[RredRrover]

As stated in the title, my real aim is just to train and lift. No desire to get in the ring, no aspirations for strongman competition. My only goal is to get stronger and leaner. To lift and eat and punch, and be healthy and happy.

I'm enjoying the gains I've made since switching over from hypertrophy to strength-focused lifting. It's seen me break my long-hated bench plateau, my squat go up 70 pounds in three months, and my OHP skyrocket with no end in sight. It's also seen me go from struggling to complete a single pullup to being able to bang out a few on a whim. For a fat bastard like me this is an achievement.

Currently on my fifth and final week of the BSR 5x5. Taking a week off for the holidays.

So, to start:

Week 1 of the BSR 5x5:
Bench: 195x5
Squats: 225x5
Deadlifts: 295x5
OHP: 115x5
Barbell Rows: 205x5
Pullups were a struggle.


Fast forward to Week 5:
Bench: 225x5
Squats: 275x5
Deadlifts: 335x5
OHP: 155x5
Barbell Rows: 255x5
Pullups now at 6+ on command. Opposite grip. Once this reaches 10 the dip belt goes on.

Body weight: 215 (not 230's as mistakenly reported before. The scale I was weighing myself on is busted.)


This is my starting point. Boxing training -- my cardio is currently garbage, but my technique is improved vastly with analysis and second opinions. Hand speed and hitting power are better than ever. Coordination and drills are sharp but always room to improve. Slips are... improving. Can rope jump for a good few minutes at a time before I want to vomit. Also want to ditch the flubber impeding my jumps, I'm around 25-28% body fat.

Another goal for '08 is starting Olympic lifting. This is a ways off as flexibility is a big issue at the moment. Front squats are hard as I can't rig my arms to keep more than my fingertips on the bar when it's on my collarbone. I still round once I hit parallel on back squats. Zercher DLs are impossible without about 4 inches under each plate.

But, it doesn't hurt my shoulders to get under the bar for squats anymore. That's a start.


Off to eat like a horse back at my parents' place. I've got about 80 pounds of my old sand weights and a lot of trees to do BW exercises for a laugh.

More to come in the new year.

[RredRrover]

1/2/07.

Got myself a new pair of 16 oz gloves for christmas.

Day 1 of BSR, again.

Bench: 225x5x5.
- Struggled at the end of the final two sets. Havent been near a barbell in two weeks which might be why.

Squats:
Front Squats: 185x5x3
Wrists started to hurt too much.
Back squats: 275x5x2.
- After being chewed out by the mean S&P bullies I sucked it up and tried front squats sans padding. Actually was more comfortable once I got it resting on muscle and not bone. It's what I was doing wrong before -- I had it across my collarbone and on my windpipe. No wonder I hated them so much.

Dynamic Rows:
- 225x5x5. Nothing fancy. Will be upping the weight next week.


Cardio:
- Put on the gloves, nine rounds. 3 minutes per round, one minute break. Jump rope, heavy bag and shuffles. Three rounds of each. My right shoulder hurts and I feel the bones in my hands aching again. I also nearly died towards the end of each round, Hopefully the shoulder isnt as bad as last time where I tore fibers and needed a couple weeks to recoup.

Also, ever get so gassed that you THINK you're jumping but your feet aren't leaving the ground? Yeah. Conditioning is a big goal of mine this year.

Also, my gym is moving next door, more floor space. They're putting in an indoor track. I'm anxious to start running.

[RredRrover]

Warmup consisted of light bag work and jump rope. No need to reinjure my shoulder.

Standing OHP:
115x5x1
135x5x1
155x5x2
135x5x2
- Couldn't move the bar at the fifth set so I knocked off the dimes.

Front Squat:
135x5x1
185x5x4
- Simple and straightforward. Finding a sticking point towards the higher end of the lift, where my hips shift to upright from the Z. I'm ass-to-flooring it and the curlmonkeys are starting to stare. I'm gonna have 911 on standby the next few nights if they try this.

Deadlift:
225x5x1
295x5x2
315x5x2
- I have the S&P to thank for correcting my form. Wasn't leaning back far enough and my ass kept going up. this feels much better.

Pullups:
BWx5x5. Nothing fancy, trying to spread out my grip. Still stuck on parallel. Shoulders hurt a bit.

