Here Comes a New Challenger ::sweetale::

[sweetale]

Alright, first challenge, let's do this! Been running a battle log for the past couple of weeks and will link to it in my sig when I get to it.

 

I'm a powerbuilder. I train to increase my numbers in bench press, squat, and deadlift while also training and eating to have an aesthetic physique. Over the course of the past two years, I lost 45lbs, gained back 30, lost 30, and recently gained back 10 rebuilding my strength. My 5'10 self has been sitting at 210lbs for the past month. I've recently been eating about 2800-3200 calories a day and I train about 3-4 times a week. I stopped doing cardio about a month ago.

 

Main Quest:

My conservative goals are to meet or beat the following 1RMs by the end of the year without getting fat (I'll make that more quantifiable in the future):

 

Squat = 455lbs

Bench Press = 315lbs

Deadlift = 455lbs

 

I haven't tested my 1RMs since last year when I was 230lbs, so here are my most recent working sets for context:

 

Squat: 5X5X350

Bench Press: 5X5X235

Deadlift: 5X3X385

 

Challenge Quests

 

1. Training: Train Bench Press and Squat at least twice per week and Deadlift once per week. Perform a bodybuilding style upper body accessory workout once per week. By the end of the challenge, find/develop a program that I can follow consistently through the end of September.

 

2. Macros: Track macros as accurately as possible 6/7 days per week. I will use MyFitnessPal for this. I will be eating the 2800-3200 calories that I've been eating for the past week and I will weigh myself daily and take weekly progress pictures. By the end of the challenge I will analyze macros/weight/appearance/strength and adjust my macro goals accordingly for the next challenge.

 

3. Sleep: Get 7 hours of sleep each night. I want to work my way up to 8, but for now 7 is a reasonable goal. I am a night owl and I'm at work 8-5.

 

4. Level up your Life: Find a new gym. I don't like my current gym because it's crowded and full of shady people. I had a pair SlingShot Gangsta wraps stolen from my bag when I was squatting. They have a ton of equipment and are powerlifter friendly, but I hate the overall scumbag vibe of the place. By the end of the challenge, I want to find a gym where I can get my training done in a clean, friendlier environment.

 

To get things started I'll report on today.

 

05/08/2016

 

1. Training:

 

Bench Press 5X5X235lbs

Deadlift 3X5X385lbs

 

Current Week Training Progress

Squat: 0/2

Bench Press: 1/2

Deadlift: 1/1

Bodybuilding: 0/1

 

2. Macros:

Ate a TON at a Mother's Day brunch. Starting off this week with my no tracking day.

 

3. Sleep:

I'll report on this tomorrow.

 

4. Gym Search:

Haven't begun, but I know which one I'm going to look at first... more on that later.

[ORazor]

Very impressive lifts! What program are you running?

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[Sam Ashen]

Big numbers alright.  Welcome to the Warriors!

[sweetale]

15 minutes ago, ORazor said:

Very impressive lifts! What program are you running?

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Thanks! At the moment, I'm not really following a strict program. That's what I'm trying to get to by the end of this challenge. Basically, I do a 5X5 of each of the powerlifts once per week and for squat and bench I'll do an additional training sesh of triples or sets of four. I started off two years ago with StrongLifts 5X5 and for most of last year I just did what my stronger gym buddy did. Wasn't a whole lot of method to the madness. 

[sweetale]

2 minutes ago, Sam Ashen said:

Big numbers alright.  Welcome to the Warriors!

 

Thank you!

[sweetale]

Starting Weight and Progress Pic

 

Progress Pic 05/08/2016 - 210lbs

Spoiler

 

[ORazor]

I'm very jealous of your matching Squat and DL! My squat lags by 100lbs!

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[sweetale]

5 hours ago, ORazor said:

I'm very jealous of your matching Squat and DL! My squat lags by 100lbs!

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My small hands, short limbs, and long torso keep them pretty even.

[NatetheStrong]

Great lifts, great goals. Welcome to the warriors guild.

 

We should be having a virtual powerlifting competition here in June, and would love to have you compete in it.

 

And whereabouts do you live? On the off chance you're around St. Louis, I'm in dire need of a lifting partner.

[SpecialSundae]

On 09/05/2016 at 1:20 PM, ORazor said:

I'm very jealous of your matching Squat and DL! My squat lags by 100lbs!

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I wish mine didn't match! An extra 50kg on deadlifts would help a lot!

 

Hey Sweetale and welcome to the Warriors! Nice numbers! How long have you been lifting?

[sweetale]

8 hours ago, NatetheStrong said:

Great lifts, great goals. Welcome to the warriors guild.

 

We should be having a virtual powerlifting competition here in June, and would love to have you compete in it.

 

And whereabouts do you live? On the off chance you're around St. Louis, I'm in dire need of a lifting partner.

 

Thank you! A virtual meet sounds awesome! I've never competed, though I've definitely considered it. There's a powerlifting gym two cities away that hosts meets. I'm in So Cal, so good look with your gym buddy endeavors!

 

8 hours ago, SpecialSundae said:

I wish mine didn't match! An extra 50kg on deadlifts would help a lot!

 

Hey Sweetale and welcome to the Warriors! Nice numbers! How long have you been lifting?

 

Thanks! If you have the same name on MyFitnessPal, I think we're friends there. Definitely have seen a SpeciealSundae in my feed. I'm PowerAJS.  I started with StrongLifts 5X5 over 2 years ago and did that for 8 months before falling off the wagon.  I rebooted my training about a year ago.

[sweetale]

Gonna keep this brief so I can accomplish my sleep goal for the night. Here's how I've been doing the past two days:

 

05/09/2016 - Monday

 

1. Training:

 

I did my bodybuilding/accessory lift at the apartment complex gym. The dumbbells only go up to 50lbs. I was a bit on the tired side, so I didn't superset anything and rested more than I usually do. I still got a good pump.

 

Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press

1X10X50

1X9X50 - Was trying to break in my compression cuffs some more, but stiff cuffs and dumbbells don't mix, so I removed them.

2X10X50

 

Lat Pull-Down

2X15X100

1X12X100

 

Incline Dumbbell Press

3X20X50

 

Hammer Curls

2X10X30

1X12X25

 

Dumbbell Press

2X25X50

1X20X50

 

Seated Row

3X15X85

 

Current Week Training Progress

Squat: 0/2

Bench Press: 1/2

Deadlift: 1/1

Bodybuilding: 1/1

 

2. Macros:

Calories: 2993

Protein: 217g

Carbs: 331g

Fat: 89g

 

3. Sleep:

Got six and some change - Fail

 

4. Gym Search:

A local chiropractor opened a gym in my town and it looks legit from what I've seen online. I need to pay it a visit. The local 24 hour is also an option if I want to become a really early morning person, because my sister says it's a zoo after work.

 

05/10/2016 - Tuesday

 

1. Training:

 

Squat Tuesday was fun. I got to try out my STrong sleeves and they're springy! Got em tight, so they're a pain to get on, but I'm sure that will get easier with use.

 

Squat 5X5X355

 

Current Week Training Progress

Squat: 1/2

Bench Press: 1/2

Deadlift: 1/1

Bodybuilding: 1/1

 

2. Macros:

Calories: 3283

Protein: 266g

Carbs: 332g

Fat: 99g

 

3. Sleep:

Got just over 7 - Pass.

 

4. Gym Search:

See previous.

[SpecialSundae]

 

Thanks! If you have the same name on MyFitnessPal, I think we're friends there. Definitely have seen a SpeciealSundae in my feed. I'm PowerAJS.  I started with StrongLifts 5X5 over 2 years ago and did that for 8 months before falling off the wagon.  I rebooted my training about a year ago.

Aha! Yes! That's me! I'm SpecialSundae pretty much anywhere you see that username.

[Br0din]

Welcome Bro,  your journey seems very similar to where I was when I started.  Good luck. 

[sweetale]

7 hours ago, Br0din said:

Welcome Bro,  your journey seems very similar to where I was when I started.  Good luck. 

 

Thank you! Glad to be here.

[sweetale]

It's rest day. Gonna do some cleaning and get plenty of sleep. My 64oz steel water jug and 20oz coffee thermos arrived! Here's to hydration and caffeination! If I'm feeling up to it after dinner, I might make a YouTube channel so I can link you guys to my lifting videos and nerdy hobbies

 

05/11/2016 - Wednesday

 

1. Training:

Rest

 

Current Week Training Progress

Squat: 1/2

Bench Press: 1/2

Deadlift: 1/1

Bodybuilding: 1/1

 

2. Macros:

 

Every Wednesday is Pizza Day at work. I had two slices of pepperoni and sausage.

 

Calories: 3145

Protein: 222g

Carbs: 319g

Fat: 109g

 

3. Sleep:

7 and some change - Pass

 

4. Gym Search:

See previous.

[ORazor]

I'm all in on nerdy hobbies.

