# my fat-loss/strongman journey



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

hey guys, thought i would start a thread where i can keep all my updates etc so here goes......

name - matt (shrek/tiny/lump/tank etc) although i answer to most things lol

age - 36 (just turned 36)

height - 6ft 8 1/2

weight - near as makes no difference 400lbs (28.6 stone)

occupation - supervisor at a concrete production site, heavy machine driving with minimal hand-ball work

ive never really had any sort of direction when it comes to weight lifting hence my late start to it, i spent most of my late teens/20's pissed out of my face then i was made redundant back in 2009 at the height of the credit crunch, it really hit me hard as ive always worked since i was a teen (i had a cash in hand job before and after school with the local milk man) so to have no work was a shell-shock.

having to sign on at the job center along side people that basically dont want to work felt degrading so i kinda went down a mental downward spiral.i turned 30 which didnt help as i started to feel old for the 1st time and ive been a miserable s**t ever since. i found work at the start of 2010 with my current employer and i am now a supervisor working 60 odd hours a week so im happy on that side of things.

ive always been a big eater and thats where alot of my problems come from as i now have a belly that looks like ive swallowed a bowling ball and an arse like that twerking c**t off the adverts lol .

for the past 2-3 years ive really got into watching strongman and i go every year to the strongest team/europes etc but being in the mind frame of "im too old" i never gave training a chance until last year whilst in the v.i.p section at worlds strongest team i met laurence shahlaei who asked me why i wasnt competing and that kinda sparked my drive off so i started a 5x5 program and hit it hard (a little too hard) as after 3 month i ended up with a double hernia so that put a stop to that. again it was another blow to my confidence and mind started telling me im too old for this so i gave up.

i had the hernia surgery in november last year and i told the specialist that i did it doing strongman training, she asked if i was going to go down that route again and i wasnt sure what to reply, she said she will do the best she can with my hernias to give me the best chance should i continue to lift weights.

after xmas i started to think about what laurence said to me and it re-kindled the fire in my arse so around late-feb i started the stronglifts 5x5 program and i havent missed a rep/set/day since and im loving it. i do how-ever have a mental block when it comes to pushing myself as im scared of my hernia coming back.

i have always been kinda embarrassed about my size,i am not a violent person but people seem to judge me as "oh i guess you think your hard cos your big with a skin-head etc" life is hard enough without making enemies along the way.

anyway i now believe that the time is here for me to embrace my size and not shy away from it and i think strongman is where i will be good at.

i would describe myself as strong and weak at the same time.......let me explain...........

i can only just bench 100kg for 1 rep............weak

i hit 190kg x 2 squats yesterday after only 8 weeks training.......strong

my mate describes me as having poor gym strength but great big man strength if that makes sense.

my current lifts for 1 rep are as follows......

squat - 190kg (although i think 200 is in the bag but i was knackered after training when i did 190)

deadlift - oly bar - 210 kg (i have lifted more but as of this week this is where im at) trap bar deadlift - 235 kg

military press - pure press no leg drive 70kg, with leg drive 85kg

bench press - managed 107.5kg yesterday

im not really struggling with any of the 5x5 apart from overhead press, last session (wednesday) i was doing 57.5kg 5x5 and i was about on my limit (i f**ked up when setting my 1 rep max at the start of the program as i used leg drive so my 1rm was higher than it should have been, im on the app so i dont know how to change it). other than that im loving the squats and deadlift although it beats me up that day as my height gives me slight back-ache.

one thing i will say is that sitting on my arse driving machines for the last 6 years has taken its toll on my fitness, i get out of breath walking and im retaining water in my leg as im sitting all day and my water consumption is around 2 litres a day. i have now started taking alot more water mixed with sugar free squash to try and get more in me.

need advice on what sort of cardio i need to do to get my fitness back BUT not eat into muscle mass (walking maybe good,i have a park opposite my house so perhaps walk around there) i also have a sledgehammer and larger tyre in my back yard if that would help with my fitness.

im in a bit of a tough situation as i want to lose fat and build strength at the same time, i have no issue with being 400lbs but i do want the 400lbs in the right areas.

i will post my diet an a daily basis so please help if you think i can improve it anywhere.

its not all good being this big before anybody says they would love to be my size........food bill is shocking/ cant find size 18 shoes anywhere and clothes are mail-order unless i go to fat-a-mo (i mean jacamo lol)

i will not post pics of me in my pants to show my fat belly............i dont hate anybody that much lol. since training i have lost 2 inch off my waist and put on 1 inch on my chest and ive noticed my traps are bigger so i think im heading in the right direction.

regarding food......i struggle to eat alot in the day as bouncing around in big machines makes me feel sick if i am full of food so have a look at my diet when i post it and advise me please, perhaps a shake would benefit me more in the day.

any help/ideas/advice bad or good is welcome

heres a few pics from last years worlds strongest team......





very poor quality pic of me and thor





another poor quality pic.....me and laurence



and me and strongman legend and all-round nice guy......mr capes


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

I also need to do some more tricep work to help with my pressing, should I be doing more bench press work aswell?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

right 2moro's food will be.....

-Meal 1 @ 4am-

1/2 pint water with juice of 1 lemon

1 scoop myprotein breakfast shake with 70g of oats mixed with 1/2 pint water + 1/2 pint semi skimmed milk

-Meal 2 @ 7am-

1 x banana or apple

-Meal 3 @ 9am-

40g of weetabix protein crunch with 1/2 pint semi skimmed milk

1 x activia fat free vanilla yoghurt

1 slice of melon

-Meal 4 @12-noon-

4 x 50g lean mince meatballs with passata+herbs sauce and 250g brown rice + fistful of spinach

1 x sugar free vimto jelly

-Meal 5 @3pm-

pre-workout myprotein v4 pulse (4 scoops + 1/2 pint water)

1 x matrix caramel crunch protein bar

-Meal 6 @ 5-30pm post training

1 scoop my protein diet whey shake + 1 banana mixed with 1 pint semi skim milk

-Meal 7 @ 8pm-

diet coke chicken (chicken/passata/garlic/peppers/onion/sweetcorn/small can diet coke)+ 250g golden veg rice

-Meal 8 @ bedtime (9-30pm)

1/2 pint semi skim milk + 1 scoop casein shake

total cals = 3300

will workout the macros 2moro


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> I also need to do some more tricep work to help with my pressing, should I be doing more bench press work aswell?


 Bench pressing is always good, I prefer close grip dips for triceps strength. CGBP does not agree with my shoulder but it is all individual at the end of the day, both the bench press and dips should benefit your press eventually.......


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

would doing 5 sets of 8-12 reps @60kg close grip bench press be ok or should i do more weight? and would i do that every training session?


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> would doing 5 sets of 8-12 reps @60kg close grip bench press be ok or should i do more weight? and would i do that every training session?


 Depends how your training is laid out and what percentage 60kg is compared to your 1RM.

Post your training, I am no expert on strongman by any means but I think I could help show you where to add them in.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

well im doing the stronglifts 5x5 program

1 day is squat/bench/barbell row

next day is squat/deadlift and overhead press

5 sets of 5 reps on each apart from deadlift which is 1 set of 5


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

Just read your stats. 60kg should be god to start.


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> well im doing the stronglifts 5x5 program
> 
> 1 day is squat/bench/barbell row
> 
> ...


 Have you already got access to strongman equipment?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> Have you already got access to strongman equipment?


 i have a log at home and i use the universal gym on sundays which has stones/farmers walk/yoke/log/barrels etc


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> i have a log at home and i use the universal gym on sundays which has stones/farmers walk/yoke/log/barrels etc


 Personally I would start training the event lifts as soon as possible then mate if that is your goal. Look into a generic strongman program like the cube method for strongman 2.0 or something and use that. I can link the PDF if you want. When you get better training knowledge and have a better understanding of your weak points you can start to tweak it from there. SL is not really optimal considering your goals........


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

ive just googled the cube method so will have a proper read after training 2moro

cheers bro


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## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

Looking strong on squats and deadlifts, I know you don't need to hear this but I'm saying it anyway :thumbup1:

If you are struggling on bench I would recommend doing some dips, they really do improve your bench power quickly if you can get into them, massive triceps builder and chest too. Try incorporating some body weight dips in your chest sessions and make it a regular thing till you can add weight on a chain belt, then keep upping that weight.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> Looking strong on squats and deadlifts, I know you don't need to hear this but I'm saying it anyway :thumbup1:
> 
> If you are struggling on bench I would recommend doing some dips, they really do improve your bench power quickly if you can get into them, massive triceps builder and chest too. Try incorporating some body weight dips in your chest sessions and make it a regular thing till you can add weight on a chain belt, then keep upping that weight.


 hhhmm 400lb dips...................you having a laugh lol


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## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> hhhmm 400lb dips...................you having a laugh lol


 You can do assisted dips if you have access to a machine like that.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> You can do assisted dips if you have access to a machine like that.


 all i have is a power rack


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## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> all i have is a power rack


 In that case unless you buy a dip station it's out of the question and assisted ones can be expensive pieces of kit. If you can get hold of some dumbbells this should assist your bench. Try alternating flat and incline dumbbell press sessions with your bench routine.

