Starting Strength Journal

[ebracer05]

I haven't posted on this site in a long time... I feel like I got what I needed from it. I've been making some good progress on my lifting and felt like I got a lot of valuable information while I was here from everyone. Lol, when I first posted here, I didn't even know what macros were or that 60g of protein daily was wayyyyy too little!

Anyways, that was about 2 years and change ago and I went from 150lbs to 188lbs today actually. I had a setback this past fall with an herniation and bout of laziness, but I'm back on the boat and getting back to where I was.

I'm obviously doing starting strength right now. I was on a split routine before I hurt myself but after having starting starting strength, I feel like it is better for my level of development.

After being off lifting for about 9 months, I have been back since May.

Here's where I'm at (all 5x5 with 2 warmup sets):

Squat - 210 (This is low for me but I started lighter to give my pelvic area a chance to get used to the strain so I'm not as likely to injure myself again)
Overhead Press - 100
Deads - 265
Bench - 205
Bent over rows - 135

I am in the process of figuring out my diet. I have more fat on me than I would like, but I also don't feel like I'm in a spot to start cutting so I'm just going to eat a small amount above maintenance to try and recomp. I'm not fat, maybe just the beginnings of chubby if that... but I don't have a six pack.

My goal is to design my diet tomorrow. My macros are something like 240g protein, 100g fat, 250-350g carbs. I don't remember, I figured them out and have them written down somewhere.

I've spent a lot of time working what I eat out so that I get 100% rda of all the micro nutrients... I eat a lot of kale, spinach, broccoli, ect. I also eat fish every day. The only supps I'm taking are as follows:

Fish Oil with 2,000 IU Vit D
1 heaping teaspoon of HMB twice daily
5g creatine monohydrate
5g BCAAs with 2.75g Glutamine
5g Leucine
Amino Energy preworkout from Optimum Nutrition (amino acids and caffeine basically)
The obligatory whey shakes

I take a lot of Leucine and instead of BCAAs upon waking, I've been using up this EAA supplement I have.

I had been taking beta alanine and it just didn't seem to do it for me. I have also used D-Aspartic Acid and got concerned about neurotoxicity and stopped.

A lot of guys don't seem to like HMB but I really do. I know I am in the process of regaining muscle I lost, but I really do feel like the HMB helps despite its awful taste.

That's about it. I'll post the diet tomorrow when I make it and do my best to keep this updated.

 

[DanZy]

HMB has been shown to be truly worthless numerous times, there's a reason why people discredit it

 

[ebracer05]

HMB has been shown to be truly worthless numerous times, there's a reason why people discredit it

That's because people take it and expect it to work like a testosterone cycle, and it does not. However,

Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on lean body mass during 10 days of bed rest in older adults

http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614%2813%2900075-7/abstract

With the exclusion of one subject, treatment with HMB prevented the decline in LBM over bed rest −0.17 ± 0.19 kg; p = 0.23, paired t-test). There was a statistically significant difference between treatment groups for change in LBM over bed rest

β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate reduces myonuclear apoptosis during recovery from hind limb suspension-induced muscle fiber atrophy in aged rats.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21697520

β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a leucine metabolite shown to reduce protein catabolism in disease states and promote skeletal muscle hypertrophy in response to loading exercise.

The effect of HMB supplementation on body composition, fitness, hormonal and inflammatory mediators in elite adolescent volleyball players: a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21327797


HMB supplementation was associated with greater increases in muscle mass, muscle strength and anaerobic properties with no effect on aerobic capacity suggesting some advantage for its use in elite adolescent volleyball players during the initial phases of the training season.
β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMβ) supplementation stimulates skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats via the mTOR pathway.



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21345206


HMβ supplementation induced muscle hypertrophy in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles and increased serum insulin levels, the expression of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphorylation of p70S6K in the EDL muscle. Expression of the insulin receptor was increased only in liver.



And there are more studies but I'm tired of copying and pasting them.

