Wednesday 5/14/14
Bodyweight: 284
Deadlift
135x8
225x5
315x3
405x1
455x1
495x1
545xFAIL
525xFAIL
I sucked today. Slept like shit last night, felt like shit all day, got pissed at work, decided to go for a 1RM anyway and bombed it. Got halfway up with 545. I was fried after that and tried 525. It did not leave the floor. This was my first failure at a deadlift. I don’t like it.
Seated Overhead Press
115x5
145x5
175x3
I sucked at that too.
Standing DB Overhead Press
55x5
That felt hard too. Not my best day in the weight room.
At this point I had to leave due to time constraints. I wasted a workout dicking around with 1RM attempts I did not need to be doing. At least I learned some lessons from this whole debacle.
The Bruins just got eliminated from the playoffs. This is probably good for me. I had some chicken fingers and beer tonight. I went out with a caloric bang.
Bruins are out. Time to execute my diet and lose some fucking fat.
[quote]twojarslave wrote:
I wasted a workout dicking around with 1RM attempts I did not need to be doing. At least I learned some lessons from this whole debacle.
[/quote]
Nothing wrong with this in the long run. Frustrating for a day, but in the big game of lifting for life, no sweat. Like you said, lesson learned.
Besides which, the “angel’s advocate” perspective of sorts: you deadlifted 495 on a bad day. Let me repeat that: you deadlifted four-hundred-and-ninety-five pounds on a bad day. When you think of it that way, it sounds a lot better 
I used to have a really hard time “letting go” after bad workouts of any kind. For several years (2008-2012), I trained as a competitive distance runner and if I got home after a bad run, or a run where something stupid happened (like a car cutting me off in an intersection, forcing me to herky-jerky jump out of the way mid-stride), I would feel a bit jangly until my next run, almost like I needed a good run to “erase” that bad one that had just happened.
Big picture: one bad training session. Come back stronger next time. Get into that fat-loss battle and started shedding some of those pounds; if you lose a little strength while you do it, remember it’s part of a big-picture journey to a healthier, leaner, and eventually stronger you
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
[quote]twojarslave wrote:
I wasted a workout dicking around with 1RM attempts I did not need to be doing. At least I learned some lessons from this whole debacle.
[/quote]
Nothing wrong with this in the long run. Frustrating for a day, but in the big game of lifting for life, no sweat. Like you said, lesson learned.
Besides which, the “angel’s advocate” perspective of sorts: you deadlifted 495 on a bad day. Let me repeat that: you deadlifted four-hundred-and-ninety-five pounds on a bad day. When you think of it that way, it sounds a lot better
I used to have a really hard time “letting go” after bad workouts of any kind. For several years (2008-2012), I trained as a competitive distance runner and if I got home after a bad run, or a run where something stupid happened (like a car cutting me off in an intersection, forcing me to herky-jerky jump out of the way mid-stride), I would feel a bit jangly until my next run, almost like I needed a good run to “erase” that bad one that had just happened.
Big picture: one bad training session. Come back stronger next time. Get into that fat-loss battle and started shedding some of those pounds; if you lose a little strength while you do it, remember it’s part of a big-picture journey to a healthier, leaner, and eventually stronger you :)[/quote]
Agreed
Thanks guys.
I’m more upset about not getting my full workout in than missing the pull, but I realize one off day is not a make-or-break event. I had to fail a pull at some point. It taught me a lot. I gained a better understanding of just how much a truly max effort lift takes out of you. I gained a better understanding of how my general state of mind and physical well-being on any given day can impact performance in the weight room. So yes, it is another little step ahead for me.
Time to blow the dust off of the food scale and myfitnesspal. PR’s can wait. I need to make fat loss a priority. It will feel good. Better than 545, I think.
[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Thanks guys.
