Wakxed - Tales of a Skinny

[wakxed]

Sex: Male
Age: 20s
Height: 5'8"

Start (1/14/2013)
BW: 135
Squat: 35 5x5
Clean: 55 5x5
Dead: 80 1x5
Bench: 35 5x5
OHP: 35 5x5

Current (4/15/2013)
BW: 151
Squat: 220 2x5, 1x10
Clean: 130 3x3
Dead: 265 1x4
Bench: 175 3x5
OHP: 120 2x5, 1x8

Initial Goals
BW: 160
Squat: 255 3x5
Clean: 160 3x3
Dead: 300 3x5
Bench: 200 3x5
OHP: 150 3x5

[wakxed]

I started adding 5 lbs to each lift every workout (10lb to deadlift) until I felt comfortable with my form. Then I started adding 10lbs or more to each workout and here is where I stand currently. I plan to continue using the 5x5 program until I start to stall and then I will switch over to 3x5 like the rest of the community. I don't want to switch over yet, because the workouts would not be intense enough at these weights. Below are my stats as of yesterday (and last Friday).

Also: I am doing the barbell row because I would not feel comfortable doing cleans in my current setup. There is not a ton of room and if I drop the weights I could potentially break a television and entertainment center in my 2nd bedroom. Apartment living isn't the best but I work with what I gots.

Date: February 18, 2013
BW: 143
Squat: 160 5x5
Bench Press: 145 5x5
Overhead Press: 95 5x5
Barbell Row: 105 5x5
Deadlift: 165 1x5

Starting Wednesday (on the MWF schedule) I will start posting all lifts performed during that workout only and then do a summary of all lifts every 6 weeks or so. I plan to include warm-up sets in the log as well just to keep it detailed unless that starts to take up too much time. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading, and wish me luck in my quest to stop being a skinny little bitch.

[Charlie Davies]

Good progress so far, keep it up!

The power clean is a fun exercise, don't be afraid of it. There's no need to make a lot of noise or drop the bar. Here's an old weak guy (me) doing too much weight, with iron plates, and it's still quiet except for the cursing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjtJCvjJTvQ. Don't copy my form here, my elbows are slow and low.

[Tygerqb12]

Keep on keepin on my man. I'm a fellow public accountant and wanted to give you some credit for having the courage to start a program during busy season. I know I have to dial my training back a bit from February through mid-April. Best of luck!

[wakxed]

Date: February 20, 2013
@cwd: thanks for the power clean video. it provided just enough inspiration to make me do some more research, and i have decided to incorporate this into my workouts rather than the bent over rows. it didn't feel as awkward as i expected it to so i look forward to doing this more in the future.
@tygerqb12: i recently switched out of public accounting and into corporate finance so the busy season no longer applies. i never would have attempted this during that time because failure would have most certainly followed due to lack of sleep and not getting home until 10:00 haha. good luck on the remainder of your season...

Squat:
45 2x5
95 2x5
135 1x3
165 5x5

Bench Press:
45 2x5
95 2x5
135 1x3
150 5x5

Power Clean:
110 5x3

Weighted Pull Ups:
BW+2.5 3x5

Workout is definitely getting more difficult but the 5x5 is still working out so i'm going to milk it as long as i can. groin is a little sore from lack of flexibility during squats but getting less problematic every week so can't complain too much. also doing ab work after each workout but not going to post that here since i don't feel it provides much benefit.

[Squeakyguy]

Good to see another former stronglifter. Keep doing what you're doing (and keep learning), and you'll get what you want out of this ole strength journey.

Once you get up around 200 lbs on the squat, drop down to the 3x5, and I'd also recommend at that time to drop the additional ab work. Heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses train your abs in exactly the proportion they need to perform their intended function (stabilizing the body under load). Around here, you'll learn that less is more, assistance work detracting from your recovery abilities for the main lifts. But that will happen as your squat climbs. Good luck on this worthwhile journey

[wakxed]

Date: February 22, 2013
@squeakyguy: thanks for the pointers mang. i was hoping to be able to make it to around 200 at 5x5 before dropping down to 3x5 so we'll see what happens. i'm only doing 3 sets of weighted sit-ups after my workouts now so i don't kill too much of the recovery. i imagine even that will become difficult with time.

Squat:
45 2x5
65 1x5
100 1x5
135 1x2
170 5x5

Overhead Press:
45 2x5
55 1x5
70 1x5
85 1x2
100 5x5

Deadlift:
175 1x5

My upper back and traps hurt like hell yesterday and today due to doing cleans for the first time on Wednesday so I wasn't expecting anything pleasant. Fortunately, I felt like a boss regardless and blasted through the workout today. I thought squat was going to be more difficult due to the pain but it faded after warmups. Time to eat up for the big recovery weekend.

[Charlie Davies]

Yeah, P. cleans make my traps sore too. The extra eccentric work from lowering them gently due to the iron plates is a bonus.

[wakxed]

Date: February 25, 2013

Squat:
45 2x5
70 1x5
105 1x3
140 1x2
175 5x5

Bench Press:
45 2x5
75 1x5
105 1x3
135 1x2
155 5x5

Power Clean:
115 5x3

Chin Ups: forgot to add these during the post last night
BW+5 3x6

Nothing really new to report on which is a good thing at this stage I take it. Weight still going up with not too much resistance from my body yet. I am hoping to hit the 200 mark on squat without having to drop down to 3x5 first. We'll see how that pans out in actuality. BW up to 144 as of yesterday morning which is on par for what I want (leangains around 1lb every 2 weeks or so).

[wakxed]

Its only been a few weeks on the program, but I'm already seeing the real world benefits of doing this training. Picked up my woman yesterday (~120lbs) and it was notably easier than it ever has been in the past. I used to get slightly out of breathe and easily tired from doing so but yesterday it was such a breeze. Nice to see the payoff outside of the gym sometimes as well.