33sun33

Went skiing for the first time during MLK weekend, and thus missed my scheduled Monday workout. Skiing is awesome btw!!!! I was still a bit sore (quads, back, calves), and perhaps it showed in my performance today re squats. But still not too bad.

Incline DB Press (Strength day)

[warmup - 45x10; 60x5; 70x5] 80x5

Happy to get in 5 reps with the 80lb dbs (which was my goal), though it wasnt a cake walk.

Back Squats (Endurance day)

[warmup - 135x10; 185x5] 205x5repsx5sets

Just repeated my endurance day from last week. Felt OK, but my knee joints felt a little stiff/tight/swollen from the skiing. I did have surgery on both knees in the past after all. I think the tightness limited my performance today (e.g., didnt feel comfortable attempting 225 for 5 reps and 5 sets).

Yates Rows (Endurance day)

[warmup - 135x10; 185x5] 225x 5 reps x 5 sets

This felt very good, form did not fail at all.

Planks

1.25 minutes x 3 sets

Birddogs

1.5 minutes x 2 sets

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Cool - my journal has three pages now! Anyways, today's workout went pretty well.

Sumo Deadlifts

[warmup - 135x6; 225x6] 315x3; 315x2; 315x2; 315x1; 225x6

This is by far my favorite exercise nowadays. Which is why I am a bit dissappointed that I've been stuck at 315 for a few weeks. Im sure I could lift more than 315 for one rep, but not safely. 315 still feels kinda heavy to me, and as you can see on my last working set of 315 I could only get in one rep. That said, Im not overly worried since I am doing Bill Starr right now (focusing more on the squat), and only do the Sumos once a week, primarily for maintenance.

Wide Grip Pull Ups

BW x 5 reps for 4 sets

These felt pretty good. Ill probably mix it up next week and shoot for higher reps with less sets

Standing BB Military Press

[warmup - 45x10; 75x10] 95x5; 105x5; 115x5; 125x2

I felt strong on these. Slowly but surely Im gaining strength in this area.

Front Squats

95x5; 105x5; 115x5

These felt fine. Since today is supposed to be like an active recovery day re squats, I kept the weight and volume low.

Im very tempted to add in some Romanian Deadlifts on this day to directly target the hamstrings. Do you guys think this will be overkill? The other workouts mirror the Starr method (e.g., focusing on either volume (5x5) or strnegth (1x5) for the big three lifts (squats, bench, rows). This middle workout thus includes only active recovery work for squats, and other secondary exercises (deadlifts, military press, pull ups, etc...).

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

Burner02

where did u go skiing?
if u say NY....you've GOTTA come try the real snow...you'll never wanna leave!

Have u tried dropping the weight of the sumos to say, 275 and work on repping that, instead of the whole plate jump in weight?

Success leaves clues. People who produce outstanding results do specific things to create those results

Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW to solve our problem

THERE IS NO TOMORROW!
- Appollo Creed

33sun33

Yeah, I went to Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, NY to ski for my first time. I loved it, but there was alittle too much ice on the slopes. thinking of hitting up Vermont for my next trip! I am definitely addicted after only one trip... Where are you at?

Re sumos, I used to rep the 275s and then maybe end with one set at 315. I suppose Im confused at how many total reps I should be shooting for if Im doing triples or doubles. I find 4-5 sets of triples to be pretty damn strenous as it is (so dont say I should be doing 8 sets!!!!). Perhaps I could do something like: 275x3; 275x3; 275x3; 315x2; 315x2?

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Pretty good workout, though I kept the weights the same as last week re endurance lift (5x5) for the incline presses, and strength lifts (1x5) for the squats and rows. Just didnt feel confident that I could get in 5 solid reps for 5 sets at a higher weight on the inclines, or that I could get 5 solid reps with good form at a higher weight on my other two lifts. I might try bumping up again next week, though my "strength" phase (e.g., 3x3 and 1x3) of Starr is coming up soon (after next week I think?)

Incline DB Press - 5x5

[warmup - 40x8; 60x6] 75 x 5 reps x 5 sets

Felt great.

Back Squats - 1x5

[warmup - 135x10; 185x6] 225x5

Felt OK. Probably should have done another warmup set, as I felt stiff during the last 225 working set.

Yates Rows

[warmup - 135x8; 185x6] 225x5; 255x3(grip failure)

225 x 5 was easy, so I attempted 255. Didnt feel that bad, but my grip started failing pretty quickly and I forgot to bring my straps.

Turkish GetUps

35lb DB x 4 minutes; 35lb DB x 3.5 minutes

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

the other half

75s on the incline bench, thats getting up there pretty good. i only got a set of 5 and a set of 4 yesterday on those. i think we might have a little competition going on here.

