Zcol's log

[zcol94]

75% this program has alot of work, I'm looking forward to the next phase

 

[zcol94]

Been a while, I haven't been in the gym since about March but I'm finally back.
Current stats
Height- 5'10 ( no change ) lol
Weight- 170 as of this morning in gym shorts/ t shirt, which puts me down almost 30lbs since july
Bf%- roughly 12-15 a little quad separation, some delt separation, veins everywhere, and only a little fat over my lower stomach. I would guess I was close to 20% in july

I started getting pretty Chubby being out of the gym but eating like I was still training so around August I started dieting I've lost a ton of fat but quite a bit of muscle/strength too, hopefully that comes back pretty quick.

I'm getting g back to lifting with a bastardized 5*5 program going to run this through the end of the year then assess my progress, my goal right now is to get strong as hell, contemplating doing a pl competition sometime next year

Workout A
Squat 5*5 increase weight 10 lbs every workout
Bench 5*5 increase weight 5 lbs every workout
Deadlift conv. Stance 5*3 increase by 1 set every workout, at 10*3 increase weight and start over at 5*3

Workout B
Sumo Deadlift 5*3 increase weight 10 lb every workout
Ohp 5*5 increase 5 lb per workout
Front squat 5*5 increase by 1 set per workout, at 10*5 increase weight and start over at 5*5
Various grip pull ups and chin ups supersetted with every work set
Accessories day 1
Incline db bench 3*6-10
Low cable crossovers 3*12-15
T bar row 3*6-10
Db row 3*8-12
Lat stretchers 3*12-15

Accessories day 2
Pendlay row 5*5 increase 10 lbs per workout
Neutral grip t bar row 5*5
Straight arm pulldown superset with dips 3*12-15
Db side laterals 6*6 rest pause
Rear delt Db raise 4*8-12

Daily warm up
3 sets of 6 per side dead bugs
3 sets of 20 sec per side bird dogs
3 sets of 15 face pulls
2 sets of 12 hammer curls
1 drop set of hammer curls

 

[zcol94]

Layout
Workout a
Accessories1
Workout b
Accessories2
Workout a

Then the following week would be
B
2
A
1
B

Lifting 5 days a week

 

[RegisterJr]

Welcome back

 

[Hyde]

Welcome back

Here here. Even if you do need a sammich!

 

[zcol94]

Soooooooo weak

Squat 5*5 185
Bench 5*5 150
Deadlift 5*3 225

50-60 pullups thrown in with various grips
Squat was good, bench was good, Deadlift was rough... My legs were beat from the squats and I was compensating with my back, no good. Overall though I was happy with my first session in almost 8 months

 

[Hyde]

Bet those pull-ups weren't too bad at 170 though!

 

[zcol94]

It was ridiculous, I was surprised how easy the pullups were, hopefully I can keep that up as I slowly add weight

 

[zcol94]

Still weak but felt pretty good this morning

Daily warm up

Incline Db bench
30s*12
50s*10
60s*8
60s*6

Cable crossovers/ dips
15/bw*6
15/bw*6
15/bw*6
So weak on dips, will be focusing a little more on these

Chest supported t bar row
45*10
70*6
80*6

Db row
50s*8
60s*8
60s*8

Lat stretchers
15
15
15

Hanging knee raises
10
10
10

Incline treadmill walk
10 minutes

These accessory days are focusing on the contraction of the muscle vs the weight being moved, great pump going this morning, I forgot how bad those stretchers burn towards the end of the set, lats were on fire

 

[zcol94]

Day b
Daily warm up

Sumo Deadlift
Work up
225*5*5

Ohp this was horrible
Work up
95*5
115*5
95*4 sets of 5

Front squat
95*5
135*5*5

45 total pull ups various grips, explosive sets of three between all work sets

Abs and calves

Today was alright deadlifts felt good and kept getting smoother set by set, ohp was weakkkkkk but think that will come back quickly just gotta keep hitting them, my endurance is shot I was sitting down between every set of front squats, heart rate through the roof

 

[Hyde]

Yeah just keep pushing the rest times and your work capacity will return. You have to fight if you want it to improve.

