So I mentioned overtraining in my last post as the cause for my plateau. Here's a little math. StrongLifts was pushing my squats at 5 pounds 3 times a week when I was squatting 200 lbs. That's 7.5% increase per week, which is crazy. I've created a workout program that works each muscle twice a week with a 2.5% increase each workout. That's only a 5% increase a week which should be sufficiently small for now.
Workout
Workout A (Push day):
Squat, Push press, DB Bench, Calf Raises, Tricep Pushdowns, Crunch machine
Workout B (Pull day):
Deadlift, BB Rows, Lateral Pulldowns, BB Curls, Smith Shrugs
The goal rep range is 9-12 reps. Each workout, I'm going to do 1 more rep than last workout. This is a 2.5% increase in my 1 rep max. Once I complete 12 reps, I will increase the weight by 10% for the next workout. I only do 1 working set of each exercise.
Workout A is done Monday and Thursday. Workout B is done Tuesday and Friday. When I start plateauing again from overtraining, I will start cutting exercises down to once a week.
Nutrition
I will be eating as close to 3900 calories a day as I can get. For 3 weeks, I ate an average of 3400 calories and did not gain any weight. Everyone's answer to not gaining weight is "EAT MORE!!!", so I increased that by 500 calories. I'm 6'3, so 3900 kcal isn't crazy.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Overtraining
I really got burnt out on the StrongLifts program. After breaking 200 lbs on squat, I just wasn't going anywhere. It was deload after deload and I felt like I was actually getting weaker. I skipped a couple workouts, and then started looking for another workout program. I thought that there was a problem with the program not sufficiently tearing down my muscles. Basically, I thought because I wasn't sore after the workouts, they weren't overcoming the repeated bout effect. I looked for ways to increase workout intensity. However, in the process, I found a bodybuilder on bodybuilding.com that I think really knows what he's talking about and has had the kind of bodybuilding success that I want. He follows a lot of the same principles as StrongLifts including the big one: size = strength. But he said something that was really new to me. He said that if you're not going up in weight or reps every single time you hit the gym, you're not resting long enough. He said that over-training was the number one problem that natural bodybuilders faced. In his workout, he trains body parts 2 weeks apart with bi/triceps being 3 weeks apart because that is how long it takes for his body to overcompensate. He only does 1 working set of each exercise to failure, and only does a couple exercises for each body part.
He says that he started out training each body part twice a week, but quickly cut back to once a week, then eventually every other week. I'm going to try to apply this resting principle to my workouts and see if I can increase my estimated 1 RM each workout by either doing more weight or more reps. I'm also going to do 1 set of 8-12 reps on all my exercises and try to choose just one or 2 exercises for each muscle. I'm going to start with 1 week of rest between exercises and increase the rest by 2 days whenever I don't think that my muscles did any overcompensation.
He says that he started out training each body part twice a week, but quickly cut back to once a week, then eventually every other week. I'm going to try to apply this resting principle to my workouts and see if I can increase my estimated 1 RM each workout by either doing more weight or more reps. I'm also going to do 1 set of 8-12 reps on all my exercises and try to choose just one or 2 exercises for each muscle. I'm going to start with 1 week of rest between exercises and increase the rest by 2 days whenever I don't think that my muscles did any overcompensation.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Diet Goals
I haven't updated in a while, but I've still been keeping up with the workout. After breaking 165 lbs, I got carried away and tried to eat 4000 kcals a day. The problem was that I was focused on other things in my life, so I got burnt out in a few days. I let my diet go, and I've basically stayed the same. I'm thinking that I'm around 163 lbs, but I haven't weighed myself in a while.
Anyway, I stalled at 205 lbs on squat and then again on 215. I'm dropping down to 195 today and also dropping down to 3 sets. I feel like I should have made it further than 215, and I'm sure that my diet is to blame. So going up in weight has motivated me to start dieting again. But what really motivated me is that is that I don't feel like I've ever really done a solid bulking/cutting cycle. I want to bulk for the next month and a half (until Oct 15). Then I want to cut for 2 weeks or until I have a legit six-pack.
This should accomplish 2 things for me. 1) I've never felt like I was big. A month and a half of 4000 kcals a day should make me big one way or another. 2) I've never had a solid six-pack. I've always been just on the verge of one.
Anyway, I'm on track for today with 2000 kcals at 2 pm. I know that I got burnt out before at 4000 kcals, but this time, I have a set date that I can stop. Before, it was just 4000 kcals indefinitely with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyway, I stalled at 205 lbs on squat and then again on 215. I'm dropping down to 195 today and also dropping down to 3 sets. I feel like I should have made it further than 215, and I'm sure that my diet is to blame. So going up in weight has motivated me to start dieting again. But what really motivated me is that is that I don't feel like I've ever really done a solid bulking/cutting cycle. I want to bulk for the next month and a half (until Oct 15). Then I want to cut for 2 weeks or until I have a legit six-pack.
This should accomplish 2 things for me. 1) I've never felt like I was big. A month and a half of 4000 kcals a day should make me big one way or another. 2) I've never had a solid six-pack. I've always been just on the verge of one.
Anyway, I'm on track for today with 2000 kcals at 2 pm. I know that I got burnt out before at 4000 kcals, but this time, I have a set date that I can stop. Before, it was just 4000 kcals indefinitely with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
July 27, 2011 Workout Summary
My 23nd StrongLifts 5x5 workout.
Squat
I completed 5x5 at 200 lbs. I was pretty surprised that I just blew through this. I really just focused on pushing down with my legs as hard as I could and tried not to focus on the pain or the fatigue. I think it's really counter-productive to guess what rep I'm going to fail on, and when I think about it, I psych myself out. When I just push my hardest, it takes care of the mental part of the game.
Bench
I completed 5x5 at 165 lbs. I lifted my ass off the bench a little bit on the last rep, but I was really pushing. So I counted it.
Rows
I completed 5x5 at 115 lbs. My form is still pretty bad, but I'm going to wait for 135 lbs to get really picky. It's just too hard to keep the form perfect when I have to set the weights down on other plates. When I can start setting the weights down on the floor, I'll care more.
Abs
I completed 5/5/4/3/3 at 35 lbs. I can really feel myself working which is a nice feeling.
Weight
I weighed 167 lbs. I'm trying to push up to 170 lbs and I'm getting really close. It seems like my weight is sitting still over the past week, but I think it's just inconsistencies in the measurements. Usually a week of stagnation is followed by a jump in weight on the scale. I'll be looking for that next week :-).
Squat
I completed 5x5 at 200 lbs. I was pretty surprised that I just blew through this. I really just focused on pushing down with my legs as hard as I could and tried not to focus on the pain or the fatigue. I think it's really counter-productive to guess what rep I'm going to fail on, and when I think about it, I psych myself out. When I just push my hardest, it takes care of the mental part of the game.
Bench
I completed 5x5 at 165 lbs. I lifted my ass off the bench a little bit on the last rep, but I was really pushing. So I counted it.
Rows
I completed 5x5 at 115 lbs. My form is still pretty bad, but I'm going to wait for 135 lbs to get really picky. It's just too hard to keep the form perfect when I have to set the weights down on other plates. When I can start setting the weights down on the floor, I'll care more.
Abs
I completed 5/5/4/3/3 at 35 lbs. I can really feel myself working which is a nice feeling.
Weight
I weighed 167 lbs. I'm trying to push up to 170 lbs and I'm getting really close. It seems like my weight is sitting still over the past week, but I think it's just inconsistencies in the measurements. Usually a week of stagnation is followed by a jump in weight on the scale. I'll be looking for that next week :-).
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Typical Day of Eating
I use livestrong.com to track my calories. It fits my needs well. It's a bit of a pain to put in your own food, but it already has a ton of food from other users. So you can find just about anything you need. Even my protein shakes and post-workout were already in their food database. Anyway, LoneWolfArcher asked for a nutritional log of a typical day. Note that I'm trying to get 3200 kcals per day or 20x my body-weight in lbs. I would also like to get 140 g of protein or 2x my body-weight in kg. The protein comes easy though with all the milk.
Breakfast - 1000 kca/36g protein
Poptarts - 400 kcals/32g protein
Milk - 600 kcals/4g protein
Lunch - 1019 kcals/68g protein
Lasagna - 419 kcals/36g protein
Milk - 600 kcals/32g protein
Afternoon Snack - 250 kcals/0g protein
Cupcake - 250 kcals/0g protein
Dinner - 719 kcals/52g protein
Lasagna (again) - 419 kcals/36g protein
Milk - 300 kcals/16g protein
Evening Snack - 410 kcals/13g protein
Peanuts - 260 kcals/13g protein
Milk - 150 kcals/8g protein
Grand Total: 3398 kcals/177g protein
Breakfast - 1000 kca/36g protein
Poptarts - 400 kcals/32g protein
Milk - 600 kcals/4g protein
Lunch - 1019 kcals/68g protein
Lasagna - 419 kcals/36g protein
Milk - 600 kcals/32g protein
Afternoon Snack - 250 kcals/0g protein
Cupcake - 250 kcals/0g protein
Dinner - 719 kcals/52g protein
Lasagna (again) - 419 kcals/36g protein
Milk - 300 kcals/16g protein
Evening Snack - 410 kcals/13g protein
Peanuts - 260 kcals/13g protein
Milk - 150 kcals/8g protein
Grand Total: 3398 kcals/177g protein
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 4, 2011 Workout Summary
My 13th StrongLifts 5x5 workout.
Squat
I completed 5/5/5/2/0 at 185 lbs. I had to get up and go straight to my workout which I've never done before. I literally felt like I was still asleep when I was doing squats. It was just no use. I couldn't motivate my body. This is my third failure and I'll have to deload 20 lbs next time. I won't complain though. To be honest, I don't really like squatting when I don't feel like I'm going all the way down. Going back down to 165 lbs should make it easy enough to drop below parallel and actually feel good about my squats.
