I Like Lifting Heavy Weights

Training Logs
1


Hi everyone, long-time lurker and first time poster.
Thread title explanation: everyone asks if I’m a bodybuilder or powerlift or something… and I cannot really say I categorize myself into any real sort of “lifter.” I just tell them I like lifting heavy weights – psychologically, it’s a very releasing experience for me.

Anyway, I’ll give you a little bit of background.
I am 18, entering my second year in college and am staying in my own apartment over this summer. I used to be into martial arts a lot (tae kwon do, kung fu, sanshou), I swam for four years, did pole vaulting for one year, wrestled a little bit, and was a runner for awhile. So yeah, I’ve been all over the place.

Now, onto the unpleasant part: I have battled a few eating disorders over the past few years, anorexia nervosa, binge-eating, and bulimia nervosa. I am currently trying to fight of the last two. This isn’t a cry for attention; I know it’s unhealthy, I know it’s stupid, and I am trying to fight this the good ole’ fashioned way. I am also really trying to quit smoking.

Onto the fun part: numbers.
Height: 5’6
Weight: 148
Bench Press 1 RM: 245 lbs
Squat 1 RM: 385 lbs
Deadlift 1 RM: 405 lbs (happened last week – kind of the whole perfect attitude, setting, sleep etc.)

As a lifter, I think both size and strength are equally important (yeah I know everyone probably agrees with this.) But if I were to choose one over the other, it would be strength.

My short term goals (over the summer) is to get my bench press up to 285 lbs, get my squat up to 405, and be able to rep 405 lbs for 5-8 reps. Size wise, probably gain 10 pounds of lean muscle.

Long term goals: when I have the time, money, right gym/coaching, and resources, maybe enter a strongman/powerlifting/bodybuilding contest – one of the three, of which I’m not sure yet.

Basically, this log will track my progress lifting-wise and dietary wise… Also, if you all don’t mind, I’ll be posting a lot of questions here that I need help with along the way.

Right now I have a straightforward split, it’s pretty much a 6-7 day split (depends if I take one day off.)

Day 1: Back
Day 2: Chest
Day 3: “Big Lift Day”: Squats, Deadlift, some accessory work if I feel like it
Day 4: Shoulder and beach muscles day (Shoulders have always been my weakest points, but I have burstitis in my right shoulder and have the really bad feeling I might be getting it in my left shoulder. Stretch/rehab both as often as possible)
Basically, after day 4, wash, rinse, and repeat.

Diet wise, my typical day looks like this:
Meal 1: Lean meat and oatmeal or fiber and protein pancake
Meal 2: proatmeal or protein banana ice cream
Meal 3: Lean meat and veggies (favorite is roasted garbanzo beans)
Meal 4: Leftover meat from the day (there usually is a cooked fillet i didnt i finish earlier or something) and some proatmeal.

Supplements: Grow! Bioactive Whey Protein and ON Casein

Any comments/critques/random outburtsts of whatever are always welcomed!

However, I’ll first start off with my question:

  1. how the hell do I cook sweet potatoes? I poke holes in em’, cover it in a wet paper towel, and microwave that sucker till I’m pretty sure it’s nuclear and it’s still rock-hard!
2

More pictures! My wheels

3

2272×1704 556 KB

Back double bicep

4

2272×1704 438 KB

Least favorite pose… most muscular. But I guess we always gotta expose our weaknesses aka my chest/bench press.

5

ILLHW Day 1:

Squat/Deadlift Day
Box Squats
135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 5
315 x 5
335 x 4
335 x 4
345 x 4
345 x 3

Back Squats
345 x 7
365 x 6

Deadlift
135 x 10
225 X 9
315 x 5
STRAPS ON BOYS!
345 x 4
365 x 2
385 x 2
405 x 1 old PR
415 x 1 NEW PR!
425 x 0 … fail.

