rice, salad + healthy oil, salmon, piece of cake(selfmade low sugar)

repeat


Training history:
tried different styles for many years - always stopped. Never pushed it. Though I came to the conclusion that high volume ain't my thing.

My foray into 5x5... could be that I don't have understood all of it - so feel free to add your thoughts and suggestions.
Weights were a guess and only fitted for 2 exercises - rest was too light.
Basic log layout from bb . com



5x5 Weightlifting Program - 12 Weeks: Monday. 90 seconds between sets. 3 minutes
between exercises.

DAY: Tuesday
DATE: June the 03rd/2008
TIME: 21:00 - 21:47

pm

CARDIO TODAY? YES - 25 min


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
: 47 min.

WEIGHT: ~185 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: So, so. But I'm motivated and curious how it will go.


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Chin-ups -      5 reps       +   0 kg/  0 lbs... last one was close - perfect

Dumbbell Calf Raises -    5 reps       

Dumbbell Military Press - 5 reps       +  20kg/  45 lbs... was too light - try 22.5kg next time)     

Rear Delt Row -             5 reps       +  40kg/  90 lbs... last one was close - perfect

Close grip bench press -  5 reps       +  40kg/  90 lbs... too light - try 45-50 next time


Felt great, feel refreshed + slightly amped



Great log. Some brutal strength there! 8)

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2008, 12:35:10 PM »
I feel very privileged that the great Debussey is delighted  8)
.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2008, 03:02:34 PM »
DAY: Thursday
DATE: June the 05rd/2008
TIME: 22:27 - 23:09

pm

CARDIO TODAY? NO


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
: 42 min.

WEIGHT: ~185 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: Pretty good. I'm motivated and curious how it will go.


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Pull-ups -            
5 reps       +   0 kg/  0 lbs... last one was close - perfect

Dumbbell Incline Presses -   
5 reps       + 30kg/   65 lbs... too light... add some pounds   
Lying leg curls -                 
0 reps   ...no such machine at home    
Barbell Squats -                
5 reps       +  40kg/  90 lbs... left knee died long ago, so light and superslow

Shrugs -                          
0 reps      ...traps too big + no shoulders... maybe some day

Felt great, feel refreshed, was pretty cool.
.

PANDAEMONIUM

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2008, 09:11:47 PM »
5x5 is one of the best training protocols out there IMO.  Good luck!

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2008, 08:44:05 AM »
5x5 is one of the best training protocols out there IMO.  Good luck!

Thanks.
I have a pretty realistic timeframe for improving - 5 years from now on.
Let's see....
.

The Master

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2008, 09:16:06 AM »
Debussey approved.

MisterMagoo

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2008, 12:44:19 PM »
i'm joining you on the 5x5's my friend. it's a tried and true system.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #8 on: June 13, 2008, 01:37:28 PM »
Had to pause because of horrendous sleeping patterns - here we go again...

DAY: Friday
DATE: June the 13nth/2008
TIME: 21:12 - 22:13

pm

CARDIO TODAY? NO


LENGTH OF WORKOUT:  min. 61 mins.. strange?!?

WEIGHT: ~185 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING: Tired(meds)


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Chin-ups -      5 reps       +   5 kg/  11 lbs... last one was very hard.... perfect

Dumbbell Calf Raises -    5 reps       + 40kg/   90 lbs... mhhh... max dumbbell I have

Dumbbell Military Press - 5 reps       +  25kg/  55 lbs... was a hair too light - try 27.5kg next time)  *

Rear Delt Row -             5 reps       +  45kg/  95 lbs... too light

Close grip bench press -  5 reps       +  50kg/ 110 lbs... too light **


Felt great, feel refreshed + slightly amped

* heaving those damn dumbbells 5 times in the air from the ground is kinda shitty - press itself is much less demanding... need to adress this and find 2 slaves

** deeply feeling the tris and minimizing shoulder involvment is still a struggle

.

MisterMagoo

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2008, 02:07:06 PM »
hey man, if i can whack a 5x5 on shoulder presses with the 90s you can go for the 55's.  ;D

the key is to find the spot on your knee to rest the 'bell and kick it up without moving too much.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #10 on: June 15, 2008, 02:06:26 PM »
DAY: Sunday
DATE: June the 16nth/2008
TIME: 21:51 - 22:41

pm

CARDIO TODAY? NO


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
:  50 min. grrrr

WEIGHT: ~185 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: Pretty good. Let's see...


