12/7
Squat 230x5 265x5 300x5 belt on last set
Bench 165x3 190x3 215x8
Not an all out effort but not sure I would have gotten 9th so racked it
Parallel bar push up BWT x15x5 sets
Pull down (overhand) 125x10x5 sets
Kettlebell swings 55x25x5 sets
I think I’m about where I was in August before traveling. Had a crunch at work and some personal stuff going on so kind of lost focus in training and diet.
Not where I was hoping to be at this time of year but at least moving in the right direction again
Will aim to finish the year strong but it’s looking like 2025 will be fab to flab take 2
12/14
Squat 250x5 280x5 315x5
Belt only on last set - losing tightness at bottom will try slowing descent next week - temptation to drop and use momentum
Bench 185x5 205x3 225x7
Tough set would not have gotten 8
Parallel bar push up BWT x15x5
Overhand pull down 135x10x5 sets
Kettlebell swings 55x25x5 sets
Belt on last set only focusing on controlling descent. 275 with no belt felt bad losing tightness which tells me core strength is lacking. Have been doing high rep ab work but this seems to have limited carryover to power lifts
Will include a higher volume of beltless squats next cycle
Bench 170x3 195x3 220x9
Parallel bar push ups BWT x20x5 sets
Pull down (overhand) 145x10x5 sets
Kettlebell swing 55x25x5 sets
Did 20 reps straight push ups the first 3 sets but had to break it up on the last 2
BP: 195x10 to 220x9 - never my best lift but everybody loves to bench lol
OH: 135x8 to 160x9 - happy with this one, delts look a lot more developed
SQ: didn’t really go for rep maxes, but raised training max from 300 to 345 and did not miss any reps (5s Progression)
TBDL: 405x2 to 395x10 (this one kind of surprised me because I just did 5s Pro and wasn’t really pushing reps) I think my build is probably just better suited to deadlifting than squatting though, squatting just beats the hell out of me
Didn’t really track bodyweight exercises as much but managed 5x10 dips, Chins are still a work in progress though can only do 5-6 reps without assistance.
Weight: 254.8 down to 245.0
Training was kind of general, perhaps could have gotten better results if I’d focused on either strength or fat loss but I’m happy I was able to stay relatively consistent for the year which was the first step.
Will put a more detailed post and updated “starting photos” in the next day or so but main training goals for 2025 are getting weight under 220 pounds and improving conditioning. If I can maintain the same strength levels while dropping weight I’ll call that a win, if I can increase lift numbers a little bit I’ll be very happy!
Happy New Year to All I really appreciate everyone who has followed this log so far, liked and commented all very encouraging
Next 8 weeks going to focus on establishing training maxes for barbell lifts. I’m following a layout called beyond 5/3/1 which was an article posted some time ago. Will continue cardio but decrease intensity for recovery purposes
The following 6 weeks will be more of a “maintenance” mode for both weights and cardio due to work schedule
Hoping to lose some fat just by cleaning up diet but that isn’t the primary focus of this phase
Stating in late April/early May and through end of August will focus on cutting fat. How aggressive that will go I guess will depend on how much I still need to lose to reach my goal
Will keep some heavy barbell lifts in the mix but probably something more conservative like a 5s progression and keep the same training maxes for the whole cut phase (unless I feel the need to decrease on any specific lifts)
The gym has a body fat test machine. I’m not sure if it’s 100% accurate but may be good simply to track the before and after for the cut.
Mid August to mid October is another “maintenance” phase due to work deadlines
From October on ideally I’ll try to “camp” at my new body weight and slowly increase rep maxes, however I’ll add another cut here if I haven’t reached or maintained my goal weight.
This is going off a theory I like that the body has a “set point” for weight that it likes to hover at so hoping if I really make a point of maintaining that weight for several months once I reach it will be easier to do so long term.
A secondary goal is to track a few “indicator” lifts and exercises. The idea really came from an article from Jim Wendler ill link below
Since I’m not planning to compete in any organized sport or competition this year it might be a fun challenge to do along the way
