Kevin's SS training log (insert witty title here)

[KGThree]

Hey all,

Thanks for taking the time to look through my log. I started Starting Strength in May of 2018. I've been lifting off and on for over 10 years but never really pushed myself too hard. I have a history of obesity, diabetes, and sports related injuries that I'd always leaned on as an excuse but decided last summer to take control of my life. As of June 2017 I was 295 at 5'9 w/ out of control blood sugar at the age of 28. Around that time I got very sick on a business trip that lead to some complications with my blood sugar that nearly put me in a coma. It was around that time that I decided to get control of my health. Up to that point I had been an off and on gym patron for a few years. At my best (2015) I weighed around 265, w/ a 250 1RM bench press, a 225 squat, and a 315 deadlift. I thought I was a monster. Fast forward to October of 2017. At this point I had not started training. The bad business with my blood sugar led my doctor to put me on Victoza injections that killed my apatite. From July-October I was eating between 500-1500 calories per day and lost an incredibly amount of weight very fast. I think I dropped from 295-230 in that time. When I went to visit my doctor my A1C had fallen to a respectable 5.7 and I was finally taken off of the Victoza. I was determined to push myself hard and not regain the weight without the crutch of a drug so I decided it was time to start training. Around this time I was a complete noob. I had no clue where to seriously start so I chose the most reputable source I could find. The Chris Pratt workout regimen for Guardians of the Galaxy. The workouts were a crossfit style rotation of all sorts of exercises and running - 6 days per week. I stuck to a 1500 calorie diet while "training" and from October to April of 2018 I was able to drop from 230 down to 180. Meanwhile my metabolism was at a stand still, my lifts were weak, and I looked nothing like what I expected. Years of poor nutrition in combination with rapid weight loss left me looking like a melting candle and baby muscles. It was around this time that I also injured my shoulder - specifically developed bursitis in the left shoulder. I was miserable. It'd been months since I'd really allowed myself to eat normally. I was weak and unhappy with how I looked. Over the months I'd continued to research nutrition and workout splits. During this time I'd tried many different programs - the Chris Pratt program, 5/3/1, some poorly programmed workouts of my own, but nothing really stuck and week by week I was getting weaker. I needed a change. I found Starting Strength on the bodybuilding forum as it was recommended as a Novice program. The workouts seemed simple enough and I was ready to mix it up so I decided to give it a shot and bought the book. At the same time I went ahead and scheduled my first training session w/ Adam Skillin since he is the only coach in NJ and I got to reading. My first session with Adam was great. For as much as I thought I knew he did a great job of setting me straight and prepping me for my new Strength Journey.

Starting Stats (May 2018):
Weight: 180lbs
Height: 5'9
Age: 28

Squat: 195lbs
Bench Press: 145lbs
OH Press: 70lbs
Deadlift: 275lbs

As of today I've not yet switched to the advanced novice stage but I do think I am getting close and that is why I have decided to start a training log. As you can see already Adam and I have made some slight changes to the program. Unfortunately I've been stuck with my upper body movements - I'm able to progress 3x5 on both lifts up to 225/135 respectively but there seems to a major disconnect after that. Maybe it's mental? Either way, we've switched to triples and so we'll if I can start progressing again soon. For now it's microloading the upperbody lifts and continuing to increase on squats and DL. I have yet to truly stall on either Squat or DL but I do think at my current recovery level that I am nearly ready to switch to light Wednesdays and power cleans or a similar accessory movement for Deadlifts as these lifts are really starting to take a toll. I'm also at a point where I feel my nutrition needs a second look. Due to my history with obesity and diabetes I have to be careful with my weight gain. I'm an easy gainer which is nice but it's not hard to get out of control. My BF% is still 20%+ and my waist is somewhere between 35-40 inches. Using multiple resources included Jordan's "To Be A Beast" I have come up with the following nutrition plan:

M-W-F (3000 calories)
Protein: 225g
Carbs: 300g
Fat: 100g

TThSaSu (2250 calories)
Protein: 225g
Carbs: 170g
Fat: 75g

I have continued to progress using this diet, however I understand that will not last forever and that I will eventually need to be upped to continue progressing the weight. For now my goal is to stay between 200-207 while re-comping as much fat to muscle as I can. Ideally I'd like to get my waist to 30-35 inches before I start gaining again.

