Fierce 5 Novice - A new Mann

[mannymann]

Hi Everyone,

I have started a new thread. The old one had a thread title that was pretty misleading and I wanted to start again.

So here is my story. My name is Robert and I am 38 years old. I live in a town just outside Glasgow in Scotland. I am married and have 3 young children. My time is limited so I am trying to work out the best I can. I am restarting the Fierce 5 program after a couple of false starts (1 with a broken wrist and the other needing a hernia repair). I'm hoping to use the program to make some strength gains, with my primary goals being to Bench my body weight, squad 1.5 times my body weight and deadlift 2 times.

Week 1 - Workout A

Squat - 3x5, 30KG
Bench - 3x5, 25KG
Pendlay Rows - 3x8, 25KG
Cable Face Pulls - 3x10, 14KG
Calf Raises - 2x15, 50KG
Tricep Extension - 2x10, 14KG

Cheers to anyone that reads

[Squid24]

It does feel good, doesn't it?

Glad you're back.

[mannymann]

It does feel good, doesn't it?

Glad you're back.

Thanks man, my legs are suffering today but thats the joys. Looking forward to tomorrow morning

[mannymann]

Another early rise and off to the gym this morning.

Week 1 - Workout B

Deadlift - 3x5, 40KG
OHP - 3x5, 20KG
Leg Curl - 3x10, 25kg
Lat Pull Down - 3x10, 30KG
Ab Crunch - 2x15, 18KG
Bicep Curl - 2x10, 10KG

I'd subbed out the OHP before so wasn't really sure where to start with it but seems ok. Although I am tired because of the early start, I'm preferring it at the moment to the very late sessions.

[Squid24]

Another early rise and off to the gym this morning.

Week 1 - Workout B

Deadlift - 3x5, 40KG
OHP - 3x5, 20KG
Leg Curl - 3x10, 25kg
Lat Pull Down - 3x10, 30KG
Ab Crunch - 2x15, 18KG
Bicep Curl - 2x10, 10KG

I'd subbed out the OHP before so wasn't really sure where to start with it but seems ok. Although I am tired because of the early start, I'm preferring it at the moment to the very late sessions.

Looks good, keep it in, even if ya have to reset a lot.

[mannymann]

First week back done.

Week 1 - Workout A

Squat - 3x5, 30KG
Bench - 3x5, 25KG
Pendlay Row - 3x8, 25KG
Face Pulls - 3x10, 14KG
Tricep Ext - 2x10, 14KG
Calf Raises - 2x15, 50KG

Enjoying the early morning workouts. Managed a Banana and red bull before it this morning and that seemed to help.

[mannymann]

Didn't have the most restful of weekends but still dragged myself out of bed this morning. So here we go

Week 2 - Workout B

Deadlift - 3x5, 45KG
OHP - 3x5, 22.5KG
Leg Curl - 3x8, 27.5KG
Assisted Pull Up - 3x10, 45KG assist
Bicep Curl - 2x10, 12.5KG
Ab Crunch - 2x15, 20KG

Changed Lat Pulldown for assisted Pull Up. Will see how that goes.

[mannymann]

Week 2 done and dusted. Work has been so busy so being able to get the workout done in the morning has been great.

Week 2 - Workout A

Squat - 3x5, 35KG
Bench - 3x5, 27.5KG
Pendlay Row - 3x8, 27.5KG
Cable Face Pull - 3x10, 18KG
Tricep - 2x10, 18KG
Calf Raises - 2x15, 55KG

Week 2 - Workout B

Deadlift - 3x5, 45KG
OHP - 3x5, 22.5KG
Leg Curl - 3x8, 27.5KG
Assisted Pullups - 3x10, 45KG assist
Bicep - 2x10, 12.5KG
Abs - 2x15, 20KG

All in all i've been pretty happy with how things are going. No issues with my hernia either which is good

[mannymann]

Felt pretty awful all weekend, headache and tired. Also slept in a bit this morning but felt not too bad once I woke up

Week 3 - Workout A

Squat - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 40KG
Bench - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 30KG
Pendlay Bench - 3x8 30KG
Cable face Pull - 3x10 20kg
Tricep - 2x10 20KG
Calf Raises - 2x15 60KG

[MagicStang]

I'm still struggling to try to do the morning gym session before work. Keep with it man!

[Squid24]

I'm still struggling to try to do the morning gym session before work. Keep with it man!

Once you get into the groove, it's pretty easy, but I have been doing this now 5+ yrs of am workouts

[mannymann]

I'm still struggling to try to do the morning gym session before work. Keep with it man!

