6 days of full-day seminaring coming up, so probably no gym until next Monday. Hoped to go out with a bang today, lots of volume, but it was just too hot. And smoky from nearby grassfire!
S: 5x5x140
P: 3x5x55, 1x4x55, 1x3x55
B: 1x1x75 (Was supposed to be 5x5, but... nup. Too tired and slippy bar from prodigious sweating.)
D: 1x5x120
Planning on riding most of the week except tomorrow, but not going to bother talking about that unless something particularly interesting happens.
Showing posts with label 5x5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5x5. Show all posts
18 February 2013
01 February 2013
11 Tonnes
There's a reason they call this 'volume' day. Especially when you do more than you're supposed to do...
Squats at 137.5... hmm. They didn't feel too heavy, but my form wasn't quite dialled in. Again, it took until the third set or so before they really got in there. I think it's a matter of mental focus and engagement, rather than actual motor patterning, because I only do one set on 'heavy' day and I've been finding that usually, I can find the right form straight off - or at least, closer to it. I shouldn't need to go at it with full beast mode engaged at 88% of my 5RM. And to do so would be counter-productive; I'd probably burn out before rep 25. But clearly I need better focus.
Bench at 75... again, felt harder than they 'should' have, 83% of my 1RM. But bench is something that I've never perfected, form-wise, and I'm still working on it. So I'm not concerned, and I got through them. And of course it's the presses that I tend to skimp on volume-wise, because I haven't been doing the light day often enough. So hopefully improvement will continue...
Deads again, trying to get more volume in, partly for the mus-cles, mostly for form. It does feel like it's working, getting better at keeping my back flat and dragging the bar up the legs; not getting the shoulders too far in front is the main facet of that work.
And then I decided to do some rack pulls as a bit of grip work, since I feel that that's been lacking a bit lately, too. I couldn't quite remember how you were meant to do them, and started them too high, above the knees. The ROM was probably about right, but the starting position was quite poor. So I'll give these a bit more thought, investigate other ways of working on it. Needs to be something a bit more 'accessory'-ish, since 64% of 1RM for 25 reps is not going to do the job!
S: 5x5x137.5
B: 5x5x75
D: 5x5x115
Rack Pulls: 1x1x200
Squats at 137.5... hmm. They didn't feel too heavy, but my form wasn't quite dialled in. Again, it took until the third set or so before they really got in there. I think it's a matter of mental focus and engagement, rather than actual motor patterning, because I only do one set on 'heavy' day and I've been finding that usually, I can find the right form straight off - or at least, closer to it. I shouldn't need to go at it with full beast mode engaged at 88% of my 5RM. And to do so would be counter-productive; I'd probably burn out before rep 25. But clearly I need better focus.
Bench at 75... again, felt harder than they 'should' have, 83% of my 1RM. But bench is something that I've never perfected, form-wise, and I'm still working on it. So I'm not concerned, and I got through them. And of course it's the presses that I tend to skimp on volume-wise, because I haven't been doing the light day often enough. So hopefully improvement will continue...
Deads again, trying to get more volume in, partly for the mus-cles, mostly for form. It does feel like it's working, getting better at keeping my back flat and dragging the bar up the legs; not getting the shoulders too far in front is the main facet of that work.
And then I decided to do some rack pulls as a bit of grip work, since I feel that that's been lacking a bit lately, too. I couldn't quite remember how you were meant to do them, and started them too high, above the knees. The ROM was probably about right, but the starting position was quite poor. So I'll give these a bit more thought, investigate other ways of working on it. Needs to be something a bit more 'accessory'-ish, since 64% of 1RM for 25 reps is not going to do the job!
S: 5x5x137.5
B: 5x5x75
D: 5x5x115
Rack Pulls: 1x1x200
23 January 2013
Widdowed
I'd say I'll start wearing black to commemorate the occasion, but I pretty much always do anyway...
So after a lazy ride with my daughter to a friend's house (and a not-so-lazy ride back) it was off to the gym for some volume - rearranging days in anticipation of the change in schedule required for school.
