bhodel112's Journal

[bhodel112]

Hey guys. My buddy "one rep under" got me to join the other day and told me to start a journal, so here it is. A little background on me, I am 19 and I'm a sophomore in college. I wrestled for 7 years and now I do a little BJJ here and there. But I only started to lift at the beginning of freshman semester. I went from a slender 125lbs to a solid 135lbs by May. But I took the whole summer off :bang:. Now I am about 128lbs and I'm starting to lift again. I am following the SS program for now and we'll see how that goes. My goal is to get to around 140lbs and bench>160, squat>150, deadlift>150. These aren't really short or long term goals, just where I want to be sometime.

Sept 1 2009:

1st day back in gym in ~ 3 months. Doing Starting Strength.
Squat: 3x5 @ 115- got deep, felt good but will drop to 105 or 110 to start
Bench: 3x5 @ 125lbs-felt like 145lbs used to. Will prob drop to 110 to start
Deadlift: 3x5 @ 135- where I was before but did feel pretty heavy, will prob drop to 115 or so

I am currently using GNC 100%whey and when it's done I will be switching to ON100% or Nitrean, or possibly a weight gainer instead

Today was the 1st day the gym was open but I will be on a mon/wed/fri program from here on out. Feel free to comment/make suggestions

[one rep under]

Good to have ya here fella, make a post in the Introduction section when you get a chance.. you can pretty much say the same thing you said here.

[bhodel112]

9/3/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 105. Going up 10lbs a week
OHP: 3x5 @ 35. Seated on Smith. I've never done them before so I'm going seated to learn, then with Smith standing, then a bar when I'm ready
Bent Over Rows: 3x5 @ 75. Not ready for cleans. Not sure if form was right but I'm gonna watch more vids and get it right.

[yasher]

OHP: 3x5 @ 35. Seated on Smith. I've never done them before so I'm going seated to learn, then with Smith standing, then a bar when I'm ready

I'm brand new to lifting as well, and I think you're selling yourself short here. The press is a tough little lift, but it's really not difficult to do properly. Watch the video in the Texas Method sticky, make note of what's good and what's bad, and give it a shot.

It's a beast of a lift though; I did work sets with the bar yesterday :evillaugh:

Good to have you around!

[bhodel112]

9/8/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 115
Bench: 3x5 @ 110
Deadlift: 3x5 @ 110

Gym was closed again on Monday for Labor day so this week is another Tues/thurs-lift days. But next week will be normal schedule, m/w/f-lift days

[bhodel112]

9/10/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 115. Felt real good, not so sore after
OHP: 3x5 @ 55. First time trying it. I think my form was good, I tried to do it just like the Rippetoe video. But I didn't have anyone watch my form. Felt it in the traps and upper shoulders a little bit, but it did hurt my wrists a fair amount.
Bent Over Rows: 3x5 @ 115

[bhodel112]

9/12/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 115
Bench: 3x5 @ 110
Deadlift: 3x5 @ 115

I think I'm going to increase bench by 5lbs each time I lift rather than every week like the other workouts. I think I can handle it and even though I wanted bench low, I think I put it too low now that I'm back in the groove of lifting. BJJ at school starts tomorrow night, can't wait.

[one rep under]

Adding weight every workout is how starting strength is supposed to work. After that initial period of where you cant add weight to the bar every workout it switches to add weight every week.
If you can handle it then do it.

[bhodel112]

9/34/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 125. Felt really good, I was only doing 135 last spring so these are gonna get tough soon but I'm looking forward to it.
OHP: 3x5 @ 60. This is hard but it feels real good. Still pretty rough on the wrists though
Cleans: 3x5 @ 55. Never cleaned before but had a friend show me. I was just testing the water so the weight will go up pretty quick

[bhodel112]

9/16/09

*(Apparently there are more than 30 days in September as I stated in my last post haha. I meant to say the 14th)

Squat: 3x5 @ 125
Bench: 3x5 @ 115
Deads: 1x5 @ 155. Switched up to 1x5 so my 2 warm-up sets were at 115 and 135. I like the one heavy set vs. 3 lighter ones but i don't think ill be able to keep adding weight very long. But I am going to stick to this

[bhodel112]

9/18/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 125
OHP: 3x5 @ 60. Felt good, wrists didn't hurt as much
Cleans: 3x5 @ 60. Still getting form down. Power cleans btw, not hang

[bhodel112]

9/21/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 135. Finally back to where I was back in May. Felt real good and I feel like i can still keep adding 10lbs a week for a little while.
Bench: 3x5 @ 130. For some reason I couldn't remember how much I did last time so I did 130. Might keep it there through Friday b/c it was pretty heavy : ( .
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 160. Warm ups at 115 and 135.

