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Thread: bean counter's log

  1. #31
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    • starting strength seminar april 2024
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    Saturday 18 March
    Week 5, Day 4


    Bodyweight: 96.9 kg

    BW has been remarkable stable for the last few days. After some consideration I'm going to go Chris's route and see if I can get down to 93 kg for mid-May. That should only require losing a couple of kilos of "real" weight, plus some water.

    I also decided to scrap next week as the end of this volume phase and go straight into a low stress week. Right high adductor is tweaky at the moment.

    SSB Squat
    SBD knee sleeves
    145 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8.5
    120 kg kg: 3 X 5 @ 8, 8, 8
    Totals: 16 reps, 1,945 kg

    OK. 145 kg was tougher than last week. Sets of 120 kg X 5 were kind of hard on the right calf / ankle. Adductor wasn't limiting, but I could feel it. Hopefully it won't be an issue for my main squat session on Monday.

    Goodmorning
    50 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
    55 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6.5
    60 kg: 4 X 6 @ 7, 7, 7, 7
    Totals: 36 reps, 2,070 kg

    Good. Feeling nice at this weight.

    5ct Eccentric Pushups
    3 X 12

    Fairly easy apart from the final set. Ready to add reps I guess.

    Side Planks
    30s X various

    Probably 4 or 5 rounds each side, with varying rests, since I was helping out a couple of guys doing equipped bench.

    DB Hammer Curls
    7-8-9-10 kg X 25

    Rear Delt Flyes
    3 kg X 15, 15, 20, 20

  2. #32
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    Sunday 19 March
    Week 5, GPP


    Bodyweight: 96.9 kg

    This remarkable state of homeostatis continues. Dropped intake to 3,00 kcal / day.

    Rotator Cuff Stuff
    X 3
    - Cable external / internal rotations: 3 kg X 15
    - Front raise with band resisted shoulder abduction X 16
    - Codman circumduction: 1.25 kg X 20
    - Ys / Ts / Is: 1.25 kg X 15

    Elliptical
    20 mins @ c. 120 bpm

    Mobility

    Groin / adductor was mostly non-troublesome today until I stretched it. That was dumb.

  3. #33
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    Monday 20 March
    Week 6, Day 1


    Bodyweight: 96.3 kg

    Buffalo Bar Squat
    SBD knee sleeves, belt, wrist wraps
    180 kg X 1 @ 9- [0.29 m/s]
    147.5 kg X 4 @ 7, 7, 8-
    Totals: 13 reps, 1,950 kg

    Terrible. Knees hurt during warmups then lower leg/ankle hurt during the work. Last warmup was too narrow a stance and felt poor. On 180 kg after setting up wider I ended up adjusting my stance a bit narrower once again to feel comfortable, which may have something to do with the recent groin/adductor tweak. No pain there, but it was an awkward, slow, hard rep. Sets were harder than I'd like too. Hopefully this low stress week is coming at the right time, because my performance was definitely depressed here. Moving back to a normal barbell next week. I was planning to stubbornly stick with 180 kg as my @8 single weight, even if it was a bit harder, but now it's degenerated to @9 I might take a step back.

    Right glute started twitching after the session and is still doing so the next morning.

    Bench
    92.5 kg X 5 @ 8, 7, 9
    Totals: 15 reps, 1,390 kg

    Good. I'm glad I dropped to 2.5 kg jumps as I'm not sure I would have got 95 kg. Still no wrist wraps, so I think I'm setting wrapless PRs. This was tough, but I got through it without too much form breakdown or shoulder discomfort. Bench has got sufficiently stressful lately that I actually feel sore afterwards.

    BB Seal Row [Chinese Row]
    55 kg: 1 X 8
    57.5 kg: 1 X 8
    60 kg: 2 X 8
    Totals: 32 reps, 1,860 kg

    Fine. Still using the cambered bar for extra ROM.
    Last edited by bean counter; 03-21-2017 at 03:56 AM.

  4. #34
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    Tuesday 21 March
    Week 6, Day 2


    Bodyweight: 96.6 kg

    Post session I weighed myself on the gym's competition scale, since it wasn't packed away as usual. This is the actual scale that would be used for the competition in May. I came in at 97.4 kg. I then drank 400 ml of fluid and went home. Straight after getting home I weighted in at 98.2 kg. So based on today it seems that my home scale weighs 0.2 kg heavier than the competition scale, which is a useful data point to have.

    2" Block Pull
    185 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8-
    + Straps
    165 kg: 2 X 5 @ 8, 8
    Totals: 11 reps, 1,835 kg

    Good. +5 kg on single and did two sets with last week's top rep-weight. Back (lat?) wanted to cramp a bit before the second set, but I got through it OK.

    Bulgarian Split Squat
    45 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
    50 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7
    55 kg: 2 X 6 @ 8, 7.5
    Totals: 24 reps, 1,230 kg

    OK. Back to flats, which helped with stability. Groin/adductor still somewhat irritated by these.

