TartanEagle's Intermediate Log

[TartanEagle]

Starting strength was a great program for me. I'm starting intermediate programming with the Texas Method. I am hoping that I have the balls to stick with this for as long as it works. I won't lie, I am not looking forward to Volume days.

[TartanEagle]

Volume A:
Squats
265x5x5
These were highly unenjoyable! Actually, after struggling with recovery at the end of SS, I was pretty happy to grind out some squats today. I was conservative on my first workout, and I think this weight was perfect. Light enough to get through my first volume day, but heavy enough to still suck.

Bench:
185x5x5
My last good SS workout was 200 for 3 sets of 5. I never needed microloading on Bench so I still have some room to grow. These actually seemed fairly easy, especially in comparison to squats.

Deadlift:
325x5
I went very conservative on DL's. I have been stuck at 365x3 on SS and backed the weight off. Good thing, because these were hard. Not much energy left to do these. I may have to rotate dead's, sometimes on Monday, others on Friday.

[TartanEagle]

April 12, 2010
Recovery Day
Squats:
215x5x2
I am in pretty bad shape from my first volume workout. This was not as light as I would have thought, but still not too bad.

Press:
135x5x3
This may have been a little heavier than I should have done, but still got all the reps.

Chins:
BW 11,10,5
For the third set I paused at the bottom of each rep. Probably not a good idea. I wasn't kipping my other sets, but I was getting a little more movement than I wanted.

Back Extensions:
Later today

[TartanEagle]

April 14, 2010 - Intensity Day
Squat
290x5
Not too difficult. The conservative approach to starting TM seems good. No recovery issues so far.

Bench Press
210x5
This is the most I have ever benched by myself. This was hard, but bar speed was good.

PC
150x3,3,3,3,3
Not too difficult, again. Form has gotten much better from when I had started SS.

[homerj742]

So this is where you've run off too! I was wondering what the hell happened. All the best with intermediate training. I will be sure to stop by often :)

[TartanEagle]

So this is where you've run off too! I was wondering what the hell happened. All the best with intermediate training. I will be sure to stop by often :)

Please drop in anytime! The first week of intermediate training went well. Tomorrow is my second volume day, which I am actually looking forward to.

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday's workout
April 17, 2010
Volume
Squat:
270x5x5
No issues. Good session

Press:
135x5x5
Felt strong on the press. I'm really able to use my abs on these.

Deadlift:
330x5
Used hook grip for the first time on a heavy working set. I backed the weight down on deadlifts when I switched to TM. I thought this would be a good time to try hook grip. It went pretty well. I'll keep this going as long as I can.

Bodyweight: 211

[TartanEagle]

April 19, 2010
Recovery Day
Squat
215x5,5

Bench Press
165x5,5,5

Chins (12,8,6) alternated with Good Mornings (45x10,10,10)
- I was running out of time so I did these with minimal rest. I typically do back extensions but did not have time to set up my makeshift back ext station.

Recovery day looks easy on paper. However, I am so beat up from Volume day, that this only sucks less because it is shorter. It certainly does not feel easy. But this is a good thing, because otherwise I would feel like I was wasting my time.

[TartanEagle]

April 21, 2010
Intensity Day
Squats
295x5
Felt lousy during warmups, as it has been a rough couple of weeks at work. It was good I started conservative on my weights. The actual workset went well considering how I felt warming up.

Press:
147.5x4
This is PR for the press, but was supposed to be 5. I'll take it anyway.

PC
155x3,3,3,3,3
First set was good, last set was great. Some in the middle were suspect on form. I need to really concentrate on a solid first pull and explode on the second pull.

[homerj742]

Nice, lookin' good on the squats. 300 soon :)

[TartanEagle]

Next week, hopefully. Of course, 300 is where I hit a wall on novice programming.

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday's workout:
April 24, 2010
Volume Day
Squat
275x5x5

Bench Press
190x5x5

Deadlift
335x5 - Hook grip (ouch!)

Even though the workouts take forever, I actually like volume day.

[TartanEagle]

April 26, 2010
Recovery Day
Squats
220 x 5, 5
Nice and easy. My hamstrings and adductors were still pretty sore from Volume day, but once I warmed up, no issues.

Press
137.5 x 5, 5, 5
The last reps on sets 2 and 3 were pretty tough. I may have started too heavy on Press. Next volume day will be interesting.

Ran out of time for chins and back extensions, so I'll work those in this afternoon at the gym at work.

[TartanEagle]

April 28, 2010
Intensity Day
Squat
300x5
Almost lost rep 4 forward, Rep 5 nearly stalled halfway up, but I got through.

Bench Press
215x5
Last rep was ugly, but got it done. Common theme for today.

Powerclean
160x3,3,3,3,3
Last 2 sets were really easy. My technique, while still needing a lot of work (I still pull with my arms too early, and my rack is suspect) is getting much better.

[homerj742]

Wooo! congrats on hitting 300x5. Keep up the hard work!

[TartanEagle]

May 1, 2010
Squats
280x5x5

Press
135x5

This was supposed to be volume day. I was able to get my squats in, but only 1 set of presses before I ran out of time. I have too many family and work obligations now to consistantly get my workouts in. I'll be switching to Wendler's 5-3-1 program after this. This will free up me up quite a bit to give me the flexibility I need right now. I hope to get back to Texas method in the future once I can fit the 2 hour workouts in, without compromising too much sleep.

[homerj742]

That's tough man. Congrats on trying though, you're working really hard.

I'm trying to take advantage of the fact that I have almost zero commute for my job, and no kids. This will all change a lot sooner that I expect I'm sure!

[TartanEagle]

1+ hour commute, 3 kids, 50+ hour a week job when its "slow". I'm just glad to have gotten as far as I have. Enjoy your time while you can!

[TartanEagle]

May 3, 2010
Day 1, week 1 of 5-3-1 (I'm logging main lifts only)
Press:
105x5
120x5
135x7

[TartanEagle]

May 4, 2010
5/3/1 Week 1 - Deadlift

240x5
275x5
315x5

315 for 5 was tougher than I expected. I did 335x5 about a week and a half ago on Texas Method. I think the first two sets combined with insufficient recovery from Saturdays squat session made this feel harder. I did 5x10 at about 30% of training max for assistance afterward.

[TartanEagle]

May 6, 2010
Week 1 - Bench Press
150*5
175*5
195*8

Assistance
BP 95 lbs, 5 sets of 10
BB Row 95 lbs, 5 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

Week 1 - PC and Squat
I wasn't sure if I should do PC's before or after squats. Wendler recommends before, so I tried that first. I think I'll put them after squats next week and see which I prefer.

PC
120x5
140x5
160x5
No extra reps, since my form was lousy at 5. I also realized that I went too heavy on all the sets. I calc'd these off my projected max, no training max.

Squat
225x5
255x5
270x6
Sets one and two were also calc'd wrong, but I caught this for my third set. I tweaked may back on the 6th rep, so I stopped there. I was hoping to get 8-10 reps. I think doing the PC's first may have contributed to may back, but it could also be my shrinking gut since I have stopped GOMAD.

Assistance:
Squat 5 sets of 10 @ 135.
These didn't bother my back, provided I kept it really tight, so I finished out the workout without issues. Driving to work has been another story, as my back is getting tight.

[TartanEagle]

May 10, 2010
Week 2 - Press Day
110x3
125x3
140x5

Assistance:
Press - 5 sets of 10 @ 70#
Chins - BW, 50 total over 9 sets

[TartanEagle]

May 11, 2010
Week 2 - Deadlift Day
260x3
295x3
330x5

Assistance:
Deadlift - 5 sets of 10 @ 135#
Knees to elbows 5 sets (6,7,6,7,7)

[TartanEagle]

May 13, 2010
Week 2 - Bench Press
165x3
185x3
210x6

Assistance:
BP - 5 sets of 10 @ 105#
BB Row - 5 sets of 10 @ 105#

[TartanEagle]

May 14, 2010 - Week 2
Squats
225x3
255x3
285x5
Form felt rusty. I'm not sure I like squatting one day a week. I may need to add a light day earlier in the week to keep my form solid.

Powerclean
120x3
140x3
160x7
I much preferred doing PC's after squats, rather than before.

Assistance:
Squat 5 sets of 10 @ 145#
This looks so easy on paper, but my heart rate really gets moving by the end of these. I try and keep the rest between the sets to about 2 minutes.

Good Morning (needed to find a good weight so I started light and added 10 pounds each set)
45x10, 55x10, 65x10, 75x10, 85x10
I've always been terrified of GM's due to constant minor back tweaks, but I didn't really understand how to do them until recently. These actually felt pretty good.

Next week I am travelling. Not sure what kind of gym situation I will have, so I may have to improvise.

[TartanEagle]

May 17, 2010
Week 3 - Press Day
120x5
135x3
150x2 (PR) Most I've ever pressed for any reps.
I'm travelling for work, so I had to use the gym at the hotel. A 30# straight bar was available (luckily), no rack, so I power cleaned the bar into position. No problem for today, but I will not be squatting until I get back home. I'm not sure if I will do my bench workout here. They have a Jones Smith machine, no real bench, so I will probably push my Thursday bench to Saturday and my Friday squat workout to Sunday.

Assistance - Press 5 set of 10 at 75#
Pullups - 50 total

[TartanEagle]

May 19, 2010
Week 3 - Deadlift
275x5
315x3
350x2

Assistance:
Deadlift 5 sets of 10 at 150#
Weighted Situps, 5 sets of 10 (2 sets at 25#, 3 sets at 20#)

[TartanEagle]

May 24, 2010
Bench Press
175x5
200x3
220x4 (PR)

Assistance:
Bench Press 5 sets of 10 at 115#
BB Row 5 sets of 10 at 115#

I'm a couple of days behind due to travelling for work. I'll squat tomorrow and then make up a couple of days on the deload, which I will compress into a half a week.

[TartanEagle]

May 25, 2010
Squats:
5x240
3x270
1x300
I could only get 1 rep at 300, which is the minimum to add weight to the next monthly cycle, but I am pretty disappointed. This seemed to be more of a mental and/or technique failure, as I think the reduced squatting frequency has been hurting my technique (but aiding recovery).

Powerclean:
135x5
150x3
170x3 (PR)
This is the most I have ever powercleaned. I just missed the fourth rep, but am happy with my overall progress with this lift.

Assistance:
Squat 155 for 5 sets of 10
I typically high bar squat, due to persistant shoulder issues with the low bar position. These are light enough that I can get a good low bar position and not destroy my shoulders.

[TartanEagle]

April 26, 2010
Press Deload
65x5
80x5
95x5

Pullups - 50 total
Dips - 50 total

[TartanEagle]

May 31, 2010
Start of Month 2
Press (Training max 160#)
105x5
120x5
140x6

Assistance:
Press: 5 sets of 10 @ 80#
Chins: 60 total (10,10,8,7,5,5,5,5,5)

[TartanEagle]

June 1, 2010
Deadlift (Training Max 375)
245x5
285x5
320x7

Before Deadlifts, I did 2 sets of light squats, as I have found that by squatting only 1 day a week, I cannot maintain form. I hope this does not screw up the program too much.

Assistance work will be done later this afternoon.

[TartanEagle]

June 3, 2010
Bench Press Day
155x5
180x5
200x8

Assistance 5 sets of 10 reps:
Bench Press @ 120 pounds
Barbell Row @ 120 pounds

Pretty happy with the 200x8. I wasn't feeling very strong during warmups and my first 2 worksets, and was even concerned that the minimum 5 reps would be challenging. Cranking out 8 felt great.

[TartanEagle]

June 4, 2010
Squat and Powerclean day
Squat:
215x5
250x5
280x8 (Rep PR)

Powerclean
120x5
135x5
155x9 (Rep PR)

Assistance
Squat 5 sets of 10 @ 155#

I was nervous about squats, as my numbers have been deteriorating since I stopped Texas Method. I added in a light day on Tuesday (Deadlift day) and this helped me to maintain form. More importantly however, is I changed my bar position to a much lower position (from High Bar). I perceive this as almost a power lifter low bar position, but in reality I think it is probably exactly where SS recommends. I always had elbow/biceps tendon problems with my original low bar position. Moving it a little higher or a little lower has relieved these problems. The lower position has really let me get more strength into the movement however (at least after one workout). I hope this trend continues.

Powercleans have really gotten easier lately, as the increased weight has forced my form to improve. 9 was tough today more due to the heat and humidity in my garage, than the weight.

[TartanEagle]

June 7, 2010
Press Day
115x3
130x3
145x6 (Rep PR)

Assistance Press
5 sets of 10 at 85#

The rep PR's are starting to come. I wasn't thrilled with the first month of 531, but now I am starting to see improvements. I've started to eat more which has certainly helped. I was having trouble getting enough food once I stopped GOMAD, but I am getting that corrected.

Later in the afternoon:
120 Pullups
120 Dips

[TartanEagle]

June 8, 2010

Deadlift Day:
265x3
300x3
340x4
I was hoping to get 6, but I was pretty beat up from too much assistance work yesterday. I've got to watch that. I probably could have gotten one more ugly rep at 340, but decided against that. I can't get a PR every workout.

Recovery Squats (done before deadlifts)
225x5,5

Assistance:
Deadlift 185 for 5 sets of 10
Knees to elbows 5 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

June 10, 2010
5/3/1 Month 2, Week 2
Bench Press:
165x3
190x3
215x4

I'm still pretty beat up from the excessive accessory work I did earlier this week, so I didn't push my last set (which felt heavy enough). Hopefully I won't make that mistake again. I'll still do some additional accessory work this afternoon, likely bodyweight stuff without too much volume. I need to be fresh to squat tomorrow.

[TartanEagle]

June 10, 2010
Squats and Powercleans

Squat:
230x3
260x3
295x5

Powerclean:
130x3
145x3
165x4

Assistance:
Squats 5 sets of 10 @ 165#

I injured my left knee prior to doing SS, and ever since it has made all kinds of snap, crackle and pop sounds when I go below parallel. Normally this did not bother me, as long as my music was loud enough. Lately it has gotten much worse to the point where I'm worrying about further injuries. I'm not sure if the lower squat frequency is the problem, or if it is actually getting worse.

[TartanEagle]

June 14, 2010

Press:
120x5
140x3
155x2 (PR)

Assistance:
Press 5 sets of 10 @ 95#
Chins 60 total

[TartanEagle]

June 15, 2010
Deadlift
285x5
320x3
360 Fail (was supposed to be 1+)
My knee problem has been in my head this week, so I am chalking this fail up to lack of testicular fortitude. All reps felt very heavy, but I should have been able to get one rep at 360.

Assistance:
DL at 185# and Knees to Elbows, each for 5 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

June 17, 2010
Bench Press:
180x5
200x3
225x4 (PR)

No assistance today, as I am playing golf.

[TartanEagle]

June 18, 2010
Powerclean
135x5
155x3
175x2

This is the most I have ever powercleaned. I did this at the gym at work, so I was forced to use a curl bar. Not fun to rack. I did not get up this morning to get my workout in, so no squats today.

[TartanEagle]

June 22, 2010
I need more squat workouts than 5/3/1 is giving me. I have liked what it has done for my Bench and Press, but my squat isn't going anywhere, as I feel I can't maintain my form only squatting once a week. I'm going to hit the Advanced Novice program for a couple of weeks and then move to either the PP split program or Texas Method (again).

Squats
275x5,5,5

Press
130x5,5,5

Chins:
BW (209) +25lbs 3 sets of 5
Back Extensions:
5 sets of 15

[TartanEagle]

June 24, 2010
Squat (80% of tuesday):
220x5,5,5

Bench Press:
190x5,5,5

Deadlift:
335x5

I'm still pretty sore from Tuesday's squat session, so it wasn't until the third set of squats that I felt loose.

As my left eyball nearly popped out of my head during deadlifts, I remembered how much I enjoy squatting and deadlifting on the same day. Good stuff!

[homerj742]

Good progress Eagle. Let me know how Texas Method works for you, timewise. That's going to be my main concern when I get to that phase (god willing).

With my work schedule volume day will be difficult to fit in. My novice days are already taking 2 hours, I can't imagine adding 2 more heavy sets to my lifts.

I was thinking of the 5-3-1 route, but, like you, the lack of squatting kind of turns me away. I find that squatting multiple times in one week keeps my technique fairly spot on...

[TartanEagle]

When I did TM earlier, volume days took a very long time. Next time through, I will probably do chins and back extensions (rather than deadlift) as I can do these at work in the afternoon. Its either that, or the PP split routine, which I think is more manageable in terms of workout length.

[homerj742]

When I did TM earlier, volume days took a very long time. Next time through, I will probably do chins and back extensions (rather than deadlift) as I can do these at work in the afternoon. Its either that, or the PP split routine, which I think is more manageable in terms of workout length.

I really have to revisit that book, it really didn't sink in the first time around as I was just so eager to start my novice phase.

[TartanEagle]

June 26, 2010
Squat:
280x5,5,5
Kept the music loud to drown out my left knee popping. I really don't feel it all, but hearing it bothers me. This felt heavy, but solid.

Press:
132.5x5,5,5
No problem here. Still working back to my previous weights.

Powerclean:
160x3,3,3,3,3
I've really gotten better with PC's. Heavier weights force correct form.

I'm hoping to keep going with advanced novice programming for another couple of weeks.

[TartanEagle]

June 29, 2010
Squat:
285x5,5,5

These were pretty damn hard. I think this is my third time getting to 285 for sets across, and it seemed harder than the last time. I am going to go on an eating mission, so that hopefully my next work sets will get done.

Bench Press:
195x5,5,5
Bench press felt better at 195 than at 190. I'll keep the 5 pound jumps until I move to intermediate programming. That may be next week, unless I can get a few more weeks out of novice programming (which I am hoping I can).

I'll hit the chins and back extensions this afternoon at the gym at work.

[TartanEagle]

June 29, 2010 (Afternoon session)
Back extensions:
BW +15 5 sets of 15

BW Chins:
12, 12, 10, 10, 10

My weight is around 206 pounds, down about 8 pounds from my SS GOMAD high of 214. I had gotten down to 203 last week (not intentionally) and immediately started eating more. I think I need to get to about 220 to get my squat and deadlift to acceptable levels. I'm not going to GOMAD but will definately continue to try and eat more.

[TartanEagle]

July 1, 2010
Squats at 80%:
225x5,5,5
Squats were relatively easy. Usually I'm still pretty sore on recovery day (much more so when doing TM). This was not bad at all.

Press:
135x5,5,5
Press was not bad, but it doesn't take much to go from not bad to fail. I'll keep the 2.5# jumps to 140 then go 1.25#.


Deadlift:
340x5
My deadlift really degraded after novice programming so I am working up 5# at a time. My best 5 rep set was 355 (got 365 for 3 twice).

Overall, I'm happy with the week and half of Advanced Novice. I'm recovering enough to keep going. The next two weeks is where it should get challenging as I (hopefully) move back into PR territory.

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday's workout:
July 4, 2010

Squat:
290x5,5,5
First and third sets were pretty tough. The second set felt pretty good.

Bench Press:
200x5,5,5
Bench is still going strong.

Powerclean
165x3,3,3,3,3
PC went well as long as I was aggressive on my reps. Its getting pretty heavy and the sloppier reps were painful. When my form is good the weight flies up, however.

[TartanEagle]

July 7, 2010

Squats:
295x3,3,3
These were supposed to be sets of 5. I hit the safety catch on rep 4 of my first set and that screwed my first set (very strange as I've never hit that before). I was only able to get 3 on the subsequent sets as well. 295-300 is where I bombed out on my first run through novice programming and on TM as well. It must be a mental thing. I also really screwed my left arm (again) on the failed sets. My next workout is light squats, and then I'll do 295 again. I'll probably have to move onto Intermediate programming again soon, but I really want to get a few more pounds on the squat before I do this. I need get past 300#!

Press:
137.5x5,5,5
Pretty tough. I'll need to move to 1.25 pound jumps.

Chins and back extensions will be done this afternoon.

[TartanEagle]

July 9, 2010
Light Squats (80%)
225x5,5,5

Bench Press
205x5,5,5
This is a 3x5 PR. First 2 sets felt real heavy, but the third felt pretty good. Staying tight and aggressive really helps.

Deadlift
345x5
Good lift. My deadlift had regressed, but I am getting it back to where I left it on TM.

[TartanEagle]

July 12, 2010

Squat
295x5,5,5
225x5
Re-do of last squat workout, and it was a success. Felt strong, but not so much that I could have done much more. I'm moving to TM on squats, so I decided to add a back-off set since I will keep Monday as volume day. Not enought time to do another set.

Press:
138.8x5,5,5
Micro loaded the press. Not much trouble once I reminded myself to stay tight in the glutes. I find this helps more than tight abs.

Chins:
BW (215 in clothes)
+15 x 8,8
+35 x 5,5,5

Back Extension +25 5 sets of 15

[TartanEagle]

July 15, 2010
Squats (80%)
225 3 sets of 5

Bench Press
210 3 sets of 5
Pretty heavy. I continue to keep making 5 pound jumps.

Powerclean
170 5 sets of 3
First 2 sets were real tough. For the last 3 I really got aggressive and moved the weight without a problem.

[TartanEagle]

July 17, 2010
Box Squat:
10 sets of 2 @ 175

Press:
3 sets of 5 @ 140

Deadlift:
350x5

I'm giving Box squats a try on my squat intensity day. The last time I did Texas Method I had some recovery problems. These should be easier to recover from than a 5RM (or so I hope).

Pretty happy with the deadlift, as I felt really crappy during my warmup. I had good bar speed during the set, however.

[TartanEagle]

July 19, 2010
Squat (Volume)
275x5x5

Bench Press
215 3 sets of 5 (3x5 PR)

This was my first 5x5 day in a couple of months. I'm pretty wiped out. Bench Press went well and now my bench worksets are more than my bodyweight (207 this morning).

Afternoon workout:
Chins:
+35 x 6,6,5
Bodyweight 10, 10

[TartanEagle]

July 21, 2010
Squats (80%)
220# 2 sets of 5
Monday was the first 5x5 day I have done in a couple of months. I had significantly less DOMS today than my last run through TM. I believe this is diet related.

Press:
141.2# 3 sets of 5
No issue here. The last rep of my second and third sets were slow, but I was not in trouble of missing them. However, I need to make sure I move my body under the bar and not push the bar back over my head.

Powerclean
175# 5 sets of 3 (PR)
I missed the first attempt on my third set. I wasn't moving fast enough on the catch. I've been relying on a strong pull and getting lazy, but corrected this. PC's are getting heavy and I'll need to move to 2.5# jumps soon.

[TartanEagle]

July 23, 2010
Box Squats:
10 sets of 2 reps @ 175#, done with one minute between sets.
Second time through with DE box squats. I'm getting the hang of these. This time I used light bands, which made me feel stupid at first since my squats are pretty low but EFTS was having a sale on them, so I grabbed a pair.

Bench Presss:
3 sets of 5 @ 217.5#
This is a 3x5 PR and the first 2.5# jump I've made on BP. I was pretty beat up after these. I'm hoping to keep linear progress going. I see a two wheel bench just over the horizon!

Deadlift
5 x 355.
This was 5 reps of pain. I sat down and shook for a minute afterwards. This equals my 5 rep PR.

[TartanEagle]

July 27, 2010
Squats (volume)
280x5x5
Squats felt great. So far recovery has been excellent. I hope the DE work will help me increase my 5x5 days, because they have really helped recovery, as well as my squat form.

Press:
142.5# 3 sets of 5
It took me a few extra minutes to recover from squats, but once I got started, I had no issues.

Took an extra recovery day, as I was travelling all weekend. Took the family to visit a college buddy who rented a house on Cape Cod. Got some big and strong complements, which was nice. Had a great time.

Afternoon session:
Chins BW (212) +35 6,5,5
BW 10, 10
Back Extensions
BW 5 sets of 15
I've been gaining about 2 pounds per week over the past 3 weeks, so I've essentially been microloading without changing the wieght plate. I went with unweighted Back Extensions as my lower back has been really bugging me for the past few weeks.

[TartanEagle]

July 29, 2010

Recovery Squats:
225#, 2 sets of 5

Bench Press:
220#, 3 sets of 5

Powerclean:
180#, 5 sets of 3

Squats felt horrible during warmup, as I am pretty sore from volume day. The 2 work sets were okay.

Bench Press went without issue. I've been watching some videos at Elite FTS where Dave Tate works with an amateur and really hammers out his form. These have really helped my setup and helped me get my upper back tight. I suggest watching these.

Powercleans have been getting pretty heavy. I've only been doing a token knee dip on the catch, but now I'm finding that I need to do a better job getting under the bar as the weight is getting pretty heavy. Once I focused on being quick under the bar, I had no issues.

[TartanEagle]

Aug. 1, 2010
DE Box Squats:
185# 10 sets of 2
Getting better with these. I was actually pretty winded by the end and pouring sweat.

Press:
143.8# 3 sets of 5
Felt pretty good. Narrowed my grip slightly.

Deadlift:
360x5 (New 5RM!)
Deadlift went well. I am finally over the 355# hump. I missed 365 twice at the end of novice programming, while taking 10 pound jumps. I hope the 5# jumps will get me there.

