Exodus Strength

Hello! New here, so I thought I'd make a training log.

About Me: 23, m, 5'4, currently around 133 lbs. Maxes for all major lifts under 135 and haven't really tested. Best guess is 95 Squat, 105 bench and deadlift, 85 for OHP.

Goals:

circa 6 months: build strength foundation, bench squat and deadlift at least 135 and improve cardiovascular conditioning;

circa 1 year: 2 plates on bench squat and deadlift, start putting on some muscle and a bit of recomp to lose the stomach fat I gained since the summer.

History:

Pre 2013 - Not much athletics wise, I'm a singer by trade. Did martial arts while younger.

Fall 2013 - Took a gym class that taught how to do barbell lifts. Saw some strength progress, but began a vicious cycle of being interrupted by class or musical commitments.

Spring 2014-Spring 2017 - Various "bro split" styles of workouts, nothing consistent (the vicious cycle). No real progress, except for benching more than 100 lbs. and coming close to doing a single pull-up.

Summer 2017-Summer 2018 - Not much. I am currently applying to law school and have a full time job, so most of my time was test prep. Highly inconsistent. Maintained weight by walking a lot in connection with work/commuting whenever I could

Summer 2018 - Present: Various attempts at GZCL-LP that never went anywhere as I could not consistently get into a gym 3-4 days a week. Also suffered a bit of anxiety going back to the gym.On the advice of Reddit, running Phrak's GSLP starting tomorrow for about 3 months, then back to GZCL-LP. Going to try to add a day of cardio for conditioning when time allows.

This log is designed to keep me accountable. Here goes!

Welcome, @JonathanLikesToSing!

Good to have you here.

Welcome, mate!

Workout 11-5-18

I was supposed to meet up with someone this evening after my workout so I skipped a warmup (which I regret). This person then cancelled, but I still kind of rushed through this workout.

The theme of this workout was conservative. I didn’t push myself. But at the same time, I’m upset at the results. I’m happy I made it into the gym, but I should have been able to complete this whole workout no problem.

Barbell Rows
65x5
75x5 (I wasn’t sure about going up, hence back down)
65x5
65x5
65x9

I’m going to look into resources on form for rows.

Bench press
80x8
95x5
95x4 (realized 95 was too heavy)
80x5
80x8

Accessory: mid back machine rows
65x25
75x20
75x15

Discovered all the weights are estimated for a 150 lb person, so that was helpful.

Squats
45 x8
65x5
65x5
Last set didn’t happen due to stiff shoulders. This really pissed me off. This is absolutely no weight.

Machine chest press
75x20
75x20
75x15

Same as the rows, the weight is estimated for 150 lb person.

Welcome aboard, Jonathan! Are you the guy from reddit that I gave the Exodus link to?

Don't worry about starting with low weights, we all did. Actually, I started much weaker than you did, and at age 45 to boot.

Re: squats -- if your shoulders/elbows are a problem with low-bar squats, you might have technique problem you can fix, or you might just do better with high-bar. HB is at least 90% as good as low-bar squats for general strength, and requires much less shoulder flexibility.

Here's a video on the low-bar squat grip that might help: https://youtu.be/j8b6KzyuKaE

cwd wrote: ↑Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:47 am Welcome aboard, Jonathan! Are you the guy from reddit that I gave the Exodus link to?

Yep, that’s me!

Don't worry about starting with low weights, we all did. Actually, I started much weaker than you did, and at age 45 to boot.

Thanks. I’m hoping to get progressing, even if it means starting light again. I’ve done it so many times in a vicious cycle that I’m hoping this time it sticks.

Re: squats -- if your shoulders/elbows are a problem with low-bar squats, you might have technique problem you can fix, or you might just do better with high-bar. HB is at least 90% as good as low-bar squats for general strength, and requires much less shoulder flexibility.

Here's a video on the low-bar squat grip that might help: https://youtu.be/j8b6KzyuKaE

Thanks. I’ve noticed that returning to squatting in October that I probably do something in between what would be a high and low bar and it’s probably throwing me off.

Edit: I had a shoulder injury once many years ago. This may play a role. The lack of warmups too.

Log entry 2: my first and lack thereof

I’m honestly exhausted. It was one of those I slept, but it didn’t seem like I slept days. Drank nearly 3x my normal caffine.

In lieu of a workout tonight after dinner, I’m gonna read up on some lifting gudes and articles I’ve saved (including squat form) and work on trying to find a macro calculator that can calculate maintenance calories and macros.

Unfortunately I have plans tomorrow too, so unless I move them, I won’t be able to workout until Friday.

Going away this weekend and should be able to make up one workout this week at my grandparents local gym while I’m there.

Welcome to forum @JonathanLikesToSing, if you need any lifting resources to watch/look at just ask. People on here have probably viewed hundreds of different lifting videos/articles and can get you pointed in the right direction.

Week One, Day One (take two)

Per the Log title, things didn’t go as planned. This was supposed to be yesterday but I was able to score tickets to an advanced movie screening. This was done at my house with our very rusty barbell and dumbells, hence some adaptation of the program as we don’t have a power rack.