    Seated DB Press
    12.5 kg: 1 X 10 @ 6
    15 kg: 1 X 10 @ 6
    17.5 kg: 3 X 10 @ 8, 8, 7
    Totals: 50 reps, 1,600 kg

    Good. Still sticking at this light weight. Shoulders felt almost the same on both sides which was the important bit. I'll try barbell press next week, although that has the risk of irritating my elbows.

    DB Hammer Curls
    7-8-9-10 kg X 25

    Rotator cuff stuff
    X 3

    Not sure what to do about deadlifts on Thursday. I'm still keen to try sumo for a few more weeks, but my groin/adductor area remains irritated. I could do some sumo work anyway despite discomfort (runs the risk of further irritation), just go with conventional for a week (potentially losing technique/strength momentum on sumo) or, most radically, try sumo in my squat suit (kind of non-specific for raw lifting, but should offer some support).

  5. #35
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    Thursday 23 March
    Week 6, Day 3


    Bodyweight: 96.5 kg

    Equipped Sumo DL, Straps Down
    Belt, Titan Superior Suit
    180 kg: 1 X 1
    190 kg: 1 X 1
    160 kg: 1 X 4
    160 kg: 1 X 4 [conventional]
    160 kg: 1 X 4 [back to sumo]
    Totals: 14 reps, 2,290 kg

    Nice. I decided to have a play around in my suit to give my hips and groin a break from the stresses of raw sumo. I immediately liked equipped sumo. The suit supported my hips nicely, allowing me to focus on getting into a good position, letting my weight shift back and levering the bar off the floor. 190 kg was IMO the nicest 190 kg I've ever pulled. Not super fast, but really smooth. The first set of four was OK - resetting between reps is a bit awkward in the suit. I did have a tiny hint of hip pain so though I might switch back to conventional for the remaining two sets. However conventional felt awful, with both the suit and the belt chewing me up around the hips, and struggling to get a flat back. So I did the final set sumo again. Hip flexor was a little niggly, but groin/adductor had no issues. All mixed-grip today, no hook. My left thumb started bleeding around the cuticle after the single, possibly from dragging on the suit material at lockout. I also tried deadlift slippers for sumo to cut down on my packing load and they seemed fine, with no slippage at the weights I was using today.

    I think this gives a strong positive indication to sumo as my equipped pulling style if I ever get around to training more in kit. The jury's still out on raw. Sumo feels good for reps, but not that strong for singles at the moment, and it's still really stressful on my hips. I'm going to give it a go for another few weeks and then make my mind up a few weeks before my planned May competition date.

    Bench
    95 kg X 5 @ 8.5, 8.5, 9
    Totals: 15 reps, 1,425 kg

    Dammit. Strength was surprisingly good, but I pissed off my shoulder a bit, quite possible due to a poor handout in the first set which robbed me of tightness. It's feeling worse post-session than it has done in a few weeks now. Need to monitor over the next few days. Based on strength feelz I should be able to make the two remaining 2.5 kg jumps to 100 kg and next session would be > BW, but after taking six weeks to get this far I'm not going to recklessly force weight on the bar if my shoulder can't take it.

    V-Grip Pulldown
    70 kg: 2 X 8 @ 7, 6
    75 kg: 2 X 8 @ 8-, 8-
    Totals: 32 reps, 2,320 kg

    Meh. A bit of pain under the arm which is probably linked to the bench tweak.

    Mobility

    I bought some smelling salts on a whim and found they'd turned up in the post when I got home. Took one tentative sniff from about eight inches away and got quite a jolt.
    Last edited by bean counter; 03-23-2017 at 03:06 PM.

  6. #36
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    Your sumo deadlift experience is interesting and something I've been following.

    I tried setting up for sumo one day and noticed some discomfort in my hips. I tried to pull and could barely budge the bar. I was probably doing it completely wrong.

    Regardless, I will give it ago after my meet in May and try both deadlift variants for 4 weeks to see which one feels stronger.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mahendra View Post
    Your sumo deadlift experience is interesting and something I've been following.

    I tried setting up for sumo one day and noticed some discomfort in my hips. I tried to pull and could barely budge the bar. I was probably doing it completely wrong.

    Regardless, I will give it ago after my meet in May and try both deadlift variants for 4 weeks to see which one feels stronger.
    It's an interesting thing to try. Four weeks isn't really a long time in the grand scheme of things. I did three week of preparatory work, now I'm mid way through a six week experiment.

    Saturday 25 March
    Week 6, Day 4


    Bodyweight: 96.4 kg

    SSB Squat
    SBD knee sleeves
    145 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8
    120 kg kg: 2 X 5 @ 8-, 8-
    Totals: 11 reps, 1,345 kg

    Fine. 145 kg was better than last week. I caught it on camera and it certainly moved fast, but was still very taxing for my back position. 120 kg X 5 was probably a bit easy, but that's not too much of a shame at the end of this low stress week. Slight knee/calf/ankle pain today, but better than last Saturday / Monday, so hopefully I'll be in a better place to squat this next Monday.

