Tom's Training Log

[AbsoluteTom]

Hi, I'm Tom. I began lifting almost two years ago because I wanted to be stronger. From the beginning, I have been strength training using compond lifts. Being a beginner, I had lots of questions about technique. This led me to strong lifts. Soon, I was getting all of my training information from this site. I downloaded Mehdi's ebook last summer while in Kazakhstan adopting my son. As soon as we got home, my wife and I began the SL 5x5 program.

I have never been a gym member. I built a home gym in my basement and use it consistently. My neighbor comes over every M/W/F to lift with us also. We have an Olympic size bench, a sumo squat rack (short rack because of low basement ceiling), two heavy bags, and a speed bag.

I enjoy running a lot and love to race. My ultimate yearly goal is the Tough Guy Race... http://www.toughguy.co.uk/
I finished TG 2009 in 02:29:59. I hope to take at least 30 minutes off of that in 2010.

Last year I had some injuries that set me back. 2010 is going to be injury free!

Age: 38 H: 5'10'' W: 188 lbs

5/4/09 (Mon)
Squat - 205 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Bench - 160 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Row - 105 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Dips - 9/9/9

5/6/09 (Wed)
Squat - 210 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
SOHPress - 103 lbs 5/5/5/5/4
Deadlift - 210 lbs 5
Pullups - 5/5/5

5/7/09 (Thur) 23 minute run, Easy pace

5/8/09 (Fri)
Squat - 215 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Bench - 165 lbs 5/5/5/5/4
Row - 110 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Dips - 10/10/10

[AbsoluteTom]

5/12/09 (Tues) 28 minute run, Fartlek

[AbsoluteTom]

Today's run felt good. The speed burts were effortless. Half of the run was through neighborhood streets, half through a local park.
My alergies are bad this time of year and I get a little asthma. That's a drag and cuts my runs short.

Tom's Training Log

[AbsoluteTom]

5/10/09 (Sun) 27 minute run, Easy pace

5/12/09 (Tues) 25 minute run, Easy pace

5/13/09 (Wed)
Squat - 220 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
SOHPress - 103 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift - 220 lbs 5
Chinups - 7/7/5

5/15/09 (Fri)
Squat - 225 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Bench - 165 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Row - 115 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Dips - 11/11/11

5/17/09 (Sun) 25 minute run, Easy pace

Tom's Training Log

[AbsoluteTom]

I have kept my training log on a composition book since July 2007. Lifting in my basement, I just write the sets as I go. I didn't get into a rhythm with my online log and stopped writting to it pretty soon. Having an infant to take care of might have had something to do with it .

I finished the SL 5x5 on August 7th, 09 with the following...
Age: 38
Weight: 187 lbs

20090803 (Mon)
Squat - 275 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
SOHPress - 108 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Deadlift - 275 lbs 5

20090807 (Fri)
Squat - 280 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Bench - 175 lbs 5/5/5/3/2
Row - 155 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

I run a lot to train for races and was only lifting twice a week. After finishing SL, I had trouble deciding on an intermediate program to move on to. I tried 3x5 sets, but this left me feeling undertrained. Then I found this post by emez.

Pavel's 80/20 Powerlifting looks just right for me. I can switch back to lifting three days a week, while performing squats/deadlifts twice a week. This should leave enough gas in the tank for my running.

Simmo asked me to report back how the training goes, so I am starting my SL log again. My schedule will be squat on Mondays, bench press on Wednesdays, deadlift on Fridays.

Now, back to the sets...

20090821 (Friday)
Power Clean - 95 lbs 5/5/5 (I am just learning PC's, so I will increase weight slowly for now)
Dead Lift - 290 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

***recovery from bad Cold***

20090902 (Wednesday)
Power Clean - 95 lbs 5/5/5
Bench Press - 175 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

20090904 (Friday)
Power Clean - 95 lbs 5/5/5
Dead Lift - 300 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

[coryK]

Thanks for stopping by my training log! Thought I'd repay the favor.

Great weights you're lifting! Sure hope I can get up to those kinds of numbers some day.

You mentioned that you are coming off of some injuries and that you like to run a lot. That reminded me of an article I read about heel strikers versus forefoot runners. You may have heard about this already, but just in case you haven't, the argument goes something like this: since the invention of the hell-cushioned shoe, the number of running related injuries hasn't changed at all, despite all the technological advances. Some people are now arguing that heel striking is an unnatural way for people to run and that we should instead be running barefoot (or as close to it as possible) and landing on the balls of our feet. One author cites this tribe that lives in the jungles of Mexico who run 100 mile marathons with nothing but a thin strip of plastic on the bottom of their feet and suffer virtually no injuries. Read more about it here:

http://www.maxworkouts.com/index.php/bl ... -not-walk/

I'm not much of a runner myself, so I don't have an opion either way, but since you are an avid runner I thought this might interest you.

Good luck with the training and I'll be sure to stop by and watch your progress!

[AbsoluteTom]

Hi coryK. Thanks for the link, that was a good article. Barefoot running was a popular topic this past summer amongst my running friends. I know a few people who purchased the Vibram FiveFingers shoes, but I have not seen them in a while. Nike also makes a line of shoes (Nike Free) that are supposed to simulate barefoot running. I wanted to try one of these, but my feet are hard to fit. My feet are wide with high arches, and few shoes fit me.

I have a treadmill that I mostly use in the Winter. Once I start training on it again I will try running barefoot and I will let you know how it works out.

[AbsoluteTom]

It had been several weeks since I squatted last. I REALLY felt it in my thighs the next day. A short run and foam rolling helped a lot.

20090907 (Monday)
Power Clean - 100 lbs 5/5/5
Squat - 285 lbs 5/5/2/1/1

20090907 (Tuesday)
17 minute run. Easy pace.

20090909 (Wednesday)
Bench Press - 185 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

20090911 (Friday)
Power Clean - 100 lbs 5/5/5
Dead Lift - 310 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

This was my first full week of the Pavel 80/20 program. I really enjoy it. It feels great to add 10 lbs and complete a 5x5 deadlift.

[coryK]

Glad you enjoyed the link. The author seemed a bit biased towards running barefoot, but I've been following his posts for a while and he seems like he knows what he's talking about.

I've been wearing Nike Frees for the last 2 years now and absolutely love them. Like I said, I'm not much of a runner, but they've been great for me when lifting, in areobics classes and even when I'm out clubbing

Looking forward to hearing some first-hand experiences barefoot running!

[AbsoluteTom]

20090914 (Monday)
Power Clean - 100 lbs 5/5/5
Squat - 285 lbs 5/5/3/2/2

20090916 (Wednesday)
Bench Press - 195 lbs 5/5/4/3/3

20090917 (Thursday)
15 minute run. Easy Pace, Treadmill, Barefoot

20090918 (Friday)
5 minute run. Easy Pace, Treadmill, Barefoot
Dead Lift - 320 lbs 5/5/5/5/5
Power Clean - 100 lbs 5/5/5

I have three (relatively) new things going on with my training now. Pavel 80/20, Power Cleans, and bare foot running.

Pavel 80/20 has been working as described in the article at fourhourworkweek. I feel well trained from the lifting, but still have gas in the tank. I hope to finish the bench at 195 this week. Squating 285 might take two more weeks.

Power Cleans are fun. They are a different game than the strength training lifts. It will be nice once I have the technique down. Last night I caught the bar more at my fingers than on the delts on the last rep. Hyperextending the wrists didn't feel good.

Bare foot running seems promising. I have only tried it a bit, but could feel a difference right away. My form was different in that I was landing on the balls of my feet instead of the heals. This created more of a 'spring' in my stride from the ankles and knees. A natural shock-absorption. In the past, running has given me bad lower back pain. Maybe this change in technique will help that.

[AbsoluteTom]

20090921 (Monday)
Squat - 285 lbs 5/5/4/3/3

20090922 (Tuesday)
25 minute run. Easy Pace, Treadmill, Barefoot

20090923 (Wednesday)
Bench Press - 195 lbs 5/5/5/4/4

20090924 (Thursday)
20 minute run. Easy Pace, Treadmill, Barefoot

20090925 (Friday)
Dead Lift - 330 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

I didn't sleep enough this week, so I left out the power cleans.

I signed up for the Death Race this week... http://www.youmaydie.com/

[coryK]

Last post from over a week ago says:

I signed up for the Death Race this week... http://www.youmaydie.com/

Just wondering if you're still with us

[AbsoluteTom]

Just wondering if you're still with us

Hey coryK! I wish I was dying at the race. Actually, I overtrained, then my wife and kid got the flu. I'm back now though.

[AbsoluteTom]

20090925 (Saturday)
25 minute run. Easy Pace, YMCA indoor track (guest pass)

The next day it was apparent that I had overtrained. I felt pin-pricks strains in my legs. Not too bad though, fortunately. The running combined with two heavy leg lifts per week did not mix for me. Not only had I overtrained, I also got sick (either a cold or a touch of flu). So, I took a week off and rethought the Pavel 80/20 routine.

Right now, my goals are assault course style races. The routine I was using gave great results, but it does not fit my needs. I need endurance running along with lifting. So, I am modifying Pavel 80/20. I will do one heavy leg lift per week instead of two, and I will add three more lifts. I will still perform one lift, 5x5, per workout. I divided this into A and B weeks...

Week A
M - Power Clean
W - Seated Overhead Press (low ceiling basement)
F - Squat

Week B
M - Barbell Row
W - Bench Press
F - Dead Lift

Tu, Th, Su will be running, adjusted as a race gets nearer.

[AbsoluteTom]

20091004 (Sunday)
30 minute run. Easy Pace, Treadmill, Barefoot

20091005 (Monday)
Power Clean - 105 lbs 5/5/5/5/5

20091006 (Tuesday)
20 minute run. Easy Pace, Outdoors, city

20091007 (Wednesday)
SOHP - 105 lbs 5/5/5/5/5