Anyways, this is my journey up to this point. Feel free to share any thoughts, advice, or just check in from time to time. I'll be updating at least 3 times per week w/ my daily logs and notes.

Kevin

[KGThree]

9/3/2018

Was forced to use a new gym today. I normally work out at Dillon Gym at the Princeton University campus but they were closed for memorial day. Instead I stopped in at Diesel Gym in North Brunswick, NJ. The place was awesome. Great atmosphere. Filled with a mix of amateur and professional bodybuilders and powerlifters of all ages. The atmosphere was amazing. No kids, no bullshit, just iron everywhere. The quality of the equipment was top notch as well. I can't say enough good things about this place and if you're in Central Jersey, it's worth a trip.

*Clarification - I've always used Sets x Rep scheme (3 sets x 5 reps) so that is generally what I'll use here

Log:
Squats

Warm up:

• 45x10
• 135x5
• 205x3
• 275x2

Working Sets:

• 325 - 3x5

Notes:

• Felt good today, but I'm pretty sure at least 2-3 reps were high. Didn't film to check since it was a new place and didn't want to be in anyone's way
• This was my second attempt at 325, I failed a set on Friday due to poor recovery
• After my last set I did 1 set at 405 of simple breathing/bracing with the bar on my back. I've found this to be helpful as I'd found it difficult to properly breathe/brace under load at 315 the first time I tried. Since adding in this simple breathing exercise this has been less of a problem

Bench Press

Warm up:

• 45x10
• 135x5
• 185x3
• 205x2

Work Sets:

• 215 - 3x3
• 225 - 2x3

Notes:

• This gym has a proper bench and felt amazing to actually have grip on my back/shoulders to push against
• I shouldn't have upped the weight for my last 2 sets, but wanted to feel the difference at my previous stall weight on a proper bench (and man it sure felt good)

Deadlift

Warm up:

• 135x10
• 225x5
• 275x3
• 315x2

Work Sets:

• 365x1 (PR for me)
• 405x1 (Pulled to knees, but ultimately failed because I'm a coward)
• 345x1 (tanked)

Notes:

• YNDTP
• Why the fuck am I not doing the program?
• New gym, atmosphere had me motivated and I wanted to see how it felt
• All in all, glad I tried it, but need to get my head right. It was an ego attempt and I need to care less about what other think, and the short term in general. I could have done 350x5 today and continued LP but am now set back at least 1-2 days

Chin ups:

• 3x6

Notes:

• 6 reps felt easy
• Plan to add 1 rep per set per week until I managed 3x10, will then consider adding weight

[Geoff Bischoff]

9/3/2018

After my last set I did 1 set at 405 of simple breathing/bracing with the bar on my back. I've found this to be helpful as I'd found it difficult to properly breathe/brace under load at 315 the first time I tried. Since adding in this simple breathing exercise this has been less of a problem


Deadlift

365x1 (PR for me)
405x1 (Pulled to knees, but ultimately failed because I'm a coward)

All in all, glad I tried it, but need to get my head right. It was an ego attempt and I need to care less about what other think, and the short term in general. I could have done 350x5 today and continued LP but am now set back at least 1-2 days

Welcome! Some good stuff here. Your journey motivates me.

A question on the 405 squat: So you just walk it out and feel what it's like to breathe under it? If so: Interesting. A psychological barrier I have right now is that every time I unrack a LP squat weight, it is literally the heaviest thing that's ever been on my back. This adds a level of anxiety that ends up being one more variable to work through. I wonder if just standing under a heavier weight might help me push through that.

