Cure's 6 month strength building plan. Advice and comments sought.

[Cure]

afternoon all.

Been a while since my last update but Ive been sticking to the routine just about!
Kerpal the book arrived a few days ago, thanks so much for bullying me into getting it! best money Ive spent in a long long time. Its brilliant, and more importantly Ive actually read most of it and will read it again.

So far Ive done one workout day A with the advice from the book, which was-

Squats-
Agonising, no problems at all with the slightly altered form, although I still need to practice and keep and eye on it. I did a selection of warmup sets, working up to about 60kg. the main thing I was experimenting with was the grip Rippetoe recommends, with the bar positioned lower on my back, rather than resting on my collar bones. It was agony! my elbows and arms are not designed to bend like that! Having said that the mechanics of the exercise felt better. I presume that over a few weeks my muscles in my arms/shoulders/back will stretch to make the new grip more comfortable?

Bench- followed Rippetoes advice to the letter. My form was already pretty good but Ive made a few minor alterations to my grip and starting position.
5xbar
5xbar
5x30
3x40

5x50
5x50
5x50

The work sets were difficult but i had more in the tank, I think I will see good progress on this lift now.

Deadlift-
Warmed up gradually to a work set of 5x90kg. Which I was happy with. Again, only minor form alterations.


Today I practiced the form for the power cleans (part of tommorows B workout) It was a really strange movement, the Catch grip in particular felt odd and I will clearly have to get used to it.
Luckily my gym has training plates so Im going to keep the weight at the lightest possible set up for a few weeks, till the form is learned properly.


General questions-

The Cleans which are replacing the Rows leave muscle groups in my back unworked directly by any exercise. i know squats and deadlifts provide isometric work for the entire back but it seems strange to remove the rows completly. My lats in particular, have nothing to do in this workout, which is presumably why people add in pull ups? Is this somthing I should do?

Rippetoe suggests most guys can add anything up to 10lb per workout to their squat, this hasnt been the case for me, and seems rather unrealistic? Is it sensible to try and add 5lb per workout for as long as I can? As I think this is doable for a few weeks, certainly on the squat and dead.

thanks guys, will update again at the end of the week. cheers

 

[Cure]

This weeks update.

Hey guys,

The program is still going well overall, Although I weighed in today and havn't seen any increasing since last week, I put this down to my lack of calorie intake, Ive really been struggling to eat enough and of the right kinds of foods now I dont have a fridge or cooker.
Im going to buy a camping gas stove, this allow me to sort my diet out better, adding in beef mince again for example, and boiled eggs.

workouts wise-

Squats-
real problems here. Ive adapted to the new grip fine, I can now use the low bar position without pain, but my lifting capacity is utterly shot. Today I only did 60kg for my work sets (though this was following circuit training) and a few days ago I tried 75kg and only managed 3 of the reps in the final set.
Ive been warming up properly and stretching but I just dont seem to be able to make progress.
I will try again next week, sort out my mental issues and try and push through to be able to lift 75x5x3 with proper form. I think part of the issue is not holding my lower back tight enough, so I will address this on monday. My trainer also reccomended alternating back and front squats some of the time and I intend to take his advice.
I think I will do front squats on wednesday, as the lighter weight used will allow my legs slightly easier recovery.

Deadlift-
This lift is going great. 95kg with more in the tank last time, form is pretty much spot on (had one of the trainers at the gym who knows what he's talking about check) and Im going to go for 100kg on monday.

Bench-
again, going great, Im going to move to 52.5kg next time, gunning for 60kg at the moment.

Press-
Also good. Form is better now Im getting under the bar properly. I lifted 35kg today.

Cleans-
Relativly happy with my progress. I cleaned sets of 40kg today. The weight wasnt difficult but Im still getting the technique down properly at the moment. Its still an unnatural movment for me.

Pull ups- Ive added these in. Im rubbish! i can only do max 4 pull ups in a row, somthing I need to improve. I experimented with adding in a calf bounce to help me up, which allows me to do a lot more and helps work the legs a bit, So I may do pull ups till failure then assisted pull ups till failure.


In addition to the weights, My gyms new program is out, Im planning on doing the following in addition to weights-

yoga, pilates, street dance, salsa dance, speed and agility circuits, swimming once a week.
I also may try another cardio curcuits class if Im feeling up to it. Ill see.

Doing so much exercise is goign to require eating like a horse! and Im hungry now so ill sign off and go eat!

Cure

 

[Cure]

Hey guys, Havent updated in a while, computer access has been sketchy.