    Goodmorning
    50 kg: 1 X 7 @ 6
    55 kg: 1 X 7 @ 7-
    60 kg: 2 X 7 @ 7, 7
    Totals: 28 reps, 1,575 kg

    Nice. +1 rep (albeit fewer sets) at the same weights as last week and still nice and controlled.

    5ct Eccentric Pushups
    3 X 12

    Shoulder felt pretty bad yesterday. It's not too bad today, but still somewhat aggravated relative to recent levels. I decided to do this and didn't have any shoulder issues. Forgot my wrist wraps. Used some rubbish wraps that were lying around the gym for the first set. Didn't put them on for the second set and regretted it, so wrapped again for set three.

    Plank
    35s X 6, 45s
    =4:15 in 6:45

    DB Hammer Curls
    7-8-9-10 kg X 25

  8. #38
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    Sunday 26 March
    Week 6, GPP


    Bodyweight: 96.1 kg

    Spin Bike
    25 mins @ c. 120 bpm

    Rotator Cuff Stuff
    X3

    Mobility

  9. #39
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    Monday 27 March
    Week 7, Day 1


    Bodyweight: 96.1 kg

    LBBS
    SBD knee sleeves, belt, wrist wraps
    170 kg: 1 X 1 @ 7.5 [0.39 m/s]
    177.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8 [0.35 m/s]
    147.5 kg: 5 X 4 @ 7, 7.5, 7.5, 7, 7
    Totals: 22 reps, 3,300 kg

    Not bad. This was my first time squatting with a straight barbell since the start of this cycle and while not feeling too alien I did feel a bit out of my groove to start with. Rather than jump straight to a heavy top single I took an intermediate load with 170 kg first, which was just good enough to encourage me to hit 177.5 kg. That top single was OK in speed, if a bit wobbly in bar path, I'll repeat next week. Knee/calf/ankle pain was making itself known by the time I'd warmed up.

    Sets started out awkwardly, but actually got a lot smoother and more controlled by sets four and five. Pain didn't get any worse and my form became a lot more consistent. The only thing I couldn't really control was my right knee dancing all over the place on the way up, but that's something I've had issues with for ages, so it was hardly a new problem. This is the same side with the pain and I expect there's a link.

    Bench
    97.5 kg: 3 X 5 @ 9.5, 9, 9.5
    Totals: 15 reps, 1,465 kg

    Good. Despite my shoulder not feeling 100% back to baseline after irritation from last Thursday it did feel OK to train on. 97.5 kg was feeling really heavy and hard, but I got through all the reps. RPEs are probably horribly miscalibrated here. I filmed the last set, which felt near maximal, but on video it didn't actually look too hard. This session passed the bodyweight milestone. Still no wrist wraps.

    No shoulder twinges or clunks while training, but there is some soreness the next day. I think this is manageable, it's where it doesn't recover session-to-session or starts actually impacting training that the real issue arises.

    DB Seal Row
    27.5 kg: 1 X 7
    30 kg: 1 X 7
    32.5 kg: 4 X 7
    Totals: 42 reps, 2,625 kg

    Fine. Back to DBs for a while.


    Tuesday March 28


    Bodyweight: 96.7 kg

    Despite dropping another 20g carbs yesterday I'm not sure my weight is dropping fast enough to make 93 kg by 14th May. I'll reassess next week.
    Last edited by bean counter; 03-29-2017 at 02:15 AM.

  10. #40
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    starting strength coach development program
    Tuesday 28 March
    Week 7, Day 2


    2" Block Pull
    185 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8-
    + Straps
    175 kg: 3 X 3 @ 8+, 8+, 8+
    Totals: 10 reps, 1935 kg

    Good. This seems really intense and was challenging my lower back, glutes and hamstrings. The small block lets me set my back, even without a belt, to the point where my rep work is heavier than full belted deadlifts.

    The next morning my right hamstring feels really sore.

    Press
    45 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
    50 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7
    55 kg: 4 X 6 @ 8, 8, 8, 8
    Totals: 36 reps, 1,890 kg

    OK. I wasn't very strong at this after quite a while away from barbell pressing. No wrist wraps and no belt were also challenges relative to my usual pressing style. Some forearm irritation, but it didn't increase during the session. Slightly worried these will beat up my elbows; time will tell.

    303 Buffalo Bar Squat
    105 kg: 4 X 7 @ 7, 7, 6, 7
    Totals: 28 reps, 2,940 kg

    Good. Rather than beat myself down I stuck with a light-ish weight, albeit one where the bar still became harder to move over the last couple of reps in each set. Found a nice groove with a narrowish stance and initiating with knees out. Ankle etc. issues didn't hurt while squatting, but were sore during the trip home.

    DB Hammer Curls
    7-8-9-10 kg X 25

    Wednesday 29 March

    Bodyweight: 96.0 kg

    Finally moving in the right direction.

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