No Pain, Time to Gain

Pigeon_Killer · 6 Jan 2017 at 18:02

Deadlifts
85 x 10
115 x 10
145 x 10

Romanian Deadlifts
65 x 10
65 x 10
65 x 10
65 x 10
65 x 10

Pull Ups
BW x 7
BW x 7
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

Hanging Knee Raises
Dropped

Total Weight Lifted: 6700kg

Time: 90 Minutes

Comments:
A mixture of a week back on a reasonable diet after eating liking a pig over Christmas, fatigue from yesterday and the start of a cold meant this session started well but went down hill rapidly. I felt tired after the second set of deadlifts and exhausted after the third. Final two exercises took me 65 minutes and was sponsored by a Mars Bar.

Pigeon_Killer · 9 Jan 2017 at 18:07

Squats
80 x 10
100 x 10
120 x 10

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
35 x 10
40 x 10
45 x 10

Paused Front Squats
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press (TW)
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10

Total Weight Lifted: 10700kg

Time: 80 Minutes

Comments:
Head, nose and throat AIDS but absolutely no sign of the fatigue I felt all last week. Very easy session with the squats feeling especially strong.

Pigeon_Killer · 10 Jan 2017 at 19:36

Got roped in to joining the running club today, not sure how or why, but ran 3.2 miles in 35 minutes this evening.

I've now realised three things... I don't like running, road running is a lot harder than running on a treadmill and tennis shoes are not a suitable type of footwear for running in.

Pigeon_Killer · 12 Jan 2017 at 18:11

Bench Press
70 x 10
80 x 10
90 x 10

Pendlay Row
50 x 10
60 x 10
70 x 10

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (TW)
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

Kroc Rows (TW)
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

Total Weight Lifted: 11200kg

Time: 70 Minutes

Comments:
Comfortable session considering my arms are still destroyed from running. Yes, you read that right!

Pigeon_Killer · 12 Jan 2017 at 18:42

The weight's pretty easy but I'm struggling to keep the bar in postion with a Californian grip. I don't have the flexibility for a clean grip so I might swap them for Zercher squats or lunges.

Pigeon_Killer · 12 Jan 2017 at 21:17

Did deficit Bulgarians when I was doing 5/3/1 a few years ago and they were fine until the weight got heavy and I started getting knee and back pain. Dropped them and have only tried them a few times since.

Pigeon_Killer · 14 Jan 2017 at 15:54

Deadlifts
90 x 10
120 x 10
150 x 10 (MG)

Romanian Deadlifts
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10

Pull Ups
BW x 7
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

Hanging Knee Raises
BW x 16
BW x 14
BW x 12
BW x 11
BW x 14

Total Weight Lifted: 7100kg

Time: 100 Minutes

Comments:
Much better than last week. Felt far more energetic on the deadlifts and pulled every rep hard and fast. Arms are still aching from running so that buggered up my pull ups but it was otherwise a very easy session.

Dropped another kilogram over the last week as well so I'm still losing weight and gaining strength

Pigeon_Killer · 18 Jan 2017 at 18:28

Squats
85 x 10
105 x 10
125 x 10

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
37.5 x 10
42.5 x 10
47.5 x 10

Zercher Squats
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press (TW)
65 x 10
65 x 10
65 x 10
65 x 10
65 x 10

Total Weight Lifted: 11425kg

Time: 95 Minutes

Comments:
Really not feeling the squats tonight. First set felt heavy and it got progressively worse to the point I thought I was going to whitey after the third set. Everything else was fine, although the Zerchers were a humbling experience having not done them for years, so not sure why the squats took so much out of me.

Pigeon_Killer · 19 Jan 2017 at 20:38

Cheers dude. I've got a long way to go until I get back to the level I was at previously but I'm enjoying the ride again

I'm planning to have a gait test done next week and will buy a proper pair of running shoes shortly after. Once the nights start to get lighter I'll drop running in favour of tennis but I'd rather try and maintain my fitness until then and avoid injuries with poor footwear.

Pigeon_Killer · 19 Jan 2017 at 21:18

They are to begin with but your arms get used to them after a few weeks which will be the sticking point for most. Just have to put up with tenderness and bruising until then.

Pigeon_Killer · 21 Jan 2017 at 13:37

Had a stinking cold for the last few days which explains my squat struggles on Wednesday. My Dad's had it for a few weeks and I thought I had escaped but obviously not.

First picture I've been happy to upload for a few years. Still carrying a lot of bodyfat but the percentage is dropping as my muscle mass increases.

mMagtaMdaxe5EpKXqgFZ1_mdnwOFXbYVTT-u4ONDhSOUGwWfLfgmUXmREmmMUCFCjyQ5cYS2E9TlviwCqaRFr1khAXMRSjYn547amE5C82bpziEgPET9KunZSR9Jf6h5SuHs8NxGrCYDp5jYe2ErhV2YZtKhMGBcZDxW7nMydGMe6tMKPAr-DQYlJ9-WwZyVu-bjoZ81qWPrPahoRwXt7jANze8iLrJYoRlB1MYD3N4jZCx7YagAUcNi0iA_ycUGQy0mH2WG-h_cnovzMykvj9J6MNCr9TAhusoDibhlWwBShTLYkmr00pYt9SQWjL-OjP9DFoQqEYf-xqtVP4SA_6GIJZ33A8BMYGk5PeQFxlQemS3-Vklm-I7GoZjij472jwOp_IYZzwt84piHDwAZ5n_3aIlOucfQNBl2uMLfX7_amZWcZtP0Ico6kniFtIf9j1OVMTZ6GAi6cFwDxxw0JH8jgQpWHBH0_l6uG3ghe05XqgvSForYqZgFLGMtJE5RcxsbzG7mQfGgv3CeG0nHuz34mXC9WLJPqKKVPST5w5BTOW9_FDAHP1IiF6f7Eh1QUiqKYGy4FHiejaEhBVI_rBIb0z8jNb9YmHWt0vkbPNFbrgPW3WZI=w500-h525-no

KiNgPiN83 said:
Funnily enough a brand new tennis place has just opened near where i live and i was thinking of giving it a try. The stop start nature should be better for fat loss than a constant run plus its more fun too.

A lot will depend on the quality of your opponent but it can be a lot like HIIT

Pigeon_Killer · 23 Jan 2017 at 15:37

Bench Press
75 x 10
85 x 10
95 x 10

Pendlay Row
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 10

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (TW)
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10

Kroc Rows (TW)
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10

Total Weight Lifted: 12000kg

Time: 90 Minutes

Comments:
Not quite over my cold yet but decided to get back on it. Strength felt down and recovery between sets was poor but I didn't feel like I was going to collapse today.

Pigeon_Killer · 25 Jan 2017 at 17:38

Deadlifts
95 x 10
125 x 10
155 x 10 (Chalk)

Fat Bar Romanian Deadlifts
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10

Wide Grip Pull Ups
BW x 6
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 4
BW x 4

Hanging Knee Raises
BW x 16
BW x 12
BW x 12
BW x 12
BW x 12

Total Weight Lifted: 7500kg

Time: 80 Minutes

Comments:
Good session today. My cold has all but disappeared and I increased my calories by 200 on Monday so stamina and strength felt much better. Deadlifts were fast, my form was good and my grip very strong. In fact my grip felt so good I decided to test it with some fat bar RDLs which was a good idea at the time, not so much now

Pigeon_Killer · 25 Jan 2017 at 20:53

Cheers dude. Still around 40kg off my 10RM but plenty left in the tank

Pigeon_Killer · 27 Jan 2017 at 16:42

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
40 x 5
50 x 5
60 x 5
65 x 4

Treadmill
3 Miles: 25:51
1 Mile: 5:15

Total Weight Lifted: 1010kg

Time: 60 Minutes

Comments:
I've decided to switch back to 5x5 from next week and was happy with the weights I'll be lifting for everything bar my shoulder press so today was just a day to gauge where I am.

Pigeon_Killer · 27 Jan 2017 at 16:58

No Pain, Time to Gain: Part 4
I did want 4 solid weeks of 3 x 10 before jumping back in to 5x5 in February but a cold put pay to that so I've missed out on a week of gains. I'm not overly bothered because weeks 3 and 4 will be considerably tougher than last time and I'll hopefully be ending on a nice round total

Routine: 5x5

5x5: Loading Phase (4 Weeks)

Monday
Squats 5x5
Bench 1x5
Row 1x5

Wednesday
Squats 5x5
Deadlift 5x5
Shoulder Press 5x5
Chin Ups 5x5

Friday
Squats 1x5
Bench 5x5
Row 5x5

5x5: Intensification Phase (5+ Weeks)

Monday
Squats 3x3
Bench 1x3
Row 1x3

Wednesday
Deadlift 3x3
Shoulder Press 3x3
Chin Ups 3x3

Friday
Squats 1x3
Bench 3x3
Row 3x3

Pigeon_Killer · 30 Jan 2017 at 18:07

5x5 Loading Phase: (W1/D1)

Squats
110 x 5
110 x 5
110 x 5
110 x 5
110 x 5

Bench Press
67.5 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5
85 x 5
90 x 5

Pendlay Row
55 x 5
57.5 x 5
62.5 x 5
67.5 x 5
70 x 5

Hyperextensions
5 x 10
5 x 10

Hanging Knee Raises
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10

Total Weight Lifted: 6400kg

Time: 65 Minutes

Comments:
Tweaked something in my lower back last night and I've now got a pain running from the top of my buttock down to my left knee. Had no impact on my squatting but I felt it being pulled at the bottom of each rep. No other problems to report in what was a very easy session.

Pigeon_Killer · 2 Feb 2017 at 18:23

5x5 Loading Phase: (W1/D2)

Squats
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

Deadlifts
135 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5

Standing Shoulder Press
47.5 x 5
47.5 x 5
47.5 x 5
47.5 x 5
47.5 x 5

Pullups
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5
BW x 5

Hanging Knee Raises
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10

Total Weight Lifted: 7062.5kg

Time: 55 Minutes

Comments:
My back's still annoying me, my cold's returned and my brand new trainers got covered in mud. I want to eat cake and go to bed

Pigeon_Killer · 3 Feb 2017 at 18:41

5x5 Loading Phase: (W1/D3)

Squats
90 x 5
97.5 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 5
120 x 5

Paused Bench Press
82.5 x 5
82.5 x 5
82.5 x 5
82.5 x 5
82.5 x 5

Pendlay Row
65 x 5
65 x 5
65 x 5
65 x 5
65 x 5

Close Grip Bench Press
50 x 8
60 x 8
70 x 8

Dumbbell Bicep Curls
10 x 8
10 x 8
10 x 8

Total Weight Lifted: 7980kg

Time: 60 Minutes

Comments:
Back felt much better today but the cold's still with me so I didn't really care for the session. Might up my calories again tomorrow if I've dropped weight or stayed where I was last week.

Pigeon_Killer · 4 Feb 2017 at 11:07

Diet

Increased my calories by 200 two weeks ago, as my weight had plateaued, and expected my BW to start increasing but I've managed to drop 1.3Kg this week. Not what I was expecting or hoping for so I'll try upping them by 400 this week, to 2600, and see what I weigh next Saturday.

02/07/2016 - 18st 5lbs
06/08/2016 - 17st 11lbs
03/09/2016 - 17st 3lbs
01/10/2016 - 16st 10lbs
17/12/2016 - 15st 10lbs
04/12/2017 - 15st 4lbs