After my cardio on Tuesdays, I've been working on my Power Cleans, but I'm having a hard time with the explosive portion of the movement. I don't know if my technique will be good enough for Front Squats in SLII. In terms of strength standards, I totally suck.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
329/5
329/5
329/5
329/5
329/5
Bench presses
209/5
209/5
209/5
209/5
209/5
Bent over barbell rows
184/5
184/5
184/5
184/5
184/5
Weighted dips
15/12
15/12
15/12
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Wearing a shirt really stabilizes Squats in the low bar position. I'll try a sleeveless shirt next time to see if it gives me enough coverage.
I'm beginning to feel the burn in the Bench Press, and I'm still 15lbs. away from my next milestone of 224.
Moved up 10lbs. in the Rows since I was beginning to fall behind. According to the chart, I should be good for the next 3 weeks.
Didn't feel like jogging on Saturday, but made myself do it yesterday. I really don't wanna go over 200lbs. if I can help it.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
324/5
324/5
324/5
324/5
324/5
Overhead presses
154/5
154/5
154/5
154/5
154/5
Deadlifts
324/5
Pull-ups
BW/5
BW/5
BW/5
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Moving up 10lbs. in the Squat wasn't as bad as I thought, but I'm happy to be going up by 5lbs. again for the next few weeks.
Almost considered today's Overhead presses a stall from almost switching to Push presses as a cheat in the fourth set, but I got a good last set. Just need to concentrate on stabilizing my core more and controlling my breathing.
In the Deadlifts, I was so into my right hand that I neglected my left, where one of my callouses was skinned open but luckily didn't bleed--this time. I'll have to think about what I'm going to do this Friday on whether to keep working on my grip or go back to using straps so I can work on my hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
In the StrongLifts Beginner program template (zip file, right-click to download), the weight progression per session is 2.5kg which translates to 5.5lbs., but since the smallest plates in my gym weigh 2.5lbs., I've been missing out on half a pound every time, and so I'll be using "leap weights" to catch up. I suppose I could use Olympic collars instead (if I can determine their weight), but I wanna see how my body reacts to moving up 10lbs. rather than 5 every once in a while.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
314/5
314/5
314/5
314/5
314/5
Bench presses
204/5
204/5
204/5
204/5
204/5
Bent over barbell rows
174/5
174/5
174/5
174/5
174/5
Weighted dips
15/12
15/12
15/12
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Feels nice to be back to 6 plates at the Squat, but according to the program, I'm behind by 4lbs. so I'll be moving up 10lbs. come Monday.
Only behind by 2lbs. at the Bench press at this point. I'll probably do the "leap" from 224 to 234 in about 3 weeks. At the least this will keep things interesting.
Though I made it to 12 dips per set, I'm gonna stick to 15lbs. next time. Not quite ready to add more weight just yet.
Went jogging last Saturday morning and got wondering if it's worth going through all strain again running on asphalt. I suppose I could try combining it with intervals, but I don't have a stopwatch I could use. (I do have my iPod Nano, but knowing me, I'd probably drop the damn thing, so forget it.)
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
304/5
304/5
304/5
304/5
304/5
Bench presses
199/5
199/5
199/5
199/5
199/5
Bent over barbell rows
169/5
169/5
169/5
169/5
169/5
Weighted dips
10/12
10/12
10/12
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Though they were a great help in my Squats, shirts with sleeves are a no-go on days without Bench presses since my shoulders are more stable when they're not slipping on the bench surface. It wasn't an issue before since I used a different technique and less mindful of the position of my upper back.
Over the past few months, I noticed my upper gut getting thicker from all the Overhead presses I've been doing, and now that Squats are a regular fixture in my workout, the growth seems to have compounded. On the one hand, it's a sign that my core is getting stronger, on the other hand, it's screwing with my body image. Haha...
It'll be a few months before I get the weight dip belt I bought, but I hope it'll be around when I really need it when I switch from DBs to plates.
After two weeks, I've gotten into the groove of StrongLifts and will be hitting my limits pretty soon, I think. The exercises have started to get "fun".
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
299/5
299/5
299/5
299/5
299/5
Overhead presses
144/5
144/5
144/5
144/5
144/5
Deadlifts
294/5
Pull-ups
BW/5
BW/5
BW/5
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
I've got these sets of superficial bruises on my posterior delts from the bar gnarls scraping the skin. They aren't painful like the ones I used to get on the anterior delts from doing Front squats. Unfortunately, I only have so many non-cotton shirts I can wear to protect those areas. Cotton shirts are out because they get too soaked with sweat.
