The Syla5 Files: Home gym addition

Syla5

Syla5

Syla5

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Joined
13 Feb 2012
Posts
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Time to get back on the wagon, kick some slacking habits in the butt and get on with progressing.

Previously a commercial gym rat I have now setup at home and although equipment is basic, it's enough to keep me going.

The long and short of it, I started in 2010/11, lifted consistently until the start of 2014, decided to dedicate the start of the year to mobility and flexibility improvements and then jaffed my knee around April time, and have slacked hard for almost a year.

Here is my first log:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18434392

My previous PB's are:
Squat: 165
Bench: 110
Deadlift: 170 (b)

All of these were hit towards the end of 2013, although the squat and deadlift I had done before.

My current status is 12st 4 1/2lb and haven't pushed myself to any kind of limits, to know what my PB's are, needless to say they are nothing to write home about. The doctors have said my they can see nothing physically wrong with the structure of my knee, and where I am describing my pain/discomfort is not near the joint and they are putting it done to muscle imbalances/weaknesses and sugguested I get back to some regular training to see if it helps.

Time to do what the doctor ordered. I am keeping a close eye on my knee however and will be looking for further advice if progress isn't forthcoming.
 
Last edited:
So a new gym and why not a new plan. Now the gym is at home it means I have much more freedom to get in and get active, so I have planed a 4 day per week program with active rest days consisting on some warm up exercises to keep things moving.

The plan is as follows:

Daily warm up routine (courtesy of Chris Duffin)
Goblet Squats, light just to get moving
90° hip opener
Split Squats
Hip Aeroplanes

Day 1
Squat 5x5
RDL 5x5
Walking lunges 3x10
Chin Ups 3xAMAP
Leg Raises 2-3x15
Suitcase Deadlifts 2-3x10

Day 2
Bench Press 5x5
CGBP 5x5
Inclined DB Bench 3x10
Dips 3x10
Good Mornings 3x10
Leg raises 2-3x15
Single arm push ups 2-3x15

Day 3
Deadlifts 5x5
Bent Over Rows 5x5
Pull Ups 3xAMAP
DB Split Squats 3x10
Leg raises 2-3x15
Single Arm DB Bench 2-3x15

Day 4
OHP 5x5
Bench - light 3x10
Seated DB shoulder press 3x10
Front raise 3x10
Squat - variant/light 3x10
DB Row 3x10
Leg raises 2-3x15
Suitcase deadlift 2-3x10

On rest days I plan on doing the warm up plan, some assisted GHR's, and more leg raises.
 
Day 1

Warm up
2 sets of each.

Squats
Bar x 5/5/5/5/5/5
RDL
40x5/5/5/5/5
Walking lunges
10x10/10/10 (weight per hand,reps per leg)
Chin ups
BW x 10/10/7
Leg raises
15/15
Suitcase Deadlift (reps per side)
Bar x 10/10

The weights are light with the aim to progress them while keeping my knee comfortable. 2 hours post workout and my knee is tender but not around the joint.
 
Gonna give my knee a couple of weeks to work back in to things, keeping it all light and working on form and freeing up all my tight bits. Now 3.5 hours post workout and my knee isn't happy, but what can you do if the docs and scan show everything is fine?!?
 
Kreeeee said:
I've had similar problems with my knee. All scans and checks are fine and also been told it could be a muscle imbalance.

The bad news is almost 10 years on and a 7 hour hike in the alps still leaves me crippled for days afterwards because of that knee.

I have had many exercise routines and physio sessions to try and balance out the muscles over the years which didn't help.
Click to expand...

Thats not good!

I have a highly recommended physio I want to go and see, but I am going to save that trip until I am consistently training again if my knee doesnt improve from now. Today, so far, no knee discomfort, so thats a posative sign at least.
 
Boom 2 days in a row :)

Warm up routine
2 sets of each

Bench
Bar x 20
Bar WG x 20
40 x 10
60x5/5/5/5/5

CGBP
40x5
50x5/5/5/5/5

Incline DB Bench (Olympic handles are surprisingly cumbersome)
20x10/10/10

Dips
10/10/9

Good Mornings
Bar x 10/8/11
These looked ugly, looks like I am not bracing well enough and my posterior core (correct term?) just gives up.