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

33sun33

Lol! A little competition is good!

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

I was happy with my workout today, even though I failed on the last rep during DB inclines. This is also the last week of the endurance phase of Bill Starr, and next week is a deload week. Cant wait!

Incline DB Press: 1x5

[warmup - 55x5; 65x5; 75x5] 85x4 (failed on 5th rep)

Overall pretty happy. Knew I was pushing the limit with the 85s, but I also knew that the 80s would be a little too easy. The warmup felt like a piece of cake, even with the 75x5 set!

Back Squats: 5x5

[warmup- 135x5; 185x5; 205x5] 225 x 5 reps x 5 sets

God this was hard. I just find 5 sets of 5 reps with squats to be incredibly draining. But I sucked it up, and was extremely happy to finish all the sets at 225.

Yates Rows

[warmup - 135x5; 185x5] 225 x 5 reps x 5 sets

This felt great, and wasnt that difficult. Need to increase the weight, but I forgot my straps again.


I go skiing tomorrow, and hopefully that wont mess up my gym progress!

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Today's workout went well, considering that I had some post-nasal drip/on the verge of getting sick stuff going on the day before. But today I felt fine, and decided to head to the gym.

Sumo Deadlifts

[warmup - 135x6; 225x6] 275 x 5 reps x 4 sets

275 was pretty easy to get for 4 sets. I may up the weight to say 295 next time, seeing how I can only get about 4 sets of 315 for 3 reps.

WG Pullups

BW x 5 reps x 4 sets

Standing Military Press SS with Front Squats

Military press: 45x8; 75x6; 105x 5 reps x 4 sets

Pretty happy to pump out 4 sets of 5 at 105.

Front Squats (same exact weights as the military press. This is essentially a light/deload quad exercise for me on this day)

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

DOMS

Sweet Deads! Great workout, too!

the other half

so are you trying to kill yourself with the military/front squats thing.
shit, isnt that like a train wreck waiting to happen?

when you do sumos, do you start on the ground and hit the ground on each rep? cause we start with the bar about knee high and the weights go to the side of the squat machine lower than foot level at the bottom so the weights dont touch the ground at all.

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

33sun33

Hey TOH,

I mislead you all, I only do a "quasi" superset of the military press and front squat. I do a set of the military press, wait until I cardiovascularly (sp?) recover or about a minute, then do a set of the front squat... and so on. Its not so bad, and helps to keep the workout short! I make sure to give myself sufficient time to recover before the next set of presses though. Since the weight on the front squats is so low, its never a problem.

For the sumos, I dont use the squat machine, but just a regular 45lb bar and plates on the ground. I start with the weight resting on the ground, lift the weight, bring the the weight back down slowly (dragging across my shins), and rest the weight on the ground again. Pause/reset (usually pop my butt out and get back into position) . And then repeat for another rep. I really try to avoid just bouncing the weight off the ground, like I see so many others do. (not judging, just how I like to do DEADlifts, lol)

How you do sumos sounds like how I do Romanian deadlifts. I stand on a platform with the bar, and go down - often with the weights lower than where the ground would be, but for the platform.

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Wow, today's workout went horribly. I lacked energy, weights that Ive lifted easily in the past seemed super heavy, and all of my joints seemed to ache with the strain of it all. Im guess it could be a few things: (1) overtraining. This is my last workout of the Bill Starr endurance phase, and thank god next week is my deload/taking it easy week. Maybe the stress of the last few weeks just caught up to me. (2) Effects of insomnia. Only got 4 hours of sleep or so last night, and maybe 6 the night before that. (3) Going to the gym during rush hour. Made the mistake of going to the gym inthe after work rush, which meant I had to switch up the order of my exercises, wait for benches to become available, etc....

Anyways- here is my dissappointing workout. Im not too worried, since next week is my deload week.

Back Squats - 1x5

[warmup - 135x6; 185x6; 205x5; 225x5] 245x3

I really didnt feel strong on this, even though just four days earlier 225 x 5 reps x 5 sets was fine. I might have done too many warmup sets, but I did that because each freakin set -- even the "light" ones, felt heavy. I stopped after the 3 rep at 245 cause it just didnt feel safe anymore to push it.

Yates Rows - 1x5

[warmup - 135x5; 185x5] 245x5

This wasnt all that hard, but then again the rows never seem to give me trouble - which probably means I need to up the weight.