This time I managed 5 sets at 135kg, so I was happy with that. I really noticed today the difference in good form, and in just dropping down. When I didn't make enough of an effort to really push my hips back, I'd end up in basically a high-bar position, with no hip-drive. When I did... well, it was much easier and smoother. Something to really keep in mind, because when it gets heavy on intensity day, the temptation is to just go straight down...
So I was so excited about that I decided to give a 'widowmaker' a go - 20 reps at, in this case, a bit over half bodyweight (60kgs). I'm... glad, in a way, that I did it straight after my 5th set, only resting long enough to reset the weight. Form felt good, and I only paused for 5-10sec in between reps... 3 times. But I could hardly feel my legs, which made it easier to do. Not that they would have hurt that much, I don't think - it's only 60kg after all. But because I started off not being able to feel my legs, I didn't get the mental hit of starting to not be able to feel my legs come rep 12 or so.
Anyway, done. Was kinda fun. Even if it meant that when I got to cleans, my legs said: No. You want to do cleans, you're going to have to reverse-curl those suckers up. So... I didn't.
S: 5x5x135, 1x20x60
P: 5x5x50
PC: 1x3x70 (Last warmup)
So after a lazy ride with my daughter to a friend's house (and a not-so-lazy ride back) it was off to the gym for some volume - rearranging days in anticipation of the change in schedule required for school.
This time I managed 5 sets at 135kg, so I was happy with that. I really noticed today the difference in good form, and in just dropping down. When I didn't make enough of an effort to really push my hips back, I'd end up in basically a high-bar position, with no hip-drive. When I did... well, it was much easier and smoother. Something to really keep in mind, because when it gets heavy on intensity day, the temptation is to just go straight down...
So I was so excited about that I decided to give a 'widowmaker' a go - 20 reps at, in this case, a bit over half bodyweight (60kgs). I'm... glad, in a way, that I did it straight after my 5th set, only resting long enough to reset the weight. Form felt good, and I only paused for 5-10sec in between reps... 3 times. But I could hardly feel my legs, which made it easier to do. Not that they would have hurt that much, I don't think - it's only 60kg after all. But because I started off not being able to feel my legs, I didn't get the mental hit of starting to not be able to feel my legs come rep 12 or so.
Anyway, done. Was kinda fun. Even if it meant that when I got to cleans, my legs said: No. You want to do cleans, you're going to have to reverse-curl those suckers up. So... I didn't.
S: 5x5x135, 1x20x60
P: 5x5x50
PC: 1x3x70 (Last warmup)
14 January 2013
Back in the gym. Regularly. No, really. Stop laughing!
Was determined to get in a good workout today, without going too far given how ratty my lifting was over Christmas/New Years. Felt pretty good in the end.
S: 1x2x150, 3x5x135, 2x6x120
B: 5x5x70
DL: 1x5x120
Double felt fairly good - a bit of a struggle, but not excessively so, and form, while not perfect of course, was fairly solid. Aimed to do 5x5x135, but after the first 3 sets I'd run out of endurance in the sets, and the last couple of reps were not so good. So decided to drop back to 120 to preserve the form, upping the reps slightly to preserve the volume. Bench felt okay, though bar path was a bit wonky. Not surprising, and strength-wise it was okay.
Deadlift I was planning on doing 3x5 at whatever weight I could manage, but the volume got to me in the end. Even at just 120, with a hook grip, I couldn't hold on to the bar solidly. It was slipping as I got up past the knees, so I locked out each rep with the bar in my fingertips. Which wasn't a problem, but it was a clear sign that I'd had enough for the day. Which is probably good really, in giving me something to grease the groove without wearing me out, leaving something for Friday.
S: 1x2x150, 3x5x135, 2x6x120
B: 5x5x70
DL: 1x5x120
Double felt fairly good - a bit of a struggle, but not excessively so, and form, while not perfect of course, was fairly solid. Aimed to do 5x5x135, but after the first 3 sets I'd run out of endurance in the sets, and the last couple of reps were not so good. So decided to drop back to 120 to preserve the form, upping the reps slightly to preserve the volume. Bench felt okay, though bar path was a bit wonky. Not surprising, and strength-wise it was okay.
