J-Boy's Training Log

[J-Boy]

Hello! I'm Josh, i'm from England, and today i went to the gym for the first time in my life!

I first head about Stronglifts through another blog, Just Keep The Change, late last year, but had neither the time nor money, nor gym prowess to do anything about it. So i just read everything. Using del.icio.us, I have bookmarked the majority of the useful blog posts by Mehdi, and have generally just been gaining as much knowledge as possible since then. I have been eating as much as possible, and have begun to use gyminee to track food etc, which I find really helpful.

My friend, who has also post a training log on here today, J-Dog (http://forum.stronglifts.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9404) (we didn't intend the whole 'J-***' thing, it just kinda happened), had been going to the gym since October and had been urging me to go.

I've only ever done the odd sh*tty weights in my bedroom after getting repeatedly led astray by the different workouts I was adapting from Men's Health each month, as i did not have a barbell - only a set of dumb-bells and a swiss ball. I have never been to the gym before, until today. Therefore, I cannot offer any raw stats. I have none right now. I am 'a blank canvas'.

It must be obvious what my goal is - to build muscle, get stronger and gain weight. I weigh a f*cking paltry 126 pounds (9 stone!) My overall goal is to get upto 180lbs. My sub-goal within that is to first get to 140. I want to be able to squat my own body weight.

I have not approached this as 'get rich quick' scheme for my body. I know it will take me a year, if not more to be able to squat my own body weight. I have begun to adopt it as a lifestyle. I intend to go to my local gym every wednesday, friday and sunday, and then to stretch on off days.

Anyway, today went well with J-Dog. It was helpful to have someone to spot, and to help ingratiate me into the gym.

Wednesday 16th April 2008

Squats - 5X5
I just used the bar today to find my feet with the form. I'd copied almost everything down into a workbook from the eBook, so that me and my friend could check to see if we were doing anything wrong. I felt pretty good, just my knees sometimes came over my toes. Do i stop this by keeping my chest up and out?

Barbell Row - 5X5
I found this tricky. Though i came home and have recorded the vid of Medhi doing it onto my phone so next time I should have a good reference point. Again, i just used the bar itself for form. Ended up doing some shi*tier version that the gym instructor told me to do, where you stand up, and let the weight hang and do it from there. Needs work.

Bench Press - 5X5
This went quite well. I just made sure that my upper back was tight the whole way through, fixed a point in the ceiling, and and made sure forarms were perpendicular, and it felt fine, form wise. Now i need to add weight.

Dips - 3XF
I forgot that this was until failure... but managed 5 on all sets. I would have liked to go until failure, to see what i could have achieved, but its just the way it is.

Overall, my body aches like a bitch, but thats a good thing right?
I am looking forward to chin-ups the most next workout for some reason... who knows why!
I am generally looking forward to doing all the exercises.
One question, when i start adding weight to squats, do i just add 2.5kg to the bar and go from there yes?

Cheers,
Josh

P.S You can see pics of me on my Gyminee profile - http://www.gyminee.com/locker_room Now you can see how little muslce i have and how i am pretty much starting from ground zero!
Those were as of yesterday. I will be putting up pics to show progress. Thanks.

[J-Boy]

Oh and i'm 17...

[mjh]

It must be obvious what my goal is - to build muscle, get stronger and gain weight. I weigh a f*cking paltry 126 pounds (9 stone!) My overall goal is to get upto 180lbs. My sub-goal within that is to first get to 140. I want to be able to squat my own body weight.

I have not approached this as 'get rich quick' scheme for my body. I know it will take me a year, if not more to be able to squat my own body weight. I have begun to adopt it as a lifestyle.

Great attitude J-boy. This sort of thing really is for the long term, but you're young, so you'll see some good results pretty quick nonetheless. Make sure you pay as much attention to the diet as you do the exercises. Eating big is essential in gaining that weight.

I found this tricky. Though i came home and have recorded the vid of Medhi doing it onto my phone so next time I should have a good reference point. Again, i just used the bar itself for form. Ended up doing some shi*tier version that the gym instructor told me to do, where you stand up, and let the weight hang and do it from there. Needs work.

The row is actually easier with some weight on the bar. Mehdi recommends starting with 30kg. Because you're a young guy you're going to get a lot of this kind of advice from gym gurus. Have the confidence to stand your ground, ask why their way is better, and if it doesn't convince you, tell them you're doing it your way.

