He who makes a beast of himself...

[jameson]

...gets rid of the pain of being a man. - Samuel Johnson

So today I heard the heartbeat of my yet unborn child...very, very cool. I figured I'd commemorate this milestone by starting a log of my own. I've been lifting on and off for 5 years, though much of it was either "off" or doing BB splits. Not training. From 2002-2005, I was a serious runner and cyclist; logging about 40 miles running and 100+ miles cycling per week weighing about 130lbs. I'm 220 now at 5'11", 26 years old. I got serious about lifting in 2008, but quickly injured myself. Then some big life changes happened, and I haven't really lifted in the last year or so. In a nutshell, now I'm ready to settle back in...

I lifted twice last week, and will probably lift three times this week getting my schedule back on track.

2/16/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x5x3
Press: 105x5x3
DL: 275x5x1

2/18/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 235x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 185x5x3
DL: 225x5x1, 275x1x1 (to take video of lift)

2/23/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 245x5x3
Press: 135x1x1 (still feels good), 115x5x3
PC: 95x5x3 (never focused on these until now)

[jameson]

2/25/10
Squat: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 255x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 190x5x3
DL: 225x5x1, 275x5x1

OK, so my bench sucked. Considering I just began lifting again, I might consider lowering the weight as I've probably started off too high. My DL sucked, too. So a change might be necessary here as well.

I was pretty gassed after my squats, and I'm hungrier now which probably means I'm not eating enough. I'll up my calories and keep the same weight next time to see if the lifts are any easier and then progress from there. Otherwise, I may drop the bench and DL by a few pounds.

I'm crunched for time when lifting, too. Perhaps a few more warm-up sets on bench might help. Kinda doubt it though. I should probably drop the weight for the warm-up DL. This would leave more in the tank...

If anybody's reading this and cares to chime in...

[nisora33]

2/25/10
Squat: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 255x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 190x5x3
DL: 225x5x1, 275x5x1

OK, so my bench sucked. Considering I just began lifting again, I might consider lowering the weight as I've probably started off too high. My DL sucked, too. So a change might be necessary here as well.

I was pretty gassed after my squats, and I'm hungrier now which probably means I'm not eating enough. I'll up my calories and keep the same weight next time to see if the lifts are any easier and then progress from there. Otherwise, I may drop the bench and DL by a few pounds.

I'm crunched for time when lifting, too. Perhaps a few more warm-up sets on bench might help. Kinda doubt it though. I should probably drop the weight for the warm-up DL. This would leave more in the tank...

If anybody's reading this and cares to chime in...

I just responded to your email...

[jameson]

3/02/10
Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5x1, 225x3x1, 265x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 120x5x3
Clean: 95x5x1, 105x5x3
L-chins: BWx5x3

I lost form on my squats as they were pretty hard. This may be mental as it's just shy of the weight I was using when I hurt my back last year. Whatever the case, I'm going to reset to 255 and add back 5lbs each workout to see how that goes. Presses went up easy, and the cleans were fun - though my traps hurt so bad I'm sure to have "the yoke" in no time...

[jameson]

3/04/10
Squat: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 255x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 195x5x3
DL: 225x3x1, 285x5x1
L-chins: BWx5x2

Squats went up easier - they were hard but felt good. Elbows hurt a little bit so I'll have to figure that one out. Form felt solid.

Bench I tried a Wendler-esque approach with my heels up and touching. I wasn't bridging, and it felt pretty natural. Elbows hurting from squat so I widened a finger's width which helped a lot.

I tried a modified-sumo DL. Won't do that again. 285x1. Remaining DL's with conventional went up just fine.

These L-chins, or whatever they're called, suck so I guess they're doing the job.

[jameson]

3/06/10

Went on a 2.8 mile hike with the wife today. I'm fat and out of shape, but I got to feel manly by carrying her back-and-forth across the creek. Good times. Good times...

[jameson]

3/07/10
Squat: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 260x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 125x5x3
Clean: 115x5x3
L-chins: BWx5x3

Squat: Sooo easy this time, the 5lb increments are helping...a lot. The two day break didn't hurt either. Hopefully, I can take this novice thing quite a bit further. I asked Stef to move this thread as I've been feeling a bit presumptuous about this log being in the intermediate section.

Press: Still easy.

Clean: If you can call it that - I need a coach. Good thing Stacey's coming by soon. Sucks for him as he's gonna be doing some free coaching.

Elbows are much better. Cleans left 'em a little stiff.

L-chins: Sucking less and less.

[poopmonkey]

Love the quote -- and I just saw the heartbeat of my unborn child (too soon to hear it). Keep up the good work.

[jameson]

Love the quote -- and I just saw the heartbeat of my unborn child (too soon to hear it). Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the reply. Is this your first? This is ours, and hearing the heartbeat is one of the coolest things I've ever heard. I can't wait until mid-April when we find out the sex. Congrats to you and yours!

[jameson]

3/10/10
Squat: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 265x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 195x5x3
DL: 225x5x1, 295x5x1 (singles really)
L-chins: wasn't gonna happen

For those of you who train in the morning, my beanie's off to you.

I was feeling pretty sick last night so I thought I'd get up early this morning and train if I felt better. I did so I went in.

Squat: harder, but attainable. I suspect my form was decent, but I lost count on my second set as I was straining pretty hard and getting dizzy.

Bench: well, I'd have went to 200 but I forgot to check my log this morning. 195 went up nice and easy.

DL: sucked. I'm hoping it was just that I'd been sick and training at a weird time, but I basically did 1 overhand, rest, 2 mix-grip, rest, 1 more, rested about a minute, and then did my last one.

All in all, I did what I thought I needed to do. It seemed like the weights moved easy enough, but my body was pretty taxed - as in my body just didn't want to move even though pushing/pulling the weight wasn't all that bad. Hopefully, I'll be fully recovered for next time.

***I'm also having to remind myself that I've only been training for a few weeks now as I'm getting discouraged about my numbers...

[TartanEagle]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your numbers. Keep working hard and they will just keep going up.

[jameson]

3/12/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x3x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 270x5x3

Still sick...trained this morning and will do presses and cleans this afternoon. I had to widen my grip on the bar as I was noticing pain/tightness in my elbows.

