Patrik's log

[Patrik]

Monday, January 12, 2009 – 5x5A
Squats: 60 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 50 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 15/12/10 (first time trying these – I won’t miss bent-over rows at all)
Pushups: 30/20/20
Reverse crunch (40 kg db): 12/12/12
15 minutes of cardio (rowing, moderate)

Today’s 5x5B workout (first time without gloves!)
Squats: 62.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Shoulder press: 25 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift: 100 kg 5
Pullups: 12/8/5
Prone bridges: 3x30sec (too easy, going to alternate weighted crunches and floor wipers)
15 minutes of cardio (rowing, moderate)

Back on the Stronglifts 5x5 workout after four months of mixing and matching routines. During that time I was at the gym five to six days a week. Up until New Year’s I was doing epic 2-hour sessions, especially when doing splits. One of my resolutions was to get out of the gym faster, so I started doing circuits, mixed with tri- and super-set days. I did one variant of the Daniel Craig workout (well, the circuit he did while prepping for Casino Royale) a few times and I spent five days trying out a week of Jason Statham’s workouts as outlined in Men’s Health. By the end of last week, my body was shattered, screaming “Fuck you, asshole, I’m spent!” at me. I spent pretty much the whole weekend either sleeping or grumbling around the flat like a bear aroused from hibernation way too early. So, it was time to get back to basics, and to a far more reasonable regimen of three sessions with The Iron a week.

Thanks to the circuits, along with a much improved diet (inspired by what I read in the description of Daniel Craig’s workout and nutrition plan), I’m a little more toned, and my love handles have pretty much disappeared. However, I have been trying to put on weight, but nothing seems to be working. I eat a lot of healthy food, take BCAAs before and after my workouts, drink plenty of water, and take a couple of Nitric Oxide pills in the morning a half-hour before breakfast, then a couple a half-hour before lunch. I’m pretty content at 83 to 86 kg (I’m 185 cm tall), but wouldn’t mind bringing that up to 90 kg… hell, make it 95kg. The closest I came to that goal was over Christmas, when three days of nonstop eating (primarily chocolates, cookies, and cakes, along with a lot of mandarins, bananas, apples, white bread, salamis, potato salad – very little light mayo in it as I fucking can’t stand mayo –, sausages, and potato chips, washed down with Coke Zero and fruit juices, though I forced myself to drink some water as well) brought me up to 89 kg.

My weight on waking today: 83.4 kg. My wife hates me for this.

I started doing Stronglifts 5x5 again on Monday. I love its simplicity – I’ve looked at a few of the other popular variations, and quite frankly I don’t have the time to do all that reading and calculating. This just tells me the exercises I should do, how to do them, how to progress, what to do when I stall, and that’s it. The articles and forum are great sources of information and inspiration, so much so that I’m becoming less inclined to bother with other sites and forums for the time being.

Anyway, my goals for this year are:

Bring my weight up to 95 kg (why stop at 90?)

Lifts (all 5RM)
Squat: 150 kg
Deadlift: 200 kg
Bench: 120 kg
Shoulder press: 70 kg (though I think 60 kg is more realistic)

Also, I’d like to be able to do 50 pushups in one set, so I won’t be adding weight and doing 3x5 for those. I’m not planning on giving up dips (especially after having invested in a dip belt last year – man, do I love that thing), so I’ll be alternating between dips and pushups.

Overly ambitious? I dunno, we’ll see. When I stopped doing Stronglifts 5x5 in mid-September 2008, my lifts were:

Squat: 120 kg
Deadlift: 170 kg
Bench: I can only assume it was about 90 kg, as I was doing incline bench presses at the time. My 5RM for incline bench was 75 kg
Shoulder press: 45 kg

As far as eating goes, my meals are generally:

Breakfast: muesli + whey (tvaroh in Czech, low-fat, lots of protein) + honey, sometimes with almonds, and a banana. I also take Nitric Oxide on waking and BCAAs after eating

Post-workout: BCAAs, a banana, then, either at home or at the office, 2-3 eggs and wholegrain bread, or more tvaroh or cottage cheese, honey, nuts, and fruit. I’ve spent too much money in the past on protein powders that have done absolutely nothing for me except clear my pipes, so I don’t bother with them. Protein bars are just overpriced candy bars, IMO.

