Reply With QuoteThat’s good progress Mike. Are you planning to run or mountain bike this year? I don’t run but love to ride the trails and am not sure how I’m going to manage that along with LP
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Mike the Ex-Runner's Log
My background - married with 2 kids and a mortgage. Like many others here I followed a variety of routes to maintain "fitness" especially as I got into my 30's. I've been a recreational runner since high school, usually going out 1-3 times per week. I did a couple of half marathons and lots of 5Ks, but nothing too serious. I did P90X and Insanity programs off and on too. I got into mountain biking a few years ago, and really enjoy that. I joined a gym mainly for the spin classes to get some conditioning for biking. I came across SSBBT3 when looking for some help setting up a weight training program. I realized by doing P90X and Insanity, my body was confused...but not strong
I didn't have any serious weight training experience before Starting Strength. I was like most people you see at any big box gym going from machine to machine getting hot, sweaty and tired. The only time I ever squatted was in a Smith machine with a pillow on the bar...sigh.
I picked up SSBBT3 in 2017 and spent a lot of time reading it and trying to learn the lifts. I didn't make a ton of progress early because I was still running or biking 4 days a week and lifting twice. I knew this was not the program, but early in the year I had signed up for some races in the fall for which I was still training. I finally started to follow the program in November 2017 after the races were completed. I quit the Globo Gym and joined a local black iron gym with chalk and everything
I'm 39 y/o about 6'1"
As of November (then 38) I was about 195 lbs and my lifts were:
Squat - 185 x 5 x 3
Press - 110 x 5 x 3
Bench - 140 x 5 x 3
Deadlift - 285 x 5
I'm going to skip a few weeks of entries here and just start on January 23rd which is the beginning of my current log book. I missed a lot of workouts in late December/early January due to vacation and work commitments.
1/23/18 - Tuesday
Squat
210 x 5 x 3 (beltless from here up until 2/21 - I tweaked an intercostal muscle or something a couple weeks before this and the pressure from the belt was still painful, but squat movement was OK)
Press
115 x 5 x 3
Chins
5 x 3 (28 lbs assisted as indicated on machine)
1/25/18 Thursday
Squat
215 x 5 x 3
Bench
145 x 5
147.5 x 5
150 x 5
Deadlift
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
1/27/18 Sat
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
220 x 5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 5
117.5 x 5 x 3
Chins
5 x 3 28lbs assisted
1/30/18 Tues
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 1
225 x 5 x 3
Bench
45 x 10
65 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
150 x 5 x 3
Chins
5 x 3 28lbs assisted
2/1/2018 Thurs
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 1
230 x 5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 5
120 x 5 x 3
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
285 x 5
2/3/2018 Sat
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 2
235 x 5 x 3 - left elbow pain becoming an issue. I went through that back in December as well.
Bench
45 x 10
75 x 5
95 x 5
125 x 3
145 x 2
152.5 x 5 x 3
Chins
5, 6, 6, 28 lbs assisted
2/6/2018 Tues
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 3
240 x 5 x 3 - I took a video of this one and saw I was really crashing into the whole and completely losing tightness
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
122.5 x 5, 5, 4
Chins
5 x 3 28 lbs assist
2/8/18 Thurs
Squat
45 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
185 x 5 - both elbows were killing me, couldn't get through the work sets
Bench
45 x 5
95 x 5 - elbow pain made me bail on this exercise
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 2
295 x 3, reset then 2 more
2/10/18 Sat
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 3
225 x 5 x 3 - I read some articles and watched a lot of videos. Trying to get the right grip position and stay tight, elbows felt better.
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 5
122.5 x 5 x 3
Chins
6 x 3 28lbs assisted
2/12/18 Mon
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 2
230 x 5 x 2 (second set was really ugly)
225 x 5
Bench
45 x 10
65 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
135 x 2
152.5 x 5 x 3
Chins
5 x 3 28 lbs assisted
2/14/18 Wed
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 2
225 x 5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
125 x 5 x 3
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 2
295 x 5
2/16/18 Fri
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 2
230 x 5 x 3 (sketchy form)
Bench
45 x 10
65 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 2
155 x 5 x 3
Chins
6, 6, 5 28lbs assisted
2/21/18 Wed - Worked out at Greysteel with Sully and Frank today...learned a TON!