Also, HMB needs a good level of Vit D. And it works better with creatine. I believe it is anabolic to a point, but it's helpfulness at least as far as I see, is how anti-catabolic it is. Again, it is not an AAS and so when it doesn't give AAS like results, people think it doesn't work, which is incorrect.

For more, see:

http://www.ergo-log.com/hmb.html

 

[Krueg]

Good to see the log up, looks like you got some good starting numbers. Look forward to seeing the progress.

 

[DanZy]

That's because people take it and expect it to work like a testosterone cycle, and it does not. However,

Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on lean body mass during 10 days of bed rest in older adults

http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614%2813%2900075-7/abstract

With the exclusion of one subject, treatment with HMB prevented the decline in LBM over bed rest −0.17 ± 0.19 kg; p = 0.23, paired t-test). There was a statistically significant difference between treatment groups for change in LBM over bed rest
This study was stupidly short and focused on bed-bound elderly people, so it's really non-applicable to you. Pretty pointless


β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate reduces myonuclear apoptosis during recovery from hind limb suspension-induced muscle fiber atrophy in aged rats.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21697520

β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a leucine metabolite shown to reduce protein catabolism in disease states and promote skeletal muscle hypertrophy in response to loading exercise.
So HMB slightly reduced atrophying in rats, cool but how well does that carry over to human trials?

The effect of HMB supplementation on body composition, fitness, hormonal and inflammatory mediators in elite adolescent volleyball players: a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21327797


HMB supplementation was associated with greater increases in muscle mass, muscle strength and anaerobic properties with no effect on aerobic capacity suggesting some advantage for its use in elite adolescent volleyball players during the initial phases of the training season.
Volleyball does not equate to lifting in any way as it's mainly aerobic. Additionally, HMB was only shown to be slightly helpful in the initial stages of training so the benefits soon dissapear.

β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMβ) supplementation stimulates skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats via the mTOR pathway.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21345206


HMβ supplementation induced muscle hypertrophy in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles and increased serum insulin levels, the expression of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphorylation of p70S6K in the EDL muscle. Expression of the insulin receptor was increased only in liver.
So insulin was boosted only in the liver and not in muscle cells, great. Glut-4 activation was totally unchanged as well. Very minor changes



And there are more studies but I'm tired of copying and pasting them.

Also, HMB needs a good level of Vit D. And it works better with creatine. I believe it is anabolic to a point, but it's helpfulness at least as far as I see, is how anti-catabolic it is. Again, it is not an AAS and so when it doesn't give AAS like results, people think it doesn't work, which is incorrect.

For more, see:

http://www.ergo-log.com/hmb.html

That's all well and good but you seemed to have missed several studies:
http://www.ergo-log.com/hmbstudy.html This shows that HMB had anti-catabolic properties because it inhibited anabolism. What use is that?

http://www.ergo-log.com/hmbtrial.html The positive affects were trivial and not worth the money. Human trials with HMB on trained athletes always seem to show its worthlessness.

http://www.ergo-log.com/hmbmeta.html Again, the same is shown. Virtually nothing.

HMB is one of those supps that looks great on paper and performs well in animal trials but never carries over to human trials well. Also, almost all the positive studies have been conducted by Steve Nissen, the very man who put the product on the market. It's really very suspicious. Anti-catabolic products are really only of use to endurance athletes like marathon runners as the average lifter is not going to experience much/if any atrophy whilst training.
I've never heard of anyone expecting steroid-like results from such a supplement, any intelligent person would know that that's impossible.
Ultimately, don't waste your money. You're not going to reap any significant rewards. Creatine is cheaper and far more beneficial.

 

[Purefilth]

excellent job ebracer, glad to have you join the elite filthy few here on SS!

GUESS THAT MAKES ME SUPER-ELITE!!!!!

but, hey, we all knew that already

Seriously though, welcome back- eat clean, train dirty and update regularly.

 

[ebracer05]

The Diet

Thanks for the support guys!

