Jump to content

Medman, the Ant Man!


Recommended Posts

When I first started exploring the world of weight training a couple of years ago, I was a vegan marathoner, weighing in at a meager 106 lbs (48 kilos) at 5'6". I wasn't consistent in the gym, and always made excuses, until recently when I did a month straight of P90X and got hooked on the rush of adrenaline that I never quite got from running and biking (though I do love me some runner's high!). I convinced a friend to start StrongLifts with me one month ago, and have been very consistent with it (and plan to continue this way).

 

My photo log: http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=21112&start=0

 

So where am I now, after 1 month of SL? 127 lbs, getting stronger and bigger every day.

Deadlift: 1x5 @ 135 lbs (BW+10)

Squat: 5x5 @ 125 lbs (BW)

Bench Press: 5x5 @ 110 lbs (BW-15)

OH Press: 5x5 @ 70 lbs

Chin-ups (unassisted, unweighted): PR of 13, 10, 8 this week

Inverted Rows: PR of 16, 12, 10 this week

 

Working on improving my "Ant Man" status - soon to be able to deadlift, squat AND bench above my bodyweight for a full 5x5! As for my bodyweight, I had made it to 124 with my old routine over the course of a couple of years...in the month since I started StrongLifts, I've gone from 124 to 127.

 

I honestly don't know why I never did this before. Loading up a full sized plate on each end for deadlifts today and seeing people stare at the little marathoner deadlifting with perfect form was quite fun. This has been such a fun intro to powerlifting that I don't think I'll be able to stop! I had let myself become convinced that as a natural marathoner build, I could never and would never be strong. Now I'm asking myself when I hope to be overhead pressing above my weight

 

As for supplements, I've been going with 2.5-5g of creatine ethyl ester with my pre-workout meal, 12g of EAAs (split up into 6g while working out, 6g immediately afterward), and a half-serving of Vega before bed.

Edited by medman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 94
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Hey man glad you're enjoying stronglifts

 

The inverted rows won't be doing much for you now that you're hitting 15 reps in your first set. Switch them over to barbell rows. Test how much you can handle for 5x5 then start adding 2.5kg/5lbs the same as the other exercises - i wish I'd done this WAY earlier.

 

Same with chins, when you hit 15 reps start adding weight to them and switch to 3x5. You still switching them with pull-ups every other time? Also make sure you go down to full lockout at the bottom of each rep.

 

Same when you can do 15 reps of push-ups, switch them for dips. When you can do 15 dips (1st set) switch to weighted dips 3x5.

 

All the newer exercises will make you stronger quicker, no use wasting time with the bodyweight exercises when you can do >15 reps.

 

I delayed doing all these and my progress suffered. I reckon I could've been where I am now 4 months ago if I didn't make stupid mistakes haha.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vegan Joe -

 

Chewy - thanks for the advice! I know I should switch to barbell rows soon/now, I'm just a little intimidated by them, and am concerned my spectacularly poor flexibility might be an issue. But I guess I have to put those fears aside and actually TRY them, as I might not have any issues at all in the end. Pushups are a breeze, I can easily bang out 20-30, even after having gone all out on bench. I didn't recall reading about switching pushups to dips - I thought the next step was weighted pushups? I like the idea of switching to dips, though, because pushups felt way too similar to bench, and are done on the same day. Thanks so much for the recommendations, though - hopefully with your advice I'll be able to get stronger faster (and progression is already so fast and so easy as a beginner)!

 

Coroho - thanks! I've never been a fan of keeping track of calories...whether I was doing my marathon training or weightlifting, I find my body lets me know when it needs more fuel for my training. I've been starving since I started StrongLifts, and I always eat when I'm hungry, so I'm definitely eating big these days!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With barbell rows, just do your best. Bend over as much as you can with a straight back (then you won't have to worry about injury). My hip flexibility is awful but I can feel it improving as I do them more. I feel like each time I can bend over more with a straight back.

 

Dips are similar to push-ups in the muscles they work. I've read stronglifts used to have dips instead of push-ups, can't remember the reason why they changed it. It's easier to add weights to dips, and I think it's a better exercise. If you stick with stronglifts when you hit 1.5x bodyweight for a single squat rep they recommend you switch over to their advanced program which uses weighted dips - why wait? If you find up push-ups easy chances are you'll be able to do 15 reps dips no problem. If so just go straight to 3x5 weighted Weighted dips are FUN!

 

And no probs, I want to help as many people as possible not make the mistakes I made! And listen to coroho. My gains were horrid for months and months and months when I reduced my calories to try cut bodyfat!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How's it coming? I really like the "antman" analogy.

