Starting Strength Log

Hey all.
I’m a recovering fat ass.
A steady diet of booze and junk food saw me reach a whopping 285lbs at age 25.
For the past 12 months I’ve been working my ass off at trying to change that.

I’ve tried a number of different programs over the last year, along with a pretty consistently clean diet. My weight is down to 235-240lbs at 5’9", and my overall measurements are down a total of 19", with legs and arms remaining unchanged.

I read Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength a few months back, and started out on a program based loosely on his methods, using an increasing rep scheme instead of his recommendation for increasing weight every workout.

After being on this site for a few weeks, and reading all the back and forth over the SS program in the beginner’s forum, I’ve decided to devote the next 8 weeks to closely following Rip’s novice program as written in Starting Strength and Practical Programming.

To keep myself honest and on track I’ve also decided to keep a training log on line for all to see. I think it’s important to fess up to my shitty numbers, and I hope that putting them on display will keep me motivated to push them up and keep the muscle coming.

I will only list my working set numbers, unless there is something exceptional to note about warmups, and all weights will be listed in pounds. Feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Workout A - 7/1/2008

Squat
5x95
3x95
5x95

Bench Press
5x115
5x115
5x115

Deadlift
5x185

My squat session during this workout was really disappointing. I opted not to do my usual general warm up(rowing, boxing, medicine ball snatches), and go straight into my squat warm up sets. I felt really good on my first two warm up sets, but instead of listening to my body I added an extra two tiers of warmup weights before realizing that I was going to be stuck at 95 for 5, when my previous best was over 25% higher.

By the time I got into my ‘work’ sets I was already feeling fatigued, and did 3 on my second set with horrible form. I refocused on my third and managed to push out 5 good reps, but overall weight and form for this exercise were a serious disappointment.

Not to let a workout go to waste, I took a few minutes and got my head back on right before moving to the bench press. I haven’t flat benched in over 2 months, doing only standing military press, incline bench, and incline dumb bell press in the mean time. Whatever I was doing it worked, my warm up sets felt like nothing. I decided to heed the advice that I missed on the squat and move straight to a working set after only 3 sets of warm ups. I aimed for 115, a personal best in the flat bench and I nailed it, hard. 3x5 easy. This was a serious boost to morale after the let down of my squat session.

I had been looking forward to the deadlift all night. I’ve been doing deads consistently for the past few weeks, and it’s quickly been moving more into a novice weight range rather than that of an untrained lard butt. As with the bench, I kept warm up sets to a minimum, and shot high on the work set. 185 was a personal best by 50lbs. I felt safe in that I only had to try for five reps, so I wanted to make sure that I felt it. Felt it I did. They were the hardest five reps that I’ve ever done of anything, but I pulled all five with really tight form. Another serious morale boost. As opposed to the ‘ease’ of my bench PB, this was a PB hard earned.

After working out, I finally felt that ‘deadlift hunger’ that people talk about. I downed a serving of surge before leaving the gym, and 3 pieces of low carb chicken Parmesan, a large serving of broccoli and a serving of greek yogurt mixed with chocolate whey for dinner an hour later.

Lessons learned: Volume may not be me friend at this stage, especially on the back squat. Greek yogurt mixed with ON 100% chocolate whey and cinnamon, stuck in the freezer for an hour is an awesome dessert after a hard fought set of deads.

Comparatively speaking, your deadlift is excellent, your bench is acceptable, your squat is poor. Hell, if you can bench more than you can squat, you might as well walk on your hands :slight_smile:

And yes, the deadlift hunger never ceases to amaze me.

If you were usually squatting around 115, then I would shoot to keep your squat closer to your deadlift than your bench. My approx. numbers are

Bench: 175 x 4
Squat: 205 x 4
Deadlift: 205 x 5 sumo, 195 x 5 traditional (or 205 x 2)

If squat form is a problem for you, work on your mobility. Consider Magnificant Mobility, and read some of the article son T-Nation regarding it. Good luck brother.

[quote]njrusmc wrote:
Comparatively speaking, your deadlift is excellent, your bench is acceptable, your squat is poor. Hell, if you can bench more than you can squat, you might as well walk on your hands :slight_smile:

And yes, the deadlift hunger never ceases to amaze me.

If you were usually squatting around 115, then I would shoot to keep your squat closer to your deadlift than your bench. My approx. numbers are

Bench: 175 x 4
Squat: 205 x 4
Deadlift: 205 x 5 sumo, 195 x 5 traditional (or 205 x 2)

If squat form is a problem for you, work on your mobility. Consider Magnificant Mobility, and read some of the article son T-Nation regarding it. Good luck brother.

[/quote]

Thanks for the response and encouragement. Yeah, my squats have been bugging me ever since tuesday night. I KNOW I can do better if I can keep my head in the right place and focus in on what my body is telling me as far as warm ups. Squats have always been a love/hate exercise for me, so rewarding but so frustrating at the same time. I guess tonight will be the test. I’m only shooting for 3x5x95 again tonight, but I plan to nail all three sets so I can start progressing properly on future workouts.

Workout B - 7/3/2008

Squat
5x95
5x95
5x95

Overhead Press
3x95
2x95
3x95

Power Clean
5x95
5x95
5x95

Tonight was a major up swing after Tuesday’s shaky start. Squats felt strong, and I probably could have done 3x3x115, but in keeping with my “strict” interpretation of Rip’s novice program, I’m not moving up until I get 3x5 in solid form.

