Frankie's log - The adventures of Eastern Bloc kid

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

I think it's time for me to post here. I figured there are a some people who could give me a tip about my training.

So, about me. I was doing sports and stuff, and then I got sick of some people and their approach to training. Then I just stopped all of that, and officially started lifting after school ended last year. I've been lifting for 9 months now.
My goals are both power and hypertrophy. Here are my stats:

Height: 5' 8.5"
Weight: 167 (morning weight)

Bench: 185 (It's probably more. I haven't maxed out in a long time and I don't really plan to. Never liked benchpress when it comes to powerlifiting).
Squat: 335 (Before winter break)
Deadlift: 405 (Before winter break)

My routine:
One big lift per day followed by rest (Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OHP, off, repeat)
I do Wendler 5/3/1 for all big lifts, followed by other exercises in 8-12 rep range.

Currently my goal is to cut down to some leaner BF % and then probably start a lean 9 months bulk when the school ends. I have learned a lot so far, and I also made some mistakes. That's why I want to reset and start things serious when the summer comes.

Current macros are around 150p 250c and 50f. I only track protein and fats, and then fill it up with carbs until I hit about 2000-2100 calories on myfitnesspal.
I am still getting stronger.

Here is an example of deadlift day I did:

Deadlift
3x315
3x335
4x355

Pull ups
10
10
8

Low row
12x120
12x120
12x120

DB curl
12x30
11x30
11x30







 

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

My last week before deload

Legs
Squat
5x235
3x270
1x300

Leg Press
315x12
325x12
335x12

Rack pull
12x 135
12x 135
12x 135

Calves
12x200
12x200
12x200

Chest
Bench
5x145
3x165
2x185

DB bench
12x50
12x50
12x50

Cable fly
12x30
12x30
12x30

Tricep pushdown
12x110
12x110
12x110

Back
Deadlift
5x290
3x330
3x365

Pullup
9
9
9

Low row
12x110
12x110
12x110

Curl
9x35
8x35
8x35


Got sick so I took some time off.

Also, planning to go max out for 1000lbs total sometimes soon

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Just to refresh this... I am restarting my training with the new school year. Any opinions are welcome.

Maxes:

Bench- Don't know, don't care, weak as hell. Probably 200 with pause.
Squat- Got 350, then switched to high bar. I prefer going deep with lower weight, instead of just hitting parallel.
Dead- 440.

Anyhow, I got fat as fuck over the summer, gained probably 25 pounds. Now probably at 185 ish, maybe more. Need to figure out my maintenance calories this week.
I will bulk until mid January, looking to lean bulk for another 10 pounds.

My training:

Legs, Push, Pull,Off. I feel this is the least amount of frequency one should do to maximize gains. I start every day with Squat, Bench or Dead and follow up with accessory movements. Using least amount of machines as possible.
I used linear progression over the summer but I started stalling, especially on bench. Will move back to Wendler type progression. No deloads, just three training days and an off day. Rinse and repeat. I think people take way too many off days and deload way too much.

Programming:
Everything is in sets of three. 3 to 4 minutes in between sets, on main lifts probably even more. Don't see the point of keeping rest times short. I don't track it at all, could be less, could be more.

Legs- Squat, Front squat,Lunges, Calves, optional planks
Push- Bench, Incline DB Bench, Seated flat bench dumbbell shoulder press, Mid chest cable flys, tricep pushdown
Pull- Deadlift, Lat pull, Low Row, Curls, optional facepull, calves, planks

Goals: Mass and strength

As I said, any critique is welcome.

[Louie P]

Everything looks goods, I wouldn't really try and over think it. There is no perfect routine or diet; every routine works and every diet works. Just go to the gym, work hard and lift something heavy while eating clean. As long as your main movements are progressing then you will see results. Being consistent is the most important aspect. It took me a while to realize that sticking to the basics will yield the best results. The sooner you realize that the better.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

My first two cycles:

