Thanks, Lakshmi! I am a very lucky guy to have such a great family & still do well on my lifts!
Hot Damn! This is so cool! I bet you're motivation is high.20lbs...you can do it!
Also, that was very nice of your wife.
Oh' I agree on the additional warm up. Poeple used to tell me that I was warming up too much, I need to be practically dripping with sweat before I even start my warm up sets.
Thanks, Lakshmi! I am a very lucky guy to have such a great family & still do well on my lifts!
Sunday, June 22, 2014.
Today was the perfect training session. I did it at home during the babies' morning nap time. In between sets I worked on the pool, cleaned the shed, and worked on the garden.
Curl: 45x5, 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 103x5,5,5,5
Press: 95x5, 145x3, 170x5, 168x5,5, 165x5,5;
I decided to follow Andy Baker's independent set progression for the press & curl. We'll see how this experiment turns out.
After lifting, we took our boys to the Philadelphia Zoo, where I spotted someone wearing a "Starting Strength Power Team" shirt. What a small world!
Pretty sure that was Kong! I saw some family pics on FB from the zoo yesterday and he was wearing his shirt. Small world indeed.
Eta: doh! Just saw in his log that you already figured it out
Now I need to go read up on this press progression. Mine always needs help, haha.
This was from his recent article of "Alternative Methods to 5x5". The last method described uses independently-progressing sets of five. The weight is increased for an individual set once five reps are met. He describes how he has only programmed it (successful) for squats, but I think it should work for other lifts as well. I think one of the problems with my press & curl is that I have not been putting enough WORK in. I get up to heavy sets for singles / doubles / triples, but those lifts seem to respond well to a decent level of work. I'm looking forward to a fun experiment. As long as I can add a rep or two each session, I'm getting stronger.
Monday, June 23, 2014.
Ah, deadlift day. The best way to start a week.
Warmup: 24kg KB swing x 20
Deadlift: 245x5, 335x3, 425x1, 475x1, 520x3, 445x9*; PR - 3RM, 9RM
Pullups: BW: 5,5; BW + 15: 3,2,2
Time: 58 minutes
BW: 252.5lb
* - I put an asterisk on this set. I was aiming for a new 10RM (10lbs more than last month's 10RM set at 435). I got the 10th rep up & above the knees, but could not lock it out. No worries. I've never lifted 9 reps that many times either, so I still get a new max.
Holding 520 in your hands is an awesome feeling. If you have the means, I highly recommend it.
Nice deadlifting..Where do you train?
If you have a free Saturday, come up to Volume Intensity Power and Strength Sport up in Yardley, PA. It might be a little trip but it'll be a fun training day. PM me if you are interested.
Dwayne
Thanks for the offer! I train either in my garage at home, or in the gym at work. I would like to lift at a hardcore black iron gym (say, Iron Sport Gym in Glenolden), and eventually will in a couple of years when it gets a little less hectic with babies.
I was able to get in a quick session after work today.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Curl: 45x5, 65x5, 85x5, 107.5x5, 105x5,5,5,5 (2 minutes rest between sets)
Press: 95x5, 145x3, 165x1, 172.5x5, 170x5,4, 167.5x3,3 (2 minutes rest between sets)
Time: 40 minutes
BW: 255.0
Friday, June 27, 2014
I wanted to mix it up a little bit today, so I did 5x5 on the squat instead of singles at 90%.
Squat: 135x5, 225x3, 315x1, 365x5x5 (4-5 minutes rest between sets)
Anderson Squats: 365x3, 405x3, 455x3, 495x3, 545x1 (bar starts at 2/3 of lifter's height) (done just for some fun)
Time: 80 minutes (spent time helping a friend with squatting)
BW: 251.0lb
So it appears that my dieting is working. In the past, I've had great success with Intermittent Fasting. In addition to IF, I've been limiting myself to only one plate at dinner, and cutting out sweets. The numbers are moving in the right direction. I'm dedicated to taking this as far as I can go this time. I've done it for 10 weeks before, but stopped once I got to an interim goal.