Here is today's work:

Squat -
5x145lbs
5x185lbs
5x220lbs (x5)

Bench -
5x145lbs
5x185lbs
5x210lbs (x5)

Bent Over Rows -
5x75lbs
5x105lbs
5x135lbs (x5)

All of the lifts were pretty easy. The squat is way low... I accidentally added extra 25lb plates during the second set and started it no problem. I just don't want to go too fast and re-injure myself... the weight will get back up there. The bent over rows were pretty easy too. The bench was challenging but I do not feel like I have reached my limit yet, which makes me feel really good.

And here is the diet I came up with.

For my weight and activity level I figured my maintenance calories to be 2400 to 2600

My macro needs are as follows:

Protein - 190g - 240g
Carbs - 380g - 550g
Fat - 80g - 170g


Meal 1:
6 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups of 1% milk

calories - 713
protein - 55.5g
carbs - 43.2g
fat - 28.4g

Meal 2:
whey shake
100% whole wheat bagel

calories - 490
protein - 60g
carbs - 55g
fat - 5g

Meal 3:
6oz salmon or 8oz tilapia
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup brown rice

calories - 648
protein - 38.5g
carbs - 47.8g
fat 40.9g

Meal 4:
1 cup kale, spinach, broccoli, 4 radishes, and 1 tomato
2 tbsps EVOO
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
6oz chicken breast
1 tbsp evoo

calories - 784
protein - 58g
carbs - 31g
fat - 48.7g

Meal 5:
6oz london broil
1 tbsp coconut oil

calories - 450
protein - 48g
carbs - 6g
fat - 26g


Total macros:
calories - 3085
protein - 260g
carbs - 183g
fat - 149g


What do you guys think? I overshot the protein a bit and undershot the carbs. I don't have any fruit in here either or nuts. I've been thinking about cutting back on some of the fat and maybe a few ounces of the meat and adding some fruit and nuts. My micronutrients are very close, almost 100% but since they're not 100% I will take the multivitamin.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: If I make the coconut oil and 2 of the 4 EVOO in to tsps and then add 1 cup blueberries, 1oz almonds, and the juice of 1 orange, lime, and lemon, I get

3077 calories,
268g protein
227g carbs
128g fat

I think i like this better.

 

[ebracer05]

This wasn't the most active weekend of my life. I played about 3 and a half hours of volleyball on Saturday and took a 2 mile hike yesterday.

Time to get back to work!!! Lifting later today!

 

[ebracer05]

6/17/2013 Workout

Squat -
5x155
5x195
5x225 (x5)

Overhead Press -
5x85
5x100 (I wasn't paying attention to the weight... this warmup is a bit high)
5x105 (x5)

Deads -
5x185
5x245
5x270

This was a good lift. The squat feels a lot easier than it should, but I'm hesitant to bump it up too fast. I feel like I could have done more on all the lifts but I don't want to go up too fast.

Diet is on point today... it was definitely not over the weekend!

Weight was about 186lbs this morning.

 

[ebracer05]

6/19/13 Workout

Weight holding at a high 186 after taking a pee this morning.

Squat -
5x160lbs
5x200lbs
5x230lbs (x5)

Bench -
5x150
5x185
5x215 (x5)

Bent Over Rows -
5x90
5x110
5x140


This was a tough lift. I did not get a good night's rest the last 2 nights due to some issues at my home... I have been pretty tired today and was surprised I successfully increased my bench to be honest. That is the most difficult lift I'm at on this training day.

My diet has been total crap lately. That needs to be my focus right now. It's too easy for me to get side tracked at work and getting busy and either forgetting my meals or just not making them. Today has been a good diet day so far.

 

[TheStig]

Good job on still making progress with sub-optimal diet and sleep. That must mean you trained with great intensity! Just goes to show you what you could achieve with a good diet and a good night's rest.

 

[ebracer05]

Thanks Stig.... no doubt diet and sleep are of extreme importance.

