WBradley1372's Training Log

[wbradley1372]

THE NOVICE: Everything works. Some things work better than others.
M. Rippetoe, Practical Programming for Strength Training

While I'd love to entertain you all with glorious tales of my weightlifting prowess, the simple fact of the matter is that I'm a balding doughy middle-aged man who has never really excelled at any physical activities.

I'm new to free weights, so am following the SL5x5 Beginner's program fairly strictly. I usually add one cardio session (medium to high intensity--I'm a big fan of 500m intervals on a rower) per week, but I may add a second, lower-intensity one. I also hope to begin learning power cleans in the near future, so I can add HPCs to my routine.

Diet is fairly clean (no alcohol/tobacco/drugs, no coffee/tea/soda, not much junk) but admittedly light on protein. I'm a family man, and generally eat whatever we decide to have for dinner, so can't follow a specific diet like GOMAD or AD without buy-in from my wife. Mostly, I take a multivitamin and just try to eat "healthily", although I know I need to eat more. I'm aware that this is an issue.

Sleep is usually 7-7.5 hours a night, but occasionally closer to 6.5. I'm aware that this is an issue, too.

Current Stats:
41 years old, 5'10", 175#, ~23% BF
DL: 1x5@215#
SQ: 5x5@190#
BP: 5x5@110#
BBR: 5x5@105#
OHP: 5x5@75#
PC: n/a (haven't started yet)
Pulls/Chins: I cannot do a pull-up from a dead hang. I can do a chin-up from a dead hang, but not more than 3 or 4.

Short Term Goals:
DL: 1x5@275#
SQ: 5x5@225#
BP: 5x5@135#
OHP: 5x5@100#
HPC: 5x5@95#
BF < 20%

Short Term Plans:
SL5x5 Beginner's
Swap out BBRs for HPCs (or alternate them, at least)
EAT MORE

Medium Term Goals
DL: 1x5@ 2xBW
SQ: 5x5@ 1.5xBW
BP: 5x5@ 1xBW
OHP: 5x5@135# (yeah, right!)
PC: 5x5@135#
BF < 15%

Medium Term Plans:
SL5x5 Advanced
Something for fat loss (TBD)

Long Term Goals:
Complete CrossFit WODs on a near-daily basis


(no fancy sig yet)

[wbradley1372]

Monday, July 6, 2009
7:04 pm

Warmup:
~8 min rower: 3x500m@2:30

Stretching:
~10 min

SL5x5 A:

• SQ: 5x5@190: 5/5/5/5/5 *PR*
  Very hard--had to take last set one rep at a time. Form felt good early, but felt a few reps in my lower back by the end.
• BP: 5x5@105: 5/5/5/5/5
  Deloaded from 115. Still struggling to get/maintain proper tightness in the upper back.
• BBR: 5x5@115: 5/4/4/2/1 -- fail #1
  Ugh. Couldn't get good squeeze between shoulder blades. Suspect deload coming soon.
• Push-Ups: 3xF: 15/9/6
  Normally do "side-walking pushups" using agility ladder (3x12), but aerobics room was in use.
• Reverse Crunches: 3x12: 12/12/12
  These have no right to suck as much as they do. I anchor my upper body with 3x35# dumbbells, and by the end, I usually feel these more in my arms and lats than in my abs.

Total Time: ~1:15

[wbradley1372]

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
7:02 pm

Off-night. Not the first impression I wanted to make with you folks.

Warmup:
~8 min rower: 3x500m@2:20

Stretching:
~10 min

SL5x5 B:

• SQ: 5x5@195: 4/3/3/3/3 -- fail #1
  WTF?!? 195# is only 2.6% heavier than 190#--expected more here (maybe 5/5/4/4/3). Suspect something mental, as I spent way too much time focusing on good grip & rack.
• OHP: 5x5@70: 5/5/5/4/3 -- fail #1
  Deloaded from 75#. Mental mistake on my part--should've loaded bar to 65#, not 70#. (It took three tries to hit 5x5@70 the first time, so this result is not surprising.)
• DL: 1x5@225: 5 -- fail #1 (form)
  Completed 1x5, but with crappy form. I suspect something mental here, too--two 45s on each side is intimidating. Note to self: watch Rippetoe DVD again.
• Pull-Ups: 3xF: -5/-5/-5
  I can't do a pull-up with proper form, so I'm jumping and working the negatives for now. These felt pretty good--an ankle flick is enough to get me going, then I can pull to the top. I almost did a proper pull-up at the start (not from a completely dead hang).
• Bridges: 3x50 seconds: 50/50/20 -- fail #2
  Exact same as Friday night. Grrr.