Getting better at Hang cleaning for the Presses, but at this point, the exercise seems to target my core more than my shoulders.
The Deadlift is the only exercise I've gone up by 20lbs. per session, and even that's a concession so my grip has a chance to catch up. I'm hoping to hit 314lbs. before I switch to 5lbs. or 10lbs. increments.
Sign of the times: My protein powder went from 6lbs. per bucket down to 5lbs. Didn't even notice it until last night when I opened a new container and saw a lot less stuff in it. What a waste of plastic. Too bad I didn't know about the change sooner or I would've bought more before. Fortunately, my local supplement shop has an ongoing promo until end of August that I'll have to take full advantage of now.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
294/5
294/5
294/5
294/5
294/5
Bench presses
194/5
194/5
194/5
194/5
194/5
Bent over barbell rows
164/5
164/5
164/5
164/5
164/5
Dips
BW/15
BW/15
BW/12+3
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Two days ago, my left knee got twingy from rushing through the Squats since there were others who wanted to use the only power cage my gym had. Well, I've learned my lesson: My safety overrides all.
Moving up slowly but surely with the Bench presses and the Rows.
Triceps are getting a burn from this new way of doing Dips. I probably have to add some weight and lessen the reps if I want to target my lower chest.
Can't wait for The Dark Knight opening here this Thursday. I've got my copy of the Gotham Knight DVD that I'll be watching beforehand. With Iron Man, Hulk and Wanted, 2008 has turned out to be the best year so far for movies based on comic books, and I haven't gotten to watch Hellboy 2 yet.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
289/5
289/5
289/5
289/5
289/5
Overhead presses
139/5
139/5
139/5
139/5
139/5
Deadlifts
274/5
Chin-ups
BW/5
BW/4
BW/4
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Doing Squats for every workout hasn't been easy--or fun. In fact, I spent a big chunk my weekend resting up for today. How sad is that?
I was too tired to use the Hook grip for the Overhead presses, and I could only safely set up for them via Hang cleans.
At least my Deadlifts went well, but boy were my palms red afterwards. Maybe I should reconsider my position over using chalk, that is, if I can find some.
Thank you Happy Wrap for getting my lower back back into business. I'll try tonight if it can do same for my left shoulder so it'll be good as new when I do my chin-ups/pull-ups next week.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
284/5
284/5
284/5
284/5
284/5
Bench presses
189/5
189/5
189/5
189/5
189/5
Bent over barbell rows
159/5
159/5
159/5
159/5
159/5
Dips
BW/15
BW/13+2
BW/12+3
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Looks like I'm going to have to "share" the Squat rack with another early gym bird every Friday morning. Lucky for me though we're using the same number of 45lbs. plates and switch out the rest. I'm still two weeks from hitting 314lbs. anyway.
Though the 5lbs. added weight per session seems small, these do add up over the weeks, and in the meantime, just thinking I'm just doing 5 pounds more than the last time really helps my motivation.
Still haven't quite gotten the technique for Dips, but I'm in no hurry to start putting dumbbells between my thighs again.
Because none of the exercises in StrongLifts are geared towards fat loss like some of the ones in 10/10 are, I have to psyche myself up to do cardio on my own, and it's been a while since I've tried Body-for-Life's HIIT at my current weight. As I learned yesterday, it's gonna take a while for my body (especially my legs) to get used to it again after doing low impact cardio for so long.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
279/5
279/5
279/5
279/5
279/5
Overhead presses
134/5
134/5
134/5
134/5
134/5
Deadlifts
254/5
Pull-ups
BW/5
BW/5
BW/5
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Gonna have to figure out what I did wrong with my Squats that got my lower back all strained afterwards.
Aside from the Power cleans, I'm interested in developing my hook grip for the Overhead press. Though my fingers aren't long enough to completely wrap around the bar and my thumb, I wanna see if I can ultimately use this grip for the Deadlift.
Speaking of which, I switched to a mix grip this morning, and it worked very well at 254lbs. Question is, how heavy will it take before my grip stalls (or my callouses tear open)?
With StrongLifts, I'll be doing a couple new things I've never done regularly before. First, I'll need to stick to the same weight across all the sets rather than adding a little per set (in my case, 10lbs.). And second, for some exercises, I'll be increasing the poundage by only 5 lbs. per session to give my body a better chance to adapt. According to the e-book, if one session's load is too easy, the next one can move up by 10lbs., but once things get too hairy, it's back to 5lbs.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
274/5
274/5
274/5
274/5
274/5
Bench presses
184/5
184/5
184/5
184/5
184/5
Bent over barbell rows
154/5
154/5
154/5
154/5
154/5
Dips
BW/15
BW/15
BW/15
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
Based on my performance last week, I picked out my starting weights (e.g. 294lbs. for Squats, 204lbs. for Bench presses) and lightened them even more by 20lbs. I figured I could use the extra week or two to get used to the 5x5 method and, as much as possible, delay stalling.
