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Shut Up and Squat!
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18-06-2008 6:21pm#1So I've decided it's time for me to start one of these logs. I've been keeping my own log in paper form but it'll be nice to get some feedback and tips from all you guys.
Stats
Age: 21
Height: 5'10
Weight: 13st 4lbs
BF: ~20%
(will post up some body measurements later...)
Background
I've been lifting weights since I was 13 yrs old but back then it was all about the bicep curls
I've taken it alot more seriously lately and i've been following the Starting Strength program since December.
Unfortunately, I've had a few injuries from American Football (strained deltoid, torn hamstring etc) so my progress stalled quite a bit.
So after a 6 week layoff
, I started back about 2 weeks ago.
I'll start by posting my sessions from this week (Monday and Wednesday).0
Comments
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Monday 16th June
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym and some stretches
Squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
130 x 3 x 5
Military Press:
Bar x 2 x 5
30 x 1 x 4
40 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 2
57.5 x 2 x 5
57.5 x 1 x 4
Power Clean:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 3
65 x 3 x 5
Chins:
6 sets (target was 6 x 6)
6 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3
I did the one's I missed as negatives.
Thoughts: Squats were very easy. Then again, they always are at the start of the week
My previous squat best is 147.5 x 3 x 5 so should beat that in a few weeks. I missed the last rep on the military press but I'll defo get it next time. I got it up half way and got my head under but the f*cker just wouldn't go up! Still learning the powerclean and it's quite a technical exercise so I'm not gonna go mad with that one. My back strength is muck hence chin failure but i'm gonna put a lot of effort into bringing the strength up. 0 -
Wednesday 18th June
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym and some stretches
Squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
115 x 1 x 2
132.5 x 3 x 5
Bench:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 4
70 x 1 x 3
82.5 x 3 x 5
Deadlift:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
135 x 1 x 5
145 x 1 x 4
Barbell Shrugs:
110 x 10, 8, fail (grip caved in)
Facepulls:
23.75 x 3 x 20
Thoughts: Squats again were easy enough. They worked up a sweat alright but i've still got alot left in the tank. That was the first time I've benched in quite a while due to a deltoid injury but it seemed fine. My deadlift was a bit poor - like everyone else, I HATE missing any reps :mad: but i'll put it down to the chins last monday. My hands gave up on the 3rd set of shrugs but I'll get it next time
Felt a bit daring after this workout so went straight outta da gym into the park for some sprints in the rain. There's nothing more refreshing I tell ya! Think I did around 10 half pitch sprints and some planks for ab work ( held for 1min 30 sec on left and right sides and on the front.
That is all until Friday!:)0 -
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Bit of a disaster of a weekend tbh. I got the 'I-Cant-Stand-Up' version of the flu but i'm feeling much better today (except for the weight loss).
These next 2 weeks are very important. My american football team has 2 games in the next 2 Sundays and if we win 1 of these then we reach the playoffs for the first time in our 3 year history. Realistically, it all boils down to the game this Sunday as we'd be quite unfancied to win against the reigning champs in our last game of the regular season.
With this in mind, i'm probably just gonna do the big 3 lifts tomorrow and see how the flu has affected me. I'm hoping that I still should be able to add 2.5kg to my squat and bench tomorrow and grind out the 5 dl reps at 145. Sure we'll find out tomorrow :pac:
In addition, I think squatting more than once this and next week would be a bad idea due to the games so I'll probably put in a bit more sprint & power work instead later on in the week.
Finally, I'm also gonna consider setting myself some long term goals in terms of what weight I think I should be able to lift for the compound exercises I have been performing (squat, bench, deadlift, powerclean, press and chins/pull ups). I'm gonna put a bit of thought into this one and i'll hopefully come up with 3 month and 6 month goals by tomorrow. I also realise that at some stage (probably quite soon) I wont be able to keep adding on weight each workout day - especially on the squat - although I still believe I have a little bit of room left to manoeuvre 
ps. Being sick really gives you waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time to kill 0 -
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Have you thought of doing Westside for Skinny Bstards? I know a lot of American Footballers follow De Franco's templates.
I command you to watch: We were the Titans, Varsity Blues and Any Given Sunday before your game this weekend. Good luck man!
Hey Al, yeah i've followed your log from the beginning and have to say you made some excellent progress following the Westside template. I'll probably run it at some stage - it'd be nice to split the big 3 to different days.