Total Time: 1:25:29
847 kCal

[zizzy80]

Nice work there Bill. Welcome to the forum!

I really like your goals and how you lined them out.

Long Term Goals:
Complete CrossFit WODs on a near-daily basis

That would be a killer, I say.

Look forward to reading your logs here!

[wbradley1372]

Nice work there Bill. Welcome to the forum!

I really like your goals and how you lined them out.

Thanks, zizzy! I'm looking forward to using this log as motivation, so as to not embarass myself.

As for CrossFit, I can totally complete their Rest Days!

[wbradley1372]

Friday, July 10, 2009
6:47 pm

My old personal trainer gave me a free session. I gave him the opening of wanting to learn power cleans, he wants me to sign on for more paid sessions, it was a minor win-win.

Mostly, we went over back exercises, in order to see if I had the supplemental fundamentals down pat first (for the pulling, presumably). This is unsurprising; when I signed on late last year in order to learn to squat, it was FOUR WEEKS before we finally put a bar on my back.

• Barbell Row (non-Pendlay, both overhand and underhand grip):
  Wow, my form is crap. I have no business doing these at 115#.
• T-Bar Rows:
  You know the drill: wedge one end of an oly bar into the corner, slap a plate on the other, hook a close-grip cable attachment around the bottom, and pull, pull, pull. I'd never done these before, but at 115#, I was getting a *MUCH* better squeeze between my shoulder blades than I *EVER* got with normal BBRs. I *like* these.
  
  Hmmm. Something to think about.
• Inverted Rows (overhand and underhand grip):
  Never done these before, either.
  
  Couldn't pull my chest up to the bar (kind of embarassing, actually). I'm thinking I should drop the BBRs and swap these into my 5x5 for a while.
• One-Handed Dumbbell Rows:
  These felt really good. Could really feel the difference between pulling straight up and arcing up towards my hip--I really felt the latter in my lats a lot more.
  
  However, they highlighted a noticeable strength disparity between my left side and right side; this has to get cleaned up. Ah, well. Now I know, at least.

Note that none of the above resembled a power clean.

Given the prices he cited, I wouldn't mind some weekly half-hour sessions, specifically to work on form. We'd probably begin doing empty-bar HPCs around session #3 or #4. In comparison, hour-long sessions would be a waste.

Total Time: 33:28
276 kCal

Edit: Oh, and...BF: 22.4%. Yay for progress.

[dylanamus]

Neat log, sir. And a good start to strength training.

Your thoughts and goals illustrate a mature appreciation of the program. Clearly you have assimilated a lot of what Mr Rippetoe has written in his publications. This is definitely going to work in your favour.

If you are considering getting coaching, the earlier the better. Once you have affirmed good technique, you will quite easily manage independently (even as you progress into more complex training requirements). It's a great program for learning to proactively coach yourself.

Welcome to the forum too by the way. I have noticed a few of your replies to threads to have been informative and concise. It's a pleasure to have you on board. Happy lifting!

[wbradley1372]

Thanks for the welcome, dylanamus. As a newcomer to the board, I really appreciate it.

I've known about StrongLifts for quite some time, I'd just been reluctant to try it out of fear of being embarassed at my low poundages (seriously, I got laughed out of weight rooms back in school--not fun, and not easily forgotten). Shortly after my 40th birthday, though, the old platitude of "every journey begins with a single step" came up, and I realized that if I didn't start, I'd never start.

And so, I did.

Cheers,
Bill

P.S. my old workout log is here, although it's fairly light on weights (no pun intended) until 2008 or so...

[muddy]

Hey Bill, I just noticed your log too... interesting! I also just started doing t-bar rows, and came away with the same impression. Are there any crossfit WODs you're eyeing as a particular marker or milestone? I do a WOD on occasion. One I haven't tried yet, but is going to be a Big Deal in my mind when I do, is fight gone bad.

