iamcalledjosh

Oh and also the 67.5kg was a PB! Been stuck with my bench for a month so I'm really happy with this

Think the next one is May so I'm guna be training hard til then Really looking forward to doing another Had a light workout on the squats today and did 3 sets of 60kgx8 as my legs were still really tight from Wednesday. Managed a pretty good bench session though 20kgx10 40kgx10 45kgx8 50kgx6 55kgx4 60kgx2 67kgx1 57.5kgx4 52.5kgx6 47.5kgx8 42.5kgx10 37.5kgx15 Bit light than it should have been probably but it still felt like it got the job done!

Mondays Workout Sumo Deadlift 60kgx5 90kgx3 110x1 110kgx5 Bench Press 20kgx10 40kgx5 50kgx3 65kgx1 52.5kgx5 52.5kgx5 52.5kgx5 Squat 20kgx10 40kgx5 60kgx3 100kgx1 90kgx5 90kgx5 90kgx5 Wednesday's Workout This was a brutal one, I think Paul (the coach) didn't want me to be able to move on Thursday and he damn near achieved it! Bench Press 42.5x10 45x8 50x6 55x6 57.5x4 62.5x2 60x4 57.5x6 47.5x8 45x6 (then two more separately, was aiming for a 10) Squat 20kgx10 40kgx5 60kgx4 80kgx3 75kgx10 77.5kgx8 82.5kgx6 87.5kgx6 92.5kgx4 97.5kgx2 95kgx4 90kgx6 80kgx8 75x10 Goal Update 1.Increase my lifts by 10% I've managed to do this for squat (100kg->115kg) and deadlift (120kg->135kg) so far, just bench to go! 2.Take part in powerlifting Done! 3. Increase weight to at least 73kg Done! And hopefully still increasing, currently at around 73.5! 4. Complete dissertation Hoping to do the final steps tomorrow, should be all done and handed in on Monday, way ahead of schedule! Also going to be presenting my work at a conference which is pretty damn scary and exciting!

Hey, it's been a while since I've posted because I've got a new smartphone so haven't used my laptop in a while! The powerlifting meet was great, I set a couple of personal bests and met some great people. My attempts were as follows Squats 100kg (didn't count as not quite deep enough) 11okg 115kg <- PB! Bench Press 55kg 60kg <--pressed just before the "press" call so didn't count 65kg Deadlift (sumo) 100kg 115kg 125kg 135kg <- PB! Really pleased with how it all went and looking forward to doing it again! Pictures as promised! In this deadlift I got my grip wrong but it still went off without a hitch!

Neck pain? Pah, you don't need a neck, look at this guy!

Thanks Laura, I've been resting since my workout on Wednesday and I'm feeling pretty good, seem to have finally shifted the cold that'd been bothering! It's definitely going to be happening now, no backing out! The only thing that's holding me back is that I've put on too much weight - I've been trying and failing for so long to put on weight and now that I don't need it, it comes piling on! I'm about 0.6 of a kg over my desired weight category for tomorrow so I'm eating very lightly tonight and hoping everything will be fine and dandy in the morning Getting pretty excited about this now, will update you tomorrow!

Hey pwallace, must have missed your post the first time. This is something I've heard of before and it has crossed my mind, will save it if I have a last minute emergency tomorrow morning!

Cool, I'm hoping it should be okay, I weighed myself right before making the post. And don't worry, I'm definitely going to enjoy myself whatever category I'm in and I'm really excited. I don't look like a power lifter so hopefully a few people will be surprised by my squat!

I haven't had dinner yet, I'm thinking of just boiling some veggies up and just having those if I get hungry though. Weight in is at midday tomorrow and lifting starts at 1pm. And thanks for the advice!

Hi everyone, I have a my first (friendly) powerlifting meet in 18 hours time and at the start of training weighed about 71kg (3kg under the limit for my weight category). In the past couple of weeks I've been packing on a LOT of weight and upon weighing myself this evening somehow found my weight at 74.6kg (0.6kg over the limit). I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to hit 74kg again before the event tomorrow. It's my first event so while I'm not expecting to come anywhere other than last place, I'd prefer to be slightly less embarrassed by competing in the 74kg rather than 83kg category. Also, it's 6pm here in the UK so is around dinner time, the meet is at midday tomorrow. What should/shouldn't I eat to maximise my performance tomorrow without being over the weight boundary? Thanks in advance!

Hey at least you tried, even on a cold day! I think you're braver than me, look at how many clothes I had to wear in my avatar to deal with the cold!

