SeanThornton gets back in fighting shape!
(Title is a reference to my favorite movie... you can call me Bob)
Hey guys! New SS beginner here, and starting a log, so you can all offer advice, track my progress, and mock me when appropriate :) I've put up a general post in the Geezer forum, you can see that here: http://startingstrength.com/resource...ml#post1131199
A little background info:
Age - 51
Height - 5' 9"
Weight - been running ~183-184 the last couple of months
I work out at home (just put a home gym together the beginning of this month), usually at about 9:30-10pm. I'd like to work out earlier, but that's when I have time, so that's it for now. Of course, this also keeps from getting as much sleep as is required by "the program", but for now, that's the way it is.
Nutrition: I probably should be eating more, but I loathe counting calories, so we'll see how it goes. I did start drinking whole milk a couple weeks ago (never been a milk drinker, but I hate low fat/no fat milk), just 1-2 glasses a day. I'm too old and too fat for GOMAD, and for now, I'd like to just turn some of the fat into muscle, before I worry about adding weight. No idea what my body fat % is. I do know that I've been eating more than normal the last three weeks or so, and drinking the whole milk, and I haven't gained any weight, so I'm definitely lifting/exercising enough to keep from getting too "fluffy".
Anyway, on to the fun.....
Workout #1: 6/7/15
Weight 183.3, workout took 1:15
Squats: no bar x 5 (practising form), 45 x 5, 65 x 5, 85 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 5 x 3
Just followed the book here, to find out the initial weight to use for work sets. Did 115, and said to myself, I can go more. And then, as I was adding weight, remembered that once you found your weight, you had to do two more sets! So I set the weights back to 115, and did two more sets, cause I was getting tired!
Bench: 45 x 5 x 2, 65 x 5, 75 x 5, 85 x 5 x 3
It felt like I had VERY little bar control.
Deadlift: 35 x 5 (using an aluminum 15# bar), 65 x 5, 95 x 5, 125 x 5
Was just basically pooped after the 125s, and felt like there may have been some back rounding at the end of that set, so called it a night.
Workout #1 done !!!
Off day: 6/8/15
Went on a 1.8 mile run, getting ready for a 5K on the 13th.
Workout #2: 6/9/15
Weight 183.3, 6.5 hours sleep, workout took 1:00. Also videotaped this workout, and all subsequent workouts)
Squats: 45 x 5 x 2, 65 x 5, 85 x 3, 105 x 2, 125 x 5 x 3 (actually 125 x 5,6,5)
Added 10# for the worksets, per the program. Went brain dead and did an extra rep on the second set. Video showed I was looking out, not down, and wasn't going as deep as I thought (just above parallel, instead of just below)
OHP: 45 x 5, 55 x 5, 65 x 5, 75 x 5 x 3
This was Press 2.0, per SSBBT 3rd edition. At least it was supposed to be. Video shows no hip bounce, and it's a very unnatural form for me. This one will be tough to improve. Also, video showed grip was too wide.
DL: 65 x 5 x 2, 85 x 5, 105 x 3, 120 x 2, 140 x 5
Added 15# for the worksets. No problems, video showed good form.
Off day: 6/10/15
Went on a 2.7 mile run, prepping for the 5K on the 13th.
Workout #3: 6/11/15
Weight 181.8 (lowest for me in probably 12-15 years!), 7 hours sleep, workout took 1:00
Squats: 45 x 5 x 2, 70 x 5, 90 x 3, 115 x 2, 140 x 5 x 3
Added 15# for the worksets. Only intended to add 10#, just screwed up. Video showed I was STILL looking out, not down, and still not quite getting deep enough (looked about exactly parallel to me). Also had a strange pain in my lower right leg, just above the ankle, on the inside. Mostly on the early warmup sets, seemed to ease up as I increased the weights.
Bench: 45 x 5 x 2, 60 x 5, 70 x 3, 85 x 2, 95 x 5 x 3
Added 10# for the worksets. Still felt incredibly shakey, but looking at the video, it didn't look that bad, so apparently it's not the bar, it's me (to paraphrase George Costanza). Also, per the program, I should have just added 5#, not 10#.
DL: 65 x 5 x 2, 90 x 5, 110 x 3, 135 x 2, 155 x 5
Added 15# for the worksets. No problems.
Off day: 6/12/15
Really, a complete off day this time :)
Off day: 6/13/15
Ran my 5K race. 30:25, for a 9:30 pace, best 5K in a very long time, and 7+ minutes better than the same race last year!
I've decided that I'll just run on off days maybe once a week, and do something else for conditioning on the other off days. The running is a bit much for me, as it impacts recovery too much.
