Office worker with non-athletic childhood
Current PRs (2021/02/22):
| Rep PRs (kg) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Squat | 127.0 | 103.0 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 99.0 | 97.0 | 95.0 | 91.0 | 84.0 | |||||||
| Bench | 88.0 | 72.0 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 71.0 | 69.0 | ---- | 68.0 | 64.0 | 58.0 | ||||||
| Deadlift | 140.0 | 124.0 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 119.0 | 110.0 | ---- | ---- | 109.0 | ||||||
| OHP | 53.0 | ---- | 47.6 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 43.0 | ---- | 41.0 | 39.0 | ---- | 37.0 | ||||||
| Rep PRs (kg) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Front Squat | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 66.0 | ---- | ---- | 64.0 | ---- | ---- | 53.0 | ---- | 39.0 | 38.0 |
| Zercher Squat | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 66.0 | 64.0 | 61.0 | ---- | 58.0 | 54.0 | |||
| DB Bench | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 22.7 | ---- | 20.4 | ---- | 19.3 | 18.1 | 17.0 | 13.6 |
| Incline Bench | ---- | ---- | ---- | 59.0 | 54.0 | 47.0 | 39.0 | |||||||||||||
| RDL | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 90.0 | 86.0 | 82.0 | ---- | ---- | 81.0 | 71.0 | ||
| Push Press | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 51.0 | ---- | 50.0 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | 46.0 |
The Current Plan (2021/02/22):
1.) Spend 4-8 weeks training without a program while I let some psychological issues resolve and dissipate. ON HOLD: 1.) Continute running the Strongerbyscience hypertrophy template for a while. Everything has finally come together and I'm—slowly but surely—seeing gains.
2.) Try to have some kind of decent front rack position so I can start messing around with olympic lifts (because they look like fun) ... and because I hate the back squat and I don't want to buy a SSB.
3.) Low priority but slowly diet down to a 33in morning waist.
Training History:
SpoilerShow
Pre 2015:
Just putzing around with weights here and there, nothing special nor consistent, the focus was more on getting a better job. The only thing I can remember liking was doing a couple cycles of Hypertrophy-Specific Training.
2015-2017 The Endless Cycle:
1.) Try a novice lp program (GSLP instead of Starting Strength, because squatting every workout, power cleans, and getting fat seemed stupid for my goals)
2.) Hit a wall much earlier than most people on the lp and start having constant aches and pains
3.) Become increasingly frustrated with the r/Fitness community that keep saying to reset and have another go even though my gut instinct was that that would have been pointless
4.) Started to experiment with my own ideas (much more reps/sets at a lower intensity was a big one)
5.) Notice my e1RMs finally start moving up, but my ego wasn't okay with the low weights I was using
6.) Finally succumb to my ego -> go back to step 1 and repeat for 2 years
2018 Marathon Training and Enlightenment:
Jan-May:
Spent a lot of time training for a half marathon in June
May:
Stopped the training 4 weeks prior to work on final projects for school
June:
Ran the half, was on track for planned 2:15-2:30 finish time but got IT band issues 8 miles in and had to walk the remaining 5 miles for a final finish time of just under 3 hours.
July:
Felt like I could do better so started almost immediately for a full marathon using a program that doubled my running volume almost immediately
September:
The resultant plantar fasciitis from the suddenly volume increase became too much to handle so I gave it up.
October:
Recovery from running and a lot of research into how the body adapts to training. It at this time I became convinced that the machismo of "no pain no gain" and "don't be a pussy, have you tried trying" was one of the absolute dumbest things in the lifting community. I applied the lessons learned from running (80/20 easy/hard + lots of easy volume) into the PPL program that I only tested for 2-3 weeks. I had more visible gains from that little experiment than any previous lp program.
November:
I decided to see if I also had any strength gains from the PPL experiment by running a bastardized version of GSLP. The biggest change was adding more volume with a lots of easy sets (RPE 6-7). I did a lot of verifying of RPE values; I came to find out that a lot of what I thought was RPE 7-8.5 was actually closer to RPE 5-7.
December:
I just started to exceed my previous e1RMs before work killed any free time for training in mid-December. However, this lp experiment was a success: I hit my previous e1RMs with any aches and pains and felt like I had several more weeks in me before the eventual wall. My final PRs:
Squat: 205lb x 10 (2018/12/12)(@195lb)
Bench: 135lb x 10 (2018/12/12)(@195lb)
Deadlift: 225lb x 10 (2018/12/12)(@195lb)
Press: 105lb x 3 (2018/12/12)(@195lb) (I wanted that 100lb press so I jumped from 80lb to 100lb and surprised myself when 3 reps, surprised myself even more when it turned out to be that I miscounted the weight and it was actually 105lb)
I had a lot of flab at this point and was NOT happy about it. Randomly found out that there were cheap DEXA scans available in my area and got one the last week of December. The result: 30% body fat.
2019 Scorched Earth Fat Loss:
January:
Immediately started to diet down after that DEXA scan. My approach: alternate day fasting (ADF). It way easier for me to fast than to run a daily caloric deficit. I decided to take a scorched earth approach, I didn't care if I lost lean mass along with the fat.
March:
Down 20 pounds and the daily dizziness finally stopped after I started supplementing with salt tablets (I naturally drink a TON of water). I got another DEXA scan and it confirmed the weight loss but at a price: 50% of the weight was lean mass; back to the gym I go.
