my journey to hyooooogeness

[Tony Zhang]

since my last journal I am obviously still training. below what I'm doing lately, basically a lot of sets of 5s with emphasis on good form. Since technique is my biggest problems, I will upload some videos a few times every month so you guys can perhaps critique my form.

current routine

monday (heavy)

full squats 5X5
Deadlifts 5X5
Bench Press 5X5
Bent-over rows 2X15

wendnesday (light)

Lunges 4X8
Good mornings 3X8
Standing military press 5X5
Pullups 4 max sets

friday (medium)

full squats 4 sets of 5 (same with as monday), 1 set if 3(not necessary a max triple but heavier weights will be used compared to monday)
Bent-over rows 5X5
Incline Bench 5X5
French Press/tricep extensions 2X12

Diet/Supplements

I use whey protein+dextrose+creatine after workouts, take fishoils and high dose vitamin C just for health benefits.

Diet wise I am in University and I hate to spend to much on quality food. Instead I try to eat a lot of red meat, drink a lot of milk.

Current diet:

Breakfast:

1 pint of milk + oats + bread + fried eggs

Meal 2:

some kind of sandwitch

lunch:

snickers+milk+apple+coke

Meal 4:

1 pint of milk + oats+ bread + some chocolate or candy bars if I have some

Dinner:

3 grilled burgers + 6 pieces of bread + 1 pint of milk

Meal 6:

fish and chips/kebab/pizza

as you can see I dont consume the healthiest diet but I have steadily gained weight. I have gained about 15 kg of bodyweight since I started training last summer and I'm still very lean.

first entry tommorow

[Tony Zhang]

full squats done as deep as possible

60X5
80X5
100X5
107.5X5
110X5

* went quite well, back slightly rounded on last 2 reps though

trap bar deadlifts

60*5
100*5
120*5
140*5
142.5*4

* first time doing them and disliked it. Will go back to deadlift using a normal bar next week

Bench Press

40*5
60*5
70*5
75*5
80*3

* Not good at all, wanted to do 5 reps on 80 kg but was no where close.

Bent over row with dumbbells

2 sets of 12



general comment: went to heavy on deadlift and bench press on the last sets, my form went to shit and it wasnt even in the plan to go lower than 5 reps. I overestimated my progress and will use same weight for bench press next week.

[Tony Zhang]

Dynamic Lunges

67.5kg
4X8
*felt very strong, will try 72.5kgX8 next time

Arch Back Good mornings

60kg
3X8
*was quite easy but trying to improve my form. Last couple of reps in the last set was kinda cheated

Military Press

30kgX5
35kgX5
45kgX5
47.5kgX3
47.5kgX3
*Not good. Still getting the hang outta the 5X5 system and I'm not so good with picking weights for the last couple of sets yet.

Chinups

1 set of 6
2 sets of 3
1 set of 2
1 set of 1

pretty pathetic but I was exhausted at the end of the workout and I've gained some weight lately so my relative strength is shit

[Tony Zhang]

Squat

60X5
80X5
100X5
107.5X5
112.5X3

Bent over row

20X5
30X5
40X5
50X5
60X5
felt easy so
60X5 again

Incline Bench
20X5
40X5
45X5
50X5
60X4

French Press
2X 12.5 kgX 11

[Tony Zhang]

Monday workout

Full Squats

60*5
80*5
100*5
105*5
112.5*5

Sumo Deadlifts

60*5
100*5
120*5
140*5
150*5

Bench Press

20*5
40*5
60*5
70*5
77.5*5

ANd then I did a couple sets of bent over rows with dumbbells

[Tony Zhang]

Wendnesday

Lunges

72.5X8
too heavy
3X70X8

arch back Good morning

3X62.5X8

Military Press

20X5
25X5
35X5
40X5
47.5X5

Chins

2 sets of 4
2 sets of 3

Note:

my chins still suck, however, that maybe the result of putting it at the end of the workout.

Experienced some knee pain on my way home, probably because I locked my knees on all my GM sets to prevent cheating and end up quarter squatting the movement. Conclusion:slightly bent them next week. Hopefully this pain wont prevent me from squatting on Friday

[Phil E]

Locking your knees seems to be asking for trouble to me. It's gonna put more strain on your lower back and drastically increase the risks of it rounding.

[Tony Zhang]

Locking your knees seems to be asking for trouble to me. It's gonna put more strain on your lower back and drastically increase the risks of it rounding.