 

[zcol94]

Yeah just keep pushing the rest times and your work capacity will return. You have to fight if you want it to improve.

Words of wisdom, thanks man that's the plan, just keep pushing and I'll be back to hitting PRs soon enough

 

[zcol94]

Week 1 acc. Day b

Pendlay rows
135*5*5

Low pulley v handle rows ( supposed to be t bar rows but it was taken)
12,10,8

Straight arm pull down s/s with dips
12/12
15/12
15/12

Db lateral raises
10 lb Db's
6,7,8,10,8,7,6
Rest pause with 10-15 seconds between sets

Bent over Db rear delt raise
20 lb Db
8,8,8
Rest pause 10-15 sec between sets

Pretty good day today, ate almost 300 grams of carbs at dinner last night for my mid week refeed, next one on Saturday, and I was crazy pumped today, work cap. Seemed to be a little better too, maybe I was just too depleted for yesterday session

 

[zcol94]

Week 1 workout a

Everyday warmup

Squat
Work up
195*5*5

Bench
Work up
155*5*5
185*1

Deadlift
185*5*5

50-55 pull ups thrown in supersetted with all work sets

Great day today squats and bench felt really strong, lowered the weight on Deadlift due to the volume I'm putting my core through, I don't need an injury to keep me out of the gym even longer
Weight this am was 168 going to up calories a little next week, I want to gain weight but I don't want to get sloppy with it, only wanting to gain around 1 lb a week

 

[zcol94]

Week 2 workout B
Everyday warm up

Sumo deadlifts
135*3
135*3
185*3
235*5 sets of 3

Ohp
Bar*5
95*5 sets of 5

Front squat
135* 5 sets of 5
155*5

50-55 total pullups supersetted with worksets

Deadlifts felt great, sumo feels much more natural than conventional using 50 more lbs on sumo vs conventional same sets and reps but my back feels so much less beat up

 

[Hyde]

Sounds like you should build your sumo then for a bit!

 

[zcol94]

Definitely, but I'm not going to drop conventional deadlifts " do what you suck at " I'm going to keep the weights low and try to push volume gradually on conventional dls and try to strengthen whatever muscles are weak

 

[zcol94]

Week 2 acc. Day b
Daily warm up

Pendlay rows
135*5
155*4 sets of 5 reps

Chest supported t bar row (neutral grip handles)
90 lbs*5*5

Straight arm pulldown s/s with dips
15/15
15/12
15/12

Db lateral raises
20's *6*6 rest pause 10 sec. Between sets
Drop to 10's*6 three sec pause at the top

Db rear delt raise
20's* 4 sets of 10
15-20 seconds between sets

Good work today, Pendlays felt pretty good, weight sitting @ 170.5 this am

 

[zcol94]

Week 2 workout a
Daily warm up

Bench
Bar*12
95*5
135*3
160*5 sets of 5

Squat
135*5
175*5
205*5 sets of 5

Conv. Deadlift
135*5
135*5
135*5

Wide grip conv. Deadlift
135*8
135*8

Abs

~50 pullups supersetted with all work sets

Pretty good session today squats and bench were fairly easy next weeks weight bump might be a little bigger than usual up to 225 on squats and 175 for bench. never done dl's with a wide grip felt pretty good probably going to keep those in rotation

 

[zcol94]

Week 2 acc. Day a
Daily warm up

Incline Db bench
40s* 10
50s* 10
60s* 10

High pulley cable crossovers s/s with triceps

15/6 dips
15/15 cable press down
15/15 cable press down

Chest supported t bar row (wide grip)
45*10
70*10
70*8

Db row
60* 3 sets of 8 each arm

Lat stretchers
3 sets of 15

Just a good pump day, my hamstrings and upper back were really sore when I woke up today, snatch grip deads really lit me up good

 

[zcol94]

Week 2 workout b
Daily warm up

Sumo dl
Work up
245 * 5 sets of 3 reps

Standing ohp
Bar *10
95*5
95*5
95*5
115*3
115*5

Leg press
200*12
290*10
380*8
470*6

Deadlifts felt great... Getting close to pulling some real weight soon, power rack was jacked up couldnt move the pins so I had to clean the bar into position for ohp and just skipped front squats hopefully it's fixed Monday. Weight this am 173... A little bloated from last night a whole medium pizza from Papa Johns and 7 out of 9 brownies in a 8*8 pan, see where my weight levels out on monday