Generally my Program is going ok.
Ive had some serious problems eating enough calories and enough protein. In the last two weeks Ive not gained any noticable weight at all, despite most of my lifts going up.

Im taking steps to remedy this by upping my milk intake to 6 pints per day. which is approximatly 2000 calories and 100g protein. On top of that Im thinkin a whole chicken every other day, with beans, tuna/similar fish, and lots of fruit and veg and some carbs should provide addequate nutrition.
I plan to overload on calories this week to hopefully kickstart weight gain again and sort my squat out.


Squats-
Still a massive issue. I just dont seem to be able to put weight on the bar.
I know Im suposed to "stick to the program" but how long do I struggle before I consider changing my leg workout around abit?
I intend to persever for a few more weeks, forcing lots of food down and just endure the pain of heavier squats. Im happy enough with my form at the moment, just the weight thats an issue, as squats are meant to form the backbone of Rippetoes Program.

Deadlift-
Going well. currently on 100kg, Im going to up it by 2.5kg per session from now on, Assuming I feel sufficiently strong. Smaller more frequent increases will hopefully work even better than occasional 10/5kg increases have.

Bench- also absolutly fine. 52.5kg still, but Im going to up it to 55 on wednesday.

Press- still great. Ive sorted technique out properly now and am making consistent improvments. Im going to go for 37.5 next session.

Clean- movment still a little strange, need to check the book again, but currently cleaning 50kg quite nicly. I wont increase it for a while.

Pull ups- still stuck on 4 max. grr!


I skipped squats today, just did some light technique work with the front squats.
I think part of the issue may be that Im not holding my lower back sufficiently straight. Wednesday Im going to go back to heavy squats, make sure my form is spot on, and just suffer through the work sets, taking breaks/breaths between each rep as needed.

Cheers

Cure.

 

[Cure]

well I actually lost weight this week.

I've had a horrible cold, which has contributed to low motivation and low appetite the last couple of days. I now weight 70.4kg, only a few hundred grammes less but its still annoying to go backward.

I think Ive worked out what was going wrong with my squat. Essentially-

My hamstrings are not flexible enough.

This was fine when I was using the high bar grip, but when I switched to low bar I had to lean forward more.

This increased lean, combined with trying to go well below parallel, meant that My hamstrings tightened up, causing my lower back to round without me really noticing.

Thus rounded lower back= less stability and less power transfered to the bar, no wonder I was struggeling. I also think this is a partial cause of a minor muscle strain in my mid back.

therefore..

Ive decided to take a weeks break from lifting heavy weights. This is partly to let my back recouperate properly and partly because personal circumstances mean I will be away from the gym next week.
I am going to do a week of HIIT and body weight exercises including some low intensity pylometrics stuff for the legs, plus a lot of hamstring stretching!
This is the sort of exercise Ive neglected recently, so it will be usefull to mix things up a bit.

I will restart my weights program with a lot more motivation and a lot more calories, on monday the 26th.

Cure.

 

[Cure]

evening all.

I have started up the weights program again after a lay off.

last sunday- Day A - all lifts were lower than before the layoff but I expected this.

Tuesday- Day B, I did front squats and power cleans, both with 50kg working sets. And OHP 35kg.

Today I did workout day A.

squats
Barx10
40x5
50x4
60x4
70x5x3

I was much happier about these, 70kg again and still had energy. I feel like I can start increasing the weight again slowly. I will add 2.5kg once or twice a week and see how it goes with mixing in the front squats.

Bench-
barx5x2
30x5
40x5
55x5
55x5
55x4 (failed last rep)

Deadlift- warmed up to a 95kgx5 working set. Not my max (100) but will get there again. I plan on adding 2.5kg per session to my deadlift working set.

My back injury seems to have healed up nicely but will be keeping an eye on it.
My diet has been better the last few days. Im going to keep getting my milk down me and try and eat a large ammount of meat each day, for example half a chicken.
I will hopefully now be able to make steady progress over the next few months.

Current targets-
90kg squat
120kg deadlift.
60kg bench (nearly there!)
40kg OHP (also nearly there!)
60kg Power clean.

The squat is the one that needs the most improvement. Hopefully by eating loads more, and mixing back squats with lighter front squats (to give my legs more of a break) I can make good progress.

thanks.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Keep up the good work, the deadlifts coming on!

Remember and sit back on the squat!

