Eivind's Training Log

[Eivind]

Been around for a little while, so figured it's about time to put this up!

Gender: Male
Age: 18
Height: ~180cm
Weight: ~80kg
Bodyfat: ~15%


1RM lifts:
Front squat: 97.5kg
Bench press: 80kg
Clean: 75kg
Press: 50kg
Deadlift: 147.5kg

My only goal at the moment is to increase my strength.

I started working out due to being weak and chubby. I felt like I'd be able to enjoy life more if I started working out. I'd feel better about myself while looking better too. I found out about Stronglifts after searching around on the internet for a strength training program. I liked the website very much! Good information on how to perform the lifts and other health related topics. The rest is history.

I've now worked out for about 9 months, minus injury time adding up to almost two months. My shoulder has finally healed up after 6 months of rehab, and my forearms have healed from a pretty serious tendonitis in both my forearms which pretty much screwed my grip strength over badly. To back this up, my working sets on deadlifts have gone from 110kg->135kg in a month. My other lifts are also starting to catch up, so I'll probably switch to Texas method before 2010.

Monday 2/11:
Front squat 80kg 3x5
Press 40kg 3x5
Deadlift 135kg 4reps(F)
Worked out at school with some classmates. Had to show them how to do the lifts for their programs(chest, bicep & abs sadly). No time for assistance.

Wed 4/11:
Fron squat 82.5kg 3x5
Push-ups 3x15
Hang clean 65kg 3,1,2,3reps
FB r. curls 20kg 2x10
Last time I benched, my right shoulder kept losing tension. Did push-ups with feet elevated this time to see if it fixes the problem.

Friday 6/11:
Front squat 85kg 3x5
Press 42.5kg 4,3,4(F)
Deadlift 135kg 3reps(F)
Neutral pull-ups 10x2
Grip work 35kgx2xF
Two failures in a day sucks. Deadlift actually went down, which was really disappointing. Nice streak on the lift though, but 3rd fail = deload. I did farmer walks as grip work.

[Eivind]

Monday 9/11:
Front squat 87.5kg 3x5
Elevated push-ups 3x10
(Hang) cleans 65kg 3x3
Tabata front squats.

Front squats were tough, and form was pretty bad on the last rep. I'll go for 90kg next time, but if my form is still shit, I'll stick on that weight.
Push-ups were ok, no huge problems on those.
Did power cleans the first set, and hang cleans on the last two. Strangely enough, the power cleans didn't feel that much different.
Tabata front squats were rather easy to be tabata, but since it was my first time doing this, I did them with just the bar. Will start doing this 3x a week, but with 25~35kg.

[Munnings]

hey man great to see another 18yr old on this site with a log
keep it up man! your progress is going well

[Eivind]

Back from having the flu. Still felt like I'm a little sick, but hit the gym anyway.
Monday 16/11:
Front squat 90kg 3reps, 2reps, 5reps with 70kg.
Press 40kg 5,4,4
Deadlift 120kg 1x5

Front squats killed me. I really noticed how the sickness effected me on this one. Couldn't fire up my abs, and my legs could barely push through. 70kg felt heavy as hell, and I don't think I could've even done 6 reps with that weight. The press was heavy, but my shoulder actually jammed on the last rep on the last two sets. First time that has happened, but I'm hoping it's just a technique related issue(most likely, I have horrible technique on this one). Deadlift was ok, since I deloaded 15kg after failing to get 5 reps using 135kg for the 3rd time. Ditched the pull-ups and the tabata front squats due to extreme fatigue. Still, it was great to be back.

[Eivind]

Wed 18/11:
Back squats 90kg 2x5, 80kg 1x10
Bench press 60kg 3x5
Dumbbell snatch 27.5kg 3x3 on each arm.

Tried going back to regular squats. I've finally learned how to use my hamstrings(felt more hamstring tension when I first did front squats than I ever felt from back squatting). Bad part is that my upper body just collapse when I do back squats. I tweaked my back a little doing this today, but when I did 80kg I decided to wear a belt, and I was extremely suprised by the stability my upper body recived from it! I was only planning on doing 5 reps, but it felt so easy that I did 10, and if I went all out, I'm pretty sure I could've done 15 reps(maybe even 20 if I did breather squats).
Bench press felt good again, for the first time in over two months. Seems like my shoulder has finally healed up, so I'm extremely excited to see how far it'll take me this time. The sets today felt very light, and I don't think I've ever lifted at such a fast pace when doing bench press ever!
Did dumbbell snatches instead of hang cleans due to tweaked back(less weight). Felt pretty good, apart from the fact that I never managed to lock my elbows out. Still held the weight overhead for about 4 secs after each rep, so you should be able to call it "locking out".

Back feels better at the moment, so I guess it's no biggie. Hoping it'll heal up before I go deadlifting on friday!

