The FNG ... hope you'll have me

[quote]Scotto wrote:
Welcome to the forum, i have the ironwoody plates and they are good. I tried linking you to a guy that makes them in his spare time, very good quality, good price, maybe violated forum rules by linking to another forum. If you google, microplates dan miller, you should be able to find them.

Good luck.
[/quote]

[quote]brotardscience wrote:
welcome Erik-
youll find some very knowledgeable and helpful people on this board[/quote]

thanks for the welcome and the tip…i’ll check into those…the sandbag thing is working nicely for now

Update: 11/20/14
c1, w2, d3 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

warm-up
100 jumping jacks
full body stretches x 3 @ 10 second holds

main lift
BP
45 x 10 x 1 (wu)
47.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
60 x 5 x 1 (wu)
72.5 x 3 x 1 (wu)
85 x 3 x 1 (5/3/1)
97.5 x 3 x 1 (5/3/1)
107.5 x 12 x 1 (5/3/1)

assistance lifts
Dumbbell BP
20 x 15 x 5

Kroc rows
20 x 15 x 5/ea arm

ab work
standing side bends:
35 x 15 x 3/ea side

front squat holds:
185 x 3 @ 10second holds

ab wheel:
15 x 2

cool down
foam roller
10 (back and forth) IT bands, quads, back

done and done

food has been, shall we say, lacking these past 2 days…after church last night was “pie night”…had a few small pieces…funny thing, woke up this morning 1.5lbs lighter than i woke up yesterday morning…maybe there’s a new pie diet…i wish

today at work was the office thanksgiving potluck…didn’t do too bad, minus the cookies and couple small pieces of pie

hard time of the year to start cleaning up the diet…meh, it is what it is…just gotta get through next week with as little damage as possible and then Christmas…new year’s means nothing to me but a day off…since i don’t drink, don’t have to worry about those calories

Erik–
‘The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him’ - Psalm 28:7

[quote]ErikM wrote:

for leg presses, they are right out as i don’t have a leg press machine in my garage…i’ll have to come up with something to fill in (lunges maybe?)

Erik–[/quote]
Lunges or possibly front squats.

Update: 11/21/14
c1, w2, d4 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

warm-up:
100 jumping jacks
full body stretches x 3 @ 10sec/holds

main lift
Squats:
45 x 10 x 1 (wu)
85 x 5 x 1 (wu)
107.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
130 x 5 x 1 (wu)
150 x 3 x 1 (5/3/1)
172.5 x 3 x 1 (5/3/1)
192.5 x 10 x 1 (5/3/1)

assistance lifts
leg curl:
90 x 10 x 3

lunges:
20 x 1 x 10/ea leg
10 x 2 x 10/ea leg
20lbs gassed me pretty good so dropped down to 10lbs…prolly could have gone with 15lbs

ab work
standing side bends
35 x 3 x 15/ea side

front squat holds:
195 x 3 @ 10sec/holds

ab wheel:
15 x 2

foam roller:
IT bands, quads, hammstrings, calves, and back

done and done

dealing with food best i can…sometimes you just gotta say screw it and enjoy the season a little…at the same time, can’t wait until all this extra junk crap is gone…gonna be a long 5 weeks or so til Jan 1

thanks for reading,

Erik–
‘In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps’ Prov 16:9

going with weighted lunges for now…need to start learning the front squat…closest i’ve ever gotten to a front squat is the front squat holds i’m doing for ab work

thanks for the suggestions

E–

Update: 11/24/14
c1, w3, d1 and d2 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

i’m splitting this week into 2 days, monday and wed, because i’m probably not going to be home thursday and friday…wanted to get my reps in and stay on track…i’m slightly OCD about staying on track when i have a plan…just slightly

today was my normal m/t split: OHP and DL…i didn’t do any assistance work…i’ll probably do a couple ab-related things tomorrow, thursday and friday

i’ll be back to my normal 4day split next week

anyhow, the numbers…

warm-up:
100 jumping jacks
full body stretches x 3 @ 10sec/holds

OHP:
45 x 10 x 1 (wu)
47.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
50 x 3 x 1 (wu)
62.5 x 5 x 1
72.5 x 3 x 1
80 x 8 x 1 – wanted 8 and got 8

