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Thread: Calgacus' crazy lifter log

  1. #1
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    Default Calgacus' crazy lifter log

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
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    Howdy partners!
    Before I post my my logs a quick blurb about me since I know you are all DYING to know!!

    Gender - super hyper alpha male
    Age - 43 years awesome
    height - 5'6" in one of the great injustices of our time
    weight - 270# hunk o' burning luv
    Body Fat - about 50% - hey in Canada we need our winter stores. But really about 50%. Personally I blame Tim Horton's.

    Did a lot of body building style lifting back in my early twenties but got away from it after my first bout of back strain - you know when yer lower back turns to stone and you walk around like Frankenstein's monster for a month. Got down to about 166lbs by then, gained weight about every day since.

    About 2 years ago I got back into kinda sorta regular lifting, though again mainly upper body stuff but gradually getting more serious about it. For the first 5-6 months starting in August 2010 I only made it to the gym about 1 time per week, then for the next 6 about 2-3 times per week. Then last July (2011) I tried doing a more power-lifter style with 5x5 benches, squats and deads. For the benches I tried using 275#, for the others 225#. After a month of only getting 1 or 2 reps per set of benches and all my squats and deads my back snapped on my last deadlift and I was out of action for a bout 3 weeks. Was very shy of the squats and deads after that - tried going back to the 225s again but early in my routine my back barked again. Since then I just did those leg exercises with 185lbs and not regularly - usually skipping them altogether and on lower body day doing leg presses, extensions, curls, calf raises and ductions - that is when I didn't just skip the leg workout. Also I dropped to 245 for my BP and started building it up by 5 lbs every few weeks as long as I got all 25 reps for 2 or 3 workouts (done once per week) in a row. As of about the end of august this year my BP is up to 5x5 at 300lbs and a one 1RM of 345 on a good day.

    Just trying out a SS style routine these last few weeks. Since I'm not a total novice I modified the program a bit. I restarted my squats and deadlifts at 185 and so far am keeping my BP routine the same. Also since I am wary of back strain I only do deadlifts on Friday and squats Monday and Friday. That 2 day break is important.

    So here is my program:
    Monday:
    Bench press :
    135#X20x1 (one set of 20 reps at 135 pounds)
    185#x8x1
    225#x5x1
    275#x1-2x1
    300#x5x5

    Squats:
    45#x10x1 then sets of 5 incremented by 20 pounds until working weight of now
    235#x5x3
    then accessory work* as time permits (see below)

    Wednesday:
    1-Overhead Presses:
    45#x10x1 then increases by 20# for sets of 5 until worked weight as of this week
    165#x5x3 (165 is to much I think I pulled something in my left ARMPIT the last couple of weeks)
    2-Power Cleans - lots of small sets, last week moving up to maybe 155#. Still getting used to this exercise.
    3- lying triceps extensions (aka skull crushers ala Rippetoes video Lying Triceps Extensions ):
    65#x10x1
    115x5x3 sometimes more but its hard to do more without a spotter
    4-Seated dumbbell curls:
    warmups with 30-40 lbs then
    45#x5x3 occasionally trying a few reps at 50 - gotta get there somehow.
    then accessory work* as time permits (see below)

    Friday
    1-Squats as on Monday but increase the weight by 10# soon to be just 5#
    2-Deadlifts like squats but only one working set and as of now at 245#
    then accessory work* as time permits (see below)


    *Accessory work includes as time permits and hopefully once per week each:
    heavy machine rows, abductions/adductions, lat pulldowns, wrist curls, dumbbell shrugs, more delt work with dumbbells, calf raises and ab-work and hyper-extensions. Don't usually get all that accessory stuff done each week though. would like to fit in some sort of upper pec work too, maybe inclined flys.

    Goals - not sure but I've been thinking of getting into powerlifting and dropping mega weight then maybe going for a record in unequipped bench press at about 148# or maybe even lower - what do you think about a 4xbodyweight raw BP, at what weight class would that be plausible? 125 for 500 press, or 150 for a 600? such are the idle musing in my head.

    Comments or queries are welcome.
    Last edited by Calgacus; 10-03-2012 at 08:47 PM. Reason: add shrugs, add flys, added link

  2. #2
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    BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND - the fans and paparazzi just wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to post my workout log for tonight:
    Started doing my usual bench (5x5 at 300#) , the first set felt great but then the guy spotting my asked me to try to pyramid down (as in no rest between sets) from 315#-225#-135# so just to be friendly I did so instead of my other 4 sets - normally I would now avoid such work as I think of it as more of a body builder technique rather than a strength builder. I got 5 at 315, 14 at 225 and 8 or 9 at 135. This guy was saying that a while back he was benching 455 at 175 with a shirt. I believe him, he was still big. He said he prefers suicide grip as it gives him a more efficient push, but no way I'm doing that - I'm to pretty to die that way and besides I always wanted to die by wrestling a giant squid over sunken treasure.

    Then on to my usual squats 5x3 at 235#
    then wasted a bunch of time talking
    then just did shrugs with 100# dumbbells 12x3
    and some incline flys about 8x3 at 50#

    Next week I'll go back to my usual bench.
    Last edited by Calgacus; 09-24-2012 at 10:11 PM.

  3. #3
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    you are warming up with the bar and then increasing by 20# for sets of 5? You should go check out the app rip is promoting in his Q and A that will calculate your warm ups. That is way way too many if you aren't doing it intentionally?

