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Thread: Defeating My Brother In Glorious Lifting

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    Default Defeating My Brother In Glorious Lifting

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
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    Better late than never, I've decided to start writing a training log. I really regret not doing this from the start, so I could look back at my progress, but that ship has sailed so I'm starting at the soonest point I'm able to, which is now.

    Stats:

    • Male, 28 years old, 219 lbs, 6'2


    Best Lifts:

    • Squat: 390x2 (currently reset to 370x3)
    • Bench: 220x3 and 225x1
    • Press: 160x2
    • Deadlift: 400x3
    • PC: 170x3 (before I stopped doing them a couple of months ago...)


    Background:

    I originally ran Starting Strength in my last year of University 4 years ago. Prior to this, I was a super skinny dude, 160 lbs. I had been fucking around in the gym on and off for years trying dumb bodybuilding type isolation programs on machines and getting nowhere. Somehow in my journey through Exrx and random downloaded PDF files I stumbled on SS, and it made immediate sense, explaining why all my "hard" work had accomplished nothing, and giving me a path forward.

    I definitely struggled to DTFP, but after 6 months or so of less than optimal training I managed: S-290x5~, D-320x5~, B-175x5~, P-130x5~, PC-someshit~. My body weight went from 160-200 and I felt great. The biggest challenge during this, as a skinny guy, was eating enough. Prior to this I was used to eating a bagel in the morning, and then maybe one big meal later in the day (this is why I was skinny...). I did GOMAD and felt like I was going to puke half the time, but it worked.

    After this, I graduated, got a full time job, and pretty much stopped training for about 2.5 years because it makes tons of sense to just stop doing something that made you feel the best mentally and physically that you have in your entire life. The last year of this in particular was pretty awful life-stress-wise, and I dropped down to 165~ bodyweight.

    About a year ago I left my old job for a job in Corrections, and to get in shape for the fitness test I ran SS again back up to somewhere just under my old numbers. Then they sent me to training, and I spent 3 months doing army style fitness stuff constantly - running, circuit stuff, etc. - and again lost weight and got quite weak.

    As of Jan 1st, after completing training (where I won my classes Fitness Award), I made it my goal to get strong again, and train consistently. As part of this, me and my brother (who also trains SS style) decided to compete to see who could first achieve a 405x5 belt-only squat. Hence the name of my log. In that time my lifts have progressed to my best lifts, listed above. I am quite motivated both by my current line of work in which being big and strong helps, and by the desire to crush my little brother into the dirt where he belongs.

    Current Training

    I am currently running a Texas Method version as follows:

    Monday: Press or Bench volume 5x5 followed by chin-ups 3xAMRAP
    Tuesday: Squat 5x5 volume followed by RDLs 2x8
    Saturday: Intensity on Squat, Deadlift and Press or Bench.

    Nutrition

    Started off the year with the tried and true GOMAD, but after switching to Texas method I struggled to get proper nutrition since I was mostly just guessing. Three weeks ago I dialed things in according to TBAB, and it's been helping alot. Trying to hit the following macros daily: C438-F110-P241. I've been tracking this everyday on Myfitnesspal and I've been feeling great. After stalling a bit before dialing in nutrition, I now feel fucking super strong and have been easily hitting all my volume and intensity. Been on creatine for a couple of months, and just started taking BCAAs.

    Anyways, that's about all I can write for my intro. No idea if anyone actually follows these, but keeping a log seems fun, and might help keep me motivated.
    Last edited by brettj; 09-19-2016 at 01:32 PM. Reason: formatting

  2. #2
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    Feb 2012
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    Today's workout:

    Press 145x5. Went up pretty easy, looking forward to Saturday trying to hit 160x3, and maybe trying for 165 for a double
    Chins 7x7x7.

  3. #3
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    Feb 2012
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    Today:

    Squats: 330 5x5. Slight deload after missing a couple volume weeks at the end of the summer due to life. Went up really easy but I still was still hoping for a masked gunman to barge through the door after the 3rd set so I wouldn't have to do any more.

    RDL: 285x2x8 No idea if this is helping or not... I moved deadlifts to intensity day because I was too exhausted after squats to do them, but then I was too exhausted to do PCs so I subbed them out for RDLs... which... like I can do them fine, but not sure if they help me all that much. Whatever, as long as DL keeps going up, I'm not gonna fuck around with programming.

  4. #4
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    Feb 2012
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    Intensity day:

    Squat 375x3 - felt pretty easy, but should since I'm working my way back up. Probably try for 385 next week, then continue breaking new ground after that.

    Press 160x2 then 160x3. Missed the last rep on my first try, but then gave it another shot. Last rep was a grind but made it.

    Deadlift 405x3.

  5. #5
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    Feb 2012
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    Volume bench day. Two weeks ago 205 went up like a charm, and two weeks before that 200 was easy.

    Today:

    Attempted bench 210 5x5 and managed 4x5x5x4x3. fml. Nutrition and recovery have been on point for the last month, and all my previous presses and benches for the last month have flown up. I'm a bit hungover today, so maybe that's it? Never been a problem in the past though... I'm considering just redoing my bench next week and trying again. I kind of anticipate my intensity day will suck too since it's on my shortchange day for work and I'll have 4-5 hours sleep, but who can fucking predict what my bench will decide to do. I guess my plan is to re-evaluate on Saturday after I see how intensity goes.

    Chin ups: 8x8x6. Not bad. Only a net increase of 1 rep, but getting 8 reps twice isn't so bad. Chin ups seem to be improving steadily ever since my weight stopped increasing at such a fast rate. Probably makes sense.

    Tomorrow is volume squat day. I'm hoping a car hits me sometime today so I don't have to do them. Fuuuuuuuuucccckkkkkk

  6. #6
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    Squat 335x5x5. Actually not too bad.

    Didn't do the RDLs cuz fuck them. Might start doing back-off sets instead after my intensity deadlifts.

  7. #7
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    Jul 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by brettj View Post
    Squat 335x5x5. Actually not too bad.

    Didn't do the RDLs cuz fuck them. Might start doing back-off sets instead after my intensity deadlifts.
    Hello, always good to start logging. I've had some good results with DOH backoff sets after my work set.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mugaaz View Post
    Hello, always good to start logging. I've had some good results with DOH backoff sets after my work set.
    Cool! Thanks man, I think that might be my exact plan...

  9. #9
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    Feb 2012
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    Intensity day:

    Squat 385x3

    Bench 225x2x2 (tried for three reps but not happening...)

    Deadlift 410x3 then backoff set 287x5 DOH. Backoff set seemed pretty easy, prolly shoot for more next time
    Last edited by brettj; 10-01-2016 at 07:47 PM. Reason: hit post too soon

  10. #10
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    Feb 2012
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    starting strength coach development program
    Did some 3x5s today because of THROWBACK THURSDAY#####. Actually I've been sick in bed the last three days and missed my volume days. Today I dragged my ass out of bed to the gym with the goal of doing enough volume that I don't regress and can jump back into things next week. Headed there without much of a plan and ended up doing this:

    Press: 150 4x5x5
    Squat: 325x5 335x5 340x5

    Was going to try to get some chinups in too, but after my second set of squats I started to increasingly feel like I was going to throw up, and after managing my third set I decided not to push my luck.

    Anyways, hopefully that was enough volume that I don't completely detrain, but that I can still manage to deadlift on Saturday and carry on normally after that.

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