[wbradley1372]

Hey, muddy.

Right now, looking at Crossfit WODs is like being a kid in a candy store, but without any money: it all looks great, but I'm not able to get anything, and that just makes it all look even better.

Seriously, last year I looked through a list of CF workouts, and thought "Nope, can't do that...no, can't do that...can't do that either..." It really made me aware of how much I'd like to be in better shape, and how much better shape I'd like to be in. I have a long way to go.

At this point, I think being able to put up respectable numbers on any of them would be nice.

[wbradley1372]

Saturday, July 11, 2009
1:55 pm

I don't normally work out on Saturdays, but this made up for lack of a proper workout on Friday night.

Warmup:
~8 min rower (3x500m@2:15)

Stretching:
~10 min

SL5x5 A:

• SQ: 5x5@195#: 5/3/4/3/4 -- fail #2
  Three extra reps. Focusing on keeping tight and going down slowly under load, as opposed to just relaxing and letting gravity do the job. 195# felt a lot better today than it did on Wednesday night.
  
  The two three-rep sets were mental, as the weight felt unbalanced on my back. It's hard to focus when my legs were saying "PUSH, DAMMIT, PUSH!" but my brain was saying "hold up, guys, something's not quite right here..." Need to find a way to get my brain to shut up.
  
• BP: 5x5@110#: 5/5/5/5/5
  Deloaded from 115#. Focusing on tightness in the upper back, shoulder blades together and down, to the point of discomfort. Succeeding, at least as far as the discomfort is concerned.
  
  5x5@110# ties my previous PR. My upcoming attempts at 115# should be interesting.
• IR: 3xF@BW: 10/10/5 (knees bent, feet not quite flat on floor)
  After last night's work with the personal trainer, I realized that my BBR technique is crap (see above). As a result, I'm going to work on IRs for a while. I'll give these three or four weeks, and see how much progress I've made.
  
  I found that if I widen my grip a bit (slightly wider than BP grip), I can pull my chest to the bar...if and only if I squeeze *EVERYTHING*. Lats, traps, neck, everything. This works in my favor, as it's an easy cue. However, I'm also assuming I need to work on narrowing my grip--I'm guessing that'll shift the effort away from the lats and towards the traps?
• Push-Ups: 3x11@BW: 11/11/8
  Side-walking pushups: Put an agility ladder on the ground, perpendicular to the direction you're facing. Assume a push-up position, with hands in two adjacent boxes. Do a push-up, then crab-walk one box to the side. Repeat.
  
  I started these at 3x8 and wanted to work my way up to 3x16 (the entire ladder, up and back). However, I recently changed shoes and am finding that the toes of my new Chucks offer absolutely no traction when doing pushups on the aerobics room's wooden floor. While anything that provides a challenge is good, I'm not sure sprained ankles are the kind of challenge I'm looking for, so I may just have to swap these out for normal pushups, 3xF.
  
  I note with some amusement that once I swap BBRs for IRs and side-walking pushups for normal ones, I'll be doing the plain ol' SL5x5 Beginner's Routine, straight from the e-book. Note to self: listen to Mehdi.
• Reverse Crunches: 3x12@BW: 12/12/12
  These felt a lot better than they did Monday night.
  
  If I'm pressed for time, these are usually the first thing to get dropped (which is probably why they were so tough on Monday). I need to work on keeping the pace up and not running out of time, then.

Total Time: 1:26:20
kCal: 797

[dylanamus]

You're welcome, Bill!

Out of curiosity, how are you calculating the Calories consumed in each workout? I assume it's a summary of the entire workout? My exercise bike tells me how many calories I burn, but I've often wondered how many I burn doing a set of heavy squats.

Inverted rows are definitely better than barbell rows when you first start out. Form is not compromised if you don't get your chest to the bar, whereas with the barbell, it is too easy to arch your back, assume the wrong angle, or simply lift the weight with the wrong parts of your body. It's one to try again a bit later down the track though. I wouldn't worry about grip width for now... just focus on slamming your chest into the bar. Get up to 15 reps on the first set, then elevate your feet and build up again. After all that, it shouldn't matter so much if you narrow your grip and you'll be ready to either start wearing a backpack with weights in it or transitioning to barbell rows.

