5×5 program. What do you think ?

Due to a variety of reasons (among which laziness plays a non-negligible part) I’ve been away from the gym for quite a few months now. This has meant that I’ve lost what little muscle I had built up, but I’m hoping to start again now, and I’d like to know how people’s experiences with programs for the initial stages are.

The first time I started weight training, I settled on a 5-day body part split program, doing Mon : chest, Tue : back; Wed : legs, Thu : shoulders + abs; Fri : arms. Pretty standard stuff, using volume training, 8-12 rep ranges, ~20 sets per day. I got good results out of this.

Many would say you shouldn’t mess with what works, but I’m just not that kind of person. This time around, I’ve started doing full body workouts, 3 times a week, mainly using a 5×5 approach. It’s very streamlined; every session, I do one compound leg exercise, one compound chest exercise, one compound back exercise, using 5 sets of 5 reps, with the same weight throughout. I round things off with 2-3 sets each for shoulders/biceps/triceps/abs.

I’ve been doing it for about 2 weeks now, and of course so far it works, because let’s be honest, when you’re starting out, just about anything works. I’m looking to put on muscle overall quickly, which is why this approach appealed to me. Now I’m open for advice; what do you think ? Cheers !

Body Fortress High Performance Creatine Review

This was my first foray into creatine, after reading so much about how great it is. I got the grape and fruit punch flavours (on sale at H&B – starting to see a pattern yet ?). This supplement contains creatine monohydrate, but is spiked with taurine and fast acting carbs to enhance its absorption.

• Mixability (5/5) : Mixes great, but even with a pint of water, you need to keep shaking it up to avoid settling.
• Taste with water (5/5) : Both flavours are just fine.
• Digestion (5/5) : No problems.
• Overall :Unfortunately, this product has done very little for me. I don’t feel particularly energized during workouts, but maybe that just means I was psyched to begin with.

Body Fortress Protoplex Deluxe MRP review

This is the first Meal Replacement Powder I’ve tried, and so far, the only one too. I got it because it was on sale at Holland & Barrett, and it looked like a good time to try a MRP. As I don’t really have anything to compare it to (other than whey shakes), my review may be a bit iffy. I’ve used both the chocolate and strawberry flavours.

• Protein content : Each sachet contains 44g of protein. That’s probably about as much as you can digest at a single meal anyway.
• Bang for buck : Pretty good if you get it during sale at H&B, because they can really slash prices.
• Mixability (3/5) : Mixes pretty ok, as long as you’re careful about it.
• Taste with water (3/5) : It’s quite ok, but slightly… weird. Just a bit too off to be natural, but it’s still quite easy to down !
• Taste with milk (?) : Haven’t tried. I use this product as my post-workout shake, so it’s always been with water.
• Digestion (4/5) : No problems.
• Overall : This MRP has a decent breakdown of the macro-nutrients, as well as the expected vitamins and minerals. I’ve enjoyed using it, but I highly doubt I’d get it again – I’m not sure if I need MRPs. On the other hand, if I catch another sale, who knows ?

Exteme Nutrition Whey review

This was the first whey I got (Choc flavour), mainly because the guy at my local supplement store suggested it. It was a fine recommendation.

• Protein content : 71.9g/100g. This is on the low side.
• Bang for buck : 61.6g protein/£ (assuming 2.4kg for £28) : At this price point, this is a great deal
• Mixability (5/5) : Mixes fine.
• Taste with water (4/5) : Pretty good, actually.
• Taste with milk (5/5) : I like it
• Digestion (5/5) : No problems.
• Overall : This is a good, great tasting whey, that seems to aim for the budget category, with quotes such as “excellent amino acid profile superior to most of it’s more expensive rivals”. While delivering quality for cheap is fantastic, I think Extreme Nutrition can aim higher than they currently are. The packaging has to change, though. It screams cheap (which is perhaps the aim).

P.S. The dosing on this product confuses me, and unfortunately I didn’t track it back when I was using it. It’s a 2.4kg tub, but they claim you get 35 50g servings. 35×50=1.75kg. What am I missing here ?

P.P.S. The prices I’m using are the best I can find at the time of purchase/writing. Monster supplements has been the place I’ve found the best prices so far.

Reflex Instant Whey review

The whey I’m using at the moment (Choc Mint flavour). I got it because it’s a well-known brand, with a good protein content.

• Protein content : 78g/100g. As I’ve already said, this is pretty high.
• Bang for buck : 59g protein/£ (assuming 2.27kg for £30). Quite good.
• Mixability (5/5) : Mixes perfectly, even with semi-skimmed milk.
• Taste with water (1/5) : For the suggested serving, which gives you 19.5g protein, the taste is rubbish. Even using an extra scoop (50% extra), there is no taste. Well, it really depends on what you want of course. There is no taste whatsoever. This is much better than it tasting bad, I guess, but I would really prefer a shake that will also satisfy my sweet tooth/cravings.
• Taste with milk (2/5) : A teeny bit better, but still, rubbish.
• Digestion (5/5) : Goes down smooth.
• Overall (4/5) : This is a good product, no doubt about it. Good protein content, and the company has a good reputation. The only downside is the taste, but that’s really not such a big issue now, is it ?

Old and busted

And these are my previous gloves. Got them for £3, and they lasted for a few months. You could say you get what you pay for, I guess. The padding was also a bit too thin for me, and I’ve formed callouses.

Keep in mind that I’m a newb at weight lifting, and I really don’t do any big weights.

Brand spanking new Ocelot Valeo lifting gloves

Got these yesterday as my previous gloves started falling apart. Also, they didn’t have enough padding. These gloves are very comfortable, have a nice fit, and better padding than my previous set.

They also come in a flashier orange/black version, which I would have preferred, but the site I got them from only had the black ones.