Other than that if were talking just the cage and oly bar, narrow grip bench press for triceps power and inner chest and some pushups to keep your stamina up.


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

Good luck :thumb


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Good luck :thumb


 Thx bro


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Well of the 9 weeks I've been doing this 5x5 program.......today was the fooking worst,I felt lethargic throughout, felt weak little little girl. barely finished 140kg squats and 140kg deadlift.......as for overhead press. .......what a disaster. I managed 4 sets of 5 @60kg and the last 5 I had to use leg drive,I literally had nothing left.

Am I not eating enough? Am I not resting enough? I had a blinding session on Saturday when I squatted 190kg and it put me on a high and now I'm on a downer because of today. I guess that's all part of training though.

I've dropped back down to 45 kg over head press now for a while to see if that helps.

Gutted..........: (


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> I also need to do some more tricep work to help with my pressing, should I be doing more bench press work aswell?


 Mix it up IMO, CGBP and incline have more carryover than flat bench.

Re the age thing Mark Felix is 50 today and look where he placed at the British this year!!


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Well of the 9 weeks I've been doing this 5x5 program.......today was the fooking worst,I felt lethargic throughout, felt weak little little girl. barely finished 140kg squats and 140kg deadlift.......as for overhead press. .......what a disaster. I managed 4 sets of 5 @60kg and the last 5 I had to use leg drive,I literally had nothing left.
> 
> Am I not eating enough? Am I not resting enough? I had a blinding session on Saturday when I squatted 190kg and it put me on a high and now I'm on a downer because of today. I guess that's all part of training though.
> 
> ...


 Could be a number of different things. Don't beat yourself up though we all have off days.

Because you hit a pb in your squat your nervous system will have been pushed harder than its used to so may just need a rest.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Could be a number of different things. Don't beat yourself up though we all have off days.
> 
> Because you hit a pb in your squat your nervous system will have been pushed harder than its used to so may just need a rest.


 I just feel such a wimp with my overhead press. I know with leg drive I can get nearly 90kg up but I want to be able to strict press that amount. I guess I'm expecting things too soon,I mean it is only 2 months I've been training consistently.

I'm finding it difficult as I'm trying to eat to lose body fat AND eat to gain strength/muscle at the same time


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Mix it up IMO, CGBP and incline have more carryover than flat bench.
> 
> Re the age thing Mark Felix is 50 today and look where he placed at the British this year!!


 Yeah mark Felix is in awesome shape for his age.


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> I just feel such a wimp with my overhead press. I know with leg drive I can get nearly 90kg up but I want to be able to strict press that amount. I guess I'm expecting things too soon,I mean it is only 2 months I've been training consistently.
> 
> I'm finding it difficult as I'm trying to eat to lose body fat AND eat to gain strength/muscle at the same time


 Exactly, it will come with time. My brother in law started training with me 4 weeks ago. First 2 weeks he couldn't clean the 45kg log, 3rd week couldn't press it and then yesterday cleaned it and pressed it easy. Small steps at a time and keep progressing and you will get there.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

regarding diet...........every day will be the same this week apart from the night time meal, i cook in bulk for the week so this week is meatballs in the day time and next week will probably be chicken.

the supplements i use are

1 x multi-vit tablet

3 x green tea tabs

1 x cod liver oil tab

2 scoops of creatine and 2 scoops of l-glutamine

all taken per day


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Exactly, it will come with time. My brother in law started training with me 4 weeks ago. First 2 weeks he couldn't clean the 45kg log, 3rd week couldn't press it and then yesterday cleaned it and pressed it easy. Small steps at a time and keep progressing and you will get there.


 i think because im having pretty good results in squat/deadlift i kinda think that i should be getting same results across the board.

does my diet look ok to you?


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

Re the eating this is what I would do. Since you are relatively new to training don't worry about fat loss and making big diet changes too soon, this will come with training alone. Worry about building up a bit if strength and muscle more initially. The added muscle will help you burn more calories and the additional strength will help when you are struggling with a calorie deficit. Just my opinion though.


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> i think because im having pretty good results in squat/deadlift i kinda think that i should be getting same results across the board.
> 
> does my diet look ok to you?


 I'm quite lax with diet tbh, I worry about getting enough protein, make sure my vits and minerals are in there and then anything goes after that. Try to eat fast carbs around workouts mainly and try get some fruit/veg in too. Watched a Darren Sadler video where he said much the same, made me feel a bit better about my diet tbh lol.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Re the eating this is what I would do. Since you are relatively new to training don't worry about fat loss and making big diet changes too soon, this will come with training alone. Worry about building up a bit if strength and muscle more initially. The added muscle will help you burn more calories and the additional strength will help when you are struggling with a calorie deficit. Just my opinion though.


 ok buddy so perhaps a few more cals so i have the energy to train hard but clean cals?

i have a steamer so i will start doing some broccoli etc in it. being 400lbs isnt an issue as im very tall................being 400lbs of tub-o-lard is a problem lol

thanks for the input bro


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> ok buddy so perhaps a few more cals so i have the energy to train hard but clean cals?
> 
> i have a steamer so i will start doing some broccoli etc in it. being 400lbs isnt an issue as im very tall................being 400lbs of tub-o-lard is a problem lol
> 
> thanks for the input bro


 Yeah initially enough that you can train well with a view to dropping them gradually over time. Clean or not is your shout tbh, i'm lying on the couch eating a pizza right now so I'd be talking sh*te if I said my diet was always clean. I'd say I eat about 80% clean and the rest is crap.


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## mrwright (Oct 22, 2013)

RS86 said:


> Mix it up IMO, CGBP and incline have more carryover than flat bench.
> 
> Re the age thing Mark Felix is 50 today and look where he placed at the British this year!!


 Was gonna mention Mark too, he started late thats why hez still going when everyone else is getting injured at 30 40

And as someone else said train strongman training as much as you can makes more sense than getting used to OHPing a bar when you'll be whipping logs an whatever else with completely differnt grip an everythin

Good luck tho big man get enough gear in ya an youll ve flying lol


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

mrwright said:


> Was gonna mention Mark too, he started late thats why hez still going when everyone else is getting injured at 30 40
> 
> And as someone else said train strongman training as much as you can makes more sense than getting used to OHPing a bar when you'll be whipping logs an whatever else with completely differnt grip an everythin
> 
> Good luck tho big man get enough gear in ya an youll ve flying lol


 Lol won't be touching gear mate, the last thing my heart needs is anymore reasons to give up


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

Good luck with your journey mate

And like the others have said age is not an issue my father in law only started a couple years ago and has competed a handful of times and hes 59


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Not much to update today, it's rest day and I've just finished a 12 hour shift at work so time to put my feet up.

Didn't feel as hungry today so dropped the rice from my diet and just had the meatballs, was plenty enough for me.

Hopefully I will have a better training session 2moro


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> Good luck with your journey mate
> 
> And like the others have said age is not an issue my father in law only started a couple years ago and has competed a handful of times and hes 59


 Thanks bro


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## Flipper (Jan 11, 2011)

Good luck man will be keeping an eye out on your progress.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Flipper said:


> Good luck man will be keeping an eye out on your progress.


 Thx bro, it will be slow to start with as work has gone utterly insanely busy so I will train when I can at the minute.


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## Flipper (Jan 11, 2011)

big shrek said:


> Thx bro, it will be slow to start with as work has gone utterly insanely busy so I will train when I can at the minute.


 You just got to do what you can mate main thing is doing it when you have the time.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Flipper said:


> You just got to do what you can mate main thing is doing it when you have the time.


 i believe the term is.............................MAN THE f**k UP :}


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

i missed traing tonight as i just didnt have time, 10 hours at work then i had a birthday visit to do and dinner at my grandma's, a little pissed i missed it but in reality an extra day rest is probably what i need. back on it 2moro 

home made shepards pie tonight with cauli/broccoli/carrots and an apple pie for dessert so diet was broke today.

also just had my bulk-powders whey isolate 90 delivered, gone for 2 flavours-strawberry and banana. never tried it before so hopefully it tastes ok, i must say that the delivery was super-quick, i ordered it last night and it was with me by 8-30 am this morning.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

well its been a fu**ing hectic day today and i didnt think i would get my session in but i did, didnt feel as strong tonight for some reason but managed my 5x5 routine.

now squatting 142.5kg for reps so im gonna try for a 1 rep max of 210kg next time im feeling hulk-ish

diet stayed pretty much the same today, low fat sausages and a little mash tonight. also tried my bulk powder whey isolate after training--bloody lovey stuff in banana flavour.

also my addiction to black-friars bakewell and strawberry fields flap-jacks is getting a joke now


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

right guys i seem to have proper stalled now with overhead press, i was @ 60kg for 5x5 but couldnt finish it without using leg drive so i dropped to 3x5 @ 60kg and i can barely manage that with no leg drive.

its really pissing me off now as the other 4 lifts in the 5x5 program i am not struggling with, its just this damn overhead press.

am i eating enough? should i start upping my food intake as i cannot grow muscle without the food inside me BUT i will not lose my gut by doing that.

should i de-load for a while on the overhead press, say go back to 45kg for 5x5?

i really dont want to reset the 5x5 as im still gaining with it on everything else.

or is it that im expecting to much too soon? it is afterall only my 9th week of solid training?

so far i am up to-

bench press - warm up then 5x5 @67.5kg

barbell row - warm up then 5x5 @72.5kg

squat - warm up then 5x5 @147.5kg

deadlift - warm up then 1x5 @150kg


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

I'd tackle OHP from a totally different angle, try doing 35 or 40kg for 8-10 reps and 3-4 sets and on the same day batter in some high rep closegrip bench press - maybe 3 sets of 10, then switch back to 5x5 next week.

