Better late than never - Mike's training log

[mkalbert]

Starting a training log after about 5 months - started on the 5x5 program with an empty bar in Nov 2013, figured out how to do a low bar, rather than a high bar squat in January, found Starting Strength in February and switched to 3 x 5. I have taken a few deloads on each exercise and my present lifts are as follows (all in pounds):

Squat - 240 x 5 x 3 (got this Wed)
Deadlift - 280 x 2 (missed getting 5 for the third time on Wed, deload to 240 x 5 and did them)
Benchpress - 165 x 5 x 3 (deloaded 2x, this is my PR, will start microloading by 1lb per workout after going up by 2.5lbs since 130lbs or so)
Overhead press - 105 x 5 x 3 (got up to 112.5lbs - excessive backward lean and missed 5 x 3 - deloaded to 105lbs - will microload 1lb per workout)
Powerclean - 107.5 x 3 x 5 - haven't deloaded yet, just started these in Feb at 75lbs

Background - no strength training background. Did three Boston Marathons and one in Philadelphia 5-6 years ago in decent times (3:35 - 4:00 hours) and did about 8 months of crossfit more recently.

44 yrs old - 5'9" 166lbs (up from 152lbs in February - and for all of my life) Thin build - have always been "undermuscled".

[Lion Heart]

You made the right choice switching from Stronglifts. SS is certainly superior. At your height and current weight you should be eating a lot. Gaining weight will ensure you exhaust your LP and prevent you from stalling prematurely.

[mkalbert]

You made the right choice switching from Stronglifts. SS is certainly superior. At your height and current weight you should be eating a lot. Gaining weight will ensure you exhaust your LP and prevent you from stalling prematurely.

Thanks. I am eating like I never have before. I still try to mainly eat "clean", i.e. paleo, that I have been doing for the last 2 years or so, so I don't eat any bread, hardly any pizza, very little processed food. For breakfast I have been eating 5-6 egg omelets, for lunch going to Five Guys and getting three patties, cheese and bacon and all the veggies in a bowl, for dinner meat and veggies and rice. For the first time I bought a big 5lb container of protein shake mix, and drink a quart of milk a day with two scoops. My waist size has gone from 32" to 35". Two suits I bought last year will probably never fit me again. Doing it for the gainZzzz.

[mkalbert]

Today's workout:

Squat
45lbs x 5
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
245 x 5 x 3 (PR)

Bench
45 x 5
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
166 x 5 x 3 (PR)

Powerclean
45 x 5
110 x 3 x 5 (PR)

The beauty of LP is that there are PRs often.

Worked out in the afternoon today. Last workout I got 240 x 5 x 3 which was the weight I got stuck at and deloaded from once a month ago, and missed two workouts ago (getting something like 2 and then 0 reps). Last workout, 240lbs was no problem. Did not know how 245lbs would go today. Once I got rep # 1 in the first set done, I knew it would be okay. Not a complete grinder. My knees were out on every rep, good form there, but during the third set, I did good morning a couple of reps. On the third rep of the third set, the bar completely stopped on the way up, but I powered through.

Benchpress - first time I used the microplates I bought from Dan Miller - added 1lb, I may get crazy next time and add 1 1/2 lbs to get to 167.5 - woo hoo.

Powerclean - unlike the examples in Rip's DVD, when I jump, the bar certainly does not float to the rack. The big guy on Rip's DVD does this unbelievably - there is some POWER to get the bar to fly off the quads. I definitely don't have that power - some of my reps are more like reverse curls and I needed to redo one rep that I missed in front of me. Need to focus on the jump more.

Finished with 10 front squats with the 110lbs and then 10 x 3 chin ups - about 3-4 minutes between set of 10 (for the gunZzzz.).

[mkalbert]

Not a lot of sleep last night so went into tonight's workout tired after sitting in the cold at my younger son's baseball game.
Started workout at 8:20pm.

Warmed up with 20 should dislocated with the light bar.
Squats
45 x5
45x5
95x5
135x5
185x5
250x3 (PR)
225 x 5 x 3

Did not feel confident starting the sets of 250lbs - looking for an excuse to go lighter. Got three reps, got stuck on the fourth - could have driven my hips up and got at least 4, but let it drop onto the safeties. Did 3 sets of 5 at 225lbs. Form was pretty crappy on 225lbs, dropped too low on a couple of reps. Will get 250 x 5 x 3 on my next workout on Thursday.

Overhead press
45 x 5
45 x 5
75 x 5
106 x 5 x 3

First set was damn hard. I can't push the weight directly over my head - I end up pushing it out in front of me. 2nd and 3rd sets were marginally easier.

Deadlift
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
215 x 5
245 x 5

Decided to do a few more sets - going up 30lbs or so each set - focused on form. Gotta get my deadlifts up higher than my squats.