Incline DB Press -5x5

[warmup - 50x6; 60x6] 80x5; 80x5; 80x5; 80x3 (failed on 4th rep) (didnt attempt 5th set)

Wow. My performance on this blowed. The last couple of weeks I had stayed at 75lbs x 5 reps for 5 sets without any trouble at all. It was a breeze. So I thought for sure I wasnt overestimating myself by attempting 80x5x5. I was wrong. It also didnt help that I attempted this as my last exercise during my workout, since all the incline benches were being used when I first got to the gym (yet the squat rack was open). Plus some jerkoff started working in with my on my bench, without even asking. Could have told him off, but I was taking 2 min rest intervals between sets so.... I decided to be nice. But it kinda thru my groove off.

I think this is the last time Ill go to the gym during that after work period. It sucked balls

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

the other half

well,you know we had a bad workout last week and then the next one kicked ass. so hope your next one is better.

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

33sun33

Last Thursday was the first workout during my "deload" week on the Bill Starr program. During the deload week, I keep the weights the same as the previous week, but reduce the reps and sets to 1x3 or 3x3. Man, it seriously sucked. Everything just felt super heavy. Basically felt the same as my previous workout.

Incline DB Presses - 1x3

[warmup -50x5; 60x5; 70x3] 85x1 (failed on second rep)

Gosh, this was a bad way to start out the workout. The previous week I made 85x4 reps, and this week I could barely get one rep in. What a dissappointment.

Back Squats

[warmup - 135x8; 185x6] 225x 3reps x 3 sets

I reached my goal by replicating the same weights I used the prior week at 5x5, but it still felt pretty heavy for a deload week.

Yates Rows

[warmup - 135x8; 185x6] 245x 3 reps x 3 sets

At least this was easy.

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Todays deload workout went pretty well. My energy was high, and I felt strong. Good signs, considering my last two workouts went pretty poorly. Of course this was Workout B during my Starr plan (e.g., not doing the main lifts of DB pressing and squats and rows), but Im still optimistic that Ive turned a corner.

Sumo Deadlifts - 3x3

[warmup - 135x6; 225x4] 275x 3 reps x 3 sets

Felt very light and easy. Kept the weights the same as last weeks 4x5.

Standing BB Military Press - 3x3

[warmup - 65x10] 105 x 3 reps x 3 sets

Again, felt super easy.

Front Squats - 3x3

Same exact weights and reps and sets as the military press.

WG Pullups

BW x 3 reps x 3 sets

Nice and easy and smooth.


This wednesday will be last deload workout. Saturday I will move into the strength phase of Starr, and looking forward to it.

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

the other half

dam bro, strong numbers.

what kind of rep range will you be doing for that strenght portion of your program.

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

33sun33

Thanks TOH! The strength phase will be awesome -- I alternate between 3x3 and 1x3 for the next 3-4 weeks! Im feeling good, and hope to move some good numbers. Once Starr is finished in March, Ill take a week or so off, and then do a volume program (e.g., rep ranges in the 8-12 range)

Today was my last deload workout! I felt very good, and am anxious to start increasing the weights next week (saturday actually).

Incline DB Press - 1x3

[warmup - 40x8; 50x6; 65x4] 75x3

Back Squats - 3x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x5] 225x3

Yates Rows - 1x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x5; 225x3] 255x3

Actually forgot that I was supposed to do 3 working sets of 3. Instead I only did one working set. Oh well.

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Todays workout, the first of the strength phase (which last 4 weeks I think), went relatively well. I mostly kept the weights the same as where I left off, so I know I need to start pushing the envelope more over the next few weeks.

DB Incline Press: 1x3

[warmup - 50x8; 60x5; 70x3] 80x3

Not a problem. Should be able to do 3 sets of 3 reps at 80lb during workout C (wednesday)

Squats - 3x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x5] 225 x 3 reps x 3 sets

Also no problem here. Considered tackling 245 for 3 sets, but played it safe dammit.

Yates Rows - 3x3

[warmup - 135x10; 185x6] 245x 3 reps x 3 sets

Not much of a problem. Grip is an issue here, might need to use straps.

Dips

BWx8; BW+25lbs x8

Decided to throw this accessory exercise in here.


My goals for the workout on Wednesday will be 80lb x 3 reps x 3 sets for the DB press; 245 x 3 for squats, and 265x3 for the rows. The intervening workout on Monday is deadlifts, military presses, etc...

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

the other half

smart way to start the new program. its always easy to work up than work down. kind of kills your confidence if you start to heavy.

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

33sun33

Todays workout went well. This is probably the latest Ive worked out (8-9pm), but the gym was nice and empty.

Sumo Deads - 3x3

[warmup - 135x6; 225x6] 275x3; 315x3; 315x3

This felt pretty good, and had no problem pulling the weight. My lower back was kinda tight after that last set though.

