EasyStreets 5x5 For Strength

[EasyStreets]

Hit back today. Pretty good day and Im still sticking with the Max-OT approach. Did 3 sets of 4 reps on deadlifts with a couple of secondary movements for the lats. I absolutely love back days. I know that a lot of people enjoy the early morning workouts but I have to say that Im usually more motivated to push just before work. Once I got warmed up I jumped my weight up for deadlifts. My previous best was 455x5x5 on deads. Today I bumped up my weight to 505#. I got all 3 sets at 4 repetitions. Pretty mean workout and my form suffered quite a bit. I took video and I could see that Im not dropping my hips quite enough and Im using way too much back. I definately attribute this to the amount of weight Im lifting. My form gets a bit sloppy when Im going real heavy. Ill work on that next week. I also got some pics of myself. Not the greatest but oh well......

Todays workout included

Deadlift (straps,belt)
505x4
505x4
505x4

Took long breaks today between 2 and 3 minutes between sets on these.

Wide Grip Pulldowns 2x6
Close Grip Pulldowns 2x6
Barbell Rows 2x6

Going for max effort on everything so ultimate positive failure. I have to say that Im very pleased with my progress over the past 1-1/4 years Ive been back at it. Maybe by this time next year Ill be repping in the 600# range. :0

http://youtu.be/cuA1pwVdSu8

[Jtbny]

Still waiting on the progress pics and macros ...

Nice deadlifts! You are a beast!

[EasyStreets]

OK Jt....youre the man on macs so please crytique. Im pretty predictable on my daily intake. I shop for and eat the same foods almost daily. I add casein powder at night on lifting days but thats pretty much the only difference. I lift 5 days a week these days. Below is an average day and how it breaks down.

0815 Breakfast> 4cooked egg whites/1 whole cooked egg (scramble)/2 packs instant oatmeal in water
0915 Workout
1030 Post Workout>2 scoops whey protein/1 scoop glyco maize
1300 Lunch>1 medium sweet potatoe (baked with splenda,nutmeg, &cinammon)/10oz chuck steak
1600 Snack>1 scoop whey protein in water
1800 Dinner>1 serving whole wheat pasta,1 large chicken breast cooked in olive oil,pepper and onions
2130 Snack>1 scoop casein protein powder

Im also accounting for fish oil. I subsitute meals a bit but for the most part they stay the same. Ill use brown rice in place of the pasta, broccoli with cheese to replace the sweet potatoe here and there and once in a while some tilapia in the afternoon. Cottage cheese once in a while as well.

Yesterdays calories where measured at 2752 of a targeted 2810...ive lowered these a bit as Ive put on a few pounds.

Carbohydrates=149g
Proteins=236g
Fats=130g
Fiber=14g

Chicken has gotten so boring for me I almost have to cook it up with something. When the weather breaks a bit Ill be firing up the grill for my steaks and chicken ala chiavetas :P. I usually cook up enough steak, chicken, pasta, and rice to last a week.

I really have to be close on my macros because I gain weight like a bear. I didnt track for a week and gained 6 lbs a couple back so Im usually very wary of this.

Ill have pics up tomorrow. Working on a Dec 2010--->now comparison.

[EasyStreets]

Today I did an idependant arm workout. I would love to build some mass in my tris and bis but Ive bever been a big gainer there. Low reps and high weight today...heres how it went.

Close grip bench
265x5
265x5
265x5

Cable pressdowns
230x6
230x6
230x6

BTN Dumbell Press
100x6
100x5
The gym needs bigger dbs....im maxed out!

Barbell Curls
135x6
135x5
135x5

Preacher curls (cable)
135x6
135x6
135x5

Inclined Dumbell Hammer Curls
45x7
45x6

What can I say about this...felt good but it WAS an arm day. Ill be getting in some cardio tomorrow and back at the legs on monday morning.

[Jtbny]

The first question is what is your goal? Maintain, lose weight or gain weight? I'm guessing you are trying to lose weight as your calorie target of 2800 would be low for you. Have you figured your maintaince yet? Also, how are you tracking? I personally use myfitness pal on my iPhone and iPad. One last question do you actually weigh your food?

May sound stupid but eyeballing when trying to drop lbs will not work. A quick example is take a serving of almonds...1 serving per the bag says 24 almonds ( 28grams ). So I tested this a few times...24 nuts went anywhere from 28 grams to 37 grams. So you could be off 30 or so calories using the 24 nut serving and not weighing them. Doesn't sound like much but say you do it's through out the day...now it's 200-300 calories a day extra you havent accounted for. If you are running a 300-500 calorie deficit then you wont see much of anything on the scale.