Finished with 10 chin ups.

One of those workouts that I'm happy I did but I'm happy is over.

[Str8shutr]

When you get a chance, check out the Press 2.0 video in the video section. Learning the hip whip and using a little layback really helped my OHP.

Good Luck!

[mkalbert]

Squat
45 x 5
45x5
95x5
135x5
185x5
250x2
225x3x5

BP
45x5
45x5
95x5
135x3
167x3
167x3
167x1
135x8x2

Powerclean
110x2
95x2

Chinups
10 @ bodyweight


Missed my mid-week workout, so though I had a long day at work and watched my younger son's baseball game, got home, had dinner, talked myself into the garage but didn't start my workout until 10:40pm.
Squat - worked up to 250 - 2nd workout at this weight. Both felt like "squat mornings", couldn't grind out the third rep. Dropped to 225lbs and did 5 x 3.
Benchpress - by this time, it was in my head how late it was. Got three at 167lbs, three more for the second set, and then one for the last set. Moved to 135lbs for 2 sets of 8, so I would feel like I did some work.
Powerclean - close to midnight. I got two at 110lbs, then the third was a "reverse curl" and I missed catching it. 95lbs x 2, and that was about it.
Finished with 10 chin ups.
Traveling for work next week from Monday - Friday, so I may miss two workouts, though I will replace these with bodyweight work or whatever I can do in whatever gym is in the hotel.
Bought an EZ curl bar to start doing some lying triceps extensions, and also put together a dip station today. Will work on a few ancillary exercises after workouts, adding to the chins I do every time.

[mkalbert]

Squats
45x5
45x5
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
250x0
225x5x3

OHP
45x5
45x5
75x5
107x5x3

Deadlift
135x5
185x5
225x5
255x5

Chinups
11xbodyweight
Dips
10xbodyweight



Wanted to do a workout before traveling for work for a week. Will be in Miami - hopefully will find a gym to visit one day so I don't miss another workout.
Squat - 3rd time trying 250lbs - was distracted by my kids and a lot of other things on my mind. Failed on the first rep at 250lbs - not surprised as my mind was not focused. Ended up doing 3x5 x 225lbs. Need to figure out if this is the end of my linear progression as this is the third fail on the third weight. (I failed way back at 170lbs before I figured out that I was doing high bar and not low bar squats and then I failed at 240lbs, just after moving to 3 x 5 rather than 5x5).
With my fails with the upperbody exercises and deloads on those and deadlifts, the easy gains are definitely past (not that the last 45-60 days has been very straight linear progression).
The good thing about my squats is that 225lbs now feels like a weight I am not going to fail. My form is not the best on every rep, and I do get stuck somewhere in the rep (usually 1/8 to 1/4 of the way out of the hole) but I can drive through them every time.
OHP - my one pound microloading continues - 107lbs today. 5th rep on the 3rd set included a lot of layback, and was slow going, but I got them.
Deadlift - regular grip on the warmups of 135 and 185lbs, switched to mixed grip on 225lbs and 255lbs. Held the last rep as long as possible. My grip does feel stronger than it has been - started to slip on 185lbs.
Finished with max chinups - 11 (last one was hard - could have gotten maybe one more ) and max dips on my new dip rack - 10.

[scwot]

Hi! Next squat session put 230 on the bar and just squat.

[mkalbert]

Two years after my first round of LP, I started again on New Years Day 2016. Still working at it. Difference this time is I have focused on weight gain.

At the beginning of May, I had a coaching session with CJ Gotcher in San Diego. Highly recommended and well worth it. In 90 minutes, I learned lessons that will serve me as I continue on the SS journey.

46 yrs old
5' 9" 182lbs (up from 172 when I started LP)

Today's workout

Squat
45 x 5
75 x 5
105 x 5
135 x 5
205 x 3
250 x 5 x 3

Had worked up to 260 x 5 x 3 and then tweaked my back. Went down to 235lbs and worked over the last couple of workout by 5lbs per workout.

Focusing on staying tight - I read a comment by Tom Campitelli in the Forums that said if you are doing anything to feel more comfortable under the bar you are doing something wrong. I used to get loose at the bottom of the squat, thinking it was a way to get depth, but CJ pointed out what I was doing during coaching.

Bench press
45 x 5
105 x 5
135 x 5
172.5 x 5 x 3 (PR) increasing by 2.5lbs per workout

Clean
116 x 5 x 3 - (PR) increasing by 1x per workout

Finished with 5 front squats at 116, then max chins - 9.

I haven't failed a squat set yet, though I was increasing by 2.5lbs per workout since about 150lbs. I am still increasing on the other exercises as well, though only by 1lb per workout on clean and OHP and 2.5lbs on BP.