amaeland's Training Log

[amaeland]

Hi, I'm a 27 year old guy who's fairly new to weight training. I have been physically active most of my life, playing volleyball for six years between age 13-18, doing a lot of cycling/mountain biking in that same period, and doing quite a bit of cross country running and dancing between age 18-25. Since moving to a place with less possibilities of running in the woods/mountains I have been less active, but have now taken up training with free weights.

Between 2000 and 2006 I had a lot of trouble with my arms, especially my right arm. This was due to extreme abuse of my body, sitting slouched at the PC for hours on end without pause. I am a keyboardist, and playing chords at the piano or synthesizer became very painful. In 2001 I could barely dress myself, slicing bread was impossible and I opened doors with the elbow instead of the hand. After visting and being treated by around 20 medical doctors, physiotherapist, soft tissue therapist etc. I decided to go to a school of muscle therapy. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself! I intensely studied musculoskeletal anatomy and various alternative therapy methods (main focus on myofascial massage, isometric stretching techniques, craniosacral therapy and acupuncture). I did this while at the same time taking a Master of Law degree. By applying my knowledge of treatment to myself (and taking lots of Alexander Technique lessons to improve body awareness) I have to a large extent "repaired" my arms. Some problems persist, but now I have a full time office job with a lot of computer use and I'm handling it just fine. I am hoping that weight training will help me fix the remaining ailments. From the perspective of a therapist I am impressed with the SL 5x5 program and believe it will be of great help to me.

I started strength training about a year and a couple of months ago, not really knowing which exercises to do. It's been a lot of stupid curls and other non-compound exercises, unsurprisingly with small gains. Because of periodic problems with my right elbow and my knees I have not dared to do much triceps extensions or squat/deadlift-like movements.

Now I'm on the SL 5x5 and loving it, doing exercises I didn't think my body could handle without a lot of pain.

Current stats:

Bodyweight 72 kg (up from 65 kg a year ago)
Height 185 cm
Squat 50 kg
Bench Press 47,5 kg
Overhead Press 30 kg
Deadlift 86 kg
Pull-ups 1
Chin-ups 5
Inverted Rows ? (6 with the chest reaching about 5 cm below the bar, need to focus on form)
Push-ups 20
Reverse Crunches 15

What I really need to improve (as I see it) is my squat and deadlift form. I see these as the top priority exercises. My hamstrings are really short and my arse is in the chair all day, I have problems flexing like I should.

I will post my workout results here, I just need to find my notepad....

*to be updated*

[amaeland]

I started SL 5x5 on October 15th. I warm up for barbell exercises doing at least two sets of lighter weight, adding the same weight for each set.

Note: On the inverted rows my chest is about 5 cm below the bar at the closest. From today (Nov 7th) I will touch the bar.

Oct 15:

Squat 11 kg 5x5 (I was afraid of hurting my knees so I started with really low weight)
OHP 21 kg 5x5
Deadlift 76 kg 1x5
Pull-ups: Almost 1 + 2 negatives / 2 negatives / 1 negative
Prone bridges 30 sec x 3

Oct 19:

Sq 26 5x5
BP 41 5x5
Inverted rows 6/4/5 (longer pause before 3rd set)
Push-ups 13/9/6
Rev. crunches 21/10/8 (cramps when commencing 2nd set, needed a long pause)

Oct 21:

Sq 31 5x5
OHP 25 5x5
Deadlift 80 1x5
Chins 3/2/2 (dead hang)
Prone bridges 30sec x 3

Oct 23:

Sq 33 5x5 (chuffed I could do these, knee felt uncomfortable pre-workout)
BP 43 5x5
Push-ups 15/9/7
Inverted rows 7/6/5
Rev. crunches 15/8/6 (better form than last time, heavier crunches)

Oct 26:

Sq 36 5x5
OHP 27 5x5
Deadlift 84 1x5
Pull-ups: Almost 2 (grr) / 1 / 1
Prone bridges

Oct 28:

Sq 38 5x5 (getting hard to OHP the bar after the last rep, I didn't have a squat rack so I had to put the barbell back down on the floor)
BP 45 5x5
Inverted rows 9/7/6
Push-ups 19/10/8
Rev. crunches 17/10/7