As regards the films, I'll be watching 2 from those 3. Any Given Sunday will be on the bus on the way up to Belfast and I'll watch Remember the Titans prob at d weekend. It's just that if I watch it too early I'll get pumped too soon and end up putting my head through a wall (again!). 0 -
Wednesday 25th June
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym and some stretches
Squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
125 x 1 x 2
137.5 x 3 x 5
Bench:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 4
70 x 1 x 3
85 x 2 x 5
85 x 1 x 4
Deadlift:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
135 x 1 x 1
145 x 1 x 3 :mad:
Barbell Shrugs:
110 x 10, 9, 6
Facepulls:
26.25 x 3 x 20
Thoughts: An energy zapping workout. Couldn't seem to get going regards the bench and deadlift. Even though i got the targeted reps on 2 sets of the bench they seemed quite tough and I found it hard to get into the groove.
It's time to deload my deadlift! According to the 3 strikes and you're out rule, I should now drop the weight 10% and work up again so that's what i'm gonna do! This is my first deadlift deload so we'll see what happens!
Oh and yeah, squats were really good 0 -
My goals for the next 6 months
Note: All of the goals below are for 3 sets of 5 reps
Firstly, I’ll tell you what I think of each exercise individually from a personal standpoint. Then, I’ll cover my thoughts on each identified goal and also my progress so far.
Squat: I absolutely LOVE this exercise. If marriage to an exercise was legal we’d have been hitched a long time ago :pac: I find it to be a very natural movement for me and it really suits my body type. As regards form, I find that ensuring that the weight is shifted onto your heels is the first and most important step as it makes everything else a lot easier. Also, squatting is a confidence lift in my opinion – if you BELIEVE you can do it then it’s more than likely that you WILL do it!
3 month 170 (+32.5)
6 month 190 (+52.5)
Thoughts: I can definitely do this. This is my strongest lift and due to current progress I believe it will be done. It wont be easy but that's the point.
Progress So Far (3x5): Ok so 100kg in early Dec to 147.5kg in late Feb then injured and now 137.5 at present.
Deadlift: I like it. This exercise shoots from the hip. You either grind out the rep or you don’t. Lately, I’ve had more don’ts than dos :mad: Anyway, I need to work on pulling the bar along my shins to my knees as I don’t believe I keep it close enough to my body at the start. I definitely pull it up my thighs so I’m halfway right! Furthermore, I need to work on my hip drive. I believe at the mo that my hips are lifting before the rest of my body so I need to get the two working in tandem.
3 month 160 (+17.5)
6 month 180(+37.5)
Thoughts: Definitely achievable. Almost too easy maybe but we’ll find out down the line.
Progress So Far (3x5): 80kg in early Dec to 150 kg in late Feb pre-injury and now 142.5 kg.
Bench: Not a major fan of this one tbh. I like exercises that are practical in a real world environment so unless I find myself under a car or something anytime soon I don’t think this will be too useful:p. However, I still want to get better at it obviously. I need a lot more practice at it. It’s all about the set up imo so I need to work on that (although strength and power help too). Practice makes perfect!
3 month 100 (+17.5)
6 month 115 (+32.5)
Thoughts: Could be a dodgy one but I’ll give it a shot.
Progress So Far (3x5): 80kg in early Dec to 92.5kg in late Feb pre-injury and now 82.5 kg.
Military Press: LOVE IT. There is something about lifting a heavy weight over your head that is just so rewarding! Everybody should do this at least once a week imo. It’s a real feel good exercise (providing you can lift the weight of course). My form is quite good. The most important aspect is to get your head under the bar as it makes its way up. In summation: FUN FUN FUN
3 month 70 (+12.5)
6 month 80 (+22.5)
Thoughts: Hopefully, I’ll smash this one :cool:
Progress So Far (3x5): 40kg in early Dec to 57.5kg in late Feb pre-injury and now 57.5 kg.
Powerclean: LOVE IT. It’s very demanding – both technically and physically. Combine this with power and explosiveness and you’ve got the exercise perfectly suited to American Football. Thus, I enjoy it. My technique is okish for this exercise. Admittedly, I do find it quite hard to jump on my work sets. Maybe this is a sign that the weight is too heavy
The rest of the movement is fine in terms of my form.
3 month 77.5 (+10)
6 month 85 (+17.5)
Thoughts: Hmmmm, I’ve got my doubts about this one. A 10kg jump in 3 months seems quite easy but due to the technical difficulty of the movement I may need to drop my current work set weight by 5kg depending on how my form is when I perform it this Friday.
Progress So Far: empty bar in early Dec to 67.5kg in late Feb pre-injury and now 67.5kg.
Wow that was a long post :eek: If anybody gets this far I'll be amazed!0 -
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Read the whole thing man:D
gotta agree with almost everything you posted,
I used to hate squatting, because I didnt know how to do it. Now I love it, the stuff is brilliant and I love the simplicity of the exercise, also where I train, nobody uses the cages so I am pretty much guaranteed plenty of room which is also helpful,
the press, over the head feeling is brilliant:D
I am going to get this down over the weekend, either with my mate or not, he is dragging his heels a bit.
I am also gonna record some lifts, get Colm to look at them for me, take the piss, then give me some good pointers. Keep it up man, the stuff is addictive 0 -
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Friday 27th June
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym
Military Press:
Bar x 2 x 5
30 x 1 x 4
40 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 2
60 x 2 x 4 |*P*|
60 x 1 x 3 |*B*|
Power Clean:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 3
60 x 3 x 5
Chins:
6 sets (target was 6 x 6)
6 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3
Missed chin reps done as negatives.
Thoughts: I really missed squatting today and I had to talk myself out of it due to the game on Sunday. I know it's for the best. Found the whole session really weird for this reason. I dropped the powerclean by 7.5 kg as I feel that I need to work more on my form rather than worry about the weight on the bar. Form was better as a result. Finally, I'm 4 reps off moving up on the military press (3x5 target). I'll be happy if I can add 2 of these reps the next time and the final two reps the time after that. In other news, I got the results of my postgrad and got a pass with distinction with an average of 77% so was chuffed with that. 0 -
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Squatting 190kg 3x5 below parallel would be incredibly impressive. Especially considering you're hopin to do it 6 months down the road. What's the plan? Just add weight each workout?
Well I expect to get 150 3x5 by mid July so that's the first step. Will probably have to deload then and work up again. So then that gives me 5 months to add 40kg to the squat. I know the heavier it gets the less likely i'll be able to add weight each workout but I also think that 40kg in 5 months is not impossible. Exactly 16 weight jumps in approx 60 workouts (3 workouts a week over a 5 month period). My squatting goal might be a tad unrealistic but I just dont want to make it too easy to obtain if you know what i mean. In all honesty, I could suffer a burnout in terms of squatting 3x a week with that kind of weight so it's really just a case of pushing myself and reacting to what my body tells me.
I know you're very experienced with this kind of thing (I've been following your log for probably over a year now and all I can say is wow :eek:). I would greatly appreciate any tips or guidance that you could give me towards my goals.0 -
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Sunday 29th of June - GAMEDAY
Woooooooo!!! I am over the moon. We won our game 6-0 (1td in the last quarter - how's that for a hollywood ending :pac:) and have qualified for the playoffs. Personally, I didn't play many snaps as I've lost my spot due to my injuries but that does not matter.
Got quite emotional after the game actually. I've been a member of the team from the beginning. We went 1-7 in our first year and took some absolute hammerings. 2nd year 2-6 with a bit of an improvement and now in our third year at the mo we're 4-3 with playoff qualification in the bag. The blood, sweat and tears have made this all the sweeter 0 -
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Monday 30th June
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym and some stretches
Squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
130 x 1 x 1
140 x 3 x 5
Bench:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 4
70 x 1 x 3
85 x 3 x 5
Deadlift:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
130 x 1 x 5
Barbell Shrugs:
110 x 12, 8, 10
Facepulls:
26.25 x 3 x 20
Thoughts: Good workout. Very happy. Squats are getting tougher but hopefully i'll reach 150 before the need to deload. My benching feels alot more solid than last week and that's a good sign. The 130 deadlift was harder than I thought it was gonna be. Eh that's about it, off to grab some food now yum yum 0 -
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Sunday 6th of July - GAMEDAY
I took it easy last week due to this game.
Right, we lost our last game of the season but we still have the playoffs to come. Unfortunately, somewhere near the end of the second quarter my hamstring tore again in the EXACT same spot as last time. That's not what I needed at this moment in time but hey, that's life.
I'm hoping to be able to squat, deadlift and powerclean in about a 1.5 - 2 weeks time. I'll keep myself going till then with a couple of maintenance workouts. The silver lining of this cloud is that it's the leftmost part of the hamstring so going straight up and down doesn't affect me too bad. The problem is turning!
