A beginner's training log

[sol255]

Hi,
Started lifting to help me to lose weight, now I find I really enjoy lifting and the side benefits it provides (I have never slept this well!) I started out 8 weeks ago. Since I work an office desk, was very out of shape, and had a previous shoulder injury I started out with very light weights and have worked my way up.

I started out this program:
Squat x1
Straight leg Dead lift x2
Incline bench x2
Dips x1
Chins x1
Row x2
Shrugs x2
Shoulder press x1
Lateral Raise x1
Rear delt x1
Curls x2
Tri x1
Calf raises x2
Abs x1

Since I am cutting, I am going to extend the 5’s for another 4 weeks, then going on vacation, SD and diet break for 9 days (Diet break will actually be for 18 days, so the last week of the lifting I will be doing 5’s at maintenance calories.) I plan to return and start with 10’s

My stats:
Age: 38
1/17/2010, 5’11, 207 lbs, waist 42 bf est. 28.5%
3/18/2010 5’11, 195 lbs, waist 38 bf est. 22%

So far I have not been feeling burned out by the workout, but after reading the simply to win thread I thinking of tailoring down my workouts to:

Squat x2
Straight leg Dead lift x2
Incline bench x2
Dips x2
Chins x2
Row x2
Calf raises x2
Abs x2

Thank you all, please feel free to comment.

 

[_tim]

A couple questions. Is the "tailored" workout what you do every time you work out? Also - you mentioned weight loss as an original goal; does that remain true? Do you have any other goals that you're looking to achieve?

I have quite a few things to say, but want to understand where you are before I open my trap.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[electric]

Like tim I would also like some more information on your routine. Is it full body 3x a week? Are you following a vanilla HST routine or something else? What do you mean by "Lift x1" or "Other lift x2"?
In any case, congratulations on your results so far and welcome to the board.

 

[sol255]

Thank you for the welcome. Yes, I am doing this workout every time I work out.
Weight loss and lean mass retention is still my primary goal, but since I have truly enjoyed lifting and controlling my diet I plan to bulk after I hit 10-12% bf. I will turn 40 in late July of 2011 and I would like to have at least an additional 10 lbs of muscle and 10% bf for my birthday. I figure it would be a good way to welcome my 40’s.

Diet/supplements
Workout days about 2200 cals
210 proteins
230 carbs
50 fats
Non-workout days 1800 cals:
120 proteins
140 carbs
50 fats
Creatine 5 grams daily
10-gram fish oil
Started EC stack 2 weeks ago

 

[sol255]

Like tim I would also like some more information on your routine. Is it full body 3x a week? Are you following a vanilla HST routine or something else? What do you mean by "Lift x1" or "Other lift x2"?
In any case, congratulations on your results so far and welcome to the board.

Thank you for the welcome!

Yes the routine is full body 3x a week. the x1 x2 is the number of reps. I am doing a vanilla HST routine, but with no negatives since I don't have a spotter. With the light 15's and 10's I did more reps and I have started adding a drop set to some of the 5's

 

[electric]

Thank you for the welcome!

Yes the routine is full body 3x a week. the x1 x2 is the number of reps. I am doing a vanilla HST routine, but with no negatives since I don't have a spotter. With the light 15's and 10's I did more reps and I have started adding a drop set to some of the 5's

I take you mean the x1 and x2 are the number of sets? I think that Squating for 2 sets AND Straight-leg Deadlifting for 2 sets 3 times per week is going to be a lot of volume. The same thing goes for Bench and Dips. On the 10s you'll be doing 10x2x2x3 reps per week for the chest (10 rep sets, 2 sets per exercise, 2 exercises per muscle group, 3 times per week). The idea is that you do Squat alternated with the deadlifts, Bench alternated with Dips and Rows alternated with Chins. That means that, for example, on Monday you do Squat, Dips and Rows and on Wednesday you do Deadlifts, Bench and Chins and on Friday you go back to Squat, Dips and rows. Considering you are doing one exercise for each muscle group you can do 1 set during the 15s, 2 sets during the 10s and 3 sets during the 5s. If you get the feeling that is too little volume you can up to 2 sets during the 15s, 3 sets during the 10s and 4-5 sets during the 5s decreasing to 3 sets on the last part of the 5s due to the heavy loads.

Most importantly do what you feel is right, but remember that one of the most common errors is doing too much.

 

[_tim]

I completely agree with electric - the volume could become very troublesome for your CNS (central nervous system) as time goes on if you keep all the lifts on the same workout. Taking the simplify and win approach is very smart - and I think over time you may simplify the routine even further. It just happens as folks spend more time here.

Given your goals, I wouldn't ignore the 15's. I know a ton of folks do just that, but it can be almost metabolic in nature as the loads progress and can add significant amounts of endurance that will come in quite handy as time goes on. The caloric burn through the 15's can be ignored either - high-rep work is ideal for burning stored fat. Also - don't discount the value of cardio for burning fat. You'll see faster rates of fat burn if you add cardio to a workout. Even 10-15 minutes of moderate intensity activity will be very effective for you.

Best of luck!

 

[sol255]

Hi Electric,
Thank you for the advice! I do want to make this work for the long term so avoiding common pitfalls is helpful. You are correct I did mean of sets. Sorry to ask some newbie questions. Dips and rows are my two least favorite exercises, and I love doing chins and benches. What is the detriment of not doing dips/rows vs. only doing chin/bench or are the results are similar and the change is only to prevent boredom?

 

[sol255]

I completely agree with electric - the volume could become very troublesome for your CNS (central nervous system) as time goes on if you keep all the lifts on the same workout. Taking the simplify and win approach is very smart - and I think over time you may simplify the routine even further. It just happens as folks spend more time here.

Given your goals, I wouldn't ignore the 15's. I know a ton of folks do just that, but it can be almost metabolic in nature as the loads progress and can add significant amounts of endurance that will come in quite handy as time goes on. The caloric burn through the 15's can be ignored either - high-rep work is ideal for burning stored fat. Also - don't discount the value of cardio for burning fat. You'll see faster rates of fat burn if you add cardio to a workout. Even 10-15 minutes of moderate intensity activity will be very effective for you.

Best of luck!

Ok, I will not ignore the 15's on my return from SD. I had being doing cardio of heartrate of plus 140 bpm 3x a week for 15-30mins. I stopped to accommodate the 5's, but I was going to return them now that I feel energized (and will be cutting the lifting volume.)
I also walk about an hour every day(dog). Thank you for the advice!

 

[sol255]

Ok, I will not ignore the 15's on my return from SD. I had being doing cardio of heartrate of plus 140 bpm 3x a week for 15-30mins. I stopped to accommodate the 5's, but I was going to return them now that I feel energized (and will be cutting the lifting volume.)
I also walk about an hour every day(dog). Thank you for the advice!

I have heard pro and cons of cardio right after lifting, what is the consensus here for fat loss? Cardio after lifting or different day.

 

[electric]

Hi Electric,
Thank you for the advice! I do want to make this work for the long term so avoiding common pitfalls is helpful. You are correct I did mean of sets. Sorry to ask some newbie questions. Dips and rows are my two least favorite exercises, and I love doing chins and benches. What is the detriment of not doing dips/rows vs. only doing chin/bench or are the results are similar and the change is only to prevent boredom?

Dips and bench are very similar in the muscles worked. Some people have a lot of good results with dips and usually less shoulder problems than with bench. If you really dislike them I don't think there is much loss in doing only bench presses. Rows and chins work somewhat different muscles. Rows work upper back (rhomboids) and chins work the lats more. I wouldn't recommend dropping rows. You can try different kinds of rows to see which you like the most, you can do chest supported, t-bar rows, unilateral db rows, bent over bb rows, pendlay's rows...

 

[_tim]

There's one thing I want you to try. Do very moderate cardio before your workout - no more than 10 minutes. I personally have seen insane results just from adding a tiny bit of moderate cardio before I lift. That may be a nice tool for you to have. Post-workout cardio is 100% dependent on how you feel; if you do heavy 5's and your legs are dead, walk a little bit, stretch and go home. On off days, the same basic thing applies; if you have insane DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) in your legs, it makes no sense whatsoever to do cardio. Pay close attention to what your body tells you, and you'll know what is right in terms of how you apply cardio. You're going to read pro's and cons about almost anything related to working out; the thing is, you have to learn what works for you, and that only comes with experimenting.