Wednesday:
Squat
5x225
5x240
9x255

Front Squat
8x185
8x185
8x185

Lunge
10x45
10x45
10x45

Calves
10x160
10x160
10x160

Abductor
10x50
10x50
10x50

Thursday
Bench
5x135
5x145
11x155

DB incline
11x50
11x50
11x50

DB OHP
12x30
11x30
11x30

Cable Fly
11x30
11x30

12x30

Tricep pushdown
12x110
12x110

12x120

Friday
Deadlift
5x300
5x320
9x340

Lat pulldown
12x145
11x145
11x145

Low row
12x115
12x115
12x115

DB Curl
12x30
11x30
11x30

Cycle 2:
Sunday
Squat
3x240
3x255
7x275

Front Squat
190x8,8,8

Lunge
50x10,10,10

Calves
160x11,11,11

Yoke Walk
sets up to 495

Monday
Bench
3x140
3x155
9x165

DB incl
50x12,12,12

DB OHP
30x12,12,12

Cable fly
30x12,12,12

Tricep pushdown
120x12
130x12,12

Facepull
12x40
12x55
12x55

Tuesday
Deadlift
3x320
3x340
8x365

Lat
145x12,12,12

Low row
115x12,12,12

Curl
30x12,12,12

Plank +10lbs
3x60s

[Bob Stevens]

Your main movements look good, resist the urge to do a 1rm for sure few cycles and keep hitting rep pr's.

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[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Don't worry, I won't. I max out like twice a year, unless a meet comes up.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Gained 0.8lbs in one week. Was thinking on capping it to 0.5, but I am just unstoppable when I start eating. Eating fairly "clean", for the lack of better description. I just hope those hormones from Walmart beef are kicking in. Hopefully I won't spill over 195 by the end of the December. Also, I just remembered I was 195 before I started any training. Disgusting.

Last cycle of training:

Thursday:
Squat
5x225
3x255
8x285

Front squat
195x8,8,8

Lunge (Dumbell each hand)
55x10,10,10

Calves
160x11,10,10

Friday
Bench
5x135
3x155
8x170

DB Incline
55x10,10,10

DB OHP
35x11,11,11

Cable fly
35x12,12,12

Tricep push
130x12,12,12

Facepull
55x12
60x12,12

Saturday
Deadlift
5x300
3x340
6.5x380

Lat pull
150x11,11,11

Lowrow
120x12,12,12

Curl
35x10,10,10

Planks +25lb
60s
60s

Sunday
Did farmers and prowler

Next week in Wendler is deload, but I am skipping it since I eat like a cow. Squats tommorow, it doesn't get any worse than that.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Bubble butt checking in. Got a little bit sick, lost some weight. Squat day was so shitty I just walked away from the gym and repeated the workout after 2 days.
One pair of pants simply exploded on the side, so I got my fat pants out, still kinda tight around quads and ass. Everything is growing except for calves.

I also kinda decided to go back to low bar squat. The bar is smashing my spine through my non-existent traps and it is not fun at all. Just need to figure out how to execute that transition.

C2W1:
Tuesday
Squat
5x235
5x250
10x265

Front squat
200x8,8,8

Lunges
60x10,10,10

Calves
160x12,11,10

Wednesday
Bench
5x140
5x150
11x160

DB incline
55x10,10,10

DB OHP
35x11,12,12

Cable fly
40x11,11,11

Tricep pushdown
135x12,12,12

Facepull
60x12,12,12

Thursday
Deadlift
5x315
5x330
10x350

Lat
150x12,12,12

Low Row
120x12,12,12

Curls
35x12,11,11

Planks +25lbs
60s
60s
60s


C2W2
Squat
3x250
3x265
10x280

Front Squat
8x205
8x205
8x205

Lunges
60x10,10,10

Calves
160x12,12,12


Tuesday
Bench
3x150
3x160
9x165

DB incline
55x11,11,11

DB OHP
35x12,12,12

Wednesday
Deadlift
3x330
3x350
8x370

Lat
55x12,11,11

Low Row
125x12,11,11

Curl
35x12,12,12

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Woke up at 184.4. Acceptable.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Apparently I only gained 0.2 pounds. Don't know what kind of sorcery is this, but I like it. The amount of food I go through is biggest ever, this is the first time I am stuffing my face and barely gaining.

These are my big lifts from two previous "weeks"

 
Squat
5x235
3x265
9x295

Bench
5x140
3x160
8x185

Deadlift
5x315
3x350
6x390

Squat
5x240
5x255
10x270

Bench
5x145
5x155
10x160

Deadlift
5x315
5x335
10x360


I keep getting pretty much same number of reps even though weight is increasing.

Will this last forever or will my numbers start naturally falling toward 5,3 and 1 on respected days?