I’m more upset about not getting my full workout in than missing the pull, but I realize one off day is not a make-or-break event. I had to fail a pull at some point. It taught me a lot. I gained a better understanding of just how much a truly max effort lift takes out of you. I gained a better understanding of how my general state of mind and physical well-being on any given day can impact performance in the weight room. So yes, it is another little step ahead for me.
Time to blow the dust off of the food scale and myfitnesspal. PR’s can wait. I need to make fat loss a priority. It will feel good. Better than 545, I think.[/quote]
Never a failure, always a lesson. Rinse, repeat.
Bummah about the Bruins, bub. I’ll drink all the beers for you from here on out. Keep your IPAs though, I like a good porter.
Looks like your home gym is coming along, we have the same idea! Make the most of your Summer, it’s always too short around these parts. More likely to get some color on those pasty legs flipping tires at home than in a gym…
How far up Maine are ya?
[quote]Mighty Matron wrote:
How far up Maine are ya?[/quote]
Not too far up. I live in Lewiston…
Yep. The Dirty Lew. Bumtown, Maine. The city that used to be nicer than Biddeford, but isn’t any more.
Bad reputation aside, it is still a nice place to live. Close to Portland. Close to the mountains. Close to the ocean. Close to N. Conway, NH where we go to shop and diligently pay Maine sales tax on our out-of-state tax-free cash purchases as required by the Maine Revenue Service.
[quote]twojarslave wrote:
[quote]Mighty Matron wrote:
How far up Maine are ya?[/quote]
Not too far up. I live in Lewiston…
Yep. The Dirty Lew. Bumtown, Maine. The city that used to be nicer than Biddeford, but isn’t any more.
Bad reputation aside, it is still a nice place to live. Close to Portland. Close to the mountains. Close to the ocean. Close to N. Conway, NH where we go to shop and diligently pay Maine sales tax on our out-of-state tax-free cash purchases as required by the Maine Revenue Service.
[/quote]
But of course, good citizen 
I’ve always lived in NH, love it for the same reasons, and also for not having to tell the government what I’ve purchased. Not that those bastards don’t already know.
Lewiston-Auburn, Ha! I love all the “LA” marketing they were doing up there last time I blew through. Oh, you fancy, huh? Hysterical. Lewiston is far from the being the worst place in Maine, for sure though. I got one of my degrees at SMCC. And I worked in Biddifid for a brief time. I only go back there when I’m slumming it. Spend tons of time in Maine though, in-laws all ova the damned place.
Friday 5/16/14
Bodyweight: 285
Another workout in lovely Lewiston, which I am told is…
[quote]Mighty Matron wrote:
…far from the being the worst place in Maine[/quote]
The mayor should put that on the welcome sign, because there’s a lot of confusion about that.
Front Squat
155x5
225x5
240x5
240x4
240x4
Wide Grip Bench Press
135x5
185x5
205x5
240x4
240x3
240x3
I don’t really mind that I didn’t get close to my 5 rep target because I was finally able to bench comfortably with a wide-ish grip (pinkies on the smooth ring). No shoulder pain at all, I feel great. Going to go with this grip on Mondays and back to close grip on Fridays.
Romanian Deadlift
135x5
205x5
235x5
235x5
235x5
240 next week and should do another warm-up set in between 135 and 205.
Bent over barbell row
135x5
205x5
215x5 Ugly
205x5
205x5
I seem to be getting slightly weaker on my rows.
Barbell curls
15x an unlabeled barbell
10x a heavier unlabeled barbell
Sauna 20 min
Hot tub 10 min
2 laps in the pool.
Out of gas.
Monday 5/19/14
Body weight: 284
Squat
135x5
225x5
275x5
295x5
295x5
295x5
I think I’m a low-bar guy. Much more natural to me than high bar. 295 felt pretty easy. Looking forward to crushing some PR’s in a few weeks.
Bench Press
155x5
205x5
240x5
240x5
240x4
Used the same wide-ish grip I did on Friday. Feels great, no shoulder issues at all. It is settled. Wide grip Monday, Close grip Friday.
Lat PD
210x10
210x9
210x9
Weighted Situp on decline bench
35x15
35x15
Pec Deck
100x15
100x15
DB Farmer’s Carry
80lb each hand - carried them as long as I could two times.
30 min sauna
10 min hot tub
1 lazy lap in the pool
Wednesday 5/21/14
Body weight: 285
Deadlift
135x5
225x5
315x5
405x6
455x2
I keep forgetting to try the hook grip.
Seated OHP
115x5
145x5
175x5
175x4
175x4
Standing Calf Raise
580x12
580x12
DB Flat Bench
35x15
55x12
75x8
85x7
85x7
Barbell Curl
75x8
75x8
20 min sauna
10 min hot tub
Forgot to do a few pullups too.
Friday 5/23/14
Worked out at home today. I’m leaving the woods of Maine to travel to the woods of Wisconsin for a few days to catch fish, eat meat on the fire and drink fine bourbon with my Midwestern relatives.
Squat
135x5
205x5
255x5
305x5
305x1
Something happened in the hole here. Lost my balance but got it back up. Mental mistake. Be careful without a spotter or a proper squat rack, dumbass.
305x5
305x5
Low bar all-the-way. 305 was all the plates I had and it felt EASY. I won’t call this a PR, but it was definitely the most total weight I’ve moved in a squat session.
Bench Press
135x5
185x5
205x10
225x7
255x3
It feels good to bench with a wider grip. Not calling this a PR either, but it is my best effort at a heavy triple.
Upright Barbell Row
70x10*
70x10
Barbell Curl
70x10
70x10
*I am unsure of the weight of this threaded barbell I was using with 50 lbs of plates. 20 lbs is just a guess.
Low-bar squat video to be posted once my camerawoman figures out why she can’t email it to me.
305x5 with a low-bar technique. Any and all criticism is more than welcome.
Sorry for the bad lighting. It looked better on the GF’s phone.
Stop looking down and look straight ahead, other then that strong work.
[quote]Derek542 wrote:
Stop looking down and look straight ahead, other then that strong work. [/quote]
I did that when I was high bar squatting. For low-bar I am going with the head alignment recommended by Rippetoe in Starting Strength, which is to look down like you see in my most recent and worst-lit video. So far I like it.
Thursday 5/29/14
BW 284
Back from a successful fishing trip. Back to work.
Squat
135x5
225x5
275x5
315x5
315x5
315x5
Work set PR
Bench Press
135x5
185x5
225x5
240x5
240x5
240x4
Chin up
BWx3
Lat PD
210x10
210x10
210x6
Weighted Situp
5 lbs x 20
5 lbs x 15
I read something by Jim Wendler that said weighted situps should be done with the weight held behind the head. I concur. Those were way fucking harder than holding a 35 lb plate to my chest. I’ll stick with the Wendler Way.
Front Squat rep-out
135x12
Non-regular dude at the bench press said I should do more than one set. I just kind of nodded at him and thought to myself, “Thanks for the tip, chief. Don’t break your ribs bouncing the bar off your chest”.
10 min sauna
5 min hot tub
5 more min sauna
Special Observations about tonight’s workout:
I am very pleased with this workout, but I was not quite as strong as I thought I would be. I ate well. I was very well-rested. I was mentally prepared. I was hydrated. In short, I prepared for this the same way as every other workout with one exception.
Creatine.
I was not taking it in Wisconsin, so I would presume that my levels were back to normal. Conclusion:
The shit may just work.
Saturday 5/31/14
BW 284
Front Squat
135x5
185x5
225x5
240x5
240x5
240x5
Close Grip BP
135x5
185x5
225x5
240x5
240x3
My right shoulder told me to stop, so I did. Hope it feels good on Monday.
Romanian Deadlift
135x5
185x5
235x5
235x5
235x8
Need to up the poundage on these.