I cut my warm up sets down to 5 total sets for the squats tonight, and it was a big help. I was in the gym with a mission as well…to reclaim lost honor, or something, but anyway, it helped keep me focused and I pushed all three sets very confidently.

The overhead press was a beast. My previous working sets in strict form two hands press were 3x7x80, but that 15lb jump made me work for it. I’m pretty confident that I’ll nail 95 3x5 next week…but only time will tell.

The power cleans probably need the most improvement. I got all 5 reps across at a decent weight, but my form was a little shaky on the catch…good squats below the bar, but the ark on the clean seemed a little short, might need to work on wrist and shoulder flexibility in the future.

Thanks to all the folks that have checked out my first few entries. Keep the comments coming, they help!

Workout A - 7/5/2008

Squat
5x100
5x100
5x100

Bench Press
5x125
5x125
5x125

Deadlift
5x200

I couldn’t be happier with today’s workout.

My squats felt REALLY strong, whatever was wrong on Tuesday has definitely cleared, and I should be able to start pushing my numbers up very soon. The bar sat real low and comfortable for all three sets, and I smashed parallel, actually tapping my safety bars on more than one rep. Awesome.

Bench press was a new PR, I’m going to repeat 125 again next week though, as my spot on the last set may have helped a little too much for reps 4 and 5.

Deadlift was fucking awesome. I decided after last Tuesday’s 185 that I wasn’t settling for anything less than 200 lbs this week. I told the owner of the gym my goal when I walked in this morning, extra insurance that I wouldn’t wimp out. Just like 185, this set was fought pull by pull. I had to completely reset and catch a couple breaths between each rep, but I did it. This wasn’t only a PR, it was a milestone, I have never, by my own strength alone moved 200lbs of weight in any fashion before. I love deadlifts, I would marry deadlifts if they weren’t an exercise and I wasn’t already married.

So far, one week in I am really beginning to see the wisdom of this program. Before last week, I had done every one of these lifts, for similar weights and similar reps, but theres just something special about the undivided attention that three exercises per session brings. The focus I have going in to my deadlifts at the end of A days is monstrous, and I haven’t spent a minute not being sore and feeling WORKED since I started this program.

Week 2

Workout B - 7/8/08

Squat
5x115
5x115
5x115

Overhead Press
2x100
3x95
2x95

Bent Over Row
5x95
5x95
5x95

Ugh, tonight was a mix of good and suck. My squat is coming along very well, depth is good, strength out of the hole is good, weight is up over 15% in one week’s time, very good I think.

On the second set of squats I started feeling some discomfort in my right wrist. More on that later.

Overhead Press…yikes. For starters I misread my log and went for the wrong working weight on my first set, I eeked out 2, but I felt it in all the wrong places. My second two sets were about the same as last week, totaling up between all three to less total weight moved than my previous effort. Lame.

I had to clean the weight for the OP’s do to lack of a free power rack by this point in my workout, and that wrist pain started coming back.

Cleans…yeah, they didn’t happen, three warmup sets in and my form was a mess. My squat was too high, my catch was for shit, and my clean was like an awkward curl, and theres that wrist pain. There on the spot I made the very painful decision to drop the clean from my workout and to replace it with the bentover row. My form is too inconsistent to get anything significant out of the clean at this point, it just seems to be setting me up for injury and frustration. My numbers on the bent over row were right where I expected them to be, probably could have gone for more on my working sets, next time I guess.

So, I’ve been slacking on my log do to a hectic work schedule. I’m going to try and get everything up to date tonight.

Workout A - 7/10/08

Squat
3x135
3x135
3x135

Bench Press
5x125
5x125
4x125

Deadlift
4x225

This was a good one. Squats felt solid at 135, tough, but good.

Bench press was seriously tough for the second week in a row, I had to get a spot for the last rep on the third set, otherwise I would probably still be laying under the bar. I’m developing some kind of weird sticking point, last set, last rep, no gas.

Deadlift felt awesome. Tonight was the first time in which I felt like I had really taxed my grip. All four reps were hard as shit, but the first wasn’t moving, with straps I THINK I could have pulled it, but not bare handed.

Over all this was a good workout. Squats 3x a week. Who knew?

Workout B - 7/12/08

Squat
5x135
5x135
5x135

Overhead Press
5x95
3x95
3x95

Bentover Row
3x115
3x115
3x115

Ok, So I’m officially stuck on the overhead press. I haven’t progressed a pound in this lift yet, I think it’s time for a backoff.

Squats are good and getting better, bentover row…a little awkward, but not bad, I think I’m going to take the weight down on the next workout and concentrate on getting solid form down.

Week 3

Workout A - 7/15/08

Squat
3x155
3x155
3x155

Bench Press
5x135
5x135
3x135

Deadlift
5x225

Hoooly shit, tonight felt good. Squats feel stronger than ever. I even got a compliment from random gym dude. Random gym dude following set 2 - “Good work, good form, that looked tough”, Me - “thanks dude”.

Bench press…hahah, if my numbers seem wrong, well, they are. I apparently broke my mental sticking point by adding 10lbs accidentally. I had to get a spot on the last two reps of set 3 again, and after kicking my self and lack of progress I looked at my numbers and had a homer simpson esque ‘doh’ moment. A grand total of five pounds more lifted tonight than on 7/10, but hey, five pounds is five pounds. I’m going to drop my weight back to 125 and try for a legit 3x5 next week.

The hook grip is my friend. 5x225 was by far the hardest lift that I’ve ever done, I left dead lift hunger around rep 3 and was solidly in to deadlift nausea by rep 5, but I did it, with pretty decent form at that.