Squat: fairly hard and moving the weight very slowly but still progressing.

Afternoon...

Clean: 45x5x1, 95x5x1, 130x5x1 (went up 15lbs to match press - no rack)
Press: 130x5x3 (cleaned each set^)

Clean: form still off but getting better I suppose
Press: elbows hurt when switching grip; went up nice and easy like...

*Oh, and still sick. Felt worse for afternoon session.

[jameson]

3/16/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 275x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 200x5x3
DL: 225x5x1, 245x5x1

And I'm still sick... grumbles

Squat: went up pretty easy, took longer rests - maybe 5 mins or so

Bench: again, went up pretty easy

DL: I reset and will make 10lb jumps to start; I'll probably add in some rack pulls for low back. This coupled with foam rolling and stretching my hamstrings ought to help my pull form.

Probably going to invest in a belt and shoes pretty soon. Happy with my session.

[jameson]

Shoes: I was asked to spread the word.

Email Rich Benoy for VS Athletics shoes (same deal on white/black shoes). $48 + $10 shipping. All he needs is an address and credit card number (preferably your own or at least not mine).

http://www.vsathletics.com/section.php?xSec=9&xPage=1&jssCart=fc5d8bd8050bc9da45ccef7516c4d870

rbenoy1323@yahoo.com
rich@vsathletics.com

Happy Lifting.

(Anyone know if Inzer belts are made in the US? Apparently, EFS will be outsourcing their belts from now on.)

[jameson]

3/18/10
Squat: 145x5x1, 195x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x3x1, 280x5x3
Press: 135x5x3
DL: 135x10

Still sick...

Squat: went up just fine.

Press: noticed my elbows hurting after squat, AND A NOTE TO ALL YOU SPOTTERS OUT THERE.....SPOT! DON'T HELP WITH THE LIFT!!! I had a guy who "guided my elbows" on my 4th rep of my last set. I was cheated. Luckily, I know I can lift the weight so I'll still add 5lbs next session.

I cleaned 135lbs but couldn't rack because of my elbows. Going to buy sleeves today. DL'd the weight for 10 just for giggles.

[jameson]

3/20/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 285x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 185x1x1, 135x10x3
DL: 225x5x1, 255x5x1

Squat: it felt like the bar was sliding down my back on first set. This caused me to lose focus and made the set pretty difficult. I gripped the bar a little wider and wrapped my thumb around the bar. This actually made the squats easier so I'll stick with this on my work sets. This may help my elbows, too...

Bench: elbows killing me. My 185 warmup hurt so bad I couldn't go on. I tried shifting my elbow postion as I usually tuck pretty hard. They might have felt a little better flaring them out more...hard to tell.

DL: went up fine but elbows hurt at lock out.

Frustrated about elbow pain.

[jameson]

3/25/10

I've had some kind of respiratory sickness for the last two weeks, and Monday night, 3/22, I came down with a stomach virus. I trained through the coughing and achiness, but there's no way I'm going to lift after losing a few pounds to puking and such. I might try to lift this Saturday or next Tuesday. We'll see how it goes.

I got some serious Star Wars and Akira Kurosawa movie-watchin' in though!

*Little known fact: Kurosawa's movie The Hidden Fortress was the basis for Lucas' Star Wars. Notice the similarities between Tahei and Matashichi along with R2-D2 and C-3PO.

[DustyMillar]

hope you start feeling better soon.

if your taking advice MINE would consist of " take a week off, then down scale a couple of work loads on the return".

Although I think the use of your "spare" is truly inspired.

[jameson]

hope you start feeling better soon.

if your taking advice MINE would consist of " take a week off, then down scale a couple of work loads on the return".

Although I think the use of your "spare" is truly inspired.

Thanks man. Feeling much better, but not quite 100%. I'll probably ramp up to see what feels good.

[jameson]

A woman gets a call from her 20-something son who has Down Syndrome. He’s calling her to say she needs to come home as he’s caught a gnome. She, of course, says she can’t and that she’ll be home when she gets off work. He persists and calls her every 30 minutes or so saying he’s got the gnome locked up in his bedroom closet and she needs to see it! Apparently, he was proud of his catch. When the woman gets off work she drives home, and is greeted by her overly excited son. She follows him into his bedroom and unlocks the closet door to find that her son has thrown the midget meter man in his closet! Apparently, her son had tackled him thinking he was a lawn gnome trying to escape. The poor meter man was afraid the son would hurt him so he played along and stayed quiet till the mom got home.

Made me laugh…pretty hard. Thought I’d share it.

[jameson]

3/30/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 270x5x3
Press: 135x5x3 (I got 4.5 on my 2nd set)
Chins: BWx5x3
Dips: BWx5x3
BB curls: 70x5x1


Since I missed a week being sick, I deloaded 15lbs on the squat and left the press the same as my last session.

Squat: Felt decent I guess, had to find my groove. It wasn't too hard, but I could tell I haven't been eating right. Took a lot out of me.

Press: Being gassed from the squats, these weren't so easy. I might just stick with this weight next time, too. Dunno.

PC: My elbows sent a quick message to my brain that no PC's were gonna be done tonight.

To (hopefully) fix my elbows, I've started doing bi's/tri's...yeah, I actually said that. I'm guessing once or twice a week; we'll see.

[jameson]

If anyone watched last night's UFC bouts, you'd have seen why it pays to be BIG and STRONG. Gleison Tibau knocked out Caol Uno and Roy Nelson knocked out Stefan Struve. Remember these guys are in weightclasses with their opponents and the winners came out on top because of their superior strength and power.

Not that skill counts for nothing. Kenny Florian defeated the legend Takanori Gomi by picking him apart with jabs until he shot and pulled Gomi into a rear naked choke. It was truly a thing of beauty.

[jameson]

4/02/10

Deadlifts: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x5x1, 245x5x1, 275x5x1, 295x5x1
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: 225x5x2
Two hands press: 135x5x3
Weighted Situps: 5x8x1, 10x8x1, 15x8x1, 20x8x1 (plate held behind the neck)

Well my gym is closed for maintenance till Sunday so I went downstairs to the "gym" we have at my office. They have a smith machine so I tried to do some squatting, but I found there is little carryover and smith machines SUCK so I gave it up. I had a good volume day deadlifting and pressing though.

