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Road to 150


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Decided to start training again. Got a gym membership, and have been lifting 3 x week for the past 3 weeks. I started out with empty bar to practice my technique and have been adding 5 lbs each session ramping up. So far I have added 4 lbs in the 3 weeks, of which I estimate 3 lbs muscle and 1 lb fat. Started at 124, am now at 128. Goal is to reach 150 by July.

 

Here is my training from today:

 

12/9/2007

 

Weight = 128 lbs

 

Warmup:

2-minute jog

5 x 2 squat stretch

 

Routine:

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 100 lbs

Overhead Press: 5 x 5 @ 60 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 75 lbs

Chinups: 5, 4, 4

 

Felt good to see that I've gained another 1.5 lbs in 1 week. I can now be confident in my nutrition program and that I'm getting enough calories. Still need to work on my form for the squat. Felt it start to falter in the last set today. Will continue to do squat stretches on a daily basis.

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Original subject ... just kidding... Glad to have you aboard, I just joined this forum as of about a month ago... alot of kind people and great knowledge and information. 25 lbs. is a big goal, stick with it and you can do it, I foresee lots of food and hard training in your future...

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@Troy: Thanks for the motivating words. I've put on 20 lbs before so I have a good idea of what it takes, although that was on a previous sad diet so the rules are little different this time around

 

12/11/2007

 

Warmup:

2-minute jog

5 x 2 squat stretch

 

Routine:

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 105 lbs

Bench: 5 x 5 @ 80 lbs

Barbell Row: 4 x 5 @ 55 lbs, 1 x 4 @ 55 lbs

Dips: 10, 7, 7

 

First day in awhile that I felt the motivation take a plunge...really struggled to get out of bed for some reason. I felt better on squats today, although I'm still not quite there with my form. Failed last set on barbell rows, so will try again next session.

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@Richard: I'll take anything I can get right now, although ideally mostly muscle. If the fat starts getting outta control, then I'll refine the diet a little more

 

12/13/2007

 

Warmup:

2-min jog

5 x 2 squat stretch

5 x 2 @ 45 lbs squat

 

Routine:

Squat: 1 x 5 @ 110 lbs, 4 x 5 @ 105 lbs

OH Press: 1 x 5 @ 65 lbs, 4 x 5 @ 60 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 80 lbs

Pullups: 3,3,3

 

Lowered weight on squat and OH press after first set as my form fell apart...will try higher weight again next session. Pullups blew me apart today. Just couldn't crank em out like usual. Maybe because I'm not used to doing them at the end of the workout?

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12/16/2007

 

Weight: 130 lbs

Gain: +2 lbs

 

Warmup:

2 min jog

5 x 2 squat stretch

5 x 2 empty bar

 

 

Routine:

Squat: 1 x 5 @ 95 lbs, 5 x 5 @ 105 lbs

Bench: 5 x 5 @ 85 lbs

Barbell Row: 5 x 5 @ 55 lbs

Dips: 12,7,7

 

Tack on another 2 lbs in a week...nutrition seems to be in check! Squat was tough today, didn't feel like I could up it to 110 like planned...so stuck with 105. Looking back I think I could have done it, but I'm still not fully confident in my form so I didn't want to push it. Will go for 110 next time. Felt really good on rows and dips today. Cranked out some good numbers. Two more training days this week and then it's a rest/recovery week while I'm on vacation. I will have access to a gym, but I think I'll take it easy and do some isolation exercises with low weights high reps...maybe work on some BW exercises too.

 

Any suggestions on light training during recovery weeks in order to maintain gains?

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I say simply cut the weight down significantly and do more reps...don't do reps of say 50 squats but go from 5 to maybe 15...something you could do easily at your normal squat speed. But this time around increase the the time of each squat rep...so maybe do 3-4 second reps. I did this during injuries and it still allowed me to get stronger(not quite as quicky) without wasting weeks to have pure rest.

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@Potter: Thanks for the tips! Sounds like a plan I can stick to.

