PHUL Training, Day 5

Today was a pretty good workout session. I had so much in the tank that I actually finished up with a few sets of back squats, overhead and bench press. The overhead btw, I finally managed to put up 40 kg about 4 times and the Bench was 60 kg at about 3 times.

Overall I didn't really like this day that much. It felt very very light to me compared to some of the other days and the isolation exercises are... well just kind of boring honestly (and this day consists of a lot of isolation exercises).

One thing I have noticed is that my recovery and endurance are going up (slowly). I think I will start increasing some weights slowly next week since I'm getting used to the higher amount of reps.

Two days off now, no idea what I'll do... maybe I'll start picking up on the running? I have 3 non lifting days a week, so I do have some time to spare for this.

Day 1 (Power Upper)	Day 2 (Power Lower)
Exercise Sets Bench Press 5x5 @ 55 kg Overhead Press 5x5 @ 37.5 kg Row 5x5 @ 52.5 kg Incline Dumbell Press 4x10 @ 15 kg Lat Pulldown 4x10 @ 40 kg Barbell Curl 4x10 @ 20 kg Skull Crusher 4x10 @ 17.5 kg	Exercise Sets Squat 5x5 @ 70 kg Deadlift 5x5 @ 80 kg Leg Press 5x15 @ 80 kg Leg Curl 4x10 @ 32 kg Calf Press 4x10 @ 60 kg
Day 4 (Hypertrophy Upper)	Day 5 (Hypertrophy Lower)
Exercise Sets Incline Bench 4x12 @ 30 kg Dumbell Fly 4x12 @ 12.5 kg Cable Row 4x12 @ 30 kg One Arm Row 4x12 @ 20 kg Lateral Dumbell 4x12 @ 7.5 kg Incline Dumbell Curl 4x12 @ 12.5 kg Cable Triceps 4x12 @ 40 kg	Exercise Sets Front Squat 4x12 @ 40 kg Barbell Lunge 4x12 @ 20 kg Leg Extension 4x15 @ 40 kg Leg Curl 4x15 @ 32 kg Calf Raise 4x12 @ 40 kg Calf Press 4x12 @ 40 kg

PHUL Training, Day 4

Wow, today... just wow.

I always knew my upper body was far weaker than my lower body, but I had no idea how much! Doing the high reps today on all the upper body exercises, even at relatively low weights, really wrecked me. To top it all off, I'm not even sure I fully recovered from the Day 1 workout (my triceps have been sore all week since then).

This plan is definitely going to take some time to get used to. What did it take, about 1 or 2 weeks of doing StrongLifts before I felt like I hit my groove? Hopefully this will be the same.

Tomorrow is lower body day again. I expect to have no problems with it at all except perhaps some coordination issues with the barbell lunge. I mean it, last time I tried it I fell on my arse because I'm such a clutz.

Oh well, practice makes perfect.

Day 1 (Power Upper)	Day 2 (Power Lower)
Exercise Sets Bench Press 5x5 @ 55 kg Overhead Press 5x5 @ 37.5 kg Row 5x5 @ 52.5 kg Incline Dumbell Press 4x10 @ 15 kg Lat Pulldown 4x10 @ 40 kg Barbell Curl 4x10 @ 20 kg Skull Crusher 4x10 @ 17.5 kg	Exercise Sets Squat 5x5 @ 70 kg Deadlift 5x5 @ 80 kg Leg Press 5x15 @ 80 kg Leg Curl 4x10 @ 32 kg Calf Press 4x10 @ 60 kg
Day 4 (Hypertrophy Upper)	Day 5 (Hypertrophy Lower)
Exercise Sets Incline Bench 4x12 @ 30 kg Dumbell Fly 4x12 @ 12.5 kg Cable Row 4x12 @ 30 kg One Arm Row 4x12 @ 20 kg Lateral Dumbell 4x12 @ 7.5 kg Incline Dumbell Curl 4x12 @ 12.5 kg Cable Triceps 4x12 @ 40 kg	Exercise Sets Front Squat 4x12 @ ?? kg Barbell Lunge 4x12 @ ?? kg Leg Extension 4x15 @ ?? kg Leg Curl 4x15 @ ?? kg Calf Raise 4x12 @ ?? kg Calf Press 4x12 @ ?? kg

Weekly Weigh-In, Start of Week 13

Well, it appears the trend of my scale weight creeping up is continuing. Granted, we had the holidays upon us but I didn't really over eat at all and I mostly stayed away from alcohol. It's pretty frustrating to see the scale go back up, but at least I have photo evidence that I didn't just magically put on a bunch of fat.

In fact, it's hard to tell that I've gained anything at all since I am currently wearing a shirt that was about 3 sizes too small for me (I couldn't button it past my gut at all) when I started this exercise/diet plan and indeed I am wearing clothes now that I haven't fit into in over a year.

Well, that being said I'm going to buckle down. The holidays are mostly over, the wife and I are not going out for new years (she has to work) and so I don't have any excuses any more. I'll double down on watching what I eat and still continue to hit the gym.

Day 91
Start Weight: 97kg.
Last Week: 93.2kg
Current Weight: 94.7kg (+1.5kgg)
Loss: 2.3kg

I feel puffier than I look.

Not much of a change this week.

PHUL Training Day 2

This report is coming a day late (the workout was actually completed yesterday).

Anyway, I did pretty decent today to absolutely no one (including my own) surprise. After all, I primarily do leg exercises regularly at the gym and I de-loaded by Squat and Deadlift from my current Strong Lifts working weights. That being said, it wasn't a "complete breeze" the increased reps took a toll on me even at the lower weight and I could definitely feel the burn. The only real difference between this workout and the upper body workout to me right now seems to be that I can recover from the leg exercises faster than I can the upper body exercises.

Well, tomorrow is my Hypertrophy day for upper body, so we'll see how I go. There are a lot of reps and a lot of exercises that I don't do very often. I'll have to make sure I get them all down (and probably watch some videos tomorrow) before I go to the gym.

Day 1 (Power Upper)	Day 2 (Power Lower)
Exercise Sets Bench Press 5x5 @ 55 kg Overhead Press 5x5 @ 37.5 kg Row 5x5 @ 52.5 kg Incline Dumbell Press 4x10 @ 15 kg Lat Pulldown 4x10 @ 40 kg Barbell Curl 4x10 @ 20 kg Skull Crusher 4x10 @ 17.5 kg	Exercise Sets Squat 5x5 @ 70 kg Deadlift 5x5 @ 80 kg Leg Press 5x15 @ 80 kg Leg Curl 4x10 @ 32 kg Calf Press 4x10 @ 60 kg
Day 4 (Hypertrophy Upper)	Day 5 (Hypertrophy Lower)
Exercise Sets Incline Bench 4x12 @ ?? kg Dumbell Fly 4x12 @ ?? kg Cable Row 4x12 @ ?? kg One Arm Row 4x12 @ ?? kg Lateral Dumbell 4x12 @ ?? kg Incline Dumbell Curl 4x12 @ ?? kg Cable Triceps 4x12 @ ?? kg	Exercise Sets Front Squat 4x12 @ ?? kg Barbell Lunge 4x12 @ ?? kg Leg Extension 4x15 @ ?? kg Leg Curl 4x15 @ ?? kg Calf Raise 4x12 @ ?? kg Calf Press 4x12 @ ?? kg

PHUL Training Day 1

I decided that since I have a lot of free time up through the month of January and since Strong Lifts hasn't really been giving me the results recently that I wanted, that I was going to double down on the gym and move to a program that a friend of mine recommended me called "P.H.U.L". In a nutshell it's a split day training system that focuses on one half power lifting and one half muscle hypertrophy. It takes a reasonable more amount of time than StrongLifts 5x5 does in order to work, but not so much that I'll be living at the gym every day.