Squat - main cues: TIGHT SLOW & PRECISE, Focus on keeping bar over mid foot, keep it from going forward
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 1
225 x 5 x 3 (I wore the belt for the first time since early January, felt fine!)
Press - main cues: FAST HIPS, FAST BAR, TIGHT, Elbows together, eyeballs forward, reach with hips, present chest to ceiling
45 x bunch (trying to nail the form)
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
125 x 4 (felt pretty fatigued after the extended warmup, and trying to focus on the form every rep)
120 x 5 x 2
Deads - main cues: drag bar up the legs, TIGHT!
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 5
I went out of town after the session with Sully and missed a workout
2/26/18 Mon
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 2
225 x 5 x 3
Bench
45 x 10
65 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 5 x 3
Chins
5 x 3 28lbs assist
2/28/18 Wed
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 2
230 x5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
122.5 x 5 x 3 - work on lockout
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2
300 x 5
3/2/18 Fri
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 2
235 x 5 x 3
Bench
45 x 6
65 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 3
135 x 2
157.5 x 5 x 3
Chins
6 x 3 28lbs assisted
3/5/18 Mon
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 2
240 x 5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 2
125 x 5 x 3
Chins
6, 6, 5 28lbs assist
Missed mid-week workout due to work travel, took a light squat day (one work set) on Friday in anticipation of Pulling Camp at Black Iron gym on Saturday
3/9/18 Fri
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
215 x 2
240 x 5
Bench
45 x 10
95 x 5
120 x 5
135 x 3
160 x 5 x 3
3/10/18 Sat - Pulling Camp at Black Iron, Lansing
Deadlift - main cues: Chest up, hips up, tight hamstrings, chest up at lockout
135 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 5
285 x 1 - got some leg quake going
285 x 5 - went up easy compared to the shaky legged final warm up rep!
Cleans - excited to learn these properly and add them to my program. Main cues: Jump straight up, throw elbows forward! Keep arms locked straight, chest up & hips up like deadlift
Did lots of practice and warmup
work set - 115 x 3
From Q&A - what to do when you fail a rep: do one more set of 5 at 85%, attempt again next session. If missed again, reset. Add smaller increments if possible.
3/12/18 Mon
Squat 45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
245 x 5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
127.5 x 5, 5, 3
115 x 5
Chins
6, 6, 5 28lbs assist
3/14/18 Wed
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
250 x 5 x 3 - took a video here. The bar is feeling heavy I'm losing tightness at the bottom and the weight is coming forward. Back to the cues from Sully!
Bench
45 x 8
95 x 5
125 x3
135 x 2
162.5 x 5 x 3 -wow , went up easy and felt great compared to the squat!
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2
305 x 5
3/16/18 Fri
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
255 x 4 - Ugly and grindy. Took all I could muster to get it up and racked after rep 4.
235 x 5 x 2
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 3
127.5 x 5 x 3
Cleans
45 x 5 x 4 - really trying to practice jumping straight up (not forward) and getting it into a proper rack position
75 x 3
3/19/18 Mon
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
250 x 5 x 3 - Since I failed at 255 and my previous set at 250 was kinda sketchy I repeated the weight. This set felt a little better. I think it's time to incorporate a light squat day mid-week to keep LP going.
Bench
45 x 8
95 x 5
125 x 3
145 x 2
165 x5 x 3
Chins
6, 6, 6, 28lbs assist
3/21/18 Wed - My 39th birthday
Squat - light day
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
200 x 5 x 3 - it was nice to take a step back and really work on form here. If I stay tight, the elbows feel fine. If I get loose, the elbows tell me.
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 3
130 x 5 x 3
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 5 - since it was my birthday I skipped 310 and went straight to 3 big boy plates at 315lbs. I made it!
3/23/18 Fri
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
255 x 5 x 3 - the light day seemed to pay off. These didn't feel easy, but felt good. Cue to keep my elbows down, back tight and chest proud.
Bench
45 x 8
95 x 5
125 x 3
150 x 2
167.5 x 5 x 3 - the last couple reps in the 3rd set were dicey. Gotta stay tight and keep the bar on path.
Cleans
45 x 5
75 x 3
85 x 3 x 5 - started getting the feel and rhythm. 2nd rep of the set usually seems to feel the best.