First time trying face pulls…
3x10

HS Shoulder Press (I like throwing in one shoulder exercise every workout to strengthen them)
80 x 10
90 x 10
115 x 8

Food:
2.5 tilapia fillets (garlic/evoo/salt/pepper)
2 bowls of oatbran (oat bran/almond milk/1 scoop vanilla Grow)

Funny, between my 385 and 405 DL a guy asked me to spot him and asked me, “So what’s the deal, are you on a powerlifting team?” My response: “Nah, I just like lifting heavy-ass weights.”

The day I make the log, that gets asked AND I get a PR! Sweet.

Question:
When doing face pulls, is it normal for the body to be leaned back? As in your body isn’t perfectly perpendicular to the floor. I find I can handle the weight muscle-wise, but balance-wise I need to lean back.

6

Off-day today:
Girlfriend came up, went to ikea and bought some stuff to furnish my apartment with.
Although I had no workout, damn, putting together Ikea furnuture (desk, dresser, and table) is a BITCH.

Meal 1: steak marinated in stubs
Meal 2: double double, protein-style from in n out (was nearby ikea and hadnt had one in awhile)
Meal 3: lightly breaded parmesan/tomato covered chicken with mixed veggies, roasted potato, and some french bread. definite cheat meal, but damn tasty.

Looking forward to a good beach muscle/shoulders/ab workout tomorrow though before celebrating July 4th in the city…

7

[quote]yeeyek8 wrote:
ILLHW Day 1:

Question:
When doing face pulls, is it normal for the body to be leaned back? As in your body isn’t perfectly perpendicular to the floor. I find I can handle the weight muscle-wise, but balance-wise I need to lean back.
[/quote]

I’m no expert, but I’ve been doing these for about a year and feel I have enough experience with them to at least answer this; yes, it’s fine to lean back a little. At the very least, it’s increasing the resistance. Just keep in mind that like everything else, make sure you’re not swinging your body to get the reps, though there will always be a little body english with heavy weights. Stick with them, they’ll save your shoulders. Also, you may want to rethink your bench press goals; 40 pounds is a lot of weight to add in 3 months, and I think that’s setting yourself up for failure.

8

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:

[quote]yeeyek8 wrote:
ILLHW Day 1:

Question:
When doing face pulls, is it normal for the body to be leaned back? As in your body isn’t perfectly perpendicular to the floor. I find I can handle the weight muscle-wise, but balance-wise I need to lean back.
[/quote]

I’m no expert, but I’ve been doing these for about a year and feel I have enough experience with them to at least answer this; yes, it’s fine to lean back a little. At the very least, it’s increasing the resistance.

Just keep in mind that like everything else, make sure you’re not swinging your body to get the reps, though there will always be a little body english with heavy weights. Stick with them, they’ll save your shoulders. Also, you may want to rethink your bench press goals; 40 pounds is a lot of weight to add in 3 months, and I think that’s setting yourself up for failure.[/quote]

Yeah, I guess in comparison to my other goals that does seem like an exorbitant amount of weight. I just really want to get my chest/bench up… For some reason, I’ve always felt that it’s my weakest lift/body part.

I’ve had form assessed and my shoulders don’t hurt when I bench (thank god), so I’m considering after bringing up my shoulders a bit more, I’ll start a specialization program for my chest. Also, thanks for your advice on the face pulls!

Off-day 2:

Let’s just say it’s amazing what not seeing your girlfriend for awhile will do to your training… another skipped day]= I hate skipping one day in training even when sore, but now, two?! AGH!

Eaten so far:
HUGE Casein/fiber one pancake
Part of my girlfriends banana/fiber pancake
two fish fillets

hopefully will keep the rest of the eating clean today seeing as how as I’ll be fairly sedentary.

9

Day after July 4th: the aftermath.

Well, there went the idea of clean eating… binged like crazy. And I mean LIKE CRAZY.

Anyway, just hit the gym, beach muscles/shoulder day. Epiphany: pre-workout matters A LOT.
Before I had always just eaten some protein right before going or something like that… but today the gym coincided so that it was an hour after my light dinner (protein/fiber pancake and 1.5 chicken breasts) and holy shit my performance/actual pump from the workout was amazing. So amazing that it was nearly debilitating – the pump that is. From now on I’m eating a light meal of carb/proteins an hour before working out.

