jamspastic
06-07-2009, 05:46 AM
Hi guy's. Thought it was about time i posted in this section. I know there is a lot of members way stronger/fitter and better built than myself, but i've managed to get myself strength varified, so i thought i'd share with you my long journey to get there, and hope that maybye it will help some of you to improve.(sorry for any spelling/grammer error's....me no brains):stupid:
I started training around seven or eight years ago. It was much the same as your typical gym members routine, and despite overtraing,getting bad advice from alomost eveyone in the gym and eating pretty poorly, i did ok. After about 4 years of training in commercial gym's i'd pretty much reached my max for the
deadlift at 178.5kgs for 1 rep and my squat was a humungus 140kgs for a couple of poorly formed reps (spent more time on the leg pres those days). Deep down
i knew something was not right, so i set about searching the internet for information on weight lifting. After reading a few books (heavy duty training to
name one) and getting a taste for reading (hadn't read a book since i was about 10!!) i somehow stumbled across Beyond brawn. This book changed everything i
had come to belive about weight training. It wasn't long till i had brought my own 235kg set of weights and a power rack, abandomed the hell that is
commercial gyms and began training properly. I was still training 3 times a week, but now only 2 of these sesions were hard days, the other one was just for
accsesory excersises, like grip work, rota cuff and calf work. After working hard on my squats for a few months i had built up tp 140kgs for 20 reps,
Although my form was not as good as it is these days (depth wasn't good enough, and my knees caved in) and i had to wear knee wraps because of really bad knee pain(due to bad form), i was still very happy with this achievement.
My deadlift had also gone up to 200kgs for 6 reps with little real effort, and all other lifts were climing just as well. After a over a year of cycling
weights, i'd hit a wall on my deads at 220 for 3, and felt like a change was needed. I had not back squated heavy for around 6/7 months, due to my knee pain,(front squats were my main leg excersise) but after a lot of resting/using resistance bands on my knees, they were fully healed and i was ready for some heavy back sqauting again!!
I liked the look of the madcows intermidiate routine due to the amount of squating, so i gave it a try. Now, i get the immpresion the 5x5 routines are not so
popular here, but for me, they worked well and have played a very important part in my strength gains. I really liked the idea of squating a weight for 3
reps on friday, and then going for the same weight for 5 reps on the following monday. It gave me a chance to feel the weight, and get my body prepared for
the 5 reps to come. After a lot of hard work, i had built up to 182.5kgs for 5 reps in the squat, 225kgs for 5 in the deadlift, 60kgs for 6 reps weighted
dips and 125kg barbbell rows for 5. I think the key to this routine for me was the amount i increased the weights each week. When i hit my target reps, i
would only go up by 1 kg at a time, sometimes less (dips went up 1 pound a week). This made things go along pretty slow, but my body got used to the heavier weights easier that way. But Squating three times a week took it's tole on my body. I had lost over a stone doing this routine, and my body was feeling
pretty batterd. Once again, it was time to change. I dabbled in some more 20 rep squts, building up to 144x20 with no adverse knee pain,good form and no
support gear, and did a lot of 20 rep dealifts I(built up to 190x20) but never really settled on a solid routine. I allso started lifting sandbags and other
awkard objects such as kegs at the end of my regular workout when i had the energy(great fun and allso helps a lot). Right now i'm following Jim Wendlers
5/3/1 method, and so far i'm very happy with the way it's going. My goals are now very clear, and i've set myself a target time to reach them which i feel is
what was lacking in my past training routines.For the first time ever, I'm adding some GPP into my training and i'll be pulling a sled twice a week when it
arrives. (orderd it yesterday, can't wait!!!) My diet has allso got a bit of an overhaul. I'm using the timed carb diet at the mo, and have been slowly
loosing bodyfat, whilst retaining muscle and adding strength (something i thought was impossible until i came across this website). My current best lifts
are, squat 190x1, deadlift 240x1, bench press 140x1, weighted dip 70x1, overhead press 90x1. I have set myself 2 very clear goals for the long term future. First and formost i want to deadlift 300kgs, and second, i want to compete in a strongman competition....and win. I think the key to a sucssefull routine is
