Hooray! Welcome back Brett.
james
Here’s the program. It’s similar to 531 but with more volume and longer training cycles.
Set your maxes like 531 (90% of your 1 RM to start) and follow the programming:
Week 1: 3 x 10 @ 65%, 70%, 75%
Week 2: 4 x 8 @ 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%
Week 3: 5 x 5 @ 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%
Week 4: 5 x 3 @ 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%
Week 5: 5 @ 80%, 4 @ 85%, 3 @90%, 2 @ 95%, AMRAP at 100
De-load week (if desired) then reset based on how well the cycle and final set went.
Because I tend to be able to move more weight at lower rep ranges, I re-wrote the program (weeks 3-4) to:
Week 3: 5 x 5 @ 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%
Week 4: 5 x 3 @ 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%
Thanks for sharing that KP. I’m hoping that my strength will come back quite quickly at first so I’m going to start with straight forward linear progression which will give me the flexibilty to pile the weight on as and when and when things start to slow down I’ll switch to something like that. It looks good, a nice balance of intensity and volume and you know how I like volume.
Sunday night
Did some stretching and foam rolling.
Monday 26/11/2012
Squats 220 lbs x 2 sets of 5
RDLs 132 lbs x 3 sets of 8
GHR 2 sets of 5
Calf raises 220 lbs x 2 sets of 15
Dips @ bodyweight x 10/9/7 supersetted with DB curls @ 22 lbs x 13/12/11
Ab rollouts (off knees)
1 x 8
1 x 6
OH DEAR, OH DEAR, OH DEAR!
Well I knew I was going to be weaker, but not quite this weak. I decided to go for 5 sets of 5 on squats with 220, quite conservative I thought considering my PB for 5x5 is something like 368 lbs. The first set was easy enough, but midway through my rest interval my adductors started to seize up something chronic. Stretching didn’t seem to help at all. I managed one more set before common sense kicked in and I decided to call it quits on the squats and go on to something else. I’m sure it was metabolic not tension related (badly worded, but I know what I mean) but, no point taking chances first day back.
Everything else felt good. Weak, but no weird crampy feelings.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to be bed ridden with DOMS tomorrow.
You’ll ramp up again before you know it.
james
Just be smart about it…
I think you will be surprised how quickly most of it comes back.
James, Bulldog and Joe- I know you are all right, but I want my strength back NOW! I don’t do patience.
28/11/2012
It was cold in my gym tonight. I kept my sweatshirt and hat on all the way through. I suppose I should get used to it, they’re forecasting the coldest winter for 100 years here. As low as minus 20 possible. We’ll see. Our press likes to scaremonger.
Miltary press
5 x 5 x 88lbs
DB Press
1 x 5 x 53 lb’ers
Push Ups (alternating wide and narrow)
15-10-15-10
Face pulls
15-15-15 x 44 lbs
Pushdowns
10-10-10 x 66 lbs
Band pullaparts
20-20-20
Bent over flyes
8-8 x 22 lb’ers
I’ve chosen an overhead press day instead of a bench day because I haven’t trained much shoulders of late (pre layoff) due to having an injury, because benching starts to hurt my shoulders after a few weeks and…oh yeah, because I don’t have a bench!
Not as bad as Monday. Picked too light a weight for the pressing, so I’ll have to put it up next time. I’m glad, those 10k plates looked really pathetic on that big, long bar.
Looking forward to Friday. I’m going to have my first ever go at Sumo deads. I don’t know a lot about them. Is it true I have to massage my testicles until they retract up into my body? or am I getting my wires crossed?
Brett, I saw your post in the other log, and you ought to break down and get a belt. Its not cheating and it really helped me learn how to stay tight by pushing air against it. I really think if you get a good one you will come to love the belt.
Solid work Brett!
Regarding getting stuck at the knees, good question. I really don’t know. Maybe practicing some sort of speed work?
james
The ability to massage your testicles into your body is apparently either a myth, or something that only a ninja can do. Otoh, knowing that has apparently never stopped anyone from trying and trying and trying…
Glad to have you back. Yea, watch your nards on those sumos and keep warm out there.
Jack - I have nothing against belts. It’s just I don’t want to pay a lot for one and then not wear it. I have a really crappy old Weider one from 20 years ago, I might try that first and see how it feels before I shell out.
James - Thanks
PG - Spoilsport!
dday - Thanks and will do.
