The Goals! - Slow and Steady

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
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Revised on Oct 15, 2009

The Goals! - Ground Zero (December 2008)
Standing Press - 165
Bench Press - 245
Back Squat - 265
Deadlift - 435

BW:186.5, BF 20% (Hydrostatic)

The Goals! - Part 1 (By January 2010)
Standing Press - 185
Bench Press - 300
Back Squat - 375
Deadlift - 505

BW:180 - 190, BF < 18% (Hydrostatic)

The Goals! - Part 2 (By October 2010)
Standing Press - 205
Bench Press - 345
Back Squat - 435
Deadlift - 545

BW:180 - 190, BF < 15% (Hydrostatic)

The Goals! - Part 3 (By July 2011)
Standing Press - 230
Bench Press - 375
Back Squat - 475
Deadlift - 575

BW:180 - 190, BF < 12% (Hydrostatic)

The Goals! - Part 4 (By April 2012)
Standing Press - 250
Bench Press - 405
Back Squat - 505
Deadlift - 605

BW:180 - 190, BF < 10% (Hydrostatic)

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Why Form and Function - The Goals?

I think the majority of the people here are interested in changing how they look, increase what they can lift, or a combination of both. I am no different.

After 3.5 years of looking the same and making just marginal increases with my lifts, I have decided to be a little more serious in how I do things. I truly enjoy lifting weights but I really want to look like I lift and I want to put up more than decent numbers.

I believe the best way of achieving something is to set clear goals with definite timelines on achieving them. So here are my goals:

Long term goal: Be a lifter and look like a lifter the rest of my life!!

Mid-term goals (2.5 - 3.5 years)

Body Composition Goal:
Weight: 180 - 190 lbs
BF% below 10% (hydrostatic or DEXA)

Big 3 lifts 1RM @ above bodyweight

Bench: >= 400lbs
Squat: >=500lbs
Deadlift: >=600lbs

And what are my current numbers?

Body Composition: (Oct 26, 2008)
Weight: 190 lbs
BF%: 20.5% (hydrostatic)

**I currently weigh about 187lbs

Big 3 lifts 1RM

Bench: 245lbs (Dec 1, 2008. I lifted about 255 back in 02/2008, 06/2008, 11/2006)
Squat: 265lbs (Nov 29, 2008?Please don?t talk about it but my squat sucks!!!)
Deadlift: 435lbs (Dec 1, 2008).

As you can see, I have a long way to go for the mid-term goals. I am here so that people can help me reach these goals by encouraging me and constructively criticizing my approach. Who knows, maybe I can motivate some other folks in the not so distant future.

A final word about the mid-term goals and timeframe listed up here. Some may think them high (especially the Big 3) and some may find them low or find the 2.5-3.5 years timeframe too far, I just want to say that I gave careful consideration to other things before coming up with them.

Chief amongst them my health, which is good, my age ? about 35- is not really as prime as say 25 or 30. Also important are other obligations in life ? family, career etc.

And I reserve the right to move things up or down when circumstances change.

Short term Goal #1
In my next post I will be talking about my first goal (Do 100 Squat Sessions in 1 year) starting Monday (Dec 8), why I decided to do this, and how I plan to do it.

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Welcome FormFunction!

Always great to get a new log going here. Lookin’ forward to seeing your training.

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SHORT TERM GOAL #1: 100 Squat Sessions From Dec 8 2008 - Dec 7 2009

A few months ago if someone told me he/she planned to do 100 squat sessions in 52 weeks, I would have called him/her crazy and say something to the tune of “careful you may overtrain or injure yourself”. But I guess I am the crazy one now…huh?

Why do I want to this?

  1. Atonement: For all the squatting I refused to do in the last 3 years using excuses like my lower back trouble could start again or I am just not flexible enough to do full squats (I really detest seeing people do quarter squats at the gym and didn?t want to join the bandwagon).

  2. Correct Imbalances: As you can see from my numbers above, my squat sucks compared to my other lifts. The main reason for this is because I never did anything that could be called good squats until about 2 months ago. And a greater part of that time I have spent using light weights to get in the groove and lock the form down.

