Ross' Strength Journal
 

I just got back into the weight room a few weeks ago. I messed around for about a week and then took a week off. I did a chest/triceps workout Monday 8/27. I looked online that afternoon for a workout program and chose the HST...I started the program Wednesday 8/29. I had lifted for a month at the end of school before summer break, 2 weeks during the summer, and for one week after school started back, so I had a good idea of what weights I was going to work with. I have also lifted off and on for the past...7 years. Quit for 2 years after I hurt my back and then I have been off and on because of injuries.

My first week SUCKED because of the Chest/Triceps workout I had done Monday. I know I would have seen better results if I had waited & spent the time figuring out what weights I should have been lifting, but I wasn't going to put off any more time.

I'm still working on strengthening my back. I tried doing sumo dead lifts one day with 135 lbs and it was killing me the next day. I tried doing squats also and that was bad. I know leg press hurts it also. I am going to do weighted lunges next week. (I have a ruptured disc)

These are the supplements I'm taking:
Anabolic switch (CEE) pre workout
Pro NOS (42gr protein) post workout and before bed
Multi-vitamin
Animal M-Stack (started 9/5)
I started my diet the week before starting HST. I need to clean it up...I know what I need to eat, it's just a matter of doing it. I'm taking in too many fats right now in about 30% of my meals...all of the other meals I'm doing okay in.

Wed 8/29 - 2X15
Flat Bench Press - 115
Nose Breakers - 45
Preacher Curls - 50
Shrugs - 135
Lat Pulls - 90
Rows (machine) - 90
Arnolds - 35
Calf Raises - 90

Fri 8/31 - 2X15
Flat Bench Press - 120
Arnolds - 35
Nose Breakers - 50
Preacher Curls - 50
Lat Pulls - 90
Rows - 90
Shrugs - 135
Calf Raises - 90

Mon 9/3 - 2X15
Flat Bench Press - 125
Calf Raises - 95
Arnolds - 40
Lat Pulls - 105
Rows - 90
Nose Breakers - 55
Preacher Curls - 60
Shrugs - 145

Wed 9/5 - 2X15
Flat Bench Press - 130
Calf Raises - 95
Arnolds - 40
Preacher Curls - 60
Lat Pulls - 120
Rows - 105
Shrugs - 155
Nose Breakers - 60

Fri 9/7 - 2X15
Flat Bench Press - 135
Calf Raises - 100
Arnolds - 40
Preacher Curls - 65
Lat Pulls - 135
Rows - 120
Shrugs - 165
Nose Breakers - 65

Here is my body weight starting on the day before I started dieting:
8/24 - 154lbs
8/27 - 155lbs
8/29 - 156lbs
8/31 - 157lbs
9/3 - 158lbs
9/5 - 160lbs
9/7 - 159lbs
Unfortunately, I don't know what percent of my weight is body fat. None of the equations I've tried have given me a realistic number. When I'm straining during a lift, veins come out all over my arms, shoulders, and chest...and I can see my abs, so it must be pretty low. I'm 21 years old & 5'9". I haven't ever met anyone that had more difficulty gaining mass or weight than me...but now that I have the diet pretty much figured out, I'm loving it.

After the first 2 weeks, I'm really happy with my bench press...it's my weakest lift. But my shoulders...what the fuck? When I lifted 4 weeks ago, I was using 60lb DBs for Arnolds...3 sets of 8. I think it's because I didn't work them first thing on any day. Weeks 3-4 I will start with military press. I'll hit chest with incline DB press. Triceps progressed nicely and biceps were okay. I haven't done calf raises or shrugs in years, so I'm figuring that out again. The order of the muscles worked is crucial...didn't get that worked out till middle of the second week.

I'll try to post every workout day from now on.

Get that disc fix man. That will bring you down if you don't and you will never be able to be as big as you can.

You're definitely right. I'm working on strengthening that area every day. I don't care for dead lifts, but I miss my squats dearly.

At the end of this workout I felt...warmed up. :arg: I know it's just part of the program...............

1st day of 2x10 for two weeks

Military Press - 2X10 105 - 135 next Friday
Calf Raises - 2X10 100
Incline DB Press - 2X10 45 - 65 next Friday...maybe 70's?
Curlbar Standing Curls - 2X10 70
Lat Pulls - 2X10 120
Bent Over Rows - 2X10 95
Shrugs - 2X10 145
Nose Breakers - 2X10 50 - 75 next Friday
Leg Press - 2X10 140

Body weight - 162lbs

Notes: Leg press...wow. I didn't know I could do it...the last time I tried I ended up walking around like a grandpa for 2 weeks. We'll see how I feel tomorrow, but it felt good today. Bent over rows...hurt the hell out of my back. I might have to isolate with DBs on a bench instead...I'll know tomorrow. I kind of slacked off on the diet a little this weekend, so I didn't think I would possibly have increased my weight, but it was up 3lbs from Friday. It will be interesting to see how much I weigh Wednesday.

Hey, good luck on this. I didn't see your journal before.

I remember you posting about your back problem. Definitely check out some single leg stuff. Lunges both reverse and dynamic, bulgarians, step-ups. I'll bet you can do those without irritating your back.

Thanks Eric. I'm already really pleased with the results. I've started to do leg press...it's something that I wasn't able to do last year. I'm going to try to finish out this week and next with the bent over rows, but it's not going to be fun. My legs are way behind, so I'm going to have to do a lot to catch up.

I kind of skipped the "Wednesday workout" that I had planned and moved to the "Friday workout" just because Monday was too easy. It went really well, so it was a good move!

Military Press - 2X10 115
Calf Raises - 2X10 120
Incline DB Press - 2X10 55
Curlbar Standing Curls - 2X10 75
Lat Pulls - 2X10 125
Bent Over Rows - 2X10 105
Shrugs - 2X10 165
Nose Breakers - 2X10 65
Leg Press - 2X10 160

Body weight - 161

I did 30 minutes of hard cardio at the end. (YUCK!!!!) Not what I'm looking to do right now. I got one of my friends to come work out with me and the only way that I can get him to do cardio is if I do it with him. He seriously needs to do it for health reasons though, so I am going to take a half step back to help him out. According to the bike, I burned...500+ calories, so...I am going to be doing some serious dieting to make up for it. From now on, I am going to slack like hell when I do cardio with him...so long as I can get him in there. Definitely worth the sacrifice. I'm already looking forward to Friday's workout! :)

Military Press - 2X10 110
Calf Raises - 2X10 135
Incline DB Press - 2X10 60
Curlbar Standing Curls - 2X10 80
Lat Pulls - 2X10 135
Bent Over Rows - 2X10 110
Shrugs - 2X10 185
Nose Breakers - 2X10 65
Leg Press - 2X10 180

Body weight - 161

Crappy workout...I backed off of the military press 5 lbs just because it was too much last time...I'll hit 115 Monday, and should be able to get 125 by next Friday. Incline DB press was kicking my ass today...the 55s felt like 45s on Wednesday, but the 60's felt like 70's today. Nose breakers were tough Wednesday, so I put the same weight on and it felt so much better today. Moving up to 70 on Monday for sure. Maybe it had something to do with drinking last night...I only had 4 or 5, but I was out later than usual. First time I've worked out in the morning in a longgg time. Diet has been shitty lately too. I'll clean it up this weekend and hit it hard Monday.

Military Press - 2X10 115
Calf Raises - 2X10 135
Incline DB Press - 2X10 60
Curl bar Standing Curls - 2X10 85
Lat Pulls - 2X10 150
Bent Over Rows - 2X10 115
Shrugs - 2X10 195
Nose Breakers - 2X10 70
Leg Press - 2X10 200

Body weight - 163

Good workout. This weekend was just what I needed... I blew through military press & incline DB press. When I had tried 115 on Wednesday, I couldn't finish the last set of MP. The same was the case with the 60s with DB press on Friday, but even worse. I've hit new 10RMs on all of my lifts already...they're higher than all of my 8RMs actually, and I have two days left.

I'm lifting as hard as ever, but lifting smarter is definitely the key. If I could just bench press 200 lbs... :wtf: I can lift +15 lbs more than my little brother in every single lift that I've ever heard of, but he kicks my ass at bench press. :banghead:

This is gonna be a cool journal.

I dont think I've ever read anyones journal doing HST, so be sure to keep us updated especially with the size gains (arms legs etc).

