WsuWarrior's Training Log

[wsuwarrior]

Male - 24 years old - 6'0 - 172 lbs - ~15% BF

Present:

Squat - 200x5x5
Dead - 300x5x1
Bench - 185x2x1
Overhead Press - 100x5x5
Pullups - 15 reps 1st set
Inverted Rows - 25 reps 1st set


Goal (by March):


Squat - 315x1
Dead - 405x1
Bench - 260x1
Overhead Press - 150x1
Pullups - 30 reps 1st set

Was doing the typical bodybuilding routine for about 2 years with minimal size and strength gains. I decided that I just needed a change and saw someone mention the stronglifts 5x5 on a bodybuilding forum and decided to check it out. After reading the program for a while I knew I had to try it. The program is tailor made for funtional strength gains, which are a definite benefit for me personally because I will be entering the police academy this spring.

Since starting the program I have gained 3 pounds..I know that it is natural for body weight to fluctuate and it is definitely not 3 pounds of muscle, but at least it is a good sign that the program can and will work for me.

[WhiteGorilla]

Hey, I have very similar stats and goals other than BP and OHP (my upper body is weak)
Good luck on the program.

[wsuwarrior]

Dec 12th

Squat - 215x5x5
OHP - 105x5x5
Dead - 305x1x5
Pullups - 16-9-7
Bridge - 3XF

Dec 14th

Squat - 220x5x5
Bench - 170x5x5
Inv. Row - 35-25-20
Pushups - 55x38x28
Rev. Crunch - 25x3

Progress is coming along great, getting stronger and feeling stronger every damn day. Squats and bench felt really good. The other day I struggled to finish the last reps of bench at 165 (needed help with final two) but today hammered through every rep at 170. I think I had a flaw in my technique last time but that seems to be fixed. Felt really strong today.

[wsuwarrior]

Dec 16th

Squat - 225x5x5
Overhead - 110x5x5 with some leg drive, might stay at 110 for the next workout.
Deadlift - 315x5 Bumped up 10 lbs from last workout, felt I had it in me.
Pullups - 17.5 - 11 - 10
Prone bridge - 3x ~60 seconds each.

[wsuwarrior]

Been a while since I updated...been busy over the holiday break as Im sure many of you were. Was not able to go to the gym for a bit because it was closed a few days during the holiday, unfortunately putting 5 days between workouts. Oh well, here are my updated stats for my workout today.

Dec 28th

Squat - 245x5x5 - Feeling very strong with squats. Been improving my form and depth while still putting on weight. Belt used.
Overhead - 95x5x5 - No gaining strength in this lift. Im naturally a weak presser and some elbow pain manified that problem today. Stayed light.
Dead - 325x1x5 - Feeling very strong here too, I think I have 20 more pounds in me easily. The most Ive ever pulled is 340x1 when I was training deads so Im right back where I was.
Pullups - 19x11x9 - Goal is 21 strict pullups by March so it looks like I should be able to exceed that no problem. Considering adding weight.
Prone bridge - 60 seconds x3 - I hate these with a passion, and so do my workout partners. Good way to end a great workout.

Felt extremely strong in the squat, deads, and pullups today. One of the best workouts Ive had in a long time concerning those lifts. Overhead was hard because of my left elbow and shoulder giving me fits. I must have tweaked something. I havent had any pain or numbness since I left the gym so there is nothing major going wrong, I think.

My workout partners want to do a light workout tomorrow because our gym is closed the 30th, 31st, and 1st. I think I will just ride a few miles on the bike and possibly some bodyweight stuff.

[mtwtfm]

just a couple notes...

you're obviously a much more experienced lifter than i am, and it looks like you've got some additional personal goals in mind, so you can take this with a grain of salt. if you're going off the spreadsheet, it mentions that when you meet 15 reps on one set of body weight exercises to go ahead and add weight. if you're out to do 21 pull ups, that might be a different thing for you. the sheet also mentions alternating pull-ups and chin-ups every B workout. i hadn't been doing that and caught that little detail after a few weeks.

keep up the great progress on your goals!

