The Brit gets ripped; strong and shredded!

[The_Brit]

Transformation log: Cutting from Aug '13 to Dec '13

Ok...so where to start...

Well my love is (and always will be) Strength training. Like most I started off running a normal body-building split, and before I knew it I was focussing on adding more and more weight to the bar whilst keeping good form. I wasn't interested in getting the “pump” that some people enjoy, I was in love with the “sick in your mouth, blurry eyed satisfaction” that comes with squeezing out one more rep to achieve a PB on a lift!

So with time, my training slowly shifted to a more strength based routine – firstly just working in the 4-6 rep range whilst running a normal split, then over to a 5x5 routine, and then finally onto Jim Wendlers 531 routine – which I have been using for the last 2 years or so. I LOVE IT! What I would give to get over the pond and into state side territory to attend one of his seminars

In Aug '12 I deployed to Afghanistan for an 8 month tour, and ironically my training went through the roof. I found myself religiously squeezing in 6 sessions a week, whilst conditioning in the avid heat. My tour finished early April '13 and within being back in the UK a matter of weeks I managed to slip two discs in my lower back

How did I do it.... Squatting silly weights? Dead lifting silly weights?.... nope, neither! I jarred by back whilst on my motorbike. I didn't realise what I had done, and it took me 3 weeks to get to the doctors to see them about it. During the 3 weeks I continued to train, ran a half marathon, and did a few other silly things. All this time my injury was getting worse.

Long story short.... I'm now no longer bed bound, have piled on a few more pounds, and will be on a personal quest to reclaim some of my lost strength (whilst losing those lbs) between now and christmas.

My aim is to train smart – I'll continue to focus on form, and the weekly loads will increase on their own. I'm going to partly go back to a more traditional BB routine so that I can begin to work on some of the lost strength / flexibility / core support that I lost after my injury.

Training:

So – having been bed bound for 2 months, and only back in the gym for the last few weeks I want to get back to where I was. However, i'm not prepared to race there, pick up a niggly injury, and end up bed bound again for a few months!

I having a humble moment, and since I havn't been training properly for nearly 3 months I'm going to go back to a beginner programme... I'm going to go back to my roots and run a minorly modified stronglifts 5x5 routine. Once my PB's have plateaued, i'll then shimmy over across to Wendlers 531 The idea of using a 5x5 routine is that the load progression on the bar is much quicker, and your squatting more frequently – which can only be a good thing!

So just so everyone is singing off the same song sheet....

Whats 5x5?

5x5 is a simple training system, where you train 3 times a week. The workouts vary between workout A, and Workout B. Therefore in week 1 you would do A-B-A, then in week 2 you pick up where you left off running B-A-B.

The idea is that you start off light, and once you can complete your 5 sets of 5 reps, you add 2.5kg to the lift and start again. The plan is to train 5x5 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and then run conditioning work / rugby training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Workout A:
Squat: 5x5
Bench: 5x5
Lat Pull Down: 5x5
Parallel Dips: 5x5
Weighted Ab Work: 4 x 10-12

Workout B:
Front Squat: 5x5
Mil Press: 5x5
Deadlift: 5x5
Glute Ham Raises: 4x 10-15
Close Grip Pull Ups: 5x5

Workout A:
Squat: 5x5
Bench: 5x5
Lat Pull Down: 5x5
Parallel Dips: 5x5
Weighted Ab Work: 4 x 10-12

I've modified the programme slightly to suit my needs. For those familiar with the original 5x5 you'll see I have made the following changes:

WO A: Swapped out BOR for Lat Pull Down (ultimately swap in heaves)
WO A: 2x accessory sets: Dips (dominant chest on bench) & core work
WO B: 2x accessory sets: Glute Ham Raises (I've got weak hams!) & pull ups
WO B: Swapped out Back Squat for Front Squat (to help improve core strength / balance)

Nutrition:
So we all know this is the foundation of a solid transformation – and for the first time in a long time I'm not worrying about it. After hearing nothing but incredible reviews online I opted to use 3Js Diet Consultancy (3J's Nutrition | Diet and fitness consulting to get you to the next level.). So far the guy has been an absolute diamond and I take my hat off to him!

