Blonde will make you STRONG

[muckthenuts]

Failed at 120kg deadlifts yesterday! Was starting to wonder when my body would say no to those could be down to Friday night fatigue though, didn't really want to go to the gym last night but forced myself anyway. Grip still a significant issue for me so I really appreciate the tips guys, thanks a lot.

Been thinking about a change in goals. Though 5x5 has treated me well and im way, way stronger im missing the aesthetic satisfaction of the hard work im putting in. I've definitely gotten bigger but not very defined, so might switch and shoot for a more hypertrophy based focus for a bit and see what happens. 90 seconds rest between sets will also be so much more fun than 3 minutes!

[zerofive]

Failed at 120kg deadlifts yesterday! Was starting to wonder when my body would say no to those could be down to Friday night fatigue though, didn't really want to go to the gym last night but forced myself anyway. Grip still a significant issue for me so I really appreciate the tips guys, thanks a lot.

Been thinking about a change in goals. Though 5x5 has treated me well and im way, way stronger im missing the aesthetic satisfaction of the hard work im putting in. I've definitely gotten bigger but not very defined, so might switch and shoot for a more hypertrophy based focus for a bit and see what happens. 90 seconds rest between sets will also be so much more fun than 3 minutes!

Thinking of jumping on this bandwagon for a couple of weeks. I've not been able to give anywhere near 100% to my strength training while on this course. If I get on a heavy hypertrophy program then I can transition back into 5x5 training without scaring the shit out of my CNS haha.

Already way ahead of my yearly targets. Hit a 140kg squat, 120kg bench and 190kg deadlift. Only need to find another 5kg from somewhere to join 1,000lb club! Got 25 pull-ups out of 5 maximal sets the other day as well. Pretty much resigned from dumbbell bench challenge although going to pick them up towards the end of my 5x5 split early next year so we will see how strong I get then.

[EvilPie]

Failed at 120kg deadlifts yesterday! Was starting to wonder when my body would say no to those could be down to Friday night fatigue though, didn't really want to go to the gym last night but forced myself anyway. Grip still a significant issue for me so I really appreciate the tips guys, thanks a lot.

Been thinking about a change in goals. Though 5x5 has treated me well and im way, way stronger im missing the aesthetic satisfaction of the hard work im putting in. I've definitely gotten bigger but not very defined, so might switch and shoot for a more hypertrophy based focus for a bit and see what happens. 90 seconds rest between sets will also be so much more fun than 3 minutes!

The definition is what I always used to gun for and I never went far wrong with pyramid sets between 12 and 8 reps.

Keep it simple, 4 or 5 days at the gym training one body part per day, 4 different exercises, 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps pyramiding up in weight to your 8 rep max.

Give it a go for a few weeks and see how you feel before making any adjustments.

Good luck!!

[EvilPie]

Tale of the tape update.......

5th Aug: Chest - 43", Waist - 35", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 15.75"

12th Aug: Chest - 44.25", Waist - 35.25", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 15.50"

19th Aug: Chest - 45", Waist 35", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 16"

9th September: Chest - 44.75", Waist - 35", Leg - 24", Bicep - 16.25"

18th October: Chest - 44.5", Waist - 35", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 16"

Mid November target....... Chest - 45", Waist - 34", Leg - 24.5", Bicep - 16.5"


Not really seeing anything happening here but really happy to be maintaining the 35" waist. It's only a few weeks to my holiday now so I'm going to have a bit of a push at hitting 34" waist. I won't be doing anything drastic, just cutting down on the lunch time and evening meal carbs/calories by cutting out a pitta at lunch and a pitta + the pasta/rice in the evening.

Will be updating weekly in the run in to the holiday as I aim for something vaguely resembling a 6 pack.

[muckthenuts]

So as i mentioned previously i've decided to go for a change in goals for at least the next 10 weeks. Sean has been an absolute legend and come up with a program for me that should promote hypertrophy while simultaneously addressing some of the muscle imbalances i have. Means i'm spending 5 days a week in the gym and it's going to be pretty intense, but hey that's what we've all signed up for!

Today was my first day and i took Matt's advice of pyramiding up in weight for my exercises, thanks for that. Didn't work as hard as I perhaps could have in the end but did gauge the sort of weights i'll be using to make me hit failure. My muscles were pretty swollen as i walked out, i'm aware it's only blood but pretty satisfying none the less looking forward to tomorrow.

[EvilPie]

Another little boost on the squats.

4 x 8 @ 60kg, 80kg, 90kg & 100kg

Really pleased to hit the 100kg mark for a full set of 8 and it really didn't feel overly difficult. I don't know if I'll go any heavier but I'm pretty sure I could if I wanted to. I think I'll just see how I feel on the day and take it from there.

[muckthenuts]

Another little boost on the squats.

