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My Starting Strength log
This will be round 2 of what I consider seriously working the program. I am heavier than last time (fat, so not the good kind), weak, and 7 years older than when I last did Starting Strength. I had bought and read through the 2nd edition book, but was more focused on weight loss than gaining strength. I did both, but eventually stopped hitting the gym and let life take over. I still want and need to lose weight, but am willing to go more slowly and eat more (was <=2k calories before; looking at 2500-3k now) to do it in a more controlled manner. I am also targeting wanting to change myself so I can be more active and able to do things I currently can't because of my fitness level and weight.
Weight: 328 lb
Waist: 56"
Age: 40 (will be 41 next month)
(nothing quite so sobering as putting those numbers out there.)
I began lifting again on 10/10/2018, so I'm on my third week. I didn't do the normal ramp up to find my starting weight, instead opting for just the bar to start with. The math on it isn't too bad, and while it sets me back a few weeks from where I would have started at, I can spend that time focusing on form. Barring any unforeseen issues, I will be hitting 135lb squat next Wed, and 225 in early to mid December. I'm good with that. Also, looking at below, if you see anything below 45lbs (early warmups and my press and power cleans in particular), I am doing that with a 15lb training bar and plates. For the pulls off the floor, I have some bumpers to get the height right.
Here are the first few weeks of lifting:
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Squats (3x5) 45x5x3
Bench (3x5) 45x5x3
Deadlift (3x5) 65x5x3
Friday, October 12, 2018
Squats (3x5) 55x5x3
Press (3x5) 25x5x3
Power Clean (5x3) 35x3x5
Monday, October 15, 2018
Squats (3x5) 65x5x3
Bench (3x5) 55x5x3
Deadlift (3x5) 85x5x3
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Squats (3x5) 75x5x3
Press (3x5) 35x5x3
Power Clean (5x3) 45x3x5
Friday, October 19, 2018
Squats (3x5) 85x5x3
Bench (3x5) 65x5x3
Deadlift (3x5) 105x5x3
Monday, October 22, 2018
Squats (3x5) 95x5x3
Press (3x5) 45x5x3
Power Clean (5x3) 55x3x5
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Squats (3x5) 105x5x3
Bench (3x5) 75x5x3
Deadlift (3x5) 125x5x3
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Welcome. Deadlift is 5 x 1 not 5 x 3.
What is your height?
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5' 10"
I've noticed it as a single set of 5 on a lot of postings lately, but swear it was 3 sets of 5 in the 2nd edition (which is what I worked from). I'll have to review it and see if I missed something all this time, or perhaps it was a revision in 3rd edition. I'll probably keep w/ 3 sets of 5 until I can't do it all 3, and then drop the working set down to 1.
Also, for reference, when I did SS before, I got up to 295lb squat (did 2 sets of 5, 1 set of 3), and about 330 to 350 on deadlift for 3 sets of 5. Bench was 200ish, press maxed at about 125 or 130. I forget where I was w/ cleans.
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Friday, October 26, 2018
Squat: 115x5x3
Press: 55x5x3
Power Clean: 65x3x5
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Welcome back! Starting out well. Keep it up.
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Thanks, Cheesepuff, I'm working on it.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Squat: 125x5x3
Bench: 85x5x3
Deadlift: 145x5x3
I'm still working out phone camera positioning and how to hold it up so I can video these and see how I'm doing more objectively. I am lifting at home with the back of the rack less than a foot away from the wall. I may squat facing the wall when I want to video it, but would rather not.
Subjectively, squats felt pretty solid, and I'm excited to be going to 135 on Wednesday. I am planning after that to drop to 5 lb increments. Barring any setbacks, that is 18 sessions, or 6 weeks until I hit 225, so targeting 12/12 for that.
Bench was pretty easy, so I just focused on form.
Deadlifts were good. I know it's supposed to be 1 set of 5. I started w/ 3, so sticking w/ 3 if I can until 225, then I'll drop to 1 and focus on the LP. I have to admit that while this wasn't overwhelmingly difficult, I thought it would be a lot easier since I was over 300 lb deadlift before. 7 years didn't help make it any easier, and it was tougher than I was expecting. Still, going up next time.
I started focusing on diet last week and started on Friday. Goal is about 3000 kcal, 200g protein, < 100g fat, rest carbs. It really takes a lot to eat 3000 calories of good quality food, and I'm getting closer to 2600-2800 so far since Thursday with Saturday being a solid 3k and on track with macros. I'm tracking what I eat day to day now, and will see how that works relative to scale and waist (want them to go down, but not too quickly) and lifts (want them to go up, even if it means stalling on the weight and waist).
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Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Squat: 135x5x3
Press: 65x5x3
Power Clean: 75x3x5
This was a pretty solid session. Squats were much easier than I was expecting, press I knew were going to be easy, but will get heavy soon enough. Power cleans were easy at this weight, but I don't know if I have the best form. I still love doing them because of the overall feel. One squat in my first set I leaned back too much and hurt my leg just a bit as I was off balance for a moment. It didn't stop subsequent sets or reps, so not a big issue.
I read Training the Emergency Weight Loss Trainee | Andy Baker today. I'm within 10lbs of the 45 BMI threshold (above it), and online body fat calculators result anywhere between 34%-62%, so I'd say I'm in the range of bodyfat he puts in this article. So today I recorded my working-set lifts so I can analyze. I am still working on angles, and recording squat meant I remove the bar from the rack facing the wall, and with minimal room, so it took a bit.
I think overall my form is ok, but there is definitely some challenges of being at my size and lifting. I noticed I have limits on how far down I can squat before hamstrings run into calves (though think it's where it needs to be). I also found that I hit my belly every single time w/ power cleans. It's not enough that I've noticed by feel (probably due to light weight), but I can only imagine my bar path is affected by it.
So my take away right now is that I'm going to put more emphasis on losing weight while still getting stronger. I'm not ready to get on the diet Andy recommends, yet. I'm going to finish out this week at about 3000 calories and see how it works on the scale/waist measurement. If it's not much of a movement, I am going to drop the calories to 2500, record what I eat, and record results. I will continue like this until I'm progress on the body weight and waist. I'm also going to be more diligent about going for walks. Generally I was doing 1 mile post-workout, and 2 miles on off days. I am going to look at making those 2 miles and 3 miles, respectively, to help with the weight drop.
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Friday, November 2, 2018
Squat: 145x5x3
Bench: 95x5x3
Deadlift: 165x5x3
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Monday, November 5, 2018
Squat: 155x5x3
Press: 75x5x3
Power Clean: 85x3x5
Post-lifting cardio: 1.2 miles @ 19.5 min/mile (~3.07 mph)
Overall everything was solid. I did have some sloppy reps on power clean, and I think it was a matter of not enough rest. I rested longer and focused more for the final set, and they were pretty solid, so I will be going up next time. I am going to start including my post-lifting cardio and my off-day cardio. As mentioned earlier, and is evidence by my stats, I can use to focus on losing some weight. My goals will be first: get to 300, then 275, then 250, then reassess where I am and where I want to go. I'll probably still want to lose some, but might want to lose more slowly (smaller caloric deficit).
Starting today, I am targeting: 2500 calories, 200+ g protein, <=80g fat, rest in carbs. Protein so far is the hardest to get in, as I get closer to 170-180g, but I ordered some whey isolate that should be here end of the week and help fill in the gaps. I am looking at about 700ish calories for breakfast and lunch, with 1100 calories to spare for dinner and a lean protein snack (whey, chicken breast, etc....). Today is day one, and not yet done, so will see how things go. I may shift some of breakfast to lunch (maybe 600/800 instead of 700/700), but I like my breakfast well enough to eat it for probably the rest of my life, so not sure I want to tweak that much.
As for current stats:
Body weight: 325.2 (Up 0.6 lbs)
Waist: 55.5 (down .5")
Height: 5'10"
Age: 40
Waist is down .5". I actually measured a couple of times as my first measurement was 55", which would be a full inch lost in 1 week. I feel pretty good about the 55.5, and while I want to believe it is lost off the waist, I think it's possible I was standing straighter while being sure not to suck in or tighten my stomach.
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A few things to add about my cardio - my choice of cardio is going for a walk outside. We are in the process of selling our treadmill, and not planning on changing it. While a treadmill gives me easier ability to program - no really, you're going up by 0.1 mph this time - I find that it's easier to bail. If I go for a walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes and want to quit, I can get off and I'm done. If I want to do the same while out for a walk, I need to walk back 10 minutes. In that situation, I am more likely to finish the goal.
Treadmills also have the advantage of being safe and dry no matter how bad the weather (unless it's getting in your house). I live in southern AZ, so while I will have to work with monsoons next summer, our cold season is like 2 days long and won't be an issue.
My target w/ the cardio is to do 2-3 miles (about 40-60 minutes) on Tuesday and Saturday while doing something smaller (1.5-2 miles) post-workout on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Thursdays I tend to have stuff going on and won't be doing any cardio. There will be some exceptions between now and end of year, but in general, nothing on Thursday.
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