About me:
Age: 16 years
Weight: ~57kg, maybe a little under
Height: ~5’6
Best Lifts:
Squat 100kgx1
Deadlift 130x3
Bench: 65kgx1
Have been active most of my life, started seriously lifting 6 months ago-ish. Decided to start a log mostly for my own entertainment.
Every workout I try to set a rep, weight, or volume PR. If I fail, I move onto a different lift/variation, if I fail again, I do a new variation/exercise. After each lift, I do some accessories.
I don’t have any grand aspirations, I’m just enjoy the process and getting stronger.
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Thanks to the mods for approving my log. 
20th September - “push” day
Incline Press (45 degrees) - 45kg
5x5
Weighted Dips - bodyweight+15kg (Rep PR)
5x7
1x6
Flat Dumbbell Press - 25kg each side (Weight PR)
2x8
1x7
1x6
Cable Tricep Extensions
4xFailure
Cable Lateral Raises
2xFailure
Conditioning
Ski Erg - 4 minutes of tabata protocol
Enjoyed today’s session. Thinking of doing some sort of pulling from the floor tomorrow, will see how my back feels.
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Do you have a fixed workout plan that you follow? Or do you just follow a general push/pull/legs with no pre-planned exercises?
Because if your goal is strength, you will have more success following a pre-planned workout routine.
Also, although it may work now, pushing to failure/progressing in weight/reps each workout session is not too great for strength gains. I can’t speak too much on this though, since i’ve only been doing that type for about a month or two. Lots of great resources about that on here though.
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No precise “plan” - more a loose protocol:
- Start the workout with a heavy compound lift, setting a weight or rep PR.
- If I hit it, repeat the first step on another lift/variation.
- If I can’t manage a PR, create a new variation (with chains, deficits, etc…) or try a new movement.
- Accessories are tagged on to the end of the workout, complementing what I have done.
- Some form of conditioning/activity is done everyday.
I loosely adhere to a PPL split. For example, if I have a “pull” day scheduled, but my posterior chain is fried, I won’t force myself to set a deadlift PR.
Just saw your edit 
Thanks for the advice! I may consider doing something like that again in the future, but right now I’m just having fun with things.
I have tried following programs before, but they bore the hell out of me! This usually leads me to altering them into some grotesque, hybrid abominations that don’t even resemble what the author intended. A fault of my own, for sure, but by doing this instead I’m never locked into something that’s either too daunting or unstimulating.
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Yeah, that can be the case.
That being said, you can set a challenge for yourself to stick to a program for X-amount of days/weeks. Its really good to develop some discipline skills.
Your still better off than from where I started, though, from my current stand point. Your focusing on strength, which is what I should of done instead of looks/size.
I do highly advise looking into a program Eventually. What you have right now though is still pretty decent, atleast in my own opinion.
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I ran SS for about a month, before doing a couple of cycles of 5/3/1 BBB. Maybe I’ll head back in that direction, if I ever plan on competing in a meet or specific event, but right now I’m just focused on getting stronger. People have been doing that for centuries, without a program, and I want to see if I can do that too.
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If you do decide to go for a program, I highly recommend tactical barbell. It costs a bit of money ($10 USD for the e-book on kindle), but believe me, it is worth it.
Good luck with doing what your doing.
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21st September - “Pull” focused day
Kroc Rows
23x30kg
Strict Dumbbell Rows
5x15x25kg
Barbell Shrugs
1x11x80kg
3x10x80kg
Cable Crunches
4x8x55kg
50 Pullups + ~200 band pullaparts
(spread throughout)
20min incline walk
Enjoyed this session.
Was still feeling lower back from stiff-legged deads earlier in the week, so kept it more upper back focused.
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If you find you’re sore often, preventing you from doing a lift, I recommend taking a bit of my advice. The more frequent you can train, the faster you can progress (up to a certain point of course). Going to failure makes your muscles take longer to get back to 100%, which can negatively impact your ability to train.
Also, a good compound back exercise you can do that doesn’t involve lower back is weighted pullups.
