Datafix's Training Log

[datafix]

ALRIGHTY-
Better late than never I suppose.
So I've been reading up on 5x5 for a little while and took the plunge last week. Yesterday was Day 2 of Week 2, and I've been following the beginner program pretty much as-is. I switched to a different gym that has a better setup for free-weights exercises and is part of a uni - so more of a sports focus I think.

Today is the first day I'm Really Sore, not in such a good way, but it is my own fault. I've been having trouble with the Inverted Rows, And yesterday I did 8/6/3(!)but I really felt it in my forearms, not my back. So I decided to do barbell rows also, with 30KGs x5 then went down to 25KG for 4x5 - well I could feel it then!
Anyway, I think I may continue with the barbell rows, but starting a little lighter, with a single set of Inverted Rows to "practice" before hand. (It is handy that I am already on the bench for this).

Still having a great deal of trouble with pullups too, but I have got a theraband to help me. I need to double it up though and this makes it pretty hard to get my knee into. I also have been doing a lot of thinking about my goals, I may post again later with more detail on that, although definitely Squat BW is on there.

For now I am at: Squat 30KG 5x5, BP 25KG 5x5, IR 8/6/3 Push-Ups 12/10/6 Reverse Crunch 2x12 + 1X8
I am really dying on those last sets!

Oh - Also- the omlettes (3 eggs + veggies, 2 1/2 mins microwave) in the morning is having a weird effect (at least I think it's that) I feel a huge "surge" through the first half of the day and workout, like im on speed or something (hope it's not just my heart struggling )
-df

STATS: 37yo 79KGs BF 25%(?)
Shorter-Term GOALS: Squat 1xBW, 5 pullups, <20% BF, Feel Strong
Longer-Term Goals : TBA

[datafix]

Today is Friday, Week 2-
I did:
Workout B
Squat 5x5 32.5KG
Overhead Press 5x5 25KG ( I can feel this getting really tough already(!))
Deadlift 1x5 50KG - finally feels 'proper' since the 15KG weights are big enough
Pull-ups/Chin-ups 3xF Pull up - helper on 7 out of 15 (not that much help really a cable-based one) 3,3,2
Prone Bridges 3x30sec

Eating has been good, and I've been drinking less. Had a couple of drinks last night, and definitely felt it working out this morning. This is good in a way as it's making me realize the impact of alcohol more.
Had my power-omlette again this morning and have been having oatmeal with vanilla whey on the other days. Lunch is Salad with chicken breast or tuna, I'm having a protien shake a day, snack is a bit of fruit with greek yogurt, and dinner has been lean meat and veg. I have been avoiding excess carbs especially bread and potatoes, especially on my non-workout days.
DF

[Lafata]

Nice work on the eating habits. Do you drink water regularly? As for the first post regarding the Omelettes, it may be your body reacting to having a really rich breakfast (assuming you started eating like that when you started the workout). I know that if I either don't have enough for breakfast or don't continue eating throughout the day every few hours I tend to have the same thing happen. Glad to see that you are noticing improvements in only one week time though and as for pull-ups, it's great that you can even get a few off as lifting your own weight is tough.

Good work so far and I'm eager to see your progress in the next few weeks.

[datafix]

Thanks Lafata for the response.
An Update:
Today was monday of Week 3, so Wo was:
Squat 37.5KG 5x5, BP 30KG 5x5, IR 9/6/4
Push-Ups 15/10/4 Tried the last set After the RC's so I'd have more strength -FAIL
Reverse Crunch 2x10 + 1X8 - Maybe better form but harder?

Legs were sore today, especially because I went running with my wife yesterday. First time out in ages and I was able to run 5K with only a small 2min walking break. This is amazing for me and I credit all the squats. I think the thoery of carryover from weights to 'endurance' more thatn vice versa is proving true.

Mealwise I had one bad day last week (party food snacks, hard to resist) but otherwise pretty good. And despite my heroic breakfasts and dinners, I managed to lose a kilo and a half (ignoring this for now since 1. this early stuff is probly "water weight" and 2) weight-change is not really part of my goals at this point. I've got "salmon cakes" for lnch this week which are awesome and dinner has been on "The George" (foreman grill).

Also, My wife has been commenting that I'm "already starting to look better" ... I can definitely feel it. - Onwards!
-DF

[coryK]

Hi, just thought I'd drop by and say thanks for the energetic, inspiring log! It's great to hear how motivated you are it's clear that you're really enjoying the progress you're making. I will definitely be coming back here on those days I need a pick me up to get me to the gym

I think I'm going to try your power-omlette breakfast. Brekkie has typically been my weakest meal, and your system sounds inexpensive, quick and simply. What kind of/how much veg do you use?

Cheers,
Cory

[datafix]

Hi CoryK -
Thanks, Yeah I am enjoying it a lot. For the omlette : I have one of those rectangular plastic containers for leftovers, like 10cm by 20cm by 2cm deep. In the bottom of my fridge I have a red pepper, a green pepper, some mushrooms, an onion and tomotoes, and I also have been super-charging with some ground beef and a bit of chili / Tabasco too.

I just cut a small slice of each veg (like each the size of a small mushroom) off and then chop those bits up and put the rest back in the fridge as-is. then I scramble the eggs up in the plastic dish with a bit of milk, put the veg / meat in and put it in the microwave for abut 2 minutes. Sometimes it's still a bit runny and I do another 15 secs. Then I just eat it out of the dish and into the dishwasher it goes. Literally 5 mins!
-DF

[coryK]

Brilliant! Got my breakfasts sorted for the next week or so

[datafix]

OK, Friday of Week 3
Squats are getting hard. I can feel my back tilt just a tiny bit forward on the later reps. 50 KGs though, it's getting good now. I was totally psyched to "get squatting" and use up some of my Power omelet energy.
Bench is still pretty easy at 30KG, Not that I'm complaining really. i decided to spend less time resting in between reps while it's easy. Also means less time in the gym - more on that in a sec ...
Inverted Press - Getting a bit stronger on these: 8/6/4 still feel a little self-conscious doing these on the bench, waiting for someone to call me out on an 'incorrect use of equipment' although this is another great aspect of SL5x5 : Every other time I've "gone to the gym" I have been unsure of what to do, or just ordered around by a personal trainer (which I don't mind, and is good if you have the right Master/Student attitude, and are willing to pay). Because of the simplicity in SL I stride right to the back of the gym to the squat rack with total confidence that I know what I'm doing, load up the bar without hesitation, and squat away. This gives me a whole different feeling about the gym as a beginner, where previously I have always felt an outsider there.
I also developed something of a "trick" for gym timing which may or may not work for others: When I get in the gym I set my watch to "stopwatch" and press start. I use this to keep track of my rests in between sets (although I don't limit myself too much, I try to keep to a minute), and most importantly I DON'T look at the actual clock/time on the wall. This time exists in another "dimension" if you like, and so I don't think of it as "taking up" part of my day. I workout in the mornings so far, and this keep s me from worrying if I'm going to be late, should hurry etc. Once I'm out of the gym I switch back to "Normal TIme" so I can hurry up and get changed, etc.
enough for now ...
DF

[datafix]

Monday of Week 4:
Had a so-so weekend eating wise, with family in town, but tried to make due. Still ate plenty of protein, I think, and had a steak sandwich with the lot without the bread, which amounted to a steak for lunch. Overall I'm thinking more about what I eat , so I think that's good. Also got nuts, natural peanut butter and flax oil this week. Supplement wise BTW, I'm just using pure whey protein powder once a day, a multivitamin, and fish oil tablets (although only 4 total a day, as the recommended 9 a day seems a bit over the top).
Squat 5x5 at 42.5KG - felt heavy again but I mad it through ok.
OHP 30 KG - getting HARRD!...
DL 60 KG- better setup now with 2 20KG plates - looks huge (to me at least) was a bit hard.

Pull-Ups : Decided to try the method
referred to here: davet-s-training-log-t12950.html#p230577
Since my 1 set max is still <=1. I did 5x1 chin up grip, no help, and 5x1 pull-up with the machine on 6 out of ten (again this is a cable-driven helper, which is much less help than the "hydraulic" style one I've used before. I'm starting to see the light ahead in real pullups, but it'll still be a while. I may need to practice more on my "off days" I know that the book says that you should just rest in between, but I though I might do some stretching work (yoga type class) and maybe work on the bodyweight stuff (pullups / pushups). Any thoughts? No resposes to my mad interdimensional time post, so I'll assume you're humoring me.
-DF

[coryK]

Hey Data,

Good weight progression. I'm curious tho, on your Sept 11 post you said you squatted 50kgs, but in your last post it's down to 42.5kg. Typo, or did you decide to deload for some reason?

I like the idea of doing inverted rows on the bench. My gym has no where to do them, so I've been using a machine. Trying them on the bench seems a great idea. LIke you tho, I'll be a bit worried about getting called out for inappropriate usage. Never know till you try tho!

Interesting to read about timing your gym time. I'm lucky in that being single I've no obligations during the week, so once work is over I can spend as much time in the gym as I want. Nice to read about different ways to deal with time pressures for when I will eventually have to deal with that stuff.

