Sync and Spouse Training Log(s)

[Gene61]

Synch, wow! You are really cool, signing up for the WF meet. One of the things I really enjoyed about your Log is that you started with the bare bar. Most of these Logs start out with "I'm so embarrassed about my poor lifts, I started out at only 180lbs(!) on the squat," or something to that effect. I also started with the bare bar because that is what I could do comfortably. Your story is inspiring. Keep us posted on your progress.

[synchronicity]

why am I soft in the middle now? Why am I soft in the middle, the
rest of my life is so hard.

Squat: 45 2x5, 60 1x5, 75 1x3, 90 1x2, 100 3x5
"Were you born a fat slimy scumbag puke piece of shit, Private Pyle, or did you have to work on it!"
Bench: 45 2x5, 65 1x5, 85 1x5, 105 1x5, 115 3x5
Deads: 65 1x5, 95 1x5 (should've been 1x3), 125 1x2, 155 1x5
"Pick 'em up and set 'em down, Pyle!"

Comments:

I have the DVD and started watching the squat part, which is silly because that's what I probably have been drilling myself on the most re: form.

For now, I'm increasing by 10 each workout on squat/press/bench and 20 on deads, either until failure or until my warmups tell me "no effing way can add 10 from your last workout". So squats went from 90 to 100.

I was a little nervous at first, as my legs were still pretty sore from last workout. I need to get in a routine for foam roller stuff or whatnot as well as some low level conditioning on off days. Also need to do some warm up protocol aside from just the empty bar squats. Yeah, it's hot here in Dallas, but I ain't 23 anymore.

Fortunately, a few sets of air squats, a set with the bare bar, and by the second set all progressed well. The weight isn't the issue yet as much as the form and mentally being prepared to do it. Still, it's nice to be at triple digits on that.

Bench went pretty well. I didn't arch my back on the first set of 5, and need to make sure I'm locking out at the top of each rep. Will be watching that DVD to see all the things I'm doing wrong (yes, I got great training back in July, but that was over a month ago and I've likely forgotten a lot). I could have tried for higher than 115, but decided it's better to do a little less and just progress up than try to do too much too soon. The fact that my bench is more than my squat says volumes about my lack of training.

Brought the bumpers again to start at 65. I was nervous about a 20 lb jump, more so after inadvertently doing a set of 5 at 95 instead of just 3. Weight seemed relatively easy, surprisingly. Form questions remain but the book and DVD will help.

Put away all my weights (why the hell don't people in gyms DO THAT? Are they all lazy slobs?), grabbed my bumpers, walked out of the gym (yes, it's that nearby Gold's, I paid for the "by-the-month" membership last week), got in my car, set everything down, closed the door....

Then clapped my hands and shouted "HELL YEAH!!!!!"

Oh, other numbers - weight/body fat % last 4 days: 233.4/35.1, 230.6/38.0, 231.2/38.9, 231.8/38.6. Need to get down to 220 for the meet (100kg). As noted far above, I'm 5'7" with body fat in the upper 30's, so I SHOULD drop some weight on this, even eating well.

Tuesday after work is next. Aiming for a 110 squat, and 85 press, and a 175 deadlift. Let's see how it goes.

[synchronicity]

And again....(changing the format back to the standard for this forum, which is reps first then sets if more than 1).

Squat: 45x5x2, 65x5, 80x3, 95x2, 110x5x3
Press: 45x5x2, 55x5, 65x3, 75x2, 85x5x4*
Deads: 65x5, 100x5, 135x2, 175x5.

Up 10 again on squats and press, up 20 on deadlift. 5 minute warm up on the elliptical. Good news is that my body, especially my legs, felt MUCH better before the workout than they did last time. I woke up at 4AM and felt like a creaky old man, but was getting around pretty good today pre-workout. Still get stiff if I sit for too long.

OK, some lessons from today.

