Mex's Journal

[Mex]

Friday Jan 15, 2010 - session 25 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 159.8

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
1x5x165
1x5x165
1x5x165

Bench warm up to...
1x5x130
1x5x130
1x5x130

Inv Rows 15,8,7 (no resistance no support)

First I have to point out that I did 3x5 instead of 5x5 as suggested by Quag. I focused a little more on warmups though, and I still finished faster which I think is good. Workouts on 5x5 were starting to take really long. Once you factor in warmups (which get longer as weight increases) then factor in time between sets (which also gets longer as weight increases) one needs to consider efficiency. Plus, I did say a while back that I would switch to 3x5 once I stalled. So now that I have used up my only lifeline, I am going to have to work through the pain. Anyway, enough rant...here are my comments about todays workout.


I noticed on a couple of my squats my knees started to come in. I corrected quickly though. Also, I noticed that towards the end, more weight was on the ball instead of the heel of my foot. I need to be a little more aware of these as the weight is getting higher.

Not much to comment on the bench other than next time I will finally have 45 lbs plates on it.

Second set of rows decreased from the last time I did them, dont know why. Since I am doing 3x5 now, I may just follow one of Rippetoe's variations and do Pendlay rows or bent over rows, dont know yet. Eventually I will need to add weight to my body so I guess I will wait until that point before switching. Any suggestions here would be nice.

Thats all for today. Cheers!

 

[Drum&Bass]

Also, I noticed that towards the end, more weight was on the ball instead of the heel of my foot. I need to be a little more aware of these as the weight is getting higher.

I usually tell my clients to take off their shoes and lift in their socks when I notice this happening. If that doesn't fix it I also tell them to curl their toes upwards as they squat and that usually does the trick.

The most important thing is being conscious of what your doing as you do it though so your doin good.

 

[Mex]

I usually tell my clients to take off their shoes and lift in their socks when I notice this happening. If that doesn't fix it I also tell them to curl their toes upwards as they squat and that usually does the trick.

The most important thing is being conscious of what your doing as you do it though so your doin good.

Thanks DB. I actually already do the curled toes, but I havent tried in socks yet. In fact, for my first few sessions I was going barefoot but they told me thats against policy. That was when the weight was really easy though. Now that its getting heavier, maybe Ill get some socks with grip on the bottom.

 

[Jitterbug]

What kind of shoes are you wearing? If it's runners, that's bad for you when squatting and leads to the kind of situations you just described. Runners are made for running mostly on the balls of your feet.

Try something with flat, hard soles. I wear an old pair of Converse.

Forgot the obvious: do your knees come forward as you squat down?

 

[Mex]

Another diet update. This is what I did this last week. It is not exactly as EFFORT suggested, but awefully close. I just have problems fitting all the carbs down when spread out evenly. I find it easier to pack them on around workout time. Note: I sub whole grain pasta for rice sometimes while keeping the carb level the same.

Training days
1) 1 cup oats, 2 eggs, 1/2 scoop whey
2a) 1/2 cup oats, 1 apple, 1 scoop whey
-workout-
2b) 1 cup grape juice, 1 banana, 1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop whey
3) 1/2 cup brown rice, 4-5 oz ground beef, veggies
4) 1/3 cup brown rice, 4-5 oz brown rice, veggies
5) 1 can tuna, veggies, 4 slices whole what bread
6) 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 eggs

I have no room in my belly for carbs by bedtime (meal 6), but not sure if I want them (see rant at the bottom).

Non-training days
1) 2 slices whole wheat bread with generous butter, 3 eggs, 1 scoop whey
2) 1/2 cup oats, fruit, 2 scoops whey
3) 7-8 oz ckn breast, veggies, some olive oil
4) 7-8 oz gr beef, veggies
5) 1 can tuna, veggies, some olive oil, some peanut butter
6) 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 eggs, flaxseed oil

I am adding fat instead of carbs on non-training days to get the calories up. I dont really measure olive oil or peanut butter. For example, I cook the chicken and veggies in the oil. Then the peanut butter I just scoop out of the jar and eat it.

Rant
My belly is still bulging, more than when I began two months ago. I noticed on other threads that combining fat with carbs is not a great idea. So I am thinking to eat more lean meat on training days, and the red meat on non-training days. For example, move chicken to training days, and eat beef on non-training days.

One thing I want to mention though is that when I started I considered myself a "skinny bastard" as Rip would say, but my belly is NOT skinny by any standard. I would post a pic but the thing says I may not post attachments. But take my word for it, I have chicken legs, scrawny arms (especially forearms), no definition, and a pot belly that has grown since I started. However, I just started light cardio (30 min on non-training days with heart rate at 130 -135) so maybe that will help. I have gained 15 lbs since I started 2 months ago, but reluctant to think that bf% decreased by anything significant, although I have not measured it. But if bf% did decrease you would never notice by looking at me. I mean I feel stronger, but we all know about the placebo too. Should I clean up my diet a little? Or keep going and worry about fat after I get my squat up near 225? Thanks!

 

[Mex]

Monday, Jan 18, 2010 session 26 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 158.9

Workout:

Squats warm ups to...
5x170
5x170
5x170

Overhead Press[/B warm ups to...
5x100
5x100
5x100

Deadlifts warm ups to...
1x5x205

Pull-ups 9,5,4 (no resistance no support)

Good workout today. I even drank Saturday night. I skipped cardio on Sat since I played basketball on Sunday. I played for about 2 hrs with a few breaks between games. More than I planned, but it didnt seem to affect me adversely.

Anyway, I wore socks with grips on them and it really helped my form on squats, so thanks for the advice there D&B and Jitterbug.

Next, I nailed the frigin press. Thats where I stalled last time so I felt pretty amped about getting it. I still had some more left in me too.

Now the deadlift felt heavy. The first rep seemed hard to start, but once I start the set, I seem to get some momentum/rhythm so I nailed it. Still pretty hard though. I did break 200 on them so I am happy about that.

I got a new PR on pull ups, 9 on the first set. That matches what I did on chin ups last session. Usually I get more chins that pulls so I was happy about that.

Overall, a great day for me. But I am feeling the aftermath of the squats and deads as I write this.

 

[Mex]

Wednesday Jan 20, 2010 - session 27 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 160.4

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
3x5x175

Bench warm up to...
3x5x135

Inv Rows 16,9,6 (no resistance no support)

Still using socks for squats and they help my form a lot. Hard day squatting though.

Bench was fine. Finally got the big plates on there.

Thats all for today. Cheers!

 

[Fuglydude]

Jeez mang... I remember writing in your journal when you were first starting out... Look at the progress you've made in just 2 months. Up 15-20 lbs, deadlifting in the 200s for reps! Damn man, Congratulations. You should be proud at the progress you've made... your diet looks solid. Everyone should train and diet like you.

Keep up the good work. You have no reason to rant as you did in the other post. I would NOT be ranting if I put on 15-20 lbs in a couple of months and made the kind of progress that you did. Putting on muscle naturally unfortunately means putting on a bit of fat. I'd suggest continuing your program/diet the way you are and just play sports for your conditioning. You really don't need regular cardio targeted towards fat loss. The more muscle you gain, the more your metabolic rate will get fired up. Pretty soon you'll be able to metabolically chew through most food that you put into your body w/ relative ease, and have to increase your caloric intake to facilitate further growth.

You're obviously making great gains w/ your routine, so feel free to ignore my suggestion, but don't you find deadlifting and squatting on the same day really really taxing? I know it would be somewhat counter productive for me to do so unless I was doing something weird like doing 1 RMs w/ the deads and 20-reppers w/ 135 for the squats. Your prosterior chain takes a beating that day... but hey if its working for you, continue to do it.

Once again, great journal and great progress! Keep it up!

 

[Mex]

Thanks for the encouragement Fugly. I am certainly proud of my progress so far, but not content yet. I know I have more upside before I need to switch routines. I feel stronger, but it is not showing up visually yet. My upper body is a little bigger, a few people have noticed too, but no definition. I know, one thing at a time though and I have to be patient.

You're obviously making great gains w/ your routine, so feel free to ignore my suggestion, but don't you find deadlifting and squatting on the same day really really taxing? I know it would be somewhat counter productive for me to do so unless I was doing something weird like doing 1 RMs w/ the deads and 20-reppers w/ 135 for the squats. Your prosterior chain takes a beating that day... but hey if its working for you, continue to do it.

