industrialplaid gets back into it

[industrialplaid]

Long-time lurker and new poster to the forum, but have done the Starting Strength program a couple of times over the last 5 years. Coming off a long international trip and a period of laziness before that, so a significant de-load. Decided to get more committed this time and actually do a training log, post on the forums for form checks and advice, etc.

Stats:

Height - 6'1"
Weight - 195 lbs
Bodyfat - north of 20%, dad-bod

Training history:

Have run the program before, and my best 3x5 squat set was 295. Best deadlift set of 5 was 315. Best 3x5 bench was 205; best press 115. Have always worked hard in the gym but half-assed the eating/diet component, so I'm going to work hard on that to try to beat my old PRs.

Goals:

My wife and I have our first baby coming in late August of this year, so I want to get myself to a good level of fitness before that happens and things are disrupted. Long-term goals are to get to the 200/300/400/500 numbers while keeping body fat in the ~15% range and not being a fatty.

Plan to find a local coach as I get up and running to help me with form, because the other times I tried the program I ended up losing motivation due to injuries that I think were the result of form errors. Will also be posting form checks at regular intervals.

Programming:

- following the basic novice program from the book as outlined here (https://blackironbeast.com/starting-strength). I think that's a pretty accurate summation of the progression. Will be lifting on MWF in the early AM before work.
- also adding some foam rolling before each workout (15 Ways to Foam Roll | T Nation) and some light stretching afterwards (Hardcore Stretching - Part 1 | T Nation). Nothing crazy, but I've had some issues with nagging injuries in the past and am really tight and generally in bad shape after my last few months of laziness and not working out. Feel like my body could use the extra TLC.
- for conditioning I'll be following the advice from Jordan's To Be a Beast article and doing HIIT on a Concept 2 rower every Saturday.
- only other weirdness is that with the wife big and pregnant I'm getting up early and walking the dog before the gym. So I'll be doing a fasted 30 min walk with coffee every morning, followed by gym on training days (MWFSat).
- for nutrition I'm following the Recomposition macro goals from Jordan's To Be a Beast article. Will be tracking eating on MyFitnessPal and posting summary data every Sunday on weekly averages to keep myself honest and start to actually chart progress.

[carson]

Welcome. Make sure to find a certified SS coach. Don't settle for some "trainer".

[industrialplaid]

Did my first workouts this past week to establish my starting weights.

5/10

Squat - 135x5x3
*started with empty bar and did sets of 5 adding 10 lbs each time; rested 90 sec between sets

Press - 65x5x3
*started with empty bar and did sets of 5 adding 5 lbs each time; rested 90 sec between sets

Deadlift - 180x5
*started with 135 and did sets of 5 adding 15 lbs each time; rested 90 sec between sets

First time back in the gym in a while, and I was really surprised (horrified?) at how out of shape I am. Not sure how to describe it, but the weights didn't feel heavy, it just felt like my body couldn't handle it as the fatigue accumulated from the sets ramping up. Decided to just start with really low weights and focus on form/tightness since I know how quickly things ramp up on the program.


5/12

Squat
45x5x2
70x5
95x3
120x2
145x5x3
* resting 3-5 mins between work sets, 90 sec between warm ups

Bench - 115x5x3
*started with empty bar and did sets of 5 adding 10 lbs each time; rested 90 sec between sets

Deadlift
135x5
150x5
165x3
180x2
195x5
*resting 5 mins between last warm up and work set, 90 sec between warm ups

Felt much better on day 2. Bench felt wobbly again with accumulated fatigue. Used belt on last warm up and work sets, and focused hard on full body tightness and pushing against it (has been a problem for me in the past).

[industrialplaid]

5/13

HIIT - rowing
5 min warm up
5 x intervals - 20sec spring, 1:40 rest (very light rowing)
5 min cool down

[industrialplaid]

Welcome. Make sure to find a certified SS coach. Don't settle for some "trainer".

Thanks. Will definitely try to look up a legit coach here in Chicago if anyone has recommendations.

[carson]

There are three of them in Chicago. I know all of them but know Karl Schudt the best. Check them out.

[industrialplaid]

There are three of them in Chicago. I know all of them but know Karl Schudt the best. Check them out.

Thanks for the recommendation - very helpful! I'll look Karl up for sure.

[carson]

Thanks for the recommendation - very helpful! I'll look Karl up for sure.

I missed the newest SS coach in your area. Spencer is in Evanston and worked with a friend who coaches in Lansing, Michigan. Check the coaching section on the website. Karl is the coach who got me started.

[industrialplaid]

I missed the newest SS coach in your area. Spencer is in Evanston and worked with a friend who coaches in Lansing, Michigan. Check the coaching section on the website. Karl is the coach who got me started.

Thanks. I figured there'd be some coaches in the area.

[industrialplaid]

Going to make it a habit of posting weekly averages for nutrition, etc. on Sundays to keep myself accountable on diet/sleep and not just lifting.

Weekly averages:

Weight - 197 (average of daily weigh in first thing in the morning)
Sleep - 6 hrs, 57 mins (tracked on FitBit)
Steps - 17,741 (tracked on FitBit)

Cals - 2,942
Protein - 177g
Carbs - 275g
Fat - 124g

Definitely need to increase protein (went and bought some whey today) and bring fat down a little bit to hit Jordan's recs. Need to try to get a little more sleep.