Mex's Journal

[Mex]

Sorry, last workout session 16: Dec 22 was on Tuesday not Wednesday.

 

[Quagmire911]

Don't know if I've mentioned in here or not. You've been on this 5 weeks which isn't a whole lot at this level, however feel free to skip a few workouts over the holidays. Rest is important, and you can kill it after the new year. I doubt you can get to the gym on Christmas for example, just skip that workout entirely and go back in on Monday, same for New Year.

Your doing well, keep it up. Put extra on the deadlift next time to make up for the mishap.

 

[Mex]

Thursday Dec 24, 2009 - session 17 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 154.5 ? - scale was not digital so I am not sure about exact weight.

Workout:

Squats 5x5x125

Bench 5x5x105

Inv Rows 12,9,6 (no resistance no support)

Felt week going in. Last night I stayed up later than normal, had a few beers and a couple shots. Did not get drunk though.

First few sets of squats were really tough, even the warm ups felt like work sets. But by the 4th set I felt better, and then the adrenaline kicked in. Two more sessions before I get the 45 lbs plates on there...cant wait!

Bench was very easy, easier than last time. I will probably go up 10 lbs on it next time to get to the 35 lbs plates.

Inverted rows improved in terms of reps.

Overall, a good day by the time I finished. Now its time to eat like a slob for the next two days...haha. Merry Christmas!

 

[Mex]

Monsday, 12/28/09 session 18 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 156.8 ? - scale was not digital so I am not sure about exact weight. But it was same scale as lat session so I know I gained.

Workout:

Squats 5x5x130

Overhead Press 5x5x85

Deadlifts 1x5x160

Pull-ups 5,4,3 (no resistance no support)

Squats felt better than last time. I was well rested going in this time, 3 days off since last session. Now that the weight is increasing I am also able to get more warmups in at about 15-20 lb increments, which seems to make the first few work sets easier.

Press is still the hardest, I barely got the last rep up. I know I always say this, so maybe each time I will have gained just enough new strength to find a way to squeeze them out, and continue increasing the weight.

Increased deadlift by 15 instead of 10, and will do the same next deadlift session, then I will be back on track

Still not increasing reps on pull ups.

 

[Mex]

Thursday Dec 31, 2009 - session 19 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 156.5? - scale was not digital so I am not sure about exact weight.

Workout:

Squats 5x5x135

Bench 5x5x115

Inv Rows 10,10,6 (no resistance no support)

Not part of my routine, but I did some snow shoveling today. I am visiting family for the holidays, and I am the only son so I got no choice...haha. Ill count it as cardio, it took about 15-20 min and got the heart rate going pretty good.

Glad that I put the big plates on for squats today. Besides that, nothing new. It just feels great to make this kind of progress. In 3 weeks I will be squatting more than my body weight which is my next short term goal that I am looking forward to.

Put the 35 lb plates on the bench which felt good. A noticeable difference in difficulty from last bench session. I increased by 10 instead of 5 since last session since they were very easy last session. Just a few more sessions before I get the big plates on...cant wait.

Inv rows did not improve, but I did fly through the first set. Usually I take a second or two every few reps, but not on the first set here which is probably why I only got 10.

 

[Mex]

Saturday, Jan 2, 2009 session 20 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 156.8 ? - scale was not digital so I am not sure about exact weight.

Workout:

Squats 5x5x140

Overhead Press 5x5x90

Deadlifts 1x5x175

Chin-ups 6,5,5 (no resistance no support)

Squats made me tired as hell in below the waist, but in a good way. I also have been getting deeper, below parallel in fact. I can feel my hamstrings and glutes working a lot more than when the weight was lighter.

Now my least favorite exercise...the press. Barely got the last rep up...again. It seems that I say this every time for the last few sessions, but somehow I manage to do it. But this time I was shaking to get it up and it took a few seconds to get it up. Next time I will have the 25 lbs plates on for the press. I seem to have an obsession with reaching the next plate all the time...haha.

Deads were great, and 175 sounds like a nice number for me so Im happy about that. I know I will break 200 soon before I stall which I am excited about.

Chin ups reps went down, but thats because I was gased by that time.

Overall a great day. Everything felt tough. Its really the first time that I had to work HARD on EACH exercise...great feeling! Thats all for today. Cheers.

 

[Mex]

Tuesday Jan 5, 2010 - session 21 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 161.1? - scale was not digital so I am not sure about exact weight. But it was the same scale as last session so I know I gained about 5 lbs this weekend!!

