Strength.. with a dash of size.

Aspiring

Hello all . This is a follow on from my winter bulk thread, which lasted about 4 months.

The results of that were:
Bodyweight: 65kg --> 74kg
Deadlift: 70kg --> 130kg
Squat: 65kg --> 100kg
Bench: 55kg --> 90kg
Overhead press: 30kg --> 55kg

I was fairly happy with my progress over the few months. Hoping to keep adding to these lifts now

Going to test maxes for squats and overhead press tomorrow.

Long term goals:
200kg deadlift
150kg squat
125kg bench
80kg OHP
80kg bodyweight @ ~10% bodyfat

Aspiring

Training today. Fairly intense but I can feel my fitness coming back. First time in a while I've had no tension in my low back when running. I think doing heavy low rep deadlifts has done me the world of good. Felt lighter on my feet today, a lot faster all round. Unfortunately I'm still getting a lot of fatigue setting in in my quads and hamstrings after a good bit of running, but sure a few more weeks training and I'll be grand.

Hitting the gym tomorrow for a full body workout, legs will only be low reps, might have training in a few days.

Aspiring

Just did compounds today for strength.

Bench:
3x3x92.5kg

Squat:
1x3x105kg
1x3x110kg
1x3x115kg

Military press:
1x4x47.5kg
2x3x47.5kg

T-Bar rows:
3x5x45kg
1x10x40kg

Plank:
1 x 2 mins
1 x 2 mins 15 seconds

Darrenon91

your moving quickly through them numners man. You seeing much size with this?

Aspiring

Darrenon91 wrote: »

your moving quickly through them numners man. You seeing much size with this?

I've put on about 8 or 9kg so far, so yeah I do notice a good bit. It's all chest, legs, shoulders and back, which were quite underdeveloped before I started. As I mentioned in the first post I hope to get to 80kg which is another 6 kg or so. Unfortunately I'm finding it a lot harder to grow now that I've started back cardio in training.

About the numbers, I've trained in low rep ranges most of the time so I think that's why they're moving quickly. If I had trained higher reps I think it would take a lot longer to get the numbers up, but I'd probably have put on more mass also. Some of it is a psychological thing too, in particular my squat and deadlift, where I didn't realise I could lift more than I was doing.

Aspiring

Noticed I've got a bit of an anterior pelvic tilt going on. Not too bad but enough to be noticeable to me. It could explain some of the back issues I've had in the past. Obviously lifting heavy with poor posture is not a good idea, so I've started dealing with it. Started stretching hip flexors, glutes, hammies. A good cue I've found is tensing the glutes, seems to make the tilt a lot better. Hopefully I can get this sorted in the next few months.

Aspiring

Shoulders/back today.

Dumbbell overhead press:
4x5x22.5kg

Lateral raises:
2x5x12.5kg

Barbell rows:
4x5x65kg

Pull ups:
4x10

Plank:
2 mins

Elevated hex bar deadlift:
3x10x60kg
1x8x80kg

Cardio:
- jog 225m, sprint 75
15 secs rest
- jog 150m, sprint 150
30 secs rest
- jog 75m, sprint 225
60 secs rest
- sprint 300m

Decided I much prefer barbell rows over T-bar. Played around with the weight till I found one with good form and I could do 5 reps. Did dumbbell seated press, because I feel doing military with my current posture situation is a bad idea. I find the ROM of the hex bar really gives a good stretch and workout of the hamstrings and glutes if you do it with slight knee bend, a bit like a Romanian deadlift. Did the cardio in my asics on wet ground, not the best idea, RIP hamstrings and calves :pac:

Going heavy on deadlifts and bench Sunday.

Aspiring

Solid workout today.