[TartanEagle]

Squats (volume)
285# 5 sets of 5
Sets 2 and 3 were excellent. Form was not great on 4 and 5, and felt much heavier and than 2-3.

Bench Press
222.5# 3 sets of 5
BP is getting real heavy. I've only done a couple of 2.5# jumps, and may have to switch to 1.25# pretty quickly. Still increasing with each workout, however.

Chins/Back extensions will be done this afternoon.

[TartanEagle]

August 3, 2010 - Afternoon session
Chins:
BW (217) +35 6,6,5
BW only 10,10
Another 3 pounds this week. I continue to self-micro load

Back Extensions:
BW 5 sets of 15

[TartanEagle]

August 5, 2010
Squat (80%)
225 2 sets of 5
Usual recovery day misery, nothing unusual

Press:
145 3 sets of 5
This is the first time I have gotten all 3 sets, so its some kind of PR. I almost did not make the last rep of set 2. I took a longer rest for the third set and was able to get it. Not sure I have much linear progress left in the press.

Powerclean:
185x2 - Failed on my 3rd rep of my first set. I was pretty much out of time (and gas) at this point, so I didn't complete the sets. I'll probaby try some this afternoon, perhaps lighter and more reps.

I may need to reschedule my workouts or switch to a 4 day split, as I just don't have time in the mornings to get everything done. I'm going on vacation in a week and half, so I'll probably change things a little bit after that.

[misspelledgeoff]

Still progressing linearly on Press and Bench? Oh snap, I should not have called you out in the 5/4/3/200 thread!:o

[TartanEagle]

Don't get too worried. My last bench workout and this press workout were near death experiences.

[TartanEagle]

August 7th, 2010
DE Box Squat:
185# 10 sets of 2

Bench Press:
225# 3 sets of 5 (2 wheel BP, finally!)
Not only a PR, but this is 100# more than my very first SS bench press workout.

I ran out of time to deadlift, unfortunately. Kids were up and running around the garage, which is not conducive to the mindset I need to deadlift. The rest of the weekend went to hell as well. I'm already travelling on vacation next week, so I seem to be on an unplanned 2 week lifting break. I may try and get a 5x5 squat session in tomorrow, which should make me feel better.

[TartanEagle]

August 10, 2010
Since I'm on vacation next week and unable to train, I seem to have lost momentum for this week. So I'm just doing some light training this week. I'll be doing this at work, which does not have a rack, barbell, or heavy dumbbells.

The following was done in circuit. With plenty of rest before front squats:

Front squat - cleaned, and using a curl bar
135# 3 sets of 10
I really felt these in my abs. I also got pretty winded doing sets of 10. This surprised me as the weight is pretty insignificant

Chins - 3 sets of 10
Dips - 3 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

August 11, 2010

Shoulder Press:
135x5x5

[TartanEagle]

August 12, 2010
Deadlift
335x8
I deadlifted at work. 335 is the most I could load onto the curl bar. I suppose this is a rep PR.

[TartanEagle]

August 23, 2010
First day back from vacation. Not good.
Bench Press:
210x5,5
190x5,5,5
Was supposed to be 210x5x5. Felt like a truck was parked on my chest. I'm astonished at how much strength I lost in a short layoff. I also lost 10 pounds on vacation. WTF! Who loses weight on vacation?

DE Press
85# 3 sets of 10.
These really bothered my shoulder, and I won't be doing these again. I have a long history of impingement in my right shoulder (pitching). It hasn't bothered me since I started SS, until today. I'm going to have to work on my programming as my original plan will not work.

Wtd Chins
BW (207) +35 6,6,6
BW only 13,8

[TartanEagle]

Squats
180x5
205x5
230x11
135x10, 3 sets

Good Morning
45x10
65x10
85x10

My hamstrings were fried from the set of 11, so I limited the assistance to 3 sets. I haven't done squats in almost 3 weeks, and I'm already feeling it. I expect DOMS will hit me hard the rest of the week.

[TartanEagle]

August 27, 2010
Press
85x5
105x5
120x10
70x10, 5 sets

Chins
100 total, done between Press sets.

[TartanEagle]

August 29, 2010
Squat (Light)
215x5 / 3 sets

Bench Press
205x5 / 3 sets

Deadlift
330x5

Legs still sore from last Wednesday. Reduced weights on BP and DL as I make my way back from vacation layoff and inadequate eating.

[ColoWayno]

August 23, 2010
First day back from vacation. Not good.
I also lost 10 pounds on vacation. WTF! Who loses weight on vacation?

I noticed that too. Restaurant portions are getting smaller. It's even worse if you are trying to avoid sweets and pasta, etc. I was also bugged on my vacation at how little my mom and dad eat, especially protein. I had to sneak out a few times just to fill the tank, but then I felt a little rude.
On a high note I found an all-you-can-eat brazillian restaraunt that serves 7-12 types of meat (depending on lunch vs. dinner). You've got to find something like that and go there once a day.

[TartanEagle]

August 31, 2010
Squats
270x5/2 sets
Felt harder than they should have. It seems that my upper back got weaker than the primary movers so I have more trouble supporting the weight than moving it. Got it done, though.

Press
135x5/3 sets
Before vacation I did 145 for my sets of 5, and was brutally hard. This was moderately difficult.

Power Clean
155x3/5 sets
Nice and fast. I reset from a miserable fail at 185 pre-vacation. These felt very good.

[TartanEagle]

Sept 2, 2010
Squats:
245x5/3 sets
Terrible session this morning. I'm really having a hard time coming back from a very short layoff. 4 weeks ago I did 280 5x5. It was miserable, as all 5x5 squat sessions are, but it felt better than 245 for 3 sets today, which felt much heavier than they should have. I've been suffering from training ADD since I got back from vacation, but I think the PP-Starr model for squats fits me best. I've done it for 3 sessions, today being the Medium day. I think for next week I'll take 2 days between the heavy and medium days. I've got to be patient, or I won't make any progess. Plus I need to up the milk intake, even if I get fat.

Bench Press:
210x5/3 sets
Like squats, these felt heavier than they should have. This is down from 225 before my layoff.

I planned on doing GM's and Chins, but ran out of time. I'll get to them this afternoon.

[TartanEagle]

Updating the log for the weekend:
September 5
Squats (Light)
220x5/3 sets

Press:
137.5x5/3 sets

Deadlift
340x4 (ugh)

Still feeling like a weak puss. The light squats felt anything but light. The Press was near limit. Each of my deadlifts felt like I had major back rounding. I'm definitely going to start back on the juice, moo juice that is. Despite the fact that I get more fat than muscle from milk, there is no denying the fact that it helps my lifts.

[TartanEagle]

September 7, 2010
Squats
275x5/2 sets

Bench Press
215x5/3 sets

Chins
+35 5,5,5
BW 35 total

Back Ext
5 sets of 15

[TartanEagle]

September 10, 2010

Squats
280x5/3 sets
Squats felt great today. I've been drinking a half gallon of milk a day this and this has really helped. My first set was a little slow, but solid. Second set was excellent all around. 4th and 5th reps of set 3 were a little ugly but overall very happy with how my squats went today. I am finally starting to get back in the groove. I'll stick with Advanced Novice Programming until it doesn't work and them switch back to either TM or PPST-Starr model after that.

Press
140x5/3 sets
Press felt better at 140 than at 135 two sessions ago. I am back on track.

Powerclean
160x3/5 sets
PC's were okay today. If I remember to be fast they go great. When I try to be strong, they are a wreck.

BW 206.5 this morning. I continue to add back to the 10 lbs I lost on vacation. I think I am going to push my weight to 220+ and see what happens. I feel so much better when I am on the moo juice, even if its half a gallon a day. I may need more pants.

[TartanEagle]

Sunday's training:
September 12, 2010
Squats (80%)
225x5/3 sets
No issues. Nice and light, unlike recovery days after a 5x5 session where I am crippled.

Bench Press:
217.5x5/3 sets
Slow, but solid. Shoulders are actually sore from my last press session, which is unusual.

Deadlift:
340x5
Missed this last session with only 4 reps. Went fine this week.

[TartanEagle]

September 14, 2010
Squats:
285x5/3 sets
First set was a mess (as usual). I almost lost the second rep forward, but straightened it out. Second and third sets were better, slow but solid.

Press:
142.5x5/3 sets
These were fairly tough, but I took plenty of rest between sets.

Chins/Back extensions to be done this afternoon.