[bhodel112]

9/23/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 135
OHP: 3x5 @ 65. Felt really good, no wrist pain.
Cleans: 3x5 @ 65. I hear my form's good but I'm still only going up at 5lbs a week just to be safe

[bhodel112]

9/25/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 135
Bench: 3x5 @ 130. Will continue to go up in weight next week. Stayed at 130 since I accidently jumped 15lbs on Monday
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 155. I didn't realize I was supposed to be at 160 so I'll go up to 165 next week

[Off Road]

Great start. Don't up the deads too much next time or you risk stalling out. Just keep eating and trust that you'll get stronger every workout. Keep going :thumbup:

[bhodel112]

9/28/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 145. Still going deep, form's good, loving the weight increases
OHP: 3x5 @ 70. Right wrist felt a little bad but I kept good form. It's heavy, but I still think I can go up a little bit more.
Cleans: 3x5 @ 70. I've got my form down now as far as I'm concerned. So, theoretically, I can jump up weight but I'll keep the slow increases

[one rep under]

Good stuff fella, gotta just think about nicole and the numbers she puts up haha. That oughta keep you motivated!

[bhodel112]

9/30/09(yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 145
Bench: 3x5 @ 140. Felt good, a little slow but still cranked 'em out.
Deads: 1x5 @ 165

And yes Nicole scares me haha....

[bhodel112]

10/02/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 145
OHP: 3x5 @ 70
Cleans: 3x5 @ 70

[bhodel112]

10/05/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 155. I never squatted over 135 before starting S.S. I'm keeping the form up but it's getting real heavy.
Bench: 3x5 @ 145. Last semester I was repping 145 8/8/7. Today was hard, 150 is gonna be cutting it close come friday.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 165

Well Im feeling like I'm getting close to deloading some of my weights . After 3 months off I'm back where I was, or higher, on my lifts within 5 weeks.(I love S.S.). But I'm not too worried if I have to deload. I got my shipment in from ALN the other day. Let me start off by saying that my order came in in 2 days I believe with a magazine and 2 free Novus bars. AWESOME customer service. I ordered Results and Opticen. I'm taking Results once a day(today was the 1st), about 30-45min before my workouts. And I'm having 2, not 3, scoops of Opticen PWO. The 2/3 dosage is b.c my "Blender Bottle" can only hold 20oz. But I'm sure thats enough Opticen for me, being ~135lbs. Results(orange) tasted great, Opticen(choc) was also really good with a nice malty flavor. I'm more worried about results than taste but it's sweet that they're both so good. I'm also trying to drink a gallon of water a day. I need my shaker's amount 7 times for that so I'm doing it 5 times of water, plus the 2 shakes worth.(6 +1 on off days since I won't be having Opticen). I liked the Novus bar too, man was it filling. I literally just started on ALN products but would already recommend them for service alone.

[bhodel112]

10/07/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 155
OHP: 3x5 @ 75
Cleans: 3x5 @ 75

[bhodel112]

10/09/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 155
Bench: 3x5 @ 150. New max for reps. Never been this high but I cranked 'em all out with no help.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 170

[bhodel112]

10/12/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 165. Got to 90 degrees or below on pretty much all my reps
OHP: 3x5 @ 80. Getting heavy
Cleans: 3x5 @80

[T o m m Y]

Looks like your progress is on tap bro,keep it up!

[bhodel112]

thanks man

[bhodel112]

10/14/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 165. Felt much better than Monday, definitely got deep today.
Bench: 3x5 @ 155. Very hard, but I told myself I would push to at least 160 before I'd drop any reps and I did it. All 3 sets, no help.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 175

[Off Road]

Way to push yourself.

[CoCoa]

Good luck with the efforts bro, off to a nice start in here.

[bhodel112]

10/19/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 175. Heavy as balls. 1st set wasn't that deep but I was o.k. for the last 2. On the last 2 sets I broke 90 on almost all reps, got a few ass to grass.
Bench: 3x5 @ 160. Absolutely shocked myself. All 3 sets with no help, felt awesome. But the 4th and 5th reps of each set were really tough so 165 is looking scary.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 180. I can do it fine at this weight but my grip is not as tight, falls apart on the 2nd to last rep, finger tips for one hand on the last rep.

Today was sick. I mean the past few weeks have been great. All my lifts are way past where they were last semester, but today was intense. I didn't think I was going to even be able to get up with 175lbs on my traps but I squeaked 'em all out and think I can do 185. I thought 2 weeks ago I wasn't going to be able to get 150 and I put up 160 without a spot. That being said, I'm thinking I'll get stuck on 165 because today was a b*tch. But realistically I can't see myself being over 138lbs, and I think most people on here will agree that benching 160 for reps for my size is pretty good.(I will be checking my weight whenever I get a new scale). Deadlift was fine but I feel my 1st rep my back is pretty rounded but it's always been that way for the 1st rep with heavy weight. All in all I was extremely pleased with myself today. I guess the RESULTS is working lol.

[ZenFitness]

I did 175 today too... I'm with ya. For me the first set is always the killer... I've learned it's downhill from there. But it's a little spooky getting under higher and higher numbers on squat for sure.

Great work in here, keep it up man.

[Chase Karnes]

Congrats on your progress man. Keep pushing yourself.

[bhodel112]

Thanks guys
10/21/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 175. Felt a little better than Monday.
OHP: 3x5 @ 85
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 85

Apparently I forgot to list 10/16 but it was -10lbs for squat, and -5lbs for OHP and Cleans from today

[one rep under]

keep up the good work man. Dont psych yourself out you could just keep pushing past and not hit a plateau for awhile so just stay positive.