Does anyone else feel like bumper plates are easier to move (i.e. pressing) than regular plates? It just felt sooo light today.

[jameson]

4/06/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 280x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 185x1x1, 195x5x3
DL: 225x5x1, 305x2x1
Chins: BWx5x2 (supersetted with dips)
Dips: BWx5x2

Squat: Went up easy enough after making a 10lb jump from last session.
Bench: Flared elbows a little more. Not too much elbow pain.
DL: I'm going to start deadlifting at work. The angled plates at my gym are worse than awful, and I feel like I'm going to hurt myself every time I pull.
Chins: Eh.
Dips: Elbows hurt on first descent then feel OK from there.

So there's been some discussion as to why Tate says "elbows down and forward" and Rip says "elbows up." Rip says they're saying the same thing but in a different way. I finally understand now what is meant by Tate. Try putting your arms up like you would in a squat. Tight back, elbows up, etc. Now, with minimal twist of hands on the imaginary bar, force your elbows down and to the front JUST ENOUGH TO FEEL THE "LOCK" - NOT ALL THE WAY FORWARD. Your lats, and upper and middle back should feel tighter, and your chest will rise. In effect, your elbows will stay up like Rip says, but by concentrating on them going forward and down, you should be able to maintain a tighter upper body. Jason Pegg says, "Think of trying to bend the bar around your back to touch your knees with the bar sleeves." I hope this helps some of you with your squat.

[nisora33]

Your lats, and upper and middle back should feel tighter, and your chest will rise. In effect, your elbows will stay up like Rip says, but by concentrating on them going forward and down, you should be able to maintain a tighter upper body. Jason Pegg says, "Think of trying to bend the bar around your back to touch your knees with the bar sleeves." I hope this helps some of you with your squat.

Not sure that's what's actually going on:
http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showpost.php?p=111043&postcount=30

[jameson]

Not sure that's what's actually going on:
http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showpost.php?p=111043&postcount=30

Perhaps not. I just noticed that when I did the aforementioned exercise, I was able to "settle" deeper into a tight back if that makes sense. In other words, I was able to flex my back even harder. I guess it's a good thing you're gonna be doing some free coaching this weekend whether you like it or not.

Everyone, read Nisora's post against mine and try it for yourself. I'll post an update after this weekend with my findings.

[jameson]

4/08/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x3x1, 290x5x1, 285x5x2
Press: 140x4x1, 140x3x2, 140x1x1
Chins: BWx5x2
Dips: BWx5x2

This was a mess...

Squat: I forgot what my weight should be so I did 290 the first time. Obviously, it was a bit difficult and made my other sets hard, too.
Press: I blame this on my elbows. 135 is way too easy so 140 shouldn't have been a problem. After my sets I noticed how stiff my elbows were.

No cleans because of elbows...very irritating.

I mentioned this in another thread, but it needs to be repeated. It may not always be necessary to lower the weight if you NEED a reset. You might just try pushing out 3-5 sets of 3 and add a rep until you're back to 3 sets of 5 and progress from there. This helps your confidence as you're still getting stronger, keeps the weight heavy, and, in my experience, breaks through the plateau faster. I tend to keep my same sticking point if, say, I drop from 275 to 265 and then a few sessions later, 275 is still hard. I prefer to stay at 275 for less reps. Just my 2 pennies. It works for me but may not for everybody.

As a caveat, you might still want to reduce the poundage if you've made jumps that are just too big. In that case, you would benefit from allowing your body a longer progression.

[jameson]

4/10/10
Low Bar Squat: 45x8x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1
High Bar Squat: 225x3x1, 245x5x3
Bench: 45x5x1, 95x5x1, 135x5x1 maybe?
Press: 45x5x1, 95x5x3 maybe?

To be honest, I lost track of the weight/sets/reps/etc.

Today was a form day I'm told (a euphemism for a sucky day). On low bar, Stacey had me widen my grip, raise my elbows more, and shrug (the last two things I hadn't really ever done - it was very tiring) though my elbows still hurt. He then suggested a high-bar position until my elbow pain went away. We think the pain is a result of having too narrow a grip on low bar and tucking way too hard on my bench press. The bottom position on my bench was also way too low on my chest (upper abs would be more precise). The high-bar squat really did feel better in terms of form and my elbow pain; I think I could've squatted more, but I was spent by all the other tweaks I'd made on low bar. I couldn't imagine benching 200+ pounds so we worked on overhead pressing form. We made some tweaks on chest position and he told me to squeeze my glutes and muscles around my knees - two more things I'd never really addressed. I just pushed the weight over my head without really thinking about it...

So, today sucked in terms of weight lifted, but I learned a lot. I may start having Stacey coach me for a few weeks/months since he'll be just down the road.

And for the good/better news...I should have my own squat rack within the next couple weeks! There's some old racks that aren't being used, and my father-in-law (Stacey's dad) will be welding them up to standard for me. My dad has a shop (about 2000+ SqFt or so) that will house all my equipment. Very excited.

I'll stick with the high-bar position for a few weeks to a month or until I work out my elbow issue, and I'll definitely improve my form on the bench press.

Stacey/Nisora is a good coach guys...as much as it irritates me to pay him a compliment. Thanks, Stace.

[nisora33]

Thanks for the kind words, Jameson...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4514919435_30c3944da7_o.jpg

-S.

[jameson]

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/blog/labels/Tennessee%20Strongman.html

Another few reasons to love Tennessee... The Milo guy had his bull trained pretty well. Bob Peoples - nuff said.

[jameson]

4/14/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 255x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 140x3x3
Chins: 10x5x2
Dips: 10x5x2

Squat: high bar. easy.
Press: I've got to figure out my programming. Do I want to reset (b/c of my elbows) or stick with lower reps, or ladders, dunno.
Chins and Dips felt decent.

[jameson]

4/15/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 260x5x3
Bench: 95x5x1, 185x5x2, 185x2x1

I figured since I missed Tuesday, I'd make it up by lifting two days in a row. This seemed reasonable since my squat poundage is easy right now (high bar).

