mootnut's training log

[mootnut]

i usually post these to my training blog (you could google it), but i'm going to copy relevant posts here

my goals are:

to get up to about 195 pounds (started 180-185 at 6'1.75")
to squat my weight correctly

today's entry:

When I got up to the cardio room, all the treadmills were in use. Instead of a jog, I biked five minutes to warm up.

In the weight room, I did a little stretching before my lifts. I did a few sets of ten shoulder dislocations, although my hands are still pretty wide on the bar and I think they are sometimes asymmetrical. I did a couple of 30-second squat stretches and started my exercises.

Squat:
I've read that I'm not supposed to walk the bar forward after taking it off the rack, so I've turned 180 degrees to do my squats. I'm trying to jam my elbows back, with minimal success so far. The weight should be on my back instead of supported by my arms, and I'm starting to get there.
I started with two sets of five with just the bar. These still feel a little weird for some reason, but I did them fine. I went up to 95 and did a set of 4. I was surprised at how heavy this felt. Also, I was worried my knees were coming in a bit. I did another squat stretch and tried to focus on pushing my knees out while keeping my chest up. I bumped the weight up to 115 for a set of 3 reps. I felt like I was trying to focus on a lot of things: chest up, knees out, weight on heels, get low.
For my working weight, I loaded the bar up to 150 pounds. I did five sets of five reps, taking 1-2.5 minute breaks. This felt difficult from the first set, but the last rep on the last set was the only one I wasn't sure I'd make. I didn't feel my form break, but I want to get some video to see if I'm rounding my back at the bottom. It felt good to finish the last set and take the weight off the bar.

Overhead Press:
I did a two warm up sets of five reps with an empty bar. I went back to having even feet on this exercise. I snagged my chin a bit on the way up on one of the reps.
I loaded the bar up to 60 pounds. I did five sets of five reps at this weight. I noticed my heels coming up on a few of the reps in the third and fourth sets. I'm trying to get the weight up fast, so maybe it's just the momentum, but I'm worried I'm starting to do push presses (which is not the goal).

Deadlift:
I used 145 pounds on this exercise today, and did one set of five reps. They were tough, but I felt like my form was decent and that I could lift a little more weight on this exercise.

Pullups:
I used 5 pounds on a chain for my weighted pull-ups. I got through five sets of five reps, but the last two sets (particularly the fourth) were very hard. I was more exhausted from the other exercises than anything, maybe. I was thrilled to get the last rep.

To cool down, I ran for five minutes, did a set of shoulder dislocations, and stretched my hamstrings.

[mootnut]

today's blog post:

I had a tough start to my workout. Not the squats, which went well. I accidentally dumped the contents of my gym back into a parking lot and then realized I hadn't brought shorts.

I looked in the lost and found at the gym and there was nothing near my size. I was leaning towards coming back later over leaving, but decided to look in my bag. I found a pair of pajama pants and went with them.

I did a five minute treadmill run in pajamas to warm up.

The exercises:

Squat:
I did a couple of squat stretches and a set of shoulder dislocations before I started. The squat stretches felt a bit easier... I was able to keep my balance better (usually it is a struggle to to fall backwards). Maybe one session of yoga has improved my flexibility (I'm skeptical this is the case).
My first warm up set was two sets of five reps with just the bar. I tried to concentrate on a bunch of things, but mostly keeping my chest up. These went fine, although I always am worried about my form the most during this first couple of sets. I did one set of five at 85 and another at 115. At 115, I felt like my right knee was coming in a bit towards the bottom.
The working weight today was 155 pounds. I focused on driving my knees out at the bottom and keeping my chest up. I might have been using my muscles more efficiently because I felt like this was easier than my previous set of squats. I did five sets of five reps, and they were strenuous, but I had good control. Hopefully, my form is getting better.
Instead of walking around the gym during the breaks, I tried to do some stretching. This is a habit I'm looking to build.

