Kaiten's log

[Kaiten]

Hello everyone,

I have been keeping a log, but I might as well keep a log in here. Since I can't lose it and I visit this site everyday anyways.

I started the SS program January 31st 2011. I had some previous experience with stronglifts, however I followed that program in a gym without a squat rack, so I used the smith machine combined with the fact that atleast a year has passed since I touched a barbell means I can't continue from where I left back then. Not that it really matters since I realized it wasn't that high when I came to these forums and opened my eyes to the truth.

Current stats/maxes as of May 15th, 2011:

BW:69kg
SQ:112,5kg
BP:67,5kg
DL:130kg
OHP:45kg
PC:65kg

Goals

BW:80kg (still debating about this one, but 80kg is the minimum)
SQ: 140kg
BP: 100kg
DL: 180kg
OHP: 60kg
PC:80kg
Since these weights are (except for the PC) 1,2,3 and 4 plates with 20kg.

Deloads
SQ: Once at 100kg because of depth issues and second time at 110kg because I wasn't eating sufficiently.

BP: Once at 60kg and a second time at 67,5kg.

DL: Once at 130kg, I was too greedy with the jumps of 5kg. Even though I stalled a couple of times at lower weights.

OHP: Once at 45kg.

PC: Not yet as of now, but I have stalled twice at 67,5kg. I couldn't even pull off one rep.

[Kaiten]

Had to miss a week of training because of school/exams.

24th of May, 2011:

Squats
3x5x105kg

I started a bit lower because I missed more then a week of working out and I actually lost weight in that period because of irregular eating habits.

Bench Press
3x5x60kg

I had to deload since I missed my 3rd attempt at 67,5kg.

Deadlift
3x132,5kg

I couldn't pull the fourth one, because my back kept rounding everytime the weight left the floor.

I added some Dips to see if it would help my bench press, since I had to reset for the second time and I only increased it by 7,5kg. The idea is to keep doing dips, until I stall on the bench press and then remove the dips until I am past the stalled weight.
2x5 and 1x6. I want to work up to 3x8. Seems appropriate for assistance.

[Kaiten]

26th of May, 2011:

Squats 110kg
5,4,4

I find this sufficient enough to progress, next week I will return to my normal M,W,F schedule. So it will depend on my warming up whether I stick to 110kg or go on to 112,5kg.

Overhead Press 47,5kg 2nd attempt
3,1,0

This did not go well, obviously. I will most likely have to reset, guess I will have to go find those 1 pound ankle weights that are lying around somewhere in the house and start microloading.

Power Clean 67,5kg 3rd Attempt
2 reps.

This was pathetic, although sadly it was still an improvement. I just couldn't rack the weight. Next time the weight will be deloaded to 60kg.

[Kaiten]

1st of June, 2011:

Today was not really a great workout. Because I missed a lot of workouts these past month and my bad eating habits and the fact that I need to help moving to a new house, I decided it would be smarter to lower my working weight for the squat to 90kg and my deadlift to 110kg. Because my technique was really off on the squat and deadlift.

Squat 110kg
4,3,0

Bench prress 62,5kg
5,4,4

Deadlift 132,5kg
1

[Kaiten]

15th of June, 2011:

Today, I finally started my program again. I also found some new motivation in my new sports center that belongs to the university I will be attending starting from next year. They actually have 2 squat racks with adjustable spotters and many other useful stuff like a trap bar and the best part is that the free weights area, well the barbell part of it is upstairs. All the machines and most of the dumbells are downstairs. So the new goal is to reach a 140kg squat before I enter college.

Squat 100kg
5,5,5

I decided to go with 100kg, I felt good and I knew I could pull it off even after such a long time of irregular training. They did feel heavy though, but they seemed to be an appropiate weight to start again.

Overhead press 40kg
5,5,5

Just went with 40kg. They were hard and told me I did the right thing by deloading, since I could already tell beforehand that I wouldn't make the 47,5kg.

Power clean 60kg
3,3,3,3,3

These were also relatively hard, although I did complete my reps.

