CharonRower's ICF 5x5 Log - Yes, I'm 6'2'' and 156 lbs

[CharonRower]

Squats - 87,5x5x5 - A few reps perhabs not as deep as usual, but still slightly below parallel. Fixed some shakiness and I am embracing my core better now.
Bench - 60x3, 55x4x5 - That sucks. Bench is progressing very slowly. Reset to 52,5.
BOR - 62,5x5x5 - I really hate rows. I want to do chin ups instead for 5x5 and add weight, but its not in the routine.
Shrugs - 100x3x8
Skullcrushers - 27,5x3x8
Incline Curls - 12x3x12
Hyperextensions - 25x8, 20x10
Weighted Decline Crunches - 7,5x3x8

Some Feels:
I will stop focusing much on the accesory work. I think me going HAM on every excersize and trying to progress on everything simultanoisly could contribute to stalls, so Im not going to max out accersory work anymore.
Squats are feeling better, finaly getting the foot placement right by heart (almost).
I wanted to do some chinups, but my biceps were smashed after 12-rep set curls. I never do 12 reps on anything, so I was quite sore.
Even though my strenght is not progressing as fast as some, I feel like Im starting to look a lot better with a bit of weight on me. Also checked, and according to my excel chart, I have gained an average of 300g or 2/3 lbs pr. week. Im almost at the 4 month mark of my bulk.

Some Eats:
- Chocolate and caramel fiber icecream with crushed cashew nuts and caramel sauce.
- A pulled turkey burger, a hamburger, some salad and some garlic potato wedges with ketchup.
- Chocolate and caramel fiber icecream with honey cheerios, a bun with butter and one with chicken, a pulled turkey burger and 3 pieces of rhybread, one with salmon, 2 with a pork spread.
- A bun with butter and ham, a pulled turkey burger and 2 pieces of rhybread with a pork spread, salad and some garlic potato wedges with ketchup.
- A steak with potatoes, bernaise sauce and salat with generous seasoning.

Squats Today (they don't look deep from that angle, but you can tell by the reflection in the mirror that they are past parallel):


Song For The Ladies:

[CharonRower]

30/9 - Off Day
Ran 7,51 km in 45 mins with a pulse of 132 (65%)
3 sets of planks with 40kg on my back for 30 seconds
Did one set of deadlifts with 60kg to practice technique and get a video of my deadlift with lightweight.

[CharonRower]

Squats - 90x3, 85x2x5, 85x4, 82,5x5 - Had to drop it on the first set, got some marks all over my back (no safety pins) which hurt. Same on fourth set. Guessing I was not hitting proper depth last time.
Deadlift - 90x1x5
Press - 40x3x5, 40x4, 37,5x5
BOR - 55x5x5
CGBP - 50x2x8, 50x1x6 - Changed grip back to my old grip
Barbell Curls - 32,5x2x8, 32,5x7 - Had my back in it a bit more than I like to admit.
Weighted Decline Crunches - 5x3x10

Went to a different gym today so maybe their plates are heavier or some chit. Stuck on OHP sucks (I went for 42,5 but I got through 3 reps and was almost at failure already). Thinking it might be related to me changing the grip on CGBP, so I decided to switch it back.
Wondering if the platues are due to the LISS cardio I do on the off days. Jason says that if you can do it for 45 mins it is LISS, and I run for 45 mins (7,5km). The strenght regression from adding cardio should be over, since I have been running for close to 2 months. And yes, I am eating the calories back, Im not a dumbass.
Anyway, poverty workout tbh, was hot as phuck in the other gym, went through 1,5L of water. Also got into the gym rather late so was kind of hungry and didnt sleep very well. Probably a combo of all of the above.

[CharonRower]

2/10 - Off Day
Ran 8,01 km in 48 mins.

[CharonRower]

Average Weight This Week: 75,62 kg
Average Kcal This Week: 3350 kcal/day

Squats - 90x4, 85x5, 85x5, 85x4, 82,5x5
Bench - 52,5x5x5
BOR - 65x5x5 - Doing a little swing to start the weight for inertia and making the movement less awkward
Shrugs - 100x6, 80x2x10 - Shoulders hurt a bit from dropping the bar on squats
Skullcrushers - 27,5x3x8
Incline Curl (4) - 14x3x7
Hyperextensions - 20x2x8
Weighted Decline Crunches - 7,5x3x8

I seem to have more bad workouts than good ones lately. It's not a motivation problem, I just do not have the drive in the gym. Maybe I'm getting bored of the routine, or maybe it is because the squats are getting heavy, or maybe it is too much LISS on the off days, idk.
Anyways, Im off drinking, sorry for the short post.