 

[Cure]

Thanks Quag,

Im squatting as low as I can with good form, which isnt very low, slightly below parallel. I cant squat any lower than that at the moment because my hamstrings are tight and it causes my lower back to round, which was really doing my back in.
I will keep stretching and try to get it down lower.
Might it be worth switching back to putting a wedge under my heel? I know its "cheating" but it helps while im not flexible.

Yesterdays workout was utter sh!t.

Front squats 3x5 with 55kg, which I was happy with.
OHP but failed the last rep of the last set, annoying.
tried a few pulls ups, barely managed 8 in 3 sets, didn't have any energy at all for cleans so skipped them.
I know what the problem was, hadnt eaten enough, didnt ahve any energy.

Will eat more in future, especially on workout days!

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Here are some mobility drills that you can do before the weights:

http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do?id=1778726

I do most of these every week before I lift. Definitely helps get you into a fuller rom. Takes away tightness.

These are called dynamic stretches and are the kind you want to do before you lift. Static stretches are the other type that are the only ones that most people do- when you hold or stay in a certain position. You don't want to static stretch before you lift, only after. They temporarily make you weaker, but contribute to strength in the long term by helping to restor the muscle to its full length.

With the squat I wouldn't bother with a wedge. I would use a box and set it at the height you are comfortable squatting too without your back rounding or form breaking down. Then over a few weeks/months work on the stretches and lower the box height every week or two and you'll get a better rom in no time. This isn't proper box squatting I'm talking about where you sit on the box, here you are only using it to make sure your in the rom you are comfortable with. So you squat down and go back up just as you feel the box beneath you. No bouncing off it or anything like that.

Keep it up,

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Thanks Quag,

I tried out the mobility drills today and they felt really good, Ill definatly be incorporating them into my warm up from now on! And thanks for the info about the stretches, will do those post workout in future.
Not sure the box thing will work as my gym doesnt have any adjustable boxes.

Programme is going pretty sh!t at the moment, two cold's back to back, with associated lack of appetite, has knocked me way of shedual. I didnt do weights today, just stretches and the drills.

I dont want to exacerbate the cold so ill get started again as soon as Im better.

Im eating ok still, gettting in as much as possible. I weighed 70.5kg today so Im not losing weight or strenght, just not gaining any.

Cant wait to get started again, Ive got targets to hit!

 

[Cure]

Righty. Time to start doing things properly. Ive been faffing about for weeks now and I only have 8 weeks left for this thread!

From now I will motivate myself properly, eat enormous ammounts, lift right, and make as much progress as possible, documenting each of my remaining 22 workouts (approx). I will be doing

11x A.

Back squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

alternating with 11x B.

Front squat 3x5
OH Press 3x5
Power Clean 5x3
Pull ups 3xmax (max=4/5)

Yesterday was day A.

Squat 10xbar, 5x30, 5x40, 4x50 3x60 3x5x70kg
Bench 2x5xbar, 5x30, 5x40, 2x5x55kg, 5x50kg
Deadlift 5xbar, 5x50, 5x60, 4x70, 2x80, 2x90 5x95kg


To consume enough protien, I will aim for at least half a kilo of meat per day, plus my milk and anything else I can get down me. Might also get some whey protein again.

Cure

 

[Cure]

Today was day B. It went really well.

Front squats
10xbar, 5x30,5x40 3x50, 3x5x60.
Despite my legs aching prior to the workout, and the increased weight, these felt really fine. Only my grip on the bar was stopping me lifting more. I plan to add a few kilos per session to both types of squat for as long as possible.

Pull ups
Im still pathetic at these, but managed a few sets of 4/5.

OH Press. 8xbar, 5x30, 3x5x37.5.
So close to the 40kg mark now. Today was difficult but form didnt suffer, which is how it should be. Felt strong.

Power cleans.
warm ups, and 5 sets of 3 at 55kg, which is slightly higher than last time. Form was dogdy on a few reps here and there, but in each case it was because I DIDNT lift the bar fast enough, rather than because I couldnt.
I need to work on technique for this lift still. So may add in a few extra sets at a much lighter weight, after my work sets.

Other stuff-
Got a multivitamin thingy today. It was cheap so I figured why not. Its got cod liver oil, plus vits A,B1-12, C,D,E and some other stuff.

Are there any other supplements that are reccomended for people on strenght training programmes? Ive done some research on it but so much info seems to be provided by supplement companys with an obvious interest in flogging products.

Next workout Day A, on wednesday/thursday.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Here is a post I made in Kbear's log:


"Don't know if I've mentioned supps before to you. There are some basics that are a very good idea- especially if you don't eat a lot of fruit and veggies and also because you drink. You also mentioned in log that you have a sleep issue, this suggests nutritional problems.

