Chris' Training Log

[chris9]

hi everyone,

i live in vancouver and ran into KIB of this forum at the gym last week and so heard about stronglifts. i've been in the gym fairly steadily on and off for the last three years. i'm stronger than when i'm not lifting but don't really feel i'm putting on any lasting strength...so stronglifts sounded pretty good to me especially with KIB's results.

i am 1.85m and 71kg so pretty light. i'm in decent shape, i bike about an hour a day and do yoga for another hour. now i want to put on a few kilos and get a lot stronger. specifically, i'd like to put on 15kg and be able to squat 130kg by January 2009.

today i started workout A. since i've been lifting regularly i started with 30% off my usual amount to get on the program.

workout A:
squats 40kg (bar in) 5x5 (i did a set of 20, 25 lb pullovers between each squat set)
bench 40kg (bar in) 5x5
inverted rows 3 sets of 15, 10, 10
push ups 3 sets: here i started with clapping pushups did as many as i could and then switched to regular each set. so set 1 = 12 clapping then immediately another 13 regular = 25 total, set 2 = 8 clapping + 12 regular (20) set 3 = 8 clapping + 12 regular (20)
reverse crunches 3 x 20 (no weight)

workout B:
squats 42.5kg 5x5
overhead press 30kg 5x5
deadlift 40kg 1x5
pullups 12, 10, 8
prone bridges 3x30sec

I felt that workout A was easy but then was surprisingly sore the next day. Same with B. I started low on the Overhead Press as I ran through KIB's numbers and noticed he stalled pretty quickly on this one and figured I would try to avoid that by beginning lower. Felt pretty easy this time but arms were a little sore in the afternoon.

i alternate (superset) my ab work with my upper bodyweight work.

i've been eating like never before since starting trying to add that weight. lots of great advice on this site!

[chris9]

day 3, back on workout A:

sqt 45kg 5x5 (inserting 10 reps 25lb pullovers between each squat set)
bench 42.5 kg 5x5
inverted rows 12, 10, 10 (more attention to form, still figuring this one out, i like it)
pushups (clapping/regular - no break) 15/15, 10/10, 10/10
reverse crunches 3x12 much more attention to form => more challenging/enjoyable
(i alternate pushup sets with crunch sets)

weight 72kg, my spreadsheet has me at 75kg today so i'd better catch up if i'm going to make my january goal of 85kg...pasta's on the stove

[KIB]

Hey, good to see you starting a log, Chris.
You'll quickly find out why OHP has the reputation it does.
I'm still trying to make some real progress there. It's frustrating, but I'm gonna keep at that bastard.
Keep tightening up that squat form. It'll pay off when the weights get big, and that will come before you know it.
See you at the gym.

[chris9]

Thanks KIB! It feels good (read: sore) to get down deep in the squats. Good to know that the form should be pretty solid when the weight starts to really rise. I enjoy the OHP, it's a good feeling lifting something over your head...though I may be eating those words pretty soon. I'm switching from Tu/Th/Sa to Mo/We/Fr so I'll probably see you tomorrow.

[MysCat]

Welcome to the forum Chris! I'm glad kib insprired you to start the program. As you can see from his log, he's a

[MysCat]

Sorry! I accidently hit the submit button before I finished.

As I was saying....kib's a machine with those weights.

Those are some monster pullups and clapping pushups. Some good beginning numbers. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[chris9]

MysCat: thanks so much for the encouragement. it feels really good to be on this program.

Squat 47.5kg 5x5
Overhead Press 32.5kg 5x5
Deadlift 45kg 1x5
Chinups 10, 7, 4
Prone Bridge 3x30sec

dang those chinups were a lot harder than the pullups...maybe because i haven't done one since grade school. overall i'm enjoying the weight creeping up. never seems too tough in the gym and it's been great to get the hips down low in the squats...but perhaps it's this latter factor that's making me sore all the time. i'm eating like a horse to keep my weight slowly creeping up (just under 73kg today) and cutting back a bit on all the cycling i do to give these legs a rest (and because it's raining like the dickens here).

[KIB]

Great start, Chris. OHP is strong already, as are your chin-ups. Many people start this program unable to do any chins, pulls or dips, so you're ahead of the game there. We got into the gym later today, taking care of business in the morning. Going away for the rest of the week, I think, so I'll keep my eye out for you early next week.

