For such a simple movement, they actually took me a long time to get comfortable on. I put my back foot maybe around knee height and lean back into it so I’m very upright (vs letting everything come forward). That finally got the stress on my working quad.
1 Like
Week 4/52 13th September
Legs
-
Squats 531 5 week (2m rest)
WU sets
62kg x 5
72kg x 5 belted
80kg x 12 (hell yeah) belted -
Lunges (1.3m rest)
14kg DB
X 13
X 10
X 12
This is the first exercise I’ve not added reps to and actually gone backwards on. Felt today like a tightness/ form issue rather than strength but I’ll keep at them!
-
Leg extensions ss with hammy (1.2m rest)
20kg each side
X 14
X 14
X 14
X 14 -
SL kneeling ham curl
45kg each side
X 10
X 10
X 10
X 10 -
SL deadlift ss with calfs (1.15m rest)
X 6
X 6
X 6 -
Seated calf raises
20kg
X 12
X 12
X 12
X 13
X 13
Squatting felt good today, the belt helped massively with my form and making me keep my core tight
3 Likes
Awesome!
Some exercises are “who cares” for sure. I think lunges can fall in that category. I can load them heavy (well, relative to me), but then I don’t think I’m getting what I want out of them: I’ll start using a lot of hips and low back and crashing my knee down. If I just want a nice smooth, complete quad extension, it has to be lighter.
2 Likes
As a 4-plate squatter with a sub 1-plate lunge, I agree with this statement.
2 Likes
Brilliant!
The studies made on Ashwaganda and Tongkat ali showed hormonal benefits over a 3 month period of continous use. Practical evidence of using them even longer tell us these particular supplements are safe to use long term. I can recall users on this forum backing this up.
To try to answer your questions;
In your case I would recommend continous use for 3 months, to make sure you reap the hormonal benefits according to studies. I would then apply the 5 days on - 2 days off schedule for another 3 month period - to slowly prepare for an off period. After that, I would take a 1 to 3 month break, before deciding whether I need/want to do it again?
Bear in mind, that after the first 3 months of use, we are merely into guesswork.
Why? Considering you are experiencing such good effects rather early on the supplemental regime - I suspect other mechanisms of action. Namely anti-stress relief mediated by serotonin (among other pathways). I would expect a later effect on testosterone. Both these reasons are why I recommend a longer period of treatment - to make sure you reap these benefits and simultaneously prevent adaptation (after 3 months). The 6 month period of “treatment” is my interpretation of recommendations re pharmaceutical drugs against stress illness (or even psychiatric illnesses).
Does this make any sense? Obviously, you are free to approach this in your own best interest. I am also confident people on here will balance my opinions/recommendation if they find it incorrect.
Best of all - you may not need TRT - at all!
3 Likes
week 4/52 15th September
Average weight at 100.5kg which I’m happy with. Although watched thor love and thunder and then told myself I need to add another 10kg of muscle 
Anyhow
Chest and triceps
- Bench 531 5 rep week (2m rest)
Way sets
67kg x 5
77kg x 5
87kg x 12
Happy with the reps but my form felt off like I was just pushing with my right side rather than both. I need to work on this, felt like that on every set but I couldn’t correct it!
- Incline DB press (1.3m rest)
28kg DBs
X 10
X 9
X 6
X 7
Lost a lot of reps today but the 531 bench really took it out of me. Hopefully this is a one off and not me not being able to recover.
-
Fly (1.15m rest)
54kg
X 13
X 13
X 13
X 13 -
Pushdowns (1.15m rest)
60kg
X 13
X 13
X 11 (just) -
Push ups ss with toe taps (1.15m rest)
X 14
X 11
X 10 -
Toe tape physio
3 sets
Overall I seem to have dropped across a few different exercises after my main 531 set. Hopefully nothing but I did spend 3 hours cutting down trees yesterday in the garden so maybe fatigued a bit.
2 Likes
@pettersson thank you so much for your detailed response. I will follow your advice thank you.
2 Likes
week 4/52 16th September
Back like a barn door!
-
Chins (hands facing) (2m rest)
Lat pull down warm up
Chins x 5, 5, 6 -
Single arm lat pull down (1.15m rest)
28kg
X 13
X 10
X 10
X 11 -
Cable row seated (1.15m rest)
63kg
X 13
X 13
X 10 -
Face pulls (1.15m rest)
30kg
X 22
X 22
X 22 -
Toe taps 3 sets 1 physio
-
Back raises on the floor physio
3 sets
Back overall feeling much better. Physio said I can start back extensions again soon which is good as they are part of my overall yearly goal!
Another week done, hit good weights on all main 531 work but my assistance work took a drop in some areas.
3 Likes
Heh, for the longest time I’ve just gone and grabbed a resistance band and done 5 or 6 assisted chins. It’s way quicker to just pound a couple of pulldowns out. Sometimes I miss the most obvious things. 
I also do some really light hammer curls if I remember - also helps with pressing!
1 Like
I have some bands for that purpose but they haven’t left the boot of my car in about a year.
I normal so the lat pull down warm ups kneeing on the floor without your knees locked in which feels much more like a real chin up when I warm up.
1 Like
Week 5/52 19th September
Evening training tonight and I had only 4 hours sleep last night so I’m not expecting anything amazing tonight!
I’m typing as I’m going but I’m the only person in the gym right now
Shoulders like boulders!
