Danny tries Fierce 5

[dublindanny]

Hi,

After getting some great advice on the forums, I want to track my workouts here and hopefully track my progress while doing the Fierce 5 novice routine.

I will try to also list the units in imperial units as I think most users here are from the US. I am 1.65m (5'5") and currently weigh 60kg (132lbs) at 15.5% BF. I have been following a split programme inconsistently for about 6-12 months and of course not getting anywhere. 3 months ago I started to get more serious and cut to my current weight from a previous 24%BF. Feels good but there's not much left of me ;-)

I am now increasing calories again with my aim is to gain 300grms (0.66lbs) per week for 20 weeks. My nutrition is mostly clean and I hit my macros 90% of the time. I will try to raise my weight to around 66kg (145.5lbs) at 20%BF and can then start to cut again. That's the theory...

Now onto the hands-on:
I started on Sunday with the Fierce 5 programme and did the following:
Squats 3 x 8 x 14.5kg (64lbs)
Bench Press 3 x 8 x 55kg (121lbs)
Pendlay Row 1 x 8 x 29kg (64lbs) & 2 x 8 x 34kg (75lbs)
Reverse Fly 3 x 8 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs)
Calf raise/Triceps Extensions (superset) 2 x 15 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs) & 2 x 10 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs)

Today I will do the B variant, but I don't yet know which weights I will use for all exercises as for most it will be a first time.
Front BB Squat 3 x 8
Military Press 3 x 8
Romanian DL 3 x 8
DB Pullover 3 x 10 x 22.5kg (49.5lbs)
Crunches/DBCurls (superset) 2 x 15 & 2 x 10 x 12.5kg (27.5lbs)

I have to do DB Pullovers for the lats instead of the lat pulldowns until I get a pull-up bar. I work out at home and only have DB's, a BB and a bench. I think all other exercises have been exchanged with acceptable alternatives, according to the programme.

Right, time to get physical. I will also post a 'before' picture so that hopefully I can look back in a few months and be happy with the progress

Feel free to chip in with any thoughts or suggestions.

[dublindanny]

Ok I just realised half way through my workout that I got the number of reps wrong *facepalm*. I'll update that for my future workouts.

So this evening I did the following:
Front BB Squat 3 x 8 x 34kg (75lbs) - felt really good in the legs.
Military Press 1 x 8 x 19kg (42lbs) - was too light; 1 x 8 x 29kg (64lbs) - was too heavy; 2 x 8 x 24kg (53lbs) - was just right.
Romanian DL 3 x 8 x 24kg (53lbs) - felt great in the legs but gotta practice form a bit more.
DB Pullover 3 x 10 x 22.5kg (49.5lbs) - doesn't feel like I'm hitting the lats properly here. Will get pull-up bar for door-frame ASAP
Crunches/DBCurls (superset) 2 x 15 & 2 x 10 x 12.5kg (27.5lbs)

So apart from doing too many reps, I think I found some good figures to start with.
Next workout is on Thursday. Time for a big glass of milk and an early night.

[shaneinga]

Welcome to the journals.

Looks like you are off to a good start.

Stick with it, and you will go far.

[Squid24]

In on the F5 log

[dublindanny]

In on the F5 log

Cool, nice to see you here. I noticed you are also doing the F5. Are you enjoying it so far?

Right, today was rest day and I am quite happy about it. Yesterday I wasn't sure I was doing the Romanian DL properly, but I can really feel it today! Hit the right spot!

I logged 01hr 20min of cardio, cycling to and from work. Got a piece of glass stuck in the tyre on the way there - slow puncture. Not happy. Had to stop 4 times on the way home to pump up the damn thing.

Breakfast (pic attached) was some Quark (Farmer's cheese?), Müsli, Milk and some home-made strawberry jam.
Lunch was chicken wings, turkey breast and potato wedges
Dinner was buckwheat noodles and some cheese.
Snacks were a Joghurt and a protein shake to hit all macros.

I have attached (I can't yet add links to my posts because I'm a n00b) 'before' pictures that I can review in a few months time to review progress.
Looking forward to tomorrows workout session and a hopefully uneventful bike-ride to work.

