SquirrelAnt. (Something witty to go in the parentheses.)

[SquirrelAnt]

Background:

I am a 19 year old female. I'm currently in college, and I play rugby and softball. I have been playing sports since 6th and first started messing around with weights during my sophomore year in high school when my uncle left a bar and four 22 kg plates in our backyard. For the entire summer I did deadlifts, squats (holding two plates against my chest), cleans and rows. It didn't take long for me to outgrow those weights on the deadlift, but it also didn't take very long for my uncle to come back and pick up the plates he had left. After that, I lifted very sporadically until now.

I started Starting Strength on July 14th of this year (07/14/2011) to help get stronger for rugby and softball. In researching the program the recurring theme I noticed was milk, milk, milk. But I could not find a single instance of a woman reporting her experiences with GOMAD or any form of it. I am sure there is at least one woman who has done it, but I can't find her so I will try it myself and just log my experience with it.

Believe it or not, I actually WANT to gain weight. I will have less chance of having my ass handed to me on the rugby pitch once I am both bigger and stronger. It would help out in softball too as long as I keep my speed up (or better yet, get even faster) throughout the duration of the program.

I did not seriously add in the milk component until two or three workouts ago, but I am drinking a half gallon of whole milk a day versus a full gallon to offset the fact that I am both female and only about 140 lbs. I will add in more later if I don't think half a gallon is cutting it.

Stats and Progress:

height: 5'4
weight: 138 --> 140
squat: 95 x 5 x 3 --> 125 x 5 x 3
bench: 75 x 5 x 3 --> 85 x 5 x 3
deadlift: 135 x 5 x 3 (did not realize I was only supposed to do one set of deadlifts until about two weeks in) ---> 155 x 5 x 1
press: 45 --> 60
(have not started power cleans yet)

My lifts (especially my squat) should be more than what they are right now, but I did not add weight for about a week as I worked on my form in the transition from a high-bar to a low-bar squat.

[SquirrelAnt]

I just got back from a workout and feel amazing. (All the weights are in pounds, by the way.)

squats: [45 x 5, 65 x 5, 85 x 5] warm-up sets
135 x 5 x 3, work sets. --- These were somewhat challenging but I got all the reps in with good form. In fact, the first set was the hardest, and the following sets felt much easier in comparison.

bench: [45 x 5, 65 x 5] warm-up sets
85 x 5 x 3, work sets. --- Just like with the squats today, the first set was the hardest and it got easier as I went along. I am ready to move up to 90 pounds for the next session.

deadlift: [95 x 5] warm-up set
165 x 5, work set. I use a hook grip when I deadlift, and today's weight felt pretty easy, and my lower back felt great afterwards.

[SquirrelAnt]

I did not get a workout on Saturday because the gym closed earlier than usual and won't open on Sundays again until classes start back. But the good news is that I have been keeping up with the 1/2 GOMAD and after actually losing some weight before starting in with the milk, my weight is starting to go up.

Today's Workout

weight: 144

squats: [65 x 5, 105 x 5] warm-up sets.
140 x 5 x 3, work sets.
I did less warm-up sets than usual because I was short on time today and wanted to hit 140. I got all the reps in with good form but for each set the third rep and beyond felt incredibly slow.

OHP: [45 x 5] warm-up set.
60 x 5, work set.
I left my workout log at home and couldn't remember what weight I used for the press the last time around so I just assumed 60 lbs.

deadlift: [115 x 3]
*175 x 1, failed work set.
I don't know what happened here. I just punked out. I got the first rep in just fine, and then gave up. Will have to try this weight again Wedesday.

[SquirrelAnt]

11 August 2011 (Thusday)

Warm-up: 3 laps around indoor track (just under a 1/2 mile) followed by some dynamic stretches.

weight: 145.0*

squats: [65 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 5]
145 x 5 x 3, BW WORK SETS!!! hell yeah.

*I finally squatted my bodyweight and it felt great but adding 45's to the bar was still more fun. My next big accomplishment in the squat: 200 lb work sets.

bench press: [45 x 5, 65 x 5, 75 x 5]
95 x 4. . . miscounted and tried 95 lbs instead of 90.
90 x 5 x 3. . . these sets went up easily.

deadlift: [95 x 5]. . . was about to pour down raining and I had to bike home so I shortened my warm-up.
175 x 5 x 1. . . didn't take long for the shortened warm-up to bite me in the ass. had to pause at the bottom before the fourth rep to collect myself. I didn't have to let go of the bar or leave my stance but I did have to do a quick one, two count in my head before grinding out those last two reps.

[Oldster]

squats: [65 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 5]
145 x 5 x 3, BW WORK SETS!!! hell yeah.

*I finally squatted my bodyweight and it felt great but adding 45's to the bar was still more fun. My next big accomplishment in the squat: 200 lb work sets.

That is huge, SA! A female squatting her BW for as many sets and reps as you are doing is something overlooked by most lifters. You are accomplishing some really great lifting.