Squats Today:

Yes this is going to be a problem when the weight gets heavy.

[LeanAsFuark]

Average Weight This Week: 75,62 kg
Average Kcal This Week: 3300 kcal/day

Squats - 90x4, 85x5, 85x5, 85x4, 82,5x5
Bench - 52,5x5x5
BOR - 65x5x5 - Doing a little swing to start the weight for inertia and making the movement less awkward
Shrugs - 100x6, 80x2x10 - Shoulders hurt a bit from dropping the bar on squats
Skullcrushers - 27,5x3x8
Incline Curl (4) - 14x3x7
Hyperextensions - 20x2x8
Weighted Decline Crunches - 7,5x3x8

I seem to have more bad workouts than good ones lately. It's not a motivation problem, I just do not have the drive in the gym. Maybe I'm getting bored of the routine, or maybe it is because the squats are getting heavy, or maybe it is too much LISS on the off days, idk.
Anyways, Im off drinking, sorry for the short post.

Dit squat overhaler snart mit

[CharonRower]

Dit squat overhaler snart mit

Haha, man har da lov at håbe. Glæder mig til snart at ramme de 2 plader :#

[CharonRower]

4/10 - Off Day
Ran 10 km in 59 minutes with a heart rate of 134 (65%).

[CharonRower]

Squats - 80x5x5
Deadlift - 92,5x1x5
Press - 35x5x5 - dropped 2,5 more than intended due not even getting 40x5x5 last time for some reason.
BOR - 57,5x5x5
CGBP - 50x3x8 - increasing weight next time on this
Barbell Curls - 32,5x3x8
Weighted Decline Crunches - 7,5x3x8

Considering making some changes to the program, and running it like this instead (so will be doing my own 5x5):
Workout A
Squats 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
BOR 5x5
Skullcrushers 3x8
Barbell Curls 3x8
Weighted Planks/Weighted Decline Crunches

Workout B
Squats 5x5
Deadlift 2x5 (first set at 75% of working weight)
OHP 5x5
Chin Ups 3x5-8
CGBP 3x8
Barbell Curls 3x8
Weighted Planks/Weighted Decline Crunches

[CharonRower]

7/10 - Off Day
Ran 7,5 km in 47 mins (bad terrain and windy, so got slowed a bit).
Really considering upping kcals and running the 5x5 like I posted yesterday. Also going to focus more on making the cardio less intense, as my route today had quite a few hills, and I dont need that phucking with my recovery for squats.

[CharonRower]

Squats - 82,5x5x5 - Did it in shoes with lifted heel. Could go deeper easier. Will continue.
Bench - 55x5x5
BOR - 60x5x5 - I tried 67,5, but I was swining the weight waaaaaaay too much and I was not happy with it. Decided to drop it and do strict.
Incline Curls - 14x3x8

Skipped other accesories due to being tired and depressed. I will cut out 2 LISS sessions, do the program I wrote and keep my calories the same. I will still run once a week, on Saturdays. Aiming to gain 3 lbs pr month now, or 1,33kg.

Rows Today:


Squats Today:

[CharonRower]

9/10 - Off Day
Ran 5k in 30 mins. Had to due to a fitness test in school (also why I have been running previously). Going to cut the running down a lot next week. If. I start gaining too fast, I dont have a problem lowering calories, after having upped my fats to 100g pr day again, Im not as hungry all the time as previously.

[CharonRower]

Squats - 85x5x5
Deadlift - 95x1x5
Press - 37,5x5x5
Chin Ups - bwx6, bwx6, bwx5
CGBP - 50x2x8, 50x1x7
Barbell Curls - 32,5x1x8, 32,5x1x7, 30x1x8 - Tired from Chin Ups
Weighted Decline Crunches - 7,5x3x8

Not sure what I will do with diet/excersise/rows next week. Think I will reset rows totally and do pendlays. Have a week off from school, so wont be walking 20 km pr. week anymore (only 9). Think I will keep kcals at 3300 and do 30 mins of cardio after lifting, maybe some walks on off days if Im really bored, and one long run on saturdays as usual.