Deadlift:
1x100kg
1x110kg
1x120kg
1x130kg
1x140kg
1x145kg

Bench:
1x3x95kg
1x2x95kg
1x3x95kg
3x8x80kg
1x5x85kg

Dips:
1x8x15kg
2x10x15kg
1x8x17.5kg

Plank:
1 min
2 x 1 min with 10kg

Gonna push hard this week and try get 150,125,100 for the big 3 at the weekend. If I hit it, I'm taking a week off haha. Thought I had plateuaed when I only got 2 reps on the bench for the second set, it was just a psychological thing thankfully. At some point through the deadlifts, my form just came together perfectly. The bar just came up along my legs really close, each set was just a breeze, no back issues whatsoever. That's why I went for 145kg, felt ****ing amazing. Deadlifts becoming my favourite exercise

eclectichoney

Aspiring wrote: »

Deadlifts becoming my favourite exercise

Me too - there's something awesome about them I think because they are the heaviest thing you can lift!

Aspiring

eclectichoney wrote: »

Me too - there's something awesome about them I think because they are the heaviest thing you can lift!

Nothing beats lifting heavy sh1t off the floor :pac:

Aspiring

Started eating lots again today. Probably haven't been hitting my daily calorie goals over the last few weeks. Still managed to put on 0.5kg which isn't too bad. Short term goal for the next few weeks is 77kg.

No gym today, I have a match tomorrow.

eclectichoney

Are you following any particular programme?

Aspiring

eclectichoney wrote: »

Are you following any particular programme?

Not really, no. I started with something like starting strength but over 2 days rather than 3 (So 2 full body workouts twice a week). After that I tried higher reps for a while, didn't really see much point. Now I'm just training each bodypart twice a week and adding weight each time. I just do 3x3 for strength then follow it up with higher rep sets. I'm going to keep doing this until I plateau. I know it's suggested you stick to a program but I'm pretty happy with my progression so far.

When I hit 100,125,150 for Bench, Squat, DL I think I'm going to go do 3x5 like Starting Strength again until I get to 5 reps for those weights, and if I can keep progressing after that then I'll do that. Then once that stops working switch the number of reps again, and so on. I think changing up what I do every once in a while will keep me going longer compared to just sticking to the one thing for months. However doing 3 reps I've noticed the biggest power/strength gains so far.

Aspiring

Had my first match since I started lifting there tonight. Played about 40 mins so had a decent idea of my fitness.

Noticeably stronger, didn't feel like a walking twig on the pitch :pac:. Endurance in my quads was terrible. They were burning up after each sprint and I felt I just couldn't perform to my ability. I suppose this is to be expected when you train low reps. Agility was poor too, I was slow at switching from going backwards/forwards. I think instead of squatting heavy tomorrow I'll hit the treadmill inclined and give my quads a decent endurance session.

Also I've been thinking about not buying any more protein. I can hit my macros without supplements so I dont really see the point. If anyone has any advice on this it'd be great.

Aspiring

Bench press:
1x3x97.5kg
2x2x97.5kg
2x1x100kg
3x7x80kg
1x8x75kg

Dips:
1x5x20kg
1x5x22kg
3x5x25kg

Hex bar deadlift:
1x100kg
1x110kg
1x120kg
1x130kg
1x140kg
1x150kg
1x3x160kg
1x170kg

Hex bar Romanian deadlift:
2x10x100kg
1x12x100kg

Well, benched 100 which is nice after only 4 months. Definite plateau feeling tho. Think its time to change things up a bit. Hit the hex bar for a change, lifting 170 felt class, really a challenge. Hopefully for conventional 150 will be a breeze now. For the Romanian deadlift I really focused on powerful hip movement going up then finished each rep with a slow negative.

Aspiring

Had a bit of a week off there. Had a few nights out to make up for avoiding them like the plague over the last while when I was training. Feeling a lot fresher now. I've two weeks off college now so I'm gonna set some goals for the end of those 2 weeks .