 

[zcol94]

Week 3 workout A
Daily warm up

Squat
Work up
225*5*5
275*1
315*1

Bench
Work up
165*5*5

Snatch grip deadlifts
135*8
135*8
155*3 sets of 8 reps

~60 total pull ups

Great session today, obviously no PRs but everything felt great, hopefully this is a sign of things to come, ate like crap all weekend long, weight this am was 175

 

[zcol94]

Week 3 workout B
Daily warm up, added 3 sets of 15 rope triceps extensions to this
Sumo Deadlift
Work up
245* 4 sets of 3
245*5

Standing ohp
95*5
115*5
115*5
115*4

Front squat
135*5
155*5
175*5
195*5

Hanging knee raises
10
10
10

Another good day, ohp felt pretty strong until it wasn't, deadlifts were moving really fast, and front squats felt great supposed to be 5*5 @ 155 but I just kept adding weight til it got tough.

This week is a little messed up headed out of town tomorrow night coming back on Sunday so I'm hitting my main movements back to back to back then taking 4 days off

 

[zcol94]

Week 3 workout A
Daily warm up

Bench
Work up
170*5*5

Squat
Work up
245*5*5

Calves
3 sets
Did one set of each of the different rep schemes I've read the last couple days... They all hurt. I left the gym 30 minutes ago and my calves are still shaky.

Supersetted the squat and bench work because I thought I had less time than I actually did, the bench sets were ridiculously easy, I moved in my grip like 1/4 inch on each side but it made all the difference, didn't do a Deadlift variation because my back has taken a beating all week, it doesn't hurt but better safe than sorry.

Weight was 171.5 this am, calling this my pre thanksgiving weekend weight, I won't be surprised to see 180+ on Monday morning

Happy Thanksgiving guys

 

[Hyde]

Get that deep turkey injection son!

 

[zcol94]

Week 4 workout B
Daily warm up

Sumo Deadlift
Work up
265* 5 sets of 3 reps

Ohp
95*5
115*5
115*5
115*5
115*5

Leg press
290*12
380*12
470*6 drop 380*8 drop 290*10

~50 pull ups thrown in with work sets

Felt strong today, the only thing that was wanting to give out was my grip, I've been doing all my deadlifts with no chalk double over hand, I'm going to keep with that til I actually drop the bar, opted for leg press> front squats due to pure laziness, laid up and did pretty much nothing besides eat from Wednesday to sunday... Weight this am 185.5, I know it's mostly water/glycogen but it was still crazy to see a 15 lb gain in less than a week

 

[zcol94]

Week 4 acc. Workout 2

Daily warm up

Pendlay rows
135*5
135*5
155*5
155*5
175*5

Supported t bar row
90*5
125*5
90*5

Straight arm pulldown/ dips

15/bw*15
15/bw*15
15/bw*15

Db lateral raise

12.5 lbs *6*6 rest pause 10 sec between sets

Db rear delt raise
15* 4 sets of 8 rest pause 10 sec. Between sets

Calves
2 ridiculously long sets w/ stretching and flexing after both sets

Just a pump day feeling pretty good, looking forward to squats/ bench tomorrow

 

[Hyde]

15lbs?? Nice!! And don't skip the fronts - they will strengthen your back, while legpress is more likely to bug it.

 

[zcol94]

Yea skipping front squat won't be a regular thing I was just worn out, for some reason front squats get me more winded than any other lift

 

[zcol94]

Week 4 workout A
Daily warm up

Squat
Work up
255* 5*5

Bench
Work up
175*5*5

Snatch grip dl
135*8
135*8
155*8

50 pullups s/s with all work sets

Squats seem like they're getting easier every week even with the weight increases rest between sets is down to around 1 minute everything is coming back pretty quickly, bench was actually a little rough today, but I'm gonna attribute that to upper back work and dips from yesterday... Looking for an intra bcaa type supplement but i haven't used one in a few years, is there any you guys recommend?

