Ironsickel's Starting Strength Log/Adventure/Journey

[ironsickel]

Hello Ya'll.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm 36 y/o, and fat. 6'1" 306lbs.

I ran Starting Strength successfully back in 2011 until real life caught up with me. Kids, life, etc.

When I attempted to come back into the fold in 2012, something was clearly not right. Turns out I was going to learn that I was pretty ill. Don't want to bore you with the details, but my illness prevented me from lifting (and eventually exercising at all).

Things escalated such that, between December 2013 and December 2014, I had 4 major abdominal surgeries to muck out my insides. Basically, during this period of time, lifting anything more than 10lbs was a strict no no, due to serious risk of adbominal hernia.

My final surgery was Dec 29, 2014. I was cleared by my surgeon to resume heavy lifting in March of 2015. I wanted to be extra cautious.

On April 26, 2015 I began Starting Strength again. I was actually a good deal weaker starting out this time than I was back in 2011. I basically hadn't been able to do anything except turn to jelly for the last 2 years.

Also, I was very cautious and didn't want to overdo anything, so I began at ridiculously low weights and slowly built up, according to the program.

My original log (which contains my original 2011 progress as well as my latest progress) can be found here. Used to be a nice place to post logs, but its different now. Felt like I was talking to myself, so decided to bring my log over here from here on out.

I'll continue my log by posting last night's workout and just continue to move forward.

Just to giggle, my initial lifts at the beginning of this run in April of 2015 were:
Squat: 65lbs x3x5
Bench: 55lbs x3x5
Deadlift: 65lb x1x5
Press: 45lb x3x5

Embarrassingly light, but I don't regret starting that low. I have quite a bit of internal scar tissue from my last couple surgeries that REALLY hurt like a mother the first couple weeks, even with the low weight.

That doesn't bother me nearly as much now, but it's still an issue here and there. Just need to know my limitations and listen to my body a little more carefully than I used to.

That said, I'm loving the crap out this program once again. And barring serious health issues, I don't intend to quit this time.

So here goes.

[peez]

Welcome to the Light Side - and may the gainzZz be with you! You are wise to take it slow - as many have said here, it's a marathon - hopefully for the rest of your life, not a sprint. It takes more fortitude to pace yourself than getting into trouble quickly - you have no reason to be embarrassed!

[ironsickel]

Workout 16
Week 6
05/31/2015
A Cycle

Squat
Warm ups: 45x2x5
Warm ups 70x1x5
Warm ups 110x1x3
Warm ups 145x1x2
Work Sets 180x3x5 (+5)
Rested 3 1/2 minutes between working sets. Felt Strong.

Press
Warm ups 45x2x5
Warm ups 45x1x5
Warm ups 60x1x3
Warm ups 70x1x2
Work Sets 85x3x5 (+5)


Press is continuing to really challenge me, like it did during my first run with the program. Rested 3 minutes between work sets and got through them. But last few Press workouts really feel like "this is going to be the one that I don't finish."

But so far, so awesome.

Power Clean
Warm ups 45x2x5
Warm ups 45x1x5
Warm ups 60x1x3
Warm ups 70x1x2
Work Sets 85x5x3 (+5)

Always feel like I'm sucking air/running windsprints after power cleans.
Rested 75 seconds between work sets.

Woot!

[ironsickel]

Welcome to the Light Side - and may the gainzZz be with you! You are wise to take it slow - as many have said here, it's a marathon - hopefully for the rest of your life, not a sprint. It takes more fortitude to pace yourself than getting into trouble quickly - you have no reason to be embarrassed!

Yeah, no doubt. To be honest, the fact that I'm still among the living is a small victory. 2014 was a *very* bad health year.

For context, my PRs in the lifts from my first run through back in 2011:

Squat: 285x3x5
Press: 110x3x5
Power Clean: 140x5x3
Bench: 185x3x5
Deadlift: 295x1x5

Should be hitting most of these PRs before too long. My progression is a little slower this time than the first time, but not by as much as I thought.

