Off With The Bad and On With The Good

[CannibalCrowley]

This is my attempt to get back into shape. I was on my way to doing so a couple years ago when I stopped lifting to focus on BJJ and Judo. Shortly after that, a tournament injury forced me to stop for months. After I was healed I took the lazy route and did nothing. I blew up to a 185 pound butterball, the heaviest and fattest I've ever been in my life.

Finally several factors came together and I became disgusted with myself. I dieted away 15 pounds and that's where I stalled at for close to a month until the obvious hit me and I decided to start lifting again. I've been following Starting Strength for the past few weeks.

My starting weights were:
Press: 55
Bench Press: 75
Squat: 115
Deadlift: 135
Power Clean: 65

These are the goals that I set down a month ago before I started lifting again.
Short Term Goals (all 5 reps):
Press: 90
Bench Press: 135
Squat: 180
Deadlift: 225
Power Clean: 130

Long Term Goals (all 5 reps):
Press: 115
Bench Press: 165
Squat: 225
Deadlift: 260
Power Clean: 160

Weight wise I'd like to be at 155 with 10% or less bodyfat. I'm not dead set on that number; but at 5'4" I don't know if my frame is suited for too much more than that.


My warmup consists of either a stationary bike or just riding my bike to the gym (depends on the day). I also do all the suggested warmup sets from the logbook calculator.

Wednesday's working sets (lbs):
Squat (3x5): 165
Bench Press (3x5): 100
Deadlift (1x5): 185

Friday's working sets (lbs):
Squat (3x5): 170
Press (3x5): 80
Power Clean (5x3): 90

Embarrasingly, I missed the last rep on every set of the press. Strike one, hopefully I'll get it next time.

[Clifford Gillmore]

Great starting numbers! You'll be killing it in no time.

[CannibalCrowley]

Today:
Squat (3x5): 175
Bench Press (3x5): 105
Deadlift (1x5): 195

I definitely need to hit the local rock climbing place and get some chalk. My hands sweat so much that I had to stop in the middle of my deadlift set to dry them off.

[CannibalCrowley]

After receiving really bad news, Thursday turned into a blackout induced blur of booze and sex. I was way too hung over to do anything. Lifting heavy weight at the gym was definitely out of the question. Apparently I had some long bouts of cardio anyway.

Monday:
Squat (3x5): 185
Bench Press (3x5): 110
Deadlift (1x5): 205

I used a block of chalk and it worked wonders.

One of my five short term goals has been met, four to go.

[CannibalCrowley]

My wife screwed up so I couldn't make it to the gym on Wednesday as planned. So Wednesday's workout got moved to Thursday. I really like the local gym; but they need to get rid of their no kids rule and throw some toys in the aerobics room that often sits unused. Then I could just ride my bike to the gym with my 3 year old and she could play while I worked out. Boom, no missed workouts. Their business might even pick up as well.

Thursday:
Squat (3x5): 190
Press (3x5): 80
Power Clean (5x3): 100

Squat - missed the last rep on the 1st and 3rd sets.
Press - missed 2 reps on 2nd set and missed 1 rep on 3rd set.

I'm not quite sure why I missed those squat reps. I made the second set without a real problem. I think it may have been either a rest issue or me not knocking them out as soon as a got under the bar. I have a problem pausing while I'm squatting and I'm working to correct it. I still catch myself doing it sometimes; but I don't think I'm catching it every time I do it.

[CannibalCrowley]

I was determined not to miss a workout this week, so I hit the gym again today. I cut out the squats though, I thought I should since I squatted yesterday.

Friday:
Bench Press (3x5): 115
Deadlift (1x5): 215

I couldn't knock out my deadlift reps one after the other, I had to pause for a couple of seconds in between. One other thing: MY BUTT HURTS! The top half of my cheeks is seriously sore. It's definitely going to hurt in the morning. I just hope it's not too bad because I have a day long canoe outing tomorrow.

