THEMike's Training Log

[THEMike]

Seems like creating a training journal is a good idea. So here it goes

Goal:
Finding it hard what goal to work out and set. Having my wife unable to keep her hands off me and all the other women in the world green with envy is apparently not specific enough and too long term. So have to find something else.

I think my actual goal needs to be something like:

BMI Target: 23.0
Body Fat Target: 15%

I don't have specific goals in weight to lift, and I'm not going for big. Just a bit bigger with some good definition. So that seems reasonable enough given my current status.

I climb (or used to) so a good power/weight ratio is important. Not going for strength for the sake of strength.

Starting Status/Stats
Age: 32
Weight: 11st 6lb (72kg, 160lb)
Height: 5' 10" (ish) (180cm)
BMI: 22.4
Body Fat: 18.5%

Fitness History
Lots of Martial Arts is my history, some climbing, cycling to get places till uni. Then off to the real world of work and just intermittent Martial Arts and Climbing and a general decline in fitness!

Recent Fitness
I accidentally lost the extra weight I was carrying through illness, and decided to keep it off. After a couple of months of home training, joined the gym September 2009, my routine, which I fell into by default was as follows when I stopped it last week:

4-5x a week

Start with 30 minutes on the cross trainer doing a cross country pre-program with level 9 on the resistance. Sustain 210-220 strides per minute, burning (allegedly) 500 odd calories holding heart rate in the intense work out zone.

Followed by
2x10 shoulder press machine thing with 50kg
1x10 lat pull down machine, wide grip, behind head 50kg
1x10 lat pull down machine, wide grip, to the chest 50kg
1x10 lat pull down machine, narrow grip, behind head 50kg
1x10 lat pull down machine, narrow grip, to the chest 50kg
2x10 Butterfly machine, 57.5kg
2x10 Butterfly machine on rear deltoid mode, 35kg
2x10 Chest Press upright grip 65kg
2x10 Chest press horizontal grip 65kg
1x10 Bicep curls 14kg dumbells
1x10 Bicep twist curls 14kg dumbells
1x10 lateral raises 6kg dumbells
1x10 front raises 6kg dumbells
Various crunches on the abcradle.

Generally, Mon/Wed/Thu/Sat/Sun Tho Saturdays are sometimes off and some days shift round as life got in the way.

I'm doing a variation on the Stronglifts 5x5 program as it has such a good reputation. However, my gym is limited:

Exercise Program
Workout A
Standard split squat with dbs 5x5
Dumbbell Benchpress 5x5
Bentover Rows 5x5
Push-ups 3xF
Reverse Crunches 3xF

Workout B
Standard split squat with dbs (5x5)
Standing barbell OH press (5x5)
Deadlift (1x5)
Pull ups / chins - 3xf
Prone bridges - 3x30sec

Diet
Not watching this particularly, always tried to eat healthy home cooked meals as much as possible, but it's generally:

Breakfast:
Muesli. Always Semi skimmed milk and a scoop of protein stuff.

Snacks:
Fruit. Or cereal based bars. Mostly. Chocolate sometimes. Crisps very rarely.

Lunch:
Sandwiches. Ham salad and extra-light mayo. Most of the time. It's very boring.

Dinner
Home cooked whatever. Stew today for example.

Evening
Peanuts. Of one kind or another. Protein shake.

Pics:
July 2008, worst condition ever.


1st October 2009 - one month into the old routine at the gym.


1st November 2009 - two months into the old routine at the gym.

[THEMike]

Workout A.

Didn't start with an empty bar due to shame and the desire to feel like I'd done something. Used the barbell while the weights are low for squats.

Squats 5x5 total weight 30kg (bar + 10kg)
Dumbbell Benchpress 5x5 2x10kg dumbbells
Bentover Rows 5x5 30kg (bar + 10kg)
Pushups 3xf (32, 20, 15)
Reverse Crunches

Hmm, Crunches, forgot entirely the correct technique so instead used the abcage, which I have good form on isolating the abs and not using the momentum or the rest of my body. Which I found out the hard way after wasting ages doing hundreds of bad form crunches.

So I did:

3 sets of 50 crunches, 1 set of 25 oblique per side (total 50) and 25 "advanced crunches" (according to the poster).

End result is the only thing that feels like I've done anything with is my abs.

So I'll be using larger than default weight increases for the first few workouts. And probably adding a cardio session to follow on the cross trainer. While the weights are low, trim a little body fat perhaps?

[THEMike]

Workout B.

Weight: 11st 3.8lb
Body Fat: 18.7% (scales perhaps not very accurate!)

So was ill on Friday, did a few pull-ups and chin-ups then went to bed at 8. Back on it today, still workout B as Friday so totally didn't count.

Upped the weight by 10kg. Feel like I did something this time:

Squats 5x5 total weight 40kg (bar + 20kg)
Overhead Lifts 6x5 as above, and lost count.
Deadlifts 5x5 as above, technique PISS POOR
Chin-ups 10, Pull-ups, wide grip 5, pull-ups sticky out peg grip 6
Prone Bridge 3x60s + 2 sets of 15s side bridge (each side, totalling further 60s)

Feel it in my legs and shoulders today. I like the chin-ups and pull-ups. Feel like I'm really doing something. Deadlift technique. that needs a lot of work. Need someone to watch and correct me

After the deadlifts, did 15min on the x-trainer before going home to the pull up bar. Don't like breaking it up like that, especially as need to shower after the gym as I'm so sweaty, get home, pull ups and abs and need another shower! Wife has the house like a sauna as usual. Which would be good if it wasn't for the bills

[THEMike]

Workout A.

OK so I didn't leave it the requisite 48 hours, but, I have child care issues this week, so tonight was my chance to get to the gym, and Thursday afternoon. Throws the schedule off somewhat, but figured that getting the training in sooner is better than not at all, especially since I missed Friday with man-flu.

Squats 5x5 total weight 50kg (bar + 30kg)
Dumbbell Benchpress 5x5 2x12kg dumbbells
Bentover Rows 5x5 40kg (bar + 20kg)
7.5min on xtrainer. Legs were rubber so packed it in.
Pushups 3xf (35, 17, 15)
Reverse Crunches 3xf (20, 20, 20)

Pushups. It's my legs that pack in not my arms. My quads start shaking uncontrollably. Probably worn out from the squats and stuff. Normal? Think I'm going to see about a resistance band to make it harder and see if my arms/chest will then tire before my legs.

Reverse Crunches. Find myself caterpillaring across the floor. Had to quickly shove myself back into position twice in each set. Finding it hard to force the work to come from my abs. Think my technique needs 'work'. Though after the shower brushing my hair noticed abs were a bit pumped and I can feel them a little now so mabye it is working? I stopped at 20 each set because I was finding the technique/movement awkward rather than I was failing form through tiredness. Need to do some reading.a

I've really got to find a new gym. Killamarsh is too small, no rack, very little in the way of kit. The barbell clips are screwed and the free weights very limited. All kit is over-contended now that all the ladies are trying to get ready for Christmas party frocks and the men seem to be working to pump up a little extra. Started going later when the gym used to be almost empty (often me + 1/2 more) now it's as busy as it used to be at 'peak' times, and 'peak' times are just unpleasant. Nearest good option is twice the price though

[THEMike]

Workout B.

Introduced some warm-ups as the weight is going up now. Also, having been to a sports shop and hefted an olypmpic bar I'm reasonably sure the bars at the gym aren't 20kg. I had suspected, but, well still not 100% sure. Figures assume still that the bar is 20kg.

Squats:
1x5 20kg
1x5 30kg
1x5 35kg
5x5 55kg

I'm now struggling a little to get the bar into place for the squats with no rack. Been power cleaning + overhead press then down to the shoulders. Only at 55kg, doing that is getting hard, with the press part. It's 10kg more than I'm pressing, and the press is getting a little hard now too.

Overhead Press:
1x5 20kg
1x5 40kg
5x5 45kg

Deadlift:
1x5 20kg
1x5 40kg
1x5 45kg

Form still needs work

10 pull ups
8 chin ups
8 peg pull ups

Prone Bridge: 30s, 45s, 30s found that my quads were shaking and was having to stop for that. Squats obviously working me harder now! Also was a bit pressed for time.

With the fact I'm reasonably sure the bar isn't 20kg, the trouble getting the bar onto my shoulders for squats and so forth, I'm more and more sure I need to find a new gym if I'm going to carry on with stronglifts.

Picked up some resistance bands today though to make the press-ups harder. Would move onto dips since I can do 3x15, only, no dip bars

[THEMike]

OK so the bar is 10kg not 20kg at the gym, so take 10kg off all the previous weights. poo.

Workout A

15min on xtrainer

Squats
1x5 10kg (bar)
1x5 30kg
5x5 50kg (bar + 40kg)


Dumbbell Benchpress 5x5 2x14kg dumbbells

Bentover Rows 5x5 30kg (bar + 20kg)

Pushups 3xf with medium strength resistance band (19, 11, 10)
Abcradle 2x40 + 2x25 each side obliques

Did a cardio only session yesterday and found that with the Stronglifts time, my cardio has dropped sharply, hence the 15min xtrainer to start the session.

Protein shakes are horrible.

[THEMike]

Workout B

15 minutes on the cross trainer.

Squats 5x5 50kg (bar + 40kg)

No weight increase due to the lack of a power cage/rack/anything. I really can't get more than that from the ground, over my head and into position. So I'm going to have to hold at that. That said, I've also strained my right shoulder getting it into position for tonight's workout which kind of screwed the rest.

Overhead Press 40kg (previous was 35kg when corrected for wrong bar)
5, 5, 4, 5, 4

So a fail, that shoulder injury from pushing 50kg overhead to get in for squats + a 5kg press increase was just too much.

NEED a rack/cage/spotter

Deadlifts

1x5 50kg - no problems

9 x pull up, 8 x chin up, 4 x pegs. Shoulder screwed it.

Then ab cradle.

Was planning on shifting gyms this weekend, but due to cash flow looks more like 10 days with no gym access, so might have to do Simplefit after the weekend.