Itsadeepburn's.....Diary of a newbie

[Itsadeepburn]

Alright guys....Im gonna do it, i convinced myself that no matter how little i am lifting, an ego is nothing in the lifting world...So im gonna take the plunge and post up my Training Journal.........Let me give you my stats, well the ones i know for now......21 years old.....6' even....I have been sick for a while, so my starting weight is now 186lbs. 18% body fat. Right now i am bulking, and my goal is 220 by next january...I will start a cutting diet when i hit 220. I was always skinny, around 150 when i graduated....and i was injured in the Marines, (dumb hernia surgery that went bad) im fine now, so i started lifting in Jan....Mostly dumb isolation movements, hitting a body part only one day a week...Chest and tris, back and bis...no compound lifts except bench. That all changed about a month ago..and after i got some help from another butters i started this routine....
Workout 1
Flat bench 5x5
Squats 3x10
Bent Over rows(db) 5x10


Workout 2
Deadlifts 5x5
Incline DB press 5x5
Seated Calve Raises 4x12



Workout 3
Weighted dips 3x10
Tbar Row 5x5
Leg Extentions 3x10

Workout 4
Squats 5x5
Overhead press 5x5
Barbell curls 3x5

I do each workout a day apart, and when i hit 4, i take 2 days off. I warm up with some stretching and some core workouts for about 20 minutes. Weighted crunches, hanging leg raises, steep incline situps etc.

This routine was already critiqued in another thread, but if anyone else has any other suggestions, they are more than welcome. Remember i am a newbie.....my lifts are gonna be small....but its all good, because we all have to start somewhere....Hit me with some motivation, advice, critisism, hate, love, karma, bomb me, whatever...EF is a great site, and i cant think of another way to stay motivated than posting a journal here.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Alrighty.....it took me a while to post this Journal, i am already 2 workouts in and tomorrow will be my 3rd...here are my first 2 workouts.

Monday, May 8th
Did my usual warmup of stretching and core workouts.
Decided to start real light, since i have been real sick and havent really workout out because of my seasonal allergies.

There are only 2 flat benches in my gym, and they were both taken, i was in a hurry to get to a job interview so i elected to go with DB presses this time.

Flat DB press 5x5 60 seconds between sets.
Set 1...55lbs, felt real light.
Set 2..60lbs, still light,
Set 3....65lbs....getting warmer
Set 4.......70lbs.....Ok, OK
Set 5........75s...pretty tired by then, maybe i could have done more if i hadnt started so light, but its ok....Did 6 reps on this one.

Squats 3x10 90 seconds between set
Alright these squats arent for my PRs, day 4 is for that. These are more for speed. Warmed up with bar X12

Set 1....110lbs, wow that was easy
Set 2....135lbs, Big spike in heart rate.
Set 3....155lbs, Do these count as cardio?...my heart was racing.
All the weights were real light, but ill go heavy on workout 4...These Really wore my legs out, but it was still easy to bang out 10 fast reps.

Bent over rows (DB) 5x10 60 seconds between sets
Set 1...50lbs, No problem
Set 2...55lbs, Still light
Set 3...60lbs, Feels good.
Set 4...65lbs, Nice
Set 5...70lbs, almost didnt get 10

Well that was the end of Day 1....the squats seem light to me, but then again, they didnt when i was doing 10 reps at the fastest speed i could without compromising form. Dumbell Presses felt good, hopefully next time i can wait for a bench, or ill go early when no one is there. As for the rows, im thinking 10 might be a little much in the rep department if im doing 5 sets, what do you think?

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Wednesday, May 10th.....Workout 2

Alright, here is workout 2....Started with usual warmup, 20 min of stretching and Core workouts.

Deadlifts 5x5 90 seconds between sets.
Man this is my favorite exercise, nothing feels as good as a deadlift.
Set1...135...Felt great
Set2...155...Still light
Set3...175...Its a deep burn
Set4...195...Starting to tire out
Set5...225...Had to pump myself up for this one...banged out 4 reps, then struggled on the 5th, but i got it up without breaking form.

Incline Dumbell Press 5x5 60 second between sets.
Set1...55lbs
Set2...60lbs
Set3...65lbs
Set4...70lbs...Getting heavy
Set5...75lbs...Well i did it, and i think i could have gone heavier.
Well i did the exact same as my flat DB presses on monday...shows that i was weak then from being sick, and that i should have gone heavier...Its all good, cause i have nothing but time to amp it up.

