NJL52's Training Journal

[NJL52]

Preface:

Been training for seven years. Off and on. Results surely don't show seven years though.

The past few years have been very sub-par for me. I'm currently 20 years old. My senior in highschool ended my football career and left me without much inspiration to train or workout. I still went to the gym, but I was training with a few friends who were your standard bicep Monday, chest Tuesday, bicep/back Wednesday, bicep/chest Thursday group. Put on some muscle but also put on a good amount of fat.

First semester Freshman year was probably the best stint of time for my strength training. I was a member here and was reading good information and built a lot of strength. I never maxed, but with the calculators I came to:
Squat: 275
Deadlift: 290
Clean: Forget...but I'm assuming 195 or so.
Bench: 235

At this point I decided I had gotten too fat and decided to cut. I was 225. Started strong and would have reached my goals after a few months, but I got lazy. I lost interest somewhat and training became an after thought. Lost a lot of strength and fat was coming off at a very slow pace. I did about 2.5 months of cutting in 7 months.

I got down to 9/10% eventually and decided to bulk. Two months pass and I gained a lot of strength. But I took that "eat whatever you can" too serious and found myself much fatter then I wanted to be. Gained like 15-20 pounds in just over 7 weeks. Too much of it was fat.

Back to a short cut. At this point I got serious about training. I bought books, I devoured whatever literature I could get my hands on. I knew everything that I needed to. And I started cutting.

Sigh....about here was where I started a series of back strains. Somehow, I had lost a lot of flexibility in my back and simple workouts were putting serious strain on my lower back. (at the time I didn't know this, I thought it was a spinal problem of some sort) At first it wasn't very painful, it was just an annoyance. But, like any injury, it built itself up to the point where it hurt to walk due to my ignoring it.

I stopped any sort of training and just went on a "let it heal while cutting phase." I would run alot and cut, but didnt' see the inside of a gym for months. It never really healed fully, but over time it started feeling reasonable.

Come January, my back was feeling okay and I was at 7/8% bodyfat. Time to do a perfect and productive bulk. 3/4 weeks go by and I'm gaining strength ridiculously well. But...my back is acting up. I do the same "ignore it" and continue training. But it flared up much faster then previously.

At this point I just said fuck it. I stopped training/running/cutting/bulking etc until about June. And got fat again. And my back was at 95%.

About this time I realize my flexibility issues and understand the reason for my back pain. So I stretch like a madman. After getting normal flexibility back, I decided to get back to where I was in January.

So I start cutting. This was about five weeks ago. I started at about 198 pounds. And...astonishingly, I'm currently 206 pounds. And I'm stronger and leaner than I was 5 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure it is because I'm rebuilding muscle I previously had, but at any rate, it is sure pleasing to see body fat go down, strength going up and weight going up.

Oh, any my back is bothering me a little bit.... I will see how that plays out.

Now sorry for the long story, but the last couple times I tried to start a journal that was non-public and number only, they didn't develop, so I'm trying to give this one some importance.

The past few weeks I have been mixing up running sprints at my local park with going to the gym.

The gym has mainly consisted of jogging the treadmill at 10mph, jump roping, squating and deadlifting. My four favorite physical activities.

My deadlift has exploded. The first 2/3 weeks since I came back were nothing but light training to get used to the techniques again. Since then, I started trying to push the weight. First time out I put 205 on the bar and it was trouble just to get the bar up. Lower back was weak, hands couldn't hold the bar, couldn't shrug it, lats were failing on me etc.

Two weeks later I see a total 180. I did 255 with relative ease last time. Everything feels stronger(except my fucking hands, callouses are tearing and my grip is pretty weak.)

And that brings us to today, and without further ado:

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Went to the gym.

Squat:
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
Felt good, started this cut at like 205 and I keep getting stronger. Going to go to 235 next time I workout.

Cleans:
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 4
Hadn't done cleans in awhile. Just kind of tested the water today. And I was shocked at how easy they were. Definitely could have gotten a 5th on the last set and even added more weight. But I forgot chalk and my callouses wanted to rip off on the last rep so I said fuck it. Will chalk up next time and try for a 185 set.

Press:
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 5
Another workout that I hadn't done in awhile. Didn't feel as good with these, shoulder strength is down a bit. Still could have gone higher though.

Jogged at 10mph on the treadmill for a few minutes.

Came home and mowed the front and back yard. Fun.

Currently 206.5 pounds. Such a relief watching my lifts and weight go up while my body fat goes down.

Caliper's say my BF is 14%. Seems accurate.

Debating on not training tomorrow. REALLY don't want to push my back farther then I need to. Hoping the slight pain I have at the moment will go away. Though I'm doubtful. Been stretching the hell out of it. Might just bite the bullet and go see a doctor soon.

Wish me luck.

 

[enigma4dub]

subscribed. good luck. hope you heal up ok.

 

[NJL52]

Took two days off and then went running today. Back still a little sore.

Roughly 40 minutes of running/jogging.

Weirdest results though.... The lower left side of my back has been hurting. I go out and run today and it felt 100% perfect. But....my right side was hurting. As I sit here typing this, the right side is perfect again and the left side is a little sore.

What the fuck?

 

[NJL52]

Fuck me....

I forgot this thread existed. Guess I should start paying more attention to it.

Update since I last posted:

Got a week long sickness of some sort. Cold? Flu? Who knows. At any rate, I lost 10 pounds of muscle mostly and laid in bed almost all week.

Immediately after that I had my wisdom teeth pulled. Been told for years and years that I didn't need it done, but I ended up saying fuck it and having it done.

Lost another 2/3 pounds from laying in bed for a couple days.

Got back to training though.

September 23, 2008 - Tuesday

Squat -
245 x 5
265 x 5
275 x 5

Getting stronger even though I'm still cutting. Love it.

Deadlift -
225 x 3 (warmup but heavy enough to list)
295 x 3
275 x 4

Wanted to get 295 x 5 but I was sacrificing form in order to get it up, so I just decided to drop the weight. Was strong enough to get the 5th rep at 275 but my callouses were tearing, so I just skipped it.

Shrugs -
225 x 10
225 x 10

Just felt like adding something in. Workout went rather quick today.

Standing Press -
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 4

Shoulders are plateu'd atm. Won't be going up any time soon thanks to cutting.


My legs and back are still growing because I have been stronger before. At 18 I was squatting/deading a little bit higher then this. I should peak out soon with my lifts and the only progress I will see will be bodyfat loss.

But regardless, it is incredibly nice to see the scale moving up, the weights moving up and the body fat dropping. Nothing more satisfying in my life at the moment. Loving it.

At any rate, I just wish there was one point in my life where nothing hurt. Back still bothers me and my left hamstring has been pretty tight lately. Hasn't hurt while working out, but gets painful when I do sprints. Sooooo fuckin frustrating.

203.5 pounds at the moment.

Hopefully I will remember to update this more frequently.

 

[NJL52]

Thursday - September 25th, 2008

Squat -
275 x 5
280 x 5
280 x 4
Could have finished the last rep, but I didn't have a spot and didn't want to push it.

Cleans -
175 x 5
175 x 3
Hadn't done cleans in a few weeks. Been obsessed with deadlifts. Wasn't quite as strong as I hoped. Callouses worked against me too.

Press -
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 5
Not getting stronger at all. Can't wait until I start bulking again and manage a breath taking 125.

No running/jump roping etc. Hamstring sore still and don't want it to act up. Don't plan on running until it is 100%. Or at least close.

 

[NJL52]

Monday - September 29th, 2008

Haven't done anything since Thursday. Hamstring isn't bothering me, but I can tell if I were to run it would aggravate. So no running ><
Lower left back a little sore. Getting old.

Squat -
275 x 4
275 x 5
275 x 3
Could have finished all three sets, but no spot is scary.

Also, I'm feeling unstable with that much weight on my back. I'll get to the top of a rep and my back bends backwards and it stings a little bit. Not a very comfortable feeling.

Deadlift -
225 x 3
275 x 4
Sore back, didn't want to push myself hard today.

