Zep's Last Stand

Training Training Logs
61

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:

Is this pretty much how you ran your progression?[/quote]

That’s about right. Self regulation at it’s finest.

[quote]Also, It feels like a damn eternity between workouts. Is this normal?

-Zep[/quote]

The good thing about SS is that gets you going to the gym. I personally think 4-5x/week is when you make better progress, but that’s usually “too much” for newbies. If you have a hankering for doing more work, or getting in the gym more often then do some complexes, hill sprints, sled dragging, prowler pushing … you get the idea.
[/quote]

I dont relly put much stock in a lot of his writings, and I dont particularly care for the livespill, but Chad Waterbury made a livespill that discussed what he calls PLP workouts. I was considering tossing one in in the A.M. if I can ever get up then. Also included in this would be a stretching session.

This would also keep me busy on off days. Do you think this would interfere with my workout if I do it the recommended 6 hours before my lift?

Also, since I will have a shit ton of steps next at my dorm next year, I was thinking about making a sandbag for use about 2 or 3 months from now when I should be getting to a cut. (Dont freak, I want to get above 200 before I even start to think about cutting but at this rate, it will be about 3 months away.)

Thanks.

-Zep

62

Missed my workout and ate like shit due to driving in the car (one meal). I feel not good.

BAD ZEP! BAD!

To do:
Get my shit together: ____

Also feeling a bit of inner elbow pain on rotating arm (holding arm straight forward and rotating thumb down). My chest is nice and sore though.

-Zep

63

B workout
Squat 3x5 @ 190
press 5/5/4/3 @ 100(missed a rep so I did 3 extra. The set of 3 wasnt to failure. This may be explainable, see bottom of post.)
clean 5x3 @ 100
lateral raise 3x10 with 25 lb dumbells (improved form)
face pull 3x10 @ 100 (moderate backtion. I am improving form.)
curls 3x10 @ 60 (done inbetween sets of face pull)

I noticed that the clips they had were huge. Im thinking that my squat press and clean may all have been 5 lbs heavier than I have listed, This may be the reason I missed a rep on OHP and that I had to grind some reps. Im gonna make a post on the BB forum to ask. (EDIT: I didnt think to weigh the clips. Ill do that next time. In the meantime, Ill create the post) My setup seems to be getting better. Hands over top back flexed. I think it is because everything is getting more flexible. Ill continue to update this.

Bodyweight of 184.4

-Zep

64

Just watched Never Back Down. Made my night.

Amber Heard…

-Zep

65

Sorry for this post. It is coming from my cell phone as there is something wrong with the internet here.

Squads 3x5 @ 195
Bench 3x5 @ 175
Dears 1x5 @ 195
Pillows 3x10 @ god knows what weight this cable stack is. These were heavy enough to get a pump.
Pulleys 5/5.5/3 @ bodyweight of 184.4 (I am struggling with eating on vacation, bit I’m still lifting mote weight.)

Wrists are feeling a bit better elbows had a little pain. The clips were 5.5 each. I’m inspired to make a BOI post though with my experience down here. Good people.

-Zep

66

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Day 1…

A Workout

  1. Squat 3x5 @ 185
  2. Bench 3x5 @ 165
  3. Deads 3x5 @ 185
  4. chins 5,4,2 @ bodyweight of 175 (weighed as I left gym on medical scale)
    [/quote]

Really good starting numbers. I did maybe 20 lbs more on each lift. I wouldn’t worry too much about the chins. You got eleven reps, go for twelve total next time.

Thoughts on adding dips?
[/quote]

Sorry, I missed one of your posts Dude. I just found it though. Not sure If youll get this though. Anyway, dips = too much compoundage so to speak haha. I have added a bit of work since this post. I hope this is sufficient for growth, but if my pipecleaners dont grow in the first 2 months or so, Ill swap it out.

-Zep

67

Throughout your weight gain, what does it do to your stomach? Does all the squats and lifts save you from the inevitable soft belly? Or is that a necessary consequence of eating so much which must be dealt with after you’ve gained the proper amount of weight?

68

[quote]Baran wrote:
Throughout your weight gain, what does it do to your stomach? Does all the squats and lifts save you from the inevitable soft belly? Or is that a necessary consequence of eating so much which must be dealt with after you’ve gained the proper amount of weight?[/quote]

Assuming you are either an ecto or mesomorph, to answer your question. I promise that if your diet is clean and does not consist of primarily little debbie snacks and coke, you will not have a gut. Just make sure that if you decide to do SS or really any program for that matter that your numbers keep increasing according to the plan, not ever faster.