 

[zcol94]

Week 4 acc. Workout 1
Daily warmup

Incline Db bench/ Db row superset
Work up
50*8/ 50*10
60*8/ 60*10
70*6/ 70*8

Pec fly machine/ supported T-bar row superset
12/ 45*12
12/ 70*10
12/ 70*10

Low cable crossover/ Lat stretchers superset
12/15
12/15
15/15

Added a little chest volume to this day, figure a bigger chest can't hurt my bench and my bench is weakkkkk. Other than that, not much to say. Just a pump day sumos, front squats, and ohp tomorrow

 

[Hyde]

2 scoops of Purple Wraath every session for me. Beta alanine, betaine, and BCAAs with a real dose of Leucine, plus added potassium to fight cramps.

Lemonade isn't very sweet, but I enjoy it just as much as Juicy Grape.

 

[zcol94]

2 scoops of Purple Wraath every session for me. Beta alanine, betaine, and BCAAs with a real dose of Leucine, plus added potassium to fight cramps.

Lemonade isn't very sweet, but I enjoy it just as much as Juicy Grape.

Hmm I figured things would have changed that's what I started using 8 or 9 yrs ago and I just stuck with it because it worked, but I haven't used anything for a few years so I thought something else may have come out

 

[zcol94]

Missed Friday's session because I was moving into my new apartment all weekend, I guess that was fine though I didn't realize how heavy some of my furniture was...

Week 5 workout A
Daily warm up

Squat
Work up
265*5*5

Bench
Work up
180*5*5

Snatch grip sldl
135*5
155*5
175*5

55 pull ups supersetted with work sets

Everything moved so fast today, almost couldn't believe it. Nothing to really add to it, today was just an awesome day.
going to keep with this programming til I begin to miss reps which I'm estimating to be the end of the month once that happens I'm planning to move into 5/3/1
Looking through the book I think I'm going to try out the 531 strength challenge

 

[kenpoengineer]

Hey Z man. Looking great in here!

 

[Hyde]

Hmm I figured things would have changed that's what I started using 8 or 9 yrs ago and I just stuck with it because it worked, but I haven't used anything for a few years so I thought something else may have come out

If it ain't broke, I try not to fix it

How many pull-ups you hitting most sets?

 

[zcol94]

I average around 5 pull ups per set, slow with a pause at the top and a pause at the bottom

 

[zcol94]

Alright been busy as hell lately but I've still been in the gym, not as frequently as I wanted but I still got work in, I moved to 5/3/1 yesterday in the book this is the "strength challenge" looks like fun, phase one is just regular 531 programming with an added single at your training Max everyday, this will be a 6 week cycle with no deload.
Yesterday
Ohp- tm=155
Work up
110*3
125*3
140*3+ (6)
155*1

Incline bb bench
135*12
135*12
135*10

Pull-ups/ dips superset
Bw*12/12
Bw*10/12
Bw*8/10

Db curl/ rear delt fly superset
25s*12/12
25s*12/12
25s*10/12

Entire upper body was ridiculously pumped after this session

This am

Sumo deadlift- tm=345
Work up
245*3
280*3
315*3+ (5)
345*1

Front squat
135*8
185*8
205*8

Bw hypers
15
15
15

Core work

Good day today, I picked up some lifting shoes yesterday on sale and tried them today on the front squats, felt pretty good not sure they really made a difference but they didn't hurt anything, I got the Reebok crossfit lifters 2.0 at an outlet for 45$ about the same as a new pair of converse

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 1 day 3
Bench day

Bench
Work up
175*3
200*3
225*3+ (5)
245*1

Db row
60*12
70*12
80*10

Pull up/ dips superset
Bw*8/12
Bw*7/12
Bw*6/12
Bw*3
pullups only to make up for missed reps

Face pulls
3*15

Good day, bench wasn't great but with a bent bar and my shirt sliding all over the bench I still didn't miss any reps so.... Solid day overall
Squats tomorrow, I'll see how the crossfit shoes do for that

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 1 day 4
Squats

Squat
135*8
165*5
205*3
235*3
270*3
305*3+ (9)
335*1

Snatch grip rdl
135*12
165*12
205*12

Bw hypers
15
12
12

Db side laterals
17.5s * 5 sets of 12

Abs


Good day squats felt great and I'm liking the shoes feels much more stable shoes/ feet don't move around at all once I'm set, this was a great start to 531 5s week coming up

