mkretz's strength quest
- Thread starter mkretz
- Start date
mkretz
Well-known member
getting kinda lonely in here :-(
yest i did DL with DE squat then back hypertrophy work, agian delad although i got pretty into it and mightve went a lil too hard on the hypertrophy
also decided to see how my front squat was at the very end of everything lol
DL
225x5
265x5
295x5
squat
185x2x8
pendlay rows, tbar rows, good mornings, CG pulldowns, 1 arm db rows, all 4 sets, str8 bar pulldown, lat pulldown 3 sets each
none to failure, no drops, then front squat worked up to 225 and did 1, thinking of doing frotn squats for 5/3/1 second cycle through although they are rough haha
today was an off day tomororw will be my last deload workout however it hasnt been a week..........think i should tart back up on the 2nd cycle on friday or doa nother wave of deload?
yest i did DL with DE squat then back hypertrophy work, agian delad although i got pretty into it and mightve went a lil too hard on the hypertrophy
also decided to see how my front squat was at the very end of everything lol
DL
225x5
265x5
295x5
squat
185x2x8
pendlay rows, tbar rows, good mornings, CG pulldowns, 1 arm db rows, all 4 sets, str8 bar pulldown, lat pulldown 3 sets each
none to failure, no drops, then front squat worked up to 225 and did 1, thinking of doing frotn squats for 5/3/1 second cycle through although they are rough haha
today was an off day tomororw will be my last deload workout however it hasnt been a week..........think i should tart back up on the 2nd cycle on friday or doa nother wave of deload?
Rodja
Board Sponsor
None of the workouts you've posted have resembled anything close to 5/3/1 or Westside. You're still doing mindless volume in every session and fail to realize that each lift you do should address a specific point. The lifts you choose should not be random and you sure as hell don't need 6 lifts for your back. You're not increasing strength with that amount of volume; you're only increasing fatigue resistance.
mkretz
Well-known member
the beginning of the workout is exactly the template given........then it shows 4 exercises for 4 sets for hypertrophy, ok so i do 6 sometimes.....but that gives me strength (in the beginning) and hypertroph (later) right? i mean I dont see hwo that is not achieving both goals, im sorry i just have never trained for straight strength i guess and my goals are to get both not just 1 or the other, hit different fibers at different rep ranges
Sean1332
Legend
You've asked for advice that will help you get stronger, not have to eat 5,000c, follow a great program how it's written and disregarded all information given to you-yet still call it 5/3/1. People may not want to post only to correct you for every workout you do.
If you want to do 5/3/1 or Westside, then do it how it's written. No more no less. It's written how it is for a reason. Your volume has hardly changed since you said you'd decrease it.
If you want to do high volume, then do it; just don't call it 5/3/1:Westside just because you're following the 5/3/1 sets for your compound lifts. That's not what it's about. If you read the book you'd understand that. People have only been trying to help, including one of the most knowledgable members on training and you've disregarded it all.
Sean1332
Legend
Just because you're training for strength doesn't mean you won't get bigger and be in shape. Good job- you followed the beginning rep sets (although you still stack more weight on and max out) You've only accomplished 25% of what the program is really about.
The name of your thread is strength quest.
DreamWeaver
Legend
Yah size is more about diet.
Rodja
Board Sponsor
No, you're not following the template as you're already deloading and you've neglected OHP (push-press, jerks, etc. are not the same). Your problem is too fold: the mindless volume and a wrong approach to training for strength. Training for strength focuses on movements, not muscles. For example, the bench press is not a chest exercise; it is a total body movement. You have a bench day, not a chest day. You have a squat day, not a leg day. It's this approach that separates PL'ing from BB'ing and your "template" is just some bastard amalgamation.
DreamWeaver
Legend
Well said.
mkretz
Well-known member
I jsut like to incorporate heavier weights also with bodybuilding rep ranges with lighter weights........it seemed liek teh 5/3/1 with bodybuilding assistance lifts was exactly that but i guess not.......and i didnt say i had an issue wit eatin 5000 cals or w.e which i rarely do now usually 4000 at most..............
mkretz
Well-known member
according to the template your4th week is a deload thats exactly what im doing, following the 60%,7% then 80% ll for 5 reps as teh deload then move on that what it shwed when i loooked it up so if thats wrong correct me but thats what i read
Rodja
Board Sponsor
I've been following this logs and, although it's hard to find any discernable order, on your first week aka the "5" week, I recall you not knowing that the final set was AMRAP, so you should not have even counted that first week as it was done incorrectly. Next, the deload sets are not that high; it's 40%, 50%, 60%.
