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Adena gets strong!


Adena
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Hi, everyone! I'm pretty new to this forum so I thought I might as well start a training log on here. I don't know that I'll be able to update it every day, but I'll get in here as often as I can. My main goal is to get as strong as possible with as natural of a diet as possible. It's expensive, but I've really been trying to buy only organic food lately. The weight training program I'm currently doing is Jim Wendler's 5 / 3 / 1 which I'll illustrate. Basically it focuses on compound movements, heavy weights, low reps. I currently weigh about 125 lbs, and I am 5' 1". I'll probably gain weight, but I pretty much never step on a scale. I'm mostly looking for higher numbers on my squat, deadlift, and bench.

 

This is a weird time to start my log because I'm in the middle of Week Four, which is a De-load week. So I'm doing significantly lighter weights than I can actually lift and it's a little boring, but it'll get really difficult again in about a week. The program goes in four week cycles.

 

So I forgot to write anything down for Week One, so I'll just start with Week Two:

 

Day One:

 

Overhead Press

 

1x3x45

1x3x55

1x3x60

 

Five sets of dips and assisted chin-ups (didn't write down how many repetitions, but it's just assistance work anyway.)

 

Day Two:

 

Deadlift

 

1x3x110

1x3x125

1x3x140

 

Good Mornings and Hanging Leg Raises, five sets of each

 

Day Three:

 

Bench Press

 

1x3x65

1x3x75

1x3x85

 

Five sets of push-ups and dips

 

Day Four:

 

Squats

 

1x3x105

1x3x120

1x3x130

 

Leg Press

 

5x15

 

Leg Curl

 

5x10

 

I didn't write down the weights for my assistance exercises, sorry.

 

Ok, Week Three:

 

Day One:

 

Overhead Press

 

1x5x50

1x3x55

1x1x65

 

Dips & Assisted Chin-Ups

 

Day Two:

 

Deadlifts

 

1x5x120

1x3x135

1x1x150

 

Good Mornings and Hanging Leg Raises

 

Day Three:

 

Bench Press

 

1x5x70

1x3x75

1x1x85

 

Bent-Over Rows & Push-Ups

 

Day Four:

 

Squats

 

1x5x110

1x3x125

1x1x140

 

Leg Press & Leg Curl

 

And now, I am in the midst of De-Load week, where you intentionally lift quite a bit less than you are able.

 

Week Four:

 

Day One:

 

Overhead Press

 

3x5x45

 

Dips & Assisted Chin-Ups

 

Deadlifts

 

1x5x70

1x5x85

1x5x105

 

Good Mornings, Hanging Leg Raises, assorted ab work

 

Sorry for all the wordiness, but I didn't want to be judged based on the super light weights I'm using this week, haha!

 

Here's an example of a typical food fest in the life of Adena:

 

Breakfast: oatmeal with peanut butter, milled flax seed, little bit of brown sugar or maple syrup, and a tofu scramble (about 1/2 a block) with various spices, light on the olive oil and salt

Snack: carrot sticks and almonds

Lunch: chickpea quinoa pilaf, sauteed broccoli and cauliflower

Snack: hummus and a pita

Supper: adzuki bean stew with kabocha squash, sauteed kale with garlic, smoothie made with about 1 cup of soy milk, 1 banana, some frozen strawberries, cinnamon and just a dash or two of ginger

 

BUT...here's an example of my cheat day(s)....

 

Breakfast: cinnamon rolls

Lunch: leftover chickpea quinoa pilaf, sauteed broccoli and cauliflower

Snack: peanut butter sandwich on homemade whole wheat bread

Supper: whole grain pasta with homemade tomato and lentil sauce, oven braised leeks, some vegan truffles I ordered online for Valentine's Day

 

I promise any further entries will be a shorter read. Haha.

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Oh, and I forgot to mention I always do cardio. I change it up a lot. I'm not really looking for any improvements there anyway, which is why I didn't add it in. Sometimes I just run at a steady pace for about half an hour, sometimes I do twenty minutes worth of sprints (minute sprints with a minute rest between) sometimes I just ride my bike or do bike sprints at the gym. Just kind of depends on my mood. But variety seems to keep it fun, and keep me from getting too much of a belly.

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This week I'm just finishing up my deload week. It's intentionally much lighter than I can lift, and kinda boring. The whole past month has seemed too easy, so I'm going to add at least 5 lbs to my overhead press and bench and 10 lbs to my squat and deadlift and see what happens. Also, I'm going to be testing my 1RMs for all the key lifts over the course of the next month. So that will be exciting and give me a better idea of where I'm at.

