Sami's Starting Strength Experience

[Sami]

That help at all?

Thank you. Yes it was helpful.

[Sami]

I need a proper belt. I've got one of those shitty cheap ones that are narrow in the front so I've turned it backwards. I have to keep explaining to people that try to correct me, "Isn't that backwards?"

[Sami]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neU4wcvIlqA

Here's my shit squat. I'm not even getting good depth here. Anyway, when I get back to it after exams, I'll drop down to 90kg and get form rock solid.

I will video myself from now on when possible; it really helps.

[Tor]

I hate to say it but it looks like you're doing the classic 'leg-press' squat. I'm by no means an expert, so I'll explain what my reasoning is: if you watch closely you'll see that as you descend there is no point at which your knees stop moving forward. Likewise, at the bottom of the squat look at your knee angle and how acute it is. If you go through any of the squats that have been singled out as 'good' over in Rip's forum, you'll see a much more obtuse knee angle at the bottom.

Now, given this is a heavy weight and there will be some breakdown of form, but this is pretty fundamental. Try the TUBOW, try pushing your ass back more as you descend, feel your hamstrings STRETCH as you go down, lean over more... any one of these might work as a useful cue to 'engage your posterior chain'.

If you can do this I think you will automatically get a couple of more inches of depth and your 'hipdrive' will be much, much improved, as in, you will start to have a hipdrive. And your squat will go through the roof.

Tor

[Sami]

I agree with you, which is why I found your vids helpful.

I know my form has deteriorated as I used to really be quite mindful of my knees and how forward they went. I'm not sure how my hip-drive was though before. I just know now that the weight feels so heavy to me sometimes that I'm not even thinking about my knees. Mistake.

TUBOW will be employed.

Thank you.

[Sami]

Just to update on the weird pains.

The weird back pain stopped after about 2 days.

The hip-crease ASIS pain is fading.

The knees are still the same. I can feel them going up stairs. I might start taking stairs 3-steps at a time so that each leg starts at parallel.

[Tor]

You can also practice parallel squatting by only sitting in chairs that are three inches shorter than normal, by getting good hamstring stretch when going to the john, and by dropping into a deep squat stance whenever you strike a conversation with someone that will last more than a minute.

And I remembered something I wanted to say a while back. If you use your rest periods wisely, workout sessions can also become productive study sessions. I like to time my rest by reading two pages or writing one note card. This usually takes me about five minutes, so over the course of a typical SS workout I can read about 10-12 pages or write about 5 note cards. Something about working in the small time sections seems to help keep me focused as well, whenever I have to read something academic for an extended period of time my attention starts to wander.

Just a thought to keep you squatting.

[Sami]

Thanks for the advice. I've stopped training at the moment more than just for revision. It's also a little guilt. Guilt for failing the exams and putting my family through this. I still have to live life and spend time with the family and since I'm spending most of the day locked in my study/office, the little time I do have should be with them.

I failed one exam by 1%. 1 fucking percent. The others were only by about 8%. It just shows that EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS and I need to make the most of the time I have right now.

[Sami]

Anyway, since I'm not doing any training, I'll just keep a record of my weight.

Using my shitty bathroom scales, I was 82kg this morning (post 1+2/pre-food).

[WatsupHannity]

Sounds like school has got to be your number-one priority at all costs. If that means putting off training, so be it. On the other hand, going to the gym even once a week as Tor suggested could keep your mood and endorphins higher, and let you blow off stress and steam. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck.