Kameron's Lifting & Fluffy-ness

[Kameronn]

Making this log of my progress to remain motivated and on track.

Background: 17-years-old, started lifting July 2013 and now that I've hit the one year mark I've decided to start tracking my progress to see how far I can get. No real set goal, although I do prefer strength > aesthetics. Currently running ICF 5x5

Stats as of July 22nd, 2014: 171 lbs, 5'11 estimated 18% bf.
Squat: 230x5
Bench: 170x5
Deadlift: 275x5
OHP: 115x5

Nutrition: Bulking, 3000 cals/day 100-120g protein/day, don't seriously track other macros.

Here we go brahs

[Kameronn]

Workout B

Squats
Dealing with strange hip injury for a little over a weak, and squats have been heavily affected. Decided after warm up sets to just leg press 3x12 lol. Any help on this would be nice

Deadlifts
255x5

Grip started hurting, but repped them out.

OHP
110x5
110x5
110x5
110x4
110x4

Gotta reset on these again ffs 5x5 volume is tough

Rows went fine, CGBP 140x3x5 was tough as I was exhausted lol

[Kameronn]

Still dealing with hip injury, so did DB Rows with 75 lb dumbell. 5x5 ea side

Bench Press
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5

Easy af as it should be

Skullcrushers
85x8
85x8

Difficult as usual, but got all reps which is nice.

Chin-ups
2x8

Typical chin up sesh for me

[Kameronn]

Weighed in at 174 today but that was after a meal

Squats
185x5
185x5
185x5

These went up surprisingly slow, but cant expect much first time squatting in like 2 weeks. Gotta remember to push knees outwards when rising from squat to get more quad power and whatnot. It wasn't a struggle just a bit slow. This is about 65% max which I should be doing 3x5-5x5 with after a reset. Makes me think I need to practice the whole build strength not testing it more.

Deadlifts
260x5

Struggle as usual, need to explode more off the bottom.

OHP
100x5
100x5
100x5

Incorporating 3x5 on ohp since I'm stalling alot on them now.... Bench press only life I still 5x5 on now

All accessories went as normal

[Kameronn]

Weighed in at 176 today. Weird.

Seriously been thinking if this 3x5 when stall often on lifts is effective or not, or consistently lowering weight and sticking with 5x5 but being exhausted throughout the week is better. 5x5 really taxes me but if its better for strength and growth by a lot then I'm willing to do it.

On this day my I was really pressed for time so didn't get the time to do some 'fluff' exercises like skullcrushers and had to superset facepulls with tricep extensions but it all worked out fine.

Squats
190x5
190x5
190x5

All sets went really smooth. I have to really keep in mind exploding up on these and keeping my knees outward. Today I kept this mind on every rep and it worked wonders. Kind of hard to push through heels and still explode upward but its a skill I'm sure I'll learn.

Bench Press
160x5
160x5
160x5
160x5
160x5

Wow was this a good bench sesh. The weight moved like butter. I tried a very very slightly more wide grip and it felt better. Still need to pause a bit more but its hard when you feel the groove.

Barbell Rows
160x5
160x5
160x5

Decided to do normal curls as chin-up bar was taken. Not a big deal. Skipped out on hyperextensions

[Oggie22]

In. Keep at it, Kameronn!

[Jancl57]

in.
about hip injury. I've had it too. first on my left side and then on the right. in 1 year I was squatting just 6 months of it. what really helped me was lot of stretching and foam rolling. and taking time off squats

[Kameronn]

in.
about hip injury. I've had it too. first on my left side and then on the right. in 1 year I was squatting just 6 months of it. what really helped me was lot of stretching and foam rolling. and taking time off squats

Thanks for the input, I added some extra foam rolling and hip glute stretches before lifting now it seems to be gone. hope it stays this way

[Kameronn]

Extremely frustrated today, woke up and shoulder is pretty much unusable. Tried to do any lift and couldn't. Not even squats.

Very annoyed, 90% sure its a rotator cuff injury... from sleeping.