I weighed in at 216 this week (PR!). Not sure about body fat, but want to try to maintain my weight from here. I never had abz to begin with, but I can tell I'm getting kinda fluffy around the mid section. I've been reading Dr. Santana's forum and will try to manage the fat intake while getting enough protein every day. I'm trying to unlearn years of high fat, low carb eating habits. I've used My Fitness Pal off and on. Probably need to stick with it to track my macros. I'm attempting to follow the "recomp" macros from To Be A Beast.
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That’s good progress Mike. Are you planning to run or mountain bike this year? I don’t run but love to ride the trails and am not sure how I’m going to manage that along with LP
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No plans to run, but I will definitely continue mountain biking because I really enjoy it. I'm not a competitive rider, but I am registered for a couple of races this year. The first one is June 23rd, and I'm part of a 10 man team riding in a 24 hour relay type race. The trails are drying out here so I plan to start riding a couple days a week - usually Wednesday after work and Sunday AM (did a quick ride this morning!). I lift in the mornings before work. My plan is to take it easy on the rides to start with and try not to upset recovery too much. About a month or so from the race I'll add some distance and intensity to the rides to build up some conditioning. At that point I'll just do the best I can in the weight room. Hopefully my presses continue to progress, but gains in the squat will probably slow. I'm thinking maybe I'll be able to continue to do a heavy top set, then 2 back off sets. After the June race my only other event is in November, so I'll go back to pushing for gains in the weight room.Originally Posted by sinker
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3/26/18 - Mon
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
260 x 5 x 3 - relatively drama free, felt the weight moving forward of mid foot especially in the last reps.
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 5
120 x 2
132.5 x 5 x 3 - Almost to the big plates. Got the bar too far out in front of me in the last rep of the 3rd set, but managed to wrestle it back and lock out.
Chins
6 x 3 (28 lbs assist)
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3/28/2018 - Thurs. (Wed and Fri were a no go due to work and travel, so I did a 2nd heavy squat day today)
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
265 x 5 x 3 - Generally felt pretty good (not easy!) - Really trying to keep weight centered over mid-foot.
Bench
45 x 8
95 x 5
125 x 3
150 x 2
170 x 5 x 3 - Didn't quite get down to the chest on the very last rep, but otherwise pretty good.
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 1
320 x 5 - wasn't sure how this was going to go, feeling kinda gassed after the squat and bench, but all 5 reps went up without too much drama.
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Solid progress Mike. Keep up the great work!
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OK, back from vacation where I was away from the gym for about 10 days. I went mountain biking on Sunday, so wasn't quite sure how it was going to go yesterday. I'm following the guideline in Practical Programming for returning from a short layoff, essentially repeating my last 2 weeks of workouts - except I don't plan on taking a light squat day until I get back to my pre-layoff workset weight.
4/9/18 - Monday
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
245 x 5 x 3 - Mostly went well, there was one rep (3rd or 4th) in both the 2nd and 3rd sets where the weight got way in front of my midfoot. Gotta focus on maintaining a vertical bar path.
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
120 x 2
125 x 5 x 3 - Felt good, thinking I'll jump to 130 on Friday
Chins
6, 6, 5 - I didn't take as much rest as usual
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4/11/2018 Wednesday
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
250 x 5 x 3 - more of a grind than I expected, legs were feeling a little sore from Monday and had trouble getting a nice secure/locked in feeling under the bar. In the past I think this has been the result of lack of tightness. Will focus on that next workout.
Bench
45 x 5
95 x 5
125 x 3
150 x 2
160 x 5 x 3 - Felt great
Deads
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2
305 x 5 - pretty good
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4/13/2018 Friday
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
255 x 5 x 3
Press
45 x 5
65 x 5
95 x 3
120 x 2
130 x 5 x 3
Cleans
45 x 5 from just above knees
45 x 5 from shins
75 x 5
85 x 5 x 3 - had to re-learn the form a bit after being away from this movement for a couple of weeks but overall it felt OK. The weight isn't much of a challenge, just trying to focus on form and timing.
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4/16/2018 Monday
Squat
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
260 x 5 x 3 - Doing better at keeping weight over mid-foot, focused on keeping my back rigid after a sloppy 2nd set and had a pretty good 3rd set
Bench
45 x 5
95 x 5
125 x 3
150 x 2
165 x 5 x 3
Chins
6, 6, 5 w/ 28 lbs assist - running short on time so I did these in between bench sets.
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