The Return of: The Weenie in the Squat Rack

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48mpg

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Well its been ~9 months since I've been to a gym. Very long, dramatic (to me at least) story short, life happens and today, I got back into the gym.

It has been way too long. Too many excuses to not get in for far too long.

From memory, these were my last working numbers (5 reps) from early September 2013:

BW: 183
Squat: 283.25
Bench: 180.4
Deadlift: 393.25
Row: 165
OHP: 115.5

(converted, for future convenience, from Kg and used micro plates so they are not even)

Previously, I made the switch from Stronglifts to Madcow and was ~6-8 weeks into Madcow and was making steady progress.

I plan on going back to Stronglifts scheme for now and see what happens.

I noticed I lost most of my weight within the first 2 months or so of not going to the gym, most noticeably from my lower body.

May 30, 2014:

First day back, I just wanted to get under the weight and get a feel for it again. Lots of warmup sets with lots of increments to where it felt like a good place to start. I didnt do any DLs because I know my legs will be shot these next few days anyhow.

BW: 167
Squat: 135
Bench: 95
OHP: 65

I'll pick up with these numbers from here. The plan is to go 3 days a week as work allows. I will be travelling a bit and will squeeze it in best I can.

Posting a log has really helped me keep on track and in a way held me accountable.
 
Sept 11

Squat: 95 x 2x5

shoulder started to hurt a bit after just a few sets at 95, decided to call it there
 
nov 10

squat: 275 x5
db bench: 50 x 3x10
db row: 55 x3x10

just riding the wave on squats,

db bench: felt really strong today and felt like pushing it, will take it a step up
db row: felt good too

was just feeling it today for some reason.. everything felt good and strong. squats are slowing down out of the hole, but feels good from the middle up
 
Dec 8

squat: 310 x 5
DB press: 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 x3 x 10
seated cable rows: 75, 90, 105 x 3 x 10
I, Y, W, L: 5 lb x 2 x 10

Squat: 310 felt good, was a grind but got them all up and had good control of the weight all the way up

still need to work out what to do with upper body. for the db presses, I tried to keep elbows from going pass the bench as I feel when I let them dip down and go too deep, thats when I strain my shoulders.
 
5/3/1 works so much better for me than SS or madcow. Ever tried it?
 
Sept 15

skipped yesterday, and it was killing me, so i decided to go in and try to do something with myself

did a bunch of lateral raises, front raises, presses, w's: 2x10 @ 10 lbs, 2x10 @ 7.5, 2 x10 @5

then cable machine, external rotation, internal rotation, curls and tricep pull downs, dont remember the weights or rep scheme, just did ~3-4 sets, of 8-10

rower/erg/C2: 4 x 500 @ ~2:00/ 500m pace

felt good just to do something. gotta figure out what to do about lower body.

I'll probably be traveling for work and a wedding for the coming 2 weeks, so I'll have to improvise a bit
 
nov 12

squat: 280 x5
db press: 30 x 8, 10, 8
DL: 325 x 5

squat: def getting heavier, but still doable and I feel form is still solid

db press, just didnt feel that strong at it, and I see now that I should've gone up

DL: felt better than the last time. I'm getting back into getting myself pumped up for the top set, so that really helps a lot
 
Dec 10:

squat: 230 x 5
db press: 30 x 10, 8, 8
DL: 335 x 5

squat: i think I'll alternate heavy sessions, or maybe heavy, light, heavy, 2 day off, repeat

db press: its a struggle to get all 3 sets in, and I still need to figure out what to do

DL: felt good this time.

looking to do a squat PR day before Christmas.
 
sept 17

more of the same.

It is not at all interesting to me but i know i need to keep doing it

4 sets at 10 lbs, added in KB rows with 40 lbs

didnt get on the rower, just not motivated. :/
 
Nov 15

squat 285 x 5
db bench: 55 x 8, 5, 5
db row: 55 x 8, 4, 4

I think i hurt my shoulder on DB bench. it felt super heavy and it just didnt feel right.
rows hurt too, somewhere around the scapular retractors, so i stopped short
 
Dec 12

squat: 240 x 5
db bench: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 x 5
cable row

i forgot my knee sleeves at home and mentally/psychologically just didnt feel right

cable row: something wasnt quite right, front side, right shoulder was feeling a pinch/cramp/something. so i didnt push it very much.
 
