"Don't call it a comeback..."

Actually that's precisely what it is lol. Anyway, after my epic fail last year and paying the gym for months telling myself I'm going when I know damn well I wasn't, I've decided to give this another go. I seriously hate the way I look/feel right now and need to change some things.

For those that don't want to read/don't remember my previous log, here's a quick recap:

Fatty decides to start working out to get in better shape. Buys SS and reads it, works out for a while, doesn't get very far before hurting his right knee in a non-workout(read: drunk) accident, and the injured knee discourages him(as if he needed anymore help) from working out.

One positive note... At my heaviest last year I was 199 lbs. I managed to cut that down to a low of 182. I've since put weight back on but at least it's something to keep me motivated.

Well I'm gonna give it another shot. My knee is still giving me pain but it's something I'm just gonna go with until I'm squatting 300 lbs and it just pops and ends up totally shredded. BTW I have no medical insurance so can't get it checked out.

Some quick facts/goals:

Stats
25 years old - 5'7" - 190

Goals
Lose weight. Probably getting down to 170 would be nice. I would have to actually see how I look at that weight before I know that's where I want to be though.

Stop drinking so much. I like drinking, and won't cut it out of my life. I'm not an alcy but on weekends I drink way too much and need to cut back.

Better overall shape. I get winded too easily doing basic tasks sometimes. Plus I have back pain(not serious tho) and I noticed last year when working out my back pain practically went away but now its back so my back is obv super weak again.

Look better. I have a huge gut(mostly from drinking I'm sure) and just starting to look fat. I live in L.A. and we have awesome beaches. I wanna go to these beaches this spring/summer and not be ashamed of how I look.

Plan
Monday, Wednesday, Friday do Starting Strength. I'll be following this program throughout the year. I like it because its simple and gets me in an out the gym. I don't have time to stay there 2+ hours or w/e.

Tuesday, Thursday do HIIT. There is a local track that I'll be going to. I need to research some HIIT programs though because I don't remember a whole lot from when I was reading about this stuff last year. I think I'm gonna skip HIIT the first week though as I get started with weights.

Diet
My diet sucks, and I know that. For now I'm just going to limit my portions and cut back on fast food during the weekends. I need to eat more fruits and drink less. I don't drink juice or soda(except when drinking sometimes) so that's a good thing. Also don't eat a whole lot of pasta, rice, never eat dessert(except special occasions) and don't eat candy. Occasional tortilla chips and popcorn. Need to cut these out too I suppose.

Jeebus this is long. Sorry to anyone that read this whole thing. Anyway time to get going! Wish me luck!

First workout was Monday. Getting back in the swing of things so don't laugh at my numbers plz.

Squat
3x5x65

Bench
3x5x65

DL
3x5x80

I think I'm gonna increase DL by 20lbs on Friday and then go from there. Bench I might go up 20 also but on second thought I'll probably just go up 10.

Slow n' steady wins the race. Good luck!

Also add good protein and vegetables to your diet as these foods will improve energy and promote muscle gain and fat loss.

Yeah I think I'm gonna purchase a whey protein powder to help with that and also help me get more meals in during the day which is an area I'm lacking in as well. I'm gonna do a search but if anyone has any cheap/good suggestions for a certain brand I'm all ears. I'm a college student so no super expensive ones please.

Oh and I eat veggies with most meals except sometimes breakfast so I excluded them but it probably wouldn't hurt to try and eat more of those too.

I just got 100% Gold Standard Whey by Optimum Nutrition (EXTREME MILK CHOCOLATE) and it tastes awesome with milk. I use Nectar roadside lemonade with water, kind of clumps and is alright tasting.

Back from the gym.

Squats
3x5x75

Press
3x5x55

Rows
3x5x55

I need to buy some smaller shorts. These are too baggy and when I go to the bottom of the squat and try to push my legs outward the shorts kinda grab my knees and keep them in.

During and after my squats my lower back was kinda hurting and tightening. I may be doing something wrong with my form. It feels o.k. now though.

My Post workout meal right now is a 3oz. pack of baby carrots. I need to eat something more substantial. Gonna go for some protein shakes in the future I think.

Sounds good, and the French Vanilla sounds good too. I remember a thread on here talking about flavors not too long ago. I'll check that out.