Snack: nuts and fruit

Lunch: meat (usually chicken) and either rice or potatoes. I eat far better when at home – the canteens at my workplace tend to serve crap food, though things are improving.

Snack: nuts and yogurt, cottage cheese, or tvaroh

Dinner: meat and vegetables, usually spinach or broccoli

Snack (if I’m really hungry): nuts and fruit

That wasn’t enough for me when I was killing myself with those celebrity circuit workouts, but I’m hoping this will suffice for Stronglifts 5x5. Three days in so far so good.

[Patrik]

Today’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 60 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 52.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 13/10/9
Dips: 18/12/12
Reverse crunch (20 kg db): 12/12/12
Cardio (elliptical, HIIT – 4x1 min intervals at level 18): 200 m/200 m/198 m/190 m
Total: 14:01, 2.38 km

BW: 84 kg

Felt good in the gym, in spite of having spent about three hours walking the night before. I decided to walk from work to the restaurant where the marketing department was having its belated Xmas party. Managed to leave at a reasonable hour, with a reasonable amount of alcohol in my system, so getting up at 4:30am to make it to the gym at 6:00am wasn’t a problem.

Workout went well. I tried squatting barefoot, partly because I'd forgotten to bring socks, and partly because I was curious to see if it would make a difference. I also decided to try squatting deeper than I normally do (I usually go just below parallel). Both changes made for a much more enjoyable squatting session, though I'm not sure at what point I'll have to give up the deep squatting and settle for just below parallel as the weight I'm currently at is quite light.

The HIIT cardio slaughtered my lungs. That’s obviously due to the fact that I still haven’t managed to kick smoking. I’ve cut down considerably – I averaged a pack a day until the beginning of last year, now I’m at about a pack a week, if that. I’ve tried nearly everything – cold turkey, one-a-day, social smoking, nicotine pills (I refuse to pay the ridiculous sums charged for the gum and the patch)… nothing works. I can go a few days without, but then the cravings kick in and I fool myself into thinking I can handle one or two with a coffee or beer. And I do – for a day or two, then come the boredom-killer smokes, the break smokes, the something-to-do-with-my-hands smokes. Thank Christ my wife doesn’t smoke, otherwise things would be worse.

Hiding the habit from her is surprisingly easy, or she’s just refusing to acknowledge it. The worst part is that the cravings hit me especially hard on coming out of the gym. I pass a Starbucks on the way to work, so I do something else I know I shouldn’t do after a workout – I get me a tall brewed coffee (no way I’m paying a sum that can get me a hot meal and a drink for a latte or cappuccino). And I have my coffee-and-cigarettes smoke.

This has definitely got to stop. The day I’m posting this (Saturday), I’ve managed to make it through the day without a smoke. So, it’s a start – hopefully not yet another false one.

[Patrik]

Today’s 5x5B workout
Squats: 67.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5 (previous entry was a mistake, should have read 65 kg)
OHP: 27.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 105 kg 5
Chin-ups, 3xF: 13/7/6
Floor wipers, 3x12: 40 kg 12/12/12
Cardio (elliptical, moderate, avg. 75 rpm): 17 min 2.92 km, 333 kcal

BW: 86 kg

What a great way to start the week, especially after such a crap weekend. Partly my fault because the nicotine withdrawal’s making me moody, partly the wife, in her fourth month of pregnancy, being pissy due mainly to lack of sleep thanks to our asshat upstairs neighbors who, for Christ knows what reason, decided to move furniture around at 6:00am on Saturday and Sunday.