Seated calve raises 4x10 45 seconds between sets.
Set1...100lbs...Nice
Set2...125lbs...need to amp it
Set3....145lbs..Had to stretch after that one
Set4...155lbs...full ROM, stretched after
Should i add in another set of these? Or maybe do some more in another workout? I didnt feel as if i worked them enough. What do you think?

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Im gonna try to take some pics this weekend, show you what im starting with. Also, ill take my measurements to see where my arms chest and legs are. Every week ill post up my new weight, and once a month ill try to post updated pics and my BF%.

 

[anotherbutters]

Good luck with the new regime. It doesn't matter what weights you're lifting, so long as they're going up and you're making progress.

Don't go too heavy on the first week. The idea is that you add to the bar every week. Think of it as building up a bit of momentum before you reach your max weights in about week 4. I know it's very easy for your enthusiasm to carry you away and have you starting too heavy (I did it myself only 4 weeks ago!), but bear with it. Week 4 will come round quickly.

I thought you were going to run the 4 workouts over a week, not 10 days. I'd try it over a week, e.g. Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri. It seems a bit spread out over 10 days, but see how it goes. You want the right balance where there's enough workload to stimulate growth but not too much that you have to keep taking a week off every now and then.

Re. your comment on calf raises - I'd treat them as an accessory exercise, since they're just hitting one muscle. The more you hit your calves, the less effort and recovery time you have left for the main lifts - squat, bench, row, deadlift, overhead press.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

I was thinking about that earlier this week...I might do it...Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat. Ill see how it goes, If i do my workout on Fridays, and its affecting my squats on Sat, i might switch those workouts.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Alright i missed workout 3 yesterday, so i did it today, with a change, i switched out the weighted dips for the military press that is in workout 4.

Saturday, May 13th...Workout 3
Started with usual core warmup and some stretching total warmup=20min.

Military Press (standing)5x5 60 seconds between sets.
Set 1...65lbs
Set 2...75lbs
Set 3...85lbs
Set 4...90lbs
Set 5...95lbs
I have never done a standing Overhead press, so i was a little shaky and unsure about it.....after i got the hang of it, it became much easier, but once i got to 95lbs i was pretty worn out. I was bringing the bar down infront of me as opposed to behind my head, i heard it was much better for your shoulders, what is everyones opinion?

Tbar Rows 5x5 60 seconds between sets.
Im not sure of the weight of the machine....its the one that you are bent over with your chest on the pad, and you place the weights on the bar infront of you, and row it upwards. Im just going to place the amount of weight i put on the bar, since i dont know the weight of the bar. If anyone knows, please post it up.
Set 1...55lbs
Set 2...65lbs
Set 3...70lbs
Set 4...80lbs
Set 5...90lbs
Felt great, last set came up real easy....im gonna jump the weight so im 10lbs heavier on the last set next week.

Leg Extensions 3x10 45 seconds between sets.
Set 1...65lbs Just stretching
Set 2...85lbs I started way too light
Set 3...115lbs Feels better. I guess i know to start heavier next week.
Alright im doing higher rep squats in workout 1, and 5x5 squats in workout 4, should i just ditch this exercise and replace it with something else? Let me know what you think.

Alright it was a pretty easy day, so i hit the eliptical machine for about 20 minutes and then stretched out some more.....total workout time was 1hour and 15 minutes, and thats with the cardio time included. The standing overhead presses are amazing, and i wish i had of been doing them sooner. So what does everyone think so far? Anything i need to change or any suggestions...Like i said i just started and my weights are light, so its a great time to critique me.

 

[Introspective]

Don't stretch before a session of lifting, Just have a 5 min warm up to get blood flowing and bring up body temp a little. Stretch after you have finished lifting.

 

[anotherbutters]

Rather than throwing in something else, you could move dips to workout 2 and merge what's left of workouts 3 and 4, leaving this:

Workout 1
Flat bench 5x5
Squats 3x10
Bent Over rows(db) 5x10

Workout 2
Deadlifts 5x5
Incline DB press 5x5
Seated Calve Raises 4x12
Weighted dips 3x10

Workout 3
Tbar Row 5x5
Squats 5x5
Overhead press 5x5
Barbell curls 3x5

Regarding the db rows in workout 1, yeah, cut those down, you don't need 5x10. 3x10's plenty.

I'd bump the curls in workout 3 up to 3x10 or something like that too.

Glad you're liking it so far!

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Alright, so before i workout ill just hit some core exercises. I might try that merge after i do this for about 3 weeks. With 4 days, it just seems like im not getting much out of it, and the workouts go quick. Id like to keep them around an hour no less. The DB presses are definately getting cut down to 3x10, i hit failure on my 5th set last time....thanks for pointing that out, i almost forgot. If i do merge whats left of 3 and 4, ill probably run it Mon Wed Fri, and have off Saturday and sunday. Thanks for the input. Its really appreciated!!!!!

 

[anotherbutters]

Enjoy the easy workouts while you can. The weights will start getting heavy soon enough and you'll be trying to set a new 5RM in squat, bench, row, OHP and deadlifts every week, week after week.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Yes thats true.......Workout 4 tomorrow, lets hope i can bang out some decent squats.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Monday, May 15th Workout 4
Alright i was really busy yesterday so here is workout 4. I am way off schedule this week, but its all good. Alright like i said i switched the military press to workout 3, so ill be doing the dips in workout 4.
Warmed up 15 minutes on a very light setting on the exercise bike.

Squats 5x5 60 seconds between sets.
Set 1...135lbs
Set 2...155lbs
Set 3...160lbs
Set 4...175lbs
Set 5...185lbs

I have such a hard time doing squats, it just doesnt feel natural to me. I started real light, and i concentrated real hard on my form....and it was actually alot easier when i thought about my form, and kept my eyes on the top part of the mirror, rather than thinking about how weird this felt and staring at my form in the mirror. I dropped down lower than ever today, i was ass to calve, and the bar was hitting the safety rails. Its alot easier to go all the way down and explode back up, then to not and constantly have that weight on your knees.

Dips 3x10 60 seconds between sets.
Alright my shoulder was feeling a little funky today, so i skipped the weighted part, and to be honest i wasnt sure that i could do 3 sets of 10 for anything else other than body weight.
Set 1...10xBW
Set 2...10xBW
Set 3...10xBW
Yeah im going to have to go slow with these....I completed each set, but on the last one i was struggling, im going to slowly work my way up with the dips.

Curls 3x10 60 seconds between sets.
Set 1...65lbs
Set 2...75lbs
Set 3...85lbs
I struggled a little on the 3rd set....but i havent done any curling in a while, so i was suprised with what i did.

I then hit about 20 min of direct ab work....3 sets of hanging leg raises x20, 2 sets of weighted crunches @125lbsx20....yes its the stupid machine if you are wondering. Then 2 sets of steep incline situps X20

Total workout time 1hour and 20 minutes.

 

[anotherbutters]

I suggested you started a journal so that other people could chime in and help or cheer you on, but only Introspective's dropped in so far!

It's good to hear the ATF squats are better on your knees. If you're interested in improving your form on squats and some of the other main lifts, get yourself a copy of Starting Strength. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Its all good. Atleast im getting some kind of input....Ill head over to the bookstore later and pick that up....or do i have to order it online?

 

[anotherbutters]

I think the author is distributing it himself, so I doubt you'll find it in a book store, but there's no harm in looking. He might also be selling it via amazon.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Alright bro thanks....I have an ex-gf that i am on good terms with, and she works at a bookstore i get her employee discount....dont use it much though. Ill check amazon tonight. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Wednesday, May 17th Workout 1
Well today was a disappointment. I didnt get much sleep last night, and i ate my preworkout meal, waited a while for it to digest, left for the gym, backed into my sisters car, popped the dent out of the front fender, left again, got pulled over...Cop saw the 2 unloaded guns in the trunk ( i was gonna go shooting later) and he freaked. Called for backup and i had to wait while they argued over what to do, finally the other cop convinced him it wasnt illegal to have guns, and they wrote me the ticket for my "muddy tags" and left. So i get to the gym, pissed off with no energy.

Flat dumbell press 5x5 60 seconds between sets.
Set 1...60lbs
Set 2...65lbs
Set 3...70lbs
Set 4...75lbs
Set 5...80lbs
Felt real easy today..Oh yeah flat benches were packed again since i wasnt able to get there before 4, so i elected to do dumbells again. Set number 5 i felt a little wobbly, my triceps were pretty burnt.

Bent over rows 3x10 (db) 60 seconds between sets.
Set 1...60lbs
Set 2...65lbs
Set 3...70lbs
Alright i was pretty beat on set 3, i think because i did these before the squats and didnt give my upper body time to recover.