One last thing. It really doesn't matter what you eat..dieting doesn't have to be prison. When you get a really good handle on your diet and macros you can manipulate your diet to reach your target macros and still eat what you like. If you do use myfitness pal friend me. Same name as here. If you saw my diet on some days you would be surprised I lose weight at all.

[Jtbny]

Oh and as for your macros you posted ( assuming you are weighing your food and are as accurate as you can be ) they look ok. IMO you could up your protein and lower your fats or carbs ( I would lower the fats a bit as you should target .5 gram per pound ). Also, IMO the fiber is low. That is probably because you are using protein powder instead of real food. Remember fiber subtracts from your carb number.

One last thing I wanted to mention. If you like eating multiple meals a day then stick with it. Just know that meal timing is irrelevant. Personally I do not eat until about 4pm everyday, and my last meal is at about 9-10 pm. Taking casein before bed is not important either, more of a marketing idea developed by supplement companies to sell more protein. Check out leangains.com if you want to read up on this.

[EasyStreets]

Thanks JB. I use Calorie Counter Pro on my IPhone to track. I guess that my main goal is to not be in too much of a calorie deficit as to limit strength gains. 500 a day is plenty imo. I dont need to loose more than 1 pound per week. Even a half pound is fine. I find that I am a bit carb sensitive so my fat is up a bit and I know my fiber is low. The sweet potatoes help quite a bit with that and I will supplement with metamucil from time to time as well. My main goal is strenght gains atm but I would like to loose a minimal amount each week so staying close is critical. The number Im using seems to be extremely close to a 500 cal def. Ive had to adjust this number quite a bit over the past year obviously.

I dont weigh my food and I know that I should. I actually used the uncooked weight for pre-packaged meats and I know I loose some weight there after cooking. I probably should consider buying a scale but....

I dont do a lot of cardio so these numbers seem to be pretty close.

I guess I came off like I hated the foods I eat but thats not really the case. I love breakfast...I have a ton of love for eggs and oatmeal...and what can I say about steak...yuum. The chicken thing is just a problem because Ive never been a real big bird lover but chicken is just so perfect that I cant avoid it.

When Im on this diet and stick to it, I usually see between 1 to 2 lbs of loss each week. Id say thats about perfect if not a bit excessive considering my current goals. I would love to see 230 by the end of summer but not at the expense of strength gains.

Thanks for the help man.

Ill try to tighten it up a tad and see where it lands me. Next payday Ill probably buy a good scale .

[Jtbny]

I got my scale at Walmart. Wasnt expensive at all. I also have tea and table spoons I use to measure things like peanut butter. That way im not guessing. With all the hard work you are putting in under the iron if you apply that to your calorie and macros you will be shocked at your progress. Take a look at induced drag. He advocates tracking and weighing and his results speak volumes of the importance.

My goals are alittle different then yours as I'm not worried about losing strength during my diet. I find it real hard to be a slave to two masters ( lose weight while building muscle ). I'm dropping down to the very low 200s and then bulking slow again...rinse and repeat until I like looking at myself in the mirror

[EasyStreets]

My goals are alittle different then yours as I'm not worried about losing strength during my diet. I find it real hard to be a slave to two masters ( lose weight while building muscle )

Oh yeah man...dont get me wrong here. Im under no dillusions that it is easy to do both. Thats why Im tryng to keep my calories so close. I guess more than anything else, I just dont want to GAIN too much weight right now. I started at about 318lbs and lost most of it using an atkins approach. Of course I did it like most people without educating myself first but I will say that it worked and I guess thats what matters. Now after seeing some good if not great gains (for me) in the gym, I have adjusted my diet to include a more balanced approach. Obviously without the carbs I wouldnt have the steam to do some of these workouts. I hit the gym while in ketosis and there where days that I had nothing in the tank. Youre absolutely right about tracking. I know what is "good" for my body but Im still new to tracking. Ive only been doing it for about 7 or 8 months now. I get sloppy sometimes but when I see it in the scales I tighten up again. Like you said, most of my feedback comes from my bathroom mirror and how I feel exiting the gym.

BTW...on the topic of the casein....It cant be denied that casein protein is a slower synthesizing protein. Not to disagree but why wouldnt casein powder or cottage cheese be a good source before lights out? Seems logical that if my body is attempting to repair while I sleep it would be beneficial? You may be right. Just wondered what your thoughts where on that.

