Age: 27 (Year 2017)
Height: 169cm
Starting Weight: 60kg

Diet
I try my best to eat at my TDEE which is 1800 calories per day.
I prep my meals every weekend but do not have enough storage space to prep for breakfast and lunch so I eat chicken breast rice everyday for my lunch and mostly eggs, milk, peanut butter and bread every morning.
As for now due to CNY, I will just try to eat sensibly

6 March 2017
Currently eating at 2200calories per day, 400 above my TDEE.
Eating 2.5gram of protein per kg of my bodyweight, which is 150gram.
Carbs and Fat are flexible depends on what I'm cooking.
Started cooking my own lunch too so nowadays I pretty much only eat meals that I prepared myself.
Weekend are usually my "cheat day" where I would eat outside but I will still avoid unhealthy over processed foods.

28 August 2017
Right now I am trying to eat at a mini deficit, about 2000 calories, 150gram protein and prioritizing on fat > carbs but not to the keto diet kind of extreme low carb.
In the morning I will eat 4 eggs, 2 table spoon of peanut butter, 125gram yogurt and 300ml milk.
Lunch will be nasi kandar with curry mutton and 1 egg + tea o ice.
I might start cooking my own lunch though, will see how it goes.
Dinner will be 120gram of chicken breast, 1 canned of tuna in sunflower oil and one hard boiled egg.

2018
Currently I am bulking, eating 2800 calories per day.
My aim is to reach 70kg, putting up 1kg each month.

2023
Not following any diet plan, not counting calories, YOLO


Goal
- Aesthetic
- Single digit body fat
- Healthier lifestyle
- Build up discipline

This is my ideal body goal


Current Program
Stronglift 5x5 by Mehdi

24 March 2017
Phrak's GSLP with some modification
- Same weight progression method as SL5x5
- Neutral grip chin up instead of supinated
- Deload by doing 2 sets of the previous weight and AMRAP on the weight that I failed until I can do it for 5 reps

&

Reddit's grip training program

On top of that, I will repeat the same weight if my form are wrong and I will deload when I cannot complete 5 reps.

7 August 2017
Nsuns 531 (Four day version)

19 February 2018
PHUL

18 July 2023
Not following any program, just YOLO-ING


Brief history of myself
I have always been the skinny guy throughout my school life. I never get fat no matter how much I eat, only weighing about 25kg until form 2 where I got taller and gained about 20 more kilo.
I was active in sports in my early highschool, enrolling myself in Taekwondo, boy scout and badminton but I quitted all of it in form 3 to concentrate on my study (Though it's actually just an excuse to be lazy at home).
My weight started to gained significantly when I started working, my belly are swollen although I am not an alcoholic.
I started weight lifting with no research at all 4years ago but didn't last long because I have to undergo surgery.

Fast forward 2016, hitting the gym and achieve a better looking physique had been in my new year's resolution for as long as I can remember.
In October 2016 I decided to achieve this goal in 2017 so I started to do a lot of research in diet as well as weight lifting.
I started out by building up discipline to make sure I have the right mindset and determination to get things done instead of procrastinating like I always do.
I cooked my own meals every weekend and started to familiarize myself in counting calories.
I did that until January 2017 because I was still afraid to go to the gym alone because I'm an introvert and will feel uncomfortable in a place I'm not familiar with.
I called my friends and went to the gym with them and never look back.

Nowadays I'm going to the gym alone most of the time.
I'm following stronglift 5x5 and started lifting with the recommendation starting weight (Which is mostly empty bar) and filmed myself as I'm doing it to make sure I get each of the exercises form correctly before starting to add weight as recommended by the program.

So here am I today, third week into SL 5x5 and decided to record down my journal.

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Jul 24 2023, 09:58 PM

16 January 2017
Here's how my exercises looks like, the first time I did them

Workout A
Squat
5x5x20kg
Bench Press
5x5x20kg
Bent over row
5x5x30kg

Squat


Bench Press


Bent over row


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:21 PM

18 January 2017
Workout B
Squat
5x5x20kg
Overhead Press
5x5x20kg
Deadlift
1x5x40kg

Squat


Overhead Press


Deadlift


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:27 PM

Good for you.
Good program to start on.

