June 24, 2011 Workout Summary

My 9th StrongLifts 5x5 workout.

StrongLifts 5x5 Progress 6/24/2011

Lift	Start (6/6/2011)	Current (6/24/2011)	Gain
Squat	135 lbs	175 lbs	+40 lbs
Deadlift	185 lbs	215 lbs	+30 lbs
Bench	145 lbs	160 lbs	+15 lbs
Rows	60 lbs	80 lbs	+20 lbs
Overhead Press	45 lbs	60 lbs	+15 lbs
Calves	90 lbs	105 lbs	+15 lbs
Abs	0 lbs	7.5 lbs	+7.5 lbs
Weight	154.6 lbs	161.8 lbs	+7.2 lbs

Squat
I completed 5x5 at 175 lbs.  After accidentally putting 175 lbs on the bar 2 workouts ago and struggling, it's amazing to think that I completed all 5x5 reps without much of a problem.

Bench
I completed 5x5 at 160 lbs.  After failing at 155 lbs, I was worried that my progression was going to come to a screeching halt and that future progress on bench was going to come painfully slow.  Completing all the reps at 160 lbs on the first try really encouraged me. I hope that I can continue on the progression without deloading for quite some time.  This is also definitely a new personal record for me. I have never done 5 legitimate reps at 160 lbs, let alone 5x5.

Rows
I completed 5x5 at 80 lbs. I focused more on keeping my shoulder blades together and keeping my lower back straight.  The rows felt better, and I've got a lot more progression ahead of me.

Calves
I completed 5x5 at 105 lbs. I can feel the burn in my calves, but the weight doesn't seem all that high, and I don't struggle.  I think this can be attributed to my lack of previous calf training.

Abs
I completed 5/5/2/5/4 at 7.5 lbs. These are just a real challenge. It's time to deload for my next workout since this was my 3rd failure at 7.5 lbs. I'll be going back to 0 lbs. On a side note, my abs already seem pretty big. I need to get rid of just a few percent body fat and I'd have a nicely visible six pack. I've wondered whether I really need to keep doing a separate ab exercise, but I've never seen anyone complain about having abs that that are too big. So I'm going to continue with them.

Weight
I weighed 161.8 lbs. I'm so close to 162 lbs. I guess an extra fifth of a pound isn't anything significant, but for someone like me, who has never weighed 162 lbs, it's a big deal. I'm always hoping that when I step on the scale after a workout, I'm going to see the biggest number I've ever seen.