So, I started the post about the Strong Lifts plan right after my first workout and before I went to work... probably not the best time, as I cut it pretty short. So here's some more about the plan for all you needy bastards that just have to hear about it, right fricking now!
I went into how the 5 exercises are the only exercises you'll need (so they claim) and that the other muscle groups will grow from stabilizing such heavy loads... then I showed you my first routine and half of it was with an empty barbell. What the shit is that?
Well, to start, you have to get the form down. If you do this shit with poor form, you might as well go back to isolation exercises. The form is important because that's what works the muscles the right way so that they get stronger. Cheating will only screw with your performance. In addition, if you start near your current max, you introduce two possible problems: 1. getting so sore that your muscles won't have time to recover by your next workout... and working out muscles that are healing is a bad idea. 2. You will not have the opportunity to build momentum, and will stall out earlier in your workout plan. The goal is to get 5 reps on all 5 sets with the same weight. Starting too heavy will damage this in the above two ways in no time.
So, you're goal is 5 reps, in all 5 sets, as mentioned above. You get a perfect 5 (5/5/5/5/5) then you up the weight by 5 lbs. What happens when you're not lifting an amount of weight that your 100 lb girlfriend can lift? One of two things... you'll get 5 reps on most of the sets, such as 5/5/5/4/4 or you'll totally bomb out and get something like 5/4/2/2/1. What you do next is try again. Next workout, do the same weight. Try the same weight up to 3 times. If after the third attempt, you still don't get a perfect 5, then you do what's called a deload. take off 10% of the weight, and aim for the perfect 5. So after you deload and work back up to your trouble weight, if you still don't break it after 3 more attempts, you move to a 3x5 set. This will allow your muscles more recovery opportunity so you can (hopefully) break the plateau.
Simple, simple plan. I like simple. What I like even more is cutting my workout time in half, and still getting better results than anyone else around me (ok, so that's what they claim... we'll just see...). Plus, I only have to work out 3 times per week, and cardio is optional (still VERY skeptical about this). Remember, this is hypertrophy phase now... we're not trying to burn calories, we want all the calories put to rebuilding our muscles (we may add a few lbs back on the belly, but that is EASY to take off now... remember? we just fucking did it!)
So that's in, at the 10,000 ft level. I'm excited, and will be blogging the shit out of this for my progress. Especially since Adam and I are now in a competition to see who gains the most strength from the Strong Lifts program.
Ciao!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Strong Lifts, Beyaaatch!
As promised, now is the discussion about the Hypertophy phase. For all of those that might not be near a dictionary, or too lazy to open a new browser window and look it up on Google or Web MD, Hypertrophy is just a fancy medical word for muscle growth. Atrophy is the shrinkage of muscles (no, not like the Costanza shrinkage), which is the opposite of Hypertrophy
So, I thought about it for a while, and was planning on enhancing the fat loss plan to bring in more calories, keep with the same workouts, and basically change very little. Then, Adam introduced me to a program he was experimenting with. He sent me the book on the StrongLifts: 5x5 program. Now, I admit at first, I was (and still am a little) very skeptical of this program. It takes the whole "Isolation exercises" and throws it out the window. It relies on a basic fact that I've always been behind since my research and experimentation: compound exercises and heavy weights builds muscle. this program contains a total of 5 exercises and 2 workouts. The exercises are: 1. Heavy Squats 2. Bench Press 3. Bent over Rows 4. Overhead Press 5. Deadlift
But Mike... I don't see a single thing in there for biceps, triceps, or abs... what the fuck? Yeah, you don't see it, but its in there. Abs? Why don't you try doing a deadlift the right way using a bar loaded with 150 lbs - tell me your abs don't feel a damn thing! The premise behind all of these compound exercises is that these muscle groups (the smaller groups, except the abs) main purpose is stabilization. Back, chest and legs move large amounts of weight - the biceps and triceps help stabilize that weight, and the abs stabilize your entire body while doing all of this... otherwise your spine would crush or cave in under the pressure of what you're doing. Amazing, I know.
I promise, I'll get into detail more about the Strong Lifts, but for now, here's plan:
1. Eat enough calories daily for muscle growth.
2. First week, do Workout A, day off, Workout B, day off, Workout A, 2 days off
3. Second week, B, off, A, off, B, 2 days off.
Workout A:
1 weight: 5set of 5 reps each
Squats
Bench Press
Rows
Workout B:
1 weight: 5x5 again
Squats
Overhead Press
Deadlifts (1x5 instead of 5x5)
That's it. Simple, but not easy. Next post will go more into why I believe this will work (instead of regurgitating the marketing hype from the book).
