quest to improve compound lifts

did day 3 of the power week. i was disapointed because i wanted to be able to do 137.5kg for 6*1 however i went for 137.5 and failed so that was the end of that. that means my deadlift has not gone up one bit in a month.
i did,
135kg@1
135kg@1
135kg@1 FAILED
132.5@1 FAILED
130@1
130KG@1
 
DEADLIFT INTO SHOULDER PRESS POSTION
 
65KG@5
65@5
65@5
65@2
 
CLEAN AND JERK
 
65KG@2
60KG@4
60KG@4
 
BB SHRUGS
 
60KG@11
65KG@8
65KG@8
 
I ABandoned the cheat curls, and the farmers walk as i felt i would gain more from shrugs. this workout was agony
i did it at 2 o clock yesterday afternoon, and the temperature was red hot my shed isnt big enought to do the deadlifts etc in there so i do them out in the garden. and the sun was red hot i got scoulded lol i was really disapointed on my deadlifts no improvment at all and 2 pounds gained in my body weight. the only thing that has improved are my clean and jerks god nos why.
 
i went fishing on yesterday evening as i new it would save me from drinking! any way i went at 6 o clock. i was supoosed to get a lift home from my dad when i rang him, but i dropped my brand new phone in the canal so i had to walk 2 miles with all my fishing gear, and believe me i had alot. i had to stop evry 50 metres it was so heavy. it took me an hour ,and a half to get home, and i was absoulutly nakered my traps were killing as i was carrying 2 bags 1 in each hand each weighing around 20kg then i had all the stuff on my back. what a cardio workout. when i got home i had 2 chicken breasts.
im gutted about the fone im letting it dry out, and thinking of ways to tell my mum who will go mad lol
il be doing day 4 2morrow please let my bench of gone up

ok not a bad day did day 4 of power week.
 
First i went for my bench press max  i warmed up with 20 press ups, and sum stretching
 
95kg*1
97.5kg*1
100kg*1
102.5*1
 
ok that means my press has gone up by 5 pounds in a month better than nothing and mission accomplished i got my mum to spot me in my shed i went down with the weight, and pushed it up as hard as possible it stuck for a moment about 8 inches above my chest but eventually i got it right to the top i accused my mum of helping me but she denys it so i will have to take her word for it
 
next was the squats i was in for a shock!
i did 90kg*1
95kg@1
100@1
105@1
110kg@1
 
ok i was expecting my max to be 90 kg but amazingly it was 110kg what the hell lol. my max 1 month ago was only 85 odd kg. it cant of gone up by this much. i must simply of not put 100 percent in last time. i thought i had incredibly weak legs  but 110kg is 240 pounds so maybe my legs arnt that weak werrrrrhay.
 
i also did clean and jerks and i managed to put up 72.5kg which is a new record again for me by 5 pounds wow. my clean and pressses are more like military presses by the way lol
 
owell new maxs
 
bench press 102.5kg  (225.5lbs)
squat  110kg         (240lbs)
clean and jerk         (72.5kg)
deadlift   135kg        (300 ish)
 
so increases  in evrything  except deadlifts but my legs are getting stronger so my deads should start to rise! im a little disapointed in my bench presses would of bin great to put 110kgs up, there was a time when my bench was going up like 7.5 kg a week! im going to post a post asking if any one there has been able to break through a platea and what methods they used to do so.
im having a 2 day rest to recover from a heavy week, and during these days i will be thinking up a new routine as ive been on that routine for about 4 ish weeks now and fancy a change.  if u read my journal uve of realised that i change things about alot lol but i generally always keep bps dls and squats in all the time which i think is key to increasing strength i think all the other excercises just create quality!
god my necks saw i forgot to take my chain of when i did the squat 1 rep max and the bar really pushed my chain into my neck and its quite sore now lol

rite ant posted for a while been thinking up a new routine! ive just been messing around over the last few days trying new excercises etc. today i did some squating 5*5 i did
90kg*5*5
and then i did quite a few sets of push presses and clean and jerks. i was itching to do some kinda excercise. ive cleaned my diet up over the last week or so. al be getting serious about this jouranl from monday when my new routine starts