[Alex M]

Nope, unfortunately linear progression doesn't last forever. :(

[Bob Stevens]

Yea, you will make progress for a long time if you just keep making slow increments. My own experience was that if you constantly go to failure (or failure -1) on your last set, your progress will be slow and plateau. The way around that is to be smart about how many reps you do, and plan to peak each lift during different cycles. So for the next time through maybe you push your bench so that you're maxing out in reps, but always leaving 1-3 in the tank on deadlift and squat. Then next cycle change to deadlift, etc... You can also substitute lifts, ie SSB instead of BB squatting, trap bar instead of conventional pulling etc.... 

5/3/1 is meant to be done for a long period of time, so keep rolling with it and you'll do well. 

On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 9:30 AM, Alex M <a.mar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Nope, unfortunately linear progression doesn't last forever. :(

Will this last forever or will my numbers start naturally falling toward 5,3 and 1 on respected days?

[Sereni]

I second bob's suggestion, and as far I know, nearly everyone on the club who's done 5/3/1 will recommend it too.  I had the best luck with very conservative starting weights and then just letting the program run for a few months.  This was further reinforced in nearly every template I've done.  Starting conservative, working up reps, and just being patient has always given me the best results.  As far as planning ahead, I would do something similar to what Bob said.  If I'm not feeling too hot one day, I'd leave something in the tank and then when I come back around to that lift I can nail a PR and feel good.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Cool, I'll try that. I'm just waiting for the weight to get heavier because I really lose focus on sets of more than 5 reps.

Also, finally got my lazy ass to buy chalk. It is magical.

The other day I got winded walking up stairs and was so pissed/disappointed since I did a lot of  high intensity endurance sports in the past. I bought myself a pair of one of those fluorescent green highlighter running shoes so I can start doing some cardio. Will aim for one low intensity braindead jog session and one HIIT session per week. We'll see what will happen.

[Louie P]

How has your progress been?

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

It has been wonderful, thank you for asking.

Was sick for a week, then I switched from high bar to low bar, and need some more frequency to nail the form down. Will be doing full body split 4 - 5 times a week.

[Sereni]

Of your ten posts in your log, I think you mentioned being sick in three of them.  Are you getting enough sleep?  Looks like you're missing a lot of training due to these little sick spells.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Getting 8 hours every day. First time didn't even had to take days off, but second one was some nasty viral shit 100 deg fever, went from good to dead in like 2 hours.
It's just crappy luck.

[Timothy Copeland]

I usually don't get sick often, I already have twice this year as well. I know the first bug hit like everyone. I picked up some vitamin C and D, well see if it helps 

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

So I completed 4 straight days of full body to get me back in to the groove with low bar squats.

Even though my previous training was fairly high frequency (Legs, Push, Pull, off), I feel like I can increase it a little bit more to get most out of it. My program will be a slight modification of Blaha's 5x5. The only reason I've been avoiding it so far is because I hate doing 5x5s. They destroy me both mentally and physically, but I guess I'll just try to stick with it.

Schedule will look like as follows:
Workout A
Squat 5x5
Bench 5x5
Low row 5x5
Shrugs 3x8
Triceps pushdown 3x8
Curls 3x8
Calves 3x8

Workout B

Squat 5x5
Deadlift 1x5
OHP 5x5
Lowrow 5x5
Bench 3x8
Curl 3x8
Calves 3x8

We'll see how this works out

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Thursday A
Squat
5x5x285

Bench
5x5x165

Low Row
5x5x145

Shrugs
3x8x135

Tricep
8x140

Curl
9,8,7 x 145




Saturday B
Squat
5x5x290

Deadlit
1x5x385

OHP
5x5x95

Low Row
5x5x130

CGBench
3x8x135


Tuesday A
Squat
5x5x295

Bench
5x5x170

LowRow
5x5x150

Shrugs
3x8x185

Tricep
3x8x145

Curls
8x42.5
8x42.5
8x42.5

Thursday B
Squat
5x5x300

Deadlift
1x5x385

OHP
5x5x100

Lowrow
5x5x135

CGBench
3x8x135

Curl
8x45
6x45
7x45

Calves
3x12x160

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Sessions are  big in volume, I can barely squeeze it in 2 hours. Squats feel really good ever since I went to narrow stance, I just feel it in low back a lot since I sit back a little bit more.