 

Thanks! Right now being "big" isn't where I'm at...but being strong relative to my size is something I can work on!

 

I've had a 4-day break from the gym due to final exams (the biggest of which is tomorrow - on all of neurology and psychiatry!) but will be heading straight there afterward! I figured the brief break might be nice for giving my muscles a chance to rest, so I can get back to it hardcore tomorrow . It's been just over half a week, but I miss the gym so badly...but with the level of sleep deprivation I've been at, it probably would have been counterproductive to go even if I had had the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys.

 

The exam went well. The gym, not as much. I was extremely psyched (no pun intended ), and although I set a new PR on Squat (135lb 5x5), bench press was a disaster. My warmup sets felt harder than they should have been, and my right shoulder was feeling oddly tight. I did some static and dynamic stretches, and when I did my first set, I was barely able to finish the 5 reps because of pain in my right shoulder. I didn't even attempt any further sets. It was extremely frustrating - it had been a week since my last time in the gym, and I did absolutely nothing to my shoulder that could have possibly injured it during my week of studying!

 

Inverted rows went alright (I was afraid to push it because of the shoulder, but it didn't turn out to hurt doing these). My gym buddy asked me to teach him how to do dips, as this was the day we were switching from pushups to dips, and surprisingly, the dips felt ok. I didn't lean too deep into the dips, and I kept the volume low because I was nervous about the shoulder, but for some reason, dips didn't bother my shoulder the way bench did.

 

I don't know what could have happened, but I really hope it resolves quickly. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to do overhead press...I'll warm up slowly and see whether that exercise bothers my shoulder, and skip it if I feel anything unusual.

 

All in all, very frustrating for an apparent shoulder injury to appear without any warning after a week of rest!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you do warm-up sets? If not, now would be a good time to start. For squats/press/bench I always start warming up with an empty bar, and then add weight till I get to my work set. I haven't found a better way to warm up than the actual movement you will be doing.

 

Ice your shoulder 20 mins on, 20 mins off as much as you can before next workout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you do warm-up sets? If not, now would be a good time to start. For squats/press/bench I always start warming up with an empty bar, and then add weight till I get to my work set. I haven't found a better way to warm up than the actual movement you will be doing.

 

Yeah, I always do warmups for every exercise. First the bar, then about half of my work set. For deadlifts, I add in another warmup set closer to the work set as well (the other exercises haven't been heavy enough to demand a more graduated series of warmups). I also do ballistic and static stretches...not too much, just enough to feel more limber.

 

I have good news though! The shoulder pain seems to be gone. I didn't feel it at all today, including on the overhead press (which was a deload day for me, which worked out well with the questionable shoulder). Set new PRs of 145 for 1x5 deadlift and 140 for 5x5 squat. I've been making sure I've been breaking parallel (well, technically my gym buddy is). I was sandwiched by 2 guys on either side of me also doing squats; one was stopping a solid 20 degrees above parallel, and the other had his knees extending about 4 inches past his knees. Then on deadlift, the guy next to us was lifting a bit less than me with the most frighteningly rounded back I've ever seen...I could actually picture the x-ray of his lumbar spine when he comes in to emerg with a herniated disc. This is a university gym, so there's a lot of kids worrying about lifting the biggest numbers possible, and they're willing to use the sloppiest form ever just so they can get that extra plate on their and chat up the girls who come to do the stairmaster in full makeup .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

one was stopping a solid 20 degrees above parallel, and the other had his knees extending about 4 inches past his knees.

 

Do you mean perhaps, ankles or toes? I'm just trying to picture this. And of course wondering if I do the same thing.

 

This is a university gym, so there's a lot of kids worrying about lifting the biggest numbers possible, and they're willing to use the sloppiest form ever just so they can get that extra plate on their and chat up the girls who come to do the stairmaster in full makeup .

 

That's hilarious

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Do you mean perhaps, ankles or toes? I'm just trying to picture this. And of course wondering if I do the same thing.

 

Bahaha, whoah...brain fart! Yes, 3 inches past his toes. I'd like to get my knees past my knees but I haven't figured out how...

 

I also work out at a university gym and I so get what you're saying. My personal favourite is the girls that wear GIANT hoop earrings to work out in their matching outfits.

 

That's pretty good. My personal favourites are, in no particular order:

1) The "oops, can you see my thong when I'm squatting?" girls

2) The "I'm going to do this with the lowest possible weight and do 200 reps so people can watch me working out" girls

3) The "Oh, hey! How's it going? *Insert half-hour long conversation with football player she 'happened' to run into*" girls...especially when this causes the rack/machine I need to be "in use" for an extra half-hour

4) The girls who haven't sweat enough by the time they're done working out to smudge their makeup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, I've graduated from inverted rows to barbell rows (decided to try Pendlay rows today, though I'm pretty sure my form sucked because it felt as though I ended up with my knees more extended by the end than where they started), and from pushups to dips (soon to be weighted!). Thanks for the suggestion, chewy! I'm sooooo happy to be replacing the inverted rows and pushups with these.