Weightxreps


Barbell Rows (110 secs rest)
65x5x2, 65x9

Purposefully easy

Barbell Bench (1 min rest for warmups, 110 seconds rest for working sets)
25x15,45x10 (warmups)
75x5x3

Also purposefully easy

Incline Dumbbell Bench (90 seconds rest)
15x15x3

Purposefully easy. Saving all the heavy chest work for Friday

Dumbbell Curls (90 seconds rest)
10x20x3

Need to work on my arm strength overall

Dumbbell Goblet Squat (90 seconds rest)
25x5 (feeler)
35x5x3

Purposefully light. Want to save for deadlifts tomorrow and Squats more properly (high bar this time) on Friday.

Welcome Aboard!

Unfortunately, not lifting tonight. I’m very gassed from many consecutive nights of subpar sleep. Also suffered from a lot more nerves than normal.

If anyone has any tips on calming pre-gym nerves and non-caffine gym prep (I workout after work, but try to avoid caffine to help with falling asleep even though i head to bed 5-6 hours after work), lemme know here or via private message.

Day 1, Take 2 for Phraks GSLP. Switched the chin-ups for rows due to every barbell taken at the time. Squats done with this movable smith machine thing.

Assisted chins warmup 40x5
Assisted chins working25x5,5,4

Bench warmup 45x10
Bench warmup 65x10
Bench working 85x5,5,5

Squat warmup 45x5,8
Squat working 65x5,5,6
Tested 85x2 reps. Could have done 75, but couldn’t find the proper plates and had a limited amount of time today.

Tomorrow I’m definitely lifting with a college buddy. Hopefully OHP Rows and Deadlifts.

Treadmill walk 10 mins 2.5 incline 3 mph
(Did a 2 min leg @ 4mph for fun)

Db shoulder Press 25 lbsx5,5,8

DB Ibcline Bench 25x8,8,7

Tricep Extension with double handle attachment
70x5 (35 across handles)
60x10 (30 across handles),10

Mega drop set
30x10,25x20x10 (weight each handle) x5

Machine bicep curl
45x10,10
50x5
Drop set 50x5,45x5,25x5

Machine crunch
40x15,15,
40x10,20x20 drop

Machine back extension
30x15,15,15,15

Deadlifts and rows will be its own mini workout using the barbell at my house either tomorrow or Saturday depending on schedule.

Didn’t have time for deadlifting, was busy helping finish our house (we hung lights a fair part of the weekend).

Yesterday’s workout was better in my opinion, below:

Warmup BB row 45x10, 65x10
BB row 95x3 (too heavy)
Working 85x5x3

Squat
45x5 and 65x8, 85x6 warmips
90x3
85x5,5,5

Bench
45x10,65x10,85x8
95x5,5,5

Machine bicep curl
40x12,12,10,10

MTS Machine Chest Press
20x15,15,10,10

Workout 12-6-18

Deadlift
wU 65x10
WU 85x10
Working 95x5,5,8

OHP
Warmup 45x5
Work 65x5,5,5

assisted chin machine
WU -70x8
Working -40x5,5
Drop x5 each -40,-70,-100

Leg curl
55x15,15

Machine shoulder press
20x12,12

Machine biceps
40x8,35x8x30x8 straight

Workout 1 of 2019!

Push pull legs: pull 1

Deadlift 1x6 100 lbs/45 kg
Lat pulldown 3x12 60 lbs/27 kg
Cable Row 3x10 55 lbs/24kg
Face Pull 15,18,18,15,18 20 lbs/9 kg (10 per rope)
Hammer Curl 8,8,7,5 15 lbs/6.8 kg
Dumbbell Curl 12,10x3 10 lbs/4.5 kg

Hoestly, I forgot about this site. If im being honest, il falling to old habits. Not going. Lifting with my ego. No consistency. Hating the fact that I’m so weak.

I took a class on lifting in college. And I wish I stuck with it. Music, my constant passion, got in the way. And I was okay with it instead of pushing myself. That was nearly 5 years ago.

It’s hard to not kick myself. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if I should continue to post here since I’m so much weaker than most (or at least I think that). But here’s the workout.

Deadlift
65x8
85x8
95x8,8,8 (work sets) (need to ensure I’m properly setting up after each rep)

Did my first pull up in 2 years today. It was from a jump, so not the best but I’ll take it.

Squat
55, 10,10,8 (was aiming for 3x10, need to work on my form as one side seems to rise faster than the other)

Lat pulldown
55x12,12,12 (could have gone heavier but wanted to keep it light)

Bicep Curls
10x15,15,15 (intentionally done with low weight and high reps. For fun)

Work is work. While strength doesn’t wait, it’s not all that hard to catch up to in some respects.

Today’s workout:

OHP: 45x10 (3 sets)

Bench:
45x10 (WU)
65x8 (WU)
75x8 (3 Work Sets)

Dumbbell Row: 20x15 (overshot planned reps), 20x12 (two sets)

Face Pulls: 30x15 (3 Sets)