5x5 training question

[EMW14]

I've never done any powerlifting style training. I'm also not intending to get into ppwerlifting. But I am thinking of trying this type of programming out for a change, for one thing, but also as a means of stimulating growth.

Myou thinking on it is basically that heavier weight = more load/more work, which should equal growth in the end. Right?

So, the question is, what's an appropriate warmup?

I'll use squats for an example. My usual routine goes something like this:

Warmups:

1 empty bar set of 15
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 10

Then I started getting into the "work" sets:
275 x 10
315 x 8
365 x 5 or 6, more if I feel strongly enough
385 x 4 or 5
385 x 4 or 5
365 x 4 or 5
315 x 6 or so, here I'm really paying attention to how my lower back feels and that dictates how much I do.

Then I usually change to a very wide stance, "Sumo squat" style and do:
315 x 5 - 7, again going by feel
275 x 8, same thing. By this time I'm pretty gassed.

My leg workouts usually continues with 3 or 4 sets of heavy leg press followed by stiff leg deadlift.

I recently added barbell hack squats.

So, with all of that info, can any of you with ppwerlifting experience, or at least experience with this kind of training, advise me here? I'm kind of reluctant to go straight from 185 or 225 straight to 385 or 365... What do y'all recommend?

 

[EMW14]

Come on, boys, 26 looks and no response? I know there are atwo least a couple power lifters in the ranks here, and others with power lifting background.

BUMP!

 

[pgb]

here's my take on it, even though i've been a natural my whole life and don't toss around
nearly the kind of weights you all do. as an example, i would do 50 push-ups in youth, now
it's more like 30-35, as a warm up. then i would go to my working set. i may not be the
most knowledgeable about this, but imo i would say go by how you feel after a warm-up
set or two. if you feel like jumping to working set after that and don't have any impediments
holding you back from it, go for it.
as a natural, i often did whole body workouts, and only did 3 or 4 sets progressively heavier.
ie. i would start with 185 deadlift for 6-8 reps, then 235 for 6, 275 for 4-5, finish with 300 for 3.
i realize this is no where near to what you're doing, but as a natural and my particular physical
problems, i was limited to this.
so, i think as long as your muscles are sufficiently warm, you're good to go. then again, i've been a
laborer all my life so starting cold was often how things went.

 

[Iron Game]

When I was powerlifting or even now. After I sufficiently warmed up I would do a couple 2 maybe 3 sets progressing in weight up to my workout weight. The 2-3 set would be very few reps. Going now where near burn or failure jumping by 50 -+ 90 lbs. Just to get a feel for heavier weight. I'm not a big believer in pyramiding weight. I warm up sufficiently, and dive in. My work sets are to failure. I could never do that many warm up sets and get to the weight I would be handling. BUT I have never really injured myself besides some tendonitis type or rotator cuff pain otherwise I may take it slower. My .02

 

[EMW14]

Thanks for the input. The other night I did legs, and went from 225 Warmups straight to 365 for 5 x 5. Which turned out not to be heavy enough, which surprised me. 5 x 5 was pretty easy at that weight. Next time I guess I'll try it again with 385 and see how that feels.

It's funny, I keep thinking I'm going to slowly work back up to 405, which I used to do when I was younger. It seems like I'll be there before I know it if I skip all the "medium heavy" sets.

I never realized how much I burn myself out with the pyramid scheme. OTOH, I feel like it helps me avoid injury by ramping up in smaller increments, feeling the weight each time. Maybe that's just a mental thing.

 

[EMW14]

One more thing: once I get where I can do 5 x 5 of a given exercise, just barely, should I stay there for a couple workouts? Or immediately go heavier, knowing there's no way I'm going to get 5 x 5?

 

[Iron Game]

Once I hit my rep goal I always move up.

 

[EMW14]

OK, thx. Up it is, then, on bench press. Bench Press has always been my weakest exercise...

 

[EMW14]

Just completed another bench press session using this 5x5 protocol. Not that it's strictly bench press; after flat bemch I still do incline db's and decline db's. Anyway, I've gone up in weight every workout and have hit the 5x5 each time. Until today. Today I put 275 on the bar (I started this 5x5 with 255 on flat bench, which is 80% of the max I could do during a typical pyramid style chest workout, 315). I couldn't get the full 5x5. I ended up doing 5, 5, 4, 4, 3. So I'll stay at 275 until I get to the 5x5.

I'm surprised that my strength increased as rapidly as it has. I was barely able to get the full 5x5 at my starting weight of 255, so I didn't expect to increase the weight so much so quickly.

I've also put on a few pounds during this time, having also increased my calories. Not sure if the training or the diet or the combination is responsible. Probably the combination.

In any case, I'm very pleased.