Yes correct posture and technique before putting on weights on the bar. But you can put micro plates (2.5kg?) or 5 kg just to have some feel. Sometimes just bar alone hard to have correct posture especially when you are new, because it's a bit too light.

Just make sure, back arch at all times, at almost all kind of weight lifting.

28 January 2017
These are the most recent video on the third week of the program

Workout A
Squat
5x5x20kg
Bench Press
5x5x20kg
Bent over row
5x5x30kg

Squat


Bench Press


Bent over row


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:21 PM

30 January 2017
Workout B
Squat
5x5x20kg
Overhead Press
5x5x20kg
Deadlift
1x5x40kg

Squat


Overhead Press


Deadlift


PS: Looking for gym partner in Enrich Fitness Kepong

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:26 PM

I am planning to do that after I buy 1.25kg plates because my gym doesn't have that weight
On the bolded part, do you mean keeping it neutral aka straight?

For example, bench press, there will be a space between your lower back and the bench, hence the arch.

The squats, keeping it straight, but once u do heavier, there will be a slight arch too.

Actually, make sure you brace your core. Then the slight arch will automatically be there.

Like breathe in, hold your breathe, compress your inner muscles / core, and do your rep.
Breathe out after rep ends. and repeat.

Eh forget 1.25 plates. Just go for 2.5kg.

1.25 a bit too little. 2.5kg really isn't that heavy.

Noted, thanks for the tips. Will keep it in mind

I am gonna need 1.25kg plates anyway, because the program asked for 2.5kg increment every workout. If I increase 5kg every workout I'm gonna stall in no time I guess.

oh bench press i would recommend your feet flat on the ground. Not just the front of your feet. You should be pressing through the heels on the ground.

Hmm I started on SL too, but if I'm not wrong, 2.5kg increment on each side. Not total.
That's what I did anyway.

I can't incorporate proper foot drive if I don't push my feet behind that much (which would eventually lifting up my heel in that position)
I'm following Alan Thrall's method, does it matter much if it's flat vs heel up?

Pretty sure it is 1.25kg each side though


It's interesting though, how long did you continuously making progress with 2.5kg each side before you stalled?

After a while, you'll feel 2.5kg (or 1.25kg in your case) is boring.
You'll forget the micro plates and hit 5 kg increments. (for me anyway).

dude, as fellow beginner, my advise is just do it with weights and slow progress, adding weights as u go along. sometimes, its hard to get the feeling doing it with empty bar. seems like ur gym has some pretty decent power racks. good for u.

First of all man, congratulations on starting. I'm glad me and lingleeyen encouraged you enough to begin your workout. This journal is a good way to keep track of your lifts. I sure wish I kept one when I first started. There's nothing like looking where you've been to appreciate where you are right now.

I can't watch youtube videos at work so I can't comment on your form. I'll try to do so by the time I get home but I usually get back quite late from training so I might miss out on doing so.

Get the 1.25kg plates. They're useful, especially on bench press and OHP. They're useful now as a beginner and super useful later as an intermediate when you have to fight tooth and nail for every kg you increase on your lifts. I got mine for 40 bucks in lelong. Before that, I used to use big ass chains I tied together with carabiners which costed me 10 bucks at the hardware shop. Leave it in your car so you don't forget about them when heading to the gym.

I wish you all the best and good luck. If you have any questions about training, feel free to PM me directly or comment on my training journal.

2cents from a fellow beginner:

Squat: Try to make it a habit to unrack by extending ur legs rather than using ur calves. Take it slower when u're moving up, might hurt ur knees, maybe it's time to put some weight on if u move too fast. Dont point ur toes too much out. 11o'clock and 1o'clock should be sufficient

Bench: As already pointed out by others, always plant ur whole feet firm on the floor. As for the bar path, i think it's not much problem if it's straight? The rest, u already know it

Row: Form looks good

Press: Form looks good too, but I suck at this and stuck at 27.5 (w/o bar) like forever

Deadlift: Yeah slightly rounded on the negative, brace ur core and squeeze ur shoulder blade through out

*All based on the 2 last workouts*

Others, pls comment if i have got anything wrong so i can learn too

Yes man, a big shout out to both you and lingleeyen for pushing me to start going to gym right away. Just ordered my 1.25kg plates online and it should reach on Monday