Squats: still easy. didn't rest enough and had some trouble shooting hips. all in all a good day.
Bench: keeping it light. elbow pain throughout, but not too bad - then, enough to stop me on my last set.

Note: Wondering if I should just focus on my press. I don't really care about bench other than how it assists the press. Any programming tips out there? I'm wanting to save my elbows (the press isn't so bad, but the bench hurts). Or, should I try lower weight/higher reps for bench/press...I'm getting frustrated at the progress.

My form has improved overall, now I just want to know more about programming around this (minimal) injury. I know about pain - I work through it. The problem is that the weight doesn't go up when my elbows start hurting enough and there's no sense re-injuring myself lifting to the point of that much pain. I know it will heal over time...

[homerj742]

I had some serious bicep/tricep inflammation due to shoulder inflexibility. The low bar squat killed it, and the rest of my lifts suffered greatly. I have since been to a chiropractor and a massage therapist. My second visit to the massage therapist fixed up my shoulders. I also maintain a strict foam rolling (w/PVC pipe) and stretching routine every night.

Just thought I'd share my experience. Keep up the good work!

[jameson]

Update: (if it's of any use to you guys following my log)

My elbow pain resulting from poor technique on the bench and a too-narrow grip on the low bar squat has led me to new programming for the bench and a high bar position (feels like butta').

I'll start doing presses twice a week while performing a D.E. day in the middle for bench. I'm still working out the details (which you should see on Thursday's post), but I will go with either the standard 60%1RMx3x8 or 70%1RMx1x10 (60sec rest). My 1RM will be based off my max WITH the elbow pain and not my actual "pain-free" max.

High bar still feels amazing though I'm noticing some excessive popping in my left knee. We'll see how that works itself out. I've heard high-bar tends to aggravate the knees more than low. Not sure about that though...

I'm also going to start focusing on DL's more. I haven't been great about including these in my programming because of my elbows. Hopefully the changes above will allow DL's back into the picture.

I'm hoping these changes will allow me to progress while healing so I can get back on a more traditional linear progression.

[jameson]

OK, so I've made a decision on my percentage for D.E. benching. After researching Prilephin's table, Westside, et al, along with advice from Nisora, it looks like I'll settle on 70%1RM with 10 sets of 2 (or maybe 3 depending on the bar speed).

Prilephin noticed that too few reps wasn't enough volume, and I think that at my level, 2 or 3 reps will be sufficient without losing any bar speed. This will be contingent on the speed during my latter sets, however. I might find that more sets at 2 work better than fewer sets at 3. I'll find the sweet spot that allows for more volume and go with that. We'll see on Thursday.

[jameson]

4/20/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 270x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 140x4x1, 140x5x2 (PR)
DL: 225x5x1, 305x5x1 double-overhand

Squat: It's good that I chose 270 because I could've shot for 275. However, I had to share the rack with some over-anxious teenage boy (more on him later). All-in-all, a good session.
Press: Still recovering from loading/unloading numerous plates, I wasn't rested enough to pull off 5 for my first set. The other two sets went up pretty well. Thumbless grip - the bar path is SOOOO much smoother.
DL: We have angled plates, so I reset each rep. This allowed me to go with a double-overhand grip.

So I walk in, stretch, squat the bar, and look for weights to load. I can't find any. I look at the guy next to me in the Smith machine and use his two 45's. I then realize it's his ONLY 45's. Well, then I see this kid (all 165lbs of him) leg pressing something like 12 plates on this horizontal-squat-sled-thingy. He's grunting out like two reps. Rests 10 minutes and goes again. (I don't know how to really describe this machine. You basically lay flat on your back and press against a flat piece of metal. Not like any other hack or sled I've ever seen.) Anyway, he then lays (not puts back!) all the weights against my squat rack and then sits on a bench by me guzzling his gaytorade and listening to his iPod. After a few minutes he asks when I'll be done.

me: I'll be here all night. Do you want to work in?
him: "stares at me"
me: Well? What do you want to do?
him: I was going to do some stiff-legged deadlifts.
me: Well there's a 35lb bar over there or do you want to work in?
him: I'll work in.

So I squat my second set, unload the weight, move the hooks, and help him load 445lbs on the bar! He then breaks out his straps (which have flames on them - no joke!), "grips" the bar, and wobbles out. He lowers the weight about 3" from his shins, contorts into some ungodly pose, and does this a few more times while shaking...violently. I squat. Then he does this again. (These were actually very poor versions of RLDL's...not SLDL'S.) Ridiculous.

I didn't know what to do... I half wanted to help him (so he didn't hurt himself) and half wanted to laugh. I was shaking my head in disbelief the whole time. I even thought about asking if he was on a program and recommending SS, but then I thought the less I knew about this guy the better. I hope he finds his way.

[jameson]

4/20/10

And my wife had her 20 week ultrasound today (the one where you find out the sex). We're waiting until Friday to find out with close family. The pictures are pretty cool though. We got a DVD, too.

[homerj742]

Congrats on the baby PR :)

Keep up the good work. Good man letting someone work in, I really don't have the patience! lol

[jameson]

Yeah, I have to play nice. Where I lift now only has one rack and one Oly bar...and angled plates.

My garage gym should come along nicely once I sell my bike.

[jameson]

OK, so I want to show my support for the high-bar, or Olympic, squat. A lot has been made of how little the posterior chain is worked during a high-bar squat, and that a low-bar squat is simply more desirable in general for reasons discussed ad nauseum. However...

I understand an argument can be made that soreness isn't a good marker of progress. I also understand that perhaps I'm feeling discomfort because I'm using a new exercise. All the same, my adductors, glutes, and, admittedly to a lesser extent, hamstrings have been hit hard by performing HB squats. My thought on this is because, though I was hitting parallel with LB, I can get much lower using a HB position.

I also found that I was able to lift a decent (for me) DL after not performing one in weeks...I attribute this to the Oly squat. Matthew Perryman, PMDL, seems to agree (in the link below). Read his article and the one by Glenn Pendlay which is linked in Perryman's article. These guys offer a much better explanation.