[Oggie22]

Extremely frustrated today, woke up and shoulder is pretty much unusable. Tried to do any lift and couldn't. Not even squats.

Very annoyed, 90% sure its a rotator cuff injury... from sleeping.

Phuck, that sucks to hear. Get well soon broski

[Kameronn]

Weighed in at 177.4 today

Oddly enough, after yesterday thinking I'd need a month off, I wake up with very little pain. Strange. Guess things that pop up this quick can also go away as quick.

Squats
195x5
195x5
195x5

Easy and exploded many reps. Felt like butter.

Bench
Decided to skip out on this today, just in case. Plus today would have been PR territory, so another reason to not.

Rows
160x5
160x5
160x5

Decided to keep 160 just to keep it on par with bench. OCD, I know.

Unfortunately, curls hurl my shoulder which is a bit weird, but I'm confident after these 2 rest days I'll be back to normal.

[Kameronn]

Quick note, as lately I've been thinking whether to keep this progression scheme or stick to a solid 5x5. Starting Tuesday going to do a strict 5x5 and follow icf 5x5 as I'm suppose to. Read that 17-18 year olds are at solid time for strength gains to explode and hopefully this is true.

Also saw a video by jason talking about how people are weak because they are lazy and definitely don't want to go down that route. So we'll see where this takes me.

[Kameronn]

Weighed in at 176 today

Squats
200x5
200x5
200x5
200x5
200x5

I was absolutely drenched in sweat and had to take long breaks inbetween sets. 5x5 is tough.

Deadlifts
265x5

Form felt really nice on these. These went up fine

OHP
105x5
105x5
105x5
105x5
105x5

Nothing really to say here. Went up easy but was already very fatigued.

Rows
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5
155x5

CGBP
140x8
140x8
140x8

Curls
60x8
60x8
60x8

[Kameronn]

Squat
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5
205x5

These went up relatively easily compared to last session. Some outside of gym factors went well today so could be the case. Nevertheless, great squat sesh.

Bench
165x5
165x5
165x5
165x5 PR
165x5

Never hit a successful 165x5 5x5 before so this felt really nice. All reps went smooth and no grinders. I am a little heavier than ever before but still a great accomplishment for me. 170 on Monday, looking forward to it.

Rows
165x5
165x5
165x5
165x5
165x5

My back was actually pretty fatigued from these and got a lat pump, first in awhile.

Barbell Shrugs
205x8
205x8
205x8

Glad to have these back as they'll also help with my grip

Chin-Ups
x8
x8
x6

Kinda wish I got 3x8 but meh

Skullcrushers
85x8
85x8
85x6

Hyperextensions and ab work were finally done, lol

[Kameronn]

Was really tired today from outside activities today so cut squat volume. P*ssy or autoregulating, whatevs.

Squats
210x5
210x5
210x5

I tried for the 4th set but just felt extremely heavy and didn't want to hit failure before this well needed 2 day break. I hope that I will adjust to the 5x5 volume next week.

Deadlifts
270x5

Approaching PR numbers, exciting. Starting to really like deadlifts tbh. I had to switch to mixed grip after 2nd rep because I couldn't hold the weight and the switch made a huge difference in my pulling.

OHP
110x5
110x5
110x5
110x5
110x3

The last set my tris were completely tried as I still had doms from the previous workout. Pretty confident I'll hit 110 5x5 next time around.

[Kameronn]

Forgot to log on here, but skipped a workout due to college sh*t and getting ready. Decided I'm going to stick to 3x5 because its very difficult to stick to the 5x5 volume without getting buried because I can't get the food in for now. Being honest with myself.

Squats
210x5
210x5
210x5

Alright so 3x5 cus I'm a pus. Not too hard

Deadlifts
275x5

Tied a PR here, and with ease. Mixed grip does wonders. This was fairly easy and wouldn't be surprised if I hit 300x5+ soon.

OHP
110x5
110x5
110x5

OHP 115 incoming next week?! I'm ready for it. It's been a big mental barrier for me but hopefully I'll crush it.

Rows
135x5
135x5
135x5

CGBP
145x5
145x5

Incline Curls
25x8
25x8

[Kameronn]

Started a new program today, PTW Novice. Gonna run it as long as I can until I milk rest of gains as ICF 5x5 no longer really meets my goals and I don't like after running for so long now and having essentially stalled. Weighed in at 179 today... highest ever. Seriously considering a cut VERY soon.

Squats
205x6
205x6

This went up well, but not excellent. First time mirror squatting in forever and wow my form has improved significantly. Amazing how different your form seems in your head then in reality.

Deadlift
275x6 PR

Very minor PR here but I deadlifted these like it was 225. Seriously no struggle. Filmed it and noticed hips are shooting up a little bit so will work on it.

Bench Press
160x6
160x6
160x6

Bigger arch here, and started with 160 to see how it would go. Went well as you can see, no grinders and wasn't very high on RPE scale.

[Kameronn]

Almost 180 on the scale today after eating some preworkout carbs, so I'll start cut next week. Cutting for a few months won't really damage me at this age so time to drop some serious weight. Didn't get to stretch properly because there was like an entire yoga class at the stretching area it seems so I had to work with what I had.

Squats
215x6 @8
215x6 @8.5

This felt same as 205 really. It'll be interesting squatting 225 next week because its been a huge mental barrier for me. Hopefully it goes well and I feel good on the day.

Bench Press
170x6 @8.5 PR
170x6 @8.5
170x5 @9

RPE scale was difficult to determine here but this is where my lack of normal stretch routine got to me because on the 4th rep of last set my left hammy completely cramped up and so I racked it at 5, and definitely could have gotten 6. Noticed that I'm having difficult keeping shoulder blades retracted when unracking heavy weight. Not sure how to fix that really.

Deadlift
285x5 @9 PR

Felt like form was somewhat sloppy on this but, nonetheless, never pulled this weight before. This is where the RPE scale comes into the play for this program as I could have definitely gotten 6... but it wasn't likely I could have gotten anymore, hence the RPE 9. Hamstring still felt weird which interfered with this set, but nonetheless, I still got 5 @9.

[Kameronn]

Squats
225x6 @8 PR
225x6 @8.5

Went in and crushed these. I was very mentally prepared and squatted it no problem. On second set I noticed my left foot was pointed outward a bit too much in comparison to my right one so I'll keep that in mind. Very happy with my squat progression.

Bench Press
175x5 @8.5 PR
175x5 @8.5
175x5 @9

I was somewhat distracted during these sets and my pauses weren't that long. Was looking for a spotter and couldn't find one so felt a little nervous pausing on my chest. I think if I had a spotter I maybe could have gotten better smoother reps but it is what it is.

Deadlift
290x4 @9 PR

Very difficult and my form was really sloppy. Leg fatigue has definitely built up but nonetheless on a better day I feel I could get 6 @9. Anyways, the program now calls for a 2.5lb increase so hope my microplates come in in time or I may have to reattempt this weight or yolo 295.

[Kameronn]

Lots of thoughts lately, and decided I'm going to give sumo deadlift a serious shot on my Monday session. I probably am going to be initially weaker, maybe not, but in the long run I am most likely going to be able to pull more weight sumo and my back is less at risk. My back won't be the limiting factor in the deadlift and my glutes are going to get hit harder which will translate to my squat better. Nonetheless, I'm sitting at about ~18-20% bf and really want to get ~8-10% so drop 10% bodyfat, however, I want to minimize my time in a caloric deficit for proper development. Therefore I am wondering if I should do a small cut or something and sit around ~13-15% bf and then recomp or just recomp for like ever. I'm very able to gain strength while in a deficit so I won't be missing out on too much strength not being in a surplus.

Anyways, my microplates just came in which is very nice and today was a conditioning day. Being the first one I've done, I was very interested to see how it played out.

Hammer curls
30lbs x ???

