AVandelay makes friends with calories, lifts weights

[NordAK]

Yeah I know that the accessory stuff isn't really in the program but my train of thought was basically if I do it all after the main lifts then it can only help my gains right? I know that stripping down the extras does have its benefits but personally I like the volume. Do you do any extra lifts besides what's prescribed in SL 5x5?

No. Even if you do accessory lifts after the main lifts they can hinder recovery, hence why your main lifts are already stalling. Read the 5x5 wiki or Practical Programming. At your weight you should be focusing all your energy and recovery on the basic compound exercises so you can maintain linear progression.

Think about adding accessory exercises when you can squat 1.5x bodyweight. I don't even do the pushups/pullups permitted in the 5x5 program because I find that I'm exhausted after doing a proper warmup, pushing myself, and maintaining good form on the main lifts.

[AVandelay]

Cool, thanks for the input. I'll stick to just the main lifts for the time being and see how that feels.

[NordAK]

Cool, thanks for the input. I'll stick to just the main lifts for the time being and see how that feels.

Yeah, stick to the main lifts and focus on form! I think a lot of beginners are worried that just doing 3 lifts a session isn't enough volume, but remember you're doing warmup + 5 working sets... that's plenty. If you're in this for the long haul, just dedicate a few months focusing on strength before worrying about accessory work and bodybuilding. As any experienced lifter will tell you, you have to be able to lift heavy before you can put on mass... that's why most people agree that BB splits are a waste of time until you build up a base of strength.

The 5x5 program is great, and it works if you stick to it! It feels great to consistently add 5lbs to your lifts every week. I can't tell you how happy I was when I finally started to squat more than my BW (sad, I know)... I'm finally on the road to recovering my strength.

[AVandelay]

7/14 Nutrition
Morning weight: 136 pounds

Rest Day: Working, walking
Didn't do too much today besides work, I got my cardio in yesterday because I knew I wouldn't feel like it before or after work.

Food
FFGY/CC bowl w/sliced strawberries and apples, apple-cinnamon overnight oats, coffee


Banana-chocolate chip GY pancakes w/sliced banana and sludge


Macros: 161/294/73 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,543 calories

Notes
Calories are showing up a little low but that's because I had a bit of trouble logging the free samples I treated myself to at work. I estimated that I ate about the equivalent of a quarter of a chocolate croissant but calorie estimation/guesstimation isn't really an exact science, as much as I would love it to be. Same thing with dinner - had chicken, grilled veggies, and cous cous but didn't measure it myself. Still, the macros should be a pretty decent approximation.

Hopefully gonna catch up on some sleep tonight, which shouldn't be hard with the comforting weight of pancakes sitting in my stomach. They were delicious btw, plus I made my sludge with almond milk instead of water this time, awesome decision.

[AVandelay]

7/15 Workout & Nutrition
Morning weight: 136.5

Workout
Squats
45x10
70x8
120x5x5 <-- Working sets

Overhead Press
45x10
45x8
65x5x5 <-- Working sets

Deadlifts
135x5
155x5x2
190x5 <-- Working set

Cardio: Treadmill, two miles at eight mph

Food

Chocolate-banana oats


Scrambled eggs w/grilled vegetables and mixed green, 15-grain toast


FFGY/CC w/butterscotch pudding mix, strawberries, blueberries


Chocolate-PB oats


Macros: 168/292/89 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,601 calories

Notes
Decently active day today, I walked to and from the gym, got in both lifting and cardio, then went out and chilled with some friends. Had to call it a night relatively early because I'm working tomorrow but that's fine. I'm kind of annoyed that I accidentally deleted my picture of dinner because it was awesome - grilled shrimp and veggies with mexican rice.

So for the workout today I took out all accessory work and did just the big compounds. I threw in some extra rest pause-y reps at the end of squats but for some reason the 120 still felt fairly heavy. I'm gonna try 125 again on Monday and see how it goes.

Next workout I'm also going to bring flat-soled shoes (generic chucks) and wear those while I lift. I think that the old running shoes that I have been lifting in have been preventing me from really driving with my heels, which might be an issue.

Also, about the weight gain - does it seem like too much? Or should I expect a jump like the one to 136 from a gain in muscle glycogen/extra food and the like? I know I said one of the things I'm not going to do is freak out about fat gain, but I do think I have some mild body image issues ("former fat boy" syndrome) and consulting the mirror, although I do it regularly, can be counterproductive. I would say that I'm not quite prepared to gain weight yet, but I am totally prepared and willing to. It's just that even just three pounds up is three pounds in a direction I haven't seen for over a year - I'm dealing with it, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to do.

