Endlessly Beginning, Forever Improving

[endlessscott]

This log is meant as a new beginning.

Two weeks ago, my girlfriend walked out on me for another guy, and I've felt lost ever since. I've had to leave our apartment and move back in with my parents, due to financial reasons. Looking back to why this could have happened, I can only think that I let it happen. Yes, she made the moves that led to the end, but if I were more of the man I wish I was, she couldn't have ever left me. We had been together three years, and were thinking marriage. Now that I think back, though, I wouldn't have married myself either. I have become a lazy, overweight, piss poor excuse for a man. I had to accept what happened, and though it has been hard, I've come to some positive conclusions. I'm young and alive, and that's all that matters. I have 300 lbs (bar included) of Olympic weight, and a heavy bag. It's time to carve myself out of stone, so to speak, into something I can be proud of, before I can think about being with someone else again.

I'm trying to take moving back in with the parents as a blessing from the Gods. This is where I came from, it is most of what I know. This is my life at its most primal and simplistic. Lift, work, eat, sleep. Bruce Lee said "simplicity is the key to brilliance", and I aim to prove him right. It's time to man up, to never let myself be walked upon again.

I've been on Sherdog a few years now, mostly lurking and not registering for a while. I've always admired S & P, though I rarely post. I look up to you guys for lifting expertise, and often for high comedy. I also regularly read stronglifts.com, and I've taken a lot from that site.

Here's my stats:

23 years old
6'3"
about 275 lbs.​

I've been very on and off with lifting, so my numbers are not impressive.

Beginning Page Ranking's (as of 4/26/08)
Bench: 195
Squat: 215
DL: 305​

None of those were horribly difficult for me, so I expect to break these.

Current PR's
Bench: 215 (5/1/08)
Squat: 385 (7/5/08)
DL: 415 (6/12/08)
​

Goals (for the time being)
Bench: 265
Squat: 405
DL: 405 (destroyed 5/12/08)​

For the routine, I'll pretty much be using the 5 x 5 detailed at StrongLifts 5

 

[Zerocrew1984]

sooooo, can i get her number?

just joshing.

Sounds like you've got a really solid plan and some awesome goals. Don't forget to check out the diet and supplement and conditioning forums as well. good luck!

 

[takeahnase]

Don't forget to check out the diet and supplement and conditioning forums as well. good luck!

Didn't expect that you had heard of those.

 

[endlessscott]

sooooo, can i get her number?

I'm still not happy about it, don't temp me with public number-sharing. Still makes me want to start "PMing the Noods" out of spite. Just kidding.

 

[endlessscott]

First day back with the parents, so I needed to hit the basement to try out my new weights. My dad, an old lifter and expert with makeshift ideas, rigged his old standard weight bench up to support the olympic size bar. I'm a little frustrated that I couldn't squat very well, as we're lacking in equipment. I tried the Zercher Squat off of the bench, but the height is weird and I can't really get under it very well. I dumped 185 on the floor like a little girl. Once my flexibility increases, perhaps I'll try to Zercher Deadlift it up and squat it. We also might try to boost a couple of sawhorses up to a Back Squat height as well. This is only temporary, as I'll be saving up for a rack soon.

My bench felt pretty solid, especially considering I'm running on a few hours of sleep after a day of heavy beer drinking and pizza/wing eating (Brother's NFL Draft Party). I am going to clean the diet up a bit, but lifting is the main concern for right now.

The routine today was a little disappointing, as I couldn't find a comfortable way to get some squats in, and I haven't figured a way to get a pull up bar or something to do dips on in the basement yet. My dad and brother sometimes get a little too into the body building-style isolation lifts, so I'll periodically trade them a round of curls to get them into a superset of deadlifts or squats. So if you see something like curls in here, don't flame me too harshly, it's only being used for barter.

Bench Press
5 x 135
5 x 155
5 x 175
5 x 205 (PR)
2 x 205

Zercher Squat
5 x 135
5 x 185

Shrugs
10 x 185
10 x 185
10 x 185

Tricep Extensions (yes, lame, I know)
10 x 40
10 x 50
10 x 50​

Next session will be much better. I'll figure out a way to squat safely, and deadlifts and overhead presses will start up again. I might throw in Bent Over Rows on my benching days, too. It was just good to test the waters today.

I ended it with 3 x 2 minute rounds Bas Rutten Boxing track on the heavybag. It's pathetic, I think I might keel over right now...

 

[fearfactory]

hey man, if you made a squat rack out of 4x4's w/ angle cuts, quick-crete, and some buckets... you could do a 5x5 w/ squats, deads, cleans, and OHPs. that's assuming you could lug the bar outside for OHP once a week.

good luck w/ what you're doing. it sounds like you're a humble person who's willing to make short term sacrifices for the long term good.

 

[endlessscott]

hey man, if you made a squat rack out of 4x4's w/ angle cuts, quick-crete, and some buckets.

I saw a thread earlier about makeshift squat racks. I might steal an idea out of there, at least until I just suck it up and spend the dough.

 

[endlessscott]

Today I did the Bas Rutten Tapes again.

7 x 2 minute rounds.

I got great sleep last night, so I think that really contributed to hitting a full 7 rounds. I feel excellent, and Bas Rutten is a god. No doubt about it.

 

[immovablestone]

Soon, any time you hear someone say the word "defense." you'll forcefully sprawl out onto the ground... Welcome to the club!

 

[endlessscott]

Soon, any time you hear someone say the word "defense." you'll forcefully sprawl out onto the ground... Welcome to the club!

