Torsitano's SS Log

[Shawn Torsitano]

08/18/2018
Squat: 185 3x5
Bench: 135 3x5
Dead: 205 1x5
BW: 176

08/21/2018
Squat: 155 3x5
Press: 85 3x5
Dead: 205 1x5
BW: 176
Notes: Super sore

08/23/2018
Squat: 165 3x5
Bench: 145 3x5
Dead: 215 1x5
BW: 178
Notes: Moderately Super Sore

08/25/2018
Squat: 205 3x5
Press: 90 3x5
Dead: 235 3x5
BW: 178
Notes: No longer sore

[carson]

Go see a SS coach a few times to get some consistency.

[Shawn Torsitano]

Go see a SS coach a few times to get some consistency.

Do you mean consistency regarding when I lift? That's entirely due to me not making it a big enough priority and being way too busy. I'm not one to make excuses for myself, and admit that my failure to stick with it is my own fault. That said though, I've got three kids, 1 hour commute each way to work, work 45-55 hours a week, and attend school full time, so it's easy for me to lose the time for things like lifting.

Closest SS coaches are 4 hours away, and I really can't afford the time for that at the moment.

[carson]

I'm a retired college professor. You have way too much on your plate. How many more years will you be in college? Is it full time? You may need to hold off on the lifting entirely. In any event somethings got to give.

[Shawn Torsitano]

I'm a retired college professor. You have way too much on your plate. How many more years will you be in college? Is it full time? You may need to hold off on the lifting entirely. In any event somethings got to give.

It's alright, my sanity has already given.

It's technically full time, but it's online, and very flexible(WGU). It's also what I work in full time, so the classes are generally pretty easy, except for the last few I have left. I'm 5 classes out, about 20 credits I think.

I definitely have way too much on my plate, but I also recognize that even with how busy I am, I still waste time. After the kids go to bed, I'm usually too exhausted to work on either school or lifting, so I wasn't. I mostly do school on the weekend. As of last week, I decided that instead of trying to lift late, I can just get up at 5 am, an hour earlier than normal, and lift in the morning. It's only 2 times a week, since I can get a session in on the weekends without too much trouble.

Being strong is a goal of mine. I have barbells and weights in the garage, so there is no excuse for me.

08/27/2018
Squat:215 3x5
Bench: 155 3x5
Dead: 245 1x5
BW: 178.4 lbs

[Shawn Torsitano]

08/31/2018
Squat: 225 3x5
Press: 95 3x5
Dead: 255 1x5
BW: 177.4

[Geoff Bischoff]

So many starts! Life keeps rocking you, man. But you keep on coming back to it. Good on you.

You've got to find the thing that makes you compliant to the program. For instance, it looks like you've moved in the right direction by finding a consistent time of day when you can train. With school, work, and kids all competing for your time, you've definitely got lots going on. You're a definitional novice: Able to increase intensity in each lift at each workout. But maybe frequency is a variable you can intentionally manipulate? Maybe 3/wk isn't for you right now?

For instance: Maybe set an inviolable standard for yourself that you will do two progression workouts per week, rather than three. Then block out those times and days, make them sacrosanct, and drive on. You'll still be picking up 10 lbs per week on the squat, given 5-lb jumps. That's an 80-lb gain to the weight on your squat bar in 8 weeks: 16 workouts. You'd be 5-repping your squat at 305.

For perspective, the most successive workouts you've logged without a significant layoff in this thread: 13, by my count. Maybe make that your next PR to break. Maybe you can do so by taking the tortoise approach rather than the hare approach. No self-judgment or self-hatred; just a recognition that your life-stage will allow X amount of strength training but not Y, and then maximize the effectiveness of whatever X turns out to be.

I'm rooting for you, man.

[Shawn Torsitano]

So many starts! Life keeps rocking you, man. But you keep on coming back to it. Good on you.

You've got to find the thing that makes you compliant to the program. For instance, it looks like you've moved in the right direction by finding a consistent time of day when you can train. With school, work, and kids all competing for your time, you've definitely got lots going on. You're a definitional novice: Able to increase intensity in each lift at each workout. But maybe frequency is a variable you can intentionally manipulate? Maybe 3/wk isn't for you right now?

For instance: Maybe set an inviolable standard for yourself that you will do two progression workouts per week, rather than three. Then block out those times and days, make them sacrosanct, and drive on. You'll still be picking up 10 lbs per week on the squat, given 5-lb jumps. That's an 80-lb gain to the weight on your squat bar in 8 weeks: 16 workouts. You'd be 5-repping your squat at 305.

For perspective, the most successive workouts you've logged without a significant layoff in this thread: 13, by my count. Maybe make that your next PR to break. Maybe you can do so by taking the tortoise approach rather than the hare approach. No self-judgment or self-hatred; just a recognition that your life-stage will allow X amount of strength training but not Y, and then maximize the effectiveness of whatever X turns out to be.

I'm rooting for you, man.

Thanks, I appreciate the motivational words. I tend to be an all or nothing person with life changes, if I don't do 3x a week, I'm not likely to do this at all. I'm also sort of limited with making time sacrosanct, with my job. Sometimes I'm up way too late working on something to get up early the next day, sometimes I'm working weekends. Nature of being in IT. My job isn't one that I can usually power through while being tired, requires too much thinking, and my work performance noticeably and severely suffers. There's also no self judgement or self hatred, that's not an issue I have.

09/02/2018
Squat: 235 3x5
Bench: 160 3x5
Dead: 260 1x5
BW: 179

[Shawn Torsitano]

09/04/2018
Squat: 240 3x5
Press: 100 3x5
Dead: 265 1x5
BW: 179

[Shawn Torsitano]

09/07/2018
Squat: 245 3x5
Bench: 165 3x5
Dead: 270 1x5
BW: 181