Reason I'm suggesting this is my brother in law was totally stalling with his log and barbell OHP so last week I got him to do this and then switch back to lower reps this week.

This week he was absolutely flying!! Went from stalling with one rep on 45kg log to pressing at least 20 singles during our session in Sunday!! Might be worth a shot?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> I'd tackle OHP from a totally different angle, try doing 35 or 40kg for 8-10 reps and 3-4 sets and on the same day batter in some high rep closegrip bench press - maybe 3 sets of 10, then switch back to 5x5 next week.
> 
> Reason I'm suggesting this is my brother in law was totally stalling with his log and barbell OHP so last week I got him to do this and then switch back to lower reps this week.
> 
> This week he was absolutely flying!! Went from stalling with one rep on 45kg log to pressing at least 20 singles during our session in Sunday!! Might be worth a shot?


 hi

ive been doing 5 sets of 12 @ 55kg on close grip bench press (oohhh the burn-how it hurts) so i will keep with that, ive also been doing some seated dumbell press 5 sets of 8-10 @ 20kg per hand and some tricep hammer curls with my tricep bar.

i will drop weight on overhead as you suggest to 40kg and do 4-5 sets @ 8-10 reps and see where i end up.

really disappointed with it as i felt i was doing really well..................its obvious im just a weak little man-bitch who needs to man up lol


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> hi
> 
> ive been doing 5 sets of 12 @ 55kg on close grip bench press (oohhh the burn-how it hurts) so i will keep with that, ive also been doing some seated dumbell press 5 sets of 8-10 @ 20kg per hand and some tricep hammer curls with my tricep bar.
> 
> ...


 Even just try it for one week just to mix it up, see how you feel the following week. May work for you may not...

That's plenty assistance work then , the CGBP will be helping build a bit of pressing power as well as a nice pump in your tris.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Even just try it for one week just to mix it up, see how you feel the following week. May work for you may not...
> 
> That's plenty assistance work then , the CGBP will be helping build a bit of pressing power as well as a nice pump in your tris.


 also going to throw in some skull-crushers/ trap-bar shrugs and maybe some more flat bench press lower weight high reps.

i lost 4lb this last week and another 1 1/2 inch of my waist which is good news i suppose..................would be more if it were not for the sodding vending machines at work full of flap-jacks lol


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

Can't beat a good flapjack haha. Its thise big choc chip cookies at the supermarket I am bad for these days though, freshly cooked they are badass lol


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Can't beat a good flapjack haha. Its thise big choc chip cookies at the supermarket I am bad for these days though, freshly cooked they are badass lol


 ah you mean the bag of five cookies................you know the ones, they are meant to be shared...................yeah like thats gonna happen lol


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> ah you mean the bag of five cookies................you know the ones, they are meant to be shared...................yeah like thats gonna happen lol


 That's the fellas hahaha


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

hey guys

after my recent failings on the 5x5 overhead i have decided to take a week off from training.

i have been at it solid for 9 weeks and i havent missed a day/set/rep apart from a few missed reps on overhead. it made me question my ability so i started getting bad thoughts and was even thinking about just giving in. im hoping the week off will have cleared all negative thoughts out of my head so i can then start to attack my failings from a fresh angle with the above added sets suggested by rs86.

so gonna enjoy a nice long bank holiday weekend and re-start training next week next week.

i do have 1 question though................will HIIT training benefit me with my fat loss? i was thinking about making a custom routine to do on non-training days

something like this-

10 x 15-20 kg kettlebell swings into

10 x sledgehammer tyre smashes into

10 x 100 kg tyre flips into

30 seconds rest then repeat 5/6/7 times


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

anybody?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

right 1st day back in training after my 9 day break, i follow the 5x5 app and it suggested i de-load 10% so i did just that

bench -

5 x 20kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 5 @ 57.5kg

also did some volume work on bench

12 x [email protected] 45kg

8 x [email protected] 55 kg

barbell row -

1 x [email protected] 50kg

[email protected] 62.5kg

squat -

5 x 20 kg

5 x 20 kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 60 kg

3 x 80kg

2 x 100kg

1 x 115kg

[email protected] 130kg

also i added some tricep curl bar skull-crushers 5 x 12 @25kg and some tricep bar curls 5 x [email protected] 25kg

felt good being back training after my little break, im still confused regarding trying to burn fat/build muscle at the same time. should i just eat to grow but keep it clean as possible and hope my belly/ass will shrink?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

todays food intake is like this....

4am - breakfast shake with 1 large scoop of oats and 3/4 pint semi skimmed milk, half pint of water with juice of 2 lemons

6am- 2 x cups of coffee

7am - 1 x large banana

9am - 50 gram weetabix protein crunch with 1/2 pint semi skimmed milk and 1 wholemeal wrap with maggi chicken/lettuce/sweetcorn and mayo

12 noon - wholemeal wrap with maggi chicken/lettuce/sweetcorn/mayo

3pm - 4 scoops of myprotein pulse v4 pre-workout drink

6pm - post training bulk-powders whey isolate shake with 1 pint semi-skimmed milk,1 vanilla yoghurt,1 large banana,1 scoop oats,creatine + L-glutamine all blitzed in my nutribullet

8-30pm - 2 x baked spuds with a little butter/light philadelphia and 2 x birds eye reggae chicken breasts and 1 x vimto jelly

9-30pm - casein night shake with water


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## RUDESTEW (Mar 28, 2015)

Mate I feel like giving in before I go to bed let alone getting up n gym lol , a week out and you'll be chomping at the bit buddy


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

I also need to start event training again, haven't been for a while now


----------



## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

HIIT might help you if you are trying to up your cardio fitness and shift a bit of fat but also depending how you do it it is also another thing to recover from so may hinder strength progress.

Re the eating I would just try eating to maintain rather than lose/gain initially and then in a few months with a solid base of strength and a bit of muscle you can start to lower the cals and reap the benefits of having more muscle and strength to maintain the training intensity and burn the cals with.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

regarding my added volume work

should i be increasing the weight on a weekly basis or keep it the same for so long etc before increasing?


----------



## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Lol won't be touching gear mate, the last thing my heart needs is anymore reasons to give up


 What's wrong with your heart, if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> What's wrong with your heart, if you don't mind me asking?


 Lol nothing but at 400lbs and not having lived the healthiest I can't imagine it being in tip top condition. Was a heavy smoker for 18 years but smoke free for 4 years now


----------



## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Lol nothing but at 400lbs and not having lived the healthiest I can't imagine it being in tip top condition. Was a heavy smoker for 18 years but smoke free for 4 years now


 I'm 38 and only started gear 5 weeks ago for the first time in my life, test only cycle. Believe when I say I was a huge big fat bastard (bordering morbidly obese) for approx 10 years of my life and did no exercise at all + I smoked like a freaking chimney!! It took a while to get healthy and give up the **** but you have been off them longer than me. I'm not trying to promote gear here, that's up to you of course, all I'm saying is maybe go to the doctors and get some checks, blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol etc and ask if they would think it could be dangerous to your health if you went on a TRT level cycle, say 200mg a week. They may even prescribe it to you if you say you have lost your libido!

About losing weight: cardio is good for your heart but if your set on losing weight it's diet that is important. Run for half an hour then eat a mars bar afterwards, BAM! the calories you just burned are back. As for reducing heart rate, I have heard many people on here say that 2 balls of beetroot per day will reduce your resting heart rate significantly and there's medical evidence to back this up.


----------



## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

you could give barbell complexes a go if your looking to increase conditioning i used to run the bear complex 2 maybe 3 times a week depending on what events i had

Bear Complex

(1 Rep = Power clean, Front squat, Push press, Back squat, Push press)

Round 1 - 40kg x 7

Round 2 - 42,5kg x 7

Round 3 - 45kg x 7

Round 4 - 47.5kg x 7

Round 5 - 50kg x 7

Weights are examples if you give it a try be conservative with the weights it can be a killer.

Reference the eating i agree with @RS86 just try to keep it clean you might get frustrated if your trying to lose weight then not gain any strength or vice versa get stronger but start getting heavier.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Cheers guys

I just want to add that i have no issue with my weight I just want the weight in other places.