 

12/18/07

 

Warmup:

2 min jog

2 x 10 squat stretch

2 x 5 squat @ 45 lbs

 

Routine:

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 110 lbs

OH Press: 2 x 5, 1 x 3, 1 x 4, 1 x 3 @ 65 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 90 lbs

Chinups: 5,4,4

 

Tore up the squat today and felt great, 110 seemed almost easy despite not being able to do it the last few workouts. The mind is still something I'm trying to conquer as I believe it is what held me back before. OH Press tore me apart though, and I struggled with the last few sets. Will try again on Thursday. Accidentally increased by 10 lbs instead of 5 on deadlift...no one is perfect

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12/20/07

 

Warmup:

Same

 

Routine:

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 115 lbs

Bench: 2 x 5, 3 x 4 @ 90 lbs

BB Row: 5 x 5 @ 60 lbs

Dips: 13, 8, 8

 

Feeling better on the squat every day as my form is developing again. After that though, the bench killed me as I couldn't crank out the full 5 on the last few sets. Next time will give it a go again. Rows were tough, but managed to get through em. Getting better every time at dips too. Now I'm off on holiday, so next 2 workouts may or may not get fit in. At least I know I'll get one part of my training in though, nutrition

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12/22/07

 

Squat: 4 x 5 @ 115 lbs

OH Press: 3 x 5 @ 65 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 95 lbs

 

Despite not going to sleep last night due to being re-routed 2 times, then put on a bus over night (long story), I had a ton of energy all day long and decided to head on over to the gym. Felt really great, not to mention it was in the afternoon when I usually workout first thing in the morning. Just took it easy, only increasing my load on the deadlift. I've pulled all nighters before, so I know I'll crash soon here and let my body recover with some seriously deep sleep.

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@Robert: Thanks for the motivation...compound exercises are definitely tough but the results speak for themselves.

 

12/24/07

 

Squat: 3 x 5 @ 115 lbs

Bench: 4 x 5 @ 90 lbs, 1 x 3 @ 90 lbs

BB Row: 5 x 5 @ 60 lbs

 

Went snowboarding yesterday and definitely felt sore this morning. Decided to hit the gym anyways since I was out. Used same weight as last time as this is still my "off" week. Felt good on everything except for the bench, which is where I struggled last time. Going to take a couple of days off and will continue again on thurs or fri (assuming my travel plans go better then my trip here!).

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12/27/07

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 105 lbs

OH Press: 3 x 5 @ 65 lbs, 2 x 4 @ 65 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 100 lbs

Pullups: 5,4,4

 

Squats felt incredibly easy today...sure enough when I was unloading the plates I realized that I used the wrong ones! Maybe the whole thing about bigger muscles = less intelligence is true

 

Still struggled on OH Press, so will keep it at same weight for next time. Still steadily increasing deadlift, but today I definitely felt I had to concentrate on my form more than usual.

 

Overall it appears that I was able to maintain most of my strength despite having a crazy holiday week. Now it's time to step it up again for the new year!

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12/29/07

 

Weight: 129 lbs

Gain: -1 lb

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 115 lbs

Bench: 4/4/5/5/4 @ 90 lbs

BB Row: 5 x 5 @ 65 lbs

Dips: 14, 8, 7

 

Stepped on the scale only to find out that I lost 1 lb in the last two weeks...and I thought that I had eaten pretty well over the holiday! Now that I'm back home and in the routine again hopefully I'll get back the mass. Training wise everything felt great this morning except for bench. I probably could have done the full 5 x 5, but didn't want to push it since I didn't have a spotter.

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12/31/07

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 120 lbs

OH Press: 5/5/5/5/4 @ 65 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 105 lbs

Chinups: 5,4,3

 

Everything went smoothly today except for the press. Just couldn't squeeze out one last rep. Chinups seemed rather hard today, but I guess it's been awhile since I did them last.

 

Well, this was the last workout of 2007. Despite only starting this routine roughly a month ago, I look and feel 10 X better than before. I can only imagine the changes to come in the next few months!

 

Happy New Year!

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1/2/08

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 125 lbs

Bench: 5 x 5 @ 90 lbs

BB Row: 5 x 5 @ 70 lbs

Dips: 14, 8, 8

 

Squats felt really tough today..and my form suffered from it. Been doing squat stretches on my off days, which seems to help out. Some days though I just don't feel "it", and today was one of those days. Bench was definitely maxed out, as I really had to push for the last rep, but it felt really good. By the time dips came around, I felt completely wasted, so I was happy to churn out the numbers that I did. Overall, a solid start to the new year.

