Welcome aboard Megabreth! Looking forward to seeing your progress on here.
I've decided to quit lurking around this magnificent forum and start posting.
A brief history:
I was a skinny-fat lard Marine for several years until somebody introduced @fit to me. I did it for two years and loved it...until I realized that in two years' time, I started AND ended at 6'1, 170 lbs. Bullcrap! And I was still very under-strong. At the tail end of that two years, I bought Starting Strength and started reading it because I knew it would teach me how to lift properly.
I soon quit my @fit membership and dove into the SS novice program. In three months I gained 22 lbs, wtf!I've also decided that I love the feeling of straining, grunting, and moaning to lift a new PR on a regular basis--something I didn't experience at @fit. Plus I've never been a huge fan of cardio.
In my next post, I'll paste my lifting history so far, then in subsequent posts I will make regular updates.
Welcome aboard Megabreth! Looking forward to seeing your progress on here.
3/12/2010: Squat 95lbs x 3 x 5, Bench Press 105x3x5, Deadlift 135x1x5
3/15/2010: Squat 115x3x5, Press 65x3x5, Power Clean 65x5x3
3/17/2010: S 125x3x5, BP 110x3x5, DL 165x1x5
3/22/2010: S 135x3x5, P 70x3x5, PC 75x5x3
3/24/2010: S 145x3x5, BP 120x3x5, DL 185x1x5
3/26/2010: S 155x3x5, P 75x3x5, PC 95x5x3
3/29/2010: S 165x3x5, BP 125x3x5, DL 200x1x5
3/31/2010: S 175x3x5, P 80x3x5, PC 105x5x3
--from here on out, I stopped getting perfect 3x5 sets across--
4/2/2010: S 185x5/3/3, BP 135x5/3/3, DL 215x5
4/5/2010: S 185x5/4/3, P 85x5/5/5, PC 115x3/3/3/3/3
4/7/2010: S 185x5/5/5, BP 135x5/5/5, DL 255x5
4/13/2010: S 190x5/5/5, P 90x5/5/5, PC 125x3/3/3/3/3
4/15/2010: S 195x5/5/5, BP 140x5/5/5, DL 240x5
4/17/2010: S 200x5/5/5, P 95x5/5/5, PC 135x3/3/3/3/3
4/21/2010: S 205x3/3/2, BP 145x4/3/3, DL 255x5
4/26/2010: S 205x5/5/3, P 100x5/5/5, PC 145x3/3/3/3/3
--from here on out, I decided to add pull-ups to workout A and chins to workout B--
4/28/2010: S 205x5/5/3, BP 145x5/5/5, DL 270x5, Pull-ups 3/2/2
--reset on the squat--
4/30/2010: S 185x5/5/5, P 105x5/5/5, PC 155x3/3/3/3/3, Chin-ups 3/3/2
5/3/2010: S 190x5/5/5, BP 150x5/5/5, DL 280x4, PU 3/2/2
5/7/2010: S 195x5/5/5, P 110x4/5/5, PC 160x5/5/5/5/5, CU 4/4/4
5/11/2010: S 200x5/5/5, BP 155x5/5/5, DL 280x5, PU 3/3/3
5/13/2010: S 205x5/5/5, P 115x5/5/4, PC 165x3/3/3/3/3, CU 5/5/4
5/18/2010: S 210x5/5/5, BP 160x5/5/5, DL 285x5, PU 4/4/4
5/20/2010: S 215x5/5/4, P 120x5/5/-, PC 175x3/3/3/3/3, CU 5/5/5
6/1/2010: S 215x4/3/2, BP 155x5/5/5, DL 280x5, PU 4/4/4
6/4/2010: S 205x5/4/3 and go home in disgust
6/7/2010: S 205x5/5/5, P 125x5/5/4, PC 165x3/3/3/3/3, CU 6/6/4
6/9/2010: S 210x5/5/5, BP 160x5/5/5, DL 290x5, PU 5/5/5
--took some time off due to time (read: sleep) and budget (read: food) issues. Apparently raising a six-month-old infant isn't easy or cheap.--
6/26/2010: S 185x5/5/5, BP 145x5/5/5, DL 260x5, PU 6/6/6
6/29/2010: S 190x5/5/5, P 115x5/4/4, PC 150x3/3/3/3/3
7/1/2010: S 195x5/5/5, BP 150x5/5/5, DL 265x5, PU 6/6/5
7/6/2010: S 205x5/5/4, P 120x5/4/5, DL 275x5, CU 5/5/-
7/8/2010: S 210x5/5/4, BP 155x5/5/5, PC 155x3/3/3/3/3, CU 7/7/-
--at this time, I got to the point in Practical Programming where I found out that I might be overtraining in my squats. From here on out I decided to make Wednesday my "light" day for my squats.