4 x 8 @ 60kg, 80kg, 90kg & 100kg

Really pleased to hit the 100kg mark for a full set of 8 and it really didn't feel overly difficult. I don't know if I'll go any heavier but I'm pretty sure I could if I wanted to. I think I'll just see how I feel on the day and take it from there.

Bloody hell, you did that quick! Great work mate

[muckthenuts]

Anybody heard from iRaise lately? An update is required

[iRaise]

Another little boost on the squats.

4 x 8 @ 60kg, 80kg, 90kg & 100kg

Really pleased to hit the 100kg mark for a full set of 8 and it really didn't feel overly difficult. I don't know if I'll go any heavier but I'm pretty sure I could if I wanted to. I think I'll just see how I feel on the day and take it from there.

Pretty sure deep down I'm really p****ed off you've flew to 100kg so quickly. But will go with m yon the surface reaction and go that's amazingly well done

Due to being battered by migraines I tried some lightweight GVT last week. So never really went to failure on any set, well except squats. Was only 60 but the last set could have been one of my toughest.

In terms of overload it was fairly pointless as I wasn't reaching anywhere near the kg's per session I normally do. But was mentally so happy to do something. 

On holiday until next weds so totally rest until then. Then hopefully some more progress in the 8-12 range. Once I'm migraine free for 4 weeks I want to go back to strength works. 9 days and counting.

Huge effort for the deadlifts. What body weight were you when you tried that?

[muckthenuts]

One major problem with deadlifting heavy whilst having a weak grip is that my hands get absolutely shredded. Holding dumbbells the day after was genuinely very uncomfortable. Tempted to look into gloves but i'm guessing you'll all tell me not to.

[vegaslover]

One major problem with deadlifting heavy whilst having a weak grip is that my hands get absolutely shredded. Holding dumbbells the day after was genuinely very uncomfortable. Tempted to look into gloves but i'm guessing you'll all tell me not to.

I wear them sometimes, if it means you can still lift it's a no brainer imo, but I know others who don't like them.

[EvilPie]

Not got a problem with gloves  but I used to find they didn't help a hell of a lot anyway.

Your grip will get stronger with time and your hands will become tougher as well so eventually it won't bother you.

In the meantime you may just have to man up a bit

[GreekStein]

I like it when my hands go all tough from the gym. Feels nice.

[EvilPie]

Tale of the tape update.......

5th Aug: Chest - 43", Waist - 35", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 15.75"

12th Aug: Chest - 44.25", Waist - 35.25", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 15.50"

19th Aug: Chest - 45", Waist 35", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 16"

9th September: Chest - 44.75", Waist - 35", Leg - 24", Bicep - 16.25"

18th October: Chest - 44.5", Waist - 35", Leg - 23.5", Bicep - 16"

28th October: Chest - 44.75", Waist - 35", Leg 24.25", Bicep - 16.5"

Mid November target....... Chest - 45", Waist - 34", Leg - 24.5", Bicep - 16.5"


Pretty decent development in the last ten days and I don't really know what's caused the improvements. I've done a bit of arm training which explains the biceps but everything else has remained consistent. There's obviously a bit of error margin in taking the measurement so maybe it's that but I'll take it whatever it is. Main thing as always is seeing that the waist is still at 35" which is a good indicator of maintaining the body fat levels.

I've been feeling really good in the gym and keeping my weights at good levels. Hopefully I can see a little bit more improvement in the next couple of weeks before I go away.

I'm going to knock the deadlifts on the head now until after my holiday. The last thing I want is a back twinge before a 12 hour flight so I'm just going to stick with low risk exercises at manageable weights with 8 to 10 rep target range.

I'm cutting down a bit on carbs to see if I can trim a little bit off my waist but overall I'm happy enough as things are to not worry about doing anything drastic. I'll still be enjoying beer and curry tomorrow night that's for sure.

Any updates from anyone else?

[iRaise]

Been in the gym today. Trying out a little 5 week hypertrophy 'blast'.

Plan is

4x15 Primary lift

5x10 Secondary lift

4x10 (single leg/arm)

4x10 (last set D/S) Isolation

4x10 (last set D/S) Isolation

4x10 (last set D/S) Isolation

All weights will stay the same, but adding a rep a week. So last week will be the big 4x20 for my primary lift.

Today I did Squats at 4x15 at 60kg, thought it would be easy and I was so so shocked at the pump/acid build up. Nightmare. But looking forward to it.

Then the diet starts in December. Going to be tough obv over Xmas, but pretty focused to it. It does mean strength training is being knocked back a bit. The plan is to do some on the diet in around Jan. Not sure what number I will be posting, but I am looking for a 200kg deadlift.

Laptop is up and running for the time being, so hopefully will be interacting a bit more.