I want to lose fat and gain muscle


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

back into the swing of things now after my slightly longer than expected break from training

struggling in this muggy heat though so bought myself a giant floor fan 

tonights session

-flat bench 5x5 -

5 x 20kg x 2

5 x 40kg x 1

5 x 50kg x 3

5 x 60kg x 5

5 x 70kg x 2

3 x 80kg x 2

2 x 90kg x 1

10 x 50kg x 5

-close grip bench press

10 x 50kg x 5

10 x 40kg x 5

-ez bar skull crushers

10 x 25kg x 5

10 x 20kg x 5

-barbell rows 5x5

5 x 45kg x 1

5 x 50kg x 1

5 x 60kg x 5

-squat 5x5

5 x 20kg x 10

5 x 40kg x 1

5 x 60kg x 1

5 x 80kg x 1

3 x 100kg x 1

1 x 120kg

5 x 135kg x 5

ive also been doing a front plate hold every now and then with a 20kg plate

my 1st time about 8 weeks ago was 26 seconds, 2nd time was 35 seconds about 3 weeks ago and ive just managed 41 seconds tonight so really pleased with this considering my arms are about 7 foot long lol

was my 2nd session in 2 weeks so was well and truly blowing out of my arse and aching all over........NOT having a 2 week break again lol


----------



## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

Good session mate


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> Good session mate


 thanks bro

ive really got to start more cardio, i walk a few hundred yards and im blowing out my arse. time to take it more serious me thinks


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

Hi mate. I'm new to the forum and I'm also doing 5x5. Will be watching this thread closely. Keep up the good work mate


----------



## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> thanks bro
> 
> ive really got to start more cardio, i walk a few hundred yards and im blowing out my arse. time to take it more serious me thinks


 on some of your sessions instead of doing reps and sets go for time and every couple weeks try and beat it by a rep or two so deadlift for 60 seconds on a comp weight or same with log press if you clean every rep thats a killer on the lungs


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> on some of your sessions instead of doing reps and sets go for time and every couple weeks try and beat it by a rep or two so deadlift for 60 seconds on a comp weight or same with log press if you clean every rep thats a killer on the lungs


 yeah im gonna start mixing it up a bit, the mrs timed me on clean and press log @60kg and i managed 5 in 25 seconds then another 3 or 4 but i was fu**ing gassed after that.

gonna buy a battle rope i think and wrap it around my my power rack so i can start mixing in that along with my tyre flips/tyre smashes

im the sort of person who wants all the results now lol...............i hate waiting


----------



## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> yeah im gonna start mixing it up a bit, the mrs timed me on clean and press log @60kg and i managed 5 in 25 seconds then another 3 or 4 but i was fu**ing gassed after that.
> 
> gonna buy a battle rope i think and wrap it around my my power rack so i can start mixing in that along with my tyre flips/tyre smashes
> 
> im the sort of person who wants all the results now lol...............i hate waiting


 lol i know how you feel mate im the same but slow and steady is the best way i have lost 2 years of training because of constant injuries im only just getting back to it now. The results will come mate just train smart.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Owl man said:


> Hi mate. I'm new to the forum and I'm also doing 5x5. Will be watching this thread closely. Keep up the good work mate


 Hi

Start a thread bro so you can track your gains etc


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

good session this afternoon although im still feeling weak as a little bitch in my strict pressing overhead, guess im just gonna have to continue working my triceps/shoulders very hard for a long time

-overhead press

5 x 20kg

5 x 20 kg

10 x 30kg

10 x 30kg

10 x 30kg

10 x 40kg

10 x 40kg

10 x 45kg

10 x 45kg

8 x 45kg

8 x 45kg

5x3 @55kg

3 x 70kg clean and push press

-tricep curls

12 x 30kg

12 x 30kg

12 x 30kg

12 x 30kg

8 x 30kg

-squats

5 x 20kg

5 x 20kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 60kg

3 x 80kg

2 x 100kg

1 x 120kg

5x5 @135kg

-deadlift

5 x 60kg

5 x 80kg

5 x 100kg

5 x 120kg

5 x 135kg


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> Hi
> 
> Start a thread bro so you can track your gains etc


 Have done mate. Cheers


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Will check it out matey


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

ive just ordered a pair of 2m 10mm lifting chains from the lifting gear shop, will use them to aid my bench press,not sure on weight so will take them to work and weigh them. not bad for 360 compared to the stupid prices quoted from certain weight lifting shops

guessing around 20-25kg per length.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

also i am going to be increasing my calories in a hope to build more strength/muscle but i also hope not to increase my waist size

2moro diet is.....

4am-

juice of 1 lemon with 1/2 pint water

80g oats with 1 pint whole milk and 1 1/2 scoops of whey isolate

7am-

1 banana + handfull grapes/strawberries

9am-

1 x wholemeal tortilla with 1 large chicken breast/spinach/red onion + either mayo or reggae xxx hot

1 small vanilla yoghurt

11am-

1 x banana

1pm-

same as 9am wrap + yoghurt

3pm-pre workout

1 pint whole milk with 1 scoop whey isolate +1 1/2 scoops of each L-glutamine and creatine + 1/2 pint water with 4 scoop pulse v4

6pm- post workout

1 pint whole milk with 1 1/2 scoops whey isolate + creatine + L-glutamine + 80g oats + banana + vanilla yoghurt

8pm-

pork meatballs with tom sauce/pasta

9-30pm-

bedtime shake casein whey


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

todays session over

-flat bench press

5 x 20kg x 2

5 x 40kg x 1

5x 52.5 kg x 1

5 x 62.5kg x 5

12 x 40kg x 2

10 x 50kg x 2

8 x 60kg x 2

5 x 70kg x 2

4 x 80kg x 2

2 x 90kg x 1

-close grip bench press

12 x 40kg x 2

10 x 50kg x 2

10 x 60kg x 2

-ez bar skull crushers

12 x 25kg x 4

10 x 30kg x 4

-barbell rows

5 x 50kg x 1

5 x 67.5kg x 5

-squat

5 x 20kg x 2

5 x 40kg x 1

5 x 60kg x 1

5 x 80kg x 1

3 x 100kg x 1

2 x 120kg x 1

1 x 130kg x 1

5 x 140kg x 5

3 x 160kg x 1

2 x 180kg x 1

1 x 190kg

AND A NEW P.B TODAY...............................200KG :}

190kg felt fine but just adding on that extra 10kg to make 200kg felt a lot heavier, glad i made it though.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

session over..........after my heavy squat day on monday and my walk through the woods yesterday my legs are super fatigued so i didnt do my usual 5x5 routine from fear of injury. yes i am a pussy lol. will resume the 5x5 squats on friday.

-overhead press

10 x 20kg

10 x 20kg

10 x 35 kg

10 x 35kg

10 x 45kg

10 x 45kg

5 x 57.5kg x 3

5 x 57.5kg push press

5 x 65kg push press

5 x 72.5kg push press

3 x 80kg push press

-tricep hammer curls

10 x 32.5kg x 5

-squats

5 x 20kg

5 x 20kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 60kg

5 x 80kg

10 x 100kg

i also changed from the standard deadlift to rack-pulls as ive never done them before. i set the bars on my rack about an inch below my knee (is this correct?) im asking because it felt like i couldnt use my legs to help lift the weight or is that the whole idea?

5 x 40kg

5 x 60kg

5 x 100kg

5 x 130kg

5 x 160kg

5 x 180kg


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Hopefully restarting my event training this weekend as it's been a while. Also looking at buying my own loadable monster dumbell/comp spec log and duck walk


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

anybody set me straight on rack pulls?


----------



## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> anybody set me straight on rack pulls?


 Love them mate, brilliant exercise, really helped me with my deadlifts.

Start off with them just below knee/ around 18 inches.

I do these for assistance 4 x 12, I go quite heavy and grind them out. The last few you should feel the burn


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Love them mate, brilliant exercise, really helped me with my deadlifts.
> 
> Start off with them just below knee/ around 18 inches.
> 
> I do these for assistance 4 x 12, I go quite heavy and grind them out. The last few you should feel the burn


 i might try dropping it down another notch on my rack as it was almost like a straight leg deadlift.


----------



## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> anybody set me straight on rack pulls?


 If you can use blocks, you will use better pulling mechanics. Would only use them if you have a weak lockout though personally.

If you have no sticking points yet I would just continue with regular deadlifts.

Just my 2c.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> If you can use blocks, you will use better pulling mechanics. Would only use them if you have a weak lockout though personally.
> 
> If you have no sticking points yet I would just continue with regular deadlifts.
> 
> Just my 2c.


 to be fair i just wanted to see what they were like really. my deadlift is still coming on strong which is good news.

i want to try a deadlift pyramid like eddie hall did where people add weights each lift then take them off until your back where you started, wanna feel the burn lol.

obviously i wont be doing the weight he did, was thinking of going from 40kg up to 180kg then back to 40kg


----------



## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> to be fair i just wanted to see what they were like really. my deadlift is still coming on strong which is good news.
> 
> i want to try a deadlift pyramid like eddie hall did where people add weights each lift then take them off until your back where you started, wanna feel the burn lol.
> 
> obviously i wont be doing the weight he did, was thinking of going from 40kg up to 180kg then back to 40kg


 What's your Deadlift ATM anyway?

You using any AAS also?


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> What's your Deadlift ATM anyway?
> 
> You using any AAS also?