Best of luck with the back too mate.

I didn't do any measurements at the beginning, which I should have done. I'm having the pleasant troubles of not fitting into some of my clothes right now. My back is a lot wider, which is something I've been focusing on and by the time the program is over, I will have gained an inch around my biceps. I know this because a certain shirt I wore before I started the program now squeezes into my biceps when I wear it..the fabric doesn't stretch either. I've gained a little body fat in the middle, and I'm sure I've gained some water weight, but I know that I've gained a few pounds of muscle too.

Not that I'm having a hard time getting into the gym right now, but the support from you guys guarantees that I make it in there. Thanks

Military Press - 1X10 120/115
Calf Raises - 2X10 135
Incline DB Press - 2X10 60
Curl bar Standing Curls - 2X10 85
Lat Pulls - 2X10 150
Bent Over Rows - 2X10 115
Shrugs - 2X10 205
Nose Breakers - 2X10 70
Leg Press - 2X10 230

Body weight - 164

Monday's workout was good...but it was kind of all the weight I could push in most of the lifts. I bumped shrugs and leg press up today. We will see Friday if I was unrealistic with my goal setting. I am going to try to move up 5lbs or more in everything. If I don't post Friday, it means I probably died in the gym..and it's been nice knowing you guys. :) I've put on 10 lbs in less than a month now. I didn't know that was possible...so I'm going to do one of the 5X5 workouts after I finish the HST and cut. I'm very happy with the results thus far. From looking at my journal, does anyone have any advice as to which 5X5 might be best for me?

Military Press - 2X10 115
Calf Raises - 2X10 145
Incline DB Press - 2X10 65
Curl bar Standing Curls - 1X7 95, 1X10 85
Lat Pulls - 2X10 150
Shrugs - 2X10 215

Body weight - 162

Morning workout SUCKED. It was abbreviated also. I feel so weak in the morning. Gotta run to work for a little bit. Only real plus was that I went up 5 in incline DB press. I went up in calf raises and shrugs, but that was expected. I will hit legs this evening if I have the time. I would have done better if I had lifted later in the day, but I have to go out of town. Oh well. Next week starts 2X5...that's something to look forward to.

Arnolds - 2X5 50
Calf Raises - 2X10 135
Flat Bench Press - 2X5 155
Preacher Curls - 2X5 75
Lat Pulls - 2X5 150
Crazy row machine - 2X5 70
DB Shrugs - 2X5 90
Tricep Pulldowns - 2X5 75
Leg Press - 2X5 230

Body weight - 161

It seems like every time I go home for the weekend, my body weight is down at the beginning of the week. I just can't eat when I'm at home... I should be at school for a while now, so that will help. Monday was a super easy workout.

Arnolds - 2X5 55
Calf Raises - 2X10 145
Flat Bench Press - 2X5 160
Preacher Curls - 2X5 80
Lat Pulls - 2X5 152.5
Crazy row machine - 2X5 75
Shrugs - 2X5 215
Tricep Pulldowns - 2X5 80
Leg Press - 2X5 240

Still easy...blah. Looking forward to Monday. Friday will be a good workout, but Monday might kick my ass. I'm excited to see if I'll move up in everything next Wednesday.

I'm thinking that the HST program isn't the best thing for me. I'm still pretty weak, so it's hard for me to back up 15-20 lbs from my 15, 10, or 5 RM and still get a good workout. In a couple of months from now, it would be great.. I'm still happy with my results. I'm just thinking that maybe I would have been better off doing a 5x5 routine.

.

Well are you growing? have your arms chest and legs etc gotten bigger? Assuming your diet is in check it would probably be wise to change routines if your not getting bigger and stronger. If it aint happening now why would it suddenly start working?

I would start off with Rips Starting strength routine and eat as much as I could in the process, milk that set up for all its worth and move up from there.When you combine all that heavy squatting and benching with enough food, you should see results immediately.Just my 2 cents hope it helps.

I'm still growing. I just think I would have grown more if I had done something like the starting strength program. I'm very happy with size and strength gains. It's just that the first week of every 2X- workout is very, very easy. I know that my 1RMs are already up 10+ lbs in every lift. I got one of my friends on the HST program and he is a lot stronger and bigger than me. He busts his ass all the way through it..and I'm not strong enough for the required variance that the program calls for. He always gets a better workout/pump than me in week 1.

