Last Saturday I smashed the weights that I struggled with in my prior post.
I squatted 72.5 - comfortably in fact.
I benched 52.5. It was a struggle, but I didn't fail.
With the deadlifts, I wanted to work on my form so I kept the weight at 90KG. Next time I will definitely need to take this up to 92.5.
This morning I woke up early before work to get into the gym. For the first time, I didn't feel like getting out of bed. Something I am going to have to nip in the bud because I can't afford to have those feelings.
I did complete the workout. I squatted 75. I overhead pressed 30KG. The press feels as though it's beginning to get tough.
Looking forward to working out on Thursday morning.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Plateau
I sent this email to my brother after today's workout:
Man, so many things about my workout today were bad -
obviously it started with sleep - didn't get much
then I took BCAs - usually I scull, but as I got halfway through today my stomach really started to hurt, so I had to slow down and drink at a more regular pace.
squats - now I changed my technique so my arms at a higher angle as we discussed yesterday - good news - I can tell the form is much better .
the bad news - it just got a whole lot tougher! On the first set, I got really tired on my 4th rep and I thought I was going to fail and I in fact lost my footing on the 5th rep - I stumbled backward a few steps, recovered, and completed the rep and set.
Second set - I was really having trouble - the 4th rep I only just managed to power through. I considered stopping because I had never failed squatting before and was worried about what might happen if I couldn't get back up - but I though STUFF IT and went through with it anyway.. Now, the final rep was actually relativeley easy, but I noticed on my way back up that my arms were low again. So basically, I was using my arms to support the lift and that's why it was easier. I also noticed both arms were somewhat strained, so it re-inforces that the new tech is improved.
I considered dropping down on the 3rd set to 70KGs but really focusing on good form, but I decided to push through on 72.5 - again very challenging. I had a lot of trouble with keeping balance on my feet and unable to dig my heels in. I did it - but the tech wasn't great.
So this leaves me with a question - what do I do? Maybe I drop down to 70KGs and try to focus on really good tech and see how I go?
Maybe I do 72.5 one more time (I may get stronger) and see how that goes?
What do you think?
Then I went to the press - I did my warm-up, but then I felt like I was about to throw-up, so I had to sit-down for a few mins before completing my first set. Then I did the sets without too much difficulty - though I did feel like throwing up just a little bit after the second set.
Then I had x2 sweet, sweet mammoth fuels and actually struggled to down them - but I got'em in.
I'm pretty tired now man.
I'll be glad to have you there for our Saturday work-out, you can see how I am going and give me any pointers, plus if I am going to fail squats it'll be good to have you there as a spotter just in case. I'll feel more free to just go all out and not have to worry about it as much.
So yeah. That's my workout. What do you think?
This Saturday's workout will complete 1 full month of lifting weights going back to NZ. Haven't missed a single workout yet, which I am pretty happy about.
Although I really consider the NZ workouts to be a primer and the real lifting didn't begin til we got back.
I feel like I am starting to plateau out now - squats, bench and deadlifts are all extremely tough now. The press isn't so bad - because halfway through NZ I reset the weight to 20KGs. But I can kind of wait for that to get tougher..
On the other hand - I'm squatting 72.5 and weigh 77KGs as of this morning.
Benching 52.5 (failed last) and my LBM is just 58KGs - not bad.
Deadlifted 90KGs on Monday - nearly 15KGs more than my body weight.
Obviously not 'strong' but not easy lifts, either. If I could get squats to 80, bench to 60 and DL's to 100 - they will all be lifts. Won't be easy, but. Never is, I guess.
Sorry for the essay man.
Man, so many things about my workout today were bad -
obviously it started with sleep - didn't get much
then I took BCAs - usually I scull, but as I got halfway through today my stomach really started to hurt, so I had to slow down and drink at a more regular pace.
squats - now I changed my technique so my arms at a higher angle as we discussed yesterday - good news - I can tell the form is much better .
the bad news - it just got a whole lot tougher! On the first set, I got really tired on my 4th rep and I thought I was going to fail and I in fact lost my footing on the 5th rep - I stumbled backward a few steps, recovered, and completed the rep and set.
Second set - I was really having trouble - the 4th rep I only just managed to power through. I considered stopping because I had never failed squatting before and was worried about what might happen if I couldn't get back up - but I though STUFF IT and went through with it anyway.. Now, the final rep was actually relativeley easy, but I noticed on my way back up that my arms were low again. So basically, I was using my arms to support the lift and that's why it was easier. I also noticed both arms were somewhat strained, so it re-inforces that the new tech is improved.
