Body Transformation Competition

[blogspotter]

Weighted pull-ups FTW!!

Even with assisted pull-up my pull-ups are equivalent to a weighted pull-up with the 25% fat hahaha, no?

ALso I am doing accessories only after I complete my 5x5 which is pretty light now, and don't stress me out.

When I hit my 5RM, I will drop them, but what harm could it do now? This is a genuine question. Also, I had been training for 3 month before I started the 5X5, and the it is like a drastic reduction volume in my my workout, at least in the first couple weeks. This week was a bit heavy though as I started adding weights to OHP and my Deadlift was 95

I mean I will drop the accessories when it star to hamper my progress, but as long as it doesn't, what harm can it do?

EG; I like to do Shrugs for my traps. And I have very small delts, so I like to do my delt workout. I can't lift heavy anyway on my Delts, but I like to do lateral raise. And then Tricep work. Won't it help in my Bench Prss if I had to work the triceps some more..

 

[mituozo]

Even with assisted pull-up my pull-ups are equivalent to a weighted pull-up with the 25% fat hahaha, no?

ALso I am doing accessories only after I complete my 5x5 which is pretty light now, and don't stress me out.

When I hit my 5RM, I will drop them, but what harm could it do now? This is a genuine question. Also, I had been training for 3 month before I started the 5X5, and the it is like a drastic reduction volume in my my workout, at least in the first couple weeks. This week was a bit heavy though as I started adding weights to OHP and my Deadlift was 95

I mean I will drop the accessories when it star to hamper my progress, but as long as it doesn't, what harm can it do?

EG; I like to do Shrugs for my traps. And I have very small delts, so I like to do my delt workout. I can't lift heavy anyway on my Delts, but I like to do lateral raise. And then Tricep work. Won't it help in my Bench Prss if I had to work the triceps some more..

Bench press and overhead press will work your delts.

It is affecting your training, so far as you said you just missed a deadlift.

5x5 is damn strenuous and you don't have room for any other lifts if you're doing it properly, with the exception of something like chins/curls one day a week.

Your assistance work isn't helping you if it's not stressing you out - so what's the point in doing it in the first place?

Press = delts, tris, upper back, chest
Bench press = chest, delts, tris, upper back
Rows = upper back, biceps
Deadlift = lower back, upper back, hamstrings, much of your body
Squat = legs, lower back, upper back, much of your body

Why do you need other lifts on top of that? What is being missed?

Assistance work is only useful to bodybuilders once they have a specific weak area to work on. At your level everything is weak (don't mean to be offensive, just compared with strength standards), so you don't need to worry about individual muscle groups, just the compounds. At best you're wasting time doing the assistance work, and at worst you're negatively affecting your strength progress.

 

[BluuueJammm]

Does anyone on here compete in PL / Strongman? Both are great fun and having a comp to focus on does wonders for your motivation.

 

[BluuueJammm]

Double

 

[iamjon]

Just back from the gym and had a huge fish curry with egg fried rice and bombay potatoes... Safe to say that I love intermittent fasting!

Does anyone on here compete in PL / Strongman? Both are great fun and having a comp to focus on does wonders for your motivation.

I did have a little look into powerlifting not that long ago but I don't live near any clubs and my relative strength wasn't the best when I was carrying more fat around.

Here's my current PBs all within the last few weeks based on the 1-rep max calculator at Strength Standards

I press with dumbells so I guess my barbell bench press might be a bit more but even so, I have no idea of those numbers would even get me in the door at a powerlifting club/meet.

I take it you're speaking from experience then? Have you done many competitions and do you train at a powerlifting club?

 

[Winston_McFail]

Pretty gay of me to post these, but I gather that's the norm around here so..

I'm proud of my progress thus far. In four months I gained approx. 18 lbs while losing a few BF percentage points.

I'm a pretty nigga, if I say so myself.

 

[jhoffy22]

Pretty gay of me to post these, but I gather that's the norm around here so..

I'm proud of my progress thus far. In four months I gained approx. 18 lbs while losing a few BF percentage points.

I'm a pretty nigga, if I say so myself.

Looks good, if you were tan in the second picture like you are in the first, you would be be able to see a more substantial difference.

You definitely cleaned up your delts, traps and upper abdomen.

 

[blogspotter]

Bench press and overhead press will work your delts.

I know, but I was advised some facepull and lateral for lower delts as I started having shoulder pain during bench and flies. Said my lower delts were very weak.

It is affecting your training, so far as you said you just missed a deadlift.

I think it was more to do with my knee pain. It kinds stressed me out.. I am better now, thank god

Your assistance work isn't helping you if it's not stressing you out - so what's the point in doing it in the first place?

