SS 5x5 and whatever else will get me there

shovelhead76

shovelhead76

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Been working out for around 5 years on and off, while overseas a few years ago went from bodyweight stuff to crossfit / OLY lifts which lead me to starting strength around 7 months ago.

Im currently on a deload on starting strength and if I hit another stall I will switch to madcow 5x5

stats 7 months ago
175 lbs 5'10"
i' ve done GOMAD and eaten like a real pig during that time which puts me where i am today.
35 years old
5'10"
200 lbs
squat - 245 x 5
bench - 185 x 5
DL - 265 x 5
Check out the starting pics taken cold a few days ago - yeah i have a larger mid section that ever before, I think after this last bulk I will try and fix that :)

My new goals for this 8 - 12 week log are as follows
get my squat to 275 x 5
bench 200 x 5
DL 300 x 5
get stronger and lay down a base to start a cycle of orals (beastdrol) or AAS
Im eating around 3k cals right now and will up that to about 3500 as best i can
DIET:
pre workout shake - 1 scoop whey
post workout - 2 scoops whey 1 bag of oats tbsp peanut butter
10 AM - greek yogurt / string cheese
1230 - chicken breast
300 pm - protein bar
6 pm dinner (chicken, rice beans whatever)
milk milk milk (switched to 2%)
peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread

what do ya think?
 
swollen87

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before u start using steroids, focus on getting your lifts up and your bf down....
 
shovelhead76

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yeah I know i gotta long way to go :) Ill post a post workout pic later
im figuring im at 20% ish bodyfat

IMG_0578.JPG
IMG_0580.JPG
 
shovelhead76

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@swollen I agree my bf needs to come down a bit and more importantly lifts need to go UP UP UP
 
shovelhead76

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ok yesterday's workout went well I am on a deload
might have gone back to far but im going to ride this out for a while i am in no rush

squat work sets 3x5 @ 165
press work sets 3x5 @ 80
row work sets 3x5 @ 85

This was all to light but I am trying to practice the deloading principal in starting strength and bonk out one more time before i start madcow
also working on form a bit as my squat is always on the toes too much
my hope is to get to here before i bonk out
squat 275 x 5
bench 200 x 5
DL 300 x 5

I am also eating alot cleaner @ 3k - 3500 cals per day -no soda no white bread no fat pills within reason :)
 
shovelhead76

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forgot to mention i am taking 2 min rest between work sets

does this sound like enough rest time for squats?
 
GeekPoop

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ill take 5-10mins between squat sets if im maxing. rest long enough so you can complete it.

5x5 is NOT bbing, youre not lifting for a pump
 
shovelhead76

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ok today was another easy day this deloading kinda bums me out but hopefully i bust out some PR's at the end of the 8-12 weeks

Here is todays work
Squat 3x5 170
Bench Press 3x5 145
Deadlift 1x5 170
Dips 3x8 bodyweight
 
shovelhead76

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@ GeekPoop thanks for responding man
Im trying to get my strength to where i think it should be on my compound lifts then i will start thinking about the looks

Im weak bro :)

starting to wonder in eating 3k - 3300 cals is too much for my fat a$$
 
swollen87

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ok today was another easy day this deloading kinda bums me out but hopefully i bust out some PR's at the end of the 8-12 weeks

Here is todays work
Squat 3x5 170
Bench Press 3x5 145
Deadlift 1x5 170
Dips 3x8 bodyweight
how long are u deloading for?
 
shovelhead76

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the plan was to go back a percentage and then slowly build up to new PR's as GeekPoop said

In my opinion I should get stronger before moving on to a BB routine - any thoughts on that?

in my mind i should be able to squat at least 1.5 x BW Bench x BW and DL 2x BW before starting
 
shovelhead76

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by the way here is a post workout pic from yesterday

gotta trim that fat -> been cleaning up the diet and dropped to around 3k cals every day -> no soda no fat pills

IMG_0588.JPG
 
swollen87

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strength will come no matter what program your using..... as long as you are lifting heavy...

not sure what kind of cardio you are doing, but stay off the treadmill... and start doing sprints
 
shovelhead76

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cardio whats that? seriously i havent done any serious cardio since March of this year. I'd like to start doing cardio on my 2 off days, sprints , jogging or swimming

to risk not sounding like a tool what do you think of some kind of cardio kickboxing thing, its easy to do at home with a dvd and it is more burstable than jogging - im thinking p90x kenpox video
 
GeekPoop

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this program will get you strongest the fastest imo. soda is fine, just make sure its diet.
 
shovelhead76

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bumped things up a bit on the deload today cause I was getting demotivate with the light weights

i usually do pull ups or chins on days i dont bench is it ok to switch every other time or should i stick with one or the other?