Anyway, my current plan and results are like this:

Day 1 (Power Upper)	Day 2 (Power Lower)
Exercise Sets Bench Press 5x5 @ 55 kg Overhead Press 5x5 @ 37.5 kg Row 5x5 @ 52.5 kg Incline Dumbell Press 4x10 @ 15 kg Lat Pulldown 4x10 @ 40 kg Barbell Curl 4x10 @ 20 kg Skull Crusher 4x10 @ 17.5 kg	Exercise Sets Squat 5x5 @ 70 kg Deadlift 5x5 @ 80 kg Leg Press 5x15 @ 80 kg Leg Curl 4x10 @ 32 kg Calf Press 4x10 @ ?? kg
Day 4 (Hypertrophy Upper)	Day 5 (Hypertrophy Lower)
Exercise Sets Incline Bench 4x12 @ ?? kg Dumbell Fly 4x12 @ ?? kg Cable Row 4x12 @ ?? kg Dumbell Row 4x12 @ ?? kg Incline Dumbell Curl 4x12 @ ?? kg Cable Triceps 4x12 @ ?? kg	Exercise Sets Front Squat 4x12 @ ?? kg Barbell Lunge 4x12 @ ?? kg Leg Extension 4x15 @ ?? kg Leg Curl 4x15 @ ?? kg Calf Raise 4x12 @ ?? kg Calf Press 4x12 @ ?? kg

Anyway, under this plan I'll be looking to increase weights every week instead of after every session. You'll also notice I dropped down a tad on my Squat and deadlifts. It's because I'm really struggling at the higher weight and having absolutely horrible form. I'll move to a lower weight to save my back and keep working on doing the exercise correctly. I think that this is probably a better fit for me due to both my advanced age as well as relatively sedentary lifestyle. To be frank - I was pushing it hard core and I started to notice my body breaking down.

 So with that in mind I'll be heading back to the gym tomorrow to do my day 2 workout. I think I may even go with my wife on Day 3, but not lift - simply I'll do some other type of exercise and hang out with her for fun. :)

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2) Week 5, Day 2

I had to push the workout back to Thursday instead of Wednesday due to a work commitment that I couldn't get out of. That extra day of rest didn't really seem to help as I became incredibly weak today on my squats for some reason.

I started off trying to rep 85kg, but then immediately went down to the safety pins without being able to get up. I deloaded down to 82.5 kg and pretty much repeated the fail. Finally I was able to do my full reps at 80 kg, but each one was a massive struggle and I was over balanced on every rep. It was bad, bad, bad - my form was garbage.

No idea why this was so bad, but I also failed on the Overhead and couldn't fully rep all of the hammer curls. I was having such a bad day that I just substituted some normal lunges with the kettle bells for the barbell lunge and called it. I was tired and done.

The only good news is that I passed my Deadlift. Turns out I was plenty strong enough for that, but my issue is really related to my hands (grip strength). Reverse grip helped, but it still tore the skin up on my hands when I did them. Oh well, no pain no gain.

Hopefully the gym is open Christmas eve, if not then I might just go tomorrow to get in the upper body workout that I didn't get today.

Week 5
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	85 kg	Squat	5x5	85 kg	Squat	5x5	85 kg
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Bench	5x5	55 kg	Overhead	5x5	37.5 kg	Bench	5x5	57.5 kg
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Row	5x5	52.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	95 kg	Row	5x5	52.5 kg
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	32 kg
Week 6
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Overhead	5x5	37.5 kg	Bench	5x5		Overhead	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	100 kg	Row	5x5		Deadlift	1x5
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	32 kg

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2) Week 5, Day 1

This was a pretty rough work out. The 85 kg squat is just too damn heavy for me to complete with good form. I got up to the 4th set and then wimped out. I ended up knocking down the weight and finishing it off just to get the work in. I'll try it again on Wednesday.

The Rows are kind of in the same area. I can "sorta" do them, but the form is weak. I need to be able to do a full pull up with elbows bent in order to justify it as "good" and I'm not there yet. I will keep attempting this until I can do it correctly.

Bench is getting tough, but still no failure, probably not even really close until the final set, this means I should have no problems for a couple of weeks I bet and everything else is fine. I did my reverse lunges today with kettle bells instead of with the swift machine. I think it went fine, next time I do lunges it's with the weighted bar however. I guess we'll see if I can balance it correctly or not. I'll be extra careful this time.