I mean, my 5X5 is not stressing me out since my lifts wayy below even my 12 RM that I was doing earlier. The accessories do stress me out.

Assistance work is only useful to bodybuilders once they have a specific weak area to work on. At your level everything is weak (don't mean to be offensive, just compared with strength standards), so you don't need to worry about individual muscle groups, just the compounds. At best you're wasting time doing the assistance work, and at worst you're negatively affecting your strength progress.

Got this.. But like I said, I was doing the accessory only because I am not tired after the 3 exercises.. So most likely, my shoulder and triceps will be stronger by the time my bench increase to my 5RMs.. I mean they won't make me go weaker right? As long as I am not overtraining, right..?

But with everyday it is changing (the tired after 5x5 part), so most likely I will be dropping off the accessories, and do more warm-up for each exercise. Today I did several warm up sets before my work set of 5X5..

What about these Sat-Sunday rests..??? Earlier I thought of doing full Back Routines on Saturdays..
I plan to go sprint on Saturday, tomorrow. Is it a Bad idea?

 

[BluuueJammm]

I did have a little look into powerlifting not that long ago but I don't live near any clubs and my relative strength wasn't the best when I was carrying more fat around.

Here's my current PBs all within the last few weeks based on the 1-rep max calculator at Strength Standards

I press with dumbells so I guess my barbell bench press might be a bit more but even so, I have no idea of those numbers would even get me in the door at a powerlifting club/meet.

I take it you're speaking from experience then? Have you done many competitions and do you train at a powerlifting club?

Yep, done a couple of strongman comps and a pl one this year, got a bench only comp coming up soon. You really don't need a club for either, although a decent training partner can be good. I did most of my pl training on my own until recently though and it is doable that way, just a little more difficult / less fun.

If you're in the UK then an organisation like the GBPF is good to look into, they will have all the information on there meets for the year / rules etc. There are lots of organisations like them though, just have a look through them. Most people are really friendly and helpful when you go to a comp and the standards vary massively, you would get on fine with those numbers.

 

[mituozo]

I know, but I was advised some facepull and lateral for lower delts as I started having shoulder pain during bench and flies. Said my lower delts were very weak.

I think it was more to do with my knee pain. It kinds stressed me out.. I am better now, thank god

I mean, my 5X5 is not stressing me out since my lifts wayy below even my 12 RM that I was doing earlier. The accessories do stress me out.

Got this.. But like I said, I was doing the accessory only because I am not tired after the 3 exercises.. So most likely, my shoulder and triceps will be stronger by the time my bench increase to my 5RMs.. I mean they won't make me go weaker right? As long as I am not overtraining, right..?

But with everyday it is changing (the tired after 5x5 part), so most likely I will be dropping off the accessories, and do more warm-up for each exercise. Today I did several warm up sets before my work set of 5X5..

What about these Sat-Sunday rests..??? Earlier I thought of doing full Back Routines on Saturdays..
I plan to go sprint on Saturday, tomorrow. Is it a Bad idea?

I don't think I'm going to convince you otherwise, so just do whatever you want.

The whole point of 5x5 is its simplicity, and ease to manage progress. If you're doing a load of accessory work no matter what it is you are messing that up, whether you think you are or not. You're putting varied loads on your body depending on the accessory work you do meaning you're not getting true linear progress in your lifts, because you're doing different volumes of work every week.

Doing a full back routine on a saturday is just madness. You need the weekend to rest and recover. A bit of cardio shouldn't hurt too much, but studies have shown that people training with both cardio and strength training make less progress in strength than those just doing strength training.

-------

My workout yesterday (all weights KG):

Squats: 55x5, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5
Press: 37.5x5, 42.5x5, 47.5x5, 54x5
Deadlifts: 90x5, 107.5x5, 125x5, 142.5x5

Last rep of my 54kg press set was a struggle, got it up without leg drive (although a significant back arch probably).

 

[blogspotter]

I don't think I'm going to convince you otherwise, so just do whatever you want.

The whole point of 5x5 is its simplicity, and ease to manage progress. If you're doing a load of accessory work no matter what it is you are messing that up, whether you think you are or not. You're putting varied loads on your body depending on the accessory work you do meaning you're not getting true linear progress in your lifts, because you're doing different volumes of work every week.

Doing a full back routine on a saturday is just madness. You need the weekend to rest and recover. A bit of cardio shouldn't hurt too much, but studies have shown that people training with both cardio and strength training make less progress in strength than those just doing strength training.