Squat 3x5 185
Press 3x5 95
Power Clean 3x5 95
pull ups - 3x5
 
shovelhead76

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Im thinking to start off easy i'm going to start doing cardio kickboxing (kenpo X from p90x) 2x per week

probably run it fasted in the morning
 
shovelhead76

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so i got sick friday and had it all weekend stomach cramping and peeing out the backend all weekend yippee good times!

glad i am nearing that end, i still felt to shaky this morning to work out but will plan to eat my way into feeling better today and get ready to blast it this evening will report back later
 
shovelhead76

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feeling MUCH better now thank God wheww!!! ok onto the work

Squat 3x5 190
Bench Press 3x5 150
Deadlift 1x5 185
dips @ BW 3x9

moving in the right direction again

squats are pissing me off a bit cause i watched elitefts so you think you can squat obn youtube and now all the suddend i suck haha

my main issue is leaning forward on my toes when going back up -> ive tried a few 'tricks' lifting the toes pressing my knees out but it seems like it is still something i have to really be AWARE of to keep my form clean

and thats what ill do for now
 
shovelhead76

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woke up for an early morning cardio session, first @$$

basically 40 min of moving all 4 limbs

My plan is to continue my 5x5 style workout while doing 2 days of cardio probably this kenpoX as its easy to do in my home

any ideas for the squat issues im having?
 
shovelhead76

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530 AM back in the salt mines doin work

Squat 3x5 195
Press 3x5 100
Power Clean 3x5 100
chinups bw 3x6
 
shovelhead76

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went to the warped tour yesterday so no workout this morning as i was beat from the long day out in 100 degree temps the music was great though

i will hit the weights later tonight, i always feel more energy on my early evening workouts probably because Ive been awake all day instead of 30 minutes

I may need to remember that when trying for PR down the road
 
shovelhead76

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wow afternoon workouts are much stronger good stuff easy day here are the numbers
Squat 3x5 200
Bench Press 3x5 155
Deadlift 1x5 195
dips 3x10

might post up a squat video later to see what you guys think about my shotty form :)
 
shovelhead76

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ok i realize at this point no one is actually reading this :(
anyway on to the weights
Workout B-1
Squat 3x5 205
Press 3x5 75 105
Power Clean 3x5 115
pullups bw 3x5
 
shovelhead76

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so this morning was cardio kickboxing
ive been eating much cleaner the last 2 weeks and with the added cardio i have dropped to 195-200 lbs thats 5-10 lbs lost
I guess thats a good thing if its all fat im losing I feel like im looking a little more V shaped
i feel like I am sweating for a few hrs after the cardio I guess that means I am REALLY out of cardiovascular shape
Going to see the Dr on Thurs to check my BP it has been running high for a while now 140's / 80-90 ish last time he put me ona beta blocker
Im getting to old to be playing around with the high bp stuff
and my life isnt getting any less stressfull
 
shovelhead76

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lets see if this works

I wanted to get opinions on my squat form -> i think this is 205lbs

ahh I couldnt put in a link as I dont have enough posts bummer
 
shovelhead76

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ok you know the drill by now
wokeup around 515 AM and proceeded to hit snooz till 546
heres the work

Squat 3x5 210
Bench Press 3x5 160
Deadlift 1x5 205
dips 3x10 @ BW -> should i be adding weight to these now? I need to make a weight belt

ill post a pic later to see if there is any progress
 
mattrag

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Looking good. 5X5 is a good workout. though I seemed to have gone to a pyramid type workout (for mass anyway) but you looking good. Getting strong fast eh?