[determined4000]

7/8 Workout
Morning Weight: 136 pounds

7/15 Workout & Nutrition
Morning weight: 136.5

Also, about the weight gain - does it seem like too much? Or should I expect a jump like the one to 136 from a gain in muscle glycogen/extra food and the like? I know I said one of the things I'm not going to do is freak out about fat gain, but I do think I have some mild body image issues ("former fat boy" syndrome) and consulting the mirror, although I do it regularly, can be counterproductive. I would say that I'm not quite prepared to gain weight yet, but I am totally prepared and willing to. It's just that even just three pounds up is three pounds in a direction I haven't seen for over a year - I'm dealing with it, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to do.

well looks like you gained .5lbs in the last week.
too fast? hardly
I would have expected much faster gains initially (water, glycogen, etc) to be honest
Re read your 1st post and goals. Keep moving towards them. Don't waste your WO by cutting back on intake.

[NordAK]

Also, about the weight gain - does it seem like too much? Or should I expect a jump like the one to 136 from a gain in muscle glycogen/extra food and the like? I know I said one of the things I'm not going to do is freak out about fat gain, but I do think I have some mild body image issues ("former fat boy" syndrome) and consulting the mirror, although I do it regularly, can be counterproductive. I would say that I'm not quite prepared to gain weight yet, but I am totally prepared and willing to. It's just that even just three pounds up is three pounds in a direction I haven't seen for over a year - I'm dealing with it, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to do.

3lbs in 2 weeks is just about optimal... That's actually pretty low considering that if you bumped cals up significantly you can expect extra water weight. The fact that you're worrying about it shows that you still have a lingering ED. Remember your goal in your original post that you would not freak out about fat gain?

Looking at your pictures I can tell that even if you put on 10lbs of pure fat and no muscle you would still look better, and I only say that because I see the same thing in myself. But you're not going to put on 10lbs of pure fat... as a young beginner doing compound exercises you are in the best position to put on muscle that you will ever be in. Take advantage of your beginner gains!

Keep it up bro, you're on the right track.

[AVandelay]

Re read your 1st post and goals. Keep moving towards them. Don't waste your WO by cutting back on intake.

Looking at your pictures I can tell that even if you put on 10lbs of pure fat and no muscle you would still look better, and I only say that because I see the same thing in myself. But you're not going to put on 10lbs of pure fat... as a young beginner doing compound exercises you are in the best position to put on muscle that you will ever be in. Take advantage of your beginner gains!

Keep it up bro, you're on the right track.

Thanks for the reassurance guys, I'm not about to start spinning my wheels by lowering intake. Definitely gonna keep up with the eating and such.

[IronResolution]

Thanks for the reassurance guys, I'm not about to start spinning my wheels by lowering intake. Definitely gonna keep up with the eating and such.

Awesome decision!
Listen to these EXTREMELY informed individuals... invaluable experience.

Epic Eats.

[AVandelay]

7/16 Nutrition
Morning weight: 136.5 pounds

Rest Day: Working, walking.

Food

Chocolate-banana oats, FFGY w/strawberry cream cheese, sliced banana, strawberries


Blueberry GY pancakes w/baked cinnamon apples & PB sludge


Butterscotch GY bowl w/cinnabon cereal


Macros: 169/305/90 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,695 calories

Notes
No cardio today but a good amount of walking - to work, to my friend's house, home, and just kind of around. My friend was having a sort of cookout which was nice, I remembered what I ate and put approximations in myfitnesspal. Made some pancakes when I got home and followed them up with some SF/FF pudding mix in a bowl of GY, tossed some cinnabon in there and it was looking good.

Might go for a run tomorrow although I'm inclined to just take it easy. We'll see.

[hheck50]

In. I've found your log and Nordak's log and our stories all sound pretty similar. Good luck with your lifting!

[AVandelay]

7/17 Nutrition
Morning weight: 135 pounds

Rest Day

Food

Chocolate-blueberry oats


Grilled chicken salad


FIVE GUYS


Pre-bed spread: toasted cheese, peppers, and onions on an english muffin, grilled chicken sandwich, banana-nut vitatop, eggos cereal


Macros: 162/299/90 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,616 calories

Notes
Didn't end up going for a run today because it was crazy hot out, but I ended up mowing the lawn and walking around town doing a few errands so my efforts to beat the heat were pretty much futile. Went to Five Guys with a friend of mine and got it to go (wicked crowded inside) - those fries are only 1/2 of a regular sized order... good stuff.