Cheers man, 3 weeks in and its starting to become a little easier

[mannymann]

Once you get into the groove, it's pretty easy, but I have been doing this now 5+ yrs of am workouts

Wow, I thought I was getting into a grove with 3 weeks

[mannymann]

Awake before my alarm this morning

Week 3 - Workout B

Deadlift - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 50KG
OHP - 3x5 25KG
Leg Curls - 3x8 30KG
Assisted Pullups - 3x10 41KG assist
Biceps - 2x10 15KG
Abs - 2x15 22.5KG

Still finding my lift weights are a bit all over the place. My deadlifts and OHP seem about right, Leg curls and Biceps a bit light and Pullups are already a bit of a strain. Working at a calorie deficit at the moment and I'll have another week on that before trying to get by on 4 weeks of working on maintenance calories and then working with a bit of a bulk. I'm still measuring high on the BF % though

[mannymann]

Weekend away with my family up in Aberdeen. Late nights, early mornings, lots of food didn't make for a great morning this morning.

Week 4 Workout B

Deadlift - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 55KG
OHP - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 27.5KG
Leg Curl - 3x8 32.5KG
Assisted Pullups - 3x10 38KG assist
Abs - 2x15 25KG

[Squid24]

Weekend away with my family up in Aberdeen. Late nights, early mornings, lots of food didn't make for a great morning this morning.

Week 4 Workout B

Deadlift - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 55KG
OHP - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 27.5KG
Leg Curl - 3x8 32.5KG
Assisted Pullups - 3x10 38KG assist
Abs - 2x15 25KG

Still looks good

[mannymann]

Still looks good

Thanks man, really struggled on OHP and Assisted Pull Ups. Hoping that a couple of decent nights rest will help

[mannymann]

Another day done. Really struggled to drag my body out of bed

Week 4 - Workout A

Squat - 1x10 20KG, 3x5 45KG
Bench - 1x10 20KG, 3x5 32.5KG
Pendlay Row - 3x8 32.5KG
Cable Face Pulls - 3x10 25KG
Tricep - 2x10 25KG
Calf Raises - 2x15 65KG

Ended up doing a bigger than I should have jump on the facepulls and tricep as I hadn't noticed the extra 2.5KG on it. Wasn't an issue though.

[mannymann]

Week 4 in the bag. Probably the worst I have felt at the end of a week since I started back.

Week 4 - Workout B

Deadlift - 1x5 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 55KG
OHP - 1x5 20KG, 3x5 27.5KG
Leg Curls - 3x8 32.5KG
Assisted Pullups - 3x10 38KG assist
Bicep curls - 2x10 17.5KG
Abs - 2x15 25KG

Now the 4 weeks are done, I was planning on increasing my calories on lifting days but I am going to hold off for another 2 weeks.

[mannymann]

Weekend headaches are starting to become a regular thing. It'll be caffeine withdrawal and dehydration that's the cause. Need to work on it. Went to bed at 9:30pm last night and really could have slept on this morning.

Week 5 - Workout A

Squat - 1x10 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 50KG
Bench - 1x10 20KG, 1x5 30KG, 3x5 40KG
Pendlay - 3x8 35KG
Cable Face Pulls - 3x10 27.5KG
Tricep - 2x10 27.5KG
Calf Raises - 2x15 70KG

I upped my Bench as I thought I should be starting to get to the stage where a bit of effort is needed. Everything else seemed good, especially the squats which I was actually dreading

[Squid24]

So, did the rest help any with the OHP and Pull-ups?

[mannymann]

So, did the rest help any with the OHP and Pull-ups?

Not really. I'm finding these really difficult with what appears to be not a great deal of weight. I'll stick with it at the moment

[mannymann]

Been away from my laptop for a few days but still been going

Wednesday - Week 5 Workout B

Deadlift - 1x10 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x560KG
OHP - 1x10 20KG, 3x5 30KG
Leg Curl - 3x8 35KG
Assisted Pull ups - 3x10 37.5KG assist
Biceps - 2x10 20KG
Abs - 2x15 27.5KG

Friday - Week 5 Workout B

Squats - 1x10 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 50KG
Bench - 1x10 20KG, 3x5 40KG
Pendlay - 3x8 35KG
Face Pull - 3x10 27.5KG
Tricep - 2x10 27.5KG
Calf Raises - 2x15 70KG

Then over the weekend I went out for a few beers with a friend. This was a disaster, no food, ended up being sick twice and sleeping for 12 hours. It meant that Sunday I hate horribly and that all kicked on to this morning

Week 6 Workout B

Deadlift - 1x10 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 65KG
OHP - 1x10 20KG, 2x5 32.5KG, 1x4 32.5 KG FAIL
Leg Curl - 3x8 37.5KG
Assisted pull ups - 3x10 (just) 35KG assist
Biceps - 2x10 (just) 22.5KG
Abs - 2x10 30KG

Failure and too many exercises just making the grade. I'm hoping that a couple of days of rest, rehydration and correct eating (also increasing my calories as i had a little wobble on Wednesday morning) will get me back on track for Wednesday

[mannymann]

My kids have now went back to school after the summer break so I need to try and get to the gym around 15 minutes earlier. Still preferring the early morning starts.

