Thread: gtbmed's strength journal

Seems like this workout will be the toughest of the three on Starr's program. The squats are pretty easy and the incline BP isn't too bad, but I'm not so used to doing heavy deads, so I'm really going to have to work hard to maintain my form. I might have to drop a few sets to lower weight to get it right.

Squat
150X5 90s RI
150X5 90s RI
150X5 90s RI
155X5 90s RI
155X5 90s RI

Incline BP
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI

Deadlift
135x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI

Pullups
BWx8 60s RI
BWx8 60s RI
BWx6 60s RI

Weighted crunches
145x6 60s RI
140x9

Oh yeah, anyone who says Starr's program isn't good for total body development is fooling themselves. Full-body workouts with lots of compound movements like this are really great. I was dying by the time I got to the assistance work in this workout.

This was probably the best workout I've ever had from a CNS perspective. My muscles didn't feel overly fatigued like they have before from stuff like P/RR/S, but I really felt exceptionally tired from this workout. I think that's a good sign, since developing strength is my main goal.

This workout wasn't too bad. I think the BP was the hardest of the main lifts and the assistance work was hardest overall.

Bench
135x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI
135x5 90s RI

Row
105x5 120s RI
105x5 120s RI
105x5 120s RI
105x5 120s RI
105x5 Full recovery

Squat
140x5 90s RI
150x5 90s RI
160x5 90s RI
170x5 120s RI
180x5 120s RI

BB Curls
80x6
70x8
70x8

Tricep extensions
20x8
17.5x8
15x8

Did the last 2 sets of work in a superset together.

Squats were good today, even though the weight seems to be progressing pretty quickly. Maybe I overshot my goals. I guess I'll find out soon enough, but for now it seems OK. Rows were easy.

BP was really tough. I reached failure on the last set, but I think I was really fatigued from the squatting and benching I had already done before that. I might increase the length of my rest intervals a bit when I'm ramping up the weight.

Squat
180x5 120s RI
185x5 120s RI
185x5 120s RI
185x5 120s RI
185x5 120s RI

Bench
125x5 120s RI
130x5 120s RI
140x5 120s RI
150x5 120s RI
160x3 90s RI

Row
95x5 90s RI
100x5 90s RI
110x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
125x5 120s RI

Hypers
25x8
45x8
45x8

This workout went really well. Squats felt a bit hard on my legs, but I finished them easily (it was the recovery day after all). IBPs went really well, I feel I'm getting stronger pressing and I'm pretty happy with my progress. Deadlifts went well also - I'm happy with my progress there and I think my form is pretty good - it suffered a bit on the last set because of fatigue, but I'm working on form for them every workout so hopefully it will be solid once the weight gets heavier.

Squat
160x5 120s RI
160x5 120s RI
160x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI

Incline BP
125x5 120s RI
125x5 120s RI
125x5 120s RI
125x5 120s RI
125x5 120s RI

Deadlift
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
170x5 120s RI
170x5 120s RI
170x5 120s RI

Pullups
BWx8 75s RI
BWx8 75s RI
BWx6 75s RI

Situps
145x8 60s RI
145x8 60s RI
145x8 60s RI

Looking forward to Friday's workout.

This program is going very well. I definitely feel stronger overall, and I'm progressing the weight on all of my lifts. My hip mobility/flexibility and lower back strength has improved a lot, probably due to working on squatting/deadlifting form and just trying to progress on deadlifts. But yeah, I feel like my form on those lifts has really improved a lot.

Today the squats went well, set a new 5RM. Bench was a bit tougher but I'm happy I got through it. I felt stronger as the sets went on, almost as if I became accustomed to lifting that amount of weight. Rows were a bit tougher than usual, but that's not saying much because they're usually pretty easy. I think swimming yesterday may have fatigued those muscles a bit.

I'm really looking forward to week 3 of this program. Week 3 is the big week for new 5RMs, so I expect to be setting new ones in each of the big 3 lifts.

Squat
150x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
175x5 120s RI
185x5 180s RI
200x5 180s RI new PR

Bench press
145x5 120s RI
145x5 120s RI
145x5 120s RI
150x5 120s RI
150x5 120s RI

Row
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI
115x5 120s RI

BB Curls/Tricep extensions (did these in a superset)
60x8/15x8 60s RI
60x8/15x8 60s RI
60x8/15x8 60s RI

Plus some form work for deadlifts involving rack pulls, DL, and SLDL.

So I've reached a point in Starr's program where I think I was too ambitious about how much improvement I'd see in my lifts. Because of that, I'm going to drop my percentages just a bit to ensure safety and avoid overtraining.

Today everything was hard. Squats were really difficult but I set a new 5x5RM. Presses were fine until the end again, I think ramping the weight really takes a lot out of me. Rows were difficult for the first time in a while.