As for extra body weight stuff on your days off, from my experience I don't think it's that good of an idea. You need the rest to build muscle and strength, so if you're constantly working the same muscles you'll just wind up over training and then all sorts of bad things will happen. My pull up numbers are even less than yours, but I think the only for us is patience and perseverence. I'm kind of keen on the reps by volume idea you linked to and am going to give it a try in my next workout. Thanks for that!

[datafix]

Hey Cory -
Yeah that was a typo, meant to be 40KG, the bar with 2x 10KGs on it, which for me is pretty heavy. I'm thinking of getting a trainer to watch my form now, before it gets too heavy, although i seem ok as far as weight on my heels goes. I was surprised in reviewing the squat video on here, how far forward the guy is bent, but I guess it's with a straight back but bent at the hips. My wife noticed that my arms are getting bigger, maybe somewhat a 'pump' from the chinups but still - progress!
-DF

[datafix]

In response to CoryK and some others about starting out with the big eating, I am also a bit concerned about the fat thing, especially since I really want to stay about the same overall weight as my goal, just with a better muscle/fat ratio. My thoughts on that are this: Maybe following a similar "little bit more each time" to t he weight on 5x5 would be easier on you that going for "huge amount of food right away". This would also make sense to some extent because as we're both still starting, our lifting weights are relatively low, so the total amount of work performed in a workout, and level of muscle tear etc., would be lower now than it will be in future. The other way to look at it is what the bodybuilders seem to say, which is essentially that a workout recovery that happens in a calorie deficit state (e.g. if your ever hungry on a post workout day) is essentially a waste because your muscles will just cannibalize each other for protein. So for growth, it's better to get a bit fat but huge first then trim down (hmm... like babies do).

[coryK]

Thx for your thoughts on the big eating issue. There's a certain ring of common sense to what you say about adding food like adding weight. But then again, without the extra calories I won't bulk up. For me, I think it's an issue of goals and priorities. I don't think I've fully committed myself to the idea of bulking up, so I'm freaking out about the fat gains. I think I need to accept the fact that bulking up means bulking up and set that as my main goal. After a month or two, then I can focus on trimming down and getting back into my jeans. Which should be easier to do since I'll have more muscle burning more calories with a higher metabolism (cool observation about babies, btw!)

I hear ya about squats...before I was doing heavy squats I did hi-rep/low-weight squats as part of a weight lifting/areobics class. We'd do something like like 3x80 squats with 10-20kgs. What always caught my eye was that each instructor had his/her back in a different position from the others. Some had the flexibility to keep a straight back almost perpendicular to the ground all the way through the movement, others were like me and had to constantly lean forward as the weight lowered. After talking to them I learned what you noticed already, that it doesn't really matter how far forward you lean, as long as you are keeping your back straight, chest out and weight on your heels. I think this weekend I'm going to finally get around to taking videos of my squats, so I'll be sure to post them and we can compare notes!

[datafix]

Yeah-
I've done that bodypump class before when I used to go to a city gym in sydney. Always felt really sore after those though and never really felt much bigger or stronger (although I did gradually go up in weight so I must have been progressing a bit). I agree about the commitment to size though. Kepp n mind that if you've always been skinny, you will have a natural " set-point" which your body will tend towards untill it's been a new weight for a whil. Check out Matt Damon in "The Informant" and afterwards to see what I mean.

On to Today which was
Wednesday of week 4:
Squat: 45 KG - heavy again , need to add an empty bar warm-up which I haven't been doing.
BP : was meant to be 32.5 - I was having a bit of trouble with all this math first thing in the morning ... but the Bar is 20KGs so 32.5 is the Bar plus 12.5 , which is 6.25 per side ...AHHHH!!!! ... which is 5 plus 1.25 ... OK so I think I got it right. Anyway, I stopped feeling like this was "too easy" although I finished all 5 sets strong, I was a bit toast for push-ups...
IR: on the BP bar again: 9-8-5 Holding up better after the first set now. Not really getting full extension with my setup though, may have to try it under the dreaded "SMITH MACHINE OF DOOM"
Push-Ups: 12 good ones, 8 struggling, 6 on a bit of a bench while I was recovering from the first set I did my
Reverse Cruches: feeling better with these, like I'm doing them more properly now
12 - 12- flubbed the last set cause I went back to push ups and collapsed in a heap.
I did a "body balance" class yesterday too for a hour which is like "corporate yoga" pretty good though and free with my gym, hopefully one of these a week will help with my flexibility and balance.
I might try to fit in a cardio-box on thursdays, although I seem to feel weak after cardio, but I don't want to clog up my heart with all these EGGS!.
-DF

[Barry101]

You are progressing, and that is success on SL! Keep it up, it comes together in waves and stalls on different exercises as long as you keep pushing through.