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 2 day 1
Ohp

Ohp
Work up
105*5
120*5
135*5+ (7 + 1 push press)

Incline bb bench
135*8
155*6
135*8
135*8

Pull-up/ dip superset
12/12
10/12
8/12

Db curl/ rear delt fly superset
25s * 8/10
25s * 8/10
17.5s * 10/ 30s *8


Ohp felt weak... But it kind of always does, incline bb bench is something I haven't done in about 2 years and it shows, hopefully that catches up quickly... The pump was ridiculous after my first set of pullups/ dips the rest of the workout was tough to finish just because my arms didn't want to move.
Deadlifts in the am

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 2 day 2
Deadlift 5s

Sumo Deadlift
Work up
225*5
260*5
295*5

Front squat
155*8
185*8
185*8

Bw hypers/ hanging leg raises
12/10
12/10
12/8

Ab wheel
10
10
10

Db side bends
60*12 per side
60*12 per side

Not supposed to do plus sets on 5s week, forgot about that yesterday, everything moved pretty smoothly but dang was I sweating this morning, the temperature came back up outside but my gym left the heater on over night, I was drenched within 10 minutes...
Off day tomorrow gonna feel good to sleep past 330

 

[Hyde]

Man you're waking up early to get these in, huh?

 

[zcol94]

Yea, I work 4/10s and I've found that if I try to lift after work I always come up with excuses to skip out, or I'm straight up too worn out.... If I get up in the a.m. I can't make any excuses

 

[zcol94]

I was going to sleep in but I woke up anyways, I just went in and screwed around, real light sets going for a pump on arms, traps, and calves. Then I hit about 10 minutes of jump rope hiit, then 10 minutes incline treadmill walking... Bench tomorrow

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 2 day 3
Bench 5s

Bench
Work up
160*5
185*5
210*5

Db row
60*12
70*12
80*12

Pull up/ dip superset
6/12
6/12
5/12
5/8

Face pulls
3 sets of 15

Over head cable extension
1 set of 30

Alright day, 5s week with this programming is a little boring, but it serves a purpose.
squats tomorrow, I picked up a pair of elite fts heavy knee sleeves, I've never squatted in sleeves before but the felt pretty good when I put them on, I'll touch on that tomorrow

 

[Hyde]

Those are some serious sleeves. Like not even legal in any fed except in a knee wrap division. If they're reasonably snug, you're gonna feel stronger in them for sure.

 

[zcol94]

Damn really?... I only went off the reviews on their site and their description, I wouldn't have expected that.... I didn't get to squat in them yet though mid Thursday I got hit hardddd with a flu like sickness, dizzy, weak, no appetite, and a fever... Luckily it was pretty much cleared up by Sunday so my ones week will be in tact

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 3 day 1
Ohp 1s

Ohp
Work up
120*5
135*3
+ belt
150*1+ (5)

Closer grip incline bb Bench
135*10
135*10
135*10

Dip/pullups superset
8/8
8/8
8/10

Db curl/ Db rear delt fly superset

25*12/8
25*10*8
25*8/8


Strength felt wayyyyy up on ohp today definitely had 2-3 more reps in me on my plus set but capped it at 5 so i wouldn't ruin incline benching, for whatever reason this day gives me a ridiculous pump by the time I get to the curls I can hardly move. Not complaining, just weird since my volume isn't all that high.
Deadlifts tomorrow

 

[zcol94]

Cycle 1 week 3 day 2
Deadlift 1s
Weight-183

Sumo Deadlift
Work up
260*5
295*3
330*1+ (5)
345*1

Front squat
185*8
205*8
225*4

Bw hypers
40-50 total reps

Abs
Ab wheel
Hanging leg raises
Db side bends


Went much better than expected, probably had another rep or 2 but 5 was good enough, those sleeves are no joke, tons of rebound out of the hole, not why I purchased them but it's not really a bad thing so I'll go with it. Tomorrow's an off day, I'll see if I can manage to stay out of the gym