yeah i was doing the GOMAD (gallon of whole milk a day). it’s a very effective bulking diet, and one i plan on doing again, but i shifted straight into the full gallon instead of giving myself a month to adjust like i was supposed to. i think if im patient this time and play it safe, i should be fine.
8 October 2010
Age: 20
Height: 6’1
Weight: 180
Distance: 7.49 miles (12.84 mph)
Time: 35 minutes
Resistance: 12
Max HR: 139
Comments: I’ve been doing my cardio during practice, just not at the gym really. Since I’ve been getting a good workout from practice 4 days a week, I’ve been letting that take the space of it. I’ve also been biking everywhere around campus as my mode of transportation. I can tell my cardio’s been improving, as evidenced by the fact that I’m going about 2 mph faster at a difficulty setting 4 notches higher without much increase in heartrate. I don’t think I’ll have much of a problem hitting my goal.
I’ve also been taking advantage of the free massages we get, which I think has been helping, especially with my range of motion.
30 January 2011
Age: 20
Height: 6’1
Weight: 187
Measurements (Day 1):
Waist (flexed, belly button): 33"
Neck (unflexed): 15"
Calves (unflexed): 15.5"
Upper Arm (unflexed): 12.5"
Quads (unflexed, widest part): 24.5"
Chest (unflexed, medium breath, nipples): 37"
Bodyfat (How to Measure Weight at Home: BMI, RFM, & More): 9.5%
Bodyfat (Body Fat Calculator): 14.5%
Bodyfat (US Navy Calculator - Body Fat Calculator – BizCalcs.com): 12%
Average Bodyfat: 12%
Lifts (Day 1):
Bench Press: 3 x 5 x 125
Squat (Box/Parallel): 1 x 5 x 135, 2 x 5 x 155
Deadlift: 3 x 5 x 165
Comments: This is my first day back. I’m currently taking fiber supplements, to help with the fissure, and Lactase, to help with milk consumption. I’m going to start my weight gain simple: eat 3 meals a day and drink a quart of milk somewhere in there. I’ll do this for a week (except perhaps during my tournament next weekend), then start with 2 quarts a day. I’m going to take this weight gain slowly.
What seems strange to me is that I’m starting out 12 lbs ahead of where I was in the fall of 2009, yet my measurements are very similar. I think my waist is a bit bigger, but I’m measuring it a bit differently this time, so it looks the same. That’s why I noted exactly how I took the measurements, so I can be constant.
Workout was easy as expected. Like my bulking, I’m starting out slow to get my form down and then move patiently. Bench press and squat form were fine. I like doing squats with a box. Deadlift form was a bit off, since I was using my back too much, but I remember how to do them now.
Picture 3: 187 lbs
One more measurement:
Hips (unflexed): 39"
1 February 2011
Lifts (Day 2):
Military Press: 3 x 5 x 60
Squat: 3 x 5 x 175
Pullups: 5, 3, 1
Comments: Military press was fairly easy. Squat was a bit more difficult than last time since I upped the weight and used a shorter box, but still fine. Pullups were bad but I predict they’ll improve.
3 February 2011
Weight: 191
Lifts (Day 3):
Bench Press: 3 x 5 x 140
Squat: 3 x 5 x 190
Deadlift: 1 x 5 x 180
Comments: Workout was more challenging today on all 3 lifts. Weight gain has been good so far, although I haven’t noticed any visible signs of it other than the scale. I need to look into putting on bumper plates for the deadlift. I can’t tell if the squat is more difficult because my strength is that far behind, or if I wasn’t going deep enough before. Right now I’m going about 4 inches past parallel (did a rough measurement today), and before I think I was slightly above. Should make everything more challenging.
7 February 2011
Weight: 192
Lifts (Day 4):
Military Press: 3 x 5 x 70
Squat: 3 x 5 x 205
Pullups: 6, 1, 1
Comments: I was gone to a fencing tournament in Chicago over the weekend, so that’s what accounts for the bit slower weight gain. I am pleased that I was still able to pull off gains though. 5 pounds in 8 days isn’t half bad. Military press was a bit more challenging today. I had to push on the last 2 reps of the last set. Squat was surprisingly easy today, perhaps due to my legs having had a bit of rest. Pullups were strange in the huge dropoff. Not sure if this is due to too short of breaks or what. At least my 1 RM still went up.