 Right firstly what is aas?

My deadlift was 220kg Olympic bar and I think230kg trap bar


----------



## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> Right firstly what is aas?
> 
> My deadlift was 220kg Olympic bar and I think230kg trap bar


 Nice work mate. :thumb

stands for anabolic androgenic steroids.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> Nice work mate. :thumb
> 
> stands for anabolic androgenic steroids.


 Thx bro, my deadlift and squats are coming along nicely.........my bench/overhead are not and it's really playing on my mind now.

No not taking any gear mate


----------



## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> Thx bro, my deadlift and squats are coming along nicely.........my bench/overhead are not and it's really playing on my mind now.
> 
> No not taking any gear mate


 Long arms? Problem I have and you are a lot taller than me also.

Good lifts also for drug free mate, even better.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> Long arms? Problem I have and you are a lot taller than me also.
> 
> Good lifts also for drug free mate, even better.


 Yeah lol very long arms. But if other tall people can make good numbers with their bench press then so can I, just gotta stick with it I guess.

Thx bro


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

forgot to say that my chains have arrived 10kg per side so hopefully they will help me with my pressing


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

training finished today

overhead press

5 x 20kg

5 x 30kg

5 x 40kg

3 x 5 60kg

2 x 80kg power clean and push press

1 x 90kg power clean but fail the press

3 x 10 log press 50kg

3 x log press 70kg

2 x log press 80kg

2 x 85kg log press

1 x 90kg log press fail

squats

5 x 20kg

5 x 20kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 60kg

5 x 80kg

5 x 100kg

3 x 120kg

2 x 130kg

5x5 147.5kg

didnt have time for deads tonight, my work has gone balls out and im doing 12 hour days so trying to find a happy-medium with my training as i dont want to miss much


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> training finished today
> 
> overhead press
> 
> ...


 Good work.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Owl man said:


> Good work.


 thanks buddy, hows your training coming along?


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> thanks buddy, hows your training coming along?


 Yeh good mate. Need to keep out the pub tho. Missed gym today n feel like s**t. Still finding the lifts easyish but concentrating on form. Might come to the comp you are in to cheer u on and get a feel for it. No **** lol


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Owl man said:


> Yeh good mate. Need to keep out the pub tho. Missed gym today n feel like s**t. Still finding the lifts easyish but concentrating on form. Might come to the comp you are in to cheer u on and get a feel for it. No **** lol


 Which comp? Birmingham or Northampton


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> Which comp? Birmingham or Northampton


 Probably both


----------



## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> -flat bench press
> 
> 5 x 20kg x 2
> 
> ...


 Nice work on the 200kg PB for squats.

I noticed your bench above. If i were you I wouldn't bother doing the 20kg and would start at 40kg x 10 for a warmup then pyramid up in sets of 5 to your max. Twin that with another chest session using the same warmup and then go onto 60kg or 65kg for 5 sets of 5 for maintenance and keep pushing that maintenance weight up and up.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> Nice work on the 200kg PB for squats.
> 
> I noticed your bench above. If i were you I wouldn't bother doing the 20kg and would start at 40kg x 10 for a warmup then pyramid up in sets of 5 to your max. Twin that with another chest session using the same warmup and then go onto 60kg or 65kg for 5 sets of 5 for maintenance and keep pushing that maintenance weight up and up.


 Hi

I was just doing what the 5x5 app was telling me. I will certainly give it a go. Also going to use my chains aswell


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Thanks on the squats bro, if I wasn't as fatigued I think 210-220 kg is in the bag on squats


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

good session today, i didnt follow my usual 5x5 routine as i tried a pyramid type routine

flat bench

10 x 40kg x 3

5 x 70kg x 5

5 x 80kg

3 x 90kg

1 x 95kg

1 x 100kg

15 x 50kg + 10kg chains either side x 2

12 x 50kg + 10kg chains either side x 1

bench felt much easier working up to my 1rm this way so i think i may stick with this routine for a while

tricep hammer curls

10 x 35kg x 4

squat

5 x 40kg x 2

5 x 60kg x 1

5 x 80kg x 1

5 x 100kg x 1

5 x 130kg x 1

5 x 160kg x 1

5 x 180kg x 1

2 x 190kg x 1

And a new personnel best of 4 x 200kg + new p.b 1rm of 210kg

felt so much better changing my routine this way, squats went up so easy, on the 200kg i didnt go as low as usual as ive never rep that much before so kept it sensible.

my 1st vid lol


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

RS86 said:


> Exactly, it will come with time. My brother in law started training with me 4 weeks ago. First 2 weeks he couldn't clean the 45kg log, 3rd week couldn't press it and then yesterday cleaned it and pressed it easy. Small steps at a time and keep progressing and you will get there.


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> good session today, i didnt follow my usual 5x5 routine as i tried a pyramid type routine
> 
> flat bench
> 
> ...


 Nice video mate. Not too sure about the music tho lol.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Owl man said:


> Nice video mate. Not too sure about the music tho lol. How you finding progress coming off the 5x5.


 Nothing wrong with my music ya cheeky bastard lol

It was my 1st day off 5x5 so will keep you informed about it. I've started to increase my food intake now in the hope of building more strength.....just hope my waist doesn't increase.


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> Nothing wrong with my music ya cheeky bastard lol
> 
> It was my 1st day off 5x5 so will keep you informed about it. I've started to increase my food intake now in the hope of building more strength.....just hope my waist doesn't increase.


 I'm doing the same. Just wait and see I guess. Sure guys on here will point us in right direction. Regarding music I more expected to see a serial killer cutting limbs off. But thankfully not lol


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Owl man said:


> I'm doing the same. Just wait and see I guess. Sure guys on here will point us in right direction. Regarding music I more expected to see a serial killer cutting limbs off. But thankfully not lol


 It was pretty light music really........your lucky I didn't have some cannibal corpse on.


----------



## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

Youre smashing it fella, this light/ de-load week is killing me. Ive only trained twice!


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Youre smashing it fella, this light/ de-load week is killing me. Ive only trained twice!


 Thanks bro, I'm restarting my event training Sunday. ........proper looking forward to it


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

event training today at the universal gym in leicester, forgot how knackering it was lol

yoke up to 185kg

farmers up to 95kg per hand

log lift up to 83kg (still my weakest event)

atlas stones

80kg onto 6'7 platform x 1

106kg onto 6'2 platform x 2

80kg on to 5'9 platform x 4 (just form work really)

80kg onto 5'5 platform x 5 (form work)

the stones are about the only lift that i can feel in my hernia repair, when the stone is in my lap it really presses onto the repaired area causing me concern so worked on form to pretty much get the stone as high as possible.

will be consistent now with event training every week (apart from next sunday as im in stoke watching the worlds strongest team 2016)

good session today.........LOVED IT

will be ordering some lean mass gainer from bulk powders,i just dont think i am getting enough cals/protein in me for big lifts so will experiment for a while


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

also will be getting a set of micro loading olympic plates to see if that helps with my pressing power, it may take longer that way but a gain is a gain i guess


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

i could do with a little advice now guys.........

should i stick with the 5x5 or try something else? im a little bored of the 5x5 now having been on it since 3rd week in feb. im still making gains on everything apart from the overhead press where i have stalled at 60kg 5x5 so dropped down to 3x5 60kg. everything else is still going up though.

current weights are-

70kg 5x5 bench press

72.5kg 5x5 barbell row

152.5kg 5x5 squat

155kg 5x5 deadlift


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

just put my name down on the reserve list for tamworth strongest man in september 

also the event i was dreading at my 1st comp has changed to a fat-grip 85kg per hand farmers 20m x 2.................happy days


----------



## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> just put my name down on the reserve list for tamworth strongest man in september
> 
> also the event i was dreading at my 1st comp has changed to a fat-grip 85kg per hand farmers 20m x 2.................happy days


 Nice 1 mate, good luck on the comp :thumbup1:


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> Nice 1 mate, good luck on the comp :thumbup1:


 Thx bro


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

so ive decided to increase my calories to around 4400 per day for the next 10 weeks on the run up to my 1st comp, after that i will reassess it to see if its made a difference to my bodyfat/strength etc

i was also planning on changing from the 5x5 BUT my work load is at an all time,high regular 11-12 hour days 6 days a week so for ease at the minute i will be sticking with the 5x5 as its a pretty quick session so suits me at this time. still doing the assistance exercises aswell like heavy shrugs/skull crushers/flat bench and close grip bench press etc.

loved my event training on sunday so will be continuing with that. i am ordering an 80kg log from british-strongman aswell.

ive had my head in the weeds for the last few weeks as work just got mega busy overnight so now its time to pick myself up and fu**ing smash it for 10 weeks on the road to my 1st comp.


----------



## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

I'm not far off 4400 mate. It's great eating that much I love it!! Not everybody else does though, like for tea I ate a bag of ready made pasta parcels that feeds two to myself and half a pack of chicken thighs!! Gonna pile it in for the next 6 weeks then I'll drop down to maintenance whilst playing rugby! I'll still gain but not at the rate I am

Oh I mate, love it. One day I'll have my own gym - I'm jealous!


