5x5 and other stories

awesomelakes

Just started 5x5 today, completely from scratch.

Squats
20kg x 5 (x5)

Such a struggle, I've never been in a squat rack before and at a measly 5"1 I could barely reach the barbell. Have a new plan for next time though, so hopefully this will not be an issue.

Benchpress
20kg x 5 (x5)

This was a breeze, still felt like I was working hard but enjoyed it. Last set was a bit harder.

Barbell Row
30kg x 5 (x5)

Need to sort out my form. Otherwise, it was okay.

Stretched for around 10 minutes at the end, all in all happy with how everything went.

Tracking everything I eat at the moment, struggling to get the right amount of everything each day, but it's a vast improvement. Cut down sodas, stimulation drinks, etc, still feeling crappy coming down from all that sugar but hopefully I'll be adjusted by the end of the month.

runawaybishop

awesomelakes wrote: »

Such a struggle, I've never been in a squat rack before

Serious leg DOMs inc. Make sure you look after yourself.

awesomelakes

runawaybishop wrote: »

Serious leg DOMs inc. Make sure you look after yourself.

So far I feel fine, but I think tomorrow will be a whole different story!

awesomelakes

So my last workout was two days ago, and I'm still absolutely destroyed from it.

Had to push today's workout until tomorrow, realised it just wasn't happening when I could barely do my 2km cycle to college.

I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips for getting over this soreness quicker, and maybe a nice stretching routine for after a workout, I'm beginning to think I did not stretch enough after mine.

DylanJM

The muscle soreness will subside after a few weeks. DOMS is always worst when doing exercises for the first time, especially if your starting from scratch. I'd try to avoid pushing back workouts unless the pain is very bad. Sometimes once you warm up and get going you find that it's not as bad as you thought.

Have you got a foam roller? Doing some foam rolling on your recovery days may help with the soreness.

runawaybishop

Doing more squats can help a bit, there not a lot you can do though once you have them. You'll not get them as bad again thoguh if that's any consolation

johnybean

+1 on not pushing back workouts. Even if I'm crawling in the door, once I get the first few sets over with the legs start to loosen up. Also, make sure you are eating enough. You are just staring you so you should be making all kindzz of n00b gainzzz so make sure to eat lots, sleep lots, foam roll lots and stick to the programme.....lots

awesomelakes

DylanJM wrote: »

The muscle soreness will subside after a few weeks. DOMS is always worst when doing exercises for the first time, especially if your starting from scratch. I'd try to avoid pushing back workouts unless the pain is very bad. Sometimes once you warm up and get going you find that it's not as bad as you thought.

Have you got a foam roller? Doing some foam rolling on your recovery days may help with the soreness.

Oh well that's good new at least. I really didn't want to push back today's workout, but I could barely walk down the stairs this morning, or lift my leg high enough to get onto my bike, so I opted for a morning of study instead.

I do not, but might look into getting one as I've heard great things about them around this forum.

runawaybishop wrote: »

Doing more squats can help a bit, there not a lot you can do though once you have them. You'll not get them as bad again thoguh if that's any consolation

Well that's a relief!

awesomelakes

johnybean wrote: »

+1 on not pushing back workouts. Even if I'm crawling in the door, once I get the first few sets over with the legs start to loosen up. Also, make sure you are eating enough. You are just staring you so you should be making all kindzz of n00b gainzzz so make sure to eat lots, sleep lots, foam roll lots and stick to the programme.....lots

Will do. I'll keep this in mind for next week, will definitely just push through the pain. Will be back to the gym tomorrow morning, and then hopefully I'll get another session in on Sunday, even though I'll have a six-ish hour hike that morning.



Also I was wondering if anyone thinks the 5x5 programme is slightly unrealistic for someone who has just started lifting. So far the barbell row and bench press have gone fine, but the 20kg squat on the first day was a real challenge for me, and apparently by the end of this programme I'll be squatting 100kg?! I'm 54kg, and a pretty small girl at 5"1, do you reckon this is actually achievable, considering I could barely hold the Olympic barbell? I'm going to follow the programme anyway, going up by 2.5kg every workout, but lacking confidence in being able to do that with the squat.

DylanJM

5x5 programmes are great for beginners. Whether or not you'll be able to get to a 100kg on linear progression is completely down to the individual. Some people may stall before then, others may stall afterwards. The only sure way to find out is to stick to the program and find out. I wouldn't be too worried about the squat tbh, you've only done your first training session. Nothing is perfect first time. Good luck!

runawaybishop

awesomelakes wrote: »

Will do. I'll keep this in mind for next week, will definitely just push through the pain. Will be back to the gym tomorrow morning, and then hopefully I'll get another session in on Sunday, even though I'll have a six-ish hour hike that morning.