god im so annoyed i havent started or even thought of my new regime ive started a summer job and its 8 till 5 but i dont get home till 7ish to half past. the jobs bascially welding and lifting huge pieces of metal its soul detroyingly boring lol i will defo start tihinking about a new regine but im falling asleep now i feel sorry for manual workers that go the gym after a 8 till 5 job cus i cudnt do it lol

right still not got into a routine yet but got back from work at 2 so took advantage of spare time. i went to my shed, and got the erge to deadlift no idea why lol i just felt in the mood. i started off repping 120kg and found it easy i was tip top today lol i slamed 135kg on the bar which is my best, and did it with ease. so i tryed 140kg which is 10 pounds more than my previous best, and i did it! i felt amazing so i tryed 142.3 kg. i got down and pulled with all my might i felt every muscle in my body twinging and it felt like the bar was mid way up the lift for ages but i manages lift it right up! that means my deadlift max has rose BY 15 ISH pounds in basically 2 weeks what the hell! it had been stuck at 300 ish for like 6 weeks.
alls i can think is that my legs have strenghend up, and are playing a larger part in the lift! also ive been consuming 50 grams more protein each day over the last 2 weeks through the use of whey protein. god im so happy maybe this break off weightlifting has helped to?. i was also prity nakered today as well because of work so i think if i was 100 percent i could pull 320 pounds.
ok this has motivated me thank god. ive also lost 1.5 pounds of weight this week cus of work and it cant be muscle if im pulling more.
im definitly going to contruct a new routine soon.
 
NEW DEADLIFT MAX! 314 pounds
 

ok long time no journal post.! its not because i havent been bothered but becasue ive done vitually no working out lol. im off to spain tomorrow (are house in spain). so i will have no excuses not to work out as there is a huge gym up the top of the road!. today i wanted to prepare my muscles for 10 days off on slaught lol as theres nothing else for me to do in spain except swim and goe bars!. so today i basically did a few sets for each body part like 3 sets of shoulder presses 3 sets of curls for arms etc.
i did some deadlifting and bench pressing i did:
Bp 130 lbs * 18      (shock lol)
175*6
175*5
175*5
 
god usually i can only do 130 pounds 14 ish times today i did a fantastic 18
 
the deadlifts were great to i did
 
137.5kg*3
140kg*2
145kg*1
 
jeez a new deadlift max of 145kg. why the hell is my deadlift max going up basically each week after having it platoe for the past 2 months!
 
just a couple of weeks ago i couldnt do 137.5 kg and i mean at the time i put every single bit of effort into doing it i possesed now im doing 145 kg and i think im capable of 147.5!.  its grown by 5 pounds in a short space of time.
if it keeps increasing which im sure it wont lol i will be doing 400 pounds in 10 weeks lol.  on the plane to spain al dream up a new routine no excuses lol
 
6 WEEKS AGO DEADLIFT MAX 135KG    NOW  145 KG
6 WEEKS AGO SQUAT MAX AROUND 70KG ISH  NOW 110KG
BENCH PRESS BASICALLY NO CHANGE
 
my weights two pounds heavier than before not a great change but i dont care as long as my lifts have gone up, and two of the compounds have gone up loads yay
 
i think the reasons for the changes over the last 2 weeks are that ive been gettin an hour extra sleep a night, and ive basically done no lifting. except one day a week ish.
 
maybe i was over training a month or so ago.
 
also my protein intake has risin by 50 grams ish in the last month due to whey protein.
 