Is that the All Around tape? Man, I'm already getting scared...

 

[endlessscott]

Mmm, protein shake...

So, I got bored tonight, and decided to go Deadlift, because I love DL more than any of it's brethren of iron. Nothing quite as sweet as ripping weight off the earth. I forget what I did with free time before I had college and living with someone. I don't want to overtrain or anything, but I'm really lonely and terribly bored at the parent's house. I keep forcing myself to remember how happy I was, and how it was my own fault that I let everything happen to put me here. I take it out on the weights, and I take it out on the bag. I stay angry at myself for letting it all come to this in order to start working out again. Right now, though, I feel like I can pull hundreds and hundreds of pounds off of the floor, but I stopped because I had barely any weight left. I'm hoping my George Bush check gets here soon, I want a few more plates and a squat rack!

I just found out earlier I won't be starting my new (temporary) job until Friday, as opposed to tomorrow as I had thought. That means I have 3 more days with nothing to do except lift, hit the bag, eat BBQ and Sher the Dog.

Deadlift
1 x 135
1 x 155
1 x 185
1 x 255
1 x 275
1 x 285 (largest in about 6 months)
​

I then screwed around with Power Cleans. I've never done them before, so I concentrated on form and technique over weight.

Power Clean (messing around)
1 x 95
1 x 95
1 x 95
1 x 95
1 x 95​

I'm loving getting back into the lifting, life has just been very strange lately. I'm still learning from everything that happened recently, and while I'm pretty much over the fact that it happened, I'm still mad at myself. It's also very strange adjusting to life like this. I feel like I'm 17 again. I'll be happier once I start working again, I just have all the time in the world to stew right now.

If you're looking at this log, feel free to leave something. I love reading comments and I'm usually lurking somewhere on the board. I don't care, anything. Make fun of me, leave a good criticism, post a lolcat, I don't really care hehe. I just like reading stuff in here.

 

[endlessscott]

Just finished 5 x 2 minute rounds Bas Boxing. Felt tired, and I want to save some for lifting tonight. Any recommendations as to when I should move into 3 minute rounds? Say, after I can do 10 2 minute rounds or something? Any advice appreciated.

 

[endlessscott]

Just finished up a decent lift with my dad. We were kicking around ideas for a rack, and we decided to try and build one. We took some ideas from a site that had been linked in another thread, Clutch Fitness Ultimate Guide to Constructing a Personalized Home Gym. I think we're going to start working on it this weekend, or shortly thereafter. I'll be sure to put up some pictures during construction. Here's what we did today:

Seated Overhead Press
6 x 95
5 x 105
5 x 105
5 x 105
5 x 105

Close-Grip Bench
8 x 105
5 x 105
8 x 105

Bent Over Rows
5 x 135
5 x 135
5 x 135
5 x 135
5 x 135​

I feel good about it. Nothing was terribly big today, but I feel a good burn, especially in conjunction with all the Bas rounds I've been doing. I'm still bored out of my mind, but I have been looking forward to my workouts, which is a change. Yeah, and I got GTA 4 today. Life is ok.

 

[endlessscott]

Rest Day. I'm tired and there are hot wings calling me out.

 

[endlessscott]

Good workout today. I quickly find myself in need of more plates, though. The economic stimulus checks need to get here ASAP. Here it is.

Deadlift
1 x 235
1 x 255
1 x 295
1 x 300
1 x 300​

I need more weight for DLs. It was a good lift, but I can do more. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a bit.

Bench
8 x 135
5 x 155
5 x 175
3 x 195
3 x 195
1 x 215 (PR)
3 x 185
8 x 135​

That's a lot of sets. The Dubbz (my dad's nickname, as hereafter he will be known as) wanted to pyramid back down. It felt great, and the only struggle was that 215.

Power Clean
1 x 135
1 x 135
0 x 135 (dropped)
1 x 135
1 x 135
1 x 135​

I think I've found a new favorite. The 135 felt pretty good, heavy but I wasn't dying under the bar.

I think I will be hitting the heavy bag in a few hours. I'll be back then.

 

[enright3060]

keep up the good work dude

 

[KazenoYojimbo]

Ask and you shall receive.

 

[endlessscott]

Ask and you shall receive.

I'm truly honored.

 

[endlessscott]

Complete 4 x 2 minute Bas Thai. I felt like something different, so I tried it out. I haven't kicked anything in ages, so I was worried my old TMA techniques wouldn't hold up and I'd destroy my legs, but it was surprisingly smooth. I'm draining sweat all over right now, and I'm pretty pumped up about it. My flexibility isn't great right now, so it was all low kicks to the bag, with the occasional right mid kick thrown in. I'll work in some more stretching. I stretch before I lift and such, but I feel perhaps I should do 5-10 mins of stretching before bed too. Any advice?

 

[endlessscott]

I only got through 4 x 2 minute Bas Thai rounds this morning. I think the lifting and heavy bag 4 times a week is catching to me already. I've been eating a lot, and pretty decently. The sleep has been quite abundant too. Perhaps I'm just not in shape enough for all the exercise I'm doing lately. I barely made it through my rounds today. I wasn't throwing nearly as hard as I can in the last round, either. I'm just tired, man. Oh well, I'll take a day or two off now and pick up where I left off.

There's a chance I might be beginning construction on my squat rack this weekend. As promised, there will be pictures and such of construction. I might even draw up the blueprints in Google Sketch-Up and put pictures of that up. We have a good idea, and I think Dubbz and I will put it up pretty nicely.