Seriously, no yoke! Bahadur's really got a training log!

[Bahadur]

Everyone seems to be doing these logs, so I guess I'll jump in. I figure its a way to hold myself accountable in public, in a way my personal training notebook can't do.

So background is in order. I'm a 36 yo male, 5'11'', 200 lb. Fooled around with crappy body-building splits since I was 19 and never gained any muscular body weight. Discovered SS in summer 2009. Was progressing on it, but developed horrible shoulder pain from the LB position, so I proceeded w/o squats, working on my flexibility. Did ok.
Retried the LB squats about 5-6 months ago and aggressively stretched my shoulder. Didn't get the shoulder pain until I got to about 150lb, then it came back with a venegance. Decided to give up LB squats and do HB squats. No big deal, as I don't plan to enter a PL competition or anything....yet.

I will admit vanity is my main 'goal'. I want to be really muscular, but more importantly, I want to actually be able to move a lot of weight. I don't care about getting cut or abs, but at the same time, I don't want to look sloppy.

I'm doing a bastardized LP program. Essentially trying to increase my HB squats via LP, except more of a Texas method. The numbers are low, but I get knee pain from the HB. heard that 'older' trainees might benefit from less frequent squatting. So I'm doing HB squats with LP 1 workout, then front squats the following workout, then HB squats again.
Can't 'clean' because of crap inflexibility which prevents a decent rack position. I would hate to reverse curl a clean because I can't rack, so I do power snatches instead. I am trying to work on wrist flexibility, if anything to help with the rack for front squats.
Lastly, I want to fold in some hypertrophy work. Not a lot, but some.

My program I've been following the past 2 months looks like this:

Workout A
HB squat 5 x 3
Snatches 3 x 5
Hypertrophy work (either press or bench) 3 x 10-15 with no more than 2 min rest
Chins

Workout B
Fronts squats
Deadlift/Rack Pull
Weighted dips 5 x 4
Curls 3 x 10-15

Workout C
HB squats 5 x 3
Starr Shrugs
Hypertrophy work (the alternate movement of workout A)
Chins

I'll be frank; I want a massive yoke. Short term goal I set is to be about to HB squat 225 for reps by March, and drop my gut to a size 34 pant size (currently a 36).
Other goals are to be able to snatch at least 135 for reps. Keep pushing the deadlift to 400 lb.

[Bahadur]

Today's workout

HB Squat
210 x 5 x 3
These felt hard, but I notice the 'hard' part is the breathing- 1st 2 reps I can get in 1 breath. Thereafter I have to refill with air for each subsequent rep. I'm huffing and puffing by the 5th rep.

Snatches
100 x 3 x 5
I need to post a video one of these days. Not sure about my form (essentially I learned the movement via Rips 15 min video, as well as Staley's article on T-nation). Want to get some bumpers soon, if anything just to be able to pull from a slightly higher vantage point.

Bench
155 x 13, 11, 8

Chins
BW x 9, 10

Workout music. Old school Metallica, off Master of Puppets.

Overall, felt great. I think the squats are so damn psychological. I have to psyche myself up for every 'heavy' squat workout by watching a crapload of youtube videos of good squatters (like Pat Mendes).

[Mark E. Hurling]

Welcome to public scrutiny Bahadur. Good luck with your lifting and progress. But 36, older? Well I guess in the relative sense, but anyway, less frequency on the really big lifts like squats and deadlifts is probably a good idea for almost all of us but the real newbies. Glad you're here.

[Bahadur]

Welcome to public scrutiny Bahadur. Good luck with your lifting and progress. But 36, older? Well I guess in the relative sense, but anyway, less frequency on the really big lifts like squats and deadlifts is probably a good idea for almost all of us but the real newbies. Glad you're here.

Thanks, I'll be here all week! Try the veal!

Seriously, I guess 36 yo isn't really older, but compared to some of these whipper-snappers around here, it sure seems it. I remember being in my early 20's and being able to do all manner of jackassery and not have to pay the price. If only I had discovered this then, or heck, even learned that I need to eat A LOT OF PROTEIN while I was doing the Muscle&Fitness crap. I'd be ahead of the game.

[Mark E. Hurling]

You are truly a man of wisdom who has spoken the Truth. Weider & Co. have always been the spawn of the Evil One in their promulgation of bad information.

[MazdaMatt]

It seems to me that if you spread out your breathing you wouldn't be huffing and puffing on the fifth. There's no reason to do the first two in one breath. Take a quick "sip" of air at least.

[Bahadur]

12-29-2010

C2 Rower
1500M at ~50% tension: 11:01 minutes.

Treadmill at 5% incline and 3.5 mph for 15 minutes.

Just some light cardio today. No intervals at jumping rope as I am post-call today and exhausted. Plus I like doing the C2 rower. As others have stated, I feel it has some recuperative effects.

[Bahadur]

12-30-2010

Front Squats
warm-up sets
95 x 5 x 3
This is only the 2nd time I've ever done front squats, so I am starting low and gonna work up. Since I can't rack a clean, I have to do the dreaded crossed arm position to hold the bar. We shall see how that progresses once the weight gets heavier.


Weighted Dips
BW (200lb) + 37.5 lb x 5 x 4

Rack Pulls
Warm ups
315 x 4 x 2

Barbell Curls
85 x 13, 13
Rested 2 minutes between sets given this is for vanity/hypertrophy. It feels sinful doing this in the squat rack, but I can do whatever I want since its my garage!

The 315 lbs was all the weight I have. Seriously. When I purchased all my equipment off Craigslist, that's all that I bought at the time. However gonna pick up a pair of 45lbs tomorrow after work, from another Craigslister. May pick up more from the guy.

Workout music was Guided By Voices from The Best of Guided by Voices. Yeah, I know, best of albums are lame, but I was in a hurry.

[Bahadur]

Ugh. New Years Eve we went to our temple (a gurudwara, for those in the know) for midnight kirtan and fireworks. Didn't get back home until 2 AM. Woke up New Years Day at 7 AM (small kids, remember?). Kids are amazing....no matter what time they go to sleep (in this case, about 1 AM) they wake up like clock-work at 7 AM. So NYD was essentially WORSE than being post-call, so I didn't workout. Crap. Then today I went to work from 7A-2P, came home and had to watch the kids while wife worked out. Then she wanted to take the kids for dinner at a hibachi place. Didn't get home until 830, so missed another workout.
So it wouldn't be a complete wash, ended up going into the garage and doing some conditioning. Jump-rope tabata intervals, followed by a quick bike ride around the block and some stretching for the squats.

Don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, just got a little off track for the holiday. Plus side? Got some steak hibachi for dinner, and overall a good eating day with protein.

Back to a M/W/F lifting schedule this week. Tomorrow is 'heavy' squats. Never attempted 215 HB Squats, and a little nervous/excited.

[Ian Kovtunovich]

Dang it! I just replied to your last post, asking about how Sikh-y you are (knife-carrying, head-wrapping type of Sikh?), and commiserating about being a mid-30s parent with lifting scheduled around life, and kids being up early regardless of bedtime, and my internet connection hiccupped and I lost the whole thing. It was too long, anyway. Bottom line was hang in there and keep fitting in the lifting when you can, and don't worry about having a less than perfect schedule. Gains will come.