  4. #4
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    I agree its probably a bit much but I don't do heavy weight yet so the extra volume is probably ok, also I do a lot of warmups for my bench too and find I actually need it there so I figure I can probably use it on other stuff too.

    PS Yes I had just been looking at that app - but an app just for calculating warmups? is that really a big problem people have? I'm guessing someone just made it for the fun of whipping up an app. I've been thinking of doing a log app for pretty much the same reason.

    Lets see, easy input of basic data, choices of a wide variety of exercises, workout templates, notes with maybe video or audio capture, maybe Siri driven if an api becomes available, maybe a coach version good for tablets, progress graphs , ooooo and the ability to collate all that user data later to draw stats for comparing workout styles eg crossfit vs SS. and free too of course, there are lots of paid apps out there already in the exercise field. And of course the data would have to be centrally stored on a website with a normal sized interface too. The app should capture data, submit it immediately or store it and submit it later. Should be able to do most of that client side with a html5. must ponder this some more...
    Last edited by Calgacus; 09-26-2012 at 09:27 PM. Reason: add crap about app

  5. #5
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    Tonight after usual warmups for each exercise:
    1-Overhead Presses:
    145#x5x3 (no ARMPIT pains this week at the lower weight) on my heavier sets I tend to flare my shoulders out to the sides a bit, I think I get the armpit pain a bit more when I keep my elbows more forward which I think it the way Rip teaches them - maybe just a flexibility thing? Also the bar i started with had a bad bend so I eventually switched to a better bar. The bars at your community center gyms are a dodgy chrome bunch - most weigh 39 pounds, only one of the bunch I checked weighed about 45.
    2-Power Cleans
    135x3x5 - tried 145 but wasn't getting it high enough, went back to 135 and was better. Still suck at this exercise.
    Seated dumbbell curls:
    50#x2x1, then 45#x2x1, then 45x4x1 and 45#x5x1 felt weak or at least tired in the shoulders. tried the 50# first but failed on 3 and backed off
    2- Lying triceps extensions:
    115x5x3
    no accessory work tonight, took nearly 2 hours to do all that.
    Last edited by Calgacus; 10-03-2012 at 08:48 PM.

  6. #6
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    Tonight's Friday workout:
    1-Squats 5x3 at 245#
    2-Deadlifts 5x1 at 255#
    no accessory work tonight, took too long to do all that.

    Squats breakdown:
    10x1@45#
    5x1 65#
    5x1 85#
    5x1 105#
    5x1 125#
    5x1 145#
    5x1 165#
    5x1 185#
    5x1 205#
    2x1 225#
    5x3 245#
    -----------
    = 67 reps
    OK, maybe a little excessive but still not doing truly heavy weight so the extra volume besides warmups I hope will help to toughen up my lower back. Started dead-lifts next but started them at about 115#.

  7. #7
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    Tonight's Monday workout - usual warmups and:
    1-Bench Press 5x5@300# but hit the wall on the very last rep and couldn't budge it, odd since the 24th rep went up smoothly and actually faster than the 23rd.
    2-Squats 5x3@245#
    Accessories tonight - some pulldowns and calf raises.

    Was thinking of maybe dropping to 3 sets of benches and bumping up the weight to 315# but I find my third set is very hard already, first one is too, oddly the second set is always my best.

  8. #8
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    Go to the gym late tonight so had to shorten it up...
    Tonight's Wednesday workout - usual warmups:
    1-Overhead Presses:
    5x3@145#( I felt the armpit pull again on my 5th rep, so the next two sets I did my reps slowly and had no further problem)
    2-Power Cleans -
    1x3@135# I hit the wall at 135 this week, just got 3 singles and due to weakness and time constraints I left it at that. Still getting used to this exercise.
    3- lying triceps extensions (aka skull crushers ala Rippetoes video Lying Triceps Extensions ):
    5x3@115#
    4-Seated dumbbell curls:
    5x3@45# but a few reps at 50# on my first set then finishing off at 45#

    No accessory work as time did not permit
    Last edited by Calgacus; 10-03-2012 at 08:46 PM.

  9. #9
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    Tonight's Friday workout:
    warmup almost as usual, once I got above 200# I just did sets of 2 until my work sets.
    1-Squats 5x3 at 255# - I meant to do 250 but at the last moment forgot and put on the last ten instead of just 5.
    2-Deadlifts 5x1 at 265#
    accessory work tonight
    shrugs 100#dumbells, 12x3
    incline flys 10x1@35#, 5x1@45, 10x3@50#
    forearm curls 10x3@40#, forearm extension 10x3@20#

    Long weekend now so my Monday workout will get pushed back a day, so I might do a weekend workout composed of accessory's.
    Last edited by Calgacus; 10-07-2012 at 10:12 PM. Reason: removed repeat of previous squat warmups

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Tuesdays Monday Workout:
    -usual warmups and:
    1-Bench Press 5x4@300# but after 3 sets someone waiting for the bench got whiney and so I cut it short after an aborted 4th set of 2 or 3 (or I woulda tried all 5 sets).
    2-Squats 5x3@255#
    Accessories tonight - pulldowns, machine (nautilus- Atlantis) rows, rear delt laterals, hyper-extensions and situps on same equipment.

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