mcl's training log (39, male)

[mcl]

Stats (20080720): 6' 1", 39, male. 220 lbs, 24% bodyfat (calipers).
Chest: 119cm
bicep: 39cm
waist: 99cm
butt: 107cm
thigh: 64cm
neck: 46cm


Started StrongLifts 5x5 beginner program 20080620.

20080620
Squat 5x5@95
Bench press 5x5@95
Barbell row 5x5@65
Assisted dips 3xF 9@9, 7@9, 7@9
cable shoulder press 3XF@50
elbow-knee bench crunches 50
y-rope cable tricep pulldowns 3xF@50
bench dumbbell fly 3x10@20
barbell curls 3x10@45
dumbbell bench press 3x10@25

[mcl]

20080623

Squat 5x5@100
OH press 5x5@55
deadlift 1x5@140
Assisted pullups 3xF 8@9, 8@9, 5@9
dual cable xovers 3xF 14@20, 8@22.5, 7@22.5
curl bar standing rows 5x5@75
elbow-knee bench crunches w/18lb mediball 6x10
cable shoulder press 3xF 14@50, 13@50, 12@50
y-rope cable tricep pulldowns 3xF 19@35, 11@35, 9@35

30 minutes cardio on stationary bike, interval 2, level 2

[mcl]

20080625

Squat 5x5@105
bench press 5x5@100
barbell row 5x5@115
dips 3xF (***first try at unassisted, normal dips***) 5 half-dips, 4 half-dips, 4 half-dips
cable shoulder press 2xF@60 11, 10, 8
elbow-knee bench crunches w/18lb mediball 6x10
y-rope cable tricep pulldowns 3xF@55 5, 5, 5
bench db flys 3x10@25
barbell curls 3x10@50
db bench press 3x10@30

30 minutes stationary bike, interval 2, level 2

[mcl]

20080627

squat 5x5@110
oh press 5x5@75
deadlift 1x5@150
pullups (***first attempt at unassisted, normal pullups***) 3xF 1, 1, 1
dual low cable xovers 3xF@22.5 10, 10, 6
curl bar standing rows 5x5@80
elbow-knee bench crunches w/18lb mediball 6x10
cable shoulder press 3xF@70 8, 6, 6
y-rope cable tricep pulldown 3xF@60 5, 4, 4

30 minutes exercise bike, ride in the park, level 5

[mcl]

20080630

squat 5x5@115
bench press 5x5@105
barbell row 5x5@120
dips 3xF 5.5, 5.5, 6
cable shoulder press 3xF@80 6, 7, 5.5
elbow-knee bench crunches 6x10@25
y-rope cable tricep pulldown 3xF@60 8, 11, 10
bench db fly 3x10@30 8, 7, 6
barbell curls 3x10@55
db bench press 3x10@35

30 minutes exercise bike, ride in the park level 5

[mcl]

20080702

squat 5x5@120
oh press 5x5@80
deadlift 1x5@155
pullups 3xF 1.5, 1.5, 1
dual low cable xovers 3xF@25 12, 9, 9
curl bar standing rows 5x5@85
elbow-knee bench crunches 6x10@25
cable shoulder press 3xF@80 5, 4, 5
y-rope cable tricep pullown 3xF@65 13, 12, 8

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 6

[mcl]

20080707

squat 5x5@125
bench press 5x5@110
barbell row 5x5@125
dips 3xF 7.5, 7.5, 4.5
elbow-knee bench crunches 6x10@25
y-rope cable tricep pulldown 3xF@70 12, 9, 9
barbell curls 3x10@60

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 6

[mcl]

20080709

squat 5x5@130
oh press 5x5@85
deadlifts 1x5@160
pullups 3xF 2, 1, 1.5
incline db flys 5x5@30
curl bar standing row5x5@90
elbow-knee bench crunches 6x10@35
db oh press 5x5@40
y-bar cable tricep pulldowns 5x5@75
single db lateral raise 5x5@20

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 6

[mcl]

20080711

squats 5x5@135
bench press 5x5@115
barbell row 5x5@130
dips 3xF 9, 6, 5
elbow-knee bench crunches 6x10@35
y-bar cable tricep pulldown 5x5@80
barbell curls 3x10@65
db front raises 5x5@17.5
db lateral raises 3x5@25

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 6

[mcl]

20080714

squats 5x5@140
oh press 5x5@90
deadlift 1x5@170
pullups 3xF 2.5, 2, 1.5
incline db flys 5x5@35
ball crunches 2x30
y-bar cable tricep pulldown 3x10@50
db front raise 5x5@20
db lat raise 3x5@30
curls 3x10@55

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 7

[mcl]

20080716

squats 5x5@145
bench press 5x5@120
barbell row 5x5@135
dips 3xF 8, 7, 4 (Going deeper on these now)
ball crunches w/15lb dumbbells 3x20
y-bar cable tricep pulldown 5x5@60
barbell curls 5x5@75
db front raise 5x5@25

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 7

[mcl]

20080718

(***NOTE: First day I did an entire routine without using any cable machines at all. I'm all free-weights from here on in.***)

squats 5x5@150
oh press 5x5@95
deadlift 1x5@180
pullups 3xF (***NEGATIVES***) 3, 4, 3
incline db fly 5x5@40
ball dumbbell crunches 2x30@20
bench oh tricep curl 5x5@55
db front raise 5x5@30
db lat raise 5x5@35
curls 3x10@60

[mcl]

I should chime in here with a bit of background and goal-setting.

I've always been stocky and heavy. I've been on diets before (incl. Atkins), and have managed to get my weight down, but it always came back. After my divorce, however, I ballooned up to a record high of 303lbs (Jan 1, 2007). The only time I've ever really been skinny was prior to joining the Army -- but that was due to starvation. I was eating once every two days, and I was going for the highest-carb, cheapest foods I could get at that point. I was 175lbs when I went into Army Basic Training.

In the Army, I maintained a healthy weight of 190-195 lbs, and was well-fed, and in much better shape. However, neither my training nor my eating was under my control, so I really had no idea what I was doing to maintain that.

On August 30, 2007, I decided a few things:

1) If I kept living the way I was, I was going to die early, and suffer health problems while I was alive (I'd already had my left ACL replaced).
2) Diets just don't work for me.
3) Good food is cheaper than the crap I'd been shoveling into my face.


So, I started keeping a daily log of everything I ate. I began "eating clean", even though I didn't know what that meant at the time. I started cooking for myself, stopped eating out, stopped snacking, stopped eating junk food, fast food, frozen food, and so on. Just doing that, and moderate cardio for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, I got down to 225 lbs.

In May, my company moved to a much larger office on a big multi-company campus, that includes free gym membership at an on-campus gym with a full set of free weights, a power rack, benches, etc. etc. etc. I decided to start going to the gym 3x/week, but I didn't know what I was doing. So, I just played around on the machines. I managed to build a bit of strength...I'd been so sedentary, any effort at all was bound to produce some results.

Towards the end of June, I decided I'd learn how to use the free weights, and that's when I discovered -- and started following -- the Stronglifts 5x5 beginner program.

Since then, I've made massive strength improvements, and my body composition has visibly changed (though not measurably, since I only bought a set of calipers today, and my weights been fluctuating around 220 ever since). I've been trying to get my food intake balanced appropriately (40/40/20), and I've been forcing myself to eat 6-7x/day, even though I'm almost never hungry, except after workouts (before I started going to the gym, I'd typically eat between 900-1200 calories a day. For a guy my size, that's insane, in hindsight).

I've been fighting a mental battle with myself that I need to eat even more. I was still stuck in the mentality that if I ate more than 2000 calories a day, I'd get fat again. But for the past two weeks, I've been forcing myself to eat 16x my weight, and making sure I get enough protein. I don't always manage to get that many calories (I never imagined eating so many calories would be so HARD! But when it's good food, it's so dense that it's a chore to eat it), but I try to manage around 3000 a day.

I've also managed to completely eliminate not only diet soda, but all artificial sweetener. I used to drink 12 diet sodas a day. Now I drink about 4 liters of water every day. I had coffee with cream and sugar substitute. Now I have a cup or two of black coffee. I used to buy flavored yogurt. Now I buy plain yogurt and add fresh fruit. At this point, the only two foods that have any significant processing in them that I eat are my oatmeal (I use instant), and my bread (because I just don't have the time to bake my own).


My goals right now are to squat 400 lbs, bench 200 lbs, deadlift 500 lbs, and oh press 200 pounds. And to be able to knock out a series of 10 pullups with good form. I don't have any set body composition goals, because I figure if I can manage those, the body composition will take care of itself.

[eury13]

Congrats on making the decision to improve your health and your life! It sounds like you've made great progress so far, and the tips and advice you're getting here will only help. I hope you took a picture on August 30, 2007, because you're coming up on the 1-year mark since you're decision, and it sounds like the improvement so far is remarkable.

Keep up the good work!

[mcl]

20080721

squats 5x5@155
bench press 5x5@125
barbell row 5x5@140
dips 3xF 10, 7, 7
ball crunches 2x30@25 db
bench oh triceps curls 5x5@60
biceps curls 5x5@55

30 minutes exercise bike ride in the park level 7