I'm back and ready to get big and strong!

D

davidjr74

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I'm back and ready to get big and strong! Starting Strength Program

I lost a lot of strength and muscle while at basic training. If you read my other journal you would know that I had issues with money, getting to the gym, food, all sorts of problems that were preventing me from doing something that I loved- and that is getting big and strong.

I'm at the bottom of a hill right now and I'm looking to climb to the top. Here are my current stats.

Height: 6'0 (not 6'2 the doctors were wrong lol I thought I was 6'2 for the longest time)

Weight: 168-170 (think I might be a little more; pigged out for a week after b asic)

Bench Press: 135 for 6 reps (sad....lol)

Squat: IDK (will find out tommorow)

Deadlift: 235 pounds for 3 reps

I decided to give Mark Rippetoes Starting Strength Program a run for all its worth. Once that plateaus I will move over to Bill Starr's 5x5. And then once I milk that for all its worth I should have a solid strength foundation by then. I can then follow a bodybuilding routine.

I now have free access to a gym everyday and all the food I could eat for 3 meals a day. Plus whatever else I buy for my dorm. I'm currently stationed in Mississippi at tech school.

My workout will be as follows:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
2x8 Dips

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay or Bent Rows
2x8 Chin-ups

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays my squadron has mandatory PT :/ Those consists of pushups, situps, corework and running. Hopefully it won't hamper my workouts too much. Also some days I might miss some sleep because of night CQ shifts and whatever else happens on this base. Military life can be a bit unpredictable at times.

Starting tommorow I will do workout A. My hamstrings and back are sore right now because I deadlifted 2 days ago. But I will work through it.
 
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Squat
45x1x5

Bench Press
120x3x5

DB Rows
50x3x5

Dips
70x2x8

Notes
1.) I tried to work through it but my legs are dead sore from the leg press/deadlift work I did 2 days ago. My left knee was even hurtin from the bar.
2.) Ready to go up on the bench press
3.) I like Dumbbell rows instead of barbell rows. I feel more work in the back when I use dumbbell and its easier to set up.
4.) The dips were done on one of those hammer strength machines. Really good.

Overall decent workout. I was a little tired and I didn't eat much. Hopefully I can recover my legs by the next workout. Already like Rippetoes a lot. I was only in there for 25 minutes.
 
Okay so my workout schedule has not be going as planned. Started classes and didn't realize they were 11 hours long and we had to study 3 hours after... So I'm moving my schedule to Friday/ Sunday/ Tuesday. With some tuesday workouts are gonna be missed. I missed my last workout because of my busy schedule. Test are during the week so I really need that time to study which is why I'm moving over the schedule. That way I won't miss Friday's workout and Sundays workout because its on the weekend and I have time. Tuesday's workout I will have to be on the ball that day.

I also have mandatory PT on Tuesday/Wednesday and Friday which is a 2 mile run, a lot of core work, and some pushups. And its at 4:00 AM in the morning :( kills my whole day.
 
Hey there

Don't forget, sometimes we lose our strength but all we have to do is build it up again. I am sure it will be up to where you want it soon and more :) good luck :)
 
eh tech school is so busy. I haven't worked out since my initial workout :/

I have time on Saturday and Sunday but thats pretty much it.
 
Ride_On said:
I'll be on SS soon too. Good luck!
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I can never be consistent with working out; theres always something that gets in the way. I have tons of endurance right now (60 pushups in a minute, 65 situps, 18 pullups). But I'm not strong at all like I used to be.

Yesterday- the gym was closed (on saturday wtf) so I ran 3 miles and did a few sets of pushups and core work.

Cool thing is- my cardio is awesome though. I ran that 3 miles and barely broke a sweat and still had my breath at the end.

Right now though, I'm studying for a test tommorow.... :action5:
 
Hey David,

Just keep moving forward. Sometimes life tries to get in our way, but keep yourself working out when you can and you will eventually get it all organized and back where you want to be!

Don't get frustrated, just keep it going! :D
 
davidjr74 said:
I can never be consistent with working out; theres always something that gets in the way. I have tons of endurance right now (60 pushups in a minute, 65 situps, 18 pullups). But I'm not strong at all like I used to be.

Yesterday- the gym was closed (on saturday wtf) so I ran 3 miles and did a few sets of pushups and core work.

Cool thing is- my cardio is awesome though. I ran that 3 miles and barely broke a sweat and still had my breath at the end.

Right now though, I'm studying for a test tommorow.... :action5:
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Well, at least you haven't given up on it, and that's important. EVERYBODY loses focus once in a while. That's why a place like this is great, to keep you on track. And see, you still did something productive, so that was a plus.

Just make your workout a priority, as part of the day, and things won't get in the way. It's not a matter of "will I have time to workout?" for me anymore, it's "will I have time to do 'x' after I workout?" It's just part of my routine. If you think you don't have time, sit down and record everything you do in a day, and magically you will probably realize the time is there.
 
Typhon said:
Good to see you back. How did you do at basic training? Other than lose weight of course
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Always gonna keep moving forward. Basic Training I did alright. Didn't volunteer for anything just went with the flow and graudated. I actually did really good on the PT test. Except for the run.