sorry about all the spelling mistakes im off out in a rush lol
 

right back from spain now and im serious lol weighed myself last nite and weighed in at 13 stone heviest ever mostly fat lol. im getting serious now ive started a new diet that i got from mens health july edition. altougth when i calculated the protein init it was about 150 to 160 so im just adding 50 grams to this througth whey protein.
i also went to the drug shop and bought lots of strange supplements i bought:
 
tribulas terrestris
l tyrosine
l-arginine
and creatine tablets
 
i spent 50 quid lol
 
right heres my routine
 
chest and abs
bb bench press
1*12
1*8
1*6
1*6
1*2
 
db press
1*8
1*8
1*8
1*8
 
chest fly
 3*10
 
sit ups
3*15
 
day 2
 
deadlifts 5 * 6
pullups as many as pos at a time till 30
rows 4* 8
 
shoulder press
1*12
1*10
1*8
1*2
 
upright row
4*8
 
olympic bar raises
 
3*10
 
day 3 arms
 
bb curl super set with CGB
1*15                      1*12
1*10                      1*8
1*8                        1*8
1*6                        1*8
 
conc curl SS with tri extension
 
4 * 10                     1*10
                              1*8
                              1*8
                              1*8
 
hamer curl  3*10
 
zoltman curl         ss with      dips
1*12                                   4*10
1*10                    
1*8
 
finally as many push ups as possible
 
day 4 legs
 
squats 5 * 5
 
farmers walk  5*12
 
db calf raise
 
4*10 with each leg
 
squat with calf raise 3*20
 
clean and press 5* 1
 
50 sit ups
 
 
day 5 whole body
 
clean and press
1*6
1*6
1*4
1*2
 
bench press
1*12
1*8
1*6
 
shrugs
5*10
 
100 push ups
 
 
ok theres my new routine i think it has evry thing a routine needs and hopefully with a good diet i can lose a few pounds of fat and in an ideal world increase muscle mass.
 
im ddesperate to lose some body fat and increase definition im currently 13 stone 20 percent ish bf
 
this will be the first time ive ever used supplements ive done lots of research on them and are taking the ones i mentioned earlier i did day 1 today but i cba type ny more so al post what i did l8er lol
 
 

right i did day 1 yesterday
 
bench press
70kg*12
80kg*6
80kg*5
80kg*6
90kg*2
 
dumbell bench press
50kg*8
50kg*8
50kg*6
50kg*9
 
dm chest fly
15kg*10
15kg*10
15kg*8
 
situps
3*15
 
ok not a bad workout my chest is sore this morning i noticed my db press weights have gone down slightly probly because of me being out of practise. my bench is prity much exactly what it was 2 months ago same weight same reps.
 
im thinking about doing day 2 back day but im not shore because i do my deadlifts in my garden and the grass looks quite wet.
 
as for diet it was good yesterday it was very strict. supplements good to but im taking alot of tablets yeasterday i tool about 9 lol  3 creatin tabs b4 and 3 after and 3 of the tribulas terrestris. and one of the l- arginine.
im hopeing the creatine should start to boost my perfermance after 3 ish days. and im excitied to see wat effects the tribulas has.
 

right on friday i did back and shoulder day
 
deadlifts
130kg-5
130kg*5
130kg*4
130kg*5
130kg*2
 
30 pullups i roughly 6 sets of 5 reps lol i suck at pullups
 
 bb rows
 50kg  *8
 50kg  *8
 50kg*8
 50kg*8
 
shoulder press
 
40kg*11
40kg*8
40kg*6
60kg*3
 
upright row
 
30kg*8
30kg*8
30kg*8
 
olympic bAR lateral raises
 
20kg*11
22.5kg*10
         *10
 
the deadlifts were tougth i really put 10000 percent in on the 4th set that i got 5 reps out the last 2 reps i could feel my eye balls coming out of my sockets lol
 
next week i want to do 130kg for 5 reps on each set
 
i did this workout on friday and my traps are still killing me lol and my left bicep to i hope i havent damaged it
 
right its sunday now last nite i went a party and ended up staying all nite lol and having a large quantity of vodca lol im very ashamed. however apart from that i have kept to my diet 100 percent no cheating lol.
 
 
havent noticed any effects from the supplements yet but theres still time lol
 
im absolutly cr@ping myself as my driving test is tommorrow and i cant see me passing. if i dont al be depressed for literally the rest of my life!
   

