Starting Strength

[Down 2 Die]

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading up a lot on different strength training programs and have been doing 5x5 on all my core lifts. Today, I have made the decision to begin Rippetoe's Starting Strength.

Stats:
Height- 6'4" (may be a little taller)
Weight- 190-195
Bodyfat- ~12%


I haven't been happy lately with my eating or training. I haven't been training with the same consistency or intensity, or eating with the same rage that I used to. I believe Rippetoe's will be a good change as I come from the high volume background. In high school, I did our football team's Bigger Faster Stronger program which switches each week between 3x3,5x5, 5-4-3-2-1, and 10-8-6. I saw great gains in strength and decent gains in muscle (mainly due to the fact that I wasn't eating enough).

I will be doing 4-6 warm up sets for each excercise to prevent injury, as well as beginning with 5-10 minutes of cardio.

Workouts will be on Monday, Wedensday, and Friday. I will also do speed, agility, and jumping drills on another day.

Workouts go as follows:

Workout A

Squats- 3x5
Bench press- 3x5
Deadlift- 1x5
Weighted dips- 2x6-8

Workout B

Squats- 3x5
Standing overhead press- 3x5
Power clean- 3x5
Chin-ups- 2x6-8

Both workouts will include 3 sets of 5 on weighted decline sit-ups and 3 sets of 8 on weighted hyperextensions.

The working sets will not alter in weight. If I start power cleans with 175, I do all 3 sets with 175.

The workouts will go A, B, A, B, A, B...



As for my food intake, I don't plan on clean bulking. I'm going to eat relatively well because I don't want to be unhealthy either. I will basically try to eat everything in sight because I just have a tough time putting size on.

My supplementation:

Creatine
Whey
Glutamine
Maltodextrin
Dextrose
Multivitamin
ZMA
Calcium citrate
Vitamin C
Green tea

I would like to invest in some BCAAs in the next few weeks as well.

I really foresee impressive gains from this program. I have a bad tendency to make things extremely complicated and difficult to the point that I overwhelm myself. This is clear in my past 2 attempts at creating journals. I need this accountability and I took advantage of such a tool earlier.

All comments, suggestions, compliments, questions, criticisms, etc. are welcome!

[Dzoni]

Good luck brother. This program will really do its job. Give you some amazing strength and amazing size gains too. If you follow it for a longer period of time.

This is actually a good base for moving up to 5x5. The bill starr 5x5 is a great program too, so I think that would be your next step in a few months or a year +. Really take everything this program allows you to take from it.

Experience things with your body, learn and understand your body, your rest/recovery, diet etc. Importantly, listen to your body.

Remember, if you feel like you cannot progress on your squats, bench and dead on that day, cause you feel a bit sluggish or just not a 100%, take the day off and come back next week to the weight you were meant to do that day.

Sometimes that is the most underestimated method in the world of bb. A day off will do so much more good than harm, people thing they will lose 20lb of muscle if they skip the workout.

I guess what I am tryna say is that you will get a lot of feedback from your body with these workouts. Follow this and then move on to 5x5. You won't be disappointed.

[richnewton]

"Days tobacco free: 17"
Good job dude keep it up. One of the best things you can do for your health is to stay off tobacco. =)

[Down 2 Die]

Thanks for the words Dzoni and rich! I hope you guys continue to check it out and give me some feedback as I go along.

Today was my first workout.

Squats- 3x5
1) 205x5
2) 205x5
3) 205x5

This was relatively easy. I should definitely jump up 5 or 10 pounds on the next.

DB Bench- 3x5
1) 70x5
2) 70x5
3) 70x5

This didn't seem very hard either. But I think a lot of it has to do with me coming from that high-rep background. I'm just not used to doing low volume like this.

Deadlift- 1x5
1) 275x5

Deadlifts were a little more difficult, but not much.

The more I'm thinking about this program, the more excited I'm getting about the results I'll be seeing.

Dips- 2x6-8
1) BWx8
2) BWx8

I will definitely have to invest in a dip belt or find a way to add weight.

Weighted decline sit-ups- 3x5
1) 45x5
2) 45x5
3) 70x5

This was too easy. I had to create more of a decline on the second set, and had to add weight for the third (even though this goes against protocol).

Weighted hyperextensions- 3x8

1) 35x8
2) 35x8
3) 35x8

Easy, but good back pump.

All in all, I really enjoyed this workout. I'm looking forward to the great results I will see. I've been eating like an animal all day.

I have a question though regarding the decline sit-ups. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I could do to make this harder? I imagine holding 2 45's being too difficult.

[Dzoni]

Yeah the first four-five weeks should be relatively easy anyway because of the fact you do not start at your 5 rep max. I think so anyways. So that means in the first 4 weeks you slowly creep up. Make sure you keep your increments as the program suggests it.

Keep working on it buddy, it does get harder, but the strength increase astonishes you when you look back on to it and think to your self, wow I am getting heaps stronger and bigger.

Good work on your first workout.

[lifting5]

Nice journal man! I think you will really like the low volume, strength based programs. You are gonna see some impressive gains! All your starting numbers look good, especially the deads (gotta love those deads [img]/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

Good luck, and congrats on still being tobacco free!

[Dzoni]

I agree with lifting5. You'll get so much out of this program not just size/strength wise. Like I said you'll learn a heap about your body and what it reacts to most. You'll have 4 days a week to kick up some low intensity cardio to keep the bf in check, more time to eat/ rest and most importantly you wont be obsessed with gym and be in the gym 5-6 days a week and end up not having a life.

Remember, this should be treated like your hobby, more important things out there like family, friends, career/job, school etc.

[Down 2 Die]

Thanks again guys! I really appreciate the feedback and comments! You two have a lot to do with my interest in low volume.

Today was workout B. However, my legs were too sore to attack squats so I just skipped them. I could barely dunk a ball on my warm-up.

Overhead press- 3x5
1) 135 x 5
2) 135 x 5
3) 135 x 5

I was training at a different gym than normal today so I had to use the Hammer Strength version of a Smith machine. I believe I could put up better numbers with a barbell.

Power cleans- 5x3
1) 185 x 3
2) 185 x 3
3) 185 x 3
4) 185 x 3
5) 175 x 3

I had to lower the weight for my 5th set because I barely got the 3rd rep on my 4th set.

Chins- 2x6-8

1) BW x 8
2) BW x 8

This was easy, and another reason why I need a dipping belt.

Decline sit-ups- 3x5

1) 70 x 5
2) 70 x 5
3) 70 x 5

Weighted hyperextensions- 3x8

1) 45 x 8
2) 45 x 8
3) 45 x 8

This was far harder than the 35 a few days ago.

All in all I'm enjoying this program thus far. I'm psyched on my numbers right now and about how much they will jump in the coming weeks, months, etc.

[Dzoni]

All good brother. Keep busting the iron. Gains will be sick. With time [img]/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[lifting5]

I don't really need to post since Dzoni speaks for me [img]/forum/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] but your numbers look good man. Stick to this program for awhile, eat and rest like a monster, and you will soon be a monster [img]/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]