Extending my legs as in tip toe? TBH I have no idea how to unrack properly
About planting your feet flat vs heel up, I will research into it more when I have time. I am following Alan Thrall's method and as I know he is a reputable lifter and his form tutorial are one of the best available on YouTube. Aside from that, noted with thanks for your advise

Nono, as in do not tip toe. How do i put it.. Hmm like the negative during squats where u get back to the original position - bend ur knees to position the bar at traps, then straighten it

If the weight is light then still ok to tip toe it, but once it gets heavy it would put unnecessary stress on ur lower back

1 February 2017
Following the advise if you guys who replied here, I added 5kg in this workout yesterday. I started each exercises with 2 warm up set using the previous starting weights. It was OK, still fairly easy to complete each exercises except for the row where I have to rest for a full 3 minutes between sets. I arrived late to the gym and it was closing by the time I'm doing my row so I didn't get enough rest for the later sets which result in my bad form.
Also, I ordered 1.25kg plates, should be able to start training with progressive overload next week onwards

Workout A
Warm-up sets
Squat
2x5x20kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
Bent over row
2x5x30kg

Workout sets
Squat
5x5x25kg
Bench Press
5x5x25kg
Bent over row
5x5x35kg

Squat 25KG


Bench Press 25KG


Bent over row 35KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:34 PM

What? How do you squeeze your shoulder blades during deadlift? You're supposed to flex your lats to maintain upper back tightness. Imagine trying to bend the bar around your legs and rotate your arms as if to touch your triceps to your lats. For lower back, you brace with your core by breathing into your obliques rather than into your chest. Chris Duffin made a good video about this on youtube. Ideally, the entire back, upper and lower, is solid and moves as a single non-flexible unit.

-Deleted-

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: May 22 2019, 02:14 PM

Erm i dont know man, that's the only way i could keep my chest up previously, i think it's actually feels like what u described anyway. Now it's more of natural to me.

Bro, do u have the link of video u mentioned? Gonna look it up when im home. Thanks in advance

So I just did some research on flat heel vs heel up in bench press and it seems like it is not much of a concern if I'm not planning to compete in the future because some competition allowed heel up during bench press and others would demand your feet to be flat on ground. It's also easier to incorporate proper legs drive with the heel up so I guess I will stick to my form. Of course if I'm wrong please let me know, perhaps my research is not sufficient

Hey bro.

My 2 cents.

Squats - what I see is, you are bending knees first during your descend. Try to learn the "hinge" at the hip side. Unhinge (ass / butt goes to the back) your hips, and then knees down after that. On squats, it's not the knees first that make you go downwards, it's your hips, lower back, and then knees. Like how you take a shit on the toilet bowl. Don't know how to explain, haha.

Bench Press - the bar path is never straight. Don't worry about it. They say it's almost like a J.

Bend over row - this looks like you are working out only the upper back / shoulders. Try to bend up a bit more and then do your rows.

Cheers.

Is this article what you mean? Sitting back vs sitting down?
Trying to research more on how to sit back properly during squat

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 2 2017, 05:18 PM

Remember "Ass back first" then go down.

A few references:

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-t...squat-properly/
http://thechalkboardmag.com/the-perfect-sq...in-2-steps#sl=4

Thank you for the link, will read up after work tonight
Really appreciate it

I am super glad that you started. Keep it up. Keep that hunger and learn the form. I am still learning and the hunger you have now will bring you a long way in every aspect. I know it did that for me.

Some of my personal q's that worked for me which might not be for you.

Squat - Put the bar latch a hole lower. So that you do not need to tip toe when you unrack. Go under the bar, tighten your shoulder blade, stabalise the bar before unracking. Don't rush into unrack as unstable bar on your back can be dangerous and energy wasting trying to stabalise it off your back. Always reset ie exhale out at the top and inhale brace core at the top before going down again. I wouldn't worry too much about foot positioning. I just squat as if I am squatting without anybar. Squat should feel natural. Start with the feeling of sitting down. When you have this feeling your ass will drive you down. Keep natural spine whenever you drive up.

OHP - Currently looks fine to me. Mark Riptoe even asked his trainee to shrug up their traps. Don't hyper extend your back when the weight gets heavier. I know I did that.