Standing Military Press - 3x3

[warmup - 45x10; 95x3] 115x3; 135x2 (push press assisted); 115x3

115 felt so good that I decided to try 135. Ehhh, Im not quite there yet! Couldnt move the weight standing still, so converted two reps into a push press.

Front Squats - 3x3

Same weight and reps/sets as the press. I take it really easy with these, so as to not be fatigued for Workout C's heavy back squats. Maybe this is a mistake and I should up the weight? Im guessing I could probably get 185x3 if I decided to push it.

WG Pull Ups

BWx3; BW+15lbs x 3; BW+15lbsx3

First time I ever added weight to pull ups. Even 15 lbs made it much harder.

Im a little concerned at how little reps Im getting in during this strength phase, but I guess Ill stick to it for a while longer. Its worked for others who know much more than I do, so it will probably work for me. Plus it only lasts a few weeks. My next workout plan will be completely hypertrophy/8-12 rep oriented though.

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Hit my goals today mostly. Diet was a little off today (too much space between meals), but it didnt seem to have a huge effect.

DB Incline Press - 3x3

[warmup - 50x6; 65x3; 75x3] 80 x 3reps x3sets

Felt pretty good, a little pain in my triceps for some reason.

Squats - 1x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x5; 225x3] 245x3

Again, felt pretty good. Will likely give 245x3x3 a shot on Saturday.

Yates Rows - 1x3

[warmup - 135x10; 185x5; 225x3] 265x2 (failed on 3), then dropsetted to 225x5 out of frustration

Eh, didnt get 3 reps at 265. Probably should just stick to 245 and work up to 255, etc...

DB Curls - accessory movement, 2x8-10

40x8; 40x8



I also threw in stationary bike for 30 mins. Ive decided to integrate more cardio, even though I am still bulking for the next 3 weeks. Which means Ill just need to eat more!!

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Had a solid workout today.

DB Incline Press - 1x3

[warmup - 50x8; 65x4; 75x3] 85x3

Pretty stoked about meeting this goal - should be able to go 3x3 at the same weight come Wednesday.

Back Squats - 3x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x6; 225x3] 245 x 3 reps x 3 sets

Felt very good on this. Im learning to trust my body to be able to squat heavier weights. On wednesday Ill shoot for either 255 or 265

Yates Rows - 3x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x5] 245 x 3 reps x 3 sets

Well, I messed up here by yet AGAIN forgetting to bring straps. For some reason 245 is about the heaviest my little hands can handle in a pulling movement.

Dips

bw x 8, bw x10

Just threw this in here before the gym closed.

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Solid workout in the gym today. Had some doms in my quads for the first time in a long time the last two days (after my saturday workout), but it didnt prove to be a problem with deadlifts or front squats

Sumo Deadlifts

135x8; 225x6; 275x4; 315x3; 335x2 (PR!)

Pretty happy about the 335 PR.


Standing BB Military Press

45x10; 65x8; 95x4; 115x3; 125x3; 135x2

Good workout here. Stoked to get 135 with the 45 plates for two reps.

Front Squats

135x5; 135x4

WG Pull Ups

bwx5; bwx5; bwx5

Abandoned the whole 3x3 thing with this exercise, since Im still only pulling up my bodyweight.

cardio

Stationary bike for 20mins

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

33sun33

Seriously thought about abandoning the last two weeks of Starr, given that I missed a week of working out due to travel. Buutttt... two more weeks isnt a long time, so Im sticking to it. Will likely switch over to a push-pull-legs by mid-March, and probably start focusing on cutting at that time (Im up to 225lbs now!).

DB Incline Press- 1x3

[warmup/ramp up: 55x5; 65x5; 75x3] 85x3

Back Squats - 3x3

[warmup/ramp up - 135x8; 185x5; 225x3] 245x3; 245x3; 265x3 (PR!)

DEcided to up the weight on the last set, and its the first time I ever attempted and squated 265! Happy about that, and... dare I dream?... I hope to be able to get 275 on Friday during my 1x3

Yates Rows- 3x3

[warmup - 135x8; 185x5; 225x3] 245 x 3 reps x 3 sets

Again limited by grip strength here. I used to love Yates rows, but now Im getting sick of them. Really looking forward to the end of Starr so that I can switch things up.

Dips

bw x 10 reps x 2 sets

Stats: 6"3, 216lbs, 15%-ish bodyfat??, cutting

the other half

thats one nice thing about squats, a 10 or 20 pound jump isnt as bad as the same jump on bench.

strong looking workouts.

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo