How is my progress looking?

[Smokin-Whale]

Hey guys,

I've just started up weight training as a newbie, and as recommended around here, I've been following Rippetoes Starting Strength guide for the last 6 weeks.

Here are some stats over the last 6 weeks:

(all weight stats are working weights, which consist of 3 sets of 5 reps, apart from deadlifts which is 5 sets of 1 rep.)

Age: Just turned 18 (hell yes! Drinking age here in Australia)

Height: 181cm/5 foot 11 inches

Weight: 154lbs ► 165lbs (I personally feel I'm getting a bit chubby, but definitely putting on muscle)

Bench: 77lbs ► 120lbs (I find my arms/chest paticularily weak, 3 sets of 120lbs is really tough for me)

Squats: 88lbs ► 176lbs (I'm finding good gains on my legs, I feel I can always add weight)

Deadlifts: 88lbs ► 198lbs

Rows: 44lbs ► 77lbs

Overhead press: 44lbs ► 77lbs

Workout Routine:

Now my routine goes as standard for SS, except I have used "Kethnaab's novice program adjustment" when I first started as I didn't feel so comfortable with power cleans when I started. So basically I have replaced cleans with rows. Should I switch to power cleans instead?

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay Rows


Week 1: Workout A
Week 2: Workout B
Week 3: Workout A, and so on.


On fridays though, I tend to throw in some extra arm exercices, such as curls, flys or pullups, as I feel my upper body is really lacking and I have extra time over the weekend to recover. Is this a bad idea? I know the book says not to **** with the program, but then again he says that every person is different and not one specific routine is perfect for everyone.

Diet:

At the moment, I have pretty stick thin arms and legs, so I've been eating more than normal to bulk up. Now as far as diet goes, this is what I would generally eat on a day to day basis:

8-9am - Breakfast - 5x Wheat Buscuits with 250ml whole milk + 2 Glasses of milk + Multivitamin

10-11am - Snack - Usually consists of 180g Tuna, or light cheese and Sao crackers. Some water

1-2pm - Lunch - Can consist of a variety of things, but would typically include a big toasted Ham and Cheese sandwhich, some fruit and veg, and a glass or two of milk.

6pm - Snack - 180g of Tuna + 2 pieces of bread (with a bit of mayo and tomato sauce) + glass of milk. I usually have a protein shake here too, 50g unflavoured whey concentrate. 5g creatine, 20g Milo (basically a chocolate milk powder), 400ml of milk.

9pm - Dinner - This can vary a lot, but usually it will consist of some sort of meat/pasta and vegetables. Last night I had a big helping of chicken, mashed potato brocoli, peas and beans.

11pm - Sleep, at least 8 hours.

Am I eating enough? I feel pretty full all day, but I could probably eat more, but I don't want to as I'm getting a bit of a gut already. Also, should I eat the same amount each day? Or should I eat more on my workout days?

Any thoughts on my progress? I hope in the next 4-5 months I can get my squats up to around 110kgs, bench 70kgs, deadlift 130kgs. Hopefully by then I will have built a decent muscle mass, and can begin cutting for summer.

Also, sorry for the long post.

[Smokin-Whale]

Also, how long until I should cut? I'm getting pretty flabby, gut is starting to get big

[lukahuang]

do u count how many calories u eat a day?

i think you shuld eat something between lunch and snack, at around 3-4clock shuld be fine =]

are you taking any supps?

you asked how long u shuld cut for, its really up to you, you gota decide what you want your body to look like after a cut, get wat i mean..sorry if i dont make sense...realy hard to explain

[Pandoxmax]

Strong progress dude.

[Sk4t3]

unflavored whey, never had that, does it have a chalky taste or nasty.

like you know how creatine and glutamine are sposed to be flavorless but that still have their own taste.

[Smokin-Whale]

Unflavoured whey... seriously tastes like nothing. It just tastes like a powder. It's actually quite bizzare. haha. It was really cheap though, and it seems to be working, so I'm happy.

Basically, my supplements consist of Whey Protein, Creatine and Multivitamin tablets. I usually take them all at once when making a shake (50g whey, 5g creatine, 20g milo + 400ml milk to wash the multivitamin down)

Everything I have learned about weight training and dieting have come from here. I guess I have to say thanks to this site for the progress I've made so far.

Admittedly with my starting weights, I started out lower than I probably should have because I wanted to get my form downpat before moving up in weights. I really should be doing more on overhead press/rows atm though, last set was pretty light.

Is adding in a few accessory arm exercises at the end of the week a bad idea? I feel my upper body is lacking.

[Smokin-Whale]

A friend pointed out the other day that my gut is getting a bit hefty, and I feel I should really get that under control first before trying to build more muscle. Is incorporating some cardio on my off days and eating cleaner likely to hamper my gains? I was reading through this article: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/satter2.htm and it seems that it is possible to do this. Any thoughts?

[Smokin-Whale]

Bump. I think i'll add some progress pics in the next couple of days.