Yeah, deads and squats on the same day are pretty taxing. Especially the last couple sessions. But I am sticking to the Rippetoe philosophy until I am not making gains anymore. I seem to have no problems with recovery so that is a good sign. Compared to you, the weight I am pushing/pulling is pretty light so I can understand your point of view. By the time I get anywhere close to you on squats and deads (it would be a long time if I ever did) I will certainly be on a different program.

 

[Mex]

Friday, Jan 22, 2010 session 28 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 159.8

Workout:

Squats warm ups to...
3x5x180

Overhead Press warm ups to...
3x5x105

Deadlifts warm ups to...
1x5x215

Chin-ups 9,5,4 (no resistance no support)

Hardest squat session yet. I have to admit I cheated on 2 reps in the second set. I did not go down as far as I could. I realized it after I started going back up so it was too late to drop back down in the same rep. But after that I made sure I went down below parallel.

I did not think I would finish on ohp, but on the third set I moved both hands in about 1-1.5 inches, and it helped a lot.

Deadlifts were not as bad as I expected, although my hands were slippery from using lotion this morning. I washed them first, but I guess it did not get out entirely.

No improvements on chin-ups, but hey, it is a Friday and I did have a hard time on squats, plus I did deads so I cant ask for everything at once.

That's all for today. Cheers!

 

[Mex]

Wednesday Jan 25, 2010 - session 29 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 159.5

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
3x5x185

Bench warm up to...
3x5x140

Inv Rows 15,9,6 (no resistance no support)

Squats are starting to kick my butt. I had to fight for the last couple reps on each set, especially the 3rd set. I dont want to knock on wood here, but I really hope I get to 200 for 3x5 before failure. This is my short term goal on squats; that would be 1 week from now if I can do it.

Bench is still the easiest of all my exercises, but not too easy. I feel confident that I can get 160 for 3x5 before failure. Ill set that as my short term goal on bench; just under 2 weeks for that.

Went down by a rep on the rows today, dont really know why, but not a big deal. I dont have any goals here, I am actually considering switching to Pendlays or bent-over rows, or something with a bar. Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

[Mex]

Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 session 30 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 159.5

Workout:

Squats warm ups to...
3x5x190

Overhead Press warm ups to...
5x110
4x110
2x110

Deadlifts warm ups to...
1x5x225

Pull-ups 6,5,3 (no resistance no support)

Lets start with squats. I focused on going deep as last session I cheated a little. I got them all this time, and they were hard. My body was shaking on a few of them.

On the ohp, I failed again. I really just felt weak on these today. Only a 5 lb increase from last ohp session, but they felt much harder. Will try again same weight next time. Next ohp session is on a Monday so hopefully that will help.

I am proud of DLs. I got two plates finally. I did first two reps continuously then I re-gripped before 3rd rep. Then for the last two reps I actually had to stand up and take a few breaths before banging them out. I hope that still counts. That was heavy man (relatively speaking of course).

Went down on pull-ups. I have to blame it on the increasing stress from squats and deads though.

 

[Mex]

Friday Jan 29, 2010 - session 31 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 160.5

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
3x5x195

Bench warm up to...
3x5x145

Inv Rows 15,9,6 (no resistance no support)

Squats were tough, but they were smoother than last time. I just let myself go down and think about the bounce. Not that I free fall or anything, just focus on reaching the bounce point. This seems to help me get deep without having to think so much about how deep I am at any given point. I also felt more balanced coming out of the bottom. But I can use the extra rest this weekend, big day on Monday, will try for 200 lbs!

No comments on the bench.

No improvement in inv rows. But I may switch to Pendlays soon. I am just unsure of starting weight. Using 45 lbs plates would be ideal in terms of bar height, but is probably too heavy. I dont know if using lighter weight would be a problem in terms of bar height. We do not have an ideal rack to hold the bar low either. Also, they dont allow me to use plates to hold the weights (as preople do for light deadlifts). Suggetions please.

One more thing, I am essentially doing starting strength for all purposes now. I started with stronglifts, cut out the accessories, and went to 3x5. But SS calls for bench + deads on same day, then ohp + rows together on the other. What I have is ohp + deads on the same day and bench + rows together on the other. Probably a dumb question, but does it matter which two go together?

