Untrained Female

[Leanne M. Lloyd]

Hi y'all! I just started the Starting Strength program and thought it would be a good idea to keep a log on here. That way I can keep track of my progress and not have to worry about losing my notebook... it's hard to lose an entire website, even for me! Also, I thought it might offer me the benefit of some outside thoughts as I work through any issues that might arise.

As the title of my this log suggests, I'm completely untrained. So, my work loads are pretty wimpy... but that's why I'm starting down this path - to get stronger. Without further adieu, here's my workout from yesterday (Friday, June 07, 2013).

Squat
Warm-Up Sets
2x5x45#
2x5x50#
2x5x55#
Work Sets
3x5x65#

Bench
Warm-Up Sets
1x5x35#
2x5x45#
1x5x50#
1x5x55#
1x5x60#
Work Sets
3x5x65#

Deadlift
Warm-Up Set
1x5x115#
Work Sets
1x5x125#

Notes:
Squats were rough tonight. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it was a combination of soreness, fatigue, fear, and form.

It was my first bench press work tonight, and i did not expect to end up with work sets that were over 55#. So, I was mighty (pleasantly) surprised to get to 65# before it felt right for work sets. The last rep of the last set almost didn't finish, but I pushed through it.

The bench press took so long, that I thought a warm-up set was in order for my deadlifts. They went pretty well. It was fun telling my kid that i pulled 125# up off the floor, after sitting around not doing much of nothing for the last four years.

Other Stuff:

The fractional plates that I ordered Monday came in today, so I'm all set for next week!

My squat is very weak, especially when you consider that the weight was the same for my bench. On the other hand, when I'm squatting, I'm also lifting up myself... and that's quite a lot more weight than it used to be. I'm going to film myself next week (if I can find my camcorder) and watch my form. I've ordered the starting strength DVD, so i can compare.

Thanks for reading!

[yonkyogirl]

Hello! That bench is indeed a good weight if you've never done it before. Looking forward to your progress!

[carson]

I know that it is inappropriate to ask a lady her stats but that information helps all of us understand your full accomplishments. Could you give us your age, height, and weight?

[Leanne M. Lloyd]

Thanks yonkyogirl. I've played around at lifting here and there in the past, but I've been pretty much sedentary for the last four years - aside from the occasional furniture moving.

carson, i'm 37, 5'5", and 180. I estimate body fat to be around 39%. A very sorry situation that I'm in, but I hope to get myself out of it the opposite way that i got into it.

[carson]

Good for you. I have no idea how to measure or even estimate body fat. How is that done?

[carson]

I think mine is 22% body fat.

[Leanne M. Lloyd]

Do a google search for "navy body fat %" The navy method is pretty accurate... there's a site with a calculator on it. I used that, but then I went and had it figured at my gym and the numbers matched up.

[Leanne M. Lloyd]

I thought it might be a good idea to give some more background information about myself. Although I have been sedentary for the most part of my 30's, that was not always the case.

I spent my adolescent years playing outside and riding bikes, climbing trees, and racing the boys (no, not chasing - that was later!). I was an athlete from junior high through my senior year - I played volleyball, basketball, was a jumper and sprinter on the track team, and I played softball in the summer. I would also swim a mile everyday of the summer for kicks. I was athletic with descent muscle tone for someone who didn't lift (at least in the legs - i'm sure it was all that sprinting) - other than playing around on my dad's Marcy machine and an occasional day in the weight room for track.

In my 20's I was still athletic, but gradually progressed into just being skinny - and ending up at skinny fat. Now, in my 30's I went from skinny fat, to just fat. There was a brief six month period five years ago that I dabbled at some CrossFit, and stuck my toes in the Starting Strength pool. That didn't last long, because my motivation was all wrong. Now that I'm finally fed up with hating the way I've come to look, I'm determined to get strong and fit - not just determined to be "hot" again as i was in the past.

Oh, and I also did some martial arts in my teens and 20's. Shorin Ryu & Aikido. I'd love to return to Aikido, and possibly pick up some Ju Jitsu & Black Dragon Kung Fu as well. So much to do, so little time...

So, without further adieu, here's what I did today.

Squats
Warm-Up Sets
3x5x45#
3x5x57.5#
Work Sets
3x5x70#

OHP
Warm-Up Sets
2x5x25#
2x5x30#
Work Sets
3x5x35#

Deadlift
1x5x135#

Notes:

Squats felt better today, and I filmed my last set... but after looking at it myself, I didn't post it because I could see that I wasn't going down far enough. So, I'm going to have to yank my weight back down to the bar Wednesday and start over to find what my work sets should be using correct depth.

I was going to treat tonight like my first OHP night, because i thought that maybe i just wimped out a little on my first night given the disparity of the weight (my initial working set for OHP was 30# and my initial bench night was 65#). However, when i got to 30# I realized that it probably wasn't a mistake. So, I just did 3 sets of 35#. I was going to video the last set, but I didn't set my cell phone to video, so all my kid got was a photo... oops! lol

Deadlifts felt good. Although, I had my daughter filming for me, and she felt the need to talk - which totally ruined my concentration... Subsequently, the set took longer than the 30s that my cell phone films for and the last rep got cut off... but here's the first four! I'd be happy for any critiques - I know the first rep, I did not stay on my shins on the way up - mostly because of the aforementioned distraction. I also noticed my bar path wasn't exactly straight, even though I was scraping it up my legs. So, I must be bending too early somewhere.

https://vimeo.com/68097208

Nutrition:

2,225 calories
107g fat
156g carb
156g protein (30g from powder, rest from food)

Other Stuff:
My SS DVD came in today. So, that'll be my homework tomorrow! I also went ahead and bought "Mean Ol' Mr. Gravity" and "Strong Enough?" for my kindle today to round out my collection.

There's a seminar coming in August... I'm going to see what i can do to go to it.

[bluebutton]

Going to subscribe to your log.

You're doing better than my start that's for sure!!

Way to go!

Don't wait on the weightlifting shoes. They were super helpful once I got them. Weirui brand shoes are quite inexpensive relatively speaking and I have no complaints about mine.

[Leanne M. Lloyd]

Thanks! I'll see if I can find your log (if you have one) and do the same!

Yes, weightlifting shoes are my next purchase, and a belt. I am hoping to purchase them at the end of this month. thanks for the brand recommendation, I'll check them out!