I really look forward to my workouts, especially now that I’m taking rest days. Getting up at 4:30am is no problem, and I love having the flat to myself on waking. Well, not exactly to myself – I spend a bit of QT with our cat, Mikeš. Though this morning he sort of spoiled the mood by dragging his ass on the floor after taking a dump. I had the pleasure of watching this and cleaning up the results while I was in the middle of eating my muesli, almonds, honey, whey, and yogurt. Lovely.

The metro ride into town is usually a bit of a drag owing to all the whinge-face zombies that crowd the cars. The silver lining is that it’s winter, so there’s no B.O. to deal with – if there is a hell, it smells not like sulfur and brimstone, but like Prague’s public transport in a heat wave. Anyway, a bit of a drag, but my iPhone makes the journey enjoyable. In fact, these days I actually look forward to the ride itself as I’ve started listening to Henry Rollins’ spoken word recordings. Just finished Think Tank, today I listened to the first fifteen or so minutes of the first Get in the Van disc. Great stuff, a refreshing change from music.

Speaking of tunes, I’m also really happy with the mix I’ve got on my iPod shuffle now (what a perfect mp3 player for workouts!). Top three lifting songs on it right now: Son the Father by Fucked Up, 1,000,000 by Nine Inch Nails, and But, Honestly by Foo Fighters, the climax of which is especially great for really heavy deadlifts.

Today’s lifts were easy, as I’m still way below my PRs. I’m really digging the whole barefoot thing, and the deep squats are more enjoyable – for now. I admit that I miss my gloves, but hopefully that’ll change by the time I get to heavier lifts.

[Patrik]

Today’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 70 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 60 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 15/11/6
Pushups: 35/21/15
Reverse crunch (15 kg db): 12/12/12
Dragon flags: 5
Cardio (moderate – 18min at level 18): 3.13 km, 359 kcal

BW: 85 kg

Felt physically crappy on waking at 4:30am, which I blame on the one smoke I had yesterday evening after sitting through a long, coffee-fueled pitch for QR codes that our ad agency was making to me and a colleague. Crazy how that one cigarette propels the addiction into a point where it’s consuming all my thoughts. More on that later.

Anyway, spiritually and mentally I felt fantastic, really eager to hit the gym. I had slept well, though I had a really crazy dream involving hanging out with a few of my best friends back in Canada, one of whom was done up like Heath Ledger’s Joker. Took a couple of nitric oxide caps, and 30 mins later had a great breakfast of PB and honey on multigrain toast, and a big bowl of muesli, curd (not whey – my translation of tvaroh was wrong), yogurt, almonds, honey, banana, and cornflakes. Washed all that down with water, took my BCAAs, and headed off into the dark misty morning.

The ride in was good, thanks mainly to Hank Rollins. Listening to his stories on Get in the Van both inspire me and make me feel like I, and pretty much everyone I know, have led soft lives and don’t have the right to complain about the petty bullshit that we complain about. It’s a great steel-toed kick in the ass, and makes me impatient to get down to working with The Iron.

Today’s workout went fine. I really took my time with my squats, concentrating hard on my form. The weight itself was light, going deep was not a problem, but my lower back was bothering me a bit yesterday. I’m certain that I’m keeping my back straight, so I’m wondering if the vague pain is owing to the fact that deep squats are brand new for me and working my lower back in a way it’s never been worked before. I felt fine doing the squats, and I feel good now (about three hours after having done them), so hopefully everything’s ok.

I bumped my bench press up from 52.5 kg to 60 kg instead of 55 kg as I felt like my bench was suffering a bit – 52.5 was just too easy, even as I was doing each rep slowly, especially bringing the weight down. Did all five reps in all five sets without a problem.

I raised the bar one “rung” on the Smith machine for my inverted rows (love love LOVE this exercise – so much more than barbell rows). I nailed 15 easily in the first set – actually I did 17 reps, but only the first 15 were with good form. Second set I did 14, but my chest only touched the bar on 11; third set 10, but only six were good. When I manage 15 in all three sets I’ll switch to adding weights and doing 3x5.

I’m doing each pushup slower than usual. Not sure I’ll ever do weighted 3x5 for these, as I enjoy doing these till failure and I think I’ll get bored with 3x5. Besides, I’m alternating these with dips (bringing the weight belt along for the first time in weeks on Monday – can’t wait!).

Reverse crunches weren’t a problem – with the dumbbell. I tried a set without weight and couldn’t get my technique right. Tried to do a few dragon flags for the hell of it, of the five I managed, probably only three of them were really proper.

After cardio, stretching, and a quick shower, it was off to work. Man, did I fight with my cigarette jones for most of the twenty minutes it took me to get in. Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer took my mind off of it on the underground (not as good a book as I thought it had been when I read it at age 24 – I believe Tropic of Capricorn was better, or was it one of the Rosy Crucifixion books that really blew my mind?). For the walk from the underground to the office, the Devil in me was pummeling the Angel in me like Apollo Creed beating the crap out of Rocky Balboa at the end of Rocky. The Angel went the distance, though… just barely.

God, what a cheesy analogy… One thing that helped mitigate my jones was thinking about some of the morning regulars that I haven’t seen in a while. Jan, the tall Czech banker who always seems genuinely pleased to see me, even though we don’t really have anything to talk about. Martin, the Czech lawyer with the Aussie accent who talked a lot about pussy, but occasionally said things that led me to believe that he was gay and hitting on me, sort of like Man in the Box’s Cameron (ok, maybe not that gay). Ivo (or Yves-O), the crazy French artist, who always makes a point of mentioning that he’s an artist and shadowboxes by one of the cable rowing stations – two things that normally piss me off, but this guy’s got such a great vibe going I really enjoy seeing him and talking to him, even though I can’t understand half the things he’s saying. Michelle… oh, sweet Michelle, a hot little blonde Czech hairdresser who’s more into yoga then the exercise bike and machines now, and whom I was cold to the last few times I saw her because I was training my wife (needless to say, I caught an earful on the way home from those sessions…). I hope they’re all well and good – one of the things I like best about my gym, and the time I go there, is the fact that most of the people are right on.

[Patrik]

Today’s 5x5B workout
Squats: 75 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 30 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 110 kg 5
Pullups, 3xF: 13/8/6
weighted crunches, 3x20: 5 kg 20/20/20

I woke up feeling a lot better than I should have. I didn’t treat myself very well yesterday due to a pile of work that I felt necessary to do in a café – I haven’t been all that productive while working at home lately. I ended up drinking five coffees, eating very little, smoking way too much, and drinking a few beers and some whiskey to take the edge off all the caffeine.

Anyway, in spite of that, I felt fantastic and raring to go at 4:30am. On the way in I finished listening to Rollins’ Get in the Van. Damn, does that ever end on a great note. A bit melancholy, rather inspiring, very beautiful. I then started up Guns ‘n’ Roses Chinese Democracy. Safe to say that none of the tracks on that album will make it into my workout mix.

The mix I’ve got now is so perfect that I’m not skipping songs, except for when I’m doing my deadlifts – I need the ideal energy boost for those. I wanted Foo Fighters’ But, Honestly, ended up settling for 4 Sho Sho off the Ghost Dog soundtrack.

The workout itself was great, though I had a bit of a headache during my warmup. I jumped ahead to 75kg on my squats, and was glad I did because they’re finally a bit challenging while I’m going deep. Overhead presses are still easy, but not too easy. Deadlifts were a cinch, though I’ll have to pay a bit more attention to my form next time. Pullups were a bit disappointing as I was hoping to at least nail 15 on my first set. But they still felt great. Crunches were good – a bit too easy, possibly due to the reverse crunches, I dunno. I skipped cardio as I had to get into work early.

