- Squat
- Press
- 1 x 5 x 135lb *FAIL* (4)
- 4 x 5 x 95lb
- Deadlift
- Weighted Pullups
- 3 x 5 x 110lb *FAIL* (4, 3, 2)
Yay squats and deadlift! Boooooo press and pullups! Well, I don’t know what happened with the presses today, they just weren’t going up. Squats were tough, but I hit 5x5 no problem. Deadlifts felt really easy. I think I started the program too light for the deadlifts, but my form feels really solid. My lats were sore today for some reason, so I had a bad feeling about the weighted pulls. Just couldn’t get my chin over the bar today. Total gym time: 50 mins.
Weighed in at 190lb today.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Clean
- Weighted Dips
Increased my rest to 3 minutes between sets today because it’s the only way I could hit the numbers. Just used the bar for the power cleans because I’m trying to improve my form. I’m approaching 1.5x bodyweight (280lb) for the squat and once I hit it, I’ll be moving on from the stronglifts beginner program. Pushing progressively heavy weight so often is really wearing me down. Total gym time: 60 mins.
Weighed in at 187lb today.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- 5 x 5 x 135lb *FAIL* (5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5)
- Deadlift
- Pullups
- 16 chin, 12 pull, 12 alternating sides
I wasn’t moving the weight very quickly from the bottom of the squat, but I felt ok otherwise. I took a bit more rest between sets for the press (2.5 - 3 min) but I just couldn’t bang out that last rep on the last set. I had the weight half of the way up, but no dice. I’m going to start incorporating some isometrics to help me out with the press because there’s no reason for me to be so disproportionately weak there. I used the mixed grip for the first time on the deadlift and felt like I could have pulled 100 more pounds. Forgot my Ironmind belt today, so went for unweighted pullups - shooting for quality sets, not complete failure. Total gym time: 70 mins.
Weighed in at 187lb today.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Clean
I almost hit some trouble with the last rep on my second set of squats, but I powered through it. Focused more on using my hamstrings and hips to drive the weight on the last 3 sets and it was no problem. Bench press was tougher than I thought it would be, but I don’t plan on stalling there. Went back to the bar for power cleans because my form needs a lot of work. I realized I wasn’t getting full hip extension on the second pull and that was probably siphoning the power out of the move. I’ll keep working the fundies for a while. Really short on time today so had to skip the dips. Mixed in my 65 burpees with the 5 sets of power cleans (5 x 13) to finish. Total gym time: 45 mins.
Weighed in at a solid 189lb before lifting today. Not sure if I’ve actually gained some weight or if it’s just part of my normal fluctuation. I’m generally between 180-190, but usually on the light side.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- 5 x 5 x 135lb *FAIL* (5, 5, 4, 3, 2)
- Deadlift
- Weighted Chinups
There are some days when I can’t wait to get to the gym and lift. Today wasn’t one of those days. The squats felt pretty good, but I’m pissed about failing on the presses. I really thought I’d be able to hit 135lb easily. I’ll get it next time. Deadlifts felt great now that I have my chalk and can actually hold onto the bar. Chinups were really tough, but I hit my numbers. 62 burpees to finish. Total gym time: 55 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Clean
- Weighted Dips
I don’t think I spent enough time warming up today because the first couple sets of squats were rough. Sets 3, 4, 5 felt pretty good. Still using 2 min between sets. This is the first time I needed a spot on the bench (last set), but I got all 5 reps easy. The cleans felt like garbage, even with 3 reps per set. I think it’s pointless to try to go heavy with these since I still need a lot of practice at light weight to get the form better. I’m going to stick with 135lb for all power cleans for the duration of the stronglifts program. 60 burpees (3 x 20) as my finisher today. Total gym time: 50 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- Deadlift
- Weighted Chinups
Squats are feeling allllright. I almost stalled on the fifth set of presses, but I locked it out. I can’t believe how disproportionately weak I am there. Good thing I’m doing something about it. Deadlifts felt really good today, but my chalk can’t get here soon enough. I should also note that I’m still using a normal grip on both hands on the dead. Haven’t yet resorted to the mixed grip aka the Zach grip aka cheating. Chinups were still tough, but I hit my numbers. I also upped my rest between sets to 2 minutes on all exercises today. It definitely helped. 55 burpees (5 x 11) as my finisher today. Total gym time: 50 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Clean