[Jtbny]

There are many threads here on the subject of casein before bed...here is one I found

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...ght=Casein+bed

Read what Alan Aragon wrote in response to the question. Again IMO and many others the use of casein before bed is just another way for supp companies to sell you more product.

One last thing, and this rule could apply to much of the bs you hear :

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=123915821

Edit to say, take this with a grain of salt. I'm not in the industry. I just read a lot on the subject and from what I have read the research doesn't support the importance of casein before bed IF you meet your macros throughout the day.

[EasyStreets]

Thanks for the links...something to research while bored at work tonight .

[EasyStreets]

Today was a leg day and Im working a double. So I was in at 0615 to workout and Ill be done at midnight tonight. Tomorrow Im scheduled for more OT so Ill be in at 0615 once again for chest. Legs where a bit uneventful today as Im still working on depth and holding at 455lbs. Kept my workout short for obvious reasons....

Squat
455x5
455x4
455x4

Worked on form and a slow, deep, downward movement. Got these somewhat easily.

Secondary today was straight legged deads.

SLDs
225x10
225x8
225x8

Good day overall and I feel pretty good right now. Quads are a bit sore already. Cant wait for tomorrow :P.

[EasyStreets]

Chest today. Pretty short workout due to a 16 hour work day once again. I was back in the gym this morning at 0615 before work. Sticking to the heavy weight at low reps (4-6). Went something like this....

Bench Press
340x6
345x5
345x5

Inclined Barbell Press
265x6
265x5

Declined Dumbell Flyes
180x5
180x5

Pec Dec
6 plates x 10

Chest Dips
failure x 1

Pretty short but sweet. Felt really good on my flat bench today. Still gaining strength. Im back on for another 16 hours of work tomorrow but its an off day for the lifting. Thursday will be a shoulder day and a day off of work...thank GOD!

[EasyStreets]

Im 2 days behind on my logs so here is thursday and fridays combined. Ive managed to work a combined 96 hours since last Friday so Im a bit burnt out. I hit my workouts before work and thursday and friday went a little like this....

Thursday (shoulders)

Arnold Press
180x6
180x5
180x5

Seated Side Raises
120x6
120x6
120x6

Front Raise
40x6
40x6

Face Pulls
6

Shrugs (shrug bar)
315x6
315x6
315x6

Friday (Back)
Deadlift
510x4
510x4
510x4

Wide Grip Pulldowns
stackx6
stackx6

Close Grip Pulldowns
stackx6
stackx6

Dumbell Rows
90x6
90x6

Seated Rows (cable)
275x6

Overall was a lackluster week imo. Didnt feel great all week but didnt feel terrible either. Guess I could have done with a little more sleep. Tomorrow Im going skeet shooting and then a poker tourny to follow. Should be a good time. Been meaning to get progress pics up but havent had the time. Probably Sunday. Next week Ill be looking to up the intensity and hopefuly get some new bests. Im going to get in some arm work tomorrow but I dont think Ill bother with the logging on that one. Until legs on Monday......

[EasyStreets]

Off day today and I feel soo refreshed I cant even begin to describe it. I feel like a new man. Im only working 8 hours tonight from 4 to midnight and the same tomorrow. I took yesterday off and went out with a bunch of friends from our surrounding departments. Had a BBQ at noon followed by a trap shoot comp at 2pm. Had a blast. Shot trap for about 4 hours followed by some time at the range. Shot every weapon known to man and thousands of rounds before heading to a poker tourny. Won a good amount of money and finally retired around midnight. Being able to take a day off from work and actually have some fun can really rejuvinate a person. I feel terrific and cant wait til tomorrow.

Yesterday I hit the gym for an arm workout at around 10am. I cant say much more about it other than I hit triceps and biceps and I missed the heavy movements I get on other days.

Im also excited because tomorrow I get a new lifting partner. He made one day with me about 3 weeks ago and hurt his back but hes gonna give it a go again tomorrow. He seems very motivated to try the program Im currently on so it should work out nicely. Having a dedicated partner always helps when lifting as heavy as I am.

I am adjusting my routine a tad and lifting chest tomorrow instead of legs. My reason for this is that I want to test his back a tad before jumping right into an extreme leg day that will definately tax his lower back. Hes a lot younger than me (11years) so it should be interesting to see if he can hang. Im feeling good, looking better, and highly motivated atm. Cant wait til tomorrow.

I WILL get progress pics up tomorrow at some point. I entered the civil servants body trans challenge and joined the bodygroup this week for kicks. Just a little added motivation I guess....not a primary goal.

[EasyStreets]

Monday was chest day. Best chest workout I can remember. Went like this....

Flat Barbell Bench
340x6
345x5
345x5

Inclined Barbell Bench
255x7
260x6

Declined Dumbell Flyes
100sx6
100sx6

Chest Dips
1x6

....and thats it. Felt extremely strong today. I was surprised at how easily I pressed 340. In fact I almost locked out at 7th rep but needed assistance. Bumped it up to 345 and even that went pretty easy. Almost locked 6 on my second set. Went up big on inclines as well.

Tomorrow is leg day. Cant wait to set new highs on squats.

Hope to get in progress pics. Long overdue.

[Jtbny]

Waiting for progress pics

[EasyStreets]

Waiting for progress pics

I know I know....I feel strange asking someone to photo me from my phone in spandex even my wife and my digital camera is screwed . Ill get them up tonight one way or another. Ive picked up female hygene products for her before damn it! I shouldnt be embarassed to ask right?!

If nothing else Ill get some in front of the gym mirror I guess.

[EasyStreets]

Best I can do for a progress picture at the moment. I have love handles

[EasyStreets]

Tuesday was legs day and I only really did 2 lifts. My partner actually showed but wasnt here today.

Squats
410x6
455x6
505x4

Stiff Legged Deads
245x8
245x8

[EasyStreets]

Today was shoulders. As stated above, my workout partner didnt show even after picking the time. Maybe his legs where too sore to get out of bed. Regardless....I at least made the effort.

As a change of pace I decided to insert the overhead Press or Press if you will. Im doing these standing and Im already in love with them....decided to start light but I found my 4-6 mark quickly...


Standing Overhead Barbell Press (Press)
155x6
175x5
185x5

Seated Side Laterals
50x6
50x6

Face Pulls
135x10
135x10

Trap Bar Shrugs
315x10
315x10

Good day overall and Im still gaining. Tomorrow is back day and Ill be shooting for a 520lb deadlift. However, if my partner does join me Ill be doing deads in the trap bar this week and next followed by 2 weeks sumo, and then standard from then on. I want him to go easy on his lower back to start and to put more emphasis on his legs and hips....but well see if he shows first .

[Jtbny]

Im with ya on the standing OHP. I love them and will be punishing my shoulders Friday with them. The only down side to them is that they will humble you

Oh and I did notice the pic...it's a start good job!

[EasyStreets]

Back day today. Pretty good day too. My lifting partner actually showed today and claims he missed yesterday due to leg doms . We did trap bar deads today followed by some intense secondary movements for lats. I was surprised at how much more I can lift using the trap bar. I guess Im a leg lifter. I should probably dominate in the sumo position as well. Pretty much maxed out the bar though. We only have 6 45s, 4 35s, and 4 25s and I could barely get a collar on the bar with those plates. Still working on getting more 45 lb plates for our gym. Anyhow, today went a little like this......

Trap Bar Deadlift
505x6
555x5
555x4

Pulled these pretty easily. I would love to see what my 1RM is on the trap bar. We will be doing trap bar deads again next week followed by 2 weeks of sumo.

Secondaries

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
Stackx8
Stackx8

Revers Grip Lat Pulldowns
Stackx8
Stackx8

Bent Dumbell Rows
100 x 8
100 x 8

Wide Grip Pullups (no weight)
4

Overall a great day in the weight room. Well be hitting arms tomorrow. Ill finish off the week strong and Sunday will be an off day.

[EasyStreets]

An off day today spent at home with the kids. Tomorrow I will be lifting legs without a partner. I was hoping to get some video of my squats this week but its going to have to wait until next week. Need to get some feedback on my form. Ive been doing better lately on my depth and Im working my way back up in weight each week. My diet has been a different story. I havent been tracking like I need to and it has shown on the scale. Ive been so busy the past few weeks working between 30-40 hours of overtime a week and I havent been taking the proper steps to enforce my macros.

My strenght continues to increase but Im gaining too much weight with it. Im going to become more diligent in the coming weeks.

[EasyStreets]

Another 16 hour workday today but I cannot be denied my leg day. Was in before work for some squats and straight legged deads. I went a little lighter this week concentrating more on form and depth. No partner for this workout but a good workout none the less.

Squats
455x4
455x4
455x4

Straight Legged Deadlift
275x8
275x8
275x8

A brief yet effective workout today. I have training at work for the rest of the week and plan on a 1700 workout time every day. Not really working any more overtime this week so I should be primed up. Tomorrow is chest. I hope to get some video up of chest day. Havent posted any bench vids yet. We'll see how that goes.....

