To 200

Training Training Logs
1

My goals:
DL and squat over 200lbs by the end of the year
BP 1.15 bodyweight

Currently:
DL about 155 and squat 140

I weigh about 125, started seriously PL about 3 months ago (was always involved in endurance-like activities before then such as japanese swordfighting, so I have a LOT of type 3 muscle fibers), and have been keeping a training log of sorts over in powerful women.

It’s slightly less intimidating over in powerful women. My lifts are tiny compared with everyone here, but I figure you know what I need to know, so here I am confessing my workouts as probably the smallest person on the forum.

2

Yesterday:

GVT for back squat @ 85lbs (that was way too easy. I think the fact that I have so many type 3 muscle fibers makes it so that the percentages of my max that I should be using for things like volume trainer are higher than with other lifters)

single-leg donkey calf raises 15 per leg x3

Calf extension machine @ 90lbs x 12x4

My other, less important goal is that I’m trying to put on calf size so my legs don’t look out of proportion.

Ab circuit: 3 exercisesx25 repsx2

3

If you want to get stronger GVT is not the way to do it. I would highly recommend Starting Strength: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238791171&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/B001U9FDP2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1238791171&sr=8-2.

Best of luck!

4

[quote]mrodock wrote:
If you want to get stronger GVT is not the way to do it. I would highly recommend Starting Strength: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238791171&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/B001U9FDP2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1238791171&sr=8-2.

Best of luck![/quote]

Thanks. I was planning on using GVT one day of the week for squat, dl, and bp, and then devoting another day a week to 3-5 rep lifts with those exercises.

What would you recommend using GVT for?

5

[quote]Oleena wrote:
mrodock wrote:
If you want to get stronger GVT is not the way to do it. I would highly recommend Starting Strength: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238791171&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/B001U9FDP2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1238791171&sr=8-2.

Best of luck!

Thanks. I was planning on using GVT one day of the week for squat, dl, and bp, and then devoting another day a week to 3-5 rep lifts with those exercises.

What would you recommend using GVT for?

[/quote]

I would recommend skipping the GVT for now and focus on Rippetoe’s protocol in Starting Strength. I really think you’ll be amazed at how fast you’ll get stronger.

6

Good morning into shoulder press-
45lbsx8x2

50lbsx4x3

Bent over row-

85lbsx8x1
95lbsx8x1
115lbsx4x3
135lbsx3x2

Bench Press-
85lbsx8x2
95lbsx5x2
105lbsx3x2

assisted pullup set and then drop down immediately into bardip set-
50lbsassistancex8x1
40lbsassistancex6x1
30lbsassistancex4x2

Upright bench-
45lbsx8x1
55lbsx8x1
65lbsx7x1
70lbsx5-3-3x3

Back fly-
7.5lbsx10x1
10lbsx8x1
15lbsx3x3

Abs- wheel rollouts 15x2
static hold against spine-40 secx2
one leg cross over on ball
20 with each leg. I hate that last one. But it is getting easier.

7

db curls-
17.5lbsx8x1
20lbsx6x1
22.5lbsx3-4x8

db skull crushers-
15lbsx8x1 (three weeks ago I could barely do this with 10lbs!)
17.5lbsx2-3x8

Deltoid extensions- front and to the side-
7.5x10x1
10x8x1
12.5x3-4x5

Hand grips:
about 5 sets of 30 sec holds each hand

calf extension machine:
worked in increments of 20 up to 190lbs at which point I did 4 sets of 4 reps each

Weighted hanging sit-ups:
35lbsx8x3
45lbsx5x3
I need to do more weight for these, but I suck at holding onto anything other than plates while doing them.

BTW, my diet for the last couple days had been horrid. It was so bad after today’s workout that I have to share it-
For breakfast, I made a huge plate of spagetti. That wasn’t so bad if you consider that I used quality ingredients and am trying to gain weight.

However, after my workout I came home and downed a protein shake. Afterwards I ate a huge slice of cheese cake. I know, not the best way to get my carbs. But it was delicious.

8

Cheesecake and Surge are virtually the same thing anyway right?

9

I’m sure there are better ways to get your carbs like you said. Remember you are trying to gain lean mass, and I’m certainly not an expert, but cheesecake probably isn’t the best way to do it. I urge you to write what you eat. It honestly helps in keeping you accountable for what you put in your body.

10

Well today was crap.

A summary:
Recently I celebrated my birthday and one of my presents was tickets to a giant wine tasting even from my boyfriend. This was awesome, except that he’s been working nearly whole days, and until the last moment today I didn’t even think I was going to see him much less get to go with him to the event. Infact, I tried calling him while waiting on the squat rack (the gym was packed today, another factor in the overall gloom). It was three hours from the tasting, and I had no idea when he would be off. There was no one to go with, and I basically was just freaking out.

