False Mishima's log

[False Mishima]

Me: Twenty-seven year old guy, 6'0". Always have been very skinny... my metabolism is relentless, and I was raised to like fairly lean food. My sedentary weight is 135 lbs or so. Though I'm starting this program with around 145, since I have been going to the gym for a few months, though with no real program, other than picking a small number of compound exercises I found at exrx.net.

Now I'm making my diet more protein-laden. Not up to a gallon of whole milk daily yet, maybe half that volume, I try to make up some of it by consuming full fat ice cream and yogurt.

I'm patient, but also pessimistic about how far I'll be able to go with the linear progression, so I'm incrementing using the smallest plates my gym has (2.5 lbs) to try to stretch it out.

I think my previous efforts left me slightly overtrained, so I chose to start of with lighter weights so I could think more about form.

Week 1

2010-04-18
Squat 45: 1 x 5, 95: 3 x 5
Press: 45: 3 x 5
Weighted incline sit-up: 10: 3 x 6
Dumbbell row: 25: 1 x 5, 50: 3 x 5
I can tell my dumbbell row form isn't quite right, so dropped it from my plans from here on, better to concentrate on main lifts for now.

2010-04-20 - 146 lbs
Squat: skipped, legs really weak, not recovered from previous workout
Bench: 45: 1 x 5, 80: 3 x 5
Deadlift: 45: 1 x 5, 95: 3 x 5
Weighted incline sit-up: 12: 3 x 6

2010-04-22
Squat: 45: 1 x 5, 100: 3 x 5
Press: 25: 1 x 5, 50: 3 x 5
Chin-up: 0: 3 x 5
Weighted incline sit-up: 14: 3 x 6

Week 2

2010-04-25 - 145.5 lbs
Squat: 45: 1 x 5, 105: 3 x 5
Bench: 45: 1 x 5, 85: 3 x 5
Deadlift: 45: 1 x 5, 100: 1 x 5
Weighted incline sit-up: 16: 3 x 6

2010-04-27 - 148 lbs
Squat: 45: 1 x 5, 110: 3 x 5
Press: 25: 1 x 5, 55: 3 x 5
Weighted Chin-up: 5: 3 x 5
Probably don't need to do weighted sit-ups as much... I'm taking longer to recover from them, and the other exercises seem to be hitting them more

2010-04-29 - 150 lbs
Squat: 45: 1 x 5, 115: 3 x 5
Bench: 45: 1 x 5, 90: 3 x 5
Deadlift: 45: 1 x 5, 105: 1 x 5
Weighted incline sit-up: 18: 3 x 6

Week 3

2010-05-02 - 150 lbs
Squat: 45: 1 x 5, 120: 3 x 5
Press: 25: 1 x 5, 55: 3 x 5
Weighted chin-up: 10: 3 x 5
The weighted chin-ups are starting to get brutal on my forearms

At some point I'll add the power clean. I feel like I should nail the deadlift form first though, something about it doesn't seem right. Unfortunately, I don't have any video recording devices.

[PVC]

The reason you're not recovering well from your workouts is because you're not eating enough. At 6'0 150 lbs, you are very very skinny. Congrats on gaining 15 lbs of what I assume is largely muscular bodyweight, but you've got a ways to go. At your height you'll have to weigh at least 170 to get rid of the emaciated look - and even then you'll still have a ways to go before you look strong.

Eat more. You're at a point where eating everything in sight will be good for you. At some point you'll have to be more conscious of what you're eating, but for now I'd suggest you go all out. Eat as much as possible, and then keep eating. And drink a gallon of milk on top of this. Right now you're progressing at the same rate a woman would progress on SS, and that's because of your low bodyweight and your inadequate calorie intake. You will be able to progress with 10 lb jumps on your squat, 15 lb jumps on your deadlift, and 5 lb jumps on your press and bench press if you make sure to eat enough.

Also, stop doing situps and dumbbell rows. You don't need them at this point to help your progress, and since you're not eating enough they're unnecessarily adding to the stress that your body is having trouble recovering from.

[False Mishima]

Yeah, I was kind of suspecting that about the rows and the sit-ups. (Note I haven't done any rows since 4/18)

As for the diet, thats a work in progress. Drinking much whole milk at first made me feel very bloated and heavy, now its getting easier.

[False Mishima]

I'm pushing the deadlift increases a bit faster now, so it should take its proper place in weight rank — ahead of the squat — next time. Also, now I'm adding another, intermediate warm-up set to both squat and deadlift.

2010-05-04 - 151.8 lbs
Squat: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 125: 3x5
Bench: 45: 1x5, 95: 3x5
Deadlift: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 115: 1x5

I cheated a bit by not going all the way down on the last rep of the last set of the bench press. I think I'll re-do it at 95 lbs next time, and also try to fix the bar path a bit, Its not as straight as I'd like.

(Pants seem to fit a bit tighter the past couple days, especially after working out; I guess that means I have da pump.)

[False Mishima]

2010-05-06 - 152 lbs.
squat: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 130: 3x5
press: 25: 1x5, 60: 3x5
chin-up: 15: 3x5 - failed

Went fine, except that I couldn't even complete the first set of chin-ups with 15lbs weight, which was a 5lbs increase from my previous load. Next time I'll go with 12.5 lbs, hopefully that will be just right.

[False Mishima]

2010-05-09 Sunday
Squat: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 135: 3x5
Bench: 45: 1x5, 95: 3x5
Deadlift: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 135: 1x5

Meh, the bench press was a hair easier this time than last, with the same weight, but I'm skeptical I'll be able to increment it next time, even with microplates.

[Beltshumeltz]

2010-05-09 Sunday
Squat: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 135: 3x5
Bench: 45: 1x5, 95: 3x5
Deadlift: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 135: 1x5

Meh, the bench press was a hair easier this time than last, with the same weight, but I'm skeptical I'll be able to increment it next time, even with microplates.

Get 2 plastic bags, put a filled water bottle in each. That can work as micro-loading until you get some smaller plates maybe :P

Your squat and deadlifts started low as you explained earlier. Do you feel you have reached your real starting max now?

[False Mishima]

Your squat and deadlifts started low as you explained earlier. Do you feel you have reached your real starting max now?

Yeah, I think so. And at the start, the squats wiped me out, but I think that was mostly because I was new both to 3x5 and the squat. Now its starting to feel like I'm pushing out at my limits.

2010-05-11 153 lbs
squat: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 140: 3x5
press: 25: 1x5, 65: 3x5
w. chin-up: 12.5: 3x5

All good, except for the chin-up. First set was fine, could only do four on the second and two on the third. I'll stick with the same weight next time I guess... seems like weight+bodyweight exercises are difficult to program when you're gaining weight, you're chasing a moving target.

[False Mishima]

Meh, didn't have time to grab a microplate or microplate substitute, so benched the same weight again.

2010-05-13 153 lbs
squat: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 145: 3x5
bench: 45: 1x5, 95: 3x5
dead: 45: 1x5, 85: 1x5, 145: 1x5

Coming up on 1x bodyweight for squat and deadlift

[False Mishima]

2010-05-16
squat: 45: 1x5, 95: 1x5, 150: 3x5
press: 25: 1x5, 70: 3x5
chin: 12.5: 3x5

Slightly better on the chin-up this time, a set of five, and then two sets of four.

I ordered 'microplates' (washers) from mcmaster carr, with luck they'll arrive before next time I bench.