OMG not another Rippetoes blog!

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So it was two years ago to this day that I first tried out Starting Strength for the first time. Looking back to how I thought then, I thought in two years time exactly (i.e. today) I'd be pretty big and strong. Certainly benching more than I'm away to bench (I'm typing this just before I do chest/triceps/shoulders, away to flat bench 70kg 3x3). I thought I'd be doing that by the summer (2007, that is), easily.

I actually feel quite sad that in the two years I've been interested in the weights game I've progressed so little. The last few months have been great, but overall I'm quite ashamed to say that I first picked up a weight two years ago.

I failed my goals then, failed most of my goals for this Christmas. So now I'm going to make some new goals that I will not fail.

But the time I'm 19, I want, for a 1RM;

Squat: 185kg (current estimated 1RM: 152kg)
Bench: 115kg (current estimated 1RM: 74kg)
Deadlift: 227.5kg (current estimated 1RM: 152kg)

I have until the middle of July to make these numbers. Squat isn't too ambitious compared to my other lifts.

I'm not planning to look back to this fateful day on my 19th and feel the same I feel on this day as I look back to 14th Feburary 2007.

Of course, now my I've opened my mind to many different training styles. Before, when I first failed, I was a Rippetoe fanboy. I was too closeminded regarding training methods, even though they were obviously working for the trainee. I seriously believed that all one had to do to get strong was periodised 5x5 full body type routines. But now that I'm armed with more knowledge and a more open mind I believe I have a far higher chance of reaching my goals.

Reply 101

Smack

Volunteer Team

Chest, shoulders and triceps:

Bench press: 70kg 3x3 - form felt pretty crappy on these. Didn't seem to be able to keep back tight, and had no idea where the hell my elbows were - could have been flying around all over the place!

Incline barbell bench press: 40kg 4x8 - no dumbells at home so I had to use a barbell. Easy enough considering it's at home, I'd done flat bench before and my bench's incline seems quite steep compared to the gym's.

Push press: 50kg 3x5 - last few reps of last set were a struggle.

Lying tricep extension, paused on rack pins: 22.5kg 2x10, 1x6 - I don't train to failure so had to stop at rep 6 on the last set although I probably had another few reps in me ... but my form was going to ****.

Reply 102

Herr Stamper

Alright mate. We still good for Wed? i've got a receipt of my gym membership which was the best i could do tbh so hopefully that'll be enough.

Reply 103

Smack

Volunteer Team

Yeah. I'll PM you the details of everything you'll need just to make sure you get them.

Legs, back and biceps:

Deadlifts: 145kg 2x5 - used chalk and belt, chalk helped a lot on the grip aspect. Quite easy, definitely more in the tank.

Leg press: 100kg 2x10 - quite hard. I seem to be quite ***** in the leg press.

Chin ups: 4x6 bodyweight - heel push up only needed on the last reps of the last two sets. Happy with this because not long ago I couldn't do a single chin up. This, however, knackered my biceps...

Barbell curls: 30kg 1x5 - biceps tired from the chin ups. Maybe should of only done 25kg. Meh.

Reply 104

Smack

Volunteer Team

Trained with Nick again today, took him to my uni's gym. He's probably the strongest person to lift there in a while; between sets some random guy approached him and asked him if he trained legs every day or something like that. Needless to say, he turned a lot of heads.

Sadly, I'm not at the stage where I turn any heads unless I deadlift in the squat rack in the fitness room which is full of attractive girls.

Chest/triceps/shoulders

Incline bench: 65kg 1x4, 62.5kg 1x5, 1x3 - the 65 felt a bit heavy and I only managed 4 proper reps since the last one was assisted. The first set of 62.5kg felt all right, but the second one was just too much.

Dumbell bench press: 40kg (2x20) 4x8 - happy enough with this.

Upright rows: 30kg 2x8, 1x6 - first time I've done these. Doing them because all the pressing was too much for my shoulders. Maybe should have had longer rest between sets.

Dumbell standing tricep extensions: 20kg 1x10, 1x5 - now, even though at the time there was only three people in the weights room - me and two other guys - the piece of equipment I wanted to use (the cable machine, for tricep push downs) was in use. The dumbells felt uncomfortable when they was lowered against my upper back. I think I might be doing something wrong with these.

Standing hip raises: bodyweight 3x10 - first time doing these, they seem like quite a good ab exercise. Will continue doing them in the future.

Another highlight was the man who was on the exercise bike and had a crash helmet on. I know, wtf?

Next week I'm going to deload. I'm feeling quite beatup and the moment and my programme says to deload every 4-5 weeks.

Reply 105

Smack

Volunteer Team

I've been on this programme for around five weeks and methinks it's time to deload.

Chest/shoulders/triceps:

Couldn't get a bench, so I did bodyweight dips for the first time ever.

