Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Stronglifts: Week 13

Day 1: A
Squat: 265lbs.
Bench: 190lbs.
Upright Row: 130lbs.

 Day 2: B
Squat: 270lbs.
Press: 120lbs.
Deadlift: 265lbs.

 Day 3: A
Squat: 275lbs.
Bench: 190lbs.
Upright Row: 135lbs.

12 Week Experiment: Wrap-Up

14 weeks ago, I began a 12 week experiment. My goal was simple I wanted to see if I could prove, in practice, that I could lift, feel good and hopefully drop weight. I began with the following weights.

Squat: 95lbs.
Bench: 95lbs.
Press: 50lbs.
Upright Row: 50lbs.
Deadlift: 95lbs.

Now, 14 weeks. and 36 workouts later my weights are as follows:
Squat: 260lbs.
Bench: 185lbs.
Press: 115lbs.
Upright Row: 125lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.

My weight has gone up, but given that I haven't been doing much in the way of cardio, I really can't complain. So, given that I've at least doubled my weights across the board I think I can call the experience and unqualified success.

Now what?

Stronglifts isn't meant to be a 12 week and you're done program. I'm still seeing nearly linear gains across the board and I feel fantastic. I plan to continue, with one key change. I'm going to start rowing after my lifting sessions. I'm not yet sure how this is going to work, time wise, as the Missus is already upset at how long my workouts take, but I feel that some sort of cardio is critical if I want to keep lifting, and lose weight.

I'm going to keep the 12 week cycle. I like that, and I think it works. Basically, it gives me a concrete goal to shoot for, and helps keep me in the gym. With the added cardio, I hope to see my weights go up, and my weight go down. We shall see.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

12 Week Experiment: Week 12

Day 1: B
Squat: 250lbs.
Press: 115lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.

 Day 2: A
Squat: 255lbs.
Bench: 185lbs.
Upright Row: 125lbs.

 Day 3: B
Squat: 260lbs.
Press: 115lbs.
Deadlift: 255lbs.

Trying to wrap up this 12 week program, I began March 13th and am now in my 14th week. While I'm not happy about having taken two weeks longer then planned, I'm very pleased with the results overall. I could make excuses, vacation, injuries, but in the end I chose to not go to the gym, time and time again. I could have finished last week, but with work, I chose to give in to the funk, as opposed to going and lifting.

That's one of the hardest parts about a self-directed program. Nobody makes you go to the gym. There's no incentive to go, there's no push. You have to get up, and you have to go. That's been hard for me. Even though I know it's good for me, even though I know I'm seeing results, and I feel fantastic, it's still hard to get up, and go.

Part of it is that I dislike leaving the Missus at home. Part of it is work, stress, and a lack of time. Part of it is in the later weeks my 25-30 minute gym time became a 60-70 minute gym time. Heavier weights, longer recovery between sets, and injuries, all slow me down in the gym. However, at the end, I chose to not go. I chose to fall behind.

I'm going to finish this week, and then take it easy till Monday, when I'll start over. I'm going to drop 50 or so pounds off my squat for the next 12 weeks, to work on my form. It'll take me three, or four weeks to get back to 250, but I hope in the long run it'll be beneficial. Ideally I'd like to see 315 in my next 12 weeks. It's totally doable, and it would certainly put a smile on my face.