ok heres day two which i did on monday
 
close grip bench  s s   with            db curl   l          r
60kg*10                                     7.5kg*15         15
62.5kg*9                                     10kg*10          10
         *7                                            *7           7
         *7                                            *8           7
 
 db 1 arm tri extension ss with        conc curl
             l        r                          l           r     
10kg*    7        6                   10kg* 10        10
            7        7                          9          9
            7        6                         9           9
 7.5 kg   10      9                         9           9
 
 
hammer curl 7.5kg
l                  r
9                 9
7                 7
8                 7
 
zoltman curl   7.5kg
l                 r
5                4
5                5
4                4
 
ok not a bad session i was quite pleased i did this on monday its just ive been to busy driving round lol to post
i also did day 3 yesterday but im to tired to post it lol al post it 2moz

heres day 4 legs which i did on wednesday i think
 
squats
90kg*5
90kg*5
90kg*5
90kg*4
90kg*1
 
farmers walk  (basically walking doing lunges)
20kg*18
25kg*14
25kg*14
25kg*12
 
single leg db calf raise
 
12.5kg*10     10
           10     10
           10     10
           10     10
 
ok very short session. very disapointed with the squats i was nakered on the fifth set. the squats have stalled quite alot.
over the last 2 weeks ive ate 100 percent clean that diet in mens helth for losing weight xcept i added supps and a couple of protein shakes to make sure protein intake is around 200 grams and cals minimal. the reason for me wanting to lose some weight was that i went to a party and tryed to get into some old size 32 waist jeans and couldnt get them on lol. maybe the weight loss has resulted in the poor squats. im still taking the tribulas stuff and argentine and the other amino type thing.
 

today i did day 5 which is basically a muck about day when i do what i feel like lol
 
right i was in the mood for deadlifts so i went for a new max. i decided to go for 150kg and to my disbelief i did it! maybe the tribulas tes somat stuff is kicking in. my deadlift seems to carry on rising every couple of weeks it wasent that long ago that i failed on 137.5 kg must be about 6 ish weeks ago now now im doing 30 ish pounds more than that with quite some ease i think i could of done 155kg. i also went for a new bench max but failed at 105kg. i did 102.5 kg easily thow.
 
i really do think that tribulas stuff is doing the trick. its suposed to increase the amount of testostrolne in your body which is the simalar to the job steroids do.
however i am taking creatine tabs too so they might be kicking in.
 
im around 6 pounds lighter in bodyweight and deadlifting 10 pounds more than 2 weeks ago yay
 
i also just measured my arms and both are now 14.5 inches so theyve both suddenly grown by 0.25 of an inche.
 
all of a sudden my arms have grown after a 4 month ish spell of no growth at all. these supplements must be doing the trick
 
i also did loads of shrugs today.
 
why the hell is my bench not increasing 
 
previouse deadlift max when i started the journal a couple of months ago 300 POUNDS  NEW DEADLIFT MAX 330 POUNDS.
 
BENCH PRESS PREVIOUS MAX AT START 220 POUNDS   LATEST MAX 225.5 POUNDS

Doing very good with your maxxes, however i would suggest not maxxing deadlifts too often-or bench.

Squats are usually safe for maxxing with a spotter, as nothing can collapse, but deadlifts your back can suddenly TWANG and go, and in benching your rotator cuff or even collar bone can just totallu collapse and the weight falls on you.
It is mainly from people who max too much, just keep to the 5x5 routine you have started up and keep doing it, add a 1.25kg or 2.5kg plate each side each week if you can, and before you know it youll be 5x5ing the max you was doing a month or so ago.

I used to max a lot like you and the gains arent that great
Hell we've been working the same amount of time now and my squats and deads have gone up by 70lbs, your deads gone up 22lbs, your squats have gone up a lot, but was you trying hard beforehand? squats are difficult to judge, because sometimes you dont realise how much more weight you really can rack on, on my birthday i was annoyed at my deadlift strength loss, so thought id take my vengeance on a 187lbs 5x5 squat routine, and my legs usually scramed at 165lbs, but i managed 2 sets of 187lbs and i reckon i couldve done the other 3 if time wasnt running out

your bench hasnt gone up at all, im now 5x5ing more than my max from 10 weeks ago.
Keep to the 5x5 and stop maxxing so much-youll get more results

But either way you have improved and youre working hard, and keep at it buddy
 
i mean
 
you can deadlift 140kg for 5x5 right?
 