I’ve had a lot of personal and work-related shit on my mind these days. Nothing serious, just some nonsense that’s got me a bit bummed. I love my mornings in the gym. At 6am it’s just me, the receptionist, and this nice Czech couple. And, of course, The Iron. It’s wonderful. I reflect on things between sets, not really solving anything, feeling a bit blue in fact, but in a good way, feeling like Well, that’s the way things are, and I’m going to change them. When I’m done my workouts, I always feel cleansed.

By the exit to my gym, there’s a big poster that has the line “Your body and mind love you.” That rang so true today.

I wish I didn’t need rest days, when I just roll out of bed, eat, take the metro into town, and sit in the office, where I spend most of the day staring at the Internet, writing emails, taking and making phone calls, feeling average. The Iron either wipes that out or inspires me to get stuff that’s important to me and my family done. Which is exactly what I’m going to do today.

[Patrik]

Today’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 77.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 62.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 16/14/8
Dips: 10 kg 5/5/5
Reverse crunch (12.5 kg db): 12/12/12
Calf presses: 80 kg 20/20/20
Cardio (elliptical, moderate, avg. 75 rpm): 19 min, 3.26 km, 378 kcal

BW: 86.2 kg

Love my ABA weeks. Today’s workout went great, looks like I’ll be adding weight and doing 3x5 for inverted rows soon. Think I'll cut back on the cardio, maybe just do 10 minutes after lifting.

Don’t have much to say today – I’m writing this at the end of the workday, I normally write in my training log about an hour after my workout. Right now I'm about ready for a power nap.

[Patrik]

Today’s 5x5B workout
Squats: 80 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 32.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 115 kg 5
Chin-ups, 3xF: 14/9/7
Floor wipers: 45kg, 3x12 12/12/12

BW: 85.4 kg

Great workout today. I woke up at the new midnight, or half an hour before the time I normally wake up on workout days, and couldn’t get back to sleep. Had me a leisurely breakfast and, as is my custom, made my wife a nice big fruit salad with yogurt for her to enjoy on waking.

On the metro, got additional motivation from volume 1 of Rollins’ Talk is Cheap. As I was in town earlier than usual, I took my time walking to the cornershop where I normally pick up a can of sugar-free Kamikaze and a bottle of water, then strolled casually to the World Class Fitness Center on Wenceslas Square. I love Prague in the early morning, especially in winter, when it’s pitch dark at 6am, the streets void of tourists, with very light to non-existent traffic, the square still lit up like a Christmas tree. The waking-up chatter of construction workers and garbage men substitutes for birdsong, the occasional shouts and ruckus of drunks staggering home or towards the nearest non-stop herna bar are the rude neighborhood dogs whose barking beats the alarm clock to the punch. It all puts me in a great frame of mind for my workout.

The Iron was kind to me today, each lift is on the threshold of really challenging. By the end of next week I’ll probably be taking 90-second rests between sets for squats. I’ve got a good feeling about my overhead presses – I believe I’ll be able to beat my personal record of 45 kg by at least 5 kg when the time comes. I suppose it’s a bit early to be making that claim, but it really seems likely. Deadlifts were no problem; I took my time with each lift, focusing really hard on keeping my back straight, and seeing to it that my core got as much out of it as my legs and upper back. Killed my hands while doing chin-ups; I have to use the Smith machine for them as I don’t like doing them with the angled pull-up bars. I was pretty pleased with the numbers though, as they were an improvement over last time. I’ll be ready for weighted chin-ups within the next couple of weeks. Finished off with floor wipers instead of the prone bridges, which I find boring and ineffective. I decided to skip cardio for a while in order to put on some weight, and to save a bit of time.

I’ve also cut down on my use of the steam room and dry sauna from five-six days a week to once a week, on a rest day. It just sucked too much time out of my mornings and I think it was detrimental to my lifting – I haven’t read all that much about saunas and lifting yet.

