lovestolift training log

[rbtrout]

We don't want rbtrout laughing at us while our skinny asses get weaker.

Why not? I have a very nice laugh and I take offense that you're pointing out otherwise (kidding). I wouldn't laugh at you, but I'd laugh with you.

[lovestolift]

You're a gentle giant rb. We appreciate you not squishing us on the way to the squat rack.

[rbtrout]

I never said I wouldn't squish you on the way to the squat rack, though......

[lovestolift]

I never said I wouldn't squish you on the way to the squat rack, though......

[lovestolift]

03/27/2009
Friday-Workout B
Squat- 155/5,5,5
Press- 100/5,4,5
Deadlift- Warmup only, no worksets. (120/2/5, 160/1/3, 225/1/2)
Negative Pullups- bw/5,5,5

I feel like I have the squat down pat now. It feels good to move past that problem. Now I will start focusing on improving the press. I have failed three times now, though I managed more reps this time (5,4,5 compared to 4,4,3 last time). I am considering a hard deload because the last soft one only got me past my last fail weight (95). I have found a couple things I need to improve on the press so dropping to 80 lbs will give me ample time to implement them. The deadlifts were the same as last time, the last warmup hurt my back so I didn't try for the worksets. I think a week off of all lifting is in order. I can use the rest since I have been lifting straight since the end of November of last year. In that time I have only missed one workout and had that one cut short by the back injury. Time for a break. It's going to be tough because my equipment is in my living room and I will be tempted to use it. I will maintain my current caloric intake, but will bump it up when I get back under the bar. I'll have to decide how much.

[lovestolift]

It's been a long week off but I will be lifting tomorrow. I just wanted to get some preliminary info down here today.

I have been reading up on G-Flux and I have decided to incorporate it into my training. The short version is this: Increase k/cal over maintenance, but also increase exercise to cover the added k/cal, and you get a better body. So I have decided to bump up my intake to 4200 k/cal a day. I will see how that helps with the lifts.

I have also picked up an exercise bike and will be doing some cardio along with the lifting. My aim is to log a minimum of 5 hours of exercise every week. Three hours lifting, one hour intervals (three 20 minute sessions/week) and another hour of moderate pace cardio (10 minutes before and 10 minutes after intervals). I have also started taking the stairs at my apartment (I'm on the eighth floor) to increase the calories I burn. I am sure I will have to tweak and revise my plan as I go along, but I hope that this will help me strike a balance between increasing lifts and decreasing body fat.

I am also switching my workout schedule around a bit. I will lift on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday, and do cardio on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday with Thursday off.

[lovestolift]

I made a mistake yesterday when I listed my new caloric intake - I meant to put 4550 k/cal. I had been messing around with a few numbers last week and I listed the wrong one. I also forgot to weigh myself today, I'll have to do that on Sunday.

04/03/2009
Friday-Workout A
Squat- 160/5,5,5
Bench Press- 155/5,5,5
Barbell Row- 145/5,5,5
Pushups- bw/10,8,6

Back to the bar with a maniacal fury. It felt great to lift again. I really felt the bounce out of the hole on the squats. I nailed the bench. It felt great to get that out of the way. It was tough, but doable. The rows were good too. I can't describe how much I needed this session. If I had to wait one more day to lift I would have gone stone-cold-fuck-nuts. Seriously. I need the weights to stay sane. However, I think the week off was good for my back, but the real test will be Sunday with the deadlift.

[lovestolift]

04/05/2009
Sunday-Workout B
Squat- 165/3,5,3
Press- 80/5,5,5
Deadlift- Warmup only, no worksets. (120/2/5, 160/1/3, 225/1/2)
Negative Chinups- bw/6,6,6

I'm not sure what to attribute the terrible squats to. I tried a morning workout today, which I will avoid in the future. I also did some cardio on the stationary bike yesterday. It may have been fatigue from the bike or that I hadn't eaten before hand and only had my normal workout shake in me at the time. Either way it sucked. The press is in deload so it was easy, just working on my form. The back is still not good enough for deadlifts. As soon as I got to 225 it was bothering me. I think I need to drop the weight to a point where it doesn't hurt and work my way back up. I will have to experiment with it next time.

[lovestolift]

04/08/2009
Wednesday-Workout A
Squat- 165/5,5,5
Bench Press- 160/3,2 *see note
Barbell Row- 150/5,5,5
Pushups- bw/10,10

The squat was okay, but it felt a little tough. No big deal.

*The bench was fucking scary. I eked out three reps on the first set and knew I didn't have a fourth. On the second set I went for the third rep. I shouldn't have. The bar got half way up and then just started dropping rapidly towards my chest. I controlled it so I didn't get hurt, but then I was stuck under the fucking bar. There I am alone, at home, stuck under the bar. I had a good moment of panic as I tried to figure out what to do. I had to brace my abs and roll the bar off of my chest on to my abs. From there I rolled it onto my pelvis and sat up. I stood up with the bar and set it on the ground. Needless to say I wasn't going for a third set. At this point I am strongly considering going to a gym. I don't want that to happen again. Not to mention I'd like to start Power Cleans soon. I may be able to afford it because I don't have to pay for school for a while (Finally got hold of my tuition fund).

The rows are getting heavy. I need to video them to see if my form is okay. I squeezed out extra reps on the pushups to make up for the bench fiasco.

[lovestolift]

04/10/2009
Sunday-Workout B
Squat- 170/5,5,5
Press- 85/5,5,5
Deadlift- 200/5
Negative Pullups- bw/6,6,6

The squats felt..... satisfying. I really enjoyed them today. The press felt really smooth. It felt right. I'm getting rid of my nasty little habits with that lift. I settled on 200 lbs for the deadlift. It was fine. I felt slight discomfort in my lower back, but nothing major. I'll take it slow with the deadlift and stay with 5 lb increments. I wish I was breaking a PR though..... Oh well, that time will come again.

[rbtrout]

Good job. It looks like the squat problem is solved. Keep up the good work.

[lovestolift]

Thanks rb, I just have to remain diligent about them. I don't want to backslide. Although I must say that things are looking up (finally).

[Davek]

Yeah LTL, Careful w/ the bench weight. Sometimes nothing scares me more than to be under 165/170 lbs of metal..Remember, better to get out alive today.. always another day to do battle! Good job.

I see you're Kicking Ass on those squats-Great!

[pagangoddess]

Hey LTL, how is the G-flux going? I'm back from vacation and am trying to catch up on things.

That's pretty scary about the bench press. I'm glad you were able to get out of it safely.

[lovestolift]

Davek - I know, it was not pleasant. Looking back on it now, I realize it was just an ego attempt. I should have known after only getting three on the first set.

PG - I've not been very good these last couple of weeks. It's been tough to eat properly. I will try to get back on track this week, hopefully by Monday. I work very sporadic hours which makes it difficult to find time to eat and prepare food. I need to find a good way to get around the problem.


Anyway, I am going to try out the new gym on Monday. I am looking forward to proper equipment. I may have found a workout partner as well, but I am not sure how reliable he'll be. Time will tell. Might be nice to have someone to spot me.