Single arm DB press / leg raises
15x10+15
15x10+15
15x10+15
 
Active rest day

Warm up routine and some foam rolling.

Knee is not happy today, but if the docs say it's not structural and could be down to muscle weakness I need to push on.
 
The most frustrating thing is so far no one can say "this is your problem" and "this is what you can do to help it". There just seems to be no answer to the pain and its grrrrr annoying.

This morning all is ok, a little discomfort but nothing more than normal. Lets see how it feels after deadlifts tonight.
 
Yeap. Onwards we go. Knee is annoying, pain today is more specifically at the inner head of the tibia today. Odd as consistently it has been my ITB area on the outer part of my knee that has been where the discomfort sits, maybe worked muscles are pulling the area differently.

Day 3 of the new routine.
Warm ups - 2 sets of each
Deadlift
Bar x 10/10
60x5/7/6/5/6 mostly form work, this weight was light and easy hence not 5 reps every set

BOR
60x6/6/5/5/5

Pull ups
8/5+5negs/4+4negs lol weak!

Face pulls
Red band x 10/10/10

Dbss
5x10/10

Single arm push ups (reps per arm)
10/10

Leg raises
15/15
 
Here's hoping your right. You might not be far off the point my left quad is visibly smaller then my right and it's my left knee if have issues with.

Talking of proper lifting I will at some point be reinvesting in some oly shoes, and bumper plates to facilitate some of this fairy lifting.
 
Steedie said:
Have you considered an iPod Touch?
Click to expand...

Already got an iphone, and as its a home gym no muppet will walk past and knock it over, so no fear of scratching! Plus i am a midget so dont need it a million miles away to film me, also POTATO..

(not sure how many people will get the joke but hey ho :p;):D)
 
Day 4
Warm ups 2 sets of each

OHP
Bar x10/10
30x5/5/5/5/5

Bench - light
30x10/10/10

Seated DB press
10x10/10/10

Front raise SS Side Raise
10x10/10/10
5x10/10/10

Front squat
Bar x 10/10/10

DB row
25x10/10

Leg raises
15/15

Suitcase deadlifts (reps per side)
Bar x 10/10
 
Active rest over the weekend didnt happen due to multiple BBQ's, heavy drinking and a family fun day.

Back on it yesterday

20/07/15

Warm Up Routine
2 sets of each

Squats
Bar x 8/11/10/11
40x5/5/5/5/5

RDL
45x5/5/5/5/5

Walking DB Lunges
12.5x10/10/10

Chin Ups
10/10/- running late for something last set skipped

Suit Case Deadlift
Bar x 10/10

Laying Leg Raises
15/15

Knee this morning is feeling ok, minor pressure pain at the top of the knee when going up/down stairs but while resting theres no discomfort, which is always good.
 
21/07/15
Day 2

Warm ups
Droped a couple of sets here as knee a little tender, pressure from above the knee cap.

Bench
Bar x 15
WG bar x15
40x10
60x3
62.5x5/5/5/5/5

CGBP
52.5x5/5/5/5/5

Incline DB bench
22.5x10/10/10

Dips
BW x10/10/10

Ab wheel roll outs
10/10/10

Single arm DB bench
15x10/10
 
23/07/15

Warm ups
2 sets of each

Deadlift - as my plates are only 430mm diameter, I put some wood under them to raise them up, now the bar is centred at 225mm off the floor. Might not seem like much, but I felt more comfortable.
Bar x 10
60x5
80x5/6/5/5/6

BOR
65x5/5/5/5/5

Pull Ups
8/6+4neg/5+3neg

Face Pulls
Red Band x12/12/12

DBSS
5x10/10/10

Single Arm Push Ups SS laying Leg Raises
10+15/10+15/10+15

Knee diary update, feeling ok today, still pressure pain from above the knee and in to it when I go up/down stairs but not to bad, and hardly noticed it during training.
 
Family night out yesterday so session pushed back to today, oh the joys of the no hassle home gym.

Knee diary (keeping a track of things incase I need to revisit the docs/physio) still the pressure pain going up and down stairs, and a little while squatting. Starts in the quad and leads in to the knee behind the knee cap.

25/07/15
Warm ups
2 sets of each

OHP
Bar x 10/10
30x5
32.5x5/5/5/5/5

Bench - light
32.5x10
40x10/10/10

Seated DB shoulder press
12.5x10/10/10

Front raises SS Side raises
10+5 x 10/10/10

Front squat
Bar x 10/10/10

DB Row
30x10/10/10

Suitcase deadlift SS Laying leg raises
Bar x 10/10
BW x 15/15

Having invested in a new treat which should be arriving next week as really want to start hammering the GHR's

https://www.strengthshop.co.uk/equi...opers-hyperextension/glute-ham-developer.html
 
27/07/15

Warm ups
2 sets of each
Extra bit of ankle mobility

Squats - lower back rounding with just the bar and can't seem to get the bar tracking in a nice traitor line so may have to up the frequency of my squatting to nail the form.
Barx10/10/10/10
40x8/5
50x5/5/5/5/5

RDL
50x5/5/5/5/5

Walking DB lunges
15x10/10/10

Chin Ups
10/10/8

Ab wheel roll outs
10/10

Laying leg raises
15/15

Knee pain has been persistently the pressure pain going up/down stairs again today, a little whilst warming up, then only s little while doing the walking lunges. During squats, nothing....

GHD arrives tomorrow,
 
28/07/15

So my Glute Ham Developer arrived and so a big chunk of my workout time was spent putting it up.

Warm ups
1 set of each

GHR's
10/10/10 + a few more during my workout

Bench
Bar x 20/20
At this point the wife comes in, wants to try some GHR's so this takes up another 10mins or so, then she heads in to cook dinner! Not much time left
40x10
60x5
65x5/6/5/5/5

CGBP
55x8/8/8

And that was it sadly as dinner was ready so that was that!

Knee was back to being tight down the outside, ITB area. The GHR's didn't aggregate my knee which was good.

Today my knee has hardly been an issue at all, slight pressure pain sensation but much less noticeable then the previous days.
 
30/07/15

Warm ups - I have added GHR's to my warm ups they are as follows now

Goblet squats 5x15/15
Knee 90 Rock 60sec per knee x 2
Split squats 10/10
Hip aero planes 10/10
GHR's 10/10

I mix and match the order around to give me a varied warm up.

Deadlifts
Bar x 10
60x5
80x4
90x5/5/5/5/5
110x4/3/3 - heaviest I've deadlifted in the last 12 months and felt comfortable and form looked pretty good.

BOR
70x5/6/5/5/5

Pull ups
8/7+3neg/5+5neg

Face pulls
Red band x 10/10

DBSS
5x10/10

Single Arm push ups - reps per arm
10/10

GHD sit ups
10/10

Knee diary, general dull ache, no specific spots, and no pressure pain until I really drive through my knee while going up/down stairs today.

Tried my belt for a few sets of deadlifts as have a history of a lower abdominal twinge/sharp pain, nothing today which was a positive, and my back didn't go all banana like it had started to do every time I put my belt on. Fingers crossed everything keeps moving in this positive direction.
 
31/07/15

Warm ups
2 sets of goblet squats and GHR's and 1 set of the rest

OHP
Bar x 10/10
30x5
35x5/5/5/5/5

Bench - light - lots of ToC
35x10
40x10/10/20

Seated DB press
15x10/10/10

Front raise SS Side raise
10+5x10/10/10

Squat variants
Bar x 5/6/7/5

DB Row
35x10/10/10

Laying leg raises
15/15

Single arm DB press
15x10/10

Knee diary: felt good all day, now got pain focused in my left hamstring right where it runs in to the knee, wondering if this area has been the route cause of my problems as it was like this before any issues over a year ago.
 
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