I definitely feel stronger. I can tell that the strength gains are there when I'm lifting, but I feel I may be trying to progress a bit too quickly. I'm happy with my progress overall. I may go on another cycle of this program once I'm done with the deload/intensification phase that's coming up soon.

Squat
195x5 150s RI
200x5 150s RI
200x5 150s RI
200x5 150s RI
200x5 150s RI

Bench press
135x5 120s RI
145x5 120s RI
150x5 120s RI
160x5 120s RI
175x2 210s RI

Row
100x5 120s RI
110x5 120s RI
120x5 120s RI
125x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI

Hypers
45x8 60s RI
45x8 60s RI

Situps
145x8 60s RI
145x8 60s RI

Wednesday's workout should be fun, some lighter squats to recover, some deadlifts (which I'm really starting to like), and some IBPs.

This workout went really well. Apart from losing my balance on one rep of DLs, everything went right. I started with DLs, changed my stance up to the sumo-style stance and really liked it. I think the stance allows me to keep my shoulders back much more easily than the traditional stance.

Moved on to IBP where I am really happy with my progress. Before I started this I never did too much IBP, but I feel like overall my pressing has improved a lot on this program.

Squats were very easy - the result of dropping my goals a bit and this being the middle day of the program when the weight is dropped anyway. I'm having some trouble trying out a wider stance for squats - it may be a flexibility thing. I'm going to keep my narrower stance for now, but I've been varying my stance a bit every workout just to introduce a small amount of variation.

Squat
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
165x5 120s RI
170x5 120s RI
170x5 120s RI

Incline BP
130x5 120s RI
130x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI
135x5 120s RI

Deadlift
175x5 120s RI
175x5 120s RI
175x5 120s RI
180x5 120s RI
180x5 120s RI

Pullups
BWx8 60s RI
BWx8 60s RI
BWx4 60s RI
BWx4 60s RI

Sit ups
145x8 60s RI
150x8 60s RI
150x6 FR

Also did some rack pulls. Got in a 275lb. rack pull.

Good workout, started with BP though I would have preferred to start with squats. BP went well, finished all of the 5x5 sets. I can really feel my strength on this lift. Squats went OK, I have to remember the "spread the floor" trick for next time I lift. Rows were fairly easy as well.

The accessory work was good, I really felt like it hit my arms hard.

Next week is the last week of the loading phase, I'm really happy for that. The combination of volume/intensity along with the progressive loading in this program has really started to fatigue me, so I'll welcome a drop in volume.

Squat
160x5
170x5
185x5
195x5
210x5 (new 5RM)

Bench press
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5

Row
120x5
120x5
120x5
120x5
125x5

BB Curls/Tricep extensions
70x8/20x8
70x8/15x10
60x10/15x10

(did these in a superset together)

I will be glad when this week is over. The volume/intensity is really adding up to the point where my first lift interferes with my performance on another. For instance, squatting was easier today. That "spreading the floor" trick works really well, and I felt pretty comfortable with the weight. After that, though, I felt like I ran out of energy when pressing and rowing. Oh well, strength is the end goal and I know I'm getting stronger. I'm just not hitting the numbers I'd exactly like to be hitting on BP. I've certainly made some pretty big gains quickly.

Squat
200x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5

Bench press
140x5
145x5
155x5
165x5
180x2
175x2

Row
105x5
115x5
120x5
130x5
140x5 ***New 5RM***

Hypers
BW+45x8
BW+45x8

Situps
150x10
155x10

Good, easy workout. Only 1 day remaining in the loading phase, I'm glad for that.

Squat
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5

Deadlift
185x5
185x5
185x5
190x5 ***new 5RM***
190x5

Incline BP
140x5
140x5
140x5
140x5
140x5

Pullups
BWx8
BWx8
BWx6

Situps
150x8
155x8
155x8

Good way to finish off the loading phase of this program. I set a new 5RM on squats and did well on the other lifts.

Squat
165x5
180x5
195x5
205x5
225x5 ***New 5RM***

Bench press
165x5
165x5
165x5 (slow)
165x3
160x5

Row
125x5
125x5
125x5
130x5
130x5

BB Curls/Tricep extensions
70x8/20x8
70x8/20x8
70x8/20x8

Deloading is nice - I really felt a lot more energy at the end of my workout. I changed up some of the assistance lifts, going to start trying some new things with those.

Squat
205x3
205x3
205x3

Bench press
140x3
160x3
180x3 ***New 3RM***

Row
110x3
125x3
140x3 ***New 3RM***

Rack pulls (done from mid-calf)
225x5
275x3
295x3
315x1
335x1 (grip gave out at the top but I had the lift)

Your journal looks good - making progress and staying consistent.

I agree with you...FB programs can be challenging - if you do them right.

