JohnB's Journey

[BrettT07]

Awesome workout. Broke that 160 barrier and got all your reps on everything today.

Did it temporarily "stun" you when you hit the rack on the squats? It used to make me all like 'wtf?' for a second.

[johnblythe]

Awesome workout. Broke that 160 barrier and got all your reps on everything today.

Did it temporarily "stun" you when you hit the rack on the squats? It used to make me all
like 'wtf?' for a second.

thanks brah.

ooo ya, i forgot to comment more on that. yup, it was almost a deal breaker. two of my wife's friends worked out the night before, ends up they moved the safety bars up one rung. it was the right side that hit and it wasn't a slow rep so it totally threw the momentum of the bar off since the right side was now bouncing off the bar instead of just being pushed back up by me. my left arm let go of the grip as a reaction and stuck out to the far left side of the bar, towards the weight, to steady/balance it out. had a little bit of a pause/stall—the 'stun' you're talking about—on the up motion once i had realized and caught up w/ what was going on (since it all was happening so fast), and then pushed back through it which was tough after that break in motion.

so, all in all, it was one more challenge stacked on top of it all but it got busted up with the rest of them thanks for asking-

[Jasonpan]

WTF! John, your lifts will soon surpass mine, and more...kepe it up bro!

[johnblythe]

WTF! John, your lifts will soon surpass mine, and more...kepe it up bro!

that's the goal

gotta long way to go for that!

[johnblythe]

Fats - 128.06g
Carbs - 442.45g
Protein - 243.45g
TOTAL - 3884 cals (139%)

So I obviously stepped up the game today. Partly because it was a cheat meal of sorts (we usually do take out on Friday nights) which made it easier to hit. A glimpse:


Sesame chicken, fried rice x 2! And an egg roll and 3 crab rangoons ftw

[ngolsen]

Fats - 128.06g
Carbs - 442.45g
Protein - 243.45g
TOTAL - 3884 cals (139%)

Of sorts? Lol @ amount of fats n carbs... I think I'd have a cardiac arrest! But it's what you need to do to bulk up

[johnblythe]

Of sorts? Lol @ amount of fats n carbs... I think I'd have a cardiac arrest! But it's what you need to do to bulk up

that stuff has gotta be high to get those kinda cals in, especially in the 8 hour window

you said you don't count though, right? so you might be getting those sorts of numbers and just not know it??

[johnblythe]

mmmmm, breakfast. gold coast blend from starbucks ftw

[johnblythe]

with it being the end of the world and all...and saturday...it was my 'cheat' day in that i didn't bother recording everything. i made sure to eat enough stuff that i knew would get me some decent protein numbers in to help kick in some protein synthesis and keep me from going anywhere near catabolic.

had a hamburger and hotdog at a graduation party, sushi, hibachi, milk throughout the day, some whey, etc.

so no real numbers, but a pic or two:


filet and shrimp hibachi split by my wife and i (she tended towards the rice and noodles, i hoarded dem meatz

i forgot to snap a shot of the 'big daddy' roll we got


a dessert of sorts, 2 servings (1 cup) of CC with a del monte berry pack

[johnblythe]

Fats - 105.85g
Carbs - 245.19g
Protein - 219.45g
TOTAL - 2777cals

As weight progressions go up in SS I have decided to help recovery not slow down or said progressions get stalled by upping my intake again. I'll still be on the LG approach which will make it difficult to slop through a day and reach my goals. Thus, more discipline will be required, more planning, more everything.

As of now I'll be shooting for 2600-2900 on off days and 3200-3500 on workout days. Quite a range, I know, but I want to play in those numbers this week and see how things go. As time goes on I'll (hopefully) find a sweet spot and then narrow the numbers down to a 100-200 calorie range.

Next workout tomorrow, will see how it goes, can't wait to set some new PRs.