Oct 30:

Sq 60 5x5 (first time in a power rack, but this jump was over the top, bad form)
OHP 30 x 5/4/2/2/2 (I hadn't eaten, also I think the squats drained me. Maybe I should deload?)
Deadlift 90 1x5 (crap form, lack of hip drive)
Chins 5/2/1 (kip-up)
Prone bridges

Nov 3:

Sq 60 5x5 (trying to see if I could improve form, but this is too heavy)
BP 47,5 5x5
Inv. rows 7/5/4
Push-ups 20 (painful neck, skipped the last two sets)
Rev. crunches 15/8/8 (I need stricter form for these and for inverted rows, finding it hard to compare workouts)

Nov 5:

Sq 50 x 5/5/5/6/5 (maybe still a bit too heavy for good technique. I was absent -minded and did an extra rep on set 4. Shame on me!)
OHP 30 5x5 (hooray, no deload after all)
Deadlift 86x5 (better form than when I did 90, but definitely a lot of room for improvement)
Pull-ups: 2 negatives (totally out of power, it's 11 PM and I need sleep. Late evening training is no good unless napping after work)

[amaeland]

Nov 7:

Squat 50 kg 5x5 (much better form)
BP 50 5x5
Inv. rows 7/4/4 (having trouble getting the chest to the bar, is it a flexibility issue? Maybe I am aiming too high up on the chest. Need to read up on how to do it)
Push-ups 21/6/7 (longer break before 3rd set)
Rev. crunches 17/7/7

I am really happy that my elbow is not complaining, I have not punished it this much previously, seems to be toughening up

[KIB]

Good job with the Inv. Rows, amaeland. Keep trying to touch the bar with each rep, even though you may not do it. It's a much harder exercise than it looks. Start each rep with as much explosive force as you can muster while keeping the form correct. Soon you'll be elevating your feet and it'll be a whole new lift all over again

Your determination to get to the root of your arm problems was very inspiring, especially since you were already taking your Law degree at the same time! What kind of work do you do now, if I can ask?

[amaeland]

Thanks for the feedback, KIB. Although it is probably not as good as the numbers may seem...I can only do about 5 chins and barely one pull-up from dead hang, so my lats are pretty weak. These rows would likely be much heavier if my form was optimal. I have always done the inverted rows with elevated feet (so my head is a bit lower than my feet at the bottom). Maybe I should be keeping my feet on the floor until I can bang out some reps touching the bar. But I am having trouble getting my elbows back far enough to do this.

Regarding my job, I am now working as a purchaser in the oil & gas industry and currently taking a course in purchasing & supply chain management at university. Job sponsored education is the shit I don't find my job challenging enough and am hoping to change jobs within a year. Funny though, I have discovered that I have a more of a knack for business rather than law work. Anyway, a really good thing about my job is that I don't have to take it home with me. This means I have time for electronic music production, which has been my number one passion for the last twelve years. I have no problems making less money than I theoretically could as long as I can make music.

[amaeland]

Nov 10:

Squat 52,5 kg 5x5 (form pretty good)
OHP 32,5 kg 5/5/4/3 (I hope to do 5x5 next time)
Deadlift 90 kg 1x5 (heavy and I think form could be better but not too bad, going to focus even more on form next session)
Chins 4/3/2 (Kip-ups. Damn, got my head up to the bar on the 5th rep of set 1...next time )
Prone bridges, 3 sets

[amaeland]

Nov 12:

Squats 55 5x5
ah yeah, form feels great now, sitting back and pushing from the heels. Feels more balanced than before. Wasn't too hard

BP 52,5 x 5/5/5/5/4
never would have thought to bang out so many, long pauses work wonders. Total failure on the last (fifth) rep, fortunately there were safety pins low down on the rack so I didn't end up being squished by the bar.

Inv. rows 8/5/4
bah, still not getting the chest up to the bar, I guess I really should not elevate my feet. Feeling the lats more than before, though, which must be a good thing.

Push-ups 18/10/6
quite happy with this bearing in mind how totally drained I was after the last BP rep

Rev. crunches 16/8/7
shit, these are heavy, my abs almost start cramping on the 2nd and 3rd sets.

[amaeland]

Hmm, I can't edit my own posts?