Bench
I completed 5/5/5/5/4 at 165 lbs. After my first set of bench, I felt my body come back alive. My 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sets went really well, and I felt strong doing them. My 5th set, I was really close. I got the 4th rep with a struggle, but I only made it about half way up on my last rep. The guy spotting me decided I didn't need a lot of help and BARELY helped me on the last rep. It felt like it took a minute to complete the last rep with the tiny amount of help he was giving me, hahaha.
Rows
I completed 5x5 at 90 lbs
Calves
I completed 5x5 at 115 lbs. I was only taking 30 seconds rest because another guy was waiting on the machine and didn't want to work in. My calves were really tight when I stepped off the machine. I think that I'm going to move calf raises to my other workout, because 5x5 rows is starting to take extra time, and I'd like to knock out calves on my 1x5 deadlift days.
Abs
I completed 5x5 at 7.5 lbs. Just like I'd hoped, my form was good, and I nailed all my reps.
Weight
I weighed 163.2 lbs. Another personal record. I guess I should stop being surprised when my weight goes up. Weighing myself after working out is turning out to be pretty consistent. And I'm eating 3200 kcals everyday without fail. I never miss a day even on weekends which most people seem to struggle with. I guess that I've been fed up with my weight for so long that I'm dead serious about gaining now, and I would never accept a day where I cheated. If you want to gain weight, eat your calories and don't leave any excuses. Same for losing weight. Don't go over your calories, ever. If you over-eat in the morning, don't give me any of that crap about "Oh, well I missed up and now the day is ruined so I'll eat whatever I want today and do better tomorrow". NO. If you overeat in the morning, STOP eating. Yeah, you'll be hungry, but it's your fault. Just like if I don't get my calories in the morning. I don't give up, I eat until I want to puke in the evening to make up for it. Sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of excuses. I will no longer except them from myself, and I think anyone else serious about changing their weight should do the same.
 |
| StrongLifts 5x5 Progress 7/4/2011 |
| Lift | Start (6/6/2011) | Current (7/4/2011) | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 135 lbs | 185 lbs | +50 lbs |
| Deadlift | 185 lbs | 235 lbs | +50 lbs |
| Bench | 145 lbs | 165 lbs | +20 lbs |
| Rows | 60 lbs | 90 lbs | +30 lbs |
| Overhead Press | 45 lbs | 70 lbs | +25 lbs |
| Calves | 90 lbs | 115 lbs | +25 lbs |
| Abs | 0 lbs | 7.5 lbs | +7.5 lbs |
| Weight | 154.6 lbs | 163.2 lbs | +8.6 lbs |
Squat
I completed 5/5/5/2/0 at 185 lbs. I had to get up and go straight to my workout which I've never done before. I literally felt like I was still asleep when I was doing squats. It was just no use. I couldn't motivate my body. This is my third failure and I'll have to deload 20 lbs next time. I won't complain though. To be honest, I don't really like squatting when I don't feel like I'm going all the way down. Going back down to 165 lbs should make it easy enough to drop below parallel and actually feel good about my squats.
Bench
I completed 5/5/5/5/4 at 165 lbs. After my first set of bench, I felt my body come back alive. My 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sets went really well, and I felt strong doing them. My 5th set, I was really close. I got the 4th rep with a struggle, but I only made it about half way up on my last rep. The guy spotting me decided I didn't need a lot of help and BARELY helped me on the last rep. It felt like it took a minute to complete the last rep with the tiny amount of help he was giving me, hahaha.
Rows
I completed 5x5 at 90 lbs
Calves
I completed 5x5 at 115 lbs. I was only taking 30 seconds rest because another guy was waiting on the machine and didn't want to work in. My calves were really tight when I stepped off the machine. I think that I'm going to move calf raises to my other workout, because 5x5 rows is starting to take extra time, and I'd like to knock out calves on my 1x5 deadlift days.
Abs
I completed 5x5 at 7.5 lbs. Just like I'd hoped, my form was good, and I nailed all my reps.
Weight
I weighed 163.2 lbs. Another personal record. I guess I should stop being surprised when my weight goes up. Weighing myself after working out is turning out to be pretty consistent. And I'm eating 3200 kcals everyday without fail. I never miss a day even on weekends which most people seem to struggle with. I guess that I've been fed up with my weight for so long that I'm dead serious about gaining now, and I would never accept a day where I cheated. If you want to gain weight, eat your calories and don't leave any excuses. Same for losing weight. Don't go over your calories, ever. If you over-eat in the morning, don't give me any of that crap about "Oh, well I missed up and now the day is ruined so I'll eat whatever I want today and do better tomorrow". NO. If you overeat in the morning, STOP eating. Yeah, you'll be hungry, but it's your fault. Just like if I don't get my calories in the morning. I don't give up, I eat until I want to puke in the evening to make up for it. Sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of excuses. I will no longer except them from myself, and I think anyone else serious about changing their weight should do the same.
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