This time I mean it! NLP # 4 at 39yo, 106kg & 5'9"

[Nicholas Laureys]

This is something like my fourth shot at the NLP. First was in 2019 after having fucked around with Stronglifts and then thankfully finding The Program while searching for squat technique tips - I remember how I was 'skinny' at 5'9" and 97kg then, but I misloaded the bar to 90kg for a squat one time and nearly pinned myself on the safeties, before eventually hitting my first-ever 3*5 100kg squat in March 2019, just before travelling home for my dad's funeral. LOL I remember how I couldn't keep my back in extension AT ALL for a 1*5 100kg DL two months earlier, but I was 'skinny fat' so relatives and friends didn't care - good times! Covid gym restrictions and an escape away from the city to the regions were the excuse for stopping that time.

Round two, summer winter 2021, I'm 10kilos heavier at about 107kg, and the 120kg 3*5 squat that destroyed me in summer 2019 (I switched to Intermediate programming after that) suddenly seems more achievable. I get to about 3*5 115/117.5kg and then the stresses of working lots without enough money and commuting insane amounts of time catch up to me.

Round three, June 2022-March 2023, this time I mean it, I'm 110kg and these heavier weights no longer seem so scary. I get up to a 1*5 180kg DL and 1*5 (TM) 152.5kg SQ at a BW of 111kg and 5'9" (and an 87.5kg 3*5 BP and 55kg OHP, but we won't talk about those ). Working a lot and whining from the wife about me being out (right during the kids' bedtime rituals) or tired all the time, being too fat, lifting killing me, and a phucked up sleep and eating regime were the excuse that time.

The calorie-restrictive-diet phase for a month and intermittent-fasting-phase for two months were a big joke for me, I realized pretty quickly.

So, now, with the finances in much better shape, kids a bit older where we signed them up as well for memberships at the shiny, Globohomo X-fit gym, too, and a decision to sleep better (marketing sales funnels are working better and my prices are about 15% higher and I will focus on eating PROTEIN vs. using training as an excuse to allow myself to eat sugary crap), I'm starting NLP attempt number FOUR. Wife still thinks swimming and running on a treadmill are what I need, and just went to another crossfit-like group class, but I know I'll get her to a bar eventually, and, hey, at least she's actually wanting to exercise! So, after the previous training session on 2/24/23:



Weds. 7/5/23:

Just ripping the scab off the wound, so I'll be able to train again in 48hrs! LOL this shiny globohomo gym only has TWO racks with safeties in its weight room, and one of them is the type where you cannot adjust the height of the safeties.

Squats:
Bar *2*5
30kg*1*5 (5kg plates)
40kg*1*5 (10kg plates)
50kg*3*5 (15kg plates) (I "felt" these more than I expected, so instead of going up to 60kg for the workout I'm going to hang out here at 50kg and make my successive big jumps at subsequent sessions, so as not to feel like a piece of shit tomorrow)

OHP:
1*5*bar
1*5*22.5kg (1.25 kg plates)
3*5*25kg (2.5kg plates) (WTF Lol wanted to do workset at a higher weight but the tops of traps are kinda burning so fuck it, I left this as the workset! On 2nd and third worksets I actually tried to shrug the shoulders at the top like you're actually fucking supposed to do, lol)

DL:

1*5*60 (20kg plates)
1*5*70 (25pl)
1*5*80kg (30pl)

-----------------------------------------

Fri 7/7/23

Weigh-in in lifting shoes, before training: 108.2kg
Found the 'crossfit' section of the gym which has bumper plates (as the trainer told me) and also has ONE SET of safeties to attach to the cross-fit frame (which trainer was wrong about!) I think this will be my new home as I won't need to be gentle lowering the DL's and this section is nice and empty at nights.