BP - I still suck at it. I am still learning what leg drive is. But I arch my back slightly, tighten my lats and let the bar briefly touch my chest. The reason is that ur upper body is like your heels when the body force load on the heels. The bar now is your body's weight.

Rows - I for some reason can't do pendelay row like you did. I only can go as low as I can while I row. Just remember to pull back not with ur hands but your back. Feel the back and not your hands. Else you will work on bicep only. To help you feel I would do some light face pull targetting the back before I row to get more mind muscle connection.

DL - The pulling up seems alright but I think you still feel weird during negative. When you go down it is not necessary to go down slow. However it shall not be free fall. If you find your knees is in the way, work on your hamstring flexibility. During negative you unconciously moved the knees forward. If your knees are at the position when you started which do not block your bar path when you pull up, it should not block you on negative. Always reset your brace and grip every rep. And oh. To me the plate stack looks too high. The next time when you go to 20kg plates a side you will have to adjust the feel again. Set up one bar with 20kg plates. Then another one with your weight. Align the 2 bars centre to center so that bothe bars only are at approximately the same height.

No problem, after I looked at your video again, if you noticed, your knees are also too far front (but some people just can't help it due to their bone structure) - if you do "ass back first" it won't be so front.
Learn to balance your weight on your back heel.

Similarly drive up with the weights on the back of your foot.

Thank you for all the advice, will take note in my next session.

I find it difficult to keep my knee behind my feet.
I did tried to focus on that and try not to get it over my feet but I still overdid it
I will practice bodyweight weight squat during my free time to make sure I get it right the next time.

3 February 2017
Workout B
Warm-up sets
Squat
1x5x20kg
Overhead Press
1x5x20kg
Deadlift
1x5x40kg

Workout sets
Squat
5x5x25kg
Overhead Press
5x5x25kg
Deadlift
1x5x45kg

Squat 25KG


Overhead Press 25KG


Deadlift 45KG


Started all workout with 1 set of warm-up using the recommended starting weight. Overall it feels better as I started to feel the added weight and challenge in weight lifting. Looking forward to my 1.25kg plates next workout!

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:33 PM

Squats - better. Your legs are quite long, so you may need some time to get used to sit back. I'm quite tall as well, so took me a while too once my legs are strengthened. But yea, practise it at home against a wall for example, or a chair.

OHP - looking good.

Deadlift - I think the steps should be lift up with your body first, using your hips to drive the weight to your foot heel, (ass back again so that your knees are not in the way of the bar going up), and then only your legs straighten.

Getting better

Thank you for the ass advise on my deadlift, definitely will try it next session!

Some progress


*Pictures of the before are taken at a lower angle, in reality the differences really isn't as noticable as it seems in pictures*

Haha nice.

Eat more :-) fibre, protein, complex carbs.

Squat - stick yr butt out first like this shape '>' before descent.

Deadlifts- i still think yr using yr hands to lift the weights. Try going heavier as light weight does not really show yr true form. U shud be able to do at least 60kg judging by ur video

Indeed I didn't do it well for my previous deadlift, will take note on my next deadlift session
I don't think I should jump straight to my bodyweight deadlift as my program focus on linear progression, I think I should follow the recommendation weight increment or I will stall too early in my program

6 February 2017
So today I finally got my 1.25kg plates. Decided to bump my Squat to 35kg from my previous 25kg to match my bench press and row exercises in my program spreadsheet. It does started to feel challenging but overall still able to complete it without problem.

Workout A
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x35kg
Bench Press
5x5x27.5kg
Bent over Row
5x5x37.5kg

Squat 35KG


Bench Press 27.5KG


Bent over row 37.5KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 11 2017, 10:36 PM

8 February 2017
Workout B
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20KG

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x40KG
Overhead Press
5x5x27.5KG
Deadlift
1x5x50KG

Squat 40KG


Overhead Press 27.5KG


Deadlift 50KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 16 2017, 10:31 AM

Squats look good man. I like it. One thing to point out is the brace, looks like you let out your breath on a few concentric parts there. Don't. Breath into your stomach, imagine somebody is gonna punch you in the stomach, hold that breath, squat down, stand up, exhale.

I can't say much about OHP because I suck at OHP, I hate OHP, I don't do OHP. I might even advise you to not do OHP. Haha.

