View Full Version : wes' log
Name: Wes
Age: 25
Weight: 173 (started around 135)
Height: 5'9"
About 7 months ago I began SS. Prior to that I had no legitimate lifting experience. It went ok at first but after a few months I realized my form was shit, I was hurting myself, and drinking so much milk made me feel gross. Then I entered barbell purgatory for a few months and no progress was made. I recently figured out how to eat, lift, and recover semi-decently. Actually, I just figured out how to squat a few days ago. I still feel like a complete retard whenever I try to figure out power cleans.
I am reentering pr territory on all lifts right now.
Today (evening, before dinner, no work):
Press 115 x 5/5/7 Average day
Squat 205 x 5/5/5 Good day. Weight didn't feel that heavy. Finally getting hip drive and stretch reflex.
Chins None today. This is the last day of resting my elbows. Need to decide about continuing on at 42.5 x 8/8 (got 40 last time), switching to high rep bw chins, or something between the two.
Evening (before dinner, physically tough day at work):
Bench 165 x 5/5/6 Didnt feel strong today. Should have got 8 on the last set.
Deads 265 x 5 Not that heavy. Using a more vertical back angle makes this work better. It was recently brought to my attention that I have a long torso and short legs.
Power clean 85 x 12ish This was light. I could snap it up very easily. Form was garbage. Caught the first rep with my left hand rather than racking it, hurt my elbow. Smacked my collar bone a few times. Started the second pull below the knees a few times. Got lucky once or twice and got a decent rep. This was my first serious attempt at learning the power clean.
Morning:
This was a weird day. Woke up but never felt completely awake. Ate some food, waited, went to lift around 9:45. Couldn't hold my breath for the press for more than 3 reps before feeling faint. I can usually get 3 without any trouble. Halfway through my first squat work set I realized I wasn't wearing my belt. Still got my reps in. I didn't have my ordinary huge glass of milk + whey last night before bed, wonder if that had something to do with waking up feeling weird.
Press 117.5 x 5/5/5
Squat 210 x 5/5/5
Chins BW x 12/9/6 Short rest between sets
Found a hill to run up today. Its not very long but its got a good pitch and its close to my house.
Hills x 10 Sprint up, walk down
Deadlift 300 x 1 PR. Unplanned, ate a lot of carbs, got bored, went for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVuAMghiFa8&t=0m25s
Night (before dinner, easy day at work):
Bench 167.5 x 5/5/6 Ordinary day
Squat 215x 5/6/5 Not a great day. Some good morning reps. Back was sore after, legs weren't.
DB Row 44 x 12 54 x 12 First time trying these. 44 was light. 54 was heavy. Would have done power cleans but my back felt crappy after squats.
Probably haven't been eating enough.
Last Night (after the shittiest day of work, after two dinners and a bunch of gatorade)
Press 120 x 5/5/5 Starting to get heavy.
RDL 85 x 5, 125 x 3, 175 x 3 Did these as a warm up to the deadlift hoping they would stretch me out and help me get my back set. Didn't work, probably won't do it again.
Deadlift 270 x 5 Not very hard, still worried about setting my back though
Chins BW x 12/9/8
Yesterday sucked.
Felt like crap, went to lift in the morning before work.
Bench 170 x 5/5/5 Could have got 6 on the last set, stopped at 5 for no apparent reason.
Squat Complete failure. Didn't even make it through warm ups without knees and back caving. Stopped before hurting myself.
Went to work. Came home, ate, threw up, sick all night. Ate a decent breakfast today, dont know if I will take it easy or try to get those squats in.
Evening (after an easy day at work, before dinner)
Walked around the block, stretched my legs out because I was really stiff.
Back down to 173 after being sick, was up to 179 prior, should gain that back very quickly.
Squat 220 x 5/5/5 Form was questionable. Got out on my toes on the last reps of each set, didnt keep my chest up enough
Press 122.5 x 4/3/3 I'm blaming this on being sick. I'll get it next time, no problem
Power Clean 85 x 3/3/3/3/3 A miracle happened. I widened my grip a little bit and all of the sudden I could power clean. These were very mediocre but still represent a 1000% improvement.