BTW got a 92.5% on my first test ;) I'm got time to hit the gym today. I need to squat its been forever. And then I have PT tommorow so I don't know how wobbly legs are gonna do with 3 mile runs lol. I'm in "phase 2" now at tech school which means I can go to the gym in civilian clothes and I don't have to have all 3 meals at the dining facility. So that should save some time.
 
davidjr74 said:
Always gonna keep moving forward. Basic Training I did alright. Didn't volunteer for anything just went with the flow and graudated. I actually did really good on the PT test. Except for the run.

BTW got a 92.5% on my first test ;) I'm got time to hit the gym today. I need to squat its been forever. And then I have PT tommorow so I don't know how wobbly legs are gonna do with 3 mile runs lol. I'm in "phase 2" now at tech school which means I can go to the gym in civilian clothes and I don't have to have all 3 meals at the dining facility. So that should save some time.
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Good for you! Great goin' on the score! Bet you're glad they aren't over your shoulder in the dinning hall anymore! lol :)
 
NoLoveLost said:
Good for you! Great goin' on the score! Bet you're glad they aren't over your shoulder in the dinning hall anymore! lol :)
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It was odd eating at my own pace for a change.

CypKitty said:
Your endurance is great :) keep it up :)
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Thanks.

Alright with phase II a lot more time is available and I'm trying to learn to manage my time better as well. My goal is to get a whole week done. What I'm gonna do is keep it on the Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule and hit the books hard on Tuesday/Thursday and study all weekend.

With that being said, I hit my workout yesterday and finnally squatted and did had PT early (4:00AM) this morning.

Monday
Squat
3x5x155

Bench Press
3x5x120

Deadlift
1x5x225

Notes- Legs are sore from them squats. I went ATG and had really good form. Saw a big a dude supersetting powercleans/benchpress/deadlift- oddest thing I ever saw but it must be working for him. He was doing 3x10 with 350 on the deadlift.

Tuesday
PT this morning was a little over a mile run and some pushups and core work. Not as rough as the usual amount of pushups/corework and 3 mile runs.

Depending on how my legs feel, I may use Wednesday as a light squat day. I'm not sure; I need to read more into the rippetoe program on how that works. So far I feel this is a pretty good work. I hope to continue being consistent and start making some progression. Some short term goals:

Get squat up to 225 for 3x5
Get Deadlift up to 250 for 1x5
Get Bench Press up to 150 for 3x5

So regaining my bench press strength and deadlift and finnally getting my squat up in the 2 plates.
 
Wednesday
Military Press
3x5x75

Bent Over Rows
3x5x95

Notes

Got some doms in the legs from the Squats Monday, 3 mile run yesterday and my enginneering class. So I didn't do any squats today. Do not think it will be an issue though because by Friday I should still be able to progress and hopefully my legs will start to condition so I can hit the squats on Wednesday.
 
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JMAN! lol hey bro, glad to see you'r back!!! time to crack that whip man! i think i remember competing with you! you were squating around 300 eh? i remember still. very glad to see you'r bak! thought we lost you! il be following this around! <3 lol
 
Proteinboy said:
JMAN! lol hey bro, glad to see you'r back!!! time to crack that whip man! i think i remember competing with you! you were squating around 300 eh? i remember still. very glad to see you'r bak! thought we lost you! il be following this around! <3 lol
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yeah we both joined the forum around the same time I think. I'll take a look in your journal when I get the time.

U get that 1 arm chinup yet?
 
Friday
Squat
3x5x160

Bench Press
3x5x130

Deadlift
230x5

Notes
-Got through a week of workouts so thats good for consistency.
-My legs are getting better- added 5 pounds and my legs aren't as sore today so I hope I can squat 3x next week.
 
Monday

Squat
3x5x165

Military Press
3x5x75

Bent Over Rows
100x3x5

Notes
-Squats are doing alright its always a mind game every set it seems.
-Military Press I'm a bit confused on where I should place my hands. I'm finding a narrower grip to be easier on my shoulders
-Rows were ridiculously easy for some reason
-As for my diet I have been eating everything in sight like a madman. My appetite is ridiculous.


Ride_On said:
Well, at least you haven't given up on it, and that's important. EVERYBODY loses focus once in a while. That's why a place like this is great, to keep you on track. And see, you still did something productive, so that was a plus.

Just make your workout a priority, as part of the day, and things won't get in the way. It's not a matter of "will I have time to workout?" for me anymore, it's "will I have time to do 'x' after I workout?" It's just part of my routine. If you think you don't have time, sit down and record everything you do in a day, and magically you will probably realize the time is there.
Click to expand...

Very true statement. Managing time better. Only rough part is on workout days its almost like I have to wait for the next day to have free time (after gym I gotta study and then hit the bed). But its alright with me thats what we have to sacrifice if we want to achieve our goals.

Also doms in my legs are gone and I'm not sore anymore from the squats already. been eating a crap ton and getting decent sleep with the exception of Tuesday and Thursdays I only get 5 hours of sleep. But I'm used to it.
 
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davidjr74 said:
Monday

Squat
3x5x165

Military Press
3x5x75

Bent Over Rows
100x3x5

Notes
-Squats are doing alright its always a mind game every set it seems.
-Military Press I'm a bit confused on where I should place my hands. I'm finding a narrower grip to be easier on my shoulders
-Rows were ridiculously easy for some reason
-As for my diet I have been eating everything in sight like a madman. My appetite is ridiculous.
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They have you do a lot of pull-ups in boot? That might be why for the rows. How about adding 2 sets and do a 5x5 for all.
 
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