[johnblythe]

STARTING STRENGTH
WORKOUT A
Squats:
45 - 2x5
65 - 1x5
95 - 1x3
130 - 1x2

165 - 3x5

ain't no thang. anxiety hit me a bit before leaving work as i was thinking of moving forward, but i took care of that swiftly and psyched myself up.

had my workout buddy with me again after two weeks of him traveling all around the place, graduating, etc. was nice to have conversation during breaks and all. further, he picked up where he left off on the routine @ 125. was nice to be warming up with even more than that, added more confidence

first set was generally good. work, yes, but hard or really tough, no. second set a bit more tough, just to the point of form wanting to start giving out some (more bend in the back, knees coming in, etc.), so i had to fight that but think i did well. third set may have been the easiest. i accidentally took a minute or so longer than intended. was telling kyle about n00b cns recovery, got to about 3:40 of rest and went up to the bar when he asked another question and i took a minute to answer. the added rest made a huge difference as the first 3 reps of that final set were a breeze!

Bench:
45 - 2x5
65 - 1x5
95 - 1x3
115 - 1x2

130 - 1x5, 1x4, 1x3

Thought I might need to microload but went ahead and did the 5 pound jump. It was tough. I maybe could have gotten the 4th rep out on the final set but clowned kyle at the top of the third and then was holding back laughter as I began the 4th.

will be repeating the weight on friday. need to get it better and more pec oriented anyway, felt a lot in my shoulder, especially on my left side where more strain was happening. we'll see if the pecs are sore tomorrow at all.

Deads:
85 - 2x5
130 - 1x3
185 - 1x2

220 - 1x5

The 185 caught me off guard. Didn't realize it'd feel that heavy. Even so, pulled out 220 without too much problem, but it wasn't easy. The biggest issue I had was with my grip, actually. By the time I finished rep 2 I afraid my hands would give out before I reached 5. But, in the end, I got'em all. Guess I'll check more seriously into that chalk or glove stuff here soon. Will probably move to 15 pound increments or maybe just go ahead and do 10, unsure at this point. I figure it wouldn't hurt to see if I can add 15 on Friday. Worse case I repeat the weight the next week, right? What do you guys think?

------------------

Great workout. Super hot, but it worked. Getting an a/c unit out in the shed which will make it bearable (hopefully) during the summer months. I'm enjoying being awake and 'alive' for the workouts compared to the morning gig I was doing—though I did enjoy training fasted and getting the workout out of the way and moving on with my day.

Loving this routine more and more simply because it constantly pushes you. Each time you show up you know you have to man up to get things done. It can be intimidating, but it's just as awesome.

And, yes, I reached my 3200 goal today. Was really hard to do so. Taking that workout time out of my feeding window makes it more difficult. Having Kyle back made it take 1.5 hours, too, so all that plus the walk my wife and I try to have regularly turns into 2 hours of my 8 hour feeding window gone. Not the best thing when you're trying to bulk in that allotted time. I determined, though, to make my caloric load more important than the timing. If it forces me to go 9/15 instead of 8/16 some days, so be it.

Alright, that's it for now. Thanks for checking in-

[BrettT07]

Great workout. Squats are coming along nicely and you succeeded with the big jump in deadlifts. You'll come back from that little bump with the bench. You're so close to having a plate on there (45 on each side)!

Also, that 'awake and alive' part.. that's the title of one of my favorite workout songs (I like it outside of the gym too of course) by Skillet.

[johnblythe]

Great workout. Squats are coming along nicely and you succeeded with the big jump in deadlifts. You'll come back from that little bump with the bench. You're so close to having a plate on there (45 on each side)!

Also, that 'awake and alive' part.. that's the title of one of my favorite workout songs (I like it outside of the gym too of course) by Skillet.

thanks brohim. looking forward to the plates on bench, hate that i have the hiccup from yesterday, but i'll get to it next week either way

i'll check it out!

[BrettT07]

Dunno if this is a type of music you'll like or not.