-------

My workout yesterday (all weights KG):

Squats: 55x5, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5
Press: 37.5x5, 42.5x5, 47.5x5, 54x5
Deadlifts: 90x5, 107.5x5, 125x5, 142.5x5

Last rep of my 54kg press set was a struggle, got it up without leg drive (although a significant back arch probably).

I know what you mean BRO...
But starting from the bar is a wee bit boring, that's all... which is what I did after reading stronglift..

BTW, are you doing Madcow?
Also how is your warmup volume like...

 

[mituozo]

I know what you mean BRO...
But starting from the bar is a wee bit boring, that's all... which is what I did after reading stronglift..

BTW, are you doing Madcow?
Also how is your warmup volume like...

Yeah I appreciate it's pretty dull at the beginning, once it starts pushing you you'll be glad there's no assistance work though .

Yep - I'm doing Madcow - it's based on weekly progression rather than progression every session, it's the program that's given me best results to date. I did SS for a while, but found it got to the stage where I kept resetting things so went a step further.

 

[iamjon]

I'm proud of my progress thus far. In four months I gained approx. 18 lbs while losing a few BF percentage points.

Nice work. What are you doing in terms of training and eating at the moment then?

 

[ToddW]

From my past experience it takes 1.5-2.5 weeks to adjust to lower carb intake if your used to having carbs as snacks, and with every meal. For the first 1.5-2.5 weeks as you adjust you will feel starving, head rush/ache, and random other issues as you 'detox' from having such high amount of sugar always in your system.

Once you are on low-carb / no-carb you should be able to skip meals and not feel starving / hungry. I remember I skipped dinner a couple times and was fine the next morning while now I eat very few carbs but when I get up I`m starving, and ready to eat again.

Not all carbs are equal.

 

[Hale.Pane]

Pretty gay of me to post these, but I gather that's the norm around here so..

I'm proud of my progress thus far. In four months I gained approx. 18 lbs while losing a few BF percentage points.

I'm a pretty nigga, if I say so myself.

Fuck yo solid delts nigga

Military press is my weakest lift

 

[Winston_McFail]

Nice work. What are you doing in terms of training and eating at the moment then?

Well, I should point out that this isn't my first rodeo, I've actually been quite a bit bigger and leaner than this. Due to a nagging shoulder problem (and burnout in general) I just quit training and dieting for a little over a year. Hard come, easy go.

Am just now really trying to get my groove back, without pushing myself too far physically because for one, it just isn't worth it, and for two, it isn't necessary. IMO all that 5x5 shit or one 1-3 rep max shit is just about the dumbest fucking idea ever. I mean think about it.. really think about it..

Does it work? Of course, but so does everything else applied with consistency and a proper diet. Don't get me wrong, I've worked out like that before, but have since met too many 50 yr old bodybuilders from back in the day that couldn't raise their arms above their head without serious pain.

I'm a big fan of higher reps, in the 15-25/30 range. I think muscle time under tension is highly under rated. Look at male gymnasts or sprinters legs.. this is evidence that there's more than one way to skin a cat, so that's pretty much established. Learn proper form and develop your mind muscle connection (sounds gay but it's real and can be improved) and you can activate plenty of muscle fibers without stressing your joints and tendons.

Another downside of overly heavy lifting is that the toll it takes on your body as a whole, is greater than the toll it takes on your specific muscle group that you were presumably targeting, causing you to require more recovery time between workouts. I like to train fairly frequently.

As for diet... I'm mostly paleo with an exception for some pastas on "cheat" days. My main focus on diet is quality of foods (raw milk, grass fed beef, etc..) and timing of my macros.

 

[Hale.Pane]

IMO all that 5x5 shit or one 1-3 rep max shit is just about the dumbest fucking idea ever. I mean think about it.. really think about it..

Look at male gymnasts or sprinters legs.

You do realize that sprinters do a lot (and by a lot I mean THE MAJORITY of their weightroom workouts) of these "5x5 retarded exercises" like squats, powercleans and deads in the 1-5 ranges ?

 

[Winston_McFail]

You do realize that sprinters do a lot (and by a lot I mean THE MAJORITY of their weightroom workouts) of these "5x5 retarded exercises" like squats, powercleans and deads in the 1-5 ranges ?

You know this how?

I can't say for certain, but I highly doubt an olympic trainer is having their athlete do many one rep max squats. I could be wrong, as I haven't checked.

Either way, my point stands... there is no reason to lift weights that are so heavy that you can lift them only 1-5 reps. Increasing your chance of injury and and the wear and tear on your body. If you're a summer beach workout kinda guy, then OK whatever... but if you're in the gym seriously year round... yes, it's "retarded", IMO.

 

[blogspotter]

You know this how?