[Eivind]

Friday 20/11

Squat: 92.5kg 3x5
Press: 40kg 3x5
Deadlift: 125kg 1x1
Weighted hyperextentions: 14kg 2x12, 20kgx10

Squats were pretty bad. Seems like I have a pretty serious upper body stability problem, as I kept doing good-mornings on the last rep of my sets. My legs were barely tired after the sets, which is making me question my technique once again.
Press felt good, but the lockout of the last rep on my last set looked horrible.
Deadlifts were horrible. Had to go to a different gym due to my regular one being flooded. The plates were incredibly small, and the PT who was there didn't let me stack plates up on the floor so I could get the correct height. So I was pulling from an ankle height(no bullshit, the plates were that small). This caused my lower back to round, so I did only one repetition in fear of injuring myself. Did weighted hyperextentions to finish things up.

[Eivind]

Monday 23/11:
Squat 95kg 3x5
Bench press 62.5kg 3x5
Hang clean 60kg 3x3, 70kg 1x1
Explosive push-ups on the knuckles 4x3

Was kind of fatigued after a "strength" test at school today. Benched 50kg for 18 reps, too bad my shoulder gave out before my goal of 20 reps was reached. I blame it on the extremely wide grip I used. I automatically used the markings on the bar to place my hands(dumbass gym teacher didn't let me warm up first). I didn't feel too bad afterwards, but I'm kind of sure it at some effect on my bench today.
Kind of uncertain about squat depth, but after checking my own depth out afterwards(going down to the point I was whilst squatting then looking if I broke parallell) I concider it a pass. Must come from the front squats where I was going a tad deeper than I usually do on back squats.
Hang cleans were ok. Went a little light, since I had not done them for a while(tweaked lower back + sickness). The working set was easy, so I decided to pull a single afterwards. I'm pretty sure I'm doing good on these, but I gotta learn to drop my hips after the extention! I barely break at the hips and knees when catching the bar, so if I start going a little further down, I could probably pull a little more on this one.
Decided on the spot that I'd do push-ups, but man, I really felt like shit doing these. Toughest push-ups I've ever done in my life!

[Eivind]

Wed 25/11:
Squat 95kg 3x5
Press 42.5kg 3x5
Deadlift 125kg 1x5
Neutral pull-ups 5,5,4

Did squats with a belt this time, since my back felt a little funny. They were ok, but I still feel like something's not right, so I had my friend film me(will upload soon). The squats were ok. Not too heavy, not too light.
Press was a bitch. Last rep on all sets were incredibly ugly-looking. I locked out on my right side before locking out of my left side, in addition to that, they were heavy as heck.
Deadlifts were also pretty heavy, but I feel like my grip is screwing it over. I don't really feel like I'm pushing as hard as I can due to my grip not being "safe". I also think I'm too worried about my back, so I keep sitting too far down, which also makes it harder to lift.
Pull-ups were heavy, but it's the most I've ever done. Closest amount I've been for 3 sets were about 4,3,2.

Also, my friend pulled 125kg in the deadlift(he wanted to try deadlifting my working weight)! He's only been doing this for two months, and I'd say his 5RM would be about 112.5kg. In addition to that, his grip is insane. He could hold 135kg(again with the testing out my working weight) in a double overhand grip for almost 7 seconds while I could do it for 2 seconds tops. I'm very excited about his progress, and since I'm pretty much what you'd call his trainer, I'm proud of the results he is getting!

[Eivind]

Friday 27/11:
Squat 97.5kg 3x5
Bench press 65kg 3x5
Power cleans 65kg 8x1
Farmer's walk 30kg 2x20m
Sit-ups 3x12

Squats were good. Going down slower proved a great difference, it really made my technique feel solid!
Two first sets on bench was a mess. Was locking out my right elbow before my left one on the last two reps. I decided to use a slightly wider grip, and it worked out well for the last set.
Power cleans failed pretty hard. Only managed to get 3 sets one, they felt way heavy. I even tried finishing up from the hang, but it felt so heavy! I pulled 70kg for a single after doing 60kg 3x3 on monday, and it was easy. I'm guessing it's some weird technique problem, as I could never get that "snap" out of my hips.
Did some grip work afterwards. A pretty big-shot lifter adviced me to either do plate holds or farmer's walk using only my fingertips to hold the dumbbells. I really respect this guy(he even had the WR bench press record a few years back), so I'll take his advice and do plate holds the next time I do grip work.
Did sit-ups afterward. Did them mainly because I was going to meet a friend in town, and I had some time to beat before I met up with him. Hence, random ab work!

[Eivind]

Monday 30/11:
Squat 100kg 3x5
Press 45kgx1, 30kgx10x2
Deadlift 127.5kg 1x3

This session was way hectic. When we get to go to the gym during P.E at school, there are countless things that I'm asked to do. I spot people who bench, I check people's technique on the squat and the deadlift and I have to explaing certain things about my own training routine. Combine this with a limited time in the gym, and shit will suck.