[TartanEagle]

Sept 14 (afternoon session)
Back Extensions
5 sets of 15

Chins
BW (212) +35 6,6,5
BW only 5 sets of 7

[TartanEagle]

Wow, there sure are a lot of active logs. I was pushed back to the second page. Good stuff.

September 17, 2010
Bodyweight: 209.5

Squats
290x5/3 sets
These sets went very well. I had plenty left in the tank. 1/2 GOMAD is working great for me. I am almost back to pre-vacation weight. The only issue I had was with bar stability. I find that if I put the bar where it feels "right", the "shelf" that the back muscles make when I tighten up, I get the biceps/elbow/shoulder pain that has plagued quite a few of us. I either have to move the bar up a few inches to more of a high bar position, or down a few inches to more of a powerlifter position. I have been using the lower position for a few months, but I seem to lose stability on the ascent and the bar rolls. Not good. I'm going to try and get this tighter as I feel it lets me move the most weight. But this has been giving me some shoulder soreness lately. If I have to move back to a high bar position, I'll do so as I made a lot of my novice progress this way.

Bench Press:
220x5/3 sets
Sets 2 and 3 seemed easy thanks to a good set up and really using my abs and legs.

Powerclean:
165x3/5 sets
These were horrible. My form really sucked. I had been making awesome progress before my layoff. I am pissed. I actually lost my grip racking my last set and ended up with the bar sitting on my delts without hands on the bar. Luckily I have bumpers.

[ColoWayno]

You are doing your shoulder warmups before you squat, right? If not, there's a few good links around the forum that are worth finding.
I'll let you know if my shoulders are all mucked up next week when I try 290 and you can tell me to shut the h up.

[TartanEagle]

I do plenty of shoulder warm up, and I posted in quite a few of the shoulder/bicep/elbow pain threads. I think if I can just get my upper back to stay a little tighter, I'll be okay.

September 19, 2010
Light Squats:
230x5/3 sets
No residual leg soreness from my last workout. Therefore these were very easy.

Press:
145x5/3 sets
Equal to my personal best. I felt I still had plenty in the tank, likely due to better use of my abs. I'm still getting more layback than I like, so I'll add in some ab assistance where I can.

Deadlift:
345x5
Bar moved fast. Also plenty left.

Knees to elbows:
3 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

September 21, 2010

Squats:
295x5/3 sets
Slow but solid. Really trying to keep my back tight. My elbows/shoulders were a little sore afterward, but less so than previous workouts. It was also the same in both arms, rather than just my left. I'm going to keep trying to get even tighter, as my squat feels strongest in the low bar position.

Bench Press:
222.5x5/3 sets
First set was a real grind. I tightened up my back, abs and legs on sets 2 and 3 and those went much better.

Power clean:
167.5x1
I'm trying to improve my powerclean. I had not been getting a very good rack position, so I widened my grip to get the bar more on my shoulders. Warm ups felt great. The first working rep landed too deep on my shoulders and pressed against my neck, which caused me to nearly pass out. Luckily I fell forward without injury. I was pretty dizzy and was running late anyway, so I called it a day. I think I'll drop the weight a bit until I iron this out.

[TartanEagle]

This weekends training:
September 24, 2010

Squats:
300x5/3 sets (PR)
I finally broke 300 for my sets across. The very last rep was so ugly it hardly qualifies as a squat, but I'll take it. I seemed to have pissed my left knee off, but after a couple of days everything seems fine.

Press:
147.5x5/3 sets (PR)
This was very difficult. My 4th rep on the set 3 seemed like a max effort, but I was determined to get one more. The 5th rep took a long time getting through the sticking point, and I felt like I was bent over backwards pushing it up.

Two PR's in one session left me pretty gassed. I wanted to deadlift, but had nothing left, so I did 3 sets of BW pullups:
15,12,8

[TartanEagle]

September 28, 2010
Light Squats:
240x5/3 sets
No issues. My left knee has been a little stiff since Friday's workout but seemed fine today.

Bench Press:
225x5/3 sets
Equal to my previous best. Brutally difficult, but each set felt better than the one before it. After my 3rd set I felt like I had done a set of max effort squats. After racking the bar I didn't get up from the bench for about 2 minutes.

Deadlift:
350x5
I'm being conservative on my DL increases. I should probably have made a 10 pound jump, rather than 5. DL still sucks though.

[TartanEagle]

September 30, 2010
Box Squat
225x5/3 Sets
My left knee is in worse shape than I thought. When I get past parallel it hurts (even just doing a bodyweight only squat) and I lose a lot of strength. I was going to skip squats altogether, but tried a box squat and it felt fine. I'm not sure how I should program the weight other than for a DE workout, so I just went with a light weight. Everything felt fine.

Press:
150x5/3 Sets (PR)
Press went very well, much easier than my last workout (probably due to the lighter squat session).

Powerclean:
135x3/5 sets
I'm still gun shy from my near pass out experience. I hope to grow my balls back shortly and get back to real weights.

[TartanEagle]

October 2, 2010
Yesterday's workout
Box Squat:
245x5/3 sets
No issues. I'm not sure how long I won't be able to free squat. If its much longer I'll need to look into how I can program these. Right now I'm just doing my normal workout to a box (with a reduced load).

Bench Press:
227.5x5/3 sets (PR)
I was in a nice groove for these and this felt much lighter than my last two workouts.

Deadlift:
360x5
Made a 10 pound jump, but this is still working up to previous weights. I'll go with 370 next workout which is 5 over my PR.

[TartanEagle]

October 4, 2010
DE Box Squats:
155x2/10 sets
I needed a light day, so I went with DE box squats. These were lighter than the last time I did these (a few months ago) but I wanted to make sure I was fast enough.

Press:
152.5x4(PR),3,3
This is PR and a fail as I did not get my 5's. My shoulders have been begging for a rest, but I needed to get my workout in today (and wednesday) due to my work schedule.

Chins:
BW (214) +40 x 5,5,4
BW only 10,8,10

I'll be switching to a split program for my next workout.

[TartanEagle]

October 6, 2010
Squats:
245x5/5 sets
Started lighter than the last time I went 5x5. I'm hoping I won't be crippled for 3 days.

Powerclean:
145x3/5 sets
Still recovering my form. These were pretty good for the most part, as long as I don't jump too early. Rack was pretty good, and I didn't hit my carotid artery, which is nice.

Good Morning:
115x5/3 sets
I always plan on implementing GM's. I hope this is a good spot for them. I went light, since its a new movement for me. However, as I finished my 3rd set I realized my ROM was piss poor. I may go lighter next time, or just repeat this weight and pay more attention to form.

[TartanEagle]

October 9, 2010
Bench Press
205x5/2 sets
205x9

Powerclean
150x3/3 sets

Deadlift
325x9
9 reps was brutal.

[TartanEagle]

October 11, 2010
Press
135x5/2 sets
135x9
Rep #9 of set 3 was a hideous, brutal mess. I probably should have stopped at 8, but those first 8 felt really good.

Squat
265x5/2 sets
265x9
The 2 sets of 5 felt 5, but the set of 9 was great. This was probably the best set I've had since I've been squatting. I stopped at 9, because I was afraid of days of DOMS if I kept going, but I realistically had at least 3 reps left in the tank. I really like this program.

Done this afternoon
Chins (BW 215+25) x 5, 5, 8

[TartanEagle]

October 15, 2010
Pushed my workout back a day due to my work schedule. Its tough to get up at 4 am when I've been getting 4-5 hours of sleep each night this week.

Bench Press
207.5x5/2 sets
207.5x9

Chins
12, 10, 8

Squat
270x5/2 sets
270x10!
The 10 reps felt pretty good. I was winded by the end of them. I actually did my chins between squat warm up sets, and this took more of a toll than I thought it would. If I'd had more time I would have just taken longer rests.

I've been trying to eat more, but my weight is stuck at 210. Once I'm through the current busy period at work, I'll need to take a better look at my diet.

[TartanEagle]

October 18, 2010

Press:
138x5/2 sets
138x9

PC
155x3/3 sets

Deadlift
330x8

Did this at work. I had to use a curl bar, and clean the Presses, but that was fine. The only issue was with deadlifts. Due to the shorter sleeves, as I put rep 8 down, the collars fell off and so did about 30 pounds of weights. I still had some more reps in me, so I was pretty pissed. Otherwise, the workout went great.