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Pull-ups -            
5 reps       +   2.25 kg/   5 lbs... now that was hard!

Dumbbell Incline Presses -   
5 reps       + 35     kg/  75 lbs... superhard - ~5lb too much

Barbell Squats -                
5 reps       +  50    kg/ 110 lbs... left knee died long ago, so light and superslow


Felt great, really heavy for the most part... increases were around 2.5 - 5lb too heavy, squats need more technical expertise... especially on the eccentric portion of the rep...wasn't on the sweet spot of the movement... have to look into "Starting Strength" again.


.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #11 on: June 15, 2008, 02:13:55 PM »
hey man, if i can whack a 5x5 on shoulder presses with the 90s you can go for the 55's.  ;D

the key is to find the spot on your knee to rest the 'bell and kick it up without moving too much.

I'm doing them standing and at home on a wooden floor - so it's kinda annoying and quite delicate ^^
.

MisterMagoo

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2008, 06:12:23 PM »
I'm doing them standing and at home on a wooden floor - so it's kinda annoying and quite delicate ^^

ahhhh. well work on your cleans then. i've done standing with a pair of 70s a few times and it's definitely workable. you just gotta get used to heaving them up and not trying to do curls.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2008, 01:42:44 PM »
DAY: Wednesday
DATE: June the 18nth/2008
TIME: 22:08 - 22:28

pm

CARDIO TODAY? NO


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
:  20 min.

WEIGHT: ~183 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: T i r e d


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Bent over barbell rows -            5 reps       +   50 kg/  110 lbs... light

Deadlifts -                                5 reps       + 70 kg/   150 lbs... just right - total control


Wow - great it was.

...finished with DC stretches for back - which, at the same time, is my forearm workout(OUCH)
...rows were like a hot knife through coco-butter, good back feel -> like 2 wings of steak
...deadlifts are a back health exercise for me - not keen on getting strong.


.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #14 on: June 18, 2008, 01:44:31 PM »
ahhhh. well work on your cleans then. i've done standing with a pair of 70s a few times and it's definitely workable. you just gotta get used to heaving them up and not trying to do curls.

Understand, but I don't wanna ruin my cuff/shoulders for just heaving those silly bells up.
Is a clean and snatch-way the optimum to get em up - or too dangerous?
.

MisterMagoo

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #15 on: June 18, 2008, 01:49:31 PM »
Understand, but I don't wanna ruin my cuff/shoulders for just heaving those silly bells up.
Is a clean and snatch-way the optimum to get em up - or too dangerous?

definitely clean 'em up. any other way screws up my shoulders big time. it'll take a bit before you get the hang of it, but here's a suggestion: don't hold the DBs like you're doing it with a barbell. think "hammer curl" while you're doing it. way easier.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2008, 10:19:24 AM »
Had to pause because of horrendous sleeping patterns - here we go again...

DAY: Thursday
DATE: June the 26th/2008 *
TIME: 20:00 - 21:03

pm

CARDIO TODAY? YES


LENGTH OF WORKOUT:  63 mins. **

WEIGHT: ~185 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING: Tired(meds)


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Chin-ups -      5 reps       +   0 kg/  0 lbs  :'(... last one was hard.... lack of rest

Dumbbell Calf Raises -    5 reps       + 40kg/   90 lbs... mhhh... max dumbbell I have

Dumbbell Military Press - 5 reps       +  25kg/  55 lbs... was a hair too light - try 27.5kg next time) 

Rear Delt Row -             5 reps       +  45kg/  95 lbs... last one was hard - lack of rest

Close grip bench press -  5 reps       +  50kg/ 110 lbs... felt easy


Felt great though exhausted

* finally my sleeping patterns and overall well-being are back on track - infrequencies are now a thing of the past

** have to prepare my Fisher-price weightset before I start working out... damn screwing around with plates and bars costs too much time
.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2008, 10:26:21 AM »
DAY: Tuesday
DATE: June the 30th/2008
TIME: 22:12 - 23:00

pm

CARDIO TODAY? NO


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
:  48. min.

WEIGHT: ~182.5 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: Pretty good. Let's see...


