Wooderson's Training Log: Fat to Fit

[Wooderson]

In my opinion the answer lies in trial and error and finding out what works for you, for that particular muscle group and specific lift. Some options are:
De-load and work your way up again. This does not seem to be working for you on the OHP right now.

Well the de-load did work. I stalled at 110, and now I'm at 125lbs. But the stall is frustrating. It's odd, too. In a "normal" workout program you might stay on the same weight for a long time. The nature of 5x5 conditions you mentally to expect to go up in weight every time, so when you don't you feel frustrated, even though that is what happens "normally".

I'll do 130 next time. If I can't get it, I'll do it the next two times I do OHP for as many reps as I can. If I fail, we'll head down to 115lbs and work back up in 5lb increments. I'm going to take the same approach with the BBrow. Do 150 next time, if I stall then do 150 the next two times. If I fail we'll head down to 120 and work back up in 5lb increments.

[zizzy80]

Hey Wooderson, nice log!

Yeah, I know that frustrated feeling when you stalled. It has happened to me the other day. Stalled. So there goes the de-load. I stalled on every workouts and deloaded on every workouts. I did my first deloaded workout yesterday and I should say, it felt pretty good. And it really means that you are getting out of the beginner zone. So should be all good.

[bobu]

Great progress on overhead press! You're complaining about stalling at 140#? I've yet to get past 115# after a year and a quarter. Mehdi's deload is to deload 10% after three sessions of not completing all sets with good form. After 2 soft deloads(10%) do a hard deload of 20% and fewer reps for a week. After that you can keep trying deloads or switch the overhead press only to a different program. As well as you're doing I don't think you'll have to worry about it for awhile.

Also once you start weighted push ups it should be 3x5 not 3xf.

Congratulations on your great progress!

[Wooderson]

Great progress on overhead press! You're complaining about stalling at 140#? I've yet to get past 115# after a year and a quarter.

[snipped]

Also once you start weighted push ups it should be 3x5 not 3xf.

Congratulations on your great progress!

Thanks for the compliment and checking in. The I'm only at 125lbs on the OHO. the 140lbs is on the BBRow.

I just realized that today on the weighted push-ups. I need to figure out how much weight to use though. I used 25 when I did it the other day, that that was a killer. I'm going to buy a weighted vest this week and see how things go.

Thanks again, and please keep checking in!

[Wooderson]

Workout #27

• Squat: 5x5 x 175 lbs
• Bench: 5x5 x 155 lbs
• Inv. Row: 3xF - 7/7/7
• Push Up: 3x5 x 5 lbs
• Rev. Crunch 3x12
• Elliptical: 45m

I haven't been doing any warm up sets until now. Today my warm up sets on squats consisted of 25 BW squats. I need help in figuring out what I should do for all of these in terms of warm up sets as the weight increases. Any ideas on how best to establish a warm up routine for each exercise?

The bench was hard today. Real hard. I think that is where I either will benefit from warm up sets. I also think that in the next 10 lbs or so I may end up plateauing.

[Harsh]

I am impressed and inspired after reading this post....congratz and keep up the good work !!

[Wooderson]

I am impressed and inspired after reading this post....congratz and keep up the good work !!

Damn... thanks! I dunno what I did that was inspiring in my workout today, but I appreciate it!

[bobu]

For warmups you might check out Barry's log. He recently explained his mathematically complex equation to determine warm up weights. Just kidding! Actually its pretty simple.

[zizzy80]

For warmups you might check out Barry's log. He recently explained his mathematically complex equation to determine warm up weights. Just kidding! Actually its pretty simple.

Barry' equation is brilliant.

[Wooderson]

Workout #28

• Squat: 5x5 x 180
• OHP: 5x5 x 130
• Deadlift: 1x5 x 185
• Barbell Row: 3x5 x 145
• Prone Bridge: 3x30s
• Elliptical: none today

Today was a wow day. I thought I was going to stall on the OHP. I may have technically due to form as I feel, much like Barry06GT said here, that I may have been doing push-presses more than true OHP. But I did all 5 sets of 5 damnit!