Save yourself and all of us some time and buy the damn book.
herderdude
Well-known member
If the template you saw wasn't in the book, then it's likely a bull**** template. Just my .02
mkretz
Well-known member
mkretz
Well-known member
started teh 2nd cycle today and have decided to go with front squats......havent doneheavy front squats in i dont knwo how long im also experimenting with putting hte bar under my fingers instead of crossing my arms, still getting used to it but i think ill be alright. I see most peopel doing it that way so hopefully its a better way haha.
I did not know what my max front squat was so i worked up to it today before starting my session
got 245 then went for 265 and missed so i figured my max is around 255 cuz 245 wasnt that bad.
From that i took 90% and calculated my weights form taht for 75,80, and 85% gave me 170,185, 195 5,5, AMRAP
only got 6 for my as many whic was a little dissapointing but still alot more than i thoguht i coudl front squat at 255 esp since i havent done them in a while so pretty happy my upper back is pretty sore which is wierd, its gotta be from teh front squats
DE DL - raised my dl max by 10lbs and took 60% of that
255x2x8
After this point my head justdidnt seem right, maybe it was from maxing out basiclaly twice on ront squats and then deadlifting. also been eatin low carb recently, looking forward to a carb up on my birthday on monday
leg press 4 sets 10-20
hack squat 4 sets 10-20
lunges 30 steps 4 sets
1 leg leg ext. 4 sets
1 leg ham curl standing 4 sets
seated leg curl 4 sets
butt machine - sorry, i want a good butt haha, and i knwo squat, squat, squat, but a lil fine tuning never hurt
I did not know what my max front squat was so i worked up to it today before starting my session
got 245 then went for 265 and missed so i figured my max is around 255 cuz 245 wasnt that bad.
From that i took 90% and calculated my weights form taht for 75,80, and 85% gave me 170,185, 195 5,5, AMRAP
only got 6 for my as many whic was a little dissapointing but still alot more than i thoguht i coudl front squat at 255 esp since i havent done them in a while so pretty happy my upper back is pretty sore which is wierd, its gotta be from teh front squats
DE DL - raised my dl max by 10lbs and took 60% of that
255x2x8
After this point my head justdidnt seem right, maybe it was from maxing out basiclaly twice on ront squats and then deadlifting. also been eatin low carb recently, looking forward to a carb up on my birthday on monday
leg press 4 sets 10-20
hack squat 4 sets 10-20
lunges 30 steps 4 sets
1 leg leg ext. 4 sets
1 leg ham curl standing 4 sets
seated leg curl 4 sets
butt machine - sorry, i want a good butt haha, and i knwo squat, squat, squat, but a lil fine tuning never hurt
steppinRazor
Well-known member
Dis thred iz killr u guis!! Dnt h8!!!11
Piston Honda
Well-known member
What is a "butt machine?" And why was that the only thing spelled correctly?
Sean1332
Legend
I think I've seen one in a porno.
herderdude
Well-known member
This thread makes me lol on a constant basis. I'm going to re-read this on days that I feel down. Sorry helping guys, sorry mkretz. I just can't help myself.
PalmFist
Well-known member
My head is spinning. You are doing way too much work in the gym bro. You're not gonna get stronger by doing so much volume unless you're eating a shyt ton of food which does not coincide with your IF diet protocol. I don't even think there's a point for you to do IF because of your smaller size to begin with. You need to eat more, lift less, and recover. It's like going to the gym when its packed and you have a plan in mind and everyone is getting in the way and there are people doing bicep curls in the squat rack and its your leg day and now all you want to do is kill someone because you can't stand how stupid they all are and how they are not really taking any of this shyt seriously so in the end they are just wasting their time and yours as well and one of them comes up to you and asks if you juice because they don't understand how you can lift so much more than them and you say no I've been lifting for years and I eat 5-7 times a day and I keep track of my diet and I spend time learning more everyday because I love this shyt and they say whatever and continue to think you are "cheating" because they have no clue what this lifestyle is about so you offer them advice and they blow you off because they "know more than you do" even though that is not at all possible.
Rant...
Rant...
mkretz
Well-known member
i inow how u feel with teh squat rack, **** happens often actually at mygym esp one tiem whena kid was doing "shrugs" then woudl walk away for liek 5 min and come back and do soem more horrible shrugs will ike 500lbs all while im obviously waiting.............will update more tomorrow, less volume.........today was teh bday so had a busy daycya tomrorow !
EatMoar
Well-known member
Jesus I lost iq points reading that .
mkretz
Well-known member
DL day didnt go that great yest, not 100% sure why but i had been cutting carbs all week leading up to yest meal(s) for my birthday that could've been why.
DL
285x5
300x5
320x6 - i was pissed so did anotehr set of 6 and this one was easier, who knows
DE squat - 195x2x8
trying to work more on my upper back because i was told i have mild upper cross syndrome which includes weak middle traps and rhomboids
4 sets of pendlay rows - also, every exercise was very strict, not worrrying about weight, worked well cuz my back was sore today! really strong contracions and full ROM
4 sets CG pullups - still suck at these
4 sets cg cable rows but trying to pull higher than normal and really squeeze my middle traps
finished off with a rope at chest height on a cable station and just focused on pulling my shoulder blades together
that could've been why.DL
285x5
300x5
320x6 - i was pissed so did anotehr set of 6 and this one was easier, who knows
DE squat - 195x2x8
trying to work more on my upper back because i was told i have mild upper cross syndrome which includes weak middle traps and rhomboids
4 sets of pendlay rows - also, every exercise was very strict, not worrrying about weight, worked well cuz my back was sore today! really strong contracions and full ROM
4 sets CG pullups - still suck at these
4 sets cg cable rows but trying to pull higher than normal and really squeeze my middle traps
finished off with a rope at chest height on a cable station and just focused on pulling my shoulder blades together
mkretz
Well-known member
Today started off really sluggish till i moved on to my hypertrophy work, i just like the fast paced stuff i guess i dunno, need to work up a real good sweat then im really into it.
cleans 6 sets of 3
strict OHP - max is 120
70x5
80x5
90x8
push press 4 sets of 3
4 sets lateral raises
4 sets DB press
4 sets cable rear laterals
4 sets prone incline shrug (again focusing on rhomboids and middle traps)
Biceps - 4 sets twist curl, 4 sets hammer curl, 3 sets 1 arm cable ez bar curl
more volume than yest but hit 2 bodyparts and had sum glycogen to burn through after yesterdays birthday meals haha
had a chiliburger with added lettuce tomato avocado bacon and oinion straws plus a chicken salad from red robin
-then went to ihop and got a massive ham cheese spinach oinions and peppers omlette with CINNASTACK french toast - this is liek the best thing i ever ate no lie it was toooo good, liek one big giant cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing and whipped cream omg haha
-then went to coldstone and got some cheesecake icecream with oreos fudge and grahm cracker pie crust pieces
- then when i got home i made myself soem mroe food haha, ust an eggwhite omlette with sum canadian bacon, ff cheese and veggies. O yea and a protein shake and 2 poptarts to finish the night off...............good night to say the least.............def went all out
cleans 6 sets of 3
strict OHP - max is 120
70x5
80x5
90x8
push press 4 sets of 3
4 sets lateral raises
4 sets DB press
4 sets cable rear laterals
4 sets prone incline shrug (again focusing on rhomboids and middle traps)
Biceps - 4 sets twist curl, 4 sets hammer curl, 3 sets 1 arm cable ez bar curl
more volume than yest but hit 2 bodyparts and had sum glycogen to burn through after yesterdays birthday meals haha
had a chiliburger with added lettuce tomato avocado bacon and oinion straws plus a chicken salad from red robin
-then went to ihop and got a massive ham cheese spinach oinions and peppers omlette with CINNASTACK french toast - this is liek the best thing i ever ate no lie it was toooo good, liek one big giant cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing and whipped cream omg haha
-then went to coldstone and got some cheesecake icecream with oreos fudge and grahm cracker pie crust pieces
- then when i got home i made myself soem mroe food haha, ust an eggwhite omlette with sum canadian bacon, ff cheese and veggies. O yea and a protein shake and 2 poptarts to finish the night off...............good night to say the least
.............def went all out
DreamWeaver
Legend
Quite an eat fest. Yah that is one fug of a lot of volume.
mkretz
Well-known member
yea it was delish that french toast was sooo good, i had to stop myself from getting another order lol
today was an off day, 2 creatona before cardio, 2 after, also got a quick (half hour or so) massage so hopefully that will help with my recovery. Had planned on lifting today but legs just didn't feel too hott and was supposed to front squat so i figured id take another day
Celorza
Well-known member
Rodja and Sean gave up...I'll just ask one question...