2 scoops a day is an o.k. formula right? Or maybe 2 scoops on lifting days and 1 on non-lifting days? Sorry I'm a n00b.

bb.com has some for an o.k. price (5 lbs ~$43) so I might try that unless someone else has a website with better prices.

I also use ON Gold Standard and purchased it for $42.99 with free shipping on Amazon. I have Vanilla Ice Cream which tastes decent and Double Rich Chocolate which I haven't tried yet but received free because Amazon messed up my order.

It's only 1 scoop per shake so the 5lb container should last you quite a while.



http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrit...1378732&sr=1-1

Good job on starting a program, keep at it. Diet is so crucial though, sounds like you need to adjust a few things there, there is a lot of good information on that in this forum so just search a bit and do some reading. Whey protein is good especially pre/post workout so definitely get some of that, and make sure you are getting good protein from other sources like chicken and beef. That, and eat your veggies and you are all good

Personally I find that I feel really good after only 3-4 days of eating good, clean food, it improves your energy levels, moods, sleeping patterns, everything basically.

Went to gym on Friday but was so busy this weekend I never updated.

Friday 1/9/09

Squats
3x5@85

Bench
3x5@75

Deadlift
1x5@100

My knee does seem to be getting sorer now. I guess I underestimated how injured it might actually be. I'm reluctant to buy a knee brace and then in a few months take it off and my right knee is way weaker than my left or something. I'm basically gonna just keep lifting through the pain until it becomes excruciating or my knee just pops.

FWIW I still have a full range of motion in my knee which I think is a good sign so far. There is a free health clinic at my school so I might try there to get help but it's a CC so the help probably isn't top notch.

I was planning to start HIIT this week but I think I'm gonna forego that for now. I may just get up an run a mile or something in my off days just to get some basic fitness levels back or play basketball but for now I'm not going to do HIIT even though I need to lose some weight.

Did any of you buy the shaker from bb.com? It's like 2 bucks, I dunno if it's any good but I was gonna buy it with the protein powder.

Just got back from the gym.

Monday 1/12/09

Squats
3x5@100

I screwed up here, I was only supposed to do 95. I was going to put those little things at the end to keep the weights from moving, but the ones that don't add extra weight(or a negligible amount I guess) had one missing so there was only one. Instead I used the big metal ones that screw in and are more secure, but also add 2.5 pounds. Oh well I got the weight up. Next workout I might only go up to 105 though to compensate for this mistake. What do you guys think?

Chin-ups
3 sets to failure(1 and a half chin-ups)

I'm officially a weakling. I did these instead of Pendlay Rows because I don't like doing Pendlay Rows and I don't think I'm ready for the Power Clean yet(though it does look fun). These also seemed to target my back muscles better anyway. But yeah I can't really do many which sucks.

Press
3x5@65

Think I'm gonna start going up in 5 lb increments from now. I mean I didn't fail any of the reps but it was harder. Maybe I'll give 10 lbs one more shot and see how things go.

Also I'm gonna start thinking about picking up a sport to help motivate me more. I'm thinking about golf because lots of my family members and friends play golf, but I'm not sure how beneficial strength training is for a sport like that. I did golf in high school for a few months but stopped once baseball season(my #1 sport then) started and never did it again. I know Tiger benches like 400 lbs or something so I guess strength training would help in that sport. I don't have a lot of money for clubs/lessons etc. so this may be difficult to get into.

Oh yeah and there were some big plates that looked like rubber. They were much bigger than the normal plates at the same weight. I'm assuming these are bumper plates that I can use on the Deadlift?

shakers are well worth it imo, otherwise you will have ridiculously gross lumpy shakes. mixing with a fork is nowhere near as effective as a shaker. good luck with your SS!

im not an expert so would be nice if someone would confirm/ deny, but i am under the impression that lots of bodyweight squats are good for knee rehab.

Wednesday 1/14/09

Squats
3x5 @ 110

Just decided to go up the 10 lbs. We'll see how it goes from here. I kinda wobbled a bit going down on one rep in my 3rd set, not from the weight but because my form was crap.

Bench
3x5 @ 85

Still not very difficult.