[bhodel112]

10/23/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 175
Bench: 3x5 @ 160. Kept it at 160. I'll hit 165 next Wednesday.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 185

[bhodel112]

10/26/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 185. Very heavy. I got deep and broke 90, but they were all pretty slow coming up.
OHP: 3x5 @ 90. Hard, especially the last set. Felt my form was a little bit off(leaning back) so I'll work on that for Friday.
Powercleans: 3x5 @ 90. Better form today.

[Off Road]

You're making good progress.

[bhodel112]

10/28/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 185. Got deep but I had a couple reps where i brought my but up before my back coming out of the whole and rounded my back a lil. When I finished my 3 sets it felt a little like I had done deadlifts. Wasn't really bad but something I need to make sure I don't do again.
Bench: 3x5 @ 165. I never cease to amaze myself. Got 'em up no problem. I brought my feet a lil more back, and rounded my back a little more, seemed to help.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 195. Went up 10lbs vs. 5, was definitely heavy but no problems here.

Finally checked my weight today... With shirt, shorts and socks- 141.5lbs. So I'm ~138lbs as expected. Not too happy about being this heavy for BJJ, but very happy I'm putting up these #'s for my weight. Added preachers(3x5 @ 85, very slow negative, fast as I could up) and some tri pull-downs. I want to build up my arms more cause they really haven't improved a lot. I'm going to post up some Before/After pics on Monday. That'll be my 2 month mark so well see what I look like..

[bhodel112]

10/30/09
Squat: 3x5 @185. Better form today. Not sure if I'm doing 195 or just 190 next week.
OHP: 3x5 @ 90. Felt a little easier today.
Powercleans: 3x5 @ 90. Better form today.

[bhodel112]

First pics are 9/01/09 ~ 135lbs after 3 months without lifting:

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/front3.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/side.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/front.jpg

These pics were taken 10/31/09 ~ 138lbs after 2 months of S.S.:

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/front4.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/side2.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/front2.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/back.jpg

[Off Road]

Big improvement...especially in the shoulders...nice job.

[CoCoa]

Changed up very well in such a short time frame, keep it up - looking muscular in those shots.

[one rep under]

Zach just got a hard on.... I told him to take a cold shower. Told you not to psyche yourself out but it seems if you keep telling yourself you cant, you just keep going up.... so keep doing it. Keep up the good work fella

[bhodel112]

11/02/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 195. Very hard, very slow but I kept my form up. I really wanna break 200 but it's looking sketchy.
Bench: 3x5 @ 165. Kept it at 165 because it was, again, very hard. But I'll attempt 170 on Friday.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 205. First lift in the 2's! But my grip failed on the 4th so I had to reset for the 5th rep and I rounded my back a little bit coming up.

Threw in some barbell curls and 4-board-like presses. Thanks for the comments guys. Going to halt the RESULTS next week and slowly start my cut for BJJ. Going to go 2 weeks w/o RESULTS and then load back up on it.

[bhodel112]

11/04/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 195. Felt much better today.
OHP: 5/5/4 @ 95. First failed set yet. Gonna attempt it again next week and deload if necessary.
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 95

[bhodel112]

11/06/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 195. Felt much easier today. Looking forward to 205.
Bench: 3x5 @ 170. Did it again. Didn't feel too hard either.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 205. Took off gloves and my grip was way better. Still really heavy though

[bhodel112]

11/09/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 205. Ooowa oowa! Felt good and better than most 1st-day-Mondays.
OHP: 3x5 @ 95 PR. Didn't fail on the last rep but my form is dropping a little. I feel I'm leaning back a little and my arms are going a little wider turning it more into a dumbell-press-style OHP, which I don't want. I'll work on it, it's just that it's so darn heavy.
Cleans: 3x5 @ 105. These were tough, and my form is not great. Definitely something I have to work on. Going to watch more vids.

I am currently on a cut for a BJJ meet at Boston U in 2 weeks. I bought a new scale, it said 138.0 first thing in the morning. I am going to fight at 129 so I have to lose 10-12lbs by the 20th. I stopped taking RESULTS on friday, so it will be 2 weeks exactly without Creatine. However I am continuing to take Opticen PWO(drinking right now and it's soooo good). After the meet I am going to load up on Results, most likely 4 shakes a day for the first 2 days(20g a day), then back to normal 1 everyday. Also I am going to list PR's only after a failed lift the previous lift. Otherwise I would've been listing PR's for like 6 weeks on everything.

[bhodel112]

11/11/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 205
Bench: 3x5 @ 170. Felt heavier today, idk.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 215. Felt good.

[bhodel112]

11/13/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 205
OHP: 3x5 @ 95. Felt a little easier today.
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 105

[one rep under]

I believe it takes 30 days for the creatine to leave your muscles so I'm not sure that stopping for 2 weeks will do anything... give it a shot though or ask a more knowledgeable forum member maybe?? Either way good **** keep working hard

[bhodel112]

Ya I knew that but i figured if I layed off it for a couple of weeks I wouldn't keep putting on weight. The meet got cancelled, for now, so I'm trying to load back up this weekend. I had 2 RESULTS shakes (10grams) yesterday and I'm trying to have a few today.