Also I was wondering if anyone thinks the 5x5 programme is slightly unrealistic for someone who has just started lifting. So far the barbell row and bench press have gone fine, but the 20kg squat on the first day was a real challenge for me, and apparently by the end of this programme I'll be squatting 100kg?! I'm 54kg, and a pretty small girl at 5"1, do you reckon this is actually achievable, considering I could barely hold the Olympic barbell? I'm going to follow the programme anyway, going up by 2.5kg every workout, but lacking confidence in being able to do that with the squat.

Its a good program to start off with - big compound movements with linear progression. You will eventually stall though but before you do you will be surprised by how fast your body adapts assuming you are eating right.

johnybean

runawaybishop wrote: »

Its a good program to start off with - big compound movements with linear progression. You will eventually stall though but before you do you will be surprised by how fast your body adapts assuming you are eating right.

Diet and form will be two of the most important factors. Make sure that your technique is good from the start and make sure you have it locked in before you progress as you will progress pretty quickly whether you are using good form or not but good form will mean that you will be able to make better overall gains while avoiding injury.

WHIP IT!

The cycling to college should help with leg DOMS so that's good. I always try take the dog for a good long walk the day after Leg Day... also, what everyone else said - eat plenty, drink plenty of water & get lotsa sleep.

Enjoy!

awesomelakes

Had a truly humbling experience yesterday. Went on my first hike with my college, it was around 6km so I never thought I would struggle.

Boy was I wrong.

Took us all a good 4/5 hours maybe, started of with a 250m steep climb, ended with something similar, and did I flounder, and fall behind, and slow down, and wheeze.

Not a single person thought I'd make it, even my friend started taking the piss out of me, but I decided nope, just going to bite down, develop some grit, and keep going.

I think yesterday was more of a mental challenge than anything, forcing myself to keep going even though my calves felt like they had turned into stone. Every time I came up over a hill I thought I was at the top, but I wasn't, and I was the only idiot without rain gear or whatever proof shoes. :rolleyes: And even though some people took the píss out of me, and I was embarrassed as heck, I still made it, and I'm feeling quite good.

5x5 will be continuing on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Bit of a hectic week with the climb, mountain biking next Saturday and a few other college things, so I decided to veer from my preferred Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Hope ye all had a decent weekend yourselves!

SteelyDanJalapeno

Don't give up on it op, it's a great program for beginners

awesomelakes

Looking back at my forms last week I really wasn't pleased, so I started week 1 again, and this time did it right.

Workout A today:

Squats 5x5 (20kg)
Completely fine. Figured out that last week not being able to do a squat with an olympic barbell was a bit of a fear thing, I was right. Powered through them today can't wait to add more weight.

Bench Press 5x5 (20kg)
Powered through this as well, can't wait to see how much more I can add in twelve weeks.

Barbell Row 5x5 (30kg)
This is the only thing I'm unhappy with. I'm sure I'm not lifting the barbell high enough, but I'm already lifting it as high as I physically can. Next workout A will be on Sunday, so I'm going to video some of my barbell rows to see where I'm going wrong.

Also had an hour of archery, although it's not really exercise I'm glad to say that I am improving!

Ended my day with a 50 minute spin class. It was my first spin class, in prep for the day of mountain biking that awaits me on Saturday, and it was pretty tough. Looking forward to it again next week though.

awesomelakes

Workout B today:

Squats 5x5 (22.5kg)
Still feeling fine with these. Although I looked like a right idiot with two 1.25kg plates on the barbell. I'll film them on Sunday to see if my form is okay and if I'm squatting low enough.

Overhead Press 5x5 (12kg)
The programme says to start with an empty barbell, but jeez I can barely lift 20kg off the rack never mind put it over my head! Going to progress slower with this one, hoping to go up 2kg every week. Found it tough enough at 12kg, but I'll give it a go anyway.

Deadlift 1x1 (40kg)
Read the programme wrong, was supposed to be 1x5! Definitely would have been able to do it.

So tomorrow is a day of mountain biking, heading down to Limerick with my college. I'll pray for no leg DOMs tonight.

awesomelakes

Another thing I'm going to take note of.

Got my BF% measure the other day, I've always been around 20-22%, but according to the measurements taken on the 9th of October I'm at 24.4% now. Trying to get down to a leaner 17% before my 20th birthday (March). Going to check BF% once a month now, and have cleaned up the diet a fair bit in the past week. Or at least I think I have.

Alf Veedersane

Go back to the same person that took the BF measurement next time you want to see progress. Better to see the relative progress. But if you keep doing what you're doing you'll be that much better all round anyway. I wouldn't worry too much about BF. It's sometimes useful but if you feel better and you can do more and I guess if you think you look better, then that's the bottom line. Keep up the good work :-D

awesomelakes

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Go back to the same person that took the BF measurement next time you want to see progress. Better to see the relative progress. But if you keep doing what you're doing you'll be that much better all round anyway. I wouldn't worry too much about BF. It's sometimes useful but if you feel better and you can do more and I guess if you think you look better, then that's the bottom line. Keep up the good work :-D

My gym actually has this machine that members can use, but I'm trying to go back around the same time monthly just to see.