30/11/2012
Deadlift
5 x 5 x 220
Sumo deadlift
2 x 2 x 220 lbs
1 x 3 x 220 lbs
1 x 3 x 286 lbs
1 x 3 x 308 lbs
Chin ups @ bw
1 x 8
1 x 7
1 x 6
Pendlay rows
3 x 8 x 132 lbs
Shrugs
3 x 5 x 308 lbs
- some static holds for grip
DB Curls
1 x 12 x 30.5 lb’ers
1 x 10 x "
1 x 9 x "
Enjoyed it tonight. Picked a weight too low for the deads so I upped it for the Sumos. I REALLY liked them. I could feel them in my glutes and hamstrings especially and can see how, for that reason, they might help my conventional pull.
I’m starting my New Years resolution early, it’s to train abs, calves and grip regularly (all things I usually avoid) and to use a greater variety of exercises. I’m guilty of trimming down my routine to just a handful of lifts.
Here is a clip of my Sumo pulls with 286. I used an -outside of foot level with the rings- stance and an overhand grip. So technically, probably more of a modified Sumo stance. I’d appreciate any feedback.
God it’s great to be back lifting!!
Watch this, if you haven’t seen it.
I think you’ve inspired me to start training sumo deads again. I never have liked the sumo style past 500 lbs but I am going to punch that number up higher. Always have done conventional dead lifting for competitions but maybe that will change.
GV - Well I’m glad I could inspire you in some way. And as it’s not going to be with huge weights, I’ll settle for exercise selection.
03/12/2012
Squats
5 x 5 x 220 lbs
Front squats
3 x 8 x 132 lbs
RDLs
3 x 8 x 154 lbs
Hip thrusts
3 x 8 x 154 lbs
DB curls 30.5 lb’ers
13/10/8
supersetted with
Dips @ bw
12/10/8
I decided while I was not training that when I got back I was not going to let myself get away with anything from now on. No missing out calves and abs and grip work. No using straps and no crossed arm front squat grip. So tonight I did the front squats with a (painful) clean grip. It was OK, a bit uncomfortable, but I managed it and didn’t lose the bar forward. It might get harder as the weight gets heavier, we’ll see.
Managed the 5x5 on squats I couldn’t get last time so now I can start raising the weight.
I’ve just found out I did the hip thrusts wrong. I was lying on the ground not up against a bench. I’ll do them that way next time. I might need a pussy pad too, I didn’t like the way the bar was crushing my fallopian tubes.
Still struggling with what used to be my warm up weight, very humbling.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
I’ve just found out I did the hip thrusts wrong. I was lying on the ground not up against a bench. I’ll do them that way next time. I might need a pussy pad too, I didn’t like the way the bar was crushing my fallopian tubes.
[/quote]
Brett, there is a variation where they are done off the floor like a glute bridge. I think each would be beneficial. And I defintely use a pad!! It doesn’t bother me for doing so, if it did I wouldn’t be humping a damn olympic bar at 5AM in a public gym! (LOL).
Nice sumo vid by the way…looked easy peasey.
I pull sumo due to some back issues I had several years ago. I found I really took to it when I made the switch. Your form looked good, and it was strong.
Thanks OG. I think I’ll continue with glute bridges for now (thanks for correct name) because I don’t have a bench atm.
Crippler - Thanks. I really enjoyed them for a first attempt (I felt much less lower back than conventional) so I’m looking forward to seeing how far I can go with them.
5/12/2012
Miltary press
5 x 5 x 99 lbs
1 x 2 x 132 lbs
1 x 1 x 154 lbs
Face pulls
3 x 15 x 55 lbs
Push ups @ bw
3 x 20
supersetted with
Band puullaparst
3 x 20
60 second dip @ bw - 50 seconds!!
immediately followed by
DB seated tricep ext (1 DB held in both hands) to failure @ 30 lb - 4.5 reps
DB Bent over flyes
3 x 8 x 22 lb’ers
2 degrees C in my gym tonight - Brrrrr!
The 60 second dip thing was out of an old Ellington Darden book I used to have (Massive Muscles in 10 weeks if memory serves) but without thinking I did the negative part first (as you normally would on dips), but of course it’s physically impossible to do a 30 second concentric when you’ve just annihilated yourself with a 30 second negative, DOH! I managed 20 seconds, but for a lot of that I wasn’t really moving, just fighting to not collapse straight down. What a moron. Next time concentric first.
I’m going to try the 60 second chin up immediately followed by EZ curls on Friday.
Definitely feeling stronger on the millies, but still lame.
Sumo pulls are of the Devil…
Farmer,
Just got caught up on your thread (which was easy due to your 290 day hiatus) and again I am impressed, you just jump right back into the hard exercises (squats, deads) without missing a beat, nice work. As far as how fast your strength will be returning, I have no idea, but I have had long breaks that have led to some strength gains in the long term so at least there is a silver lining (in addition to giving your body 6960 hours between workouts, I hear that is a good way to avoid overtraining). Welcome back.