As for the deadlift: Enjoy the PR, and don't kick yourself more than once on the LP miss. You'll not have set yourself terribly far back. For better or worse, I occasionally (three times now) do DL singles up to a new PR. Did it at 407, 425, 435, specifically. Generally on a non-DL day, but once I did the heavy singles and then circled back for my 1x5 for LP. For me it helps break the psych barrier I mention above for the squat. My next LP weight for the deadlift is supposed to be 410. In my head, I have the knowledge "My hands can grip 425, and even 435, so this is entirely doable."

So yeah, you didn't get your LP in that day, but now for your deadlifts at 350, 355, 360, you've got the memory that 365 has come up for you in recent training.

Keep enjoying the ride, brother.

[KGThree]

Thanks Geoff,

To answer your question about the 405 squat - you have it correct. I just choose a significantly heavier weight than my current squat, walk it out and basically hold it while practicing breathing/bracing. I can 100% relate to the psychological barrier with heavy squats. I'm in a spot currently where I can almost always get through set 1 of my LP weight, but set 2 and 3 are either a massive grind or undoable. Recovery is definitely playing a part but it's also psychological.

Squats

Warm up:
45x10
135x5
185x3
260x2


Working Sets:
330 - 1x5
330 - 1x1 - Didn't try for a second rep, just wasn't feeling it at all today

Backoff Sets:
275 - 2x5


Notes:
Squats felt like shit from the start. Pretty sure if I don't up my calories then I'm going to need to switch to a light day on Wed to improve recovery.

Overhead Press

Warm up:
45x10
70x5
90x3
110x2

Work Sets:
127.5 - 4x3
135 - 3x5

Notes:
Felt really good on the first four sets so I pushed my final set. Rep 5 was a solid 5-6 second grind but I got it up

Power Cleans:
Did 1 set of 65x5 - absolutely hated it (first time I've tried in months.) Decided that instead of doing Power Cleans I'd start doing rows, at least until I meet with my coach again.

Warm up:
65x8
85x8
105x8
125x8

Working Sets:
135 - 3x8

Notes:
First time doing rows in a while. 135 was easy, but rep 6-8 were definitely slower than the first so I decided to start with this weight as my first working set.

Chin ups:
1x6

Notes:
Wasn't feeling it at all today. Finished up with some Bicep/Tricep supersets at lighter weights just to give my arms a little work.

[Cheesepuff]

Great lifts.

Kg3-1.jpg

[KGThree]

Today sucked.

This week has sucked.

My calorie cut worked for a couple of weeks, I was able to progress from 305 up to 330 on reduced calories but I think I've finally hit a wall and need to start eating more. Going forward I'm going to up my calories to 3300 per day on workout days and 2900 on rest days. Will need to rely on waist measurements going forward to see if I can start progressing weights again while also cutting that waist measurement down a bit (or at least maintaining)

Today's Log:

Squats:
330x3 - Just didn't feel good under the bar. Squats felt super high and even then I felt like I was going to die at any second. Deloaded 10%
295x5x2 - This was surprisingly heavy for a 35 pound cut back. The last rep on the second set was a lot harder than I expected

Bench Press:
220x3x4 - No real problems. Felt surprisingly easy today
225x3x1 - No problem

Deadlifts:
350x1 - That's all I had in the tank. My hams and quads are fried. They've felt fried all week

Chinups:
3x5x3 - No real problems here. I could have done more but just didn't. Was pretty wiped out

Notes:

Around a month ago I started cutting calories. I started at 3000 M/W/F and 2250 on TThSaSu. I was able to drop from 215 down to 205 but obviously that's not sustainable. I'd have liked to get sub 200 again before upping the calories but ultimately I'm not willing to sacrifice the strength gains at this point. Clothes mostly fit again so I'm increasing my values to 3300 on work days and 2900 on off days. I'll use waist measurements for the next month to determine if this is an adequate and sustainable increase. Ultimately I'm less concerned with the weight on the scale and more with being able to fit into my clothes.