Anyway here we go:
Barbell curls
70x10
3x80x10
90X6
90X10(cheat curls near the end)

CGBP
135X10
165x8
185x7
195x6
195x4
200x3
200x2

Hammer DB Curls
45x20(10 each side)
47.5x20
50x16
50x14

Seated military db press
55x10
60x10
70x8
75x8
70x5

HS Preach Curl machine
65 x 10
75 x 10
80x 8
85 x 6

Tricep pushdown
80x20
90x16
100x9
100x8

Delt-triad @ 27.5lb (my arms were quite literally about to explode at this point…)

Alternating sets of:
180 hanging leg raise (hanging from pull-up bar, bringing feet to hands and then back down, no momentum whatsoever – slow and easy does it =P)
45 LB plate oblique crunches? not sure on the name, hahahaha.

Did that for about 15-20 minutes, during which I saw this super scrawny guy making the angriest faces and breathing as loud as a steam engine, on the pull-down machine, failing to even do pull-downs from a dead hang.

Anyway, hope everyone had a great 4th!

Also… I know this is super vague, but it’s meant to be:
Can anyone point me in any sort of direction, or just give me pointers in general, about how to get serious about my nutrition/diet? I feel like if I can do that… well, that i can overcome my problems.

Thanks!

10

Alright, I know I post a lot, sorry, but I was just making my nighttime snack, proats, and I made a discovery. I usually like rolled oats + oat bran (i really like my oats thick), but then instead of my normal whey that i add, i decided to try ON Casein PB flavor (which i’ve been trying to get rid of forever cause it tastes like shit). AND a) it sucks all flavor out, regardless of how much splenda added, it tasted bland. b) it thickened it like crazy. that’s all.

11

Back:
Weighted pullups
8x+55 lb
7x+60 lb
6x+70 lb
7x+75 lb
5x+80 lb
3x+80 lb

Seated Cable rows
10x180
8x190
8x200
7x210
6x220
5x230
5x240

One-arm dumbbell rows
140 x 10 each side
150 x 14
150 x 20

Rack pulls (everything was fried at this point)
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 3 5 second hold
315 x 3 5 second hold
315 x 2 10 second hold
315 10 second hold

First day of trying to wake up early…
breakfast/PreWO meal:
6 oz ground beef and 3 egg whites
proatmeal (rolled oats/oat bran/1 scoop of vanilla Grow!/splenda)

Lunch/PostWO meal:
1.5 chicken breasts marinated in Stubs
1 piece of toasted ezekiel bread
1 scoop of Grow! Whey

12

Alright, first day I guess that you could consider I gave this “bulk” a real attempt diet-wise:

204 g protein
146 g carbs
27 g dietary fiber
1570 total calories
Fat I forgot to calculate, but I had a few whole eggs and a bunch of not-so lean meat for breakfast.

Food-wise, aside from what was already listed, I ate:
2 more big bowls of proats
2 chicken breasts chicken
a big bowl of pumpkin mixed with casein
whey/banana ice cream
I might be forgetting some… but basically all-around nutritious food.

I feel so bloated.

Comments/Critiques on diet/macros, anyone?

13

Great chest day today! After watching one of Tate’s recent videos I really got what it meant to “pull your shoulder blades together” when benching." Definitely helped my bench out.

Flat Bench Press
135x8
185x7
205x6
225x6
235x4
245x3
255x2 (Felt i could’ve pumped out one more)
255x1

Incline DB Bench Press
80x 10
85x8
85x7
85x4
85x4
55x10

Weighted Dips
90+ x 10
125x8
135x7
135x6

Decline Bench HS Machine (my arms are too short for actually using the bench]=)
90 lb each side x 10
115 x 10
125 x 8
135x6
135x5

Bunch of plyometric push up work while intermittently helping my friend nail her squat/deadlift

Some shoulder work, mainly lateral raises
Some light ab work, hanging leg raises 180 etc.

