The A-Ron files

[A-Ron_Engineer]

I've been farting around with barbells for a while. I finally started working on the actual program within the past few months.

Height: 5' 9.5"
Weight: ~190 lb


12/18/16 Training:

Bench Press:
Warmed up with 45lb (bar only); did 10 or so reps.
Then 135lb x 5 reps.

Tried 170lb on the first set. Only got 3 in.
Dropped back to 165lb on the 2nd set; got in 3 or 4 whilst screwing around with my weight bench setup.
Third set: Got the weight bench setup ok; did 165x5.

I have fractional plates (.5lb each) on order, so I'm gonna try progressing a pound or two each session on my presses.

Squats:
Bodyweight warmup reps
45x5
135x5
190x5x3

Deadlifts:
135x5
195x5x3

Chinups:
Used all 3 assistance bands on the Perfect Pullup assistance band.
4 reps
4 reps
3 reps.


Goals: Start getting some progress back on my presses. I expect that the fractional plates will help. I also upped my rest period from 3 minutes between sets to 4 minutes.
I've still been getting linear 5lb progress on the squats and deadlifts, so the goal there is to keep it up. I have a feeling that I'll need to hook grip sometime soon on my deadlifts; I've been doing the basic overhand grip, but my left hand is getting pretty fatigued at it.

I'm upgrading to a better weightlifting belt soon too; I'm going from a cheapo nylon/velcro belt to a leather belt.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

12-20 log:

Warmed up on the stationary bike (I didn't time myself, but it was 5 minutes or so).

Overhead press:
Warmups: 45x10, 60x10
Work sets: 110x5x2, 110x4x1 (that last damned rep just wasn't happening!)

Squats:
Warmups: 45x8, 135x5
Work sets:
195x5x3. My form wasn't the greatest here. I'm having the problem of mixing in a good morning on the way up. I'm gonna study up on remedying this. I might hold at 195 for a couple sessions also. (Good idea?)

Deadlifts:
Warmups: 135x5x2.

Work sets: 200x5x3. I used the hook grip and liked it! This was my first work set over 200, which made me feel like I'd just passed a milestone.

Chins:
5 reps x 3 sets, still using all 3 assistance bands.

[carson]

Welcome. What is your age?

[A-Ron_Engineer]

I'm 32.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

A bit more about me: I'm 32. I'm married, with 2 young kids, and I work full time. I usually do my weight training in the evenings, in my basement. I sometimes have trouble getting my training sessions in every other day, as these logs will show.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

12-24-16 Training Log:

Overall, I seemed to get tired pretty quickly today. I think my meal timing was off a bit for my training session. I'm having some aches around my tailbone now that my training session is over.

Bench press:
Warmed up with 45x5, 135x5.
Work sets: 166x5x3. I got all my reps in. I'm liking my new .5lb plates.

Squats:
Warmed up with some bodyweight squats, then 4x5 and 135x5.
Work sets: I tried 195 briefly, but I de-loaded to 185lb to work on my form. I did 185x5x3, although I did stop and rest during one set because I had an ugly lift (for some reason, my hips/butt rose but my head and shoulders didn't want to).

Deadlifts:
Warmed up with 135x5x2.
Work sets: 205x5x3. I took a form check vid on my phone, and I'm rounding my upper back a bit. It looks like I need to get my hips/butt a bit lower.


I didn't do any chinups today (not yet anyways). The rest of the family had started Christmas eve lunch, and I was tired, hungry, and ready to join in.


Plan for next training session: Keep on a 1lb progression on my presses. Hold squats at ~185 and deadlifts at ~205 to work on form. I'm looking into getting some proper lifting shoes (using Airwalk skate shoes right now) and maybe some kinda (caffeine free) pre-workout supplement.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

12-30-16 Training Log:

Back after a brief hiatus. I've been off my routine due to the holidays, and it's been tough to get my lifts in.

I got a new weightlifting belt (a proper 4" leather belt) for Christmas. I bought myself some Reebok lifting shoes off Amazon, and I got a new stimulant-free (because I lift in the evenings) pre-workout supplement.

I did my usual warmup sets.

Overhead press: 110x5x3. I got all my reps in this time!

Squat: 185x5x3. I widened my stance a bit, and combined with the new gear, I feel like my form is better now.

Deadlift: 205x5x3. I managed to get my butt a bit lower, rather than rounding my upper back to get the bar to the floor.

Chin-ups: I did 5 reps, still using 3 assistance bands. I think I'm gonna swap these in for bench presses, or something. I need to re-read the programming chapter in Starting Strength.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

1/1/17 Log:

Started with the pre-workout supplement (I'm using GAT PMP stim-free), then jogged briefly on the treadmill. Then my usual warmups. I used the foam roller on my glutes, hamstrings, and quads also.

I started with squats, after skimming back over the programming chapter and realizing that's what I was supposed to do.

Squats: 190x5x3. No problems, once I got my belt adjusted properly.

Bench press: 167x5x3. No problems. I still love owning 0.5lb plates. I starting consciously contracting my glutes against the bench as I pressed up; it seems to help.

Chin-ups: 5x3, with 3 assistance bands. I'm still not great at chin-ups, and I'm not sure I'm getting much better. I'm gonna look at doing some kind of chin-up progression plan (they are a legit lift, according to Starting Strength, after all).

I wanted to do the squat/bench/chin-up/back extension routine shown in the programming chapter, but since I don't have a roman chair at home, I swapped in some "supermans" instead.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

1/3/17 Log:

Usual warmup sets. I took the GAT supplement prior to, but I forgot to mix in BCAAs. I think this hurt my performance.

Squats: 195*5*3. These felt good.

Press: I attempted at 111, then went down to 110. I just couldn't get these reps in. I accidentally started at 121lb (plate load error). I ended up doing 121*2, then 111*3, 111*3, then 110*2. I'm not sure what the issue was. Lack of BCAAs? Just an off-day? A little tired because I did my squats first? (This was the first time I did the press after my squats).

Deadlift: 210*5*3. No problems here.

[A-Ron_Engineer]

1/6/17 Log:

Usual warmups, although I think I spent a couple extra minutes on the stationary bike. GAT supplement mixed with BCAAs.

Squats: 200*5*3. No problems.
Bench Press: 168*5*3. No problems; these actually felt pretty light.
Deadlifts: 215*5*3. These are feeling heavy, but I got the job done.