Week 6 - Workout A

Squat - 1x10 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 55KG
Bench - 1x8 20KG, 2x5 45KG, 1x3 45KG FAIL
Pendlay - 3x8 37.5KG
Face Pulls - 3x10 30KG
Tricep - 2x10 30KG
Calf raises - 2x15 75KG

I wasn't looking forward to this morning. I have been getting a fair amount of leg cramps during the night the last couple of nights and it has made my legs painful. I was expecting big fails on the squat. However I felt really good doing them and was happy.

Failure on the bench was all my own fault. I didn't realise that I had loaded the bar with 45KG rather than 42.5KG (where my progression should be at).

Hoping that the next couple of workouts I'll get through my OHP and Bench and keep the progression goi

[mannymann]

Week 6 over and done with

Week 6 - Workout B

Deadlift - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 65KG
OHP - 1x10 20KG, 3x5 32.5KG
Leg Curl - 3x8 37.5KG
Assisted Pull Ups - 3x10 35KG assist
Bicep - 2x10 22.5KG
Abs - 2x15 30KG

Gym was a disgrace this morning. Benches lying all over the place, weights not re-racked. Spent about 10 minutes tidying up an area so I could start. Pissed me right off

[mannymann]

Another week, another start. I find Monday morning workouts easier than the Fridays

Week 7 - Workout A

Squat - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 3x5 60KG. A real grind to get these out, paranoid about my previous hernia issue
Bench Press - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 30KG, 3x5 45KG. Failed on this last week (by mistake). Managed to grind the last one of the last set out. Not sure what to do next as I don't want to get trapped under the bar
Pendlay - 3x8 40KG.
Face Pulls - 3x10 30KG
Triceps - 2x10 30KG
Calf raises - 2x15 80KG

All in all quite happy with my workout. Hamstring is getting super tight but will work on that

[mannymann]

I was burst this morning, felt like I was struggling with everything

Week 7 - Workout B

Deadlifts - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 50KG, 3x5 70KG. First working set was a grind and strated to struggle with grip on the last 1 of the last set
OHP - 1x8 20KG, 2x5 35KG, 1x3 35KG. FAIL. Struggled last week with them, I'll give 35KG another go on Monday but i'm expecting a reset
Leg Curl - 3x8 40KG
Assisted Pullups - 2x10 32KG assist 1x8 32KG. Another Fail. Forearm fatigue
Bicep - 2x10 25KG. Again struggled with forearm fatigue. Had to let the bar go for a few seconds before continuing
Abs - 2x15 32.5KG

Body with a few aches and pains (hamstring and back) as well as my forearms and grip giving out. I see a couple of resets coming up

[mannymann]

Feel like this morning was a complete waste of time.

Week 7 - Workout A

Squat - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 40KG, 1x2 60KG, 1x3 60KG, 2x5 60KG. So after 2 on my working set I got a massive spasm across my lower back. I had to re-rack weights. Just about managed the rest but with lots of pain
Bench - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 30KG, 3x5 45KG.
Pendlay Row - 3x8 40KG
Face Pull - 1x10 30KG, 3x10 32.5KG. Didn't read my previous log correctly and done 1 set at too low of a weight
Triceps - 2x10 32.5KG
Calf raises - 2x15 80KG

Back pain is a strange one. When I sit, Stand straight, lie down, walk or pretty much do anything then it is fine. Bend at the waist about 10 degrees and the pain is excruciating

Hopefully the weekend help get me on the mend

[mannymann]

Week 8 - Workout B

Deadlift - 1x8 20KG, 1x5 50KG, 3x5 75KG
OHP - 1x10 20KG, 3x5 30KG (reset weight)
Leg Curl - 3x8 42.5KG
Assisted Pull ups - 2x10 32KG assist, 1x4 FAIL. Going back to Lat Pulldown
Bicep - 2x10 27.5KG
Abs - 2x15 35KG

Woke up on Sunday morning with a heavy cold and sore throat. I was also nursing my back pain. I seriously considered if this was the right program for me. Decided that I would watch some youtube on squats as I guessed my back pain was caused by poor form. Turns out that it probably is a rounding of the back. Will lower my weight and work on form.

Got a boost though. Turns out that in the last 3 weeks, I've gained 1lb but lost over 3% body fat. This made me decide to stick with it

[Squid24]

Good decision