Cpl's comeback journal

Some of you may remember me from a while back- I used to spend way too much time on these boards, and lately nowhere near enough..
Thing is, it's been the same when it comes to working out for me too- A new job with crazier hours than ever threw me off my game big time- Diet went to hell first, and soon after followed my workout routine. Before I knew it, I was puffing after a couple of flights of stairs, and found myself having a hard time moving two and three hundred pound motors into place- Something I used to be able to do without feeling it the next day.
So here I am again, where tons of people find themselves.. Ready to start over, and hoping to be able to stick with it. For me, the turning point was when a co-worker of mine who's got quite a bit of weight to lose got into a conversation with me about getting in shape- I was in the middle of offering advice when he asked me how I knew anything about fitness. I'm definitely not looking like the type of guy he should be listening to.

First thing I did was pick up a rice cooker to bring in to the job. I started eating healthier for a couple of weeks- No calorie counting or strict meal intervals yet, just getting back into the old habit of eating better food.

Next, I picked up my weights, dumbbell handles and barbell from my old job.
Then I got myself a bench.

All this happened over the past month or so, and I've gotten a few good workouts each week, not wanting to push it too much.

To give you an idea of what sort of shape I used to be in back when I was posting regularly, here's some stats-
Squats, for low reps, 420...
Bench, low reps, 280...
Deadlifts, low reps, 370...
Military presses, low reps, 195.

To give you a clue as to how far I've slipped, here's some numbers from the past couple of weeks-
Bench- 175
Squats- 200
Deadlifts- 225
Military press- 100
And I paid dearly for every pound in soreness.
Still, it feels great to be getting back into it, and I know those numbers will jump up in no time if I can stick to my routine.. I don't think I'll be aiming for heavy one rep maxes like I used to love doing, but I remember clearly how addictive that felt.
I also don't plan on keeping a very detailed journal here- I will update it once a week or so with a progress report, and I definitely need to take some before pics so that I can compare in a few months.
BTW, it's great seeing so many familiar names after so long!

Welcome back.  I hope to see you return to your once greatness.

5'9"
September 10th: 190lbs

bloody hell ur numbers were nice.. hope you get where you want to be in good time

http://uk.youtube.com/user/franco18grant

deadlifts : 510 lbs
bench press :345 lbs
militery press : 235 lbs

bw: 204

Hey CPL i wondered where youde got to pal! Good luck with everything, from what i remember u used to be a beast, so it shouldnt be too hard to get back to ur old ways, good luck!

Thanks! Not feeling like much of a beast at the moment, but in time..
This week-
Bench- 175
Squats- 225
Deadlifts- 225
Military press- 135
The bench stayed the same, although I probably could have added some weight- Definitely planning on taking things slow.
Right now, I'm sticking to simple- Three days a week, using mostly the three big lifts plus military presses. I'll add more exercises as time goes by, but for the moment I'm concentrating on form- I don't seem to have lost it, but want to make sure my stabilizers are up to par before I push it.

ORIGINAL: cpl

Thanks! Not feeling like much of a beast at the moment, but in time..
This week-
Bench- 175
Squats- 225
Deadlifts- 225
Military press- 135
The bench stayed the same, although I probably could have added some weight- Definitely planning on taking things slow.
Right now, I'm sticking to simple- Three days a week, using mostly the three big lifts plus military presses. I'll add more exercises as time goes by, but for the moment I'm concentrating on form- I don't seem to have lost it, but want to make sure my stabilizers are up to par before I push it.

that's the smart thing to do. good for you

any pictures from now, and pictures from back then when you were a monster?
I'm sure that you will steadily climb back to where you once were provided you are dedicated to your lifting schedule

My name is FOX.... and I approve this message.

No pics from now yet- Procrastinating.
If you check my profile, there's an old back shot.

Feeling much stronger already-
Deadlifts- 275, 3 sets of ten
Squats- 300, 3 sets of ten
Bench- 225, 2 sets of ten, eight last set
Military press- 2 sets of 145 (Second set felt odd, stopped at two sets)

Welcome back cpl  Nice seeing you returning to the weight training, as myself.
 
I see you haven't posted in your journal in almost 2 weeks.  Let's hope you're still sticking with it?  ;)
 
If I may ask... did you ever find yourself when you got back into the game, having a struggle to finish your workouts?  Running out of breath just by lifting?

I remember you.. I just made a comeback myself haha. I'm keeping a journal as well, and starting up again the right way.



Keep it up man, you'll get where you wanna be sooner or later... important thing is that you're making an effort to better your health.

Official Sand Bagger of the Emancipation Detoxification. Protecting n00bs from floods since 2/12/08.

I replied to your pm, torque- Hope it was helpful.
Running out of breath? Hell yes. I've never been much of a cardio guy, hated running after doing so much of it in the army, but I think that's going to change. I do find myself getting out of breath from lifting since I've hit the weights again, and I desperately want to change that.
I didn't push myself too hard though- If I was feeling that a workout was too much, I'd quit early. Instead of aiming for a certain number of sets/exercises, I'm listening to my body and erring on the side of caution for now. I used to try and get 3 working sets of 3 exercises for each muscle group more or less, but my first couple of workouts have been aimed at the compound lifts I've mentioned above, and only a few sets of them. I'm already feeling the difference, and this past weekend I picked up a jump rope at sports authority- Haven't used it yet, but me and that rope have a lot of work to do. I remember when I was working out regularly that a nice lifting session would leave me feeling even more energized, and I can't wait to get back to that.
Phersan! I remember you too- What's up?

Anyway, here's my update- Picked up some more weight at sports authority. Don't quite need it yet, but it's a good motivator for me to have more weight on hand than I can currently lift. I had about 315, picked up two more 45's, so waste not want not. 405 pound squats coming soon. I dropped the weight a bit on all exercises, since I felt I pushed it a bit too much with my last post's efforts- Definitely paid for those workouts. I did add some other exercises though.
Bench-200
Deadlift- 250 Bent over rows- 180
Squats- 275
Military presses- 135 Side lateral raises- 30lb dumbbells
Barbell curls- 85

cpl your journal seems to be a good influence on beginners such as myself who are also just getting back into the game... With the "taking things slowly, concentrating on form and healthy eatings habbits"... A lot of guys who join bodybuilding forums are too just getting back into the game and your journal seems to be a paved road to how to correctly get back on track...  Keep up the good work

Yes I have missed your input CPL. I work long hours too.

''Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death.''

  Psalm 9:13