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> I'm not far off 4400 mate. It's great eating that much I love it!! Not everybody else does though, like for tea I ate a bag of ready made pasta parcels that feeds two to myself and half a pack of chicken thighs!! Gonna pile it in for the next 6 weeks then I'll drop down to maintenance whilst playing rugby! I'll still gain but not at the rate I am
> 
> Oh I mate, love it. One day I'll have my own gym - I'm jealous!


 the thing is i actually dont like eating too much during the day, jubbing around in a big machine with a belly full of food makes me feel sick so i will be having quite a few shakes to get the calories in with clean meals in the evening like chicken/rice/steak/pasta etc

i really ought to spend around 6 months eating way under my maintenance to shift some fat but it would drive me crazy knowing i wont be getting stronger


----------



## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

This weight lifting is a cruel mistress!


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> the thing is i actually dont like eating too much during the day, jubbing around in a big machine with a belly full of food makes me feel sick so i will be having quite a few shakes to get the calories in with clean meals in the evening like chicken/rice/steak/pasta etc
> 
> i really ought to spend around 6 months eating way under my maintenance to shift some fat but it would drive me crazy knowing i wont be getting stronger


 Totally agree


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

ordered.....

http://www.britishstrongman.co.uk/shop/loadable-duck-walk/

ordered......

http://www.britishstrongman.co.uk/shop/70kg-ifsa-log/


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> ordered.....
> 
> http://www.britishstrongman.co.uk/shop/loadable-duck-walk/
> 
> ...


 Nice


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Just got back from world's strongest team, managed to sneak onto the pitch for a quick pic with the legend.......BIG Z


----------



## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

Some nice work mate. Keep it up. :thumb


----------



## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> Just got back from world's strongest team, managed to sneak onto the pitch for a quick pic with the legend.......BIG Z


 Boss mate!!


----------



## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Just got back from world's strongest team, managed to sneak onto the pitch for a quick pic with the legend.......BIG Z


 Great picture, you have a wider frame than him, can tell by the angle.


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> Great picture, you have a wider frame than him, can tell by the angle.


 Thx bro.......no way near as strong though : (


----------



## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

big shrek said:


> Thx bro.......no way near as strong though : (


 Keep at it and who knows mate. I was told at school I'd never make anything of myself.


----------



## Jakemaguire (Feb 17, 2016)

big shrek said:


> just put my name down on the reserve list for tamworth strongest man in september
> 
> also the event i was dreading at my 1st comp has changed to a fat-grip 85kg per hand farmers 20m x 2.................happy days


 That comps a joke mate if its run by the guys that usually run it, s**t equipment s**t car park with pot holes id steer clear


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Jakemaguire said:


> That comps a joke mate if its run by the guys that usually run it, s**t equipment s**t car park with pot holes id steer clear


 think its at castle grounds tamworth, i will only be in it if my mate drops out. think its ran by dave meer


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

well thank the lord above tonights session is over...........PURE WWAAARRRRRMMMM

overhead press

10 x 30kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 50kg

5 x 5 x 55kg

5 x 55kg push press

EZ bar skull crushers-

3 x 10 x 32kg

1 x 5 x 42kg

trapbar shrugs-

5 x 10 x 86kg each rep paused for a good squeeze in the shoulders

squat-

5 x 60kg

5 x 80kg

5 x 110kg

10 x 110kg

8 x 140kg

trapbar deadlift-

10 x 86kg

10 x 126kg

8 x 146kg

6 x 176kg

and a new P.B on deadlift reps.....................7 x 206kg, raw with no straps/sleeves/wraps etc just chalk

i could have done more but the gallons of sweat going in my eyes was frecking stinging. im no good in the humid heat, im a shorts and t-shirt in the snow type of guy.

really happy i made 7 reps @ 206kg, i feel have a good 240-250kg 1 rep max in me at the minute, not bad for 4 months training if i dont say so myself 

weighed in @ 415lbs at the weekend (on the industrial scales at work lol) so i need to drop my cals from around 4400 to maybe 3800 and really stick to it for the next 10 weeks. i know my strength may suffer slightly but i cant keep going at that weight......................my car seat is about buggered 

todays food intake-

4am- 3 scoops bulk powders lean gainer with 1/3 whole milk and 2/3 water

7am 1 x banana + 1 small coffee

9am 3 x weetabix with 1/3 pint whole milk + 1 banana and 150gram greek yoghurt

11am 1 x apple + sticker (oops)

12-30pm 2 chicken breast with passata/onion/peppers/sweetcorn

3pm- 4 scoops pulse v4 pre-workout drink + 1 apple (no sticker this time  )

5-30pm post workout shake 2 scoops with greek yoghurt/water/whole milk. managed to get hold of some out of date tubs of protein for £3 each so currently enjoying them lol

8pm dinner- 2 medium baked spuds with very little butter/ light philadelphia on each and muscle food chilli and lime chicken steaks with baked beans

water intake has gone up now its as hot as the sun in my forklift.

past few weeks i havent been as focused due to being mega busy at work, its so hard when you do 10-12 hours a day + 10 hours on a saturday,got back into the old routine of ordering take-aways again so i had a chat with mrs shrek and we asked our families to help do some bulk cooking so i now have a freezer full of meatballs/diet coke chicken................happy days

cant wait for my britishstrongman log and duck-walk to turn up now, also i really need to buy some more olympic weights as im fekked off with humping mine around the garage.

just under 10 weeks until 1st comp, really nervous but looking forward to it


----------



## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

big shrek said:


> good session today, i didnt follow my usual 5x5 routine as i tried a pyramid type routine
> 
> flat bench
> 
> ...


 squat depth is too high you will damage the knee joint .

wraps are dangerously applied you need to watch some videos of how to properly put them on .


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

ok buddy thanks for the heads up, i will look into it


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## Jakemaguire (Feb 17, 2016)

big shrek said:


> think its at castle grounds tamworth, i will only be in it if my mate drops out. think its ran by dave meer


 Yeh mate same guy


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> well thank the lord above tonights session is over...........PURE WWAAARRRRRMMMM
> 
> overhead press
> 
> ...


 Just an observation mate but for me you do a lot of warm upsets/ reps before your 'working sets'. That's a lot of precious energy your using.

Ps, how's the sticker tasting? Lol.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Just an observation mate but for me you do a lot of warm upsets/ reps before your 'working sets'. That's a lot of precious energy your using.
> 
> Ps, how's the sticker tasting? Lol.


 f**k off lol......fu**ing sticker.

I just do what I thought was the norm to be honest. On the 5x5 app the warm ups are even longer and to be fair it does get on my nerves.

Will try a little less warms up to see if it makes a difference


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## Owl man (Apr 18, 2016)

I'm lifting nothing like you fellas but I just do 2 warm up sets. Not stalled yet. Got 57.5 kg overhead press tomoz tho so time yet lol


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## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> well thank the lord above tonights session is over...........PURE WWAAARRRRRMMMM
> 
> overhead press
> 
> ...


 Holy hell buddy, that's a lot of work right there for one session!!


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> Holy hell buddy, that's a lot of work right there for one session!!


 Smashing it now bro on the run up to my 1st comp


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

Owl man said:


> I'm lifting nothing like you fellas but I just do 2 warm up sets. Not stalled yet. Got 57.5 kg overhead press tomoz tho so time yet lol





big shrek said:


> f**k off lol......fu**ing sticker.
> 
> I just do what I thought was the norm to be honest. On the 5x5 app the warm ups are even longer and to be fair it does get on my nerves.
> 
> Will try a little less warms up to see if it makes a difference


 Boom, there you go. Like Owl man said.... 2 warm up sets. Something like this.....

for example your 5x5 working weight is 160kg for deadlifts.

Warm up 1 - 80kg for 6-8 reps.

Warm up 2 - 120kg for 6-8 reps.

working sets 1 to 5 - 160kg for 5x5.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

today session over-

flat bench-

10 x 40kg

8 x 50kg

5x5 x 72.5kg

close grip bench press-

10 x 40kg

8 x 50kg

5x5 x 70kg

tricep hammer curls-

5x5 x 37.5kg

barbell row-

5x5 x 72.5kg

squat-

10 x 40kg

5 x 80kg

5x5 x 155kg

after i was told that my squat depth wasnt good enough i really tried to get lower today but i cant, i feel no pain in legs/knees/back, i just cant physically get much lower

any tips guys? i always thought i was a good squatter


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

Do you at least go below parallel?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Do you at least go below parallel?


 No, I thought I did until I took a video. Watch the video on previous page, I can maybe get 2 inches lower than that then I physically cannot go lower, I feel all cramped up and sort of squashed together I don't see how it's possible for me to go lower. Nothing hurts when I'm squatting


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

You need more than 2 inches to go below parallel, you're not a million miles away mate.