Before I left I knew that I couldn't let myself off with just two exercises. So I decided to try out something that I read about a few days ago. A complex of several movements performed consecutively without a break and with a short rest between sets. I remember Randy Couture recommending something similar as well in the past so I decided I might as well try one out. The one I chose is called:

Cosgrove's Evil 8
Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Bentover Row
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Good Morning

6 reps all; rest for 90 seconds
5 reps all; rest for 90 seconds
4 reps all; rest for 90 seconds
3 reps all; rest for 90 seconds
2 reps all; rest for 90 seconds
1 reps all; FINISHED

I did just the bar since it was my first try and I liked it even though it kicked my butt a good bit. It's definitely something I'd like to work into my routine in the future. I really need to work on the bar placement on my front squats. It's hard for me to get my elbows out there like I'm supposed to.

[CannibalCrowley]

Monday's workout got pushed to Tuesday due to the wife's incompetence. It had to be rushed as well so it ended up being pretty crappy.

Tuesday:
Squat (3x5): 195
Press (3x5): 80
Power Clean (5x3): 105

I missed reps on everything but the cleans. It was not a good day.

More sabotage on my wife's end meant that I wasn't able to get another trip to the gym in until Friday.

Friday:
Squat (3x5): 195
Bench Press (3x5): 120
Deadlift (1x5): 225

Squat: I missed the last rep every time. I think it's time to take a bit of weight off the bar.
Deadlift: My grip came to its limit. I could only get one rep in with the double overhand grip. After a "duh what do I do" moment I switched to an over under grip and didn't have a problem.

[CannibalCrowley]

Missed two sessions due to moving my wife out.

Friday:
Squat (3x5): 185
Bench Press (3x5): 125
Deadlift (1x5): 235

Monday:
Squat (3x5): 190
Press (3x5): 85
Power Clean (5x3): 115

Press: I missed reps on all but the first set of the press. It's frustrating to not be seeing real progress.

[CannibalCrowley]

Wednesday 9/16:
Front Squat (?x5): 55
Bench Press (3x5): 130
Deadlift (1x5): 245

I decided that I'm going to be doing front squats on Wednesdays from now on. I have no idea how many sets I did, I just kept trying to get comfortable with my form.

Friday 9/18:
No workout, at least not in the gym anyway. My bike broke down that day and I ended up having to push a 600 lb motorcycle for 2.9 miles and then carry my gear for 2.1 miles. I was pretty pooped after all that and my legs weren't exactly in the squatting mood.

I attempted to get a light workout in on Saturday before my 10 year reunion; but apparently my gym now closes at 2 pm on Saturdays. That's BS to say the least.

Monday 9/21:
Squat (3x5): 195
Press (3x5): 85
Power Clean (5x3): 120

Squat: I missed 1 rep on set 2 and 2 reps on set 3.
Press: I missed the last 2 reps every set. I'm seriously thinking about switching to dumbbells or something for a bit. Maybe that will help me improve instead of constantly missing.
Cleans: Starting to get heavy.

[CannibalCrowley]

Wednesday 9/23:
Front Squat (3x5): 95
Bench Press (3x5): 135
Deadlift (1x5): 255

Deadlift: Everything was going great until I tried to do my work set, I couldn't even get it off the ground. I tried dropping the weight to what I did last week and I could barely budge that. Maybe I rested too long (over 5 minutes due to a chatty chick) or maybe something was just off with me.

[CannibalCrowley]

Friday 9/25:
Squat (3x5): 195
Dumbbell Press (3x5): 25x2
Power Clean (5x3): 125

Monday 9/28:
Heavy bag for 7 two minute rounds.
A few sets of pull ups and chin ups

I had my first ever hemorrhoid issue so I've decided against squats and such for the week. Gosh that makes me feel old.

[CannibalCrowley]

Wednesday 9/30:
Bench Press (3x5): 140
Barbell Rows (3x5): 85
Dumbbell Press (3x5): 30x2

Friday 10/2: No gym workout, girl kept me in bed all day.

Monday 10/5:
Squat (3x5): 185
Dumbbell Press (3x5): 30x2
Power Clean (5x3): 130

Squats: On a bit of a lower body deload since I took a week off from squats & deadlifts.
Cleans: The bar slipped out of my hands on the second set and unfortunately my instinct was to try to catch it instead of letting it fall. I tweaked something in my leg and back while doing so. It was still hurting a couple minutes later so I went home without finishing.

[CannibalCrowley]

Wednesday 10/7:
Front Squat (3x5): 100
Bench Press (3x5): 145
Deadlift (1x5): 215

Front Squats: I've given up trying to do them Olympic style.
Bench Press: The last couple of sets I didn't think I was going to make that last rep; but I powered through it. I'm hoping to hit my bodyweight (167 this morning) before I hit a stall point.
Deadlift: Deloaded a bit due to last week being off the lower body stuff.

[CannibalCrowley]

So I'm back to it after being away for a few months due to personal issues (divorce, getting laid off, et cetera)

Friday, February 19, 2010

Today's goal was just to see how far I've sunk as well as get a current 1 rep max to use as a starting point. Not wanting to kill myself on my first day back, I picked some arbitrary weights and used those to get the reps to calculate my new 1 rep max for my baseline.

----- Weight - Reps - 1RM (rounded down)
Squat 185 - 3 - 195
Bench 125 - 8 - 155
Deadlift 185 - 3 - 195
Press 65 - 7 - 75

[CannibalCrowley]

Tuesday, 2010-02-23
A Day, Week 1

Squat
115x5
130x5
150x5+ (11)

Bench
905x5
105x5
120x5+ (8)

Accessory:
Front Squat
95x10
95x10
95x10

Thursday, 2010-02-25
B Day, Week 1

Deadlift
115x5
130x5
150x5+ (9)

OH Press
45x5
50x5
55x5+ (11)

Monday, 2010-03-01
A Day, Week 2

Squat
125x3
140x3
160x3+ (6)

Bench
100x3
110x3
125x3+ (10)

Accessory
Dips
8
6
5

[CannibalCrowley]

Saturday, 2010-03-06
B Day, Week 2

Deadlift
125x3
140x3
160x3+ (9)

OH Press
45x5
55x3
60x3+ (7)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
60x10
60x10
60x10

Good Mornings
55x10
55x10
55x10

Notes: I was ravenous the entire day after lifting. No matter what I ate I was hungry again an hour or so later. I decided to listen to my body and go with it. My hamstrings were a bit sore as well and I attribute that to the good mornings. Not injury sore, just use sore.

[Yeti Sandwich]

Sorry to hear about the trouble in your personal life, but I know for me getting to the gym is a great escape.

[CannibalCrowley]

Monday, 2010-03-08
A Day, Week 3

Squat
130x5
150x3
165x1+ (6)

Bench
105x5
120x3
135x1+ (5)

Accessory
Dips
8
5
6


Wednesday, 2010-03-10
B Day, Week 3

Deadlift
135x5
150x3
165x1+ (10)

OH Press
50x5
55x3
65x1+ (8)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
65x10
65x10
65x10

Good Mornings
60x10
60x10
60x10

I was curious about my bodyfat so I used a bodyfat calculator (http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/)
Weight: 166 lbs
Wrist: 6.75 inches
Waist: 37
Hip: 39
Forearm: 10.75
Results: 27.4% bodyfat

Ugh, now I feel more gross that I did before.

[JRider23]

good luck man! Sorry about all the crap that's been happening for you, but hopefully it will only go up from here!

Also, i find it hard to believe your BF% is 27.4 if you weigh 166. You sure that's accurate?

[CannibalCrowley]

Also, i find it hard to believe your BF% is 27.4 if you weigh 166. You sure that's accurate?

I thought it was a bit high too; but judging from some bodyfat picture stuff 20-25% is probably accurate.