Deadlift
1x5 @ 120

I went up 20 lbs. on this because I don't want it to get left behind by the squat. Plus I still think I can go much heavier on this. And if I can squat 110 I should be able to DL more than that, I think. Next time I'll probably just go up 10 lbs since this time I actually broke a sweat.

I guess later on in my progression my squat will start to slow down before my DL and then I'll be doing a lot more on the DL? I'm not sure.

Also, apparently last workout I wasn't doing Chin-Ups, I was doing Pull-Ups. So tomorrow I guess I'll try Chin-Ups. I sorta wanna get to the Power Clean soon but my form still isn't 100% on the other exercises so it's probably best I wait for now.

My protein powder and shaker is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. I only ordered it yesterday so if it comes that quick that would be sweet!

I sorta guesstimated in my head the amount of protein I'm getting in my diet and I don't think it barely scratches 100g most days, so I definately need this, and need to add some more steak/eggs/chicken to my diet, but being a poor college student just buying a big tub is a bit more cost effective for me right now.

Knee doesn't feel too bad but I might put some ice on it just as a precaution. Actually now it's the muscles around my knee that have some pain, like my upper calf and lower hamstring, lower quad, as well as the front of my kneecap. Sometimes when I stand it does seem like it wants to go the other way now, but it never actually does. I'm gonna keep an eye on it but I'm not too worried about it.

Friday 1/16/09

Squat
3x5 @ 120

I think I need to read over this section in SS again(or probably the whole damn book). My upper quad area by my hip is hurting again like it did last time. And I dunno if you guys are superhuman or what but doing air squats I can keep my knees from moving forward at the bottom of the squat but with weight on my back it's near impossible.

Press
3x5 @ 75

The last rep on the last two sets was difficult to get up so I may only be going up 5 lbs next workout, unless someone wants to chime in and say when they started to have real difficulties on this exercise.

Chin-Ups
3 sets to failure, so 1.5, .75 and .5 which means I'm still a weakling.

Felt some light sharp pain in my knee when walking out the gym, but it's gone now.

Looking forward to having 2 days rest because my body is pretty beat right now. I got my protein in the mail yesterday though so that should help.

Edit: I also realized the link in my OP to my previous log is wrong due to a typo. This is it. So if anyone wanted to check it out for whatever reason. Maybe a mod can change it.

It's fixed

Have you ever looked into "Body For Life?" It seems perfect for you, but some on this board are going to slam it a bit. I'm a huge proponent for many reasons, all experience based.

No, I haven't even heard of it until now. The main reason I am doing SS is because everyone on this forum seems to love it and it's pretty simple. After a quick google it does seem interesting and I'll look into it some more. I like reading so maybe I'll check out the book as well.

Was there any reason in particular you thought it would be good for me?

Thanks tsearcher!

Monday 1/19/09

Squats
3x5 @ 130

To fix my knees going forward I took a little wider stance. I think(not sure) I have pretty broad shoulders for my height and my heels still seem to be under my shoulders and not way out past them, so I don't think it's quite sumo. My knees stayed behind my toes and didn't move.

Also there was a trainer teaching a client the squat in the power cage next to me, and used my bar location as an example. Then tried showing him the press, and mentioned DL and bench. Then the client goes "Are we gonna do any curls?" The trainer was like, "Umm, yea... uh no... We're gonna do chin-ups." "Are those like curls?" "Yeah, well, uh, they work the biceps. Let's get back to the press." lol. Maybe there's one trainer who sorta knows what he's doing?

Bench
3x5 @ 95

Deadlift
1x5 @ 130

This still doesn't feel too difficult but I'm just gonna stick to the 10 lbs I think. No need to rush.

Friday was my first exercise where I didn't experience serious DOMS. A little soreness but not much. Today it's the same after Monday's workout. I'm not sure if this is my body starting to adjust or if it's the protein shakes I've been drinking.

Also, I'm gonna start running a mile on my off days and then work up to 2 miles and eventually running a few miles everyday, even days I lift, with some HIIT on off days probably.

I'm beginning the application process for a firefighter position and I need to pass a Physical Ability Test which is basically 8-10 minutes with a 50lb weighted vest pulling, pushing, carrying and dragging stuff. The test doesn't look too difficult. If anyone is interested, this is a link to the orientation guide in PDF format that has a basic write-up on all the events.