Moved on to a new weight at BBell Row after realizing I had the process of deloading incorrect. Looking forward to seeing how I respond at 150 lbs on that next time.

I was working in sets with this young kid @ the gym. I mentioned him before. He's like 16 or 17 and just pumped. He was doing squats of 310lbs (did 3 sets, probably a total of 25 reps). I'm guessing that was 2x his body weight, or at least damned close. Kinda cool to watch and aspire to. It's also kinda cool to have a kid 21 years younger than me as a role model.

Question: at some point do we start doing weighted prone bridges?

[zizzy80]

I did all 5 sets of 5 damnit!

Amazing feeling, isn't it. Great job there!

[Barry06GT]

Dude, seriously, with your food log and stellar workouts, you are turning into a body builder, and I mean that in the most positive way.

Your workouts are inspiring.

Five sets of five reps at 130, and you are still moving right along. Maybe this is your destiny, and no, I am not being mystical. That's not me.

As an answer to your weighted prone bridges, I say go for it. After one set you will know if you made the right decision. You can always dump the weight, and move right along.

.

[Wooderson]

I did all 5 sets of 5 damnit!

Amazing feeling, isn't it. Great job there!

Dude, seriously, with your food log and stellar workouts, you are turning into a body builder, and I mean that in the most positive way.

Your workouts are inspiring.

Five sets of five reps at 130, and you are still moving right along. Maybe this is your destiny, and no, I am not being mystical. That's not me.

As an answer to your weighted prone bridges, I say go for it. After one set you will know if you made the right decision. You can always dump the weight, and move right along.

.

Thanks for the positive comments guys!

I stopped updating the food log, but I'll tell you this about my diet: I typically drink two to four protein shakes a day (CytoSport Evopro Berry). I put 2g of BCAA in every shake except my PWO shake which gets 5g as well as 5g of creatine. I'll eat a whole-food dinner (usually chicken or fish, perhaps a pasta dish once a week light on the pasta, black beans or black eyed peas, some variation of green beans/brussel sprouts/broccoli). If I have less protein shakes I have a foot long subway black forest ham sammich. Weekends are more whole food because I have more time to cook, but also a lot of beer. A lot. So I guess that's my big carb re-feed. I'm probably eating between 1800 - 2600 calories, so my body is not getting used to a stagnant amount. Minimum 200g of protein a day.

If I don't stall at 135lbs on the OHP, I'll be astounded. Either that or my spine might snap in two just below my shoulder blades!

When I get the weighted vest I'm gonna start the weighted pushups/prone bridges/inverted rows. I've been doing weighted pushups the last two times, but with a weight on my back. That's just too cumbersome to bother with. Until I get the vest I'll do pushups with my feet elevated on a swiss ball at shoulder level.

I need to buy a pull up bar too.

[Wooderson]

I thought I was going to stall on the OHP. I may have technically due to form as I feel, much like Barry06GT said here, that I may have been doing push-presses more than true OHP. But I did all 5 sets of 5 damnit!

So I was watching a good amount of videos on OHP form, and I have come to the conclusion that I stalled at 130lbs. Yes, I did 5x5, but here is how I know my form was wrong:

• My arms were too wide
• The barbell was not behind my head
• My torso was not pushed forward

So next time I'm going to do 130lbs again and watch form.

[Wooderson]

Workout #29 done 7/16/09

• Squat: 5x5 x 185 lbs
• Bench: 2x5 x 150, 2x5 x 160, 2x5 x 165
• Inv. Row: 3xF - 15/12/11
• Push Up: 3xF - 12/11/9
• Rev. Crunch 3x12
• Elliptical: 45m

I realized after looking at some InvRow videos that I was doing them wrong. I had been lying flat on the floor and lifting myself up. I must say, using correct form (being at a 45degree angle to the bar) is significantly easier than how I had been doing them.

On the bench, I was working in sets with someone for the first two sets and I realized he didn't put a 10lb on his side of the bar for my lifts. So I did 2x5 @ 160 and 2x5 @ 165 lbs to compensate. Right or wrong... Getting hard though. I was amazed at how much more difficult 160lbs was than 150lbs; 165lbs was amazingly hard.