 

So anyway, today I had my first experience really having trouble stuffing my face. So far today I have had 1/2 a block of tofu scrambled, a bowl of oatmeal, a bunch of carrot sticks, almonds, and dried figs, a bowl of kidney bean and cabbage soup, hummus and a pita, and a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread. I just finished the figs and the pb sandwich during my afternoon break at work and felt like I was about to puke. But I'm fine now. Hopefully this will help me get used to eating more and prepare me for lifting heavy stuff!

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Looks great! I'm also have oatmeal for breakfast everyday. I had to reply because I thought it was funny how your "cheat" day looks much better then my normal days haha, then again I'm still trying to gain weight as I burn it off and gain muscle. I've been having vegan pizza, and whole wheat pasta quite a lot for dinner.

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So the rest of Deload Week went as follows:

 

Day Three:

 

Bench

 

1x5x45

1x5x50

1x5x60

 

Push-Ups

 

5x10 (was experimenting with using better form so I don't kill my elbows)

 

Bent-Over Rows

 

5x10x50

 

Day Four:

 

Squats

 

1x5x55

1x5x70

1x5x85

 

Leg Press: 5x15 (I don't remember the weight, but the idea this week was to take it easy, so it was pretty light)

 

Leg Curl: 5x10 (ditto)

 

Well, I'm looking forward to tonight at the gym. It's Standing Overhead Press Day, and I think I'll test my 1RM in that lift, then do some dips and chin-ups for assistance work, then do sprints for 20 minutes if I have the energy.

 

Today I ate as follows:

 

Breakfast:

Tofu scramble (ate about 1/2 a block, saved leftovers for tomorrow

Oatmeal with peanut butter and milled flaxseed, went much lighter on the brown sugar than usual

1 cup of green tea

 

Snack:

Carrot sticks

Ten almonds

Six dried figs

 

Lunch:

Adzuki bean and kabocha squash stew with veggies

Hummus and a pita

Wished for leafy greens, but I forgot them at home

 

Snack:

Peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread

 

And after I work out tonight, I think supper will be leftover stuffed peppers. They're stuffed with quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, onions, chili powder, olive oil, garlic, and salt. I tried to sautee the stuffing with a lot less oil than usual and just add some more water when it got sticky. I also want some steamed broccoli and a smoothie with soy milk, strawberries, bananas, cinnamon, and ginger.

 

All right, I'm excited to lift heavy stuff!

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Looks great! I'm also have oatmeal for breakfast everyday. I had to reply because I thought it was funny how your "cheat" day looks much better then my normal days haha, then again I'm still trying to gain weight as I burn it off and gain muscle. I've been having vegan pizza, and whole wheat pasta quite a lot for dinner.

 

I look at my nutrition as a journey. Everyone's kind of on a different part of the journey. I used to have next to nothing, and it was all sort of processed crap. That was a pretty long time ago, but anyway, I feel a lot better now. I'm still kind of a coffee and sugar fiend, but I'm getting it under control.

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So last night was Overhead Press Day....um. I did 1RMs and apparently my 1RM for standing overhead press is 65. Really disappointing. I'm trying to remember that lift is definitely the most difficult one for me to see any improvement in.

 

Since I've been eating so much I'm feeling bloated and weird, I kind of cut back today to just eating what I actually feel like. So far it looks like this:

 

Breakfast: the usual oatmeal and tofu scramble deal, green tea

Snack: carrot sticks and ten almonds

Lunch: slightly smaller portion of adzuki bean and kabocha squash stew, oven-braised leeks

Snack: bit of hummus and a pita

Supper: will probably be more of that dang adzuki bean stew...I always have so many leftovers. I'll probably also have a little broccoli, and a smoothie if I still have room. Rooibos tea would be nice, too.

 

So no peanut butter sandwich and dried figs. Not too much less, just a little bit less. I feel better, but I don't know if this is really enough for me to see any strength gains. I guess we'll see. It's a little too early to tell.

 

Today is deadlift day, yay! I love deadlifts. I'm sure this will go better. I won't be doing any 1RMs until next week, so tonight I'm doing sets of five.

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Deadlift Day

 

Deadlifts:

 

1x5x115

1x5x130

1x5x150

 

Good Mornings:

 

5x12x75

 

Hanging Leg Raises:

 

5x20

 

Various planks to work my abs a little more

 

 

Bench Press Day

 

Bench Press:

 

1x5x60

1x5x70

1x5x80 and just because I was feeling extra strong today

1x5x90

 

Bent Over Rows:

 

2x10x65

1x8x65

2x6x65

 

Push-Ups:

 

5x10

 

Cardio:

 

20 minutes of sprints on the stationary bike, minute springs with a minute rest between

 

So I feel better than I did on SOHP Day.