Sq:

1*5*20 bar
1*5*30 (5kg plates)
1*5*40 (10 pl)
1*5*50 (15pl)

3*5*60 (20pl)
(+10kg)
These don't feel super challenging but still taking it easy for now, there'll be time to make bigger jumps, plus while I felt fine on Thursday, on Friday in the morning & afternoon I felt some DOMS, nothing debilitating, but I felt it)

BP,
1*5*20 (bar)
1*5*30 (5kg pl)
1*5*40 (10 pl)
3*5*50 (15pl)

Going easy for first workout, been fucking around with safety and rack heights to get everything right on this crossfit rack setup!!
(Safeties now good; I think rack should be one notch higher)
Did FOUR sets lol cuz on first safeties were too high; on all three sets did one breath for all five reps!

DL:

1*5*60 (20kg plates)
1*5*80kg (30pl)
1*5*90kg (35kg pl)

80kg felt good, wanted to do more but remembered I'm just ripping off the scab right now, so I didn't push it too high and left the workset at 90. Did mixed grip bc I didn't want grip to be a limiting factor.

[carson]

It's good to see you back at it. Did you have any SS face-to-face coaching during your attempts? I find that such coaching is very helpful to me. I suspect that I would not be consistent if I did not have to be.

[Nicholas Laureys]

It's good to see you back at it. Did you have any SS face-to-face coaching during your attempts? I find that such coaching is very helpful to me. I suspect that I would not be consistent if I did not have to be.

TL;DR: It's been a long, fun journey, but with no individual coaching, for now! I'm glad you realized its usefulness early on and signed up for coaching!

Thanks carson! Nope no coaching yet. Just a lot of reading (the forums; the articles; the books) and some incredibly helpful feedback from the coaches, members and a few times even Rip himself in the Technique forum. And recording my sets. Lots of it. And positively reinforcing negative feedback from Everyone in the gym coming up to me, sharing their concern that I'm About. To. Destroy. My. Back. Oh and let's not forget the few times helpful guys came up to me to spot me, without permission (and WITH the safeties set up) as I was grinding out a squat rep.

[Nicholas Laureys]

Tues 7/11/23 - 2nd day in a row due to work/family schedule; next session will be on Thursday; only time for two lifts)

SQ:
5*20 bar
1*5*50 (15pl)
1*5*60 (20pl)
3*5*75 (27.25pl)
(only doing +5kg, b/c two days in a row, this damn lower back feels "tight" and I cannot figure out why; it's not like it feels particularly tough!)



BP,
1*5*20 (bar)
1*5*40 (10 pl)
1*5*50 (15pl)

Had to cut the bench short without worksets and did not get to DLs; will re-do bench on Thursday + maybe OHP as well, and do DL as was scheduled for today










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Monday, 7/10/23:

Weigh-in, before training, in lifting shoes: 107.9g = - 0.3кг,

Sq:

1*5*20 bar
1*5*40 (10 pl)
1*5*50 (15pl)
3*5*70 (25pl)
(+10kg)
Lol before first set had been planning for this to be final warm-up set, and to add another 5 or 10kg for the worksets, but I felt the bar upon unracking and felt like I was DEFINITELY going too low (was doing paused squats), but on film the depth was just right, so I'm keeping the worksets here. I did the math and if I add 10kg every session I'll be back at 140 in only seven workouts = 2wks, which I know is prolly unreasonable, so I won't consider +10kg to be "weak"; it's the smart thing to do at the beginning

On the 3rd rep of the 3rd set, I felt that fucking tightness again in the lower back again , widened stance for 4th & 5th reps, 4th just to parallel and 5th too high; maybe bar was too low (or just need to work on proprioception!)


OHP:
1*5*bar
1*5*25kg (2.5kg plates) (WTF Lol this was workset last time, did a wider stance and "remembered (I think) press 2.0, was easier to shrug shoulders; felt FINE)
1*5*27.5kg (3.75pl). Also EASY!!
1*5*30 (5pl): also felt pretty straightforward; going for more!
3*5*35 (7.5pl)
(= + 10 kg from last time)
3rd set also felt just fine!



DL:

1*5*60 (20kg plates)
1*5*80kg (30pl)
1*5*90kg (35kg pl)