While my deadlift 1RM seems okay, I believe my legs are not as strong as my upper body. I suspect I am build to deadlift as I have long arms. I am also about 5 feet 9 inches tall. My legs don’t even look like I could pull 350lbs!

  1. Push my 1RM Squat to at least 375lbs

  2. Grow some legs

How I plan to do this:

  1. I will be using Madcow Intermediate template for Bill Starr’s 5 X 5 From Dec 8 - Jan 26 ( I will actually stop Squats and Deadlifts Jan 23)

***This should give me a total of 21 Squat Sessions

I am going to take things easy here since I am slowly cutting (want to be below 180lbs by Jan 26)

  1. I will deload for about 2 weeks: Jan 24 - Feb 6

  2. Start Smolov program from around Feb 7 to May 6. I will be doing the 4 cycles for a total of at least 35 Squat sessions.

*** I have done some research on the Smolov program and read people’s experiences so I understand what I am signing up for. But I deserve this punishment for not squatting all this while.

  1. Deload for another 3 weeks and start another program in June. Maybe 5 X 5 but definitely not Smolov again!

So as you can see, I have a plan in place, at least for the first 55 sessions. I just have to follow through.

A final word on what I term a “squat session”. It could be the negatives or box squats or even testing the 1RM as prescribed in the Smolov program, or it could be a tough session of 5 X 5 for PR or 1 tough set of breathing 20 rep squat.

Will be posting other details of the 5 X 5 program I am starting Monday.

Cheers!

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[quote]soldog wrote:
Welcome FormFunction!

Always great to get a new log going here. Lookin’ forward to seeing your training.[/quote]

Thanks soldog! I won’t dissapoint.

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Welcome to the forums, formfunction. You appear to be ready to give’r hell. Serious goals and some very serious numbers. That’s what we like, dedicated individuals. Best of luck Bro!

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[quote]streamline wrote:
Wewlcome to the forums, formfunction. You appear to be ready to give’r hell. Serious goals amd some very serious numbers. That’s what we like, dedicated individuals. Best of luck Bro![/quote]

gracias stream…
If there are any benefits to getting tired of fooling around, it is that you get upset with yourself (Shugs Phoenix moment I guess) and start to take things seriously…

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Most of my earlier posts left me feeling all I seem to do is talk the talk- I want to do this…I want to do that…blah blah blah- so with that in mind I decided to move my 5 X 5 program earlier by a day and get one under the belt.

Also I thought it best that I do the first of the 3 weekly workouts on a weekend day when it is more convenient to go to the gym. On weekdays I sometime have to go to the gym at 6:30am, and like most of you know that time of the day is not particularly the best time to be attempting PRs which I will be doing in a few weeks.

So this is what I did, and it’s aptly named…

Squat Session #1

Barbell Bench Press: 1 X 5 X 110 lbs, 135, 160, 185, 210

Back Squats: 1 X 5 X 110, 135, 160, 185, 210

Seated Row: 1 X 5 X 70, 90, 110, 130, 150, 160, 165

Assistance
Seated Calf Raises: 1 X 10 X 90, 3 X 9 x 110

I was supposed to do the squats first but the only squat rack at the gym was taken up so I benched first.

Also I was going to go with Barbell Rows instead of Seated but I have this pain in my wrists(probably picked it up maxing out on my powerclean a few weeks ago) that makes Barbell rows painful. Even with Seated Rows, I have to use supinated grip to avoid the pain. I did more than 5 sets for the rows as I needed to determine my 5RM.

The workout was uneventful. As you can see, low volume and moderate intensity for the last sets but it feels great to do the first of the planned 100 squat sessions.

ONLY 99 to go…

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So I decided to better refine my mid-term goals to make it more manageable and also help plan my training and nutrition. I will be posting ‘quarterly’ progress reports from March 2009 like the one above.

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[quote]formfunction wrote:
So I decided to better refine my mid-term goals to make it more manageable and also help plan my training and nutrition. I will be posting ‘quarterly’ progress reports from March 2009 like the one above.