95 x 1 light
105 x 2 heavy-ish
A few days ago:
Bench 172.5 x 5/5/5
Deads 275 x 5 Still having trouble getting my back set
Chins 12/10/4/3 Apparently my dog doesn't like chin ups because he pulled me down off the bar on the third set. Felt like I was good for 8 or 9.
Today (mid-morning after breakfast and gatorade)
Press 122.5 x 5/5/5 No problemo
Squat 225 x 5/5/5 Getting better at setting my back but its still not good enough. Using a narrower stance has helped.
Power Cleans 90 x 5/5/5/5/5 Not as good today because I was tired.
I harvested a couple tons of pumpkins with my crew yesterday and packed them away today.
Morning (after a small breakfast)
Bench 175 x 5/5/5 Last rep was slow
Squat 230 x 5/5/5 Stuck with the narrow stance, looking at the ground 4-5 feet ahead of me really helped with getting out of the hole, trying to get my grip more narrow, last set wasn't as bad as it was the last few times.
Chins bw x 12/12/8
I got one of those giant rubber bands from elite fts to stretch out my hips (as seen in mobility wod). I dont know if it has helped my squat but it has definitely helped my hips feel less tense in ordinary life. Started taking a little creatine. I don't know if its working, its a placebo effect, or I'm just feeling good but I am feeling noticeably less tired between sets and less tired in life in general.
Night (after work, before dinner)
Press 125 x 5/5/5 No problemo
Deadlift 280 x 5 Narrower stance, knees out more helped with setting back. Didn't make my back sore at all so I figure I'm getting my back set better. Still progress to be made though.
Power Clean 95 x 3/3/3/3/3 Had lots of trouble with the rack tonight. My left hand was slipping off the bar. Left bicep was sore. Weight didnt feel heavy, I just couldnt get my shit together.
I've been making a point to stretch, extend my lower back, and do bodyweight squats everyday. Its helping me with setting my back a lot.
Yesterday (before lunch)
Bench 177.5 x 5/5/5
Squat 235 x 5/5/5
I took a few days off due to a bunch of small problems hitting me at once. The only stuff relevant to training today was a slight tweak of my upper back at work and a stomach ache that prevented me from eating enough.
Evening (before dinner)
Press 127.5 x 5/5/5 Need to work on straight bar path
Squat 240 x 5/4 Problems with chest dropping. 5th rep of second set was a goodmorning and I didnt get depth. It was only going downhill from there so I called it a day. I felt like a sissy but I need my back for work so I had to be cautious.
No power cleans. Wanted to be carefull with the back due to the strain a few days ago and the goodmorning today.
Sometimes shit doesnt go how you planned.
Everything has fallen apart in the last few days. Stalled squat and press. Couldn't get through my deadlift warm up with decent form. Bench may be on the edge of stalling.
I've been doing a shitty job with recovery. Not gaining any weight. I dont know if I should take a week off from lifting and just eat and sleep until I feel better or just reset everything or what. I'm fucking up right now.
3 days ago:
Bench 180 x 5/5/5 BW for sets, hit a goal
Squat 215 x 5/5/5
Yesterday:
Powerclean 125 x 3 Worked up to a heavy set for no real reason. I'm not flexible enough in the rack position and that led to a lot of soreness in my wrists/elbows/shoulders
Today:
Press 130 x 5/2/1 Fuck. Elbows/wrists sore
Deads 175 x 1 Back felt like shit, couldnt even get through the warm up.
I took a week off to reasses my goals and figure out how to continue making progress. The combo of farming and lifting heavy every workout was too much for me. I've decided to do 5/3/1 with bw accessory work until I have more time and energy to devote to lifting.
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100
Press 5 x 87.5, 5 x 100, 9 x 115
Chins 8/8/6 dead hang
Dips 8/8/8 first time doing dips
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100
Power Clean 125 x 3/3/3 Used some mwod stretches for the rack position and tried a wider grip. No elbow pain other than a rep or two caught funny.
Deads 5 x 190, 5 x 217.5, 9 x 247.5 Had an easy time setting my back. Dont know if its due to the rest, warm up, power cleans or something else. Felt great, strong. Upper back rounded a little on the last few reps, not surprised, this is way more dl volume than ss.