I got two questions:

Are there any cons on doing OHP and Bench with thumbles grip? The feel so much better, especially OHP

What weight should I hit at 5x5 that would put me in ballpark 405 squat single?

[Louie P]

Cons would be bar slipping out of your hands and landing on your face. I personally like oh pressing with a thumbless grip but would never bench thumbless. They call it a suicide grip for a reason.

As far as squatting 405. I would feel pretty confident if you could squat 400x5x5 then 405 for a single would be no problem ;)

[chris]

On Saturday, November 2, 2013 11:33:57 AM UTC-4, Louie P wrote:

Cons would be bar slipping out of your hands and landing on your face. I personally like oh pressing with a thumbless grip but would never bench thumbless. They call it a suicide grip for a reason.

As far as squatting 405. I would feel pretty confident if you could squat 400x5x5 then 405 for a single would be no problem ;)

agree with Louie.

usually your 5x5 is ~95% of your 5RM; 5RM is ~85% of your 1RM -- 0.95 X 0.85 X 405 =  ~327.  If you have an idea of your 5x5, 5RM and 1RM from any time prior you should be able to fudge that math appropriately to get a more accurate approximation for you.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Great, hopefully my linear progression won't stall before 330

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Also, morning bodyweight 187.5

Gained 5lbs in 10 weeks, which was exactly as scheduled

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Saturday A
Squat
5x5x305

Bench
5x5x175

Low Row
5x5x155

Shrug
3x8x225

Triceps
3x8x150

Curl
8,8,6 x 45


Barely managed to squeeze this one in before closing time.

Is there any rule of the thumb on how to increase weights when working up to 1RM PR? I think I used to make them too small,  which would kinda tire before PR.

[Sereni]

Is there any rule of the thumb on how to increase weights when working up to 1RM PR? I think I used to make them too small,  which would kinda tire before PR.

I usually take about 10% jumps based on the number I hope to hit.  The reps leading up to it vary, but usually have a few sets of 5, then sets of 3, then maybe a single.  Some people read way into this, but using this as a general guide and the evaluating it as I go has worked great for me.  PRs used to be my thing.  I think it's all about knowing your body.

[Bob Stevens]

I like doing more sets personally, to get my body primed and ready. So if I was going for 500, I would do triples up to 365, then 405x1, 440x1, 480x1 then 500x1. But Nick and Shawn and many other guys would just got 405, 455, 500. I need the extra rep, some don't. You just have to feel it out for yourself. 

On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 3:32 PM, Sereni <glic...@gmail.com> wrote:

Is there any rule of the thumb on how to increase weights when working up to 1RM PR? I think I used to make them too small,  which would kinda tire before PR.

I usually take about 10% jumps based on the number I hope to hit.  The reps leading up to it vary, but usually have a few sets of 5, then sets of 3, then maybe a single.  Some people read way into this, but using this as a general guide and the evaluating it as I go has worked great for me.  PRs used to be my thing.  I think it's all about knowing your body.

[Nicholas Battista]

I agree with Bob. I typically will take smaller jumps and do singles
once I get around 80% +. I don't think doing these extra reps will
effect me in possibly missing my target bc my conditioning tolerance
is usually pretty high.

[Dan]

Like Bob, is that I like my jumps to be relatively consistent (whether by % or weight).  So lets say I was going for a 315 bench:

 

135x5

add 50

185x3

add 40

225x2

add 40*

265x1

add 30

295x1

add 20

315x1

 

Notice, going from 225, the easiest thing to do would be to add 25s and go for 275.  However I only made a 40lb jump from 185 to 225.  Going for a heavy single, this would be something I pay attention to.

 

In other words, the increase is positive, but its derivative would be negative.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Thanks for the input guys.

Training-wise, my Tuesday looked like this:

Squat 5x5x310
Deadlift 1x5x390
OHP 5x5x105
I'm too lazy to list all the accessories

Thursday
Squat 5x5x315
Bench 5x5x180


No hope for my pressing. I can already feel I'm running into a wall on my bench press and it sucks balls.

Squats feel mega good ever since I switch to narrow stance. I think I'm finally reaping the benefits of all the nasty front squats I did all summer. I think I got 405 single in a bag, I just need two more weeks. Also, I ended this summer with 3x3x315, and now I'm at 5x5x315. And that 3x3 felt like giving birth to 9 obese kids.