Fun story time: I actually shredded my underwear today doing the squats. I was wearing boxers and somehow when I was going down I tore the crotch out of them. I have no fucking idea how I did that. Oh well, they were cheap anyway - off to target tomorrow to buy some more.

I'm feeling okay today. Back pain is diminshing it seems every work out, even after attempting heavier weights. My form must be over all improving and I'm probably toughening up those core muscles as well.

Week 5
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	85 kg	Squat	5x5	85 kg	Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Bench	5x5	55 kg	Overhead	5x5	37.5 kg	Bench	5x5	57.5 kg
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Row	5x5	52.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	95 kg	Row	5x5	52.5 kg
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	32 kg
Week 6
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Overhead	5x5		Bench	5x5		Overhead	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5		Row	5x5		Deadlift	1x5
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	32 kg

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2) Week 4, Day 3

Workout was okay today. I didn't feel so great going into it (still sore from Wednesday) but managed to acquit myself fairly well. Mainly I completed the overhead press which has been bothering me for the last week and I increased my Squat again (holy shit, this is getting heavy). The only down side really was that I gimped out on my dead lift set and had to knock it back down to 90kg in order to complete. I think it was more mental than anything else.

Week 2
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	67.5 kg	Squat	5x5	70 kg	Squat	5x5	72.5 kg
Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg
Overhead	5x5	32.5 kg	Bench	5x5	45.kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Overhead	1x15	20 kg	Bench	1x15	30 kg	Overhead	1x15	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	80 kg	Row	5x5	45 kg	Deadlift	1x5	80 kg
Deadlift	1x15	50 kg	Row	1x15	30 kg	Deadlift	1x15	50 kg
Week 3
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg
Leg Ext	3x8	50 kg	Stand Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Ext	3x8	60 kg
Bench	5x5	47.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	50 kg
Leg Press	3x8	80 kg	Ham. Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Press	3x8	120 kg
Row	5x5	47.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	85 kg	Row	5x5	47.5 kg
Rev Lunge	3x8	NIL	Bar. Curl	3x8	NIL	Rev Lunge	3x8	40 kg
Week 4
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	77.5 kg	Squat	5x5	80 kg	Squat	5x5	82.5 kg
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	52.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	90 kg	Row	5x5	50 kg	Deadlift	1x5	95 kg
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	32 kg
Week 5
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	85 kg	Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Bench	5x5	55 kg	Overhead	5x5	37.5 kg	Bench	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Row	5x5	52 kg	Deadlift	1x5	95 kg	Row	5x5
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	32 kg

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2) Week 4, Day 2

Seems like I am still killing it after having a few sessions of sucking eggs. Today I did the squat, bench and row exercises as I should (all passes) and I did my accessory exercises as well. The leg extensions were no problem, but I wimped out at the end on the hammer curls (was just too tired, as expected).

The only real hiccup was on doing the barbell lunges. I didn't anticipate how bloody difficult it is to come up from a lunge with a weighted barbell on your back and somewhere in the second set I lost my balance and tripped.

Luckily I didn't hurt myself I simply fell backwards on my arse (and the squat rack I was in front of caught the bar on the safety pins, it was almost too perfect).

The problem is pretty clear here - it's not the weight, it's the lack of stabilization and the fact that when I am coming up from a lunge on my non-dominant leg I am both weak and wobbly, hence the loss of balance. I'm sure the next time I try it this won't pose a problem. Oh well, Leg presses and leg curls are coming up next workout with a higher max on all my main lifts. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

Back pain was not as bad today. I'm either acclimating or I am improving my squat stance. Once thing I did notice however is more stress on my hips. That seems right to me, with that exercise the hips really should be taking all the force.

Anyway, one other noticible thing is that the last two work outs I've done have really caused my muscles to be tired and sore, much more so than normal. Granted, I'm going at it harder than normal, but it also feels.... kinda okay. Like I should we working them pretty hard. I only go 3 times a week right now after all.