I considered dropping down on the 3rd set to 70KGs but really focusing on good form, but I decided to push through on 72.5 - again very challenging. I had a lot of trouble with keeping balance on my feet and unable to dig my heels in. I did it - but the tech wasn't great.
So this leaves me with a question - what do I do? Maybe I drop down to 70KGs and try to focus on really good tech and see how I go?
Maybe I do 72.5 one more time (I may get stronger) and see how that goes?
What do you think?
Then I went to the press - I did my warm-up, but then I felt like I was about to throw-up, so I had to sit-down for a few mins before completing my first set. Then I did the sets without too much difficulty - though I did feel like throwing up just a little bit after the second set.
Then I had x2 sweet, sweet mammoth fuels and actually struggled to down them - but I got'em in.
I'm pretty tired now man.
I'll be glad to have you there for our Saturday work-out, you can see how I am going and give me any pointers, plus if I am going to fail squats it'll be good to have you there as a spotter just in case. I'll feel more free to just go all out and not have to worry about it as much.
So yeah. That's my workout. What do you think?
This Saturday's workout will complete 1 full month of lifting weights going back to NZ. Haven't missed a single workout yet, which I am pretty happy about.
Although I really consider the NZ workouts to be a primer and the real lifting didn't begin til we got back.
I feel like I am starting to plateau out now - squats, bench and deadlifts are all extremely tough now. The press isn't so bad - because halfway through NZ I reset the weight to 20KGs. But I can kind of wait for that to get tougher..
On the other hand - I'm squatting 72.5 and weigh 77KGs as of this morning.
Benching 52.5 (failed last) and my LBM is just 58KGs - not bad.
Deadlifted 90KGs on Monday - nearly 15KGs more than my body weight.
Obviously not 'strong' but not easy lifts, either. If I could get squats to 80, bench to 60 and DL's to 100 - they will all be lifts. Won't be easy, but. Never is, I guess.
Sorry for the essay man.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Body Weight Change?
Yesterday I weighed 79.5KG.
This morning 76.5 ..
What the!?!
I went from an all-time high in weight to dropping to my lowest since returning from NZ on new years day (77).
Possible contributing factors: drank beer on Saturday night (today is Tuesday) perhaps their was built-up water retention from this, and could have contributed to lack of muscle growth? Unsure.
Also, I did a work-out yesterday morning and played playground ball in the afternoon - basically my calorie usage went up, and I didn't increase my calorie consumption. I failed to even record what I ate for the day yesterday. BIG fail on my part.
Perhaps partial laziness? Perhaps didn't want to think about it? I just wanted a day off from everything - I had been seeing progress to date and it had been working so just go with the flow and try to keep things in order. That's a mistake and I need more mental focus. Need to record calorie and protein intake on a daily basis. Need to make sure I am getting this right so that in the future if I am seeing lack of progress in my workout I can look back and see what I may have done wrong. Diet is a huge part of this.
What else?
Oh yeah, yesterdays workout - I had my first fail since beginning the weights in late December.
Squat: 70KG - done - have found squats easier since switching from sneakers to chucks
Bench: 52.5 - fail. The weights seemed impossibly heavy. Also, on second and third sets I inadvertently lifted my left leg off the ground to try and gain power. I should be pushing them against the ground to get strength from my legs and upper body.
I am sure that as I lift heavier and heavier weights, my technique will improve. If I do not, it will make it harder to lift the heavier weights. Gotta watch this space.
I am really looking forward to when I can bench 60KG. This will be a really positive sign of achievement and getting stronger.
Deadlift - 90KG - I did 90KG last time as well, but didn't feel confident so I wanted to do it again. This time felt better, my form was better. I didn't feel like I nearly injured my back as I did last time. So now I am confident to return. My only issue is, I took about 10 seconds between reps. A lot of this was due to the mental strain of the weights. I was scared to lift them. I gotta overcome this and power through next time.
One of the reasons it has been taking me time between reps is that I need to 'reset' my form. That is, stand-up, re-grab the bar, and go back down. Not only am I physically resetting, but this is leading to my mental re-set between reps as well. Which takes more time. Just need to improve basically, which I am sure will happen as I get used to the weights.
Off-day today. Weights tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
This morning 76.5 ..
What the!?!
I went from an all-time high in weight to dropping to my lowest since returning from NZ on new years day (77).
Possible contributing factors: drank beer on Saturday night (today is Tuesday) perhaps their was built-up water retention from this, and could have contributed to lack of muscle growth? Unsure.