Squat: 3x3x130kg
Deadlift(conventional): 5x1x160kg
Bench:3x5x100kg
Row: 3x5x75kg
Overhead press: 3x5x25kg dumbells
Bodyweight: +1kg


Going to be deadlifting and squatting once a week each, the other three twice a week. Fairly intense schedule, but its only two weeks and I've plenty of time to eat/sleep so it should be grand. I'll probably have a good few matches/trainings but hopefully I can still manage to squat/DL.

Aspiring

Good chest/back workout today:

Bench:
2x5x90kg
4x90kg
3x90kg
2x90kg
4x90kg

Incline DB bench:
3x10x20kg

Barbell rows:
5x5x70kg

Barbell rollouts:
3x10

Back lifting after a week and a half. The movements felt a bit strange after being away from lifting but I still got a decent workout in. Tried the rollouts too they're fairly tough. No shoulders/legs because I have hurling training tomorrow.

Aspiring

Worst DOMS in ages in my abs. Those roll outs really hit you hard. Can't help but love em

Aspiring

Bench:
4x3x92.5kg
3x8x80kg
2x10x75kg

Barbell row:
3x5x75kg
2x8x70kg
1x10x60kg

Pull ups:
3x8

Dips:
3x8x25kg

Shrugs:
3x20x70kg

Barbell roll outs:
3x15

Two more trainings and a match this week so no shoulders/legs. Not happy with bench progress, need to get nutrition back in check.

Aspiring

Back/chest today:

Barbell bench:
3x3x95kg
3x5x82.5kg

Dumbbell incline flys:
3x10x12.5kg

Dumbbell bench:
3x8x20kg

Dips:
2x15

Barbell row:
3x5x77.5kg

Pull ups:
1x10
2x5x12.5kg
1x10

Not performing at my best in the gym lately. On the plus side GAA is going very well, suppose you can't have it both ways

Aspiring

Pulled my hamstring. I don't think its too serious, only really have any pain if I take too big of a step. Just feels tight all the time and can cramp up / spasm when walking. Thought it was a cramp at first when it happened but has been going on for days now. Taking a few weeks off cardio to let it heal

Aspiring

Recovering well from the injury. Lost the limp and can walk freely now. Started some light stretching 3 times a day. Hoping to get back into light cardio in a week or so. I feel this was a warning more than anything. I haven't trained my hamstrings sufficiently at all. I think when I'm back training legs I need to focus on movements like Good Mornings, Straight Leg deadlifts, etc, which mimick the movements of sport more than hamstring curls which I've done in the past. I've also been thinking about switching to sumo deadlifts, to put more emphasis on the legs. Hopefully if I strengthen up the hamstrings and clear up any imbalances I can prevent something like this happening again.

Aspiring

Bench:
3x3x90kg
2x5x87.5kg
2x8x80kg
2x2x92.5kg

Dumbbell incline fly's:
3x8x12.5kg
2x5x15kg

Dumbbell overhead press:
3x7x17.5kg

Dumbbell roll outs:
3x10

Weighted decline crunches:
3x10x10kg

Plank:
1x60s
1x120s

Pull ups:
3x12
2x10
2x8

Started doing shoulder work again. I can tell I've lost a lot of strength from lack of use but hopefully I can get back into it. Focused on pull ups for back today rather than doing barbell rows, wouldn't have been a good idea with my hamstring out of action.

Haven't really been dedicated to lifting as much as I was before, and it shows. Luckily I haven't lost much weight due to my sh1t diet over the last few weeks, but I think if I ever want to break through my current plateaus I need to start eating like a pig again. From tomorrow on it's back up to 3600+ calories a day

Aspiring

Went for a run today to test the aul hamstring.

Ran 1.5k with about a 5:30 min/km pace. Could feel my hamstring with every step, but it wasn't sore which was good. Felt as though it would cramp up if I ran any faster. I'll try a faster pace Friday and keep at it until I'm back to normal.

Aspiring

Quick chest workout today.

