Pull-ups:
4 x 5 x bwt.
Legs Up Crunches:
4 x 15
0.8 mile jog/walk w/ Rachel
Pull-ups:
4 x 3 x bwt.
0.8 mile jog
Last night’s run turned into an hour-long, ~2 mile walk. Not sure what to call the crunches today; they were done with the legs held in a closed guard position. The second round of pull-ups was done with one hand supinated and held close to the body and the other assisting, held away and pronated; hands were alternated each set.
Pull-ups:
6 x 5 x bwt.
Push-ups:
15, 15, 15, 15, 10
0.8 mile walk/jog w/ Rachel (13 min.)
0.8 mile jog (7 min.)
Sunday (8/3)
Pull-ups:
6 x 5 x bwt.
Push-ups:
4 x 15
1.6 mile walk/jog/run
Standing Calf Raise:
3 x 10 x bwt. (1 sec hold)
Monday: off
Tuesday (8/5):
Pull-ups:
6 x 5 x bwt.
Push-ups:
4 x 15, 1 x 10
1.6 mile jog (15 min.)
Standing Calf Raise:
3 x 10 x bwt. (1 sec hold)
Pull-ups:
6 x 3 x bwt.
2 x (3 reps, 3 sec hold, 2 reps…)
Push-ups:
6 x 10
Lying Leg Raise:
4 x 10
Crunches:
2 x 10
0.8 mile walk/jog/run
Standing Calf Raise:
3 x 10 x bwt. (1 sec hold)
Pull-up Ladder:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Push-up Ladder:
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Pull and push sets were alternated. Rest between rounds was (# pull-up reps x 10) sec. Pump was pretty good.
Pull-ups:
8 x 3 x bwt.
Push-ups:
8 x 10
Crunches:
4 x 8 knees to chest, 2 sec. eccentric
4 x 8 closed guard crunches
0.8 mile walk/jog
0.8 mile jog
Calf Raises:
3 x 10
Pull-up Ladder:
2 x (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
Push-up Ladder:
2 x (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2)
Lying Leg Raise:
3 x 10
Stomach Vacuum:
3 x 5 x 5 sec.
0.8 mile jog (7:25)
Calf Raise:
3 x 10 x bwt.
Pull and push sets were alternated. Rest between rounds was (# pull-up reps x 10) sec. Ab work was done between the repeated push/pull ladders.
Pull-ups:
10 x 5 x bwt.
Push-ups:
10 x 10
Lying Leg Raise:
4 x 10
Crunches:
6 x 10
All work was done as a circuit–pull, push, abs–with ~1 min. rest between rounds. Hand position switched every two rounds for pull-ups; crunches were substituted when leg raises got too taxing.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 115
Bench:
5 x 5 x 75
Row:
5 x 5 x 80
Sprints:
4 x ~50 m.
I’m finally able to be back in the weight room. I decided to take a step back and use a 5x5 program to kind of ramp back up into training and maybe snag some newb gains on the way. I’ll switch back to 5/3/1 when I stall here.
(yesterday)
Squat:
5 x 5 x 120
OHP:
5 x 5 x 55
Deadlift:
1 x 5 x 155
Pull-ups:
5 x 5 x bwt.
Sprints:
4 x 50 m.
I was dead set on using this StrongLifts program exactly as written to work back into lifting. However, after some mental math, I realized it would be six weeks before I was lifting anything appreciable and eight to ten before I hit my previous 5rm on most lifts. I believe in Jim’s tenets of start too light and work up slowly, but the purpose of this cycle was to ramp back into lifting, and 2 1/2 months is a looong ramp.
So, what I’m thinking is I’ll take one more 5 lb step on the squat and maybe the row tomorrow (so I can stop fussing with 2 1/2 lb plates) then make 10 lb jumps each workout instead of the prescribed 5. I’ll run it that way until something stalls, then reset and work back up once or twice with the smaller jumps. That should be enough to let me squeeze out any newb/rebound gains; then I’ll revert to 5/3/1.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 125
Bench:
5 x 5 x 85
Row:
5 x 5 x 85
Farmer’s Walk (120 lbs.):
2 x 160 ft.