I hope I can do him proud. I obviously can't discuss the exact details of the diet, but as the transformation progresses I'll keep you informed of changes as they happen. Until then, all you really need to know is that I'll be running with a carb cycling diet and I'm starting off at around 2500kcals day, and depending on the meal options I chose, at least 5 of my 6 meals each day are solid.

Supplements:
Nothing out of the ordinary here – BCAA's used intra workout and Casein before bed. In addition to that ill also be supplementing with CLA, Omega 3, Yohimbine, green tea extract and a multi vit.

Starting Stats:
Hieght: 5'10”
Weight: 16st 7lbs
BF: ~21% (12 point calliper test)
Age: 27

Personal Bests within the last 6 months:

Squat: 5 @ 257.5kg (568lbs)
Deadlift: 7 @ 245kg (540lbs)
Military Press: 7 @ 87.5kg (193lbs)
Bench: 9 @ 122.5kg (270lbs)

Measurements:

I've literally wasted away in the last 3 months

Neck: 43cm
Nipple line:114cm
Belly button:104cm
Hips: 111cm
L Quad: 66cm
R Quad: 66cm
L Calf: 43cm
R Calf: 43cm
L upper arm: 37.5cm
R upper arm: 37.5cm
L forearm: 30cm
R forearm: 30cm

Photos:

Starting Phot's have been taken, but i'm not going to post them until the end. Sorry guys. It will just make the transformation even more impressive!

So that's enough waffle from me. The plan is to update every few days. Enjoy the journey folks, I certainly will.

Chris

 

[Metalhead]

Kick ass brother!! Do you like the 5x5 or the 531 better?

 

[The_Brit]

Kick ass brother!! Do you like the 5x5 or the 531 better?

Cheers Metal. Personally I preferred 531. I found that once you were squatting close to 90% of your 1RM for multiple reps my knees, and Hams needed time to recover. I also love the idea of the monthly de-loads. Wendler has just released a new book; "beyond 531" and a few mates are saying its a bible of different workouts... too many workouts to try before I get arthritis once i'm 60

I'm literally just going to use 5x5 to bounce back up to somewhere close to what my strength levels were before I had the accident (as the poundage increase happens bi-weekly), then bolt back over to the more conservative 531. I also liked the time you have to adapt with 531... for example building enough fore arm strength and grip to not have to use straps early on. I'm actually dabbling with trying to merge a 531 routine with a Y3T routine to get the most of both strength and hypertrophy training.

Ultimately 3J is the man calling the shots, so Ive sort of braced myself to have to move over to a more BB type workout lol.

 

[Metalhead]

Cheers Metal. Personally I preferred 531. I found that once you were squatting close to 90% of your 1RM for multiple reps my knees, and Hams needed time to recover. I also love the idea of the monthly de-loads. Wendler has just released a new book; "beyond 531" and a few mates are saying its a bible of different workouts... too many workouts to try before I get arthritis once i'm 60

I'm literally just going to use 5x5 to bounce back up to somewhere close to what my strength levels were before I had the accident (as the poundage increase happens bi-weekly), then bolt back over to the more conservative 531. I also liked the time you have to adapt with 531... for example building enough fore arm strength and grip to not have to use straps early on. I'm actually dabbling with trying to merge a 531 routine with a Y3T routine to get the most of both strength and hypertrophy training.

Ultimately 3J is the man calling the shots, so Ive sort of braced myself to have to move over to a more BB type workout lol.

Nice bro. Yeah I remember you telling me about the new wendler book. Yo should get your strength back pretty quick. I believe muscle memory to be a real thing. Plus 3j and a bb routine is a recipe for success

 

[The_Brit]

Morning Guys,

Quick update then. That's the gym session done now ***8211; time for the rest of the weekend off.

Started out with workout A today. All went smoothly. I kept my weights nice and conservative ***8211; very aware that they will be shooting up in no time at all. The gym was a fricking sauna, I was sweating from the moment I walked in

Sesh went as follows:

Squat: 5,5,5,5,5 with 90kg (200lbs)
Flat Bench: 5,5,5,5,5 with 70kg (155lbs)
Lat Pull Down: 5,5,5,5,5 with Lvl 9
BW Dips: 5,5,5,5,4
Hanging Leg Raise: 15, 15, 14, 12

Now time to enjoy a super hot weekend. I'm designated driver for a family function ***8211; bring on the diet coke lol.

