nixium's workout journal

[nixium]

I've been exercising a fair bit this year, but it's been random and mostly based off the stuff on the internet. I've lurked on these forums a while and decided to give starting strength (and some aspects of stronglifts 5x5 - the programs look pretty similar) a try.

My goals are -

--> get to 10-12% BF.
--> maintain a weight of about 165-170 pounds.
--> establish a core level of overall fitness in order to get into long term activities, such as bodybuilding/a martial art/running/swimming, etc.

From what I've read, starting strength is a good beginning.

My current state:

174 lbs/18% bf.

-------- Exercise --------------

MWF -->SS Workouts A and B.
TR -->Mild cardio (jogging) to be replaced by a cardio based activity (dance/martial art)

I also plan to raise weights by 5 pounds each session. Initially, I will be doing the core lifts. After about 2 - 3 weeks, I plan to add Ab exercises. After about a month, I will add accessory exercises as described in stronglifts.

--------- Nutrition -------------

My lifestyle doesn't allow me to have great nutritional choices. Also, I'm vegetarian, so my protein is primarily going to come from shakes. There are quite a few articles on the web detailing bodybuilding on a veggie diet, so I expect I'll adapt one of them.

I plan to eat well 5 days a week, and try to minimize junk food on weekends, and pledge to pick up the healthiest choice when available at restaurants.

my BMR = 1900. I've a desk job, so my overall caloric maintenance can't be much(any ideas on how I can figure it out?)

Since I'm cutting, I plan to start consuming 2300 calories per day. At the end of each 5 day period, I will review my weight to see if I want to increase my intake or decrease it.

--------------------------------------------
I have a question about the whole process -

Technically, I'm cutting - so if I understand the process right, I won't get too far with the '5 pound every workout' increase - I'll hit an upper limit after which gains will slow down, right?

Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have any comments/suggestions.

 

[brikis98]

congrats on starting SS, a journal and watching your diet. some suggestions/comments:

1. Use thedailyplate.com or fitday.com to track how many calories you eat and burn. Tracking calories is never perfect and you won't be able to get the exact numbers, but if you monitor your weight on a weekly basis as you said, you should be able to make adjustments to make sure your weight is going in the proper direction. A ~400-500 calorie deficit per day should let you lose ~1lb per week, which is a safe & healthy amount. Any faster and you'll burn up too much muscle and probably be way too hungry. Keep your protein intake as high as you can, preferably 1-1.5g per pound of bodyweight. I imagine it's tough as a vegetarian, but whey protein shakes, milk, cottage cheese, nuts, soy, tofu, fish (if you eat fish) and other products can help.

2. While you are cutting, it will be difficult to make significant strength gains and even more difficult to add muscle mass (note how mass & strength are correlated, but not the same). The exception is if you are a beginner, which I'm guessing you are. In that case, you'll actually be able to make pretty darn good progress for a while, even on a caloric deficit. Eventually you will hit a wall, but exactly when depends on genetics, diet, previous training experience, sleep, etc. At any rate, it shouldn't be for a long time and you can worry about it when you get there.

Good luck!

 

[KoolDrew]

Maintenance is usually around 14-16 cals per pound of bodyweight, higher or lower depending on your metabolism. That should give you a good starting point and you can adjust from there. At 15 cals per pound your maintenance may be around 2600 calories, so you *may* have to go even lower than 2300 calories to lose at least 1 pound a week, perhaps around 2000.

Again, that's only an estimate though. You're best bet, as you said, is to monitor progress and adjust accordingly.

 

[nixium]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Maintenance is usually around 14-16 cals per pound of bodyweight, higher or lower depending on your metabolism. That should give you a good starting point and you can adjust from there. At 15 cals per pound your maintenance may be around 2600 calories, so you *may* have to go even lower than 2300 calories to lose at least 1 pound a week, perhaps around 2000.

Again, that's only an estimate though. You're best bet, as you said, is to monitor progress and adjust accordingly.

Wait, is this the same 'Maintenance' as the Basal Metabolic Rate? According to this calculator -

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

That works out to about 1900 Calories for me.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: nixium

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Maintenance is usually around 14-16 cals per pound of bodyweight, higher or lower depending on your metabolism. That should give you a good starting point and you can adjust from there. At 15 cals per pound your maintenance may be around 2600 calories, so you *may* have to go even lower than 2300 calories to lose at least 1 pound a week, perhaps around 2000.

Again, that's only an estimate though. You're best bet, as you said, is to monitor progress and adjust accordingly.