To be honest your deadlift doesn't look terrible at all. If I'm being nitpicky, on the descent you gotta break at your hips first and let the bar fall straight down. And I think you're setting up to far behind the barbell, you can see the barbell move backwards as you initiate the movement. You don't have any specific weaknesses, just that you're entire body is currently your weakness. Don't take that in a bad way, I'm just saying you just gotta work on overall strength. Also practice your bracing more, same comment from squats.

Yes, you can practice deadlift more often, just make sure it's not too heavy that you cannot recover from it. I personally think 1x5 is too little practice. One modification I'd do to SL is to do 3x5 deadlifts. If you miss any reps, increase sets and reduce reps so that you always get a total 15 working reps everytime you deadlift.

Also, what I found to help a lot with my deadlift is a stronger back. Find any machine in your gym that targets back, eg: seated cable row, lat pulldown, assisted pullup, T-bar row, etc. My suggestion would be to add 1 rowing assistance movement every session, just pick one that you are comfortable doing. So Monday you can do lat pulldown, Wednesday you can do seated cable rows, Friday you can do dumbbell rows. Do 3x8-12 and it shouldn't really take more than 10 mins. I personally do 2 rowing movements a session and it has tremendously helped my deadlift.

More back exercises eh? I might add exercises that target my lat, but I think I shouldn't do cable row that target lower back, cause I have anterior pelvic tilt so it will get worst if I further strengthen my lower back

10 February 2017
I have no idea why but my SL apps tell me to do my squat with 42.5KG when I should've been doing 40KG
Lesson learned, never rely on the apps to tell me how much weight I am going to do in my next session
Will do the same weight (42.5KG) for my squat in the next session.

Workout A
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x30kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x42.5kg
Bench Press
5x5x30kg
Bent over Row
5x5x40kg

Squat 42.5KG


Bench Press 30KG


Bent over row 40KG


Today my friend from highschool who used to be my rival joined me in my workout session. It's good because I finally have a working partner and a rival to push and motivate me in my workout

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 7 2017, 10:30 AM

For your chest, brace your core too then you might feel it,

13 February 2017
So yesterday was a bad gym day. I failed to complete my overhead press's reps in 4 sets...
The previous workout I still feel relatively easy to complete 5x5 with no problem so this really took me by surprise.
I was doing really slow jog (Only 5km/h) for about 5min while waiting for the power rack but it shouldn't be the reason for my fail press.
Upon researching and reviewing, I found out that it's most likely due to my bad form.
Will eat and rest more this week to make sure I get through it this Friday!

Workout B
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x30kg
Overhead press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x42.5kg
Overhead Press
5x5/4/4/3/3x30kg
Deadlift
1x5x55kg

Squat 42.5KG


Overhead Press 30KG


Deadlift 55KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 7 2017, 10:31 AM

OHP bar shud rest on ur arm not ur palm. So is bench. OHP brace core tighten core dont hyper extend wen the bar goes up. DL is still poor. Find the natural way to do it. I myself hv not tried rack pull but it is said that it helps with DL. I will add that in soon.

DL- yr not locking out yr hips at the top of the movement. Bar movement is not straight up and u r taking way too long to lower the barbell.

Somehow i feel yr lacking the intensity to attack the weights. Macam stroll in the park. Don't take it the wrong way though, my 2 cents thought.

You're not tight on your deadlift. Very loosey goosey. You're pulling it back as well. You should be humping the bar and pushing the earth away from you.

Note: Do not let this get to your head. I know as beginners, we all tend to be paralyzed by analysis, whereby there's so much information and you want to be perfect at all times. Don't be. Sometimes, you just lack practice, that's all. You don't have to have your lifts perfect, you just need them to be good enough just to stay injury free. Most important is to lift consistently and stay healthy. "Perfect" form will come.

With that said, let me give you my own personal cues and processes when I deadlift:

1. Walk up to bar, hyped. I'm trying to kill the weight, regardless if its 60kg or 160kg. My intentions and intensity remains the same. 100% on all weights. When it gets heavy I like to have somebody slap the shit out of my lats and traps to get them engaged.
2. Stand with bar directly above midfoot. When I bend down it will touch my shins, this is normal.
3. Stand tall and straight. Now, I flex and squeeze my thighs and glutes to set my feet width. My feet will automatically go to the optimal angle and width by doing this.
4. Regarding point #3, I flex hard, as if somebody is trying to rape me in the ass and I am trying to prevent that.
5. Bend over and grab the bar with back still loose. Shoulders will be way in front of the barbell.
6. Secure my grip and breath a few short breaths.