Eat clean, train dirty folks!

Chris

 

[snowgirl]

Good on you for getting back to it...must have been a killer not being able to do anything for all that time!! Kick some arse

 

[The_Brit]

Here we go then, another quick update.

Last few days have flown by!

Mondays session went well ***8211; first shot at Workout B: All the squat racks were full ***8211; and I wasn't prepared to wait around, so I just used the Hack Squat ***8211; that thing makes noises like a torture room.

Previously my weakest lift has always been Military Press ***8211; I'm trying to use this as an opportunity to improve my technique ***8230; so I really focussed on having a much narrower grip, explosively pushing up, and using a full range of motion.

Monday:
Hack Squat: 5,5,5,5,5
Military Press: 5,5,5,5,5
Deadlift: 1x5
Close Grip Chins: 5,5,5,5,5
Shrugs: 15,15,14,14

Tuesday:
Conditioning Run....
1 mile warm up
10x 50m hill sprints
5x 50m hill sprints wearing a respirator
1 mile cool down.

Wednesday:
Squat: 5,5,5,5,5
Flat Bench: 5,5,5,5,5
Lat Pull Down: 5,5,5,5,5
BW Dips: 5,5,5,5,5
Hanging Leg Raise: 15, 15, 15, 15

Diet is still going well. Weight is continuing to trickle off nicely. Part of me is actually excited about doing morning CV once I get back off this holiday. I'm beginning to feel like my old self again in the gym now. Particularly impressed with how quickly my strength is coming back..

Chow for now guys,

 

[Metalhead]

Keep at it bud! Do you prefer 5x5 over 531?

 

[Metalhead]

Ignore that one^^^ I couldn't change it for some reason. I meant do you build strength faster using 5x5?

 

[The_Brit]

I definitely prefer 531... mainly because there is much more variation in the workouts - or because your not squatting 3x's a week. Christ... my knees creak at the thought of squatting on a frriday having squatted on a Wednesday, Monday, and done conditioning on the Thursday and Tuesday lol.

Not to mention, I think the monthly de-load is invaluable, and in turn that may be 5x5s biggest let down. However, there is a time and a place for everthing, and in recoverying from this injury 5x5 is great. I think many more junior BB wannabee's should have to run 5x5, they would learn a thing or 2.

I watched 2 kids in the gym tonight squatting with next to nothing on the bar, struggling, using poor technique, then giving up. They then went on to do what must have been 7 -8 sets of "balls to the floor" preacher curls.... PRIORITIES! lol

 

[The_Brit]

Ignore that one^^^ I couldn't change it for some reason. I meant do you build strength faster using 5x5?

too late lol. I personally think that initial strength gains are alot quicker with 5x5 providing you eat well, rest hard, and get into the gym with the right frame of mind. Once you begin to plateau in your lifts, I think that 531 provides the best long term strength gains - since your only using weights 90% of your 1RM, smaller incremental changes per month (5kg upper, 10 lower), and I love the fact that set 3 is always a much higher volume (to failure) - which is great for muscular endurance.

Ive never dabbled with the likes of West Side for Skinny Bastards, so I cant say Ive tried most strength programmes. Wendlers 531 has always worked best for me. I tend to bounce between boring but big, and one of the other templates to keep the routines varied. I tended to change exercise selection every 2 cycles and would rotate between olympic lifts, and traditional BB style lifts. If that makes sense.