Sept 20

same same, i really need to do something for the lower body.

I upped the weight to 12.5.

will be travelling for work, but do have access to a gym so I'll be able to get something done.

Hopefully I can stay on top of my eating.
 
Nov 20

Squat: 290 x 5
db press: 30 x 3x8
DL: 335

Squats feel really good. ramp up sets feel fairly easy, until maybe the last one. top set is tough, but doable. concentrating more on forcing knees out as I lower down, hit bottom with knees pushed out hard and all the way up

shoulder was achey, so I wasnt sure what i was going to be capable of. it felt ok, so i went a ahead with it.

DL felt good.
 
I'll keep at SL for now since I've used it several times in the past and has worked great. when I'm towards the end of it, I'll look into 531 again.

browsing this forum, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one back at it after a lengthy break.

June 2

Squat: 135
Bench: 95
Row: 85

need to concentrate on form right now even though the weight still feels light. gotta start building the good habits.
 
Oct 10

its been a few weeks since getting in a workout. got pretty sick while travelling and aid off the gym. first day back. lost ~8 lbs in the mean time. no gym = less eating and less carbs

squat: 225 3x5
db bench: 45 3x8
db row: 60 3x8-12

felt so weak overall, but especially squats. my hamstrings got really tight while squatting, almost to the point of cramping. I'll play it by ear and work my way back up I figure I could use some volume now so will stay with 3x5s

switching to db for upperbody stuff for now. my shoulder doesnt feel great. dbs gives it the freedom of movement. I'm also going to be doing these with more of a BB type rep scheme and short rest periods.

when i try to do direct shoulder rehab type stuff, it aches a bit. but not when I'm doing db bench, press, rows. even doing some front/lateral raises with a light band, it aches a bit.
 
Nov 22

squat: 295 x 5
db bench: 50 x 5

squat was heavy, last rep was tough, but got it up

I think I need to rework my upperbody routine. As I was ramping up, it felt fine. 25, 35, 45 x 8 all felt fine. I went to 50 for my work sets and my shoulder didnt feel right. so i stopped after 5 reps. Not too sure what to do at this point as far as upper body goes.
 
June 4

Squat: 140
OHP: 65
DL: 225

i need to:

learn how to breathe while squatting again
learn how to OHP
remember do bring my longer socks when DL'ing
 
Oct 12

Squat: 135 5x5
DL: 225
db press: 30 3x8
pull up machine: 3x8
front & lateral raises: 3x8

legs were really sore today, had difficulty walking normally, esp stairs, so I took it a bit lighter and just went for movement and repetition. trying to come out of the hole. the last workout, i was very slow on the way up, so I was trying to get used to some speed again.

DL: grip has definitely fallen off quite a bit.

db press: doing these seated at the edge of a bench. not leaning into the back rest. was definitely a struggle. I am going with shorter rest between sets.

pull up machine: assisted machine. wide, narrow, neutral grip. adjusted the assistance accordingly,

raises: started at 10, dropped to 5 lbs, what a way to feel weak. such a struggle.

foam rolling and stretching to get my legs back. upper back still a bit tight from the rows, im assuming.

starting to eat more again as well, since I cut back a bit from not lifting, and being sick.
 
Nov 24

Squat 300 x 3
db press: 25 x 5x10
DL: 225

squat: i was falling forward on rep 2 & 3, so I stopped. will try it again next time

DB press: my right shoulder is still a bit achey on occasion, so i went lighter. I should probably just stop all together for a bit

DL: set at 185, my shoulder didnt feel right, i went for 225, but didnt feel confident to go on.

will take the weekend off for the holiday.
 
June 6

Squat: 145
Bench: 100
Row: 90

watched the So you think you can bench series again and did a bunch of warm up sets to figure some of it out. biggest improvement i can tell is from un racking the bar, after I adjusted the pegs up. I was unable to adjust the bench at my previous gym and had to kind of half rep / tricep extension the bar out. working on grip width and where to put my eyes, elbows, etc. Working on all of it basically.
 
Oct 14:

squat: 235 x3x5
DB bench: 45 x3x8
DB row: 60 x3x8

squats felt really heavy, but i was able to get them done. form was mostly good. gotta remember to tuck my chin instead of looking up. i did that a few times.