I decided to start going back to a normal diet just so I wouldn't have issues in the gym.
May:
Gym and the normal diet ain't going too well so back to ADF I go. Trying to ADF while gymming also made me annoyingly dizzy so no more gym.
June:
Finally dropped into the healthy BMI range and started to do some easy runs; I've also begun training for a half marathon at the end of the year.
July:
I randomly decided to try an semi-HIIT session on the smart trainer after being about 24 hours fasted; I survived and got another 8 hours of fasting. For some unknown reason, after that HIIT session, ADFing became way easier.
Since it felt like my body finally adapted the ADF diet and I have less than 20lb to go until my weight loss goal, I started back to the gym. I decided to bastardize GSLP again: 3x5, start at super low weights because I'm lifting 30 hours fasted, no AMRAP, and added in arms and physical therapy exercises. It's just something to get me ready as soon as the cut is done.
Just putzing around with weights here and there, nothing special nor consistent, the focus was more on getting a better job. The only thing I can remember liking was doing a couple cycles of Hypertrophy-Specific Training.
2015-2017 The Endless Cycle:
1.) Try a novice lp program (GSLP instead of Starting Strength, because squatting every workout, power cleans, and getting fat seemed stupid for my goals)
2.) Hit a wall much earlier than most people on the lp and start having constant aches and pains
3.) Become increasingly frustrated with the r/Fitness community that keep saying to reset and have another go even though my gut instinct was that that would have been pointless
4.) Started to experiment with my own ideas (much more reps/sets at a lower intensity was a big one)
5.) Notice my e1RMs finally start moving up, but my ego wasn't okay with the low weights I was using
6.) Finally succumb to my ego -> go back to step 1 and repeat for 2 years
2018 Marathon Training and Enlightenment:
Jan-May:
Spent a lot of time training for a half marathon in June
May:
Stopped the training 4 weeks prior to work on final projects for school
June:
Ran the half, was on track for planned 2:15-2:30 finish time but got IT band issues 8 miles in and had to walk the remaining 5 miles for a final finish time of just under 3 hours.
July:
Felt like I could do better so started almost immediately for a full marathon using a program that doubled my running volume almost immediately
September:
The resultant plantar fasciitis from the suddenly volume increase became too much to handle so I gave it up.
October:
Recovery from running and a lot of research into how the body adapts to training. It at this time I became convinced that the machismo of "no pain no gain" and "don't be a pussy, have you tried trying" was one of the absolute dumbest things in the lifting community. I applied the lessons learned from running (80/20 easy/hard + lots of easy volume) into the PPL program that I only tested for 2-3 weeks. I had more visible gains from that little experiment than any previous lp program.
November:
I decided to see if I also had any strength gains from the PPL experiment by running a bastardized version of GSLP. The biggest change was adding more volume with a lots of easy sets (RPE 6-7). I did a lot of verifying of RPE values; I came to find out that a lot of what I thought was RPE 7-8.5 was actually closer to RPE 5-7.
December:
I just started to exceed my previous e1RMs before work killed any free time for training in mid-December. However, this lp experiment was a success: I hit my previous e1RMs with any aches and pains and felt like I had several more weeks in me before the eventual wall. My final PRs:
Squat: 205lb x 10 (2018/12/12)(@195lb)
Bench: 135lb x 10 (2018/12/12)(@195lb)
Deadlift: 225lb x 10 (2018/12/12)(@195lb)
Press: 105lb x 3 (2018/12/12)(@195lb) (I wanted that 100lb press so I jumped from 80lb to 100lb and surprised myself when 3 reps, surprised myself even more when it turned out to be that I miscounted the weight and it was actually 105lb)
I had a lot of flab at this point and was NOT happy about it. Randomly found out that there were cheap DEXA scans available in my area and got one the last week of December. The result: 30% body fat.
2019 Scorched Earth Fat Loss:
January:
Immediately started to diet down after that DEXA scan. My approach: alternate day fasting (ADF). It way easier for me to fast than to run a daily caloric deficit. I decided to take a scorched earth approach, I didn't care if I lost lean mass along with the fat.
March:
Down 20 pounds and the daily dizziness finally stopped after I started supplementing with salt tablets (I naturally drink a TON of water). I got another DEXA scan and it confirmed the weight loss but at a price: 50% of the weight was lean mass; back to the gym I go.
I decided to start going back to a normal diet just so I wouldn't have issues in the gym.
May:
Gym and the normal diet ain't going too well so back to ADF I go. Trying to ADF while gymming also made me annoyingly dizzy so no more gym.
June:
Finally dropped into the healthy BMI range and started to do some easy runs; I've also begun training for a half marathon at the end of the year.
July:
I randomly decided to try an semi-HIIT session on the smart trainer after being about 24 hours fasted; I survived and got another 8 hours of fasting. For some unknown reason, after that HIIT session, ADFing became way easier.
Since it felt like my body finally adapted the ADF diet and I have less than 20lb to go until my weight loss goal, I started back to the gym. I decided to bastardize GSLP again: 3x5, start at super low weights because I'm lifting 30 hours fasted, no AMRAP, and added in arms and physical therapy exercises. It's just something to get me ready as soon as the cut is done.