In other new, I just got offered a masters in finance in DCU I'm absolutely chuffed. The fact I got turned down for it last year makes it all the sweeter
Exercise today: 8hrs of stripping wallpaper. Most cardio I've done in a long time!0 -
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Hey man, yeah I'm not expecting to break any PRs soon
Thanks for the advice. I'd do some hypers once a week like yourself and stretch about 20-25 mins after each workout. I'll look into mobility drills though that could definitely help. I'm also looking into some foam roller / tennis ball work to loosen out the hips after a squatting session. I've done a bit of this before and I've found it makes a hell of a difference to the tightness the day after a workout.0 -
Wednesday 16th July
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym and some stretches
Squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
130 x 3 x 5
Bench:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 4
70 x 1 x 3
85 x 2 x 5
85 x 1 x 4
Deadlift:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
110 x 1 x 2
132.5 x 1 x 5
Barbell Shrugs:
110 x 10, 10, 8
Facepulls:
26.25 x 3 x 20
Abs: Some circuit stuff that lasted about 20 mins
Thoughts: I decided I'd test out the hamstring today to see if it'd hold up...It did I expected it to hold up tbh honest since I know that the part of the hammie that is injured only hurts when I change direction at high speed. Going up and down is fine thank god. I made myself a promise that I'd stop if I felt a twinge but thankfully I didn't need to. The squat warm up was actually quite tough. I suppose everything feels heavy when you haven't lifted for 2 weeks The work sets were good - especially the 3rd set which felt super easy. After the squatting, I got a bit more confidence back in my hammie and the rest of the workout went well. However, I lost the bar path on my 3rd bench set and lost the last rep because of it.
In summation, it's good to be back!0 -
Saturday 19th July
Warm up: 1 hour walk to gym and some stretches
Squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 4
90 x 1 x 3
115 x 1 x 2
132.5 x 3 x 5
Military Press:
Bar x 2 x 5
30 x 1 x 4
40 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 2
57.5 x 1 x 4
57.5 x 1 x 5
57.5 x 1 x 3
Powerclean:
Bar x 2 x 5
40 x 1 x 5
50 x 1 x 5
60 x 3 x 5
Chins:
BW x 12, 6 + 4 negs, 3 + 3 negs
supersetted with
Tricep pulldown:
26.25 x 15, 10, 10
Abs: Some roman chair work and then I decided I'd done enough!
Thoughts: A bit hit and miss really. I started to get a build up of lactic acid in my quads during the squat warmups and as a result, the work sets were tough but grinded them out. The press work sets started well and I had the 5th one over my head but just before I locked it out I lost the bar forward. The 3rd work set was a bit of a disaster. The powercleans went well. On the warm up set with 50kg I cracked myself on the chin with the bar on the way up so you could say I'm still a little bit rusty My set to set endurance on chins is shocking so that's something I'm gonna work on. Knackered by the end of the workout
Off to Cork for the wildcard playoffs tomorrow. Should be a good game. Going down to give some moral support to the lads. The bus leaves at 7 0 -
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Right. I'm a member of DCU gym (I know, i know but it's cheap and handy). For those of you that dont know there is no squat rack. This means that when I'm squatting I have to start from the bench, woddle out until I pass it with the bar on my back and then start to squat (about 8-10 steps). Then comes the tricky part. After finishing a set, you must do a 180 degree turn and woddle back in to re-rack the bar.
Anyway, I have learned to live with this. So today I arrive in and just as I'm starting to do warmups a sign is pointed out to me on the wall. "In the interest of members safety, freeweight squatting is not allowed" :eek: or something along those lines. This is absolutely ludicrous. What's next? Stopping people from benching and deadlifting? Or maybe they will just ban all freeweight exercises in case members sue for getting "too big". I find it absolutely sickening that someone has taken my squatting rights away from me. Who the f*ck do they think they are? :mad::mad::mad:
Of course, there's a smith machine (sh*t machine is a better name imo), which is just an absolute joke. It gives people a false sense of strength since it's basically just a big hip sled. Sure it's even safer to squat free (with perfect form obv) than on a smith machine due to fixed angle that the smith machine takes which can't be good for the spine.
Saying all that I can understand their point in that what I describe above is not ideal, but if they had a squat rack in the first place I'd never be in this situation (funny that the instructors agree with me:rolleyes:). It seems to me that they're trying to drive out anyone who is interested in bettering themselves. They just want guys and gals who pay their annual membership and give up after a month or so. Easy money for them.
Looks like I'm gonna have to do some 'secret squats' or shhhhhhquats as I've christened them until my gym membership is up. Then, I'm gonna go on the hunt for a real gym.
So in order to reward myself for having to put up with all this sh*te I decided I'd sneak into the elite gym for today's workout. I was like a kid in a sweetshop! 4 squat racks, 2 platforms, FLAT benches and even foam rollers for soft tissue work!!! From gym poverty to gym heaven in one swipe of a card. Truly is a shame that the elite gym doesn't have more members gracing it's fine halls. I was in there for 2 hours and not one other person came in to train. On a side note, I can now understand how great it is to use a squat rack. I wasn't half as tired as I am normally after finishing my squats.
Anyhow, this mess of a rant has come to an end. I WILL continue free squatting so f*ck the lot of them. 0 -
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