Met up with some friends tonight and went swimming in a pool for (I think) the first time this summer which was awesome, perfect night for a swim. Had a fire, went home, and cooked myself something to hit all my macros. Lifting tomorrow, should be good.

In. I've found your log and Nordak's log and our stories all sound pretty similar. Good luck with your lifting!

Thanks dude, I think ours this is actually a pretty common background on this site, which is nice because there's a lot of support and help going around, feelsgoodman.

[riaden]

Good progress. just remember you have alot of support, keep eating and lifting your looking, and feeling better already

[AVandelay]

7/18 Workout & Nutrition
Morning weight: 136 pounds

Workout
Squats
45x10
70x8
125x5x5 <-- Working sets
135x3

Bench Press
45x10
65x8
100x5x5 <-- Working sets

Bent-Over Rows
45x10
65x8
115x5x5 <-- Working sets

Cardio: Treadmill, two miles at eight mph (post-lifting)

Food

Chocolate-banana oats


Quinoa w/grilled chicken, veggies, peanut satay sauce


PB-Banana pancakes w/icing (cream cheese + chocolate)


Macros: 161/306/89 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,705 calories

Notes
Workout today went really well, I maintained good form on the squats and got 125 pounds for all five sets. I'm thinking that I'll keep it at 125 next workout and then bump it up because by the last two or so sets I had to rest for a little while in between reps. Plus after I finished them I said fukc it and threw some 45s on the bar and got three clean reps at 135. Felt great to put the big boy plates on finally and I was psyched that I could actually get a few good reps at that weight.

Bench press was good too, I got all five sets/reps at 100 so next workout it's gonna be 105. I had to rest a little longer than usual between the 4th and 5th sets so I'm not sure if I'll get the 5x5 next time - but I'm thinking if I keep my eating up and stuff it's a possibility. Rows felt okay weightwise but I was having some trouble with the ROM towards the ends of my sets. Gonna keep it at 115 for the next workout and really nail every rep.

So other than walking to and from the gym, lifting, and running after lifting I didn't really do much of anything. Still I felt that I exercised enough to warrant a little bit more in terms of intake just to make sure I'm still in a healthy surplus.

Good progress. just remember you have alot of support, keep eating and lifting your looking, and feeling better already

Thanks dude, I am really feeling the support. I'm really digging your log as well, great food, you just gotta keep it up! I don't know how you can run that much though, I was pretty beat after my measly 15 minute run today. Definite respect for your endurance.

[determined4000]

How far are your walks to and from the gym?

[TomBremner]

In. keep up with the progress bro

[AVandelay]

How far are your walks to and from the gym?

It's like 1.5 miles each way so a 3 mile roundtrip. Normally I'd drive but I haven't had a car in the past few weeks, plus I've found that I just straight up enjoy the walk.

[AVandelay]

7/19 Nutrition
Morning weight: 136.5 pounds

Rest Day

Food
Chocolate-banana FFGY bowl


Chili oats (inspired by IronResolution)


PB-GY bowl w/cookie crisp, banana-nut vitatop


Macros: 160/316/86 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,602 calories

Notes
Calories/macros today are pretty approximate, we had some family over so we threw in a dessert with dinner, which was a (delicious) peach-rhubarb crisp. I kind of guesstimated macros and stuff for that based on recipes I found so it should be accurate but I obviously didn't measure/weigh it or anything.

Activity today was pretty limited, I did some yardwork, cleaned some stuff around the house and ran a few quick errands but I didn't get any real exercise, which is fine by me because I'm getting used to running after lifting anyways. Saw the new Harry Potter movie with a few friends, came home, made up that pre-bed bowl and pounded it.

Anticipating a lot of food tomorrow (thinking like 2,800 calories maybe) because I'm gonna go to an amusement park with some friends later at night which should involve a lot of walking on top of my usual lifting/running routine. Looking forward to finding a place in my macros for some dippin' dots (anybody had these? awesome stuff).