[johnblythe]

Dunno if this is a type of music you'll like or not.

i went and found it right after you posted it, good stuff.


i like pretty much anything as long as it's good, regardless of genre

i used to love me some skillet back in the day. moved past them i suppose to other things but the stuff i hear here and there is legit. they really found a niche and honed in on it, that much is certain.

[johnblythe]

Fats - 114.49g
Carbs - 335.19g
Protein - 272.40g
TOTAL - 3403 cals

Good stuff. Could have had the protein a bit higher, but as long as I'm above 200 then it's all good, anything else is a bonus.

Here are some of the eats:


new casserole Polly tried her hand at yesterday. Asparagus (a whole pound!!!), ham steak, rotini, cheese, and other stuff


money shot


a nice dessert i like to have: CC + strawberries + honey

[johnblythe]

oh and one other thing. sunday we had a gender revealing party for the baby. we found out thursday, held it in til sunday afternoon when we had a little get together with close friends and family to reveal what it is.

i'll let you figure it out

[Jasonpan]

Fawk yeah!!! The Family name lives on!!! Oh yeah, nice squats too!!

Grats on the baby boy, they are so much fun!!!

[johnblythe]

Fawk yeah!!! The Family name lives on!!! Oh yeah, nice squats too!!

Grats on the baby boy, they are so much fun!!!

heck ya, i'm the only one carrying the name. or, was.

and thanks on the squats. glad to hear some more feedback on this one, was surprised at the silence

[candyflip69]

and thanks on the squats. glad to hear some more feedback on this one, was surprised at the silence

Can't see your form - hard to comment. You could be doing them perfectly and working your legs like no other, or you could be taking all the weight on your back and hips and failing to induce any kind of hypertrophy at all in the targetted muscles. Who knows?

Why be negative? The fact that your final set was easier than the others, even though it was heavier by a mile and your form had been slippery on the sets immediately previous?.... well, I'm not sure, but I smell smoke my friend.

My point is: don't throw up big weights because you have to. Throw them up because you can do so to maximise the stress to your targetted muscles. Racing to an arbitary weight figure and compromising safe form is the fastest track to an injury you can find. And injuries mean no training - the fastest way to go backwards. Please be aware.

And if they were perfect, well done!

[johnblythe]

Can't see your form - hard to comment. You could be doing them perfectly and working your legs like no other, or you could be taking all the weight on your back and hips and failing to induce any kind of hypertrophy at all in the targetted muscles. Who knows?

Why be negative? The fact that your final set was easier than the others, even though it was heavier by a mile and your form had been slippery on the sets immediately previous?.... well, I'm not sure, but I smell smoke my friend.

My point is: don't throw up big weights because you have to. Throw them up because you can do so to maximise the stress to your targetted muscles. Racing to an arbitary weight figure and compromising safe form is the fastest track to an injury you can find. And injuries mean no training - the fastest way to go backwards. Please be aware.

And if they were perfect, well done!

point well taken.

form probably wasn't/isn't perfect. definitely better and increasingly so. what i was saying was that form was beginning to slip. recognizing it is more than half the battle i'm finding. further, my recognition included active fixing thereof in the midst of the motion. it was a fight to keep form, but was kept nonetheless (again, doesn't mean said form was perfect, just that it didn't get to deteriorate like it wanted to).

and though i've not had an injury, i had a nice scare with that one training day the other week that i've mentioned a good deal throughout my posts. i certainly want good form to avoid that potential and had the scare to get me on the fast track to worrying about form over weight......but still want that weight going up

[candyflip69]

John - there's a thread over at SizeMatters that you could do a lot worse than have a read of. Terrific tips on maintaining form over weight, for maximum hypertrophy. See what you think?

http://www.sizematters.com.au/traini...-training.html

[johnblythe]

John - there's a thread over at SizeMatters that you could do a lot worse than have a read of. Terrific tips on maintaining form over weight, for maximum hypertrophy. See what you think?

http://www.sizematters.com.au/traini...-training.html

thanks for sharing. good little read (i stopped after the calves when it started getting into lats and then other commenters discussion).