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Squat Day

 

Squats

 

1x5x100

1x5x120

1x5x135

 

one set of lunges around the gym with 20 lb dumbbells

 

Leg Press

 

5x15x I think 240, but that doesn't sound right

 

Leg Curl

 

5x12x35

 

V-Ups

 

3x20

 

No Momentum Sit-Ups

 

3x30

 

Tonight I will just do a little cardio. More updates at the end of the week!

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Nice on the squats! 135 is my goal right now so I can be cool and squat a plate a side...I'm at 120 - 15 more lbs to go!

 

 

Thanks! I feel like a badass when I can have a plate on each side. Now that I can deadlift and squat over my bodyweight, my short term goal is to bench my bodyweight. I've gained just a little. I'm at 128 now.

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SOHP Day

 

Standing Overhead Press:

 

1x3x45

1x3x55

1x3x60

 

Dips:

 

5x8

 

I think I did less repetitions on the fourth and fifth set, but I'm not sure.

 

Chin-Ups (Unassisted)

 

5x2

 

20 minutes worth of sprints on the elliptical, one minute sprints with one minute rest between

 

Deadlift Day

 

Deadlifts:

 

1x3x135

1x3x155

1x1x185

 

...followed by a couple of attempts at 205. I'm not quite there yet, but I will be!

 

Good Mornings:

 

5x12x95

 

Hanging Leg Raises:

 

5x20

 

Various planks, held for a minute each

 

Bench Day

 

Bench:

 

1x3x70

1x3x80

1x3x90

 

Dumbbell Chest Press:

 

1x10x40 (20 lb dumbbells)

2x10x50 (25 lb dumbbells)

 

Pullovers:

 

1x20x10

2x20x25

 

Bent Over Rows:

 

2x10x65

1x8x65

 

Push-ups:

 

3x10

 

20 minutes of sprints on the stationary bike (1 minute sprints, 1 minute rests between)

 

Squat Day

 

Squats:

 

1x3x135

1x3x145

1x3x155

 

Box Squats:

 

3x10x95

 

Lunges:

 

One set with just my bodyweight, two sets with a ten lb plate held overhead...I lunged for about 16 steps on each side

 

Leg Press:

 

3x15x240

 

Leg Curls:

 

1x20x35

2x10x50

 

V-Ups and No Momentum Sit-Ups...too exhausted to do hanging leg raises. This workout took me forever, but it was fun!

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Overhead Press Day

 

SOHP:

 

was supposed to go like this:

 

1x5x50

1x3x55

1x1+x60

 

But on the last set, I was able to do three reps of 60! That is a huge improvement. This lift is very difficult for me. Hopefully pushing it on that last set will help me increase my 1RM.

 

One-Arm Dumbbell Press

 

2x10x20

1x8x20 (for my right arm)

 

3x8x20 (for my left arm)

 

Assisted Pull-Ups:

 

3x10

 

Assisted Chin-Ups:

 

3x8 ish...

 

Bent Over Rows:

 

2x10x65

1x8x65

 

This week I've been trying to do assistance lifts that will actually assist me in the key lift for today. So far my Bench and Overhead Press Days have been a little haphazard. I feel pretty focused right about now.

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Deadlift Day

 

Deadlifts:

 

1x5x140

1x3x160

1x2x180

 

The last set you are supposed to do one rep and more if you feel like you can. I had to readjust my grip on my weenie left hand between, but I say it still counts.

 

Good Mornings:

 

1x10x95

4x10x105

 

Hanging Leg Raises:

 

5x20

 

Various Planks

 

I have to say, on paper my training looks pretty good. I mean, my 1RM is 185 and I was able to lift 180 twice. But something just feels off about my deadlift form. I think my butt is still kind of in the air. But if I squat down to the bar all the way, my hands touch the floor. That doesn't seem quite right. I used to pump these out without all the thinking, but now I'm rethinking my form and it's not helping....

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Have you seen this video? Very simple, and that's all I do for deadlift setup. Maybe once you figure it out, you'll be able to bump your 1RM up even more.

 

Btw, that is a lot of hanging leg raises! I tried those once and couldn't even do one with proper form.