[CharonRower]

Average Weight Last Week: 75,43
Average Kcal Last Week: 3521 kcal/day

Squats 87,5 - 5, 5, 5, 3 - 80 - 5
Bench 57,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 4
BOR 50 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Skullcrushers 25 - 8, 8, 4
Barbell Curls 32,5 - 8 - 30 - 8, 8

Another ****ty workout. I dont know what the hell is going on anymore.. Im gaining weight, stretching, checking form, and I still plateau. I really hope this sorts it self out as Im cutting down my running to once pr. week. I did lose weight in comparison to last week though, which is really odd, but in the grand scheme I am gaining. I hope the extra recovery from less running and the bit of a calorie boost it gives me will help break through this ****, because Im feeling really burned out. Maybe it is because I dropped carbs back a bit in favor of more fat. I have been getting around 30% from fat the past few days, I will be more strict on my diet and keep it at 25%.
Really did not like my bench today, felt way too much like tng when Im trying to do semi-pause, but I just didnt care when I was at the gym. How do you differentiate between good enough form to up a weight and failing a weight if your form turns to ****?

BOR:


Squats:


Deadlift:


Bench:

[CharonRower]

Squats 87,5 - 5, 4 - 82,5 - 5, 5, 5 - 4th rep on second set was a grinder, and I was not taking another phucking set of squats to failure. Phuck that, I cant bring myself to do that 2x a week anymore.. So I just racked it and dropped the weight. Resetting to 77,5.
Deadlift 97,5 - 5 - Dont think my back rounded a lot.
Press 40 - 4 - 37,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5 - The phuck, a stall earlier than last time?
Chin Ups BW - 5, 5, 4
CGBP 50 - 6, 6, 6 - Seriously, what the phuck
Barbell Curls 30 - 8, 8, 8

Some feels:
Im really starting to dislike going to the gym. Squatting heavy 3x a week is one thing, but not seeing progress from it just really demotivates the phuck out of me. I've been unsure whether or not Im gaining weight these past few weeks because water fluctuations have been all over the place, but given that my strenght actually seems to be regressing, Im going to assume not, so Im not going to feel bad about quitting the running and keeping calories the same. I want to get stronger and not feel buried in the gym.
Also my ipad (I use it to record squats to check depth/form) fell over on my third set and the screen broke. Seriously, phuck my life.

[CharonRower]

Squats 77,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Bench 57,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 - Last rep was a grind. Think I need some microplates.
BOR 52,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 - Actually feel these in my upper back now. Pulling from the elbow is a great mental que.
Barbell Curls 32,5 - 8, 7 - 30 - 8

[Sponge19]

Squats 77,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Bench 57,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 - Last rep was a grind. Think I need some microplates.
BOR 52,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 - Actually feel these in my upper back now. Pulling from the elbow is a great mental que.
Barbell Curls 32,5 - 8, 7 - 30 - 8

Our lifts are remarkably similar mate, in fact I squatted the same as you today. Had my A day too, but your bench and row are a bit higher, it was just the squat that caught my attention.

You could always add reps to improve your bench. 5x5 - 5x6 - add weight and restart is working well for my overhead so I'll probably try it for bench too. Keep it up man, our numbers are really close!

[CharonRower]

Our lifts are remarkably similar mate, in fact I squatted the same as you today. Had my A day too, but your bench and row are a bit higher, it was just the squat that caught my attention.

You could always add reps to improve your bench. 5x5 - 5x6 - add weight and restart is working well for my overhead so I'll probably try it for bench too. Keep it up man, our numbers are really close!

I just reset the squat, that is probably why! Might try adding a rep instead of adding weight if I dont get some microplates soon. Cheers, and let me know if you start a log!

[CharonRower]

Squats 80 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Deadlift 100 - 5
Press 40 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Chin Ups BW - 6, 5, 5
CGBP 50 - 10, 10, 8
Barbell Curls 30 - 8, 8, 8
Weighted Crunches 5 - 10, 10, 10

Back in regular gym, everything felt much lighter. Something is not calibrated right at one of my gyms, Im certain of it. Also sick today so something is def. up.

[Fattgott]

In. Good luck bro!

Something is not calibrated right at one of my gyms, Im certain of it.

Damn lmao I feel the same, our gym has normal eleiko barbells, then it has one that feels so much heavier and its knurling is exaggerated but it says 20kg on it. We also have 2 different brands of plates. Sometimes I'm not sure if I had a bad workout or the plates are heavier than the last ones.