 

[Metalhead]

Lol well said. I ran 5x5 for the longest time and had strength gains come very quick but I do like the 351 although I have to additional sets to my compounds just to feel what I want out of them. I'm getting the beyond 351 tomorrow. Very excited to see what additions he's put in

 

[The_Brit]

Lol well said. I ran 5x5 for the longest time and had strength gains come very quick but I do like the 351 although I have to additional sets to my compounds just to feel what I want out of them. I'm getting the beyond 351 tomorrow. Very excited to see what additions he's put in

VERY VERY VERY keen to hear what you think about it. I havn't got it yet. Geekily i'm holding off getting it for another 2 weeks and will buy / read it when I go on holiday. Then when I get back it will be time to knuckle down with this cut, get shifting some poundage, and once my BF is at an acceptable level again possibly add in a cycle to assist things

 

[Metalhead]

VERY VERY VERY keen to hear what you think about it. I havn't got it yet. Geekily i'm holding off getting it for another 2 weeks and will buy / read it when I go on holiday. Then when I get back it will be time to knuckle down with this cut, get shifting some poundage, and once my BF is at an acceptable level again possibly add in a cycle to assist things

Nice what cycle are you looking at?

 

[The_Brit]

Nice what cycle are you looking at?

Possibly a Test / Tren combo... but that wont be for a while yet

 

[The_Brit]

Super quick update on my behalf.

Thursdays are Rugby Conditioning and Training. The heat here made it hard going tonight... sweaty balls doesn't even cover it. My quads felt pretty stiff for the whole session, and some of the sprinting was agony.

Tonights sesh was as follows...

Thorough Warm Up ***8211; 45 minutes of being thrashed! By the twenty minute mark there wasn't a single dry inch of my t-shirt to wipe the sweat out of my eyes.

Then for the reamining 75 minutes we played 7 aside rugby with 2 minutes on, 1 minute off. As a prop this is hard work... all that sprinting combined with the rock hard ground and scrummaging have left my traps, and legs in tatters!

Tomorrow morning I think I'm going to head down to the gym to do a good 30 minutes of stretching, use the foam roller, and get a little bit of Low Intensity Cardio done on the bike to help stretch off my legs and shift the lactic acid!

I'm almost looking forwards to getting back from this holiday and getting immersed fully into diet and training with 3J. I think im also looking forwards to getting back into the routine of morning CV. Im still looking at buying a spin bike for in the living room, and have put a load of different TV series on to download to help pass the time

Chow for now..

 

[The_Brit]

So another weird week.

Didn't end up getting my workout done on Friday, ended up shifting it to first thing Saturday morning. Friday was a lovely day here, and my brothers partner ended up giving birth a week early so I shot home to see it. Since I was at home instead of bolting back to where I did to get into the gym before it closed I opted to spend the day with my nephew on the beach After soaking up as much sun as we could I took him to a ***8220;petting farm***8221; to feed some baby goats, young horses, pony's, and the like. Then finished the day at a pick your own strawberry farm He was sick... I battled every temptation going and remained strictly keto!

Anyway, Saturdays workout was awesome. I was the only one in the gym, it was pleasantly cool, and as first into the gym I got to chose what the music was

Workout went as follows:

Hack Squat: 5x5
Military Press: 5x5
Dead lift: 1x5
Close Grip Chins: 5x5
Shrugs:4x 12-15

Weight loss has come on really well this week, having dropped from

Day 01 (11.07.13): 16.9-5
Day 10 (20.07.13): 16.4-9

Initial loss: 4.6 lbs

I think today is going to be a long day ***8211; the GF is also dieting, and today is her first SKIP LOAD. Im jealous... having flash backs of all those sugar comatose'd Sundays when I used to skip load. Off to the shop ***8211; I feel a 2L bottle of Dr Pepper Zero coming on!

Chris

 

[The_Brit]

Evening Folks,

So another update from me. Not sure why, but I just cant get to sleep tonight. Its so hot and muggy here I've just embraced it, had a cold shower, and now i'm sat drinking some squash and browsing the internet

Its been a good few days at my end. Had an incredible gym session today ***8211; not sure why, but everything felt really easy. No clicks, no niggles, and now I just have that dull acheyness that follows a heavy session

So it was Workout B today for me.... yup still running a 5x5 routine.

Machine Hack Squat: 5x5 @ 150kg
Seated Military Press: 5x5 @ 60kg
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 145kg
Shrugs: 4x15@ 100kg
Close Grip Pull down: 5x5 @ lvl 11 (+2.5kg)

There was no problems at all; maintained a slow 3 second negative on the squats, with a close foot placement. Military press touched my upper chest on every rep, and the deadlift... well ***8230; they flew up. I could have easily done another 20kg! Shrugs all had a 2 second hold, and were nice and controlled, and I got a fantastic squeeze on the close grip pull downs. I think chins will be here in a few weeks!