Workout #4: 6/14/15
Weight: 183.8, 8.5 hours sleep, workout took 1:15
Squats: 45 x 5 x 2, 70 x 5, 100 x 3, 125 x 2, 150 x 5 x 3 (rests were 3:10 and 3:28, probably not long enough)
Added 10# to worksets. Video shows I was looking down to the correct spot, and I was definitely parallel most reps, with a few being below parallel. Note that I'm now tracking rests between worksets, getting it off of the video after the fact.
OHP: 45 x 5 x 2, 55 x 5, 65 x 3, 75 x 2, 85 x 3, 80 x 5,4 (rests were 4:10, 3:29)
OK, here's where going up 10#, and not 5#, killed me. I just couldn't do 85 for 5 reps. Form still kills me, cause the whole hip bounce thing is so unnatural. Backed off to 80# for second and third sets, but still was one rep short at the end. I'll repeat 80# for the next OHP workout. Also video, still showed my grip was too wide. It might be that my forearms are too long relative to my upper arms (Rip talks about this in the book). So I'll have to review the chapter and see how I need to adjust. One other item of note... SSBBT says usually OHP starting weight will be about 50-70% of bench starting weight, and I started at 75 and 85, respectively (12% less). So, perhaps my OHP was a bit strong already relative to my bench, and I'll have to take it slow for now.
DL: 75 x 5 x 2, 100 x 5, 125 x 3, 145 x 2, 170 x 4
Added 15# to worksets. No problems to speak of, except video review showed I only did 4 reps on the workset!!! Earth to Bob, wake up moron! Seriously, I didn't even know until I watched the video two days later! So next workout, I'll just add 5#, since I didn't get all of these reps in. The other remark is, this was the first DL workout that really felt HEAVY.
Off day: 6/15/15
A complete off day
Workout #5: 6/16/15
Weight 183.1, 5.5 hours sleep, workout took 1:10
Squats: 45 x 5 x 2, 75 x 5, 105 x 3, 130 x 2, 160 x 5 x 3 (rests were 4:21, 5:20)
Added 10# to worksets. Got below parallel on almost all reps (maybe 2 or 3 of the workset reps were just parallel). A coworker who's done SS told me last week, once the weight gets high enough, getting low won't be a problem, it's the getting back up that will be tough! Sure enough, this was the first squat workout that really taxed me. I was breathing very hard at the end.
Bench: 45 x 5 x 2, 60 x 5, 75 x 3, 85 x 2, 100 x 5 x 3 (rests were 6:16, 5:00)
Added just 5# to worksets this time. Still felt a bit shakey on the reps, but definitely improving. Could definitely keep increasing the weight.
DL: 75 x 5 x 2, 100 x 5, 125 x 3, 150 x 2, 175 x 5
Added only 5# to worksets, after my screwup last time. No issues this time, with form or # of reps ;) Only comment is, man this was heavy!
This was the first workout that I finished drained. Put butter on me, I was toast!
Off day: 6/17/15
A complete off day. As in, come home, eat dinner, fall asleep in front of the TV. Totally drained.
Workout #6: 6/18/15
Weight: 183.5, 7 hours sleep, workout took 1:17
Squats: 45 x 5 x 2, 75 x 5, 105 x 3, 135 x 2, 165 x 5 x 3 (rests were 6:32, 6:28)
Added 5# to worksets, as they are getting much tougher to do. First set was very grindy, second set a little less so, and third set was the best. Definitely have to rest more now that the weights are increasing.
OHP: 45 x 4,5 (brain dead again), 55 x 5, 65 x 3, 70 x 2, 80 x 5,5,4 (rests were 4:59, 5:35)
No weight added from last time due to failure. Came much closer this time, only missing last rep. Could have sworn I was resting about 7 minutes, so apparently I tell time bad :( That might have made the difference. However, all three sets were super grindy, so it was just ugly all around. Interestingly, a couple reps from the first two sets, and one rep on the last popped right up, so when the form works, it's much easier! Will keep the weights at 80# next time again, and will crush it then.
DL: 75 x 5 x 2, 105 x 5, 130 x 3, 160 x 2, 185 x 5
Added 10# from last time. My first BW lift!!! Looking at the tape, form was good, and reps were not grindy, but holy cow these were hard lifts! Will have to consider whether I will add 10# next time, or only 5#.
This workout left me very drained, just like the last one.
Off day: 6/19/15
Doing nothing today, unless we all go for a bike ride tonight, but that won't be especially taxing for me. However, unlike two days ago, I've recovered much better from last night's workout.
Bob