I completed DL:
135x8x1
155x5x1
155x4x4
160x0 (failed. Got the bar half way up, got stuck. I guess that’s improvement over my last try two weeks ago where I couldn’t get it to budge and couldn’t do more than 1 at 155)

I went home after that and spent all day trying to find someone to go with me to the event. My boyfriend did show up at the last minute. We went, and it turned out to be the most extravagent wine tasting one could hope for. There was pretty much unlimited everything including expensive foods, cheeses, and chocolate. There’s no way I can even start to log what I ate today.

Tomorrow I’m going back to the gym, pulling 160 off the ground, doing the rest of my leg workout, and eating right.

11

I read but I don’t normally comment on logs but mmmmm wine and expensive foods mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now my secret is out ill be a weekly reader!

12

Fuck that.

Worked the overnight shift. Dealt with money and tax issues all day. Trained a woman at work (that was probably the best part of the day). Ate whatever I could get my hands on because my boyfriend and I have been working long hours and haven’t had the time to stop by costco to restock on the healthy stuff.

I got 1 hour of sleep total in the last 30 something.

I need sleep, food, and gym. I’m going to get the first now.

13

Yesterday 1pm;

Back squat:
95lbsx10x1
115lbsx8x1
135lbsx4x2
140lbsx3x6 (new PR!)
145lbsx3x3 (new pr!)

Donkey calf raises:
15 per legx4

Calf extension machine:
kept doing sets up 5+ reps up until 190lbs where I did 4 sets of 4

Seated calf raise: 95 lbsx5x5

Bulgarian Split squats:
17.5lbs dbx8x3
20lbs dbx 8x1

Weighted incline crunches:
35lbsx15x2
40lbs15x1 (that surprised me. Didn’t know I could pump out that many on an incline with weight. I will definitely be upping the weight next time!)

When I was squatting, a guy in the rack beside me started up a convo which ended up with him trying to take me out. I thought that was funny. Especially as he was probably twice my age.

Word of advice to all the guys on here:

“You’re pretty”= “Aw. He’s sweet”

“You have a nice body”=us women thinking about bodies and what you do with them and then getting grossed/weirded out if you don’t have an equally nice one. So unless you’re a stud, stick to the first.

Edit: I also gained 3lbs! Started at 122 in February and am now at 130. So 8lbs total and at least 6 of those muscle as I haven’t changed BF%.

14

Friday’s workout:

Good morning into shoulder press:
45lbsx8x1
55lbsx4x4

Bent-over row:
95lbsx8x1
115lbsx6x1
135lbsx3x4

Bench press:
85lbsx8x1
95lbsx6x1
105lbsx3x4

Pullup&bardip super set:
50lbs assistancex8x1
40lbs assitancex8x1
30 lbs assistancex7x1
30lbs assistancex6x2

Inclince bench:
45lbsx10x1
65lbsx4x4 (once again, it’s really interesting how short of a distance there is between 8 reps and max for me)

Today’s workout:
Front squat (first attempt to include them in a workout):
65lbsx8x1
85lbsx8x1
105lbsx5x1
105lbsx4x3 (I was playing with posture, depth, and feel so much that I didn’t push the weight. It was actually harder for me to keep a straight back with these than with the back squat.)

Deadlift:
135lbsx8x1
155lbsx5x1
165lbsx1x1
170lbsx0x2 (tried twice. That was funny. I got it about a quarter of the way up and stalled out. Both times I halfways blacked out after I put the bar down. The room dimmed and I had to force myself to stand up, take deep breaths, put my hands over my head, and walk around. I later concluded that it was a breathing problem. I’m holding my breath when I start the lift. I need to focus on how to breath correctly when lifting heavier.)
135x8x3 (I went back to this weight because I found that I COULD NOT lift the previous weights I had been doing after the two attempts at 170. The 8 reps was a last resort to just do SOMETHING with the deadlift because I had nothing left for any higher of a weight)

Split Squat:
25lbs DBx8eachlegx3

There were fewer exercises with this workout, but I more than made up for that in learning. Also, if you noticed, I upped my DL again.

15

Back squat:
115lbsx8x1
135lbsx8x1
145lbsx3-4-4-3x4
155lbsx3x4 (new PR! Improvement of 10 lbs!)

Lunges:
10 each leg w/25lbs dbsx3

de-incline situp:
50lbsx12x3

Calf extention machine:
170lbsx6x2
190lbsx6x2

single leg donkey calf raises:
15x4

I’m pretty happy about the 10 lb increase on the back squat. This workout kicked my ass even though it didn’t include as many exercises as I’d been doing before.

I think next week I will be adding cleans or single arm snatches to this, just because it’s so short.

Any suggestions?

16

I think either would help you with your power output and explosiveness. But IMO since you are trying to bulk I would go with the cleans over the snatches. --but I think the addition of them would probably help you with your other lifts.