Good workouts. It might be worth your while posting up a couple of videos of your form and working on applying any recommendations after deloads.

[wbradley1372]

Out of curiosity, how are you calculating the Calories consumed in each workout? I assume it's a summary of the entire workout? My exercise bike tells me how many calories I burn, but I've often wondered how many I burn doing a set of heavy squats.

I wear a heart rate monitor to the gym. It does a little bit of everything, from displaying heart rate, to tracking how much time is spent in various heart rate zones, to giving a fairly detailed summary of past workouts. Once you program it with how much you weigh, it calculates caloric expenditure; it's supposedly pretty accurate.

The kCal number I post is indeed the entire workout, including the warmup and stretching.

I could definitely feel the IRs in my upper back afterwards; I never really got that feeling from the BBRs. I guess that's a sign that I'm on the right track.

The videos are a good idea; I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Barry06GT]

Good workout log Bill.

Your progress is very impressive. that push up thing with the fitness ladder sounds like fun, and adds a bit of complexity to a simple movement.

IRs are not as easy as they seem. It is hard to train yourself to pull with your back, and not just with your shoulders and arms. you are doing great!

Keep up the good work, and enjoy the journey! You are now an athlete and a Power Lifter!


.

[wbradley1372]

Monday, July 13, 2009
7:02 pm

I really didn't want to go to the gym tonight. My wife and son are out of town visiting our families, so I'm alone, lonely, and somewhat blue. In addition, I've spent the past two days doing yardwork, pruning trees, pulling bushes, etc. I've filled three trailers with yard waste and assorted junk and unloaded it all at the city dump, so I was kind of tired to begin with.

However, being by myself, I've also been sleeping 8.5-9 hours a night and drinking 3/4 GOMAD.

Warmup:
~8 min rower (3x500m@2:16)

Stretching
~10 min

SL 5x5 B:

• SQ: 5x5@195#: 5/5/5/5/5 *PR*
  By the time I'd completed the third set, I knew that I'd complete 5x5.
  
  The power cage was in use, so I had to use the squat rack...and I'm sure this is mental, but I'd swear that the bar and plates by the rack weigh less than the bar and plates by the cage. Don't get me wrong, it's the same kind of bar and the same kind of plates, but...it just seems easier in the rack. I dunno.
  
  I did clang a few early reps off the safety rails (they're higher than I usually set the bars in the cage), but I was careful not to use any bounce from that. By the end, I had things pretty dailed in.
• OHP: 5x5@65#: 5/5/5/5/5
  Deloaded from 75#. Last OHP I accidentally set the bar at 70# (and didn't complete 5x5) instead of 65# (where it should've been), so I wanted to go back and do 65#, just to earn the right to really use 70# next time (if that makes any sense).
  
  Worked on keeping my glutes and abs tight, then shugging hard at the top. I think the glute/ab stuff was my biggest downfall at 75#: I'd press, and my back would arch, and that'd make it hard to get under the bar.
• DL: 1x5@225#: 5 *PR*
  225# wasn't intimidating tonight. I knew I could do it, because I did it last time--it was just a matter of cleaning up the technique. I think my problem before was that I was setting up too close to the bar. This left me with a fairly shallow knee angle and an overly-deep hip angle. Tonight was much better in that regard--didn't really feel it in my lower back until I was done.
  
  Having said that, I hate DL'ing at my current gym. Their plates aren't round--they're these funky 12-sided things--so unless you set the bar down perfectly, they wander around a bit to settle on a flat side. As a result, I had to reset my stance after nearly every rep.
  
  Grip (overhand) is starting to become an issue. (Then again, if I have to reset my stance, I end up resetting my grip as well, so how big an issue can it be?)
• Chin-Ups: 3xF: 5/3/2
  Holy crap, I don't think I've ever done 5 chins at once before in my entire life.
• Bridges: 3x50 seconds: 50/50/50
  The last set was murder. I could really feel it in my back when my abs would try to relax--that's another easy cue, at least.

Total Time: 1:24:31
kCal: 765