7. This is the tricky part, it happens in 1 single motion but in successive order so pay attention.
7.1. Flex my triceps to straigten my arms.
7.2. Take a deep breath and brace my core by pushing my obliques out.
7.3. Flex my lats and straighten my upper back.
7.4. Now I use the barbell as an anchor like you mentioned and sit back to pull the slack out of the bar. I straighten my lower back here.
7.5. I keep sitting back until I feel max tension on my hamstring and my shoulder blades are exactly above the bar. That's the starting position. If the bar moves forward or backwards, it means you're not in the right starting position. If you sit back even lower you lose tightness in the hamstrings and you'll squat up the weight which is also bad.
7.6. This whole thing basically requires practice. What I recommend to practice this is by doing partials. Deadlift up to knees is a good way to teach yourself how to set up and initiate the lift. Basically doing this entire point over and over again but only up to your knees. This will prevent fatigue while teaching you the necessary skills. You can do this after your main deadlift sets. I like to do it in sets of 3x8 at much lower weight.

8. Initiate the lift by pushing with my feet against the ground and pulling the bar up by driving the hips forward. You need to "fuck" the bar.
9. Lockout with the hips and knees locked out at the same time.
10. Set down the bar by breaking at the hips first. This will prevent you from hitting your knees on the way down, which, if you've never experienced it, hurts like a mofo.

Overhead press: I think u tried too hard to end with the bar slightly behind ur head/ parallel with shoulders? I think this aint natural and hence u arch too much. I always just push it up and straighten up, not sure im doing it correctly tho.

Deadlift: Very bad form i think, can see u pull it up (rep 2 i think), are u very concerned that it would hit ur knees? Cs u look exactly that. Let the bar stay on ur skin. There must be no movement from arms after initiating. Better repeat the load until u can get it right.

Oh and Squat: Good depth, previously saw u went ass to grass. Not really a problem, but i find slightly beyond parallel more challenging, it's like ATG allows u to slack off slightly when u're almost at the hole and also might use knee's movement to get out.

Very comprehensive guide there man!!

No. 4 though, I lol-ed. 7.4 and 7.5 are what most people missed, myself included.

This post has been edited by Lionel90: Feb 15 2017, 02:55 PM

Yeah man, I noticed that as well. This is what I use personally so I don't really expect it to work for everybody, but it's a good starting point to teach anybody the deadlift. You kinda create your own setup eventually.

Thank you for all the advices on my deadlift and other exercises.
I decided to add 3 set of 5 rep deadlift with 40KG weight at the end of my workout to help working on my form.
Will maintain 55KG on my main deadlift until I can get the form correctly.

15 February 2017
Workout A
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x30kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x45kg
Bench Press
5x5x32.5kg
Bent over Row
5x5x42.5kg
Deadlift
3x5x40kg

Squat 45KG


Bench Press 32.5KG


Bent over row 42.5KG


Deadlift 40KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 7 2017, 10:32 AM

17 February 2017
Great workout day.
Manage to pass overhead press with ease this time, guess I really fucked up my form in the previous session.

Workout B
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x35kg
Overhead press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x47.5kg
Overhead Press
5x5x30kg
Deadlift
1x5x55kg
3x5x40kg

Squat 47.5KG


Overhead Press 30KG


Deadlift 55KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 7 2017, 10:32 AM

Maintaining a neutral spine during the negative of a deadlift is a good habit to nurture but not necessary IMO for general purposes. I agree if you slow down the negative you can gain some strength benefits from it, but for me I still think volume is king so to get more volume work in.

There's 2 cases to consider. If I'm working with a deadstop set, I usually just let the barbell pull me down without me trying to slow it on the way down. All I do is maintain control. This will be very evident when working with maximal or supramaximal weights. If however I'm working on a touch and go set, I maintain the brace and the neutral spine at all times even when it touches the ground.

I actually attempted to maintain neutral spine during the negative but I find that it's really impossible for me not to round my back... Perhaps my lat is lacking?

Looks like your hips are too high to maintain a neutral spine and let your lower back drop first before your legs.

Perhaps. Try this, do Romanian deadlift (RDL) for 1 or 2 sets sometimes (maybe once a week as warmup for deadlift) to train yourself how to brace during the negative. Make sure to go really really light though, maybe start with just the barbell first to see how it feels. As to how to perform RDL, I think youtube can be a good resource.

20 February 2017
After the squat on this session, I can feel my left upper thigh is very sore. It get worst the next day after a night. I hope it will get better by tomorrow or else I guess I will have to skip working out once to let it recover.

Workout A
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x35kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x50kg
Bench Press
5x5x35kg
Bent over Row
5x5x45kg
Deadlift
3x5x40kg

Squat 50KG


Bench Press 35KG


Bent over row 45KG


Deadlift 40KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 7 2017, 10:33 AM

Thank you both for the advice
I will do RDL with empty bar as my warm up next session!

23 February 2017
Following the advice from my friends, forumer and redditor, I decided to deload my deadlift weight to work on my form first.
Added in Romanian deadlift as suggested by Npad but I must apologies because I did it wrongly today. I bended my knee too much and didn't realized that until I reviewed back the recording.
As for my overhead press, I was working in with someone else yesterday and did not get enough rest in between my first and second sets which resulted in me fatigued in my subsequent sets, so I failed a few sets.
Will repeat same weight next session.

I'm also experiencing pain in my upper left thighs which I initially thought it is DOMS but apparently it isn't.
I will wait until it's healed before continuing my workout.
Hopefully it won't last too long...

Note to self: Get sufficient rest even during work in to ensure I don't become fatigue.

Workout B
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x40kg
Overhead press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x52.5kg
Overhead Press
5x5/5/3/5/4x32.5kg
Romanian deadlift
5x5x20kg
Deadlift
1x5x40kg

Squat 52.5KG


Overhead Press 32.5KG


Romanian deadlift 20KG


Deadlift 40KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Oct 31 2017, 05:45 AM

Don't apologize man, chill. That's why I suggested going very light on it to practice the movement. Keep practicing and you'll get better.

I think u still try to put the weight down, like using ur arms instead using hands merely as a hook. The bar looks like moving away from ur body, like a "<" movemen around ur knees (or is it camera angle problem?); while not exactly rubbing ur legs all the way down, it should not be moving like that IMO. Are u concerned that it would hit ur knees, bcs as i said before, it looks like so. If properly done, the bar shouldn't hit ur knees either on the way up or down.

I think u can definitely handle this weight load and the increments, but it would be to the detriments of ur lower back. Try not to be worried about the bar hitting ur knees and i think u would get it right

I am not afraid of it hitting my knee, if I didn't push it forward slightly it will definitely hit my knee :v I think the problem is because I didn't bring my shoulder forward enough? I will try to correct it tomorrow.

24 February 2017
Legs are still hurting during this session, so I skipped squat and deadlift. Decided to add dip in my row day and curl/chin up (Which one is better?) on deadlift day.

Workout A
Warm-up sets:
Bench Press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Bench Press
5x5x37.5kg
Bent over Row
5x5x45kg
Assisted Dip
3x10x-50kg

Bench Press 37.5KG


Bent over row 45KG


Didn't take video of my dip because I have no place to setup my camera in the dip machine

This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 2 2017, 10:39 AM

Chin ups all the way man. Way more superior.

27 February 2017
So I didn't feel anymore pain on my thigh yesterday and proceed to squat with the increased weight and it causes the same injury again. I think the weight is too much for me, I should've use the same weight from where I stopped since I didn't squat in my previous workout. Couldn't maintain proper form through all my sets and will repeat the same weight next session.

As for overhead press, I'm still failing to complete 5 repetition and this time it's worst than the previous session....
I'm all exhausted after my squat, could it be the reason affecting my OHP?
Hopefully I can push it out on next workout or I will have to reload.

Romanian deadlift I think I did well but let's see what you guys think?
As for my deadlift... I think it's still terrible.... Sigh
Will repeat same weight too

Was also thinking to do some assisted chin up but the gym was closing by the time I finished my deadlift.
I still loaded the machine and tried to find out a good assistant weight for me to do 10reps but I loaded too low and ended up already overworked my bicep on 5th rep so I just called it a day and go home.