Cardio:
Couple rounds footwork, sprints, burpees. Bag work for rounds till my hands throbbed like hell. I have little t-rex hands, hitting the bag full force (combinations, I don't throw bombs), even with wraps and 16s on makes them hurt like utter hell. I hope they break in before something goes snap. This is frustrating.

as i was typing my left pinky bone started throbbing painfully. this is bad

[RredRrover]

Took a couple days to let my hand mend. My joint swelled up pretty good. Still kinda tender. Gonna test it again tonight and see after training.

Restocked my supplements.

Will log training later.


...ended up not training. Work issues. RRGH

[RredRrover]

1/10/08

Late night training rocks. Especially if you work at the gym. You can grunt (who's gonna stop me?), sprinkle chalk all over the floor (I clean the damn place anyway) and use the good bars kept in storage as backups.

I wipe off all chalk on the bars to avoid leaving evidence, by the way.

Did bench yesterday. 245x5x5. Had to stop after that as it was shockingly busy for the wee hours of the morning.


Today's Training:

OHP:
135x5x1 warmup
155x5x4
- I'm oddly plateaued here. I struggle to get the last reps off in the last couple sets. Like shaking, slowly moving, occasionally stalling struggle.

FS:
205x5x5
- Nearly killed myself in the second set, started tipping backwards standing after going wuper low, had to throw the bar off. Doing these in the power rack from now on.

DL:
305x5x1
325x5x1
345x5x3
- Great day for DLs. For once I remembered to wear pants so I could scrape shins all I wanted.

Chins:
BWx8x1
BW+25x5x4
- Felt like chins instead. Pullups next time.

Cardio:
- No boxing. I have a gym to help the cleaner clean and not a lot of time to do it.



EDIT:
I said yesterday I restocked supplements. This means ephedrine, the ISS Vitamin Pak (They come in little individual packets of horse pills and geltabs. When they say take them with food they mean it, the first day I scoffed at this and proceeded to piss bright green vitamin-smelling urine a couple hours later) and a big tub of QuickMass.

Oh god is QuickMass ever tasty. Even if it had no nutritional value whatsoever I'd still buy it as my cheat drink of choice.

[RredRrover]

Bench:
205x5x1
225x5x3
Got cocky, so...
250x2x1 + 225x1x1

So much for the cockiness. Also with one of the bouncers who comes in to train, I attempted 275. Ain't happenin' yet.

Squats:
225x5x1
275x5x2
295x3x1
225x9x1 (finisher. felt like it, was bummed after firing off two perfect 295 squats only to grind to a near halt halfway through the third. Getting better at exploding out of paralell. Still can't break it though.)

Dynamic Rows:
225x5x3
265x5x2

Finisher - attempted power cleans
135x6x1
155x3x1
175x3x1

At least I know my power clean weight. Gonna incorporate these somehow.

Go me.

[RredRrover]

Monday:
Bench:
185x5x1
225x5x2
245x5x2

Squat:
205x5x1
225x5x1
245x5x1
275x5x1
245x5x1
- Got shaky legs fifth set, didn't feel like failing.

Rows:
205x5x1
225x5x2
245x5x1
225x5x1
- noticed form failure towards the end of the fourth set, dropped weight.



Wednesday:
OHP:
115x5x1
135x5x2
155x5x1
145x5x1

Front Squat:
135x5x1
185x5x2
205x5x1
185x5x1

DL:
225x5x1
295x5x1
315x5x1
355x5x1
315x5x1
- Couldn't budge the bar fifth set, knocked the weight off to 315. I seem to be lacking muscular endurance. All my explosiveness goes the second I start to fatigue.

Pullups:
- Dicked with Pulldowns for a laugh. Can't remember the weight.




Personal note: I'm being laid off at the end of the month. I would have quit ages ago except I was promised a huge bump up if I stuck around. It finally came and I was offered 20 hours a week, from 9PM till 1:30AM. I don't have a car these days and bus service to here ends at midnight. They would have put me as having quit if I didn't remind them of this.

I'd been bucking for a sales job and was told I'd be "considered" everytime one opened up. The last one went by and no one even told me anything.

fuckin' assholes.