Ok, lets say you add a 1.25kg plate each side each week, thats a 2.5kg gain each week, enough to put extra strain on the body but not so much the body cannot grow in time.
 
week 1-140kg
2-142.5kg
3-145kg
147.5kg
150kg
152.5
155
157.5
160
 
And in them 9 weeks youre now 5x5ing more than your max.
If your bold try 2.5lbs each week, i tried and ive reached my temporary plateau with adding that kind of weight-especially on deadlifts, squats my legs keep getting abused and im able to take it, i reckon il be 200lbs squatting soon hopefully
 
lets do 2.5kg plates each side each week
 
140kg
145kg
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
 
10 weeks and youll be 5x5ing deadlifts at 185kg, thats 407lbs, for REPS, in 10 WEEKS.
Like i said its difficult to keep adding that kind of weight on each week-but it does work for the first 4 weeks for most people, so you can still rack on a good extra 20kg.
 
185kg man, think
20kg bar
165kg left
thats 4 big ass plates EACH side + two 2.5kg plates after.
 
 
Keep with your routine and dont max too much, trust me, i have experience of maxxing too much, and a 5x5 fixes it.

yeah i agree, 100 percent of the maxing front. i just cant help myself from not maxing on dedlifts alot because im constantly expecting it to rise lol.
and as for working hard i would disagree because look at your journal to mine you have done double the amount of work out sessions. prt of the reason for this is i have suffered with lack of motivation. my workout partner and best mte moved to austrailia like 5 months ago and since i basicallyy have no one to compete against. i was alot stronger than him but we competed in who could make biggest gains on lifts etc. but this site has helped me from losing all my motivation i was trying much harder 7 months ago althougth i was doing the wrong excercises i used to just do isolation excercises. ive been doing 5*5 of my bench and im going to reframe from maxing for a while and hope it rises. im also like you said going to be adding roughly 2.5 kg to my deadlift 5*5s each week. im confident that by 2007 i will be deadlifting the 4 big uns on each side.
ive kept an eye on your journal and ive noticed youve made large gains. so well done there.
i also cant wait to be able to squat 3 45s on each side lol and bench tht much to. when i was 15 and started messing about at the gym i used to watch in shock the big guy on the bench pushing 315 pounds 6 times.
yesterday i did day 1 of my routine
 
bench press
72.5kg*10
82.5kg*5
82.3kg*5
82.5kf*4
90kg*3
 
db bench press
50kg*9
50kg*9
50kg*8
50kg*8
60kg*3
 
db fly
17.5kg*10
         *8
         *7
 
50 sit ups
 
right after this session i mesured my biceps and they were 14.9 inches pumped so close to 15 lol
 
i wasent to happy with bench press i expected to do the 82.5 kg at least 6 times evry time. owell always next week
im back at work now so im lifting all the time sont no wether this will affect my workouts.

I used to go to the gym with a "friend" who competed against me

The one exercise he beat me in was legpress, the rest he didnt, apart from benchpress, we used to load on 20's each side and see who could do more

Back then i could manage 4 maybe 5, he could do around 6-7

So he eventually got 1-2 reps stronger than me


Heres the funny thing, he weighed 220lbs, i weighed 140lbs, so his lifts were pathetic compared to mine, and even more pathetic given he weighed 80lbs more than me LOL

If you want motivation, just come to me, im weaker than you but i can keep you motivated if you want, just PM me whatever and il give you some challenges, anything, just ask
 
If you think i workout hard now just wait til next week with my new routine, its going to kill me dead lol.
 
Youre a pretty strong guy, how long have you been liftng rouhgly overall? And what are your physical stats?