A Semi-Newbie's Training Log - HST/Stronglifts Hybrid

Was at another gym today so I didn't have any magnetic weights. Also had to move fast because I was on the clock.

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Squat: 2x5 115lb (don't think I put the 5lb on each side I planned on...oh well, will do it next time)

Bench: 1x15 55lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 + 15lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 1x15 35lb dumbbells

Dumbbell Curls: 1x15 25b dumbbells + 1.25lb

Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 (did an extra set without thinking) 155lb
 
Squat: 3x5 125lb

Bench: 1x15 57.25lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 + 20lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 1x15 40lb dumbbells

Dumbbell Curls: 1x15 30b dumbbells + 1.25lb

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Everything went fine except for OHP. 13 reps. What the...better be nervous system catching up to new movement.
 
Squat: 3x5 135lb

Bench: 1x15 57.25lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 + 20lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 1x15 40lb dumbbells

Sumo Deadlift: 1x5 165lb

Dumbbell Curls: 1x15 30b dumbbells + 1.25lb

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Everything went fine today. I fear squat might start to slow down a bit but we'll have to see.

Got 1 more rep on Dumbbell Military Press than I did last session.
 
15 rep maxes today

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Squat: 3x5 145lb

Bench: 1x15 62.25lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 + 25lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 1x15 40lb dumbbells

Dumbbell Curls: 1x15 35b dumbbells + 1.25lb
 
Posting this one day late.

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Squat: 3x5 155lb

Bench: 1x15 62.25lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 + 25lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 1x15 40lb dumbbells

Sumo Deadlift: 1x5 175lb

Dumbbell Curls: 1x15 35b dumbbells + 1.25lb

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Squat continuing to rise, though it might be slowing down a bit. Sumo Deadlift felt much easier than the last time I pulled 175lb. Bench and pullups feel hard; felt like 25lb for pullups is my 5 rep max whereas I maxed out with 35 last cycle...and I missed 2 more reps on bench (got 12 reps instead of 14 like last time). Luckily it's time to zig zag so let's hope they rise up.

Ironically I got all reps for the first time on mil press, though it's still lower than where I want it (1 arm OHP I could do more weight).
 
Didn't have my from-home equipment today so didn't have my 1.25lb magnet weight set and didn't have my dip/pullup weight belt.

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Squat: 3x5 160lb (nearing my max)

Bench: 2x10 57.25lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 @ BW

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 2x10 35lb dumbbells

Dumbbell Curls: 2x10 32.5b dumbbells
 
Squat: 3x5 170lb (nearing my max)

Bench: 2x10 57.25lb dumbbells

Pullups: 3x5 + 15lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 2x10 35lb dumbbells + 1.25lb

Sumo Deadlift: 1x5 190lb

Dumbbell Curls: 2x10 32.5b dumbbells

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New PR on Sumo DL, still working on form. When I put the bar almost flush at my shins like a lot of guys do with sumo, I find I have too much forward lean, whereas Sumo DL is supposed to be an more upright movement than the conventional DL.

Squat is rising. 170lb for 5 and felt very strong on the first set. I might be able to pump out 180lb but I'm still afraid of not having a power rack, and from the looks of the guy I asked to spot me today (no offense to him), and most of the people who work out in my gym, they would fail at spotting and I'd tear an ACL lol.

Second set of bench, the 2.5lb magnet weight on the left dumbbell fell off on the first or second rep and hit me in the face. Lol city :cool:.

Shoulders feel meh. All crackly on pullups. Need to start some mobility drills/myofascial release and maybe throw in a rowing movement.

Everything else was self-explanatory.
 
TangoDown said:
Shoulders feel meh. All crackly on pullups. Need to start some mobility drills/myofascial release and maybe throw in a rowing movement.
Click to expand...

Shoulder injuries are the worst... One thing that works for me is shoulder "pre-hab"... that is, re-hab type exercises that you do in order to prevent injury. Basically, with rubber bands you work your rotator cuff: internal rotations, external rotations at a minimum. Couple sets take minutes and since the muscles are small, you don't need much to get them burning nicely.

When I was doing these regularly, at least 3x weekly, I never had any shoulder issues. It is only when I stopped doing them, right around when I started HST (and included overhead presses) that i injured my rotator cuff... If I would have just kept doing my pre-hab, I probably never would have injured my rotator.

I've been working these pre-hab exercises back into my workouts, 3x weekly, and in only a couple weeks I can already feel a big difference. Hopefully will be back to 100% in another week or so.

Also, on your chinups or pull ups, make sure you are pulling your shoulder blades together throughout the movement, but especially at the bottom of the movement, don't just relax at the bottom thus putting an awkward strain on your shoulder capsule.
 
I know what prehab is; I just haven't done it.

I'll take your advice and throw in some band work. Do you do your prehab during off days or before/after workout sessions?
 
Squat: 3x5 175lb

Bench: 2x10 62.25lb dumbbells

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 2x10 40lb dumbbells + 1.25lb

Dumbbell Curls: 2x10 37.5b dumbbells

Internal/External Rotations Super Set: 3x10 10lb dumbbells

Bent over Rear Delt Row: 35lb dumbbell

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Got all reps on 2 out of the 3 sets for squat. Luckily I asked someone for a spot on the 3rd set because I only hit 3 reps before failure. Gonna microload and see if I can't increase a bit more, and if I can't, I'll deload the lift.

Bench was fine, save for the fact that my left shoulder is pop pop pain pain city. Full ROM means probably a grade I sprain or some tendinosis since I had a similar issue back when I did dips a month ago. Tis why I refrained from pullups today and added in the prehab/rehab stuff.