As someone who grew up on a dairy and am pretty much made up of milk, I have no problems with what you are doing. But I would suggest one thing as an .....ahem..... 'older' gentleman, lots of raw vegetables for your diet. I do understand women as a whole eat many more vegetables than men, but if you are one that doesn't, more veggies will help keep your cholesterol down with the increase in milk consumption.

I'll be keeping an eye on your log to watch your strength accomplishments!

[SquirrelAnt]

13 August 2011 (Saturday)

Warm-up: 3 laps around indoor track (just under 1/2 mile) followed by both dynamic and static stretches.
Next time I will do 4 laps instead of 3. This short warm-up really helps me concentrate on the upcoming workout.

squats: [85 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 3] --> Really focused on not squatting too deeply during these sets. Also worked on taking longer rest periods between sets.

150 x 5 x 3 --> Okay, now I'm irritated. The first two sets at this weight were grueling. Never so much so that I was in danger of not finishing the set but bad enough to make me pause before going down for that 5th rep. Then the last set went up like I was squatting my 85 lb warm-up weight. The difference? Between my 2nd and 3rd sets one of the two best players on my rugby team walked in and started doing front squats in the rack next to me. I couldn't look like I was struggling in front of her with my sissy ass weight so I made that last set look way too easy.

Hmm. . . I realize now that I'm afraid of the weight most of the time. But I'm more afraid of being outworked.

OHP: [45 x 5]
65 x 5 x 3 --> my left side is a little weaker than my right side but seems to be getting better.

deadlift: [95 x 5, 115 x 5] --> I am having trouble deciding on an appropriate warm-up to use when I deadlift.
185 x 5 x 1 --> this was hard. I will add in power cleans on Monday.

[Brother Francis]

That's part of the reason why having a training partner can really be a game changer sometimes. Having someone there to push you when you aren't up to the task is very helpful. Also, you're doing some very impressive work in here. I will certainly keep my eye on this log!

[SquirrelAnt]

No!!!! I have been M.I.A. because I left for a week and a half to attend an out-of-state conference and did not lift AT ALL. I finally got to the gym yesterday in an attempt to get a feel for where I should start since I know I can't just pick up where I left off. I took a good bit of time warming up my squat (85 x 5, 105 x 5, 120 x 5, 135 x 5) before attempting 155 x 5 to see if I could grind out the sets. I got through the first set and one rep into the second one before I had to call it quits. It is frustrating, but I'm glad that all of my warm-up sets felt pretty normal, so I can probably get away with just dropping back down to 145 and working my way up.

I tried the bench press too to see if I could finish my most recent work sets (90 x 5 x 3). I did. I definitely could not have pressed 95 pounds, but I at least know that I have not lost any strength in that lift.

I ended up spending the bulk of my time just working on the proper form for the power clean with 10 pound bumper plates on each side of the bar. My biggest issue is staying back on my heels and generating power with my hips, hamstrings, and butt. It took forever, but I finally got the movements right (for the most part) and tried adding some more weight to find a good starting point. I only got up to 75 pounds before I was too tired to do much more. I may have worn myself out with the dozens of hang cleans I did to get my form down. Is 75 a good place to start, though? I have no idea where my power clean should be in relation to my other lifts.

Also, I took the time off to take Oldster's advice and start working in more vegetables. It's pretty easy when I go to school in a town where just about everybody grows their own produce.

I have also started working out with one of my coworkers who just happens to also be a member of the guy's rugby team here at school. Our goals are insanely different at this point, but he goes to the gym as regularly as most people go to the bathroom and practically lives in the squat rack. I can't ask for too much more than that. (I will credit Brother Francis with putting the idea of regular workout partner in my head.) Tomorrow I will start back pushing the numbers up and will try not to leave almost two week gaps between posts.

[SquirrelAnt]

Hmm... I think I can do way more with my power cleans. I have been looking around trying to find people who have lifts similar to mine in the squat and deadlift and now a 75-lb power clean seems too light. I will see where I stand after tomorrow's workout.

[SquirrelAnt]

Yay!!! I don't feel like a worthless turd anymore. I got back on track today but dropped back down in weight across the board due to my somewhat unexpeted break.

Warm-up: 5 minute warm-up on bike followed by both dynamic and static stretches

Squat: [85 x 5, 105 x 5, 125 x 5] warm-up sets
145 x 5 x 3, work sets.
These went up easily but I need to focus on keeping my abs tight during each and every rep.

OHP: [45 x 5, 55 x 5, 70 x 5] I made the mistake of actually trying to add weight instead of dropping to something lower than what I had done before. I guess even new habits can be hard to shake.
60 x 5 x 3, work sets.
No issues with these.

Deadlift: [95 x 5]
oh wow. I was just moping because I thought I only did 155-lb work sets today, but it turns out that I can't do addition that deep into a workout and I actually lifted 175. I didn't regress as far as I thought.
175 x 5 x 1, work set.

All in all I feel great about today. In just a few days I will be right back where I left off and the gym will finally return to its regular hours and leave me with a little more wiggle room when it comes to scheduling my workouts.