Saint Nick's DYEL Log

[Saint Nick]

7/22/2014

Squat
110x5
137.5x5
165x5
192.5x5
225x2 (failed third rep)
225x2 (re-racked and tried again)
165x8


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

Row
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
125x3
90x8
Forgot to track my diet on this day. I'm guessing I ate just over 3000 calories. I'm not sure what is up with my squat. By the time I get to 225, it feels so damn heavy I can barely rep it out. I'm thinking about starting this stupid program all over and working on my core strength more. I've been watching some videos and I think accessory work is in the cards for me.

I've read so many places that in order to move your squat weight up, you just keep squatting... but I don't think that is working for me. I know my diet is fine (over 3500 calories most days), and I'm pretty confident on my form as well. I'm going to work on core strength and other accessories recommend in the "So You Think You Can Squat" series on YouTube.

 

[Saint Nick]

07/24/2014

Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
197.5x5
225x5

Bench
72.5x5
90x5
107.5x5
125x5
142.5x5

Row
62.5x5
77.5x5
95x5
110x5
125x5

Diet
3400 calories
115g fat
330g carb
261g protein

I was really satisfied with my lift yesterday. I managed to get 225. IT has been giving me problems since last week or so. I widened my stance a decent bit and point my toes out about 30 degrees. I stood a lot wider yesterday than previous days, which I think attributed to me getting it successfully. The last rep was a bit shaky, but glad I pushed through. Definitely going to keep my stance wider going forward. Bench is feeling awesome for the first time in a really long time. Rows felt crazy easy. Going to re-do my previous "Wednesday" workout this Sunday or Monday. I have two gigs tonight and tomorrow night so the diet and lifting are going to have to cool it for a couple of days.

 

[Saint Nick]

7/29/2014

Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
170x5

OHP
60x5
72.5x5
82.5x5
95x5

Deadlift
170x5
202.5x5
237.5x5
270x5

Accessory
Lying leg raise 3x15

Diet
3000+ calories
133g fat
302g carb
175g protein

Sort of guessed on my diet today. I probably had more but I usually try to under-estimate while I am bulking. Lifting went really well. Had no issues getting any of the sets or reps. My grip strength might be the weak point further down the line, so I'm thinking about ideas on how to increase grip strength, or maybe possibly getting FatGripz for my bar. Did some accessory ab work as well.

 

[Saint Nick]

7/31/2014

Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
197.5x5
232.5x3
170x8

Bench
72.5x5
90x5
107.5x5
125x5
147.5x3
107.5x8

Row
62.5x5
77.5x5
95x5
110x5
127.5x3
95x8

Accessory
Lying leg raise 3x15

Diet
2580 calories (3700 calories, approximated, including Chinese takeout)
110g fat
231g carb
186g protein

My macros are what I tracked today, but then for dinner I had Chinese takeout: sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, an egg roll, and a huge order of wontons. So, I approximated my calories in the parenthesis.

Anyways, the lift was really good. I remember the last "volume" day I had was pretty hard. This session was awesome and am really excited to keep moving through the program. I'm really excited about my bench press. I felt stuck on it for a few months a while back, but now that I'm back to eating lots and lifting on a new program, the gains are slowing coming. I've been keeping my stance wide on squats -- helps a ton. I think that since I am so tall, I've been keeping them more narrow than I need, which has been holding me back. Rows always feel easy.

I really want to keep making my abs stronger. My "gym" set up is just a squat rack with a pull up bar, so I need to find some creative ways to add weight to my ab workouts. 3x15 is already way easy, so I'm going to try to find a way to strap plates or something to my feet.

I have a two week long tour coming up in September. I'm trying to stick with the diet and lifting until we leave. When I get back, I will likely have lost some strength due to poor diet and little activity on the road. The only workout I'll get is moving heavy ass band gear around, but that is really easy when you have eight people doing it.

 

[Saint Nick]

8/5/2014

Squat
117.5x5
145x5
175x5
202.5x5
232.5x5

Bench
75x5
92.5x5
110x5
130x5
147.5x5

Row
65x5
80x5
95x5
112.5x5
127.5x4

Diet
3234 cals
133g fat
313g carb
224g protein

Really good lift yesterday. Last rep of squats was tough, but pushed through and got it. Bench felt great, and I didn't count my last rep of rows because I didn't bring it all the way up to my waist/belly.

 

[Saint Nick]

8/7/2014

Squat
117.5
145
175
175

OHP
60
72.5
85
97.5

Deadlift
172.5
207.5
240
275

Diet
3881 calories
131g fat
431g carb
241g protein

Great lift. I love OHP/deadlift day. A long time ago, OHP was a bitch. Finally it is moving up. My shirts and pants are fitting a lot tighter than they have in a while. Had some junk food, but really don't care.

 

[Saint Nick]

Decided to put the lifting on hold for a couple weeks while I am working on remodeling parts of our house. Once that is done and work is wrapping up, I'll get back on the grind of the lift. Going on an extended tour in September so I may not even get back to lifting until the end of September! Might lift here and there if there are things I'm waiting on (such as contractor to finish work so I can do more work on my own).