7/10/2010: Front Squat 105x5/5/5, P 120x4/2/2, DL 280x5, PU 6/6/6
--when I couldn't press properly, I realized that front squats were a terrible idea for my subsequent bench/press movements. On my next light squat day, I will deload 80% like the book says to do. Lesson learned.--
7/12/2010: S 215x5/5/5, BP 160x5/5/5, PC 160x3/3/3/3/3, CU 8/7/3
Thanks, gamedog! I look forward to taking a ton of knowledge from this commmunity, and hopefully giving some back as well.
7/14/2010
Bodyweight: 183 lbs
Squat: 170x5/5/5
Press: 120x4/4/3
Deadlift: 285x5
Pull-ups: 6/6/4
I stepped on the scale today and was extremely dismayed at the fact that I've lost 2 pounds this week, on top of losing 6 pounds earlier two weeks ago due to illness. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out I'm not eating enough--and that's because I'm not hungry enough to eat enough (oh no, not this crap again!) So, I'm making the commitment to eat faster; and so far today, for the most part, it's allowing me to eat more food. I'll continue with this practice and re-introduce myself to GOMAD in the next day or two.
Today was a light squat day, and I was able to bust through those with no problem. The press gave me trouble for the third time, so I'll deload when I go in next Monday. I'm also going to micro-load my press. Unfortunately, I went to Ace hardware and couldn't find oversized washers. I found chains, but had no way to weigh them (you'd think they'd have scales to weigh things like a bag of nuts or bolts, wouldn't you?). So on Monday methinks I'll use a string or small rope to hang a 2.5 lb plate from the middle of my bar, and hope it doesn't smack me in the face on the way up. I bet it will.
If anyone reading this has any advice, please feel free to tell me I'm acting like a n00b and guide me to the right path in my little crisis here.![]()
7/16/2010
Bodyweight: 186 lbs
My son was sick two days ago. Now I feel sick. Unfortunately, this happens all too often because he regularly attends a daycare.
Last night I took a couple doses of NyQuil and slept about 12 hours. I packed my gym bag this morning anyway in the hopes that I'll feel well enough to lift this afternoon.
Looking at your log I see you upped the weight on presses a number of times following workouts where you missed a rep or two. I did the same thing, and I think I am paying for it now - stuck at 115.
When I had my first squat failure at 195, dropped back to 185 and focused on form, and I'm up to 240 now with zero issues - so hopefully can have the same success on press. Good luck.
Noted. Thank you!
God damned daycare! Those places are like little clandestine laboratories where they weaponize pink eye and the common cold LOL!!!
Good luck today at the gym! And keep that cold or whateveritis at bay! ... I use Jagermeister and a bed time of 7:30/8PM in cases like that...
No kidding! In about two weeks I'll be quitting my job and doing the stay-at-home dad thing for a bit, and see if that makes any difference.
Unfortunately, I did not make it to the gym yesterday--and it's a good thing I didn't. I could barely eat dinner. And despite taking an hour-long nap at noon, I still passed out at like 7.
Jager, huh? Although I'm not partial to the stuff, I wouldn't mind some scotch or gin before bed on a sick day. I've been considering it, in fact. Thanks! I'll take a shot or two before taking another nap today, and hopefully make it to the gym tonight.