Other than that, good work on the workout today
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Thanks for the advice! Weighted pullups would definitely be something good to add to the roster.
A program may be something I’ll do again down the line, but right now I’m still “testing the waters” with this approach.
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23/9/25
Lower body day
Back Squat (low bar)
3x10x90kg (what!?!)
1x9x90kg
Stiff Legged Deadlifts (Touch and go)
1x10x100kg
Stiff Legged Deadlifts (Deadstop)
2x8x80kg
Single Leg Press
6x12-15x60kg
Hyper-extension
5x7-10x30kg
50 chinups + alot of band pullaparts (spread throughout)
Original plan was to AMRAP 90kg, then do 5x10x80kg. Absolutely blew myself away and did 10 with 1-2 reps in the tank easily.
Decided to attempt 5x10x90kg, which was going well before i got too enthusiastic with rest times and fell forward into the spotter arms. Next session I’m coming back for 5x10x90kg.
Stiff-legged deads were good too, set a 3 rep PR, although a lack of upper back tightness/rounding is definitely an issue. Gonna work on keeping shoulders back.
Single leg presses are still weak, not just an issue with becoming accustomed to the movement. At least I’ll be strengthening whatever is weak in the movement chain.
2 Likes
24/9/25
Push day
Dumbbell Flat Bench
1x9x25kg
4x8x25kg
Weighted Dips
5x8xBodyweight+15kg
Incline Press (45°)
3x7x45kg
1x6x45kg
1x5x45kg
Tricep Pushdowns
3xFailure
Ab Wheel
4x10
Band Pullaparts Between Sets (alot)
Pleased with progression this session. Especially incline press, last time was a grindy 5x5, these are flying up. Would be cool to be repping 50kg soon.
Started tracking my macros and have started to apply the bog-standard “250 surplus, high carb, high protein”. It seems to be working, so I’ll stick with it.
2 Likes
27/9/25
Have been training still, yet haven’t been as diligent with the logging as I want to be. I did 100kg for 5x5 squats yesterday, though they were a tad high. Next time I’ll aim to keep the weight fixed and sink them a little lower.
Todays push workout
Dumbbell Bench Press
1x11x25kg
3x9x25kg
Dips
1x10xBodyweight+15kg
4x9xBodyweight+15kg
Incline Bench Press
5x7x45kg
Tricep Pushdowns
3xFailure
GHR Situps
2x10 w/ 10kg plate on chest
Little disappointed with lack of rep PR’s on incline BP. Cant win them all 
.
Tomorrow I have no access to a proper gym. Just light dumbbells and bodyweight. Chinups are likely to be on the menu.
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I’ve noticed that you do DB bench, and incline bench, but no normal benchpress. Any reason? Its a very good exercise.
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I have included it before, but didn’t see any real progressions on the movement, nor any carryover to other lifts. I suspect there was a technique / form issue, but I haven’t found a need to fix it if I can just replace it with DB bench.
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Can you recall roughly how you trained it? (Sets, reps, if it was to failure)?
Because my benchpress was stagnant/barely increases for awhile but once I started doing more lower rep stuff it was climbing again.
Went for a basic double progression scheme in 6-8 rep range. 4-5 sets. Not to failure, but each set I attempted to get as many reps (without awful form breakdown) as possible.
I do plan on bringing it back in eventually, when one of my pressing variations begins to stagnate.
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6-8 reps is okay, but like I’ve said its better to get in the 3-5 rep range.
Yeah, that’s a good plan at least. The two exercises you do ARE still great exercises, so, we’ll see how long you can stick with those.
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28/9/25
160 Chinups (started at 11 per set, ended at 5-6)
Erector Wiggles
(No idea about their real name, got them from this video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfj_Y5H-heM&t=20s&pp=2AEUkAIB)
100 total reps
Rear delt Raises
50 total reps
Hanging Leg Raises
50 total reps
Less structured workout than usual, but with little equipment, you can only do so much.
Those “erector wiggles” look goofy, and I was skeptical, but by rep 12 I was convinced!
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