Going to eat a high protein diet at maintenance level calories. Hope I don't lose much strength while I'm away.

 

[Saint Nick]

Well, I can't seem to catch a break this year.

I got hit the head pretty hard on Sept 13th. Felt okay a couple days after, but on the third day I wasn't feeling so good. Went to the doctor and he said I likely had a mild concussion (headache, nausea, disoriented feeling). I was out of town when it happened, and we had to cut our trip a day short because I wasn't feeling well.

Going in for a follow up and hopefully a CT scan this Friday. I'm sure I won't be able to do any heavy lifting for at least a month. Pretty depressed because I have so much going on in my life that I have to put on hold now.

 

[Saint Nick]

Trying to get back into the swing of things again. We've been working on our house for a couple months and it's finally about done. Just need to let the drywall mudders do their thing, sand and lacquer the floor, and put up the trim.

11/9/2014
Squat
105
132.5
157.5
185
210 (did not attempt)

Bench
67.5
82.5
100
115
135

Row
57.5
72.5
87.5
100
115

11/11/2014
Squat
105
132.5
157.5
157.5

Press
55
65
77.5
87.5

Deadlift
157.5
187.5
220
250

Both lifts were decent. I'm incredibly sore even still today. I'm trying to eat 3000+ calories right now, but, honestly, if I want to continue to make good gains I should be eating at least 3750. I'm going to be a little more reckless with my diet this winter, and really pile on the carbs.

I'm basically restarting madcow 5x5 on my first day. I was too gassed and tired to get 210 on the squat so I didn't try it. I am likely going to try and do the first day again tomorrow, rather than go on to the "volume" day.

 

[Saint Nick]

Been doing the first two days of my old Madcow routine for the past two weeks. Finally got the first day in it's entirety yesterday.

11/24/2014
Squat
105
132.5
157.5
185
210

Bench
67.5
82.5
100
115
135

Row
57.5
72.5
87.5
100
115

Been eating around 3700 calories per day. Hopefully can stay on the gain train for at least a few months now. I am feeling some residual effects from my concussion. After training I feel a little nauseous/unbalanced, but that's about it. I know that some concussion symptoms can last a few months.

 

[Saint Nick]

11/25/2014
Squat
105
132.5
157.5
157.5

Press
55
65
77.5
87.5

Deadlift
157.5
187.5
220
250

 

[Saint Nick]

Well, successfully been moving through my Madcow routine once again. Eating lots, usually around 3700 calories, sometimes as much as 4200. Eating a bit of junk food to get there.

11/28/2014
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
87.5xx8

11/1/2014
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

12/3/2014
Squat
107.5x5
135x5
162.5x5
162.5x5

OHP
57.5x5
67.5x5
80x5
90x5

Deadlift
160x5
192.5x5
225x5
257.5x5

Ate about 4100 calories yesterday.

 

[Saint Nick]

12/5/2014

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

 

[Saint Nick]

Still on that lifting grind.

12/8/14
Squat
110x5
137.5x5
165x5
192.5x5
220x5

Bench
70x5
87.5x5
105x5
122.5x5
140x5

Row
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5

12/10/14
Squat
110x5
137.5x5
165x5
165x5

OHP
57.5x5
70x5
80x5
92.5x5

Deadlift
165x5
197.5x5
230x5
262.5x5

12/12/14
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

 

[Saint Nick]

12/15/2014
Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
197.5x5
225x5

Bench
72.5x5
90x5
107.5x5
125x5
142.5x5

Row
62.5x5
77.5x5
95x5
110x5
125x5

Still sticking with at least 3750 calories per day. Making my meals in the slow cooker have really helped out.

 

[Saint Nick]

12/17/2014
Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
170x5

OHP
60x5
72.5x5
82.5x5
95x5

Deadlift
170x5
202.5x5
237.5x5
270x5

Great lift. Especially deadlift. Switched to mixed grip after doing double overhand for a long time. Feels so much easier to control the bar now. 315 in my sights!!

I'm weighing in around 212 lbs or so these days.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

7/31/2014

I really want to keep making my abs stronger. My "gym" set up is just a squat rack with a pull up bar, so I need to find some creative ways to add weight to my ab workouts. 3x15 is already way easy, so I'm going to try to find a way to strap plates or something to my feet.

For abs, have you tried pilates? Easy to do at home. Almost no equipment required. And there are tons of core/ab exercises that you can scale with plates. Plank, side plank, etc.

For squats - do you have a 1 rep max? Your logs indicate that you always do a large number of low rep sets, many of them at relatively low weight. That is probably not the best way to increase your squats. You might want to adjust your program so that you do fixed rep or max rep sets at ~80-90% of your one rep max, rather than spending so much time building up to a higher weight. Don't run a marathon before you participate in the 100 yard dash.

