July 25, 2011 Workout Summary

My 22nd StrongLifts 5x5 workout.

Squat
I completed 5x5 at 195 lbs.  I stalled on this lift last workout so it felt good to blow through these like they were nothing.

Overhead Press
I completed 5x5 at 95 lbs.

Deadlift
I dropped all the way down to 185 lbs.  I feel like my form was just not at all what it should have been, so I took the weight all the way down to where I felt comfortable.  I'm going to only go up by 5 lbs each workout so that my form doesn't suffer again. I know that my deadlift should be higher than my squat, but I think that if deadlift is really an easier lift than squat, then it will eventually catch up.

Calves
I completed 5x5 at 140 lbs.  I feel like I'm going up really well on these.  They aren't exactly easy, but they don't seem to be getting too much harder either even though my weight has gone up alot.

Abs
I completed 5x5 at 30 lbs.  I skipped 27.5, because I couldn't hold the plates.  This weight actually felt easier than 25 lbs.  I'm having a hard time determining what counts as a full rep, because when my abs are fully contracted, I'm not completely up to my knees. I think these reps were pretty solid though. I can feel a difference in my abs when I fail on reps.

Weight
I weighed 165.4 lbs.  This was a disappointing drop from 166.6 lbs, but I'm eating plenty so I know that I didn't lose any real weight.

Notes
I've upped my calorie intake to 3900-4000 kcals a day.  When I look in the mirror, my abs are becoming more visible.  That says one thing to me: I can and should eat more.  I want to make sure that I'm gaining muscle as fast as possible.  If I'm not gaining fat then all my excess calories are all going to muscle, my body could probably take more.  When I start gaining fat then I'll know that I'm eating enough.

I saw the guy that I thought was doing StrongLifts again on Saturday.  He actually spoke up and asked if we were doing StrongLifts.  So that was pretty cool.

I went a few workouts without drinking whey protein, and I think it really reduced my recovery. I noticed a big difference when I drink whey after my workout Saturday and then nailed my squats on Monday. I tried to do some more research on WHEN you should take protein.  I read that the original study that everyone uses as gossip on "you should take protein within 30 mins after a workout" was done on fasting.  A new study suggests that the best time you should take protein is before a workout so that's what I'm going to try to stick to.