[bhodel112]

11/16/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215. Holy *****. Way harder than I thought it would be. I got them all out but it felt like it drained me completely. I'm prob gonna sit here for 2 weeks before going to 225.
Bench: 5/4/4 @ 175. (Tear). I finally failed. I thought I would fail weeks ago at 155 and I pushed myself this far so I can't be too upset. But it still sucked, it was really heavy.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 225. I finally have used more than 1 pair of 45s so that's cool. Felt good, can keep going up for sure.

All in all it wasn't a bad day, but it was a little sad. Squats felt like death and bench was upsetting. I NEED YOUR ADVICE!!! I am going to attempt benching 175 on Friday, if I fail I want to deload but I'm not sure how to do it. I was thinking drop it to b/w 155-165. But as I spend a couple weeks working back up, do I still do a 3x5 and focus on explosion? Or should I attempt more reps like 3x8? Anyone who has been in a similar situation or knows their stuff feel free to chime in.

[one rep under]

No need to deload even if you dont hit it friday... give it another week or even 2 weeks. If you miss it or get worse next week or the week after then deload. It wont kill you to stick with it for a few more weeks and then you'll be 100% sure a deload is necessary.

[Off Road]

No need to deload even if you dont hit it friday... give it another week or even 2 weeks. If you miss it or get worse next week or the week after then deload. It wont kill you to stick with it for a few more weeks and then you'll be 100% sure a deload is necessary.
I agree with this. Make sure your eating is top notch and try to get a few extra calories. Great effort pushing hard when things get tough.

[bhodel112]

11/18/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215. Felt better today, last 2 reps are tough but the 1st 3 are a little easier.
OHP: 3x5 @ 95. This is still heavy so I'm not going to increase weight until I feel comfortable.
Bennovarows: 3x5 @ 135. My friend(who's pretty much a blue belt in bjj) tweaked my left elbow with an Americana Monday night and the flipping motion of the bar on cleans felt really bad so I swapped them out for rows today. Should be good for Friday but I may need to ice it some more.

[bhodel112]

11/20/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215. Felt a little better. Still going to stay at 215 next week.
Bench: 3x5 @ 175 PR. Got them all up but I'm still going to stay here for a little while.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 225

The same powerlifter that told me I had perfect form on squat 2 weeks ago said I also had perfect form on deadlift so I got a nice little confidence booster today.

[bhodel112]

11/23/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215. Felt better today.
OHP: 5/5/4 @ 95. Felt bad today, not sure why. Poor form and it just felt really heavy.
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 110

[Off Road]

Nice job hitting that bench :thumbup:

[bhodel112]

11/25/09 (Yesterday)
Squat: 3x5 @ 215
Bench: 3x5 @ 175
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 235

[one rep under]

Not posting workouts huh fella??

Zach and I owe you some cash we didn't forget. I did happen to notice that she was fully clothed in your bed while you on the other hand were potentially but ass naked... so i'm going to guess you didn't do work?

Good luck with the approaching finals you snatch.

[bhodel112]

12/04/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215
OHP: 3x5 @ 95. Felt good today
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 105. Better form thanks to One Rep Under.

Took a week off and felt good to get back in. Not sure how much lifting will go on during the next two weeks with finals going on.

[bhodel112]

12/07/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215. 215 is still a bit@h so I wanna keep it here for a little while. Squat is a scary thing to think about failing on.
Bench: 3x5 @ 180. Took the jump and bumped up to 180; it wasn't easy. The last rep on the 2nd set was really hard and scared me for the last set. But my friend pushed me threw the 4th and 5th reps which were all will power but I was telling him not to touch it on the last rep as I barely squeaked it up. Wasn't exactly perfect form but I got the job done.
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 245. Still feel comfortable to keep pushing it up. Form got a little better since One Rep Under yelled at me.

Well finals start next week and the gym will be closed for a couple weeks and I won't be able to lift till One Rep gets home from school. Shouldn't have too many problems but there's nothing I can do but lift hard this week.

[Off Road]

Excellent effort. It's really paying off for you.

[bhodel112]

12/09/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215
OHP: 3x5 @ 95
Cleans: 3x5 @ 105. Dropped weight to work on form.

[bhodel112]

12/11/09
Squat: 3x5 @ 215
Bench: 3x5 @ 180. Felt easier today, got 'em all up without any real struggle.
Dealift: 1x5 @ 245. Still pretty easy.

Not sure how much I'll be lifting in the next 2 weeks with finals but I'm going to try to not miss too many days. Thinking about going to the USAPL state championships in February. My friend's going and since I want to go watch him I might as well compete. I think my total right now is ~ 740lbs (assuming I squat 235, bench 205, and d.l. 300). Deadlift is the only thing where I may be able to do a significant amount more, but I don't know yet. Looking at some results I need to shoot for 850, that's also the qualification for Nationals. It's just gonna be for fun to see where I compare to some other people. The real problem is the weight classes suck b.c. they're 132 or 148. And I'm about 141, so it's cut 10lbs and have my lifts drop or compete against bigger guys. Supposedly the USAPL divides your lifts by your weight so I could still do well in the 148 class with lower lifts. I miss the feeling of tourneys and since I won't be doing any bjj ones for a while I might as well check this out.