Also, what type of squats are you doing? Back squats only? If so, try mixing in some front squats and overhead squats as well. Both will test your form and they will work different parts of your body. Warning - overhead squats are a b*tch.

Also - you might want to consider doing other leg based barbell lifts as well. E.g., power cleans, jerks, snatches (don't try snatches if you have never done them before). All of those work the same muscle chain as back squats, but in different ways. You are already doing deads, so that is a plus.

Good luck and keep lifting!

 

[Saint Nick]

Hi Sho nuff!

I am doing the Madcow program which is a weekly progression. My 1RM on my lifts is going up each week, so I will plan on sticking with it for a while until I'm no longer making any gains. I have been neglecting my abs for a while... should get back into that but some days I'm just pressed for time.

 

[Saint Nick]

12/19/2014

Squat
112.5x5
140x5
170x5
197.5x5
232.5x3
170x8

Bench
72.5x5
90x5
107.5x5
125x5
147.5x3
107.5x8

Row
62.5x5
77.5x5
95x5
110x5
127.5x3
95x8

 

[Saint Nick]

12/22/2014

Squat
117.5x5
145x5
175x5
175x5

OHP
60x5
72.5x5
85x5
97.5x5

Deadlift
172.5x5
207.5x5
240x5
275x5

12/24/2014

Squat
117.5x5
145x5
175x5
202.5x5
237.5x3
175x5

Bench
75x5
92.5x5
110x5
130x5
150x3
110x5

Row
65x5
80x5
95x5
112.5x5
130x3
95x5

12/31/2014

Squat
120x5
147.5x5
177.5x5
207.5x5
237.5x5

Bench
75x5
95x5
112.5x5
132.5x5
150x5

Row
65x5
82.5x5
97.5x5
115x5
130x5

 

[Saint Nick]

1/4/2015

Squat
120x5
147.5x5
177.5x5
207.5x5
242.5x5
177.5x5

Bench
75x5
95x5
112.5x5
132.5x5
152.5x3
112.5x8

Row
65x5
82.5x5
97.5x5
115x5
132.5x3
97.5x8

Lying leg raise
5x20

Ended up doing more reps on squat than I needed. Just wasn't thinking but was glad that I got it. Trying to get my abs stronger and doing even more stretching/mobility work.

 

[Saint Nick]

1/8/2014

Squat
122.5x5
152.5x5
182.5x5
212.5x5
242.5x5

Bench
77.5x5
95x5
115x5
132.5x5
152.5x5

Row
67.5x5
82.5x5
100x5
115x5
132.5x5


Abs
3x25 lying leg raise

Ate right around 3700 calories last night. Also did a small set of ab work. My abs are SORE SORE SORE from doing them nearly every day, so that I could barely rep out last nights. Did some jump rope after the lift, as well as some light static stretching.

I'm getting some pain on the outside of my hips when I go deep into the squat. Even after warming up with stretches and goblet squats before the lift, it hurts. Goblet squats hurt. However, when I start going heavy on my sets, the pain goes away.

Weighed in last night at around 220.

 

[Saint Nick]

1/9/2014

Squat
122.5x5
152.5x5
182.5x5
182.5x5

OHP
65x5
77.5x5
90x5
102.5x5

Deadlift
182.5x5
217.5x5
255x5
290x5

1/11/2014

Squat
122.5x5
152.5x5
182.5x5
212.5x5
250x3
182.5x8

Bench
77.5x5
95x5
115x5
132.5x5
157.5x3
115x8

Row
67.5x5
82.5x5
100x5
115x5
137.5x3
100x8

Taking the week off from lifting to finish some house projects and rest in general. Hips been giving me some issues so I'm going to focus on just doing some stretches this week and get back to it next week.

 

[Saint Nick]

1/21/2015
Squat
125x5
157.5x5
187.5x5
220x5
250x3

Bench
80x5
97.5x5
117.5x5
137.5x5
157.5x4

Row
70x5
85x5
102.5x5
120x5
137.5x3

Got back to lifting yesterday. I tried to just pick up where I left off, but didn't quite get it. I ripped my shorts open while squatting and it scared me.

I probably should have re-done the last successful week I had. For tomorrow, I'm going to use weights that I completed successfully rather than moving the weight up. My diet hasn't been totally on point since I took some time off. Ate more around 3200 - 3500 calories per day rather than my usually 3750. Not sure if I lost strength because of that or what.

My hips are feeling better.

 

[Saint Nick]

1/23/2015
Squat
120x5
147.5x5
177.5x5
177.5x5

OHP
62.5x5
75x5
87.5x5
100x5

Deadlift
177.5x5
212.5x5
247.5x5
282.5x5

1/25/2015
Squat
120x5
147.5x5
177.5x5
207.5x5
242.5x3
177.5x8

Bench
75x5
95x5
112.5x5
132.5x5
152.5x3
112.5x8

Row
65x5
82.5x5
97.5x5
115x5
132.5x3
97.5x8

Have a ton of food I need to eat today.