Everything else went as expected.
 
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Bench: 2x10 62.25lb dumbbells

Squat: 3x5 135lb

Pullups: 1x5 + 20lb plate hanging from chain on weight belt.

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 2x10 40lb dumbbells + 1.25lb

Sumo Deadlift: 1x5 200lb

Dumbbell Curls: 2x10 37.5b dumbbells

Internal/External Rotations Super Set: 3x10 10lb dumbbells

Bent over Rear Delt Row: 35lb dumbbell

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Deloaded squat. Pullups hurt my shoulder. I might switch to a barbell row, though I don't think I should do it mid-cycle. Everything else went as expected.
 
Bench: 2x10 67.25lb dumbbells

Squat: 3x5 145lb

Dumbbell Standing Strict OHP: 1x10 45lb dumbbells + 1.25lb

Dumbbell Curls: 2x10 42.5b dumbbells

Internal/External Rotations Super Set: 2x10 15lb dumbbells

Bent over Rear Delt Row: 2x10 40lb dumbbell

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Today went well. Left shoulder felt less bad. Still holding off on the back work though (besides deadlift). Hit 10 reps with 67.5lb dumbbells with ease. Second said went at it with 70lb dbs and got 8 reps...possibly could have hit 10 if it was my first set. We'll see how I do next session.

Military Press felt weak though my shoulders/triceps were fatigued from benching so we'll see how they feel when I throw deadlift between the lifts instead of just curls (will put curls after DLs next time, but DL does take a lot more time than curls so I'll have more rest for tris and shoulders).
 
Bench: 2x7 70 dumbbells

Squat: 3x5 155lb

Sumo Deadlift: 1x5 210lb

Dumbbell Curls: 2x10 42.5b dumbbells

Internal/External Rotations Super Set: 2x10 15lb dumbbells

Bent over Rear Delt Row: 2x10 40lb dumbbell

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Got 7 reps this time on bench, 1 less than last time. Weird. Still I knew I was pushing higher than what I was going for to begin with so I should hopefully be able to hit 10 reps with this weight by the end of the first 5 rep mesocycle, which is starting next week. Used 65lb dbs and only for 9 reps, and gave ample rest, so maybe the zig zag for the next mesocycle will help a bit.

Squats were fine. Skipped OHP.

Deadlift, I got, but I don't know about my back angle. I need someone to record me, though some Chinese kid who was watching me said it looked fine when I asked him later. I'll probably push to 225lb for 5 reps if I can and then deload.
 
Starting 5s. I better get a PR with bench or I'ma explode.

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Squat: 2x5 165lb

Bench: 3x5 65lb dumbbells

Dumbbell Curls: 3x5 37.5b dumbbells

Internal/External Rotations Super Set: 2x10 20lb dumbbells

Bent over Rear Delt Row: 2x10 45lb dumbbell

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Squat felt harder than last time. I hope I can hit a new PR or I might need to switch to a new program completely. I was hoping to hit at least 200lb for 5 reps but I might be south of that this time around (maybe 185-190lb for 5 reps). I'd like a 300lb squat (about 2x my BW) to feel strong but that probably won't come for at least another 6 months to a year. At some point I think I'm going to completely switch everything over to Wendler's 5/3/1 because I want some variety and I could give **** all about aesthetics short of being scrawny or overweight. I want big lifts. If I do do it, I'll probably make my core lifts bench, squat, deadlift, and then make my assistance stuff rows, OHP, curls, rear delt rows, planks or leg lifts or some ****, and maybe some shoulder prehab - that is, if I do any assistance work at all.

In another news, saw the first really strong guy in my gym doing something other than curls. Some Chinese guy who was doing 95lb db bench press without too much trouble. Possibly could have knocked out 15 reps. But then he jumped up on the pullup bar and started doing 1/2 pullups (from the bottom, which meant his chin only went up to the point where his arms were 90 degrees and thus his chin wasn't even close to clearing the bar).
 
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I think I need to up the caloric intake. I'm still 155lb last time I checked, and am consuming 3000 cals a day without much strenuous physical activity save for the hour lifting weights every other day and some brisk walking for short distances from class to class and bus stop to bus stop. Maybe that's why the strength gains aren't coming.

It's just hard to get in the cals and protein when I barely have a window to eat at my community college campus and the food there is garbage.
 
Try tuna. It's a super compact and very protein rich food to carry with you and gobble down whenever you can crack the can and stick a fork in it. Also invest in Altoids so as not to offend other college folk.
 
True - but I honestly think you'd be crazy surprised what just a single can a day in between meals will do for you. I eat albacore tuna - no more than a can a day - when I lift heavy and the recovery assistance is amazing. I hear you on the mercury content, but give it a go as a test and I think you'll see what I mean. When you're hit for time, a tiny, power-packed meal with a bunch of water as often as you can have it usually can supplant "normal" eating. Good luck regardless - nutrition is a tricky pickle (bad pun intended).
 
Squat: 2x5 170lb

Bench: 3x5 65lb dumbbells

Sumo Deadlift: 1x5 220lb

Dumbbell Curls: 3x5 37.5b dumbbells

Internal/External Rotations Super Set: 2x10 20lb dumbbells

Bent over Rear Delt Row: 2x10 45lb dumbbell

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Squat seems almost max. wtf. I better get a PR.

Deadlift, I feel like I could go to 235lb for 5 or more but we'll see.
 
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