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 20, left leg x 20
Bench 5 x 125, 5 x 142.5, 162.5 x 9
Chins 8/8/8 dead hang
Push Ups 25/25/20
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 25, left leg x 25
Squat 5 x 160, 5 x 185, 11 x 210
Lunges 80 total
Sit Ups 75
Press 3x95, 3 x 107.5, 6 x 120
Power Clean 125/125/125
Deadlift 3 x 202.5, 3 x 232.5, 8 x 260
Life got in the way and lifting got postponed. I did my press and deadlift day today to catch up, skipped the bw stuff so I can be recovered for bench day asap.
My only lifting buddy, the guy who introduced me to barbell training and ss, moved across the country today. Now I have to focus and stay acountable without anyone checking up on my progress.
Moving_Target
10-04-2011, 07:51 PM
Checking up? No.
Skimming? Yea.
No one has a gun to your head so keep it fun.
Checking up? No.
Skimming? Yea.
No one has a gun to your head so keep it fun.
Definitely. As you can see from my relatively low numbers this isn't the biggest priority in my life right now. I'm mostly just bummed that I don't have someone to bs about lifting with during my lunch break.
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 35, left leg x 35
Bench 5 x 132.5, 5 x 152.5, 7 x 172.5
Chins 9/9/7 tired.
Push Ups 25/25/25 easy
Yesterday:
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 40, left leg x 40
Squat 3 x 172.5, 3 x 197.5, 9 x 222.5, 2x10 x 125
Today:
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 45, left leg x 45
Press 5 x 100, 3 x 115, 4 x 127.5, 3x5 x 110
Dips 9/9/9
Chins 9/9/9
I've been feeling a little loss in strength, especially in the press. Hitting each lift only once a week with only 1 set being difficult probably isn't enough. I will reevauluate after the first week of the next round when I can gauge progress. Maybe its too much bw stuff and not enough barbell stuff, maybe its just to advanced of a program.
On Friday I fucked my back up below my left shoulder blade while moving heavy crap out of a trench. Sharp pain, difficulty breathing, I thought it was going to be bad, went to the chiro, she did something to my ribs, immediate relief, ice, only slight soreness now, did not impact lifting.
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 50, left leg x 50
Power Clean 135 x 3/3/3 I sucked today. Started the jump to early, thought too much for my own good, didnt move my elbows fast enough.
Deadlift 5 x 217.5, 3 x 247.5, 7 or 8 x 275 Took some extra breaths before the last rep, not sure if I should call is 7+1 or 8. Either way, its the most weight I have moved in one set.
Whatever happened to my upper back the other day was aggravated by deads today. Nothing major, just an annoyance right now.
Now that its cooler out I can eat more before I feel gross. I'm predicting considerable weight gain in october and november.
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 50, left leg x 50, alternating x 20
Bench 5 x 142.5, 3 x 162.5, 5 x 180, 125 x 10/10/10/9/7 No push ups. They were too easy to contribute much towards my goal.
Chins 5/5/6 Tired.
Whatever happened too my back the other day got aggravated by the deadlifts. Made sleep suck for 2 nights, ice helped. Felt like it was a little higher this time. Hurt to turn head to the right, roll left shoulder to the right, and sit up. Dont know which muscle it is. Its about where my shoulder blade is but inward a tiny bit. Did not impact benching at all.
Stretch/Mobility/Foam Roll
Jump Rope x 100, right leg x 50, left leg x 50, alternating x 50
Squat 5 x 185, 3 x 210, 7 x 235, 125 x 3x10
Deload Week:
Sets of 5 up to 60%
Press 145 x 1
Deadlift 330 x 0
Bench 210 x 0
Squat no attempt
Very little assistance work.
I felt crappy this week. Shoulder feels ok. Left knee is feeling a little weird and jumping rope has become uncomfortable. Lower back is stiff. I shouldn't have done any 1rm attempts this week because I knew I wasn't ready. Planted a lot of rows this week, probably didnt help.
Today went well. I attribute this to adequate rest, an angry day at work, and proper music selection
Jump rope x 100
Press 5 x 90, 5 x 105, 9 x 117.5
Dips 8/8/8 x 10
Chins 7/4 x 20 Serious reality check. I was doing 2 sets of 8 with 40lbs a few months ago when I did weighted chins regularly.