Wednesday 1/21/09

Squats
3x5 @ 140

Press
3x5 @ 80

Yeah I only went up 5 lbs. I'm a pussy. I know.

Pull-Ups
1x2, 1x.5, 1x.5 all bw

I feel like just cutting these out tbh. And just do Pendlay Rows. They just seem like a waste of time since I can't do any at all barely.

Your pullups will improve pretty quickly if you keep at it. I could barely do 2 when I first started, 5-6 weeks later I can do 2x5,2x4 and quite a few more lower reps. When I was having trouble with them to begin with I would do as many as I could normally then do sets of fat man pullups where you lie down under a bar (smith machine is perfect) and pull yourself up horizontally.

What Deaders said.

To help you out, space apart your sets. Take long breaks in between. You'll be surprised at how fast you can improve on these.

if you can only get a few pullups total, just do them whenever you have a pullup bar available. That's at least 3x a week + more whenever you're near a school or park. I'd also start your workout with a set just for a little more work. Consider getting some kind of elastic bands or tubing that you can throw over the bar then put your feet on to give you some assistance.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll keep at it.

Not sure if I'm going to the gym tomorrow. Helped someone move today. And I'm helping another person move on Saturday. I'll see how my body feels tomorrow afternoon.

So I missed Friday and Monday. Monday ended up being ANOTHER day I helped with people moving, and that took ALL day so I never even had a chance to get to the gym.

With that said I kept my progession on the weights since in this down period I was routinely lifting heavy stuff anyway, so I figure I didn't lose any strength and may have even gained some strength.

Wednesday 1/28/09

Bench
3x5 @ 105

I did this first because I got to the gym later than usual and had to wait for 2 people for the squat rack even after warming up, so instead of doing a longer warm-up I just did this instead.

Squat
3x5 @ 150

My form still doesn't feel like it's quite there. I try to get the bar low on my back, but then my shoulder is uncomfortable which means I have to push my hands out wider. I just don't think I'm flexibe enough up top to get the bar really low yet.

Deadlift
3x5 @ 140

Finally got a 45 on each side which feels great so I can only imagine how much I'll be swingin my dick around when I'm lifting 3+ plates on each side.

Pull-ups
1xbw

Only one set. I'm gonna start doing these everyday and on my workout b just do DB swings until I feel comfortable enough to do the Powerclean.

I'm gonna need to focus on diet soon as spring/summer is approaching and after about 3 weeks or so I have maybe lost a pound or 2. I mean right now I'm not really trying to lose weight but eventually I need to lose some or else I'll end up staying a fatty or end up looking like Bob Sanders.

Gonna post some updated goals later on tonight or tomorrow to give myself a little extra motivation.

Im not sure about doing pullups after heavy DLs, I know after I finish the DLs I couldnt even imagine doing pullups. Also you are doing 3x5? You are supposed to warm up to 1 set at your 5 rep max.

Yeah that's a typo I only did the 1 workset, not 3. Point taken on the pull-ups. At this point the DLs are probably my easiest exercise to get through so the pull-ups didn't feel bad at all but I'll keep that in mind.

And here are some more defined goals for me to work towards for motivation. If they seem too modest or too lofty someone please point that out to me.

Goals

Get all my lifts to an intermediate level on the Basic Strength Standards chart before the end of this year. I want to lose weight eventually and figure I want to get down to about 170 so here are the numbers I need to achieve:

Squat - 260
Bench Press - 192
Deadlift - 300
Press - 130
Power Clean - 185

The chart jumps from 165 lbs to 181 lbs so I'm just estimating a number in between. I'm assuming my progress is gonna slow very soon because at 10lbs a workout I'll hit those squat and press numbers less than a month from now, and all the others before summer. We'll see how things go.

Also my body fat according to a home scale is 27.7%. Its probably not spot on but I'm sure it's a ballpark figure. I'd like to get this under 20% at some point, preferably before summer. I have to do some research to see what is attainable and ideal at 5'7" 170 without roids and still drinking but I think lower than 20% should be doable.

Right now I'm not sure on what cardio type goals I have but since I'm not working on that right now anyway I'll wait on those.