The Syla5 Files

[Syla5]

So now a year and half in to my gym ratting journey, I thought it time to start a log to keep a track on my progress going forward.

Starting in 2011 i was 11st and first set foot in a gym at the end of March. From there i have missed only a handful of sessions and been going 3-4 days a week.

Heres me about a week before my first gym session:

I have tried out a few routines, beginnng with GordyR's routine, then i moved on to stronglifts, i switch over to a 4 day split routine, and most recently i tried out wendler but felt i wasnt ready for the routine. Since then i have been mainly sticking to a 4 day split.

My current lift maxes are as follows:

DL 155kg (b)
Squat 150kg(b)
Bench 100kg
OHP 67.5kg

My stats as they are August 2012:

Height 67.5inches (5ft 7.5)
Weight 155.5lb (11st 1.5lb)
BF% 14

Advised cals to Cut/Maintain/Bulk
1.8k/2.1k/2.5k
I have for the last 4 months focused on getting rid of some bodyfat that i have carried with me since joining the gym, as well as shifting some i had gained while bulking. With diet help from our very own steedie i have managed to drop from 12st 9lb back to 11st.

Heres me at 12st 9lb back at the end of April 2012:

and here I am as of now August 2012:

I have been preparing for a new routine and have chosen to try out HST. I have never tried out a Hypertrophy specific routine and so am going to combine this with a clean bulk with the aim to put on some decent mass over the next 4-6 months.

My diet that i will be trying out to go with this bulk is:

Current goals:

Rep all of my current rep maxes before the end of 2012 with good form.

For anyone who is looking for some supplements sites here are my referral codes for theproteinworks and myprotein.

TPW Ref Code: DP2602
MYPROTEIN Ref Code: MP366561


Routine History:
Sept-Dec 2012 - HST
Jan-June 2013 3-4x6-3 rep strength push/pull/lower
June-July 2013 3-5x5 strength focus 3 day split
July-ongoing - something new Strength focused

 

[Syla5]

For the HST routine I have been setting up my 15, 10, and 5 RM's for that i need for the work outs.

I will be following A/B alternating routines for the whole of the cycle, just to hit the muscles in a slightly different way over the cycle, but the 15's and 10's will differ to the 5's weeks.

For 15's and 10s the workouts are as follows:

Workout A
Squat
RDL
Incline DB Bench
Pull Downs
Seated Rows
Dips
OHP
Calf Press
BB Curl
Cable Crunch

Workout B
Deadlift
RDL
Bench Press
Goblet Squat
Seated Shoulder Press
Lateral Raises
Calf Raises
CGBP
Cable Crunches
Knee Raises

During 5's weeks the workouts change as follows:

Workout A
Squat
Pull Downs
Dips
OHP
Calf Press

Workout B
Deadlift
Bench Press
RDL
Leg Press
BB Curl

 

[Syla5]

How tall are you?

And how does a year and a bit of training kill your chest hair, but make it sprout on your legs?

Should be a good thread,as it looks good so far! Good luck!

I will add some stats to the op, oh and my wife likes the hairless chest, so happy to do it for her

Good plan...but

you dont need to eat 10 meals a day. Youre going to spend most of you time eating/preparing...and it doenst make any odds as long as you getting the same ammounts in. 3 larger meal would do the same job...and would be a hell of a lot easier to maintain.

I have been on 6 meals a day for pretty much the last year, and it works out pretty well for me. i think the layout of the spreadsheet might just make it look like a lot more then that!

 

[Syla5]

ok..its 6 plus a pre and post shake. Whateevr you good with. Most people in bodybuilding think you need lost of small meals a day...its pretty much a load ****** I would double them up personally.

I personally dont mind, 3, 4, 6, 8 meals a day, it makes little difference to me. Prep wise it makes no difference, it just breaks up the day nicely, and stops me feeling over full at any point.

 

[Syla5]

The final step of prepping for my HST routine is a strategic deconditioning week. As far as a log goes its pretty boring, hoping the weeks break is going to be good. Focusing on dropping another lb or 2 this week if I can.

 

[Syla5]

Subscribbbbbbbbbbed

Nice progress mate, jealous of the lifts to be honest, shame I've farted around for the best part of a year

Don't get hung up about the past, at least you were in the gym, and your mind set was in the right place you've turned a corner now and things are looking good

When do you start HST, good sir?

Monday and I am really looking forward to it. I tested my 15's 10's and 5's a few weeks back and just stuck on my 10's maxes for the last couple of weeks to help get me conditioned to the routine.

I will post up the workouts as I do them.

 

[Syla5]

Damn this week off is really dragging, can't wait to hit the gym on Monday and really start this new routine

 

[Syla5]

Today is the first day of my new routine. I am gonna build up my cals over the next 2 weeks to get me up to my bulking diet. Had a deload week and a bit more relaxed with my diet as well.
This mornings weigh in was 11st 3lb which works out at 1st 7lb (21lb) loss in 14 weeks of cutting. I am happy with this, but could have done better. I will hopefully drop anoter couple of lb's over the next 2 weeks while slowly building up my cals.

Today's diet is back on track ish.. I am eating to my macros and from food on my list but no rice and chicken today as haven't been shopping yet

Breakfast was my shake and fruit.
Lunch was....

My first lean mince beef burger, egg thrown in, and it was pretty tasty.