Bent over Barbell Row
135x12
185x8
205x4
20 min sauna
My buddy was there today. He skipped his first workout yesterday due to life, but he made it up today. So he really has not missed a single day since he first picked up the barbell.
We’re both back on MWF next week. He’s slaying it and really enjoying the process. I’m very happy to have helped him and I think is making me a better lifter as well.
I need to stop dicking around and get serious about losing fat next week. I’m back to a normal routine, the excuse factory needs to be closed down.
Stay the course. You’re putting in the work. You’ve already been through the initial whoosh of progress. I think one could say you’ve been an absolute model to follow for any “obese beginner that’s just picked up a barbell” to this point; you’ve done a great job on the training end of things.
Now progress will come more in fits and starts, and you have to learn to balance “holding yourself accountable” with “cussing yourself out for not sticking to the diet like you said you would.”
You’re 285 and still need to lose that fat. That means the finer things may have to take a temporary vacation from your life. I, too, really enjoy a good bourbon with my steak, and other things of that ilk, but I’ve learned that they must be restricted to occasions when they’re truly worth it. This goes doubly so for someone trying to lose a large amount of fat. You can pick it back up once you’ve shedded a few more of those pounds.
Another way to think of it: you’re putting in the work on the training end. Apply that same dedication & effort to your diet for a few weeks. Once you’re down to 265, maybe you can allow yourself a LITTLE more wiggle room, and once you’re down to 245, maybe a little more as your metabolic profile improves. But give that fat loss a real attack for a bit and get rid of some of that weight for now.
Lifting is the reward for following a strict diet.
I always enjoyed lifting been doing it since I was 13 years old. BUT I hate fucking dieting and fought for years with the mentality of eat big and lift big. The problem is now at 40 I cant afford to have the abdominal girth that is associated with Diabetes/HTN and basically walking around waiting for my stroke or heart attack.
So I diet I concentrate most of my efforts and energy at dieting and the lifting is my release and fun stuff.
Good luck man, only you have to power to say no to the cheese cake.
[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
I think one could say you’ve been an absolute model to follow for any “obese beginner that’s just picked up a barbell” to this point…[/quote]
That’s a flattering salvo of smoke you just blew up my ass. Maybe someday I’ll write a book targeting other Homer Simpson types who are interested in taking on a barbell program that includes daily beer consumption for the first year. Just get strong. We’ll call that stage 1.
Now we start stage 2. No beer. This is the week I start getting it done again.
Sunday 6/1/14
Hiked Puzzle Mountain in Newry, ME.
3.2 miles up, 3.2 miles down with about 1,800 ft of elevation change from base to the summit of ~3,100 feet. It was a perfect day for a hike in western Maine.
I may be a helluva lot stronger than I was a year ago, but I’m still in piss-poor shape. That was HARD! Still, we all had a blast.
Side note: I need to change the subject when barbell training comes up. It takes everything I have not to call “bullshit” on my buddy’s outrageous claims of having (in the very distant past, of course) a 675lb deadlift and a 650 lb squat. Smile and nod. Smile and nod. There is to be no dick measuring on the trail.
[quote]Derek542 wrote:
The problem is now at 40 I cant afford to have the abdominal girth that is associated with Diabetes/HTN and basically walking around waiting for my stroke or heart attack.[/quote]
This more or less encapsulates the initial spark for me deciding to make a change. I don’t want to sit around waiting to die of a preventable disease, which is what men in my family seem to do.
[quote]twojarslave wrote:
[quote]Derek542 wrote:
The problem is now at 40 I cant afford to have the abdominal girth that is associated with Diabetes/HTN and basically walking around waiting for my stroke or heart attack.[/quote]
This more or less encapsulates the initial spark for me deciding to make a change. I don’t want to sit around waiting to die of a preventable disease, which is what men in my family seem to do.
[/quote]
Yes sir. Mine also. Keep up the good fight.
