I have been following your work out journey and your progress. I find it very interesting because we have similar stats. Like you, I am an ectomorph, I am ~5'6" and now weight around 155 (as of this morning.) I also work out at home: you can see my equipment here :
thread-44402...pid1295037 it is just a rack with plates.
I sent you a private message asking if I could crash your thread, and join you in memorializing our progress in it, and you are OK with it.
I was always very athletic but had never touched a plate. In around 2008/2009, I found myself smoking too much, drinking too much soda, and eating once a day (a big meal though). My weight was 110lbs. I wasn't sick, nor did I feel bad, but I was WEAK. Started to work out at home with little to no weight: push ups, situps, cobras, lunges, etc . After a couple of years, I joined a gym. I think I had the membership for three years or so. For a long time, I didn't venture with deadlifts, squats, nor overhead press; I was doing mostly dumbbells exercises, and machines for the legs.
Eventually, I graduated to the big compound movements and it was a game changer for me. The positive side was so many years of conditioning and slowly strengthening the body without injuries. Also, I always looked at working out with a long term objective in mind, so I never minded slow improvement as long as I was improving.
The routine that worked for me is the 5/3/1. When I started my RM was at L
Squat 235
Bench Press 170
Shoulder Press 90
Dead Lift 315
After over a year (this at approx. 160 body weight):
Squat 295
Bench Press 225
Shoulder Press 140
Dead Lift 405
Out of curiosity I quit 5/3/1 and started doing other routines, i.e. I tried Candito's, but eventually I injured my shoulder and had to stop doing bench and presses. I started doing an squat everyday program. Took my weight up to 170 lbs and it's been the strongest I have been in my life. My routine was A and B. A day was volume, and B day was going for a one rep max for the day. Sometimes, the volume day would be doing 3x15x225, and other times would be 5x1x275 with 10 second rest in between sets. Then, I started doing the same routine for dead lifts and overhead press. I had very good improvement in a short period of time. But I never did full chest press again. If you look at my equipment even up to this day I don't have a bench; which I plan on eventually buying (its cheap at $150.)
A couple of years ago, I started to prioritize business over workout; thus, my lifting suffered; so I estimate I have put less than 50 work out over the last two years. It's time to slowly get back on. I don't have the time I used to have so I am going to do a routine that I believe will provide the most bang for the buck and it is also a proven winner for me. I will start with the 5/3/1, actually I started late September.
For those not familiar with the 5/3/1, it is a four week cycle that includes three weeks of hard effort and one week of deloading. However, I have always ignored the deloading week; just take a week off every now and then. Each week, you work out four days, each day concentrate on one main compound exercise. Then, there is a 5 week, a 3 week, and 1 week. All sets are done at a specific percentage of your one rep max. In the 5 week, you do three sets of 5 reps each at 75%, 80%, and 85% of your 1RM. In the 3 week, you do three sets of 3 reps each at 80%, 85%, and 90% of your 1RM. In the 1 week, you do one set of 5 reps at 75%, one set of 3 reps at 85%, and one set of 1 rep at 95%. Then you add 10 lbs (deadlift and squat) and 5 lbs (bench press and military press) on your 1RM and go back to the 5 week. If you fail, you can stay on the same weight; however if you fail, I recommend to drop weight, sometimes it is better to take one step backwards in order to make three steps forward in the future. This routine can be done in under 10 minutes, 15 minutes if you count the time it takes you to load the plates.
That is the basic 5/3/1. Then, you can complement with all kind of accessory exercises. What I have found to work is the Big But Boring flavor. I complement the squat day with 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps of dead lifts at 65% 1RM; and the deadlift day I complement with squats. Bench press day, I complement with overhead press and the overhead press day I complement with bent over rows. I like it altogether this way because it has progression, volume, and maxing out.
So thank you The Man w/ the Golden Gun to let me crash your thread and I hope you and everybody else can find some value in my future posts.
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