Bench:
1x8x85kg
2x5x85kg
1x2x95kg
1x12x70kg

Incline flys:
2x8x12.5kg
1x5x15kg
1x8x15kg

Dumbbell bench:
2x8x20kg

Decline pushups:
1x15

Felt great to lift 95kg again. Best 8 rep bench to date today as well. Hopefully get in a 2k or so jog tomorrow and a shoulder/back workout Saturday.

Aspiring

Went for a quick 1.5k run today. Running faster was a lot more comfortable today. Built up the speed throughout the run and maxed out at about 3:20 min/km pace. Didn't realise running downhill is a lot harder on the hamstrings than level ground / incline. Cramped up straight away when I started running downhill fast, not a good idea.

Great to see the hamstring recovering nicely, probably pushed it a bit hard today though, hopefully get out for a longer run Sunday and pick up the pace a bit more.

Aspiring

Hamstring is giving me some issues still. Feels very tight and I can't get full range of motion stretching. Think maybe it's time to go see a physio before I feck it up any more :pac:

Alf Veedersane

Aspiring wrote: »

Hamstring is giving me some issues still. Feels very tight and I can't get full range of motion stretching. Think maybe it's time to go see a physio before I feck it up any more :pac:

If a physio goes in to loosen it up, you're probably going to need something to bite down on...

Aspiring

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

If a physio goes in to loosen it up, you're probably going to need something to bite down on...

I think I have to haha. Everybody keeps telling me I'm going to feck up my hamstring if I don't see a physio. I've been following a recovery guide which can be found here and it was going fairly well until I went a bit overboard with the running.

The physio I'll be seeing is one who comes to the GAA club every once in a while to give people rubs before a match and that. Not sure if it's meant for someone with an injury, but yeah, I've heard it's fairly sore

Aspiring

Chest workout today, tried to focus on strength rather than size. So I went with a pure bench press workout.

Bench press:
1x5x60kg
1x5x70kg
1x5x80kg
1x5x90kg
2x2x95kg
2x1x97.5kg
1x3x90kg
1x5x85kg

Aspiring

Well, today was a great day.

Went for a few sprints in the afternoon with a friend. It was my first time sprinting since I injured my hamstring. No pain or strange sensation or anything, which is great.

Also went to the gym, was planning on doing shoulders and chest. Ended up doing squats instead of chest, because it's been too long and I miss the aul squats.

Dumbbell overhead press:
4x5x22.5kg
1x6x22.5kg

Squats:
1x5x50kg
1x5x60kg
1x5x70kg
1x5x80kg
1x5x90kg
1x3x100kg

I had forgotten how much squats take out of you. Feel absolutely wrecked :pac:. Great to see my squat is still reasonably decent after the long absence. The pain I'll feel in the coming days was well worth it

Over the weekend I'm hoping to do hamstrings, chest and back.

Aspiring

Got a lot done today in the gym, and managed to not prioritise bench for probably the first time ever :pac:

Squat:
1x4x100kg
3x5x95kg

Pull ups:
1x10
3x5x12.5kg

Dumbbell bent over row:
3x5x30kg

Deadlifts:
1x5x110kg

Bench:
1x3x90kg
3x5x80kg

Feels great to be deadlifting again. I know I could have went heavier but I'm trying to stick to 5 reps for now. By the time I hit the bench I was absolutely fried haha, it's interesting to compare your performance when you're completely fresh to when you're bolloxed

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x97.5kg

Overhead press:
3x5x45kg

Dumbbell overhead press:
2x5x20kg

Aspiring

Bench:
5x5x85kg

Squat:
3x5x100kg

Deadlift:
1x5x115kg

Made it through three squat sessions in a week! Followed Starting Strength almost exactly to the letter ever the last week. It's probably the most intense thing I've done in the gym to date. DOMS like never before haha.

I think I'll keep doing it for the next few weeks on a Thursday/Saturday/Monday basis like I did this week.

Darrenon91

how long would that workout take you? Do you just stick to the three exercises or would anything in between?