[riaden]

good progress, just remember to have fun tomorrow night, when you go out

[AVandelay]

7/20 Workout & Nutrition
Morning weight: 135.5

Workout
Squats
45x10
70x8
125x5x5 <-- Working sets

Overhead Press
45x10
50x6
70x5x5 <-- Working sets

Deadlifts
135x5
155x5x2
195x5 <-- Working set

Cardio: Treadmill, two miles at eight mph

Food
English muffin w/strawberry cream cheese sludge


Spinach fettuccine w/grilled chicken breast, toasted 7-grain bread w/parmesan cheese


White chocolate-PB oats


Macros: 163/360/93 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,819 calories

Notes
Workout went really well, squats were fine at 125 except for a little bit of a slow bar speed towards the end of my sets, but I kept good form and got them all out so I'm gonna bump that up to 130 pounds next workout. Press finally felt good at 70 pounds so it'll go up next time as well. DL's were fine as always.

Basically woke up, ate, walked to the gym, lifted, ran, walked bake home, ate, showered, and then went to an amusement park with a bunch of friends. Plenty of walking today and stuff so I ate over 2,800 cals (woohoo), which was kinda tough because I saved a ton of room in my macros for food at the amusement park, and then ended up eating only like ~200 cals worth of dippin' dots. Luckily I had a full 4oz bar of white chocolate that I was able to put to good use.
Weight's been stable this past week so I'm thinking about a calorie bump, at least on workout days (especially lifting + cardio days).

[D00M5D4Y]

Good luck, keep up the good work!

[AVandelay]

7/21 Nutrition
Morning weight: 135 pounds

Rest Day

Food
FFGY bowl w/cantaloupe


Proats & coffee


Banana pancake tower


Sludge bowl w/cinnabon & eggos cereal


Macros: 169/88/295, 2,682 calories

Notes
Apparently working on your feet all day in 95+ degree heat wipes me out more than any lifting session ever has, but I'm getting paid so it's all good. Weight continues to not increase so I'm probably gonna just generally up calories a little bit until the scale starts heading in the right direction again, I'm thinking like maybe instead of hovering in the low 2,600s I should aim to get at least 2,700 in every day, maybe even 2,800 on workout days. Wow, never thought I would be eating this much to gain/be so okay with it. Definitely think my mindset continues to improve every day, especially as lifts go up.

Also, before I step on the scale every day I'm thinking like "okay today's the day I hit 137, I ate so many carbs yesterday" and stuff and now that it hasn't really been going up I get disappointed/excited when I see I haven't gained a ton of weight. Disappointed because I want to and because I'm eating a ton... excited because I get to eat more

Good luck, keep up the good work!

Thanks dude!

[zhall616]

definitely need a calorie bump. try AT LEAST 2800 for a while.

[NordAK]

You're not gaining weight nearly fast enough, you need to up by more than 100 calorie intervals. You should up by at least 500 cals, if you keep up at this rate you're going to stall again. Remember - you can always dial cals back if you overshoot a bit and gain weight too fast.

[AVandelay]

7/22 Workout & Nutrition
Morning weight: 135.5 pounds

Workout
Squats
45x10
70x8
130x5x5 <-- Working sets

Bench Press
45x10
65x8
105x5x5 <-- Working sets

Bent-Over Rows
45x10
65x8
115x5x5 <-- Working sets

Cardio: Treadmill, two miles at eight mph (post-lifting)

Food

Proats w/cinnamon baked apple


Lazy salad (didn't want to chop any veggies)


Spicy tuna melt


Steak stir fry from Fresh City (mirin' my chopsticks?)


Strawberry-GY pancakes w/PB topping


Macros: 178/343/93 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,861 calories

Notes
Good workout today, bench in particular felt even easier than it did at 100 pounds so that's gonna go up to 110 next time. Squats were doable but tough, not sure if I'd benefit from keeping them at 130 for one more workout. WRT the rows, I feel like I've been cheating myself with the ROM, especially towards the ends of my sets, so I think I should actually drop those down a bit next time.

It was ridiculously hot out today so I had basically worked up a sweat walking to the gym. I felt like a boss when I got home though, I braved the elements and all that stuff. Would have liked to do something today (like party) but I had to pack some stuff for a backpacking trip I'm going on in a few days, and now I also have to drive my parents to an airport shuttle station at like 6:00 AM tomorrow, and go to work not much later, so getting my drink on might've led to bad consequences in the morning.

Eats were pretty bomb today, I think I'm gonna see how I do at like 2,850+ every day and then adjust from there. If I'm maintaining at 2,600 then this is (I think) a good next step, 10% more.

[determined4000]

Honestly I thought your rows seemed high compared to your other lifts, so I suspected form may not be right.