BW: 182
Today went well. I attribute this to adequate rest, an angry day at work, and proper music selection
Jump rope x 100
Press 5 x 90, 5 x 105, 9 x 117.5
Dips 8/8/8 x 10
Chins 7/4 x 20 Serious reality check. I was doing 2 sets of 8 with 40lbs a few months ago when I did weighted chins regularly.
BW: 182
Jump Rope x 100
Arm/wrist stretch for rack position, kicks
Power Clean 140 x 3/3/2 Missed the last rep. This was weird. I felt plenty strong but slow as shit.
Deads 5 x 195, 5 x 225, 11 x 257.5 Made a point to keep my upper back/traps tight because I think failing to do this well led to my shoulder soreness.
Jump Rope x 70
Random dynamic stretches
Bench 125 x 5, 145 x 5, 165 x 9
Dips 12 x 8/8/8
DB Rows 64 x 10/10/10 Had to cheat the last few on the left side.
Several days ago:
Dont remember the warm up but Im sure there was jump rope, pass throughs, and maybe kicks or air squats
Squat 167.5 x 5, 192.5 x 5, 11 x 217.5 There was at least 2 really ugly reps towards the end
Today:
Jump rope x 100
Press 97.5 x 5, 112.5 x 5, 125 x 6, 125 x 2 This was crap
Dips 15 x 8/8/8 Progressing nicely
Chins No chins. My dinner was getting cold and I felt like shit.
I have missed several days in a row. I bought a used tractor and then had to fix it asap. Then I got sick from moldy hay bales. Still sick. Presses taxed my lower body today so I must be pretty decrepit.
Jump Rope x 75
Air Squats
1 min jog
Power Cleans 125 x 3/3/3/3/3 Decent form. No elbow/bicep problems, no losing grip. Banged my knees a few times though. Starting to figure it out.
Deads 210 x 3, 240 x 3, 275 x 5 Felt like I didnt get much out of the belt today
Didnt push it on the last set of deads today. I was sort of tired from doing 15 power cleans, never done more than 3x3 before. Still sick.
2 days ago:
Jump Rope x 75
Bench 135 x 3, 155 x 3, 175 x 6
Press 105 x 5x5 Not happy with my press progress so Im going to press more.
Chins 15 x 8/6/5
Today:
Jump Rope x 85
Pass throughs
Squat 180 x 3, 205 x 3, 230 x 9 Got way out over my toes on the last rep. Felt very flexible today, probably because of planting at the end of the day and wearing better boots at work.
Front Squat 145 x 5, 155 x 5, 165 x 5
Not sick anymore. It has started to get cold out so I wear a sweat suit and extra jacket for my warmup and between sets.
Jump Rope x 75
Press 105 x 5, 117.5 x 3, 132.5 x 4
Military Press 132.5 x 3 This was more of a push press with a lot of lay back. Ill have to wait for SS3 to figure out this lift.
Push Press 132.5 x 1
Dips 17.5 x 8/8/8
No chins or rows today.
Biceps sore from FarmFit. FarmFit this week consisted of curling tubs of beets, standing leaps onto 50 gal drums, hay bale cleans, and pumpkin shot put. The modal domains of my farming are broad as fuck.
Few days ago:
Power Cleans 130 x Complete failure. This sucked. It wasn't too heavy. I just couldn't get my form together so I stopped.
Deads 225 x 5, 257.5 x 3, 287.5 x 6
Today:
Jump Rope x 75
Bench 145 x 5, 165 x 3, 185 x 5
Press 107.5 x 5x5, 135 x 1, 125 x 3x2
Chins 10 x 8/8/8
Felt strong today. Had a few days off of work in a row so I wasn't beat up going in to the workout.
2 days ago:
Jump Rope x 75
Pass Throughs x a bunch
Squat 5 x 192.5, 3 x 217.5, 7 x 242.5 Chest dropped on the last few reps.
My squat, dead, and press works weights are higher than they were when I stopped my lp. Bench is still lagging behind. Next month should say a lot about whether or not this programming is working.