Why do you need more than 1 MOVEMENT per plane? Why do you do a lot of horizontal pulls, or focus on muscle groups?
Is this due to the fact you are focused on aesthetics way more than strength? Just wondering...because there are ways to have both...but at least not all the mindless volume or the not west side hybrid you are trying...specially since West Side uses only one movement to "build the squat" in that week...it's wither squat or any variation of it, or any pull variation...just not Olympic lifts since they are neither DE or ME...
Define yourself, really ask yourself...what do you need to have fun and enjoy the gym and to be able to live with yourself...aesthetics or strength?
Not saying you have to pic either-or BUT really find what you want first of all...I just don't think it's clear to you and that might be the reason behind you neglecting the focus on: Planes of motion, movements, prehab, assistance work and rep work
Why do you need more than 1 MOVEMENT per plane? Why do you do a lot of horizontal pulls, or focus on muscle groups?
Is this due to the fact you are focused on aesthetics way more than strength? Just wondering...because there are ways to have both...but at least not all the mindless volume or the not west side hybrid you are trying...specially since West Side uses only one movement to "build the squat" in that week...it's wither squat or any variation of it, or any pull variation...just not Olympic lifts since they are neither DE or ME...
Define yourself, really ask yourself...what do you need to have fun and enjoy the gym and to be able to live with yourself...aesthetics or strength?
Not saying you have to pic either-or BUT really find what you want first of all...I just don't think it's clear to you and that might be the reason behind you neglecting the focus on: Planes of motion, movements, prehab, assistance work and rep work
mkretz
Well-known member
thanks alot man......yea i mean i guess aesthetics are more important but i do want to be strong too ya know. It feels pretty damn good to be movin big weights. I also really liek to feel explosive which is why i like the DE idea........i really like the pump though so i dunno bout teh strength stuff but i do enjoy that too ........i guess im just confused ....i want it all and cant have it all at once
Celorza
Well-known member
Go for PHAT by Layne Norton...focuses on high volume and aesthetics and incorporates power and hypertrophy movements, ME and DE per say. It would suit more your goals and training style, allowing you the possibility of growing stronger too.
amateurfreak
New member
You could also set up a 4 day spilt: one upper body day focused on horizontal strength with a push and pull exercise each and then a hypertrophy based vertical push and pull exercise. Finish with assistance and prehab work. Reverse the strength and hypertrophy planes the other day ie vertical strength/horizontal hypertrophy then assistance/prehab work. For lower body have one day focused on more quad dominant/anterior chain for strength and then posterior chain hypertrophy and the other day emphasize the posterior chain for strength and the quads/anterior chain for hypertrophy. Make sure to work the entire core on lower body days and do some assistance work. Only do 2-3 sets for 1-2 assistance exercises on the upper and lower body days.
mkretz
Well-known member
Crazy. I did that once and loved it. I may be goin back lol thanks
mkretz
Well-known member
off day today, felt really drained almost all day, did some cardio and felt like crap most of the time , eventually woke up by the end which felt good, feel ok now. Hope im not getting sick. Im gonna hope it is just yest. hard workout catching up to me......... anyone else ever get that? They jsut feel like crap the next day after a tough workout?
yest. workout
Front squat
190x3
205x3
210x4
220 cluster set - 1x5 20-30 seconds between reps
4 sets leg press dropset on last set
4 sets of hack squat, drop set on last set
3 sets one leg smith squat
3 sets ext. drop on last set
4 sets glute bridge focusing more on contraction instead of pure power this time
RDL- 4 sets, nice long negatives full stretch and god contraction at the top, really trying to focus on contracting my glutes at the top
3 sets seated leg curl drop on last set,
hammies were pretty fried
yest. workout
Front squat
190x3
205x3
210x4
220 cluster set - 1x5 20-30 seconds between reps
4 sets leg press dropset on last set
4 sets of hack squat, drop set on last set
3 sets one leg smith squat
3 sets ext. drop on last set
4 sets glute bridge focusing more on contraction instead of pure power this time
RDL- 4 sets, nice long negatives full stretch and god contraction at the top, really trying to focus on contracting my glutes at the top
3 sets seated leg curl drop on last set,
hammies were pretty fried
mkretz
Well-known member
interesting.....could you give me an example workout week on this?