 

Didn't have a spotter for bench...decided to do the chest press machine instead of nothing (but wasn't happy about it).

 

Squat: 5x5 @ 145lbs (PR, 112% BW)

Chest Press: 5x5 @ 115lbs (the weight I was supposed to bench...not sure if it's really comparable though)

Pendlay Rows: 5x5 @ 85lbs (too easy, but was my first time so I didn't want to jump in too heavy and hurt myself)

Dips: 1x10, 2x7 @ BW (think it might be time to start weighting these?)

 

The PR on squats made me happy. I'm glad I switched to the rows...I think my form will be stronger next time. This was my second session doing the dips instead of pushups, and I think 10 reps on my first set means I'm ready to switch to 3x5 weighted dips. Exciting!

 

My weight is up around 129-130 now. I've been getting comments from people about how I'm no longer "skinny Mike". I have about 5 shirts I can't wear anymore because they're too tight in the shoulder/arms. Unfortunately, this included a couple of my bike jerseys...which is unfortunate because we finally have nice weather here. So that means struggling to get these on until I have time to go get some new ones

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pendlay Rows: 5x5 @ 85lbs (too easy, but was my first time so I didn't want to jump in too heavy and hurt myself)
Thumbs up! Don't get tempted to add too much weight either, stick to 5lb increments.

 

Was there no-one else about that could spot you for bench?

 

Great work on squats, let's see that 1.5x bodyweight soon

 

My weight is up around 129-130 now. I've been getting comments from people about how I'm no longer "skinny Mike".
It's great ain't it I got that before I lost a lot of weight again. I'm increasing calories just now, looking forward to the strength and size gains again
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thumbs up! Don't get tempted to add too much weight either, stick to 5lb increments.

Yeah, I'm going to be methodical about it. My gym buddy always bitches at me and says he wants to add 10 lbs, and I tell him to stop being a candy-ass and show some discipline.

 

Was there no-one else about that could spot you for bench?

I guess I tend to be pretty shy, but should suck it up and ask someone to spot me.

 

Great work on squats, let's see that 1.5x bodyweight soon

Thanks! I can't wait to get there. But I'm also committed to keeping good form. The number of guys I see lifting "big" numbers but doing partial reps is disappointing. It's like they think big numbers mean they're getting a better workout, when cutting down by 30 lbs and doing a full range of motion would help them so much more.

 

It's great ain't it I got that before I lost a lot of weight again. I'm increasing calories just now, looking forward to the strength and size gains again

Good luck! I just saw your numbers in the Strength Table Keep up the great work! This is one situation where I consider being relatively short as an advantage...if I can put on 30 lbs total, it'll be really obvious on a 5'6" frame.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today: Morning weight 129.8 lbs

 

Squat: 5x5 @ 150lbs (PR, 115% BW)

Overhead Press: 5x5 @ 70lbs (PR, a couple of weeks ago I had to deload and make my way back up to get to this)

Deadlifts: 1x5 @ 150lbs (PR, 115% BW)

Neutral Grip Pullups: 1x12, 1x5, 1x4 @ BW (I feel like I didn't give myself enough rest between sets...I was eager to get out of the gym)

 

Today felt pretty good, setting 3 PRs. I'm worried about my groin, though. I feel like I might have slightly pulled my left hip flexors during the squats. They're pretty sore. I'm wondering if my pre-squat stretches were too aggressive. It didn't keep me from working hard during the squats, but afterward I definitely felt really sore there. I'm just not sure whether it's a "you've never worked these muscles this hard before" soreness or a "you pulled them, but not too badly" kind of soreness. I might take a week off from squats if I still feel it by my next gym day.

 

Here's a question for you experienced lifters...I see everybody's deadlifts are usually heavier than their squats. Right now, both are keeping pace with each other. Should I try adding more weight to my deadlifts, or just stick with the 5 lbs/session increases and wait to fail on my squats and let the deadlifts surpass them that way? The 150lb deadlift definitely felt much easier than the 150lb squats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, chewy! I think I'll add 10 lbs next time on my deadlift. It's not that it feels "easy"...it just doesn't feel like I'm pushing the limit in the same way as the squat (man do I ever feel it during the 5th set on those!!!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share




×
×
  • Create New...