- Weighted Dips
Rough day today. No excuses, just wasn’t feeling my best. The squats and bench were alright, but the cleans were rough. It’s tough to maintain explosiveness on heavier weight for 5 sets of 5 reps, so I knocked it down to 3 sets today. From now on I’ll be doing 5 sets of 3 reps on the cleans because it just feels better. Hey, I made it to the half-way point without any major modifications so far. Had to do 83 burpees (53 for today, 30 leftover from yesterday) as my finisher today. Total gym time: 55 mins. Time for a nap.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- Deadlift
- Weighted Chinups
Squats are still feeling good, jack. I’m getting good depth and driving with the hips. The presses were tougher than I expected today and my hands were way too sweaty to be safe on the deadlifts, but I got em done. Chinups were also tough, but 95lbs is a lot for 5 reps. Definitely close to hitting my ceiling there. 51 burpees as my finisher today. I’m really looking forward to my rest day tomorrow. Total gym time: 50 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Clean
- Weighted Dips
Didn’t have very good speed on my squats today, but I still felt solid and strong. Finally hit bodyweight for the bench press and it was still very easy. I think I may have started too low on bench and I might bump it in steeper increments the next couple of times. I also didn’t feel very explosive on the cleans today for some reason, but I felt good otherwise. Dips were easy peasy. 48 burpees as my finisher today. Total gym time: 55 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- Deadlift
- Weighted Pullups
Felt solid today. The squats are really feeling good. I finally feel like I’m using the right muscles to drive the weight and getting good depth while maintaining the proper lower back position. Everything else was alright, but I should note that I’m mixing different grips into my pullup sets. Used my 46 burpees as a finisher. Total gym time: 55 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Clean
- Weighted Dips
I was feeling a little sore from yesterday’s Thanksgiving workout, but I felt surprisingly good in the gym today. I fucking murdered the squats. Focusing on pushing the knees out helped me maintain good speed and I felt a solid hip drive, which made the weight feel light. Didn’t feel as good on the bench because of some minor soreness, but the power cleans felt great. Using the hook grip helped. Total gym time: 50 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- Deadlift
- Weighted Pullups
I felt like crud walking to the gym this morning - sore legs and shoulders - but it didn’t seem to really effect my performance much. Speed and depth were both good on the squats today and I felt really solid overall. The press felt a little off and I wasn’t moving the bar as fast as I normally do. I was really focusing on mainting a solid thoracic-lumbar junction and I think it screwed up my alignment a bit. I’ll keep working on it. The bar was well chalked today from whoever used it before me, so the deadlifts felt really strong. Mixed in my 41 burpees with an equal number of shoulder dislocates, 21 before lifting, 20 after. Total gym time: 55 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Power Cleans
- Weighted Dips
Took a little longer than usual to warm up today. Once I got there I felt OK. Didn’t have my normal speed on the upward drive on the squat today, but the weight was still pretty easy. The power cleans felt great today - I concentrated on keeping my arms slack and driving the motion with my legs each rep. I also accidentally jumped up to 60lbs on the dips because I forgot my post it note with the correct weights. No more going out the night before a strength session. 39 burpees as my finisher. Total time: 60 min.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
- Squat
- Press
- Deadlift
- Weighted Chinups
Meh, average day at the Fifth Ave Gym in Park Slope. Didn’t feel great, but I hit all the weights without a problem. I forsee deadlift problems in the future if I don’t get some chalk for my sweaty, sweaty hands. You can’t lift what you can’t hold, ya know? Also, using dumbbells with the Ironmind dip belt is definitely the way to go. 37 burpees as my finisher. Total gym time: 45 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