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Pull-ups -            
5 reps       +   1.25 kg/   2.75 lbs... hard... exhausted

Some strabnge tricep exercise... never again

Barbell Squats -                
5 reps       +  50 + 2.5   kg/ 116 lbs... HARD...


The 10 day period of extensive lack of sleep/rest kicked my ass.


.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #18 on: July 02, 2008, 12:18:32 PM »
DAY: Wednesday
DATE: July/2nd/2008
TIME: 20:27 - 20:49

pm

CARDIO TODAY? YES


LENGTH OF WORKOUT
:   22 min.

WEIGHT: ~183 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING
: Good


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Bent over barbell rows -            5 reps       +   50 + 2.5 kg/  116 lbs... light

Deadlifts -                                5 reps       + 70 + 2.5 kg/   156 lbs... just right - total control


Exhausted!

...didn't warm up thoroughly - body wasn't used to the motions/groove -> every set of barbell rows felt lighter than the one before
...felt like puking after 2 sets of deads - strange
...lost my grip on ther last set of deads... last rep was on the edge of the fingertips
...finished with DC stretches for back - could only hold onto the bar for 25 secs - my grip was fried - used straps for another 45 sec. hang



.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #19 on: July 04, 2008, 01:45:00 PM »
DAY: Friday
DATE: July the 4th/2008
TIME: 21:04 - 22:13

pm

CARDIO TODAY? YES


LENGTH OF WORKOUT:   too many!!! mins.

WEIGHT: ~184 lbs

LOCATION: at home


MOOD WHEN STARTING: Slightly pissed off  :)


Rest:
90  sec between sets
180 sec between exercises


Weighted Chin-ups -      5 reps       +   6,25 kg/  ~15 lbs...   last one was very close, powerful feeling on the pull

Dumbbell Calf Raises -    5 reps       + 52kg/   ~115 lbs... ok

Dumbbell Military Press - 5 reps       +  26.25kg/  ~58 lbs... last one was close + left elbow -> OUCH!!!

Rear Delt Row -             5 reps       +  47.5kg/  ~102 lbs... was good, elbow was much better

Close grip bench press -  5 reps       +  52.5kg/ ~116 lbs... pretty easy - good


Feel great. Left elbow is still slightly pissed of - more accurately a sine on the left side of the joint... I know this malese.
One of the obvious chances I noticed is my endurance is way up.
Next time I'll throw those asshole dumbells out of the window!!!


.

MisterMagoo

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #20 on: July 04, 2008, 08:42:36 PM »
you're doing 5x5 on all lifts dude? that seems a bit extreme.

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #21 on: July 05, 2008, 04:44:37 AM »
you're doing 5x5 on all lifts dude? that seems a bit extreme.

Speak on this - what do you recommend?
The prog on bb . com states a 5x5 for all the lifts.
The 5x5 of Bill Starr is different, but I won't do any 3 rep stuff until my form and groove is perfect on the lifts.
I intentionally left out the isolation day to reduce the 4 workouts a week to 3... I just do a 20 rep set with very light weight after the main 5x5 exercise e.g. barbell curl after chin-/pullups and then stretch bicep DC-style.



.

MisterMagoo

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #22 on: July 05, 2008, 12:40:08 PM »
ah, i was not aware of a bb.com version.

the way i was trying the 5x5 was using that protocol for my main lift, then varying the rep range on all the isolation and assistance. to me the idea of doing a heavy 5x5 on things like side raises and tricep extensions seems, i dunno, risky.

Overload

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #23 on: July 07, 2008, 07:23:36 AM »
Magoo is right, 5x5 for compound lifts only.

That's the way i've always seen it done.

Are you progressing? that is all that matters...

if it works, it works!

8)

_bruce_

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Re: _bruce_ - 5x5 trials
« Reply #24 on: July 08, 2008, 07:15:13 AM »
Thanks for the input.

@isolation exercise - I don't do them at all... I have the feeling that at my low strength levels my top priority is just to get stronger with "perfect" form on multijoint exercises.

@progress - so far it's dandy... endurance is way better and all the movements feel easier and I'm way more in the muscle when lifting -> never could feel tri's on cgp, now I really feel the stretch and contraction.
One has to remind himself that currently the weights are very light... so making progress is kinda easy... at least psychologically.

A long way to go...
.