- Press 531 3 rep week (2m rest)
WU sets
25kg x 3
27kg x 3
32kg x 17
Light but I’m happy to take it slow.
2.lat raises ss with shrugs (1.3m rest)
10kg DBs
X 11
X 11
X 11
X 12
-
Shrugs
20kg
X 15
X 16
X 16 -
Rear delt fly (1.15m rest)
33kg
X 23
X 25
X 25 -
Ez BB curls (1.2mrest)
20kg x 11
25kg x 11
30kg x 12 (didn’t really have the last rep in me, was a bit of a swing) -
Incline curls ss with toe taps (1.15m rest)
10kg DBs
X 14
X 14
X 14 -
Toe taps
3 sets
Shattered after this! My bank holiday drinking might have caught up with me. Sunday I really let my hair down.
2 Likes
Week 5/52 20th September
Legs like tree trunks!!!
-
Squat 531 3 rep week (2m rest)
WU sets
67kg x 3
75kg x 3 belted
85kg x 10 belted (again happy with this, probably had more in me but I’m not super pushing on legs) -
BSS (1.3m rest) - these still hurt my non working leg loads. Like the worst stretch known to man!!! Yeah I’m going to moan about these every week lol
14kg DB x 12
X 12
X 13 -
Leg extensions ss with ham kneeling curls (1.2m rest)
Leg extensions
20kg each side
X 14
X 14
X 14
X 16 -
Kneeing ham curls
45kg
X 10
X 10
X 10
X 11 -
Single leg DLs physio
3 sets -
Calves seated (1.1m rest)
20kg
X 13
X 13
X 13
X 13
X 13
Another session, another good rep max. Hopefully keep up the rep maxes for the whole 52 weeks (I wish).
3 Likes
Nice squatting! Great job!
1 Like
Thank you, I’m just happy to be squatting pain free for now (with a lot of warming up)!
1 Like
Week 5/52 22nd September
Chest and triceps! My favourite in true bro style!
- Bench press 531 3 rep week (2m rest)
Warm up sets
72kg x 3
82kg x 3
92kg x 9
Happy with that again but still some way to go to get 100kg for 10 reps!!!
-
Incline DB press (1.3m rest) this felt a lot easier today which is good
28kg DBs
X 10
X 10
X 10
X 9 -
Pec dec (1.15m rest)
54kg
X 13
X 13
X 14
X 14 -
Tricep single arm pushdown (1.15m rest)
60kg
X 13
X 13
X 12 -
Push ups
X 15
X 11
X 10 -
Tricep overhead drop set single arm
50kg, 40kg, 30kg , 20kg -
Toe taps physio
3 sets
Another session another good rep PR! Hope I continue to progress like this. My appetite has definitely increased since I started this 531 block but weight staying the same at the moment which is good.
3 Likes
As well you should!
1 Like
Week 5/52 23rd September
Back like a barn door!
- Chins palms facing each other (2m rest)
Kneeling pull down as warm ups
Chins
X 5
X 6
X 6
Hamstring kept cramping on every set of these today, was very unpleasant, stretching did not help either!
-
Single arm lat pull down (1.15m rest)
28kg
X 11
X 11
X 11
X 11 -
Cable row (1.2m rest)
63kg
X 13
X 13
X 10 -
Face pull (1.15m rest)
30kg
X 23
X 23
X 23 -
Back extensions (laying on the floor) physio
3 sets -
Toe taps physio
3 sets
Not sure how my recovery will be tomorrow as when I get home from the gym I’ve got 5 tonnes of wood chipping to barrow 50m up my garden. Some real life conditioning for once!
5 Likes
I had to barrow up a similar amount of gravel last year, it was surprising how much it took out of me, I actually had DOMs in a couple of areas! The great thing is it didn’t feel like a chore when my mind considered it “exercise”.
1 Like
Week 6/52 26th September
Shoulders and biceps
-
Seated BB press 531 1 rep week (2m rest)
Warm up sets
27kg x 5
30kg x 3
35kg x 15 hell yeah! Light but happy -
Lat raises ss with shrugs (1.3m rest)
10kg DBs
X 11
X 11
X 12
X 12 -
shrugs 4 second hold at top
20kg Dbs
X 16
X 16
X 16 -
Rear delt fly ss with Bb curls (1.30 m rest)
33kg
X 25
X 25
X 25 -
Ez BB curls
20kg x 11
25kg x 11
30kg x 13 -
Incline curls
10kg DBs
X 14
X 14
X 14 -
Rope curls drop set
1 set to failure -
Toe taps physio
3 sets
Looking forward to seeing where I am in terms of 1 rep max week this week! Very excited!
3 Likes
Week 6/52 27th September
Legs like tree trunks!
-
Squats 531 1 rep week (2m rest)
Warm ups sets
72kg x 5
80kg x 3
90kg x 10 again very happy with this, all reps felt good and probably could have pushed for more but I want to have 100% form all the time! -
BSS
14kg DB
X 12
X 12
X 13 -
Leg extensions ss with hanmys
20kg each side
X 14
X 14
X 15
X -
SL kneeling ham curl
45kg each side
X 10
X 10
X 11
X 11 -
SL deadlift
3 sets of 8 reps -
Calf seated
20kg
X 13
X 13
X 14
X 14
X 14
Had really shaky legs walking out the gym but another good session!
Can’t wait for my bench max, it better be a good one!
4 Likes