Press
115 x 3
Sore wrist, didn't bother.

I wonder what it is like to be 100% healthy. Must be a great feeling. Haven't had less then 2 nagging injuries at any given time in God knows how long.

 

[NJL52]

Friday

Squat -
225 x 5
255 x 5
275 x 5

Deadlift -
205 x 3
275 x 3

Press -
115 x 5
115 x 5
115 x 5

Went light on lower body. Want my damn hamstring to heal for I can run.

 

[NJL52]

Tuesday

Squat -
225 x 5
265 x 5
275 x 5
285 x 3

Deadlift -
205 x 3
275 x 3

Short day. Had to leave early.

 

[NJL52]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Long story short, after a year or more of battleing against back pain, I decided I had sciatica(Lower back nerve compression that hurts...bad.) Sciatica makes working out an after thought. From my not-so-extensive research on the matter, the symptoms point to a herniated disc or some other spinal problem.

So after a self diagnosis, I decided that working out was just a pipedream at that point. The pain wasn't worth it. I decided to just get lean and be happy with where I was.


Eight months since my last post in this thread, I never really got that lean. I got lazy and without the potential for heavy squats over the horizon, I didn't really feel a drive to get lean.

But then I was randomly browsing this forum the other day and found a lovely little thread titled: "Warm Up Your Hips With the Agile 8" -- or something to that degree. In said thread, I learned about a little muscle called the piriformis.

When your piriformis is really tight and inflexible you can potentially develop signs of sciatica. Whoa.

One test of the flexibility is sitting cross legged. ie: http://z.about.com/d/orthopedics/1/0/_/5/crossleg.jpg

I tried this and couldn't get my left foot over my right knee....

So I immediately jumped out into my living room and started stretching the FUCK out of my hips. For hours. After a long session, my back wasn't hurting at all -- for the first time in probably 18 months. Amazing. My ass (more specifically my piriformis) was destroyed and sore, but my back was just great.

A few days later, I have gained tons of flexibility in my hips. Still nowhere near where I want to be, but much better then originally. Oh yea, and most importantly; my back doesn't hurt.

So now that I have hope to start working out agian, I plan on keeping this thread updated on my current situation for a bit more self motivation to stay on target.

Wish me luck!

 

[SouthernLord]

Good Luck

 

[NJL52]

So I haven't gotten back to working out yet. Soon though.

I'm stretching as much as possible. Though I have hit a road block ........ Turns out that when you stretch your piriformis, you are also putting significant force on your outer knee. And the tendon on the outside of your knee stretches at a lower pressure threshold then does your piriformis. So my knee is hurting from stretching so much. Kept me from stretching for a few days.

 

[NJL52]

100 degree heat index...God I love it.

Went out and ran sprints for 45 minutes today. Pain doesn't feel any better then it does when 100+ degree heat is scorching your tired body. I'm a sadistic son of a bitch...

 

[NJL52]

Almost comical, very redundant. Hyper extended my knee a few weeks back. Been sitting on my ass to heal it... Taking too god damned long. If it's not one injury it's another.

 

[NJL52]

Soooooo.

My knee was pretty bad for a few months. Ended up going to an orthopedic surgeon and had it looked at. Turns out the remedy was to keep using it and stretch the fuck out of it. Complete throws off my concept of RICE(Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Oh well, it is fine now. 90% probably.

So I signed up again for a gym (LA Fitness Social Scene...) Back to working out. Feel fatigued out my mind but nothing hurts finally.

My calculated maxes are...
Press - 145
Clean - 150
Bench - 210....
Squat - 295
Deadlift - 295

I'm currently cutting for another 4-5 bf percentage. Though my body still puts on muscle easily when it is rebuilding lost muscle. So I expect to gain decently fast.

Currently weigh 194.

Tomorrow back in the gym.

 

[NJL52]

Haven't been keeping track of reps/sets etc. Still cutting so the numbers aren't that important to me at the moment.

But...

