First Failures Today

[tweakxc03]

So today I failed HARD on squats for the 3rd set. I got 2 reps and then had to dump the bar at the bottom of the 3rd rep. 245 pounds, up from an initial weight of 155, so that's pretty good.

It seems like my lower back is what gets fried first. It was already pretty fatigued before I even started the first set. So, maybe I'm having trouble recovering from the deadlifts? After I finished the squats, my cleans were basically nothing and ended up bagging the rest of the workout.

Then I did x5 x4 x4 on the Press today. Bummer. I also noticed a pretty sharp pain in my outer elbow on the way back down to the bottom of each rep. I've had it before, similar to tennis elbow. I've read some about how to deal with that on the site, but can't recall it right now. Should be doing more reading on that.

The main issue is going to be getting my lower back to recover from workout to workout. At what point in the novice program do you move from, say, the SS novice program, to maybe Onus Wunsler, WFAC, or the PP novice workouts, if ever?

Just seemed like I had no energy today.

I guess the next step is to reattempt the weights next workout and see what happens.

[Tiburon]

So today I failed HARD on squats for the 3rd set. I got 2 reps and then had to dump the bar at the bottom of the 3rd rep.

Did you re-rack it and try it again? With two sets already in the book, you were almost there. . . .

[tweakxc03]

Did you re-rack it and try it again? With two sets already in the book, you were almost there. . . .

what would re-racking it have done? I didn't consider that. My lower back was toast by that point.

If I had to re-rack it, that would have still been a missed set, right?

[FROGGBUSTER]

a deload should help you get unstuck. after 3 deloads you should move on.

[gzt]

a deload should help you get unstuck. after 3 deloads you should move on.

He doesn't need to deload yet. He should try the weights again, obviously. Though if he was being greedy (ie, too many 5# jumps on the press, too many 10# jumps on the squat), he could consider going back and making a 5# squat jump and 2.5# press jump to make it work. Or it could just be a bad day.

[JT in MD]

Blame it on daylight savings and forget about it.

[fnet]

Everybody has bad days. I've had my share. Sometimes an extra day of rest works wonders. As for the elbow, think RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

[tweakxc03]

yeah, i think part of it was just a bad day... that and maybe the fact that i'm squatting essentially bare-footed, with no lifted heel at all. My lifting shoes are in the mail...

but man my left elbow and knee are not happy at all today.

yesterday was my first 2.5 pound jump for the press. i've been doing 5 pound jumps for squats for a while now.

i'll reattempt on monday and see what happens. I am trying to figure out what keeps irritating my left knee. they aren't really sliding forward all that much if at all. It does look like my left knee comes in slightly from the "knees out" position as I start to push out of the bottom. maybe that's it?

as for the elbow, i've read that sometimes chins and even curls can help counteract the tennis elbow thing. is that correct?

[gzt]

Where does the knee hurt? If it's on the sides, especially the outside, yeah, caving in can cause that to hurt.

[tweakxc03]

not on the sides really at all. My IT band gets a little irritated, but no different than when I was running regularly.

The real irritation is on the large tendon that attaches to the bottom of the knee cap... that and just to the inside part of the knee cap.

i'm not sure if i'm actually caving in, per se.

Maybe it's just irritated from when i did this on the first rep 2 workouts ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiMvMTjFnf4

Here's a vid of my squats from the workout 2 days ago. Don't have videos from yesterday to post just yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwa8C_seFZE