Anti-weakness log

[onkeltuka]

Hi everybody

I´m from Finland. I´ll be 36-years old in August.

I´m about 90kg´s (198lbs.) and 187cm (what´s that in feet? Six and two?) My problem is and has always been that I´m comparatively weak for my size. It´s annoying. I´ve been working out for 15 years with very little to show for it; I´m still weak. But I´m going to change that for a little better now.

I put weight on very easily. In fact, I´ve been a bit fat for most of my life. I was a little over 100kg´s for at least ten years until I went on a low-carb diet a couple of years ago. I got my weight down to 83kg´s, and that´s really slim for me. But I also lost any little muscle I had: my strength levels where also in an all time low.

I´m very happy with my present weight. That´s also my biggest problem with starting a decent strength gaining program; I´m afraid of gaining weight. I guess I´ll try to allow some gain and maybe have some dieting cycles every now and then.

I also do judo, about twice a week. It´s a good workout usually, and I could really use a lot more strength there too, I´m struggling with guys 15kg´s lighter than me.

Because I have the judo classes I don´t think I can manage three weight workouts in a week, so I´ll be training two days a week with weights. Tuesday and Friday for now.

[onkeltuka]

First two WO´s.

22.5.2012

SQUAT 3x5 50kg (110lbs.)
PRESS 3x5 27,5kg (60,5lbs.)
BLDL 1x5 112,5kg (247,5lbs.)

Deadlift has always been the only lift that feels in any way "natural" to me. It´s also the only lift out of these which I´ve been doing regularly, so these are very much working weights for me in the DL, in fact today was a PR.


25.5.2012

SQUAT 3x5 55kg
BENCH 3x5 50kg
CHINS 3,1,1

I couldn´t do a single chin six months ago, and last week I did a set of 4,3,2. I guess the benching took some strength out of that because they felt really heavy.

[onkeltuka]

29.5.2012

SQUAT 3x5 60kg
PRESS 3x5 30kg I´m gonna start microloading here, I have a pair of 0,25kg´s and another of 0,5kg´s plates
BLDL 1x5 115kg My grip started failing on the two last reps, left hand just didn´t wanna stay closed. Now I have to think whether to use straps or an alternate grip?

I´ve been eating more, plus maybe about 3 liters of milk per day. And a cool thing: there´ll be a course for learning the olympic lifts held by the national weightlifting federations´ coach at the same martial arts center where I attend my judo practice. It starts in August, but I´m already excited, I`ve wanted to learn the lifts properly for years.

[onkeltuka]

1.6.2012

SQUAT 3x5 65kg
BENCH 3x5 52,5kg
CHINS 3,2

I´m starting to have a problem with the chins. I´ve been training them quite intensively (for me) for about six months as I said. Now I feel like I`m stalling with them,or more accurately I´m losing reps, and I´m having a nasty ache in my upper left bicep tendon after doing them. I can´t really deload with them, because there´s not much to deload. So it would probably be a good idea to do something else for a while? Maybe BB rows?

Oh and I´ve gained about 3lbs. of BW in a week. I´ve really tried to eat more, it´s surprisingly hard!

[slowjoe]

29.5.2012

SQUAT 3x5 60kg
PRESS 3x5 30kg I´m gonna start microloading here, I have a pair of 0,25kg´s and another of 0,5kg´s plates
BLDL 1x5 115kg My grip started failing on the two last reps, left hand just didn´t wanna stay closed. Now I have to think whether to use straps or an alternate grip?

I´ve been eating more, plus maybe about 3 liters of milk per day. And a cool thing: there´ll be a course for learning the olympic lifts held by the national weightlifting federations´ coach at the same martial arts center where I attend my judo practice. It starts in August, but I´m already excited, I`ve wanted to learn the lifts properly for years.

With deadlift, are you using chalk? Adds 20-40kg to your deadlift.

[onkeltuka]

Hi Joe,

No I´m not, but I´m gonna buy some this weekend. Thanks for the tip.

[slowjoe]

Hi Joe,

No I´m not, but I´m gonna buy some this weekend. Thanks for the tip.

This might be stuff you know, but it might not.

If you are in a commercial gym, they often forbid chalk because it makes a mess. If you haven't seen anyone with chalk, there are two "stealth" options:

1. Climbers chalk balls - example: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Troll-Chalk-...8580623&sr=1-3 If you get this, also get a bag to hold it.
2. Liquid chalk: It's a latex-type paste you rub in at the start of a workout - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fitness-Mad-...ef=pd_sim_sg_2

[onkeltuka]

5.6.2012

OK, got the chalk. But I ran out of time so I didn´t get to deadlift... I`m trying to do it tomorrow. I train at my workplace´s gym during my lunch hour, so my workouts are fast, 40 minutes max.

SQUAT 3x5 70kg It´s 2,5kg jumps from now on
PRESS 3x5 31kg Really feeling these in my lower back, although I´m trying not to lean back too much, and keeping everything thight

[onkeltuka]

6.6

BLDL 3x5 117,5kg The chalk works, didn´t have the grip problem, but I blew up something in my lower back instead. The work set is getting so heavy that I feel I´m very close to compromising acceptable form. Should maybe deload while I still can? And start using a belt.
+Hanging Leg Raises 2 sets

[onkeltuka]

8.6

Back still stiff´n´sore after the deadlifting, I probably just let my lower back round that little bit too much. I´ve been taking 2400mg´s of ibuprofen/day. So no squatting today. Weight is up to 93,7kg, that´s almost 4kg´s in two weeks, maybe cut down slightly on the milk?

BENCH 3x5 55kg
CHINS 3x1 Trying to back down a little bit
PUSHUPS 1x18