Pursuit of Absolute Strength

[SoulySpoken]

Age: 20
Bodyweight: 200 lbs
Height: 5'11"

I started Feb 2012 --Had no idea what I was doing
Beggining noob stats:
Squat: 165 x 5
Bench: 105 x 5
Deadlift: 175 x 5
BW: 170

March 19, 2012 --First starting strength workout
Squat: 185 x 5
Bench: 130 x 5
Deadlift 235 x 5
BW: 179

May 29, 2012
Squat: 250 x 5
Bench 165 x 5
Deadlift 320 x 5
BW: 200

[SoulySpoken]

If anyone would like to see any of my logs, I have them all recorded in my notebook with all the dates. I followed starting strength perfectly until April 9th, when I switched out power cleans for barbell rows. I know that's horrible lol Rip would hate that, but I'm just not a huge fan of them. On April 16th, I switched out the rows for pullups. I started the Advanced Novice program on May 21st, substituting pullups for rows. Everything else stays pretty consistent. I don't throw in any unneeded assistance work. I follow the rep/set scheme that is provided in his books. I'm trying to get the fastest, best gains as possible. But if anyone has any criticism or would like to critque my programming, I would love to hear it. I hope I'm doing something right. I train at home with my power rack and I have a lot of free time on my hands.

[rumblefish]

Hi and welcome. Good job on your progress! I don't see any mention of the press though?

[Brian Jones]

Welcome- -along with your Press work - -how about your diet? What are you eating?

[SoulySpoken]

Hey, thanks! I really just wanted to state my stats for the big 3.
My stats for my other exercises are..
Press: 65 x 5 --> 120 x 5
Rows: 95 x 5 --> 125 x 5
Cleans: 85 x 3 --> 105 x3
Weighted Pull-ups: 20lbs plus BW ( 4 reps )

I switched from Cleans to Rows the first time I stalled on Cleans. I felt guilty doing rows after I while, because I know Rip wouldn't approve, so I switched to pull-ups. I felt like pull-ups and chins were interfering with bench progress, so I've been doing rows ever since.

[SoulySpoken]

I totally forgot about diet! lol ..A very important aspect of my training.

You know, I don't always eat very clean.. But I try to get in a huge amount of Calories, Proteins, Carbs, and good fats. My typical diet consists of:

11:00 - A huge bowl (probably 2 servings) of mini wheats with whole milk followed by a multi-vitamin (15-20 grams of protein)
1:00 - A protein shake mixed with 25 grams of whey, +7 grams of peanut butter, +8 grams of whole milk, banana, ovaltine (+40 grams of protein)
3:00 - Big chicken breast (30 grams of protein), mashed potatoes, asparagus
5:00 - 2 McDoubles from McDonald's (42 grams of protein)
7:00 - Same protein shake as earlier (+40)
9:00 - leftover chicken breast, mashed potatoes, asparagus

Protein total: Approximately 200g of Protein
Calories: A lot.... lol

[slowjoe]

Welcome. Could you edit your first post with age and weight details, please?

It sounds like you are one of the USMC's finest.

In that case, it might be worth your while to check into the procedure for dealing with overweight marines. A couple of years ago, Major Long wrote an article about dealing with this in the army. Hopefully the USMC is a beacon of light on this issue, but I wouldn't guarantee that.

Article is at: http://startingstrength.com/index.ph...y_want_me_weak

[SoulySpoken]

I don't know if I have a great diet. I definitely don't under-eat and end up with a calorie/protein deficit. I've been gaining weight rapidly. I used to look like a scrawny marathon runner @ 135.. and now I look like a football player @ 200. I've gained a decent amount of fat, but I still look skinny. No longer do I have those overrated six-pack abs. My back, quads, and ass have gained a considerable amount of mass. Everyone says I look great, even though I'm self-conscious about my skinny arms compared to the rest of my body, but my family says they don't notice that and I look proportional.

[SoulySpoken]

Tomorrow, Monday, will start my next workout. I'm going to be very consistent with my logs so you guys can always expect to hear from me almost every day. Being a Marine, I'm very committed to my training and I'm trying to be the best that I can be. I'm looking forward to hearing as much criticism and feedback as possible. Even the negative comments don't hurt lol I received plenty of that in boot camp.

[SoulySpoken]

Today's workout..
Squat: 125 x 5, 155 x 3, 190 x 2, 220 x 1, 240 x 1, 250 3 x 5
Bench: 80 x 5, 100 x 3, 120 x 2, 135 x 1, 145 x 1, 155 3 x 5
Row: 65 x 5, 80 x 3, 95 x 2, 110 x 1, 120 x 1, 125 3 x 5

Notes: Squat were feelin' very heavy today. The last rep of my last set was tremendously hard. I really thought I was going to black out. Bench was feeling pretty heavy too. I didn't sleep very well last night; I probably got a total of four hours of sleep.