 

[Presser]

I've never done any powerlifting style training. I'm also not intending to get into ppwerlifting. But I am thinking of trying this type of programming out for a change, for one thing, but also as a means of stimulating growth.

Myou thinking on it is basically that heavier weight = more load/more work, which should equal growth in the end. Right?

So, the question is, what's an appropriate warmup?

I'll use squats for an example. My usual routine goes something like this:

Warmups:

1 empty bar set of 15
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 10

Then I started getting into the "work" sets:
275 x 10
315 x 8
365 x 5 or 6, more if I feel strongly enough
385 x 4 or 5
385 x 4 or 5
365 x 4 or 5
315 x 6 or so, here I'm really paying attention to how my lower back feels and that dictates how much I do.

Then I usually change to a very wide stance, "Sumo squat" style and do:
315 x 5 - 7, again going by feel
275 x 8, same thing. By this time I'm pretty gassed.

My leg workouts usually continues with 3 or 4 sets of heavy leg press followed by stiff leg deadlift.

I recently added barbell hack squats.

So, with all of that info, can any of you with ppwerlifting experience, or at least experience with this kind of training, advise me here? I'm kind of reluctant to go straight from 185 or 225 straight to 385 or 365... What do y'all recommend?

I use to compete in powerlifting before BBING and YES! YES! HELL YES!!! You will stimulate more growth with the heavier weight using a more traditional powerlifting routine. As for me example BP, I would warm up with the same weight for two sets, 225lbs for 2 sets of 20, and if you werent warmed up by then too bad lol, and then start our routine, but we would do a bunch of triple reps, double reps and single reps with heavy weight, always with a spotter/ training partner! And NEVER EVER have them lift the bar off for you! Always wanna feel that shit from the getty up!

Anyways, thats how i use to do it with my buddies who also did powerlifting meets as we had a little team from our gym which was cool and fun as hell!

I think your going to hit a growth spurt brutha if you start doing a powerlifting routine for a while

 

[EMW14]

A growth spurt is definitely the aim! I want to add 10 or 15 solid lbs.

I just got bloodwork done for my TRT doc, which means my test level has been pretty low for a month and in spite of that I've gained 5 lbs and gotten stronger. I'll be ramping my test dosage up a little - not real high, because I get limp dick side effects above 180 mg a week. Which is definitely not estrogen related. I may experiment with an anti prolactin and see what that does for me. Anyway, if I can get the limp dick issue sorted out I'll go higher. I'm also going to add in IGF-1, which I have a supply of.

Between the increased calories, the change up in training, and the dosing increase + igf-1, I think I should be able to put on at least 10 to 15 lbs in the next 6 months.

 

[Presser]

A growth spurt is definitely the aim! I want to add 10 or 15 solid lbs.

I just got bloodwork done for my TRT doc, which means my test level has been pretty low for a month and in spite of that I've gained 5 lbs and gotten stronger. I'll be ramping my test dosage up a little - not real high, because I get limp dick side effects above 180 mg a week. Which is definitely not estrogen related. I may experiment with an anti prolactin and see what that does for me. Anyway, if I can get the limp dick issue sorted out I'll go higher. I'm also going to add in IGF-1, which I have a supply of.

Between the increased calories, the change up in training, and the dosing increase + igf-1, I think I should be able to put on at least 10 to 15 lbs in the next 6 months.

still going strong brutha? or hit any obstacles be it physical , mental or life BS? Hope your still hitting it hard and on pace for the 10-15lbs

 

[EMW14]

Hey, Presser, check out my thread "new growth push" in the steroids forum for updates. I thought that would be a better place for a log, though right here probably would have been just fine.

Bottom line is, I'm up 10 lbs from before I went on vacation over the summer. Strength and weight definitely going p slowly but steadily.

The obstacle is, I'm having a HELL of a time getting back to the "sweet spot" with my TRT after dropping down to 140/week which is where my doc likes to see me. Again, see the thread above for details, but I don't have it sorted out yet, still having my main side effect, which is essentially dwca dick, but not from deca!

I've tried varying estrogen and now prolactin and none of that solves it. When all is well, my T level will be at about 1400 and E at around 80 - at least that's where it was last time when things were working perfectly. And while I know what the dose was at that time, I can't just go straight to that dose and be ok. For some reason the change in hormone level fucks things up, and I haven't been able to figure out exactly what the culprit is. So, I'm slowly sneaking up on the dose, increasing at 10 mg a week (which is hard to get exactly right, since 0.1 ml = 20 mg and that's the smallest resolution on my syringes). I'm also slowly backing down the dose of Anti-P. I plan to ditch that completely but don't want to just stop it for fear of prolactin rebounding.

There you have it, that's most of the details, as far as the major obstacle goes.