Sunday, 2010-03-14
A Day, Week 1

Squat
115x5
135x5
155x5+ (9)

Bench
95x5
110x5
120x5+ (10)

Accessory
Dips
8
7
6

Front Squat
95x10
95x10

Tuesday, 2010-03-16
B Day, Week 1

Deadlift
135x5
150x5
170x5+ (9)

OH Press
45x5
55x5
60x5+ (9)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
70x10
70x10
70x10

Good Mornings
65x10
65x10
65x10

Notes: It's my first cycle back so I decided to skip the first deload week.

Thursday, 2010-03-18
Conditioning

Cosgrove's Evil 8 - 65

[CannibalCrowley]

Sunday, 2010-03-21
A Day, Week 2

Squat
125x3
145x3
160x3+ (9)

Bench
100x3
115x3
130x3+ (8)

Accessory
Dips
8
7
6

Tricep Pull Down
60x10
70x10
70x10

Tuesday, 2010-03-23
B Day, Week 2

Deadlift
140x3
160x3
180x3+ (8)

OH Press
50x3
60x3
65x3+ (8)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
70x10
70x10
70x10

Good Mornings
70x10
70x10
70x10

[CannibalCrowley]

Sunday, 2010-03-28
A Day, Week 3

Squat
135x5
155x3
170x1+ (7)

Bench
110x5
120x3
135x1+ (8)

Accessory
Dips
8
7
6


Tuesday, 2010-03-30
B Day, Week 3

Deadlift
150x5
170x3
190x1+ (8)

OH Press
55x5
60x3
70x1+ (8)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
75x10
75x10
75x10

Good Mornings
75x10
75x10
75x10

[CannibalCrowley]

I've been thinking a bit about goals and I decided to take the standardized route and just use the novice standards from exrx (http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html). Since I weighted in today at 165.8 it only makes sense to use that level, even if far too much of my 165 is flab.

Novice
OH Press - 102
Bench Press - 152
Squat - 204
Deadlift - 254

According the the one rep max calculator (using this week's lifts), my maxes are supposedly:
OH Press - 87
Bench Press - 168
Squat - 204
Deadlift - 236
but I don't know how much I trust those numbers. I don't think I'll be counting any goal as met until I lift that weight for real.

[CannibalCrowley]

No gym for the past two weeks due to a nasty case of viral pneumonia. Still not 100%; but I'm good enough for normal activities.

Sunday, 2010-04-18
A Day, Week 1

Squat
120x5
140x5
155x5+ (11)

Bench
100x5
115x5
130x5+ (9)

Accessory
Dips
7
6
6

Tricep Pull Down
70x10
70x10
70x10

[CannibalCrowley]

Wednesday, 2010-04-21
B Day, Week 1

Deadlift
140x5
160x5
185x5+ (8)

OH Press
55x5
65x5
70x5+ (7)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
75x10
75x10
75x10

Good Mornings
75x10
75x10
75x10

Notes: I think it's about time to switch from double overs to an over/under grip for deadlifts.

Later in the afternoon the girlfriend wanted to go for a walk so I decided to join her. It was 4.8 miles at a decent pace. I pushed her stroller a little more than halfway because she was getting tired.

[CannibalCrowley]

Monday, 2010-04-26
2A

Squat
135x3
150x3
165x3+ (8)

Bench
105x3
120x3
140x3+ (6)

Accessory
Dips
7
6
6

Tricep Pull Down
70x10
70x10
70x10


Monday, 2010-05-31
2B

Deadlift
150x3
175x3
195x3+ (7)

OH Press
55x3
65x3
75x3+ (6)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
65x10x
65x10
65x10

Good Mornings
65x10
65x10
65x10

Sunday, 2010-06-06
3A

Squat
145x5
155x3
170x1+ (7)

Bench
115x5
130x3
145x1+ (6)

Accessory
Dips
8
7
5

Tricep Pull Down
70x10
70x10
70x10


Tuesday, 2010-06-08
3B

Deadlift
160x5
185x3
205x1+ (4)

OH Press
60x5
70x3
75x1+ (6)

Accessory:
Bentover Rows
65x10
65x10
65x10

Good Mornings
70x10
70x10
70x10

[JRider23]

hope things are going well for you man.. good job with the workouts