[bhodel112]

12/14/09
Squat: 3x3 @ 215; 1x3 @ 225. I need to start gearing my training towards 1RM for the USAPL in Feb so I wanted to work a little more on explosion. 225 surprisingly didn't feel much worse than 215 but it's most likely because I only had to do 3 reps. They were good, clean, deep reps.
OHP: 3x5 @ 95
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 105. Still working on form. I don't think I'm using my traps as much as I need to be.

[one rep under]

Hey man thats pretty cool that you're gonna compete. Do you know if they have a uniform requirement? I think you could wear a wrestling singlet if they do. Are wraps acceptable in USAPL, if so thats a good way to boost the squat. Just something to think about. Also, you might not want to cut how you cut for wrestling haha and do it slowly over time by just decreasing what you eat by 500 cals a day or maybe getting some low impact cardio like the elliptical.

[bhodel112]

12/18/09
Squat Max Test:
5 @ 145
3 @ 185
2 @ 215
2 @ 225
2 @ 235
1 @ 245
1 @ 255. All in all very happy. Got higher than I expected but by 255 I had nothing left. Might be able to squeeze a lil more out.
Bench Max Test:
5 @ 145
5 @ 165
3 @ 185
3 @ 195
2 @ 200
1 @ 205. Failed at 210, i dropped it a lil too quick and it bounced off my chest and i couldn't get it up. I'd like to hit 215+ for the comp.
DL Max Test:
5 @ 145
5 @ 185
3 @ 225
2 @ 245
1 @ 265
1 @ 285
1 @ 305
1 @ 315. Not bad, but I need to get it up to like 400lbs for the comp. So ya...

Good day, haven't tested max's since May. Little bit upset with bench. It's great for my weight (142) but I repped 180 5 times so I don't see why I can't get more weight up. Really happy with squat, but DL has to go up for me to be competitive.

[bhodel112]

1/04/10
Squat: 5/5/5 @ 145/185/205
OHP: 5/5/5 @ 70/80/90
Dips: 2x15, 2x10
Pullups: 1x10
Chin ups: 1x10

First day back in a while since the gym just opened back up. Felt like complete poop. Doing 5/3/1 but I felt the need to throw in squats more than once a week especially with the comp less than 2 months away. I was supposed to do 5x15 for dips and 5x10 for pullups but that wasnt happening. Sore from squatting for the first time since Septemeber so it looks like it's gonna be a rough week or two.

[Off Road]

Good luck and keep peogressing.

[bhodel112]

1/05/10 (Yesterday)
Deadlift: 5/5/6 @ 180/210/240
Bent over back extensions: 3x10 @ 35, 1x10 @ 10(behind head)
Hanging leg raise: 3x10 straight, 2x20 oblique

[bhodel112]

1/07/10
Bench: 5/5/5 @ 130/150/170. Couldn't get any extra at 170. I guess the 2 weeks of did more damage than I originally thought.
Incline DB Bench: 5x15 @ 50
Bent over DB rows: 5x10 @ 25

[Off Road]

No problem. Get more next week.

[bhodel112]

1/12/10
Skipped yesterday because I just forgot to go.
Squat: 3x5 @ 145/185/215. Little bit sloppy on the way up on 215 but I'm sure that won't be a problem for long.
Deadlift: 3/3/5 @ 200/225/255. Good form, could've had more reps at 255 but my grip failed.
RDL: 5x12 @ 115. Just went down below the knee and back up.
Shrug: 5x15 @ 135

[bhodel112]

1/14/10
Bench: 3/3/4 @ 145/165/185. 185 felt pretty tough, so I'm pretty upset about that.
3-second pause bench: 5x15 @ 85/95/95/85/85
Skull Crushers: 5x10 @ 45lbs (I think the bar was 25, if not then 55lbs total)

[bhodel112]

1/15/10
Squat: 3/3/10 @ 160/185/205. I set the catch bars 1 notch deeper than parallel and I hit it on all the 1st 6. The max-rep set I hit most of them but I know I was deep enough on all of them.
Lunges: 2x20 3x10 @ 100lbs (2-50lbs DB)
Calf raises: 5x15 @ 8+5lbs. I don't know if the 8 on the machine is 8lbs, but it was on 8 with a 5lb-er thrown on top

[Off Road]

Nice squats.

[bhodel112]

thank you thank you

[bhodel112]

Gym was closed today. Going to be 2 weeks behind on OHP but it is what it is.

[bhodel112]

1/19/10
Deadlift: 5/3/7 @ 215/240/270. Got 6 really good ones at 270, last one was a little off so I stopped there.
Decline Abs: 5x10 @ 25lbs. Cranked all the way up to the highest incline.
Good Mornings: 5x15 @ 45/55/65/65/65. First time doing them. Didn't feel it as much in the hammies as I read I would so I'm gonna watch some more vids on it.

[bhodel112]

1/21/10
Bench: 5/3/2 @ 155/175/195. Attempted 3 @ 195 but I couldn't get it up 1in. The first didn't fee too bad, but the second was pretty tough.
Tri Rope Pushdowns: 5x15 @ 42.5/42.5/37.5/32.5/27.5
Smith Reverse Grip Bench(Wide Grip): 5x10 @ 20/25/30/30/30

[Off Road]

You are showing great effort. Keep it up.