[EasyStreets]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVg95jVM8O8


So its been a very busy week and although I havent kept up with my logs, I have been keeping up in the gym. Just a quick recap of the week...

Tuesday was chest day....

Barbell Bench
345x5
345x5
345x4

Lost a little steam this week on the bench... I think my delts werent fully recovered. Felt a little tender. I followed this up with Incline Press and Flat Dumbell Flyes.

Thursday Was shoulders.

Press
185x6
190x5
190x5

Yesterday I did back. Good day and my last week in the trap bar. My partner made good gains this week. I, unfortunately, am limited by the plates available in my gym. The most I can fit on the bar is 555lbs so thats what I did. Im still working on my administration to get us some new equipment including more 45lbs plates. Next week we will be graduating to Sumo DL for two weeks and then on to standard pulls. I havent Sumod in years so it should be interesting and I WILL get video up. As you can see, I have added video from my second set yesterday. Heres the complete workout....

Trap Bar Deadlift
555x5
555x5
555x5

Wide Grip Pulldowns
stackx12
stackx12

One armed Dumbell Rows
120x10
120x10

Trap Bar Shrugs
315x8
315x8

Did arms today but I wont bore with the details. Monday Im back to legs and hope to get a video of that as well. We plan on maxing out lifts two weeks from now....should be interesting.

Ive been meaning to get a video of the bench press. Unfortunately, unless we can get another person in the gym with us, it going to be impossible. Going as heavy as we are I need a spot nearby so my partner is unable to video. Hopefully we can get it sometime. I was hoping to video log 350 for reps but its not going to happen for a while.

[Jtbny]

I'm so jelous of the trap bar. Wish my gym had one. I do have a question about deadlifting with it. Say your max is 485 with the standard barbell how does that translate to the trap bar. Would I be able to do 485 or would I need less weight.

[EasyStreets]

I'm so jelous of the trap bar. Wish my gym had one. I do have a question about deadlifting with it. Say your max is 485 with the standard barbell how does that translate to the trap bar. Would I be able to do 485 or would I need less weight.

It all depends really. For those that are more leg dominant in their deads, the trap bar is the way to go. The standard version is a bit more hip dominant. My numbers seem to be pretty comparible but the trap feels much more comfortable to me even though Ive spent way more time in front of an Oly bar. So I think for someone with tight hips they could lift more weight in the trap or hex. I also think someone with weak legs would have an easier time lifting standard. Just my opinion though.

One way to see is if you can lift more sumo than you can standard, you will probably do well in the trap.

[Jtbny]

It all depends really. For those that are more leg dominant in their deads, the trap bar is the way to go. The standard version is a bit more hip dominant. My numbers seem to be pretty comparible but the trap feels much more comfortable to me even though Ive spent way more time in front of an Oly bar. So I think for someone with tight hips they could lift more weight in the trap or hex. I also think someone with weak legs would have an easier time lifting standard. Just my opinion though.

One way to see is if you can lift more sumo than you can standard, you will probably do well in the trap.

Awesome. I am leg dominant but my flexibility sucks I've been thinking about adding sumo DL in for a few weeks...thanks for the info!

[EasyStreets]

So today was an off day for me. Spent the day with my family celebrating my daughters 7th birthday and now im at work for my regular shift. Tomorrow I will be starting a new week with legs and I cant wait. Ive been thinking all day about my current situation...Ive been gaining strength like crazy lately with no signs of slowing but my weight has been an issue. I havent been very diligent about my calories and it has hurt me in the waistline. Beginning next week Im going to start an actual "cut". Ive averaged my calorie intake using a few different sites and Ive decided to start at 2800 calories and go from there. I will be logging every meal and noting macros and calories here.

My only concern in this is loosing strength. This is a risk Im willing to take though because I dont want to sacrifice asthetics too much to my strength goals. I will never go into a extreme deficit but just enough to loose 1 to 2 pounds per week. Hopefully I will retain my strength gains through this. I know that the concensus here is that macro timing is a waste of time but I still plan on going protein heavy and loading my carbs early in the day and pre/post workout. Ive had good results using this in the past.

So from here on out I will be looking to gain strength and loose body fat at the same time....a not so easy task. Some may even say impossible. Im also going to add some high intensity cardio (16 mins at HIGH pace) once per day.

Goals revisited....

Weight 235 > Current 250
Bench 500 > Current ?
Squat 700 > Current ?
Deadlift 750 > Current ?
Press 275 > Current ?
Wish me luck!