I couldn't make it to the gym Friday or Saturday, so that kind of messed me up. And I've been itching to do a 5x5, so I kind of scrapped the HST.

Monday's workout:
Flat Bench Press - WU, 5X5 165
Squats - WU, 3X10 135, 2X5 205
Row machine that doesn't break my back - 5X5 100
Cable flys - 3X8 100
Tricep pulldowns - 3X8 80
Decline situps - 3X15
Pullups - 1 :biglaugh:

Body weight - 164

Wtf...I did squats. Today I was able to walk. I'm not even sore. My form was perfect..I wasn't going ass to grass, but I was going parallel. I am more aware of my back today...I can kind of feel the spot where it's injured, but it's not sore. My hamstrings are just a little tight..not at all sore. I'm surprised I'm not walking like a duck. I didn't want to do flys, but I was pressured into it. Overall a good workout.

Standing shoulder press - 5X5 125
Squats - 5X5 185
Lat pulls - 5X5 180
Cable curls - 5X5 130
Decline situps - 3X15
Hanging leg raises - 3X15

Body weight - 163

Good workout. I'm trying to clean my diet up again. It went to shit for a week or two. Hopefully I'll start gaining mass again. Last night I ordered citrulline malate, creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, dextrose, and maltodextrin for $80 from NP. It's probably...a 3 month supply. I've been needing a pre-workout drink...and a post-workout drink for that matter. I still have plenty of protein laying around (don't we all).

Flat Bench Press - WU, 5X5 165
Squats - WU, 5X5 185, 195, 205, 215, 225
T-bar rows - 5X5 110
Tricep pulldowns - 3X8 85
Decline situps - 3X15
Hanging leg raises - 3X15

Body weight - 165

Just wanted to add comments...I was in a rush to post my workout before the weekend, hence the edit. Bench was easy. I'm stoked about going up 5lbs next week. I know I'll be up 5 more the following week based on Friday's workout. Squats were easier Fri than Wed. My form is perfect right now...I really haven't done squats since I was 16. I'm going to add weight slowly just because I want the form to stay perfect..probably just 5lbs per week. I am going to do a set of rack pulls Monday to see how it goes and if it goes ok, then I'll do that Wednesday. Since I've been working out for a little while now, my lower back has gotten stronger. It hurts less throughout the week and I irritate it less. I would LOVE to do dead lifts. Hopefully I will soon. My diet is much better now. My pre-workout meals and pwo meals have given me so much more energy in the gym. Can't wait for Monday. :weights:

Flat Bench Press - WU, 5X5 170
Squats - WU, 5X5 215
T-bar rows - 5X5 115
Tricep pulldowns - 3X8 80
Hanging leg raises - 3X15

Body weight - 165

Last week sucked...I had 2 workouts...blah. This was Thursday's workout.

Flat Bench Press - WU, 5X5 170
Incline DB Press - 1X5 60, 1X5 65, 1X5 70
Squats - WU (1X5 135, 1X5 185, 1X5 215), 3X5 225
Rows (smith machine) - 5X5 135
Tricep pulldowns - 3X8 70

Body weight - 165

I tried to max out on flat bench and almost got 205...I didn't rest much after my last set. I know I can do it though. My right quad cramped during my last two sets of squats, so I cut it a little short.

Flat Bench Press - WU, 5X5 175
Squats - WU, 5X5 230
Seated Cable Rows - 5X5 135
Tricep Pulldowns - 5X8 70, 80, 60, 50, 40

diet
 

I haven't really mentioned the new supplements I got in the mail last week. I still need to eat more meals. I'm only having 3-4 huge meals a day..I need to spread it out, but I haven't really had enough time. Still that's not a very good excuse...I always roll my eyes when people tell me they don't have the time. What a hypocrite. :spank: This is my diet:

Upon waking 8:30am
multivitamin
fish oil
glucosamine & chondroitin
papaya enzymes & bromelain

Breakfast 9:00am
30gr protein from protein bar
3-4 cereal/granola bars
600 calories