Dips: 3x3 bodyweight - not much, but I hope to improve on these as I do them more often.

Incline dumbell bench press: 20kg (2x10) 4x8 - easy as hell, perhaps too easy even for a deloading week. Oh well.

Standing dumbell military press: 20kg (2x10) 3x8 - easy enough.

Vertical hip raises: bodyweight 3x10 - easy enough.

Reply 106

Smack

Volunteer Team

Continuing the deload...

Legs, back and biceps:

Deadlifts: 120kg 2x5 - simple. No belt used either.

Leg press: 50kg 2x10 - really easy.

Chin-ups: bodyweight 2x6, 1x5 - extremely little assist used - only a light shove with the feet at the bottom. Next time I'll nail 4x6 unassisted.

Dumbell curls: 20kg (2x10) 3x8 - easy.

Leg press calf raises: 50kg 3x15 - easy enough.

Reply 107

Smack

Volunteer Team

Chest, shoulders and triceps:

Incline bench press: 50kg 3x5 - simple.

Decline bench press: 50kg 4x8 - simple enough. First time doing these, I'm going to swap them for flat dumbell presses except I'll use dbs instead of a barbell (only used barbell because I trained at home).

Upright rows: 30kg 3x6 - meh.

Reply 108

ben_lines

Those are seriously strong lifts for your age mate. I need to up my game me thinks

Reply 109

Smack

Volunteer Team

Are you sure you're not looking at my goals rather than my current lifts? I wouldn't consider my lifts strong at all. Squat and dead I'd say is decent enough for my training experience, perhaps, but I'm not at all impressed by my upper body strength.

Reply 110

ben_lines

Smack

Your squats and DL I would say are pretty decent. Better than mine anyway, but my Bench is better than yours. Yea I would agree that your upper body could do with some improvement but squats and deads are good!

Reply 111

Brotherhood

ben_lines

Those are seriously strong lifts for your age mate. I need to up my game me thinks

...?

(no offence to Smack intended)

Reply 112

Smack

Volunteer Team

Legs, back and biceps:

Box squats: 140kg 2x5 - OK. Last two reps were quite slow on the last set. Also first time I've squatted in like three weeks.

Glute-ham raises: bodyweight 3x10 - no problem, will do weighted next time.

One arm dumbell rows: 20kg dumbell 3x8 - easy enough. First time doing these, wanted to not go too hard right away. Will do the 25's next time.

Dumbell curls: 30kg (2x15) 2x8, 1x4 - will work on getting all reps next time.

Leg press calf raises: 100kg 3x15 - easy enough. I much prefer doing calf raises this way than the smith machine.

Reply 113

mart1203

wow glute ham raises - nice man, I still do mine with a push from the floor to assist me.

Nice box squats as well.

Reply 114

Herr Stamper

Very good box squats mate.

Thanks guys.

Chest, shoulders, triceps:

Parallel bar dips: bodyweight 3x5 - better than last time; I'll go for 3x8 before I do them weighted.

Incline dumbell bench press: 35kg (2x17.5) 4x8 - simple enough.

Barbell overhead push press: 52.5kg 3x5 - last rep very hard. Might be stalling on this.

Tricep push downs: 120lbs 2x10, 1x9.5 - hard to do these after so much pressing work. Will get all reps next time.

Vertical hip raises: bodyweight + 10kg dumbell 3x5 - meh.

Reply 117

Smack

Volunteer Team

Crappy session.

Legs, back and biceps:

Deadlifts: neither 155 or 150kg would go up even for a single rep! Fecking *****, that is.

Leg press: 120kg 2x10 - didn't like the leg press I used today. Was quite easy though.

Chin ups: bodyweight 1x5, 3x4 - meh. Same assistance as last time i.e. absolutely non except a slight shove with the hells at the start. Definitely get all next time with no assistance.

Dumbell curls: 30kg (2x15) 1x8, 1x6, 1x4 - worse than last time! Although I attribute that to the close grip chin ups.

Leg press calf raises: something that was easy enough for 3x15.

****** workout.

Reply 118

Chumbaniya

Is there a reason your leg press isn't very high compared to your squats? I could leg press 260kg (at 45 degrees, so more like 180 on the flat) when I was squatting 100kg.

Anyway, hard luck on the bad session - I know how frustrating it can be when lots of things go wrong on the same day. Makes it sweeter when they go right next time though.

Reply 119

Smack

Volunteer Team

I've never went full out on the leg press, I've never been in a totally comfortable position with the leg press (neither the one in my gym or Nick's gym feels that natural to me, although my one does feel better), I do 10 reps on the leg press compared to 5 on the squat, I have very little rest between sets on the leg press, and I used to forget how much to use on the leg press.

Next time, though, it'll be 140kg.