mkretz
Well-known member
woke up a few times in the middle of the night with the worst sore throat ever!!! weird thing though, when i woke up, nothing......... i dunno my body has been wierd lately, its def. fighting some sickness.
decided to pre fatigue my chest today for my hypertrophy work just cuz i love the pump i get when i move fast and pre fatigue, really lets me focus in on my chest which i have a hard time doing sometimes.
bench
175x3
185x3
190x6
205 cluster set 1x5 20-30 sec rest
clean
145x2x10
3 sets incline db flys
3 sets incline db press
3 sets db decline flys all of these sets were at most 60 sec rest probably more like 30-45
3 sets db decline press
dips 3 sets as many
pec deck 3 sets drop set on last set - pump from all this was awsome!!!!
str8 bar pushdown 4 sets
rev grip pushdown 4 sets ss bench dips - as many
rope overhead ext 3 sets
decided to pre fatigue my chest today for my hypertrophy work just cuz i love the pump i get when i move fast and pre fatigue, really lets me focus in on my chest which i have a hard time doing sometimes.
bench
175x3
185x3
190x6
205 cluster set 1x5 20-30 sec rest
clean
145x2x10
3 sets incline db flys
3 sets incline db press
3 sets db decline flys all of these sets were at most 60 sec rest probably more like 30-45
3 sets db decline press
dips 3 sets as many
pec deck 3 sets drop set on last set - pump from all this was awsome!!!!
str8 bar pushdown 4 sets
rev grip pushdown 4 sets ss bench dips - as many
rope overhead ext 3 sets
mkretz
Well-known member
so i had planned to train today but my legs felt like they wanted to seize up on me for some reason. I decided to have an active recovery day which i really wish i did more often.....did some foam rolling some stretching and some light cardio to get the blood flowin, legs still feel crampy though, dont know why......tomorrow is an off day as well, just a busy day, havent had two off days in a row in a long time, that, mixed with my shot tomorrow night, i should be good to go come tuesday for deads!
DreamWeaver
Legend
Yep it does help a lot with stamina and recovery. I am saving mine for PCT which is quite a while as I am on a long run.
mkretz
Well-known member
todays workout was a little un focused to begin with but dialed it in after a while
front squat
180x5
205x3
215x4!!! PR i think i did 210 for 4 last wee and they werent as solid as these
225x1x5
DE DL
285x2x8
HAck squat 4 sets with drop on last set
Leg Press 4 sets double drop on last set ( weights wee alot higher on these!) i did do my reps alittle quicker than normal
1 leg leg ext
glute bridge with distinct holds on each rep, 4 sets
seated ham curl
lyingham curl
DB RDL really squeezing my glutes, felt niiiiice haha
anyone else do glute bridges btw? i feel like im the only one that does them and they are an awsome exercise.....also do u do them quic and explosive or slow and squeeze and hold?
front squat
180x5
205x3
215x4!!! PR i think i did 210 for 4 last wee and they werent as solid as these
225x1x5
DE DL
285x2x8
HAck squat 4 sets with drop on last set
Leg Press 4 sets double drop on last set ( weights wee alot higher on these!) i did do my reps alittle quicker than normal
1 leg leg ext
glute bridge with distinct holds on each rep, 4 sets
seated ham curl
lyingham curl
DB RDL really squeezing my glutes, felt niiiiice haha
anyone else do glute bridges btw? i feel like im the only one that does them and they are an awsome exercise.....also do u do them quic and explosive or slow and squeeze and hold?
DreamWeaver
Legend
I know that feeling been pummeling myself and recovery is tough to come by some days but I planned this well..
mkretz
Well-known member
planned on working out today but got hung up with a few things o just did sum cardio, and abs, ok and a few sets of bis cuz my arms are extra tiny lol............... also yest was an off day cuz i took my gpa to the bufalo sabres game for his bday which was awsome even though we lost :-( felt great to spend quality time with a great man! an then the superbowl, didnt do anything stupid for the superbowl, got an eating challenge to do next sat so i have to be have.........plan on cutting cal 100-200 cals a day starting yest leading up to the challenge at which will give me at leat an extra 1000 cals to play with