Have you any big rubber training bands? You could put one around the bar and around your waist, hold on to the squat rack and practice going below parallel using body weight only holding onto the rack. Ill try and find a video


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

Like what he does at 25 secs, but hold on to the rack to start off.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

right then, i have lost all my data on the 5x5 app as i never backed it up to the cloud and my phone is no more so............new phone and new app but this time im trying the wendler 5/3/1 app, will run that for 12 weeks to see how i get on.

im really gonna work on my squats now getting my form right as im really pissed off ive spent this much time doing them wrong.

will also possibly be joining a local gym to use some of their equipment as all i have is a few bars/ a rack and some weights. i miss the leg press and i feel that the seated shoulder press would benefit me also along with a good set of dumbbells

the 5/3/1 is over 4 days which doesnt really suit me due to work so i will be compacting it into 3 days when i have a busy week

looking forward to a fresh new program, the warm up sets are not as intense as the 5x5 app and as endomorph pointed out..........its good energy wasted doing a f**k-ton of warm ups.

hoping for some good results from it


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> looking forward to a fresh new program, the warm up sets are not as intense as the 5x5 app and as endomorph pointed out..........its good energy wasted doing a f**k-ton of warm ups.
> 
> hoping for some good results from it


 I adapted the 5-3-1 training to suit me using the basic principles of the workout. Its a good routine and you'll do well, legend.

At the moment I'm training 3x3 at around 80-85% of my 1RM on major compound lifts and I'm really enjoying it!


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> I adapted the 5-3-1 training to suit me using the basic principles of the workout. Its a good routine and you'll do well, legend.
> 
> At the moment I'm training 3x3 at around 80-85% of my 1RM on major compound lifts and I'm really enjoying it!


 Legend.........lol


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

1st 5/3/1/ session over, enjoyed it alot to be honest, nice to have a change.....

bench press-

5 x 35kg

5 x 45kg

3 x 55kg

5 x 57.5

5 x 67.5

8 x 77.5

5 x 10 x 45kg

incline bench press-

4 x 10 x 45kg

dumbbell rows-

3 x 10 per arm x 26kg

deadlift-

5 x 75kg

5 x 95kg

5 x 112.5kg

5 x 122.5kg

5 x 142kg

5 x 160kg

happy days


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Just got back from world's strongest team, managed to sneak onto the pitch for a quick pic with the legend.......BIG Z


 Big Z. Looks like little Z next to you bud!


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## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> 1st 5/3/1/ session over, enjoyed it alot to be honest, nice to have a change.....
> 
> bench press-
> 
> ...


 You're getting stronger on chest.

Ever thought about splitting sets?

*EDIT: *about squats. If you change to high bar squats from power squats it should give you more ROM. So bar higher up the back, near the neck and narrower stance.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> You're getting stronger on chest.
> 
> Ever thought about splitting sets?
> 
> *EDIT: *about squats. If you change to high bar squats from power squats it should give you more ROM. So bar higher up the back, near the neck and narrower stance.


 Yeah chest is getting stronger slowly. I can't do narrow stance as it really hurts my knees and there isn't anywhere for my gut to go lol.


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Yeah chest is getting stronger slowly. I can't do narrow stance as it really hurts my knees and there isn't anywhere for my gut to go lol.


 Do you wear lifting shoes mate ?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> Do you wear lifting shoes mate ?


 No mate, I take a size 18.....not sure they go that big


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> No mate, I take a size 18.....not sure they go that big


 size 18  lol you would probably have to order from america. You could try putting a 2.5kg plate under each heel that might help with depth.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> size 18  lol you would probably have to order from america. You could try putting a 2.5kg plate under each heel that might help with depth.


 Yeah I order most of my trainers from the states. A friend of mine does that with a 2.5 plate, I will have to give it a try


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> No mate, I take a size 18.....not sure they go that big


 Holy guacamole!


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Holy guacamole!


 Hey.......I would look silly with small feet lol


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

Haha, you know what they say about big feet?

big socks!


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Yeah I order most of my trainers from the states. A friend of mine does that with a 2.5 plate, I will have to give it a try


 I used to squat in converse i couldn't do that now though i need to wear lifting shoes and it made a hell of a difference for me, it cant hurt to try.

with size 18 you might want to use 20kg plates lol


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> I used to squat in converse i couldn't do that now though i need to wear lifting shoes and it made a hell of a difference for me, it cant hurt to try.
> 
> with size 18 you might want to use 20kg plates lol


 Lol.......cheeky fekker


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

Stephen9069 said:


> With size 18 you might want to use 20kg plates lol


 Haha


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## GCMAX (Dec 31, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Yeah chest is getting stronger slowly. I can't do narrow stance as it really hurts my knees and there isn't anywhere for my gut to go lol.


 I didn't mean really narrow, just a bit narrower than a power squat, maybe a foot width narrower each side, shoulder width apart should be okay.

I can't believe your belly is that big that it reduces your range of movement, you should still be able to get to parallel on squats. Trust me when I say I had a massive beer belly, loads of overhang, looked like I was 9 months pregnant but could still go ass to grass though. Have you tried going deeper on a lighter weight?


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

GCMAX said:


> I didn't mean really narrow, just a bit narrower than a power squat, maybe a foot width narrower each side, shoulder width apart should be okay.
> 
> I can't believe your belly is that big that it reduces your range of movement, you should still be able to get to parallel on squats. Trust me when I say I had a massive beer belly, loads of overhang, looked like I was 9 months pregnant but could still go ass to grass though. Have you tried going deeper on a lighter weight?


 It is that big.......trust me. I have squats 2moro so I will have a tinker with the ideas given above.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)




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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

big shrek said:


> wtf.................this site has the worst quote system ever


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

tonights session-

close grip bench press-

10 x 30kg

10 x 40 kg

5 x 60kg

3 x 80kg

2 x 85kg

tricep hammer curls-

3 x 10 @ 28kg + bar

EZ bar skull-crushers-

2 x 10 @ 20kg + bar

2 x 10 @ 30kg + bar

2 x 4 @ 37.5kg + bar

squats-

form practice only, the mrs shown me some stretches to do, and she watched me go below parallel, for some reason i can hardly do it, i tried different stances and weights under my feet. the lower i went the more it hurt my knees. bit annoyed really as i thought i was a good squatter.

did a few below parallel paused squats, no weight just body-weight, find it hard without holding onto my rack for balance.


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> big shrek said:
> 
> 
> > wtf.................this site has the worst quote system ever


 Quoting yourself..... :lol:


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> Quoting yourself..... :lol:


 it was the only way i could start a new reply.

bastards lol


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> it was the only way i could start a new reply.
> 
> bastards lol


 CTRL + Z


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## Tassotti (Feb 27, 2011)

Stretching and foam rolling should help with your flexibility for squats.

play around with your feet placing. Maybe a bit wider so you can get right in the hole.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

great overhead session tonight, felt really strong today for some reason, perhaps its the extra cals ive been having..............who knows

OVERHEAD PRESS-all lifts are cleaned off the floor-i never rack the weight as i want to get used to handling the weight

5 x 25kg

5 x 35kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 60kg (strict press)

1 x 70kg strict press

3 x 70kg push press

10 x 60kg push press

3 x 80kg push press

1 x 90kg push press

1 x 95kg push press -fail

1 x 92.5kg push press- fail

BARBELL SHRUGS-

5 x 10 @ 95kg

SEATED DUMBBELL PRESS

5 x 5 @ 30kg per hand

DONE 

my new log will be here on wednesday so i will be smashing my overhead log press for the next 8 weeks on the run up to my comp


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

Strong pressing mate its coming along nicely.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> Strong pressing mate its coming along nicely.


 thanks bro, it seems i may have finally pulled through my stalling point.................................at long frecking last.

i wish i could strict press more but i guess using leg drive will slowly help my pressing


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> great overhead session tonight, felt really strong today for some reason, perhaps its the extra cals ive been having..............who knows
> 
> OVERHEAD PRESS-all lifts are cleaned off the floor-i never rack the weight as i want to get used to handling the weight
> 
> ...


 Good numbers boss!! Why do you go up & down in weight during the exercise mate?

3 x 70kg push press

10 x 60kg push press

3 x 80kg push press

1 x 90kg push press


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> thanks bro, it seems i may have finally pulled through my stalling point.................................at long frecking last.
> 
> i wish i could strict press more but i guess using leg drive will slowly help my pressing


 I have a friend (believe it or not) who is very strong and can strict press a log at 140kg who only strict OHPs in the gym and saves push/ leg drive for in comps should he need it.