Just thought I should mention that I have been creatine loading since Nov 11. Been a long time since I used creatine so the levels will have dropped to baseline. Time to boost, will be interesting to see if this has any effect. I am mixing it into a carb solution to make sure as much creatine as possible is utilised in my system.

I have been off the whey for at least a month due to the simple fact that I couldn't afford it. To get enough protein I have been eating a lot more eggs and nuts and drinking milk. Now I have ordered a 3 kg tub. I think I will try to continue eating lots of eggs, nuts and other protein-rich food but add a shake into the mix every now and then.

[rere]

Hmm, I can't edit my own posts?

Just thought I should mention that I have been creatine loading since Nov 11. Been a long time since I used creatine so the levels will have dropped to baseline. Time to boost, will be interesting to see if this has any effect. I am mixing it into a carb solution to make sure as much creatine as possible is utilised in my system.

I have been off the whey for at least a month due to the simple fact that I couldn't afford it. To get enough protein I have been eating a lot more eggs and nuts and drinking milk. Now I have ordered a 3 kg tub. I think I will try to continue eating lots of eggs, nuts and other protein-rich food but add a shake into the mix every now and then.

Yeah nuts are rich in calories. I swear by eggs at least a 6 a day. Its amazing how much you can eat in a day i once did 6000 calories, i felt sick though lol mine is usually between 3-4000 a day and sunday is my rest day from eating, gives my body a chance to chill out a little. Cashew nuts, almond nuts, monkey nuts all high in "good fats" and protein. I do still have a whey shake once a day usually after my workout where i need it most.
I should watch my carb intake more but my belly has not gotten that big yet I was a skinny so and so at 6ft "2" and a measley 140lbs a year ago its amazing how much the weight and muscle pile on in stronglifts.

Lift hard amaeland and you like all of us will reach that 1.2-1.5 bw squat!!

Peace.

[Metalpetrucci88]

Hey what's up man?

Glad to see someone starting SL's around the same time as I did. So what kind of music are you interested in? I've been playing guitar for about 7 years now, it's my main passion wish I could do it full time haha.

[amaeland]

Hey Metalpetrucci,

I'm mostly into electronic club music although I like a lot of other styles as well. I am a keyboardist and was originally trained playing classical and jazz. Started playing the piano in '91, making music with a computer in '96 and DJing with vinyl decks in '02. For a few years I almost only listened to and wrote drum'n'bass, but for the past year I have started to experiment with more commercial (and slower) music. I want to incorporate "organic" sounds in my tracks, not just synthesized noises. Been working quite a bit with vocalists and currently playing in a music competition called Emergenza, my band is in the local finals now, which is cool This year I have bought an electric bass and am trying to get my head around it. I want to buy a guitar as well, but I think I should focus on the bass for a bit first.

My fave genres are the ones that make me dance, ergo drum'n'bass, breaks, house, hiphop...top artists for me are The Prodigy, Orbital, Underworld, Goldie (Timeless), Shpongle, Calyx, Sub Focus, Beastie Boys (Ill Communication)...too many to list! I don't know a lot about rock but I like Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), Pearl Jam (Ten), Rage Against the Machine (that album with the "Bombtrack" track), Garbage (v2.0). My fave jazz music is when Oscar Peterson plays the classic standard tunes. Classical, I love Grieg, Beethoven, Debussy. I'm borrowing my father-in-law's cd collection at the moment and checking out tons of 70's/80's music among other stuff...found some goodies: The Scorpions, Roger McGuinn, some old David Byrne stuff etc. Music is fun

What do play/listen to?

[Metalpetrucci88]

I'll listen to anything but I love mostly progressive rock, metal, fusion. I try to incorporate anything I can into playing, as well as try to read up on all those crazy guitarists out there. I like kind of crazy technical music that is constantly changing. Changing time signatures, melodies, and constant key shifts make a lot of thing fun and challenging to play. Don't get me wrong though, I do love laid back and chill music, but I always find myself creating challenging stuff to play when I write.

Dream theater, rush, porcupine tree, yes, megadeth, allan holdsworth, al di meola, steve morse...all great bands/artists

[KIB]

So close on that last set of Bench Presses! I had the same thing on Wednesday, missed it by one rep...
I know you'll be out there on Monday, fighting for it, so I'll use that to motivate me.

