Recreational Lifting with Misanthrope
Figured I might as well have a journal here and do my part in helping to keep the place active. I'm known to be fairly long-winded, so I'll try to keep this as brief as possible.
Introduction
Name: Matt
Age: 25
Height: 5'11
Weight: 210-215
Body fat: Yes
I began lifting in January of '06. I spent a number of months improvising and trying a couple of different programs, unsure of what I should be doing. After devoting a lot of time reading and research, I began to get a better handle on what I was doing. In July of '06 I began the now infamous "Starting Strength" program. This lasted 20 weeks and finally ended in November. My lifts were absolutely horrible when I began this program. Although they were still far from respectable by the end of it, I had made some good improvements, nonetheless. I finsihed off the year with a Starr 5x5 program.
In January of '07 I began an Iron Addict program that I made little progress with. I became increasingly interested in experimenting and trying new things in a better effort to design my own training plans rather than follow a cookie cutter designed by someone else. I've spent the rest of this year experimenting with upper/lower splits to mixed results. It has been a great learning process for me, as each adjustment worked better than the last.
I've been using my current format since May/June. It has been by far the most productive for me, as I am getting a better idea of what makes me tick. My current BB.com journal has been active since January. It can be found at this link: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1006795
I will post all four sessions of my most recent microcycle to give new readers a good idea of how my training looks at the moment.
Current Lifts
My lifts are still weak by weight lifting standards, but I've been making tremendous headway over the last few months. I see no reason to list them here since they will be posted in my workout logs for everyone to see. Although I've been lifting consistently for a year, I consider myself a begginer. I'm inching closer and close to what I would consider intermediate status for me.
Training Goals
One point I want to make very clear is that I consider myself a recreational lifter. I have no interest or intention of competing in bodybuilding or powerlifting. My goal is simply to become bigger, stronger, and to feel good and lead a healthy lifestyle. Also, while I consider lifting to be an important part of my life, it is not my entire life. I have no target bodyweight or bodyfat percentage I am shooting for. I just want to look in the mirror and be satisfied with what I see. I also try to avoid getting caught up in chasing numbers. I prefer to measure progress from workout to workout, and then see how I have improved over time. Most importantly, I want to continue to learn as much as I can. I am never satisfied with how much I know, thus I am always striving to improve my knowledge.
I'm sure there are other things I could discuss, but I'm tired of typing and most of you have probably stopped reading by now anyway. :)
I'll copy and paste my last week of workouts from my BB.com journal.