it was actually really helpful on one level, namely the mini-good mornings. i had been meaning to mention that in here just for updating purposes but kept forgetting. due to my short trunk vs long legs, my torso does bend forward more than would be ideal simply do to anatomical constraints. as such, i've had issues (last week mainly) with lower back work nearly straining me (it was a large part of the big failure i had the other week, actually).

i think a mixture of doing better on them due to reading rippetoe's chapter on squats and watching his video + just building a stronger lower back/core from deads has helped tremendously. i'm not sure in the lower back any more after squats. i feel all the fatigue and/or doms in the legs. and, after having read/watched rippetoe, i feel that in my glutes and hams now as well instead of just the quads, since my now better my form is more properly activating those bad boys.

thanks again for the share and the wisdom

[johnblythe]

oh and what do you guys think about cleans and deads. progress cleans by 2.5? or try 5 one more time? i got it last time, was just difficult. since it's not every exercise do you think i can continue to handle the +5 jump? or should i at least try again tomorrow before deciding?

and deads, i made the 20 jump yesterday. should i do 15 for a few weeks and then drop down to 10? or go ahead and go to slow and steady w/ 10?

another update i mentioned in yesterday's post: my chest is a bit sore when i cross an arm or something. glad to see the chest was activated, not just the shoulders like it felt like in the moment yesterday. my right shoulder doesn't feel anything, but my left is a little tweaked feeling. not all the time, only if i do something like reach behind to scratch my back or something. hoping it doesn't mess with my press tomorrow, we'll see.

[johnblythe]

Fats - 123.79g
Carbs - 189.28g
Protein - 222.05g
Total - 2685 cals

First day of bumped up off days (2600-2800). Wasn't too bad to hit it, got a decent spread, too. Had some killer salmon filets with green beans (not shown) and the awesomely delicious ben & jerry's strawberry cheesecake: yuuuuuuum!


slammin' the salmon


ooooomaaaahhhhgaaaaaawwwwwww

[johnblythe]

Was in a fog today. Thankfully I have some great friends at Starbucks since my wife works there and they definitely hooked me up, and FOR FREE.

Got a black iced coffee (remember, on LG so I'm fasting in the morning) and an 8-shot espresso over ice. Then got a Starbucks doubleshot w/ caramel & cream when I went back at lunch time for a meeting (not pictured).

[ngolsen]

1x5, 1x4, 1x3 = 12 reps... 12+ reps means increment as normal (+5).

Plus, 5/4/3 suggest you need longer rest period. Did you time them by any chance?

330/165/165 for me tonight... B session

[johnblythe]

1x5, 1x4, 1x3 = 12 reps... 12+ reps means increment as normal (+5).

Plus, 5/4/3 suggest you need longer rest period. Did you time them by any chance?

330/165/165 for me tonight... B session

dangit, got led astray by the wiki again. is the program listed out in SS? i'm in the deadlift chapter currently, need to go find the program details from mark himself.

honestly totally unsure if +5 would be doable. figured this is around the time (several weeks in now) that the progression jumps down to 2.5. thoughts?

will be posting the workout from yesterday later on tonight. haven't had time as of yet.

blessings-

[ngolsen]

dangit, got led astray by the wiki again. is the program listed out in SS? i'm in the deadlift chapter currently, need to go find the program details from mark himself.

honestly totally unsure if +5 would be doable. figured this is around the time (several weeks in now) that the progression jumps down to 2.5. thoughts?

will be posting the workout from yesterday later on tonight. haven't had time as of yet.

blessings-

It's either in bb.com FAQ (pretty sure), wiki or the book under programming. You only microload when you miss more than 3 reps across the 15. Bit of a self-judgement call...

[johnblythe]

It's either in bb.com FAQ (pretty sure), wiki or the book under programming. You only microload when you miss more than 3 reps across the 15. Bit of a self-judgement call...

ahhh, gotcha. well then i'll try it and see what happens. worst case i begin microloading after tomorrow