[CharonRower]

Squats 82,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 4
Bench 60 - 4 57,5 - 5, 5, 4, 5
BOR 55 - 4 - 52,5 - 5 (not happy with form) 50 - 5, 5, 5
Barbell Curls 30 - 8, 8, 8

Still sick, and also another gym. Was very tired (still hit a pr on bench though, which is nice).

[CharonRower]

Average Weight This Week: 76,6 (up 1,1 kilo) - Been eating late, eating more, and not drinking enough water, so probably a fair amount of water weight.
Average Kcal This Week: 3556 kcal/day (only 1 cardio session, which was today (10k run), but been walking a lot).

Squats 82,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Deadlift 102,5 - 5 - Slight back rounding on the last rep. Think I will repeat as to nip this in the butt once and for all.
Press 42,5 - 3 - 40 - 5, 5, 4, 5
Chin Ups - 5, 7, 5
CGBP 52,5 - 6, 6, 6

Had to get up early all week, so my sleep has not been optimal. Also have a cold, so I think my strenght is down a bit.

[CharonRower]

Squats 85 - 5, 5, 5, 4, 4 - Felt like my last rep on the first three sets were too high. I find it hard not to cheat to get the weight, but I really try not to. Will repeat the weight.
Bench 60 - 5, 5, 5, 4, 4 - 1 plate yay.. But failed 5x5 again, so will have to drop the weight. Im considering not doing so because I failed last week because of being sick, so not sure if that counts.
BOR 55 - 3,5 - 50 - 5, 5, 5, 5 - Meh. Reducing to 47,5.
Incline Curls 14 - 10, 10
Barbell Curls 32,5 - 7
Weighted Crunches 5 - 10

Stepped on the scale 170 lbs today. I think it is mostly water since I dont seem to be getting much stronger, so I will keep the calories as high as I have the past few weeks.

[Blade96]

these food pics<3

[Blade96]

Squats 85 - 5, 5, 5, 4, 4 - Felt like my last rep on the first three sets were too high. I find it hard not to cheat to get the weight, but I really try not to. Will repeat the weight.
Bench 60 - 5, 5, 5, 4, 4 - 1 plate yay.. But failed 5x5 again, so will have to drop the weight. Im considering not doing so because I failed last week because of being sick, so not sure if that counts.
BOR 55 - 3,5 - 50 - 5, 5, 5, 5 - Meh. Reducing to 47,5.
Incline Curls 14 - 10, 10
Barbell Curls 32,5 - 7
Weighted Crunches 5 - 10

Stepped on the scale 170 lbs today. I think it is mostly water since I dont seem to be getting much stronger, so I will keep the calories as high as I have the past few weeks.

idk about u but I stay on the same weight for a maximum of 5 times before deloading. u been on 60kg just twice? and u was just 2 reps off 2nd time on bench?? id stick to same weight

[CharonRower]

idk about u but I stay on the same weight for a maximum of 5 times before deloading. u been on 60kg just twice? and u was just 2 reps off 2nd time on bench?? id stick to same weight

Well, ICF says you stay on a weight twice, stronglifts says 3 times. Tbh I like stronglifts approach better, and since I would really clasify what I am doing at the momemt as "Stronglifts with arm work and an occasoinal set of crunches", I think I will give the bench another go. Btw, sorry for no food pics, just couldnt be bothered lately (and I eat a lot of the same chit).

[CharonRower]

Squats 85 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Deadlift 105 - 5 - Lower back rounded too much. Repeating.
Press 42,5 - 4, 4 - 40 - 4, 5, 5
Chin Ups BW - 7, 5, 5
CGBP 50 - 10 - 52,5 - 7

Squats Today:


Not sure I hit proper depth on all reps. Anyone think Im squatting high here?

[CharonRower]

Squats 87,5 - 5, 3 - 80 - 5, 5, 5
Bench 60 - 4 - 52,5 - 5, 5, 8, 9
BOR 47,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Incline Curls 16 - 6 - 14 - 10, 8

[CharonRower]

Squats 87,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Deadlift 105 - 5
Press 42,5 - 4 - 40 - 5, 5, 4, 4 - Reducing to 37,5
Chin Ups BW - 6, 6, 5
CGBP 50 - 9, 9, 6

Squats and deads:



Eats:
- Over 1 kg of food. Phuck yes.
- Drumsticks, rice and bernaise sauce.
- Pulled Turkey brugers with garlic fries and coleslaw.

[CharonRower]

Squats 90 - 5, 4 - 85 -5, 5, 5
Bench 52,5 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Row 50 - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Barbell Curls 30 - 10, 8, 8