The Strongest Programmer

Went to the gym today thinking I might put up a big number for deadlift.

Deadlift:  405×2, 405×1 (failure).  I also tried 475×1 but it didn’t get close to leaving the ground.  That’s where the humility comes in.

The Press:  3×5 115 lbs. (last set 7 reps, should move up in weight next time I do this).

I went to the gym because I was having trouble working out a programming problem, with the hopes that some exercise would get my mind working, and it seems it has worked. I haven’t gotten to the gym enough lately because I’ve been working on a project.

As a side note, it’s probably a good idea not to go to the gym when you have only slept 3.5 hours.  I didn’t think about that when I decided to go, but that’s the reality of my situation today.  Maybe the deadlift would have gone better on a full 8-9 hours of sleep.  We’ll have to wait and see next week.

Managed to get into the gym for a 2nd straight day.  It’s a miracle.  While there I managed a good lift in bench press:  3×5 at 205 lbs. (3rd set was 7 reps) so I’ll be going up to 225 lbs. next Monday.  Also started a short love affair with heavy shrugs, 3×10x315 lbs.  I might need to go lighter to get the most work out of them, this is still up in the air.

But… the bar  was using was loose on one end.  Loose to the point that the set screw on that end could be turned with my fingers.  When you’re loading up 455 lbs. that will scare the crap out of you.  I didn’t get to do it.  I did do 405 lbs. (before I noticed the screw issue) without even straining.  I also managed a 1RM OHP of 165 lbs.  Not great, but a reasonable starting point.

Lat Pulldowns:  3×5 140 lbs. (last set was 7 good reps, 3 partials).  I need to go up in weight on this next time.

I finally got off my ass again today and went to the gym.  I decided to find out where I was with my lower body lifts.  I managed a squat of 455 lbs. with relative ease.  I followed that up with a 405 lbs. deadlift, which I think was low because I was tired from squats.  I stopped my deadlift ascent because my right pectoral was flexing too much and cramping.  I think I am overcompensating for my right bicep (the one I tore apart) and flexing my tricep and right pectoral to make sure I don’t flex my bicep.  I need to work on my form for that before I try for a real 1RM.

I’m back in the saddle.  Time to get to work.

It begins anew.

I’m back at the gym finally after really falling off of the horse, for 10 months.  My lifts are all down 40 lbs. which is distressing, but I’m selling it to myself as “I’ll get all that strength back in the first month.”  We’ll see.

Today was chest / shoulder / tricep day:

Bench Press:  205 lbs (1×5, 1×4 failure)

The Press:  95 lbs (2×5, 1×6 failure, going up in weight on this one next week)

Tricep Press Downs:  80 lbs.  (3x to failure)

Paul Stamatiou has a great article for how you can work dieting into your startup routine over on his blog:

http://paulstamatiou.com/programmers-startup-diet-how-i-lost-35-pounds

It really helps me to see that other people are having success with their diet and workout plans.  Thanks Paul!

I had to take some time off from my workout schedule.  This is likely a mistake, but I did it anyway.  Due to the complications of life I couldn’t make it to the gym for almost 3 weeks.  I felt like crap, my work suffered, my life suffered.  I don’t suggest doing this.

When I finally made my way back, I found I had lost a lot of the edge that I had gained.  My abs cramped badly during my 2nd set of abs (normally do 3 sets easily).  My weight was down.  I think you should plan on doing less weight for all your lifts for at least the first two weeks of your return.  I’ve cut my sets and weight, and I have a plan to work back up to where I was.  My cardiovascular suffered too.  I’m going to be adding sessions of cardiovascular to supplement my weightlifting and to help it.  I think I can lift the weight with my muscles, but the oxygen supply is just too low currently.

Most importantly, I lost the will to lift.  That last rep, that last set, it’s hard.  Your body isn’t sure if it can do it, and when you’ve taken time off your mind isn’t sure either.  You don’t want to get hurt, but you want to do your best.  Getting back the will to lift is what I’m working on now.  I’m going to spend two weeks getting back to where I was, them I’m going to get that 365 lbs. for 5 sets of 5 on squats, getting me back on track.

