Okay, all the years holidays out the way, pretty much over the colds that are going round (worked out well, got a cold just as i needed a break and was going away) so ready to get back into things after a 3-4 week break.

Im going to concentrate on my strength up to christmas, primarily as im now planning on training in the PL gym in the new year (no training/fitness reasons, it just works out better that way travel wise).

Diet
Im not going to count calories, carbs etc, but i am going to try and follow 1 simple rule. If it comes wrapped in plastic or has a long list of ingredients... im not going to eat it. A typical day will be

7.30am - 200g rump steak thinly cut and fried in Coconoil and 2 free range eggs + 4x Omega 3
10.00am - WPC/MPC shake
12.30 - Chicken and Cashew vegetable stir fry + 4x Omega 3
3.00pm - WPC/MPC Shake
6.00pm - Meat (lamb, butchers sausages,steak) + leafy veg + potatoe (normal or sweet, will vary) + 4x Omega 3
10.00pm - WPC/MPC shake
Snacks - Brazil nuts, hazelnuts

Quite a few shakes, but im a big lad and im keen to get enough protein in me.

Supplements

Trying to keep it simple and following my usual strategy of supplementing for recovery.
Along with the 12 omega 3 softies a day.
On waking - 4x BSD Cissus, 2 x Adam Multivit, 2 x Trib
Pre Workout - 4x BSD Cissus, 3 x BCAA
Post workout - 3 x BCAA, BSD Regenerate
Bed time - 3 x Inhibit E, 3 x ZMA, 2 x Trib

Training

Going with a variation on 5x5, little more volume than the program prescribed in Starting Strength.

Workout A
Bench Press 5,5,3,3,1,1
Box Squat 5x5
RDL 5x5
Pull ups 5x5
Seated Press 5x5

Workout B
Squat 5,5,3,3,1,1
CGBP 5x5
Rack Pull 5x5
Barbell Row 5x5
Powerclean 5x5

Workout C
Deadlift 5,5,3,3,1,1
Incline Bench 5x5
Front Squat 5x5
Wide grip chins 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5

Hoping to keep each weights session around 60-80mins tops and finishing each one with 10-20mins HIIT.
Training 3 times a week, Probably Tue/Thu/Sun and alternating between ramps and sets across.


I plan to run this program up till christmas where ill take a couple of weeks break from training and all that goes with it during the holiday fun.

Kicking off on Friday with workout A.

Good plan Mark. Doesn't look like huge amount of food but a tight looking diet nonetheless.

Good luck!

The workouts look nice. Should be doable in 45-60 minutes.

a lot will depend on availability of equipment, only 1 rack and when i do rack pulls ill need pretty much every plate in the gym.

small gym?

SCOTT GALTON wrote:small gym?

No, Marks is just THAT big.

Well thought out diet!!!!!!!

Well thought out plan, Journal Whore

That's a bit much coming from Rabby 10 Journals

Marks1972 wrote:That's a bit much coming from Rabby 10 Journals

Do you want me to count how many journals you have had or shall we leave it there?

I'm on 5, so there!

When your other hand becomes free im sure you can count past the 5

Marks1972 wrote:When your other hand becomes free im sure you can count past the 5

2-0 Mark

Sunday 19th Oct

Workout A (Assesment session)

Bench - 40kg x 10 (WU) 60kg x5, 70kg x5, 80kg x5, 90kg x5, 100kg x5, 110kg x1, 120kg x1
Box Squat - 60kg x5, 100kg x5, 120kg x5, 130kg x5, 140kg x5
Seated Press - 40kg x5, 50kg x5, 55kg x5, 60kg x5, 65kg x3
RDL - 90kg x5, 110kg x5, 130kg x5, 150kg x5, 170kg x3
Pull ups @120kg - -20kg x5, -30kg x5, -30kg x5, -30kg x5, -30kg x5

Comments - Couple of days late as i was sent to Glasgow for work in the week which put everything else back. Semi light session to try and assess where my 5RMs are at and to get back into things. Absolutely killed me, puking and/or fainting were close almost from the word go, but got through it. Pleased that the progress ive made on the bench doesnt seem to have gone, threw in a couple of singles at the end without going mad as i didnt have a spot and they flew up, if i dont get 140kg before xmas ill be disapointed. Pull ups not so good, was doing them for bodyweight on a rusty old bar at Centerparcs so was hoping for better... but first time in a gym for nearly a month so shouldnt complain.

