Caphel's Training Log

[Caphel]

A pretty good workout, though it is getting to the point where I am having to force myself to the rack to squat.

28/10/2009
Squat – 5x5 at 112.5kg / 248lb
Press – 4,5,4,4,4 at 52.5kg / 116lb
Deadlift – 1x5 at 135kg / 298lb

Prone Bridges – Skipped

Chin-ups – Skipped


The squat is starting to be a mental game as well as a physical one. I had to force myself to the rack and get it done. It was pretty heavy but it went well in the end.

The press was also hard, but it felt a lot better than last time. Five more reps in total than last time so that is some decent progress. Looking to nail this weight next time.

The deadlift oddly did not go that well. The last rep felt pretty hideous form wise so I will stick to this weight next time.

I will do my chin-ups tonight.

[Caphel]

I had to move Friday’s workout to Saturday as I went out for a drink with my wife on Friday as we had a babysitter for a change.

31/10/2009
Squat – 5x5 at 115kg / 254lbs
Bench – 5x5 at 67.5kg / 149lbs
Hang Cleans 5x3 at 47.5kg / 105lbs

Push-ups – close grip – 7,6,6

Reverse Crunch – skipped.


The squat was tough. I am not used to doing my workout in the morning and it was hard going. It could also be the fact that I had 250lbs on my back that made it tough, who knows. Very happy to have cracked 250lbs.

The bench went quite well. It was pretty tough as well, especially the last rep of the last set. That rep always seems a killer for me, I have stalled on that rep a few times already.

I am starting to love those hang cleans. I think they will be a contender for taking over from the deadlift as my favourite lift. Starting to feel a little heavier and I am having to work at them a bit now which is nice.

I did my push-ups with a grip width closer than shoulder width. I will keep at the same width till I can get 10 in the first set, then I will move them even closer.

[Caphel]

Some general notes. I have ordered some resistance bands to play around with. I think I will try them out on my chin-ups for a while. If I can use a band that will allow me to get a few more reps I think I might see some more progress. Overall I am not too unhappy with my chinup progress, as I am a lot heavier now than when I started.

Although I am playing around with my grip width on my push-ups I could also use the bands to make push-ups harder. My shoulder seems to be much better the last few weeks since going back to push-ups rather than dips. Maybe once I finish this cycle of stronglifts I will give dips a go again.

I am still skipping the abdominal assistance work. I really need to get back into doing something as it only takes 5 or 6 minutes at the end of the workout to complete. I was thinking about getting an exercise wheel and trying some Ab Wheel Rollouts.


I have also been thinking about where I would like to go once I get to intermediate level. At the moment I have dropped everything else and have concentrated on getting stronger.

As a result of this I have noticed my overall fitness level is down from what it was before I started stronglifts. I would like to have a decent overall level of fitness so once I have hit intermediate level I have decided to add some cardio back in. Nothing too long and boring, maybe two or three days a week, 20-30 minutes a time.

My initial thoughts at the moment are running one day a week, jump rope another day and maybe a circuit of body weight exercises another day.

I would also like to lose my excess fat once I get to this stage. I would like to cut down to around 12-15% body fat.

And on top of all of that I would like to carry on getting stronger. I know that is going to be a tall order while cutting weight but at the very least I would like to maintain my strength.

At the moment I am thinking of moving to the Texas method once I hit intermediate levels. I really enjoy the lifts I am doing at the moment and would like to carry on with a program that still focuses on those.

I know that I still have quite a way to go with stronglifts, but I do like having my next plan in mind early on. I like to know where I am going.

[atypical1]

Your cardio plan sounds solid. My recommendation would be to do your cardio on the same days that you lift to maximize your recovery time. I find it hard to do the sessions on my "days off".

james

[Caphel]

Thanks for that. I had not considered that, I was planning to do the cardio on off days but I will make sure I do it right after my strength training. I have been trying to keep a little bit of fitness by going for a fast 20 minute work at lunch time each day.

[Caphel]

A much better workout today. I do not know what was different but it was a strong day.