I'll also attest to the Oly squat being harder in terms of weight, but feeling sooo much better than a low-bar position. My carrover from LB to Oly wasn't great which also agrees with Pendlay's findings. It's yet to be seen how well my Oly squat will carry over to LB.

http://www.ampedtraining.com/strength/highbar-squat-underrated/

[DustyMillar]

Hi jameson how cool is that SCAN! when I went to see my weain for the first time I nearly banged out the Dr. For some reason I got this Idea in my head that he wasn't going to let me keep the print of the ultra sound. My wife stills laughs about it the poor guy nearly shit himself he was about 5'4" and 150lbs. lol. but at least I had the decency to feel really silly afterwards. Funny though he couldn't do enough for my wife after that.

[jameson]

Haha. Not a bad idea. Our doctor gets uncomfortable when I'm around or so my wife says. As he should be...haha. Apparently, he's not so nervous when it's just them and the nurse. Yeah, the scan's neat. We didn't do the 4D - babies just look so weird at 20 weeks. It was enough to see the grey outline.

[jameson]

4/22/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 275x5x3
Bench: 145x3x8

Squat: 275 was a sticking point with LB. This time it felt great with a much narrower stance and HB. Amazing stuff this Oly squat.
Bench: D.E. I didn't start rattling the plates till about the 3rd set. Had to find my groove. Elbows hurt a little on the 7th and 8th sets. Racked it for the night. Took Ibuprofen and sleeved my elbows.

So I had lost 6lbs+ from my stomach bug. As of 4/20 I gained that back, and my weight is hovering just above 220lbs AND my waist is smaller...all while eating fast food lunches.

[homerj742]

Way to not be a puss and try the bench despite your arms not being 100%. Keep it up!

training hard rules.

[jameson]

Thanks homerj. I have to give credit to Nisora; I really didn't know how to program the bench given my circumstance.

[jameson]

4/24/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 280x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 145x4x1,1, 145x3x1,1,1, 145x2,2,1
DL: 225x5x1, 315x5x1

Squat: Harder this time. I chalk it up to going three times this week. Two sessions a week always works better for me. Not yet ready to go intermediate though. Almost lost my last rep of my first set.
Press: Frustrating. Wrists hurt. Corrected grip. Got all my reps in though - just not in three sets.
DL: Hard, but shouldn't they be? Rested in between reps maybe 30sec. Angled plates...

Eh, not a bad day. Not great either. Tired. Underfed.

[jameson]

As for my baby...
So...we're having a girl! We're probably going to get a second opinion though as we haven't had a girl in my family for generations.

As for my training...
I've started thinking about my recovery. I sleep well and eat fairly well (though I need much more protein), but I'm lethargic all the time - especially when I train 3x a week. I think I may deadlift once a week on my bench days alternating with PC's on my other two days. Either that or do a light day of squatting which I don't yet want to do. My conditioning SUCKS, too. I need to start sprints again, taking the stairs at work, something...anything. I'm also going to start doing chins more often. I think it'll help with my elbows, biceps, and triceps pain. We'll see.

As for my rack...
It's built. I just need to build a platform and buy a bar and plates. My dad lives on a ridge (where my rack is) so there are plenty of hills for sprinting. I'm going to buy some tires for pulling, flipping, throwing, etc as well.

[jameson]

4/27/10

Well, I'm an idiot...I did 280 for my worksets AGAIN!

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 280x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 115x5x1, 145x3x3, 145x2x1
Chins: BWx8x2

Squat: Man, I feel stupid! My first set was hard because I was rushed for time and didn't rest enough after warming up. (Flaming straps guy was there again tonight.) My last two sets went up very easy. My conditioning seems to be the limiting factor as I can't get a deep enough breath for the valsalva.
Press: Went for 3x5 and will stay at this weight till I hit all 5 sets. Keeping rest time low, otherwise I'd have done all my sets. I'm just thinking this rep scheme will work better for these "heavier" worksets.

I really feel stupid. Maybe it's for the best. It'll give my hips a little break I suppose....

...

...

...

Nope. That didn't make me feel any better. I still feel like an idiot. I basically made no real progression from last Saturday.

[DustyMillar]

4/27/10

Well, I'm an idiot...I did 280 for my worksets AGAIN!

MY ARSE, don't give us that shit you pussied out didn't ya, didn't ya?

[jameson]

MY ARSE, don't give us that shit you pussied out didn't ya, didn't ya?

Ha! I'd rather that be the case then to just feel dumb. Maybe I should make a 10lb jump for penance?

[jameson]

4/29/10
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 255x1x1, 285x5x3
D.E. Bench: 150x3x8
Deadlift: 225x5x1, 325x1x1

Squat: It was hard. Rested between reps. I didn't feel good on the way to the gym...maybe this had something to do with the difficulty. I just have to remember that these are Oly and my lowbar is probably a little higher.
D.E. Bench: I really rushed these as I was short on time. My last set was a little slower than I'd like.
Deadlift: No excuses, but the gym was about to close, and I was trying to deadlift too soon. I plan on deadlifting today at work, and I'll post later. The 325x1 was a PR - pretty cool that I should be doing it for 5 today.

A couple short-term goals of mine:
Squat: 320x5x3
Deadlift: 410x5x1

Why not just 3 plates for the squat and 4 plates for the DL? Because these are easy goals, and I'm focusing on passing these milestones. I should be able to hit my squat goal by the middle of May and the deadlift by the middle of June. I'm starting to think that I'm just not built to deadlift...

[jameson]

4/30/10

Deadlift.

So I started out by removing the 45lb bumpers from the bar still laying on the ground, loaded a 45lb plate on each side, and pulled for 8. My back felt tight. I loaded a 25 on each side and pulled for 5. My back was burning. I took off the 25s, loaded two more 45s and pulled for 3. My back was tight, burning, and locked up. I loaded on the two 25s again. My back was just plain ol' pissed off at this point. I took off the 25s and loaded a total of 325 on the bar - my workset. At this point I was in pain and felt defeated. When the other guys came in the gym they must've thought I'd passed out as I was just laying on the floor looking helpless.