[slowmotion]

Welcome, good to hear you're moving forwards.

[ironsickel]

It should also be noted that my first run through on SS was with a 3500 calorie/day diet. This time around I'm strict Keto, something I've been doing off and on(but more on than off) since 2012.

I have not carbed up once since beginning the program on April 26, 2015 and so far doesn't seem to be hindering my results.

I try to stay around 25 net carbs per day, but may occasionally flex up to 50 net carbs in a day. I feel better when eating this way and I'm mature enough to admit that I have poor impulse control when it comes to sweets so it's easier for me to have none than just have one. If recovery becomes a problem, I may switch to cyclical or targeted keto, but so far that has not been necessary.

[ironsickel]

Last Night's Workout:

Workout 17
Week 6
05-28-2015
B Cycle

Squat
Warm ups: 45x2x5
Warm ups 70x1x5
Warm ups 110x1x3
Warm ups 145x1x2
Work Sets 185x3x5 (+5)

About 3 1/2 minutes rest between work sets.

Bench
Warm ups 45x2x5
Warm ups 60x1x5
Warm ups 80x1x3
Warm ups 105x1x2
Work Sets 120x3x5 (+5)


Rested 2 minutes between work sets

Back Extensions
Work Sets 3x10

Rested 60 seconds between work sets.


Chinups (Negatives)
Work Sets 1x8

Anybody have any suggestions for chins? They're impossible for me at present. I'm 300 lbs...I'm just not ready for chinups yet. I can do negatives, but even the 8 I did just destroyed me.

If anybody has any suggestions for perhaps an intermediate exercise that would be suitable to get me ready for chinups, I would love to hear it. Otherwise, I'll just keep trying the negatives until I get stronger. Or lighter. Hopefully both.

[peez]

Anybody have any suggestions for chins? They're impossible for me at present. I'm 300 lbs...I'm just not ready for chinups yet. I can do negatives, but even the 8 I did just destroyed me.

They have these rubber bands you can attach to a rack and stand on for assistance during chin ups. Also, some gyms have assistance machines for chins & dips. Those got me to my first chin-up when I started out. Also, you can use a "lat" pulldown machine with a chin-up grip and increase weight over time up to your BW. But even doing negatives will work. If 8 destroyed you this time, next time it will be easier and so on. Destruction=signal for your body to adapt.

[ironsickel]

They have these rubber bands you can attach to a rack and stand on for assistance during chin ups. Also, some gyms have assistance machines for chins & dips. Those got me to my first chin-up when I started out. Also, you can use a "lat" pulldown machine with a chin-up grip and increase weight over time up to your BW. But even doing negatives will work. If 8 destroyed you this time, next time it will be easier and so on. Destruction=signal for your body to adapt.

Sweet. Thanks for the advice. I'm working out at home and don't have access to those bands or to an assistance machine, but I do have a lat pulldown setup I could use, I suppose.
However, I was actually considering taking down the lat pulldown attachment to make more room for proper bench pressing. I have a Club\Weider 565 which has the dumbest design ever.

In order to use it for bench press, you essentially end up having to bench press backward, as the weights are over your stomach, not over/behind your head when racked.

However, I think If i removed the cable/pulley system and essentially disabled the lat/pulldown part, I would have enough clearance to turn the bench around and be able to bench press properly.

[ironsickel]

And while I'm on the subject of equipment limitation, I have barely enough ceiling clearance (I'm in the basement) to do standing press. But if I did standing press, I would have to do it without pegs (I would have to lift from floor/clean to rack position), as you can see from my picture in the previous post, the rack pegs are ONLY in the inside of the cage and the cage is far too short for me to press standing up.

So...for now, I press inside the cage while seated.

If this is a huge problem, please someone say so and I'll have to figure something out. Maybe.

But seated presses are really the only modification I've had to make to the program, and that's out of equipment/space limitations.