I heard belts can add like 40 pounds to my squat, is that true? And is the addition somewhat instant or would I need to train with belt for couple of months? I have been avoiding it because I never really liked it.

[Alex M]

Might take a few sessions to really learn how to use the belt effectively, but it will definitely add a few pounds. How much really depends on the person.

[Louie P]

If you haven't been using a belt, I wouldn't really worry about it. Not using one will make your abs strong and it becomes a crutch for many people. I only use mine when getting above 90% of my 1rm.

[Sereni]

I definitely wouldn't add a belt just because you're looking to get a few pounds out of it.  You should be as hard on yourself as possible, and trying to sneak a few pounds out of a belt sounds like a sissy way out.  You'll get stronger without it then you could always look into it once you need it.

[Bob Stevens]

Yea, just like those guys all said, the belt won't really add much weight. The reason people think they get so much extra weight from the belt it because using the belt can make up for never bracing your abs when squatting. So people either stop using a belt, and lose poundage off their squat because they're lazy, or they add the belt and now their core is being squished tight, and they feel stable for once so they can squat more. 

Once you start getting into the 455-500 range, I would start incorporating a belt. Just get a 10mm one from Elite or Inzer, and do what Louie said, put it on at 85-90%. 

On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 8:29 AM, Sereni <glic...@gmail.com> wrote:

I definitely wouldn't add a belt just because you're looking to get a few pounds out of it.  You should be as hard on yourself as possible, and trying to sneak a few pounds out of a belt sounds like a sissy way out.  You'll get stronger without it then you could always look into it once you need it.

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[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Yeah, I definitely dislike using any equipment when it comes to lifting and I wouldn't really use it during my normal training. I just wanted to consider using it for meets, if it puts 20 pounds on my squats "for free", I'll take it.


Training update: didn't do a single thing. Had to go to a wedding to DR, now I'm stuck with craptonne of schoolwork. Awesome.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Thursday

Squats 5x5x320
Deadlift 1x5x395
OHP 5x5x110
CGBP 3x8x150

Squats feel good, man. Deadlifts are becoming a grinder. OHP and CGBP are getting nastier, will probably stall soon.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Saturday

Squats 5x5x325

Bench
5x185
5x185
5x185
4x185
3x185

Sad bench is sad. Gonna see what next session brings.

[Bob Stevens]

Start benching before you squat and see what happens. 

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[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Will try that probably. But now squat is my main goal, need to get my 405lbs. Potentially 190kg (420lbs), or if some magic happens, 200kg (440). Would kill for it.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Squats 5x5x 330

Deadlifts 1x5x 400.
Looked and felt like death. Squats burn the hell out of my low back.
Switched seated rows for Barbell rows. Will replace shrugs with overhead shrugs to see how affects my messed up scapula/shoulder/clavicle

[Louie P]

shrugs with the ssb are a good one too if you're looking for something different

[Sereni]

What are you currently trying to achieve?  Just based on what I read, it looks like you're about to hit a wall.  You're not working on your bench, your squat is hurting you, and your deadlift is grinding.  Are you coming to the end of your cycle?

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Squats
5x5x335

Bench
5x5x185
Dunno how but I took a little longer brakes and Bench was flying.

I tried all kinds of shrugs, it just that pulling weight from bottom up makes my shoulder region make such a terrible grinding sound it's not even real.

My current goal is to gain as much muscle as possible. But at the same time I do not want to have muscles that can't do better than a quarter squat. I never liked pure powerlifting or pure bodybuilding, I want to take best of both worlds.
I still bench every session and overhead press every other (the other bench session is CGBP 3x8, I wasn't listing them in my log).
Squats are not hurting my back, I just get a huge pump/burning sensation so it kinda throws off my heavy deadlifting. I'll lower the weight on deadlifts next session.
The program has no end, when you fail the same weight two sessions in a row you just  put -10% next time and start rebuilding.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Morning weight 189.3.

[Alex M]

On Friday, November 22, 2013 12:06:14 AM UTC-5, FRAN PERKOVIC wrote:

Bench
5x5x185
Dunno how but I took a little longer brakes and Bench was flying.

See. Why people always give me shit for my 27 minute rest periods? 

