Friday, September 24, 2010

On working out...

Ironically, though I stated this blog would not be about exercise in the last post, I have also just started following a lifting routine, and I figure if I post my day's experience it will only serve to make me more motivated to continue.

As a preface to my lifting log, I should probably give an impression of my general body composition. When I was 18 (in 2006) I weighed around 320 lbs and stood at about 6'1" tall. I was pretty unhappy, and I decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, I did very little research and went about it in a very unhealthy manner. The lowest weight I achieved was ~170 lbs. last winter. I stood a full inch taller (6'2"), a whole lot lighter, but I still was unhappy. I think this was due to the fact that I was the essential skinnyfat person. I had lost mass, but a huge proportion of my body was still encased in fat, so very little had effectively changed. Over the course of last winter and this summer, I managed to gain weight back due to an extremely hectic work/school schedule and I have arrived back at 210 lbs. Understandably distressed, I have decided to do something about it once again, only this time by lifting in hopes of reducing body fat if not overall weight. The program I intend on following is easily recognizable even if you are only a cursory browser of /fit/ - Stronglifts 5x5.

Yesterday was my 6th workout. The routine itself is pretty easy thus far, but squatting is more challenging because the form is not intuitive (for me) to grasp and I'm struggling with an acl injury I got over the summer. Here are my stats so far:

(Weight in lbs.)
Squat: 65x5x5
Bench: 55x5x5
OHP: 50x5x5
Deadlift: 100x5x1

(Reps x sets)
Chin-up/pull-up: 6x1 3x2 and 2 negatives (with 95 lb. assist)
Inverted rows: 12x1 9x1 6x1
Push-ups: 8x1 4x2
Reverse crunch: 12x3 (with 35 lb. dumbell as counter-weight)
Prone bridges: 1x28 sec 1x22 sec 1x18 sec

I've been eating healthy (and in great quantity) so hopefully only good things can come of this. My biggest concern is injuring my left knee further, and if it becomes really bad I may need to cut squats from my routine for a while (the screams of rage from /fit/ have reached in my home from that last statement). But I'm trying to remain as optimistic as possible and hopefully the problem will resolve itself over the course of the next few months.

Also, cannot get this song out of my head. Little bit clubby, but I still like it.



(For more info on my routine/lifting: http://stronglifts.com/)

14 comments:

  1. Don't forget: there are no excuses not to train! No exceptions!

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  2. great read will stay tuned for more! would like a follow back

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  3. Well, I have a reason to work out now because of this blog I'm starting haha. So this might be of help.

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  4. I can lift my own weight :3

    <3 welcome to the f5 loop

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  5. I have always had trouble gaining muscle, I am a skinny guy, but I am still growing to this day so I must wait till I am done growing. Thanks for the read.

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  6. Looking forward to your future posts... GTL man

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  7. your blog has quite the following :)

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  8. Good on ya mate, I always intend to start lifting but stop for whatever reason.

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  9. This is great, I was looking for an exercise routine! Its so hard to find actual information about this stuff, since theres so much bullshit thrown around about it. Good on ya for doing this!

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  10. Good specs all around (regimen).Though I'm more of a push/pull guy, this is a great start. I personally have actually started to invest into body weight (DUR CALISTHENICS). I read a great find on /rs/ called convict conditioning, which details why body weight, though waaay longer to invest in, is much better than free weights. Either or, I have time on my hands, so I'm trying that instead. If squats go wrong, invest in body weights my friend. Always do cardio, and Best of Luck!

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  11. I'm not a big fan of lifting weights at all. Usually I'll just lift those small 15 lb weights.
    Good luck with your exercising, though!

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  12. I've been in body building for about 3 years , started of at 116 lbs and got to 170 lbs . I've been through all sorts of routines and the one that worked best for me was 3 sets of 12-10,8-6,6-4 reps for compounds exercises ( squats, bench press etc) and 3 sets of 10 ,8,8 reps for the rest ( triceps push-downs, curls etc)

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