02/11/2009
Squat – 5x5 at 117.5kg / 259lb
Press – 5,5,4,4,4 at 52.5kg / 116lb
Deadlift – 1x5 at 135kg / 298lb

Prone Bridges – Skipped

Chin-ups – 4,3,3


The squat was much easier than last time. Not sure if last time was so hard due to a different work out time, but my squat mojo was back today. The only slightly frustrating thing is that as my bodyweight keeps rising so does my 1.5x bodyweight target. Not to worry, a 300lb squat is still my initial goal and then I will work to 1.5x bodyweight.

The press was tough. It was a little easier than the last attempt but still a no go. That is three strikes so it is down to 47.5kg / 105lbs next time. Should be able to blow past this weight next time round.

The deadlift was much better than last time. I think I will be adding 2.5kg from here though.

The chin-ups were tough and I am down to 4 in the first set. I think this is due to me messing around a lot with these at the moment, plus the added weight gain. I will be doing these every workout with my resistance bands once they arrive. I will be aiming for 3 sets of 10-15. I have got three different band sizes coming so I will see what band allows what and then decide how to progress.

[Caphel]

Another good workout. Feeling strong still after that one session the other day where the squat was really heavy.


04/11/2009
Squat – 5x5 at 120kg / 265lbs
Bench – 5,5,5,4,4 at 70kg / 154lbs
Hang Cleans 5x3 at 50kg / 110lbs

Push-ups – close grip – 8,7,7

Reverse Crunch – skipped.


I have started to notice why a lifting program should include squats and deadlifts. After a heavy set of squats I am sweating and breathing really hard. After a, heavy for me, bench I am feeling fine, not really sweating at all. That squat really is a full body exercise.

Anyway, the squat went well and I was happy with it overall. I think the mental game has got a bit easier the last few workouts, it is much less mentally taxing to go to the bar at the moment.

The bench was tough. I am not sure it was really 5 in the first few sets either as I think I cut a few of the reps an inch short, will do this weight again and make sure I am touching the bar to my shirt.

The hang cleans went well again. I really do like this exercise. There is something quite special about a really well executed hang clean. It feels really good when everything comes together and it was a perfect rep.

[Caphel]

Last Fridays workout was ok, but Monday’s workout was my first bad one. To get a few excuses in early, I was not feeling well over the weekend and I did not get a lot of sleep, but even so…

It was just a bad workout all round really. Mentally I was not really into it, I had problems focusing and just did not really want to be doing it. Physically I felt pretty weak but tried to push on.

Never mind, I will make up for this on Wednesday.

06/11/2009
Squat – 5,5,5,5,4 at 122.5kg / 270lb
Press – 5x5 at 45kg / 99lb
Deadlift – 1x5 at 137.5kg / 303lb

Prone Bridges – Skipped

Chin-ups with band – 7,6,5


09/11/2009
Squat – 4,5,4,4,3 at 122.5kg / 270lbs
Bench – 4,4,3,2,2 at 70kg / 154lbs
Hang Cleans 5x3 at 52.5kg / 116lbs

Push-ups – close grip – 8,7

Reverse Crunch – skipped.


The squat was going well on Friday till I just got stuck at the bottom on the last rep. Not sure what happened there, I was powering through the reps other than that one. Monday’s squat session was pretty appalling. The form felt a bit iffy on all of the sets and I wasn’t focusing properly.

The press on Friday was fine. Building up from a deload.

The deadlift was heavy but doable. Form was ok I think.

The bench press was heavy yesterday, but again I felt physically and mentally weak so was not really pushing myself.

The hang cleans are the only thing that went according to plan. They went quite well and made up for the rest of the bad workout.


Overall I am going to put this down to a bad day. It is my first bad workout since starting strong lifts so I am not too upset by it. Onwards and upwards then. Time to nail the next workout.

[seadog]

Except for your rib injury you have had a great run. I'll bet you are approaching a minor deload on the squat. If I am right it will give you an opportunity to really own this grouping of weights; at least that's how I like to view deloads.

