Quote (Zigity @ Apr 6 2015 07:07pm)
Hey there bud, this post is to update my status and to ask a few questions.
So many pages ago, you put me on the 5x5 strength plan. I began your regime on the first full week of January and have been consistent ever sense, not skipping any days. (One exception; went to Daytona for spring break and skipped one week... went from 175lbs to 170lbs as a result of poor diet... fast food, drinking, drinking, and some more drinking). That was a few weeks ago and I have since regained my losses and am currently ~175 lbs, 5'11". When I began in January, I was somewhere between 155 and 160. I have definitely noticed strength and mass gains.
This is the start of the 14th week of the year, my 13th cycle of 5x5, and I am beginning to think I have plateaued. Of course, I do not let myself grasp this mentally because I fear it will demotivate me, however facts are facts. Here are some things I have noticed which have lead me to this...
-My bench press is consistently staying about the same for the past few weeks. I am hitting 135,155,170,185,185, with a spotter on the last two sets of 185 (typically only need assistance on the last 2 or 3 reps of the final set)
-I have transformed my diet in a positive way... eliminated all unhealthy snack foods such as anything that comes boxed (cheezits,doritos,etc) and stopped drinking soda (strictly water,milk, and occasional lemonade/apple juice). An average day consists of (from morning to night): 5 eggs scrambled, everything bagel w/ cream cheese, banana, 2% milk, multivitamin 1 of 2 /// workout /// mass gainer shake (~1000 cals,55g protein w / 2% milk) grapes, carrots, celery w/ peanut butter, and either a sandwich with lots of deli meat or chicken cutlets /// apple, peanuts, other snack foods inbetween post workout meal (lunch) and dinner /// chicken cutlets or steak, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, salad, rice (this is dinner, sometimes meats are replaced with pastas such as spaghetti or alfredo) /// and after dinner i will have another small meal usually more cutlets or meat and healthy fruit/veggie snacks throughout the day... I'm a commuting college student so I do live at home, but with work and all I don't have as much time as I would like to eat. Please critique the sh*t out of my diet and tell me how much more I need to eat, and if you have any more suggestions.
-I am seeing clear visual gains in all major body groups, except for back. I posted a few months ago asking for lat-specific exercises and noticed some improvement, but my lower and center/middle back don't seem to grow as much as I Would like
-My empty stomach/morning weight varies in the 170 range, and at the end of the day I am 175-7+..
I am no expert, which is why I am seeking your assistance and everything you say I do try to follow. Fitness has changed my life and I have set short and long term goals based on body weight... would like to be 180-185 by June 2nd (my birthday) and 200 by June 2, 2k16.
Working out is not the problem, at least if you ask me. I am aware my diet needs improvement even further than I have tried to do myself. I have stopped taking all supplements except for mass gainer and multi vitamins. In the past I have taken creatine, pre workout, and Animal M-Stak (the non-hormonal hard gainer supplement).
Sometimes I feel like the 1:30 I spend at the gym every morning isn't enough. I feel rushed by the end and still want to hit more sets and different exercises. I am extremely motivated to continue working out, I just want to know what more can I do? Would switching to hypertrophy benefit me, or should I continue gaining strength through the 5x5... is there a way I can stay on the 5x5 but hit the muscle groups more than once per week (besides bis/tris, they are accessorized in chest/back)
I hope that I have been clear and gotten the right message across. I think that you will know what I am trying to say and what my goals are.
If you need any more information please don't hesitate to ask, I can provide you a sample of my daily workout routine for each day.
Once again, thank you very much!
-Zack
Quote (Zigity @ Apr 6 2015 07:51pm)
attempted an edit but it was too late...
forgot to include salads and rice in my diet
and here is an example of a weekly routine... listed are the base exercises i try to always hit (listed first) followed by exercises i try to rotate and change every week... i typically only superset with opposite muscle groups, such as shoulders/traps and on arm day I superset every bi/tri exercise and then hit forearms alone
Monday (CHEST) - bb bench press, db flys on flat bench, incline bench (alternate bb/db weekly), standing cable flys, decline bench (usually on smith machine, sometimes db), dips, seated machine chest press (i also sit sideways and do one hand at a time to isolate inner chest)
Tuesday (BACK) - normal-wide grip pullups, deadlifts, lat pulldowns, double-D (v grip) cable rows, machine back extension, straight bar/arm cable pulldowns, 1 arm bent over db row on flat bench, plus some mix and matched exercises i throw in and rotate if i have time
Wed (LEGS) - squats, machine leg extension, machine lay-down leg curls, leg press (lately have been doing one leg at a time), seated calf raises (gym got a sweet new machine for this where you load up plates), standing machine calf raises... i need to start lunges and a few more exercises on leg day
Thursday (SHOULDER/TRAPS) - bb overhand press, front bb shrugs, seated db military press, standing db shrugs, incline rear delt db flys, behind the back bb shrugs, arnold press
Friday (ARMS) - narrow grip ezbar preacher curl, skull crushers, overhand standing ezbar curl, rope tricep pulldowns, hammer curls on preacher seat, bent over tricep cable extensions, bb forearm curls? both front and back, db forearm curls?, plus mixed rotated exercises such as dips, concentration db curls, etc
double edit: I am just trying to provide as much information as possible for you to take into consideration... all supplements as mentioned in previous post were stopped in february, so i am not holding any extra water weight. I am not against supplements I have just decided to take a break but am open to continuing use
Hello there.
OK first things first - a plateau is normal, and can be broken quite easily. You need to switch to either 3x5, OR more directed 5x5.
By "directed" I mean more focus towards power exercises, and less focus towards accessories. This will shatter the wall you've hit, and also force you to gain weight.
5x5 can now be:
Set 1 - Warmup weight (for bench, 135 for you)
Set 2 - 185 x 5
Set 3 - 185 x 5
Set 4 - 195 x 5
Set 5 - 195 x 5
Get at least 2-3 minutes rest between each set. Granted, I know you are already struggling with 185 x 5 on the last set now, so grab a spotter and force as much as you can for the first 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, you should be able to do this on your own, then add weight each week, and so forth.
In addition, you will train chest 2x per week, back 2x per week, and legs 3x per week in a rotating 12 day cycle.
Day 1 - Squat, Bench, BB Rows
Day 2 - OFF
Day 3 - Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift
Day 4 - OFF
Day 5 - Squat, Bench, BB Rows
Day 6 - OFF
Day 7 - Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift
Day 8 - OFF
Day 9 - Squat, Bench, BB Rows
Day 10 - OFF
Day 11 - Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift
Day 12 - OFF
This will decrease your overall volume, but increase overall intensity, thus improving your core lifts, overall strength, and will break the wall you've hit.
3x5 is exactly the same, except 3 sets of 5 reps instead of 5 sets of 5 reps. You must continue running these strength routines before hypertrophy, mostly because you have NOT reached your strength capacity yet, nor a proper strength foundation.
As far as diet goes, continue your current diet, but add at least ONE more weight gainer shake per day. (One shake on days you have regular meat meals as mentioned, or TWO shakes when you do a weight gainer in place of a meat). Furthermore, you could also stand to add additional olive oil to each meal for good fats, and also if you feel like it, you could add protein bars as snacks throughout the day (Power Crunch and Quest Bars are both very good)