DB bench: trying to keep the rest periods to ~1-2 minutes. its closer to 2 before the last set. I need to look up some vids to see exactly how im supposed to do these

DB row: i think maybe 60 is a bit too heavy honestly. form kinda sucks on the last set. I also need to figure out how to do these properly

i tried some front raises with 10 lbs, but a few reps in, felt a pinch/pull/twinge in my shoulder. not too sure how to describe it, but it doesnt feel right
 
Dec 1

squat: 300 x 5
db bench: 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 x 10
seated row: 75, 90, 105 x 10
face pulls: ?? x 3 x 10

squats felt good. 260 felt surprisingly easy, last rep or two was a bit of a grind, but not too bad

db bench: was just going light because my shoulder still doesnt feel right. I need to work on some kind of program for upper body
 
June 9:

squat: 150
ohp: 70
DL: 235

ohp was like a steamy pile of poop, i might drop that down a bit and just do a ton of reps. bar path is all over the place, rocking towards my toes, elbows flaring, i've got a cold, but that doesnt excuse the crap form.

need to switch to over/under grip on top set :/ I might drop this back down too,

went to the gym about 6pm, was a bit crowded, might try going at 6am if i'm feeling motivated enough on wednesday.
 
Oct 18

squat: 240 x3x5
db press: 30 x3x8
DL: 235 x5
PU machine: 3 sets


squats: 3 sets were tough, the weight felt ok, but the 3 sets were difficult.
DB press: that last rep I barely got up
DL: feels light, perhaps I'll do more sets next time while its still light.
 
Dec 3

squat: 270 x 5
db press: 30 x 3x8
DL: 335 x 5

i could barely get the 5 reps at 270. I didnt even bother trying 310. my right quad was a bit sore/tight from the previous workout.

db pres: I'm not too sure what I'm doing. I have a few links saved and need time to read through and figure it out

DL: felt fairly light, but i think im rounding my lower back. I guess its still light enough that i can still pull it up with a round back. i need to work on that. Also need to sit back and pull it into me as well. Need to learn how to DL again as I havent done this heavy in a while.

I do think I'm having trouble recovering with only 1 day off, so I may not be stepping up weight on squats every work out. mabe just twice a week.

goal is to figure out upper body routine by the new year. and to move to madcow for squats & deads.
 
been sick and not sleeping and travelling for work,

June 16

squat: 155
bench: 105
row: 95

June 17:

slow run, ~1.5 miles. just trying to get back into it. I'd like to run twice a week eventually working up to a 2.5 and a slower ~4 miles maybe. not sure how long I can keep running and progressing with the lifting though. we'll see what happens. I'm going to say lifting is the priority. Although I'm moving up north this winter, so maybe running should be the priority for now as I can get outside whenever I want to.
 
Oct 20

squat: 185 2x5
db bench: 45 x3x8
db row: 55 x3x8

squat: my quads and the inner part of my hamstrings are still really tight. and my legs just felt weak/tired for some reason. may not be recovering enough. I'm trying to control my eating and not go all out chow down and trying to gradually add more food.

db bench: felt good/better on the last set. will try to do more than 8 reps i suppose.

db row: dropped to 55 lbs and felt like a more appropriate weight.

I'll try to see if I can continue to do 3x5 squats, if not, i'll drop to just 1 set of 5.
 
June 18:

Squat: 160
OHP: 65
DL: 245

OHP felt much better, I widened up my grip a bit

need to remember my long socks on DL day
 
oct 22

squat: 245 x5
db press: 30 x 10, 8, 8
DL: 275x5

one set of squats only. wussed out i guess. but felt good, on the lighter sets, im going forward a bit, I think i might be rushing it and loosing focus because the last set felt fine

press: last few reps are still pretty tough, feels light, but still tough at the end

DL: feels pretty light. grip is the weak spot. will need to go over under or chalk, or find a bar thats not bent, or all of the above
 
June 20:

Squat: 165
Bench: 110
row: 100

bench is feeling better than it ever has before. being able to adjust the rack height has done wonders, as well as taking a bit wider grip. coincidentally (most likely not) its a similar grip to what I was using for OHP the other day. just need to remember to keep my elbows from flaring out.

need to remember to make every squat rep as perfect as possible, its not very heavy right now, so I need to perfect the habit as much as I can. I get lazy sometimes and let form slip. I know the weight will soon catch up, at 15 lbs a week, itll come fast.
 