Thanks for following so far :-)

[dublindanny]

Welcome to the journals.

Looks like you are off to a good start.

Stick with it, and you will go far.

Thanks man. Looking forward to the journey. This journal business seems like a good way to stay accountable and might help to be consistent.

[shaneinga]

Thanks man. Looking forward to the journey. This journal business seems like a good way to stay accountable and might help to be consistent.

Journals are nice and they do help keep you accountable to more than yourself. There are some good people in here.

I ran one of the beginner programs here myself, and you have chose a good one to go with. There is a lot of support over in the Fierce 5 thread as well.

Your food looked really good, and you at least you are starting out pretty slim. I started way the other direction, which is why I chose a different program than you, but it was also based off a 3 day full body routine.

Eating to gain muscle, with a full body program will serve you well and is a perfect place to start.

Keep punching that clock, stay consistent, don't get discouraged. It takes a long time to build muscle, but as long as you enjoy it, it is time well spent.

[dublindanny]

Journals are nice and they do help keep you accountable to more than yourself. There are some good people in here.

I ran one of the beginner programs here myself, and you have chose a good one to go with. There is a lot of support over in the Fierce 5 thread as well.

Your food looked really good, and you at least you are starting out pretty slim. I started way the other direction, which is why I chose a different program than you, but it was also based off a 3 day full body routine.

Eating to gain muscle, with a full body program will serve you well and is a perfect place to start.

Keep punching that clock, stay consistent, don't get discouraged. It takes a long time to build muscle, but as long as you enjoy it, it is time well spent.

That's very motivating, thank you!

I've just completed my first week of Fierce 5. Todays workout was a mixed bag. On Sunday I used dumbbells for the squatting, today I wanted to try the barbell. I first got the weight wrong and then I kept having trouble unracking as the bench is in the way. Gotta look out for a proper squat rack but will move back to dumbbell squats until then to avoid killing myself. Bit annoyed that it didn't go as smoothly as usual but it's still early days.

Workout
Squats: 3 x 5 x 29kg (64lbs)
Bench : 3 x 5 x 55kg (121lbs)
Pendlay Rows: 3 x 8 x 34kg (75lbs)
Reverse Flys: 3 x 10 x 5.5kg (12lbs) - had to reduce the weight here to get proper movement
Calf Raises / Triceps Extensions (Superset): 2 x 15 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs) & 2 x 10 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs)
Cardio: Cycled for 1hr and 20mins to/from work.

Nutrition
Breakfast: 2 boiled Eggs, Low fat natural Joghurt, Müsli, Milk and Jam
Lunch: Miso Soup, Buckwheat Noodles and Octopus in Sunflower Oil
Diner: Miso Soup with Tofu, White rice, Turkey Breast & Peppers
Snacks: Banana, Fruit Joghurt, Protein Shake and Chocolate biscuits (Pocky) to hit all macros.

Time to rest for 2 days and sort out a squat rack and a pullup bar. Looking forward to week 2, where I'll be adding 5lbs to all upper body lifts and 10lbs to all lower. As my weights are metric, I'll make that 2.5kg and 5kg. Seems like a lot but I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

Hope you all had a great week!

[dublindanny]

Time to rest for 2 days and sort out a squat rack and a pull up bar.

Ok day 1 of rest is over, only one more to go before I can start week 2 of Fierce 5.
I was able to pick up a brand new pull up bar for €5,- (USD 5,50) today from Ebay Marketplace. It's one of those types that gets screwed into a door frame. The seller's landlord would not allow him to do it and, as I don't have that problem, I took it off his hands. Can't wait to hit those lats on Sunday. Still looking for a squat rack though. Surprised that they are so pricey. Will use dumbbells until I find a good one.

Did not log any cardio today as I was working from home, so no cycling to work.