Bench Press:
I did two warm up sets of five reps with an empty bar, then one warm up set with 75 pounds (also five reps). I'm getting better at keeping my shoulder blades together. Even 75 pounds doesn't feel super-easy with this exercise.
I lifted 100 pounds for five sets of five reps. I didn't feel like I got close to failing on any rep, but these are starting to feel heavy.


Barbell Row:
No warm up. I used 90 pounds for five sets of five. This is a tough exercise with my tight hamstrings, and I have to bend my knees significantly to feel like my torso is parallel to the ground. These didn't feel tough, and my lower back felt decent afterwords.

Dips:
After reading more on StrongLifts, I switched to three sets of five on dips and chins/pull-ups. Today, I did three sets of five dips with a 10 pound barbell on a chain from a belt. These weren't too hard for me. The last rep was strenuous on the third set, but I felt like I could have completed two more sets.

I did a five minute bike to cool down and some hamstring stretches.

Overall, I felt great during the workout. I'm not sure if it was the yoga a couple of days ago or the pajama pants, but I might stick with both.

I've got a six hour drive ahead of me, and I'm going to try to get out of the car and stretch often.

[mootnut]

from blog:

To warm up, I ran on the treadmill for five minutes.

In the gym, I did a couple of sets of shoulder dislocations, squat stretches, and good morning stretches.

The exercises:

Squat:
I started with two sets of five reps with just the bar to warm up. I felt like my right foot was dipping inwards with my knee, so I tried to work on driving the knee out. With the low weight, sometimes I have to take a step back at the top of the movement. I did another set of 5 reps at 85 pounds and 4 reps at 125 pounds to complete the warm up. I tried to concentrate on keeping my chest up and pushing my knees out.
The working weight today was 160 pounds. I completed five sets of five reps fairly easily. The last rep on the last two sets was difficult, but I didn't feel like I was close to failure. I'm getting a little better at getting my elbows back, but I still need to get a little more flexible there. I took 2-3 minute breaks between sets. I was worried a couple of times that a knee was creeping in, but my form was probably pretty good. I'm a little slower pushing up with this weight than with lower weights.

Overhead Press:
I did two warm up sets of five reps with just the bar. I scraped my chin with the bar coming down on one rep, and it still feels awkward to get my head out of the way.
I used 65 pounds today for my five sets. I concentrated on not letting my heels come off the ground and tried to keep my elbows in front of the bar on every rep (maybe sometimes I just do this on the first one). This was a tough exercise and I might not be able to add 10-15 more pounds before stalling on it.

Deadlift:
No warm up. I used 155 pounds for one set of five reps. This didn't feel difficult, and I could've used more weight. I'll keep going up 10 pounds every time I do this exercise for a while. I'm getting better at getting my hips back first while putting the bar down, so that my knees don't get in the way.

Chin-ups:
No warm up for this one either. I used 10 pounds of weight hanging from a chain on a belt. I did 3 sets of 5 reps fairly easily. The reps were hard, but I felt like I could have done more. I went up 5 pounds on this one, but I'll probably go back to 2.5 pounds each time.

To cool down, I shot some layups and post shots on the court and then ran for 5 minutes. After running, I stretched my hamstrings out a bit and left. These workouts feel a bit like they are getting easier, but maybe I'm also tired longer afterwords.

[mootnut]

blog entry:

I got to the gym early this morning, and warmed up with a 5 minute bike.

My right calf was sore, possibly from catching a knee in the basketball game last night. Also, something hurts on the left side of my back.

Before the exercises, I did one squat stretch (and I felt like it was more comfortable than usual) and a set of slow shoulder dislocations.

The exercises:

Squat:
I started, as always, with two sets of five reps with an empty bar. I concentrated on getting the bar in the right position, and felt like I was more successful. My knees came in on occasion, so I forced myself to push them out. I also did a set of 4 reps at 85 and 3 reps at 125.
Today, my working weight was 165 pounds. I'm getting the bar lower, but I still don't have my wrists straight. I felt like I was better able to keep my back straight and chest up with the bar lower, and powered through five sets of five reps. These felt hard, but I didn't think I was close to failure. In a couple reps on the fourth set, my weight came forward just a bit. On the last set, I stayed down longer than I would've liked on a couple of reps. I focused on keeping my chest up and pushing my knees out. Overall, my form is probably getting better. I took 2-3 minute breaks between sets, and felt relieved when I finished this exercise.

Bench Press:
I used the empty bar for two warm up sets of five reps, and 75 pounds for another warm up set of 3 reps.
After loading the bar to 105 pounds, it felt heavy taking off the rack. I completed five sets of five reps, and I would rank the difficulty as medium. The very last rep was tough, but I could probably do more weight (especially if I took longer than 1-1.5 minute breaks). On the third set, my shoulder blades came unclenched.

Barbell Row:
With just the bumper plates, I did a warm up set of five reps at 65 pounds. The exercise feels easy at that weight.
After putting weight on to get to 95 pounds, it was a different story. I completed five sets of five reps, but didn't get all the way to my chest a couple of times. I asked a guy at the gym about the exercise, but I'm not sure how helpful he was. He did say that if I got my butt back more, my weight wouldn't go onto my toes. He warned me that this exercise was dangerous and that it did the same thing as the chest supported version.
My form on the fourth set was great. The other sets, not as much. I guess since I didn't get to the chest every time I'll stay at this weight the next time I do this exercise.

Dips:
I used a 12 pound weight hanging from a chain on a belt. I did three sets of five reps. Some guy approached me after and said that those were "super deep". I might be going too low? I'll look at the form later. They were tough, but I'll probably be able to keep adding weight.

To cool down, I ran for five minutes. I felt great leaving the gym.

[mootnut]

from blog:

I'm visiting the school I'm about to go to, so I've been away from my normal gym. I didn't get a chance to go Thursday, and Friday the school gym was closed (summer hours). I found a Gold's Gym in the area and headed over there.

I hadn't been to one before, but it was kind of silly. It was enormous; probably 5 times the size of the cardio/machine/weight rooms in my home gym. However, almost all of it was nautilus machines and it was full of huge guys doing odd lifts. There was only one squat rack, but probably 25 or 30 machines for different row movements. Also, they didn't have 2.5 pound weights.

To warm up, I ran five minutes on a treadmill. The treadmill did have a TV on it, which was cool.

The exercises:

Squat:
I warmed up with just the bar for two sets of five reps. I felt one of my knees coming in a couple of times on these early reps, and tried to push them out. I did a set of 4 reps with 85 pounds, and sets of three reps with 115 and 145 pounds. The 145 pound set felt heavy. In between my sets, some guy was doing partial chin-ups on the squat rack (which was also the only pull-up bar).
The working weight today was 175 pounds. I completed all five sets of five reps, but these were very hard. This was the closest I've felt to failing on a set. My wrists were sore because they were folding back. On one rep, I went down too fast (slightly out of control), and on another I tilted and hit the support with the bar. A couple of my sets felt very good. I was taking 2-3 minute breaks between sets. I was relieved to finish, and halfway through I wasn't sure if I would.

Overhead Press:
I used just the bar for one set of five reps as a warm up. I continued to use the only squat rack in this giant gym.
I wanted to use 70 pounds for this exercise, but there were no 2.5 pound weights. I decided to try 75 pounds. These were definitely tough for me, but I made it through 5 sets. My left shoulder hurt a bit after one of the sets, and I'm worried I'm extending my back too much.

Deadlift:
I used 165 pounds and no warm up. I'm trying to focus on making a big chest and getting my shoulder blades over the bar. On one of my reps, my hips came up too fast. Also, putting the bar down doesn't feel natural yet, but I'm trying to get my hips back right away so that my knees are out of the way while keeping my chest up. I made all five reps.
Some guy used the bar after me to do some kind of curved back lift (this was after his sets of partial squats and some kind of leg press).

Pull-ups:
I used a 10 pound dumbbell that I held between my legs. I completed three sets of five, and I thought these were tough. I'm definitely getting my chin way over the bar and going all the way down, so my form is good.

To cool down, I ran for five minutes.

The men's restroom was conveniently under construction, so I had to wait to shower until I got back to the house I'm living in.

I'll probably start a break from strength training until after the triathlon is over and basketball season is done, which will probably be two weeks. I'm going to continue to work on flexibility, especially my chest for getting my elbows back on the squat and my hamstrings for a number of exercises.

[mootnut]

from blog (about workout 3 days ago):

I got back into the weight room for the first time in a couple of weeks on Thursday.

To warm up, I played a quick game of pick up basketball. It was sloppy, but my team won and I got a couple of buckets.

Before starting, I did a few squat stretches and shoulder dislocations.

The exercises:

Squat:
I did two warm up sets of five reps with an empty bar. I was concentrating on getting my hips back first, keeping my back tight, and pressing my knees out. I also did four reps at 75 and three reps at 105.
I went back 30 pounds from my maximum to 145 today. I tried to focus on form, and completed five good sets of five reps, taking a couple of minutes off between each. They didn't feel easy, but I knew I'd be able to complete all of them. I still need work getting my elbows back to be able to keep my wrists straight, but it felt good to do these again.

Bench Press:
Again, I did two warm up sets with an empty bar. I concentrated on keeping my shoulder blades together. I did five sets of five with 90 pounds pretty easily.

Barbell Row:
This is a tough exercise, and it's hard to tell if you're doing it correctly. I did one warm up set of five reps with 65 pounds (just bumper plates), and five sets of five reps with 80 pounds. I'm trying to get my back about horizontal without rounding and drive my elbows back up to the ceiling.

Dips:
I did three sets of five reps with an eight pound dumbbell between my legs. I tried to go down slower than usual and to get some forward lean. These feel hard.

To cool down, I ran five minutes on a treadmill.

[mootnut]

today's blog entry:

I went to a different gym today because my previous membership just expired and I'm about to move in a week. I borrowed my brother's pass and went to his school gym.

I ran on a treadmill for a five minute warm-up and watched Olympic biking on the attached monitor, which is a boring thing to watch.

They had three or four squat cages at this gym, which was mostly empty. I did a couple of squat stretches and good morning stretches.

The exercises:

Squat:
The two warm up sets of five reps felt weird with the empty bar. The first time, I kept stumbling back a bit as I got to the top. Maybe the exercise is a little easier with some weight there. I added forty pounds for a set of four at 85 and finished the warm up with a set of three with 115 pounds.
On my five sets with 150 pounds, I concentrated on going down about the speed I would come up and pushing my knees out. I could tell that I was using my hamstrings when I was able to keep my knees out. The five sets felt good, but I was tired by the end.

Overhead Press:
For this exercise, I started with two warm up sets of five reps using just the empty bar. I'm worried a bit that I arch my back too much, and I still feel uncomfortable getting my head out of the way of the bar.
I completed five sets of five reps with 60 pounds. By the end, the bar felt heavy but I wasn't breaking for very long between sets (usually about a minute). I need to work on having my elbows in front every rep, but I feel like I'm doing these reasonably well.

Deadlift:
I pulled 150 pounds off the floor to mid-thigh five times. I concentrated on keeping my back straight and trying to follow the form from Starting Strength. I'm getting better at getting my hips back first when I'm putting the bar down. I can probably lift a lot more on this exercise.

Chin-ups:
I did three sets of five reps with a 7.5 pound dumbbell between my legs. I was lifting myself up fast and getting my chest up to the bar. These felt fine, and I probably could have done a couple more sets.

To cool down, I rode the stationary bike for five minutes. I watched Olympic rowing, which is not a great spectator sport.

I feel good to be back in this routine, and I hope I don't lose many days between summer league playoffs and the move to graduate school.