Tom's Log

[Tom Barker]

I officially started back up last week. I'm not fully doing the program yet because of a couple reasons:
*I'm building my strength back up first and getting my form down right
*I set up an area in my garage to lift and I'm still buying plates - I just don't have enough plates to do deadlifts yet (I only have a bunch of 10s and a pair of 25s)
*I'm still reading the book (SS), I'm at the chapter on the press, but I've been so inspired while reading the book that I had to immediately start what I've read so far.

But once I buy a pair of 45s I'll incorporate the deadlift. Tomorrow I'll switch out the bench press for the press.

But as for what I am doing so far:
last week (M,W,F) I did:

squat:
65x3x10
bench press:
65x3x10
curl:
65x3x5

this week so far (Monday) I've upped the weight by 20lbs and introduced a warm up set:
squat:
65x1x10
85x4x10
bench press:
65x1x10
85x4x10
curl
85x3x5

I added the curls because I was still raring to go after doing the squats and the bench, they are 2 handed barbell curls

Background on me: I'm 32, have 2 kids (5yrs and 2yrs), and work between 3-4 jobs. That last part sounds dramatic but what it means is I have my regular day job, I also teach 2 nights a week (T and Th) and I write 4 articles a month for a publisher for my particular industry (developer). That's 3; the 4th is I also occasionally tech review books for different publishers. I also take night classes online at Drexel

Back when I was a teenager up until my early 20s I worked the same program for years and years, and it worked well enough for me back then. I am a meso-endo (I think), and back then I was 225lbs but tremendously muscular and could do a benchpress of 1x5x300. I did the routine my hs football coach taught me and that was all I knew. It was pretty much a daily circuit around the nautilus (bench press, butterfly, and lat pull) and 15 minutes of cycling

Then I met my wife, stopped working out, had 2 kids, sat in an office for 10 hours a day, a car for 2 hours a day and boom 10 years later I'm heavy and sloppy.

Over the years I've tried different things, but the line from SS - walking around a gym doing what looks like fun until it stops being fun - really captured what my past efforts were about.

I know lifting works best for me and its something I enjoy doing, so here I am. I just bought a squat rack, a bench, bar and some - but not yet enough - plates and set it all up in my garage.

I look forward to any advice or corrections in my progression and thanks to Rip and Lon for the inspiration and guidance in SS

[Tom Barker]

Today I introduced the press to my routine. It was much tougher for me than the bench press, which is great. In fact by the last set I had to pause and really push out the last 2. The first set I found myself not putting myself under the bar so I felt it much more in my lower back. But then I adjusted and moved my torso forward for the remaining sets and really felt it in my shoulders when I did that.

The squats at 85 were a breeze, I really should have upped the weight today, but my economy doesn't move at the same pace. I'm rationing out my increases to around 20lbs a week because that's about all I can afford to buy in plates right now.

squats
65x1x5
85x3x10

press
65x1x5
85x3x10

curls
85x3x5

[Tom Barker]

Wow the ohp really kicked my ass the day after and still today. Under my arms and my shoulders are really stiff and sore. I'm glad the bench press is tonight instead of the press. I usually work out after 8pm, so I'll post later tonight or in the morning. I find myself really looking forward to each work out, and before this current soreness I was tempted to lift on my recovery days (but I resisted)

[Tom Barker]

Ok around 9pm tonight (after I got the kids ready for bed) I worked out. i replaced curls with power cleans. I practiced my form with an empty bar

squat
65x1x10
85x4x10

bench press
65x1x10
85x4x10

power clean
45x1x10

[Tom Barker]

All soreness is gone today, I'm not sore from last night's work out, and the soreness from the press has passed.

[Tom Barker]

I went up 30lbs today and I introduced the dead lift to my workout

squat
45x1x10
65x1x10
115x4x10

bench press
65x1x10
115x4x10

dead lift
115x1x5

I started to do curls at 115 but I felt a weird tweaking in my back - upper back below my right shoulder blade - so I stopped after 2 reps so that I wouldnt hurt myself.

[Tom Barker]

I upped the weight and sets of the dead lifts, and that seemed to really be the ass kicking that I've been craving. I finished the work out huffing and puffing and ready to tear my wife's clothes off

squat
65x1x10
115x4x10

press
65x1x5
85x1x5
95x3x5

dead lift
135x3x5

I found a local place that sells bumper plates for $1 a lb so I'm going to pick up a pair of 45s this weekend

[Tom Barker]

An hour after my lift and holy crap I'm suddenly really really tired. I need to go to bed right now.

[Eric K]

Am I reading it wrong or are you doing sets of 10? Or is it 10 sets of 4? The basic A B Program is 3 sets of 5 for Squat, Press, and Bench, then 1 set of 5 for the deadlift and 5 sets of 3 for the power clean. The book discusses why 5's are used. Hope that helps; happy lifting, and welcome to the forum.

[Tom Barker]

Am I reading it wrong or are you doing sets of 10? Or is it 10 sets of 4? The basic A B Program is 3 sets of 5 for Squat, Press, and Bench, then 1 set of 5 for the deadlift and 5 sets of 3 for the power clean. The book discusses why 5's are used. Hope that helps; happy lifting, and welcome to the forum.

Hi Eric - I am doing 4 sets of 10 for squats and bench press. Reason being, I don't have enough plates to really challenge myself yet so I'm trying to compensate by just doing more reps. For the deadlift and press I'm starting to get challenged so I've started doing the 3 sets of 5