Good call on the cal increase (10% is generally perfect IMO).

Plus...
I was reading a study about metabolism and for 30% increase in calories there was a 10% inrease in maintenance. You said you went from 1800 to 2500--> 39% increase-->13% increase in maintenance. So, ironically, your 10% increase in calories is probably at least what is needed to stay on the gain train.

[AVandelay]

So I'm probably not gonna post a full update tonight because I'm gonna go to a party and stuff. Saving a bunch of calories for alcohol tonight, and semi-doing the leangains protocol for drinking which is basically low fat, moderate carbs, lots of protein. Not really caring about macros today., just making sure I hit protein and I figure I'll be doing fine (it's just one night).

By the way, weigh-in this morning: 138 pounds. Feel a little bloated but kinda pimpin' as well.

determined4000: cool find, that's really interesting. Unfortunately that means that you have to eat even less as you drop calories more, I guess it doesn't really matter though cause I won't be cutting for a long, long time.

Edit - here's some food from today:

PB-Banana GY sludge


English muffin w/sludge & sliced banana


Baked beans w/grilled chicken, black bean & corn salsa


Tasty stuff.

[AVandelay]

7/24 Nutrition
Morning weight: 136 pounds

Rest Day
Food

Bomb protein bowl (FFGY, CC, ON Whey, PB, blueberries, and a banana)


Chicken & veggies over toast w/tomato sauce, parmesan


Scrambled eggs w/cheddar cheese, broccoli, pearl onions, black bean & corn salsa, toast


Phish Food froyo


Macros: 162/343/87 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,813 calories

Notes
Not a very exciting day today. Woke up and hung out with a few people, walked around town doing errands, bought some food, not much else. Weighed in at 136 which is reasonable given that I drank last night and stuff. Phish Food froyo was really good although the mix-ins kind of diminished as I got further down in the pint, no complaints though.

So this Friday I leave for a week-long backpacking trip in Montana with my family, I'm gonna be hanging out around there for a few days before we start the hike too. I figure the best strategy for this is to eat a lot while backpacking because it's almost impossible to stay in a surplus while hiking 8+ miles every day with a pack and everything. Before and after the trip I obviously won't be tracking food, I'm just gonna eat whatever and try to not worry about it.

Similarly right after I get back from Montana I'm going to Spain to spend 12 days with a friend who lives there. I'm thinking that I'll probably just eat what I want, not track, do BW exercises to keep my strength up and a bit of cardio so I don't get too out of the swing of things there. Then once I'm back I'll basically head off to school where I will be lifting regularly and eating a lot so getting the bulk back on track should be a problem then. Sound good/any advice?

[AVandelay]

[QU

7/25 Workout & Nutrition
Morning weight: 134.5 pounds

Workout
Squats
45x10
70x8
130x5x4 <-- Working sets begin here
135x5

Overhead Press
45x10
50x6
70x5 <-- Working sets begin here
70x4
45x8x2
55x8

Deadlifts
135x5
155x5
165x5
205x5 <-- Working set

Cardio: Treadmill, two miles at eight mph

Food

Cheesecake GY pancakes w/cherry sludge


Grilled chicken, pink beans, broccoli, salsa, cheddar cheese, & toast (like 35g of fiber in this meal lol)


Wrap w/grilled chicken, cottage cheese, lettuce, & fried peppers


PB-Banana pancakes w/eggos cereal, maple syrup, PB & Co. Mighty Maple (first experience with PB & Co., and it's totally dank)


Macros: 179/350/88 PRO/CHO/FAT, 2,856 calories

Notes
Workout was good except for the press - I have no idea what was going on with that. After having such an easy time with 70 last time I thought for sure I could get 75... nope. And the sets with 70 were tough enough so that I had to drop the weight and do higher reps, not cool.

Squats were decent, I'm glad I went one more time at 130 because it still felt heavy today, but I was comfortable enough to try my last set at 135. It was tough but not much tougher than the last set at 130 would've been; next workout I'm definitely reppin' the big boy plates. Also, 205 deads means 1.5x bodyweight as a working set! I know that's not much but it's a nice milestone for me. And 135 squats were (technically) above bodyweight today too.

Speaking of which, I have no idea what's up with the weigh-in. I figure that's water weight going down but after almost 350g of CHO yesterday my water retention should be going UP, whatever. I'm feeling good and eating a lot so the overall trend should definitely be towards progress.

[riaden]

MMM your eats are looking good bro, keep up the good work