Had a pleasant ride on the metro home, listening to Thelonius Monk’s Brilliant Corners and racing to the end of Tropic of Cancer. My only beef with the works of Henry Miller is that in order to get to the diamonds in his work – and they are definitely there – you have to slog through a whole lot of bullshit. Nevertheless, it was a nice way to chill after a good workout. As an added bonus, I ran into my wife at the metro station as she was heading into town to go to work. And now, after a tuna, spinach, tomato and cottage cheese salad, and after posting this, I’m gonna have a Wired power nap (one of the best tips I’ve read in a long time) and get to work.

[Patrik]

Friday’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 82.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 65 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Pushups: 36/22/16
Reverse crunch (10 kg db): 12/12/12

BW: 84.9 kg

Didn’t have time to enter anything on Friday or over the weekend. The workout was good, I’m still putting off adding weight to my pushups until I can do 50 in the first set, then I reckon I’ll do 3x20. Decided to do 5x5 for the inverted row now that I’m doing it with weight – 3x5 doesn’t feel like enough.

Something I’ve seen on a number of forums is people ripping on folks with bad form. I do it as well, more in my head than in discussion forums or while chatting with other lifters who know what they’re doing, but I keep asking myself, “Why the hell do I, and so many others, care about this?” People lifting with bad form aren’t harming anyone but themselves, the only time they really affect me directly is when they’re, for instance, doing ¼ squats at my gym’s only squat rack (though in reality the ones I see doing this use the Smith machine, so this isn’t ever a problem). But even then I can work in. The reason I mention this is because on Friday this tall skinny guy with the worst form ever was in the gym. He’s one of those folks who swings back madly when curling and does his bench press and squats in the Smith machine – though they’re not really presses or squats, as the bar (which is always loaded beyond what he can handle) doesn’t make it anywhere near as low as it should for even minimum effectiveness. I once tried to tell him to get a PT to show him how to lift properly. He got all offended and said he had bad knees. I said if he kept squatting the way he’s squatting, he’ll fuck his knees up even more. He had a bit of a bitch fit, so I decided from now on I’ll just keep my mouth shut. I was kind of pissed off, as I always appreciate it when someone shares their knowledge with me. I’ve been lifting for around 20 years (off and on), but I can admit that I’ve still got things to learn.


Today’s 5x5B workout
Squats: 85 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 35 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 120 kg 5
Pullups, 3xF: 15/8/7
weighted crunches, 3x22: 5 kg 22/22/22

BW: 86.1 kg

Pretty good workout, though I’m starting to wonder about my squatting and deadlifting techniques. I can feel both in my lower back, but not in a bad way, more like in a way that feels like they’re being exercised properly for the first time. I’m really focusing on keeping my back straight when doing both these lifts, more than I had in the past. I’m still going way below parallel on the squats, but now I’m wondering if I should go back to parallel. My left knee was giving me a bit of bother during the first set, but that went away after the first five. Overhead presses are getting challenging, deadlifts, though, are still pretty easy. I was happy with my pullups – once I can do 15/10/10, I’ll probably start doing weighted pullups, but 5x5 instead of 3x5.

I totally dig the email newsletters that Mehdi sends out. The generosity blows my mind. Owing to the one I got yesterday, I reckoned I’d give GOMAD a try, as I want to put on another 10 kg or so, even though my bodyweight is pretty much where it should be (I’m 185 cm tall, my weight is currently fluctuating between 83 to 88 kg, depending on the time of day I weigh myself).

[Patrik]

Last Wednesday’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 87.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 67.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 6.25 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Dips: 12.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Reverse crunch (8 kg db): 12/12/12
Seated calf raises: 40 kg 15/15/15

BW: 86 kg

Last Friday’s 5x5B workout
Squats: 90 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 37.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 125 kg 5
Chin-ups, 3xF: 15/7/5
Floor wipers: 50 kg 12/12/12

BW: 85 kg

Monday’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 92.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 70 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 10 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Pushups, 3xF: 38/25/18
Reverse crunch (6 kg db): 12/12/12
Seated calf raises: 42.5 kg 15/15/15

BW: 88.5 kg

Today’s 5x5B workout
Squats: 95 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 40 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 130 kg 5
Pullups, 3xF: 15/9/6
weighted crunches: 10 kg 15/15/15

BW: 85.7 kg

Finally, a chance to post the past few workouts. Technical difficulties, work, and wife have all prevented me from getting a few spare minutes to bang this all out.