Thanks, I know my numbers aren't great, but I took a year off from serious lifting and didn't do any strength training during that time, so I'm pretty happy with my progress.

I've decided that this is going to be a "pure deload" phase for 2 weeks, depending on how I feel at the end. After that I'm going back to another loading phase. I don't think I'm to the point where I want to spend 5 weeks building to 3RMs.

So, this was the last workout for the week.

Incline BP
145x3
145x3
145x3

Deadlift
205x3
205x3
205x3

Squat
165x3
165x3
165x3

Cable row
140x8
140x8
150x8

Just did a pretty simple workout today, trying out some new movements. Did hang cleans, glute-ham raises, cable rows, face pulls, and good mornings.

Just trying out some new things that I'm going to incorporate into my program.

Alright so here's the new template that I'll work on for the next 4 weeks:

Monday
Deadlift
Flat bench press
Seated cable row

Assistance: Some type of glute/ham/lower back movement (hypers, glute-ham raises, good-mornings, etc.) and weighted crunches

Wednesday
Deadlift
Box squat
Overhead press

Assistance: Some type of upper back movement (face pulls, chinups, etc.) and weighted crunches

Friday
Deadlift
Flat bench press
Seated cable row

Assistance: Some tricep pressing movement (dips or JM press) and a bicep movement.

Good workout overall. I think I was a bit too ambitious and started into this at too high a percentage of my current numbers, but that's a simple adjustment I'll make and it should be fine.

Deadlift
200x5
200x5
200x5
200x5
200x5

Form got a bit messy at the end, my back didn't round, but my hips came up too quickly. Still made the lifts, but they were difficult on each set.

Flat bench press
135x5
145x5
155x5
170x5
180x2

Last set was bad, the deads are so taxing that I'm going to move the pressing before deads from now on. I think I'm making progress pressing with this template but I simply can't keep attempting 5RMs on the bench after I've done multiple heavy sets of deads/squats.

Seated cable row
135x5
150x5
160x5
170x5
180x5

These felt good. They were tough but I made them all.

Glute-ham raises
BWx8
BWx8

Wow, these are tough.

Seated hypers
190x8 (way too easy)
220x8

Weighted crunches
155x8
160x8

Originally Posted by gtbmed

Alright so here's the new template that I'll work on for the next 4 weeks:

Monday
Deadlift
Flat bench press
Seated cable row

Assistance: Some type of glute/ham/lower back movement (hypers, glute-ham raises, good-mornings, etc.) and weighted crunches

Wednesday
Deadlift
Box squat
Overhead press

Assistance: Some type of upper back movement (face pulls, chinups, etc.) and weighted crunches

Friday
Deadlift
Flat bench press
Seated cable row

Assistance: Some tricep pressing movement (dips or JM press) and a bicep movement.

I sure hope you are going to vary your reps, sets and RIs if you are doing Deads three times a week.

Well Wednesday is a lower intensity day for deads. I take 70% of Monday's weight and do that. Sometimes I'll play around with RIs and stuff like that as well.

Friday is really a 1x5 day. I'll be going for 5RMs on Friday so I'll have to work up to that weight. This is the day when I'll probably increase my RIs by a good amount.

Good workout, tried out a few new movements that I really liked. I will be continuing with them for the next 3 weeks.

Box squats (done just below parallel)
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5

These are really great. I started with them after my warmup not knowing exactly how they'd be, but I think they'll really help my squatting. I could definitely feel them working my posterior chain more, which is good for me because I think the way I do full squats is more quad-dominant. These also helped me to get my hips moving as far backward as possible on the box.

On a side note, I think my hip mobility is improving a lot. Every time I get into a squat or deadlift of any kind, I can really see that my spine is neutral and that my hips are doing the bending, not my back.

Overhead press
95x5
95x5
95x5
95x5
95x4

These are tough. I took the weight from the floor and power cleaned it up to my chest (started in a RDL position). They hurt the wrists a bit so I'm going to evaluate my grip a bit. Still a fun movement though and I think it will help improve my bench press numbers.

Deadlifts (done from a sumo position)
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5
175x5

These were simple and pretty easy. Still, I'm going to drop the weight a bit more on Wednesday because deads are a tough exercise and I don't want to burn out on this program. I really like the setup so far.

Face pulls
55x8
60x8
55x8

I can really feel these in my biceps.

Weighted crunches
160x8
160x8
160x8

Good workout for me, completed everything pretty easily. I skipped the tricep movement this week.

Deadlift (sumo-stance)
160x5
170x5
185x5
195x5
210x5

These were actually pretty easy, even as they got heavy. I think I did a good job of keeping my back from rounding, though my hips are still coming up a bit too fast. Maybe I have a deficiency in my lower back?

Flat bench press
160x5
160x5
160x5
160x5
160x5

I tried to tuck my elbows in, but it's hard to do that. Still, I think my form was pretty decent. I noticed that the benches at my gym have pretty big j-hooks, which makes it somewhat hard to get the weight out and maintain a solid stance.