DL:
95 x 10 x 1 (wu)
117.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
142.5 x 3 x 1 (wu)
177.5 x 5 x 1
200 x 3 x 1
225 x 9 x 1 – wanted 8 and got 9…thought about 10 but didn’t want to push it, especially after being slightly drained from OHP…had this been a normal tuesday split, i might have had enough in to get that 10th rep…still, 9 > 8

cool down
foam roller everywhere: IT bands, quads, hamstrings, calves and back

food is on deck

question: how do you folks handle weeks like this, where your routine is prime for disruption? i thought about passing on this week totally and picking up next week; but, that seemed like it might derail momentum…i might have mentioned earlier that i’m slightly OCD about staying on track with a plan…just slightly

have a great workout, everybody…thanks for stopping in and reading

Erik–
‘Search me, O God, and know my heart…lead me in the way of everything’ Psalm 139:23-24

edit: aha! page2! now we’re cooking with fire…haha

just a quick note to wish everybody happy Thanksgiving

tweaked my lower back at some point Monday so I’ve taken the rest of the week to work out the kinks… I’ll probably get my last 2 workouts in Saturday or Sunday… then, the deload week next week will put me back on track

Update: 12/1/14
c1, w3, d1 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

decided to take the full week off last week after tweaking my back pushing through the double last monday when i did week3 (5/3/1) for both OHP and D/L

never did get back to it…silly holiday anyhow

nonetheless, the numbers:

warm-up:
75 jumping jacks
full body stretches x 2 @ 10sec/holds

main lift
OHP:
45 x 10 x 1 (wu)
47.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
50 x 3 x 1 (wu)
62.5 x 5 x 1
72.5 x 3 x 1
80 x 11 x 1 – wanted 9 and got 11 (more on this shortly)

assistance lifts
chair dips:
3 x 10

chin ups:
1 x 7 – felt the strain in my r-elbow so called it early on these

front squat stand:
195 x 3 @ 15sec

side bends:
35 x 15 x 2/ea arm
35 x 20 x 1/ea arm

regarding my OHP 1+ tonight, last week i wanted 8 and got 8…today, i read an article on T-Nation regarding peri-workout nutrition…i’m not able to buy all the fancy supps and what-not that were discussed; but i went ahead and ate a handful of chocolates/candy before i left work…thought maybe i screwed the pooch with the exercise by eating like that…when i got home, i mixed my whey protein shake and drank about 1/3 of it while getting ready and during warm-up/stretching…i put down the last 2/3 during the lifts

anyhow, long story short (well, not as short as it could have been), tonight’s lifts felt really good…i wasn’t sure i was going to get 9 when i put it down in my notes; but when i hit 8 during the lifts i knew 10 was possible…then, 11…however, 12, not so much; so i didn’t press (no pun) my luck

i need to find a way to deal with peri-workout nutrition; but, yet, not eat a bunch of crap…any suggestions would be appreciated

anyhow, food is on deck

thanks,

Erik–
‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart’ - Psalm 37:4

Update: 12/2/14
c1, w3, d2 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

week 3, re-dux, day 2 brings about deadlifts, again

warm-up:
75 jumping jacks
full body stretches x 2 @ 10sec/holds

DL:
95 x 10 x 1 (wu)
117.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
142.5 x 3 x 1 (wu)
177.5 x 5 x 1
200 x 3 x 1
225 x 12 x 1 – i put down 11 in my notes before starting…then, psyched myself out and decided i’d do 9 or 10…when i hit 7 i knew i’d go to 10 at least…then, 11…then 12…gotta admit, numbers 11 and 12 created some interesting feelings in my body…not sure if they are good or bad feelings…i guess i’ll know more later/tomorrow…i mean, i do feel ok now, outside of just being really gassed

assistance lifts
GM:
55 x 15 x 3

Hanging Knee Raises:
3 x 5 – these put a bit of pressure in my shoulders that was not overly comfortable…maybe i should have done them first for the assistance instead of being after each set of GM…was really exhausted each time i tried these

burner:
Cosgrove’s Evil 8, errr, 1 @ 55 x 8 x 6 – been itching to get at these since i first read about using complexes as cardio…tried a few rounds the other night with just the bar…felt good so i thought, what the heck, let’s add them tonight…bad decision…halfway through the 1 set i felt like i was going to collapse in a pile of sweaty poo…with tomorrow being my off-night during the week i think i will give this another go…it might take a while before i can burn through a full set of these, much less on a lifting night

Q: is that even a good idea to do these as part of a lifting night? or should i just lift/lift/complexes/lift/lift/complexes/rest (Mon - Sunday)?

cool down
foam rolle: mid/upper back

food is on deck

Erik–
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me’ - Psalm 51:10

Update: 12/3/14

took on the Cosgrove’s Evil 8 complex for my cardio…got it all done

8 x 55 x 6 == 2640
8 x 55 x 5 == 2200
8 x 55 x 4 == 1760
8 x 55 x 3 == 1320
8 x 55 x 2 == 880
8 x 55 x 1 == 440
Total: 9240 lbs

