Ancalagon The Black's "Fire Starter" Challenge

[Ancalagon The Black]

Hello Fellow Nerds/Geeks,

I have been a lurker for far too long and it seems that I ought to play the RPG that is my life better. I just started out on my "getting-back-to-fitness" journey and am so far focusing on strength. I have started with a variation of the 5X5 program and I think I am transitioning from the utter n00b to the advanced beginner phase. My starting stats are as follows:

Name: Ancalagon The Black

Race: Half (Black) Dragon (The other half is a very generic human. )

Class: Warrior

Age: 27

Sex: Male

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 177.5lbs

Starting Stats:

STR - 4

DEX - 2

STA - 1

CON - 3

WIS - 3

CHA - 2

My current lift PRs (for 5 reps; I do not know my 1 RM maxes) are:

Deadlift: 325lbs

Back Squat: 295lbs

Overhead Press: 120lbs

Bench Press: 175lbs

I have been plateauing on the overhead press, the rows and on the squats recently and I want to keep increasing my lifts and get PRs every month. My Goals for the next 6 weeks are as follows:

Deadlifts = 355lbs for 5 reps

Reward: +3 STR, 1 STA,

Back Squats = 315lbs for 5 reps

Reward: +3 STR, 1 STA

Overhead Press = 135lbs for 5 reps

Reward: +3 STR, 1 STA

Bench Press = 200lbs for 5 reps

Reward: +3 STR, 1 STA

How I achieve these goals is very simple. I will sleep 8 hours a night, eat 80% Primal and train with this program 3 days a week like I usually do. Very simple. Sleep. Eat. Train. Repeat.

I ask you fellow rebels to apprise the distribution of my potential attribute points and to please comment on my goals for the next 6 weeks. I have a point on STA for each lift because I am doing each for 5 reps instead of a 1RM max. I also want to assure everyone that these gains might not seem much (about 15-30 lbs gain promises per lift) but I am plateauing on pretty much every lift here right now and would like to use the next 6 weeks as a plateau busting, fire breathing phase where I destroy all my current PRs and set new ones.

Thank you all for visiting this page.

Goal Updates !!

I have decided to push myself further in honor of my first challenge here. Therefore, I have increased the challenge in my goals.

[jessydiamond]

This is quite inspiring, another 5'6" guy like me! One day I'll be able to lift that much.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Hey jessydiamond, I am sure you can also lift this much and in fact, much more than me if you keep at it. When I started about 6 months ago, I just started with the bar but I kept at it 3 days a week building a routine and changing my diet to primal (I eat dairy and chocolate). My lifts just kept going up. I have been very inspired by this website and also my Lift Big Eat Big and I am just keeping at it. My goal for my 1st anniversary of power lifting is to deadlift 4 plates, squat 3, bench 2 and OHP 1 plate.

As far as height is concerned, popular wisdom says that the best powerlifters are also pretty tall - which is all good. But, my objective is not to deadlift 1000 pounds. I look very, very sturdy and stocky (like Gimli the dwarf perhaps? ) That is fine with me - as long as I can sweep my hypothetical significant other off her feet effortlessly whenever it is necessary.

[Khep]

Those are some awesome numbers! Good luck with your goals.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Thank you khep. You have some great numbers too !

[Ancalagon The Black]

Update: September 25, 2012

So, today's workout was pretty good. I felt very strong and actually achieved the following:

1. Deadlift: 335 X 5 (10 pounds down, 20 to go in the next few weeks but it will be harder)

2. Overhead Press: 125 X 3 (I could not finish the last 2 reps. I just did not have enough strength to finish)

I also slept in very nicely for about 8 hours and had 2 huge meals involving ground beef, portabella mushrooms and bbq ribs. Thus, I feel 0nice and satiated now and will go to bed after drinking some cream and whole milk with whey protein. I feel good. I might just mow down these goals after all.

Does anyone know what happens if we surpass our goals and keep going within the 6 weeks. Ok, this is probably my euphoria speaking.

Today's Weight: 177 lbs

[AngelaTheGeek]

Wow! Your numbers are outstanding!!! I have no doubt you will surpass your goals.

I hit my front squat goal today, so I'm increasing my goal number. If it were later in the challenge, I would take the points. I also hadn't maxed out my front lift in a while, so my goal was probably off anyway.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Thank you very much ! I was actually very surprised with my effort on the deadlift today. I think I was really psyched up about this challenge, which is my first. I have been stuck on the big 4 for a while now. In fact, 285->295 in squats took me a month for 5 reps and I had been stuck on 120 in OHP for about 3 weeks before I managed to get it up for 5 reps.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Updates in % Gains Promised

So far, I promised the following in the next 6 weeks for 5 reps:

Deadlifts = 325 -> 355

Back Squats = 295 -> 315

Bench Press = 175 -> 200

OHP = 120 -> 135

The following is the intended goal improvement (in percentages)

Deadlifts: 9.23%

Back Squats: 6.77%

Bench Press: 14.28%

OHP: 12.5%

Since I am plateauing on all these lifts, I have intentionally adjusted the goals to reflect the lift gain percentages for the lifts where I am plateauing the least. In order of plateauing the least, my lifts are BP > OHP > DL > BSQ. Therefore, my employing a variable distribution in goal levels, I hope that I can better reflect my strength and fitness status and better align it for this challenge goals.

Thank you all and please do comment on this.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Update: September 27, 2012

I felt pretty good at the gym today. I ate a huge 4 egg omelette with cheese but unfortunately got only 5 hours of sleep due to a dastardly piece of writing that I had due in class today. Graduate students shouldn't have to take classes ! :X

Anyway, I PR'ed on 2 of my goals:

1. Back Squats = 300 lbs X 5 reps (Squee !)

2. Bench Press = 180 lbs X 5 reps (Double Squee !)

I feel pretty good today and I am going to go and eat some more. This challenge is going to go down !

PS: Any tips for more sleep? I continuously feel as if I should be surfing and commenting on NF late at night.

Today's Weight: 180.2 lbs

[Carsomyr]

Update: September 27, 2012

Anyway, I PR'ed on 2 of my goals:

1. Back Squats = 300 lbs X 5 reps (Squee !)

2. Bench Press = 180 lbs X 5 reps (Double Squee !)

PS: Any tips for more sleep? I continuously feel as if I should be surfing and commenting on NF late at night.

Looking great on the lifts !

Wish I had tips to help with the sleep, as that really helps to keep momentum

[Ancalagon The Black]

Thanks for the encouragement ! I am eating and lifting hard but sleeping hard also needs to happen. I felt good at the gym today but right now I am totally beat. 8 hours of sleep makes me happy. Tonight I shall sleep hard as I have nothing significant to do tomorrow. (I love grad school)

[Ancalagon The Black]

Update: September 29, 2012

Deadlift = 345lbs X 2reps

Analysis: I was pressed for time today so I think I didn't have enough time between sets. Anyway, I did 2 reps on 345. This makes me feel very good. Maybe I will get 355 before the 6 weeks are up?

OHP = 125lbs X 5 reps

Analysis: I felt very strong today on the OHP and busted out these 5 final reps nicely. 130lbs next time then ! It took me 1 month to get from 120lbs to 125lbs for 5 reps.

Overall: I generally include 5 sets of dumbbell rows with these 2 exercises but today I could not do it because I was 35 minutes late to the gym and almost stood my training partner up. Obviously, this infuriated her and I hated it. This "coming-to-the-party-late" habit of mine must be stopped for whatever reasons. Next challenge, I shall have a life goal of NOT being habitually late.

[Sanjh]

Nice work! For sleep, I'd say automate. An hour before bed have your internet, computer etc. automatically turn off (there are various programs you can use for this).

[Ancalagon The Black]

Thats a great idea. Any suggestions for these applications? I need to work on 2 things in the next challenge - going to bed on time and showing up at meetings on time - I suck at both.

[Sanjh]

For the internet thing Lifehacker had an article on a program called stayfocused I'd just set the bounding times for the time you should be sleeping.

I think windows at least used to have a setting for automatic sleep and wake up, but I'm an OSX/Linux guy myself and haven't used windows since early 2008.

[Ancalagon The Black]

I am a Linux guy as well. Thanks a lot for the article. I will go through it. This is really a lifestyle aspect of mine that I would like to clear up.

[daeohtar]

My main problem is getting up. I like sleeping too much, or I don't go to bed early enough. Regardless, I set about five alarms. -.-''

What helps me is that my watch is 3-6 minutes fast, which gets me to things on time, if not early.

Also, nice goals! :-) I do think reducing your tech before bed will help you sleep better. Waking up, for me, works better if I have a lot of natural light coming in my windows.

[Ancalagon The Black]

You know what happened last night? I was right on time to go to bed and sleep for 8 hours and then wake up nice and early. I went to bed and tried to sleep even though I felt tired. Sleep just wouldn't come. So, I woke up and played some Assassin's Creed: Revelations and tried to sleep some more when I got tired. Didn't happen. So, I tried to do it again. This continued until it was 4 am finally and I went to sleep and woke up very late at about 10:45 am ish. This needs to change. :X

[Ancalagon The Black]

Update: October 2, 2012

Squats = 305 X 3.

Analysis: I felt my form slipping away on the 3rd rep so I didn't do any more. Still, its 3 more than last time. More eating and sleeping necessary. I think I also carried the weight for a long time on my shoulders than necessary because I didn't setup the squat rack properly. Gah !

Bench Press = 185 X 3

Analysis: I feel happy with this. Its 3 more than last time and I will break this chain later this week. More eating and sleeping then.

I also showed up relatively on time at the gym so as not to incur the wrath of my training partner. Hell surely hath no fury than a woman kept waiting for power lifting.

Body Weight: 178.8 lbs

[sunshower]

I also showed up relatively on time at the gym so as not to incur the wrath of my training partner. Hell surely hath no fury than a woman kept waiting for power lifting.

probably true. this is why i go alone, so i don't have to murder a late training partner.

& what are you studying in grad school?

[Ancalagon The Black]

Haha. Correct.

I study location based networks, specifically foursquare and try to combine statistical modeling and qualitative approaches in analyzing location based behavior.

[Hardcore]

Very impressed with the squat and deadlift, those are some very solid numbers. Keep it up and destroy those goals!

[Ancalagon The Black]

Very impressed with the squat and deadlift, those are some very solid numbers. Keep it up and destroy those goals!

Thank you very much ! I will try.

[Ancalagon The Black]

Update: October 4, 2012

Deadlifts = 345 X 3

Analysis: This is a 1 rep improvement over last time which is fine. I almost had another rep busted out but failed on the top of the lockout. But this is good. I will break this record next time.

OHP = 130 X 5

Analysis: I felt uberly strong on this today and smashed this PR like a boss. This is the first time I have smashed a 5 rep PR on the first try. Remember, that it took me a month to get to 125 from 120.

I feel good and well rested. I think my plan of eating a lot and (trying to) sleep a lot may just be working. I will continue to eat massive amounts of food and to sleep well then. Just 5 pounds more for my initial strength target of OHP'ing 1 plate ! Squee !

Today's Bodyweight: 178 pounds