Seated cable row
165x5
165x5
165x5
165x5
165x5

I can really feel these for my rear delts, good movement.

Face pulls
55x8
55x8
55x8

This was a good workout for me, I feel like I'm progressing pretty well, especially with deads. I like the way I've set up my program.

Flat bench press
145x5
155x5
165x5
175x5 new 5RM
185x1

I ran out of energy on the 185 attempt, I'll go for it next week. I just have to be a bit more patient with bench presses than with squats or deads I think. Anyway, I worked a lot on form, keeping my elbows tucked and pressing the weight from my lower abs. I really felt the lifts in the chest and triceps instead of the shoulders, which makes me more comfortable because these were putting a lot of stress on my shoulders.

Deadlift (done with a sumo stance)
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5

This is a new 5x5RM for me. I'm really happy with my progress on deads. They really hit my posterior chain, especially my lower back and glutes. I think my strength gains from them will carry over nicely to squats.

Seated cable row (pulled to the abs)
140x5
150x5
165x5
175x5
185x5 new 5RM (a bit jerky but I made the lifts)

Glute-ham raises
BWx8
BWx8

These really hit the hams well, great movement.

Hypers (done on a back extension machine)
225x5
230x5

I think I can feel these a lot more in my back than when I do hypers on a hyper bench.

Weighted crunches
165x8
165x8

Another solid workout, I'm really liking Wednesdays on this setup.

Overhead press
105x5
105x5
105x5
110x5
105x5

Moving it up to 110 was a bit too ambitious, but I was making the 105s a bit too easily I felt and I still made 110. I made good progress from last week.

Box squat (just below parallel)
215x5
215x5
215x5
215x5
215x5

These felt a bit heavy, but I made them all easily. I'm really starting to feel these strengthening the hips, hamstrings, and glutes.

Deadlift (sumo stance)
190x5
190x5
190x5
190x5
190x5

Heavier than I was supposed to do, but they weren't too hard so no problems.

Face pulls
55x8
55x8
60x8

Weighted crunches
165x8
165x8
165x8

Some days you just don't have the energy to do everything well. I'm happy with my progress, set a new PR on deads, but I swam yesterday and that turned out to be a big mistake. It fatigued me way too much and I struggled on bench and rows.

Deadlifts (sumo stance)
165x5
180x5
195x5
205x5
220x5 new 5RM

My deads didn't suffer because of yesterday's workout, which makes me very happy. I'm really starting to feel these developing strength in my hips, glutes, and hamstrings. Next week should be especially good.

Flat bench press
170x5
170x5
170X4
170X3
165X2

This is just one of those "live and learn" things - never do an intense swimming workout and cut calories the day before an intense day of lifting.

Seated cable row
170x5
170x5
170x5
175x4
170x4

These were OK. I really think I would have made them all had I been smarter yesterday.

Face pulls
55x8
60x8
60x8

JM Press
75x8
95x8
95x8

WOW... This is a great movement and I think I've finally figured out how to do it correctly. It hits the triceps really hard, hopefully it will make a difference in my pressing and help me progress faster.

This was a good workout. I changed some things up a bit to allow me to hit my 5RMs on bench.

Flat bench press
180x5 new 5RM
190x2
185x2
165x5
165x5

Set a new 5RM, I tried to up the weight again but it was too much. I think I may have been able to get 185 had I not burned out on 190, but we'll see some other time.

Seated cable row
185x4 close
185x4 close again
165x5
165x5
145x5

I was a bit off on these this week. Oh well, move on.

Deadlift (sumo stance)
215x5
215x5
215x5
215x5
215x5

Wow, I felt these. I wasn't sure I would make them after I did the first set, but I managed to get them all. I can really feel these developing the posterior chain.

Glute-ham raises
BWx8
BWx8

Tough still, but I'm getting better at them.

Hypers (seated)
235x8 light
245x8

Weighted crunches
165x8
170x8

Another good Wednesday workout for me.

Overhead press
105x5
105x5
105x5
105x4
100x5

These were all pretty good. Struggled on the last few sets but I think the volume of this program is starting to wear down my body.

Box squat (about parallel)
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5

These are a great lift, they're really teaching me how to use my hips and hamstrings to squat more weight. Now all I need to work on is getting my shins a bit farther beyond parallel than they already are.

225 was my 5RM for full, Oly-style squats...

Deadlift (sumo)
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5

Wow, my hip flexors and hamstrings were hit hard by these. I pushed my feet out wider and really focused on keeping my shoulders behind the bar.

Facepulls
60x8
60x8
60x8

hey man, you're progressing very nicely in here

our workouts are somewhat similar, along with the #'s we're putting up. keep at it!