Updated Training Log Introduction:
Monday, December 18, 2023
Howdy, my name is Joseph. I am a 36 year old husband, father, professional firefighter, and Starting Strength Coach at Starting Strength San Antonio.
The reason that I became a Starting Strength Coach is that I want to help motivated individuals that are willing to help themselves. Over the course of my 12 year career in the fire and emergency medical service, I have been called to assist countless people that are prisoners in their own bodies. As they aged, they grew weak, developed metabolic diseases, got inducted into the sick care system, and eventually got to the point where they couldn’t prevent themselves from falling or even get off of the toilet, let alone care for themselves. I am excited to coach lifters of all ages and experience levels. Whether you are a teenager, an athlete, or an adult in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond, it would be a privilege to teach you the skill of barbell training and aid you along the path to better performance and healthier aging through strength training.
I am a lifelong lifter. I have been lifting weights for better or worse, correctly or incorrectly, and incredibly consistently since I was 14 years old. I wrestled in high school and for a club team at Texas A&M (Class of 2009). The burning desire to win and stop getting my ass kicked on the mat led me to weightlifting. Over the last 22 years of lifting weights I have experimented with a very wide variety of programs and methodologies. If you can name it, then I have probably squandered precious time doing it. Oddly enough my path to Starting Strength began with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold’s Education of a Bodybuilder led to Reg Park’s Strength & Bulk Training for Weight Lifters & Bodybuilders which led to John McCallum’s Keys to Progress which led to Bill Starr’s The Strongest Shall Survive. The aforementioned works instilled a passion for basic barbell training and 5s that finally drove me to Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training.
I ran my first Novice Linear Progession in 2016 and made tremendous progress, ending with: Squat 495x5x3, Press 210x5x3, Deadlift 555×5, Bench 290x5x3 at 5′ 8” and 230 lbs. I attended the Starting Strength Seminar held at Andy Baker’s gym in Kingwood, Texas in 2017. I competed in 2 strength lifting meets at WFAC. My best lifts were: Squat 600, Press 237, Deadlift 660.
I began my journey to become a Starting Strength Coach as an apprentice coach at Starting Strength San Antonio when the gym opened in November 2021. After completing the Coach Development Course I attended the Starting Strength Seminar held at WFAC in October 2023 where I opted in and passed the platform evaluation. I passed the oral board evaluation in November 2023, earning my Starting Strength Coach Credential.
Original Training Log Introduction:
I am 22 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weigh 220 pounds.
I am trying out 5/3/1 because I like the program’s simplicity, I am tired of thinking about lifting, and my schedule only allows me 3 days per week to train.
My current Raw 1 rep maximum lifts (pounds) are:
BB Overhead Press- 215
Conventional Deadlift- 635
BB Bench Press- 320
Back Squat- 520
My Starting 1 rep maximum lifts for the Program following the 90% guideline are:
BB Overhead Press- 195
Conventional Deadlift- 570
BB Bench Press- 290
Back Squat- 470
My 1 rep maximum lift Goals are:
BB Overhead Press- 315
Conventional Deadlift- 700
BB Bench Press- 405
Back Squat- 600
In the interest of simplicity, for this first 4 week training period, I am going to be following the Boring But Big version of the Program as detailed in the e-book.