I start using creating as well from today so let's see how things go

 

[Syla5]

First day back and damn it felt good

HST cycle 1 15's week 1
Workout b (starting on b so that the last day of each mini cycle ends with squats )
Deadlifts 55kg
RDL's 32.5kg
Bench press 37.5kg
Goblet squats 17.5kg
Seated shoulder press 5kg
Lateral raises 5kg (should have been 0 but that wasn't gonna happen!)
Cgbp 27.5kg
Calf raises 27.5kg
Knee raises BW
Cable crunches 15kg

So everything was done 2 sets of 15. Form was kept tight and I really focused on the movements and keeping them slow, and steady.

After a week off this workout felt pretty solid, very lite weirs but still tasking, I kept the rest periods to a minimum and hammered it out in less then 50 mins. I also think I have made I minor breakthrough with my Deadlift form, i just widened my stance by about 4 inches on my warmup set and it felt really good. I went with it for my working sets and again it felt strong, I am hoping that this is a good thing, we shall see.

 

[Syla5]

Get some proper cheese

Lol, it was all I had at the time, got some low fat stuff now, only use it for a little added flavour.

 

[Syla5]

Just wanted to pop up some current maxes so that i can monitor progress not just on the visual side but also on the lifting side.

Current Rep Maxes 15/10/5/1

Squat
85/100/115/150

Deadlift
80/102.5/125/150

Bench Press
50/62.5/75/100

OHP
32.5/42.5/50/67.5

Having never tracked my RM figures for more then 1 rep this will be interesting to see how they improve

 

[Syla5]

Nice Squat RM, really wish I could get up there.

Oh yea.. Subscribed!

Cheers, i could have done with a little more depth (prob just above para on this attempt, if not para but not sub) on the squat, but it seems to be a strong point for me, i am basing this on lever advantage due to my stature however it does seem to hinder my deadlifts a little

 

[Syla5]

Gonna give early morning training a go tomorrow, my daughter is starting school soon and it would be easier if I was home after work and before she needs to go to bed, easiest change to make is going to the gym in the mornings.

Alarm set for 6:00am breakfast shake ready to go, all I need to do now is get up and to the gym by half 6!

 

[Syla5]

Gonna give it a whirl without, I am normally fine in the mornings it's just the getting out of bed that sucks

 

[Syla5]

well that was a different experience, not as tough as i thought it would be, but still tougher than a regular session:

HST 15's again 2 sets of 15

Squat 65kg
RDL 35kg
Incline DB Bench 7.5kg
Pull Downs 40kg
Seated Rows 30kg
Dips BW
OHP 22.5kg
Calf Press 120kg
BB Curl 10kg
Cable Crunch 15kg

Thats both my 15's workouts run through, i will probably save posting now until the last a and b of the 15's cycle at the end of next week.

Next challenge is to get used to training in the early morning.

 

[Syla5]

I've just got out of early morning training and now do evenings (spend morning doing my mobility perscribed from physio and fasted cardio session). I used to get up about 5.30, get my buzz on, do stretches and then hit the weights.. Saying that, it was fasted too

have you noticed a difference in performance since switching to evenings?

I am hoping to not see a noticable difference, but time, and diet management (ie eating more before bed etc) will have show if it makes a difference for me.

 

[Syla5]

not sure if my thinking is correct but i was planning on eating a little later and a little more in the evenings before bed, as i dont expect to use vast amounts of energy in my sleep so glycogen stores should be fine by the mornings.

I might do 2 early mornings and evening a week on fridays this may also help

 

[Syla5]

End of the first week of HST and the 15's are a female dog! nothing to strenuous but super strict on the form and rest periods and it really takes it out of you. Great for conditioning.

2nd time deadlifting with slightly wider stance and it still feels strong..watch this space, hoping this could make a nice difference at the topend!

Also still aclimatising to the morning training. I have got up at 6 since wednesday this week, i just need to get used to going to bed early, and i need to be mindful of what i have to eat/drink in the evenings diet coke at 8 last night and i was restless until 12 damn the caffine. If i can keep getting up at 6 i might start going to the gym 5 days a week and just use tuesday and thursday for light cardio and mobility/rolling

 

[Syla5]

If your using oly bars with the little indicator ring in the knurling(assuming this is standard across oly bars), i position the outside of my leg so that it is level with that point

(diagrams removed as miss leading, will get pics on monday)

So my hands are still outside my legs. This stops me leaning to far forward at the bottom of the lift, while maintaining a good position. Before i would try and sit back more so that my shoulders were not infront of the bar and this just led to less power and making the start of the motion harder. So i had a tendancy to have my shoulders ahead of the bar at the start of the movement which never helped.

Compared to how i previously positon my legs i would say i have moved each leg out 2-4 inches so overall the distance isnt a large amount, but it allows me to keep my shoulders parallel to the bar without compromising my start position. Again this is only at lite weights at the minute and 10's and 5's weeks will really start to show if this is a benefit or not.

 

[Syla5]

Intredasting. I've always read that stacked joints is where its at on deadlifts and set up accordingly. Something like this.

(assuming X is knurling)

--|X-XXXX--XXX--XXXX-X|-- (From memory ours look somthing like this)

--|X-XXHL--XXX--LHXX-X|--

So yours would be very wide for our bars, What width do you use bench press? For me its pinky on the ring.

i bench pinky on the ring as well.

hmm looking at some vids i may have miss remembered my positioning. Before my pinky was probably 4 inches inside the ring, now my pinky is almost at the ring, so not quite as wide as i thought, but still wider then i previously went with.