So, just after a week of starting it, I’m stopping GOMAD. It seems effective – my weight is now hovering around 86-88 kg, as opposed to 83-86 kg. I also feel more powerful. However, I’m fed up with having to piss every 20 to 30 minutes. Also, despite the fact that I expected it, I was a bit annoyed by the fact that the love handles I’d circuited and cardioed so hard to shed seemed to be making a comeback. I’ll stay away from cardio until the end of the month, and I’ll stick to whole milk – just not a gallon of it every day.

Workouts have been great, though today’s started a bit rough due to a headache. I’m running on about three hours sleep, so up this goes, then power nap, then work.

[Patrik]

Last Friday's 5x5A workout
Monday’s 5x5A workout
Squats: 97.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 72.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 12.5 kg 4/5/5/5/5
Dips: 15 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Reverse crunch (4 kg db): 12/12/12
Seated calf raises: 45 kg 15/15/15

BW: 87 kg

I wasn't fully prepared mentally for the first set of inverted rows, but that's no excuse - I'll stay at 12.5 kg next 5x5A workout. I tried a few dragon flags - damn, they're hard. It's going to be a while before I can knock off more than five in a row.

Today's 5x5B workout

Squats: 100 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 42.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift, 1x5: 135 kg 5
Chin-ups, 3xF: 14/8/6
Floor wipers: 50 kg 12/12/12

BW: 88.5 kg

Yet another great workout - next 5x5B I'll be at my personal record for overhead presses. I don't expect that to be a problem as each rep of each set was doable with energy to spare. Deadlifts were a lot easier than I expected - a bit too easy, probably due to the 5 minute rest I took between my last warm-up set and my work set. I was just waiting for the right moment of the right song (Foo Fighters' But, Honestly) to start the work set. On Friday I'll drop the rest period to 3-4 minutes.

My chin-ups were a bit of a disappointment, most likely because I did the following workout on Saturday:

Elliptical: 10 min, avg. 75 rpm, level 14
Incline bench: 60 kg 10/10/9/8
Pushups (no rest after last set of incline bench): 20
Skull crushers: 25 kg 10/10/8
Bent-over row: 60 kg 10/10/10/10
Pullups: 10/6/6
Bicep curl (Olympic bar): 30 kg 10/10/10, 40 kg 5
Dragon flags + crunches (no weight): 3+20/3+20/2+20
Elliptical: 10 min, avg. 75 rpm, level 14

I suppose I should have taken it easy, but I couldn't stand the thought of puttering about the flat and dicking around on the computer, and no other activities appealed to me.

While at the gym on Saturday, I had the misfortune of sharing gym space (followed by bench space in the locker room) with one of those inconsiderate douchebags who evidently objects to the use of soap, water, and deodorant. The stench was so bad that it occupied half of the free weight room. Why the fuck to people do this? Fortunately, he's not a regular during the mornings that I normally go, so I didn't bother bringing this up with him. In retrospect, I probably should have, as a service to others who undoubtedly have to endure his unholy stank.

Ah well, at least the gym wasn't crowded, in spite of the fact that it was having one of its "Bring a friend" days for Valentine's Day.

[Patrik]

Today's 5x5A workout

Squats: 102.5 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Bench: 75 kg 5/5/5/5/5
Inverted row: 12.5 kg 4/5/5/5/5/4
Weighted Pushups: 10 kg 5/5/5
Weighted pull-ups: 2.5 kg 5/5/5
Reverse crunch (12.5 kg db): 12/12/9
Seated calf presses: 100 kg 15/15/15

BW: 87 kg

Good workout today, though I was a bit pissed that I didn’t pull off a full five reps during my first set of inverted rows. I added a sixth set to compensate, will bump the weight up to 15 kg for the next 5x5A.