Overall, my body aches like a bitch, but thats a good thing right?

this will stop happening after a while. Best thing fore soreness is to get back into the gym, warm up well and get back to work.

One question, when i start adding weight to squats, do i just add 2.5kg to the bar and go from there yes?

yep. Take it slow and learn good form. You'll find form issues come up quickly with the squat, so best to take small steps and concentrate on building good form and habits.

Great log, keep posting and we'll watch with interest.

[J-Boy]

Thanks for the advice mjh.
I woke up today and my body definately let me know i'd been to the gym, but i like it.
I've pretty much copied out the eBook into a workout book so that on Friday i shouldn't have too many problems doing the exercises....
If i do have any problems i'll be sure to post them up!
Thanks again for the encouragement... I will be sure to try and read all of your training log, or enough of it to understand how far you've come.
J-Boy

[J-Boy]

Yesterday i didn't have too many problems.
Did all of the stretches before actually lifting and it made a big difference, even though one gym instructor questioned what Kneeling Squats were actually doing for us. We just ignored the man.

Squat 5X5 @ 2.5kg
I would say i only have one problem with squatting at the moment, and this is that my knees come over my toes. Is this to do with my hamstrings being tight? Or is it all down to form, like not 'sitting back' enough, or that i am not pushing through my heels enough? If it is to do with hamstrings, can anyone offer any good stretches?

Also, me and J-Dog are currently back squatting, though there is no power rack at all. Should we think about front squatting because when we get to the bigger weights, we will have problems getting it on our shoulders, or should just generally getting stronger allow us to be able to get bigger weight up there? Would learning how to powerclean pay dividends?

OH Press 5X5 @ Bar Weight
Nothing that wrong form-wise here i don't think considering first time. Obviously little things to tinker with, i just think that the more i do these the better i will get, as with anything in life. I really enjoyed this exercise.

Deadlift 1X5 @ 40kg
I'm not sure if this was at 40kg, because although that is what we put on, the bar weighs about 15kg, so we were actually lifting 55kg. With these starting weights, or with any weights, are they inclusive of the bar or not?
J-Dog said that i had pretty good form on these; again, perfect practice will make perfect on these. Again, having never done them before, i enjoyed them like hell! Such a good feeling.

Pull Ups
I managed, for my first time ever - 3 on my first set, then 4 on the 2nd, then 3 on the 3rd. I was really pleased. I didn't jump any of them and i surprised myself with my upper body strength. I kept my chest up and shoulder blades back, and looked forward and felt generally pleased with the exercise.

Yeah.... thats the 2nd workout done then!
Cheers,
J-Boy

[J-DOG]

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9327

I just flicked through and found this on the forum. I am sure there's some valuable advice in there. You are correct, we did indeed lift 55kg!

[J-Boy]

Workout 3 Sunday 20th April

Squat 5X5 20kg
Hams are loosening a bit. I used a thumbless grip today, which went well. I must remember to keep my knees out.

Bench 5X5 17.5kg
Going well. I realised that you have to constantly keep on top of your body when doing these.... e.g, you focus on keeping glutes squeezed to prevent lower back pain, and you might forget to keep your upper back tight at all times. Experience should help correct this.

Barbell Row 5X5 30kg
This was the first time i did this exercise properly and it went well. I can see why it is in the program. Obviously, as with all exercises i am learning, just doing them will help me get better, as long as i review my form each time! There is some work to be done, possibly in using the hip extension which i am not 100% at the moment if somebody could help, but i feel i am doing it right! Nothing hurts.

Dips
1 X 9
1 X 7
1 X 3 (deep)
I really enjoy dips. They make you push yourself. It helps to be 126lbs when doing dips, hence the amount of reps.

[J-Boy]

I haven't been able to post regularly.... my exams are nearly upon me.
But i have been finding time to continue training.

Friday 2nd May Workout B
Squat 32.5kg 5X5
I'm getting the hang of this now, though sometimes i lose feeling in my left arm. I think its something to do with arm position and my nerves. I'm not too worried, as it is pretty sporadic, but i will keep an eye out.

OH Press 22.5kg
This is BY FAR the hardest exercise. I didn't stall this workout, which i thought i would do. I think i enjoy this workout the most because i find it the hardest. My form is pretty good, though obviously deteriorates towards the latter sets slightly. I may stall soon - not to be pessimistic.

Deadlift 47.5kg
Yep - i had that ache in my upper back. These felt really good today. I don't seem to have any problems.

Chin Ups 9, 6, 3
Me and J-Dog have been doing these from standing, proper. I seem to be doing well on them. I'm aiming for 12 in a row....

At this point in the program, things are taking shape, literally. I've just ordered some whey (i said i wasn't going to, but... hey. I need it), I'm feeling much fitter and i can see the muscle developing. I just need help with the Barbell Row! It is the most problematic exercise for me.....

I am loving Stronglifts 5X5. Especially when you see all the people on the machines looking at me and J-Dog like 'What the f*ck are they doing?'. So funny. Especially as i take the piss also with my headband on. Onwards and upwards i say.

[mjh]

Good work J, keep it going. Most people have a love-hate relationship with the OHP. I actually really like the movement, but I hate the way it makes me feel so weak. It's a good thing that a good old fashioned deadlift follows it in the program.

[J-Boy]

Cheers man!
I think i'll video my barbell row next workout so people can see it....
see if i'm doing anything wrong, or if i'm just paranoid!
J-Boy

[Brennan]

Yeah barbell row doesnt quite feel right for me neither. Try stretching each night before bed by touching your toes and ive found it easier to keep your back straight like in mehdi's video.
For what you said in your first post; I just tell people im not a bodybuilder if they say i'm doing things wrong and then just continue what im doing.

[J-Boy]

OK. I have neglected this training log for long enough. I have not posted in about 2 months and it is awful. Luckily, i've been keeping a log of the sessions and have missed 2 in 3 months. I'm going to put in all of the data i have collected, however, there is a short period i do not have as the page fell out of my log book and i haven't been able to find it.

Since the 2nd of May, however, i have seen a significant difference. I squatted my body weight last friday (62.3kg) and am progressing in the other exercises also. Myself and J-Dog have added and changed it a bit, but we've come up with something we both like. We do Inverted Rows instead of Barbell Rows, and have added Turkish Get Ups. Also, we have continually evolved our pull ups and chins up up to now doing them fully from hanging all the way up to the bar, as we were not doing them properly.

I changed dips to push-ups as i began to get a pain in my shoulder around my collar-bone. I've began to ween dips back in again as doing push-ups has improved my shoulder health.

Unfortunately, most of my stats were wrong up to a certain date (i do not know what this was as it was on the sheet i lost). Basically, we thought that the barbell itself weighed 15kg, so we were actually lifting 5kg more than we thought we were!

There was a short period of 2 weeks in which we had to learn to front squat as there is no squat rack in our gym and we could not clean it for each other any longer as the weight was too much. However, J-Dog brother has started and now we have or own man made squat rack (2 people hold up the barbell whilst the other gets into position). This has allowed us to continue with regular back squatting.

Anyway, sorry about the essay there. Just needed to explain what has happened since i last posted.
Here goes...

18/5/08
SQ - 50kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 32.5kg - 5 4 3 5 3
DEAD 60kg - 1 1 1 1 1
PULLS - 9 5 2

21/5/08
FR SQ - 20kg - 5 5 5 5 5
B'BELL ROW - 42.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
BENCH - 35kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH-UPS - 28 15 10 - (until failure)
REVERSE (RV) CRUNCH - 10 10 10

23/5/08
FR SQ - 22.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 32.5kg - 5 3 3 2 2
DEAD - 62.5kg - 1 1 1 1 1
CHINS - 12 10 5
RV CRUNCH - 10 10 10

25/5/08
FR SQ - 25kg - 5 5 5 5 5
B'BELL ROW - 45kg - 5 5 5 5 5
BENCH - 37.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH-UPS - 30 16 11
RV CRUNCH - 10 10 10

28/5/08
FR SQ - 27.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 32.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
DEAD - 65kg - 1 1 1 1 1
PULLS - 10 8 3
RV CRUNCH - 10 10 10

30/05/08
FR SQ - 30kg - 5 5 5 5 5
B'BELL ROW - 47.5kg - 5 5 5
BENCH - 40kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH - 30 15 11
RV C - 10 10 10

1/6/08
FR SQ - 32.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 35kg - 5 5 3 3 3
DEAD - 67.5kg - 1 1 1 1 1
CHINS - 10 7 7
RV C - 10 10 10

5/6/08
SQ - 40kg - 5 5 5 5 5 (we started doing squat again here but we dropped down to 40.)
B'BELL ROW - 47.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
BENCH - 42.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH - 35 20 11
RV C - 10 10 10

7/6/08
FR SQ - 35kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 35kg - 4 5 5 4 3
DEAD - 70kg - 1 1 1 1 1
PULL 5 4 3 (started doing a bit more fuller here hence the smaller numbers than before)
RV C - 10 10 10

9/6/08
FR SQ - 37.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
B'BELL ROW - 50kg - 5 3 3
BENCH - 45kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH - 32 21 10
RV C - 10 10 10

11/6/08
SQ - 42.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 32.5kg - 5 5 5 5 4 (i accidentally lifted 2.5kg less that i was supposed to and could not complete because psychologically i thought i was lifting more. I needed to de-load anyway).
DEAD - 72.5kg - 1 1 1 1 1
CHINS - 9 6 2
RV C - 10 10 10

13/06/08
SQ - 45kg - 5 5 5 5 5
INV ROW - 10 (just learning the form)
BENCH - 47.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH - 33 15 12
RV C - 10 10 10

15/06/08
FR SQ - 40kg - 5 5 5 5 5 (we did not have our friends to help us as a squat rack so had to front squat instead.)
OH P - 32.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
DEAD - 75kg - 1 1 1 1 1
PULLS - 7 5 2
RV C - 10 10 10

18/06/08
SQ - 47.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
INV ROW - 10 10 10 (for some reason, i get a pain around my lat when doing these, and barbell rows. It feels like i am being stabbed with pins. It is strange)
BENCH - 50kg - 5 4 3 4 3
PUSH - 31 17 15
RV C - 10 10 10

20/06/08
SQ - 50kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 35kg - 5 5 5 3 5
DEAD - 77.5kg - 1 1 1 1 1
CHINS - 9 5 4
RV C - 10 10 10

22/06/08
SQ - 52.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
INV ROW - 10 10 10
BENCH - 50kg - 5 5 5 5 5
PUSH - 32 20 12
RV C - 10 10 10

25/06/08
SQ - 55kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 35kg - 5 5 5 5 5
DEAD - 80kg - 1 1 1 1 1
PULLS - 7 5 4
RV C - 10 10 10

29/06/08
SQ - 57.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5
INV ROW - 10
BENCH - 52.5kg - 5 4 4 4 4
(we did not have much time on this day so only did what we had to)

2/07/08
SQ - 60kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 37.5kg - 5 5 4 1 1 (the 1s were because i forgot to change J-Dogs weight, so i was lifting 2.5kg more than i should have been)
DEAD - 82.5kg - 1 1 1 1 1
CHINS - 10 5 2

4/07/08
SQ - Warm Up - 45kg - 5
62.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5 (This was my body-weight, so i was extremely happy!)
INV ROW - 10 10
BENCH - 52.5kg 5 4 4 5 3
PUSH - 21 12
DIPS - 7 (This is the session when i started to add dips in again. i did one set of push-ups, then a set of dips, then back to push-ups)

06/07/08
SQ - WU - 45kg - 5
65kg - 5 5 5 5 5
OH P - 37.5kg - 5 5 4 4 5
CHINS - 8 6 5

09/07/08
SQ - 20kg - 5
25kg - 5
30kg - 5
35kg - 5
40kg - 5 (myself and J-dog did not have our 'squat rack' today, so chose to review our squat form, which seemed to be pretty good to us. We only went up to 40kg as we know we cam clean that to put onto the other persons shoulders)
INV ROW - 10 9 6 (i still get the stabbing pain. I have been using a foam roller to try and alleviate the problem, though it is a very strange, and very concentrated pain.)
BENCH - 52.5kg - 5 5 5 5 5 (happy to have made 5X5 at this weight.)
TURKISH GET UPS - 3kg DUMB-BELL - 5R 5L 5R 5L 5R 5L (found these tough.)
PUSH - 30 11
DIPS - 9


Thats every session, barring the one on the sheet that i lost, since i last posted. We've had a few problems, but we've overcome them, and at the moment i feel great.

Since starting on the 16th April 2008, and having no stats - these are now my stats.

SQ - 65kg (BW is 62.5kg)
FR SQ - 40kg
BARBELL ROW - 47.5kg (i ave not done these in a while. I have switched to Inverted Rows, but that was the highest amount i lifted.)
BENCH - 52.5kg
DEADLIFT - 85kg (i am not 100% about my form on this and may drop some wight to review it, or post a video, but i don't feel lower back pain and seem to be doing it right!)

Cheers for reading if you have. I am going to make an effort to keep it updated. I'm only letting myself down if i don't update it.
Thanks,
J-Boy

[J-Boy]

I have been reading other logs and it has really hit home how much mine sucks. All of those fucking stats up there mean nothing without me actually writing how i feel about each exercise. I just read my partner, J-Dog's Log and he has done awesome in just writing how he has felt. I really do feel i have let myself down.

Not again will i neglect this log. After every session, no matter what - i am going to write my thoughts. Theres no point doing something unless you're going to to do it properly and this has been a sorry attempt at a log so far.

Lets look to the future.
J-Boy.

[J-Boy]

13/07/08

Squat 67.5kg 5 5 5 5 5
Warm-up at 45kg 5
I found this very testing and asked my two spotters to tell me if they saw anything that looked seriously wrong. My form seemed to be good based on the review me and J-Dog did last Wednesday, and it felt it held up at 5kg over my body-weight - I did 5X5. I stopped between reps to make sure i wasn't doing anything wrong on the later sets, and i seemed to do everything right. The spotters could not see anything wrong, but i felt a pain in my groin area - i think i may have strained my hip-flexor. I think this may have occured because J-Dog told me that on some reps i wasn't going low enough, so i wanted to make sure on the last few sets and i may have gone too low. Anyway, i'll see how it holds up and then i'll cross the bridge when i come to it. Apart from the possible injury i was very happy that i managed to squat that amount, as i did think i was going to have to stall soon.

Overhead Press 37.5kg 5 3 4 3 3
My mind wasn't in this because of the possible injury i may have sustained and this was my last try before i had to de-load - which i'm going to have to do. I like this exercise and i felt i didn't do it justice today. Always next time.

Deadlift 87.5kg
I didn't lift today in fear of aggravating anything i may have sustained earlier. I think that my form for this exercise is correct, but now i'm lifting 2.5kg off of 1.5x my body weight i'm very aware that if i lift wrong i can seriously fuck myself. I will have to get a video or something.

Pull Ups 6 4 3
My form in these has progressed to the stage that i am now going from a near enough hang to clearing the bar, which is why the numbers are low. Is this the right way to do these? Should i not be pulling myself up from hanging? Anyway, they felt good but as they are a back exercise i felt the usual sharp searing pain i do just below my shoulder blade. I'm working on this by doing thoracic tennis ball sit-ups etc and hopefully this will remedy the pain. I feel it on inverted rows real bad also.

Turkish Get Ups 4kg
These are very tiring - your arm fucking aches and you are very out of breath, but they are awesome. What made it better today was the gym instructor had to ask what they were and was looking down on me and J-Dog in confusion and condescension. Let him be an ignoramus.

The log is up and running again as promised. I may do the Dirty 30 next session (though only pulls, chins, dips, push-ups, bench; mainly upperbody) as i don't want to aggravate my hip-flexor and therefore not be able to squat. Is this a good idea?
J-Boy

[KIB]

I have been reading other logs and it has really hit home how much mine sucks. All of those fucking stats up there mean nothing without me actually writing how i feel about each exercise. I just read my partner, J-Dog's Log and he has done awesome in just writing how he has felt. I really do feel i have let myself down.

Not again will i neglect this log. After every session, no matter what - i am going to write my thoughts. Theres no point doing something unless you're going to to do it properly and this has been a sorry attempt at a log so far.

Lets look to the future.
J-Boy.

Everything new takes a long time to learn, especially if it's worth doing. You're going to look back next week and wonder how you managed to live this week without the knowledge you'll have by then. Next month you'll want to go back to edit your log to remove all the total noob comments that are sincere now but will embarrass you then. After six months... blah, blah, blah. You get the idea. You've got a strong sense of self-awareness, J-Boy. Sure, the natural tendency may be to use it for self-criticism, but remember that your other option is to use it for self-improvement. You have already made some amazing first steps (researching, reading, bookmarking, joining SL 5x5, updating your log, keeping records, etc.) so reward yourself by allowing the first steps to be just that: first steps. You couldn't go forward without them.

If you eat, rest and lift the way SL 5x5 prescribes, you won't recognize yourself in six months. You're on the road. You are doing it right. Rip it up and enjoy every step of it, man. The low points are just reminders of how far you've come, but they only work if you keep going.

Rock those lifts, J-Boy.