Works for him, I'm not so sure about it myself.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Good numbers boss!! Why do you go up & down in weight during the exercise mate?
> 
> 3 x 70kg push press
> 
> ...


 lol i typed it down wrong, all lifts were heavier than previous lift

i was rushing bro


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

well another great session tonight

bench press-

5 x 40kg

5 x 50kg

5 x 60kg

5 x 70kg

5 x 80kg

5 x 90kg

5 x 15 @ 40kg + 10kg chains per side

trapbar deadlift-

5 x 86kg

5 x 126kg

5 x 156kg

3 x 186kg

3 x 206kg

1 x 236kg (new p.b)

1 x 251 kg (new p.b again)

felt strong so did another p.b......................1 x 261kg.........................fu**ing WELL CHUFFED, i see no reason why i cant reach 300+ by year end.....possibly sooner 

2 reasons i used a trap bar is because i have been getting a slight ache lately in my lower back-nothing serious but due to my height oly bar deadlifting really sets it off where as a trap bar feels alot more comfortable. 2nd reason is due to having too many small weights there is more room on a trap bar lol

i can tell you now though guys.............i had another 10-15kg in my lift if i had the weights 

videos to follow.......................just off for a 900 calorie shake as im goosed.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

1st video is 236kg






next video is 261kg


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

Cracking deadlifting mate and looks like there could be a little more in the tank aswell.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> Cracking deadlifting mate and looks like there could be a little more in the tank aswell.


 thx bro, im fu**ing over the moon as its been a long time since i tested my 1 rep-max

yeah deffo had more in the tank, perhaps with straps i could have done 280kg


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

Well done bud. Are you still doing conventional as well? Trap bar deadlifts helpes me build my lockout on conventional IMO and they carry over to squats a bit as well.

Wonder what you can pull conventional now.


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## Endomorph84 (Jan 21, 2016)

big shrek said:


> 1st video is 236kg
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Strong mate. You could do that for reps!!


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Endomorph84 said:


> Strong mate. You could do that for reps!!


 Thx bro, yeah felt really strong to be fair, 300 easy by year end maybe 320


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

another good session tonight....

overhead press (strict)

5 x 30kg

5 x 40kg

5 x 52.5kg

5 x 60kg

2 x 72.5kg strict press (p.b)

1 x 75kg strict press (p.b)

overhead push-press

5 x 80kg

1 x 90kg

1 x 92.5kg (p.b)........................really had to dig-deep for this, i really struggled to lock my right arm out, i had to give a little push press in the air to get it up but it went up which is what im happy about.

struggling to clean that much weight off the floor now so may start to look at some free-standing squat stands to rack the weight on as where my power rack is the ceiling is too low for me to press overhead. ending up hurting my wrist so really need to think of other options

oly-bar shrugs

92.5kg x 10 x 5

seated dumbell press

27.5kg per hand

2 x 8

1 x 4

had to abort as wrist injury was really giving me grief.

squats

10 x 40kg

5 x 65kg

5 x 80kg

3 x 100kg

5 x 105kg

5 x 122.5kg

5 x 137.5kg

as you may remember i was really struggling to get depth in my squats so i kinda gave up on them for a month or so, today was my 1st session with a decent weight for a while. i usually do bare-foot squats so i tried with my trainers on tonight and pointed out my toes a little further which bought my knees in a little and i seemed to get a little lower..............................god damn its harder when you go lower lol but at least its progress

really happy that i seemed to have pushed past my sticking point with my overhead pressing, although its slow progress its better than nothing. i feel its my triceps that are the weakest point so they will be getting battered from now on

mega-calorie shake needed now................feeling battered


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

Well done with the PB bud


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

More PB's your on a roll mate


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> More PB's your on a roll mate


 Thx bro, nothing to brag about really just glad I'm getting progress


----------



## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

big shrek said:


> Thx bro, nothing to brag about really just glad I'm getting progress


 Don't put yourself down, a PB is a PB. You're getting there


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

RS86 said:


> Don't put yourself down, a PB is a PB. You're getting there


 not putting myself down bro i was just saying its basically 2.5kg more than last week. really pushing hard to break the 100kg overhead


----------



## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> not putting myself down bro i was just saying its basically 2.5kg more than last week. really pushing hard to break the 100kg overhead


 7.5kg away mate and now you have found the weakness you know what you have to do now so its all good mate.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

yeah i know what has to be done..........................beat my triceps into submission..................feed them protein...............repeat


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

big shrek said:


> yeah i know what has to be done..........................beat my triceps into submission..................feed them protein...............repeat


 Eat, Sleep, Conquer repeat lol


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

tonights session over......

flat bench press-

5 x 35kg

5 x 45kg

5 x 52.5kg

5 x 57.5kg

5 x 67.5kg

5 x 75kg

3 x 80kg

3 x 90kg

1 x 100kg

volume work flat bench- 45kg + 10kg chains per side 7 x 10

tricep hammer curls 37.5kg 5 x 8

feeling a little beat up after mondays session, not doing squats for around a month then going straight into them whilst pushing for more depth has left me a little sore shall we say so to finish off tonights session i did a little form work on my new 70kg IFSA SPEC log, only cleans-no presses

70kg x 6

80kg x 5

90kg x 5

f**k me 90kg feels heavy with such a big log, ive really not trained log at all so im gonna really get stuck into it to get used to handling it, i have 90kg log for reps in my comp and its deffo gonna be my weakest event, probably only going to get 3 reps lol.

trying a new gym on sunday morning with a work mate, they have tyres/yoke/farmers/logs etc so will report back. really need to book my ideas up now and smash my event training. my mate needs help with his deadlift so he can help me with my event training in return 

heres my new log and duck walk......................me happy


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

Benching is getting stronger mate just wondering have you ever tried paused reps ?

lol thats a long way to clean and press a log once pressed it must be about 8ft in the air :lol:


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Stephen9069 said:


> Stephen9069 said:
> 
> 
> > Benching is getting stronger mate just wondering have you ever tried paused reps ?
> ...


----------



## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

not alot to report at the min, i mangled my middle finger at work in the week so its all bandaged up and i can hardly move it so its gonna be a week or so off training.

just ordered a loadable monster strongman dumbbell from cheshire strongman supplies and just got back from burton upon trent after picking up 130kg of weights i bought off ebay, finally managed to get some more 20kg plates (4 extra) so i can start heavy oly-bar deadlifts at home.

will be getting the workshop at work to make me a mini deadlift jack aswell


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

1st training session today since 29th june, finger is still f**ked, there is alot of swelling under the nail and its leaking down the sides, i reckon the nail will have to come off to be honest. really struggling to grip anything with it (i tried a 3 finger 1 thumb grip but that was useless) its amazing how much power you lose when you lose the use of a finger.

the last 3 weeks or so has been fu**ing awful for my training to be honest, ive missed days, ive eaten crap, ive worked way too many hours so im really worried about my 1st comp in 5 weeks.

tonights session-

flat bench-

10 x 40kg

10 x 50kg

8 x 60kg

5 x 70kg

5 x 80kg

5 x 90kg

3 x 95kg

volume bench work-

4 x 10 @ 50kg + 10kg chains per side

deadlift-oly bar

5 x 60kg

5 x 100kg

7 x 140kg

1 x 180kg

2 x 200kg

1 x 210kg

ive really neglected my deadlift in the past month or so and tonight made me realise just how much i had let myself down- 2 x 200kg is a joke, that will be a last place in my comp if i dont improve. i know my grip was a factor but i still should have managed a good 6-8 reps

its amazing how quick you lose strength when you neglect your training.

so for the next 5 weeks im going to pretty much train every day, 3 deadlift sessions a week, back on the squats every session and increase my cals to maybe 4750-5000 per day until the comp, ive lost that much time lately that i can see no other way of doing it. i know my 1st comp will be a flop but im still going to do it.

shreky not happy 

on the plus side, my monster loadable dumbbell will be here in the morning


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

Good to see you are still progressing mate. You ever jumping on the gear? Or not your thing? Would like to see what happens.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

Quackerz said:


> Good to see you are still progressing mate. You ever jumping on the gear? Or not your thing? Would like to see what happens.


 Not sure buddy, I wanna get as far as I can without it to be honest just to see what I'm capable of.


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

Deadlifting 3 times a week might be a bit much mate just focus on reps each session and you will be fine it will come back quick especially if your uppping your calories.

As for your first comp mate just go out and enjoy it learn from it then progress from there.


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## big shrek (Aug 30, 2011)

tonights session-

close grip bench press-

warm up

10 x 40kg

10 x 50kg

80kg x 5

80kg x 5

80kg x 5

80kg x 5

80kg x 5

volume work-

40kg x 15

40kg x 15

40kg x 15

40kg x 15

40kg x 15

tricep rope pull-downs

5 x 12 with 5 plates on stack

squats-

warm up-

5 x 40kg

5 x 60kg

5 x 80kg

5 x 100kg

5 x 5 @ 110kg

squatting in my trainers is helping me get more depth which is good, it was only a light weight really compared to what i usually do as im really trying for more depth.

felt good tonight apart from my fu**ing finger, there seems to be a build up of liquid under it and its really fu**ing hurting, i might go the docs to see what they say but it will usually start with.....

do you smoke.....

you need to lose weight.....

blah blah blah lol

tempted to try and snip down the middle to release some pressure but unsure if thats a good idea lol.

hoping to get some event training in on sunday as its been ages since i did any. my monster dumbell is waiting for me to pick it up so will grab that 2moro. just ordered a set of single ply knee sleeves aswell from strength shop as the triple ones wont go up my leg 

will be ordering an axle this weekend, unsure of which one to go for- solid or hollow.


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

big shrek said:


> tonights session-
> 
> close grip bench press-
> 
> ...


 Personally I would pop it open, but that's just me....... 

Training's going well mate. :thumbup1:


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## 38945 (Nov 23, 2013)

Hows the hand now? You still been managing to train?


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