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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:03:11 GMT -5
G'day All,
I'm 20 years old, living in Australia and trying to do the right thing when it comes to training. I don't aim to compete in any specific sport but instead simply to be strong, healthy and fit my whole life. I have dabbled in a few different things, Olympic lifting for 6 months, Crossfit for about the same amount of time but I am now starting all over again and attempting to strip back to the basics. I read Boris' Blog and remember seeing a link to this site quite a while ago and after a bit of digging about found it again. Hope you enjoy reading the journal, training is fairly plain for now while I try and build up a respectable strength base but I do enjoy reading/discussing training (and just about anything else haha).
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:09:14 GMT -5
My training in slightly more detail.
I'm attempting to do Rippetoes "Texas Method" which is a simple 3 day routine aimed at those that have begun to exhaust the simple linear gains from Starting Strength. I have not yet done Starting Strength but at the time of commencing this program I thought I may be closer to the "Intermediate" status as opposed to "Novice". My Maxes when I began the program were: 125kg Squat x 1 85kg Paused Bench x 1 172.5kg Deadlift x 1 (Very bad form, lost all lumbar extension which seems to happen with anything over 140kg) 85kg Power Clean x 1 65kg Power Snatch x 1 60kg Press x 1
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:24:02 GMT -5
Weekly Program
Monday Squats 5x5 Press 2x2 Romanian Deadlifts 3x8 Weighted Dips 3x5 Planks 3x30 seconds
Wednesday Front Squat 3x3 Power Cleans 3x3 Chinups 3x10 (eventual goal for now best attempt at each set, usually something like 10, 8, 6) Pushups 3x20 (same as chinups, 20, 15, 12 or something similar) Planks 3x30 seconds
Friday Squat 1x5 Weighted Dips 1x5 Deadlifts 1x5 Press 3x3 Planks 3x30 seconds
I'd like to put some Rows in somewhere as well to try and strengthen my middle/lower back, probably after Deadlifts on Friday. I may be changing gyms soon however and I don't believe I will have regular access to bumper plates, so they may become a substitute for cleans also.
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:24:37 GMT -5
Finally, the training program as of last week
Week 1 Monday
Squats 5x5 @ 95kg(210lbs)
Press 1x1 @ 55kg(120lbs)
Romanian Deadlift 3x8 @ 50kg(110lbs)
Ring Dips 3x5
Pretty cruisy session, squat form is still iffy. I need to drive my knees out hard, I'm not confident hitting depth without a guide and I definitely need more flexible shoulders. Press was good, went up pretty quick for what used to be a 1RM. RDL's felt maybe a bit too light but are going to get heavier every week and I felt my form was pretty good on them. Ring Dips were good, no shoulder discomfort (which I had been experiencing a little bit on occasion).
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:24:57 GMT -5
Week 1 Wednesday
Front Squats 3x3 @ 75kg(165lbs)
Power Cleans 3x3 @ 75kg(165lbs)
Chinups 10, 8, 6
Pushups 20, 15, 11
Planks 3x30 seconds.
-Front Squats were alright, need to make sure I hit depth and don't hyper extend my lumbar spine (bad form habit that a mate noticed yesterday. FLEX THE ABS!)
-Power Cleans were horrible, felt like I had a sprained / inflamed tendon in my elbow. May have been because I was shovelling / using a wheelbarrow a fair bit yesterday at work. May have been because of the extreme flexion when I rack the weight. Either way, weight will be dropped to 65-70kg as this was a bit too difficult.
-Chinups were done with 3 minutes rest between each set and all strict form. May bump it up to 3:30 in an effort to get to my goal of 3x10. Thoughts?
-Pushups, same deal as chinups.
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:25:35 GMT -5
Week 1 Friday
Squats 2x1 @ 125kg(275lbs)
Weighted Dips 1x5 @ BW+5kg
Deadlifts 1x5 @ 130kg(285lbs)
Press 3x3 @ 47.5kg(105lbs)
-Squat was meant to be 1x1 but the first single was terrible. I didn't set up properly, didn't stay focused in the lift and it was much harder than it needed to be. Did a second single and was much happier with it.
-Dips give me a pain in my left shoulder that goes away after ceasing them. It's a dull ache and I'm not really sure what the cause is, this could be a problem as they are a pretty big staple in my training.
-Deadlifts were alright, got the weight up but would like to videotape them next time to check my form and such. Tried to stick to the form I learnt earlier in the week.
-Press was easy, as it was meant to be.
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 14, 2009 6:26:32 GMT -5
Week 2 Monday
Squats 5x5 @ 97.5kg(215lbs)
Press 1x2 @ 55kg(120lbs)
Romanian Deadlift 3x8 @ 57.5kg(125lbs)
Weighted Dips 3x5 @ BW+3kg
Planks 3x30 Seconds
-Squats felt pretty good, I made sure to warm up fully before starting. Depth was a bit iffy but I try not to push it too much as I feel like I lose my arch too much. Thinking about making a small box and starting to squat to that so that I know I'm always hitting depth (and also to try and strengthen posterior chain more).
-Press was good, this was my 1RM not too long ago, I don't think this is enough volume though so I might start doing 2x3 or something and still try go heavy as possible.
-RDL's felt good, very taxing on my hands as I was using a Snatch Grip, I will probably alternate between this and regular grip. I was mindful to flex my abs hard to maintain a good spinal position.
