ShortWarning's "let's get big and strong" training log

Soldato
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
Hey all,

I've decided to start one of these training logs so I can track progress over the weeks/months/years.

A little about me:

Age: 35 years old
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 69.35kg (18/02/2020)
Current 5RM:
Squat - 122.5kg
Bench - 77.5kg
Deadlift - 130kg
OHP - 45kg

Health issues:

I'm a type 1 diabetic who is very luckily on the Freetyle Libre program. This doesn't make too much difference to my training but lifting weights/cardio does greatly affect my blood sugar levels. I may post this information as it could be useful to others.
Essentially lifting weights elicits an adrenaline response which makes my blood sugar levels rise, cardio does the opposite

A little bit about blood sugar levels:

Normal levels in a non diabetic is between 4.0mmol/L - 8.0mmol/L.
In someone with diabetes up to 10mmol/L is acceptable but you will see mine go way higher than that. In a type 1 diabetic this is normal and on the most part unavoidable but my A1C (which is my average levels over a 6 months period) always average out to that of a non-diabetic (but on the upper range). Essentially the hospital is almost always happy with the range that my blood sugar levels sit between even though they are higher than those of a non-diabetic.

I also regularly suffer from lower back pain in my SI joint. I've seen physios/chiropractors and had MRI's but no one really know's what's going on with it. When it flares up I've tried both resting and training through it and neither really affects how long it takes ease off. When it's at it's worse the most I normally do is take a week off or at least deload a little.
I've also had 3 surgeries on my right elbow due to bone spurs. My right elbow is totally fine but I have slight pain in my left elbow locking out dumbells so there may be some sort of spur there too but it's nowhere near bad enough to consider surgery yet.
Lastly, I have mild arthritis in my right shoulder but it doesn't really affect anything yet as long as I warm it up properly.

Other than lifting I'm a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I train this 2-3 times a week, always after lifting.

My goals:

To get big and strong really. I've just finished Stronglifts 5x5 which I have now stalled on but I managed to add lots onto each of my 5RM's so now onto Madcow to see if I can eek a little more out. Due to starting light with stronglifts and thanks to the guidance of many on this forum I feel like my form has improved massively.

I have entered the numbers into the Madcow spreadsheet. I'm looking to match my 5rm's on weeks 5 or 6 depending on the exercise.

Here we go.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
17/02/2020

Squat:
5x55kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x82.5kg ☑️
5x97.5kg ☑️
5x110kg ☑️

Bench:
5x35kg ☑️
5x42.5kg ☑️
5x50kg ☑️
5x60kg ☑️
5x67.5kg ☑️

Row:
5x35kg ☑️
5x42.5kg ☑️
5x50kg ☑️
5x60kg ☑️
5x67.5kg ☑️

Leg extension 52kg-12,12,10

Leg curl 41kg - 12,12,12

Dips 3x12 (I would normally do weighted dips but at this point I had had enough).

Blood sugar levels Before 7.0
Blood sugar levels After 9.1

Notes:

Even though the weights were light, this felt like one of the hardest sessions I've had in a while. I felt like absolute death due to a cold and probably wasn't really up to the session. Regardless, I got through it and I'm feeling a bit better today. I also annoyingly had to do it all out of order because the gym was so busy.

Looking at my weight, I probably need to up my calories. I'm going to see where it sits next Monday and go from there.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
Nice work for getting in there sick!

doing leg work (extentions and curls) after squats is brave, you know you have to squat again and dead lift on Wednesday right :)

That's tonight actually! :p (I have to train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday). Luckily tonight is light squats day. I don't really suffer from DOMs anymore. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing?
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2009
Posts
6,356
Location
Hertfordshire
That's tonight actually! :p (I have to train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday). Luckily tonight is light squats day. I don't really suffer from DOMs anymore. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing?

You will at a point again im sure!

yea the second day of the week is considered "light" day, but depending on how you have trained in the past, doing sets of deadlifts might start to burn when you get a bit heavier.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Jan 2009
Posts
6,356
Location
Hertfordshire
Ah well in that case you will be fine.

As for warm ups on 5x5 its usually not needed (strictly talking Dead lifts) because by that point you have already done 5 sets of heavy squats (and warm up sets, and another compound lift) so you should be nice and warm already by that point.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
18/02/2020

Squat
5x55kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x82.5kg ☑️
5x82.5kg ☑️

OHP
5x25kg ☑️
5x30kg ☑️
5x35kg ☑️
5x40kg ☑️

Deadlift
5x72.5kg ☑️
5x87.5kg ☑️
5x100kg ☑️
5x115kg ☑️

Db shoulder lat raise 10kg-12,11,11

Faces pulls 14.7kg-15,15,13

Dips +20kg-10,9,6

Blood sugar levels Before - 8.2
Blood sugar levels Before - 9.2

Notes:

I actually did 100kg on my last set of squats because it didn't feel like I was doing anything. I guess I need to stop doing that. Everything else felt fine.
I'm undecided on the extra shoulder exercises. I'm not sure about Lat raises because they are so hard to progress on and I don't really love face pulls, they either seem too easy or I lose my balance, there's not much of a middle ground for me. I'll figure it out. I also decided to move dips to the "Wednesday" which then gives me a chance to do an extra chest exercise on Monday.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
20/02/2020

Squat
5x55kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x82.5kg ☑️
5x97.5kg ☑️
3x112.5kg ☑️
8x82.5kg ☑️