[chris9]

squat 50kg 5x5
bench 45 kg 5x5
inverted rows 10, 10, 8 (lower reps than before but better form)
pushups 3x30 (no clapping, just regular)
reverse crunches 3x12

i dropped the plyo pushups today as my left shoulder is a little sore, perhaps rotator cuff and i recently read something in a plyometrics book on not doing plyo after lifting weights, that you can damage tissue that way.

weight 73.5 kg. still going up but slowly.

have a great trip KIB. i'm in monday early, wednesday afternoon, and friday around 9 or 10am.

[KIB]

Hey Chris, you didn't have to take time off just cuz we were away for a week!

[chris9]

Thanks for checking in KIB...no time off, just busy week/weekend, but did manage to get all the workouts in if none of the postings...here goes:

Wednesday 10/22
SQUAT 5x5 50kg
Bench Press 5x5 45kg
Inverted Row 10, 10, 8
Push-ups 3x30 (regular)
Reverse Crunches 3x12

Friday 10/24
SQUAT 5x5 52.5 kg
Overhead press 5x5 35kg
Deadlift 1x5 50kg
Pull-ups 12, 10, 9
Prone Bridge 3x30sec

Monday 10/27
SQUAT 5x5 55 kg
Bench Press 5x5 47.5 kg
Inverted Row 10,10,8
Push-ups 2x30
Reverse Crunches 3x12

Wednesday 10/29
SQUAT 5x5 57.5 kg
Overhead press 5x5 37.5 kg
Deadlift 1x5 55kg
Chin-ups 3x8
Prone Bridge 3x30sec

Friday 10/31
SQUAT 5x5 60 kg
Bench Press 5x5 50 kg
Inverted Row 15,10,8
Push-ups 1x30 then gym was packed so i did 2x12 dips
Reverse Crunches 1x12 then same 2x15 leg raises

Weight is hovering around 74kg. Starting to notice, all weekend my lower back was sore. Also the last couple of weeks the back of my left shoulder has been sort of burning. Right now for instance I haven't been in the gym since Friday and I can feel it. The trainer at my gym suggested switching to overhead presses using two dumbells instead of the barbell. I once separated that shoulder (ten years ago) and it does seem to return sometime. Also right ankle has been sore the last 10 days or so.

Not sure if this is part of strengthening those joints or if I'm working them too hard. I'll keep watching and try to be careful.

[chris9]

While I'm at it here is todays:

Squat 62.5 kg 5x5
OHP 40 kg 5x5
Deadlift 60 kg 1x5
Pullups 3x10
Prone Bridge 3x30sec

Despite the strains I mention in the last post (my lower back is pretty cringey right now) I feel really solid when I'm at the gym. Good in the squats, solid on the OHP, fine in the deads and nice and solid like a monkey on those pullups. I used the bar anyways today and like I said it felt good. I'm trying to do some reading online about rotator cuff injuries to be sure I'm not doing anything there. Besides that some soaks in the tub with epsom salts.

[KIB]

nice and solid like a monkey on those pullups.

Good job, solid monkey!

You're making great progress, man. Glad to see you have been keeping at it. Hope the shoulder is getting better. Lotsa heat is always good. We got to the gym at 1120am today and it was empty. By 1125 the weight area was PACKED with five people wanting the squat rack. It was all a good crew, though, so it went well.

[chris9]

KIB: I know what you mean, that gym can fill up at the strangest times. Sometimes I go in at 5:30pm or so when you'd expect it to be packed and it's dead. More often I go in at 9 or 9:30 when I think it will be quiet and it's packed. It will be nice when they move to the new space next year. But you're right, it's a good way to get to know people. Ever use the slidy rack when the power rack is busy? Somehow it just doesn't feel right to me.

[chris9]

Frankly I don't know how I'd do any of this without the yoga. If I was just walking around day to day I probably wouldn't notice so much the creaks and groans getting put into my system but doing even an hour of pretty easy yoga each day is enough to really appreciate what's going on in the body. Though equally, I don't know if I would enjoy the yoga nearly as much if I wasn't steady in the gym. Let me just say that IMHO squats without some nice relaxed spinal twists is madness. All those compressive forces will get locked into that lower back and never come out. That said my lower back feels like murder right now so use my two-cents with discretion.