My home gym has been lacking in terms of 25 mm weights. I got an EZ bar and two dumbbells, but not much to put on them. So this week, I ordered a whole set of new weights, which arrived today. I payed over 3200 SEK for this set, which I’m sure many would say is way too much. But they are the best I could find. Why?
The handles makes them easy to handle and appropriate for exercises where you just hold the weight in your hand(s).
Thanks to the nylon coating they don’t smell, like rubber weights do. This matters, since my gym is in my bedroom. The blank coating also makes them easy to clean.
There’s a metal ring in the middle, which makes them slide on more easily.
Today was bench press day again. I just matched my weight since last time: 45 kg times 10. Maybe I got greedy and increased my weights too fast lately. Then I did barbell curls, also at the same weight as last time (22,5 kg, 50 lbs). I hardly see any strength improvement in my arms from my first month of training! I ended with dumbbell laterals, one hand at a time. I feel a bad kind of pain from this exercise and wonder if I should stop doing it, or at least not bring elbows to shoulder height.
I’m considering to slow down from now on. Trying to fit each of the big three into the week twice may be too much. Maybe I should take a day of rest between workout days.
In my first post, I wrote about my previous failures of making weight-lifting part of my life. I always run out of steam after a couple of months. Here’s how I think of it: I start with a pool of motivation which I gradually expend doing workouts … Continue reading Finding motivation
I focus on the big three (deadlift, squat and bench press). Since squat and deadlift involve some of the same muscle groups, I’ve decided to keep a schedule like this:
Deadlift day
Bench press day
Squat day
Rest or aerobics day
I typically do two exercises per day, sometimes three. I always start with one of the big three, then complement with an exercise involving another muscle group. Like so:
Deadlift – Barbell rows
Squat – Standing military press
Bench press – Barbell curl
On rest/aerobis days, I do these exercises:
Triceps extension
Calf raises
Apart from the order and combination of exercises, I don’t believe in planning workouts. Tracking workouts is critical, but planning them only sets yourself up for failure.
Today I finished at 55 kg (121 lbs) in squat, which is the same weight as last squat day. I had hopes of going to 60 kg today, but at 55 I felt I couldn’t do more safely. Maybe I should have taken today off alltogether, since I’m still sore from deadlift day yesterday.
The standing military press felt better than ever. I used to do seated military presses behind the head. Then I heard that this puts too much strain on the shoulders, and also realized that most instructions on military press says that the barbell should be lowered to the chest anyway. Standing up really makes this exercise a core exercise, which is good, since I seldom do abs.
Just a quick post to mark yesterday’s 60 kg (132 lbs) deadlift. I did 2 sets of 10 reps at this glorious weight. I’ve deadlifted 60 kg before, but only for a single rep or so, and I’ve never gone beyond 60 in any free-weight exercise. … Continue reading 60 kg!
I’m starting this blog by celebrating a full month of regular weight-lifting in the interest of gaining weight. It’s not the first time I start weight-lifting, nor is it the first time I’ve held out for a month. But I feel I may be on to something this time, which is why I’m starting this blog to document the progress.
This shot from 2014 can still serve as a baseline.
I’m a 41 year old male from Sweden. My height is 199 cm (6′ 6″) and my starting weight a month ago was about 82 kg (180 lbs), which makes for a BMI of 20.7. I’m small-boned and with a typical ectomorph frame. On top of that, I got a narrow rib cage with a bowl-shaped chest (the medical term is pectus excavatum). So, pretty lame genetics to start with.
I’ve never had that feeling of being okay with my body. There was always a sense of wanting to hide my long skinny limbs (even though I no longer hide in unfitting clothes, thankfully). So, the idea of growing my muscles has occurred to me countless times through adolescence and adulthood.
My first attempt was when I was about 20. A friend made me sign up at a gym, and I kept going for 2 months or so. This has since become a recurring pattern. Every few years, I get a burst of new motivation and start over. I start at really low weights to prevent injury and gradually work myself up. Then I quit before I see any results…
So the goal this time is simply to keep lifting. If I can hold out for 3 months this time, I hope the results will make me want to continue.
In an upcoming post, I’ll describe the achievements during my first month of training.
Nine Inch Arms 