[Kaiten]

20th of June, 2011:

Squat 102,5kg
5,5,5

Bench Press 60kg
5,5,5

Although I did complete all my reps, I had to do them in those 2D-smith machines because I was in a hurry and the normal bench was taken by three guys. Also felt very awkward and overall uncomfortable, so need to redo the weight on the normal bench.

Deadlift 120kg
5

Just went with 120kg instead of 110. My technique was correct even at my last warm-up set, so I just went with 120kg.

[Kaiten]

22th of June, 2011:

Squat 105kg
5,5,5

Overhead Press 42,5kg
5,5,5

Power Clean 60kg

Chin ups
5,5

Personal Notes

Had some form issues with the squat during the last rep of my second and third set. Have to pay attention to this as the weight gets higher before it becomes a problem.

Power clean was redone at 60kg, because my form was horrible last time.

[Kaiten]

27th of June, 2011:

squat 107,5kg
5,5,3

Bench Press 60kg
5,4,5

Deadlift 120kg
3

Personal Notes

The squat felt easy, but on the 4th rep of my 3rd set, I just losed focus somehow and actually forgot to go up. It was more an issue of mentality then of physical strength. However I will stick to 107,5kg the next session because of this.

I didn't got my 5th rep on my 2nd set, because I didn't have a spotter and there was no one around. Sure this weight isn't heavy enough to kill you, but I don't like to get stuck. I will move up the weight to 62,5kg, the next workout because I know I could have achieved all the reps this workout.

I retried the 120kg on the deadlift, because I wasn't entirely sure I maintained a straight lower back during my last time. I didn't manage to get my fourth rep because my lower back injury started to act up again and I just didn't manage to maintain a straight back on the fourth rep.

[Avl]

Hi Kaiten, been reading your journal and noticed that your lifts are very similar to mine and you've also been working out for a similar period (6months). I noticed that your weight is 69kg which is quite a bit lower than mine at 87kg, can I ask, therefore, how tall you are and if you know your bodyfat percentage?

The reason i'm asking is it seems like you're starting to require a number of resets and I wasn't sure if this was because you were starting to come to the end of workout to workout progression (less tall, higher bf) or if you were limited by diet (taller, lower bf).

Which leads onto my next question: Are you considering an intermediate program? it seems you're approaching 0.8x BW Press, 1.2x BW Bench, 1.5x BW squat and 2x BW deadlift 1 theoretical 1 rep maxes which seem like a pretty good place to be after 6 months of SS.

[Kaiten]

I've had some problems of working out continuously the past month, because of school and preparing everything that is thrown at you when you become an adult. So these lifts aren't my max and I need to ease back into it and regain my motivation. My height is 175cm or around that number. My bodyfat, well I am unsure, last time I checked it was 10% but that was at 60kg. So following the 40% weight gain is fat, It would probably be around 12% now.

My resets on my squat and deadlift was mostly because I was either ill or made too large of a jump. Also I had some problems with my diet, as in I wasn't eating enough. So those resets would have been unneccesary if I would get everything, relating to recovery and eating, done correctly.

My resets on the upper body lifts were truly a lack of strenght and possibly diet, since I do read a lot of posts regarding the bench press, that you really need to eat yourself to a bigger bench press. However I also haven't started microloading my upper body presses, while I should do and will start when I get near my recent stalling weights.

So to summarise, I am definitely not fat or anywhere near 20% bodyfat, and I just need to make the right adjustments to my diet.

I did consider to switch to advanced novice when I couldn't get 1 rep at a 110kg squat, however I wasn't feeling really well that day, so when I tried again after some rest, I easily made it and the current 5rm is 112,5kg. So I am not yet considering an intermediate program, since I still haven't progressed to an advanced novice program. I still want to aim for the goals I have in my first post before I go to intermediate.

The only thing that might be holding me back on reaching those goals for the squat and the deadlift is my lower back, because it tends to act up sometimes and then I can't even support my own body when I bend forward. However maybe those things will change with a belt, I don't know yet and still have to try that out sometime.

The upper body lifts might be difficult and it could happen I switch to intermediate for those before I reach those goals, but I have yet to see what the effects of microloading and weight gain would be on those lifts. I am also going to implement dips and chins, in the hopes of improving my upper body lifts.