Silentbob's training log

[silentbob]

Thought I'd start my log up and keep it updated, save me losing books and paperwork and stuff

I did my first SL 5x5 workout yesterday, it went pretty well. The squat isn't much to admire, but I'm still getting my right leg to play catch-up after I had the kneecap removed 2 years ago.
I've also put the bent-over rows back in (because I enjoy them, more than anything!) and substituted the dips for a close-grip decline bench press, as there are no dip bars in the gym I go to.

So here's my beginners stats:

Workout A
Squat - 65kg
Bench Press - 65kg
Bent over rows - 40kg
Decline press - 60kg
Reverse crunch - 3x12

I hadn't trained for quite a while, but I had gone in and done 2 sets of most lifts a couple of days ago, just to get my muscles warmed up a bit. I forgot to give abs a go though, so I'm aching a bit today! Ah well, no pain no gain!

Also finished day 6 of the AD - I think I have the hit the transition point, as I felt like absolute crap today and very nearly fell asleep at my desk a few times. Thankfully today I feel great - but that might also be because we found out that my pregnant wife is going to give birth to a healthy baby daughter in 4 months time! Now I'm gonna get as big as possible, so I can scare off potential boyfriends! lol

[guru]

Hi,

Good step, keeping the log. Keep up the good work. I agree that the squat is low compared to your other lifts, but that should improve when you do them 3x a week.

Why are you doing decline presses? You don't need any more lifts. If you don't have dip bars, do push-ups as the e-book says. It's an assistance exercise.

A few suggestions about the log -
Post your stats & I would suggest goals too. You can include them in your signature & edit them from time to time.
When you log, log the reps & sets too. It may seem trivial now, but when you reach your max, it helps.

All the best, see your squat going up.

- Guru

[silentbob]

Thanks for the kind words

I put the close-grip decline press in as I thought it'd be a substitute for the dips. I'll give the pushups a go instead next time then

[silentbob]

Just to update with my stats:

Male
6' / 183cm
currently 200Ib exactly / 91kg
28 years old (perhaps not mentally though! )
24% BF according to electronic scales - going to confirm shortly with 7-site skinfold test
Time spent lifting - about 3 months (2 1/2 of which was me pratting about with a rubbish diet and no real clue!)

As for goals, both short term and long term are to get as big and strong as possible Maybe when I've lifting seriously for longer, I may be able to set more realistic goals, but for now its simply 'more'!

[silentbob]

Workout B (first one)
Squat - 5x5 @ 67.5kg / 148.5Ib
OHP - 5x5 @ 40kg / 88Ib
Deadlift - 1x5 @ 100kg / 220Ib
Chin-ups - 3 sets to failure @ 5, 3 & 2 (unassisted)
Prone bridges - front bridge, one leg raised to the side - 30 seconds each leg; side bridges 30 seconds each side; superman 30 seconds.

[guru]

Squat moving up, Good.

You have an impressive DL, bro, & the OHP is good too.

If you are not very tired from your workout & have time on hand, you can do some cardio immediately after the workout. Will help bring down the bodyfat.

Keep moving those weights up.

- Guru

[silentbob]

Thanks Guru

Workout A again this evening and I have to admit I'm really looking forward to it. Keeping records and having a set programme has given me a lot more motivation - it's great to see those values going up. Hoping to hit 70kg on the squat tonight, along with upping all the other lifts.

For the press-ups, I'm going to use one of those big ball things to raise my feet & get the core working as well

[silentbob]

A great workout last night I left very happy, with ticks next to all of my targets for the night:

Squat - 5x5 @ 70kg
Bench Press - 5x5 @ 67.5kg
Bent-over rows - 5x5 @ 42.5kg
Push-ups (with the 65cm ball under my feet) - 25 / 14 / 9
Reverse crunch - 3x13

I didn't do any cardio as I was short on time, so I settled for a 30-minute brisk walk with the dogs when I got home.

One thing that does concern me at the moment is my lack of quality sleep. My workout day looks something like this at the moment:
04:00 - get up, attack the alarm clock, get ready for work, make breakfast
05:00 - leave for work
06:00 - arrive at work
18:00 - finish work
18:30 - arrive at gym
19:30 - leave gym
20:15 - arrive home, walk dogs
21:00 - eat dinner, do various household chores (wife is pregnant at the moment, so more jobs for me to do!)
22:00 - fall into bed with a smile, knowing that I hit my targets at the gym!


I decided to wear my knee support whilst squatting last night and it seemed to help - it's just a simple neoprene wrap, but it helps keep all the bits where they are supposed to be
Found a photo of knee after the last operation to remove the patella: http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a84/ro ... lknee2.jpg

[silentbob]

Yet another productive workout last night, and all targets reached

Workout B
Squat - 5x5 @ 72.5kg / 160 Ib
Overhead Press - 5x5 @ 42.5kg / 94 Ib <=== The last rep was very difficult; I'm worried that I may stall next time.
Deadlift - 1x 110kg / 242 Ib
Pull-ups - 4 / 3 / 2
Prone bridges: Front, with one leg raised - 45 seconds each leg
Side - 45 seconds each side
"Superman" - 45 seconds

All in all, a very happy chap today

[guru]

Great.

Don't worry about anything, especially stalling. 45 kg for OHP is not a bad figure to stall, in case you stall. Frankly, I don't think you will. If you find the last reps hard, remember to grunt. It helped me in the OHP.

- Guru

[silentbob]

It's the end of week 2, and I"ve completed a grand total of 5 workouts.

My lifts last night made me feel great and even more motivated - can't wait to deadlift on Sunday!

Workout A
Squat - 75kg
Bench press - 70kg
Bent-over row - 50kg (I decided to up this one more, as the previous attempts felt too easy)
Push-ups (with the ball under my feet) - 29 / 17 / 14
Reverse crunches - 3x12 (decided to stick at 12 for the time being, as the push-ups on the ball are also working my core quite hard).

So in 5 workouts, My scores have increased by:
Squat - 10kg
Bench press - 5kg
Bent-over row - 10kg
OHP - 2.5kg
Deadlift - 10kg

I'm quite happy with that so far

[Mouse]

Good going bob - some solid numbers coming through

Keep it up

[guru]

Hey mouse,

That's a great thread you've linked in your signature. It's so hilarious, I thought I would die laughing. Thx.

silentbob,

Sorry for using your log for this.

- Guru

[silentbob]

Start of week 3 last night, and this week it's mainly going to be Workout B's. hooray for deadlifts!

Went to the gym last night feeling pretty good after my weekend carb-loading. So good, in fact, that I threw an extra couple of kg on my squat

Workout B
Squat - 5x5 @ 80kg / 176Ib
OHP - 5x5 @ 45kg / 99Ib <=== phew! Didn't stall like I thought I would!
Deadlift - 1x5 @ 115kg / 253Ib
Chin-ups - 6 / 4 / 1 [2 more on the first set that last workout B]
Bridges - 1 minute each (2x front with 1 leg raised, 2xside, 1x"superman")

[silentbob]

Meh, crap workout last night. I got the main weights up, but I was so lacking in energy that I could barely muster the push-ups, and gave up competely on the crunches

Workout A
Squat - 5x5 @ 82.5kg / 182Ib
Bench press - 5x5 @ 72.5kg / 160Ib
Bent-over row - 5x5 @ 52.5kg / 116Ib
Push-ups with my feet on the exercise ball - 30 / 12 / 6 [this is where my energy really dropped off]
Reverse crunches - fail!

I blame my diet yesterday - I got up at 4am, only to find the dogs had the shits. By the time I had cleaned up, it was time to leave for work so I just managed to grab a low-carb protein shake for breakfast. Didn't have time to sort out my lunch either, so the rest of the busy day consisted of 300g salmon fillet, 50g almonds and 2 small bits of cheese. After a blazing row in the main office with one of the guys I work with, it's no wonder I felt like crap!

Also forgot my knee support tonight. The bad knee got worse, and on the 4th set of squats, was making loud cracking noises on each rep. I kept going, but today my knee is making cracking noises every time it bends slightly. Probably another loose bit of cartilage, so I'm going to take it easy for a day or two and see how it goes.