If you are an ectomorph, and you go on a relatively clean bulking diet, I dont think you could gain the kind of fat you are worried about if you tried. If you are a mesomorph (as am I) you will have to be just a bit more on the lookout with regards to diet, but it wont be anything tedious. Just look at the progress you make from month to month and adjust from there. None of this is going to happen overnight, or be irreversible, especially at a young age, so there is nothing to worry about. Also, the 5 or 10 lbs of fat that you will gain compared to the 20 or 25 lbs of muscle will not even show, and gaining 5 lbs of muscle is much harder than losing 5 lbs of fat. Trust me on that one.

Just be determined, get to the weight room consistently, and pay attention to how you eat on the whole. You will get results.

Oh yeah, and going to a local grease kitchen and slamming food like Joey Chestnut isnt bad every now and again either (unless youve had a previous heart attack or something). Some people just gotta learn to relax and not sweat the little things. Enjoy yourself.

If you have any more questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability with no BS given my limited experience.

-Zep

69

B workout

squat 3x5 @ 200
press 3x5 @ 105
clean 5x3 @ 105
lateral raise 3x10 @ 25 lb dumbells (less pauses inbeween reps almost time to go up)
face pull 3x10 @ 100 (same as lateral raise. a lot less backtion too)
curls 3x10 @ 60 (felt light)

I feel like squats were heavy and that my form broke a bit. I also wasnt feelin to hot today, so Im just gonna ignore it. I didnt miss any reps. I am happy with gettin above 100 lbs on the press. Elbow pain seems to be going by the wayside. Now for the weekend! WWE pay per view. Hope my boy John Cena keeps his belt.

-Zep

70

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Just watched Never Back Down. Made my night.

Amber Heard…

-Zep[/quote]

She likes girls.

Nice progress, Zep.

I LMAO’d at your “I’m officially overweight” post.

Elbow/shoulder pain: I was experiencing that for a bit doing 5x5, I think I was rotating my arms too far down, so that my forearms were vertical. Elbows further back and arms further out on the bar (I usually have my middle finger over the ring) seems to be better. If you’re getting persistent pain, stop training for a while – tendinitis sucks, and time and RICE are what you need to heal it.

As to how heavy the bar feels – eventually, heavy. I remember the first time I got to 300#, it felt crazy heavy just walking it out. Now it’s no big shakes. A lot of that is head trip, though some of it’s just getting stronger.

71

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Heres the squat setup. Please somebody explain to me how to fix it so that my wrists and elbows dont hurt. If this is right, then Ill just get used to it.

Clean video coming.

-Zep[/quote]

I’ll echo the wider grip suggestion. I put my middle finger over the rings on the bar. You might try a slightly straighter wrist as well, though I’ve seen plenty of lifters with a bent wrist.

Advice on thumb over vs. opposing (gripped) varies. I use a thumb-over grip as you do. Wendler suggests a wrapped thumb allowing you to squeeze the bar harder.

72

[quote]k-dingo wrote:

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Just watched Never Back Down. Made my night.

Amber Heard…

-Zep[/quote]

She likes girls.

Nice progress, Zep.

I LMAO’d at your “I’m officially overweight” post.

Elbow/shoulder pain: I was experiencing that for a bit doing 5x5, I think I was rotating my arms too far down, so that my forearms were vertical. Elbows further back and arms further out on the bar (I usually have my middle finger over the ring) seems to be better. If you’re getting persistent pain, stop training for a while – tendinitis sucks, and time and RICE are what you need to heal it.

As to how heavy the bar feels – eventually, heavy. I remember the first time I got to 300#, it felt crazy heavy just walking it out. Now it’s no big shakes. A lot of that is head trip, though some of it’s just getting stronger.[/quote]

Sorry for how long this post is, I am up late at night and am feelin kinda talkative/really pumped that I am now 186.

I dont mind that she likes girls, I like girls too. It just means we have things in common. She also owns a 357 magnum.

Do you think keeping waist measurement is valuable info?

I have moved my hand position to my pinky just touching the ring. It is helping, I am still working through a tiny bit of pain, but it is manageable, and I am assuming that over the next few weeks it will sort itself out due to increases in flexibility. If not moving them out seems to be the only other option (besides just dealing with the pain). On a funny note, my mother just gave me the RICE lecture today while I was stuck in the car driving home from South Carolina.

I feel like I need to take my first squat videos as I have just cracked 200 on squat. I figure it is a pretty good time. Heavy for a beginner, but not heavy enough to have to worry about other things that big weight brings with it.

I am hoping that the weight gain keeps coming. I am finding all kinds of cool little bumps I never had before. I am thinking that I may get to around 200 and maintain my mid teens bodyfat. Not cut but not soft either. I will be very happy with that being the end result of my first big gain, and depending on how everything looks when I get there, I may decide to just keep going. Who knows.

