Introduction - My Training

I have been lifting properly since January 2011, before that I was using machines too much and gained almost no strength. Since then I've made quite poor gains in relation to my training time, but this log is here to keep me honest in what I'm doing right and wrong, and to motivate me further to push into that next level of training and ultimately results. I broke my hand 7 weeks ago, and today was my first training session back. I broke my hand at the start of week 4 of Madcows 5x5 Intermediate, just as I was beginning to hit PRs.

Current 5RMs (at a BW of 75kg)

Squat - 100kgx5
Deadlift - N/A
Power Cleans - 80kgx1
Front Squat - 75kgx5
Bench - 80kgx5
OHP - 57.5kgx5
BB Row - 80kgx5
Pull Ups - BWx21/ BW+25kgx5
Dips - BWx23/ BW+30kgx5

Injury-wise the problems I've had in the past have been in muscle tightness across the board, mainly on the left side right up my posterior chain. I have decided to stretch for 15 minutes at the end of every training session while the used muscles are still warm and pliable. This along with foam rolling will hopefully do the trick, and help out my squat form which has been notoriously bad. This point I am hoping will be fixed by practicing Olympic ATG form with lightweight, and so far it looks much better; sitting back more, spreading the knees better and driving explosively from the bottom.

Current training:

I'll be doing a version of Starting Strength: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs

I'll be doing 3 workouts a week, or possibly more if I feel up to it.

Workout A

SQUAT 3x5

BENCH 3x5

DEADLIFT 1x5

PULL UP 3x5

Workout B

SQUAT 3x5

OHP 3x5

BB ROW 3x5

DIP 3x5

Nutrition:

I'll be aiming to hit 4000kcals a day (16,000kj) with:

• 150-170g of protein
• 400g and above of carbohydrates
• 150g-200g of fats

To hit these targets I'm going to be eating more protein rich snacks ( eg my trail mix that includes sunflower seeds, sultanas, cashews, walnuts, almonds), drinking at least 1L of milk a day on top of my usual intake, and simply eating more food that has good nutrients (breads, meats, pasta, sandwiches etcetera). This means eating every two hours or so, and realistically making my big 3 meals count by getting in 600kcals+ at breakfast, 1200kcals+ at lunch and at dinner, and having lots of 200kcals+ snacks along with my extra litre of milk (600kcals - 35g protein, 50g carbohydrates and 40g fats). I'll be posting it all up here, and if I come across an awesome meal that is filled with the good stuff then I will post the recipe too. If I get my nutrition right, everything else will follow.

Recovery:

My fantastic fiancee Ash and myself have a little girl Heidi (born 20/12/2011) and sometimes it will be hard to devote as much time to training and recovery as I find optimal, but that's part and parcel with being a father and that's fine by me. I will be aiming to get 8 hours of sleep a night still, but obviously that may not be possible all the time. However I'll do my best and I'm sure I can find a balance that works.