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1/5/08

 

Weight = 132.5 lbs

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 130 lbs

OH Press: 5 x 5 @ 65 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 110 lbs

Pullups: 4,4,3

 

Red = Decrease, Green = Increase, Black = No Change

 

With the new year, thought I'd color code my log to make it simple to see where I have gone up/down since the last workout.

 

Although I managed to pump out all 5x5 on squats, my form really took a hit at the end, and I did not go through the full ROM. I noticed that when driving up, I tend to favor my right (dominant leg), which could lead to an imbalance. I've always had this problem doing endurance sports, where my right side always seems to develop more than my left. Not sure how I can correct that besides just trying to focus on using both sides equally. So next workout I think I will keep it the same weight and concentrate more on form.

 

On another note, I thought that I had hit a sort of milestone with the squat and done my own BW. However, when I stepped on the scale I was shocked to find out I gained 2.5 lbs in a week. My diet was pretty crappy and usually when that happens I lose weight, but by some miracle (and a lot of calories), I increased. So unfortunately I still have yet to squat my BW.

 

Deadlift is starting to feel pretty heavy, especially now that squats are beating me up. Going to re-read about proper deadlift technique for next time.

 

Pullups took a hit today, but I was pretty wiped out by the time they came around. Also, I think I used a wider grip than usual, which makes them harder.

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1/9/08

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 130 lbs

OH Press: 4/5/5/5/4 @ 70 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 115 lbs

Chins: 6,4,4

 

Cool Down: 10 min. of stretches, crunches, and supermans.

 

Squats were feeling good again, so next set I will up the weight. Failed on OH Press...this is and always has been the lift that I struggle with. It's going to be a struggle to keep up, but I've made some good progress so far and will see where I reach my limit. Chins increased today, and I felt really good doing them. Hopefully I'll be back at my max in no time. I've been doing some different stuff during my cool down routine, and thought it might help to start adding it to my log for future reference.

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1/11/07

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 125 lbs

Bench: 5 x 5 @ 95 lbs

BB Row: 5 x 5 @ 70 lbs

Dips: 14, 10, 8

 

Yesterday was out of town on business, and ended up getting sick with something. I woke up and felt really tired this morning, but fine otherwise. When I hit the gym though, something just didn't feel right, so I either stayed the same or backed down some of the weight. Maybe I should have skipped today and tried tomorrow, but I guess I'll know better next time.

 

1/13/07

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 130 lbs

OH Press: 1 x 3 @ 75 lbs, 4 x 5 @ 70 lbs

Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 120 lbs

Pullups: 4, 4, 3

 

Got back up to normal on squats, and felt a lot better today. I put too much weight on OH Press by accident, and had to correct it for the last sets. No increase in pullups which was a little disappointing, but overall I felt it was a decent day considering the last couple of days I've felt like crap and have hardly eaten anything. Today I'm back in the game though.

 

Will only be able to get in 1 more workout before heading off for vacation on a snowboarding trip. There's a gym at the lodge we're staying at, but I'm not sure if I'll be feeling up to it after spending the day on the slopes. Just need to make sure I eat enough as I'll be burning a lot more calories than usual.

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1/15/07

 

Squat: 5 x 5 @ 135 lbs

Bench: 5/5/5/4/5 @ 100 lbs

BB Row: 5 x 5 @ 75 lbs

Dips: 16, 11, 10

 

Something crazy happened in today's workout...I was able to unleash something inside of me that I haven't been able to in a long time. I use to be able to do this during endurance training and races, but I thought I had all but lost it. I don't know exactly what to call it, but it's a combination of adrenaline, discipline, and something from deep down inside. Whatever it is, I hope I have more!

 

Increased in everything today, reaching many PRs. Still haven't gotten a weighted belt yet, so my numbers on dips are starting to climb. It's kinda fun though doing lots of reps after only doing 5 x 5 the rest of the workout.

 

Off on my snowboarding vacation tomorrow, and won't be back for a week. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few workouts in there sometime, but if not I'll just have to hit it that much harder when I get back!

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