Week 2
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	67.5 kg	Squat	5x5	70 kg	Squat	5x5	72.5 kg
Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg
Overhead	5x5	32.5 kg	Bench	5x5	45.kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Overhead	1x15	20 kg	Bench	1x15	30 kg	Overhead	1x15	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	80 kg	Row	5x5	45 kg	Deadlift	1x5	80 kg
Deadlift	1x15	50 kg	Row	1x15	30 kg	Deadlift	1x15	50 kg
Week 3
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg
Leg Ext	3x8	50 kg	Stand Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Ext	3x8	60 kg
Bench	5x5	47.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	50 kg
Leg Press	3x8	80 kg	Ham. Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Press	3x8	120 kg
Row	5x5	47.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	85 kg	Row	5x5	47.5 kg
Rev Lunge	3x8	NIL	Bar. Curl	3x8	NIL	Rev Lunge	3x8	40 kg
Week 4
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	77.5 kg	Squat	5x5	80 kg	Squat	5x5	82.5 kg
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	52.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	90 kg	Row	5x5	50 kg	Deadlift	1x5	95 kg
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	60 kg
Week 5
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Bench	5x5	55 kg	Overhead	5x5		Bench	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Row	1x5	52 kg	Deadlift	1x5		Row	5x5
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	60 kg

Tuesday Weigh-In, Start of Week 12

Day 77
Start Weight: 97kg.
Last Week: 92.7kg
Current Weight: 93.2kg (+500g)
Loss: 3.8kg

Seems like I back tracked this week, no idea why. I've been bouncing around a lot actually between 92 and 93 KG for the last couple of weeks and I haven't changed my diet at all. In fact, the only real major modificaton I've done is trying to do more exercises during my workouts.

No idea what's going on, but despite the poor showing on the scale (We'll see next week what my 3 month tally is), I've lost 20 cm off my waist. For people used to inches, that's going from a 42 inch pair of pants to a 36 inch pair of pants in the last 11 weeks.

Clearly the weight lifting is reshaping my body (slowly). You can see it in the pictures, but I can't imagine I am putting on so much lean muscle as to offset my fat loss. I must simply put, be not losing that much fat every week. Oh well, nothing to do but stick to it and monitor my calories. At least if I continue to weight lift, there's a good chance that I will simply "buff" my way out this problem, eh?

Moobs continuing to shrink. This is good.

Not much to see here except my pants are lower, so more love handles. Great.

I have a rough couple of weeks coming up with the Holidays. There will be food. There will be alcohol. I don't intend to completely deprive myself, but at the same time I'm going to have to be measured about it and also make sure I keep my gym routine up. I can't let both slip.

Onward and downward as they say...

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2) Week 4, Day 1

Decent day today. I finally conquered not only the 75 kg squat last week, but the 77.5 kg squat today. I wouldn't say it was easy... but it has been easier and less painful recently. I feel like I figured out a problem with my form that was the source of my back pain, which is a really nice discovery.

Reverse lunges are freaking hard. My right leg is great (it's my dominant leg) but my left leg is atrociously week in comparison. Holy crap. I need to work on this more.

I missed the very last rep on the Overhead press. God damn it. I'll get it next time for sure.

Continuing the problem with my upper arm strength - I got about halfway through the final set on my regular barbell curls before my arms gave out. This was while I was doing pull downs however, so I more or less was doing double duty.

Pull downs - not a problem.  The 40 kg weight was just the right amount of difficulty.

Overall, I'm happy with today's workout, particularly making gains on the squat again. De-loading was definitely the right move even if it took me back quite far. I'm hopeful (and it's probably baloney) but it'd be nice if I could hit 100 kg on the squat by early on in the new year.

