Paul's "My So Called Lift" (season 2)

[Strega]

I’ve not done SS in a long time and linear progression ended awhile back so I figure it’s time to move on and create a new log. I’m pretty hard on myself so it’s also a good time to take inventory. After many years of inactivity at the age of 55 I started (09/14) walking and doing StrongLifts 5x5. I lost some weight and got down to 173 lbs but my biceps were about 13.5” and my body fat was still well over 20%.

Overall was pretty frustrating my squat was just over 165 and deadlift at 180 primarily because I had no clue as to what I was doing. April 2015 I started doing SS and tried to be faithful to the program. After linear progression I started a 531 sort of thing with mixed results.

My weight ballooned back up to over 200 pounds with my body fat around 25 to 29%. On the plus side I did actually start to move more weight and my arms are not at 13.5” instead of 15” oddly enough had I not started the new log I would not have caught that.

Due to some family issues I was “off the wagon” from Dec 2016 to roughly the start of April 2017.
My critical goals going forward are to work on hitting my macros. Second goal is stick to a program and progress without injury.

Current PR’s

Press 130
Bench 210
Deadlift 340
Squat 300

Old log can be found here: Paul's "My So Called Lift"

[Strega]

The Plan

Saturday
Deadlift
Barbell Shrugs
Dumbbell Curls

Sunday
Bench
Light Press
Incline Dumbbell Press

Tuesday
Squat
Rows
Triceps Pull Downs

Thursday
Heavy Press
Dumbbell Pullovers
Bent Over Dumbbell Raises

[Strega]

Saturday 04/15/17

DL
135x3
185x3
205x5
205x5
205x5

I'm taking it slow due the 3 month lay-off.

Barbell Shrugs
45x15
65x15
65x15

Dumbbell Curls
10x8
15x8
20x8
25x8

[Strega]

Monday 04/17/17 (planned to work out on Sunday, Easter got in the way. Already off schedule go me!)

Bench
45x8
95x3
135x3
145x5
145x5
145x5

Light Press
45x3
55x3
65x3
70x3
75x3
75x3

Incline Dumbbell Press
25x10
25x10

[Strega]

Wednesday 4/19/17 (still off a day due to holiday)

Squat
45x3
45x5
135x3
185x3
At this point I'm still warming up by my left knee is making sounds like it's trying to make popcorn. A little pain, nothing really but the sound is sort of freaking me out.
So I pulled back and tried to get something in, my plan was to do 240x5 maybe a little aggressive after the layoff.
135x5
135x5
135x0 I aborted on this set as the sound had not stopped. Not sure what's going on and it seems to just coming out of my left knee. I'm going to feel really stupid when I figure out it's my Rehbands making the sound.

Rows
95x10
95x10

Triceps Pull Down
25x12
25x12
25x12

[BrooklynJerry]

Hi Paul, good to see you get back to a plan. As far as the knee, my son, who will be 41 soon has been squatting since he was 17. He has a click noise in his left knee whenever he sqts. When he was in his 20's he weighed 198,he competed and squated in the mid 5's using a suit and wraps. It always creeped me out when spotting him and hearing that pop,but it never gave him any pain or trouble. He does wear sleeves when sqts and has dropped his weight to 165 at 5'6" .

[Strega]

Thanks Jerry, I Googled it and it looks to be noting so as long as it's not really painful I'll carry on. I'm a little gun shy after a 3 month lay-off but yet I was a little over zealous to come back with 240x5 as a target when my 1 PR is 300. I might back off of everything for a week or two just to get back into the swing of things.

[Strega]

4/21/17

Press
45x6
65x3
75x3
85x5
85x5
85x5

Dumbbell Pullovers (otherwise know as fish flapping on boat)
20x10
20x10
20x10

Bent Over Dumbbell Raises
10x10
15x10
15x10

[Strega]

4/22/17 (back on the correct scheduled days)
DL
135x3
185x2
225x2
265x3
265x3 (My form seemed to be suffering a bit so I dropped the weight down)
245x3

Rows
45x14
45x14

Curls
10x8
15x8
20x8
25x8
25x8
20x8

[Strega]

4/23/17
Bench
45x8
45x3
95x3
115x3
135x3
165x3 (a bit too heavy, 3 months off is a killer. It's going to take a little bit to zero things in)
160x3
160x3
160x3

Light Press
45x5
65x3 (20 seconds between sets)
65x3
65x3
65x3
65x3

Incline Dumbbell Press
25x10
25x10
25x10