Deadlift I was planning on doing 3x5 at whatever weight I could manage, but the volume got to me in the end. Even at just 120, with a hook grip, I couldn't hold on to the bar solidly. It was slipping as I got up past the knees, so I locked out each rep with the bar in my fingertips. Which wasn't a problem, but it was a clear sign that I'd had enough for the day. Which is probably good really, in giving me something to grease the groove without wearing me out, leaving something for Friday.
31 December 2012
There goes the year...
So last day of the year, and back in the gym. Started off with squats, as you do, but had to abandon during the warmups as my knee was restricting me from getting full depth, and didn't want to push it. Did deadlifts instead, more volume than usual, to get some work in for the posterior chain. Also did bench, with a little too much weight - still tweaking the TM program, just had too much on the bar for the volume. Finished up with cleans, which mostly felt pretty good, only looped a few, which is pleasing given how infrequently I've been doing them.
D: 5x5x100
B: 3x5x77.5, 2x5x60
PC: 5x3x70
So it's the end of the year and, frankly, I'm not much stronger than I was at the start. But it's been a difficult year, and I've got a good programme laid out ahead of me which I feel I can stick to pretty well. Just have to keep a balance with the rest of life!
D: 5x5x100
B: 3x5x77.5, 2x5x60
PC: 5x3x70
So it's the end of the year and, frankly, I'm not much stronger than I was at the start. But it's been a difficult year, and I've got a good programme laid out ahead of me which I feel I can stick to pretty well. Just have to keep a balance with the rest of life!
10 December 2012
Routine?
Yeah, well, anyway. You know me. Semester's finished now, and it's only minor distractions like Christmas coming up, should be plain sailing from here...
S: 5x5x122.5
P: 5x5x50
PC: 5x4x60
B: 5x5x65
S: 5x5x122.5
P: 5x5x50
PC: 5x4x60
B: 5x5x65
23 November 2012
20 November 2012
Go hard and go home
Or something like that. After declaring that I wasn't going to rearrange training just because of pesky races, it's been nearly 2 weeks since I've been in the gym. Ah well. Week and a half until the effective end of semester...
Of course, being me, this meant a mix of sensible and silly. Sensible was 5x5 squats at 85% of the 'supposed to be' 3x5 squats for this session. So 5x5 at 125... no problem. And there wasn't. Which lead to a problem...
I thought I'd do a 1RM(ish) just to feel the weight on my back before going back to 'normal' training next time. So after 5x5 at 125 (that is, after over 4 tonnes of volume) I did a few singles. 150kg... no problem. 160kg... not many problems. 170kg (note the sensible jumps...) no problems... for my hips. Unfortunately on the way back up as it got to the point where I'd need to start grinding, I lost a little tension and started to rotate to the right... tried to bring that back, and lost my balance. I still tried to get it back and save the rep, but I'd been paused halfway back up for too long and I couldn't stop the over-correct. So I dumped the weight on the pins. But because I was trying to be controlled about it, I kept my hands on the bar, and squished my right ring finger a bit. Not badly, nothing broken, but enough to cause a reasonable amount of blood and swelling.
So that was it for the day, no press, no deadlifts. But it's a new squat 1RM, so that's something. And I'm also nicely warmed up for Thursday. That's how I'm thinking about it, at least!
Of course, being me, this meant a mix of sensible and silly. Sensible was 5x5 squats at 85% of the 'supposed to be' 3x5 squats for this session. So 5x5 at 125... no problem. And there wasn't. Which lead to a problem...
I thought I'd do a 1RM(ish) just to feel the weight on my back before going back to 'normal' training next time. So after 5x5 at 125 (that is, after over 4 tonnes of volume) I did a few singles. 150kg... no problem. 160kg... not many problems. 170kg (note the sensible jumps...) no problems... for my hips. Unfortunately on the way back up as it got to the point where I'd need to start grinding, I lost a little tension and started to rotate to the right... tried to bring that back, and lost my balance. I still tried to get it back and save the rep, but I'd been paused halfway back up for too long and I couldn't stop the over-correct. So I dumped the weight on the pins. But because I was trying to be controlled about it, I kept my hands on the bar, and squished my right ring finger a bit. Not badly, nothing broken, but enough to cause a reasonable amount of blood and swelling.