Weights are starting to feel heavy (I know, this is nothing, there's LOT more heavy to come. It's like when I first bitched about a 90 degree day in Dallas as being "so hot"). This means I have to really pay attention to form. And focus. Which brings up that asterisk. You see, the gym was busy today (first day after a holiday weekend, 7PM), so not only were both squat racks being used (me using one), but two guys came up asking how many more reps I had to left. Fortunately for me, guy on the other rack had just finished, so they moved over to his...

Where I couldn't help but notice that they were doing some bizarre buttback quarter squats, with pissy weights, and they had stick legs.

But ya know what? Last I checked I'm a WEAK FATASS WHAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE HIS FORM DOWN YET! So really, who the fuck am I to say anything about what anyone else is doing. Their business, NOT mine.

Second, because I was spending too much time wondering about the people next to me, on my last set on the press I wasn't properly focused, and on my 4th rep I raised the bar up AND BACK too far, and had to adjust one foot to keep my balance. Which in, say, a competition would be a FAIL!

That pissed me off so much that I decided to do one more set just to prove that I could, in fact, fully press 85, but even then I wasn't PATIENT, and didn't rest properly between sets, so I darn near failed on my 4th rep on THAT set getting the weight over my head. Idiot. That's what I am.

So, plenty of lessons today.

A) KEEP YOUR FOCUS! My ONE goal is to properly lift that weight in whatever exercise. It DOESN'T MATTER what anyone else is doing or saying, if there's a car crash outside or a raging forest fire or whatever, or if the people next to me are lifting 30 pounds weirdly or 500 pounds perfectly or if there's a really really REALLY hot chick working out there (like, say, my wife). It's just me the bar, the weights, and gravity. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.
B) Form, form, form. I've watched the DVD (although the press is taught differently now than in the videos, as I noticed and others have commented. It was very synchronicitous...er, a coincidence that that other thread came up in Q&A regarding the press), read the book, reread the book, and I jotted down quick notes on form on my index card with my warm ups and work sets. Now that the weights are starting to increase, form will be the difference between success and failure, and (more importantly) between success and INJURY.
C) you know what feels better than doing 5 reps of deads at 155 pounds. Doing 5 reps of deads at *175* pounds!

As I was loading up the bar for the work set of deads, I looked at my hands - they had a patina of orange-brown oxide/rust/whatever on them. Damn, I feel like I'm realy weight training.
And my after workout snack was a flying dutchman from In-n-Out. Ate it with my hands. So I probably ingested some of that stuff. Eh, some extra iron is probably good for me.

Next workout goals - 120 on the squat, 125 on the bench, 195 on deads although I'll set the warm ups to allow for only 190 or even as low as 185 if necessary. Have my warmups set for my next press workout as well to allow for only 90 instead of 95.

And so it goes.

BTW- thanks peeps for commenting on my log, it's very motivating and inspiring. Also, wife is sick with a cold-thing, so she won't workout again til at least Friday, most likely. I hope to get her along soon.

[Oldster]

Really good stuff here, Sink. I'm terribly glad to see your wife working out with you and still continuing. My own wife just restarted lifting and it is really good all around.

Look more at the big picture though. You may be overweight, you may be weak. But you are doing something about it and every journey was started with the first step, which you have obviously done. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, continue to add weight to the bar when you can and never miss a workout. If I can give one piece of advice to a new lifter, show up. Every time. Show up until people start setting their clock to you.

My own lifting partner likes to think of me as his conscience. He can set his clock by me, today was maybe one of 5 days in the past 20+ years I didn't show up as normally scheduled. And that was only because my new kitchen was being unloaded at my house. I called him and he told me that was exactly what he figured was going one, either that or I was dead!

Just keep showing up.

[synchronicity]

Really good stuff here, Sink. I'm terribly glad to see your wife working out with you and still continuing. My own wife just restarted lifting and it is really good all around.

Look more at the big picture though. You may be overweight, you may be weak. But you are doing something about it and every journey was started with the first step, which you have obviously done. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, continue to add weight to the bar when you can and never miss a workout. If I can give one piece of advice to a new lifter, show up. Every time. Show up until people start setting their clock to you.