Thoughts moving forwards is that I'm going to alternate the accessory moves on every other workout, so my training split will look more like A1, B1, A2, B2 and repeat. The main lifts in A and B will remain, it will just be the last 2 exercises or so that I swap out.

Diet is still going well. Looking forwards to going on holiday now ***8211; Im looking forwards to having a few carbs, but I think this has been fantastic as a dry run prior to dieting properly when I get back!

Things have shifted a little at my end for personal reasons, so tomorrow will be conditioning. I think I may have found the worlds longest, nasty'ist hill.... so there are some hill sprints on the cards for tomorrow

If things continue like they have done for the last few weeks, then after chirstmas I am going to begin looking for an armature strong man competition to enter (and will tailor my training to fit that).

Chow for now,

Chris

 

[The_Brit]

Ok,

So last update from me for a few weeks as I shoot off to Malaysia tomorrow for a 3 week diving jolly. I'm looking forwards to getting away, but also particularly excited about getting back afterwards and really getting stuck back into training.

Rugby Training / Conditioning last night was fun. As usual there was a long warm up. I think the warm ups verge on being sadistic to be honest. Even at 1900hrs the heat is still there, and by the end of the warm up almost everyone has the large wet patch on the back of their shirt where they're sweating through.

The 90 minutes of the session were focussed on scrummaging and lifting. Traps feel a little sore today, and afterwards I felt completely drained. Went to the clubhouse after training (unusual for me during the week) and ended up drinking 3 pints of diet coke.... I was parched!

Tonights session went well ***8211; it was a bit hit and miss as I got to the gym late, and was still feeling sore from yesterday. I ran with a power based squatting session.

Started with wide footed BB squats. Built up in sets of 5 reps up to a max of 5 reps at 150kg. Then moved over to the hack squat machine, and front faced in it.

http://store.sorinex.com/Multi-Squat-Machine-Power-Squat-p/ms-1.htm

For me this feels much more like driving forwards in a scrum ***8211; and therefore is a transferable skill. I worked up to sets of 12 reps, with 100kg. Aim was to start in a low squat and drive up with such speed so that when I was fully standing the momentum had carried the bar off my shoulders, and then it fell back onto them ***8211; if that makes sense?

The finally I finished off with walking lunges to failure.

Weight has dropped down to 16st 0.2 lbs. Thats a 9.3lbs loss in the last 16 days. Im hoping most of it stays off whilst im away!

Anyway, I'll see you when I get back.

Chris

 

[The_Brit]

So its begun! The actual transformation has begun!

The last few weeks on holiday have been great, and I even managed to drop a few lbs whilst being away without trying

New diet started on Monday Its sat around 2500kcals /day , with carbs varying in quantity between 300g and 0g each day. At the moment its a 6 meal split, with just 1 meal being liquid; post workout shake.

I've got an incredibly good feeling about this I'm still being prepped by 3J; who has been nothing short of fantastic. When he emailed me over the diet for week 1, and I copied it into a word document to read it was 30+ pages long. Each meal has 4-5 different protein and carb options so I can mix and match. This should make eating at home a lot easier!

New job started on monday which was also good. I think just that the longer working hours in themselves will result in shifting a few more lbs. Typical working day is going to include leaving the house at 0630hrs and then leaving work at 1815hrs. To make things work ill be shooting straight to the gym from work.

At the moment I'm not doing any form of deliberate CV other than rugby. But... when It gets to the point of needing to do some, I think I'm going to have to get a spin bike for the house ; as im already getting up at 0600hrs

Rugby training is still going strong Training is still on a Thursday, and matches are still on a Saturday. Training wise I'm trying to blend some form of Legs, Push, Pull routine around the rugby training. I'm feeling a little lost if i'm honest lol. However, the mission for today is coming up with some form of training plan; so i'm sure in my next post ill let you know how i'm getting on!

Chow for now.