4 x 80 ft.
Today was a mixed bag. My weights are still super light, and I ended up doing a couple of my bench and row sets back-to-back with just a couple breaths in between before swapping the weights for Rachel. Unfortunately, the gym was packed with undergrads doing half-squats and walking away from their loaded bars without a second thought.
I’m not sure how to count the walks. I was setting up to do them in a long, empty hallway when I was informed by a staff person that, “we don’t allow people to do lunges [or any loaded carries] in this hall because if someone drops a weight, it will chip the tile.” I ended up doing them in an empty racquetball court, which Google suggests was probably 40 feet long. So, two sets of twice down and back, two sets of once, and the walks from the weight room to the court and back…I put my best guess.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 135
OHP:
5 x 5 x 65
Deadlift:
1 x 5 x 225
Pull-ups:
5 x 5 x bwt.
I had decided to jump my deadlift up 20 pounds each session, which would be consistent with the increases on my other lifts; this would have put my set at 175 today. But it was another busy day at the gym, so when a pair of bros walked off and left their loaded bar on the floor, I jumped in to do a set at 225. It was stupidly easy, and I probably should have paid stricter attention to my mechanics–motor patterning and all. Instead, I picked it up and put it down five times and gave it up to the next group.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 145
Bench:
5 x 5 x 95
Row:
5 x 5 x 95
Farmer’s Walk:
2 x 120 x 100 ft
3 x 120 x 160 ft
The gym was closed yesterday for the holiday weekend, so I had to make up something to do.
Push-ups:
3 x 10
4 x 5 clapping
3 x 10 paused at bottom
Pull-ups:
3 x 5 x bwt.
4 x 3 “one and a half arm”
3 x 3 paused at top
Lying Leg Lifts:
3 x 10
Supermans:
3 x 3 x 5 sec.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 155
OHP:
5 x 5 x 75
Deadlift:
1 x 5 x 235
Pull-ups:
5 x 5 x bwt.
Getting my pull-ups in has been a bit of a hassle. The gym is way too small for the population it serves, and there is only one actual pull-up bar. There are a few odd handles on a squat rack and on a hanging leg raise apparatus, but their placement is awkward for me to use. I’ve been doing most of my sets on some rock climbing handholds in side room, but these tax my grip more than upper arms or back. I did my first three sets on those today, then came home and did a couple more to round out the 5 x 5.
I keep praying for the undergrads to discover alcohol or flunk a midterm and decide to spend more time away from the gym, but until that happens, I guess I’ll have to sneak in some curls to get better bicep stimulation.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 165
Bench:
5 x 5 x 105
Row:
5 x 5 x 105
Farmer’s Walk, 130 lbs.:
2 x 100 ft
3 x 160 ft
I bought straps a year or two ago, but I’d never used them. I slipped them on for the carries and knocked out my sets pretty easily. I’ll go up again to the next set of dumbbells next time.
Squat:
5 x 5 x 175
OHP:
5 x 5 x 85
Deadlift:
1 x 5 x 245
Pull-ups:
5 x 5 x bwt.
Starting to rethink pull-ups on this workout. Between rows and carries on the other and the set of deadlifts here, my lats are getting a good amount of work. Maybe take a step back and just do curls here?
Bench:
5 x 5 x 115
Row:
5 x 5 x 115
Squat
5 x 5 x 185
Farmer’s Walk, 140 lbs.:
2 x 100 ft
3 x 160 ft
Squat:
5 x 5 x 195
OHP:
5 x 5 x 95
Deadlift:
5 x 255
Squat:
5 x 5 x 200
Bench:
5 x 5 x 125
Row:
5 x 5 x 125
Farmer’s Walk, 150 lbs.:
2 x 100 ft.
3 x 160 ft.