[TartanEagle]

October 20, 2010
Bench Press:
210x5/2 sets
210x9

Squats:
275x5/2 sets
275x10
I really felt my abs working from about rep 8 onward. They were pretty fatigued by the last rep. The higher reps are really helping my form, both on squat and bench press, where form has gotten really loose on higher weights. So this program has really suited me well.

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday's training:
10/23/2010

Press:
140x5/2 sets
140x7
I could not lock my right arm out on number 8. Ugh.

Squat:
280x5/2 sets
280x10
I continue to be able to hit 10 reps on my last set. I find that on the last set, reps 6-10 feel much better than than the previous 5. I almost need to tire myself out to get my form correct. Weird.

[TartanEagle]

October 25, 2010
Bench press:
212.5x5/2 sets
212.5x9
No issue here. This is still well below my latest 3x5 high point of 227.5. This felt very good, as I feel my form continuing to get better.

Powerclean:
157.5x3/3 sets
No issues. I do prefer the 3 sets as a deadlift warmup.

Deadlift:
335x7
I was disappointed. I thought I'd get 8-9. The reps were solid however, and I kept solid form throughout.

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
BW (218)
chins 5 sets of 10
knees to elbows 3 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

October 27, 2010
Press:
142.5x5/2 sets
142.5x8
One more than at 140 and I did not murder my neck (although it is getting a little stiff now)

Squat:
285x5/2 sets
285x10
I've now done 10 for each 3 set of squats since I've been doing JP's variation of the program. Considering my top 3x5 weight is 300, which I did a few weeks ago, I'm thrilled with this progress. My workouts are faster and I feel much better between workouts. I do expect a few days of waddling due to DOMS from the squats, however.

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
Chins (BW 219+35=254) 5, 5, 5
Pullups BW only 35 total (7,7,7,5,5,4)

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday:
October 28, 2010
Conditioning - Treadmill sprints

Today:
October 29, 2010
BW (21) Chins 70 total

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday:
October 30, 2010
Bench Press:
215x5/2 sets
215x9

Curls:
70x12/2 sets

Squat:
290x5/2 sets
290x10
Still able to get 10 for my last set. I was barely able to breath for #10.

[TartanEagle]

November 2, 2010
Press:
145x5/2 sets
145x7
Pretty tough sets. I'm hoping to get another 10 pounds before I stall. This will be tough.

Powerclean
160x3x3
Ugly. Bent arms. Yuck.

Deadlift
340x7

[TartanEagle]

November 3, 2010
Chins (BW 218) = 70 total

[TartanEagle]

November 4, 2010
Bench Press:
217.5x5/2 sets
217.5x9

Squat:
295x5/2 sets
295x7
Not happy with only getting 7 on my third set. I had been able to get 10 on each of my previous AMRAP sets on squats. I have always hit a wall at 300 pounds, but I hope this was just a poor workout rather than a prelude to a stall.

Afternoon session:
Weighted pullups:
BW+35x5
BW+25x6,5

[TartanEagle]

November 7, 2010
Press
147.5x5/2 sets
147.5x7

Curls
75x12/2sets

Squats
300x5/2 sets
300x7(PR)
Form gets lousy as the weights are getting heavy for me. I was pretty happy with the.workout overall.

[TartanEagle]

November 9, 2010
Bench Press
220x5/2 sets
220x8
Last rep was a real grinder!

Powerclean
162.5x3x3
Form much better than last week. I'm getting back into the groove.

Deadlift:
345x5
Not pleased with deadlift. I wanted to get 7 or 8.

[TartanEagle]

November 12, 2010
Press:
150x5/2 sets
150x7
Form was pretty solid. I'm getting less layback this time at 150 than in my previous attempts.

Curls:
80x12
80x10

Squats:
315x1 (1 rep PR)
305x5/2 sets
305x6 (Rep PR)
For my last warm up I did 315 for one rep. Primarily I did this to make 305 feel lighter in comparison. My form in the last couple of workouts has been shaky. By doing a solid 315, I felt comfortable slowing my rythmn down a little bit to keep 305 nice and tight. It seemed to work. I had never even attempted 305, so I really got 2 PRs in one workout. My knee has really been bothering me since I attempted 295. It felt lousy all week and does not feel very good right now (feels swollen inside the joint). But during my workout all felt fine.

[TartanEagle]

Chins:
10 set of 8 at BW of 216

[TartanEagle]

November 16, 2010
Bench Press:
222.5x5/2 sets
222.5x7

Squats:
310x5/2 sets
310x6 (PR)

[TartanEagle]

Weighted pullups:
BW (216.5) +35 x 6,5,5

[TartanEagle]

November 20, 2010
Missed some days due to travel for work. I'm a little under the weather as well, so I'm taking some extra rest days here and there.

Press:
152.5x5/3 sets (PR)
No extra reps on my 3rd set, but seeing as this was where I last stalled (with reps of 4, 3 and 3) I'm pretty happy.

Squats:
315x5/2 sets
315x3
Very happy with how my form has improved. While I missed my last set, my form on 315 was much better than 295 and 300.

[TartanEagle]

November 23, 2010
Bench Press
225x5/2 sets
225x8
I felt really weak on my first set, but really got going for the third. Pretty happy with this.

Powerclean
165x3/3 sets
Very good form on these. My form had been really shakey for a while.

Deadlift
350x6

[TartanEagle]

November 26, 2010
Felt tired, old and weak during warmups. Unfortunately this trend continued throughout.

Press:
155x4,2
135x7

Squat:
225x5/3 sets

Decided to keep squats light. I had a 5 mile Turkey Trot later that morning. The trot went as bad as the rest of my workout, but I was able to run the entire race, despite no running since last years turkey trot. I feel like crap. I'm definitely taken some extra rest days.

[TartanEagle]

November 29, 2010
Bench Press:
227.5x5/2 sets
227.5x7

Curls:
85x10x2

Squats:
285x5/2 sets
285x8
I reset my squat. I was able to get 10 last time around. I'm still pretty beat up from my 5 mile run debacle, so I hope to get a few more reps at 290 later this week.

[TartanEagle]

I've been sick for weeks. Took a big reset to try and get back on track.
Bench press:
195x5/2 sets
195x10

Curls
75x12,10

Squats:
255x5/3 sets
255x7
Not happy with my third set but I think this was form related.

[TartanEagle]

December 20, 2010
Press:
125x8 (supposed to do 5, I hate working out at 4:30 am)
125x5
125x8

Deadlift:
275x11
Tweaked my back over the weekend, so I was cautious with the weight. Felt fine during the lift and probably could have done a couple more.

[TartanEagle]

December 22, 2010
Bench Press:
197.5x5/2 sets
197.5x10

Curls:
80x12, 10

Squat:
260x5/2 sets
260x9

[TartanEagle]

December 28, 2010
Press:
127.5x5/2 sets
127.5x8

Squats:
265x5/2 sets
265x7

Not feeling it today. I've been missing too many workouts due to illness, holidays, blizzards and work. Ugh.

[TartanEagle]

December 28 - Afternoon session
Weighted chins +25 (@208 BW) 8, 8

Conditioning

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday (12/29/10)
I did chins and pullups. 5 chins rest 1 minute, 5 pullups, rest 1 minute, etc... Did 25 of each. Then did some conditioning.

Today (12/30/10)
Bench Press:
200x5/2 sets
200x10

Curls:
82.5x12/2 sets

Deadlift:
290x10

[TartanEagle]

January 3, 2011
Happy New Year! I was skiing this weekend and therefore missed a workout. I hope to be more consistent beginning in February. January is hell for me work-wise, so I just hope to not slide backward this month.

Press:
130x5/2 sets
130x10
Felt good. I've been getting a little too loose lately, so I really concentrated on keeping everything really tight.

Squats:
270x5/2 sets
270x8
Starting to feel strong again on the squat, but I'm not happy with only 8 reps. This did feel better than 265, however. I have a lot of lost ground to make up. December really sucked.

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
Weighted chins BW (210) +30 for 2 sets of 8 reps
then 5x the following circuit:
7 Knees to elbows
10 BW dips
15 back extensions

[TartanEagle]

January 9, 2011
Bench Press:
205x5/2 sets
205x9

Curl:
85x10,8

Squat:
275x5/2 sets
275x7

Not a great session. BP was solid. Squat was okay. Works sucks.

[TartanEagle]

January 14, 2011
Press:
135x5/2 sets
135x9
Way too much layback. I really need to focus on staying tight.

Deadlift:
315x6
I really need to focus on my deadlift. Once I get through my busy time at work, I think I'll deadlift every other workout for a few weeks. Once I get it back over 350 for 5 I'll get back to once per week.