So that was it for the day, no press, no deadlifts. But it's a new squat 1RM, so that's something. And I'm also nicely warmed up for Thursday. That's how I'm thinking about it, at least!
31 October 2012
When in doubt...
... go up 5. At least, that was my theory when I discovered that I'd left my 1.25kg plates at home, and so wouldn't be able to do 137.5 in squats. So I did 140 instead. Came up just fine.
S: 3x5x140
P: 5x5x55
D: 1x5x155
You know, I think I'm going to target next Summer for racing. Not that that means I'm not going to race this year, or that I'm just going to whizz around having fun like in Round 1 (though I'm still aiming for the fun bit).
No, just that with how disrupted and, frankly, non-existent my training was over winter, I'm obviously way behind in fitness and weight. So why disrupt the (generally) good flow I have in the gym so as to taper and recover once a month? What will it actually gain me? In any given month I might be faster by a tenth or two tapering and so on, but cumulatively, I'll be stronger, lighter and faster come the end of the season if I just train through, making minor adjustments for the races.
The other thing, obviously, is that I still need to find a way to get to track training. But I don't think I'll be trying very hard over the next 6 weeks or so, with most of my spare time going to study and 'domestic' issues. Balancing priorities is not just for the fleet of foot.
S: 3x5x140
P: 5x5x55
D: 1x5x155
You know, I think I'm going to target next Summer for racing. Not that that means I'm not going to race this year, or that I'm just going to whizz around having fun like in Round 1 (though I'm still aiming for the fun bit).
No, just that with how disrupted and, frankly, non-existent my training was over winter, I'm obviously way behind in fitness and weight. So why disrupt the (generally) good flow I have in the gym so as to taper and recover once a month? What will it actually gain me? In any given month I might be faster by a tenth or two tapering and so on, but cumulatively, I'll be stronger, lighter and faster come the end of the season if I just train through, making minor adjustments for the races.
The other thing, obviously, is that I still need to find a way to get to track training. But I don't think I'll be trying very hard over the next 6 weeks or so, with most of my spare time going to study and 'domestic' issues. Balancing priorities is not just for the fleet of foot.
25 October 2012
11 October 2012
Five by
Back in the gym - it's amazing how quickly missing one session and then a taper turns in to two weeks off!
Anyway, decided to do 5x5 for the first time, at 80% of what would have been my squat workset, so I was lifting 105kg. And, I must say, it was easy. Okay, 105kgs is not heavy, but despite only taking 3-4 minutes at most between sets, I didn't experience much in the way of cumulative fatigue, which was nice. I suspect I might feel it a bit more tomorrow!
Of course, being me, I then got a bit carried away - did 5x5 on bench as well, except this time at 100% of the scheduled workset. Oh well, I actually think it mightn't be a bad idea to do a bit more volume work for bench and press anyway, see how my body reacts to it.
And then I did a full deadlift workset, which was nice. Actually, my form wasn't great - back kept rounding. Not a lot, but enough. Still, got 5 up at 150kg without many problems. Probably should just have stayed at 125, but oh well, can't be helped!
Oh, and Tuesday, got two PBs on the biggest hills on my commute (one each way) so that was nice. May have had something to do with not wearing a 5kg backpack.
Anyway, decided to do 5x5 for the first time, at 80% of what would have been my squat workset, so I was lifting 105kg. And, I must say, it was easy. Okay, 105kgs is not heavy, but despite only taking 3-4 minutes at most between sets, I didn't experience much in the way of cumulative fatigue, which was nice. I suspect I might feel it a bit more tomorrow!
Of course, being me, I then got a bit carried away - did 5x5 on bench as well, except this time at 100% of the scheduled workset. Oh well, I actually think it mightn't be a bad idea to do a bit more volume work for bench and press anyway, see how my body reacts to it.
And then I did a full deadlift workset, which was nice. Actually, my form wasn't great - back kept rounding. Not a lot, but enough. Still, got 5 up at 150kg without many problems. Probably should just have stayed at 125, but oh well, can't be helped!
Oh, and Tuesday, got two PBs on the biggest hills on my commute (one each way) so that was nice. May have had something to do with not wearing a 5kg backpack.
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