Aspiring

Darrenon91 wrote: »

how long would that workout take you? Do you just stick to the three exercises or would anything in between?

Usually takes me under an hour, sometimes even less than 45 mins. I'm just sticking to the three exercises per workout for now, nothing else in between. Trying to stick to the following two workouts for the moment:

A:
Squat
Bench
Deadlift

B:
Squat
Overhead Press
BB Row

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x102.5kg

BB overhead press:
3x5x47.5kg

BB row:
1x5x65kg
3x5x70kg

Found a good starting point for rows, haven't done them in a while. Form really coming together for press, sets were easier than last week despite being heavier.

Aspiring

Squats:
3x5x105kg

Bench:
3x5x87.5kg

Deadlift:
1x5x120kg

Switched to sumo deadlifts, they felt a lot less harsh on my back which is great. Had a match earlier today but decided to do legs anyway, well worth it.

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x107.5kg

Overhead press:
3x5x50kg

Row:
3x5x72.5kg

Pull ups:
1x10

Sleep deprived workout today, squats were hell . Exams this week but hoping to go Thur/Sat/Mon again.

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x110kg

Bench:
3x5x90kg

Deadlift:
1x5x125kg

Squats were much smoother today. Used a few mental cues to help my form. Deadlifts were easier than they have been for weeks. Bench was grand, last rep a grinder as usual. All in all progress is great the last few seeks

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x112.5kg

Overhead press:
1x5x52.5kg
2x3x52.5kg

Barbell rows:
3x5x75kg

Disappointed with the press, I think it was down to the fact that I hadn't recovered properly from Thursday's benching than anything. I couldn't feel my back being used at all doing the rows after the three sets, so I decided to do a set of pull ups then try a 1x5 again. Turns out even if you don't feel some muscles being used, they still are couldn't manage one rep.

Aspiring

I've been reading up on deadlift form, turns out my current technique is a "semi-sumo" and not sumo as previously stated here. Apparently it's closer to a conventional deadlift than a sumo. All I know it feels incredibly powerful off the floor, and at lockout, so I think I'll keep at it and I'd advise anybody reading this who deadlifts to give it a go.

This is pretty much my exact form on the right, except my feet are probably a bit closer together:

Aspiring

Squat:
3x5x115kg

Bench:
3x5x92.5kg

Deadlift:
1x5x130kg

Changed my foot positioning a bit for squats, felt much easier out of the bottom.

Aspiring

I've decided to keep bulking for the rest of May and June. Hoping to keep going with the starting strength style progression for squats, deadlifts and rows for the foreseeable future. As for bench and overhead press, once I hit 3x5x105 (optimistic) for the bench and 3x5x60 for the OHP, I'll begin to add reps each workout rather than weight. e.g. for bench I'll do 6,5,5 reps one day then 6,6,5 the next and so on to work up to a 3x8 (6 weeks), THEN add weight. It's a lot slower but it would still be progress so hopefully it works out. I can see the BB row continuing to increase for a little while longer, and wouldn't be surprised if it passes out my bench by the end of the summer (which would be great, ideally I'd prefer a stronger back over chest).

Also a weight update for the first time in a few months: 73.3kg (+0.3kg from last week)
Keeping calories at 4000 for the foreseeable future.

Aspiring

Overhead press:
3x5x52.5kg

Squat:
3x5x117.5kg

BB row:
2x5x77.5kg
1x8x77.5kg

Lowered my back angle a bit in the rows. I was doing them at about 45°, looks around 30-35° now. Trying to get as close to parallel as possible over time, my mobility isn't the greatest so hopefully easing towards it slowly will work. Most people I see doing them are at about 45° but logic tells me the lower your angle the more weight you actually lift with your upper back.