This was a cluster rep set so I am not sure how many I did. This applies to all my sets today so I am just going to put the weight down from here on out.

Chest Supported Rows
45lbs

Decline crunches
Bodyweight

Box Jumps

These were very difficult and it was the first time of me doing them. I'm definitely glad I'm incorporating these types of things into my life really for overall fitness.

[Kameronn]

Week 2 of PNP Phase 1, Week 1 of Cut

Began my cut today, weighed myself in the morning at 177, unfortunately don't have a digital scale yet so I had to make do. Using the naval(?) method, my bodyfat is a roughly 17% which makes sense. Going to try my absolute best to continue to progress on my lifts during this cut and stay mentally tough, getting down to low teens or sub 10% bf.

Squats
235x6 @8.5 PR
235x6 @9-9.5

235 really didn't feel as heavy as I expected. Usually during PRs I feel the weight really heavy on my back but not this session. Honestly I lost count on the second set so I could have gotten 5-7 lmao. So the RPE scale is a little messed up on it. But really solid work for never even attempting 235 before and looked and felt alot better than my 230x5 a month or two ago.

Bench Press
180x6 @8 PR
180x6 @8.5
180x6 @8.5

Got a spotter on these and was able to stay tight when I unrack and it made a huge difference. My pauses were long enough and my ass was on the bench the entire time. Went in thinking I'd be satisfied with a 3x5 and went above expectations. Solid bench day.

Sumo Deadlift
292.5x4 @9 PR

Of course, with all new lifts, I got tons of technique tweaks I need to make like keeping knees outward and really pushing myself into the floor. Also I need to remember to use as much leg as I can before I initiate the lockout. Aside from that, I'm satisfied with this as really I didn't expect to see me at the same level as my conventional with sumo. I feel like sumo will definitely get me alot farther as my back wasn't really too fatigued after doing these. Everythings good.

[Kameronn]

Woke up yesterday with aches and pains. Have had this pressure on my right chest that feels like something is clogged since Monday afternoon. Doms in my lower back, upper chest, calves, and core didn't help too much either. This all resulted in a pretty bad gym session, kind of learning that outside stress factors seriously affect my training. Was frustrated when I went to the gym and thought I'd take my anger out in the gym. If only it were that simple...

Squats
245x5 @9-9.5 PR
245x0

245 felt pretty heavy especially compared to 235. Apparently had difficulty on descent remaining tight thanks to someone on the gym and also when walking the weight out. Will work on that. But, on the third rep as I initiated the ascending part of the lift, I'm not sure if I twisted ever so slightly or what but I felt this bad pinch in my right lower abdomen. Finished the set and after trying another set my core simply couldn't sustain the weight with this pinch so I racked it. Will try again on Friday and if I fail, I'll move onto PNP Phase 2.

Bench Press
190x5 @8.5 PR
190x5 @9
190x4 @9-9.5

Again the spotter helped me on lift off and mental security tbh. Really liking this certain bench at the gym as I can get really tight and remain right. Was kinda frustrated that the last set was so difficult but meh. Can't complain.

Sumo Deadlift
295x0

Core felt so tight and couldn't even get weight off floor.

Walked home after gym feeling dead. Friday is a new day.

[Kameronn]

Went late to the gym and was already kinda tired but had to get workout sesh in.

Squats
245x3 @9.5
245x3 @9.5

Felt so heavy but was determined to get at least 3.

Bench Press
192.5x3 @9
192.5x1 @9

Had to assume failure here because no spotter and didn't want to die lol. So phase 2 here we come.

Sumo Deadlift
295x3

Very difficult and got some serious form issues I'm going to work on here on out.

[Kameronn]

GPP day and had to cut very short. Did some curls, t-bar rows, and sit-ups.

[Kameronn]

Week 1 of PNP Phase 2, Week 2 of Cut

So here we go, week 1 done and was about ~175 this morning. Reset weight 20% and moving on to phase 2 of PNP. Therefore, lightweights, low RPE, and fixing form issues.