I see the same base level supps recommended everywhere. IA has a "base level" recommendation which he says is stuff that you must get. From here:

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3383

1 mega-dose multi-vitamin and full spectrum mineral packs

2000 mgs vit C a day

300% calcium/magnesium/zinc a day

4-10 grams of fish oil

I personally don't know if his cal/mag/zinc is a touch high, but he has trained thousands of people so I'm sure he has good reason to recommend that much. I personally like going with around double the RDA. This is very similar to what Warboss had me on although his cal/zinc/mag were closer to rda/double rda. You have to take into consideration how much the multi would give you of each of these three, and then make them up the full amount seperatley.

All of this can start to get costly, which is another reason to maybe aim for rda/double rda- you'll still be covering bases. From what I've read rda is generally considered low by a lot of people, and that is for the general population. Lifter's require more, which is why I think double rda is a good idea. See what works for you. You have to remember as well that your diet shouldn't be completley shi*, on the contrary it should be as good as possible, and it should provide a lot of nutrients, particularly zinc from beef. However I've found that magnesium is potentially one of the biggest issues in the modern diet. We used to get a lot more in our diet from water/vegetables, but levels are declining because of farming practices and water filtration. It is used in 300+ reactions in the body and is critical for optimum function. Poliquin says 100% of his athletes are deficient when they first come to him. From what I have read I think magnesium is a no brainer for many people.

A good multi is the beverley international super pak, it's IA's first recommendation. His second is the NOW Adam multi.

For the cal/mag/zinc you want forms ending in ate. Citrate seems to be the most economical.

I'd really try and afford this stuff. If you can afford the booze, you can afford this stuff- that's my argument anyway. Another supp that is fairly cheap and might be a good idea if you find it hard to gain weight/digest food is betaine hydrochloride. If you have digestion problems (alcohol will raise your risk) then you might absorb your vitamins poorly.

Some other stuff you can then start to think about is vitamin e, green tea, b vitamins, creatine. The list can go on and on if your budget is big enough.

For sleep though zinc and magnesium comes highly recommended from a lot of people.

Hope this helps,

Quagmire

Ps- Epsom salts are a great recovery after your workouts. You put 400-600g in a bath and go in for at least 15 minutes. They are magnesium sulfate, so it helps to boost your magnesium levels. Sulfate is good to. I've heard they are excellent for relaxing and sleep. Had my first one today, it was great."



Don't know if you drink or not, but the same basic supps still apply...I'd try and get one of the multi's mentioned above. A lot of the cheaper ones are poorly absorbed and have stuff in them that you don't want.

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Thanks quag,
2000mg of vit C is a LOT!
On top of the current multivit Ive got Ill get a CMZ tablet and some liquid cod liver oil and see how that goes for a couple of months.

Im not drinking at the moment, gave up a few weeks ago and dont plan on drinking now for quite a while. Feel much better for it, even if nights out clubbing arn't as interesting!

yesterdays workout-

Bench- warmups plus 3x55kg. Did the sets pretty fast, forced the weight out, felt strong even though the bar felt heavy. Will do 57.5 next time.

Squats- warmups, 3x75kg. REALLY pleased with this. equal to the highests I lifted before I stalled, with proper form, below parralel, and with energy left in the tank still. Im gonna add 2.5kg per session now for as long as I can.

Deads- skipped these cos I ran out of time, humbug! annoyed at myself. Im gonna allow 1.5 hours per gym session from now on, just so I can definatly get everything in even if its busy.

workout B tommorow. Im going to try and add more weight to the front squats.

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

I took 13g of vitamin c the other day

 

[Cure]

your're insane! frankly. if only you'd taken that much vitamin A you could see in the dark by now!

Todays workout-

Front squats
8xbar, 5x30, 5x50 3x5x62.5kg
Slightly more weight, still had more to give, 65kg next time.

Press, 8xbar, 5x30, 3x5x37.5.
This was good, If I feel strong next time Im gonna go for the magic 40kg.

Deadlift (did these instead of cleans as Ive not done them for ages)
warmups from 8x50 to 2x90
workset- 5x100kg

I need to get this lift moving up again, I got to 100kg over a MONTH ago, and its not gone up since, So from now On Im going to add 2.5kg per session. Aiming for atleast 120kg in the short term.

Also today-
I bought liquid cod liver oil, a couple of teaspoons a day.

And combined mag/zinc/calcium tablets. - two tablets a day gives me approx 100% RDA of each, plus whats in my diet already. So that should be sufficient for now.

A shaker- to mix shakes finnally! My shakes are going to consist of whole milk, and skimmed milk power.
4 shakes a day (pint of milk plus 30-40g of powder) is a VERY cheap way to get well over 2000 calories and over 100g of protein per day.
Add in lots of meat, fruit/veg and some bread/oats on occasion and Im eating pretty damn well to bulk up.

Feeling very good about things at the moment, can almost see myself growing.

Cure.

edited for spelling.

 

[Quagmire911]

Btw what I said about the magnesium and calcium competing for absorbtion, it isn't a terribly big deal. Just finish the tablets you have now and when it is time to replace them buy them seperate. 100% rda is a good level to begin with.

However check the tablets and makesure that the three are in a form ending in ate. If they are oxide, you may as well throw them in the bin.

And watch your fat levels closley, milk doesn't agree with some people. Keep your cardio up.

Quagmire

 

[Cure]

Todays workout- Day A.

Squats- warmups, 3x5 80kg.
I meant to use 77.5 but couldnt get the smaller weights, upping it by 5 worked fine. they were difficult but in a good way

Bench- warmups. 5x57.5, 5x55, 5x55
Tried the 57.5 and got all 5 reps but it was to heavy for the remaining sets. Will try again next time!

Deadlift, 50x8, 60x5, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 102.5x5
Pleased with this.

Diet is still going fairly well but need to get it better regulated as far as timings go, Im not eating anything like enough early on in the day.

Quag, regarding the supp's etc.

Ive checked the label and the magnesium is an oxide, which is annoying , Ive done a bit of reading and can see why you recommend chucking them away.
Im considering writing to Holland and Barrett and complaining, haha.
Considering the enormous amount of milk I drink, Im pretty sure Im fine for calcium intake, So perhaps I should just take magnesium and zinc separately?

I dont need to watch my fat levels at all! Nor do I do any dedicated cardio. I just have a very active lifestyle, I get everywhere by bike.
Ive been eating masses for months now and the amount of fat on me has stayed pretty much the same ie almost none. My genetics were annoying when I was skinny but Im starting to like them

Cure.

 

[Quagmire911]

Sounds like a plan with the zinc and magnesium.

I'd still take a waist measurement once a month and make sure you aren't adding too much fat. You will add fat if you gain a lot of weight. You shouldn't be too badly of if you cycle a lot though.

Keep it up.

 

[Cure]

well I've just taken measurements and the results are frankly, really odd.

They don't seem to have moved noticeably since February when I last took them. In 10 months my chest has grown about 1cm, my arm (tensed) by the same, shoulders have gone up 3-4cm.
This is despite pretty large increases in my lifts since then. Im rather confused, maybe I'm measuring differently.

Quag you're quite right my belly button measurement has crept up. At its lowest it was around 75cm. 80cm in Febuary 09', now its 84cm.
I think Ive done alright to only put on 4cm, given my diet in the last few months and taking in to account that some of the increase is back muscle I hope!) I don't think Ill ever be 75 again!

Ive been able to grab an inch of fat around my stomach my whole life, fat goes on there and on my inner thighs. Id like to get rid of it, but I wont be able to while Im bulking. That said, I don't want it going up anymore. If it goes much above 85 I will start taking cardio seriously.

For the record, here are the current measurements, I will retake them every month or so.

Bellybutton 84cm
Chest 98cm
Shoulders 120cm
Upper Arm (tensed) 31cm
upper leg (middle) 55cm
calf 35cm.

plan for next week- take the "beep test". This will determine if I'm less fit than I was. Last year I could run to level 12.

Cure.

 

[Cure]

Day B.

Front squats
8xbar, 5x30,5x40 3x50, 3x60 3x5x70.
Went for 70kg instead of 65 as planned. 60kg felt quite light still so I added another 10. It was difficult, but I got throught it all with good form. Happy with these.

Pull ups
same as last time, still pathetic, but hopefully improoving.

OH Press. 8xbar, 5x30, 5x40kg, 3x40 (+failed rep) 5x35.
Humbug! upped the weight to soon, but never mind, live and learn. Ill get it next time.

Power cleans.
warm ups, A few sets at 55kg. Got advice from a trainer and adjusted form slightly, need to work on the second part of the pull more. Did a few more sets at 50kg to practice.
Technique only from now on, untill Ive really got it down.

Cure.