Last night I did “bench day” or “chest day” depending on how you look at it.  Last week I got my reps:  225×3x5 for bench, 135×3x5 for the press.  I felt pretty good about those lifts.  I felt like they were setting me up for success down the road.

This week I look in my spreadsheet and I find another level for me to reach:  235×3x5 for bench and 145×3x5 for the press.  The numbers just keep creeping up.  I wonder whether I can maintain this kind of pace and keep growing.  I managed to get all my reps last night at the new heavier weights.  I like to imagine that when my best lift goes up 10 lbs. then so does my one rep max.

I won’t weight lift again until Thursday.  Now if only I could master this cardio situation.

Two weeks ago my squat workout called for 5 sets of 5 reps at 315 lbs.  I wanted it bad.  I wanted to see that the last two months of working out had made a difference  I used to do more weight than this, but never for this many sets.  I slept extra the night before my squats workout.  I reasoned that I could do this, 315 lbs. used to be my warm-up weight when I was going really heavy and doing only 1 work set.  I wasn’t sure I could do it.  I wasn’t sure my cardiovascular was ready to handle that many sets with a real weight.

The morning comes, I make my way to the gym.  I tell my trainer that I slept extra and that I want my full 315×5x5 on squats.  I figure if I get this it’s really good evidence that I’m closing in on a 500 lbs. squat.   My sets go pretty easy.  I hype myself up for the final set.  I bang out 5 reps no problem.  I cannot believe what I’ve done.  I have that feeling of accomplishment.  I consider my 315×5x5 my best squat lift ever.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I had a “de-load” a week ago, where I work on form and endurance with considerably less weight (max 135 lbs.) and higher rep counts.  Now, according to my plan, I’m supposed to do 340×5x5.  That’s right, 25 lbs. more than my greatest ever squat lift, accomplished two weeks ago.  How the hell am I going to do that?  Could I simply be that much stronger already?  I get lots of rest; I know I am going to need it.

The morning comes, I go through my usual routine of getting ready, the same pants, the same small breakfast.  I make my way to the gym.  I text my trainer (we’re doing remote training now because he moved, I’ll cover this in a future blog post) and get reminders about form and motivational inspiration.  In the back of my mind I’m still thinking: how the hell am I going to do 25 lbs. more than my best ever lift only 2 weeks later?

The first set is good, strong setup, strong lift off the rack and I get my 5 reps.

Second set just the same, feeling a bit tired, but I get through it.

Third set is a bit hard, on the last rep I lean too far forward, but recover.

Now it’s starting to feel real to me, I could get all 5 sets.  I push on.

Fourth set comes and goes without incident, it’s easy, I get the weight up no problem.  The fifth set is coming.  I can do this.

Fifth set gets me a little hyped up, I can smell it now, I’m so close, I can get this.  I can do all these reps.  I can establish a new personal best squat lift.

It goes up easy.  340×5x5.  Long story short, don’t doubt your abilities.  Don’t worry about doing the impossible, do the possible.  You can do it.

Now, just have to get my 340×3x3 on deadlift….Crap.

P.S.  I did get the deadlift too. 

My trainer talks to me while I work out.  Usually it’s suggestions about form, or most often, breathing.  Sometimes though, it’s philosophical.

I’m pretty strong compared to the average person.  First off, I weigh twice what the average person does, so my legs are stronger.  Cold, without working out at all, I could squat 445 lbs.  I could deadlift that too.  That’s just a side effect of weighing 300+ lbs. for the last 5 years.  My bench strength isn’t nearly as impressive, but was still reasonable for a normal person (best ever 275 x 4 reps).  Since having my distal biceps tendon rupture repaired in May 2009 I have been working on my upper body strength; first in physical therapy, then with my trainer.  All of that makes me pretty strong compared to a normal person.

If you look through the above paragraph you’ll see I mention this mythical “normal person” a lot.  My trainer objected to my comparing myself to this normal person.  A normal person cannot squat even 400 lbs.  A normal person doesn’t bench press 300 lbs.  A normal person isn’t who I should be comparing myself to.  If I want to get stronger, he said, I needed to change my peer group.  He said I needed to start freeing my mind of what’s normal.  The only thing that mattered is what was normal for me, and what my potential was.

The question is: what can I achieve?