Mood Machine

[tamiki]

I'm 25 years old, 5' 5" and 237 pounds.

From age 14 to 20, I was always between 165 and 175 pounds. I lifted a bit in high school, but never got my squat over 280, and my bench over 165. Around 21, I started putting on a lot of weight. At 22 I was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital (not a very nice one either). I spent two years there and was released October 2009. Between the overeating, laziness, and medication my weight went up to 260 lbs by the time I was discharged. I was extremely out of shape, and I'd estimate my bodyfat to be between 30%-40%.

In December, I cleaned up my diet and started circuit training. I was eating around 1,800 calories (I know this is a small amount) spread over 5 meals, one every 3 hours. I kept a log and I ate really well - no sugar, low GI carbs, plenty of veggies (didn't really do fruit), fish, goat, chicken. I'd estimate that my diet was roughly 50% carb, 30% protein, 20% fat. I did this for about 4-5 weeks.

At the same time, I joined a gym and starting doing circuit training (didn't know about SS, yet) 4 days a week. It was almost all dumbbell and bodyweight exercises (a lot of pulling, some pressing, bw squats, lunges, hyperextensions, etc..). I would pick a weight that only allowed me to get the 8 or 12 reps I wanted to do. I got a heart rate monitor, and the average workout, including 10 minute warm-up, was done with an average heart rate of around 140bpm, and a peak around 165bpm.

I lost 15 pounds during this 4-5 week period, plus I feel like the work outs helped with my mood.

Then my medication got changed in early January, and my appetite was destroyed. I couldn't get my meals in, and I wound up only eating around 2 big, unhealthy meals a day, and maybe some junk. I don't think I was consuming an excess of calories, but more than 1,800. Around the same time, my gym got a power rack and I started squatting (sets of 12 reps at first). Slowly, I stopped doing the circuit and did more strength lifts.

This continued for about 6-7 weeks, during which time I took 2 weeks off from lifting because my mood was shit (I know, i'm a wuss). I lost an additional 5 or 6 pounds.

Earlier this week, I started to clean up my diet again. I don't feel like eating regularly, so I just force myself to get it in there. I'm doing 1,800 calories again over 5 meals, but a friend recommended that I do 50% protein, 25% carbs, and 25% fat. So far, I've been relying on a good cereal, multi-grain bread and fiber/cereal bars for carbs. Whey protein powder for protein, and peanut butter, avocado and olive oil for fat. I'm slowly working in a more robust variety of real food, and I'm trying to get real meat, chicken and fish back in there.

On Thursday, I decided to ditch the circuit training, and do SS altogether. I also joined an Olympic Weightlifting program, so I'm doing barbell rows instead of cleans on that day. I'm lifting Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, with back squat on Tu, Th, and front squat on Sat. And I'll be deadlifting with a Olympic style stance/set up.

[tamiki]

Right now I'm at:

Tuesday 03/02/10
Press; sets across - 105 x 3 x 5

Thursday 03/04/10
Back Squat; sets across - 225 x 3 x 5
Bench Press; sets across - 150 x 3 x 5
Deadlift - 285 x 1 x 5

[tamiki]

Saturday 03/06/10

Went to olympic lifting today. Still learning the lifts, but I hang cleaned 50 kg for sets across 3 x 3 fairly easily.

Front Squat; sets across - 165 x 3 x 5
Press; sets across - 110 x 3 x 5
Barbell Row; sets across - 105 x 3 x 8

[Dastardly]

Wow, I find your background story very interesting. Well done on getting through involuntary confinement. I know various people (including my mother) who have been on heavy psychiatric medication so have seen just how rapidly they can cause people to put on heaps of fat. The kind of weight gain seems to also be similar to "cushings sydrome" (muscle wastage & big belly) which is caused by excessive cortisol, I am guessing the drugs fuck with your hormones somehow.

In terms of your training you seem to be attempting too much at once. You should read the books and all that people like Rip, starr and Justin lascek(70's big .com) have to say about training. You need to keep it simple and get strong first.

I realise you are not a piss weak beginner, your bodyweight and previous experience is helping push some weight. But bear in mind that you are only doing roughly bodyweight back squats. An olympic weightlifter should be moving multiples of this.

You need to do raw SS for a while, get your technique solid for basic lifts, recompose your BF to muscle ratio and milk the linear progression till you ar moving moving more like 400lb on your squat.

Proper weightlifting training in conjunction with SS is too much, at least for now. The power cleans in SS should be all you need for the time being to prep you for with some specifity to olympic lifts.

If you are dead keen on doing weightlifting and novice strength training simultaneously, perhaps you should find programming that bridges them instead of doing two comprehensive demanding programs simultaneously.

I also noticed that you said you were deadlifting with an "olympic stance" - there is no such thing. A deadlift is a deadlift. Many weightlifters clean with hips low and a greater shin angle to get more momentum into the bar and to be in a better position for the latter part of the pull. This is irrelevant for deadlifting maximal loads.

[tamiki]

Dastardly, thanks for the reply!

I know I should be squatting more - it's a work in progress.

I do see your point, and at some juncture I am going to change my routine. I thought about only doing SS until I change my body comp and gain strength, before I start Olympic lifting. But I'm unemployed and I have to put structure into my day to build a routine (and it generally makes my life more enjoyable, making new friends, etc.).

I have priorities and they are: lose bodyfat, gain strength, get good at Olympic lifting - in that order. I figure my linear progression is slower right now, but will be faster once my body composition changes and I start eating more.

I'm going to stop here, because I don't want to be the douchebag who reads a reply to his thread and starting ripping the person who was kind enough to offer sincere advice.

[tamiki]

Tuesday 03/09/10

Back Squat; sets across - 235 x 3 x 5
Bench Press; sets across - 155 x 3 x 5
Deadlift - 295 x 1 x 2

I had a problem with the deadlift: I kept losing my grip on the bar on the overhand/pronated hand. I do all my warm ups with both hands overhand, but alternate them on the work set.

I'm guessing the solution is to lower my work set weight until I can grip the bar. Unless anyone else has any tips.

[tamiki]

Okay, Dastardly is 100% right. So I spoke to my Olympic lifting coach, and he recommended:

Squat:
Day 1: 1 set of 5 reps instead of sets across 3 x 5
Day 2: sets across 3 x 5 at 85% of day 1
Day 3: front squat sets across 3 x 3

I'm also going to only deadlift once a week, same 1 x5

And I've upped my calorie intake by a few hundred to around 2000-2100. Roughly the same ratio - 2p:1c:1f.

[imnotbncre8ive]

For what it's worth, I wish you the best of luck in your goals! I am too big a newb to comment on your program so I usually troll the off-topic threads.

[tamiki]

For what it's worth, I wish you the best of luck in your goals! I am too big a newb to comment on your program so I usually troll the off-topic threads.

Thanks.

Thursday 03/11/10

Back Squat; sets across - 235 x 3 x 5
Press; sets across - 115 x 3 x 5
Barbell Row; sets across - 135 x 3 x 8

A week and two days ago, I weighed in at 237. Yesterday and today, I weighed in at 239, but I haven't eaten more than 2200 calories in any one day in this period.

[tamiki]

Saturday 03/13/10 - Weight: 239 lbs

Front Squat; sets across - 170 x 3 x 3
Bench Press; sets across - 165 x 5; 165 x 4; 165 x 5
Deadlift - 255 x 1 x 5

I missed the 5th rep in the 2nd set of bench press due to poor concentration.

I'm going to start posting my workouts once a week so that all three are together.

I'm also changing my diet to get more of my carbs in early in the day and less at night.