JollyClaws' Training Log

[JollyClaws]

I'm 39 years of age, I stand 5'9" and weigh in at 160 pounds.

I've been following the StrongLifts Beginner's program religiously for six weeks, during which time I gained 10 pounds (some of it fat) and noticeably increased my strength. I've never before been this heavy .

My seated overhead press is beginning to stall. The last press workout, I managed 5-5-5-4-4 reps with 85 pounds.

My squat is feeling very heavy, but it has not stalled yet. I'm at 145 pounds. I believe my form is not ideal, since I feel a bit of pressure in my (weak) left knee, possibly in the patellar ligament. I will try to increase my flexibility and keep my knees from drifing too far forward when I squat. In any event, my knees feel better now than they did when I started the StrongLifts Beginner's program.

I will need to come up with a way to squat safely now that the weight is getting close to my near-term limit. I don't relish the idea of dumping the barbell backwards onto my basement floor.

The other lifts -- bench press, row, deadlift -- are all still easy for me. I have a ways to go before the weights will challenge me. I bench and row 105 pounds, and deadlift 150 pounds.

My pullups are very strong. I have been doing three sets of ten with a ten-pound plate hanging from my waist. But I think the increase in bodyweight will hamper my ability somewhat. During tomorrow's pullup workout, I will get with the program and do 5x5 pullups with weight, adding 2.5 pounds each subsequent workout.

My dips are embarassingly weak. I can do three sets of nine, but they are a struggle. My hands hurt from pressing out the reps; something more comfortable than the backs of a pair of chairs would probably help me dip more easily. I'll have to start adding weight to the dips soon.

The workouts are beginning to tax me physically. I feel fatigue in the hours after I work out, and my rest day is something I look forward to. I wonder how much worse my fatigue will be when all my lifts are performed with challenging weights?

My diet is a partial success. I am taking in enough calories to gain weight, which is no simple feat for me. I'm also getting the requisite gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. However, I get a lot of my calories from soft drinks (Dr. Pepper is my main vice). I don't see this changing anytime soon, especially if I continue to experience success with my strength gains.

[JollyClaws]

Ok I just squatted 150 pounds for 5x5, which was my bodyweight when I started the StrongLifts Beginner's program a month and a half ago. Now, however, my bodyweight is aroung 160, so I still have a bit of work to do to get to a bodyweight squat. The squats feel medium heavy, so I hope I continue to get stronger and avoid stalling. It is scary when it takes a second or two to complete the last rep.

I'm still stalled at 5-5-5-4-4 on my (seated) overhead press. That's the same sets/reps that I achieved the last time I did the movement (two workouts ago). It's somewhat frustrating not to have progressed. The weight is 85 pounds. I also felt myself laying back just a bit when I was straining to complete a rep.

My deadlift (165 pounds) was easy, but I felt a bit of a strain in or under my right lat during the fourth rep. A weakness in that area is not something I've felt before.

I declined to do my pullups today, because I was a bit worried that I'd pulled my lat on the deadlifts. This is the first deviation from the program that I've indulged in. It's not a milestone that I'm proud of.

I'll need to buy two more 25-pound plates. In order to get enough weights for my deads, I had to use two concrete "orbitron" Sears plates that I fished out of someone's trash a while back.

I am looking forward to two days of rest.

[JollyClaws]

OK I had a few days off, and went into my workout feeling rested and relaxed.

Squat: 155 pounds for 5x5 -- reps were slow and sort of ugly.
Bench: 115 pounds for 5x5 -- reps were fast and easy.
Row: 115 pounds for 5x5 -- reps were mostly fast and easy.
Dips: 3 sets of 8 at bodyweight.

My left shoulder, which had been bothering me a bit, felt fairly strong during this workout.

My left knee, which feels weak and somewhat painful, felt pretty good. The squats were heavy, and I am not confident in my form, but I got it done.

The tendonitis in my lower back on the right side (seems to be some core stabilization muscle) made itself felt during the squats. But my form was a bit off, and I did a few rounds of fast shadow-boxing yesterday, which aggravates the tendonitis. I believe the tendonitis comes from throwing the left hook, but I can't be sure. In any event, it's better than it was since I don't punch as frequently as I used to.