I can't say for certain, but I highly doubt an olympic trainer is having their athlete do many one rep max squats. I could be wrong, as I haven't checked.

Either way, my point stands... there is no reason to lift weights that are so heavy that you can lift them only 1-5 reps. Increasing your chance of injury and and the wear and tear on your body. If you're a summer beach workout kinda guy, then OK whatever... but if you're in the gym seriously year round... yes, it's "retarded", IMO.

These retarded 5X5s are "strength" "training". That is "strength", and that is "training" for you. Nobody is deliberately trying to injure themselves. Not sure what you re trying to say, but please keep your expert opinions to yourself and not be derailing. We already had that discussion already.

 

[mituozo]

You know this how?

I can't say for certain, but I highly doubt an olympic trainer is having their athlete do many one rep max squats. I could be wrong, as I haven't checked.

Either way, my point stands... there is no reason to lift weights that are so heavy that you can lift them only 1-5 reps. Increasing your chance of injury and and the wear and tear on your body. If you're a summer beach workout kinda guy, then OK whatever... but if you're in the gym seriously year round... yes, it's "retarded", IMO.

No you can't say for certain because you clearly have no idea how coaches train olympic athletes.

Sprinters frequently do 1-5 rep squats, although typically the focus is on speed and explosiveness rather than on maximal weight.

Chris Hoy, the cyclist for example, can squat 225kg.
( [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Ab-PUSiOg]Highland Spring Coachcast Series - Chris Hoy on squatting techniques - YouTube[/ame] )

Sprinters tend to focus more on explosive lifts like the snatch and power cleans etc though. I'm sure almost any pro level sprinter can squat more than 200kg.

Training heavy properly is good for you. It improves bone density, added muscle mass around your joints actually does the opposite of what you think, and takes stress away from the joint itself which decreases the risk of osteoarthritis later in life.

Powerlifters squatting double their body weight, to depths of 130 degrees of knee flexion, have been shown in studies to have more stable knee joints than individuals who do not squat. In fact, separate studies have revealed that the knees of those who regularly squat deep are more stable than distance runners and basketball players! In one study of female volleyball players, researchers concluded that there was no statistically significant increase in peak forces at the knee when squatting to depths of 70, 90, and 110 degrees of knee flexion. Yet another study showed that forces on the ACL are reduced as the knee is flexed beyond 60 degrees, and forces on the PCL are reduced as the knee flexes past 120 degrees. Still further studies show that powerlifters who are squatting over twice their body weight experience shearing forces on the knee that approximate only 25% of the maximal tensile strength of the ACL, and 50% of the maximum strength of the PCL.

1. Schoenfeld, BJ. Squatting kinematics and kinetics and their application to exercise performance. J. Strength Cond. Res. 24(12): 3497-3506. 2010.
2. Fry, A.C., J.C. Smith, and B.K. Schilling. Effect of hip position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. J. Strength Cond. Res. 17(4): 629-633. 2003.
3. Caterisano, A., Moss, R.F., Pellinger, T.K., Woodruff, K., Lewis, V.C., Booth, W., and Khadra, T. The Effect of Back Squat Depth on the EMG Activity of 4 Superficial Hip and Thigh Muscles. J. Strength Cond. Res. 16(3): 428–432. 2002.
4. H. Orloff, G. Veil, R. Askins. (1997). Forces on the lumbar spine during the parallel squat. Conference Proceedings Archive, 15 International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports. http://w4.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/view/3648.
5. Shea, J. Deep Squats. http://www.apec-s.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Deep-Squats.pdf
6. Fauber, J. (Nov. 2, 2011). Squat lifts likely cause of stress fractures in young athletes, study finds. Squat lifts likely cause of stress fractures in young athletes, study finds - JSOnline
7. Rippetoe, M. & Kilgore, L. (2007). Starting Strength Basic Barbell Training 2nd Edition. The Aasgaard Company.
8. Calais-Germain, B. (1993). Anatomy of Movement. Eastland Press.

Bodybuilders don't train in the 1-5 rep range primarily. Bodybuilders fuck up their joints and bodies because they train 7 days a week, train with shitty ass form (think of dorian yates tearing his bicep doing those ridiculously gripped bent-over rows, or "bodybuilding style bench press" which puts shit tons of force on your rotator cuffs) pump themselves full of juice and do ridiculous amounts of volume. Whilst the muscles can repair themselves (due to all the hormones flying around) the ligaments, tendons and joints get battered the shit out of and never have a chance to recover. Over years they get fucked to hell.

Doing a strength program 3 days a week with some level of sense (i.e. not grinding out 5 deadlift reps which are far too heavy for your ability) will not fuck your body up.