Gonna have to go shopping for a new pair of shorts as the one I used this morning ripped while I was doing Squats. I could probably have it repaired, but this wasn't the first time this happened to me. Thank goodness I was wearing black underwear or the hole would've been a lot more obvious.
Sometime during the end of 30DWW, I strained my left shoulder, but it didn't make itself known until Wednesday morning last week. The only exercise I could trace it back to was the Chin-ups. I'll try my best not to aggravate the injury and hope it gets better soon.
While doing 30DWW last month, I got back into the bad habit of checking the Net before I left the house since I didn't need to use the power cage or benches, but now that I'm starting out with Squats, I gotta be in the gym again before anybody else shows up.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
274/5
294/5
314/5
334/5
354/5
Overhead presses
134/5
134/5
134/5
134/5
134/5
Deadlifts
224/5
Pull-ups
BW/5
BW/5
BW/5
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
I tired myself out looking for the maximum load I could squat without cheating so I could determine my starting weight for all 5 sets on Monday, and 354lbs. isn't it. Haha...
I'll be working on improving my Power cleans
so I can dispense with the rack by the time I start SLII or SLIII (yup,
there's a third program). I also need to adapt to the new Overhead press technique that's burning my abs more.
Man, I missed doing Deadlifts, and it's great I only have to do one set every other session. Only problem is that I have to learn how to do them without using
wrist straps, and I only got to 224lbs. before I skinned one of my callouses (didn't tear open like before, thank goodness). Next time I'll use spare pair of gloves I have at home, but I'll also consider using pads. At this point, chalk is out of the question. My pathetic grip comes back to haunt me.
Starting every rep with "dead hangs" for Pull-ups sucks and will suck even more once I start gaining weight.
Since I didn't touch a single bar or dumbbell all of last month, this morning I tried out my first session of StrongLifts 5x5 (SLI) where it was all about finding my starting weights. Because the program is freely available online, I can resume publishing my progress numbers.
Exercise
A
B
C
D
E
Squats (low bar)
224/5
234/5
244/5
254/5
274/5
Bench presses
184/5
194/5
204/5
214/5
224/5
Bent over barbell rows
154/5
164/5
174/5
184/5
194/5
Dips
BW/15
BW/12
BW/12
Legend: (Weight/Reps)
Thoughts
It's scary to think that every single workout of SLI will have me doing Squats and in a low bar position at that, something which I've never done before and involves stuff like a thumbless grip, a tight upper-back and pushing my elbows back. I'll try to go a little heavier this Friday, that is, if I can keep up my form.
I surprised myself at how easy that last set of Bench presses was (having a spotter around really helped the mental aspect), but I'm sure I won't be able to do all 5 sets at that weight anytime soon.
After I'm done with this Friday's workout (B, 0), the question I have to answer by next week is do I start off lighter and slowly work my way up or do I start off
with something challenging (but not suicidal) and deal with stalling as prescribed by the site?
Because of all the work I've been putting into my other blog's sixth anniversary, I actually forgot to take my measurements yesterday morning after I woke up and only got to do 'em when after work. Luckily, it was a rest day, and as expected, most of my numbers went down.
Height
5'3"
Jun 08
Weight
197.5 lbs.
-4 lbs.
Chest
43.75"
-0.75"
Neck
16.25"
no change
Upper Arms (unflexed)
15.5"/15.25"
-0.125"/-0.125"
Upper Arms (flexed)
16.25"/16"
-0.125"/-0.125"
Forearms
12.25"/11.75"
no change/-0.125"
Waist at navel
38"
-0.25"
Hips
44"
no change
Thighs
26"/26.5"
-0.75"/-0.5"
Calves
16.25"/16"
no change/-0.125"
Comments
197.5lbs. is probably going to be the lightest I'm going to be in a long while since I'll be taking creatine and BCAAs again next week. I just wonder how long it will be before I have a hard time fitting into my pants now that I'm doing regular Squats and Deadlifts.
What I lost in size for my chest and arms from doing push-ups, I gained in endurance but I think this may have helped out my Bench presses.
Wish I could figure out how to measure my thighs consistently. A magically-appearing dotted line around each leg would be appreciated.
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