Fit for Fifty beginner log

[Mr. Bingley]

Pretty satisfied that I went from essentially untrained to 115 press (+70), 165 bench (+120), 230 squat (+185) and 260 (+190) deadlift without missing any training sessions through the first quarter of the year.

as you should be! I'm 58, and have found that if I remember that and give myself time to rest and recover I can make very satisfying progress. And on days when I don't feel it, I stop. Skip a session, drop the weight a little, who cares. I have neither the time nor the ability to recover from a self-induced injury anymore.

[red95blue]

Thursday, 3/31
Weight: 189.2 (+22.3 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 40
Sleep: 7h7m

Squat: 5x45, 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x205, 3x5 235 (+5, five minutes rest)

OHP: 5x45, 5x45, 3x75, 3x5 110 (deload from fails @ 120, five minutes rest)

First day of new plan with alternating sessions Squat/OHP and Bench/Deadlift. Total session time was 49 minutes which is better for my schedule and I think I will appreciate more time to recover not squatting & deadlifting every session. Deloaded to 110 on the OHP and will be building up with 2.5 increments.

[red95blue]

Saturday, 4/2
Weight: 188.5 (+21.6 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 39.5
Sleep: 8h13m

Bench: 5x45, 5x45, 5x95, 3x125, 3x5 167.5 (+2.5, five minutes rest work sets)

Deadlift: 5x135, 5x185, 5x225, 1x5 265 (+5, five minutes rest all sets, believe this is a PR, but my records aren't great from 3-5 years ago)

Liking the switch to the two lifts per session, and the 2.5 increments for pressing. Feel like I still have room to go with +5 on the squats and deadlifts. Good nights sleep and lots of food yesterday.

Off to the Sixers game with my son this afternoon and then rooting on Villanova and my Tarheels tonight with some friends at our place!

[red95blue]

Monday, 4/4
Weight: 190.4 (+23.5 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 40.5
Sleep: 7h47m

Squat: 5x45, 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x205, 3x5 240 (+5, five minutes rest)

OHP: 5x45, 5x45, 3x75, 3x5 112.5 (+2.5, five minutes rest)

Moved session up a day so I can enjoy the UNC game tonight and sleep in tomorrow!

Need to ease up a bit on the calories and clean up the nutrition now that I've transitioned out of three lifts per session to get my waist back in line.

[red95blue]

Thursday, 4/7
Weight: 188.0 (+21.1 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 39.5
Sleep: 7h37m

Bench: 5x45, 5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 3x5 170 (+2.5, five minutes rest work sets)

Deadlift: 5x135, 5x185, 5x225, 5x245, 1x5 270 (+5, five minutes rest all sets)

Bench felt good, room to go. Focused on driving feet through floor on deadlift, which I think helped at higher weight.

[rkjohns1]

Thursday, 4/7
Weight: 188.0 (+21.1 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 39.5
Sleep: 7h37m

Bench: 5x45, 5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 3x5 170 (+2.5, five minutes rest work sets)

Deadlift: 5x135, 5x185, 5x225, 5x245, 5x5 270 (+5, five minutes rest all sets)

Bench felt good, room to go. Focused on driving feet through floor on deadlift, which I think helped at higher weight.

Hi red, are you really doing 5 sets of 5 on the deadlift? Ouch!

[red95blue]

Good catch....no I'm actually doing 1x5 on the deadlift...very misleading typo on my part!

[red95blue]

Saturday, 4/9
Weight: 188.6 (+21.7 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 39.5
Sleep: 8h9m

Squat: 45x5, 45x5, 95x5, 145x3, 195x2, 220x1, 245x5x3 (+5, five minutes rest)

OHP: 45x5, 45x5, 60x5, 80x3, 95x2, 105x1, 115x5x3 (+2.5, five minutes rest)

Good session...Reduced warm-up sets a bit my switching to more of a 5@40%, 3@60%, 2@80%, 1@90% scheme based on research from the forums. Worked well for the squat, and leaves me a little fresher for the work sets at these higher weights. It's a little overkill for the OHP, so going to drop the 5@40% since that weight is basically at 45 which I'm opening with. Nutrition has improved and I am able to maintain moderate increases on the lifts with keeping my weight relatively steady and waist flat/small decrease over time.

[red95blue]

Tuesday, 4/12
Weight: 189.9 (+23.0 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 39.5
Sleep: 7h6m

Bench: 45x5, 45x5, 70x5, 95x3, 120x2, 145x2, 172.5x5x3 (+2.5, five minutes rest after warm-up and work sets)

Deadlift: 135x5, 135x5, 160x5, 190x3, 215x2, 245x1, 275x5 (+5, eight minutes rest after warm-up)

Good session with progress on both lifts.

[red95blue]

Thursday, 4/14
Weight: 191.2 (+24.3 since start 12/31/21)
Waist: 40.0
Sleep: 7h17m

Squat: 45x5, 45x5, 85x5, 125x3, 165x2, 205x1, 250x5x3 (+5, five minutes rest)

OHP: 45x5, 45x5, 55x5, 70x3, 85x2, 100x1, 117.5 5/1/5 (+2.5, five minutes, seven minutes after set of 1, ten minutes)

A few drinks night prior did not help the workout although I felt fine. Used the SS warmup app calculator this time and going to revert back to the 5@40%, 3@60%, 2@80%, 1@90% scheme as I prefer the one set at 90% vs the jump from 80% to work set. Squat was a bit harder than I expected and I think that is likely lack of good recovery and jumping from 205 up to 250 after warmup. On OHP I failed prior jumping from 115 right to 120, so this effort at 117.5 wasn't perfect but let's see what happens next time.