[/quote]

So now I understand your internet handle.

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[quote]streamline wrote:
formfunction wrote:
So I decided to better refine my mid-term goals to make it more manageable and also help plan my training and nutrition. I will be posting ‘quarterly’ progress reports from March 2009 like the one above.

So now I understand your internet handle.[/quote]

Yep. My handle is easily explained by what I am trying to accomplish…for a brief second I thought you were referring to my avatar. They both mean the same to me anyway but let me just use you as any excuse to talk about why I chose that avatar…

  1. I love cars. Especially the German engineered ones. Most especially the BMW M5.

  2. As a little reminder that if I work hard at my goals, including the intellectual and spiritual ones, the M5 may just be a little reward in the next few years.

  3. As a little reminder of what I want (and can realistically get) compared to what is out there. Let me just use this less than perfect analogy to explain.

Take the Honda Accord for instance. Good, reliable, economical and with reasonable maintenance cost.

Now take the M5, may run you 100K brand new with options and taxes, you may die early if you worry about gas prices at $5 and your neighborhood BMW dealership may frustrate you with bad customer service and crazy charges when you pay them a visit. But the M5 is almost a car like no other and with 500 ponies under the hood; you are guaranteed to smoke just about anyone who dares to challenge you.

Look further to the end of the spectrum and check out the Ferrari Enzo, most of us will never drive one(forget owing one, there are less than 400 people in the world who can do that at any single time) . Heck, most of us will never even see one on the road. The Enzo is not very useful as a car if you think a car is only meant to take you from point A to B. Simply put, the Enzo is a ‘freak’ of a car if you put it anywhere but among other F1 inspired cars.

The average gym goer has low maintenance cost; don’t worry too much about what exercises they do and why they do them. Same for their diet. But that is not to same that the average gym goer is not more responsible that a lot of other people when it comes to their health and body. I think I have been that way for a few years.

Now take what I am trying to be. Let’s just say I have to worry more about my training and diet to achieve my goals.

Let’s use Ronnie Coleman in Contest Shape(RCCS) as an example of the other end of the spectrum. Almost impossible to be that way all year long except you want to stop having a life and only worry about what you put in the fridge, when you go to the gym and when you go to bed. Simply put, RCCS will always be a freak even if the room is full of Jay Cutler and the likes. Just have him shed his clothes on a beach and you watch the kids scream and run to their mamas if you don’t think so.

I think my analogy should make sense if you don’t think I have just compared Ronnie to the Enzo. No way is Ronnie that beautiful!

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I take it you like the BMW M5 :wink:

I look forward to hearing about your first challenge.

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[quote]streamline wrote:
I take it you like the BMW M5 :wink:

I look forward to hearing about your first challenge.[/quote]

No I don’t like the M5. I love it.

I am not sure my first real challenge starts until around Feb 7 when I start the Smolov program. But I will shortly be posting my training for the next 7/8 weeks, some baseline pictures I took yesterday, and asking for help on how to train my pathetic calves.

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Welcome F&F!

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As a reference for the future, I am posting a picture of how I looked and what my neck, arm, waist and calf measured on Dec 7, 2008.

Pictures were taken cold first thing in the morning and I weighed 186.5 lbs with an estimated 20% BF hydostatic - I had a hydrostatic body composition analysis done on Oct 26, 2008 where the results showed a 20.5% BF at 190 lbs

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The pis above didn’t show up as I expected so I will go ahead and post individual ones…

Neck

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Arm…

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420×560 83.2 KB

Calf…

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Waist

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So here is a pic of my current workout program for the next 7/8 weeks. I used the Madcow 5 X 5 Intermediate template to design it. I will be coming up with my own assistance exercises though as I need to really address body parts like my calves

This should (if everything works fine) push me over the 1000 total for the Squat, Bench and Deadlift. It should also help me perfect my squat form and prime me for the challenging Smolov Squat program.

I am slowly losing weight so I have to take it sort of easy for now. My goal is to be between 177 - 179 lbs before end of Jan while keeping muscle loss to a minimum.