[TartanEagle]

January was a complete disaster. Work was much worse than I planned on, so I got very few workouts in. With being sick in December, I have basically gone about 2 months since I've had solid workouts. I'm going to take a big reset and go with the basic AB novice program.

January 31, 2011
Squat:
225x5x3
I took video of my second and third sets and my form was horrific, knees sliding forward quite a bit. No wonder I always crap out around 300 pounds. I really shoved my knees out and think it was an improvement. Hard to tell with the lousy camera phone video.

Press:
115x5x3
Not too strenuous. I need to really tighten up my press, so the reset will do me some good.

Deadlift:
285x5
I hook gripped these rather than alternated since they should have been fairly light. They felt much heavier than they should have.

[TartanEagle]

February 9, 2011
Work continues to drain the life out of me. I have missed 2 scheduled workouts, but am beginning to see daylight in my schedule. My garage was frigid today, as it was 11 degrees outside. My toes were numb by the end of the workout.

Squats:
230x5x3
Went much better than 225. Form is getting back, and these felt pretty light.

Bench Press:
185x5x3
Easy as well. This is more than 20 pounds less than I did on Jan 17th, my last Bench workout.

Powerclean:
125x3x5
Easy as well. I was running out of time so I kept the rest between sets to about a minute or so.

[TartanEagle]

February 9, 2011
Afternoon session
Chins
15,12,8

Sit ups
3 sets of 20

Stretching, mobility stuff and foam rolling

[TartanEagle]

February 11, 2011
Squats
235x5x3
Still working back into form. I recorded my third set and I am still seeing my knees slide forward at the bottom. Not good.

Press:
120x5x3
No issues with press

It was 9 degrees outside, and so pretty damn cold in my garage. I ran out of time to deadlift, so I'll get those in this afternoon.

[TartanEagle]

February 13, 2011
Squats
240x5x3
Form is getting better. I'll keep recording these with my camera phone.

Bench press
190x5x3
No issues. Handled the weight easily.

Poweclean
130x3x5
Felt very good. Nice and fast.

I am getting back in the groove and starting to feel good again.

[TartanEagle]

February 16, 2011
Squats:
245x5x3
I really focused on knees out right at the bottom of the squat and felt this helped. No issues today. I still have long way to get back to my previous weights. I'll be squatting 3 times per week as long as I can, so I should get there soon.

Press:
125x5x3
No issues, other than this felt heavier than I thought it would. Really focused on staying tight.

Deadlift:
305x5
This really sucked, in that it felt heavy as hell. It seems that deadlifts always feel too damn heavy and I have to just keep pulling. I wasn't expecting to struggle for a few more sessions.

[TartanEagle]

February 19, 2011
Squats
250x5x3
No issues today

Bench press
195x5x3

Powerclean
135x3x5
Nice and fast

[TartanEagle]

February 21, 2011
Squats:
255x5x3

Press:
130x5x3

Deadlift:
315x5

No real issues with squat or press. Deadlift felt heavy as hell, though. I'll keep the 10 pound jumps going until I stall, though.

[TartanEagle]

February 23, 2011
Squats:
260x5x3
I am trying to keep my mental cues simple. Ass, Knees, Pace. Ass (to keep my lumbar in extension), Knees (to keep them shoved out) and Pace (to keep them fast enough to get the bounce at the bottom). This seems to help me not overthink during the squat.

Bench Press:
200x5x3
Bench press is probably my best movement, its certainly my most consistent. No issues.

Powerclean:
140x3x5
Nice and fast. I am glad I am back to having powercleans in my regular workout. Whenever I relegate them to assistance or warm up status (or worse OMIT them), everything else seems to fall apart.

I still have a way to go to get back to my previous bests, but I am starting to feel better. A few more weeks and I should be in the neighborhood.

[TartanEagle]

February 28, 2011
Squats:
265x5x3
I recorded my first set, and it was pretty good. Knees are staying put at the bottom, depth is good.

Press:
135x5x3
Press was solid today. I will move to 2.5# jumps from here.

Deadlift:
325x5
Deadlift is not getting easier with the 10# jumps, but it is starting to feel the right amount of heavy (if that makes any sense). The previous couple of workouts felt much heavier than they should have. This morning it felt right.

[TartanEagle]

March 7, 2011
Bench Press:
202.5x5/2 sets
202.5x9

BB Curl
65x12, 15

Squats:
270x5/2 sets
270x9

[TartanEagle]

March 9, 2011
Press:
137.5x5/2 sets
137.5x6

Powerclean:
145x3/3 sets

Deadlift:
335x5

Monday was my first day back to doing JP's version of linear program. I used it in the fall and really liked it. The last sets of 9 on bench pressand squats on Monday (9 reps) have left me pretty damn sore. I almost went back to bed this morning when I could barely walk. I decided to work out anyway. Given this, I was pretty happy to get all my reps on deadlift and 6 reps on press, even though the numbers aren't great. I think I would actually prefer to hit my resets on 2 of the exercises, while bench and squat still have a lot of room to grow.

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
Weighted Chins
BW (211) +25x 8, 8

Conditioning:
KB swing / burpee ladder (this really sucked)

[TartanEagle]

March 10, 2011
Conditioning
Chins - 76 in total

Burpees - 3 sets of 15, with one minute of rest in between. Burpees become less sucky with practice. But they still suck.

[TartanEagle]

March 11, 2011
Bench Press:
205x5, 5, 9
I tweaked my lower back setting my back arch a little too aggressively. This came back to get me.

Curls:
70x15/2 sets

Squats:
275x5
275x1
135x2/10 sets DE
Got done with this first set and really felt my back. I tried one more and decided to go light. I've been having a lot of lower back issues the past few months. I'm finally going to see a chiro later today. I hope this helps.

[TartanEagle]

My trip to the chiropractor was enlightening. Immediately during the consultation he pointed out that my hips are uneven, as are my shoulders. I carry about 20% more weight on my right side. My torso is also slightly twisted, so that my left shoulder is forward of my right. I also have a somewhat forward head position. The x-rays showed some pelvic tilt, spine out of alignment, and loss of curvature in my neck. This explains a lot of problems that I have had such as uneven bar placement on squats, chronic shoulder impingement, feeling that I was primarily squatting on my right leg during really heavy workouts.

[TartanEagle]

March 21, 2011
Still having back issues, so no squatting. I took a deload on my press as well.
Press:
120 x 5, 5, 8

Wtd chins
+30 x 8, 8

Burpees:
3 sets of 21 (yuck)

[TartanEagle]

So far 2011 has been a waste of year training-wise. Between nagging injuries, and my work schedule, its been very frustrating to get any consistant training done. I was running 5/3/1 for a few months, since that works best with my schedule, but I cannot maintain my squat, let alone make progress, squatting one day a week. The gym at work is finally getting a rack in the next few weeks, which will be great. In the meantime, its back to pre-work workouts at 5 am in the garage. I'm re-starting very light, to hopefully keep the DOMS at bay. I plan on running straight SS A/B for a few weeks, before switching to the Greyskull variation.

This morning (9/2/2011)
Squat:
155x5/3 sets

Bench Press:
155x5/3 sets

Deadlift:
255x5

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
Back extensions: 3 sets of 20
Pullups: 20, 10, 15

Treadmill sprints (not too many, and generous in calling them sprints)

[TartanEagle]

Sept 4
Squat 165x5/3 sets
Press 105x5/3 sets
Powerclean 115x3/5 sets

Workout went well. My hamstrings were much more sore than I thought they would be, given the light weight I used. I hope I can stay on track during the work week.

[TartanEagle]

Sept 6th
Squats 175x5/3 sets
Bench Press 160x5/3 sets
Deadlift 275x5

Felt much better today, as nearly all my soreness is gone. Squats and Bench press were nice and light. Deadlifts never feel light, but went up fast enough.

I spent the weekend cleaning up after Hurricane Irene. That involved a lot of chainsaw and woodstacking.

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
Back extensions 3 sets of 20
Chins 20, 17, 15

[TartanEagle]

September 10
Squat 185x5/3 sets
Press 110x5/3 sets
Powerclean 120x3/5 sets

This is the start of week two of my restart. Everything feels pretty light at this point and I'm getting little soreness. I'm going to keep making 10 pound jumps on squats for at least another week, and hopefully longer.

[TartanEagle]

September 12
Squat 195x5/3 sets
Bench Press 165x5/3 sets
Deadlift 295x5

Squat and bench press were nice and easy. Deadlift, not so much. That will be the end of the 20# deadlift jumps.

