Saint Nick's DYEL Log

[Saint Nick]

I have some old logs that need to be put in, and maybe I'll do that if/when I remember.

My shoulder popped out of socket last week, so I'm probably done lifting for a while. It was more of a subluxation than a true dislocation. I didn't go to the doctor because I do not have insurance. I have done this before, but to my other shoulder. I've been resting it in a sling for the past week. It is already feeling better and the pain has mostly gone.

I have done physical therapy before, but I was really bad about doing it. This is a wake up call to me. While my injury wasn't as bad as the two that happened before, I am still going to rest it for another three weeks. Then I am going to begin doing some strengthening exercises with bands and light free weights for another couple months.

I think once I feel I can bring my arm over my head, I will start squatting again. But, I think I am going to stop doing bench press and overhead press. Probably have to switch to a different exercise and forget about my goals of lifting heavy. Might just try to become more of a bodybuilder than a strong man.

Probably won't get back under the bar until after the new year. I feel like I could deadlift, but I know that probably isn't best for an optimal recovery. Once I get insurance again, I am going to see how much it costs to have my shoulders tightened up.

 

[Blackjack200]

Sorry to hear it man. Don't get too down, I had a shoulder that I dislocated twice (both times I had to have it put back in at the hospital.) Then a labrum repair. My 5RM for the overhead press is 150 and I benched 235 a couple weeks ago. Your lifting career isn't over.

Good luck.

 

[Saint Nick]

I'm glad it didn't happen while I was lifting, otherwise it would probably really deter me from getting back on the horse, so to speak. I can't wait to lift. I feel like such a slob. I've been doing some goblet squats and leg mobility stuff, but thats about it.

 

[Saint Nick]

11/3/2013
Squat: 155 (5, 5, 5)
Row: 85 (5, 5, 5)
Deadlift: 205 (5, 5, 5)

I probably shouldn't be lifting like this but I can't help it. I hate not doing this stuff and feel like a slob when I'm not lifting. I'm avoiding bench and OHP for a good bit.

None of the lifts hurt my shoulder at all. I have been doing my theraband exercises 4x a week, and they are awesome.

I really want to get on Madcow 5x5 at some point, but like I said in an earlier post, I am going to wait until I have at least a couple months of shoulder strengthening exercises done. Always making sure to increase my sets/reps/band strength when I feel like I can.

 

[Saint Nick]

11/6/2013
Squat: 165 (5, 5, 5)

Did some squats and theraband exercises for my shoulder. Doing 2x35 on each arm for lots of different types of movements. My shoulder is feeling a lot better than when I hurt it a few weeks ago. I am able to move my arm over my head without issue, and help the band move heavy gear again. I'm still taking it easy on the heavy weight lifting. Back squats don't bug me too much, but since my arm is in a prone position when squatting, I don't plan on getting to crazy on the weight just yet.

Per Koing and others, I am still also doing my leg mobility. Lots of goblet squats as well. I'm hoping that when I am ready to do Madcow, I will progress nicely and with good form. It's always a work in progress, and I am determined to not let my shoulder issues hold me back.

 

[Saint Nick]

11/19/2013
Squat: 155 (5, 5, 5)

Still been keeping up with my shoulder rehab exercises three to four times per week. It has been about a month and a half since it happened, and I have only been doing the exercises for a few weeks. Shoulder is feeling great. Definitely going to keep doing these for a while, even after I start doing lifting more again. I'm thinking maybe another month of shoulder rehab and then I'll start up Madcow.

Squats feel pretty good as long as I do my exercises and stretches before hand. I've been sticking with some mobility exercises too.

 

[Saint Nick]

11/21/2013
Squat: 165 (5, 5, 5)
Row: 85 (5, 5, 5)
Deadlift: 225 (5)

Did some shoulder rehab work today then lifted afterwards. Shoulder is feeling pretty good. 225 felt real heavy.

 

[momeNt]

Sorry to hear. Why did it dislocate?