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Quark, Milk, Müsli, Jam & 2 boiled Eggs
Lunch: Rice, Sliced Turkey breast, Yellow/Green Bell Peppers, Surimi and Carrots (Pic attached)
Dinner (Steakhouse): Rump Steak, Baked Potato, Garlic Bread, Salad
Snacks: Pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, couple of gummy bears and a small ice cream

Weekend coming up, good weather forecast and a new lifting programme. Good times!

[dublindanny]

2nd day of rest as prescribed in the programme. No cardio today but camping out in the garden with the kids. They are so excited. Haha.
Almost got a good squat rack on Ebay about 60 miles from here but something went weird with my phone when bidding during the last 30 seconds. Annoyed. Still, found another one I might be able to pick up tomorrow.

Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1 Boiled Egg, 4 slices of crisp bread, Sliced roast pork, Smoked salmon, Quark with jam.
Lunch: Sardines in olive oil, rice pudding, mini spring rolls
Dinner: White rice, Horse mackerel, prawns with mushrooms, miso soup with seaweed and tofu
Snacks: Salami, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, small ice cream cone, rasberry jelly.

Looking forward to working out again tomorrow!

[doughnutgut]

Im in.


Great base to build on.

Stick with it for a good while and watch chit get ton heavy fast.

[Squid24]

Cool, nice to see you here. I noticed you are also doing the F5. Are you enjoying it so far?

Right, today was rest day and I am quite happy about it. Yesterday I wasn't sure I was doing the Romanian DL properly, but I can really feel it today! Hit the right spot!

I logged 01hr 20min of cardio, cycling to and from work. Got a piece of glass stuck in the tyre on the way there - slow puncture. Not happy. Had to stop 4 times on the way home to pump up the damn thing.

Breakfast (pic attached) was some Quark (Farmer's cheese?), Müsli, Milk and some home-made strawberry jam.
Lunch was chicken wings, turkey breast and potato wedges
Dinner was buckwheat noodles and some cheese.
Snacks were a Joghurt and a protein shake to hit all macros.

I have attached (I can't yet add links to my posts because I'm a n00b) 'before' pictures that I can review in a few months time to review progress.
Looking forward to tomorrows workout session and a hopefully uneventful bike-ride to work.

Thanks for following so far :-)

I like it a lot. Right now, doing an Upper/Lower routine, but I will be back on the novice one start of the new yr. I get back to the basics and work on my form again, and rest up more...lol

[dublindanny]

Week 2 of the Fierce 5 programme:
Well, finally I get to start week 2. Seems like too much rest recently :-).
As I do every Sunday, I measure weight and BF%. Looks like I start off the week at exactly 60kg with 14.7%BF. Target is still to bulk till 20%BF before cutting again.

Found a good deal for a squat rack and was about to go and pick it up but the seller didn't have time today because he said he had to search a whole field for his lost drone. Whatever...

I installed the pullup bar and calculated the weight increases for this week. +5lbs for upper body, +10lbs for lower body:
Front BB Squat +5kg (10lbs)
Military Press +2.5kg (5lbs)
Romanian DL +5kg (10lbs
Pullups
Crunches/Curls +2.5kg (5lbs).

I had to leave out the weight increase on the curls and may have to reduce weight on Thursday. Failed the last set because 12.5kg (27.5 lbs) was too much. Perhaps I chose the wrong starting weight.

Workout:
Front BB Squat: Warm up: 5 x 29kg (64 lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 39kg (86 lbs)
Military Press: Warm up: 5 x 19kg (42 lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 26.5kg (58.5 lbs)
Romanian DL: Warm up: 5 x 26.5kg (58.5 lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 29kg (64 lbs)
Pullups: 3 x 8
Crunches/Curls (superset): 2 x 15 & 1 x 10 and 1 x 8 (failed)
No cardio today.

I was excited about trying out the pullups and am happy to say that they really took it out of me. Just about managed the 8 each set and I could feel the workout afterwards.

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Fried Egg, 4 slices of crisp bread, raw ham (smoked ham?), cheese, sliced roast pork, cherry tomatoes
Lunch: Chicken breast, salmon, mixed vegetables, rasberry jelly
Dinner: Pork & celery, white rice, miso soup with seaweed and tofu, padron peppers, mixed salad with sunflower and pine nuts, small ice cream
Snacks: 2 beers with a friend

[dublindanny]

Im in.

Great base to build on.

Stick with it for a good while and watch chit get ton heavy fast.

Nice one, thanks. I really hope I'm in for the long haul. Subbed your journal for when I need the inspiration and motivation.

Today is the first rest day of week 2 of Fierce 5. Yesterdays workout went well so it's nice to have a rest day.
Really happy today as I managed to contact the seller of the squat rack again and got it for €25,- (US$ 27.50). Had to take it apart to fit in the car but it's the right size and very stable. I found a few cheap new ones online but they were not interconnected to each other, just 2 separate stands. I figured I'd be screwed if I knocked one of them over while squatting, so better to have one that can't be knocked over and is very sturdy. Attached is the pic from the seller. It actually leans back a bit further than it appears. Does what it says on the box...

No cardio logged today

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Quark, Müsli, Jam, Milk
Lunch: Lean pork, celery, white rice (left-overs from yesterday)
Dinner: White rice, mapo tofu (it's a chinese dish with minced meat, tofu and chilli)
Snacks: Brazil nuts, Cashew nuts, ice cream, low fat joghurt

Looking forward to lifting again tomorrow. I'm off to read through the other workout journals. Have good one!



Note: I only just figured out by chance that you can press CTRL+B, CTRL+U and CTRL-I for underline, bold and italic tags when posting. Neat!

[dublindanny]

Ok here we are back again with Day 2 of Week 2 of the Fierce 5 programme
Workout today was excellent. Really enjoyed it, especially the squat.
Again, as a week has passed since the last Workout A, I added 5kg (10lbs) to all lower, and 2.5kg (5lbs) to all upper body lifts.

Workout A
Squats: Warmup 1 x 5 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 34kg (75lbs)
Bench: Warmup 1 x 5 x 39kg (86lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 57.5kg (127lbs)
Pendlay Rows: 3 x 8 x 36.5kg (75lbs)
Reverse Flys: 3 x 10 x 5.5kg (12lbs)
Calf Raises / Triceps Extensions (Superset): 2 x 15 x 12.5kg (27.5lbs) & 2 x 10 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs)
Cardio: Cycled for 1hr and 15mins to/from work.

Nutrition
Breakfast: Müsli, Milk, Quark, Banana and Jam
Lunch: Mapo tofu (leftovers from yesterday), miso soup and white rice
Diner: White rice & japanese curry with pork and beef
Snacks: Banana, Fruit Joghurt, Cottage Cheese, Protein Shake, small ice cream cone to hit all macros.

That was the only Workout A for this week. Thursday it's back to Workout B. I'm excited about the progression, as it means I will be benching my own body weight on Sunday for the first time.

[doughnutgut]

You will actually look back at this log when you are benching 225 and squatting 3 plates per side and nod.

Keep pluggin Danny.

[dublindanny]

You will actually look back at this log when you are benching 225 and squatting 3 plates per side and nod.

Keep pluggin Danny.

Thanks for the encouragement, doughnutgut. Much appreciated. I hope and believe it's the way I will end up. I know that I need about 2 or 3 dedicated weeks on something, like nutrition changes and workout plans, and then it's ingrained in my routine and just turns into normality. No questions on whether I will workout or not or whether I will eat that doughnut with cream and lard on top. Just gotta be patient, but I'm excited and looking forward to each upcoming workout day. I actually feel a bit restless on rest days but I know my body needs it.

Today I ventured onto other parts of the forums (sometimes referred to as 'open forums') and I was really disappointed to see some of the cr4p being thrown around in some non-lifting related threads. Will make sure to stay well away from anything but O35 in the future.

Today was another rest day before coming back stronger tomorrow and kicking some you-know-what. I logged 1:15:00 of cycling in the heat. We've had a really bad summer but the last 2 days were lovely. 34°C today, which is about 93° Fahrenheit. Rain again tomorrow and temperatures dropping significantly.

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Again, Quark, Müsli, Milk, a Banana and some home-made jam. I like the combination of protein, fat, carbs and fibre. Sets me up nicely till lunchtime.
Lunch: White rice, japanese curry with lean pork and beef and miso soup. Again, plenty of carbs and protein here. And the leftovers from yesterday need to be eaten
Dinner: German weisswurst and fresh ciabatta bread. The weisswurst are quite fatty, so I didn't have that much as I was already coming up to my fat goal for the day
Snacks: Pumpkin seeds, bananas, low fat/carb chocolate pudding and a protein shake to hit all macros.


One aspect of my training that has been left slightly behind is rest, more specifically sleep. Felt quite tired this morning because I couldn't fall asleep last night and ended up with about 6hrs of sleep. Going to bed now to hope for 8hrs of sleep to ensure I am well rested tomorrow for the next workout.

[dublindanny]

Yeah! Friday tomorrow!

The workout today concludes week 2 of Fierce 5.
I felt really tired before the workout today, really not in the mood, but I gave it a shot anyhow. It was really humid as well, so I felt like skipping it, but it ended up really enjoyable once I got going. Love those front squats and once I got into the groove of things, I was happy I didn't try to find an excuse and skip the training.

Workout:
Front BB Squat: Warm up: 1 x 5 x 29kg (64 lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 39kg (86 lbs)
Military Press: Warm up: 1 x 5 x 19kg (42 lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 26.5kg (58.5 lbs)
Romanian DL: Warm up: 1 x 5 x 26.5kg (58.5 lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 29kg (64 lbs)
Pullups: 3 x 8
Crunches/DB Curls (superset): 2 x 15 & 2 x 11kg
Cardio: Cycled for 1hr and 15min @ 20kmh (12mph)

The pullups were again awesome this time. Bit easier, but I reviewed the exercise instructions again and realised the lats are probably hit better when you go all the way back to starting position, arms extended almost fully. Makes it more difficult but I felt super pumped getting through the 3 sets. Would be great to hear how you do your pullups.
For the DB curls, I took the weight down to 11kg and that seems much better. The last rep is really tricky, but that might also be because of the pullups just before.

I probably won't be logging in this journal for the next 2 days as they are rest days and we're heading over to visit my parents.
Back on Sunday for week 3 of Fierce 5, which is when I'll add 5kg (10lbs) to all lower and 2.5kg (5lbs) to all upper body lifts (again - gotta love the progression) and hopefully bench my own bodyweight for the first time.

Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your lifting.

[dublindanny]

Hi Journal,

Here I am back again. Day 1 of week 3 of Fierce 5.
Had a nice weekend away, but came back a year older. Meh.

As another week has passed, I added 5lbs to all upper and 10lbs to all lower body lifts.
Workout A
Squats: Warmup 1 x 5 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 39kg (86lbs)
Bench: Warmup 1 x 5 x 39kg (86lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 60kg (132lbs)
Pendlay Rows: 3 x 8 x 39kg (86lbs)
Reverse Flys: 3 x 10 x 5.5kg (12lbs)
DB Calf Raises / DB Triceps Extensions (Superset): 2 x 15 x 17.5kg (38.5lbs) & 2 x 10 x 7.5kg (16.5lbs)

I am not sure if the DB calf raises should be increased by 10lbs as well per week but I'll keep going for now.
Very happy to have benched my own BW for the first time today. Felt great.

[Squid24]

If it seems too easy, then yes, increase the weights if you'd like

[shaneinga]

Happy Birthday Danny!

Swinging through to see how you are doing. Great to see you are sticking it out. Body weight BP for reps is impressive.

Keep it up!

[dublindanny]

Happy Birthday Danny!

Thanks Shane ! Had a great day with the family.

Swinging through to see how you are doing. Great to see you are sticking it out. Body weight BP for reps is impressive.

Keep it up!

The fierce 5 programme is great so far. Ok, only 3 weeks but the progression is awesome. Always the next milestone in sight, which helps to stay motivated and look forward to the next session. Hitting my macros with clean food about 80-90% of the time as well. Sometimes I end up with only carbs to fill and end up filling that macro with gummy bears - could be worse.

I forgot to post a weight update yesterday. I seem to weigh ~61kg now, at about 14.8% BF (calipers), so moving along at the expected rate of roughly 300gr per week weight gain.

Later on I will post another update on Day 2 of Week 3 of Fierce 5. My wife's niece is over to visit us from Japan so we're travelling around Europe for a few days which means I will not be at home on Thursday. Not sure if I should skip Day 3 of Week 3 or improvise by benching my wife and DB curling my kids. Lol. I can't take my weights but I could take the pullup bar, do some dips, pushups and stuff like that.

[dublindanny]

If it seems too easy, then yes, increase the weights if you'd like

Not too sure about that yet

Those calf-raises looked easy at first but when adding a few kg's and holding at the top of each rep, I really feel that burn. Great exercise though. Never would have thought it at first.

[shaneinga]

Thanks Shane ! Had a great day with the family.



The fierce 5 programme is great so far. Ok, only 3 weeks but the progression is awesome. Always the next milestone in sight, which helps to stay motivated and look forward to the next session. Hitting my macros with clean food about 80-90% of the time as well. Sometimes I end up with only carbs to fill and end up filling that macro with gummy bears - could be worse.

I forgot to post a weight update yesterday. I seem to weigh ~61kg now, at about 14.8% BF (calipers), so moving along at the expected rate of roughly 300gr per week weight gain.

Later on I will post another update on Day 2 of Week 3 of Fierce 5. My wife's niece is over to visit us from Japan so we're travelling around Europe for a few days which means I will not be at home on Thursday. Not sure if I should skip Day 3 of Week 3 or improvise by benching my wife and DB curling my kids. Lol. I can't take my weights but I could take the pullup bar, do some dips, pushups and stuff like that.

Great to hear you are enjoying Fierce 5.

LoL. If you are talking about bringing weights with you on vacation, I would say you are officially "hooked."

Just get in what you can and enjoy the trip and time with the family. The weights will be waiting for you when you get back.

[dublindanny]

Hey folks,

Writing from the beautiful Netherlands today. Weather is a bit wet but it's all good. I missed the Tuesday update so here it is in brief:
Front BB Squat: warm up: 5 x 29kg followed by 3 x 5 x 44kg
Military Press: warm up: 5 x 19kg followed by 3 x 5 x 29kg
Romanian DL: warm up: 8 x 29kg followed by 3 x 8 x 34kg
Pullups: 1 x 8 & 2 x 6
Crunches/DB Curls superset: 2 x 15 & 2 x 10 x 11.5kg

I failed on the pullups, unfortunately, and could only manage 6 reps on the 2nd and 3rd set. I am going to reduce the cycling to 3 days per week and on non-lifting days only. As it was my last day before vacation, I raced home and felt pretty jaded for the lifting. Cardio 3 times per week should be enough anyway.

Today was supposed to be day 3 of week 3 of Fierce 5, but I have no equipment here. I improvised a bit but it wasn't the same. The kids enjoyed it though.
Weighted pushups: 3 x 5 x my daughter (~18kg) & 1 x 5 x my son (~21kg)
Squats: 3 x 5 x both kids (~39kg)
Pendlays: 3 x 8 x my son
Calf Raises/Triceps Ext superset: 2 x 15 x my daughter & 2 x 10 BW dips.

So at least it was a bit of a lifting session, even if it can't match the usual intensity.
I'll be back home for day 1 of week 4 of Fierce 5 programme and then it'll be time to add more weight to the bar. Yay!
Talk to you soon!

Danny

[dublindanny]

Hey,

So I got back from the Netherlands earlier. Good times.
Today I started day 1 of week 4 of Fierce 5 programme. The fast progression is really starting to kick in, but so far I'm keeping up.
My weighing scales were either a bit broken this morning, or I gained a substantial amount of weight over the past week. My BF% has gone up to 16.28, but I won't start to panic just yet. Just have to focus on the progress and getting stronger, although it's a bit demotivating to see a gain in fat, but that's part and parcel I guess. Just gotta keep eating clean and lifting heavy and not get freaked out.

