Taken me a while to do it seriously but I've been doing an actual proper routine for 6 weeks, so I feel I can mention it without complete shame . Simple plan of extra calories and 3 sessions per week - high weight 3x5 lifts for the most part. I also got lazy with the eating and decided shakes were a helpful shortcut. Gained: 4kgs Some exercises with the start and current weight for 3x5 sets Squat: 60,100 Deadlift:70,85 1arm row: 22.5,30 Cable Crossover: 15,25 Lat pull down: 45,65 Shoulder press: 35, 45 (in Smith machine) Bench: 50,70 Now, my lifts have plateaued - most of the gain happened in just over a fortnight. I think I can boost some of these, but my elbows and wrists seem to be limiting a hell of a lot of my lifts, they'll feel worryingly strained after deadlifts and the like and I'll ease up. Although the joints don't feel sore the next day. I was hoping the joints would toughen up but it doesn't seem to be happening, not enough time between sessions? Any tips on: a) getting around the elbow issue b) boosting 3x5 lift weight after plateauing c) quick chest and bicep bulking because I'm feeling remarkably shallow as I get close to a holiday
Congratulations on starting the log! The problem with joints is that you get into ligament/tendon issues. Ligaments and tendons take a lot longer than muscles to build up strength and conditioning because they don't get as much blood flow to aid their healing as muscles. It's worth making sure you leave enough time for recovery between sessions. Deadlifts in particular are stressful to your system and a lot of heavy lifters only do them once a week (or even once a fortnight). Do you take fish oil? I find when I'm taking fish oil regularly my joints feel healthier. Also are you warming up to your working sets with a number of lighter sets - this really helps. A lighter week might be an idea after 6 weeks of work, just as a recovery week. Drop the weight or the number of sets/reps.
Thanks, this was my suspicion. Is it necessarily the case given that my joints are not sore the next day after the session? I wondered if I was just being a pansy 'cos when I've knackered ligaments before it has hurt for a loooong time. Oh, also, my muscles aren't feeling sore very often after these sessions (3x5 max possible weight). Do they need to be sore for significant gains to be made?
Whether they hurt or not, your tendons/ligaments will take longer to build up strength than your muscles so pain is not necessarily to be expected as a sign of using them. You're not knackering them by training, you're strengthening them, which is not really the same thing, so don't think that a lack of pain indicates they're not being worked. The same is true of muscles. I usually find I only get serious DOMS when I do a new exercise or a new variation of an exercise. E.g. this week I added single leg unweighted deadlifts to my routine on Thursday and I can still feel my hamstrings aching today! The only exercise that I really get regularly achy with is heavy conventional deadlifts and after those I can feel my lower back aching for a day or so. Squats don't cause the same reaction - I may feel a bit wobbly after them but I don't usually get DOMS from them (the same is true of upper body work) unless I haven't lifted for a few weeks. The thing you have to do is take it easy to start with. Don't try to rush building up to big weights, learn what your body can handle and what it doesn't like, which exercises take longer to recover from etc. If you're upping the weight, increasing the number of reps you can do or even doing the same number of reps/amount of weight with less effort you're making gains. You often find that you make what seems like great gains in your first few weeks of lifting when actually all you are doing is finding out your current level (people often start out with fairly light weights that aren't really challenging them - this isn't really a bad thing because it eases you into lifting and allows you to work on your technique).
Well, about to head off travelling for nearly 3 months D) so the exercise is going to be interrupted for a little while. Time: 7 weeks (6 if you remove time at Edinburgh fringe), Net Gain: 6kgs Visible?: Not as much as you'd think for nearly 10% weight increase - should have done before/after pictures . But generally bigger everywhere, leg gains less as was working around knee issue.
