Ryan's Training Log

[rkjohns1]

Male
Age 47
Height 71 inches
Weight 161.4 lbs (June 15) - I've never had a morning weight over 170

Personal bests (during Crossfit years, 2013 – 2018):
Squat: 240x1
Bench: 195x1
Press: 130x1
Deadlift: 325x1
Power Clean: 180x1

Married, father of 2 (6yrs & 4yrs), engineering manager for an aerospace company, weekend warrior surfer. Former collegiate soccer player, avid runner, and triathlete. Iowa/California Army NG Veteran with one tour in Iraq.

Spent most of the pandemic exercising with the Peloton bike and Peloton app (yoga, strength) due to some lingering pain in my knees and lower back. The pain is gone, and my squat rack, barbell, and weights have been collecting dust. Time to get to work.

W1D1 – June 21, 2021
Squat: 150x5x3
Bench: 130x5x3
Deadlift: 175x5x1

June 22, 2021 Weigh-in: 163 lbs

W1D2 – June 23, 2021
Squat: 160x5x3
Press: 85x5x3
Deadlift: 185x5x1

[rkjohns1]

W1D3 - Friday, June 25, 2021

Squat: 170x5x3
Bench: 140x5x3
Deadlift: 190x5x1

Deadlift was supposed to be 195, but an early morning mixed with reacquaintance with barbell math led to a goof-up. I'll go for 205 on Monday. Have a good weekend!

[rkjohns1]

W2D1 - Monday, June 28, 2021

Squat: 180x5x3
Press: 90x5x3
Deadlift: 205x5x1

Surfed yesterday morning for about 2 hours, burning ~900 calories. Definitely felt it in the shoulders yesterday, but fortunately, no effects today. I anticipate this may change as the weight increases.

[rkjohns1]

June 29, 2021 Weigh-in: 164.4 lbs, a 1.4 lb increase from last week.

The additional caloric intake has been the most difficult part of the program so far. I've gone from a smooth running, predictable digestive system to one that is uncomfortable and unpredictable. I need to work on dialing this in as it won't be sustainable as is.

[rkjohns1]

W2D2 - Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Squat: 190x5x3
Bench: 145x5x3
Deadlift: 215x5x1

I've been an early morning workout person since starting my Army NG career in 2003, and I've always been able to get by without consuming a pre-workout meal or drink. However, after reading through various nutrition articles and forum posts on the subject, I've decided to start incorporating some carbs before training. I'm keeping it simple for now... I ate a banana at 4:30 and started to warm up at 4:45.

During the first pull of my deadlift work set, I felt something happen on the front, lower left side of my ribcage. I was able to complete the set with no problem, but it did feel strange. Now, as I'm sitting in my office, I don't feel anything unless I sit up tall and start to arch my back. Then I feel a very slight bruised feeling in that area.

I realized that I was erroneously putting "...x5x3" for all of my posted deadlifts. I assure you, I am trying to follow the NLP as written and have corrected my earlier posts!

[rkjohns1]

W2D3 - Friday, July 2, 2021

Squat: 200x5x3
Press: 95x5x3
Deadlift: 225x5x1

I found several threads discussing similar experiences that I experienced with my rib during my last training session. It appears I wore my belt too high and/or too tight. I trained today without a belt since I still feel a mild bruising sensation near my lower left rib. I'm hoping it clears up over the weekend.

[rkjohns1]

W3D1 - Monday, July 5, 2021

Squat: 205x5x3
Bench: 150x5x3
Deadlift: 235x5x1

No more bruised feeling in the ribs. I used my belt for my squat, but not the deadlift. The belt I have is a cheap fabric 4" belt that I bought during my crossfit years, so I'm looking to upgrade to a nice 3" leather one in the next month or so.

[rkjohns1]

July 6, 2021 Weigh-in: 166 lbs, a 1.6 lb increase from last week.

This past week I've worked on eating smarter rather than harder, focusing on meeting my daily macro goals as opposed to eating everything in sight. My digestive system is much happier.

[rkjohns1]

W3D2 - Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Squat: 210x5x3
Press: 100x5x3
Deadlift: 240x5x1

Tomorrow I leave on vacation to visit family in the Midwest for two weeks. While my weight training will be on hold during that time, I'm hoping my weight gaining continues! I'll be back on Friday, July 23 - happy lifting!

(I posted my first squat form check today, and will edit this post with a link once it is available)

Squat form check

[David Hooper]

Hi Ryan!

A few quick thoughts.
- I was one of the people who had a belt issue on deadlifts, much like you. Sounds like you escaped alright, but you'll definitely like deadlifting in a 3" belt much better than the 4" one. Until you can get one, just keep it as low as is reasonable (i.e., not so low that it interferes with the setup) and make sure the buckle isn't touching the front ends of your ribs. That's the easiest break point.

- I suspect you can continue 10-lb jumps on your deadlifts up into the 300s. (Or was the 240 lb a typo?) You're better suited for them than me and I've been able to get up to 355 lb with 10 lb jumps.

- I'm not qualified to judge your squats, but I think you shouldn't have anything major to improve on them.

Have a great trip!