Put about 5-6kg back on in the few weeks ive been away but to be expected as i had a break from everything.. including not drinking beer

Nice journal Mark, just in time for it to start...

Cheers C, good to see you back btw

Looks like a good plan Marks, a lot of volume - but you seem to do well on that.

hehe i consider that to be lower volume mate

As much as im a fan of Cross fit , i cant get my head around training that low a volume so added to it... maybe i shouldnt as who am i to second guess Mark Rippetoe

I think you're already beyond the level Starting Strength is aimed at mate, & these pre designed programs are all very well but by now you know what works for you & you probably cope with volume better than a lot of people.

Tuesday 21st October

Workout B (slight variation due to rack availabilty)

Squat - 110kg x5, 130kg x5, 160kg x5, 170kg x5, 180kg x5
Incline Press - 60kg x5, 70kg x5, 80kg x5, 90kg x5, 100kg x5
Rack Pull (below Knee) - 130kg x5, 150kg x5, 180kg x3, 200kg x3, 220kg x1, 240kgx1
T-Bar Row - 70kg x5, 80kg x5, 90kg x5, 100kg x5, 110kg x5
Overhead Press - 40kg x5, 50kg x5, 60kg x5, 65kg x5, 70kg x3

Comments - A planned change and a forced change. The planned on was the swapping of chins for T-bar rows, following some words of wisdom on T-nation regarding lat work to assist benching, read that you should work the lats in the horizontal plane rather than vertical as that is how they are used on the bench, so will be doing BORs, T-bars and chins rather than the 2 sets of chins planned previously. I couldnt get a rack or flat bench to do CGBP so it messed things up and little and has left me a nasty group of exercises for thursday, ie Deads, Front Squats, Powercleans, BORs and CGBP... should be fun.

Friday 24th Oct

Workout C (sort of)

Deadlift - 105kg x5, 125kg x5, 140kg x3, 160kg x3, 180kg x1, 200kg x1, 220kg x1, 240kg x1
ATG Front Squat - 60kg x5, 70kg x5, 80kg x5, 90kg x5, 100kg x5
CGBP - 65kg x5, 75kg x5, 85kg x5, 95kg x5, 110kg x4
// BOR - 70kg x5, 80kg x5, 90kg x5, 100kg x5, 110kg x5
Seated side DB raises - 10kg ea x 10, x10, x10

Notes : Misload on deadlifts thanks to strong maths... should have finished on 260kg for a single but buggered up on the 3s and didnt realise it till i thought 220kg felt more like 200kg.. i was right.
Mess up earlier in the week left me without a decent shoulder barbell exercise to do, so did some raises. WIll have a better idea next week as using powerclean as a deadlift varient rather than a shoulder exercise.
Front squats felt great, had a nice sit down in the hole at the end of each set and really punched my way back up.

Couple of days late as i was sent to Glasgow for work

Were you staying over? Should have got in touch and we could have met up for either a training session or a drinking session. I work in Glasgow and live 20 min outside the city.

Was a flying visit mate, flew into prestwick at about 9am, spent the day at Spirt/BAE near the airport and flew home about 8pm.. its fookin cold up there

Beasty lifting mate

Marks1972 wrote:Was a flying visit mate, flew into prestwick at about 9am, spent the day at Spirt/BAE near the airport and flew home about 8pm.. its fookin cold up there

Prestwik is only 20 min from me aswell. Cruddy AIrport, Nice Town

Strong session all round mate, very nice deads & fronts.