 

[EFFORT]

Remove the Wheat bread+butter, and peanut butter asap. I can help you make some updates with your diet. Is the most recent diet update what you've been following?

 

[Mex]

Remove the Wheat bread+butter, and peanut butter asap. I can help you make some updates with your diet. Is the most recent diet update what you've been following?

Hey EFFORT, yeah, I am still on this for the most part. I am usually having whole grain pasta instead of brown rice for the most part though, as I find it easier to get the pasta down without feeling too full. I have added eggs in place of the peanut butter lately, but sometimes have neither ie just tuna. Also this week, I had much more veggies and a little less oats and pasta.

Basically, on workout days I have carbs + lean protein, and on off days I have fat + protein (more PRO than on workout days). Plus, I am trying to eat more veggies than before to get my vitamins since I am not taking any supplements for that.

 

[Mex]

Friday Feb 1, 2010 - session 32 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 159.2

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
3x5x200

Bench warm up to...
3x5x150

Deadlifts warm up to...
1x5x235

Push ups
2x8 bw+45lbs


I actually did bench instead of ohp. I am going to keep it this way now as this is how the Rippetoe program is written. We dont have a dip bar so I did push ups. Also, I will combine ohp with rows on the other days. Anyway...

Squats were hard. Really struggled on last set. But I got to the 200 lbs mark. Next stop: 225!

Bench is definitely getting tougher, but I still have some increase left in me I think.

The deadlift was really the toughest yet. Talk about making you sweat. I had to stand up between each rep to catch my breath and re grip. But I felt great after.

Body weight has not increased in a couple weeks, but I noticed less fat in the boobies and arms. Still have the belly which will probably be the last to go, but I am noticing the progress.

 

[Mex]

Wednesday Feb 3, 2010 - session 33 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 158.5

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
1x5x205
1x5x205
0 (could not do first rep)

Ohp warm up to...
1x5x110
0 (stalled on first rep)

inv rows warm up to...
10,10,10

Chin ups
skipped

Bad day for me. I was not feeling it when I started. I did not get good sleep last night, and I dont feel like I recovered from Mondays workout yet.

Stalled on squats, and I think I could have got it on a better day. So I got to sets of 5 and thats it.

Still struggling with ohp. Just got one set, and nothing more.

I kept it short and sweet on the rows since I just felt like ****. Then I skipped chin ups.

I also noticed I lost another pound of bodyweight. I have been eating less oats/rice and more veggies. Maybe this is hurting my recovery and not getting enough calories. I dont know. Ill go back to the more oats/rice and see how I feel in a couple days.

 

[ATP]

Sounds like one of those days that just go wrong. Keep plugging in some more food and you'll soon get better results. Is form good on your exercises otherwise? A common reason for stalling is to have degradation in the form so it becomes very hard to lift once you reach a certain weight.

 

[Mex]

Sounds like one of those days that just go wrong. Keep plugging in some more food and you'll soon get better results. Is form good on your exercises otherwise? A common reason for stalling is to have degradation in the form so it becomes very hard to lift once you reach a certain weight.

My form was good today so that was not the problem. I have messed up on form a couple of times recently, but whenever that happens I notice it right away and correct it. But thanks for the feedback. For now I will keep pushing food down as you said, and try to get better rest at night. Im sure it was just a bad day.

 

[Mex]

Friday Feb 5, 2010 - session 34 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 160.2

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
3x5x205

Bench warm up to...
3x5x155

Deadlifts warm up to...
1x3x245 ...failed on rep 4.

push ups
skipped

Got the squats today. I knew last session's failure was just a bad day.

Came close to failing on bench, which I guess is a good thing since now I am pushing my limits. However, my left shoulder is very sore. I think it is from the ohp. I did not mention last time that when I failed on ohp my shoulder was hurting. I thought at the time that it was just too hard. But the pain is still there and it is not just muscle soreness, and the bench press brought it out.

I actually missed the 3rd rep on DL because of grip issues. But I re gripped and got the 3 in. But I could not get 4.

I skipped push ups because of the shoulder pain.