9 February 2011
Weight: 194
Lifts (Day 5):
Bench Press: 3 x 5 x 155
Squat: 3 x 5 x 225
Deadlift: 1 x 5 x 205
Comments: Challenging but not too bad. I got impatient on the bench press and went ahead and upped it by 15 so it would start being more challenging. I had to really grind out the last 1 or 2 reps, but it was fine. Squat is getting harder as well, mainly in my core and my breathing; my legs are still holding up well. Deadlift really took something out of my lower back. I was walking funny for a little bit. Not injured, just “I can tell this will be sore in the morning” type of thing. I’m not sure if my form is wrong or if I just haven’t been stimulating it enough.
I did bumper plates on the deadlift today for the first time and they worked fine. Less overall hassle. Weight gain is still progressing well, although it’s annoying that I’m still weaker than I was at a lower weight way back when. Oh well.
11 February 2011
Weight: 196
Lifts (Day 6):
Military Press: 3 x 5 x 80
Squat: 3 x 5 x 235
Pullups: 6, 2, 1
Comments: Not bad. Military press wasn’t bad at all. Squat was also okay, although it’s starting to be tougher on my lower back. Hopefully the deadlift strengthens that soon. I hit the support bar on my way down, which threw me off a little. My boxers also completely split open on my last set, which was funny. Luckily it didn’t throw off my form that much. Pullups were better, but are still not where I would like them to be. The continuous weight gain makes the improvement invisible.
Weight gain continues to progress well.
14 February 2011
Weight: 198
Lifts (Day 7):
Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 165, 1 x 4 x 165
Squat: 3 x 5 x 245
Deadlift: 1 x 5 x 225
Comments: Pretty good workout. After seeing another encouraging weight gain, I decided to be daring and up the bench press by 10 lbs instead of my originally planned 5. I ran out of gas on the 4th rep of the last set and just decided to go ahead and rack it after the 4th rather than risk getting stuck at the bottom. Now that I’ve found my current limit on it, I’ll stick to the same weight for the next workout just to make sure, and then do 5 lbs from here on out.
Squat was a bit easier than the last two times. I’ve noticed that it’s easier when I keep my eyes on the floor, although I’m not sure if this is just mental. My knees have stayed on the track pretty well so far, although I’m wondering if I’m making the exercise a bit too quad-dominant. I’ll probably just stick to doing it this way until I get a copy of Starting Strength.
Deadlift was actually a good bit easier, I think due to the fact that I brought my arms closer in and flexed them before bringing up the bar. Interesting how much a firm base can do for you.
Measurements:
Weight: 198 (from 187, +11)
Bodyfat: 13% (from 12%, +1%)
Chest: 38.5 (from 37, +1.5)
Arms: 13 (from 12.5, +0.5)
Thighs: 25.5 (from 24.5, +1)
Waist: 34 (from 33, +1)
Shoulders: 47.5 (from 46, +1.5)
Neck: 16 (from 15, +1)
Forearms: 12.5 (from 12, +0.5)
Calves: 16 (from 15.5, +0.5)
Hips: 40.5 (from 39, +1.5)
Comments: As ever, the pictures don’t look like as much as I thought they would. I can see a difference in the chest and the neck, but not as much anywhere else. The measurements are also fairly encouraging. It looks like the improvements can be divided the following way:
Above average improvement: Neck, Chest, Shoulders, Hips
Average: Thighs, Calves
Bit Below Average: Arms, Forearms
The waist measurement is correct, but from looking at the pictures, it doesn’t really seem like I’ve gained 2% bodyfat. Rather, the fat I’ve gained seems to have accumulated almost entirely around the waist, which would explain the inflated waist gain and thus bodyfat measurement. Then again, maybe I’m just being narcissistic.
Edit: I retook the measurements because the large measurement was bothering me and realized that since my tape measure is metal, it was sticking to my skin, which was sticky with sweat. When I inserted several fingers under the tape, I realized how much slack there was and tightened it accordingly. My waist is 34, not 34.5, and my hips are 40, not 40.5. I’ve also adjusted the chest measurement.
The current plan is to not really focus on the pictures, but just bulk, not losing focus, for roughly the next month. My original goal was to be at 200 by then, but now it looks like the goal is 215, or about 4 lbs a week from now until then. But then again, if I keep going at the rate I’ve been going (about 5.2 lbs a week), I could hit as high as 220.
Right now, my split (assuming my measurements are correct) is about 70/30 lean/fat, so we’ll see if I can keep that up.
Just for fun, I’m going to guess my measurements at 215 and see how good my rough system is at predicting.
Projected measurements at 215:
Weight: 215 (+17 from now, 28 lbs total)
Bodyfat: 14.5% (+1.5%)
Waist: 35.5 (+1.5)
Chest: 43 (+3.5)
Arms: 14 (+1)
Thighs: 27 (+1.5)
Shoulders: 50 (+2.5)
Hips: 41.5 (+1.5)
Neck: 17.5 (+1.5)
Forearms: 13.5 (+1)
Calves: 17 (+1)
16 February 2011
Weight: 199
Lifts (Day 8):
Military Press: 2 x 5 x 90, 1 x 3 x 90
Squat: 1 x 5 x 255, 1 x 4 x 255, 1 x 3 x 255
Pullups: 7, 3, 1
Comments: Got greedy on the military press progression (10 lbs) and couldn’t finish the last set. I also had bad form at the end of the second set. I should be able to get 3 sets of 5 next B workout and then I’ll do 5 lbs from here on out. The squat I only went up by 10 lbs, but I didn’t warm up as much as I should have and I didn’t rest long enough for the second set, so that threw me off. We’ll see how squats go Friday. Pullups continue to improve slowly. Weight gain proceeds apace.
18 February 2011
Weight: 200
Lifts (Day 9):
Squat: 3 x 5 x 255
Bench Press: 3 x 5 x 165
Deadlift: 1 x 5 x 245
Comments: Big weight gain milestone! 200 is such a nice, even, beautiful number. Right now my gains have slowed some, but they’re settling in at about 1 pound every two days (every workout, in other words). That tells me I’m working at roughly a 1750 calorie surplus, so if I’m eating roughly 4500 calories a day like I think I am, my metabolism is going at about 2750. Either that or I’m eating more than I think, which is also possible.
After looking at the pdf of the original Starting Strength (my hard copy of the 2nd edition should come in tomorrow; I sent the first one to Shreveport like a dork), I tried to fix my form on the squat. I switched to low bar, which was actually pretty simple since I’m just setting my grip beforehand then resting the bar on the bones of my shoulders (covered with muscle of course). Now I need to work on my back arch, since I think I’m rounding a bit. One way to do this might be to just start off farther in front of the box so I have to arch my back to get my butt to touch it. I also did 3 or 4 warm up sets, which was good in it warmed up my muscles. I completed all the sets, which was good.
Bench press was pretty tough, since I added in 3 warm up sets and did it after the squat (all the stations were taken when I first walked in), so I was a bit tired. I got all the reps though, which was good.
Deadlift was better, since I realized I was going down too low, but still needs improvement. I fixed my depth and did warm up sets, and my stance was good, but I forgot to lock my arms like I did last time, which I think made it harder. My shoulders rolled a bit inward on the last 2 reps, so I’ll have to make sure I fix that in the future by flexing my shoulders back from the bottom. Right now my lower back is still the limiting factor in my deadlift (thus it being so much lower than it should be compared to my squat), but so far so good on progression.
Note to self:
Finish reps on overhead press, don’t increase the weight.
Increase by 5 lbs on the squat.
Switch pullups to sets of 5.
21 February 2011
Weight: 202
Lifts (Day 10):
Squat: 3 x 5 x 260
Overhead Press: 3 x 5 x 90
Pullups: 5, 4, 2
Comments: Squat was easier than last time. I sat back more in the squat, preventing my shins from going over my feet as much. I also made sure to arch my lower back more. However, I did notice a bit of back-rounding on the last rep of the last set. A more persistent problem was that my wrists were breaking the plane and my right elbow began to hurt, I guess because of less flexibility in my dominant arm.
Overhead press was easier than last time, as evidenced by the fact that I actually finished all the reps. My lower back was really tired from the squats, which I think made them more difficult. I broke form on the last rep.
Pullups stayed constant in total reps, which was surprising since I thought they’d go up, but my weight’s up by 3 lbs, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Weight gain is encouraging. I should be able to hit 210 by the time I leave for Spring Break 2 1/2 weeks from now no problem.