Workout B
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x40kg

Overhead press
2x5x20kg

Workout sets:
Squat
5x5x55kg
Overhead Press
5x3/3/3/2/2x32.5kg
Romanian deadlift
3x5x20kg (I lower the sets because why would I need to do more than 3 sets of this is considered as warm-up for my deadlift, right?)
Deadlift
1x5x45kg

Squat 55KG


Overhead Press 32.5KG


Romanian deadlift 20KG


Deadlift 45KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Feb 28 2017, 11:58 AM

Alright, will do chin up

1 March 2017
I haven't fully recovered from the pain in my thigh but it wasn't so bad so I decided to go on with the squats but it's too much for me so I stopped at the third set, not wanting to risk further injury...
Went to the gym quite early today and at the end of all exercises I get the time to fuck around with random machines

Workout A
Warm-up sets:
Squat
2x5x20kg
1x3x40kg
Bench Press
2x5x20kg
1x3x30kg
Bent over row
1x5x40kg

Workout sets:
Squat
3x5x55kg
Bench Press
5x5x40kg
Bent over Row
5x5x47.5kg
Deadlift
3x5x40kg
Assisted dip
3x10x-45kg

Squat 55KG


Bench Press 40KG


Bent over row 47.5KG


Deadlift 40KG


Assisted dip -45KG


This post has been edited by RyoKenzaki: Mar 7 2017, 10:25 AM

Man, thumbless grip on bench is a big nono. Unnecessary risk. If you're experiencing wrist pain, it indicates either one of these:

1. Your wrists are hyperextended backwards when holding the weight. Keep your wrist straight at all times. Wear wrist wraps if you need to. I always wear wrist wraps for weights above 70kg as my tiny itty bitty wrists can't support that kind of weight on their own, for now.

2. Your grip might be too narrow or too wide and you're not gripping the bar right. Experiment what is most comfortable for you, excluding thumbless. Took me 2 years to find the best grip width and form for myself. Watch how the pros do it, emulate their form and you'll figure it out along the way. My current grip form and width shamelessly copies JP Cauchi's grip form.

Thumbless grip is also called suicide grip for a reason. Just don't.

And i thought when one goes thumbless, he is actually putting more pressure on the wrist since he is putting the weight in the palm rather than arm, hence forcing the wrist backwards (facing up) even more?

So bro Ryo, dont go thumbless, it's an accident waiting to happen. Whenever i see people do that in the gym, i have the urge to "accidentally" knock the bar off balance. I resisted the urge so far though, since it could have been homicide on me, rather than suicide on their part

And the deadlift looks better IMO, managed to keep ur spine straight through out. Hips also moved better on the negative, previously there was almost none. Good job, maybe try increase weight to see if u could still keep the form right? Just a suggestion though.

.__.
Didn't know it's that bad...
I decided to go thumbless because I saw an Instagram post suggesting that over the conventional grip :v
Guess I will go back to the normal grip then, thanks for letting me know.
As for my deadlift, will do 50kg on next session.

BTW what about thumbless grip on overhead press?
I had been using that since the beginning, following the advice of Alan Thrall

Same logic applies i think, the bar might get out of hand literally, i wont even bother to try that as the injury it might cause would be worse than during benching. My hands would be slightly forced back and downwards but the weight (bar) would rest at the base of my palm (so it's more to my arm than hand)

By the way, wont ur wrist hurt? Sometimes it sort of rolls to the middle and man i have to adjust immediately cs it hurt af. Small wrists problem..

I'm not against it for OHP as you can bail easily on it. Unlike the bench press, on OHP you can move backwards or forwards if the bar slips and falls. I still don't prefer it though.

Thumbless on skuaattsss only... I still wanna enjoy life... Lol

I used to do that when I went for a super wide grip. Kept losing tightness in the upper back in the hole. Moved my arms in closer, started using normal grip, voila. No more elbow pain and super tight upper back.

It does hurt my wrist when it rolled too far off lol
I usually try to not let it happen but most of the time it still happen.
Next time I will try normal overhand grip on my OHP

Ah I didn't know people goes thumbless in squat haha
Might wanna try that

I grip very hard on normal grip... Instead of bending the bar, i was more like squeezing the bar. Thumbless frees me from wasting energy n focUs on activating my lats more