Rate my strength training progress over the past 2 months

[ogruskie]

What I started out with (I was/still am weak as hell lol)
Bench press: 90
Deadlift: 60
Squat: 55

Bench Press: 130
Deadlift: 135
Squat: 125

I started out low because I was afraid of injuring myself. Back in high school I jumped quickly into heavy weights and got a stress fracture that lasted for weeks.

I legitimately struggled with the bench press, but with the deadlift/squat I always felt I could do more weight. Again, I didn't want to rush things. It took me a few weeks to find the proper weight so that I could only do 3-5 reps max. The second set of stats that I posted were the weights that I worked with this week and they're feeling pretty light, so I think I'm going to add about 5 more pounds to everything next week.

I've lost roughly roughly 10 pounds so far. I'm looking a bit leaner and I feel great. According to my measurements I have 20.2% body fat, weighing at 170 pounds 5' 9". I do admit that the past week I kinda let myself go. Eating a little more than I should have, and those few games of beer pong probably didn't help either

To conclude, I'm going to cut for another 8-12 weeks and HOPEFULLY reach 15% body fat. That would be ideal, but I'll honestly be happy if I lose any weight at all. Things can only get better from now on as long as I stick to my exercise/diet.

 

[reesespiecestennis]

You're bench is coming along nicely, but you definitely need to add weight to your squats and dead lifts. You're not stressing your muscles at all with those light weights. It was a good idea at first to do what you did, but now that you have gotten those muscles activated again and ready to go, you really need to start adding as much as you can handle.

Don't underestimate you abilities either. I had girls in my advanced P.E. class lifting 200 pounds on deadlift and squat, and two were cheerleaders.

I think it's a good idea to do more reps of lower weights on squat for tennis. About 3 sets of 10 starting at 135 and moving up when you get stronger.

It is important to incorporate low reps with high weights every once in a while to stress the muscles and make sure they don't get used to the same thing.

As for your cutting phase-

Make sure your doing all of the basics such as

Cutting out white flour
Processed foods
Simple Sugars (cake, pies, candies, soda)

And since it's the summer, try to incorporate as much fresh produce and meats into your diet as possible.

One of my favorites is greek yogurt (twice the protein, half the sugar) mixed with blueberries and strawberries.

Best of luck bud.

 

[maverick66]

your weak compared to what? Are you gonna become a powerlifter? Otherwise lift what you can safely and continue to progress forward.

 

[GetBetterer]

Those 3 are good, but are you doing anything else?

Push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, suicides/spider runs, stuff like htat?

 

[OrangeOne]

You're bench is coming along nicely, but you definitely need to add weight to your squats and dead lifts. You're not stressing your muscles at all with those light weights.

How in whatever's name do you know this & can you recommend this?

Before you answer: Do you even know the poster's age or sex, let alone their full training experience?

I had girls in my advanced P.E. class lifting 200 pounds on deadlift and squat, and two were cheerleaders.

For crying out loud, you're a PE teacher? You have a sports qualification? That only makes your advice to the OP above even worse.

I think it's a good idea to do more reps of lower weights on squat for tennis. About 3 sets of 10 starting at 135 and moving up when you get stronger.

The OP is doing 3-5R (failure) @ 125, and you're suggesting 10R @ 135?



The advice that gets given here continues to astound me.

---

To ogr: Nice progress. Remember that the key now is to continue - stopping after 2 months is the biggest crime - well, that, or suddenly throwing form out the window and lifting too much too soon. Personally, I'd advise some higher rep-range lifting and some more variety too, but these are simply my preferences.

 

[maverick66]

Those 3 are good, but are you doing anything else?

Push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, suicides/spider runs, stuff like htat?

Those 3 are the common measures of strength. I like overhead presses better for strength but i am weird like that.

For crying out loud, you're a PE teacher? You have a sports qualification? That only makes your advice to the OP above even worse.

He has some strong ass girls. I have a PowerliftingUSA mag next to me and women were winning with 220-240lb deadlifts in some meets. which is pretty solid seems thats about 2 times their body weights.

 

[r2473]

 

[maverick66]

Mine is better do to the fact that she is squatting.

 

[Slazenger07]

You should be Squatting and Deadlifting more than you bench.

 

[r2473]

^^ How did you get a pic of one of reesespiecestennis's former cheer leading students Mav?

I love the school uniforms!!

 

[maverick66]

You should be Squatting and Deadlifting more than you bench.

This is a very true statement. However if he just started out he might not have lower body strength. I have had some friends who struggled with bodyweight squats when they started out but could bench a decent amount.

^^ How did you get a pic of one of reesespiecestennis's former cheer leading students Mav?

I am telling you he has some powerhouse girls. His girls could probably out squat and deadlift Slazenger and thats dam impressive.

 

[reesespiecestennis]

In response to OrangeOne:

I did NOT mean to give any incorrect information. I made the conclusion that this was a male, at least over the age of 21 (beer pong), and he has been training for 2 months.

I am not a P.E. teacher, but my dad is. In class one girl box squatted 205, and another deadlifted 200 as a max. Just to clear things up.

Ogruskie you really should consult a professional strength coach or physical trainer and have him judge your routine and correct any flaws you may have in it.

Best of luck.

 

[ogruskie]

Heh I'm actually 19. Ssshh don't tell my mom :neutral:

Thanks for the feedback. I always do my Big 3 exercises, no matter what. If I'm feeling it, I'll do some pull-ups, parallel dips, and maybe some core exercises.

I also have to mention that this routine is not intended for tennis training. I have no been playing any tennis during this time period nor am I planning to for the rest of the year. I'm just getting swamped with school work and my part-time job, so I can only fit in an hour for exercise a day. My school's team trains for about 3 hours per day, and I don't have the time for that.

Like I said, I'm gonna continue to cut weight and try to gain strength. My goal is cut from 20% to 15% body fat over the next 2-2.5 months, and by the end of the year lift at least 200 pounds in SOMETHING. Doesn't matter which partial exercise.

 

[FedererUberAlles]

It's going to be hard to cut fat and gain muscle. Keep your workouts intense and you can give yourself your best shot

 

[ogruskie]

It's going to be hard to cut fat and gain muscle. Keep your workouts intense and you can give yourself your best shot

Well, that's not exactly what I'm aiming for. It doesn't look like I gained much muscle mass over my training period, but I continued to get stronger. Granted it's much harder to gain incredible strength while cutting, because "clean" diets just aren't good enough for that purpose. But it's still possible.

My primary goal is to look better and be stronger. I feel content with what I lift, but now how I look. Once I reach about 15% body fat I think I'll content, and then focus on building muscle. I'm just trying to get rid of the fat right now.

 

[snoopy]

For your goals (modest strength gains and looking fit) a crossfit type routine seems good.


Since sqauts were mentioned, here's one of the more impressive squats I've found on youtube (no it's not a hot chic):

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=-5DEMTIc2RI&feature=related

 

[Kobble]

I would throw in pullups at least twice per week. If you do nothing but bench press, you will develop muscle imbalances. Plus, pullups help the bench press a bit, make you stronger at pulling, and make you look better.

 

[maverick66]

Avoid Crossfit. The goal in crossfit is to injure people. Seriously they put a guy in the hospital and then called him a wuss and named a workout after him. The people that run it are freaking morons and have no clue what it is to be good at anything. Nobody who does crossfit wins at anything except crossfit games. They had to create their own games to get people to win anything.