Diet:
Breakfast:
3 egg whites, 1 whole egg
1 bowl of proats
lunch:
1 large chicken breast
1 fiber one/casein pro-pancake
Dinner:
mega chili! It’s a hodgepodge of tasty foods. hahaha, i just felt i wanted a tasty ass bulking meal.
what went into it:
6 oz of ground beef
2 chicken breasts
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of black beans
3 whole eggs
salt/pepper/cayenne pepper

oh, peri and post workout:
peri: 2 scoops of Grow! whey and oat bran in nalgene
post: 1 scoop of Grow!
good day, overall!

14

So big day for me today: I’ve decided to enter a power lifting meet on 8/14. It’s a benchpress/deadlift only meet, single-ply.

Seeing as how i was so fired up for the meet… i fucked up training today:

Box squats:
135x 8
225 x 6
315 x 7
335 x 6
345 x 4
365 x 3
375 x 2
385 x 1
normal squats:
315 x 20

Deadlift
135 x 8
225 x 6
315 x 6
365 x 1
no straps
405 x 1
failed attempt at 425… twice. don’t know what i was doing. was just pumped up about the meet. made a complete asshole out of my self.

315 for timed holds 5-15 seconds x4

First time doing single leg dumbbell deadlifts, HOLY SHIT IT KILLS!
45 x 10 each side
50 x 10
55 x 10
60 x 10

Diet:

had a long ass interview for a job today /w HDTV so it was broken up badly
breakfast:
2 whole eggs and chickenbreast
@4 pm
rest of my bulk chili
2 chickenbreasts
1 bowl of proatmeal
1 protein/fiber pancake
FULL.
Post-workout:1 scoop of Grow!

15

Don’t even wanna go into diet for yesterday… but quick synopsis of training
beach day:
Barbell curls
CGBP
hammer db curls
DB seated military
tricep extensions

preacher plate-pinch curls supersetted with delt triad @ 27.5 lb
heavy DB shrugs (to improve grip/traps for DL – never really did these before)

16

Damn, again it’s amazing what a girlfriend will do to your training – weekend spent with gf again… bad eating and no training. agh!
back to the grind today though…

17

good day today!
830-11 job training for HDTV

chicken for breakfast (precooked-was in a rush)
chicken + oatmeal for lunch
steak, broccoli w/ onions +garlic, and oatbran with my new homemade coconut/almond butter!
the butter=
.5 lb of roasted unsalted tamari almonds
.5 lb of unsweetened medium shredded coconut
EVOO to desired consistency (maybe 5 tbsp max for me)
2 cups of ON peanut butter casein (finally a good use for it!)
sweetener to taste

SO GOOD! high in fiber, good fats, and some protein in their for you too. very nutritionally dense.

Workout: Back
Weighted pullups
10x BW
8x +55 lb
6x 70 lb
5 x 75 lb
5 x 80 lb
4 x 85 lb
3 x 90 lb
2 x 90 lb

Cable rows:
10 x 190 lb
8 x 200
7 x 220
6 x 230
5 x 240
5 x 250

DB rows:
145 x 10 each side
150 x 10 x 2
150 x 12

Straight-arm machine pulldown
160 x 10
170 x 8
170 x 8
170 x 6

some light hyperextensions.

Talked to this really cool huge firefighter/powerlifter/strongman today (he was inclining 315 lb + at the time… damn) and he was telling me how most people actually cut for PL meets… any thoughts on that anyone? I could use all the advice I could. He told me the chalk would help and gave me lots of tips etc. Then out of nowhere his walkytalky just started blaring this siren and he bolted outta there… badass in my book and real nice too.

18

To answer your nutrition question based on what you said in your first post, I would say that you need to just focus on creating good eating habits everywhere. When you go to the store you should have a list of healthful things, and you should adhere to that list exactly so that there is nothing in your apartment that is going to make you binge.