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[Jord]

More lifting nerds?!  

[sweetale]

I cashed in on plenty of sleep last night and it paid off. No YouTube videos yet, but I had a great day at work and smashed my second bench press day, getting three more sets than the five I had originally planned.

 

05/12/2016 - Thursday

 

1. Training:

Bench Press 8X3X250

 

Current Week Training Progress

Squat: 1/2

Bench Press: 2/2

Deadlift: 1/1

Bodybuilding: 1/1

 

2. Macros:

 

Calories: 3177

Protein: 250g

Carbs: 335g

Fat: 93g

 

3. Sleep:

Well over 7 - Pass

 

4. Gym Search:

See previous.

 

I'll close tonight with a little #throwbackthursday....

 

 

Who wore it better?  

[Alaysia]

Wow! What a difference! That's seriously awesome! You've given me the incentive to take a pic of myself now in my "before" stage.

[sweetale]

26 minutes ago, Alaysia said:

Wow! What a difference! That's seriously awesome! You've given me the incentive to take a pic of myself now in my "before" stage.

 

Thanks! Do it! I find it incredibly motivating to reflect on how far I've come when I look at old pics.

[sweetale]

05/13/2016 - Friday

 

1. Training:

Got an ego boost and ego check all in the same workout. One of my friends was looking at my squats from my Instagram and pointed out that I've been wearing my belt too high. I watched a couple of videos on proper belt use and breathing technique and applied it tonight. I set out to do 8X3X380. My plate math was a little off and here's what happened:

 

Squat

1X3X400

1X3X405

4X2X405

1X1X405

 

Tripled 400lbs with relative ease, thinking it was 380. A guy watching me said "might as well make it 4 plates" and I realized what I had done. I made it 4 plates and after the first set, knew I wasn't going to be able to keep doing triples, so I started cranking out doubles. I was gassed after the first rep of the last set, but went for it anyway. I ended the week with one hell of a crash, but I was uninjured. This was my first time getting more than a single with anything over 400. I'm happy and will be more humble in the future  

 

Current Week Training Progress

Squat: 2/2

Bench Press: 2/2

Deadlift: 1/1

Bodybuilding: 1/1

 

Success!

 

2. Macros:

Enjoyed a big post workout cheat meal at Micky D's.

 

Calories: 4005

Protein: 240g

Carbs: 372g

Fat: 173g

 

3. Sleep:

7 - Pass

 

4. Gym Search:

Going to pay the 24 hour a visit tomorrow and schedule an appointment at the swanky gym for a tour.

[BarbarianBassBro]

Welcome to the warriors!

I love the term "powerbuilder", it fits exactly how I see myself too: I want more plates on the bars, but adamantium abs and swolebro arms are great too!

[NatetheStrong]

6 hours ago, sweetale said:

Squat

1X3X400

1X3X405

4X2X405

1X1X405

 

Tripled 400lbs with relative ease, thinking it was 380. A guy watching me said "might as well make it 4 plates" and I realized what I had done. I made it 4 plates and after the first set, knew I wasn't going to be able to keep doing triples, so I started cranking out doubles. I was gassed after the first rep of the last set, but went for it anyway. I ended the week with one hell of a crash, but I was uninjured. This was my first time getting more than a single with anything over 400. I'm happy and will be more humble in the future  

Congrats! There's nothing wrong with hitting the crash bars, I do it at least once or twice a month. That's how we know we've given it everything we have.

[Alaysia]

9 hours ago, sweetale said:

05/13/2016 - Friday

 

1. Training:

Got an ego boost and ego check all in the same workout. One of my friends was looking at my squats from my Instagram and pointed out that I've been wearing my belt too high. I watched a couple of videos on proper belt use and breathing technique and applied it tonight. I set out to do 8X3X380. My plate math was a little off and here's what happened:

 

Squat

1X3X400

1X3X405

4X2X405

1X1X405

 

Tripled 400lbs with relative ease, thinking it was 380. A guy watching me said "might as well make it 4 plates" and I realized what I had done. I made it 4 plates and after the first set, knew I wasn't going to be able to keep doing triples, so I started cranking out doubles. I was gassed after the first rep of the last set, but went for it anyway. I ended the week with one hell of a crash, but I was uninjured. This was my first time getting more than a single with anything over 400. I'm happy and will be more humble in the future  

 

 

Congratulations!! I can't wait until I am so bad ass that I accidentally squat 400. Right on! 

(I am getting the idea that messing up plate math let's us see what we can really do.)