to give it time, and work really hard at it! There are no perfect routines, and you only get out of it what you put in. Take your time, don't try to rush and
pile on the weight to soon. :soapbox:
I started training around seven or eight years ago. It was much the same as your typical gym members routine, and despite overtraing,getting bad advice from alomost eveyone in the gym and eating pretty poorly, i did ok. After about 4 years of training in commercial gym's i'd pretty much reached my max for the
deadlift at 178.5kgs for 1 rep and my squat was a humungus 140kgs for a couple of poorly formed reps (spent more time on the leg pres those days). Deep down
i knew something was not right, so i set about searching the internet for information on weight lifting. After reading a few books (heavy duty training to
name one) and getting a taste for reading (hadn't read a book since i was about 10!!) i somehow stumbled across Beyond brawn. This book changed everything i
had come to belive about weight training. It wasn't long till i had brought my own 235kg set of weights and a power rack, abandomed the hell that is
commercial gyms and began training properly. I was still training 3 times a week, but now only 2 of these sesions were hard days, the other one was just for
accsesory excersises, like grip work, rota cuff and calf work. After working hard on my squats for a few months i had built up tp 140kgs for 20 reps,
Although my form was not as good as it is these days (depth wasn't good enough, and my knees caved in) and i had to wear knee wraps because of really bad knee pain(due to bad form), i was still very happy with this achievement.
My deadlift had also gone up to 200kgs for 6 reps with little real effort, and all other lifts were climing just as well. After a over a year of cycling
weights, i'd hit a wall on my deads at 220 for 3, and felt like a change was needed. I had not back squated heavy for around 6/7 months, due to my knee pain,(front squats were my main leg excersise) but after a lot of resting/using resistance bands on my knees, they were fully healed and i was ready for some heavy back sqauting again!!
I liked the look of the madcows intermidiate routine due to the amount of squating, so i gave it a try. Now, i get the immpresion the 5x5 routines are not so
popular here, but for me, they worked well and have played a very important part in my strength gains. I really liked the idea of squating a weight for 3
reps on friday, and then going for the same weight for 5 reps on the following monday. It gave me a chance to feel the weight, and get my body prepared for
the 5 reps to come. After a lot of hard work, i had built up to 182.5kgs for 5 reps in the squat, 225kgs for 5 in the deadlift, 60kgs for 6 reps weighted
dips and 125kg barbbell rows for 5. I think the key to this routine for me was the amount i increased the weights each week. When i hit my target reps, i
would only go up by 1 kg at a time, sometimes less (dips went up 1 pound a week). This made things go along pretty slow, but my body got used to the heavier weights easier that way. But Squating three times a week took it's tole on my body. I had lost over a stone doing this routine, and my body was feeling
pretty batterd. Once again, it was time to change. I dabbled in some more 20 rep squts, building up to 144x20 with no adverse knee pain,good form and no
support gear, and did a lot of 20 rep dealifts I(built up to 190x20) but never really settled on a solid routine. I allso started lifting sandbags and other
awkard objects such as kegs at the end of my regular workout when i had the energy(great fun and allso helps a lot). Right now i'm following Jim Wendlers
5/3/1 method, and so far i'm very happy with the way it's going. My goals are now very clear, and i've set myself a target time to reach them which i feel is
what was lacking in my past training routines.For the first time ever, I'm adding some GPP into my training and i'll be pulling a sled twice a week when it
arrives. (orderd it yesterday, can't wait!!!) My diet has allso got a bit of an overhaul. I'm using the timed carb diet at the mo, and have been slowly
loosing bodyfat, whilst retaining muscle and adding strength (something i thought was impossible until i came across this website). My current best lifts
are, squat 190x1, deadlift 240x1, bench press 140x1, weighted dip 70x1, overhead press 90x1. I have set myself 2 very clear goals for the long term future. First and formost i want to deadlift 300kgs, and second, i want to compete in a strongman competition....and win. I think the key to a sucssefull routine is
to give it time, and work really hard at it! There are no perfect routines, and you only get out of it what you put in. Take your time, don't try to rush and
pile on the weight to soon. :soapbox: