FLYBUCK's *Back to Basic* Log

[FLYBUCK]

Enough procrastinating already! I?ve got to get back on track here and need to be kept accountable for my actions. I appreciate any help that any of you can give me with this!

I?ve been in and out of the gym for ~10 years? so I know just enough to make things more complicated than they need to be. I?ve experimented with multiple programs but don?t think I?ve gotten the most out of any of them. I figured the best way to go forward is to keep think simple and concentrate on the basics. To accomplish this I am going to begin the intermediate 5x5 program.

I plan to start the program as written but may change things up a little as I go depending on how my body responds. I?ve had lower back issues in the past and have noticed that military press and rows have been a problem. I really want to keep deads in the program so may switch up my presses and/or rows if it becomes a problem.

With a job that requires travel and my duties as a husband, father and student I will do my best to get in the gym 3 times/week but the days are sure to change. I begin today with energy and focus and could use your help to keep my going during these long Ohio winter months. I'm off!

[FLYBUCK]

Everything went pretty good today. My energy was good but the gym was pretty crowded and it took a little momentum out of the workout. I may try to get there a little earlier wednesday and see if it's a lighter crowd.

Squats: Only about 1 min between sets and felt pretty light for first 3 sets but I could feel the rust in the last 2 sets with the muscles getting fatigued.

135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5

Bench: Felt pretty light all the way threw until the last set. Again only about 1 min between sets.

135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
170 x 5

Row: Went with overhand grip and about 45deg bend at waist. Went pretty good all the way through.

75 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 5

Hypers (bodyweight) 2 sets x 12
Weighted Situps (+25) 3 sets x 15

Overall about an hour workout and felt pretty good afterwards... tempted to do a little more but am gonna stick with the routine for once.

Off topic... The guy I was waiting on for the bench was doing bench press with his legs pointing straight up at the ceiling... even his lower back was off the bench. Anyone have any idea what this accomplishes?

[FLYBUCK]

Well it's the day after my first workout of this rededication and my quads and glutes are feeling it today.

I did a low impact (3.5 speed) 30 min walk (3 deg incline) this evening followed by some good stretching and a little bit of core work. I'm really trying to increase my flexability and core strength as I see it as one of the main reasons I have had lower back issues in the past.

Really looking forward to the workout tomorrow... nothing better than an afternoon of deadlifts!!

[wala]

yo yo!

Started a journal I see.. good stuff bro........ I'll be watching!

Good start, good numbers. I like the set up with the 5 reppers too

[FLYBUCK]

Great workout today

Felt pretty good today (still some aches lingering from Mondays workout) and got to the gym about 1:00 so the lunch crowd was gone and I had the place mostly to myself. I had lots of energy (plenty of coffee sitting through a meeting this morning) and had some good music to help my keep focused through the workout (Deftones today).

Deads: Only about 1 min between sets and felt pretty light for all sets but got the heart pumping and the sweat rolling.

155 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5

Military Press: Kept these real controlled and made sure to keep a good knee bend to keep the pressure off my lower back.

75 x 5
85 x 5
90 x 5
95 x 5

Front Squat: Not real experience with this exercise but I did a few sets with just the bar to get the form down and it went pretty smooth.

95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5 (front of shoulders started getting sore from the weight)

Chins: Underhand grip/just outside shoulder width

BW x 8
BW x 8
BW x 6

[FLYBUCK]

Originally Posted by wala

yo yo!

Started a journal I see.. good stuff bro........ I'll be watching!

Good start, good numbers. I like the set up with the 5 reppers too

Thanks for stopping in bro... your input is always welcome.

[FLYBUCK]

Week 1 complete, so far so good

Had to workout at home today but that's fine since I have a pretty good workout room in my basement. I've got a cheap rack with 300lb's of olympic weights, 20-55 lb dumbells, cable lat machine and some accessories.

Squat:
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
195 x 3
155 x 8

Bench:
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 3
155 x 8

Rows: Overhand w/ medium width grip
75 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 3
95 x 5

Dips: Leaning slightly forward
BW x 8
+25 x 8
+35 x 8
+35 x 8

Barbell Curls: Very Strict
75 x 12
85 x 8
85 x 8

Tricept Extensions:
3 sets of 8 (don't have any idea of weight with my cable system)

Bench and Rows felt real light today but I kept everything very strict so it was still a great workout. Loved the dips today and hope to really get the weight up on these. I like working out at home once in a while because I can just crank up the tunes and hit it hard. Next week is super important since I know the holidays are hectic but I have to get my workouts in.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

[FLYBUCK]

Starting Week 2 of 5x5

Working out at home all this week since I've got the week of for the holidays. My gym is close and I don't feel like driving 30 min if I don't have to. Had a pretty solid session today but definately felt all the food I ate yesterday with family in town for the weekend.

Squat:
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
195 x 5

Bench:
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5

Rows: Overhand w/ medium width grip
75 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 5

3 Sets Weighted sit-up +25lbs

Workout lasted about 45 min with about 1 min between sets. I've been concentrating on getting my squats as low as possible and I'm feeling the difference already.

Looking forward to some heavy deads on wednesday... till then, Have a great Christmas tomorrow.

[FLYBUCK]

Christmas is gone and I'm roling on..

Solid workout today... everything felt pretty good and my lift are all coming along.

Deads: Only about 1 min between sets.
15 x 5
195 x 5
215 x 5
235 x 5

Military Press: 1 min between sets
75 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 5

Front Squat: Still getting the feel for these
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
165 x 5

Chins: Underhand grip/just outside shoulder width
BW x 8
BW x 8
BW x 8
+10 x 4

[FLYBUCK]

Two Weeks Down 8 To Go

Good workout today... a lot of work around the house yesterday had the lower back a little tender but it didn't slow down the workout too much. I did about 20 min on the treadmill w/ 3.5 incline to warm up and it really helped loosen everything up. Everythings starting to feel a little heavier and I know the hardest weeks are yet to come... looking forward to it!

Squat:
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 3
165 x 8

Bench:
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
170 x 5
180 x 3
165 x 8

Rows: Overhand w/ medium width grip
85 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 5
115 x 3
105 x 5

Dips: Leaning slightly forward
BW x 8
BW x 8
+35 x 8
+35 x 8

Barbell Curls: Very Strict
75 x 12
85 x 8
95 x 8

Tricept Extensions:
3 sets of 8 (don't have any idea of weight with my cable system)

[FLYBUCK]

Skipping ahead to week 4...

Was sick last week but did a little lifting to keep from losing strength...

Back to the gym at work this week and it's way to crowded.... damn New Years resolutions. Had a good workout today but changed the rows the 4 sets to help with the lower back pains.

Squat:
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5
195 x 5
205 x 5

Bench:
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5

Rows: Overhand w/ medium width grip
115 x 5
120 x 5
125 x 5
135 x 5

Didn't want to wait to get a spot for situps so I did 3 sets of bodyweight dips x 12 reps. Really need to get the the gym earlier for the next month or so untill most of the people give up on their resolutions.

[littlechick]

stopping in to sub sorry I did not see this earlier!

good luck!

[FLYBUCK]

Originally Posted by littlechick

stopping in to sub sorry I did not see this earlier!

good luck!

Thanks for stopping in LC, your contest prep looks like it's going great... keep it up!

[FLYBUCK]

Workouts have been on hold for a while... my lower back is killing me lately. I've had this problem for a long, long time now and I need to do some research into a better way to structure my routine and/or find some new exercises I can do to strengthen my lower back. Any ideas???


Starting strength is a good program, but with 3 days of squats and then adding in a day of deads and rows... not near enough recovery time for the lower back.

I'd like to have a single day where I get in all lower back movements (ie deads, barbell rows, squats, hypers, etc) or maybe I need to alternate weeks between deads and rows??? I'm feeling a little better today and might get in an upper body workout this evening or maybe start a bodypart split? And ideas are always welcome.

[FLYBUCK]

BACK AT IT - Chest Day

Decided to switch over to a bodypart split for a while to take some of the volume off of my lower back while I work on getting it healed and strengthed.

Flat bench:
155x8
165x8
175x8

Incline Hammer Strength: (plate weights only)
130x8
140x8
150x8

Dips:
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8

Tricept Extensions: 3 sets of 8

Overall a good workout and the change to 8 reps really gave a good pump. Really wanted to do some Dumbbell Inclines but wasn't gonna wait in line but the Hammer Strenght machine felt pretty good. The chest was allready pretty fried by the time I got to the dips so just getting in the 3 sets was difficult. Today is Back day and I'll be trying to keep from aggravating my lower back again.

[FLYBUCK]

Well, a little update on the last few months...

I've been sticking with a bodypart split and it really seams like the best fit for my body and schedule. I've been making minor changes here and there but have it pretty much settled in now. My week looks like this:

Monday: Chest & Abs
Tuesday: Back and Traps
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Shoulders and Tri's
Friday: Legs and Bi's
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

My lifts have been gradually increasing and I seem to be hitting my stride lately. Today was back and trap day and things felt great.

Chin-ups
4 sets (bodyweight) x8
1 set (15lb) x6

Seated Low Rows
4 sets x8 (115,130,145,160)

Bent Over Rows
3 sets x8 (105,135,155)
1 set x6 (165)

Barbell Shrugs
3 sets x12 (205, 225, 275)

Wide Grip Lat pulldowns
4 sets x8 (130, 135, 140, 145)

Hypers
3 sets x12 (BW, +10, +25)

[FLYBUCK]

Shoulders and Tri's

Pretty good day today. Didn't feal great but everything went smooth. Gym was pretty empty so I got through everything without waiting.

Seated Shoulder Press
1x12 - 95
1x12 - 105
1x12 - 115
1x8 - 125
1x6 - 135

Seated Rear Lat Raises
1x12 - 25
1x12 -30
1x8 - 35

Lateral Raises
3x8 (25, 25, 30)

Decline Skull Crushers
3x12 (65, 75, 85)
1x8 - 95

Tricept Push Downs
3x12 (120,130,140)
1x8 - 150

Tricept Dips
1x15 - BW
1x12 - BW

Decline Crunches
1x30
2x12 (25lb)

[FLYBUCK]

Chest Day:

Went to the gym today expecting to be a little weaker than normal... I spent all weekend paining my fence so my shoulders and arms sent a little stiff. I had a ton of energy however so I was excited to get going.

Bench Press
2 warmups
1x5 - 185
1x5 - 195
1x5 - 205
1x4 - 215
1x4 - 225 (PR)

Learned the importance of a spot today... I think I could have gotten another 1 or 2 w/ 215 but doubted myself w/o a spotter nearby. I got a spotter for set w/ 225 and was able to push out a 4th rep that I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Incline Bumbell Press
1x8 - 70
1x6 -75
1x4 - 80 (PR)

Dips - Learning Forward
1x12 - BW
1x10 - 25
1x8 - 35
1x6 - 35

Fly Machine
3x8 - 90
1x6 - 95

Decline Crunches
1x40

Hanging Leg Raises
1x20

Was pumped after the PR on bench and it carried me through the rest of the workout... wanted to do a little more but the man once again kept me down and I returned to work.