[carson]

"Ultimately I'm less concerned with the weight on the scale and more with being able to fit into my clothes." That is a very good insight. I found that the more I turn fat into muscle the better I look and the better my clothes fit me. It's not so much that may waist continues to shrink but that my waste is no longer jello.

Stick to the LP until you know that you have reached the novice limit. Then venture out with advice from Skillin.

[KGThree]

"Ultimately I'm less concerned with the weight on the scale and more with being able to fit into my clothes." That is a very good insight. I found that the more I turn fat into muscle the better I look and the better my clothes fit me. It's not so much that may waist continues to shrink but that my waste is no longer jello.

Stick to the LP until you know that you have reached the novice limit. Then venture out with advice from Skillin.

I've got a session scheduled with Adam next Friday so I was hoping to use some of that time to hash out where to go from here anyways. I definitely feel like there has to be more in the LP tank. The hard part for me is the nutrition. Ideally I'd like to stay between 200 and 210 and reduce BF% to between 12-20%. Recomp is a helluva lot harder than the whole bulking/cutting thing though and eating a recomp diet isn't completely conducive to pure strength gains. It's also hard to make diet changes. Most nutritionists say to give it at least 2-3 weeks or closer to a month to really gauge weight trends. At the same time, I've got to listen to my body during these workouts and make weekly adjustments to meet the demands of the workouts. Long story short, nutrition sucks.

[positronbomb]

Do the thing that you think is going to make you feel the best.
You'll also be more motivated to make it happen.

[KGThree]

Today's Log:

Squats:
330x5x3 - Felt heavy but good

Overhead Press:
135x5x3 - Solid across

Deadlifts:
350x5 - Took 2 minute rests between warm up sets and a full 8 minutes between my last warm up and my working set. Made a huge difference

Notes:
Upped my calories on Friday to about 4000, then ate between 3000-3500 on Saturday and Sunday. Going forward I'm trying out 3300 on Work out days and 3000 on rest days. I've also decided that I am going to commit to light squat day on Wednesday going forward. I just don't think I can maintain 15lbs per week for much longer anyway and the goal is to stretch LP as long as possible. I'm also switching to an alternate DL schedule. I think I can handle every other workout but I'm not 100% sure on what to replace DL with on my B day. I wont be adding power cleans, I don't have the mobility or explosiveness needed. Maybe with a solid Oly coach I'd try them, but for now they're off the table. Planning to get Adam's feedback on Friday, but I've been thinking either weighted chins or pendlay rows.

Just to add a little something extra to these logs, I was thinking I'd start posting my meal plans as well. Perhaps it'll help inspire some folks in the kitchen?

Breakfast: (786 calories)
5.2oz Top Sirloin
2 whole eggs
60 grams of Special K protein cereal
6oz 2% Milk
1 slice of Whole Wheat (Light) toast

Pre Workout: (413 calories) - 1-1.5 hours before workout
2 slices of light Whole Wheat bread
1 TBSP Strawberry Jelly
2 TBSP Natural Peanut Butter (No sugar)
1 sliced banana
1 Scoop of Cellucor preworkout mixed with 16oz of water

Post Workout: (485 calories) - Within 1 hour of the end of my workout
1 Scoop of BCAA Celucor mixed w/ 12oz of water
16oz 2% milk
2 Chewy Bars

Lunch: (651 calories)
Street Cart Chicken and Rice (Mediterranean spice blend)
Grilled Chicken - 8oz
Basmati Rice - 1 serving
Summer Squash (Zuchini and Yellow Squash)
Kontos Whole Wheat pocketless pita bread

Dinner: (867 Calories)
Teriyaki Chicken - 8oz
White Rice - 1 serving
Teriyaki Broccoli
16oz - 2% milk

Totals:
Calories: 3202
Protein: 244g
Carbs: 350g
Fat: 101g
Fiber: 26g - Need to get this up to about 38