Wednesday was my first "warmup and form check" for the exercises. Stats (don't laugh, I'm purposely starting this light for a damn good reason)
Squats: 45 lb: 5/5/5/5/5
Bench press: 50 lb: 5/5/5/5/5
Rows: 65 lb: 5/5/5/5/5
So, I thought about it for a while, and was planning on enhancing the fat loss plan to bring in more calories, keep with the same workouts, and basically change very little. Then, Adam introduced me to a program he was experimenting with. He sent me the book on the StrongLifts: 5x5 program. Now, I admit at first, I was (and still am a little) very skeptical of this program. It takes the whole "Isolation exercises" and throws it out the window. It relies on a basic fact that I've always been behind since my research and experimentation: compound exercises and heavy weights builds muscle. this program contains a total of 5 exercises and 2 workouts. The exercises are: 1. Heavy Squats 2. Bench Press 3. Bent over Rows 4. Overhead Press 5. Deadlift
But Mike... I don't see a single thing in there for biceps, triceps, or abs... what the fuck? Yeah, you don't see it, but its in there. Abs? Why don't you try doing a deadlift the right way using a bar loaded with 150 lbs - tell me your abs don't feel a damn thing! The premise behind all of these compound exercises is that these muscle groups (the smaller groups, except the abs) main purpose is stabilization. Back, chest and legs move large amounts of weight - the biceps and triceps help stabilize that weight, and the abs stabilize your entire body while doing all of this... otherwise your spine would crush or cave in under the pressure of what you're doing. Amazing, I know.
I promise, I'll get into detail more about the Strong Lifts, but for now, here's plan:
1. Eat enough calories daily for muscle growth.
2. First week, do Workout A, day off, Workout B, day off, Workout A, 2 days off
3. Second week, B, off, A, off, B, 2 days off.
Workout A:
1 weight: 5set of 5 reps each
Squats
Bench Press
Rows
Workout B:
1 weight: 5x5 again
Squats
Overhead Press
Deadlifts (1x5 instead of 5x5)
That's it. Simple, but not easy. Next post will go more into why I believe this will work (instead of regurgitating the marketing hype from the book).
Wednesday was my first "warmup and form check" for the exercises. Stats (don't laugh, I'm purposely starting this light for a damn good reason)
Squats: 45 lb: 5/5/5/5/5
Bench press: 50 lb: 5/5/5/5/5
Rows: 65 lb: 5/5/5/5/5
Monday, May 2, 2011
Current Stats and Future plan
It's been about two weeks since my last post, and its time to share the most current progress. First, lets start by saying that two weeks ago was my recovery week. I went light on the cardio that week, despite my plan, only doing two days of running, and two days of Yoga. I kept up with my dietary needs, with the occasional splurge here and there. The results were fairly interesting:
4/24/11
Weight: 151 lbs
Body fat: 9.7%
Stayed around the same body fat percentage, and lost a few lbs. This is expected. Without weight training, lean mass will slightly diminish, and with cardio and Yoga, I expected to lose a little body fat. Good week!
The following week was back to the routine as usual. Went strong for the first two days, but missed a cardio workout due to laziness and other plans. Then on Friday, got sick and could hardly move all weekend, so I missed a weight training day, and 2 days of cardio/yoga. I was terrified to see what the results were that Sunday, but to my surprise, they were actually pretty good
5/1/11
Weight: 151 lbs
Body Fat: 9.5%
Lost a little body fat. Not sure if this was due to being sick and not taking in as many calories as needed, but the real surprise was the lean mass - it hadn't really budged. Still coming up with a good theory on why this occurred.
So the plan forward, I'm sticking with the current plan for the next couple weeks, then a recovery week for my vacation. Then, well.. I'm going to need a completely new blog post to describe what I'm going to do for the hypertrophy phase. My buddy Adam introduced me to a training plan that so far looks like a it makes a lot of sense. Stay tuned tomorrow to see what this insane routine has in store for me starting in the 3rd week of March. A lot less time, with a promise of better results, and a lot less bullshit. Sounds like its right up my alley.
Cheers!
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