Workout:

Squats 5x5x145

Bench 5x5x120

Inv Rows 12,10,6 (no resistance no support)

First off, I just gained about 5 lbs in the last 5 days, after a couple weeks of not much significant gain. Weird but I am happy. I am getting close to my target of 165-170, but I still have a belly, so I will probably try to overshoot the target then burn some fat after. In any case, I will be back to my usual gym next session and will have exact weight from the digital scale. Anyway, I will keep chugging along as usual for now.

Squats were easier this session than last. Maybe because of the 2 day rest between last session?

The bench is getting harder again. Even though I only increased by 5 lbs from last session, it felt like more and I dont know why.

Thats all for today. Cheers!

 

[Quagmire911]

There isn't much point in weighing yourself so much due to fluctuations. I'd say once a week max is fine, some say even less.

I would also start taking your waist measurement when you take your weight, and take a picture once every 4 weeks or so. This will help you make sure you are gaining muscle and not fat. You've got to be careful of this, espcially with the milk.

Don't know if I've asked, what cardio are you doing?

Keep it up,

Quagmire

 

[Mex]

There isn't much point in weighing yourself so much due to fluctuations. I'd say once a week max is fine, some say even less.

I would also start taking your waist measurement when you take your weight, and take a picture once every 4 weeks or so. This will help you make sure you are gaining muscle and not fat. You've got to be careful of this, espcially with the milk.

Don't know if I've asked, what cardio are you doing?

Keep it up,

Quagmire

I am not drinking very much milk anymore. In fact, under 2 cups a day. I just put a little bit in when I eat the raw egss so it tastes good. But I did eat a decent amount of junk over the holidays. Cookies, pies, cheesecake, chocolates, you name it. But now I am back on my own so these temptations are not even available. I did take pics the first couple of weeks. I will get some news ones this week and compare. I have not been measuring my waist, but I have noticed my pants fit a little looser around the waist.

As far as cardio, I am not doing anything. Should I be doing that when trying to bulk up?

 

[EFFORT]

As far as cardio, I am not doing anything. Should I be doing that when trying to bulk up?

Wow I over looked this in your log. Yes... start doing 30min of cardio first thing in the morning on 3 of your non lifting days. I recommend using the elliptical and keeping your heart rate in the 130-150range for the entire duration.

 

[Mex]

Wow I over looked this in your log. Yes... start doing 30min of cardio first thing in the morning on 3 of your non lifting days. I recommend using the elliptical and keeping your heart rate in the 130-150range for the entire duration.

By first thing in the morning, do you mean before I eat anything? Because I can not get to the gym before my first meal due to the bus schedule. But I can get there before meal 2. Does this matter?

 

[Mex]

By first thing in the morning, do you mean before I eat anything? Because I can not get to the gym before my first meal due to the bus schedule. But I can get there before meal 2. Does this matter?

Okay, I just saw the debate in the "where to start" thread. The consensus seems to not eat a full meal before cardio, but maybe an orange is okay.

So what cardio exercises would be good to do from home without purchasing equipment. I am assuming something low intensity so I dont burn out. I would say take a walk but there is snow outside this time of year so that might not be the best, allthough technically still possible. I can jog lightly in place in my house, or do easy jumping jacks. I am just throwing out ideas. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[EFFORT]

Do 35min on the elliptical 3 days a week on off days. If you can't do it first thing in the morning don't worry about it, just get it done.

 

[Mex]

Friday, Jan 8, 2010 session 22 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 159.4

Workout:

Squats 5x5x150

Overhead Press 5x5x95

Deadlifts 1x5x185

Pull-ups 6,6,4 (no resistance no support)

Only comment is the press again. After the 3rd set I thought I was never gonna get the 4th set never mind the 5th set, but I did. I took 3 minutes in between sets though. Upper arms were burning nicely. I will try 100 next week...well see how that goes.

I ate more carbs before going in and I think that helped a lot. The deadlifts were easier than last session, and I had energy on pull ups too. I modified my diet again now that the holidays are over, will post on next thread.

 

[Mex]

Here is a suggestion for modifying my diet. My main concern is how to handle carbs on training days. Check it out.

Training days

1) 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 scoop whey, 1 cup oats, veggies
2a) 1 scoop whey, fruit, 1/2 cup oats
-workout
2b) 1 scoop whey, fruit, 1/2 cup oats
3) 4 oz gr beef, 1/3 cup brown rice, veggies
4) 4 oz gr beef, 1/3 cup brown rice, veggies
5) 1 can tuna, 3 slices whole wheat bread
6) 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 scoop whey

Non-training days
1) 3 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 scoop whey, 1/2 cup oats, veggies
2) 2 scoops whey, 1/2 cup oats, fruit
3) 7-8 oz chicken breast, veggies
4) 5-6 oz gr beef veggies
5) 1 can tuna
6) 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 scoop whey

I know people recommend to cut the milk completely, but I love the taste, and 1 cup a day cant hurt right? In fact, I probably dont even use the full 1/2 cup each time, its more like a splash just to add taste to the raw eggs.

Here are my main concerns:

As far as training days go, I usually have a banana for my fruit both pre and post workout. Should I switch to a low GI fruit either pre or post (or both)?

On training days, should I ditch the bread on meal 5? Or even the rice on meal 4? I am afraid of carbs late in the day as I dont want my belly to grow anymore, in fact I would like it to go away eventually. But for now my number 1 goal is adding muscle and getting stronger, especially on my scrawny-a$$ chicken legs and arms. But I would like to do it without looking like a preggo, I do have somewhat of a spare tire around my waist already.

By the way, I will be adding cardio to my routine beginning tomorrow.

 

[Mex]

Monday Jan 11, 2010 - session 23 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 158.9

Workout:

Squats 5x5x155

Bench 5x5x125

Inv Rows 15,10,6 (no resistance no support)

Last two sets of squats were easier than first three, kinda weird. I even did gradual warmups too. I started empty bar for 2x5, added in 20-25 lbs increments decreasing by one rep each time until I reached work weight.

Accidentally did 135 on first set of bench (added 10 lbs plates instead of 5 lbs plates). Then went down to 125 where I am supposed to be. Well, now I know I will be able to handle the full size plates next week when I need to - not that I had any doubts.

Got way more inv rows than ever before. 15 on first set is a PR - Happy about that.

Thats all for today. Cheers!

 

[Mex]

Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 session 24 (all weights quoted in lbs)

Body Weight = 158.6

Workout:

Squats 5x5x160

Overhead Press
5x100
5x100
4x100 ...Stalled!

Deadlifts 1x5x195

Chin-ups 9,5,4 (no resistance no support)

Started with squats. Felt significantly more difficult than ever before. On two of the reps, I had a "burp" (not sure what to call it) on the way up. I still got all of them up, but it just felt different today. I am wondering if its because I started cardio, and did it yesterday. I did elliptical for 30 min with heart rate 130-135. Any comments here welcome please.

Finally stalled on the press. I knew it was coming. Could not finish the 3rd set so I stopped there. Should I have still attempted other sets? I was not sure so I did not.

Deadlift also felt much harder than last time. Again, this is making me wonder if the cardio is affecting me.

Anyway, maybe I should switch to 3x5 so I dont overwork anything. Please advise me here. Thanks.

 

[Quagmire911]

I highly doubt that the elliptical would cause any issues at that intensity.

The simple fact is that the weight is getting heavier, things will start to get difficult. It doesn't get any easier.

Take the squat to 3x5 and keep going as usual. Use 100lbs on the press next time and aim for all the reps. The press will stall first, this is natural as it uses the least musculature.

Keep it up,

Quagmire

 

[Jitterbug]

I do 35 mins HIIT on the elliptical every non-weight day (3 days a week), heart rate ~ 150 something and I'm lifting significantly heavier. At the end of last year, I didn't do the cardio. I haven't noticed any difficulty in my weight training with the extra cardio.

I think it's just natural that you have a weak day or week sometimes (usually due to insufficient rest) or hit a plateau before you get better. Plough through it!

 

[Mex]

Friday Jan 15, 2010 - session 25 (all weight quoted in lbs).

Body weight = 159.8

Workout:

Squats warm up to...
1x5x165
1x5x165
1x5x165

Bench warm up to...
1x5x130
1x5x130
1x5x130

Inv Rows 15,8,7 (no resistance no support)

First I have to point out that I did 3x5 instead of 5x5 as suggested by Quag. I focused a little more on warmups though, and I still finished faster which I think is good. Workouts on 5x5 were starting to take really long. Once you factor in warmups (which get longer as weight increases) then factor in time between sets (which also gets longer as weight increases) one needs to consider efficiency. Plus, I did say a while back that I would switch to 3x5 once I stalled. So now that I have used up my only lifeline, I am going to have to work through the pain. Anyway, enough rant...here are my comments about todays workout.


I noticed on a couple of my squats my knees started to come in. I corrected quickly though. Also, I noticed that towards the end, more weight was on the ball instead of the heel of my foot. I need to be a little more aware of these as the weight is getting higher.

Not much to comment on the bench other than next time I will finally have 45 lbs plates on it.

Second set of rows decreased from the last time I did them, dont know why. Since I am doing 3x5 now, I may just follow one of Rippetoe's variations and do Pendlay rows or bent over rows, dont know yet. Eventually I will need to add weight to my body so I guess I will wait until that point before switching. Any suggestions here would be nice.

Thats all for today. Cheers!