[Caphel]

Hi. How right you were. It is indeed time to deload on the squat. I am looking forward to it in a way, it will give me a slight rest and allow me to come back stronger.

[Caphel]

A much better workout last night, though my mind was really still not in it. I think this is due to various work / personel issues weighing on my mind.

11/11/2009
Squat – 5,5,5,3 at 122.5kg / 270lb
Press – 5x5 at 47.5kg / 105lb
Deadlift – 1x4 at 140kg / 309lb

Prone Bridges – Skipped

Chin-ups with band – 7,6,5


The squat started off very well and I was powering through the reps. On the 4th set I think I went a little deep on the 4th rep and I just got stuck at the bottom. This is the third attempt at this weight so I will be dropping down by 10% to 110kg / 243lb.

The press was actually surprisngly heavy. Not too much of a struggle but I thought it would feel lighter than this.

The deadlift did not go so well. The warm-up sets went fine and then for some obscure reason I tried to really rip it off the floor rather than squeeze it off the floor. Unsurprisngly, 140kg did not want to be ripped off the floor and it just sat there.

I also tried chalk today but did not really like the experience. Maybe I used too much but it made my grip a little uncomfortable.


I have been thinking about this for a while now and I have decided to cut down to 3x5 on all exercises. The time it takes to complete a workout is getting too long and the weight is getting really heavy now. I think I will find it much easier to face three sets of heavy squats.

I think this will also give me the boot I need to get my focus back. This stall is going to push back my goals a little, but I think I can still just about get to where I want by the end of this 12 week stint.

[seadog]

When was the last time you took a weeek off. It sounds like you could use it.

[Caphel]

I had a week off about 7 or 8 weeks ago. I will have another one in 4 weeks or so. I think the move to 3x5 has helped a lot. Once you have done one set you know there are only two more sets, not four, that seems to help a lot.

[Caphel]

A couple of good workouts since moving to 3x5. I think this may also be a mental thing as I have been thinking about moving over to 3x5 for some time. Anyway, it seems to be working for the moment.

14/11/2009
Squat – 3x5 at 110kg / 243lbs
Bench – 3x5 at 70kg / 154lbs
Hang Cleans 5x3 at 55kg / 121lbs

Push-ups – close grip – 8,7,7

Reverse Crunch – skipped.


16/11/2009
Squat – 3x5 at 112.5kg / 248lb
Press – 3x5 at 50kg / 110lb
Deadlift – 1x5 at 142.5kg / 314lb

Prone Bridges – Skipped

Chin-ups without band – 3,3,3


The squat has been fine. The form has felt good and it is much easier facing 3 sets. I look forward to breaking past 122.5kg this time round.

The bench while heavy also went well. Finally a move to the next weight up.

The hang cleans were great fun as always. My Traps hurt for days after though.

The press at 50kg was much easier than the last time at 47.5kg. I think I will be able to break through 52.5kg this time round.

I completely forgot that the deadlift last time was only 1x4 and I added 2.5kg anyway. I managed the lift fine, though my grip was really struggling on the last rep. I will have to give the chalk a go again I think.


Now that I have moved to 3x5 I think it is time to start doing the reverse crunches and prone bridges again. I will start these back up tonight.

[Caphel]

Some more general thoughts.

My diet has not been great these last few weeks. I have been using the fact that I need to eat a lot as an excuse to eat some crap. While most of the time I have been eating fairly well I have also been eating quite a lot of chocolate bars and sweets.

I guess I have also been eating too much in general as I have also put on quite a bit of fat. I can see some muscle under all of this fat, in particular my traps and triceps seem to have grown, but I am very disappointed with the amount of fat I have gained. Even my wife has said my stomach is getting bigger again.

It is time to clean my diet back up and start eating to plan again. I am pretty much going to follow the 8 nutrition rules for the time being. Once I get to the end of this 12 week stint I will move to a phase where I am going to carry on training but I will also be doing eat stop eat, so fasting two days a week.

I would then like to cut down to 10-12% body fat and then be more carful in future. I see no benefit in putting on so much extra fat just to build some muscle. I would rather do it slower and not get fat at the same time.