[JollyClaws]

Squat: 160 pounds for 5-5-5-5-4 Ifailed the last rep of last set.
The reps were not very good; I think my depth was inadequate, and everything was slow and wobbly. But it was a squat with my bodyweight on the bar, so I'm really happy. Hopefully, the next squat workout will be better. I'll keep the same weight, since I failed to get 5x5.
Overhead Press: 85 pounds for 5x5. Reps were quite easy. This was the third workout at this weight, since I got 5-5-5-4-4 the last two times I tried it. It is good to finally conquer this weight. I'll add five pounds on my next overhead press workout.
Deadlift: 165 pounds. Reps were quite easy, especially considering I didn't warm up with any light-weight sets of deadlifts.
Chins: 10 reps, 10 reps, and 4 reps. I didn't leave much time between the second and third set, and my third set was so weak that I only managed four reps. I should add weight to the pulls/chins. Maybe when I find something I can put around my waist to hold a weight plate. The rope I had been using broke recently.

I am happy to achieve a squat with my bodyweight. But the reps were not done with good form. I think the next workout (with this same weight) will be better!

[JollyClaws]

Injury day. Yay!

I hurt my (weak) left knee yesterday, doing nothing more than walking my dog. The pain is on the inside of my kneecap. I'm not sure what it is, but it happens from time to time. This time was worse than usual. It doesn't hurt to bend the knee or squat, but straightening it while walking was prohibitively painful.

Today, after a good night's sleep, it's numb and maybe a bit swollen. At least it doesn't hurt.

I also had a pull in the muscle that pulls my head backward, on the right side. This morning, it cramped up and hurt bad. Now, I can't tilt my head backwards very far. The pain is directly under the spot where the bar rests during squats.

I also had a slight amount of pain in my left groin, after heavy squats. It feels OK now.

Instead of working out as usual, I decided to just do some so-called "active recovery" with light weights.

Here's what I did:

Squat: 65 pounds - 2 sets of 15. Slow and controlled. Good bodybuilder burn in the quads!
Rows: 65 pounds - 3 sets of 10. Fast reps; I didn't ground the weight between reps.
Bench: 65 pounds - Fail. I gave up after one rep.
Knuckle pushups: 2 sets of 25 fast. I kept my head down so the range of motion wasn't very good.

Once my knee heals up (which it will do in a few days), I'll de-load my squats and focus on form and speed.

The neck will be a pain in the neck for a while, but I'll start working on range of motion stretches and I'll start strengthening it by using my hands/arms for resistance. I think the squat bar pressing on me causes these neck muscle pulls.

[kiwidave]

JC - bummer about the injuries. Good to see you are taking the slow and steady approach until they heal. Better safe than sorry eh. I had a similar tweak in my neck last week and it was ok after about 4 days. There are some good articles on head/neck position when squatting here and around the web but I think it takes some practise to stay safe even when your legs are turning to jelly under the weight.
I enjoyed your squat failure video a few days back - nice to know I'm not the only one crashing and burning at these weights

[JollyClaws]

Back on track.

After around a week off due to a bad knee, I am back on the program, although I deloaded the squat.

Squat: 130 pounds -- 5x5 -- it felt surprisingly heavy, but I was going slow and concentrating on form.
Bench: 120 pounds -- 5x5 -- it is starting to feel somewhat heavy, maybe because of the time off.
Row: 120 pounds -- 5x5 -- medium heavy, but not a big deal. Reps were fast.
Dips: I forgot to do them.

My weight increased by three pounds over the week that I didn't lift, even though I didn't eat very much. I don't like flab. I'm not used to having blubber on my belly.

[JollyClaws]

Not a bad workout.

Squat: 135 pounds - 5x5 - It felt good, not too heavy.
Seated OH Press: 90 pounds - 5x5 - it was somewhat heavy, but I rested well between sets and did OK.
Deadlift: 175 pounds - 1x5 - it was pretty easy. The grip will start to go if it gets much heavier.
Pullups: 3 sets of 10 with no added weight. Felt harder than I expected - I'm fat and heavy.

My weak left knee felt uncomfortable during my warmup, but I spent time to work up a good sweat and by the time I was into my squat warmup sets, it felt halfway decent.

The work sets of squats felt good. I concentrated on sitting back and using the hips. I think my form was pretty good. I still haven't reviewed the vids I took of my work sets, but I think everything was fine. It is nice to lift lighter weight after my deload when I hurt my knee.

The seated overhead press felt good; my shoulders were feeling fine and I lifted as explosively as possible. I had a bit of leanback during the reps, but there wasn't much I could do about it. If this doesn't make my shoulders grow, I don't know what will.

I did one warmup set of deadlifts, then went to the work set. The weight is still fairly easy for me. If I used lifting straps (which I didn't), it would have been very easy.

My pullups were disappointingly heavy, because I weigh more now that I've ever weighed. I also re-aggravated the pull in my trapezius area (or whatever muscle it is that pulls my head backwards, on the right side). The pullups are hard on that area.

[JollyClaws]

Squats: 140 pounds - 5x5 - It felt medium heavy and the reps were awkward. My left knee is annoying.
Bench: 125 pounds - 5x5 - The reps felt good. Medium difficulty.
Row: 125 pounds - 5x5 - Things felt somewhat heavy, but I can still explode the bar upward.
Dips: Didn't do them.

The squats were disappointing, but I'll keep on keeping on.

[JollyClaws]

Bad left knee again; I can't walk without a limp.

Squats: Didn't do them.
Seated OH press: 95 pounds -- 5/5/5/4/3 -- missed the last 2 sets.
Deadlifts: Didn't do them. I did two light sets of stiff-legged deadlifts instead. Gave up after feeling like the knee was getting wrenched a bit.
Chins: Didn't do them.

Bummer.

[JollyClaws]

Still sore left knee. Limping.

Squats: Didn't do any.
Bench Press: 130 pounds 5x5 - didn't feel too heavy, but it's getting there.
One arm Dumbell bent-over row: 50 pounds 10 reps, 60 pounds 10 reps, 70 pounds 6 reps. I did these instead of regular rows because I didn't want to lock out my knee under a load.

I suppose this workout is better than nothing. This knee's recalcitrance is surprising.

[JollyClaws]

Still weak left knee. I can walk normally, but I am careful not to twist.
Squats: Didn't do any -- did one unweighted partial squat
OH Press: 85 pounds 5x5
[*]I deloaded the OH press and tried to work on technique, after posting a video of my 95 pound OH Press plateau. My technique is bad, partially because of flexibility issues. I'll work on it. I did a _lot_ of reps at various weights.
[*]My new "technique" seems to put a lot of pressure on my lower back, even though I switch to using a back board. I tried to avoid arching my back, but I obviously did on some of the heavier sets.
Dips: 3 sets of 10 with no additional weight.

[JollyClaws]

Still a weak left knee.

Squats: Didn't do any.
Bench Press: 135 pounds 5-5-4-4-4 stall! I haven't been eating much protein lately.
Row: 125 pounds 5x5 Medium Easy (same weight as last time, because of the break I took where I did one-armed rows to try to take some pressure off my knee).
Dips: 3 sets of 10 unweighted dips. Fairly easy, except for the pressure on my hands from the hard-backed chairs I was using to support myself.

[JollyClaws]

Still weak left knee.

Squats: 2 sets of 10 with 65 pounds. Depth wasn't too bad, but not as deep as it should be. If I make it to the next workout without having my knee pop because of these squats, I'll do five sets of five with a light weight.
Seated OH Press: 85 pounds, 5x5 -- tried to work on technique. 2 sets of 2 with 95 pounds. Technique is still bad, probably because of shoulder flexibility. It seems like I have weak front delts, because when I start to fail, my elbows move outwards, as if I'm trying to recruit my side delts to complete the lift.
SLDL: 95x10, 115x10, 135x10, 150x10 -- I did these stiff-leg deads instead of regular deads in an attempt at preserving my knee. Everything felt OK. Back felt fine.
Pullups: 3 sets of 5 with no added weight. I tried to avoid pulling my injured right trap. Everything felt OK.

[JollyClaws]

Still can't squat.

Squats: I was going to do some squats with 50 pounds on the bar. I did some squats with the unweighted (15 pound) bar. They felt fine. But then I did some lunges, and hurt my kneecap in a place that I've never felt pain before. So, no squats for me. Now I'm limping again. Maybe next week I can do light squats.
Bench: 135 pounds 5x5 -- It felt heavy, but I made sure to rest 2 minutes between sets and I got all the reps. I did a bunch of overhead presses yesterday, trying to work on technique, but they didn't seem to fatigue my triceps overmuch.
Rows: I didn't do rows, because it hurt my injured knee to stand in the row position.
Dips: 3 sets of 10 unweighted.

A disappointing day.