Week 2
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	67.5 kg	Squat	5x5	70 kg	Squat	5x5	72.5 kg
Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg
Overhead	5x5	32.5 kg	Bench	5x5	45.kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Overhead	1x15	20 kg	Bench	1x15	30 kg	Overhead	1x15	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	80 kg	Row	5x5	45 kg	Deadlift	1x5	80 kg
Deadlift	1x15	50 kg	Row	1x15	30 kg	Deadlift	1x15	50 kg
Week 3
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg
Leg Ext	3x8	50 kg	Stand Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Ext	3x8	60 kg
Bench	5x5	47.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	50 kg
Leg Press	3x8	80 kg	Ham. Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Press	3x8	120 kg
Row	5x5	47.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	85 kg	Row	5x5	47.5 kg
Rev Lunge	3x8	NIL	Bar. Curl	3x8	NIL	Rev Lunge	3x8	40 kg
Week 4
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	77.5 kg	Squat	5x5	80 kg	Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	52.5 kg	Overhead	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	90 kg	Row	5x5	50 kg	Deadlift	1x5	95 kg
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	60 kg
Week 5
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	77.5 kg	Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Bench	5x5	52.5kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Row	1x5	50 kg	Deadlift	1x5	90 kg	Row	5x5
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	60 kg

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2) Week 3, Day 3

Today's workout was powered by soju, kimchee and asahi super dry.

Um... yeah, so I went out last night to have drinks with my business partner (and our partners) and the net result was I got wasted, which was a dual edged sword because on the plus side I got a good nights sleep (I passed out cold when I got home) but I woke up feeling seedy as all fuck.

Anyway, it didn't seem to negatively impact my performance in the gym at all, I killed all my normal lifts and managed to do most of my accessories, but I did sorta rip my legs up on the leg press today. Holy crap - after the second set of lifts my legs were feeling like they were going to explode - because of that I didn't finish off the leg extensions.

Week 2
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	67.5 kg	Squat	5x5	70 kg	Squat	5x5	72.5 kg
Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg
Overhead	5x5	32.5 kg	Bench	5x5	45.kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Overhead	1x15	20 kg	Bench	1x15	30 kg	Overhead	1x15	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	80 kg	Row	5x5	45 kg	Deadlift	1x5	80 kg
Deadlift	1x15	50 kg	Row	1x15	30 kg	Deadlift	1x15	50 kg
Week 3
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg
Leg Ext	3x8	50 kg	Stand Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Ext	3x8	60 kg
Bench	5x5	47.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	50 kg
Leg Press	3x8	80 kg	Ham. Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Press	3x8	120 kg
Row	5x5	47.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	85 kg	Row	5x5	47.5 kg
Rev Lunge	3x8	NIL	Bar. Curl	3x8	NIL	Rev Lunge	3x8	40 kg
Week 4
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	77.5 kg	Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
R. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Extension	3x8	60 kg	L. Press	3x8	120 kg
Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	52.5 kg	Overhead	5x5
Reg Curl	4x8	10 kg	Ham Curl	4x8	10 kg	Bar Curl	4x8	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	90 kg	Row	5x5	50 kg	Deadlift	1x5
Pulldowns	4x8	40 kg	B. Lunge	4x8	40 kg	Leg Curl	4x8	60 kg

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2), Week 3, Day 2

Today was probably the worst day I've ever had in the gym and I don't say this lightly. It feels like everything was basically broken down and I was at my lowest ebb in strength in a long time.

I didn't manage to do the 75kg squats again, so I settled for 72.kg 5x5 and that's after a 40 and 60 kg warm up set and some stretching. I just don't know what it is, but I am doing something really, really wrong with my squat form. I need to keep working on it.

The overhead press is always a bitch, so I'm not surprised by that. I managed to only drop reps on set 4 and 5 and only the last 2, so not too bad. On any other day I probably would have been fine.

Which brings up my next point - my arms were freaking garbage today. I couldn't even do the curls that I wanted to do. Not only was my strength not up to it, but my back was bloody killing me. I know, maybe the squats and deadlift have a lot to do with that, but honestly I was feeling sore there all day and I know why - it's because I've pretty much just laid awake in bed without sleeping for the last 3 days.

Yeah, no wonder my body is giving out.

I've mentioned my sleeping issue before, but recently it's really started to get out of control. I don't know what to do about it, but it's bad.

The only bright spot today was the deadlift. I wouldn't say it was epic, but I had no real problem with it. I feel like that lift has improved since I de-loaded by quite a bit. Let's hope the other ones do as well.

I'm back at it on Friday and I'm going to try and get a good nights sleep tomorrow, so hopefully that will help.