 

[Saint Nick]

11/24/2013
Squat: 85 (5, 5, 5, 5, 5)
Bench: 45 (5, 5, 5, 5 ,5)
Row: 65 (5, 5, 5, 5, 5)

11/26/2013
Squat: 90 (5, 5, 5, 5, 5)
OHP: 45 (5, 5, 5, 5, 5)
Deadlift: 115 (5)

Decided to start over on SL 5x5 this winter. I upped my calories from 2500 to 2800. I ate 2500 pretty consistently from around March 2013 until a few days ago. I lost around 20 pounds (205 - 185). My lifting numbers are still quite low, especially since I started really focusing on mobility and form around mid-summer 2013, so that's why I decided to get back on SL 5x5. I'll be eating 2800 for a few weeks while I work back up, and might get up to 3000 once the weights start getting heavy again.

My shoulder is feel really good. As long as I do some shoulder exercises and stretches before I lift, it doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. I am really excited to start lifting heavy again.

In a sense, I sort of feel like I am back to where I was about a year ago. However, I have learned a lot from people here on AT, Reddit, BB.com, and YouTube. So I am hoping my newfound knowledge will help me make better gains this winter.

Sorry to hear. Why did it dislocate?

I hurt it while I was carrying around my cat. Sounds preposterous, I know. He was laying on my shoulders, got startled, and he pushed my shoudler out of socket for a few seconds.

 

[Saint Nick]

Well, I got bronchitis over Thanksgiving and didn't go to the doctor until last Thursday. Got some antibiotics and I'm finally feeling better. Haven't been eating well at all and lost a couple pounds last week.

Getting back into eating well this week and hopefully will hit the weights soon. I'm not really lifting heavy at all between now and probably the end of March since I'm restarting SL 5x5. I'm going to focus on bulking pretty much over the next year. Once I start plateauing on SL, I'm probably going to switch to TM or Madcow, or even 5/3/1. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Definitely ready to make some good gains in 2014.

2013 wasn't a bad year. A lot of mistakes and learning opportunities. Hopefully it only gets better from here on out.

 

[Saint Nick]

Sup everyone. Been a while since I logged anything in here. I got sick back in December with bronchitis, but after I got better, I started eating more and lifting again. I lost some weight and strength while I was sick, so I decided to completely restart SL 5x5. Life has been pretty busy since January, so I can't say I've been as dedicated as I possibly could be. Fitness has a place in my life, but it isn't #1, so my diet, training consistency, and sleep schedule all vary a lot.

Right now my current numbers sit like this:

BW: 205lbs
BF%: ??

Squat: 225x5x3
Bench: 145x5x3
Row: 125x5x3
OHP: 95x5x3
Deadlift: 270x5x3

I'm pretty tired of doing SL at this point. I'm now doing sets of three instead of five, but still not really progressing like I want to. I know it's mostly due to my dedication level.

I'm thinking of switching to 5/3/1 Big But Boring for a while to see how I fare. I know that it is technically an advanced lifting program, and should probably be doing the Texas Method, but BBB sounds like fun.

Still doing my mobility work, although in recent weeks my left hip has had some pain while squatting. I started doing more leg swings, and more leg swings in different directions. I also have been doing other dynamic stretches for my hips. I also have been trying to walk more at lunch time to keep from sitting all day.

 

[Saint Nick]

6/10/2014
Squat: 105, 135, 157.5, 185, 210
Bench: 67.5, 82.5, 100, 115, 132.5
Row: 57.5, 72.5, 87.5, 100, 115

Stupidly easy first day on Madcow. I'm guessing it'll be like this until week four. Ate right at 2900 calories yesterday. Going to try for the same today if not more. Once I get to around week four I'm going to bump up to 3500.

 

[Saint Nick]

6/12/2014
Squat: 105, 135, 157.5, 157.5
OHP: 55, 65, 77.5, 87.5
Deadlift: 157.5, 187.5, 220, 250

Deadlifts were surprisingly a little tough. I'm not used to cranking out lots of sets of deads. Back on StrongLifts, I usually did a light warmup set (135x8x1) then go straight to my working weight (270x5x1).

The rest was pretty easy. Fridays (Workout C) are going to be fun. I'm going to Europe on June 24th for a week and a half, and hopefully won't have any issues hitting the weights when I'm back. In the meantime, going to eat and lift as consistently as possible.

 

[Saint Nick]

6/14/2014

Squat
105x5
132.5x5
157.5x5
185x5
215x3
157.5x8

Bench
67.5x5
82.5x5
100x5
115x5
135x3
100x8

Row
57.5x5
72.5x5
87.5x5
100x5
117.5x3
87.5x5

This day was a lot tougher than I was expecting. Better get used to it because by the time the 7th week rolls around I'm sure I'll be working pretty hard.

 

[Saint Nick]

6/17/2014

Squat
107.5x5
135x5
162.5x5
187.5x5
215x5

Bench
67.5x5
85x5
102.5x5
117.5x5
135x5

Row
60x5
72.5x5
87.5x5
102.5x5
117.5x5

Diet
3151 calories
103g fat
344g carb
207g protein

Yesterday was a pretty good lift. Really feeling the burn in my legs today.

 

[Saint Nick]

6/19/2014

Squat
45x10 (warmup)
107.5x5
135x5
162.5x5
162.5x5

OHP
45x10 (warmup)
57.5x5
67.5x5
80x5
90x5

Deadlift
135x5 (warmup)
160x5
192.5x5
225x5
257.5x5

Diet
3173+ calories
127g fat
312g carb
208g protein

Calories, carbs, and fat are all probably higher than I stated. We made home made buffalo wings last night, and I only tracked the meat we used and not the veggie oil or breading for the wings. I also didn't track the sauce.

Lift was good. Playing an out of town show tonight so I gotta make sure I eat a lot before we hit the road... won't be much eating until I get home super early tomorrow morning (2AM)! I really don't want to feel lethargic when I do the big workout tomorrow, but I am really looking forward to it.

 

[z1ggy]

Quick question for you, and forgive me if this has been answered or if it's dumb:

Why are you upping your weight but keeping reps the same? Again, not sure your goals right now, etc but to me this seems counter intuitive. From a logical POV, if you are upping the weight each set, but you can continue to do the same reps it means you are not pushing your muscles as hard as they can go. This would mean that you'll build less strength per a given time than if you did things different.

If it were me, I'd actually do the exact reverse of what you are doing. This is just my opinion and what has worked for me in the past.

Warmup set 1 50% working set x12
Warmup set 2 75% "" "" x 8
Warmup set 3 90% "" x 3
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3

This way, instead of your final working set of DL being 257.5x5, your first working set could probably be something like 275x5. Then if on set 2 or 3 you can't get 5 reps, take a little weight off until you get 5 reps. So it may end up being something like:

Warmups....
Set 1 275x5
Set 2 275x4
Set 3 265x5

Again, not trying to rain on your parade, this is just some advice. Overall, you would be lifting heavier weight and doing more work, probably in the same given time that you are spending in the gym now.

 

[Saint Nick]

I am following Madcow's program. At the end of the program, provided I complete it successfully, my 1RM are predicted:

Squat: 309
Bench: 197
Row: 169
OHP: 129
Deadlift: 368

Thanks for the information!

 

[z1ggy]

I am following Madcow's program. At the end of the program, provided I complete it successfully, my 1RM are predicted:

Squat: 309
Bench: 197
Row: 169
OHP: 129
Deadlift: 368

Thanks for the information!

Nice!

The suggestion I gave you was following the principals of MAX OT. It's very similar to stronglifts. Check it out sometime, I followed it for 12 weeks and I gained a shit ton of strength, and I wasn't even eating as much as you. I imagine if I was eating for muscle gain, I would have had even better gains.

 

[Saint Nick]

6/21/2014

Squat
107.5x5
135x5
162.5x5
187.5x5
220x3
162.5x8

Bench
67.5x5
85x5
102.5x5
117.5x5
140x3
102.5x8

Row
60x5
72.5x5
87.5x5
102.5x5
120x3
87.5x8

Diet
3101+ calories
118g fat
202g carb
220g protein

Good lift. Went to the lake yesterday to celebrate the first day of summer as well as transplant a friend from Nebraska to California. Diet was pretty good. I had a big breakfast in the morning (french toast) then grilled about three pounds of meat at the lake. 16 oz of KC strip and two pounds of chicken tenders. Had a pound of broccoli and a lot of beer... whoops. I don't really drink often so I treat my self yesterday. Ate some other miscellaneous junk and "clean" food throughout the day.

 

[Saint Nick]

Been vacationing in Austria and London since June 25th! Gonna get back at the lifting gig when I'm back and have had a couple 3k+ calorie days. Haven't been eating very well or very consistently while vacationing, so it will be nice to get some good food.

 

[Saint Nick]

Got back home Monday night. Still a little jet lagged and been trying to eat a ton. I ate HORRIBLY while on vacation, and did a lot of activities. I drank way too much beer and ate very little protein. Austrian's don't seem to eat a lot of meat...

Anyways, still got back at the Madcow today, and managed to eat a shit load of food.

7/9/2014

Squat
110x5
137.5x5
165x5
192.5x5
220x5

Bench
70x5
87.5x5
105x5
122.5x5
140x5

Row
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5

Today was pretty brutal. By the time I got to 220x5, my hamstrings were already incredibly sore. This made the rest of the lifts a little difficult. Bench really felt fine, and rows were a little tougher because of my sore hamstrings.

Diet
4331 calories
187g fat
397g carb
251g protein

 

[Saint Nick]

7/11/2014

Squat
110x5
137.5x5
165x5
165x5

OHP
57.5x5
70x5
80x5
92.5x5

Deadlift
165x5
197.5x5
230x5
262.5x5

Diet
3281 calories
123g fat
357g carb
202g protein

This diet doesn't include a large bacon cheeseburger I had at a local joint. I probably hit closer to 4000 calories on 7/11.

Workouts are getting intense. Might still be recovering from my 11 days of poor diet/exercise, but I've been sore since I lifted on Wednesday. Been trying to eat as best I can while getting greens and avoiding added sugars. I still have the occassional sugar with my coffee or can of Pepsi with lunch. I don't drink alcohol at all.

 

[Saint Nick]

7/14/2014

Squat
110x5
137.5x5
165x5
192.5x5
225x3
165x8

Bench
70x5
87.5x5
105x5
122.5x5
142.5x3
105x8

Row
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
125x3
90x8

Diet
3700 calories
147g fat
305g carb
283g protein

Volume day is tough. I wanted to lift the day before (Saturday) but it wasn't in the cards... the band played an outdoor show in the blistering heat and after that, I was spent.

 

[Saint Nick]

7/16/2014

Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
197.5x5
225x4 (FAIL)

Bench
72.5x5
90x5
107.5x5
125x5
142.5x5

Row
62.5x5
77.5x5
95x5
110x5
125x5

Diet
~3200 calories
115g fat
184g carb
174g protein

Diet isn't including a calzone and fried ravioli from a local pizza joint. So, the macros are wrong, but I approximated my calories.

Failed on my last rep of squats. Not sure what the hell is going on with this program. I was doing 5x5x225 last year and now all of a sudden it's tough, and I was even eating less food back then. I'm chalking it up to recovery deficit... no sleep the night before because my lady was keeping me up (in the best way possible).

So, this Sunday I'm going to re-do my last "volume day" (with drop sets), then try the above again after a couple more days of rest.

I have some pain in my left elbow. I'm not sure what it is, but it sorts of feels like tennis elbow.