When you’re going to go out to eat somewhere, look up the nutrition info online beforehand if it’s available and choose what to eat before you get there and you get exposed to the smells and atmosphere they are trying to create to make you buy the bad food. Same thing goes for parties and such, just look at everything before you start piling your plate so high it topples over so that you can choose what’s best for you.

Using Berardi’s 90% rule would probably work well for you since you can “cheat” 10% of the time/meals (a meal lasts 20 minutes, not 3 hours. lol) and you won’t feel like you need to go eat 6 gallons of ice cream nor will you feel bad about it because you’re doing 90% perfectly. No need to be cutting any calories probably unless you mind going up a weight class. I’m not sure what you want to compete in.

Good luck at the meet!

Edit: Also, for sweet potatoes, I just cut them into fries and bake them at 375-400 for 30 minutes with olive oil, sea salt, and cinnamon. Flip halfway through. Delicious.

19

So big day today, I have no idea really where to start except here:
My whole life I’ve been told “I had so much potential. Blah, blah, blah…” In fact, I’m pretty sure every kid was told that, because everyone has the potential to do amazing things – it’s just whether or not one chooses to act on it. Well, I never did and even today I still don’t. In the gym, I can push my body and myself just to grind out those reps and just move those damn weights no matter what it takes, but never have I actually harnessed what I know: proper form, biomechanics, and when enough is enough. At home, I’ve always told myself I don’t need help – I even tell my girlfriend this – and that if I can’t make it on my own, then how am I going to make it at all? Well, after a phone call last night, I’ve decided I’m going to get help – that I need help. In fact, today in the gym was a perfect example. I’ll explain later.

Anyway, plans:
-Seeing a doctor for: my eating disorder, my insomnia (getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night, unwillingly. been that way for at least a year.), and my possible depression. My hopes from it? The best: they give me happy pills and send me on my way. The worst: they give me happy pills, make me do therapy, and put me into some in-patient therapy sorta thing (I have no idea.)
-Becoming more regimented in my daily life. Workout in the morning, eat breakfast, go to work, workout, dinner. Something like that. I feel that when I have a purpose (as in for the day, or the next hour), I have a reason to get going and move.
-Training SMARTER in the gym. Not necessarily heavier. I recently read some quote somewhere here on TMuscle that went like this, “training heavier isn’t better, training better is better.”

Anyway, my workouts for the day:

Morning - Chest
Bench Press
135 x 8
185 x 6
205 x 6
205 x 6
225 x 1
230 x 1
235 x 1
Actually went all the way to the chest this time, I usually go to what I would say is a “two-board” level.

Incline DB Bench Press
75 lb X 10
80 x 8
80 x 7
85 x 4
Same as above

Weighted dips
90 x 10
115 x 8
125 x 8
135 x 7
Again, Full ROM

Decline BP HS machine
90 each side x 10
115 x 8
125 x 7
135 x 5
145 x 5

Afternoon – Legs
Box Squats – went lower box this time, bout an inch below my knees
135 x 10
225 x 8
275 x 6
285 x 5
315 x 4
315 x 3
325 x 1
345 x 1
355 x fail

One long set:
275 x 6
225 x 12
135 x 14

Deadlift
135 x 8
225 x 6
315 x 6
365 x 1
385 x 1
405 strapless attempt x 0
405 strapless attempt x 0
405 strapped attempt x 1
For the final attempt, this huge guy named Patrick came up and suggested I keep my butt down and find a point on the ceiling ahead of me to look at when lifting. Lo and behold, it worked! This only reinforced the idea that I do need help from time-to-time and I really appreciated it.

Single leg db deadlift
70 lb x 10
80 lb x 10

20

woah… skipped yesterday, was completely pooped from working and by the time I got home anyway the gym would close in 45 minutes… 13 hours on my feet sucked.

Anyway, light back workout today.
weighted pull ups
55 x 8
70 x 6
80 x 5
90 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3

cable rows
200 x 10
220 x 8
230 x 6
240 x 5
240 x 5

DB rows
145 x 10
150 x 11
150 x 11

coolbeans.