NEXT GOAL
Get to be heavy enough that the NAVY will not accept an application from me. (~191 lbs)

Thanks for the post I hope that one day when I am bigger I can help people who are willing to make the effort, and that this log will could possibly help others to see what goes on on the other side of the numbers (aches and pains, form checks, setting goals, etc). I honestly have come to the conclusion that if people would read a couple really well documented weightlifting books/articles that are backed up with proof (real proof throughout the decades), and they realized how simple it really is, (provided that they are willing to give themselves to the program and eating involved)they would forget about muscle confusion and all that other kinds of stuff that marketers say to make money.

That being said, I thought SS was going to be a cruise in the park compared to some of the high rep stuff that fitness mags had me thinking was the way to go. Boy was I wrong.

Lesson number one, simple and easy are not the same thing.

Lesson number two was that weight on the bar is, in most cases, weight on the scale.

-Zep

73

[quote]k-dingo wrote:

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Heres the squat setup. Please somebody explain to me how to fix it so that my wrists and elbows dont hurt. If this is right, then Ill just get used to it.

Clean video coming.

-Zep[/quote]

I’ll echo the wider grip suggestion. I put my middle finger over the rings on the bar. You might try a slightly straighter wrist as well, though I’ve seen plenty of lifters with a bent wrist.

Advice on thumb over vs. opposing (gripped) varies. I use a thumb-over grip as you do. Wendler suggests a wrapped thumb allowing you to squeeze the bar harder.[/quote]

Does squeezing the bar harder make your traps fire harder?

I trust that Wendler has a very good reason for his position.

-Zep

74

[quote]RJdoesSS wrote:

Very true. My main point, which I could have expressed differently, is that within the SS framework many people do chins and pull ups. These are compound exercises specifically for strength training. It is not recommended for any novice or intermediate to do isolation exercises to build strength. This is true for all the strength programs I’m aware of, whether it’s SS, 531, TM or whatever. If you do them to accomplish some other goal, that’s up to you.

And Zep, I realize I came across as a douche in the last post and I apologize, this is your log, and you can do what you want. [/quote]

I think I missed this post, I am actually kinda bad at this haha.

No big deal my man. I am glad that people are actually checkin out my log. To me the fact that you are willing to post means that you care enough to say something so that I may have the best possible chance at making progress and hitting my goal. All input is welcome.

-Zep

75

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Does squeezing the bar harder make your traps fire harder?

I trust that Wendler has a very good reason for his position.

-Zep[/quote]

I don’t see how that would work. Squeezing your traps hard … makes them hard lol. The only time when I consciously squeeze the bar is when benching, which helps “activate” your triceps. The only thing I do when squatting, is pulling the bar down. Forces your chest up so you don’t dip forward.

76

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:
Does squeezing the bar harder make your traps fire harder?

I trust that Wendler has a very good reason for his position.

-Zep[/quote]

I don’t see how that would work. Squeezing your traps hard … makes them hard lol. The only time when I consciously squeeze the bar is when benching, which helps “activate” your triceps. The only thing I do when squatting, is pulling the bar down. Forces your chest up so you don’t dip forward.[/quote]

I have heard that trying to pull your hands apart while benching also makes your triceps fire harder.

-Zep

77

A workout
squat 3x5 @ 205
bench 3x5 @ 180
deads 1x5 @ 205
pushdowns 1x10 @ wierd cable stack weight then 3x10 @ 120 on regular stack then I did negatives for God knows how many reps at 90 lbs. I was shooting for 15 seconds coming up.
pullups 6/5/4.5 @ bodyweight of 182.4

Elbows still a bit painful on squats. My joints are aching a little bit. I am thinking that a form check is necessary now as I feel that I have passed the point where I need to just get in the gym and now I feel like form needs to be more of a focus. Vids coming soon. Stay tuned.

Now for some Ibuprofin and monday night raw.

-Zep

78

Fact. Although I never think about it

If your hand placement is exactly like your profile pic … then you need to bring your hands out more. Are you squatting low bar?

79

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:

If your hand placement is exactly like your profile pic … then you need to bring your hands out more. Are you squatting low bar?[/quote]

Yes I am trying to squat low bar. It was recommended by the book for some reason, so I just go with it.

-Zep

80

[quote]Zeppelin0731 wrote:

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:

If your hand placement is exactly like your profile pic … then you need to bring your hands out more. Are you squatting low bar?[/quote]

Yes I am trying to squat low bar. It was recommended by the book for some reason, so I just go with it.

-Zep[/quote]

I would go with what feels more comfortable … which doesn’t seem like it is