[mastrbrewr]

Just curious, does Wsu stand for Wazzu? I grew up in Wa.

[wsuwarrior]

Its been a while since Ive updated this thing. It has just slipped my mind I guess...here we go.

Squat - 265x5x5 - I am supposed to be at 285 but had some trouble when I hit 270. It just felt really heavy and I was not getting good depth. I decided to bump back down to 250 and then work my way back up. My sets yesterday at 265 felt really good, I was able to get depth on each rep and felt I had another full set left in me.

OHP - 115x5x5 - Im having trouble with this lift. I dont know if its a technique issue or what. I just dont feel like Im making progress. Ive never had a coach and the guys I lift with are unexperienced with this lift as well. I would think I could do more as I was doing seated OHPs with 55 lb DBs before I started SL.

Deadlift - 280x5x3 - I know the program calls for just one set but I decided to deviate. I didnt feel that doing one set was benefitting me enough, and was more mentally draining than anything. I was up to 335 lbs and just had to work myself up so much mentally to lift it that I was just taxing myself and started to hate the lift. I think doing the extra 2 sets will help me reach my goal of 405x1 easier. Im still at a fairly high weight for my 3 sets.

Pullups - 18-13-10 - I had to use the regular pullup tower this time. It has rubber handles that slip and they are hard to grip onto...so that made the reps suffer a bit. I normally use the Smith Machine and just put the bar all the way to the top.

Bench - 170x5x5 - Another lift Im just not progressing with. It is definitely a technique issue. Ive been burning youtube tutorial videos into my brain to get tips. Ive actually considered moving these to an every workout lift, replacing OHP. I may make a thread about this...

T-bar row - 182.5x5x5 - I replaced inverted rows with heavy T-bar rows. No reason other than I love doing them and hate inverted rows to failure...haha. Tbar is one of, if not the best lift for back mass...ask Arnold.

just a couple notes...

you're obviously a much more experienced lifter than i am, and it looks like you've got some additional personal goals in mind, so you can take this with a grain of salt. if you're going off the spreadsheet, it mentions that when you meet 15 reps on one set of body weight exercises to go ahead and add weight. if you're out to do 21 pull ups, that might be a different thing for you. the sheet also mentions alternating pull-ups and chin-ups every B workout. i hadn't been doing that and caught that little detail after a few weeks.

keep up the great progress on your goals!

Ive been lifting fairly seriously for about 2 years and lifted on-again/off-again since high school. With the pullups I had the goal of 21 because that will get me the highest score in my fitness test for police academy. I probably will end up using some weight though.

Thanks

[mtwtfm]

just a couple notes...

you're obviously a much more experienced lifter than i am, and it looks like you've got some additional personal goals in mind, so you can take this with a grain of salt. if you're going off the spreadsheet, it mentions that when you meet 15 reps on one set of body weight exercises to go ahead and add weight. if you're out to do 21 pull ups, that might be a different thing for you. the sheet also mentions alternating pull-ups and chin-ups every B workout. i hadn't been doing that and caught that little detail after a few weeks.

keep up the great progress on your goals!

Ive been lifting fairly seriously for about 2 years and lifted on-again/off-again since high school. With the pullups I had the goal of 21 because that will get me the highest score in my fitness test for police academy. I probably will end up using some weight though.

Thanks

sweet! kick their arses!

[wsuwarrior]

I am terrible at updating this thing...haha...but anyway today I realized how important eating big is to the progress of these workouts. I visited my parents house for the night, and yea, they do not have the kind of food I buy to pound calories and protein into my system. You will see why.

Squat - 275x3x5 - Yea I am supposed to be at 290 lbs today...but like I said I didnt eat good yesterday or the day before. And you may have noticed that I switched to the 3x5.

OHP - 115x3x5 - Starting to get some progress now that I bumped down to 3 sets. Feels heavy but I can crank out the reps.

Cleans - 115x5x5 - Replaced rows with these. Trying to become more explosive...and dammit they are just fun. I will probably be able to do the 5x5 for a while with these.

Pushups - Cant remember haha...Felt weak though.

Captains Char - 30x3