Thanks for the advice the problem is that its hard to not cheat a little bit when it gets hard; or maybe I just need to cut a set a couple reps short

[Phil E]

I'm a complete beginner myselfs, but I'd think that "cheating" a little on GMs is fine, if by cheating you just mean squatting it a little.

[Tony Zhang]

full squat

20*5
50*5
80*5
100*5 (experienced slight hip pain)
115*3 (took my stance in a little bit to save my hip but back rounded quite bad at the bottom as I went as deep as I could)

Bent over row

20*5
30*5
40*5
50*5
65*5
*shitty form, will use same weight next time

Incline bench

20*5
30*5
40*5
50*5
62.5*4
*will use same weight next week

hip seems to be agreviated again from Monday's sumo deadlift. I will take my stance in a little bit while doing them and squats next week, while working more on hip abbuductor and hip flexor flexibility, mobility and strength (plate drag).

French press
1 set of 14
1 set of 13

feeling the pump baby :D

p.s just now i had the best binge eating session with a friend ever. 1.5 pizzas, 5 snickers ice cream bars, 1 liter of orange juice and some more coke.

[Tony Zhang]

wow, so my hips are tight and sore as hell today and I dont even squat wide. Its probably the sumo deadlifts on monday that aggrevated this. Since I got some pain yesterday just from normal squatting with a slightly wider then shoulder width stance, I think I'm gonna spend more time strecthching my hip flexors and abductors and strengthening my hips through plate drags.

Obviously Sumo is also out of the question at this moment. I would love to do conventional deadlifts but I cant do so without putting myself at a potentially dangerous position (slightly rounded back). I will do rack pulls at below knee height instead.

[Phil E]

Why do you have a rounded back when lifting conventional? Is it a flexibility issue or just because your form breaks down under heavy weights? If it's the latter, then you could just try lifting sub-maximal weights and focusing on form. The lighter stuff isn't going to make you any weaker, and you sound pretty beat up, so maybe backing off for a week or so would be a good idea.

[Tony Zhang]

Why do you have a rounded back when lifting conventional? Is it a flexibility issue or just because your form breaks down under heavy weights? If it's the latter, then you could just try lifting sub-maximal weights and focusing on form.

Its flexibility. I cant even start the lift with a arched back.



so maybe backing off for a week or so would be a good idea.

hahaaa probably yeah. But its a muscular pain/soreness not joint. So I will just work around it. Probablly will be a good time to try high box squats (with a normal stance)

and this is the second time it has happened. So it means NO wide stance squats or sumo for me for now. Even though they are excellent exercises for the posterior chain, the time lost in training is just not worth it. I'm asking for trouble doing them without hip protection

[Tony Zhang]

Monday

Hips are feeling a little bit looser now after 3 days are icing and aggressive stretching. However, they are still very sore.

High box squat (a good 2-3 inches above parallel ultilising the bench in UWIC Gym), static stretch hip flexor in between sets

Warmed up to

145*3
150*3
160*3 (not so sure how much weight I would be able to handle hence smaller jumps then the following sets)
170*3
180*1

*I was able to handle a suprising amount of weight on this exercise. For the first time, 400 lbs seems within reach. This weight exceeds my normal squat by by at least 40 kg as I always squat ass to grass.

Not so sure how well it will carry over to my parrallel and ass to grass squats but this is the only way I can squat at this moment as my hips are sore as hell.

My form was good(I think). I sat far back, back arched and chest up. They was also paused and no rocking movement. I will probably post a video next week if I get my hands on a friends camera to let people to critique my form.

45 degress back extension

I used a 25kg plate for added resistance

1 set of 8
1 set of 7
1 set of 6

insane back pump hahahaha

[Tony Zhang]

My bodyweight has gone up to 94kg. I'm noticably fatter and bigger. However I feel a lot stronger in my lifts.

Bench Press

20*5
40*3
60*3
70*3
80*3
until this point all were perfectly paused. The following sets however, are more touch and go, but not bounce and go lol.
85*3
87.5*3

Bent-over Rows

50 kg 3 sets of 8

Military Press

50kg*5
50kg*4
50kg*4

Shurgs

worked up to 67.5kg*8

maybe tonight I will do some extra external rotation and hip mobility work.

My form on bench is better and I'm benching with less of an arch. Next week I will do singles and I look forward to hit roughly 90 kg paused and 95 or more "touch and go".

[Tony Zhang]

Since almost all gyms are closed here today I instead walked casually for two hours to get my GPP (love these buzzwords) up. Tommorow I will train the full body with various assistance exercises.

[Tony Zhang]

Sunday Full body

Good mornings
warm-ups
3*80kg*6

Chest supported Row machine
4 sets

Dismel deadlifts

4*80kg*12-15

Dumbbell Benches

25 kg 1 set of 8
30 kg 3 sets of 6

Gyms are closed on Monday, will have squat/dl max effort day on Tuesday

[Boar]

top stuff TZ , are you planning to/already competing ??

also did i read you have a dl/squat suit ?

I too suffer from slight bellylard, its a cross we pie eaters have to bare.:-D

[Tony Zhang]

thanks Mr.Wildboar, I have competed raw in the WSA comp in March and bombed in deadlifts and bench:p.

I'm gonna lift raw until I'm strong enough say a 300 lb bench, 400 lbs squat and 500 lbs deadlift (which I'll get this year). I have some mild hip problems lately so I also just ordered groove briefs 1 size bigger; it shouldnt artificially inflate my numbers but should be able to keep my hip healthy.

after that I achieve a raw 1200 lbs total at a relatively low bodyweight (say 100kg) I would love to get in some tight-ass gear and become a gear whore and get fatter. :p ultra-long knee wraps+belt+double ply briefs+ Squat suit all the way baby!

[Tony Zhang]

10 minutes of

Pushups
leg swing
bodyweight squat
bodyweight lunges
Side Swing

with relatively short breaks

and a lot of static stretching afterwards. The purpose of this workout was to improve general conditioning a little bit and promote recovery. It also makes my hips feel a lot better

[Tony Zhang]

Supposed to do ME Squat/DL but didnt feel like it as my back and hams are still very sore. So Im moving it to wendnesday.

ME Bench

worked up to

82.5*3 paused
90*3 touch and go

Bent over row

1*50kg*8
3*52.5kg*7

Military Press

52.5*5
52.5*3
52.5*3

Attempted to do a powerclean for shit and giggles. Got it up but my form was ridiculous and my left bicep was in pain for a while afterwards. Note to self: dont be a moron.

Last night I got 6 hrs sleep as I woke up multiple times throughout the night, the plus the fact that I'm still sore from saturday means I'm doing too much too soon. Therefore I'll reduce volume on wendnesday.

[Tony Zhang]

High box squat (using bench 2-3 inches above parallel)

worked up to

160*3
180*3 (hyperextended my wrist when trying to rack the bar, ouch)
190*1

*My ego loves the exercise, not so sure about carryover to proper squat though. Felt a slight muscular strain in the hips in the last 2 sets; hopefully it will be alright.

Back extension (25kg plate as added resistance)

3 sets of 9

[Tony Zhang]

Felt like shit today as I have a slight sore throat so I decreased volume a lot for the session and increased intensity by a little bit!

GM

90kg*6
90kg*3
90kg*4
90kg*3

*Jumped from 80-> 90kg just to feel it; turns out its okey and my form was decent. Had some small problems with hand placements though, as the bar was smooth as fuck.

Chest supported row
4 sets of 8-12

Belt squats
50kg attached to a belt and squated on two boxes.
3 sets of 8-15

*was quite fun and got a slight quad pump; first time doing this movement.

Dumbbell Bench
30kg*5
35kg*4
35kg*2

*Idealy I should have done sets of 6-8 with 32.5kg but one of the dumbbells was missing. I feel sets of 8-12 is not very useful so instead I did low reps with 35 kg.

*In general I feel like shit with sore throat and a little bit unmotivated; I will probably train hard for another 2 weeks and do a 2 week deload to give my mind and body a rest after almost 2 months of hard work.

[Tony Zhang]

Still has a sore throat

ME Bench

Floor Press
worked up to

80*3
90*3
92.5*0 (eccentric was too fast, the weight felt extremely heavy as I have never lifted that before)
80*4 (could have done 5 but didnt want to go to failure)

Chest supported row
3 sets

Face pull
3 sets

Dumbbell Side Press
17.5 kg DBs *5 each arm
22.5 kg DBs *5 each arm
22.5 kg DBS * 5 each arm

[Tony Zhang]

ME Squat/DL

last ME before deloading so I will train as hard as I can and spend the next week recovering.

Hips are getting better but I dont want to risk anything so today is the first time I'm squatting in gear (I'm offically a cheater now:) ): single ply groove briefs ordered 1 size larger. Putting them on itself was a great warm up.... They were loose around the stomach and glutes but was kinda tight around the legs.