And on that note, my diet has improved some. I have been having some digestive issues... bad actually. Whenever I would eat the vegetable salad, I would get terrible gas pains, bloating, and diarrhea. I've never had this before and even after cutting the servings in half, I still have them. So I cut them out for the moment and will try it again in a week or 2. They got replaced with another 4th cup of brown rice.

My diet has gotten better... At work tonight, I didn't go completely out of control... I did deviate and went about 450 calories over, but honestly, that's a lot better than I have been doing! As far as I'm concerned, that's progress.

 

[DanZy]

Maybe try a probiotic supplement to assist your digestive system

 

[ebracer05]

6/21/13 Workout

I have actually been taking probiotics, ginger, and some papaya enzymes to no avail. I'm just gonna give my body a break for a week or 2 and see if it handles them any better.

And Brad, you are spot on about gradual change!

The lift today was good. My back was bothering me a little bit and I was worried I may have to take it easy or drop some lifts, but I did not have to do it.

Squat -
5x165
5x205
5x235 (x5)

Press -
5x85
5x95
5x110 (x5)

Deads -
5x195
5x245
5x275
1x300 (personal record!!)

I feel like 300lbs on the deadlift could be my work weight, but I don't want to push my muscles faster than my skeletal system can keep up and end up with another injury. I feel like this is a pretty decent anabolic period of my life and am noticing my clothes are not fitting as well. I have put on some fat, but not nearly as much as I thought I would in a "bulk". All in all, this has been a good program so far. So far each every lift since the beginning of April, each lift has gone up. Some of this is obviously from the fact that its easier to get back what you had than to take new ground... but I am sneaking up on my best ever stats, so I'm hoping soon I will have some more new records!

 

[ebracer05]

6/23/13 Workout

What's up guys... diet is getting better and all my lifts went up again.

Squat -
5x175lbs
5x215lbs
5x240lbs (x5)

Bench -
5x155
5x185
5x220 (x5)

Bent Over Rows -
5x95
5x115
5x145

I need to really focus on my row technique because it felt like it was slipping. I'm happy about the bench too... 230 is my all time best so I can't wait till I am repping that!

I've also been thinking about running some halo or epi starting for 4-6 weeks but I don't know. I have never used either before and just don't know if I want to get in to that especially when I am continuing to progress on my own. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this one.

 

[Krueg]

Good work ebracer, I don't really know what halo or epi is. I personally don't take any supplements, I took whey protein once in awhile but, now I just eat as much as I can and train hard. I may not progress "quickly" but, slow and steady seems to work for me anyways.

 

[ebracer05]

Yesterday normally would have been a lift day but I went to the beach with my girl and am going to lift today. I have gained enough weight (muscle and fat) that my clothes are not fitting as well... my work clothes barely fit... and I am starting to carry more fat than I am comfortable with, especially for the summer. I do not want to buy new clothes and I know I have gained more fat than I needed to... so I'm going to start cutting down some and see what happens. I'll post my lift log later today and start working out a new diet.

 

[Colossus]

Welcome back ebracer. PM me when yo get a chance, tell me how things are going.

 

[ebracer05]

6/26/13 Workout

For my interim diet I have just cut out the carbohydrates... brown rice, oats, and most of the fruit... except the post workout bagel. I'm not used to such low carb madness yet!!

Squat -
5x175lbs
5x215lbs
5x245lbs (x5)

Press -
5x85lbs
5x95lbs
5x115lbs (x5) This is close to a record I believe

Deads -
5x195lbs
5x245lbs
5x280lbs


This was a pretty good lift. I felt like I had a lot of energy and made some progress.

 

[ebracer05]

6/28/13 Lift

I haven't forgotten about you Colossus, I will PM you soon.

Squat -
5x175
5x215
5x250 (x5)

Bench -
5x155
5x185
5x225 (x5)

Power Cleans
5x85
5x95
5x105
5x115
5x115
5x125
5x135

I have never cleaned before so I wanted to keep the weight low so I can get the technique down... which is probably going to take a while. I've been meaning to add the clean in, and now I officially have. That's all for now.