Lunch 12:30pm
crap
800-1200 calories

Snack 4:30pm
1-2 granola/cereal bars

Pre-workout 6:00pm
20gr whey protein
4gr beta alanine
4gr citrulline malate
5gr creatine monohydrate
40gr dextrose
40gr maltodextrin

Post-workout 7:45pm
40gr whey protein
4gr beta alanine
4gr citrulline malate
5gr creatine monohydrate
40gr dextrose
40gr maltodextrin

Dinner 8:15pm
steak or chicken
potatoes, rice, or pasta
vegetables
1200-1400 calories

Before bed 11:00pm
fish oil
multivitamin
glucosamine & chondroitin
melatonin
Forza-T (6OXO & Tribulus)
papaya enzymes & bromelain

I'm going to go to the grocery store to buy some stuff to snack on throughout the day. I really need it.............................. I ****ing hate eating 3 meals a day and trying to get in all of the calories that I need.

Standing shoulder press - WU, 5X5 135
Rack pulls - WU, 1X5 245, 4X5 265
Squats (80%) - WU, 5X5 185
Lat pulls - 5X5 180, 1X12 135
Preacher curls - 4X8 65
Horizontal leg raises - 5X15

Body weight - 166

My balls were stuck to the wall during this workout. It's the first time I've done any kind of dead lift since I was 16. It felt good though..aside from the pain. But I feel great afterwards. Shoulder press was heavy. Lat pulls were heavy. I superset curls with leg raises so I could hurry up and get the hell out of the gym.

When I started the DFT 5X5, I wasn't very tired on my days off, so I reduced my rest time to try to get more out of my workouts. It worked. Now I'm needing to rest a little bit more between sets, but it's working out well. I love the 5X5...I'm not doing shit until Friday. 100% pooped.

Flat Bench Press - WU, 5X5 175
Squats - WU, 4X5 215, 225, 235, 245, 1X3 265
T-bar rows - 5X5 115
Incline DB Press - 4X5 65, 1X5 70
Tricep pulldowns - 3X8 80
Russian twists - a lot
Hanging leg raises - 3X15

Body weight - 168

My right quad cramped during my last 3 sets of squats. It's pretty scary because I feel like something bad could happen at any moment while I'm going through the sets. It's the second or third time this has happened when I was messing with heavier weights. Any advice? I've been stretching, but it still happens.......

Ouch, quad is still sore today. Walking up and down stairs I can feel it, but it's not sore to the touch. It's sore when I just walk also...I suppose it's probably a mild strain. Hopefully it will get better by Monday. Does anyone know of anything that might help?

Leg press and squats, leg press and squats, leg press and squats....

Quad dominance. Trigger points, adhesions, little areas of waste buildup....you name it.

You need more posterior chain work. Although the pain is in your quad. That's most likely because of the surrounding tissues being strained by the cramp. I doubt it's anything major. Actually some type of muscle rup will likely help a lot. Massage the area out. Keep stretching. During a cramp sometimes stretching the opposite muscle helps too...don't ask my why.

If you don't want to keep cramping you have to go proactive. This is the kind of thing that happens from pretty much random training and over reliance on one or two movements. Just treating the symptoms won't take care of the underlying cause, most likely.

Of course make sure you are hydrated and that you stretch after your workout. Taking a foam roller to your hip flexors and quads...you whole lower body would go a long way toward kneeding out these problem areas.

That's what I thought, just wanted to hear it from someone else.

Thanks Eric

BTW, I don't really think your training has been random :). It's just that we learn to rely on other people's "programs" and half the time, they ARE random. Just said that to get your attention. Basically you have to think about the specific purpose of everything you do. For instance, why did you choose rack pulls?

:wtf:

Haha, yeah I knew what you meant. :)

I chose rack pulls because they're the most viable alternative to dead lifts. I'm still not confident enough to do dead lifts...rack pulls hurt enough. But it's something that hits a bunch of minor muscles that are otherwise neglected in my workout. I had several sore muscles in weird places after doing them anyway, so I know they did a lot of good. I pulled the workout off of the DFT 5X5 sticky. The bar is only 6 inches higher than a conventional dead lift.

