[Blair]

Name: Blair
Age: 26
Height: 5’9” or 172.5 cm
Weight: 198lbs or 90kg
Bodyfat: Irrelevant
Supplements: Mulit-Vitamin, Vitamin C, Fish Oil and Glucosamine
Strengths: Relatively strong lower body and posterior train
Weaknesses: Relatively weak upper body.
Previous Lifting Experience: I played Academy (age grade elite level) rugby until I was 20. I was too short for my given position so took up club rugby as a means to remain fit while studying and working. Club rugby soon fell by the wayside as working, studying and training collided. I continued to run and play the odd game of social rugby to maintain skill.

Now I have completed my studies and with a reignited desire to play rugby at whatever level (as high as I can go basically) I’ve committed myself to fully revolutionising my strength and conditioning. My weight training experience when playing rugby was basically bulking in the pre-season and maintaining said bulk in season. Naturally I’ve gone soft and weak.

My training begins with the Bill Starr 5x5 program as I want to strip back my training to the rawest, most beneficial and effective form of weight lifting I can as I am effectively a novice lifter again. Cardiovascular training is limited to three 30 minute interval training sessions a week as strength is my primary concern currently though I’ll review this after my initial 8 week cycle.

Goals:

1. Maintain current weight and increase pound for pound strength ratio.
2. 1RM Squat 2 x bodyweight by year end. Approx 180 kilograms or 396 pounds
3. 1RM Deadlift 2.5 x bodyweight by year end. Approx 225 kilograms or 495 pounds
4. 1RM Bench Press 100 kilograms or 220 pounds by year end.
5. 1RM SOHP 80 kilograms or 176 pounds by year end.

I’ll keep this regularly updated with training weeks. Comments and critiques are most welcome as I am a novice S&P lifter.

Note: All weights are in kilograms.

Year One – Week One

Monday

Squat

1. 55 x 5
2. 65 x 5
3. 75 x 5
4. 85 x 5
5. 95 x 5

Bench

1. 35 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 47.5 x 5
4. 55 x 5
5. 60 x 5

BOR

1. 35 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 47.5 x 5
4. 55 x 5
5. 60 x 5

Wednesday

Squat

1. 57.5 x 5
2. 65 x 5
3. 75 x 5
4. 75 x 5

SOHP

1. 40 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 47.5 x 5
4. 52.5 x 5

Deadlift

1. 82.5 x 5
2. 95 x 5
3. 105 x 5
4. 117.5 x 5

Friday

Squat

1. 52.5 x 5
2. 65 x 5
3. 75 x 5
4. 85 x 5
5. 95 x 3
6. 75 x 8

Bench

1. 37.5 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 55 x 5
5. 62.5 x 3
6. 50 x 8

BOR

1. 37.5 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 55 x 5
5. 62.5 x 3
6. 50 x 8

Year One – Week Two

Monday

Squat

1. 57.5 x 5
2. 67.5 x 5
3. 77.5 x 5
4. 87.5 x 5
5. 95 x 5

Bench

1. 37.5 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 57.5 x 5
5. 62.5 x 5

BOR

1. 37.5 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 57.5 x 5
5. 62.5 x 5

Wednesday

Squat

1. 57.5 x 5
2. 67.5 x 5
3. 77.5 x 5
4. 77.5 x 5

SOHP

1. 40 x 5
2. 42.5 x 5
3. 47.5 x 5
4. 52.5 x 5

Deadlift

1. 85 x 5
2. 95 x 5
3. 107.5 x 5
4. 120 x 5

Friday

Squat

1. 57.5 x 5
2. 67.5 x 5
3. 77.5 x 5
4. 87.5 x 5
5. 97.5 x 3
6. 77.5 x 8

Bench

1. 37.5 x 5
2. 40 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 57.5 x 5
5. 65 x 3
6. 50 x 8

BOR

1. 37.5 x 5
2. 40 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 57.5 x 5
5. 65 x 3
6. 50 x 8

[Blair]

Year One – Week Three

Monday

Squat

1. 60 x 5
2. 70 x 5
3. 80 x 5
4. 90 x 5
5. 100 x 5

Bench

1. 40 x 5
2. 47.5 x 5
3. 52.5 x 5
4. 60 x 5
5. 65 x 5

BOR

1. 40 x 5
2. 47.5 x 5
3. 52.5 x 5
4. 60 x 5
5. 65 x 5

Wednesday

Squat

1. 60 x 5
2. 70 x 5
3. 80 x 5
4. 80 x 5

SOHP

1. 40 x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 50 x 5
4. 55 x 5

Deadlift

1. 85 x 5
2. 100 x 5
3. 110 x 5
4. 122.5 x 5

Friday

Squat

1. 60 x 5
2. 70 x 5
3. 80 x 5
4. 90 x 5
5. 100 x 3
6. 80 x 8

Bench

1. 40 x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 52.5 x 5
4. 57.5 x 5
5. 65 x 3
6. 52.5 x 8

BOR

1. 40 x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 52.5 x 5
4. 57.5 x 5
5. 65 x 3
6. 52.5 x 8

Comments:

All week I was looking forward to training. Though the weight is not heavy by powerlifting standards, it is still satisfying seeing my total weight going up as the weeks go by. I really enjoy the big simple compound movements of powerlifting and while I’ll never compete, it’s still great being able to Squat 100 kilos for 5 reps then watching a curl monkey struggle with 36 kilos on the leg extension machine. Call it powerlifting arrogance but knowing that while I can’t out bench the curl monkeys yet, I know my total poundage lifts a leg all over their respective total poundage. No amount of bicep curls and side delt raises will equal big squat and deadlift numbers.

Thoughts for next week:

Focus on stopping my knees caving on the heaviest squat sets and focus on bench form.

[Blair]

Year One – Week Four

Monday

Squat

1. 60
2. 70
3. 80
4. 90
5. 102.5

Bench

1. 40
2. 47.5
3. 52.5
4. 60
5. 65

BOR

1. 40
2. 47.5
3. 52.5
4. 60
5. 65

Wednesday

Squat

1. 60
2. 70
3. 80
4. 80

SOHP

1. 42.5
2. 45
3. 52.5
4. 55

Deadlift

1. 90
2. 100
3. 115
4. 125

Friday

Squat

1. 60
2. 70
3. 80
4. 90
5. 102.5
6. 80

Bench

1. 40
2. 47.5
3. 52.5
4. 60
5. 67.5
6. 52.5

BOR

1. 40
2. 47.5
3. 52.5
4. 60
5. 67.5
6. 52.5

Comments: While I managed to reach the prescribed number of reps in the prescribed number of sets, I feel the effort needed to achieve this was another step up in difficulty from the week prior. This had led me to think that I may encounter a sticking point in one or more of my exercises in the near future.

I still need to focus on my form during the heaviest set of squat as my knees do tend to cave in. More research on how to rectify this is needed. My bench form is getting better but is still not consistent, again on the heaviest lifts it wavers. Need to concentrate more and develop an “automatic” technique.