Deload Week
Press up to 85 x 5 Tried to follow the ss3 form. It was harder.
Dips 20 x 8/8/8
Chins BW x 8/6
Deload Week
Jump Rope x 75
Deadlift 125 x 5
Power Clean 125 x 5x3 By the last set I figured out that my grip was too wide and that was leading to bicep/elbow/grip/rack problems. Also figured out the bar was too far over my toes to get a straight bar path. Still trying to figure this lift out. The weight feels light but my form feels like shit.
Deload Week
Bench 5 x 120
Squat 5 x 160
I'm hoping to get my workload down for a month or two so I can make another push at strength/weight gain.
Day 1
Squat - up to a heavy set of 5
Bench - up to a heavy set of 5
Power Clean - 5x3
Day 2
Press - up to a heavy set of 5
Dead - up to a heavy set of 5
Chins - 3x8
Day 3
Squat - up to a heavy set of 3
Bench - up to a heavy set of 3
Row - 2x8
I got the general idea from madcow's site and changed it a little to fit my goals.
Squat 5 x 95/125/145/195/235 Still need work on keeping chest up
Bench 5 x 85/105/120/145/175 Need to work on straighter bar path
Power Clean 125 x 5x3 Shins closer to the bar, look at a spot on the wall straight ahead, this made a huge difference
I feel suprisingly good considering that I havent done 3 big lifts in a day for about 2 months. If I eat/sleep well I think this will work.
Press 5 x 45/75/85/100/120 SS3 form. This definitely lowered my press by at least 10lbs. I can feel it more in my belly than in my arms.
Deads 5 x 135/165/185/225/275 Way more volume than Im used to. Tired.
Row 125 x 3x10 First time doing these.
Squat 5 x 95/125/150/200 3x240
Bench 5 x 85/105/125/145 3x177.5
------------------
Squat 5 x 95/130/150/200/240
Bench 5 x 85/105/125/145/177.5
Power Clean 5x3 x 130
------------------
Press 5 x 45/75/85/100/122.5 easy
Deads 5 x 125/165/185/225/280
Row 3x10 x 130
Squat 5 x 100/135/155/205 5x245 Went for 5 instead of 3 because I felt like I could get it. Not very pretty. Might repeat.
Bench 5 x 85/105/125/145 3x180
Been a crazy few days building out the farm so this workout was late and on low energy. Today was about trying to use it before I lose it.
Squat 5 x 100/135/155/205/245
Bench 5 x 85/105/125/145/180
Power Clean 135 x 3x5
Sick today. Not sure if I should be lifting or not. Weights that should be easy feel heavy. I'll need to repeate this day next week.
Press 5 x 45/75/85/100/ 4 x 125
Row 135 x 10/8/7 Did 10 reps for each set but only counted ones that didnt require a lot of body english.
Deads 135 x 5 Enough for me to know that I'm not getting anywhere with this today.
Since some stuff disappeared in the interwebs... I messed my back up at work, then I stopped doing fieldwork and took a job in the greenhouse/nursery/propagation industry. Since my job is way easier physically nowadays I decided to reset and work back up with good form and less injured so I could have a legitimate chance at lp.
squat 215 x 3x5 back is still sore all over. 1 set ok. 2nd set ugly and on toes. 3rd set w/belt was clean and easy. narrow stance.
press 110 x 3x5 much easier than last time. made effort to flex glutes/hamstrings
Like a dummy I didn’t write down my power clean weights in my notebook and I couldnt get on to ss. So, I decided that today was as good as any to learn how to power snatch.
power snatch 60 x a bunch The bar was looping out in front. I was catching it behind the mid foot because of the momentum from the loop. It started to get better then I started to get tired and then it got worse.
I found some stuff through google cache. I think my 4 or 5 most recent workouts are missing.
wes
12-20-2011, 09:33 PM
Squat 5 x 100/135/155/205 3x250
Bench 5 x 85/105/125/150 5x182.5 5 felt doable after 3 so I went for it.
Chins BW x 8/8/8
wes
12-26-2011, 10:15 PM
Press 5 x 45/75/85/100/125 SS3 press still feels much heavier than SS2 press.
