Right. My training is far too haphazard and sporadic nowadays, and I had my best gains when I was keeping a regular log, so it's time for me to bite the bullet and start one again. Here's as good a place as any.
It's going to be in metric I'm afraid, as I'm a eurofag.
Some details:
Height: 6 foot 4 (ok that bit wasn't metric)
Weight: c.90kg
I've always been pretty skinny (no bullshit about a high metabolism, I just didn't eat much), but noticed I was getting a gut a couple of years ago. Took up jogging, enjoyed it (summertime, nature reserve near where I live, lovely run), but got a bad sprain while cutting across a ploughed field. Was bitching about it to a powerlifting friend of mine, and he suggested strength training instead. Tried it, loved it, haven't looked back.
I've been strength training for about a year, spread out over a year and a half.
I used a home gym for the first six months before I had to join a proper gym, as I only had a cheap multi-bench (no squatting more than I could PP over my head), and I couldn't fit any more weight on my non-olympic bar for DLs.
PRs, about 5 months ago. Had 4 months without proper training, spent the last month trying to get back up there.
Deadlift: 170kg x2
Squat: 120kg
Bench: 95kg
Powerclean: Only just started them, no 1RM yet.
OHP: No record, seem to recall it was around 60kg
Deadlift outstrips the other lifts, as that's definitely my favourite, and thus I've trained it more.
Now, I've never done strict Starting Strength, not that I know better than Rippetoe of course. Blame the impetousness of youth.
My current training looks something like this:
A:
Low-bar backsquat: Bar x10, 3x5
Deadlift: 70kgx10, 80%x3, 100%x1x2
OHP: Barx10, 3x5
GHR: BWx10, 25kgx8, 25kgx5
HG Chins: 3 sets to failure (c.12, 8, 5)
B:
Well, I don't really have a B session at the moment.
So, my plan now I'm theoretically going to be more strict about things is
A:
Squat
DL
OHP
GHR
B:
Squat
PC
Bench (with DB depending on spotters)
Chins
Powercleans are tricky at my gym, as there are no platforms. I'll have to see what I can do with floorspace (crampt as hell a lot of the time), else do them in the rack.
Diet:
I'd be happy with another 10kg weight, preferably by summer. Eat as much as I can on a high fat, low carb diet, and on about 4 pints of milk (occasionally with whey) a day. Take cod liver oil and multivitamins, though I need to eat more vegetables.
Immediate Aims:
Bodyweight of 100kg as I mentioned, 200kg DL, with a better balance on my other lifts (more squatting and PCs needed, clearly).
Photos of me in my underwear will follow, of course.
Last edited by Rorschach; 02-23-2010 at 05:37 PM.
Ah yes. Usually a set of 5 about 30kg less than my working set. Should have mentioned that. :P
Primary goal of yesterday's session was to give me some hard figures on where I'm at, so I can program accordingly. F = failure
Squat:
Bar x10
60kg x5
60kg x5
80kg x5
90kg x4
100kg x2
105kg x1
Plan: 3x5 90kg
OHP
60kg x5 (push-press the last couple of reps)
50kg x5
50kg x5
Plan: 3x5 52.5kg
Deadlift
70kg x10
120kg x5
150kg x1 (ugly)
150kg xF
150kg xF
130kg x3
Plan: 1x5 130kg
My frustration with my deadlift wasn't helped by someone doing easy 200kg singles behind me.
GHR:
BW x10
25kg x8
25kg x8
25kg x8 (kicked my arse)
Chins
BW x8
Lets see if I can be patient enough and resist my temptation to do 1RMs over the next few weeks.
Bad gym day. Place was severely packed, long waits for equipment, fighting over plates, people standing right next to me while I'm lifting, etc. Space to do PCs? Hah!
Will have to try and get there earlier/later in the day.
Squats:
Bar x10
60kg x8
90kg x4 x4 x3
DB Bench
20kg x8
25kg x5
25kg x5
27.5kg x5
GHR
BW x15
25kg x8
25kg x8
HG Chins
BW x8 + 45 second hang
Squats:
Bar x10
60kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5
I dislike dropping the weight, but now I know where my comfortable 5RM is, I can work from there.
OHP:
50kg x3 +F
45kg x5
45kg x5
Hrm, frustrating. Didn't eat much today (no eggs for breakfast , picked up 60 on the way home), and spent several hours painting overhead today, I'll suck it up and see how it goes next time.
Deadlift:
90kg x5
130kg x5
130kg x3
HG Chins:
BW x9 +hang
Cable Crunches:
Full stack x10
FS x10
5 mins on the cross-trainer to try and avoid the crazy leg DOMs I've been having recently.
Last edited by Rorschach; 03-03-2010 at 09:08 PM.
Nice deadlifts, but what's with the second set?
Your warmups would tire me out. Most people do tapering warmups as described in SS - have you tried these?
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...-Up_Calculator
I haven't had any real DOMS since I started maing a point of stretching, and taking contrast baths PWO. The ice bath puts me to sleep, so I do it just before going to bed.
Thanks, useful spreadsheet that, i'll give it a go.
I'll try a cold shower after a hot bath, see if that helps with my DOMs, though a little cardio and stretching at the end seems to work fairly well. Thanks for the advice.
Edit: missed the first line, whoops. The extra three was because I felt there was more in the tank.
Last edited by Rorschach; 03-09-2010 at 07:31 PM.
5/3/10
Squat:
Bar x10
50kg x5
70kg x2
82.5kg x5
82.5kg x5
82.5kg x5
Queue for the rack. Le sigh.
DB Bench:
20kg x5
25kg x5
27.5kg x5
27.5kg x5
27.5kg x3 +F
GHR
BW x8
25kg x5
25kg x5
9/3/10
Bleh, turned up at 9pm to avoid the crowd, and it was probably the busiest I've seen it. Craziness. Spent 20 minutes waiting for a rank. In the meantime:
Dips:
BW x15
BW x15
HG Chins:
BW x12
Rack free...
Squat:
Bar x10
60kg x5
70kg x3
83.5kg x5
83.5kg x5
83.5kg x5
OHP:
40kg x5
50kg x3 +F
45kg x5
45kg x5
Deadlift:
40kg x5
90kg x3
140kg x3
140kg x2
5 mins pause between the 140s, want that gone before I progress.
Chins:
BW x8
On a side note, I'm currently doing up the flat to sell and move somewhere with a large garage. I would miss the hotties on the treadmill, but I'm sick of standing around waiting for a rack and being jostled while I'm trying to lift.
That, or there's the possibility of a 30 min drive to
http://www.hirepgym.com/
Shitty website, what looks like a beast of a gym. Can't argue with a gym that has Atlas stones.