Going easy on squats. Knees kind of uneasy. Not hurting, but they aren't 100% so I am just doing 225 over and over.
Bench isn't going up as fast as I hoped. Been stuck at 185x5 for a few weeks now......
Haven't done cleans in a few weeks.... should do them tomorrow I suppose.
Press 115x5? Not sure, I forget.
Deadlifts - hit 315 x 2 yesterday. Probably could have got a third but I could tell I would have sacrificed too much form so I didn't bother. Surprised how fast I am gaining on deads.

193.5 yesterday before bed.

 

[NJL52]

Knees still slightly sore but better then before.
Yesterday:
Squat: 275 x 5 x 2
Cleans: 175 x 4, 175 x 2
Press: 135 x 5, 155 x 5 x 2
Did deadlifts 315 x 3? Monday. Forget to be honest.

193 last time I weighed myself.

Keep getting leaner, want to get even better tho.

 

[NJL52]

Oh yea, I did 205 x 2 cleans some time last week. Can't imagine how much I'll be doing once I start a bulk phase.

 

[JDid23]

lol i just actually read most of your posts in this thread.

anyways, good luck and stay healthy!

 

[NJL52]

lol i just actually read most of your posts in this thread.

anyways, good luck and stay healthy!

lol thanks =)

Today;
Squat;
275 x 5
275 x 4
Knees uncomfortable. I need a few weeks of eating 4000 + calories for them to heal but I'm completely addicted to cutting.
Bench;
185 x 5
175 x 3
Plateau is gone and now I'm on the down slope. Should be an ugly descent until I start bulking again.
Clean;
175 x 5
Surprisingly easy to be honest. My legs and back have been producing great results even on a significant calorie deficit.

Didn't have enough time to do full routine today. Hence the 2 sets, 2 sets, 1 set.

Current weight;
A leaner-then-the-previous-193 196.

 

[NJL52]

lol thanks =)

Today;
Squat;
275 x 5
275 x 4
Knees uncomfortable. I need a few weeks of eating 4000 + calories for them to heal but I'm completely addicted to cutting.
Bench;
185 x 5
175 x 3
Plateau is gone and now I'm on the down slope. Should be an ugly descent until I start bulking again.
Clean;
175 x 5
Surprisingly easy to be honest. My legs and back have been producing great results even on a significant calorie deficit.

Didn't have enough time to do full routine today. Hence the 2 sets, 2 sets, 1 set.

Current weight;
A leaner-then-the-previous-193 196.

An update.

Haven't been lifting weights much. Knees are still sore regularly. I've came to the conclusion that they won't heal until I start eating in surplus, so why bother with heavy weight.

I have been running/sprinting a lot. Well, the not the past week.

This week I actually took up yoga.... lol. I decided I needed alot more flexibility. My hips were too stiff, I couldn't touch my toes anymore, just felt nonathletic.

Well 4 sessions into it, I feel quite a bit better. I can touch floor with my knuckles doing a bend over stretch, hips are quite a bit looser, everything feels easier now. I heavily suggest everybody does this stuff, or at least adheres to a strict stretching routine. I, for one, don't have the ..will?.. to stick with a stretching routine, but doing yoga with a friend keeps me going. And it's great.

Not to mention, there are more then enough girls my age to keep my attention while doing yoga. =)

Weight; 188. I have been stuck here for a bit, but I credit it to my lesser used muscles building from yoga and sprinting. My little caliper says <9% bf. Seems low, tho I have no real gauge so I'll just say it's right.

Plan on cutting for another 3/4% bf. So satisfying at this level of bf to have visible improvements on the (almost)daily in bf.

 

[grubd]

Have you ever thought of p90x do to all your starts/stops and injuries? It could force you to do something consistent for 3 months and than working out will just be a habit for you.

 

[NJL52]

Have you ever thought of p90x do to all your starts/stops and injuries? It could force you to do something consistent for 3 months and than working out will just be a habit for you.

Well thanks for the opinion, but my problem isn't the will. It's the injuries.

When it hurts to walk you tend to give up working out until walking feels comfortable again. When I'm healthy(75% even) I'm a gym/field rat.

 

[grubd]

P90x is low impact and incorporates cardio,yoga,weightlifting check it out!

 

[NJL52]

P90x is low impact and incorporates cardio,yoga,weightlifting check it out!

Well thanks again, but my problem is genetic. My piriformis compresses a nerve in my back that causes (at times) severe pain. Low impact etc wouldn't do much. Just gotta get to the point where it stretches out and is conditioned well enough to not cause problems. And I'm almost there.

 

[NJL52]

Time to bulk, time to bulk, time to bulk.

I still want to get leaner, but I realized a few things;
Cold weather is no fun to run in. My cardio will be limited during the winter.
Late November/December is the best time of the year to eat. Football gets serious, Thanksgiving, Christmas, family etc etc etc
School is out. Lots of friends will be town and time to party.
I can't heal without a calorie surplus. Too much hurts nowadays. Nothing is extraordinary, but so many nagging pains.
I've gotten too weak...
I can't dunk anymore...need more power.
Thanksgiving pickup football game next week. Biggest pickup game of the year. Gotta have my legs energized and ready to run.
Change of pace.

Details of the bulk will be posted as soon as I figure it out.

 

[NJL52]

wtffffff

Left quadriceps tendon is hurting. Can't stay healthy. Back is fine. Right patella tendon is still bad. I hate my genetics as far as injuries go.

At any rate. Bulking. Up to 205. Benched 205 x 5 x 2 and 215 x 3 x 1.
Deadlift sucked. Don't have the stability in my legs to control the force needed to move the deadlift.
Press did 135 x 5 x 1. 135 x 4 x 1. 125 x 5 x 1 or something like that.

If I could only stay healthy for like, a month, I could get me numbers back up...

 

[NJL52]

Left knee feels kinda good. Did deadlift today and it caused no pain. Right patella tendon has been a slight ache for a long time now, nothing extraordinary tho.

Not sure if I have mentioned it in this thread and I'm way too lazy to read, but I have been doing yoga. It is amazing how much it changes your comfort in just living. Every movement I make is easier and more comfortable now. Crazy how fluid you feel with loose hips. I can now bend over and palm the ground. Great feeling to be that loose.

Tho from a combination of a few things, my deadlift is terrible.
I believe that my knees being injured are causing me to lack stability to move the force generated by my back to the bar. So my deadlift is ridiculously weak.
Also, my lower back has been getting alot of work because that is where the greatest increase in my flexibility has came from. I guess the strength of my deadlift previously had been built up and accustomed to being inflexible and some how my new flexibility has caused it to lose strength. Shrug. I'll settle it eventually.

205ish still.
Deadlift today was like 235 x 3 and 235 x 4 for working sets. Bleh... As explained above, I blame other things for being so fucking weak.
Bench I did 205 x 5, 215 x 4, 205 x 5. I think, the last set might have been 4. I forget.
Press I did .... 135 x 4 x 1. 125 x 4 x 1. 115 x 4 x 1. Triceps were just totally dead at the end of the workout. The last rep of bench press I stalled mid way but somehow managed to eek out after sitting still for 5 seconds. Fatigued the hell out of my arms and I struggled on press because of it.

All I did today, still not comfortable with squatting or cleans and didn't have time to do shrugs or any other supplementary work.

 

[ceo]

so what do you do to warmup your joints? Also what supps do you take for joint health?

 

[NJL52]

so what do you do to warmup your joints? Also what supps do you take for joint health?

Just warmup sets. ie bar, 135, 185, etc until work weight for all exercises.

As far as supplements go, none. Never really considered it, kinda assumed it was for older individuals, and being that I'm 21 I thought I wouldn't need. But it might be a good idea to look into.

Today, didn't deadlift. Posterior chain still sore, letting rest.
Bench 205 x 5, 210 x 5, 210 x 4. Could have got final rep but no spot so didn't risk.
Press 135 x 5, 125 x 5, 115 x 5. Triceps just die by the end. Think I need to clean my technique to rely less on arms for this.
Shrugs - 90 pound dumbells, 3 x 8.

Short day.

 

[ceo]

Just warmup sets. ie bar, 135, 185, etc until work weight for all exercises.