Looking forward to that vid.
 
shovelhead76

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im thinking of doing sprints as suggested by swollen on this thread earlier but what is the suggested time
I was thinking 10 sprints and 10 jogs each about 100 yards

Im thinking that will get me 20 minutes of good cardio is that enough
I need to lose this belly fat :)
 
shovelhead76

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matt thanks for stopping by - the 5x5 is doing pretty good by me although after my next deload I think it will be time for a change
I'd like to get some mass, trim down the fat and get strong so I thought strength should come first
once I can get 275-300 on the squat its time to stop squatting 3x a week too :)

here are the #'s for today - everything is going up nicely -> tomorrow will be sprints woo hoo

Squat 3x5 215
Press 3x5 110
Power Clean 3x5 125
chins 6,7,7
 
shovelhead76

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Im starting to wonder if I should do another deload after my next stall or if I should move on to something else maybe madcow 5x5

Todays #'s
Squat 3x5 220
Bench Press 3x5 165
Deadlift 1x5 215
 
mattrag

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if you stop seeing results, or moving up in weight fast from the 5X5 I would switch it up. But don't change it if you still are continuing to move more weight and still feel good in and out of the gym :D
 
shovelhead76

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tonight was a cardio day so i popped in the ol p90x kenpo X
My cardio must be getting better because I'm sweating like a pig and although Im just as spent I think I put more effort into it this time around
I am not fat by any stretch of the word BUT Im making a promise to myself to never get this big of a gut again, if i can help it that is ;)

tommorow will put me at 2 plates on the bar for squat which is a good thing so lets do work

now Im gonna go grill up some chicken breast and eat it with spinach and red pepper
 
shovelhead76

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ok so last nights workout went well, they are starting to last around 1.5 hrs which is ok but makes it tough to squeeze in the mornings

At this point I am thinking at my next deload (4-8 weeks) I need something new and something not squatting 3x a week am I an idiot for deviating?

so yesterdays # are
squat 3x5 225 lbs
OHP 3x5 115 lbs
rows 3x5 130 lbs
finished up with 3 x6 of chin ups

This morning was cardio so I finally bit the bullet and did a set of 10 sprints @ 50 yds
I ran the 50 yds then turned around and jogged SLOWLY back
this only took 10-15 minutes
Im thinking this would be classified as HITT but is 10-15 min enough time?
 
shovelhead76

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wow this workout kicked my @$$

squats are getting heavy for me at 3x5 today was 230 lbs. I am seriously thinking about a routine change. At the least I need one 70-80% day per week. I am closing in on PR's rapidly. I was reading about a starting strength bodybuilding routine that involved a dropset of 1x8 at 75% after the 3x5.
I know that will slow down my progression but working out at home I am getting a little worried about ditching a 250lb squat when Im in the hole :).
IF anyone has any ideas for a routine that will get me bigger and stronger im all ears.

here is todays work

squats 3x5 230lbs
bench press 3x5 170lbs
DeadLift 1x5 225
dips 3x10
 
shovelhead76

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ok woke up at 5 am today and ate a quick homeade protein bar ran to the store and by 540 started the workout

decided to cut out the accessory work (dips chins and pullups) for now cause I am hitting PR's and am feeling very worked especially during squats :D

todays work

squat 3x5 235lbs
OHP 3x5 120lbs -> PR
bentOverRows 3x5 135 lbs -> these are getting easier

total workout time 1hr 15 min

will post my possible routine change later today time for the shake
2 scoops ON whey
1 pack of oats
1 cup 2% milk
yummmm
 
shovelhead76

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ok good morning all you crazies out there its getting real close to PR time took me a while but here I come

Deads will catch up to squat once I stall again If I can get into the 260-270s with squat this deload will have been well worth the wait :)

after this reset Ill still be squatting 3x per week but lighter on one of those days

this mornings #s
squat 3x5 241lbs -> thats 5 lbs away from PR NEXT WORKOUT I know its only a lb over but .....
bench 3x5 175 lbs
deads 1x5 235

oh yeah

1 banana pre work out
2 scoop ON Whey w/ oats and milk 2% post workout
 
shovelhead76

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wow what a morning I hit 2 PR's and STRONG

Ive been a little sore since dead lifts on wed so i thought id go light today but as usual i got moving and decided to stay the linear progression path

I only have a 300lb oly set at home so after 240 on squats i didnt have the right weights to load up 245 so I said screw it and loaded up 255lbs

I knew Monday is an off day for me since I am going camping

enough rambling here is the work

squat 3x5 255lbs -> for me this is a huge PR and prob puts me close to 290 - 300 lbs for my 1RM
OHP 3x5 125lbs -> another PR for me this was very slow going up so I can see a reset here next week
bent rows 3x5 140 lbs -> I could have done sets of 10 so there is more growth to go here

I am stoked at todays workout and it is great to enter the weekend this way
 
shovelhead76

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ok i had to take off 4 days last week due to work