Also, I did a work-out yesterday morning and played playground ball in the afternoon - basically my calorie usage went up, and I didn't increase my calorie consumption. I failed to even record what I ate for the day yesterday. BIG fail on my part.
Perhaps partial laziness? Perhaps didn't want to think about it? I just wanted a day off from everything - I had been seeing progress to date and it had been working so just go with the flow and try to keep things in order. That's a mistake and I need more mental focus. Need to record calorie and protein intake on a daily basis. Need to make sure I am getting this right so that in the future if I am seeing lack of progress in my workout I can look back and see what I may have done wrong. Diet is a huge part of this.
What else?
Oh yeah, yesterdays workout - I had my first fail since beginning the weights in late December.
Squat: 70KG - done - have found squats easier since switching from sneakers to chucks
Bench: 52.5 - fail. The weights seemed impossibly heavy. Also, on second and third sets I inadvertently lifted my left leg off the ground to try and gain power. I should be pushing them against the ground to get strength from my legs and upper body.
I am sure that as I lift heavier and heavier weights, my technique will improve. If I do not, it will make it harder to lift the heavier weights. Gotta watch this space.
I am really looking forward to when I can bench 60KG. This will be a really positive sign of achievement and getting stronger.
Deadlift - 90KG - I did 90KG last time as well, but didn't feel confident so I wanted to do it again. This time felt better, my form was better. I didn't feel like I nearly injured my back as I did last time. So now I am confident to return. My only issue is, I took about 10 seconds between reps. A lot of this was due to the mental strain of the weights. I was scared to lift them. I gotta overcome this and power through next time.
One of the reasons it has been taking me time between reps is that I need to 'reset' my form. That is, stand-up, re-grab the bar, and go back down. Not only am I physically resetting, but this is leading to my mental re-set between reps as well. Which takes more time. Just need to improve basically, which I am sure will happen as I get used to the weights.
Off-day today. Weights tomorrow. Looking forward to it.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Body Goal
I want to get to a BMI of 23.
To do this, on 8% body fat, I would need to have 69KG of Lean Body Mass, 3.5 KG of Bone and 6KG of fat.
So I need to lose 9KG of fat, and add 10KG of muscle.
To do this, on 8% body fat, I would need to have 69KG of Lean Body Mass, 3.5 KG of Bone and 6KG of fat.
So I need to lose 9KG of fat, and add 10KG of muscle.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Starting Strength - Novice Effect
I read this as well. Very interesting.
http://startingstrength.com/articles/novice_effect_rippetoe.pdf
http://startingstrength.com/articles/novice_effect_rippetoe.pdf
1 day later
it's just over 24 hours since I received the result of my body scan and found out I am 21% body fat.
It's changed things. I feel so bad about myself now. I'm overweight. It really is unbelievable because everyone says how skinny I am. I've known I have a gut, but I didn't realise the extent of it.
Anyway, I am glad I had the scan done. I've found a new source of motivation. I really want to get GOOD at fitness. I want to be STRONG. I want to have low body fat. I want to be proud of my physical condition. The scan just hammered home how bad things have gotten, I can't wait to sort it out.
Looking forward to my workout tomorrow in the AM.
It's changed things. I feel so bad about myself now. I'm overweight. It really is unbelievable because everyone says how skinny I am. I've known I have a gut, but I didn't realise the extent of it.
Anyway, I am glad I had the scan done. I've found a new source of motivation. I really want to get GOOD at fitness. I want to be STRONG. I want to have low body fat. I want to be proud of my physical condition. The scan just hammered home how bad things have gotten, I can't wait to sort it out.
Looking forward to my workout tomorrow in the AM.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
new year new body
So in x2 weeks in NZ over the Christmas break I put on approximately 4 kilos.
I had a body composition assessment done today. Here are the results:
58KG lean mass
3.5KG bone mass
15.8 KG as fast.
21% body fat !
This morning I lifted some weights:
65 KG squat - challenging, but completed convcingly
50kg bench - very difficult!
90KG deadlift - VERY difficult
Going to re-do the 90 deadlift next work-out.
Will advance the bench to 52.5
I had a body composition assessment done today. Here are the results:
58KG lean mass
3.5KG bone mass
15.8 KG as fast.
21% body fat !
This morning I lifted some weights:
65 KG squat - challenging, but completed convcingly
50kg bench - very difficult!
90KG deadlift - VERY difficult
Going to re-do the 90 deadlift next work-out.
Will advance the bench to 52.5
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