I think I’ll have to stop taking my squats below parallel, as my knees are starting to feel it in the later sets. I’ll see how I fare on Friday.

I want to improve my pull-ups, so I’m going to be doing 3x5 weighted pull-ups during 5x5A workouts, alternating between using the bar on one of the Smiths and the slightly sloped bar that’s in the middle of the multiple machine station (whatever the proper name for that may be). On days that I’m doing 5x5B, I’ll do 3x5 weighted chin-ups – using a Smith bar.

Ah, Smith machine… how I used to love thee so foolishly, using you for bench presses (flat, incline, and close-grip), behind-the-neck presses (never overhead presses for some reason), squats, bicep curls, upright rows, bent-over rows, and even, *shudder*, deadlifts . You were always kind to me – too kind, though I stopped using you for squats after you induced migraines that kicked in every time I lifted heavy for about a month. After spending time doing SL 5x5 I dumped you faster than a bitchy girlfriend. But I can’t let you go completely as your bar still serves me well for inverted rows, pull-ups, and chin-ups.

I write the above with tongue planted firmly in cheek – I get irritated when reading arrogant snobby gripes about Smith machines, as they are handy for beginners, and there is the argument that they eliminate the need for a spotter (a valid point in my gym, which doesn’t have a cage, just a squat rack). Then again, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post or two, seeing others use lousy technique also gets under my skin for some unfathomable reason, which is, in a way, an arrogant snobby gripe. Whatever. As long as they’re not fucking with my workout, I really shouldn’t give a crap.

I decided to alter my reverse crunch technique to make them more like dragon flags; I find there’s too much lower back curvature and hip swinging required to bring my knees to my forehead. Plus I can feel the burn a lot more when I’m stopping at the peak of the movement. Hence the increased assistance weight – and the stall in the third set. I was going to use 10 kg, but was rather bummed to discover that (most likely) someone nicked the 10 kg dumbbells from the gym. This isn’t the first time dumbbells have gone missing from this place, which is a somewhat upscale fitness center. It just boggles my mind that people can be such inconsiderate douchebags – I mean, really, stealing equipment from a gym? That’s just pathetic. I suppose the reason it winds me up so much is the fact that I really like World Class on Wenceslas Square, Prague. The staff straight up rocks, by far the friendliest out of all the Prague gyms I’ve been to. So when people steal from them, it’s like they’ve stolen from a friend, and I take that kind of shit personally.

Anyway, to cap this post off on a positive note – I can’t wait until Friday’s 5x5B, as I’m looking forward to hitting my PR for overhead press (45 kg). Hopefully, it’ll be an indicator as to whether I’ll break that record next week. If Monday’s 5x5B is anything to go by, I should be able to break it by at least 5 kg.

[Patrik]

Today's 5x5B workout

Squats: 105 kg 5/5/5/5/5
OHP: 45 kg 5/5/5/5/6
Deadlift, 1x5: 140 kg 5
Chin-ups: 2.5 kg 5/5/5
Weighted crunches: 10 kg 16/16/16

BW: 86.9 kg

Nailed my PR for overhead press; added one extra rep to the last set to drive the point home to myself. Wasn't very happy with my squats though - my left knee was giving me some bother. I increased my rest period between sets from one minute to two minutes, which helped somewhat, as did not going far below parallel. I knew this day would come, I just expected it to come a bit later. The rest of the workout was fine, especially my deadlifts, which were an absolute breeze.

This weekend is going to be super chocolaty: yesterday was my nameday and I got a whole whack of chocolates. Goddamnit...

Speaking of food, I came across this awesome recipe for homemade protein bars by way of this Stronglifts article about deceptively unhealthy foods. In the next batch I'll substitute low-fat tvaroh (curds) for half the milk. This'll add even more protein to the mix.

Thinking of switching back to skim milk next week, but I've really acquired a taste for whole milk, as has my wife... Definitely going to start doing cardio a couple of days a week as well.