[bhodel112]

1/22/10
Squat: 5/3/4 @ 175/195/220
Front Squat: 5x10 @ 95
Calf raises: 5x15 @ 12

[bhodel112]

1/25/10
OHP: 3/3/7 @ 75/85/95. Haven't pressed in 3 weeks so I felt pretty good about the 7 @ 95, form was on and I was happy.
Side DB Raises: 5x10(per side) @ 20
Upright Rows: 5x15 @ 55

It was nice to get a good shoulder/trap day in since I haven't the past 2 weeks. The rest of the week is the deload cycle and I have to recalculate max's for next week.

[bhodel112]

1/26/10
Deadlift: 5/5/5 @ 115/140/170. Honestly nothing has made me feel like I look like a bit@h as much as the Deload day today haha. But I focused on good form and nice smooth movement.
Back Extensions: 5x10 @ 25. 25lb plate on upper back/neck.
Forearm/Bar-roll?: 5x15 @ 55.
Weighted Decline Abs: 3x10 @ 10lbs. Mixed between on chest and behind head.

[Off Road]

Nobody HERE thinks you look like a b!tch for doing a deload :)

[bhodel112]

1/28/10
Bench: 3x5 @ 85/105/125
Negative Bench: 10/8/10/10/10 @ 135/135/115/115/115
Rolling Thunders: 5x10 @ 20lbs DB's

[ehopkins932]

bhodel, whats up? Im up in New Providence, which is about 45 min from Rutgers. I have a 2 friends that are freshmen there; if Im ever up to visit them Ill let you know and we can train together.

The meet im doing next is in march (with the APA in Edison), its a month after the usapl states. I was thinking of doing the usapl states a few months, but like Barbaccio said, APA meets are more fun (the 2 meets Ive done are in each fed).

Keep hitting it hard

[bhodel112]

1/29/10
Squat 3x5 @ 95/115/135
Squat (with catch-bar below lockout) 5x10 @ 115
One-leg lunges: 3x10(per side) @ 55 BB. 1x10 @ 30 DB
10 Unrack/rack @ 315. WOW, heavy stuff

[bhodel112]

New pics.
As of 1/31/10. 5 months of S.S @ 141lbs:

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/bhodel/31-2.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/bhodel/31-1.jpg

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/bhodel112/bhodel/31.jpg

[one rep under]

You're Italian?

[bhodel112]

2/01/10
OHP: 5/3/6 @ 80/90/100. It might have been 7 but I can't remember.
Bent Over Rows: 5x15 @ 115
Shrugs: 5x10 @ 95. Reverse grip, alternating. 15 sec holds on last rep and static hold for 15 sec after each set.
Pullups: 1x10
Curl Ups: 3x6

If anyone is curious, it's the Indian flag, not the Italian.

[Off Road]

You're killing it...great job.

[bhodel112]

2/02/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 185. Nice and not too light. ATG on all of them, only got a little rounded on #3 of set 3 but fixed it.
Deadlift: 3x5 @ 195/225/255. For some reason 255 felt really heavy and my form was def not too pretty. Gotta work on getting my but down a little more.
SL Deadlift: 5x10 @ 135. Down to knees.
Power Shrugs: 5x10 @ 135

[bhodel112]

2/04/10
Bench: 3x5 @ 135/155/180. Paused on each rep for a second or so. The last set I only paused for the first 3 but then it was getting a little tough so the last 2 I just touched and went.
Incline DB Press: 10/10/10/10/7 @ 100lbs. 50lbs DB but I failed on the last set.
Elbow Out Tri Extensions: 5x15 @ 30lbs. 15lbs DB.

[bhodel112]

2/05/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 155/180/200. All good reps.
Leg Press 5x10 @ 180. I don't know the weight but 2 plates per side.
Leg Extensions: 5x10 @ 110

[ehopkins932]

Good job bro. There is lots of volume there, keep up the effort.

[bhodel112]

2/08/10
OHP: 3x5 @ 50/60/70
One Arm Arnolds: 5x10 @ 20lbs DB
Incline Front Raises: 5x10 @ 30. 2x 15lbs DB.
Curl Ups: 10/10/10/6
Hammer Curls: 5x20 @ 40. 2x 20lbs DB
Pullups: 5x5

Deload day for OHP but threw in a little extra volume. I completely forgot last week that I had to go for max reps so I screwed it up fairly bad. I won't make the same mistake this week. Going to use wrestling shoes and a belt starting this week and I am going to try to bring my feet out/arms in on dead lifts tomorrow.