Box squat (1 inch below parallel) ultilising 2 aerobic steps stacked on each other

worked up to

140*3
150*3
155*0

I feel the briefs gave minimal carryover because the bottom of all the lifts felt very difficult and I didnt feel any kind of rebound or pop from the briefs in the hole. I also failed the last rep at the bottom. However, they were tight enough to keep my hips healthy (or so I hope). After squatting I took them off and thank god I can go for a piss now

Rack Pulls (UWIC Rack Pin 1, 2 inches below knees, conventional stance)

60*5
100*5
140*5
160*5
170*5

*easy

Back extension
25kg plate as resistance
3 sets of 10

Swiss ball crunches
3 sets

[Tony Zhang]

RE Bench

DB Bench Press

35kg dumbbells
1 set of 4
3 sets of 3

Chest supported rows
3 set of 10-14

Side Press
17.5 kg
1 set of 15

Cable Shrugs
2 set of 15

Felt really crap at the start of the session.... good thing is that with another RE Squat/DL session tommorow, I will deload for 1 week.

[Boar]

ahhhh, a deload will do you good mate, where did you get your 'briefs' from matey ??:cool:

[Tony Zhang]

http://www.pullumsports.com/

expensive but the service was quite good and it was delievered quick.

[Tony Zhang]

ahhhh, a deload will do you good mate

True that, i have always done it before without realising it; when I train for like 4-8 weeks in a row, progress slows down and I get sick, joints ache etc... and when I take it very easy for 1 week, I come back stronger.

[Tony Zhang]

Nothing speical to report today, performed some mobility dirlls, and light stretching.... the end of the first loading period

[Tony Zhang]

just to let everyone know that Im still alive and well. :D

last week has been hectic with social life and a lot of school work.

I didnt manage to eat and sleep well at all (not eaten vegetables for 4 days unless you count orange juice) and was also chain smoking on the weekend and drinking quite a bit. usually I dont smoke and drink usually but Im very good with letting myself indulge a bit every now and then and not making it a habit.

Ill resume training tommorow and back to normal (which means absoulutely no drinking and smoking). Good thing is that some nagging pain in my hips are completely gone.

bodyweight is closing in 98 kg and im quite bloated from the 'food' i have eaten in the last couple of months.... usually i dont care about physique but ill really out of shape now to the point where it actually might negatively affect workouts.

for example my diet yesterday consisted off:

Meal
1) coke milk bread snickers for breakfast
2) sandwitch + orange juice
3) vodka
4) kebab

I think Ill train just to maintain strength for a month while slowly diet down to a healthier BF percentage and get better conditioning.... and after that in the summer its all out 'bulking' with BBQ, icecream etc..... and non-pussified workouts. LOL!!!!!

in order to diet and get in shape obviously my workouts are gonna suffer so Ill just train with very low volume and heavy weights in order to fit my recovery capcity.

Routine:

Monday -
Bench - 2x5
Squat - 3x5
Rows - 2x8

Wednesday -
OH Press - 1x5
Good mornings - 1x5
Rack pull 2X5

Friday -
Bench - 1x5
Squat - 1x5
Rack pull 2X5

[Phil E]

That's really really low volume! Why not 3x5, ot 5x5?

[Tony Zhang]

That's really really low volume! Why not 3x5, ot 5x5?


I know... thats just the bare minimum ill do and Ill do more or even less depending how I feel when dieting a bit ... after all I never dieted down... and after almost 6 months of eating crap I have no idea how ill feel like :D

Its been one week without training + diet+ lots of school work (6 hr revision a day) + a few things at this point of life I'd rather just maintain the strength.... not gaining.... at least for the first couple of weeks... and 3X5 allows me to use a heavier weight then 5X5.

[Tony Zhang]

even though the 'deload' (fancy word to say not lifting and living the good life :D) was crappy; today i still feel strong as hell....

box squats (1 inch below parallel)

150 kg * 3
150kg * 3
150 kg * 1
150 kg * 3

bench

90 kg *3
87.5 kg *3
85 kg * 2

bent over rows

[Tony Zhang]

Military Press
55kg*5 (PR)

Good Mornings
92.5kg*5 (PR)

Chest supported Rows
2 sets of 8

[Tony Zhang]

steadily losing weight... bodyweight down by 1 kg

bench

90 kg*3 (Last rep was hard, losing bodyweight definetly afftect benching the most)
90 kg*2

Box Squat (1 inch below parallel)

150 kg *3
150 kg *3
152.5 kg * 3 (easy)

Rack Pull (below knee, UWIC gym, 1st pin)

Sumo stance

5 singles at 190 kg