stresscheese's training log

[stresscheese]

Basic info: I'm 16 years old, 5' 10.5" and 130 lbs with a pretty low bodyfat percentage. I want to get to at least 150 and retain my low bodyfat percentage so that I'm still quick on the tennis court. I also want to be able to squat 1.5x my bodyweight and deadlift 2x, which seems to be a very popular goal around here.

Recently i've been eating about 3000 calories with about 1.5g/lb of protein.

Since i'm out of town i found a gym with a cheap daily rate and i'm going to use it for the next few weeks. Hopefully by the time i get back i will be able to get a squat rack of my own.

Anyways today was my first day of the REAL stronglifts 5x5 (not dumbbells) and i was extremely excited. I maxed out my dumbells last week on everything except the overhead press. (60 lbs each exercise).

i started at 70, since dumbbells are notoriously harder than barbells, and breezed through everything. I know it will get hard very fast since i'm a scrawny guy, but i was a little bit disappointed.

Oh and i forgot which exercises i was supposed to be doing...woops... so i also did pullups in addition to the normal workout A.
So heres my current log.

70 lbs. Bench Press 5x5 Success
70 lbs. Squat 5x5 Success
Unknown weight 5x5 Barbell Row 5x5 Success (I couldnt figure out what to do with the Olympic bar to get it to the floor because there were safety mabobs all over the place, so i used a curl bar with 15 lbs on each side.)
Pullups 5, 4, 4
Dips 8, 5, 5 (real dips are awesome, my chest was aching)

I still don't know how to do deadlifts, so i think i'll start at a very low weight with those next time, and read up on how to do them.

[stresscheese]

i decided to record my post workout thoughts... i kind of miss the grip workout i got from lugging 30 lbs. dumbells around all over the place and my forearms seem neglected. Also my calves don't seem to have ever gotten any attention from this program. Otherwise I am quite happy with this routine and how it is working out, however when wearing t-shirts and shorts forearms and calves that dissappear at the right angle just scream skinny guy.

[Tresbien]

Doing deadlifts and rows will stress your forearms plenty. The deads and squats will work your calves in addition to your whole body. Just search Mehdi's articles for all of the info you need. Just avoid doing a split routine and it will stimulate your body plenty, and you will get more benefits than doing calf-raises or forearm curls. Just keep doing the SL 5x5 program as laid out, be patient a bit, and you'll see results.

[stresscheese]

thanks, I just needed a little reassurance. I'm still waiting for the day when my forearms and calves don't dip inward BEFORE they get to my wrists/ankles. Hard to picture i know, but something like this )( lol...

[jak3dude]

wow...you are skinny...

well, given the stats you've posted, unless you're a hardgainer, 150lbs should be easy for you to attain...just lift heavy and eat healthy and give it time (and don't forget to sleep, that's when you grow the most! 8 hours a night at least)

[stresscheese]

pretty sure i'm a hardgainer, i've gained like 2 lbs in a month...
I guess i don't gain at 2,500 cals though so i knocked it up to 3000

[stresscheese]

so today was interesting....
i pulled an idiotic move and accidentally loaded the bar with 20 lbs. more than last time... TWICE.
once on squats and once on deadlifts. I was trying to go up 10 lbs... I'm usually so good at math too.

anyways here is todays log.

90 lbs. Squats 5x5 Success
8lbs. ankle weighted chinups 5, 4, 4
90 lbs. Deadlifts 5x5 Success
45 lbs. OH press (first time)

[stresscheese]

post workout i ended up playing tennis for about 3 hours...
undesirable i know, I'll try and make up some calories with whole milk and extra food.

[stresscheese]

another good workout, starting to feel it on squats and bench press.

75 lbs. Bench Press 5x5 Success
95 lbs. Squat 5x5 Success
50 lbs barbell rows Success.
Dips 4,3,3 i figured out that that chest sensation i was feeling was not a good thing, and worked in better form, hence the lower numbers.

[stresscheese]

today was another good workout. As a side note, i have been gradually increasing my milk intake, i just have to drink it along with some solid foods to avoid the unpleasant side effects it seems.

100 lbs. Squats 5x5 Success (getting heavy as i approach 1x body weight)
pullups 5, 4, 3
100 lbs. Deadlifts 1x5 Success
50 lbs. OH press Success (I started struggling with the last couple reps, but i got them all in)

[stresscheese]

todays workout wasn't that great. I left the house in a hurry, and forgot what i was supposed to be lifting.

so i lifted:


80 lbs. Bench Press 4,5,5,5,5 first set felt bad, but i improved from there.
100 lbs. Squat 5x5 Success- damn i lifted 100 lbs last time
60 lbs barbell rows 5x5 Success. - cranked it up 10 lbs because 55 felt way too easy.
Dips 4,4,4 getting better...
reverse crunches 3x10

[stresscheese]

oh yeah, i forgot to note that before starting the program i used to do hammer curls (stupid i know) with 15 lbs, and i could barely do 10 reps, but today i was setting up dumbbells for reverse curls and i tried one with a 20 lb dumbbell and it was practically effortless.

its amazing that i can see that much strength gain in about 1 and a half weeks.

[stresscheese]

i would love to see some comments on here, but i think just writing out the log is helping with my lifting.

today was my first failed set, with the overhead press as is supposed to happen.

105 lbs. Squats 5x5 Success (getting heavy as i approach 1x body weight)
pullups 5, 4, 4 - not much better than last time, but i did these quicker and they felt easier
115 lbs. Deadlifts 1x5 Success
55 lbs. OH press 5,5,5,4,2 - last time i noted that i was struggling with the last few reps at 50 lbs. I ran out of steam on the last couple reps. I think it is mostly because i played tennis right before going to the gym, and without eating in between. It was the only way i was going to make it to the gym though.

next time i'll eat more, rest more, and blow through that 55 lbs.

[stresscheese]

tough workout today.

110 lbs. Squats 5x5 Success (this was really tough, fearing stall)
dips 5, 4, 4 -same as last time... grumble grumble
55 lbs. barbell rows 5x5 success (dropped it down some to work on form)
85 lbs. bench press 5,5,4,2,5 (weird set, left wrist started hurting and i had trouble lifting the bar)

3x10 reverse crunches with 8 lbs. ankle weights. -- dragon flags hurt my back a lot :{

[psprimont]

Good job stresscheese! Keep it up. Glad that you're now able to use a barbell, as it really does help when trying to stack the weight on.

oh yeah, i forgot to note that before starting the program i used to do hammer curls (stupid i know) with 15 lbs, and i could barely do 10 reps, but today i was setting up dumbbells for reverse curls and i tried one with a 20 lb dumbbell and it was practically effortless.

its amazing that i can see that much strength gain in about 1 and a half weeks.

I found myself discovering the same thing. A while ago, when I was about a month into the program, I was at the gym with my dad and he was doing curls so I did some with him. Before the program, when I regularly did curls, I'd struggle to get a few reps with 45 pounds, but one month into Stronglifts, during which time I did no curls, I managed to do 65 pounds for 5 reps fairly easily. Amazing what heavy lifting and good eating will do.

A note though: I wouldn't add weight to your dips/pulls.chins until you can do at least 10 reps on your first set with just your bodyweight.
Also, don't worry about stalling on the squat. I felt that I would stall soon for probably two weeks before I actually did stall, and I only stalled because I had bad form (completed 5x5 but didn't like the form). I worked with the same weight for a few workouts, had a conveniently timed family vacation, and then deloaded to hit the weights again with MUCH better form. So all in all, stalling and consequent deloading are actually a good thing! Don't fear it, just lift the weights with confidence (not cockiness though.. this is easy to fall into, especially when you can see improvements from lifting), and focus on form. Good luck!