My own lifting partner likes to think of me as his conscience. He can set his clock by me, today was maybe one of 5 days in the past 20+ years I didn't show up as normally scheduled. And that was only because my new kitchen was being unloaded at my house. I called him and he told me that was exactly what he figured was going one, either that or I was dead!

Just keep showing up.

What's the old quote, 90% of life is just showing up or whatever? Thanks for the kind words, they're much appreciated. A big reason I entered the WFAC meet was to motivate my ass to work out. I've only done 3, but am getting into that mode where after every one I'm already looking forward to the next one. Just keep on keepin' on.

I'll be sure to give you shit on E&P anyway, because hell, what else is someone supposed to do on E&P? (As an aside, I keep thinking "Earnings and Profits" everytime I read that, as that's what E&P was shorthand for in one of the places of my misspent youth). I'll be disappointed if you don't do the same.

Now, if only xcardiobunny and vale's comments can get my wife motivated to get back to working out with me!

[Oldster]

I'll be sure to give you shit on E&P anyway, because hell, what else is someone supposed to do on E&P?......... I'll be disappointed if you don't do the same.

I wouldn't have it any other way!

Now, if only xcardiobunny and vale's comments can get my wife motivated to get back to working out with me!

Whatever it takes to keep her motivated. What keeps my own wife motivated it only one thing. It isn't the amount of weight she moves, it isn't the good form or different movements she likes. It is what she sees in the mirror. That alone is what does it for her.

[Gene61]

Hey, Sync, my goal is to catch you! So don't miss any workouts, as I'm going to knock them off like clockwork and I'll be coming up from behind. You have a nice head start and you are youngish, but watch out, I'm coming!

[synchronicity]

Hey, Sync, my goal is to catch you! So don't miss any workouts, as I'm going to knock them off like clockwork and I'll be coming up from behind. You have a nice head start and you are youngish, but watch out, I'm coming!

Never happen, my friend. I'm in this for the long haul. GET USED TO EATING MY DUST!

Workout report to follow....

[synchronicity]

I fucking hate globo-gyms, but dammit I'll make this fucking thing work. No way am I going to (more) embarrassed in two months.

Todays results. First workout on "long" (3 days) rest:

Squat: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x3, 100x2, 120x5x3

A few work reps were damn close to failure. Form. Get.The.Form.Right.

Bench: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x3, 105x2, 125x5x3.

Need to recheck the book and the video (hey gene, isn't that DVD great! Although note that they teach the press differently now and in the book than they do on the video) to make sure my grip is right and a few other bits. The weight wasn't "easy" but never felt "heavy", if that makes sense.

Then, last but not least.

Deads: 65x5
110x3
150x2

then, last, WTH, lets try to go up by 20 again. Load it up. 195lbs.
Look at it. Suck it up.

"There is no spoon"

And ya know what feels better than 5 reps of deads at 175?

195x5.

DAMN STRAIGHT!

My form kinda sucked, my left arm feels it, but it still wasn't really heavy, know what I mean?

Finished off, got flack because my daughter was with me sitting at a table in the "waiting" area, but ya see, she shouldn't be doing that because somethingsomethingliabilitywhatnot. She can only be there when the "kid's room" is available, which is 4-8PM which is incredibly convenient for any SAHM who wants to work out on the elliptical for an hour in the afternoon or early evening, I guess, because apparently weightlifting guys never take care of their kids or whatever...

Have I mentioned how FUCKING HAPPY I WILL BE TO HAVE A HOUSE AND MY OWN GODDAMN POWER RACK?!?!?!?!? HAVE I?!?! *HAVE I?!?!?*

Well, I am now.

Ya know another thing I notice after working out. My bullshit tolerance drops to zero.

OK, next time we're going for 130 squat, 95 press, and 215 deadlift. Let's see how it feels.

24 workouts remaining til comp.

[Gene61]

Oh shit! 195x5. Awesome, man!