Then, I stood up, walked to the bar, got into position, and pulled all 5 reps. Easy. Not really sure where that came from, but I'll take it.



I did learn a few things though:

Round plates work much, much better for the deadlift (as opposed to the angled ones).
I need more volume as my low back was burning so bad.
I should warm up more before my DL worksets.
So now my question is this. I don't know if doing powercleans (the first pull) twice a week will give me the volume I want for the deadlift. How should I work extra DL volume into my programming? I'm guessing PC on Tues, DL on Thurs, volume DL on Sat? Perhaps just warming up with more reps before my workset will provide the volume I need. Any suggestions???

[jameson]

5/01/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 290x4x1, 290x3x1, [intermission for tornado warning. trapped in men's bathroom for 30 minutes.] 290x2x1 (lowbar)
Press: 95x5x1, 115x5x1, 145x2x1

This. Sucked.

5/02/10

I threw my back out doing absolutely nothing at all.

5/03/10

X-ray said very healthy back, no facet issues, etc. Whatever it was, it dropped me. The pain I can deal with - I'm just glad it's not serious. I'm working on mobility as I can't bend over right now. Hopefully, I'll be lifting by next week.

Now that the radiating pain has subsided a little, I can tell the culprit is just to the right of my backbone in the lumbar region. I'd had tenderness here for the past week, and it might explain my crappy workout on Saturday.

[nisora33]

http://triggerpoints.net/userfiles/QL.jpg

-S.

[jameson]

I went to see my chiro yesterday. If I was at 40% yesterday, I'm probably at 70% now. That morning, the pain was still radiating across my entire low back and into my gluteus medius/maximus/whatever. When I left, the only pain I felt was at the site of the injury - a big improvement. By last night, I had gained a LOT of mobility which has lasted through today. I'll go back for a couple more A.R.T. sessions, but I already told him that I wouldn't go for the 6-8 he suggested; it'll be more like 2-3.

We agreed that I'd read Stuart McGill if he'd read Rippetoe over a year ago so we're making good on the deal now. McGill suggests that:

"The asymmetric kettlebell carry challenges the lateral musculature (quadratus lumborum and oblique abdominal wall) in a way never possible with a squat."

I'm going to run, or walk as it were, with his suggestion and try a few carries tonight. One simply holds a kettlebell upside down with the elbow tucked and the bell close to the face and walks. Given that I've been interested in getting into Strongman anyway, this will be a little taste of what's to come later. I'll also do the "superman" drills that Rip shows in SS following Stacey's advice. I've also been doing push-ups using only my upper body, keeping my hips and legs on the ground. The chiro called it passive extension. It has seemed to help.

I can also tell you that I will not be grinding through any squat or deadlift exercises from now on. If my bar speed is too slow, then I'll re-examine form, weight, etc. I should have known on my last squat day to give it a rest...

[nisora33]

One glaring thing that stands out in your log--and something I can't believe I haven't mentioned yet--is your deadlift sessions prior to your back injury. You're attributing this I think more to your squatting, whereas if you'll look back at your log, you deadlifted two days in a row, and that 1st of two consecutive sessions wasn't exactly light either. Isn't it possible that hammering yourself with deads two days in a row, on top of your other training volume that week, is what added up to make this injury happen? I think you're going to have to be a little less haphazard with these things from now on, not allowing yourself to get rushed on certain days, or coming back and trying to hammer a movement again after feeling like you didn't give it it's due because you didn't finish well, or what have you--i.e. be more regimented and systematic, and ABOVE ALL, start getting your damn sleep and eating enough protein, for God's sake.

-S.

[jameson]

I thought about that. My actual workset on the second day felt better than great, but I'll give you that I was perhaps over worked for my session Saturday which ended up as a big, steaming pile of crap.

However, 285 and 290 in the squat have both been a little harder than they should be. I think it was a combination of the DL's and poor squat form over the past week.

[jameson]

Oh, and I ate like half a jar of peanut butter today. Does that count? It's the big jar so...

[nisora33]

I thought about that. My actual workset on the second day felt better than great, but I'll give you that I was perhaps over worked for my session Saturday which ended up as a big, steaming pile of crap.

However, 285 and 290 in the squat have both been a little harder than they should be. I think it was a combination of the DL's and poor squat form over the past week.

The squat form thing makes sense, because it seems like your squats became difficult rather suddenly, didn't they?

[nisora33]

Oh, and I ate like half a jar of peanut butter today. Does that count? It's the big jar so...

Nope, it does have protein, but proportionately, it's more fat than protein.

[jameson]

The squat form thing makes sense, because it seems like your squats became difficult rather suddenly, didn't they?

Yes but remember the burning in my adductors. Perhaps form, too.

[jameson]

Nope, it does have protein, but proportionately, it's more fat than protein.

Leave now or I will shatter your bones.

[jameson]

5/07/10

So I threw my back out just 5 days ago. On Sunday, I was looking at different widths in my stance with no weight, stood up, and my back seized. All with decent form - not that it should have mattered. On Monday, I realized that if my posture was perfect, I had no pain and could even bear weight. So I figured I'd move some furniture... (Not that I should have been, it was a stupid idea.) All was fine until I bent over to shove a bookcase onto a trailer - my back spasmed again. I went back in the house, fell onto a couch and couldn't move for maybe 30 minutes (just like when it first happened). After this, it didn't matter what position I was in, my back HURT. On Tuesday, I had an X-ray that showed no skeletal/disc damage. On Wednesday, I had an A.R.T. treatment and went from maybe 40% mobility to 70%. Good job, doc.

I had another treatment today, Friday, and feel even better.

This same thing happened a year ago but wasn't near as bad as this time. My back never spasmed, it just hurt so bad I couldn't lift. Even though it wasn't as bad, it took almost two months to heal. This time: a week or so. I already have as much mobility in 5 days as I had after 3 weeks last year. My guess? My increase in strength and history of training has forced my body to fix itself more quickly this time.

[homerj742]

Ouch! Hope you recover fully very soon! Don't get greedy, play it smart and you'll be stronger in no time.

[jameson]

Thanks homer.

I had another treatment yesterday and will follow up with one last one this Friday. Pain is gone for the most part, but my hips are tight and knees are popping much more than usual. I really need to focus on foam rolling, stretching, blah, blah, blah.

Going to the gym tonight. Probably some light squatting after a GOOD warmup, back raises, etc. After skwats, I'll probably do some farmer's walks. This week will probably be more about mobility and getting back into the groove. Hopefully, I'll go full bore next week.

[jameson]

5/11/10

Warmup: C2 rower for 2-3 minutes (boring)
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x5x5, 135x10x2
Press: 95x5x1, 135x3x5
Goodmorning: 135x10x1 (just messing around)
Back Extensions: BWx10x3, held position for time to test endurance
One-handed Farmer's Walk: 70x20yardsx1, 90x20yardsx2 (using short barbell for lability)

I really didn't have a plan going into the gym other than doing the back extensions and farmer's walk. Seeing the rack, though, I couldn't resist. Squats and presses felt good. Lots of volume on the squat - about 3000lbs more tonnage than a regular session. All in all, my back felt great when I left!



Some thoughts:

I've been going too low in the squat and lose extension - I really need to focus on just breaking parallel.
Given the above, I need to focus on staying tight all the way through the squat. I've been dropping and bouncing.
My flexibility needs work, but I can hold onto something and have incredible depth while maintaining extension.
Given the above, I need to focus on better muscle control so that I can maintain extension with no assistance.
The farmer's walk is an amazing exercise. Everything felt tight and controlled. Wonderful grip exercise, too.
The back extension endurance test was to see how my low back held up in extension over time. I could have stayed there all night. This tells me I don't have issues with my extensors (while in extension) rather than probably coming out of extension at the bottom of my squat due to inattention on my part/not staying tight.
I feel good, legs are tight after taking a week off. My quads were burning last night - everything feels great. I have noticed some soreness around the injury after sitting for a while. I think things are just still healing up. Not fully recovered but much improved.

[jameson]

5/13/10

Last A.R.T. session was today. Paying bills sucks.

Extensions: BWx12x2, 25x8x1
Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 245x5x3
Bench: 135x3x8
SLDL: 225x5x1
One-Handed Farmer's Walk: 90x20yx3

Squats: I'm just making 20lb jumps this week so that'll set me up to finish with 265 and use 275 next week adding 5lbs from there. (Still not wanting to go heavy with my recent back injury.)

EDIT: I should add that I was (and still am) extremely sore from Tuesday's workout. This made my squats more difficult than they should have been.

Everything else went fine.

I warmed up on the rower and then the bike for a bit. The stationary bikes in this place have a screen attached so it looks like you're riding in a race. I just swerve and hit the other riders or else I'd be bored to tears.

Farmer's Walks rule. I'm kinda getting a bug like I just want to load up a heavy backpack and hike for a bit. For some reason I just think it's fun carrying heavy stuff. Perhaps I can sway a certain someone into welding me up a yoke walk contraption.

[jameson]

5/15/10

I helped my dad move in his new wife. Picking up three flat screen T.V.'s (not plasmas - tubes), washer, dryer, two couches, two beds, dressers, treadmill, and various boxes down two flights of stairs and up onto a cattle trailer concluded my workout for the day. Oh, and one of the tv's was a 40" Sony XBR - 304lbs.

PR: I bearhugged the dryer and carried it myself. Sweet.

[jameson]

5/18/2010

Warmup: C2 rower
Squat: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x5x1, 265x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 140x3x3
Chins: BWx5x5

Squat: Felt ok I guess.
Press: Left wrist hurt or I'd have done 5 sets. Ordered wraps.
Chins: Eh.

Nothing to report really. Just ready to see gains again. Probably just need to focus on eating and sleeping...

[jameson]

5/20/2010

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 275x5x2, 275x2x1
Bench: 145x3x1, 140x3x7
DL: 135x8x1, 225x5x1, 315x5x1

I need more sleep, food, and round plates.

[jameson]

5/23/10

I had no real plan going to the gym. I didn't feel like going heavy, and I was bored at home.

Squat: 45x8x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1
Front Squat: 95x5x1
Power Clean: 95x1x1 (wrist still hurts - easy though)
Kettlebell Swings: 50x5x1 (one-arm)
Hang Snatch: 95x3x5 (fun stuff)
Farmer's Walk: 100x20ydsx3

Still need more food and rest...

EDIT: forgot, I benched working up to 195x3. Feeling like a loser...

[jameson]

5/25/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1 (boxer-rip), 275x3x3
Press: 95x5x1, 145x3x5
Hang Snatch: 95x3x3
Chins: BWx5x5

Squat: Frustrating. I know it's a recovery issue. My form was fine, but it just felt HEAVY. Still pissed though.
Press: Made me feel slightly better about the squat. PR. Fairly easy with the wrist wraps.
Snatch: Not going into a OH squat. Figured I'd just focus on the power movement. Lovin' it.
Chins: Need to add weight.

Forgot I was wearing boxers (and not boxer-briefs). I ripped a whole leg off. It looked like I was wearing half-kilt/half-boxer shorts. My favorite pair, too. :o

[jameson]

5/29/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 245x1x1, 275x3x1, 265x3x1, 245x5x1, 225x5x1, 135x10x1
Press: 95x5x1, 150x3x4
Snatch: 95x3x5
DL: 135x5x1, 225x5x1, 285x5x1, 325x5x1

Squat: I think my form is off. Knees going wider than feet. Will make sure knees track properly. May take a slightly wider stance, too. Focus on dropping straight down and not back. Think this along with knees is a major concern. Not sure I need a reset. Will see next time with better form.
Press: Went up nice. I'm really focusing on these and happy with my progress. Think wrist pain is due to cyst or just inflammation. But I do have a lump on the back of my left wrist (towards my hand).
Snatch: I CANNOT do an OH squat. Need to focus on these if I'm to do an actual snatch. Figured out second knee bend finally.
DL: Last one was ugly. Feel a little tight in my left/low back.

[jameson]

5/31/10

Went on 6 hour canoeing trip. Saved some other guys' canoe and oar. Saved friend's oar and flip-flops. Lost a flip-flop during both occasions - obviously I got it back. Saw two 4' cotton mouths and another baby one. Not very assuring (now that I think about it) when walking in shoulder deep murky water helping others out... We also saw chairs, shovels, tents, trash bags, etc, etc, 30' up in trees from the recent flood. Devestated the area where we were.

Rhomboids(?) and psoas(?) very tight. Will NOT be lifting tonight. Just foam rolling/stretching.

[jameson]

6/3/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 205x5x1, 225x3x1, 265x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 185x5x3
Chins: BWx5x3

Squat: Took a slightly wider stance. Felt good. Just a little grind in the upper/middle portion of the lift.
Bench: Easy. Good starting point. No pain in elbows or wrists.
Chins: Are evil. Felt fine - just tired.

Rushed through session. I did a light OHP x2 and light bench x1 working in with two other guys that were using the rack. I really need to purchase a weight set. I think not being rushed would help me see faster gains.

[jameson]

6/05/10

Deadlift: 135x5x1, 225x5x1, 335x3x1 (double overhand), 335x2x1 (switch grip)
Press: 95x5x1, 150x3x1, 150x1x1

DL: Used a frog stance. Felt OK. Stacey said it's the tightest he's seen my back so I'll stick with it. It feels similar to conventional for me.
Press: I pressed after DL'ing. Doh! Didn't have it in me.

[jameson]

6/13/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 205x5x1, 225x3x1, 265x5x1, 245x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 185x5x3
Dips: BWx5x2
Chins: BWx5x2

I just came back from a week-long vacation on the beach. Squats suffering.

[jameson]

6/15/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 250x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 145x3x5
Dips: BWx10x2
Chins: BWx5x2

Squat: Feels good. Left knee popping a lot. All the musculature was sore around the knee while squatting. Not sore now; just still popping.
Press: The weight felt good.

[jameson]

6/15/10

I overheard a conversation in the gym between a guy and a couple who were there "working out." The guy is complaining about shoulder pain so the couple go on and on about rotator cuff exercises with bands, cables, little purple dumbells, etc, etc. Of course I wanted to jump in and save the day, but I continued pressing this guy's bodyweight over my head for reps instead...with no shoulder pain. Hmmm...

*What is it with these stupid "rehab" exercises??? Am I wrong or aren't these exercises designed to reinforce motor pathways; not to necessarily strengthen muscle? Shouldn't he only do these rotator cuff excersises so that he can overhead press, and shouldn't he overhead press to make his shoulder feel better???

[jameson]

6/17/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x3x1, 255x5x3
Bench: 135x12x1, 190x5x3
Dips: BWx5x2
Chins: BWx5x2

Squat: Feels OK. I might need to narrow my stance a hair. Having to stay conscious of knees not going past toes (odd problem, I know).
Bench: Too easy.
Dips: Harder. Less reps than last time.
Chins: Easier. Still didn't feel like doing them.

I started to do some SLDL's but noticed a pain in my left forearm. Should heal quickly. I know I really need to deadlift more often. I'm not feeling balanced...

222#

[gamedog]

I'm glad to see you're sticking to your guns and still making a beast out of yourself! Good workout, BTW. Nice!

[jameson]

Thanks gamedog

6/19/10
Deadlift: 135x5x1, 225x5x1, 275x3x1, 335x1x1 (grip wasn't there), 315x5x1, 225x10x3

Guess I'll use 325 next time.

EDIT: barbell curls: 45x10x1, 65x10x1, 95x8x3

[jameson]

6/24/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 205x4x1, 260x2x1, 255x1x1
Press: 135x5x1, 145x5x3
Deadlift: 135x5x1, 205x5x1, 255x5x1, 300x1x1

Squat: Man everything felt heavy. I have some decent swelling in my left knee. (Water on the knee?) This happened while running in Fla a couple weeks ago.
Press: The five sets of three has helped my 3x5. Did it this way for time's sake.
Deadlift: Felt heavy, too. I had to use a switch grip for the 300. Just gassed...

This was my first session in my new garage gym. Maybe everything felt so heavy because I was drinking Miller High Life the champagne of beer to celebrate the occasion. Dunno. :D

[jameson]

6/27/10

I started warming up to squat on a very, very hot day in a warehouse with no AC. Didn't bother me. What bothered me was that I think my weight plates are off. I'm going to buy a scale and weigh them before I do something stupid. 260lbs does not feel like 260lbs plus the left side feels much heavier. My left knee isn't helping matters either. (And no, it's not my knee that makes it seem heavier. I turned around to press and it felt heavier on my right side.) VERY FRUSTRATING. My knee is pissing me off, too.

[jameson]

6/29/10

Took a walk with my wife and dog. Probably 1.5 miles. Knee's feeling a little better. Ready to have an actual training day.

[jameson]

6/30/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x5x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 155x5x1, 165x5x1, 195x5x3
High Pulls: 45x3x1, 95x5x1, 135x3x5
Chins: BWx5x2
Dips: BWx8x3

Squat: So 225 felt like a work set so I stuck with it. This is a problem.
Bench: Felt good.
High Pulls: Felt OK. I'm weak.

[jameson]

7/03/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 205x3x1, 235x5x1
Press: 95x5x1, 135x1x1, 150x3x5
Deadlift: 135x5x1, 205x5x1, 255x5x1, 300x3x1

Well. I got two more reps on my 300 DL than last time. This is stupid - I know I need to eat more/better. My lack of calories is killing any and all progress. I've lost 55lbs off my best squat and 35lbs off my best DL. This is ridiculous.

[jameson]

I think a few of my previous posts on here were somehow deleted with this "server upgrade."

To be honest, I can't remember what I did last week. I can tell you that I've been making 10lb jumps on my squat up to 245 and then 5lb jumps from there. Here's what I can remember from this week:

7/13/10

Squat: 45x5x1, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x1x1, 250x5x3
Press: 95x5x1, 105x5x1, 125x3x1, 155x3x3

I meant to do 155x3x5 on presses (fail).

7/15/10 (morning session)

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x1x1, 255x3x3
Bench: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 205x5x3
Chins: BWx5x2
Dips: BWx8x1, BWx5x1

Honestly, I think I can say it was being up so early that caused my squat to fail. I just didn't have the energy.