[bhodel112]

2/09/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 200. First time with wrestling shoes, not sure if there was an advantage but I'll probably keep using them until the comp.
Deadlift: 3/3/8 @ 210/240/270. First time with wrestling shoes and first time sumo. I used to have my feet just past shoulder width with my arms outside them. Now my feet are really wide out and pointed about 35-40 degrees out. Arms were straight down. I prob could've had more reps but since my hands are now on the smooth part of the bar my grip was failing. It was still 1 more rep than 2 weeks ago.
Ham-Glute Raises: 5x10 @ 25. Held plate to chest.
Calf Raises: 5x15 @ 11
Curl Up Holds: 3x fail. 73,50,35 seconds respectively

[bhodel112]

2/11/10(yesterday)
Bench: 3/3/3 @ 150/170/190. I had a little juice after the last rep at 190 but not nearly enough for another rep. Again, all reps were with 1-1.5 second pauses otherwise I'm pretty sure I could've gotten more out.
Close Grip Bench: 5x10 @ 95
Pull overs: 5x10 @ 40lbs

[bhodel112]

2/14/10
Squat: 3/3/6 @ 170/190/215
Front Squat: 5x10 @ 95
Split Squat: 5x10 @ 90
Renegade curls: 3x10

[bhodel112]

2/15/10
OHP: 5/5/10 @ 75/85/95. Got a lot of reps out at 95 so I was really happy. This lift is still 2 weeks behind hence the 5x5.
Chest-rested Rows: 4x10 @ 90. Stopped with 4 sets b.c. I felt my forearms start to tense up a lot so I think I wasn't using enough back.
One-arm Raises: 5x10 @15. Per arm, alternating b/w front and side.

Tried to do some pullups and chinups after the rows but couldn't do it so I'll throw them in later in the week.

[Off Road]

That's a lot of reps with 95 lbs. Nice job.

[bhodel112]

2/16/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 205
Deadlift: 5/3/4 @ 225/255/285. Could've prob had more out but grip failed.
Good Mornings: 5x10 @ 65
Seated Calf Raises: 5x10 @ 25
Shrug: 5x10 @ 135. Alternating grips.

[bhodel112]

2/18/10
Bench 5/3/3 @ 145/170/190. Got one more rep out but i wasn't pausing as long as last time. touch and go prob would've been 4.
Dips: 5x10
Tri pulldowns: 3x10 @ 42.5 2x10 @ 37.5

[bhodel112]

2/19/10 (yesterday)
Squat: 5/3/7 @ 180/205/225. Got 2 more reps than I did the last time I did 225 so I felt pretty good about that.
Step ups: 6x10 @ 80. 2x40lbs DB, 3x10 per leg.
Leg curls: 5x10 @ 70.

[bhodel112]

2/22/10
Squat: 5x135
3x185
1x225
1x265 PR. Failed 275 right out of the hole, but 265 wasn't that bad
Bench: 5x135
3x185
1x205
1x210 PR. All with nice long pauses so I feel pretty good about that.
Deadlift: 5x135
1x225
1x315
1x330 PR. Felt like I might be able to get a little higher this weekend.

Very happy with today's lifts. 3 new PR's, weighing 143.8. Going to shoot for 140 for Saturday. Only other thing I'm doing this week is maybe a little ab/trap workout tomorrow and some good stretching throughout the week. I also have BJJ tonight and wed night.

[Off Road]

Congrats on the PRs. Things are looking good.

[bhodel112]

3/01/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 195
Bench: 3x5 @ 175: A little heavy but I think I'll be ok progressing from here.
Deadlift: 3x5 @ 225
JM Presses: 1x15 @ 45
Preacher Curls: 1x15 @ 35. On machine.

Switched back to S.S. I just didn't care for the lack of volume with 5/3/1 and after 2 months I'm not really sure I got anything out of it. I know that's a short time to judge the routine but I just didn't see the results I saw from S.S so I'm going back to it for a few months.

[one rep under]

hmm if you didnt like 5/3/1 then you might look into Texas method.
You did hit PR's on 5/3/1 and you need to remember that its a program that is supposed to be in it for the long haul 2 months isnt much of a long haul. Most guys that I've seen use it were using it for 8 month to over a year and consistently hitting PR's.
Patience man, Patience.

Either way SS could be could to go back and touch upon but if you have progressed past the beginner stage I have a feeling that you wont be seeing the results your looking for. The amount of volume on a beginner routine such as SS simply doesn't allow the proper recovery time to squat heavy 3 times a week for someone past the beginner stage.

It's not always about the volume man, its about training smart and realizing long term goals.

Whatever your decision remains to be I hope to keep seeing your numbers go up. Keep eating and i'm sure SS will work for you for awhile longer.

If Marist works out this weekend then lets steal that surfboard Zach wanted so bad at the Sandbar. :evillaugh:

[bhodel112]

The thing is that I didn't feel that I really hit PR's on it. I mean realistically, I could have hit those 2 months ago had I maxed out right, and if I had just deloaded on S.S. I'm pretty sure I could have done at least what I did. I'm gonna stay on S.S. until the end of the month or until the competition. Then I'm going to do the routine described in the new article for the 1 month recommended then I'm going to look for something else for the long run, maybe texas method.

[one rep under]

It seems to me you're getting training ADD.

You don't absolutely know you could have hit those PR's.

I'd run SS for longer than that one month man, I personally don't think you ran it for long enough your first time through. Stick with something bromosexual and let it work!!!

[bhodel112]

I'll stick to mixing it up haha. Turns out the comp has been rescheduled for end of July!!!!! So I'm just going to do S.S for this week and then I'm going to try the article's workout for a month and then pick a new regiment.