Pretty good workout today, wasn't too happy with my BP so focussed on form, it's been stuck for quite a while and would love to see some progress. Squat 20kg x 10 60kg x 4 80kg x 3 100kg x 1 110kg x 1 <- P.B. and over 1.5x my bodyweight!! Bench Press 20kg x 10 40kg x 4 60kg x 2 65kg x 1 (just) 50kg x 5 50kg x 5 50kg x 5 50kg x 5 50kg x 5 50kg x 5 Also going do some pull ups tonight I think. I found out today that the powerlifting meet is on Saturday at 12, I'm absolutely terrified to go but know that I'll have let myself down if I don't. So if anyone happens to read this thread and could say something along the lines of "do it or you'll be letting me down" then I'd really appreciate it I WANT to do this, I'm just scared to!

Been feeling pretty terrible all week but managed to get in a workout today. Should be back to normal next week AND if I haven't missed too many powerlifting sessions I should be able to compete next Saturday! Squat Warm up sets 20kg x 10 40kg x 4 60kg x 3 80kg x 2 100kg x 1 Work Sets 87.5kg x 5 87.5kg x 5 87.5kg x 5 *Personal best for 5rm!* Standing Barbell Shoulder Press (OHP) Warm up sets 20kg x 10 25kg x 4 Work sets 30kg x 8 30kg x 6 30kg x 8 Haven't done these for a while so focussed on form Sumo Deadlift Warm up sets 60kg x 5 80kg x 4 100kg x 3 125kg x 1 Work sets 110kg x 5 *Personal best for 1rm!* On the bodyweight front I've maintained the 73kg this week, I'm actually really happy with this as I've had almost zero appetite with how ill I've been feeling. Hopefully this should increase next week when I'm back to 100%!

Thanks Strawb! Had to miss Wednesday's workout cos I've got a really bad cold - it came on after Monday's workout where I probably pushed myself a bit too hard with the small amount of sleep I'd had. Still, hoping to get a workout in tomorrow if I'm feeling better and hopefully one on Sunday too

Thanks Laura! My weight has dropped a couple of pounds today but I'm not surprised - I ate a LOT at the weekend and was expecting a lot of fluctuations. However, I still weigh heavier than ever so I can't complain at all and will definitely keep it up Here's yesterday's workout Barbell Squat:20 kg x 10 reps (+42 pts)40 kg x 4 reps (+44 pts)60 kg x 3 reps (+52 pts)80 kg x 2 reps (+59 pts)100 kg x 1 reps (+64 pts)85 kg x 5 reps (+94 pts)85 kg x 5 reps (+94 pts)85 kg x 5 reps (+94 pts)85 kg x 5 reps (+94 pts)85 kg x 5 reps (+94 pts)Barbell Bench Press:20 kg x 10 reps (+42 pts)30 kg x 5 reps (+41 pts)40 kg x 4 reps (+44 pts)50 kg x 3 reps (+44 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 4 reps (+55 pts)55 kg x 4 reps (+55 pts)Wide-Grip Pull-Up:5 reps (+25 pts)5 reps (+25 pts)4 reps (+19 pts)4 reps (+19 pts)1 reps (+3 pts)

WOW, very pleased with my weight gain progress so far. At the start of the week I weighed 70.76kg (156lbs) and now, one week later I weigh 73.02kg (161lbs)!!! I honestly didn't think I could ever make so much progress in one week, it's normally taken me weeks or months to gain this sort of weight, definitely going to stick with the half GOMAD and see how this goes! Good times! (and goal one somehow complete!)

Hey been maaajorly busy with dissertation work this week so haven't had time to post, luckily my first draft is due in on Monday so I'll get a small break! On Wednesday I couldn't make the proper powerlifting session so instead did a session alone, here's a quick copy and paste from Fitocracy. Barbell Squat:40 kg x 5 reps (+48 pts)60 kg x 4 reps (+59 pts)80 kg x 3 reps (+70 pts)100 kg x 1 reps (+64 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)Barbell Bench Press:20 kg x 5 reps (+35 pts)30 kg x 4 reps (+38 pts)40 kg x 3 reps (+38 pts)50 kg x 2 reps (+37 pts)60 kg x 1 reps (+35 pts)65 kg x 1 reps (+38 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 5 reps (+60 pts)55 kg x 2 reps (+40 pts) Sumo Deadlift:60 kg x 5 reps (+64 pts)90 kg x 3 reps (+81 pts)100 kg x 1 reps (+64 pts)110 kg x 1 reps (+74 pts)100 kg x 5 reps (+117 pts)No PB's here and my squat was still recovering from a weekend of cycling. However I was really pleased with my Bench Press form! Saturday Barbell Squat:20 kg x 10 reps (+42 pts)40 kg x 5 reps (+48 pts)60 kg x 3 reps (+52 pts)80 kg x 3 reps (+70 pts)100 kg x 1 reps (+64 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)80 kg x 5 reps (+87 pts)One-Arm Dumbbell Row:14 kg x 5 reps (+31 pts)16 kg x 5 reps (+32 pts)18 kg x 5 reps (+33 pts)20 kg x 5 reps (+34 pts)16 kg x 8 reps (+36 pts)14 kg x 8 reps (+35 pts)Lying Barbell Triceps Extension ("Skullcrusher"):10 kg x 10 reps (+9 pts)20 kg x 8 reps (+10 pts)25 kg x 8 reps (+10 pts)Very pleased with the stability and form of my squat today, should start pushing for PB's again next week! Also a quick update regarding my weight - I've decided to start doing a half GOMAD for the next 30 days and be completely committed to it, it's something I tried in the past but gave up on, this time I aim to stick with it!

Thanks Laura! I forgot to post my workout log for Monday. Unfortunately the gym was rammed and as I was with a friend I ended up using machines for the first time ever (so that he didn't waste a trip). To be honest it wasn't as horrifying as I'd been led to believe and my triceps are still aching now (2 days later!). I also tried out a few skullcrushers which were pretty fun, I came out of it with a skull which is a bonus but I doubt I'll repeat these once my training gets back to normal. I won't bother logging that here as I doubt I'll do it again. After those I managed to squeeze in a light set on the squats, but as I was on holiday over the weekend doing lots of swimming/cycling/walking my legs really weren't up for anything more than 3 sets of 5x70kg (boo!). Anyways tonight I'll be heading to a proper powerlifting session where I'll have lots of people screaming at me to "push harder!" and keeping my form in check, so I'm hoping to gain a PB or two!

Hey everyone, haven't ever really completed a 6 week challenge properly before but it's been a really long time since I've tried and my exercising habits have improved hugely since then. I used to be a runner and started strength training about 7 months ago, I recently got asked to join a powerlifting club and have been told I can compete for the first time next month if I keep up my training! Pretty exciting stuff, but I need to be more disciplined than ever whilst also writing my dissertation of University! So here goes; 1. My current 1rm lifts are Squat 100kg, Sumo deadlift 120kg, Bench Press 65kg. I'm aiming to increase all of these lifts by at least 10%. 2. I feel as if I'm quite likely to talk myself out of doing the powerlifting meet so if the opportunity remains I simply aim to take part. I don't expect to come anywhere but last position but I'm just happy to be invited! 3. Gain some weight. I currently weight 71kg and would love to increase my weight to 73kg by the end of this challenge. Eating has often been my downfall so this will take a lot of discipline. 4. Finish my dissertation before hand in! (End of March).

I'm not quite eating like a horse which is a shame, my job screwed up the payroll and I've missed a month's pay so I'm just eating what I can afford for now! But I'm happy to be regularly working out, it makes me feel pretty damn good Damn, guna have to find time to research all of these deadlifts haha, my life is so busy!

Nearly didn't work out today then saw the awesome Zelda post and got my arse into gear! New 6 week cycle. Pull Day Pulls up: 4 sets of 5 reps (so close to 5x5!), 1 set of 4 and 1 set of 2. Deadlifts: 5x5 at 52.5kg I'm planning on looking at some of the recommendations on how to make my deadlift harder before my next workout, been way too busy lately!

Been really busy lately as my exams are coming up ( the ones I missed due to being ill )! Worked out twice last week Pull Day Pulls up: 3 sets of 5 reps, one set of 4, one set of 3. Then did a few extra to make up missed reps Deadlift:52.5kg (again) Push Day Push Press: 40kg, 5 sets of 5. Squat: 42.5kg No progress on the push day in weight, but increased the number of reps from 3 to 5, so still pretty pleased! Missed my final workout of the week as I spent two days moving flat which involved a lot of heavy lifting, also twinged my back a little bit so wanted to make sure that didn't develop into anything horrible! Should be working out later today. Oh, and Achievement Get! After my most recent Push Day I officially completed my first ever 6 week cycle of exercise without changing plans!

I'm excited about our chin up/pull up battle, but also completely clueless as to how a fitocracy challenge works! I'm horribly intimidated by your diet though haha, I'm sure you'll be busting out 100 in a row in no time!

It's kinda sad, but I remember looking at the pile of weights at the start of the summer and saying to myself "I WILL lift all of this by September!". It feels like a real achievement, next target - deadlift my bodyweight. And thanks for the suggestion but I'm a total noob, what are SLDLs?

As good a reason as any, I'll be keeping any eye on your thread in return (awesome looking goals by the way)! Saturday Workout Pull Day Pull ups I was prescribed 5 sets of 3 but decided to do keep going whilst my friend used the bar (we share weights/barbell) so completed 7 sets with my arms fully extended. Hopefully soon I'll be able to do 5x5! Deadlifts 5 sets of 3 again for this and lifted 52.5kg [+7.5kg since start]! That's all my weights and I realised it's going to have to stay at that level until late September (a mixture of having no money to buy news ones and also briefly returning home from uni/going on holiday). Pretty pleased with this though! Seeing as I'll have no access to a gym/weights for all of September I'm thinking of transferring to the Bodyweight brigade just for the month so that I stay in relatively decent shape, anybody got any experience with this? Also considering taking a 1 week break at the start of September as I heard it's good to take a break once in a while?