[TartanEagle]

Afternoon session:
Pullups: 19, 16, 18
Back Extensions: 3 sets of 20

The gym at work finally got a rack and barbell today. It took 2 and half years of complaining, but they finally have one. Hopefully, this will solve my work schedule issues. No more getting up at 4 am!

[TartanEagle]

September 13
Some light accessory work:
Back extensions 20, 20, 20, 20 (last set +10 pounds)

Knees to elbows
3 sets of 10

[TartanEagle]

September 14th
Squat 205x5/3 sets
Press 115x5/3 sets
Powerclean 125x3/5 sets

I used the new rack (and platform) at the gym at my workplace. Its great to have this here. Everything went as expected, and I didn't have to wake up well before dawn to get my workout in.

[TartanEagle]

September 15th
Pullups/Chins Ladder to 7 x 4 rounds = 112 pullups and chins (I did 56 of each)

Back extensions
4 sets of 20

Treadmill sprints
10 x 10 sec on / 20 off

[TartanEagle]

Forgot to log Friday's workout:
September 16th
Squat 215x5/3 sets
Bench Press 170x5/3 sets
Deadlift 305x5

Squat and Bench were nice and easy. Deadlift felt better than 295. I was able to do this workout in the later afternoon at work, which was awesome. Monday I'll go with 225 for squat and decide if its time to make 5 pound jumps. I'm hoping to ride the 10 pound jumps for at least another week, but I don't want to get greedy.

[TartanEagle]

Sept 19, 2011
Squat
225x5/3 sets
Press 120x5/3 sets
Powerclean 125x3/5 sets

I just realized that I should have done 130 for powercleans. They were pretty easy, so I'll plan a 10 pound jump next time. Squats were fairly easy. No issues with the press.

Bodyweight was down to 190 when I restarted this. Now I'm up to 194. I'm not trying to put any weight on, just get enough food to recover.

[TartanEagle]

September 20, 2011
Quick lunch workout
Back Extensions
BWx25, +10#x20/2 sets

Pull ups
20, 15

Knees to elbows
10, 8

Pullups followed by KTE sucks.

[TartanEagle]

Sept 21, 2011
Squats
235x5/3 sets
Form was a little shaky. I may need to move to 5 pound jumps. I'll decide on Friday

Bench Press
175x5/3 sets
No issues here, other than I thought this would feel easier than it did.

Deadlift
315x5
Deads always feel really heavy. Form and speed were good, however.

[TartanEagle]

Sept 23, 2011
Squats
245x5/3 sets
I ended taking another 10 pound jump and I'm glad I did. I felt solid on these, although the last couple of reps on my third set were really slowing. I plan on taking 5 pound jumps from here, however.

Press
125x5/3 sets
These felt heavy. While my squats and deadlifts have moved up quickly, presses have felt much heavier than I expected. Still, no real issues. I think I need to get used to doing heavy presses again.

Powerclean
135x3/5 sets
My gym now has a platform, which really makes PC's much nicer to do than on my concrete garage floor. No issues today, other than the looks I get from people who have never seen a powerclean before.

[TartanEagle]

September 26, 2011
Squats
250x5/3 sets
No issues

Bench Press
180x5/3 sets
Felt very easy today, which is good since they felt heavier than expected last week.

Deadlift
325x5
While these felt extremely heavy, the pace was still pretty good. Deadlifts always suck.

[TartanEagle]

September 28, 2011
Squats
255x5/3 sets
Felt good, no issues

Press
130x5/3 sets
These were tough. I was laying back a bit too much. Need to keep tight

Powerclean
140x3/5 sets
Nice and easy.

[TartanEagle]

September 30, 2011
Squats
260x5/3 sets

Bench press
185x5/3 sets

Deadlift
335x5

I think this is the last workout with squats and deadlift for me. Deads were brutal.

[TartanEagle]

October 3, 2011
Press:
135x5/3 sets

Wtd Chins:
BW (195) +25x8,7

Squat
265x5/2 sets

Switched to GSLP for this workout. It did not go so well. I think its time to reset my weights and start pushing the reps. My low back tightened up on squats, so I bailed on my third set. Not happy with today's workout at all.

[TartanEagle]

I've been training off and on, mostly just continuing to re-injure my back. Somehow I missed the lower back control video, posted in April ( http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/platform_lower_back_position_control ). I came across searching for others with back issues. There is now doubt in my mind that I have not had control of my lower back. I've done some light squat sessions in the past couple of weeks and can really feel the difference. I've wasted a lot of training time squatting wrong, but I'm glad Rip posted this video. I'm resetting my weights and getting ready for another go at this. I hope to make some good progress before January, when my work schedule goes insane. My wife and I also have baby number 4 coming any day now, so the lighter weights should allow for adequate recovery, if not ideal stimulus.

[TartanEagle]

Couple of days ago:
Press:
95x5/2 sets
95x13

Wtd chin
+25x8/2 sets

Squat
135x5/2 sets
135x10
Did not push the squats, as I pulled an adductor muscle last week. Did not feel any ill effects from this after the first set seemed to loosen it up.

[TartanEagle]

Saturday:
Bench Press:
170x5/2 sets
170x10

Barbell curl
65x15/2 sets

Deadlift
275x6
Not a good deadlift session. Still working on setting my lower back. Not sure how much this is changing my form. As long as I get my 5+ reps, I should be happy, but I'm not.

[TartanEagle]

November 7, 2011
Press:
105x5,5,11

Wtd Chin
+30x8,8

Squat
145x5,5,10
Squats were very easy. I'm hoping to drill in the lower back control over the next couple of weeks. I'd make larger jumps if I thought I would be getting any sleep in there future. Hopefully I won't be too sleep deprived.

[TartanEagle]

Yesterday I got my first workout in since the new baby was born. I am exhausted now, but felt good yesterday.
Bench press
175*5,5,10
Barbell curl
65*15/2 sets
Neck
30*25/4 sets
Squats
205*5,5,10
This is a 60 pound jump from my last workout, but my back felt good and my pulled groin is healed up so I just kept adding weight to my warmup sets until the weight didn't feel too easy. Even better, I don't have crippling DOMS today.

[TartanEagle]

Yesterdays workout
Press
110*5,5,10
Wtd chins
27.5*8,8
Neck
32.5*25/4 sets
Deadlift
285*6

[TartanEagle]

November 22, 2011
Bench press
180x5,5,10

Barbell curl
72.5x15/2 sets

Neck
35x25/4 sets

Squats
215x5,5,10

Feeling pretty good despite not getting full sleep. I may take some larger squat jumps for the next couple of workouts. I'm getting better controlling my lower back so the weights I'm at are pretty easy, even with the higher reps. Going beyond ten is more taxing on my upper back than on my posterior chain.

[TartanEagle]

November 28, 2011
Missed a few more workouts than I planned, but I hope to be back on schedule now that I'm back to work.

Press:
115x5,5,11
Pretty happy with Press today. Got one more rep at 5 more pounds than last workout.

Wtd chin
+30x8,7

Squat
225x5,5,10
I'm really feeling the squats now. I keep hitting ten reps on the third set even with 10 pound jumps. I expect to be pretty sore for the next few days.

No neck work, as I don't have a neck harness at work.

[TartanEagle]

December 1, 2011

Bench Press:
185x5,5,10

Barbell curl:
75x15,13

Deadlift:
295x7

Still sleep deprived, so I'm pretty happy I even had the energy to work out. Bench press went very well, as I'm still hitting 10 reps on my final set. I could have gotten another rep or two on deadlifts, but I am babying my back and didn't want my form to slip.

[TartanEagle]

December 5, 2011
No workouts over the weekend.

Press:
120x5,5,10

Squat:
235x5,5,8

Wtd chins:
+30x8,8

[TartanEagle]

December 8, 2011

Bench Press
190x5,5,10

Squat
240x5,5,6
Cut last set short as I am feeling some discomfort in my left quad. I hope its not something that will linger.

Barbell Curl
80x15, 12

[TartanEagle]

December 12, 2011
Press
125x5,5,9
I will switch to 2.5# jumps from now on.

Wtd Chins
+32.5x8,8

Deadlift
300x7

Pretty good session considering I ate and slept crappy all weekend.

[TartanEagle]

December 16, 2011
Bench press
195x5,5,10

Barbell curls
85x12,12

Squat
245x5,5,7

Happy with bench. Not so happy that its catching up to my squat

[TartanEagle]

December 19, 2011
Press:
127.5x5,5,9

Wtd chin:
+35x8,8

Squats:
250x5,5,7