Been doing a full body regime now since Sept, I started off with 3x10 then changed it up to 5x5 recently. The training has been entirely for weight loss whilst retaining any muscle mass that I once had! Gone from 336 to 246 (wow, didnt realise i’d hit the 90lb mark). So the program coupled with my diet is working for me. The program itself is based around compounds, training M/W/F with HIIT on Tues and Sat.
Squat or Deadlift (alternate days) 5x5
Dips 3xF
Pull Up - Sets of F until I get atleast 10 in a workout, usually get 2-3 decent reps in a set (I started of using an assist of 80kgs in Sept)
Inverted Rows - 3xF (to make sure I properly hit my back)
Shoulder Press 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Dropped all isolation about a month ago (EZ Curls/Tri pulldowns and Lat Raises) and dont do any isolated ab work (I dont think at 246 its my abs holding me back! Besides, they work plenty on Squats and Deadlifts)
Last week when squatting I felt my aductors getting tight and sore, so I backed off for a week. Went back to the weights on Weds. Now this week I have PB’d my squat (5x140kgs) and PB’d my deadlift today (170kg for 1 rep). My dip capacity has gone up, for the first time in my life i’ve managed some wide grip pull ups. Bench has stuck at around 80kgs for 5, but its the last thing I train in a session, so I kind of expected it to stick.
Here’s the problem. I went in Weds and today, and felt really disconnected. My volume hasnt changed, my weights have by and large gone up. But the workout didn’t seem all that hard to me. I did my deadlift PB after doing 5x5 @ 140kg!
If it makes any difference, I train on my own. Usually plenty of people around, but I do my exercises myself. I’m as pumped as ever to train and get rid of the next 50lbs, as I said the program is working for my goals, but i’m just not feeling it at the moment.
Has anyone experienced this before? Tips to overcome it?
Yeah thats right, I suppose i’m used to it being a massive stuggle. On that would leave me super excited, but shattered when I left the gym. Now I just go in, lift my weights and dont feel the same sort of buzz as I used to.
I know how you are feeling man. I started going to a gym 3-4x a week about 2 months ago doing all machine and cardio work.
For the past week or two I have lost that “man I tore up today!” feeling. The past two workouts I have switched over to mainly free weights and I feel a little more worked when I leave the gym.
I think maybe it is just a honeymoon period when you first start going to a gym, at first you feel like you are shredding and then eventually that initial buzz wears off and its just routine. Maybe it would help if you switched up your exercises?
well, you switched from 3x10 to 5x5 and dropped all your isolation work. That’s a lot less overall volume, and probably the reason you’re not feeling as worked as before.
Holy shit, you lost 90lbs in under 5 months??? That’s awesome, keep that shit up.
I do a very similar 5x5 program with little to no isolation work. I attempt to go up by 5 lbs per workout, assuming I complete the 5x5 in the previous workout. I find this to be a constant challenge and have seen a 40% strength increase in bench/squat/deadlift over the last 6 weeks.
When the inevitable point comes that I stall out on 5x5 for more than a month I will either A) revert back to high rep 3x10s for 30-60 days, or B) drop my workout weight by 20% and focus on increasing speed and refining form.
Just shake it up a bit for your body if you are at that wall.
Good progress so far!
Just under 7 months for the 90lbs lost. I thing i’ve probably got another 45-50 to to really.
I might throw some arm isolation work back in there and see how that goes to start with, then see if I need a new program. Maybe back onto a split routine?