I was in from 8 AM to 1AM 5 days last week - not fun and i dont get paid OT

Anyway I did something different for Friday since I was tired and run down

incline bench
chinups
preacher curl
barbell curl

It was a fun workout nice break from squats too :)

fast forward to Monday morning 5 AM

I didnt sleep well been battling a cold so I knew already it was a doomed session

started with squats 3 x5 @ 260lbs for a PR but stopped after 2 reps and realized I was too beat today
did 3x8 squats at 205lbs instead
bench 3x5 @ 175 lbs (stuck here time for a deload)
dips 3x11 @ bodyweight

so overall a weak performance but hey Im beat Im going to eat right today and move past it

are curls a waste of time? I definitly got a pump from the barbell curls and muscles felt tight for a few hrs afterwords NICE :)
 
shovelhead76

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had to go light again today, i am building a squat rack (power rack?) because, for me, the weight is getting heavy and if i get stuck in the hole i dont know what I will do with it :) I always assumed my instincts would take over but dont want to get hurt

Here is a pic of the squat rack I am almost done building

IMG_0729.JPG


It is all 2x6 with 1" steel pipe for the spotters, should work for my poundages :)

Anyway today I did 265lbs squat for 3 reps and thought I dont want to get stuck in the hole with this so here is what i did

5x 45lbs,135lbs,185lbs, 205lbs, 265 lbs x3 all where 5 reps except the last set @ 265

This is obviously easier than 3 sets of 5 x 265lbs so Im assuming its cheating :)

the other #'s where

OHP- 3x5 @ 100lbs - deloaded here after I stalled at 125lbs
Deads 1x5 @ 240lbs felt good but grip was tough hands sweating

I am very close to switching to my starting strength / bodybuilding routine
Week A

Day 1
Back Squat 3x5, 1x8
Incline Bench press 3x5, 1x8
Chin-ups 4x8-15

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, 1x8 OR Light Squat 2x5 (80% 5RM)
Seated Press 3x5, 1x8
SLDL 3x5, 1x8

Day 3
Squat 3x5, 1x8
Incline Bench press 3x5, 1x8
Row 3x5, 1x8

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5, 1x8
Seated Press 3x5, 1x8
Chin-ups 4x8-15

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, 1x8 OR Light Squat 2x5 (80% 5RM)
Incline Bench press 3x5, 1x8
SLDL 3x5, 1x8

Day 3
Squat 3x5, 1x8
Seated Press 3x5, 1x8
Row 3x5, 1x8

**The backoff set of 8 is done with about 75% of the weight that was used for your 3x5 set.**
 
shovelhead76

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ok i switched it up again but at least im still hitting it

doing the madcow 5x5 intermediate
this is what i have been looking for, still squatting 3x a week but now I have a lighter day

I am throwing in dips, chinups, pullups, crunches and curls for accesory work spread out over the week

squatting heavy 3x a week was getting hard on me and this is making it fun again

by the way weighed in the other day at 202 lbs
 
mattrag

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ok i switched it up again but at least im still hitting it

doing the madcow 5x5 intermediate
this is what i have been looking for, still squatting 3x a week but now I have a lighter day

I am throwing in dips, chinups, pullups, crunches and curls for accesory work spread out over the week

squatting heavy 3x a week was getting hard on me and this is making it fun again

by the way weighed in the other day at 202 lbs
nice squat rackGotta check that madcow intermediate template. Sounds interesting. I only did the 5X5 beginners.
 
shovelhead76

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nice squat rackGotta check that madcow intermediate template. Sounds interesting. I only did the 5X5 beginners.
Im diggin the madcow intermediate cause its a little easier on my body def slower gains though

this is also giving me a chance to squak in a little more accessory work

todays workout was
squats 5x5 1x8 dropset max 260lbs
bench 5x5 1x8 dropset max 185lbs
rows 5x5 1x8 dropset max 165lbs

accesory work
dips 3x10
curls 3x8 @ 60lbs
 
mattrag

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Im diggin the madcow intermediate cause its a little easier on my body def slower gains though

this is also giving me a chance to squak in a little more accessory work

todays workout was
squats 5x5 1x8 dropset max 260lbs
bench 5x5 1x8 dropset max 185lbs
rows 5x5 1x8 dropset max 165lbs

accesory work
dips 3x10
curls 3x8 @ 60lbs

Looking GOOD!!!
 
Gutterpump

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I'm starting a new SS log right now, so I'm in for this. You've moved onto 5x5 now I see?
 

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