Week 2
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	67.5 kg	Squat	5x5	70 kg	Squat	5x5	72.5 kg
Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg
Overhead	5x5	32.5 kg	Bench	5x5	45.kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Overhead	1x15	20 kg	Bench	1x15	30 kg	Overhead	1x15	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	80 kg	Row	5x5	45 kg	Deadlift	1x5	80 kg
Deadlift	1x15	50 kg	Row	1x15	30 kg	Deadlift	1x15	50 kg
Week 3
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg
Leg Ext	3x8	50 kg	Stand Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Ext	8x8	60 kg
Bench	5x5	47.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	50 kg
Leg Press	3x8	80 kg	Ham. Curl	3x8	NIL	Leg Press	3x8	120 kg
Row	5x5	47.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	85 kg	Row	5x5	47.5 kg
Rev Lunge	3x8	NIL	Bar. Curl	3x8	NIL	Rev Lunge	3x8	???
Week 4
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5		Overhead	5x5
Deadlift	1x5	90 kg	Row	5x5		Deadlift	1x5

Tuesday Weigh-In, Start of Week 11

Day 70
Start Weight: 97kg.
Last Week: 92.8kg
Current Weight: 92.7kg (-100g)
Loss: 4.3kg

Sorry for the late update. It seems like my schedule is completely out of whack these days. I'm working on a hobby software project right now (a video game) and it's been consuming all my free time. I haven't even done my Japanese flashcards for the last 3 days - a record of inactivity for me that I need to rectify considering I just signed up for classes again in January.

Anyway, I think the strange schedule may have something to do with the minor loss this week. I actually did see 91.2 earlier in the week, but massively went back up. No idea why. Could be lack of sleep and retaining water, could be lethargy, or just a normal plateau. NO IDEA.

In any case I'm still working on it and I haven't given up. Going to the gym, sticking to my diet, it's working. I'm down to a size 36 pants now from a 42, so not too shabby.

God damn moobs. They'll never go away.

I have no idea what I'm doing here.

StrongLifts 5x5 (Part 2), Week 3, Day 1

Today was a rough one. I felt like crap when I hit the gym today and that translated into being exceptionally weak. I didn't even manage to complete all the exercises I wanted to because my wife was being a bit of a crybaby at the time and just wanted to leave after her workout. She's on night shifts and every time she goes on nights, she is completely unbearable to be around until it's over. I don't think she even knows.

Anyway, I was weak. I don't know why but I did manage to do quite a bit. Hopefully I can pick it up later. The only positive thing is that I progressed on the bench press again. It's starting to get a little bit scary honestly because when I get to that last set I can totally feel the last couple of reps being hard. This means it's only a matter of time until I fail. I just need to be able to fail gracefully and put the bar down safely. I'd feel better if I had a mate to spot me or could get a rack with a proper safety setup.

Oh well...

Week 2
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	67.5 kg	Squat	5x5	70 kg	Squat	5x5	72.5 kg
Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg	Squat	1x15	40 kg
Overhead	5x5	32.5 kg	Bench	5x5	45.kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg
Overhead	1x15	20 kg	Bench	1x15	30 kg	Overhead	1x15	20 kg
Deadlift	1x5	80 kg	Row	5x5	45 kg	Deadlift	1x5	80 kg
Deadlift	1x15	50 kg	Row	1x15	30 kg	Deadlift	1x15	50 kg
Week 3
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5	75 kg	Squat	5x5
Leg Ext	3x8	50 kg	Stand Curl	3x8	????	Leg Ext	8x8	60 kg
Bench	5x5	47.5 kg	Overhead	5x5	35 kg	Bench	5x5	50 kg
Leg Press	3x8	80 kg	Ham. Curl	3x8	???	Leg Press	3x8	100 kg
Row	5x5	47.5 kg	Deadlift	1x5	85 kg	Row	5x5	47.5 kg
Rev Lunge	3x8	NIL	Bar. Curl	3x8	???	Rev Lunge	3x8	???
Week 4
Day 1			Day 2			Day 3
Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5		Squat	5x5
Overhead	5x5		Bench	5x5		Overhead	5x5
Deadlift	1x5		Row	5x5		Deadlift	1x5