Dropped it

[Str8shutr]

Hey

I'm wondering what the correct recovery from dropping a lift is. I ask because I was doing my second set of 5 LBBS, lifting 215. When I got to the last rep, I locked up when my butt was about 4-6" above my knees. I let the bar push me back down into ATG position, and then let it roll down the back of my arms while I scooched my butt forward. (Yes, I am purchasing a power cage in the very near future.)

My questions are: Short Term recovery: I loaded 205 back on the bar and did my last set with no issues. Is this the right thing to do? Long Term Recovery: I have been progressing my lifts 10lbs each session (once or twice 5lbs if the session didn't feel good). Is this a sign that I need to back down to 5lb increments until I have another dropped lift?

Background: 36 years old, been doing SS for about two months after doing no exercise for the past eight years, squat work sets have progressed from 85lbs to 210. Eating right, getting plenty of sleep now.

Thanks for your help!

[t0rment]

What you did is called a reset. The usual protocol for a reset on the novice program is to drop the weight by 10% and go from there. You might be fine going up from 205 though. I would go with 5 pounds increments at this point.

[RussB]

What you did is called a reset. The usual protocol for a reset on the novice program is to drop the weight by 10% and go from there. You might be fine going up from 205 though. I would go with 5 pounds increments at this point.

Since he took some weight off the bar and did another set in the same workout, I'd call it a backoff set. I doubt it will help you much or hurt you at the stage you're at, OP. I'm not sure what the protocol is to get back on track and switch to 5's, but maybe that's where Torment's suggestion of a reset comes in. My inclination would be to repeat your last successful 3x5 and then add 5 pounds the next workout, but since I incremented by 5 pounds right from the beginning, see what other have to say about that.

I would set something up to use as a safety rail, though. Are you using iron plates? What kind of surface are you dropping them on?

[t0rment]

Woops. Didn't realize he did it in the same workout.

[Str8shutr]

Iron plates, concrete floor in garage. I plan on buying a good squat cage in the very near future.

Another quick question. When you say 3x5, do you mean three sets doing 5 reps, or 5 sets doing three reps? I have been doing three sets at 5 reps, but I always record it as 210x5x3.

[RussB]

Iron plates, concrete floor in garage. I plan on buying a good squat cage in the very near future.

Another quick question. When you say 3x5, do you mean three sets doing 5 reps, or 5 sets doing three reps? I have been doing three sets at 5 reps, but I always record it as 210x5x3.

I mean 3 sets of 5 reps. People do it different ways, I prefer to use sets x reps. I generally assume around here that wherever the 5 is, it refers to reps, since that's primarily what people are working with (certainly not exclusively, but those "doing SS" will be doing it this way). Except, of course, for power cleans, which are done for 5 sets of 3 (5x3 or 3x5 depending on how you prefer to write it).

[Corrie]

Iron plates, concrete floor in garage. I plan on buying a good squat cage in the very near future.

Another quick question. When you say 3x5, do you mean three sets doing 5 reps, or 5 sets doing three reps? I have been doing three sets at 5 reps, but I always record it as 210x5x3.

That must have made quite a noise. Did it damage the floor?

[Philbert]

1. Short term: For me personally it is very bad to leave with a miss as the final rep on an exercise. Therefore I would either do a backoff set as you did, do a triple at the work weight, or, if I thought the missed rep was due to a lapse in focus or other similar error, repeat the entire set.
2. Long term: When you stall per the book reset per the book. Until then you may be able to continue with 10 lb increments, if not then change to 5 lbs.

[Str8shutr]

Yeah, it made some noise. My wife heard it in the house, which is a good 50 yards away from the garage. No damage to the floor. I think it dropped from about 2ft, once it rolled off of my arms, and it wasn't going straight down, both of which probably helped with lessening the impact.

Looking back, I realize that my form has been deteriorating. When I get to the top of my ROM it seems like I'm getting a lot more weight on my upper back and I have to tense up my lower back to "pick up" the lift. I think I am going to reset at -20% of my working weight and go up with 10lb increments from there. I looked in the book but couldn't find the part about resets. Where is that outlined at? Thanks for the hint, Philbert.

[Esmarch]

I looked in the book but couldn't find the part about resets. Where is that outlined at?

It's in Practical Programming.