Wait, is this the same 'Maintenance' as the Basal Metabolic Rate? According to this calculator -

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

That works out to about 1900 Calories for me.

No. Maintenance is how many calories it will take to maintain your current weight. BMR does not take into account calorie burn from daily activity and other things.

For most people with moderate activity maintenance will be around 14-16 cals per pound and 10-12 cals per pound is usually good for fat loss. However, keep in mind it's only an estimate, and should only be used as a starting point. Adjustments may have to be made depending on your results.

If you're losing between 1-1.5 pounds a week nothing needs to be changed. If you're losing more than 2 pounds a week, calories should be raised by 10%. If you're not even losing a pound, lower calories 10%. Keep in mind the first week you will likely lose more than this, but it's mostly water weight so it's nothing to worry about. Instead of lower calories you could also increase activity. Most people find a moderate deficit and a moderate amount of activity gives them best results.

 

[nixium]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: nixium

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Maintenance is usually around 14-16 cals per pound of bodyweight, higher or lower depending on your metabolism. That should give you a good starting point and you can adjust from there. At 15 cals per pound your maintenance may be around 2600 calories, so you *may* have to go even lower than 2300 calories to lose at least 1 pound a week, perhaps around 2000.

Again, that's only an estimate though. You're best bet, as you said, is to monitor progress and adjust accordingly.

Wait, is this the same 'Maintenance' as the Basal Metabolic Rate? According to this calculator -

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

That works out to about 1900 Calories for me.

No. Maintenance is how many calories it will take to maintain your current weight. BMR does not take into account calorie burn from daily activity and other things.

For most people with moderate activity maintenance will be around 14-16 cals per pound and 10-12 cals per pound is usually good for fat loss. However, keep in mind it's only an estimate, and should only be used as a starting point. Adjustments may have to be made depending on your results.

If you're losing between 1-1.5 pounds a week nothing needs to be changed. If you're losing more than 2 pounds a week, calories should be raised by 10%. If you're not even losing a pound, lower calories 10%. Keep in mind the first week you will likely lose more than this, but it's mostly water weight so it's nothing to worry about. Instead of lower calories you could also increase activity. Most people find a moderate deficit and a moderate amount of activity gives them best results.

Good stuff, thanks!

Anyway, this week is a test, a warm up period so to speak. I'm still setting up nutrition and my exercise schedule.. I did workout A last night and now my entire body is sore. But the endorphin rush last evening was worth it.. I'll probably need a form check sometime next week to make sure I'm not messing something up.

That being said, starting strength is incredibly detailed. I mean, the squat chapter is like a 100 pages by itself, so I'm pretty sure I got it 90% right. I think I messed up the deadlift, because I felt some stress on my lower back - according to my trainer though, thats OK. Thoughts?

So for my body weight, I think I'll hit 2100 cals to start with, and see where it goes from there.

Ok, now for the usual set of noobie questions -

--> If, lets say, I overeat at random points (say weekends) netting me a calorie surplus, since I'm lifting heavy and doing these core exercises, I actually will put on a tiny bit of muscle, right? Obviously, I'm not going to lose fat on those days, but my exercise regimen will ensure that overeating occasionally does not produce as bad effects as It would if I were sedentary, and might even work to my advantage.

--> Yesterday, I did a 10 min HIIT session right after my lifting, since I heard it's good for fat loss. Is that recommended? Are there any long term problems I need to be aware of concerning HIIT? I'm using the elliptical trainer, since I heard it's the friendliest on joints.

Briskis98: While you are cutting, it will be difficult to make significant strength gains and even more difficult to add muscle mass (note how mass & strength are correlated, but not the same). The exception is if you are a beginner, which I'm guessing you are. In that case, you'll actually be able to make pretty darn good progress for a while, even on a caloric deficit. Eventually you will hit a wall, but exactly when depends on genetics, diet, previous training experience, sleep, etc. At any rate, it shouldn't be for a long time and you can worry about it when you get there.

--> In the context of this paragraph, who is a "beginner"? While I've done some weights before (including squats and dumbell exercises) on and off for the past 7 months, I've never committed to a detailed weight training program/nutrition schedule. Does this make me a beginner (i've some muscle development, nothing fancy though)

As you can see, much of my exercise regimen is based off hearsay and dubious reference, so I'm really thankful for any help you guys provide. 🙂

 

[spamsk8r]

Beginners can add some muscle in the beginning, but don't expect anything dramatic. HIIT is fine, as long as your body is recovering adequately between exercises. I wouldn't do more than 10 or 15 minutes, since that could cut into your recovery ability and make you too sore.