-Weighted Dips felt much better tonight then last Friday. I tried a few unweighted ones to test and they felt alright so I added the (small) weight. I've found one particular stretch really helps to get rid of the minor dull ache so I will just continue to do that and stop if the pain resurfaces.
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Post by Boris on Sept 14, 2009 6:54:19 GMT -5
Welcome! You're one a small, "elite" crew here. Looks like you'll fit in well! Look forward to seeing your progress.
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 16, 2009 19:27:21 GMT -5
Week 2 Wednesday
Front Squats 3x3 @ 77.5kg(170lbs)
Chinups 10, 8, 6
Pushups 20, 13, 12
Bent Row 3x8 @ 50kg(110lbs
Planks 3x30 seconds
Stretching
-Front squats were good, my depth is still a bit iffy, I am probably just barely hitting parallel but I find if I go any lower I completely lose lordosis. -I was meant to do Power Cleans next but I have had sore elbows/wrists all weak and thought it unwise to test. I subbed Bent Rows in instead. -Chinups were good, I got the same number of reps as last week but with a reduced rest time. -Pushups, reps were slightly reduced from last week but again was done with a reduced rest time. -Bent Rows were subbed in for Power Cleans and put after Chinups so as not to affect them. I would like to have some kind of rowing movement in my program so I may have to put it in on Friday or Monday. -Planks were good, quite challenging when you are focusing on flexing your abs the whole time. I had a 9kg Med Ball placed on my back for the last set and I think that instead of upping the time I will stick with 30 seconds and progressively add weight.
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Post by Johnny Mnemonic on Sept 17, 2009 14:58:54 GMT -5
Welcome! Always room for another log on the site.
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 18, 2009 4:48:07 GMT -5
Week 2 Friday
Squats 1x5 @ 107.5kg(235lbs)
Weighted Dips 1x5 @ BW+10kg
Deadlifts 1x5 @ 132.5kg(290lbs)
Press 3x5 @ 50kg(110lbs)
Planks 3x30 seconds
-Squats were good, I hadn't initially planned to do a simple 1x5 (instead 1x1, 1x2, 1x3 as the weeks progress) but I think 5 is a more appropriate volume for my current training level. Depth may have been a bit iffy.
-Ring dips were good, no shoulder pain and a bit of a struggle on the last rep. This was only meant to be 7.5kg but I'd left my training journal at home and forgot. I may be able to rig some kind of benching apparatus at my gym so these may not be as common.
-Deadlifts felt pretty solid, was trying to tense my back hard and get a strong hip extension.
-Press was actually meant to be 3x5@47.5kg but without my training journal... 3x5@50kg was a struggle but I may still try 3x3@52.5kg next week, see how I go?
Overall a good session, I watched the movie "Never Back Down" today and whilst it's a cheesy movie it really made me want to try and learn some kind of submission Martial Art (e.g. BJJ or Freestyle Wrestling).
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 21, 2009 5:15:17 GMT -5
Week 3 Monday
Squats 5x5 @ 100kg(220lbs)
Press 1x5 @ 55kg(120lbs)
Snatch Grip RDL's 3x8 @ 60kg(135lbs)
Weighted Dips 3x5 @ BW+5kg
Planks 3x30 seconds (9kg Med Ball on back for first two sets)
-I was not expecting a lot from this training session, I got 3.5 hours sleep the night before and then spent approximately 8 hours digging ditches and pouring concrete at work. I was pleasantly surprised
-Squats were good, the last two sets were quite hard but I got them out alright.
-Press was a 5RM, I may leave it at this weight / reps next week.
-RDL's were good, trying to focus on driving the hips back and feeling it in my hamstrings.
-Dips were good, only slight discomfort around right trap near lockout.
-Planks were hard and good.
-I've begun tracking my hours of sleep, my food intake and my weight every morning in order to get more feedback on what is and isn't working and why.
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Post by gable on Sept 22, 2009 11:24:27 GMT -5
Welcome to the FUN!
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 22, 2009 18:40:44 GMT -5
Cheers Gable, it's going to be fun playing catch up to a bunch of guys that all seem a LOT stronger than me haha.
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Post by rpmcmurphy on Sept 23, 2009 4:58:31 GMT -5
Week 3 Wednesday
Front Squats 3x3 @ 80kg(175lbs)
Pullups 10, 8, 5
Pushups 20, 16, 10
Hang Power Cleans 3 x 40kg(95lbs) 3 x 50kg(110lbs) 3 x 60kg(135lbs)
Inverted Row 3 x 8
Planks 3 x 30 seconds (9kg Med Ball on back for first two sets)
-Weight will need to be kept the same for Front Squats next week. I was having issues staying upright/keeping it on my shoulders and depth is still iffy as well.
-I was unhappy with my performance on pullups today, I've decided that I'll do Pullups & Inverted Rows on a Wednesday and Bent or T-Bar Rows on a Friday as I think the 3 sets of pulling movements I had programmed didn't really equal to the amount of pushing I am doing.
-I died in the arse on the last set of pushups, my triceps were getting TANKED so maybe I need to take a slightly wider grip... or get stronger triceps. I may cut these off at 3x15 and start working different variants (weighted, one leg raised and such).
-Hang Power Cleans were done just to fool around, kept it light as my left wrist has been giving me trouble the last few weeks, hurts whenever I extend my hand backwards (e.g. when doing a pushup).
-Rows & Planks were somewhat supersetted. Rows are being thrown in to help back strength and also try and improve gymnastic abilities slightly.
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