Squats were good, I did take two breaths as opposed to just one of the last rep on the last two sets. Technique felt solid, and the weight wasn't too heavy. Bad part is, the sets took about 25 minutes due to constant distractions!
Press was messed up. Didn't really have time to warm up(only 20mins to do this and the deadlift), so I ended up trying to press 45kg, but my body basically told me to stop. Instead, I did some volume with a lower weight.
I'm think I'll go back to a semi-sumo stance. My legs are pretty long compared to my torso(110cm / 45cm), so doing a neutral stance just doesn't work. I managed 3 reps, but I just couldn't put power through the floor. Will redo weight with a wide stance the next time.

[Eivind]

Wed 1/12:
Squat 102.5kg 3x5
Bench press 67.5kg 3,4,2
Hang clean 62.5kg 3x3
Farmer's walk 35kg 2x20m

Squats were good, but they're starting to get pretty exhausting. I can usually stick with one breath inbetween reps, but on the last set, I had to take 3 breaths on the last two reps! Technique still feels solid though, and it doesn't feel like I'll stall anytime soon.
Bench press was a mess, once again. I just can't get my shoulders to stay put! I even have trouble setting myself up because of my shoulders. Will redo weight in hope of nailing the technique the next time!
Hang cleans were ok, I guess. Still have to learn how to catch the bar lower. When racking the bar, I pretty much bend as much as I would if I was to do a power shrug(or cheat curl).
Farmer's walk were heavy. Keeping the dumbbells in place is proving to be the most challenging part, but I really feel that they're doing something for me!

[Eivind]

Friday 4/11:
Squat 105kg 3x5
Press 45kg 3x3
Deadlift 127,5kg 1x3
Neutral grip pull-ups 5,4,3(with negative at the end)

Squats are still good, but I'm not completely sure if I'm going as low as I should be. When I check afterwards, the depth is good, so I guess something is still sticking from the front squats! Sets were good today, and I'm hoping the streak I'm on will last to at least 1.5x BW.
Press was heavy. Still uncertain about the technique, so I'm getting a video the next time I do these. Only did 3x3 because they were so heavy.
Deadlift is pissing me off. I barely feel tired, but I can't lift it! It's either because the squat is taking more and more out of me, or something is very wrong with the technique. I'll probably get really disappointed if I have to deload AGAIN on this one!
Pull-ups were amazing. Never did them with this good technique EVER. Got my chest to the bar on each rep, and in addition to being quite tired, I still managed to do well(by my own standards) on this. Seems like I'll finally be able to see some real progress on these now!

[Eivind]

Monday 7/11:
Squat 107.5kg 3x5
Bench press 67.5kg 4/5/3
Hang clean 65kg 3x3
Hanging knee raises 3x10

Squats were seriously heavy. Barely made it this time, so I'll be very satisfied if I can make it through the week without stalling! Technique still feels solid, but I taking quite a few breaths between the reps. Ranging from 1-4 mouthfuls depending on where I was in the set.
Bench is bugging me. Still can't set up properly on a consistent basis. I set up correctly on the 2nd set, and it didn't feel too bad at all. The other sets were pretty sloppy, so unless I manage to fix this problem, I probably won't make the reps on friday.
Hang cleans were good. No problems with the technique or anything.
Did knee raises for the hell of it. Had trouble getting my abs to fire up, but I could feel it after I got finished with the sets. Good workout all-in-all.

[Eivind]

Wed 9/11:
Squat 110kg 5/5/3
Press 45kg 2/2/0
Deadlift 70kg 5x2

Squat murdered me. I was good-morning out of every single rep on the last set, I was extremely tired after these. I didn't feel like the technique was bad, but it didn't feel at solid as it did on monday.
Press is messing with my head. I barely, and I mean barely got those few reps I managed to squeeze out. I gotta remind myself to tape my technique, as I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
Did some speed work on the deadlift. My back was hurting, so I decided to not go heavy. Will get in touch with a physical therapist asap, since the bad pain as been going on and off for the past few weeks.

[Eivind]

Fri 11/12:
Squat 110kg 3x5
Bench press 67.5kg 4/5/4
Hang clean 60kgx2, 67.5kg 2x3
Dips 5/3/3

Squats were tough, but it was incredibly satisfying to pass this one! Did have some upper-back curving, but it wasn't anything too bad.
Bench was much better this time, unfortunantly, I forgot to chalk up, so my hand slipped, making the last rep on my first set miss. Second set went fine, and I didn't have a spotter for my last set, and I didn't feel like risking my beck for that last rep. Deload next time, so I'm hoping I'll break through to 70kg this time around!
Hang cleans were pretty annoying. I had to use a very slippery bar(no knurling) for the first set, and I just couldn't hang onto it, so I decided to do some reps at 60kg. Only did 2x3 because I was pretty tired at this point. Will redo next time.
Dips were ok, I guess. Not sure if I'm going low enough, but they were definently tough. I'm starting these up again due to them being included in a program I'll most likely switch to after I'm done with SS.