And yes, you are a beginner. In terms of strength training, a trainee is generally considered to be "intermediate" when they can squat 1.5x bodyweight for reps, deadlift 2x bw for reps. Don't feel bad about being a beginner; you will make the fastest gains as such, and you will learn a great deal. Good luck.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: nixium
I think I messed up the deadlift, because I felt some stress on my lower back - according to my trainer though, thats OK. Thoughts?

Here are some basic cues to keep in mind for the deadlift: keep the bar in contact with your body at all times. It should be scraping up your shins, then your knees, and finally your thighs. Yes, you should literally be dragging the bar up your legs. If it hurts, wear pants and use some chalk. At the beginning of the lift, all you are doing is unbending your legs and keeping your upper body at a constant angle. Imagine trying to push your heels through the floor. Once the bar clears your knees, you should be pushing your hips forward, NOT lifting with your lower back.

Here is the key: the only role of the lower back muscles during the deadlift is keeping your spine rigid. If you feel your lower back straining to pull the weight, you are doing it wrong. The proper sensation is to feel yourself squeezing your glutes together very hard and pushing your hips forward to straighten you out. Keeping your spine rigid is a tough job for the back muscles as it is, so if that's the "strain" you felt, you're ok. But if the strain was of your lower back muscles working to straighten you out, you are doing it wrong and risking injury.

Originally posted by: nixium
--> If, lets say, I overeat at random points (say weekends) netting me a calorie surplus, since I'm lifting heavy and doing these core exercises, I actually will put on a tiny bit of muscle, right? Obviously, I'm not going to lose fat on those days, but my exercise regimen will ensure that overeating occasionally does not produce as bad effects as It would if I were sedentary, and might even work to my advantage.

Actually, I'm not sure just how fine grained weight gain and weight loss is. For example, if on a daily basis, you alternated a caloric surplus with a caloric deficit, would you grow muscle on the surplus days and lose fat on the deficit days? Or is muscle growth a much slower process and you need a consistent caloric surplus? Perhaps someone more expert can chime in on this issue.

However, what I've definitely seen from many people, is that for the first several months of SS, most beginners with even half decent diets will find their waist line shrinking and their shoulders, arms, chest and legs growing. As long as your diet isn't too extreme in one direction or another, you'll probably find your body fat percentage dropping, which is the ultimate goal. And if you have a caloric deficit overall (regardless of daily fluctuations), your overall weight will drop.

Originally posted by: nixium
--> Yesterday, I did a 10 min HIIT session right after my lifting, since I heard it's good for fat loss. Is that recommended? Are there any long term problems I need to be aware of concerning HIIT? I'm using the elliptical trainer, since I heard it's the friendliest on joints.

First, a couple disclaimers. If you haven't done a lot of serious weight training before starting SS, you may find that it is really tough on your body. Recovering from three days a week of heavy squatting is tough enough as it is without additional cardio on top of it. In the world of exercise, more is not always better, and if you do too much, you may find yourself experiencing symptoms of overtraining very quicly. So, take it slow at first and see how your body reacts to just SS. If after a few weeks you are recovering just fine, then you can gradually add in more cardio.

Second, HIIT, as you can tell from the name, is pretty damn intense. I don't know what kind of exercise background you have, but if you are not used to very intense exertions, HIIT may not be the best form of cardio to start with - as discussed in this thread, in some cases, jumping into HIIT too quickly may actually make a beginner's heart less healthy. In any case, I think the point is clear: go nice & easy at first.

Finally, as a general comment, doing some cardio on off days (or after lifting) is a great idea. There are many benefits, such as greater endurance, healthier heart, etc. From a weight loss perspective, cardio activities are a very time-efficient way to burn calories. For just burning off fat, it's not overly important what kind of cardio you do, although some studies show HIIT might burn up less muscle than other forms of cardio. Personally, I find that the most effective way to do cardio is to constantly mix it up: do intervals one day, a long run another day, a bike ride another day, etc. The variety in duration, speed, repetitions, etc tends to produce the greatest benefits.

Originally posted by: nixium
--> In the context of this paragraph, who is a "beginner"? While I've done some weights before (including squats and dumbell exercises) on and off for the past 7 months, I've never committed to a detailed weight training program/nutrition schedule. Does this make me a beginner (i've some muscle development, nothing fancy though)

The simple way to put it is if you're new to doing consistent, heavy barbell training, and you're making rapid fire gains as you change your lifestyle from largely sedentary to active, you're a beginner.