Squats
195x6 @6.5
195x6 @7
195x6 @7

Felt so weird going under what I normally warm up with. Very easy stuff, difficult to say on RPE scale though. Nonetheless, learned that on descent of squats my heels slightly come off the floor as seen below, wondering if oly shoes will help this.

Bench Press
155x6 @5.5
155x6 @6
155x6 @6
155x6 @6.5
155x6 @7

Feels good to move 155 like I am now.

Sumo Deadlift
245x6 @7
245x6 @7

Tweaking out technique, learning to lock knees more and going to try and film next session. Got a nice quad and glute pump from these. First time ever doing more than 1 working set of deadlifts in a session too.

[Kameronn]

Another GPP today, consisted of t-bar rows with plate and 25, incline curls with 25s, and weighted crunches. Did some incline sprints but lungs were definitely limiting factor so, not again.

Weighed in at 174, 16.6% bf.

Just want to set some goals that I've had floating around my head lately. At the latest, I want to hit the 2/3/4 plate standard before March 21st, 2015, or my 18th bday. To add that, also want to rep out 1 plate ohp. I can't really say when this will happen, but progression will obviously pick up after my cut ends and bulk again. Sooner the better obviously.

After this cut, never want to get above 15% again, because of the sheer length of cutting it takes to get back to under 10. Obviously want to complete this cut at around 8-12%, depending on when my performance suffers. Since I'm still a novice, I can make alot of strength gains while still cutting, so will be interesting sitting at maybe 160 and hitting my numbers and above.

Lastly, although I don't entirely plan on competing in powerlifting, I'm training as if I am due to my interest in the sport. If I do want to compete, I want to compete possibly late 2015 which would be interesting. Going to get some oly shoes and lifting belt sometime this month hopefully, so this can be even more possible.

Great things ahead of me, just gotta stay mentally in it as the sig says, and finish this cut with minimal cheating.

[Kameronn]

First light day on the program today, and already hearing hippie voices to tell me not to go lol. Ended up going of course.

Paused Squats
145x6 @7
145x6@7.5

Core was definitely limiting factor here as I got some ab doms, but these went fine and easy. First time doing the lift so not going to bother recording 'PRs'. Only squatting this low amount of weight was somewhat humbling considering awhile back this was difficult and scary for me.

Overhead Press
105x6 @7.5
105x6 @8

I think I picked slightly too high weight to start off considering I'm focusing on pausing on chest now but whatever. Great to do one of my favorite exercises again.

[Kameronn]

Woke up this morning and really didn't feel like lifting, but nonetheless, went, ignoring the hippie voices. They're everywhere lately.

Squats
200x6 @7
200x6 @7.5
200x6 @7.5

I was literally pouring sweat after these and felt disoriented and dizzy. During the sets my brain kept telling me to just rerack the weight.

Went to go do bench press warm ups and it only got worse and soon I was bumping into stuff trying to get some water. Went and sat down and didn't really get better after 10 minutes so went hope and decided to do rest tomorrow.

I'm having a hard time distinguishing autoregulation and listening to my body to prevent injury, and just not being lazy. If anyone is reading this, did I do the right thing today? Why?

[Oggie22]

I'm basically like that whenever I go to gym not long after waking up, just to a lesser degree. Takes me several hours of being awake for me to be able to function normally lol
There is nothing wrong with going home imo. Missing half a session will not hinder you much, but hurting yourself because you're completely unfocused could. That's just my opinion.

[Kameronn]

I'm basically like that whenever I go to gym not long after waking up, just to a lesser degree. Takes me several hours of being awake for me to be able to function normally lol
There is nothing wrong with going home imo. Missing half a session will not hinder you much, but hurting yourself because you're completely unfocused could. That's just my opinion.

Thanks man, have always wondered this and kinda unclear when to draw the line. I'll just try my guess to give it some time before I lift in the morning.

Some guy at the gym once told me its better to miss half a session then to reset yourself 2 months, so that rationale of yours definitely makes sense.