 

Yes, that's exactly what I do. I think. The other day when I was trying for 185, I had a competitive powerlifter helping me with my form. That's pretty much what he had me do, although it seemed like he squatted lower than I did to get down to the bar. Maybe he just made me overthink it. If I had video on my camera, I would have more people critique my form.

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Bench Press Day

 

Bench Press:

 

1x5x70

1x3x80

1x3x90

 

On the last set you're supposed to do 1 rep and more if you can. I was pretty excited about pumping out three!

 

Dumbbell Chest Press:

 

3x12x50 (25 lb dumbbells)

 

Push-Ups:

 

3x10

 

Dips:

 

1x10

1x8

1x4

 

After I finished my training, I found my powerlifting buddy Wes to ask him what his top five assistance lifts were for bench press. Not one of them was on my list for today! He showed me how to do a J & Press, which he says is definitely the best. I'll try it out next week.

 

Squat Day

 

Squats:

 

1x5x125

1x3x140

1x1x160

 

Oh man, I really struggled with that last set. But I got it!

 

Box Squats:

 

3x12x105

 

Lunges with a 25 lb plate overhead (this really got me sweating)

 

Leg Press:

 

3x12x260

 

Leg Curls: 3x12x50

 

For my ab work, I did V-Ups and No Momentum Sit-Ups.

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DELOAD WEEK

 

Standing Overhead Press Day

 

Overhead Press:

 

3x5x45

 

Bent Over Rows:

 

3x12x55

 

One-Arm Dumbbell Press:

 

3x10x20 (right hand)

3x8x20 (left hand)

 

Chin-Ups:

 

3x3xBW

 

Assisted Pull-Ups:

 

3x8

 

Deadlift Day

 

Deadlifts:

 

1x5x75

1x5x95

1x5x115

 

Good Mornings:

 

5x12x95

 

Hanging Leg Raises:

 

5x20

 

Various Planks held for a minute each; the ones where you balance on your forearms and toes, the ones where you turn over and balance on your butt, and side planks.

 

Bench Press Day

 

Bench Press:

 

1x5x45

1x5x55

1x5x65

 

J & Press:

 

3x10x45

 

Dumbbell Chest Press:

 

3x12x20lb dumbbells

 

Dips:

 

1x10

1x8

1x4

 

Push-ups:

 

3x10

 

Squat Day

 

Squats:

 

1x5x70

1x5x85

1x100

 

Box Squats:

 

3x12x105

 

Lunges with 10lb plate overhead

 

Leg Press:

 

3x12x260

 

Leg Curls:

 

1x12x50

 

I wasn't quite situated right in the leg curl machine and thought I pulled my hamstring, but it ended up fine since I didn't push it after that point. I was a little nervous, though.

 

V-Ups:

 

1x20

2x10

 

No-Momentum Sit-Ups:

 

3x30

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Week of 3/16/2010-3/20/2010

 

Standing Overhead Press Day

 

SOHP:

 

1x5x45

1x5x55

1x5x60

 

Bent Over Rows:

 

3x10x65

 

One-Arm Dumbell Press:

 

1x6x25 for each arm, or something like that...all the 20 lb dumbells were missing!

 

Assisted Pull-ups and Chin-ups

 

Deadlift Day

 

Deadlift:

 

1x5x130

1x5x145

1x5x160

 

Good Mornings:

 

5x12x105

 

Hanging Leg Raises:

 

3x10 ish

 

This time I did them the hard way, by hanging from a pull-up bar rather than by resting my forearms like usual. I was trying to work on my grip. It honestly didn't work my abs much since my grip in my left hand kept slipping.

 

Various Planks

 

Plate pinches

 

Bench Press Day 1RM! Yikes!

 

Bench:

 

1x3x65

1x3x85

1x3x95

1x1x105

 

J&Press:

 

3x10x65

 

Dumbell Chest Press:

 

3x12x50 ... 2 25lb dumbells

 

Dips:

 

1x9

1x6

1x4

 

Push-Ups:

 

2x10

1x9

 

Squat Day

 

Squats:

 

1x5x110

1x5x125

1x5x140

 

Box Squats:

 

3x12x95

 

Lunges with a 25lb plate overhead

 

Leg Press:

 

3x12x260

 

Leg Curl:

 

3x10x50

 

V-Ups and No Momentum Sit-Ups

 

Plate Choppers for my abs...I think this exercise really doesn't do enough for my abs so I might scrap it.

 

 

I did HIIT in the gym on Monday before my lifting week started, and then I tried it outside on the bike trails on Sunday. That killed me! It was pretty fun, though. I could only do six minutes worth of 30 second intervals, but I was going up and down some pretty intense hills.

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