A more technical and useful definition from SS is that you're a "beginner" so long as you can make daily progress on each of the core lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press, OH press, power clean). That is, if you can keep adding weight (even just a couple pounds) to the bar every workout, you're a beginner. Everyone eventually stalls, but if you can reset and continue to make progress, you're still a beginner. Only after you've stalled on most of your lifts (especially the squat) and can't make any progress even after several deloads are you no longer a "beginner".

Finally, these weightlifting performance standards are a reasonable reference to where you are in your training. Just remember that they are a reference so and ultimately it's your progression on the lifts that really determines your level.

 

[nixium]

====== Week 1 =========

Day 1

I started Tuesday, instead of Monday, as originally planned.

Currently, I don't have my nutrition fine tuned as yet, so I'm going to track exercise first.
Hopefully, I would've worked out the nutrition schedule by next week. I find it's easier to structure my exercise sessions than handle the 4-5 meals required per day.

My beginning weights really suck, but I suppose I've to start *somewhere*


Squat 3 x 5 @ 65

--> I think I did the form OK, though I think my knees went a *little* past my toes. I kept checking myself in the mirror(s) (my gym has side mirrors as well as front ones) and I probably got depth OK. I plan to video myself for a form check the next time.

BP --> 3 x 5 @ 65.

Deadlift 1 x 5 at 65.

I followed the tips on this thread pretty closely - or so I thought - but I could still feel my lower back straining. Now, I'm pretty sure it's not the "pull" sort of strain, but more the strain of holding my spine rigid, but I can't be sure. Also, I feel a faint dull ache around my lower back area, so I'm inferring I screwed something up. I'll have to go back and read that chapter on deadlift in SS again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 2

Today evening, I plan to go for an hour's walk/light jog. My legs are a bit stiff from yesterday, so I don't want to stress them out too much, especially since tomorrow is a strength training day. For the next two weeks, I'm going to be doing light cardio like this; from week three onward, I hope to be in a form good enough to jog a mile or so. I don't want to take it further than that; SS seems pretty hard on the legs as it is. Later, I hope to mix it up by taking up swimming or a dance class.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 3

Squat 3x5 @ 70.

Press 3x5 @ 55

Barbell row 3x5 @ 55.

I'm pretty sure I screwed up the press; it seemed like I my arms were unsteady, and I'm not sure if the ending position was correct... I have to revisit this next week. I think the barbell rows are my favorite exercise so far! Felt so good when I was done.

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Day 4

Not much to report - I went for a one mile jog and a long walk.

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Day 5

Squat 3x5 - 75

Bench Press 3x5 - 75

Deadlift 1x5 - 75.

I finally got the deadlift right - my back didn't feel the strain I'd reported. I re-read the chapter on the deadlift, and the part that really helped me was the instructions on maintaining the back and knee angle. I also curled my toes up (both for the squat and the deadlift) and both motions felt smooth and synchronous. Thanks for the tips, everyone!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Week 1 notes - the first few days were pretty taxing, and I was sore, but by the end of this week, I can feel my body getting a feel for the exercises. I'm rapidly becoming a fan of SS - the endorphin rush really feels great. Next week, I'm going to video some of the exercises - since I believe I've the hang of them by now - just to make sure I'm doing things right.

Thanks for all the support and tips, guys 🙂

 

[nixium]

Originally posted by: brikis98

<snipped> ---------- extremely useful information --------- <snipped>

Thanks for that fantastic post!

 

[TecHNooB]

You're always going to be sore the next day if you haven't worked out for a long time. Don't worry about it.

 

[EvilYoda]

Don't think that it's incorrect to have your knees travel past your toes - just due to variations in physiology, not everyone is going to squat exactly the same. The major point (chest, feet placement, lower back, etc) are the defining characteristics.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: nixium
--> I think I did the form OK, though I think my knees went a *little* past my toes. I kept checking myself in the mirror(s) (my gym has side mirrors as well as front ones) and I probably got depth OK. I plan to video myself for a form check the next time.

A couple of important points:

1. If you are doing a rippetoe style squat with an athletic stance, your knees can and probably should end up past your toes. As long as your weight is on your heels, your feet are completely flat on the ground, and you go to or below parallel, this is not at all dangerous for the knee. Starting Strength talks about this a lot, so take a look back at it.

2. Do NOT use the mirrors to help yourself. This is another thing discussed in SS. First, turning your head to look to the side while you have a heavy weight on your back is dangerous and you could easily hurt yourself. Second, what you actually need to do is to develop your mental sense of where your body is in space. In other words, you need to be able to feel where your body is and that takes time & practice to get good at. Mirrors will not only slow this process down (since you are relying on your eyes) but may also be very deceiving, as a lift might look right from one angle, but be totally wrong from another. If you really want to see what you look like, video tape yourself and watch it after the fact. Hell, post it on here and people may give you some hints as well.