What rep range are you thinking? Both will make you suck wind like crazy

17

[quote]Alpha wrote:
I think either would help you with your power output and explosiveness. But IMO since you are trying to bulk I would go with the cleans over the snatches. --but I think the addition of them would probably help you with your other lifts.

What rep range are you thinking? Both will make you suck wind like crazy[/quote]

I will go with the cleans, and yeah they wipe you out like no other :slight_smile:

Today:

good morning (I realized today that these are my weak spot):
45lbsx8x1
65lbsx5x5

Bent over row:
115lbsx5x5

Bench press;
85lbsx8x1
95lbsx5x1
105lbsx3x5 (miss a few in there sporatically. It had a lot more to do with form than strength. If the bar moves an inch towards my face while I’m pushing it’s game over. Anyone else notice this?)

Pullup and bar dip:
40lbsassistancex7x1
30lbsassistancex6x1
Unassisted (my first try since beginning working out 3 months ago)
4-3-3-3

Military press:
45lbsx8
55lbsx5-4x5 (the last set included 4 reps, the last rep being the most monumental effort to get the bar up ever. I had it halfway up for a good 30 seconds. It took about 45 seconds to reach lockout)

18

Today I am disenchanted with my last 5 months worth of studying and training. It’s bullshit. I can train people, but I’m not really walking the walk.

Yesterday and the day before I did hit the gym for a total of 4 days last week. That’s my average for the last 3 months.

Okay, I’m going to be honest. My posture is not good. When I’m walking around you would think I’m a dancer from how straight and wide my shoulders look, but functionally one shoulder is higher than the other. That was first pointed out to me by my bestfriend who is a massage therapist, and now I can easily see it every time I do a shoulder press or hang on the roman chair. Today I was feeling my back muscles and my left side is noticeably more muscular than the right.

When I started squatting I had a strong forward lean. That disappeared for the most part after I started using different methods to release my hip flexors. I am now using those same methods on my tight lats, but with much more painful, slow results.

Lastly, my bench press has increased only 10 lbs in the last month and half. It doesn’t improve even half as fast as any of my other lifts. I think the real problem is that my chest muscles are not growing. Honestly, my back and shoulders (especially traps) have “ballooned” in the past month (people have been commenting). But my chest isn’t there.

So fuck it.

I’m going to start a new program, recommended by John Barardi in Scrawny to Brawny. The only thing that I’m going to add to it are a few non-bench press chest exercises. The total program should take me to the end of the summer.

I am also going to go to a few sessions of A.R.T.

19

[quote]Oleena wrote:
Today I am disenchanted with my last 5 months worth of studying and training. It’s bullshit. I can train people, but I’m not really walking the walk.

Yesterday and the day before I did hit the gym for a total of 4 days last week. That’s my average for the last 3 months.

Okay, I’m going to be honest. My posture is not good. When I’m walking around you would think I’m a dancer from how straight and wide my shoulders look, but functionally one shoulder is higher than the other. That was first pointed out to me by my bestfriend who is a massage therapist, and now I can easily see it every time I do a shoulder press or hang on the roman chair. Today I was feeling my back muscles and my left side is noticeably more muscular than the right.

When I started squatting I had a strong forward lean. That disappeared for the most part after I started using different methods to release my hip flexors. I am now using those same methods on my tight lats, but with much more painful, slow results.

Lastly, my bench press has increased only 10 lbs in the last month and half. It doesn’t improve even half as fast as any of my other lifts. I think the real problem is that my chest muscles are not growing. Honestly, my back and shoulders (especially traps) have “ballooned” in the past month (people have been commenting). But my chest isn’t there.

So fuck it.

I’m going to start a new program, recommended by John Barardi in Scrawny to Brawny. The only thing that I’m going to add to it are a few non-bench press chest exercises. The total program should take me to the end of the summer.

I am also going to go to a few sessions of A.R.T.[/quote]

Your bench may always lag. It depends on how you’re built. I can squat and deadlift like an SOB but my bench hasn’t progressed much at all despite continual attention.

By all means, change training programs. It may kick start it. However, don’t get discouraged if it only improves in small increments. I don’t think most people will see the same type of improvement as they do in squat and DL, particularly women as our strength lies mostly in our hips and legs.

I am continually frustrated by my slow progress in this lift so welcome to the club :slight_smile:

20

[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:

Your bench may always lag. It depends on how you’re built. I can squat and deadlift like an SOB but my bench hasn’t progressed much at all despite continual attention.

By all means, change training programs. It may kick start it. However, don’t get discouraged if it only improves in small increments. I don’t think most people will see the same type of improvement as they do in squat and DL, particularly women as our strength lies mostly in our hips and legs.

I am continually frustrated by my slow progress in this lift so welcome to the club :)[/quote]

Thanks for the empathy. I’m starting the new workout tomorrow and I’ll let you know how it goes.