But I did. These guys have been a great help and encouragement through some tough times for me and they probably don't even realize it. - Pagangoddess
182 cm
Goal Weights (Currently)
by 18 November 2009
Weight - 80kg (76.5)
BF% - 12% (16.5)
Squat - 80kg (62.5)
Deadlift - 120kg (60)
Bench Press - 60kg (47.5)
Overhead Press - 40kg (32.5)
Hi everybody. I'm seven sessions down on the 5x5 beginner program and I'm really enjoying it. I thought I might do my own journal as well, to keep me on track, and posterity. I have a decent level of general fitness to start with from my work, but nothing special at all. I had done some lifting in the past, but nothing structured and it only lasted a few months at a time. Sad to say I was doing leg extensions and bicep curls... But hey, I've learnt a hell of a lot in the last month or so reading up on things a lot more, thanks mainly to this web site.
I found Strong Lifts a little while ago reading the Art of Manliness blog. After reading through the e-book and everything else on the site, it seems the program fits very well with my (limited) understanding of exercise theory. I had just started going back to resistance training after quite a long break due to illness, so I was sub-consciously looking for a bit of structure to what I was doing. I found out personally lifting weights without any goal or program isn't very fun or effective. Strong lifts 5x5 seemed to fit perfectly.
I am quite impressed by the integration of compound exercises to work the whole body. Putting the focus on technique by starting with very low weights and building up from there also appeals to me.
Diet options are fairly limited at the moment due to being on operations overseas. I'm trying to put on weight so I'm eating until I'm slightly overfull, which is a lot more than I usually eat.
Example for a day would be :
0730 - Bowl of (whatever isn't covered in sugar) cereal or porridge, half a grapefruit, yogurt, 3 scrambled or boiled eggs, and a big glass of milk.
1000 - Piece of fruit and a protien shake.
1100 - [arnold] Get massive [/arnold]
1230 - Something meaty (whatever looks the most palletable, could be almost anything depending on the menu), rice / pasta, veggies, yogurt / custard, big glass of milk
1530 - Fruit, junk, protien shake, or nothing, depending on how I feel. I need to sort this one out.
1830 - Same as lunch
2100 - Protien Shake
Generally 2 caffienated and 2 fizzy drinks as well as 3-5 litres of water per day, depending on how much outside work I'm doing.
One question I have is how much muscular endurance will improve on this program. My work puts a lot of emphasis on doing lots of body weight endurance exercises like the push up and heave. Will adding weight on these exercises improve endurance?
Motivation? My first goals coincides with when I get back to the missus from sunny Afghanistan
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