Aspiring

Bench press:
1x5x95kg
2x4x95kg
2x5x95kg

Squat:
3x5x120kg

Deadlift:
1x3x135kg

Deadlift just felt really heavy today, no idea why. Even when I was warming up it just felt heavier than usual. I think it could be because I went straight from squat into DL. Whatever the case may be I'll go for 5x135 again next week. I'm going to give the squats a miss on Monday because I have a match Tuesday and I think my legs need a good rest anyway

Fairly big milestone today, doubled my starting weight for squats of 3x5x60kg to 3x5x120kg. Now to keep going :pac:

Aspiring

Overhead press:
3x5x55kg

Barbell row:
3x5x90kg
2x5x80kg

Pull ups:
3x5x15kg
1x3x17.5kg
2x8

Hex bar shrugs:
3x20x60kg

Well no squats today as I planned. Had the wrong weight on the bar for rows, only figured out after the third set. I was wondering why they felt so heavy threw in some pullups and shrugs to make up for the time not spent doing squats. Back to the usual routine Thursday.

Aspiring

Bench press:
3x5x97.5kg
2x5x90kg
1x20x60kg

Just benching today due to championship gaa this weekend.

Aspiring

I think over the last number of months I have lost sight of what my goal was when starting to lift weights, to become a better athlete for the purpose of football and hurling. I became attached to one aspect of any athlete, strength, and allowed that to become my primary goal. As a result what I have achieved is a poor overall athletic ability. My fitness, skill, speed, agility, size, and more are not up to the same standard as my strength, so I'm not playing at near my potential in sport.

I think I need to begin a program which encompasses all of the aspects of an athlete I mentioned above, and that means stopping my current strength routine.

Here's what I have been thinking:

A (Chest / Legs / Core hypertrophy and strength):
Squats (3x10 - 3x15)
Barbell Glute Bridge (3x10 - 3x15)
Standing barbell calf raise (3x8 - 3x12)
Hex bar deadlift (2x20)
Bench (3x8 - 3x12)
DB Flys (2x15)
DB incline press (2x8 - 3x12)
Stiff-legged deadlift (3x10)

B (Shoulder / Back hypertrophy and strength):
DB overhead press (3x8 - 3x12)
Lateral raises (3x10 - 3x15)
Barbell row (3x8 - 3x12)
Weighted pullups (3x8 - 3x12)
Back extensions (3x8 - 3x12)
Hex bar shrugs (3x10 - 3x20)

C (Speed / Agility / Fitness):
Box Jumps / Depth Jumps / etc
HIIT fitness drills
Agility drills

Week 1:
Monday: A
Wednesday: B,C
Friday: A ( No Squats on match week)

Week 2:
Monday: B,C
Wednesday: A
Friday: B,C

Then repeat.

This means only squatting once or twice a week now. There are a few new exercises in there, and completely different rep ranges, to try shift the goal from strength to size. I'm going to start this routine tomorrow, and judging by the complete change, I will be crippled Tuesday Along with this routine, I will also be going to training/matches/my own practice but the new routine is much more manageable than what I've been doing lately, so this will actually be a nice change, despite looking a lot harder on paper.

Aspiring

Squat:
3x10x100kg

Barbell glute bridge:
2x10x60kg

Standing calf raise:
2x15x50kg

Hex bar dead lift:
2x20x60kg

Bench press:
1x10x85kg
1x8x85kg
1x5x85kg

Incline Dumbbell fly:
2x12x15kg

Incline DB press:
3x10x20kg

Stiff legged deadlift:
2x10x60kg

Well I am truly wrecked after that. The squats were definitely the worst part, felt like I had been doing sprint intervals haha. I think for bench I'll stick to 3x5, I'm not consistent enough in the higher rep ranges, I will keep the assistance exercises in the routine tho. Really like the new exercises, especially stiff legged deadlifts.

Alf Veedersane

Aspiring wrote:

I think for bench I'll stick to 3x5, I'm not consistent enough in the higher rep ranges

Probably just too heavy for 10-rep sets. Your top 3x5 is 95? 3x8 should be okay for 85.

But if it means dropping to 80 to drill the technique, you'll be well served doing it.