Originally posted by: nixium
I followed the tips on this thread pretty closely - or so I thought - but I could still feel my lower back straining. Now, I'm pretty sure it's not the "pull" sort of strain, but more the strain of holding my spine rigid, but I can't be sure. Also, I feel a faint dull ache around my lower back area, so I'm inferring I screwed something up. I'll have to go back and read that chapter on deadlift in SS again.

The dull ache is probably not a good thing. Chances are you didn't keep the bar close enough to the body or pulled with your back rather than pushing forward with your butt/hips. Read the chapter, try again, and video tape yourself for review.

 

[nixium]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: nixium
--> I think I did the form OK, though I think my knees went a *little* past my toes. I kept checking myself in the mirror(s) (my gym has side mirrors as well as front ones) and I probably got depth OK. I plan to video myself for a form check the next time.

A couple of important points:

1. If you are doing a rippetoe style squat with an athletic stance, your knees can and probably should end up past your toes. As long as your weight is on your heels, your feet are completely flat on the ground, and you go to or below parallel, this is not at all dangerous for the knee. Starting Strength talks about this a lot, so take a look back at it.

2. Do NOT use the mirrors to help yourself. This is another thing discussed in SS. First, turning your head to look to the side while you have a heavy weight on your back is dangerous and you could easily hurt yourself. Second, what you actually need to do is to develop your mental sense of where your body is in space. In other words, you need to be able to feel where your body is and that takes time & practice to get good at. Mirrors will not only slow this process down (since you are relying on your eyes) but may also be very deceiving, as a lift might look right from one angle, but be totally wrong from another. If you really want to see what you look like, video tape yourself and watch it after the fact. Hell, post it on here and people may give you some hints as well.

Originally posted by: nixium
I followed the tips on this thread pretty closely - or so I thought - but I could still feel my lower back straining. Now, I'm pretty sure it's not the "pull" sort of strain, but more the strain of holding my spine rigid, but I can't be sure. Also, I feel a faint dull ache around my lower back area, so I'm inferring I screwed something up. I'll have to go back and read that chapter on deadlift in SS again.

The dull ache is probably not a good thing. Chances are you didn't keep the bar close enough to the body or pulled with your back rather than pushing forward with your butt/hips. Read the chapter, try again, and video tape yourself for review.

I read in an exercise book I have that one way to maintain position is to curl your toes up; that way, you can make sure the weight is on your heels correctly. What do you think of this?

You were right about the back strain thing. I re-read the chapter closely, and I figured out two things I was doing wrong (1) My hip was too low - I was supposed to be in half squat stance and (2) I wasn't maintaining my back/floor angle as the bar was sliding up my knees. I believe I corrected those mistakes, since I didn't feel that strain on my back this time.

BTW, Mark Ripptoe has a rather dry sense of humor - at one point during the description of the deadlift, he mentions the pitfalls of not keeping the bar in contact all the time, and mentions that someone might do this so as to "not mar the beauty of the shins and knees". I loled.

Also, you're right about the mirror thing. It's very tempting, but I almost screwed up my squat by trying to measure my depth.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: nixium
I read in an exercise book I have that one way to maintain position is to curl your toes up; that way, you can make sure the weight is on your heels correctly. What do you think of this?

It's a definitely a good mental cue, but I wouldn't actually lift heavy with my toes curled up. Use it during warm-ups so you know what having the weight on your heels feels like, but when you do your work sets, have your whole foot flat on the ground so you are completely stable.

Originally posted by: nixium
You were right about the back strain thing. I re-read the chapter closely, and I figured out two things I was doing wrong (1) My hip was too low - I was supposed to be in half squat stance and (2) I wasn't maintaining my back/floor angle as the bar was sliding up my knees. I believe I corrected those mistakes, since I didn't feel that strain on my back this time.

BTW, Mark Ripptoe has a rather dry sense of humor - at one point during the description of the deadlift, he mentions the pitfalls of not keeping the bar in contact all the time, and mentions that someone might do this so as to "not mar the beauty of the shins and knees". I loled.

Also, you're right about the mirror thing. It's very tempting, but I almost screwed up my squat by trying to measure my depth.

Rippetoe is fun to read, both in his book, and the various message boards he posts to. He's very to-the-point and yea, his humor is definitely quite dry. Keep up the good work, btw, and log your progress (sets, reps, weight, etc) in the journal so you'll be able to look back in a few months and see your progress.