Penske's File

[PenskeFile]

I just noticed these log forums and realized what a great way this could be to track progress and get feedback. Here is some background (this was posted in another thread in Programming, but I think there is a shadowban kind of thing going on there. I noticed that the thread does not appear when I am not logged in, but does appear when I am logged in)


I am a 48 year old male who is 6-1 and weighs 273 pounds. I've been a fairly athletic person for most of my life and enjoy playing many sports including tennis, basketball and softball, all of which I have played off and on for pretty much my whole adult life.

About 10 years ago, I dropped my weight from 265 to 225 by eating Paleo (for the most part), lifting weights and getting very active with hiking, biking and playing sports. Then my eating deteriorated and my weight crept back up to about 250 over the period of a year. About a year after that, I had a fall on a slippery soccer field while helping my sons team warm up for a game and ruptured my right quadriceps tendon. That threw me for a loop and my weight ballooned up to as high as 290 where it had been until Jan of this year. I had to get a physical for my insurance at work and found that my blood sugar was 257mg/dl and BP was 140/90. A classic case of Metabolic Syndrome for sure.

I immediately began eating low-carb and "exercising" (per Rip's definition) and this had a quick positive effect on my glucose, BP and I dropped over ten pounds in a month. On another unrelated forum, there was some discussion of strength training and someone mentioned StrongLifts. I checked it out and immediately fell in love with the program. Like many others, that quickly led me here and I have bought and read the latest edition of SS and am working my way through MOMG. Along the way, I ditched my old Golds Gym Power Axis Smith machine and installed a proper power rack in my garage and bought a Schwinn Airdyne AD2 for conditioning.

My recent glucose levels have been pretty good, many mornings less than 100 and mostly <100 throughout the day. BP is around 125/70 but my weight has been stuck at 273 now for over a month. I get that this should be the expectation. I recall Rip saying that you should expect your weight to not move if you're a fatty like me, but start to see your clothes loosen. That's EXACTLY what has happened for me as I have moved from XXL to XL shirts/shorts and 42 pants to 40

I LOVE lifting weights though and would much rather spend an hour doing that than any other form of exercise. So I am going to stick with that for as long as linear progression will take me. Andy Baker suggested working out 4 times a week on an upper/lower split basis, so that's what I started about a week ago. I purchases the SS app, but since I'm not on the traditional program, I don't think I can use it (without a lot of tweaking of settings, if at all) so I'll use this thread to document my lifts. I had been using a Microsoft OneNote, but I can copy the three entries into here and just use this going forward.

[PenskeFile]

4/16
Sq 3x5 185.
OHP 3x5 110

4/19
BP 3x5 135 wu 45. 95 115
DL 1x5 225. wu 135. 185
BB Curl 3x10 70 wu 45. Hard. Add 2 pounds next time

4/21
Sq 3x5 190. wu 95,135,
Also did 5x5 225 for PR
OHP 3x5 115 wu 45,75
PC 3x5 95. No warmup. Learning form. Don't jump (I was leaving the floor...) elbows in, triple extension. Ankles knees hips

4/23
BP wu 65 95 120 3x5 140
DL wu 135 185 3x5 235
BB Curl wu45 3x10 70

[PenskeFile]

10 intervals on the Airdyne today. 10sec full blast followed by 30 sec rest. 189kcal in 9:44 total. Incl warmup and cool down. 166 max HR

[carson]

Welcome. Everyone who lifts, especially if you follow SS, is to be encouraged. You don't seem to be following the Novice Linear Progression at least as far as I can tell. Maybe you are in part and just adding a few things here and there. You may benefit from a consultation with a certified SS coach. He/she can correct any form problems early on and can benefit you in your quest for strength.

[PenskeFile]

Welcome. Everyone who lifts, especially if you follow SS, is to be encouraged. You don't seem to be following the Novice Linear Progression at least as far as I can tell. Maybe you are in part and just adding a few things here and there. You may benefit from a consultation with a certified SS coach. He/she can correct any form problems early on and can benefit you in your quest for strength.

Thanks for the post. You are right in that I had some dialogue with Andy Baker and he recommended that I focus on fat loss now until I hit my goal weight. I didn't realize that the forums were set up how they are, and my log probably belongs in the other "Misc" forum so I'll move over there.

I completely agree on the recommendation for some coaching. I've used the tool on the site to find coaches and unfortunately, none are near me. I live in Georgetown, just north of Austin, TX. The nearest SSC's are in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and of course Wichita Falls. I'm planning to check around to see if I can find a coach who is at least familiar with and has respect for BBT and Starting Strength principles. If anyone here knows of any in the Austin area, I'm all ears.

[carson]

Even with the problems of distance, why not focus on a consultation and then plan to get a check up every three months. It will benefit you greatly. What's a few hundred miles every few months?

[PenskeFile]

Duly noted sir. I do get to Dallas and Houston from time-to-time as I have family in each. I could come up with a list of excuses but of course the answer would be "what could be more important than health and safety". I get that.

Training log moved to the General Training log forum here