Yeah, don't neglect the nuts!
Chopped walnuts (also referred to as "factory sweepings") are a great way to get walnuts into your diet for cheap. I throw them into yogurt, cottage cheese, soups. I think I've seen people adding them to shakes, too, but I haven't done that yet.

Did you find a good source for whey? I'm guessing you're in the US, so there are tons of options. I've seen ON Whey (I think it's Optimum Nutrition) mentioned a lot on this site.

I'm just coming to the end of my third creatine cycle since starting SL (10 months). I'm pretty sure it has helped me make some big gains, but I still need to compare my notes to see what the data was when I was on/off it. I don't know if I'm going to get any more once I run out. It's interesting, but I don't know if I really need it.

Keep up the good work, amaeland. Hey, what's the etymology of your nickname? In Japanese it could mean "land of sweet children" or, depending on context "land of behaving like a spoiled child"

[amaeland]

Nov 15:

Squat 57,5 kg 5x5
Form feels good, I think 60 kg will be quite easy - glad I deloaded! However, I need to engage my hams more. I did a few reps of 120 kg on a leg press machine at the end of the workoutjust to see how it felt compared to squats. I took the "push plate" way down to simulate squats hitting parallel and set my feet high on the plate to work the glutes & hams maximally. These muscles felt like they were working as hard as the quads, which is does NOT happen in my squats. I think the machine allows me to assume a position that I could not do when standing up, I would just fall backwards. Need to lengthen my hams so I can do the same kind of work without using a machine...Or maybe it was just the heavier weight that made me feel it in the hams/glutes so much?

OHP 32,5 kg 5/5/4/4/3
Grrr, one rep less than last time (I see there's a little typo in the last post regarding OHP, I did 5/5/5/4/3 back then). A bit miffed. How can lifting a bar over one's head be this heavy? I wasn't that tired after the squats, should have been able to do 5x5. Oh, well. I'll have a final attempt on Wednesday...

Deadlift 95 kg 1x5
This was heavy, and I feel there's something wrong with my form. Like my legs weren't engaging enough. Also felt like my upper back was rounding a little. There's something about the intial lifting phase I'm not completely comfortable with. Maybe I am not bringing my hips low enough, this could explain why I feel the back doing mcuh of the work. The bar dug into my shins on the way up, and I guess this also indicates that form is not optimal. It wasn't painful, but I have very visible scratches today. I will go for 100 kg next "B" session, taking my time to ensure that form is as good as it can get. If it still feels a bit wrong I will deload.

Chin-ups 4/3/2
No improvement here either. Annoying! I think speed was a slightly faster and felt it a lot in my lats, so it's not all bad. My right lat felt sore on some of the reps. I think this could be because of my six years of volleyball playing, smashing the ball a LOT and never really stretching the lats. In fact I believe that a shortened right lat is part of the reason why my right shoulder is lower than the left (my ribcage is tilted to the right). And I know that I have a nasty trigger point in the right lat, which contributes to my constant, although not crippling, lower arm and hand pain.

Prone bridges, 3 sets
These make me shake. Not much to say about them, really.

@Metalpetrucci: Cool, I might check out some of those bands. I have a CD with a really good technical, experimental guitarist from Sweden who is called AI something, I forget the name but if I find it I will let you know!

@KIB: And I am motivated by knowing you will be fighting on Monday as well! About the chopped walnuts, I don't think I've seen anything but whole nuts being sold around here. Whey, I am in Norway and I buy the local brand from Proteinfabrikken ("the protein factory"). It's cheaper than buying imported Optimum Nutrition and the other brands, and it's also the best powder I've used. Multipower was the worst one, it did not mix easily and gave me sticky lips. Bad. Haven't tried ON but I hear it's good.

Regarding my name, it's really just the first letter of my first name and my surname in one word. My name is Åsmund Mæland (pronounced something like Osmund Mayland for you English-speaking people ) Interesting about the Japanese meaning! Lol

[rere]

Hi amaeland.

You will get that Press next workout, push like an animal, even holding your breath and pushing helps a great deal with pressure in the abdomen.

Glad to see your trying nuts too. I swear by them, all types.

Peace.