Oct 26

squat: 250 x5
db bench: 45 x3x8
db row: 55 x 10, 8, 10

squat: set is tough, slow at the bottom 2/3,
db bench: i think i need to try for more reps in the early sets that way I can push for the reps later

shoulder doesnt feel great. doesnt hurt while lifting, but i feel something is not right
 
June 23:

Squat: 170
OHP: 70
DL: 255

going to start looking into knee sleeves. it takes a while to get them warmed up and they are creeky
 
Oct 28

Squat: 255 x 5
db press: 30 x 12, 8, 8
DL: 290 x 5

squats felt good today, not as heavy as they were last time.

db press: the first set feels fairly easy, but the last few reps are a grind. I"m keeping to ~1.5 min rest. It takes ~ :30 sec to do the set, so I wait until the next whole minute.

DL: i dont think I was thinking of what weight to use as I was warming up, and I ended up on 295. feels good, I need to not set up so far forward and not have my back so horizontal at the start. doing that make sit a lot easier.

I need to cut back on carbs a bit, getting a little softer in the middle.
 
June 25:

Squat: 175
Bench: 115
Row: 105

bench is feeling good for the first time ever.

will most likely do rows at 105 again. I think i was rushing between sets.
 
Nov 1:

squat: 255 x 5 ( think i did 255, im not sure)
db bench: 45 x 12, 10, 12
db row: 55 x 10,8,10
 
June 28:

Squat: 180
OHP: 75
DL:260

OHP was a grind. will repeat this weight. still gotta figure out how to do them properly. I need to work on my mobility as well, i think i'm having a hard time getting the bar overhead without my shoulders/armpits turning out

gotta keep concentrating on my breathing, holding my gut in during reps.
 
Nov 3:

Squat: 260 x5
db press: 30 x 8, 10, 8
DL: 305 x5

squat: im not too sure what I did the previous time out, but I know I did 260 today. Felt really good, was heavy, but everything about it felt good

DB press: these are pretty awful, sometimes I feel a pinch on the top of my right shoulder if I try to lock it out. not sure if I'm even doing these properly, or if I should be doing incline instead. I'll need to do some research

DL: 305 felt really good, dead stop between each rep. pulls feel fast and easy.
 
Nov 5

squat: 265 x5
db bench: 50 x 3x8
db row: 60 x 3x8

squats still feeling good, heavy but everything about reps feel good

db press: feels really heavy and a bit unstable, but i feel like i can get a few more reps on the first set

db row: last few reps are tough and I'm swinging/rotating my torso to help it up.
 
July 2:

Went for my 1 RM in the big 3 for the Powerlift meet in the S&C.

I've only been back in the gym for about a month or so after 9 months off, so to be completely honest, I didnt feel 100% comfortable going for all out 100% max effort. And I've never actually gone for 1 RM before so i dont really know how to go about doing it except adding weight little by little and giving it a go.

Squat: 245
Bench: 150
DL: 345

Left the gym with some confidence for the coming workouts, knowing I can do the work sets that I have in front of me and looking forward to keeping the momentum going.
 
Nov 8

Squat 270 x5
db press: 30 x3x10
DL: 315 x5

press, got 3x10 so I'll go up to 35 next time and see how it goes.

DL: still feels a bit easy, but i feel like I was rounding my lower back. Maybe I wasnt lowering my hips enough when it was on the ground. still doing dead stop reps on the top set. I also think I had the bar too far into my hand and it was hurting.
 
July 5:

Squat: 190
Bench: 120
Row: 105


crap, i didnt update my log on my phone, so i redid the same weights on bench & row. no big deal.
 
July 7

squat: 195
OHP: 80
DL: 270

OHP felt good, been working on shoulder mobility and i think that has helped some. DL feel pretty easy right now. using over under on top set.
 
July 9

squat: 200
bench: 125
row: 110

squats are getting heavy for the last few sets. as expected. in the past, i've switched to 3x5 at about 225 or so

bench feels really good if I can keep my form right. if it gets sloppy, its a grind.
 
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