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

haha yea, I also love to take enough break to eat a lunch in between. The only problem is that 5 minute rest always became 6 minute after a month and just kept getting longer and longer.
This summer my friend was giving me shit for being lazy at the gym and taking long breaks. But I couldn't beat his argument once he pointed out that there is literally a god damn spider making web on my bench while I was resting.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Squats 5x5x340
These were intense. On my last set as I was setting up I felt some pain in between my left scapula and spine. I totally ignored it and did 5 reps, but it hurt too much so I called it a day. Rolled it, and it feels a bit better now.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Past week has been pure failure. Walked into the gym, couldn't even get the warmup weight up on squats. Gym was closing earlier so I left. Saturday I did a first set of 5 with 345 on squats and they were bad. Started out my second set, did one rep and said fuck it I'm done. Would have left then, but I knew I'd hate myself that day so I grinded out 3 more sets that looked like good morning and felt like death. The weight definitely needs to go down.

Still dunno what to do with my squat form. I tried all kinds of foot position; wide, narrow, ultra narrow, sit back, more legs, you name it. I watched every damn youtube video from any somewhat credible raw lifter and all of them squat differently.

Lastly, the current routine was all fun and games but it is killing me. Takes me about 2 hours and 15 min to complete all of it and I can't handle it anymore. I'll probably try to switch something with same frequency, but more training days where I get to the gym.

[Louie P]

If you aren't feeling it one day there isn't anything wrong with dropping the weight and just doing some rep work. Grinding out sets like that with poor form is an injury waiting to happen.

As far as higher frequency I did something like this when I was in school and had more time with good results.

It was 3 on 1 off

1. Chest, Back,  Standing calfs

2. Legs

3. Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Seated calfs

4. Off
5. repeat

I started at 3 sets per body part and increased to 5 sets over a couple of weeks. I worked up to a heavy set between 5-9 reps. Once I got 9 reps I added weight. I would drop 10-15% from my first set do another set, drop another 10-15% and do another set, etc.

Big compound movements only- I did the following and picked two exercise and switched between the two for every other workout.

Chest- decline, flat, incline
Back- is a bigger muscle group so I did two exercises. pull ups and rows.
Legs- Squat only for quads, and sldl with bb or db for hams only
Shoulder- over head press, upright row
Bis- some type of curl
Tri- Dips or cg bench press, jm press

This was somewhat of a lower volume approach so I trained every set to failure besides squats.

After 6 months of this I changed it slightly and went to 

1. Chest, Shoulders, Tri,  Standing calfs

2. Legs

3.  Back, Biceps, Seated calfs

4. Off
5. repeat

I would go back to training this way if I had the time now. I really liked the 3 on 1 off approach. The only problem is that your training days are never on the same days

[Sereni]

Past week has been pure failure. Walked into the gym, couldn't even get the warmup weight up on squats.

Was is just this past week, hasn't this been a trend lately?
 

Still dunno what to do with my squat form. I tried all kinds of foot position; wide, narrow, ultra narrow, sit back, more legs, you name it. I watched every damn youtube video from any somewhat credible raw lifter and all of them squat differently.

Have you tried just doing what feels best?  All your youtube buddies are squatting differently because they're different people.  Also, sometimes just sticking with something works, don't expect some miracle from switching your stance.

I'll probably try to switch something with same frequency, but more training days where I get to the gym.

 I believe there is a language barrier here...

I think you're in need of a major overhaul.  It seems like whenever you post it has to do with being sick or having a shitty training session.  I'm not sure how your numbers have been moving, but your log is more depressing than my log when I was eating 1000 calories and pissing out my ass.

[chris]

On Tuesday, December 3, 2013 8:59:42 AM UTC-5, Louie P wrote:

If you aren't feeling it one day there isn't anything wrong with dropping the weight and just doing some rep work. Grinding out sets like that with poor form is an injury waiting to happen.

As far as higher frequency I did something like this when I was in school and had more time with good results.

It was 3 on 1 off

3-on-1-off was my staple rotation for years.  Although you are in the gym more days a week than a 3X (full body) or 4X a week split, the actually frequency that you're training everything is lower.  You do have fewer days that are completely devoted to recovery though.  What I am doing now is similar, but saturday is always a recovery day.  This eliminates a single microcycle over 4 weeks and gives me an additional 4 days devoted to recovery.