HR was @ 160bpm the entire time (15min or so)…could probably get used to this kind of cardio

add in last night and total weight moved in 24hrs is a little over 18,000lbs…that’s nothing compared to what a lot of you are doing; but, it’s pretty damn good for me

food of some sort then church…then, bed…oh, sweet, sweet bed, how i miss you so

have a great night, everybody

Erik
‘Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago’ – Isaiah 25:1

Update: 12/4/14
c1, w3, d4 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

kind of back on track after last week…only a week off…ha

anyhow, BP on the docket

warm-up:
jumping jacks x 75
full body stretches x 2 @ 10 second holds

main lift
BP:
45 x 10 x 1 (wu)
47.5 x 5 x 1 (wu)
60 x 5 x 1 (wu)
72.5 x 3 x 1 (wu)
90 x 5 x 1
102.5 x 3 x 1
115 x 11 x 1 – wanted 10 and got 11…i’ll take it

assistance lifts:
Dumbbell BP:
25 x 15 x 5

Kroc Rows:
25 x 15 x 5/ea arm

done and done

after reading about the benefits of peri-workout nutrition, i’ve been eating some fruit on my way home from work then drinking part of a protein shake once i get home with a little more fruit…then i warm-up and lift…feels like something better is happening…all my final lifts, so far, have surpassed what i wanted when i wrote down my notes before starting

i’m liking that

just gotta dial in nutrition before heading home

anyhow, food on deck

have a great night, everybody

Erik–
‘I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands’ - Psalm 119:10

Update 12/5/14
c1, w3, d5 (5/3/1 + triumvirate)

TLDR: un-racked some heavy stuff on my shoulders/back and eventually re-racked it

Full story: Squats were on deck…really like squats…and deadlifts…anything i can move that’s over 200lbs i like

main lift
Squat:
45 x 10x 1 == 450
85 x 5 x 1 == 425
107.5 x 5 x 1 == 537.5
130 x 3 x 1 == 390
162.5 x 5 x 1 == 812.5
182.5 x 3 x 1 == 547.5
205 x 10 x 1 == 2050
Total: 5212.5

assistance lifts
none

getting that 10th rep with the squats completely fried my body…it’s been a crappy day food-wise…i really didn’t have the energy/focus i wanted…in short, wasn’t the day i wanted it to be, but, i guess that’s life, right?

i wasn’t even sure i wanted to lift tonight…i decided to just do the main lift and gtfo…so, i got in the rack and got it done…when i racked after that 10th squat i knew that was it

i’ll pick up tomorrow and do, at minimum, at least one set of Cosgrove’s 8 for some off-day cardio…maybe i’ll do a set in the morning and then a set later that evening for gits and shiggles…or not

i’m really happy with where my numbers are going this past month doing 5/3/1…it got me thinking about where i was just 5 yrs ago (a drunk slob), how far i’ve come (5yrs sober next month); and how far i have to go (up, up and then up some more)

that then got me thinking about other crap too…i remembered something i read awhile back from Henry Rollins that has always stuck with me

"The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that youâ??re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go.

But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds."

200lbs IS 200lbs…for where i’ve been and what i’ve gone through, and most importantly where i am now, i’ll take it and then i’ll be back for more

grubbin and gonna watch something on Netflix and fall asleep…or would that be something on Netflix is going to watch me sleep? creepy, i know

gonna smoke a pork shoulder tomorrow…mmmmm…pulled pork FTW

have a great night, everybody

Erik–
‘He has also set eternity in the hearts of men’ - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Update: 12/6/14

Off-day cardio ala Cosgrove’s Evil 8…really like this

55 x 8 x 21 == 9240 total lbs moved

not bad for 17min of “cardio”

Erik–

Hey Erik, nice progress on your lifts.

I’m still figuring out the routine thing myself, but after traveling for the last 10 days, I’ve kind of adopted the motto “Something is always better than nothing.” I brought my set of bands with me and did some work with those, daily calisthenics, a little hotel pool swimming, and walking when I could. I think when you can’t lift heavy, doing something every day is helpful. Hope that helps you.

Update: 12/7/14

Cosgrove’s Evil 8
55 x 8 x 21 == 9240 total lbs moved
HR (taken after every set): high of 180bpm down to a “low” of 164bpm

put 18min on the timer and finished with 2m15s left…that’s about 1m45s faster than yesterday

feelin’ good

smoked pork shoulder yesterday was yum…nom nom nom

shower then church

have a blessed day, everybody

Erik–

[quote]LiftingStrumpet wrote:
Hey Erik, nice progress on your lifts.