Bench
5x35kg ☑️
5x42.5kg ☑️
5x50kg ☑️
5x60kg ☑️
3x70kg ☑️
8x50kg ☑️

Row
5x35kg ☑️
5x42.5kg ☑️
5x50kg ☑️
5x60kg ☑️
3x70kg ☑️
8x50kg ☑️

Pull ups +10kg-6,5,5

Straight arm cable pull downs 32kg-10,9,8

Bb Bicep curls 20kg (excl bar)-9,8,6


Blood sugar levels Before - 9.3mmol/L
Blood sugar levels Afterwards - 10.6mmol/L

Notes:

I did way more reps of everything in the Madcow section to give me a bit more of a workout. I've been really working on my form for bench and I think it's slowly starting to click.
My pull ups are terrible. I really don't think I'm doing them properly because I never feel any sort of pump in my lats and they're pretty uncontrolled (it's the same without any additional weight except I can perform more reps). I don't know how heavy the barbell I'm using for bicep curls is so I'm just tracking the plates. I also did some light but really slow paused lat pull downs and cable rows as I had a bit of additional time at the end.

This was followed by BJJ which was really tough, I think due to the remnants of my man flu.

Such gains. Very strength.

For somebody that weighs less than one of my legs, those are some nice lifts!

Thanks, buddy! :)
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
24/02/2020
Squat
5x57.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x85kg ☑️
97.5kg ☑️
112.5kg ☑️

Bench
5x35kg ☑️
5x45kg ☑️
5x52.5kg ☑️
5x62.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️

Row
5x35kg ☑️
5x45kg ☑️
5x52.5kg ☑️
5x62.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️

Decline Db bench 28kg-12,12,10

Leg extension 52kg-12,12,12

Leg curl 45kg-12,12,8

Blood sugar levels Before - 10.7
Blood sugar levels Afterwards - 9.8

Notes:
My weight has been extremely weird over the last week. I randomly weighed myself Saturday night and I was 68.8kg. Yesterday morning I was 70.1kg. There's nothing that really explains that massive shift so I may have to invest in some better scales. My kids weights have been fluctuating massively on them as well.
I've forgotten how hard I had to push myself to get 5x5 heavy squats, this lower intensity is making the top sets feel harder (although I think it's probably just in my head).
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
25/02/2020
Squat
5x57.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x85kg ☑️
5x100kg ☑️

OHP
5x25kg ☑️
5x30kg ☑️
5x35kg ☑️
5x40kg ☑️
5x40kg ☑️

Deadlift
5x72.5kg ☑️
5x87.5kg ☑️
5x102.5kg ☑️
5x117.5kg ☑️

Db shoulder lat raise 10kg-12,12,12,

Faces pulls 14.7kg-15,15,15

Dips +20kg-10,10,7

Blood sugar levels Before - 10.9mmol/L
Blood sugar levels Afterwards - 7.9mmol/L

Notes:

No real issues at the gym. Added an extra set of OHP. I'm not really sure why Madcow only prescribes 4 sets a week? My arms/shoulders felt wrecked for BJJ. :p My back is still playing up, not at the gym, I never feel it there, just the rest of the time. It's a constant dull ache. Not really sure where to turn for it as no one seems to be able to figure it out.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
27/02/2020
Squat
5x57.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x85kg ☑️
5x97.5kg ☑️
5x115kg ☑️
8x85kg ☑️

Bench
5x35kg ☑️
5x45kg ☑️
5x52.5kg ☑️
5x62.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
5x70kg☑️

Row
5x35kg ☑️
5x45kg ☑️
5x52.5kg ☑️
5x62.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️
8x60kg ☑️

Pull ups +10kg-7,6,6

Straight arm pull down 32kg-10,10,8

Bb Bicep curls 20kg-I ran out of time so just did drop sets of as many as I could but didn't count.

Blood sugar levels Before - 7.9mmol/L
(I forgot to take them afterwards).

Notes:

My pull ups still feel rubbish. Progessing slowly though. Felt much better at BJJ tonight.

I've posted some form videos here before it gets really heavy:

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/33382623/

As noted my bench is terrible. I'm going to try and get another vid on Monday with the normal bench that I use.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
Funny you should say that, I went for some 1RM's on Saturday.

I wasn't planning to train but my friend who I was going for drinks with decided he wanted to go to the gym instead.

Got a 150kg deadlift out. Much shaking was had.

Also managed a 50kg strict OHP which I completely failed on a month ago and a 60kg push press.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
10 May 2004
Posts
5,149
Location
Middlesex
02/03/2020
Squat
5x57.5kg ☑️
5x72.5kg ☑️
5x87.5kg ☑️
5x100kg ☑️
5x115kg ☑️

Bench
5x35kg ☑️
5x45kg ☑️
5x52.5kg ☑️
5x62.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️

Row
5x35kg ☑️
5x45kg ☑️
5x52.5kg ☑️
5x62.5kg ☑️
5x70kg ☑️

Decline Db bench 28kg-12,12,12

Leg extension 55kg-12,12,12

Leg curl 45kg-12,8

Blood sugar levels Before - 6.2mmol/L
Blood sugar levels Afterwards - 13.2mmol/L

Note:

My lower back was absolutely wrecked from the deadlifts on Saturday. Massive pain but in my muscles as opposed to my usual injury site (which was still hurting but just the usual amount). I only just managed that last squat @ 115kg which has me slightly worried for my progress. My hamstrings were also seemingly wrecked because I managed less on curls than I did the week before. By the end of my session my high blood sugar levels were also starting to affect performance. An all round terrible session really. :p On the positive I'll be moving up a weight on my db incline bench next week.
I'm worried that my back is still going to be too wrecked for deadlifts tonight but we shall see.
 
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