Not worried too much about it, using it more as an indicator to see if I'm actually eating well, I've never been too great with tracking calories or macros. But thanks, hoping to see some consistent progress for the next while!

awesomelakes

Just back from my first mountain biking session.

Did 18km in around 3/4 hours. Felt good, although now the legs are killing me. Can't wait to get up bright and early tomorrow for some squats! :rolleyes:

awesomelakes

Workout A today:

Squats 5x5 (25kg)
Felt quite tough, although I'm putting that down to me having an off day.

Bench Press 5x5 (22.5kg)
Looking ridiculous with two 1.25kg plates on the barbell! Found it a bit tougher than during the week, but putting it down to the same reason as above.

Barbell Row 5x5 (20kg)
Went down 10kg from last week, think this might be a better starting point for me. Form was much, much better.

In all it was an okay session, feeling quite sick and exhausted today, probably just because I've had a pretty busy weekend and an exam coming up this week that I've been studying for.

Was going to break the golden rule and do workout B tomorrow, to get back into my Mon/Wed/Fri routine, but after todays performance I've decided it's not worth it. Will be doing 5x5 on Tues/Thurs/Sat this week.

awesomelakes

Workout B today (bit delayed because I've been sick):

Squats 5x5 (27.5kg)
Half of my BW woop! Felt good, form looked decent too. I've started to watch lads in the gym and how they do things, have been adjusting bits and pieces based on them.

Overhead Press 1x2 (20kg) + 4x5 (15kg)
Massive improvement, I managed to do two overhead presses with the barbell! Really chuffed with this, but physically could not get 1x5. Went down to two 7.5kg dumbbells and finished, felt wrecked at the end.

Deadlift 1x5 (45kg)
At the beginning of next week I should have a BW deadlift, the 45kg felt fine today and I think my form is okay.

Haven't been able to get an adaptor to charge my camera, but will hopefully have one to film my next two workouts. Just want to check that forms are alright.

bohsman

Fair play, keep it going, you've motivated me to start the 5x5 tomorrow.

awesomelakes

bohsman wrote: »

Fair play, keep it going, you've motivated me to start the 5x5 tomorrow.

Brilliant, hope you enjoy it!

awesomelakes

Workout A today:

Today was all about correcting forms (mostly on the squats) so I just used an empty barbell.

Squats 5x5
Really struggling to not lean forward too much. Will be meeting with a gym instructor to help fix this problem tomorrow.

Barbell Rows 5x5
I accidentally faced my camera towards a wall when I was recording these (d'oh ) but I think the went fine with the 20kg.

Bench Press 5x5
These felt and looked okay, but I'll definitely look at a few videos of people doing these just to have a comparison.

awesomelakes

Giving that niggling pain in my knees one more week to sort itself out, then it's off to the physio! Would much rather be down €50/€60 than to be injured this early on in my training.

On a brighter note I'll be off wall climbing tonight! Decided to do something fun after all the work I've been putting in to my course recently.

awesomelakes

Never got to go climbing tonight, had a lovely trip to the doctor instead. :rolleyes:

Back in the gym this morning though, starting week 3 of 5x5.

Workout A:

Squats 2x5 (20kg) and 3x5 (25kg)
I think my form is right, or better at least. On Friday I will have the camera in to check this out. Not feeling very confident of my squats at the moment after I realised how poor my form was.

Bench Press 6x2 (27.5kg) and 2x5 (25kg)
Half bodyweight bench yess. Even though I had to take it in sets of two. And couldn't even get my full 25 reps for it. Still feeling good about it though. Very nearly failed the last press on the 2x5 (haha almost crapped myself when I couldn't get the bar back up), but just about made it.

Also noticing how light the 20kg warm up is now, when compared to 20kg being the most I could lift two weeks ago.

Barbell Row 5x5 (25kg)
No issues here, think going up by 2.5kg will be tough on Sunday though.

awesomelakes

Ended up going to the physio today, got an appointment much earlier than I thought I would. Turns out all I need to do is a few stretches to strengthen my hips and something in my right leg and I'm all good to go! Was putting to much pressure on my knees and quads by not being flexible enough apparently.

Happy to have some answers and a solution to the issue, she also showed me how to fix my squatting form. Best €55 I've spent in a while. :pac:

johnybean

Good to hear the knee pain wasn't too serious. I would suggest that you make a grid foam roller and a hockey /lacrosse ball your next investment. Spend a few minutes every day on them every day.... It'll change your life *










*won't actually change life but will improve flexibility /mobility by approximately 1.754 billion percent (roughly)

awesomelakes

johnybean wrote: »

Good to hear the knee pain wasn't too serious. I would suggest that you make a grid foam roller and a hockey /lacrosse ball your next investment. Spend a few minutes every day on them every day.... It'll change your life *










*won't actually change life but will improve flexibility /mobility by approximately 1.754 billion percent (roughly)

I'm pretty sold on the foam roller all right, but what am I supposed to do with the lacrosse/hockey ball? :pac: