Wade's training log

[wade]

So, the vital stats:

+ 20yo
+ 170cm/5'6/7
+ 58kg/9st 2

Goals:

Gain some weight - long-term goal is 10st (am I aiming too low?), but as long as I've seen some decent development by September...

Note: As I've only got a very basic home gym for now, squats/inverted rows are replaced by lunges/bent over rows

Week 1
Workout 1: 08/05/09
Lunges: 20kg
Bench: 40kg
BOR: 12.5kg
Verdict: As I'd been going to the gym (on and off) before, this wasn't too hard

Workout 2: 10/05/09
Lunges: 25kg
Overhead Press: 20kg
Deadlift: 50kg
Verdict: Overhead press is tough...lunges are getting heavier too, and I'm playing football tonight!

Also took some pictures today, but they're being saved until I get some decent progress

[wade]

Ok, so I stopped being an idiot and now I'm doing dumbbell squats instead of lunges - so, back to a lower weight for those. Plus, realised my previous bench was 45kg, not 40kg (adding 7.5kg in a workout, impressive ), and I'm adding in totals for push/chin/pull-ups from now on.

Workout 3: 12/05/09
Squats: 20kg
Bench: 47.5kg
BOR: 15kg (each side)
Pushups: 24 - 14 - 11
Verdict: Lunges were...fun...I've benched more than this but not in a 5x5 routine! Apparently in less than a month I'll be benching by bodyweight for 5x5, scary. Overall, seems quite easy, but I can tell it's going to be hell in a month or so!

[sil]

Found your training log

Good start and you will really benefit from squats. Only advice I have for now is make sure you really focus on your lifitng form. Your body will thank you later when you start lifting heavy.

[wade]

Ok, writing this from my phone, doing this today:

Squats - 25kg
OH press - 22.5kg
Deadlift - 50kg

Verdict: OH press sucks!

[Marine]

Nice to see you have a log. Keep me updated with how the back squats go man.

Yes you are aiming WAY too low for your weight aim. You can hit that by September easily, especially if you EAT BIG and LIFT BIG.

Bench Press was never my strong exercises, haven't worked on it in awhile but 47.5kg is a good number. A bodyweight Bench Press would be awesome! I on the other hand loved OHP, just something primitive and masculine about pressing a barbell above you.

[wade]

Ok, made a mistake last time I posted, deadlift was 55kg.

I wasn't finding the squats too hard so I kept the weight increase to 2.5kg and moved onto using a barbell - seeme to work fine! Getting it off my back was the hardest part. Anyway, let's re-post my previous log and include the new one

Week 2
Workout 1: 15/05/09
Squat: 25kg
Overhead Press: 22.5kg
Deadlift: 55kg
Verdict: Quickly identifying OH press as my least favourite

Workout 2: 18/05/09 (had to skip 1 day as I was visiting family)
Squats: 27.5kg
Bench: 50kg
Barbell Row: 32.5kg
Pushups: 25 - 13 - 5
Verdict: Really struggled with the bench press! That pretty much knackered me out, hence the shockingly bad amount of pushups

[wade]

Bad idea: playing football less than 2 hours after...walking is not my friend right now

[wade]

Update: 131lb, that's 9st 5, or 59.4kg. WEIGHT GAIN!

Workout 3: 20/05/09
Squat: 30kg
Overhead Press: 25kg
Deadlift: 57.25kg (Run out of weights! Next 2 sessions I'm visiting a mate and have access to a gym, so...sorted, I guess)
Verdict: OHP is, to be frank, fun - but a bitch!

[wade]

Boredom on a train leads to this - was using an actual gym instead of a home gym this time

Week 3
Workout 1, 23/05
Squat - 35kg
Bench - 52.5kg (failed last set)
Inverted rows, push ups, reverse crunches - fine
Verdict: I think i started too heavy on the bench press! Oh well, will try again at that weight on workout 3 (tomorrow as i'm writing this)

Workout 2, 25/05
Squat - 37.5kg
OHP - 27.5kg (failed last set)
Deadlift - 60kg (bodyweight!)
Chinups/bridges - fine
Verdict: slightly gutted about OHP!

After my next workout tomorrow, going to have to take a break til next monday as that's when i'm moving in to my new place and lots of things will be 'in transit' til then! After that, though, i'll be using a proper gym, good as i was running out of weights...

[wade]

"Workout 3"?: 27/05

...I hit a problem. As the last 2 times I've been using a gym, this time I was back to my home gym, which means cleaning the squat weight onto my shoulders. With 40kg...not happening. So, I was back to the 30kg weight of last week. Also, the bench press, I'm lucky I had a spotter for the last weight, and there was nobody around this time, so I was back to the last "safe" weight

So, this isn't really a workout. More maintenance.

Squat 30kg, BP 50kg. Other exercises, fine...but I'm not counting this as "workout 3, week 3"!

[wade]

Ok, so I'm back after a long break and not being able to train consistently in a decent gym.

Now signed up to the uni gym, which has a power rack (finally!) and all necessary equipment. Also, it's cheap. Excellent.

So, this week's 3 sessions:

Current weight: Not too sure. Probably still hovering slightly less than 60kg...although (imho) I'm looking better, there's one photo from a night out where, unexpectedly, I look like I have a massive tricep.

Monday
Squat: 50kg
Bench: 50kg (failed 4th set)
All other lifts/etc were fine.

Wednesday
Squat: 55kg
OHP: 25kg
Deadlift: 65kg
Everything else, great. Really struggled with OHP. Upper body strength is lacking.

Friday
Squat: 60kg
Bench: 50kg (managed it!)
All other lifts went fine.

That's fine, but I'll now be cutting down to 2 sessions a week as I'm taking up Muay Thai, so that'll replace 1 of the sessions.

Good to be back!

[wade]

Wednesday 7/10/09:
Squat: 65kg
OHP: 25kg (just. I have no upper body strength)
Deadlift: 70kg

Also, weighed myself - 62kg.

[wade]

Friday 9/10/09:
Squat: 70kg - down to 3x5, didn't have much time...I'm nearly at 1.2xBW for that, so cutting down to 3x5 might not be such a bad thing
Bench: 52.5kg - weirdly enough, I found this a lot easier than the 50kg, and only struggled on the last set.
Everything else went fine, except I swapped out push-ups for tricep dips, and think I've found a new favourite exercise!

[wade]

Wed 14/10/09:
3x5 Squat 75kg - 1.25 x bw. Ooh yeah.
OHP - Stalled. Bugger.
Deadlift - 75kg

[wade]

Friday 16/10/09:
3x5 Squat: 80kg - just. Just. If all goes to plan (which it won't), I'll be at 1.5 x bw squats by this time next week. Ha.
Bench: 55kg - stalled on the second set.
Inverted rows were as fun as always (not at all), dips were actually fun, and reverse crunches were...well...reverse crunches