wats up guys i JUST started this program and im wondering how well its gonna work haha. im 5’8, 150 pounds. my goals are to gain muscle but not get too bulky.im guessing my bodyfat% is around 13%. itd be nice to get some advice while doing this so im doing the training log.
it seems that most people can deadlift alot more than their other lifts but i cant really haha. i think i have some weird numbers but i dont really know.
the most confusing thing is diet for me. i used to eat about 1600 calories a day give or take, but i think i wasnt eating enough to get enough muscle gains. im taking in about 2000, maybe more. is this a smarter move? i dont want to get too much fat. i want to really lower my bodyfat too. we’ll see how this goes
pretty good day today. still sore from squats so it was pretty hard today.
Squats 3x5- 160
Standing Military Press 3x5- 95
Bent Rows 3x5- 125
Chins 2x8- w/assistance
standing military press was no doubt the hardest one. cheated a little bit by boosting up with legs but i heard thats okay to do. im really feeling my back muscles workin hard.
still want a bigger chest and im thinking of adding accessory chest exercises on the last day possibly 3x8 but i donno if thats good or not.
Don’t worry about your starting numbers - it will all even out shortly, and you’ll know where your real strengths and weaknesses lie.
As for adding other exercises, DON’T. Not if you’re doing Rippetoe’s. Keep the program as is, and only add accessories that are within the scope of the program.
worked out early in the morning for the first time and it was a bit tougher haha. i definitely feel my squats goin up i should have increased more today but i want to take it a little bit slower so im doing it right.
QUESTIONS, for my deadlifts i used the “box” the first time, but used the barbell this time. barbells were MUCH harder to do, i had to drop a good 20 pounds. stick to barbell? also, for my benching at 155, im able to do it but not with really good form. should i drop down weight and start up but have good form?
[quote]seaside wrote:
QUESTIONS, for my deadlifts i used the “box” the first time, but used the barbell this time. barbells were MUCH harder to do, i had to drop a good 20 pounds. stick to barbell? also, for my benching at 155, im able to do it but not with really good form. should i drop down weight and start up but have good form?[/quote]
I’ve never used a box before, so I can’t advise you on that. As a general rule, though, go with the format that enables you to use the best form. Which feeds into your bench… yep, I’d recommend you bite the bullet and drop the bench weight down.
In the long run, consistently using proper form will benefit you much more than using 10 or 15 more pounds for a few weeks right now. Proper form at any lift will work the appropriate muscles at the appropriate angles, allowing for joint longevity and increased strength and mass gains. Definitely worth it
Yeah it is much more advisable to begin with a slightly lighter weight to really help nail your form. I would suggest that if you don’t have the book “Starting Strength” it would definitely be a worthwhile purchase. I’m guessing you don’t simply because you are benching more than you are deadlifting.
Also I have no idea what you are referring to when you say that you used a box to deadlift? Anyway good luck bro, and don’t be afraid to start light. Better to learn the correct movement patterns, than to jump into a hard workout and struggle with reps. The program will become VERY HARD!
[quote]slimsaw00 wrote:
Yeah it is much more advisable to begin with a slightly lighter weight to really help nail your form. I would suggest that if you don’t have the book “Starting Strength” it would definitely be a worthwhile purchase. I’m guessing you don’t simply because you are benching more than you are deadlifting.
Also I have no idea what you are referring to when you say that you used a box to deadlift? Anyway good luck bro, and don’t be afraid to start light. Better to learn the correct movement patterns, than to jump into a hard workout and struggle with reps. The program will become VERY HARD!
-Matt[/quote]
box deadlift is basically where the “bar” is shaped like a square that you stand in and you grip the handles if they are straight down your sides. like this.
i think ill def drop my weight on bench to get the form right. thanks guys keep comments coming!
well after some thinking…i decided to switch to a 5x5 format that i found on stronglifts. its supposed to help a little with size gains and thats probably my main goal, but the exercises and the workout remains the same.
Week 2 Day 1
Squats: 5x5- 165
OMP: 5x5- 85/85/95/95/85 (95 form wasnt as good so i dropped back)
Barbell Row: 5x5- 125/125/125/115/115 (same here, plus just got tired by this point haha)
Chins: 3x9/7/5 w/assistance
i had some lower back pain while squatting today but i couldnt tell if it was a technqiue thing or just soreness. it felt more like my tailbone? wondering what you think…
gotta play around with my weights a little so i get all 5 consistent but overall satisfied with today.
Week 2 Day 2
good day at the gym. i was running all day today before the gym for a school trip playing basketball so i had to ease up and stay consistent with my squats. still pretty good.
so barbell deadlift wasnt as bad this time, and i didnt feel as much pain in my lower back squatting and deadlifting his time. hopefully i’m working my chest enough just doing these exercises…i know i know stick to the program.
barbell rows are really weird. some days i can do 125, today was imposibble at 115. i think its just some slight changes in form that make it easier or harder. any thoughts on that? sometimes i find myself leaning almost parallel, sometimes more upright.
With rows you do want to start close to parallel. As the set gets on you’ll end up closer to 30 degrees. Just make sure you reset your back between reps, and keep a tight arch.
i think im gonna lower squat to 205 ish because my form started gettin whack. i jumped up from 175 to 225. i was always hesitant because i thought id get hurt and i couldnt really tell how much i could do but now i have a better idea. bench is still kind of a weak spot, i couldnt finish my 155, dropped 10 pounds to 145.
i wish i could deadlift more. isnt that supposed to be your strongest?
also started creatine mono today. hopefully will help me alot esp since im a beginner.
Squat: 5x5, 205
OHM: 5x5, 90
Rows: 5x5, 100
Chins: 3x10,8,5 (no assistance on last)
i lowered my squat to 205 from 225 because i felt my form becoming garbage at 225. slowly seeing some gains…
deadlift, bench, ohm, rows all seem to be lacking! its hard to move up weight…only once in a while i can put it up, then ill have to move down a little bit to gather form again. encouragement?
Seaside, how do you like the 5x5 routine? I think that part of your slower progress is actually due to the 5x5 instead of 3x5. In my opinion, you’d see better gains at weight, and ultimately size, if you stick with the 3x5 for a couple months solid. Make sure you do the chins and dips, but cut out all assistance with them. Do sets of 1-2 reps, if you have to, as a regular rep of either is far superior to multiple assisted reps.
That’s my $.02 for you, good luck!