As far as supplements go, none. Never really considered it, kinda assumed it was for older individuals, and being that I'm 21 I thought I wouldn't need. But it might be a good idea to look into.

For warmup, I like to ride the bike for at least 5 minutes (but not more than 10) at a moderate pace and fairly easy resistance (level 6-7 at 70-80rpm) just to get the blood flowing. I rotate my shoulders, elbows and wrists, about 20 times in each direction to help loosen and lubricate them.

Then I perform warmup sets, but I don't warmup excessively. If I do chest then shoulders, because shoulders were involved in my chest exercise (say bench), I will do much less warmup for my shoulder exercise (basically just getting adjusted to the exercise and weight I'll be using).

As far as supps for joints, I recommend glucosamine/chondrointin/MSM, and cissus quadrangularis. One of our board sponsors sells a couple pretty great supps with those combined and a few others too.

Check it out here: Joint Repair - Pain Relief

Oh and I can get you a discount code for that. Just PM me.

 

[NJL52]

For warmup, I like to ride the bike for at least 5 minutes (but not more than 10) at a moderate pace and fairly easy resistance (level 6-7 at 70-80rpm) just to get the blood flowing. I rotate my shoulders, elbows and wrists, about 20 times in each direction to help loosen and lubricate them.

Then I perform warmup sets, but I don't warmup excessively. If I do chest then shoulders, because shoulders were involved in my chest exercise (say bench), I will do much less warmup for my shoulder exercise (basically just getting adjusted to the exercise and weight I'll be using).

As far as supps for joints, I recommend glucosamine/chondrointin/MSM, and cissus quadrangularis. One of our board sponsors sells a couple pretty great supps with those combined and a few others too.

Check it out here: Joint Repair - Pain Relief

Oh and I can get you a discount code for that. Just PM me.

Cool, thanks for the info. Headed to the gym at the moment, I'll research the such when I get back.

Yesterday;
Bench 215x4x3. No spot so didn't want to try last rep. Strongest overall day so far since I quit benching long ago.
Press. Damn it I never really recall what I do here. Anywhere really. Going to the gym without being able to squat and clean feels too watered down to track everything. =/
But I think; 125 x 5 x 3.

And then the gym closed. Since when did LA fitness close at 8pm on a Saturday? Going back right now to do deadlift and probably same shit over again.

 

[NJL52]

Today;
Deadlift; 135x5, 185x5, 235x3, 285x3. Still don't feel too stable. Work in progress.
Bench; 205x5x3. Went light today because I benched yesterday. Twas easy.
Press; 115x5, 135x5x2. Easy today since I didn't tire my arms out with bench.
And some shrug work with dumbells.

Weight was 207.

 

[JDid23]

nice man.... hopefully you can stay injury free this year

 

[NJL52]

Yesterday;
Bench: 220x5x2, 220x4
Press: 135x5, 135x5, 115x5 I think.

 

[NJL52]

I long for the ability to squat again.

I was sick all weekend and I have that all body sore/tired - ness so today was kinda bleh.
Bench: 205x5, 215x5x2.
Press: 115x5, 135x5, 125x5.

 

[NJL52]

I think my knees are about ready to start working out again. Slowly easing into it. Tho I'm about three months of bulking now and have gotten fatter then I should have because not being able to squat/clean/dead makes it hard to follow a good diet. Might cut soon..

Bench: 225x5x2, 225x4x1
Press: Did 135x3 and felt a nerve pain in my shoulder so I took the day off of it.
Shrugs: something x something x something

My friend was deadlifting today and had 305 on the bar. On impulse, I felt like doing one and picked it up. 305 hasn't felt that easy in awhile. Guess I might be able to go soon.

 

[NJL52]

Went yesterday because I was bored... lol

Bench: 225x5, 230x4, 230x3. Increasing unbelievably fast. Adding weight or reps every single time.

Squat: Did 45x like 10. 85x like 8. 115x like 8. Knees didn't hurt. Felt good. Knees overall aren't fully comfortable yet but no outstanding pain, just discomfort.

 

[JDid23]

thats like good like shit bro!!!

nice