[bhodel112]

3/03/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 195
OHP: 3x5 @ 75
Power Cleans: 3x5 @ 85
JM Press: 1x15 @ 50
Machine Preacher: 1x15 @ 40

[bhodel112]

3/05/10
Squat: 3x5 @ 205
Bench: 3x4 @ 185. 1st set 3 resting, 1 T&G. 2nd set all 4 T&G, 3rd set 1 rest, 3 T&G.
Deadlift: 3x5 @ 245

Went heavy because I'm going to go high rep next week since I'm cutting 20lbs for the 20th. So I'll be back to heavy lifting after spring break, the 22nd.

[bhodel112]

3/08/10

I just got back from one of the most, if not the most, intense workouts I've ever had... And I loved it. This is straight off the article "Having it all, Power, Strength, AND the body of an Adonis!" from 3/01/10.

Plyo Pushups: 3x5. Jumping over 25lb medicine ball between reps.
Bench: 3x5 @ 135/155/175. 2x3 @ 185. 1x2 @ 195. 2x1 @ 205. Now all these were T&G unlike my usual pause bench, but they were all nice clean reps. The very last one @ 205 bounced a little off the chest but the rest were beauties.
OHP supersetted with Lateral raises: 1x12 @ 65/ 2x15lb DB(side raises). 1x10 @ 70/ 2x15lb DB(got a little sloppy on OHP form; front raises). 1x8 @ 65/ 2x15lb DB (side raises).
Dips suppersetted with Lying extensions (all benches were taken so I did these on flat mats): 1x12 @ BW/ 2x15lb DB(skull crushers). 1x10 @ BW/ 2x15lb DB (elbow out extensions). 1x8 @ BW/ 2x15lb DB(skull crushers).
-All kettlebells are kept in our boxing room and it wasn't opened so I use a 35lb and 25lb DB.
Kettlebell swing x 20 @ 35lb DB
Pushups x 20
Walking lunge x 20 @ 2x35lb DB
Kettlebell squat-press x 15 @ 25lb DB
Kettlebell swing x 20 @ 35lb DB
Repeated for 2nd set.

Super intense, got a good sweat going and my ass hurts quite a bit at the top of the hammies. But great workout. I was surprised that the bench volume didn't phase me during bench (I have a feeling I won't be as lucky when I squat). The real burn started once I did the first set of 12 on raises, that killed my OHP. The dips weren't too bad but then came the conditioning circuit and that was intense. I may go for a light run/walk later because it's beautiful out but I don't know yet. All in all I really like this workout. I'll probably take new pics when I'm done with it in a month. Also, I'm not cutting to 129, and while I'm laying off the creatine for a few weeks , I only have to lose like 6-7lbs.

[bhodel112]

3/09/10
Jump Squats: 3x6
Squat: 3x5 @ 135/185/205. 2x3 @ 225. 1x2 @ 235. 2x1 @ 245.
Bulgarian Split Squats supersetted with Single Leg Goblet Squats(other leg out to the side): 3x12 each leg. BSS @ 2x15lb DB. GS @ 15lb DB. Total 72 reps.
Straight Leg Hops(30 sec) supersetted with Single Leg Calf Raises("4" on machine): CR 3x5 each leg.
Split Jump Lunges x 10 @ 2 x 26.4lb KB
Kettlebell SIngle Arm Swing x 20 @ 35lb KB
Step Ups x 20
Static Squat 30 sec w/ 8.8lb KB held straight out.
All Conditioning done for 2nd set.

Pretty tough day, the goblet squats killed me and the KB stuff was pretty tough too.

[bhodel112]

3/11/10 (yesterday)
Clean pulls: 3×5 @ 135
Dead-lifts: 3×5 @ 135/185/265. 1×3/1x2 @ 305(accidentally made a big jump to 305 and failed). 3x1 @ 315(failed the 1x2 so I kept it and did the other 2x1).
Romanian deadlifts supersetted with step-ups: RDL's @ 95, SU's @ 2 x 20lb DB. 3x12 each. Total 72 reps.
Pull-ups supersetted with face pulls: Pull ups-8/7/4. face pulls 3x12 @ 37.5
Kettlebell high pulls x 15 @ 26.4lb KB
Bodyweight row x 11/10
Reverse lunge x 10 each leg @ 2 x 15lb DB
Bent-over reverse fly x 15 @ 2 x 15lb DB
Kettlebell high pulls x 15 @ 26.4lb KB
Conditioning done for 2nd set.

[bhodel112]

3/12/10
Close grip underhand chin-ups: 12/10/8
Close grip bench: 3 x 8 @ 115
Alternating bicep curl supersetted with dumbbell decline extensions: Curls @ 2 x 25lb DB. DDE @ 2x 20lb DB. 3×12 each
Barbell roll-outs: 20/18
Cable wood-chops supersetted with overhead tri extensions: CWC @ 4. OTE @ 25lb DB. 2 x 25 each.
Kettlebell clean & press: (right arm) x 10 @ 30lb DB
Kettlebell renegade row x 20 @ 2 x 20lb DB
Kettlebell clean & press: (left arm) x 10 @ 30lb DB
Kettlebell swing x 25 @ 35lb DB
1 min max-effort rowing

The workout was super light and quick, the opposite of the others. But I think it was the hardest conditioning set.