 

[sol255]

Thank you all for your advice! I think this is what I am going to try for the rest of my 5's 3x a week. I think this will keep the volume down closer to advised levels and I get to do the exercises I like. Please feel free to keep comenting.
Tim great comment on the cardio. I will pay attetion to what my body says and do cardio as needed. I feel good today so I will do 20 mins of cardio. (off day)

10 mins of moderate cardio
Squat (2 set)
Incline bench (2 set)
Straight leg Dead lift (1 set)
Chins ( 2 set)
Calf raises (2 set)
Row (2 set)
crunches (2 set)

 

[sol255]

Thank you all for your advice! I think this is what I am going to try for the rest of my 5's 3x a week. I think this will keep the volume down closer to advised levels and I get to do the exercises I like. Please feel free to keep comenting.
Tim great comment on the cardio. I will pay attetion to what my body says and do cardio as needed. I feel good today so I will do 20 mins of cardio. (off day)

10 mins of moderate cardio
Squat (2 set)
Incline bench (2 set)
Straight leg Dead lift (1 set)
Chins ( 2 set)
Calf raises (2 set)
Row (2 set)
crunches (2 set)

Ok after more reading and deciding to have an open mind to the advice I seeked, I will try the following for the rest of my 5's:

10 mins of moderate cardio
Squat/Deadlifts, (3 sets)
Bench/Dips (3 sets)
Chins/Bent over Rows (3 sets)
Calves raises (2 sets)
Crunches (2 sets)

--Thanks!

 

[_tim]

Best of luck, sol. Please be sure to post your loads/sets for each workout with your comments so we can follow. That can be invaluable as time goes on.

 

[sol255]

March 19,

10 mins of cardio
Squat 3 sets of 5's 185 lbs
Bench 3 sets of 5's 135 lbs
chins 3 sets of 5's bw

 

[sol255]

March 22

I have 12 workouts left before vacation. I will do the workout below for the rest of the 10 workouts and leave two workouts to get new 15 and 10 maxes. I decided not to introduce deadlifts now and wait for the next cycle to introduce them.

A/B
10 mins of cardio
Squat 3 sets of 5's
Incline Bench 3 sets of 5's
Dumb bell bent over rows/Chins 3 sets of 5's
Crunches/

When I return I plan on doing a vanilla HST cycle and try to extend the 5's for cuttings.

A/B
10 mins of cardio
Squat/ Deadlift
Incline Bench/Dips
Dumbell bent over rows/Chins


March 22:

10 mins of cardio
Squat 3 sets of 5's 185 lbs
Incline Bench 3 sets of 5's 135 lbs
Dumb bell bent over row l 3 sets of 5's 55lbs

 

[_tim]

How are you liking the pre-lift cardio, sol?

Also - how are you progressing your loads? Looks like they are the same for the 19th and 22nd.

 

[sol255]

How are you liking the pre-lift cardio, sol?

Also - how are you progressing your loads? Looks like they are the same for the 19th and 22nd.

Tim,

The cardio before the workouts feels right, I will keep doing it as part of my warm ups. I have not done any additional cardio as I have being doing yard work instead. Once the yard work is under control for spring I will add more cardio. About my weight progression 15 years of a desk job has left me with those numbers as my max. My strength level is still increasing, but I don't want to push to fast and hurt something. I plan on one more work out at those numbers on Friday and adding 10 lbs to Squats, bench and chins and 5 lbs to rows for the next 3 workouts and the see about adding more weight to following workouts depending on how I have adapted to the weight.

11 workouts left before vacation.

March 25:
10 mins of cardio
Squat 3 sets of 5's 185 lbs
Incline Bench 3 sets of 5's 135 lbs
Dumbell bent over rows 55 lbs

 

[_tim]

About my weight progression 15 years of a desk job has left me with those numbers as my max. My strength level is still increasing, but I don't want to push to fast and hurt something.

I completely agree that you don't want to do anything that might end up with you being hurt. At the same time, I want to be sure that you haven't overreached too early. One of the hallmarks of HST is load progression; what you ultimately want to do through a cycle is end up at your maxes for a given rep range and then push through them in a periodized fashion. Meaning - if your 5-rep squat max is 185, I'd think that you start your 5's at 165, progress to 175 the next week, then to 185, and if you have more room to go, 195. From there, you have a couple options - drop to another rep range and keep progressing (I did 2's next), or switch to negatives. I totally understand that you want to make the most of your time before your vacation, but at the same time I want to be sure that you understand how to structure your cycle. If you stagnate at a particular load for too long, your body will adapt to it. TRUST ME, that's not what you want to do. Again, I'm not advocating you do anything that would have you improperly overreach, but at the same time I don't want to see you make a mistake in your training early on that will adversely impact your results.