Deads 5x135 4x175 3x215 2x245 5 x 285
Power Clean 1 x 125/135/140/145/150/160 Lost grip during the rack at 160.
wes
12-29-2011, 08:49 PM
High Bar Squat 175 x 3x5 No belt
Bench 5 x 90/110/125/155/185
Chins BW x 8/8/8 Almost got 9 on the last set
wes
01-01-2012, 02:10 PM
High Bar Squat 180 x 3x5 doing good with staying on heels, keeping chest up, and lower back locked. not feeling very heavy yet. this is much easier on my shoulders/wrists/elbows.
Bench 5 x 90/110/125/155/185
Power Clean 140 x 5x3 push pressed on the last rep of each set. missed the first 3, got the last 2. it wasnt too heavy to press, i just couldnt get my wrists under the bar.
wes
01-04-2012, 09:04 PM
Press 5 x 45/65/85/105/125
Deads 5 x 290 Hook grip. Alternating grip fucks up my start position so I switched today.
Power Clean/Push Press 1 x 125/130/135/140/145/150
wes
01-06-2012, 01:51 PM
reminder to self: start using dan johns 10 point system to get better at recovery. page 37.
wes
01-06-2012, 10:13 PM
High Bar Squat 185 x 3x5 still no belt. played around with sticking butt out and stopping at parallel and keeping butt in and going atg. atg is easier form wise. not much thinking involved.
Power Clean 145 x 5x3 started to get ugly towards the end. working on keeping on keeping back angle constant longer. using chin out as a cue.
tired. long week at work.
food 2, sleep 1, relationships 1, alone time 1, play time 0. 5/10 recovery. need to work on this. aiming for 8/10 average by mid january.
wes
01-09-2012, 10:16 PM
Squat 190 x 3x5 no belt. found a good bar position. its either "mid bar" or i was doing low bar wrong all along. went a few inches past parallel on all reps. no back rounding, no dropping the chest. felt the best i have felt about form in a long time. now the plan is to take recovery seriously and lp this up to some non-embarassing weight.
Bench 5 x 90/110/125/155 4x187.5 fought with the last rep about halfway up. 1 inch more and i could have had it. felt like it went on forever. hand cramp. going to try again.
recovery has been 7ish the last 2 days.
wes
01-14-2012, 09:10 PM
Squat 195 x 3x5 No problemo.
Deads 5 x 295 First time deadlifting after squatting in a while. Harder. Mid back extension was a small problem.
1/29/12
Press 95 x 3x8 Not benching because of my shoulder, couldnt progress 3x a week with press so I decided to try using a different rep range for 1 day
Deads 305 x 5
Chins 8/8/4 straight arms and dead stop before each rep.
1/31/12
Squat 220 x 3x5 form felt weird until 3rd set
Squat 265 x 1 275 x 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhEG4HrmTo0&t=0m44s
Power Clean 1 x 125-150 Lost all my energy after failed squat. This was getting ugly so I stopped rather than pushing for 170ish
120# sand bag x 10 push ups x driveway to the tree and back x 5 rounds
2/3/12
sick today
Squat 225 x 3x5 ugly
Press 112.5 x 3x5 easy
2/5/12
press 97.5 x 3x8
deads 310 x 1x5
chins bw x 8/8/8
2/8/12
squat 230 x 3x5
power clean 125-150 x singles had to stop due to weather (I lift on a patio)
2/10/12
squat 235 x 3x5 wider stance helps with bounce and limiting depth to just below parallel
press 115 x 3x5
power clean 145 x 5x3 rack was slow
2/12/12
deads 315 x 1x5 back was coming out of extension. didnt warm up very well either.
press 100 x 3x8
no chins. hands have been feeling overtrained and its bothering me at work
2/14/12
squat 240 x 3x5
press 135 x 1, 125 x 3
ghr bw x 3x10 used the pins on the power rack to hold my feet, knees on the ground. had to use my hands to prevent crashing into the ground. tried this today instead of pulling for a 3rd time this week. I think I may be pulling too much, or maybe not enough, or maybe I just need to adjust to increased squat tonnage.
Powered by vBulletin™ Version 4.1.0 Copyright © 2013 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.