Doing the 5X5 has noticeably increased my strength. I'm loving it. But for all of the increases, I've noticed several areas that I need to concentrate on more. I am going to the 3X3 after next week for a couple of weeks. I think after that I'll take it easy for a week or two and concentrate on a couple of exercises, and then start the 5X5 over again. I'm at 99% on bench, 90% on squats, 99.9% on shoulder press, and 85% at rack pulls. I could probably go to 3X3 next week, but I want to be sure I've gotten everything I can out of the 5X5. After resting this weekend, I might surprise myself on Monday.

Is that pretty sound logic? It's my first time doing a 5X5, so I want to make sure I'm doing things right. I think next week will be my 4th week of 5X5 and I'm solid right now.

It makes sense if you lack the flexibility to do the deads from the floor. But ONLY if the emphasis is on gradually lowering the weight. If you think rack pulls in and of themselves will just magically get you ready, they won't. You'll have to work on the mobility and getting it down to the floor. OR, is it just a matter of using too much weight to start on the deads? Everything has to start at the beginning. You can't say well, I squat this much so I should be able to deadlfit a certain amount. It's a new lift. You must learn it with a light enought weight to ensure proper form but not so light that it give you too much freedom in terms of form.

My flexibility sucks. I've been stretching for the past week several times a day. I want to increase my flexibility and I already know about the benefits stretching has in regards to growth. I'm going to start doing dead lifts soon. I wanted to practice the movement with a little bit of weight, hence the rack pulls. I'll definitely be going light when I start them...although not too light. I think I will start doing them along with rack pulls on that same day..and then slowly phase out rack pulls while increasing dead lifts. I agree, it's not a replacement. Squats have strengthened my lower back a LOT. Right now, I think it's not a matter of weight, it's more about the lower back strength, so I might as well start this week with low weight.

Yeah, definitely go for it. Just do the deadlifts first, before the rack pulls. And don't try to rack pull in too fatigued a state right now untill you have built up more...well everything. We have to comprimise sometimes.

Thanks

I would have probably done rack pulls before deads, but that makes more sense. My form was perfect when I did them last...100 years ago. I will need to practice a bit, but I'm not very worried about hurting myself unless I do something stupid.

I enjoyed your rant about form :biglaugh: I agree...it makes me sick when I see people doing stupid shit in the gym.

That was no rant :biglaugh:. Rants are usually things that apply mostly to the ranter who is narcissistic enough to think their emotional problems should have other people concerned :D. But it really wasn't about form in general as it was about putting the apple cart before the horses.

Haha, yeah I know Eric. I'm just giving you a hard time because it's fun. :biglaugh: And it keeps me busy.

Flat Bench Press - WU, 3X5 175, 2X5 180
Squats - WU, 5X5 245
JS Rows - 5X5 135
Incline Cable Flys - 5X8 50
Tricep Ext (bar) - 4X8 65

Superset
Front squats - 3X20 45lb plate
Russian twists - 3X20 25lb DB
Hanging leg raises - 3X20

Body weight - 167

Ugh, I felt like I overtrained today... I was in the gym for a solid two hours. There were four of us working out together, but we have all worked out in 2's or 3's before...just not altogether, so it wasn't too bad. We shared one bench, then used 2 squat racks, 2 bars for rows, and did tricep/ab work individually. Squats took a while...it was heavy. And my buddy got buried under 245 because he rocked back during one rep. He squatted around 400lbs back in high school, so it makes me feel good that he's having a hard time keeping up with me now. Although he blows me away on bench press. My diet is going to be PERFECT between now and Wednesday or I'm not going to be recovered...not that I could be anyway because of how hard I went tonight. :gay:

I never even thought about my quad during my workout. Just now remembered it. Thanks for the advice Eric

Shoulder press - 5X5 135
Deadlifts - 1X5 225, 4X5 275
Lat Pulls - 5X5 180
Curls (machine) - 4X8 130
Weighted decline situps - 4X15

Today was fun...I surprised myself. Deadlifts felt sooo natural..like I had been doing them for months now. I suppose I can credit that to squats. Form was very close to perfect..I didn't see anything wrong and neither did my lifting partner. Could have done 30lbs more for sure. Good tiring workout. Shit...just realized that I forgot to do squats....................................oh well. :arg:

For weighin in at less then 170lbs you're a pretty strong dude! I wish I could 5x5 135lbs on military press. Nice work man.

X2^^^^^^