Squats 3x10 60 Seconds between sets.
Set 1...135lbs
Set 2...155lbs
Set 3...165lbs
These higher reps squats get my heart going hard. I thought maybe i was going to puke, but i held it down....Maybe next week.

I finished with some core training, and a light 1 mile jog to stretch the legs out. Not quite the improvements i was looking for. I added 5 lbs to my dumbell presses, or 10 all together...Hopefully i can get in the gym earlier in the day next time, i really need to get on that bench. Added 10lbs to my high rep light squats. And nothing to my bent over rows....feels shitty. Ill do squats after my bench next week, and hopefully i will have a little more strength in my upper body to put out some more weight.

 

[anotherbutters]

You probably want to do squats before rows anyway, because you don't want to be squatting with a fatigued lower back.

I can't remember whether I mentioned bent over barbell rows (with your back parallel to the floor). If you row with a barbell, you can add smaller increments in weight each week than with dumbbells. Ditto for your bench, if you manage to get to one. What's the smallest weight plate they have at your gym?

 

[BiggT]

Nice looking journal. I agree, rowing with a barbell is the best option. How come such short rest periods on the heavy days?

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Anotherbutters......the smallest plates they have is 2.5. Im gonna start going earlier so i can get to one...No one is ever there til after work hours.

BiggT.....I thought 60 seconds is the longest i should wait, should i go for 90 or higher....whats your suggestion?

I have an idea how to row with a barbell, anyone have any vids that i can take a look at? That would be a great help. Thanks for the input bros.

 

[BiggT]

On the light days, minimal rest is good. With heavy workouts, I am not gonna say there is a set rule with rest. It's good that you do keep track, as thats ideal because it is one more way to quantify your training, but you just want to make sure you're fresh enough to do the set. Don't fuck around and cool off or anything....but if the weight is heavy, don't miss reps that you would have made had you given yourself 2 minutes to rest instead of 60 seconds. When ramping, warm-ups don't require much rest, neither does the first few sets, but set 4 is usually heavy and set 5 should be just about all out, so after sets 3 and 4, don't so much worry that you HAVE to only rest so long, if you feel stronger after 3 min, then take 3 min, don't be too excessive, but don't miss lifts because you're trying to fly through the session.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Definately bro.....thanks for the good advice....Ill keep that in mind...I do feel like i could do more weight if i only rested a little bit longer.

 

[anotherbutters]

madcow's 5x5 site contains a lot of good info about training in general, not just the 5x5 program description: http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/table_of_contents_thread.htm

Specifically, there's info on barbell rows and microloading solutions for getting around the 2.5lbs minimum restriction. I'd bookmark the page and read one or two articles every once in a while. It's a veritable goldmine of info.

 

[jpt]

good journal man...goodluck

by the way i love your name hahaha ron burgundy hahaha..cracking me up.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Alright.....so i havent been in the gym since May 17th.....i am pretty upset with myself.....Had some Bros from highschool that are in the Marines come home for a few weeks and they got a beach house for the week....I figured since i was drinking, eating shitty and getting no sleep that it was just better to stay out of the gym.....Well it has been way to long and Im actually getting ready to leave in a few minutes. I wanted to bump my journal just incase you guys forgot i was here. Ill post up the hopefully not so horrible results from this workout when i return.

 

[Itsadeepburn]

Alright first workout in 3 weeks......it was bad....i mean real bad...but ohwell it will come back to me.

Flat bench 5x5
Set 1...135
Set 2...145
Set 3...155
Set 4...165
Set 5...175

Wow dude....i am ashamed...and to think i now have pictures in my gallery and everyone can see who i am.....damn. Oh well gotta start somewhere.

Squats 5x5
Usually i would do a 3x10 at a lighter weight but i havent lifted in so long so i wanted to go heavy...
Set 1...135
Set 2...155
Set 3...175
Set 4...185
Set 5...200


Bent over rows 3x10 (dumbell)
Set 1...45lbs
Set 2...55lbs
Set 3...65lbs

I did an additional 20 minutes of core exercises and did about 30 minutes on the eliptical to try and burn some more calories since i have been on a 3 week slob fest with beer and fast food.....i really screwed up, some of my bros came from NC and i went all out.

Hopefully i can get back to where i was in the next 3 weeks or so.