My goals for the next year journal

[l6873]

It seems like I've been taking nine steps backward for every ten steps forward and it's driving me insane. I'm tired of being a weak pussy making painfully slow progress and after several years of cut/mini bulk bullshit it's time to make some serious gains.

This thread will be updated on each of the mentioned dates to make sure I'm not slacking. Hopefully having some accountability to this thread will help keep me on track.

I'll be listing the two lifts that I want to make the most progress on.

Today

Dumbbell shoulder press: 100x6
Incline dumbbell bench: 120x4

By January 1st 2010

Dumbbell shoulder press: at least 115x1
Incline dumbbell bench: at least 135x1

By March 1st 2010

Dumbbell shoulder press: at least 120x1
Incline dumbbell bench: at least 140x1

By July 1st 2010

Dumbbell shoulder press: at least 130x1
Incline dumbbell bench: at least 150x1

By November 1st 2010

Dumbbell shoulder press: at least 140x1
Incline dumbbell bench: at least 160x1

[GYMBRAT]

some good lifts and great goals bro, good luck

[JacktheThriller]

curious why u pick dumbell press, i think u can make great weekly progress with small 2.5pd plates on a barbell, this is not possible with dumbells only 5pd increments are possible setting you up for failure, try using the smallest plates in the gym, they add up if u do chest and shoulders 2wice a week thats 5x8= 20 pd total increase every month, slow and steady bud best of luck

[l6873]

curious why u pick dumbell press, i think u can make great weekly progress with small 2.5pd plates on a barbell, this is not possible with dumbells only 5pd increments are possible setting you up for failure, try using the smallest plates in the gym, they add up if u do chest and shoulders 2wice a week thats 5x8= 20 pd total increase every month, slow and steady bud best of luck

I prefer dumbbells over barbells because they never hurt my wrists when going heavy. If it would only happen on certain exercises I might attribute it to poor technique, but it happens on everything that involves the use of your hands and a barbell, from curls to deadlifts.

On the other hand, even if I'm killing myself for a single rep with a dumbbell my joints remain pain free.

You're right about the usage of small increments in weight though. I think my gym even has 1.25 pound plates.

My plan is to go to move up once I can hit the current weight for 6 reps.

[JacktheThriller]

that sound like a good goal best of luck, if u need help with ur strength cycle PM me ur current lifts and ill make something up for you, i find it easier when the goals are written down

[l6873]

that sound like a good goal best of luck, if u need help with ur strength cycle PM me ur current lifts and ill make something up for you, i find it easier when the goals are written down

Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it.

In the past I've had many instances where I've literally lost 3-4 months of progress overnight. I'd be eating, sleeping and training exactly the same as before and my strength would just vanish from one day to the next. It would take me weeks or even months to recover. I never understood why that happened and it frustrated me to no end.

Hopefully eating more food this time will solve that issue.

[JacktheThriller]

good luck man, that is probably from malnurishment and overtraining, the body can only go for so long without essential nutrients

[l6873]

I sure hope so, I really don't want it to start happening again.

I took a look at the 160s today and damn, those things are huge. Must have been at least 2 feet long. Looking forward to pressing them.

[l6873]

I had a cold this past week but thankfully it didn't keep me out of the gym.

I wanted to see how close I am to my January 1st goals and tried to max out after my last sets. For shoulder press, my left side put the 110s up no problem but the right side couldn't keep up. Same issue with bench; left side got the 130s pretty easily but the right side only made it half way. My strength drops off quite a bit after a few sets so if I were fresh I could do them for a couple reps for sure.

It's so much more fun going to the gym when you're shooting for new person bests every week.

[l6873]

Alright, time for a weekly update. I'm hitting the 100s for an easy 10 reps on incline - that's with them touching my chest; none of that half rep bullshit.

I tried to do the 130s at the end again but this time I kicked them up too high. Felt like it was going to rip my right arm off, and unfortunately it did a bit of damage to my shoulder. Thankfully it isn't too bad and I've learned to be more careful next time.

I had to cut the shoulder presses short due to the aforementioned injury, though I did manage to do the same weights as the week before. Hopefully I'll be 100% by next week so I can finally move up in weight.

Also, I'm always hungry so I think it's time to increase the calories a bit.

[l6873]

Spoke too soon; I had to leave after doing the 100s for 10 today. It's feeling even worse now, looks like I'll be taking the rest of the week off. I can't stand taking time off since I always come back a lot weaker and this injury could have been prevented so I feel ten times worse. ****.

[l6873]

Still in pain, looks like I'll be sitting out the rest of November.

[l6873]

Well, the injury turned out to be a lot worse than expected - I just started hitting the gym two weeks ago. Strength and endurance took a huge nose dive, I'm struggling hard with the weights I used to warm up with. It feels like the dumbbells are 20 pounds heavier than they were. I was hoping to get back to my pre-injury form by the end of January but that's looking doubtful right now. Maybe by the end of next month...

[l6873]

I had one of the best training sessions I've had in months today - feels good to be shoulder pressing the 100s again. Still not back to where I was before but I'm not too far off now.

[l6873]

Update time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet the March goals due to the injury, however on the positive side, I've been able to lift for the past 2 months without any issues. My strength is finally back.

Current numbers:

Dumbbell shoulder press: 115x2
Incline dumbbell bench: 130x2

The new goal is to hit 120 for shoulders and 140 for chest sometime during June. I doubt I'll be reaching my original goals by the end of the year but if I get to 130 and 150 I'll be happy.

I'll be revamping my routine in the coming weeks to focus more on other body parts. Hopefully my chest and shoulder progress won't suffer.

[Ritch]

2 suggestions to people who do logs.

1: give us time to know who you are by posting regularly in the forum. I mean you`re doing a log, and since I have no clue who you are, why would I care? (no offense)

1: For the love of God... Give yourself a name. Not some stupid serial numbers with a letter. Are you some top secret government muscle secret person nobody is to know about?

[l6873]

2 suggestions to people who do logs.

1: give us time to know who you are by posting regularly in the forum. I mean you`re doing a log, and since I have no clue who you are, why would I care? (no offense)

1: For the love of God... Give yourself a name. Not some stupid serial numbers with a letter. Are you some top secret government muscle secret person nobody is to know about?

Since you called me out I figure I'll address each of your concerns.

No offense, but I'm not doing this for you, or anyone else for that matter. This is merely a way for me to write down a few thoughts and have some accountability. I didn't know you were only allowed to keep a log if it's up to your standards.

As for the name, it's the same one I used on Nexus since around 2003; no need to be paranoid. Sure it's a little impersonal, but I don't see how being named Joe Blow would be any better.

[Ritch]

It was recommended by MP that we use real names, and it`s annoying. You think I`m going to spell that shit out everytime I need to? And Joe Blow is much better, yes it makes a difference. If we all had names like that, how would it look. Stupid, that`s how...

About the log, I was just saying, I`m not the forum police, was just voicing my opinion.