Squat, DL and weakness

[Kiril]

Hi TMPHBITEU, and all the other big guys,

I have a serious problem with two big exercises: the deadlift and the squat. My maximum is about 60 kg in squat, but already after 50+ I begin feeling a weakness and being lightheaded. I do warmups, I drink enough water, and in many cases this is my first exercise. No overtrain. I also eat enough carbohydrates 2 hours before, and 30 minutes before my workout I eat some banana or bread with chocolate. I feel fine during my 60 - 80 minutes lifting before and after. I do a low bar squat, and even with my torn meniscus I - thanks god - almost not feel it. But I'm stuck with those 50 - 60 kg because of the breathing problem. It's like, after do 55*5, I begin feeling dizziness. Then I take 2 - 3 minutes rest, do less than five and feel, that one more, and I'm going to lose my conscious. I checked my heart on echo, my BP is normal, also checked my lungs(was a suspicion for asthma, with no connection to the lifting) - nothing, though it's said that I have a lung function on the low level of normal range. And, I've always, since childhood, had a problem with a full breathing, the feeling that you can't fully inhale. Something psychological, I guess.

With the DL - 50 kg, not higher. The same thing. Even it almost once happened with shrugs: I took two dumbbells of 20 kg, made my training, and began feeling weak. Took me 5 minutes to recover.
Because of this shit I can't progress with these two king exercises, and my BP is higher than them: 70+ kg, and I see no logic in hands being stronger than legs or back(unless I'm a monkey, and no one told me about that). I feel fine after the BP, even if it's like my head is going to blow up for a few seconds.
35 y.o,almost 60 kg my own weight, 163 cm height, being trained 5 years, but only the last year more seriously, not without the help of SS lessons on youtube, and reading literature about the training process.
By the way, I did 2*5 front squats (after the back squats) with 40 kg, and it was ok.

Would be glad to read any suggestions from you.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe

[Kiril]

The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe

To rest more? I'll be more than happy to do that. By the way, I've noticed that sometimes, at the end of the session, 30 - 40 minutes after the squat, I can, with almost no warmup, get back to the maximum weight, doing a few reps more. It's like it's taking me half an hour to get back my breath. Strange case...
Regarding my poor, crappy diet - that's the hard part of the story. But still I hope one day I'll be able to push - pull and squat 1.5 of my weight. One day.

[SteveL]

To rest more? I'll be more than happy to do that. By the way, I've noticed that sometimes, at the end of the session, 30 - 40 minutes after the squat, I can, with almost no warmup, get back to the maximum weight, doing a few reps more. It's like it's taking me half an hour to get back my breath. Strange case...
Regarding my poor, crappy diet - that's the hard part of the story. But still I hope one day I'll be able to push - pull and squat 1.5 of my weight. One day.

The sweet spot for me between worksets is eight minutes. I've gone nine if I'm particularly wiped by a set but for me anyway it seems like if I go 10 minutes I lose my warmup. I'm 59 years old.

[Kiril]

The sweet spot for me between worksets is eight minutes. I've gone nine if I'm particularly wiped by a set but for me anyway it seems like if I go 10 minutes I lose my warmup. I'm 59 years old.

Thanks for the reply, SteveL. I'm much younger than you, so maybe 6 - 7 minutes will be enough for me. I'll try it today.
And it's great people at your age are lifting weights. I hate explaining my parents, why it's important to start now, before it's too late, or less efficient.


Just have arrived from the gym. When I reached the submaximal weights, I rested for 5 - 7 minutes, and finally succeeded in squatting 65 kg, for 1rep(I could do two or three, but then I would kiss and hug the floor badly). I also jumped from 37.5 to 40*3 kg in my shoulder press. I'll try to rest more between sets and eat a little bit more(here's my big problem), and see how I'm progressing.