If I really wanted to do an upper/lower split, I would do it 3 days a week; one week would be 2 lower sessions and 1 upper session and the following week would be 1 lower and 2 upper.

with your squat, just pick whatever style seems the most comfortable and stick with it.  this may not be the one where you can lift the most weight.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

@Louie and Chris
I used to run Leg/Push/Pull/off and it was good, but it still ended up being slightly less then 2x per week per body part, which I find tad shy of optimal.
I'll probably end up doing something like Squat,Deads, Pull for A and Push for B and full body here and there. So I'll aim for doing something like A B A B Fullbody during seven days.
Chris I guess you're right about squats. I tend not to be "listen to your body/do what feels right" kinda guy, but I guess I'll have to go with it this time.

Nick, I have been sick slightly sick two times and had a couple of crappy sessions, which I don't find alarming since this log is for past three months. It just looks dense because I don't post every single thing I did every workout. Numbers are doing great, looking to hit 405 Squat, I just don't know how soon will 500 Deadlift happen.
But indeed, workouts are depressing because I tend to push it every day, and don't really have easy days. There are plenty of people that I saw who workout for 5+ years and look mediocre, I just don't want that to happen to me.
As for "same frequency, more training days" I meant that I will still be hitting every muscle group 3 times a week, but I'll split it into 5-6 training days per week instead of 3 full body days.

[Sereni]

Well, if you've added 70lbs to your squat in three months, I don't see what all the fuss is about. 

Have you given up on bench?

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

I have never given up on bench, but it gave up on me lol. I always train it as much as any other lift.

As for squats, I am trying to figure out which way would be the most optimal way to squat. I assumed there is a lot of work done by experienced people in areas of lifting technique and physiology for me to just squat "how I feel". Another thing that annoys me is that I can good morning any squat I am about to fail and it is still a valid lift.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Also  last PR is from beggining of summer, so its 6 months or so.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Squats 5x5x310
Deadlift 1x5x365

Did my squats little bit wider than shoulder width. There was a definitive lack of power in first half from the hole and I felt it in my inner thighs. Still tend to shoot hips up and lean forward. I'll give it another shot next time.
Deadlifts felt heavier then expected, back rounded as usual. Not satisfied.

[Louie P]

Why do you find training body parts less than 2x per week less than optimal?

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Because it usually takes about 2 days to complete muscle protein synthesis. Working out 3 times a week reduces period of time when there is limited or no muscle hypertrophy.

[Louie P]

I have no idea what that means or entitles. Care to elaborate?

[Alex M]

The increase in muscle protein synthesis caused by resistance training lasts about 48 hours. So if you only train a bodypart once a week that's 5 days of increased protein synthesis you're missing out on. If you're going to do 15 sets for a bodypart per week it's better to split them up across multiple sessions, at least for hypertrophy. Just a generalization of course, but basically that's what he's saying. As with all things in this game, your mileage may vary, but I find this to be true in my experience.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

As Alex said. Or to put it more bluntly, your muscle stops growing 2 days post workout, so it is good to hit it again if you wanna get bigger. However, with high frequency training you need to watch out for your nervous system recovery, especially on deadlifts.

On the bright side, todays push day went to shit due to unexpected elbow issues.

[FRAN PERKOVIC]

Naz meet went well.

My morning weight is almost 190, but I weighed in 197 after insane two day carb mayhem and crapton of water. And shoes, don't forget the shoes.

Didn't get any sleep before meet, but still felt good. Started my squat warmup and on 225 I managed to mess up my elbow that was annoying me couple of days before. Squat rack was that thingy usually used in oly gyms and was too high and about to fall apart. As soon as I unracked it, all weight went on my arms. It was actually fairly bad, I was sure I'll be skipping bench.
I decided to ditch my narrow stance with extreme low bar position that I used past two months, it wouldn't workout in long run. This means I totally didn't know what to expect for squats, but I hit 335/370/395. Will keep building from there.

Unexpectedly, I managed to warm up for bench, and hit a 195 with pause. I did 210 and 225 no pause, 225 was everything but smooth.

Deadlifted 420 for first attemp. Calculated 450 for second and 480 for third would give me 1100 flat. Approached the bar for 450 and it looked weird, I didn't do math but it just didn't seem right. I told the judge there is no way that is 450, but he said it is. At that point I didn't want to argue and be a retard because there was no numbers on the outside of plates. Pulled it fairly fast, because it was loaded to 10 pounds less, 440 instead of 450. I decided to scale my last from 480 to 470 and finished with 1090.