As another week has passed, I added 5lbs to upper, and 10lbs to lower body lifts.

Front BB Squat: warm up: 5 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 49kg (108lbs)
Military Press: warm up: 5 x 19kg (42lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 31.5kg (69.5lbs)
Romanian DL: warm up: 8 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 8 x 39kg (86lbs)
Pullups: 2 x 8 & 1 x 6
Crunches/DB Curls superset: 2 x 15 & 2 x 10 x 11.5kg (25lbs)

The front squat felt really heavy, but I managed to get through all reps with good form. The same can be said for all lifts today. I was a bit disappointed about not getting all pullups again in the final set, but at least I managed to get more reps in than last week, which has to be good. Progress. Need to focus on the positives.
Not sure if my front squat should be the same weight as my regular squat. I just started out that way and didn't think about it until now.

Looking forward to Tuesday and lifting more weight again.

[dublindanny]

Hey,
Looking forward to Tuesday and lifting more weight again.

Tuesday it is and day 2 of week 4 of Fierce 5 beginner programme.
Today it was again time to add more weight to the bar for Workout A. The scales have calmed down again and it seems it was just a 1-day glitch. I'm up to about 61.9kg now, so slightly over the scheduled gain of .3kg per week, but it's not freak-out time just yet.

Workout A
Squats: Warmup 1 x 5 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 44kg (97lbs)
Bench: Warmup 1 x 5 x 39kg (86lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 62.5kg (138lbs)
Pendlay Rows: 3 x 8 x 41.5kg (91.5lbs)
Reverse Flys: 3 x 10 x 5.5kg (12lbs)
DB Calf Raises / DB Triceps Extensions (Superset): 2 x 15 x 22.5kg (49.5lbs) & 2 x 10 x 8.5kg (18.5lbs)

Squats felt great and I was surprised about the power I was able to push with. I wasn't sure about the bench press because it's a PB every time I add weight to the bar, but I managed all reps/sets safely. Feels great. The calf raises are surprisingly difficult. I used a barbell instead of 2 DBs this time, so 45kg (99lbs) all in all. Easier that way to balance and also easier to put the plates on. Added 1kg to the DB Tricep extensions for good measure and will continue to add the same every 2 weeks.

So far so good. Next session is on Thursday with Workout B. Looking forward to giving the pullups another shot

[dublindanny]

I failed on the pullups, unfortunately, and could only manage 6 reps on the 2nd and 3rd set. I am going to reduce the cycling to 3 days per week and on non-lifting days only. [...] Cardio 3 times per week should be enough anyway.

And that concludes week 4 of Fierce 5.
Loving the programme right now. I can really feel and get into the workout a lot more than with the split programme I was erroneously working with previously. I'll need to watch the weight increase on the calf raises next week though, because my calves suffered quite a bit from the last session

I also managed 3 x 8 pullups this time and I'm really happy about that. Might not seem like a lot but the first set was almost 'easy'. I just had to fight at the end of the last set. Really motivating to see that kind of progress though. As mentioned last week, I wanted to cut down on cycling to non-lifting days and I think that helped nicely today. I cycled to work yesterday but not today so I felt much more rested for the lifting.

Workout:
Front BB Squat: Warm up: 5 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 49kg (108lbs)
Military Press: Warm up: 8 x 19kg (42lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 31.5kg (69.5lbs)
Romanian DL: Warm up: 5 x 29kg (64lbs) followed by 3 x 5 x 39kg (86lbs)
Pullups: 3 x 8(Yeah!!!)
Crunches/BB Curls (superset): 2 x 15 & 2 x 10 x 23kg (50.5lbs) - I subbed DB curls for BB curls today to mix it up a little. Just doubled the DB weight but they are still not getting much easier. Not sure why they aren't progressing like other lifts but I'll keep plugging away until they're ready. The biceps probably get hit enough by the other lifts anyway.
No cardio today.

On another note, I have been looking into getting a power rack at some stage. They're quite pricey but I was foolishly wondering what would happen if I go down on the final rep of a squat and can't push it up? I workout in my cellar, which is tiled, so not only would dropping the weight wake the whole neighbourhood, it would also crack my tiles. Lol. Same with benching. I wouldn't mind the "roll of shame" but I would mind getting the bar in the face. I'm weird like that. At the moment the weights aren't that much of a problem but the fast progression of Fierce 5 means that I may reach my limits sooner than later...

I was going to take and upload progress photos today after 4 weeks, but I think that's being much too impatient. I'll plug away for another 4 weeks and then there might be a small difference compared to the pics at the start of this thread.

My nutrition has been good but I end up having a protein shake about 3 times per week when I don't get enough from the normal meals. I had a few 'off' days where I didn't hit all macros when travelling, but at least the calories were still more or less right.

On Sunday I kick off day 1 of week 5 of Fierce 5 with yet another 5kg to all lower, and 2.5kg to all upper body lifts. I can't believe I'll be benching 65kg and squatting over 50kg.

[dublindanny]

And that concludes week 4 of Fierce 5.
On Sunday I kick off day 1 of week 5 of Fierce 5 with yet another 5kg to all lower, and 2.5kg to all upper body lifts. I can't believe I'll be benching 65kg and squatting over 50kg.

It's been a few days since my last update. I wasn't able to go ahead with starting week 5 yesterday (Sunday) because on Saturday I came down with Tonsillitis. Really didn't feel like doing anything and was just lazing around and sleeping a lot. Staying home from work today and tomorrow so that hopefully I can get back at the lifting tomorrow evening, but not yet sure of course. May well need another rest day to recover fully. Depending on how I feel, I'll schedule which day I jump back into and if I just continue with the progression or just finish off the week with the same weights as last week and kick off week 5 on next Sunday.

Sucks being ill, but at least it was a very light version and I'm already on the mend.

[dublindanny]

Sucks being ill, but at least it was a very light version and I'm already on the mend.

So it turns out I was out of action for a few days longer than anticipated. Sucks, but that's how life goes. No point in crying over spilled milk. Had a few joyous and a few not so memorable moments while recovering. My new bicycle got stolen from my garden. No idea how they knew my bike was there but there were 5 bikes in the garden and my one was the only one locked up. Oh well. Insurance should cover around 70% of the bike value.
I was reminded how quickly time goes by - it was my daughter's 5th birthday. She was so excited about it all, it was really sweet. Cake & BBQ time :-D

IMG_20160809_185745_resized_20160816_112651315.jpg
IMG_20160814_140021_resized_20160816_112652047.jpg
IMG_20160809_183003_resized_20160816_112650572.jpg

But back to business - I left off just before starting week 5 of the Fierce 5 programme. As I've taken 10 days off, I will repeat week 4 and reduce some weights. The progression is really fast anyway so I'll catch up in a week or 2. Just want to avoid diving in too quickly again. After having gone through the session I have to say it was a wise choice to drop the weight a bit. Still felt like a good workout but I probably would have struggled when just jumping back in to where I was 10 days ago.
I'll try a different notation that I noticed is used more frequently on the journals.

Front BB Squat:
5 x 29kg (64lbs) Warm up
5 x 44kg (97lbs)
5 x 44kg (97lbs)
5 x 44kg (97lbs)

Military Press:
8 x 19kg (42lbs) Warm up
5 x 29kg (64lbs)
5 x 29kg (64lbs)
5 x 29kg (64lbs)

Romanian DL:
5 x 29kg (64lbs) Warm up
5 x 34kg (75lbs)
5 x 34kg (75lbs)
5 x 34kg (75lbs)

Pullups:
8 x BW
8 x BW
6 x BW

Crunches/DB Curls (superset):
SS1:
15 x BW
10 x 10kg (22lbs)

SS2:
15 x BW
10 x 10kg (22lbs)


So all in all a good session. I'll be back to the normal weights next week. Stats are not moving at the moment of course. Around 16% BF at 61kg BW.