I’m still figuring out the routine thing myself, but after traveling for the last 10 days, I’ve kind of adopted the motto “Something is always better than nothing.” I brought my set of bands with me and did some work with those, daily calisthenics, a little hotel pool swimming, and walking when I could. I think when you can’t lift heavy, doing something every day is helpful. Hope that helps you.[/quote]

thanks for the suggestions

i’m really digging the fact that i can get in this “cardio” in just a few minutes, when i’m at home…when i’m at work/away, i do have a band i carry in my backpack (and another on my door at work)…if/when needed, i’ll bust out a set of 50 body-weight/air squats, 50 wall presses and then 50 band stretches, especially if i’m about to eat, or just ate, a bunch of crap carbs…gives the fuel somewhere to go

Erik–

Update: 12/8/2014

Deload week aka momentum killer

actually, these next 3 weeks are going to push my buttons on patience and try to kill my momemtum

things are going great right now in every aspect of lifting and life…just recalculated the 1RM from the formula in 5/3/1…i am excited to take on this next cycle and knock out these new numbers like the dirty hookers they are

i thought about skipping this deload week and starting my 2nd cycle today; however, i have a colonoscopy, err “a procedure”, this friday…can’t eat after 0700 thursday morning until sometime friday evening…so, there goes that idea

so, i am making today and tomorrow be my deload week

tonight was OHP and DL
OHP:
45 x 5 x 2
50 x 5 x 1

DL:
95 x 5 x 1
117.5 x 5 x 1
142.5 x 5 x 1

done and done

for extra work, i’m going to catch my breath and do Cosgrove’s so that maybe, just maybe, i can move over 10,000 lbs tonight

i’m going to be living off Cosgrove’s the rest of this month - that and some sort of mobility work…in addition to this week being shot i present to you the other week that is going to screw up my lifting: Christmas week…another road trip to Casper Wed-Fri and there goes that week for lifting too

i’ll take my barbell and 10-15lbs and knock out some Cosgrove’s while i’m up there

anyhow, i guess i’ll start my 2nd 5/3/1 cycle next week…i’ll do 1 week, then use part of Christmas week, before i head up to Casper, to work on my push by doing OHP and BP, since they are my weakest lifts…figure the extra work can’t hurt them

then, the 29th i’ll be back in business, picking up cycle2 week2

ughhhh, seems so far off (there’s that patience i mentioned lacking)

btw, if any of this seems like a bad idea, or any of you have better ideas how to handle this mess of time off this month, i am all ears…i’m making most of this up as i go

oh well, i’m off to do some “cardio”

have a great night, everybody

Erik–
‘Be still and know that I am God’ - Psalm 46:10

Update to the Update: 12/8/14

I did Cosgrove’s…and then some

after doing the routine i decided to add a final set of 8 reps each

so, the night went, 6-5-4-3-2-1-8 reps, per set, @ 55lbs each for a total of 12760 (82955)

pretty sure there are smarter things i could/should have done

time for some food

Erik–

i have a question that hopefully somebody can help me with this

stats:
44
5’11"
224lbs @ approx 24% bf

just noticed i have been eating around 2600-2800 cals/day…today was probably closer to 3000, thanks to some German cookies a co-worker brought in

what is a good amount of cals/lb i should aim for…today was 12.62 before adding in the cookies

i want to drop weight; but, i really want to make sure i make my lifts…i guess you could say i want what most people want: to lose fat and build muscle at the same time

i know losing fat and building muscle at the same time is almost impossible; and, that i need to pick one over the other

i suppose, if i had to chose, i would go for strength…i don’t want to put on a lot of weight; but, i do want to get stronger

in my perfect world, i would cut down to around 190lbs; but, not sure how i can go about that and continue to add muscle/lift bigger

but, if i “have” to stay around 220lbs so i can eat enough to be able to make my lifts, i’m sure i’ll come to grips with it

i was shooting for approx 2400 cals/day (11cal @ 220lbs); but, i’ve noticed that when i eat post-workout i eat more than what i guestimate on myfitnesspal…when i calculated just now, it rang up @ 2800-ish

here is a link (copy/pasta) for myfitnesspal for today:

anyhow, if anybody has any thoughts on this i’d appreciate your help

thanks,

Erik–

I don’t know what the target is, but I do believe that the more you eat the more you have to really manage your carbs; cut out sugar and bread; and cut out all empty calories you might get in drinks. When you see a cookie at work you need to see a co-worker trying to poison you. Eat some fast acting carbs post workout only, then cut out carbs the rest of the time except for green leafy vegetables and other fibrous vegetables. If you are snacking on cookies you are not going to cut fat. It just won’t happen. You can get stronger and lose fat, but it takes discipline and planning.