Sven's SS Training Log

[Sven]

I'm new to free weight training with barbells, my dad enoys it so I thought I would explore barbells. A search on Amazon brought me to Rip's Starting Strength book. I ordered it, started reading it, found the website, and then ordered the DVD and his Practical Programming book. I have been trying to implement the Starting Strength program for the last five weeks with varying degrees of success. Most of my previous inconsistent physical training consisted of calisthenics type exercises and machines with an occasional dumbbell routine thrown in.

I've read SS once and am re-reading it now, I've viewed the DVD once through and am going back to specific lifts to verify form for the four lifts that I am currently working with. I've read PP up through the novice portion and decided I'll spend more time on SS. Part of the problem I've experienced is trying to get my personal trainer on board with me with the SS program, the last one didn't get it until our last session, the new guy is amenable but I have to show him what I want in terms of form and I am training him more than he is training me at this point. I don't trust him to show me the power clean or any of the other power lifts, so I'll stick with the slow lifts until I can get to a SS seminar. His primary purpose is to check my form and keep me from eating the bar in the Bench Press, something I've already manged to do once.

The other issue that seems to be causing me problems is gaining weight. I am eating more now than I ever have in my life and yet I am not gaining much weight. I am 5' 10" and started this program at 194, dropped down to 185 and I am now at 190 and moving up again but I don't have a good feel for what results I should be shooting for in terms of weight gain.

Also, I am 59 soon to be a certified Geezer and I understand that my results will be different from younger guys, it does raise questions as to how I should work the program to get best results. For example how many warm up sets are too many? Also, I've seen some conflicting information with regard to deadlifts, should I lift 3x5 at my workset or just 1x5, can I do more than one DL workout per week? I haven't figured that one out yet and in as much as my weights are low I suspect it isn't that important now.

My first workout where I felt that I had done something close to the program was on
June 1st
Squat 155 3x5
Press 65 3x5
DL 185 1x5
I start each session with a 5-7 minute warmup on a bike, I haven't been doing stretches at the end but plan on doing so.

June 3rd
Missed workout, travelling

June 6th
Squat 160 3x5
BP 130 3x5
DL 205 1x5

June 8th
Squat 165 3x5
DB Bench Press 60 2x5
Assisted Pull ups (55) 3,3,4

June 10th
Squat 175 3x5
BP 135 1x5,1x4,1x3
DL Didn't get through the warm up, had to leave for an appt.

June 13th
Squat 180 3x5 Form was weak
Press 80 3x5
DL 205 3x5

June 15th
Squat 185 2x5, 1x4
BP 135 2x5, 1x4
No Lower Back Exercise, ran out of time, Squat form sucked, failed on the first rep of the third set, tried the third set again but the form on the third and fourth reps were really bad. Ran out of oomph on the final rep of the third set on the BP, ate the bar, not bad but there was some blood so I had to get cleaned up.

June 17th
Missed the workout.

June 20th
Squat 165 3x5
Ran out of time, reset on the Squat as my form was breaking down badly, dropped 10% and did 3 sets with good form.

June 22nd
Squat 170 3x5 (tried 175 but the form sucked, went to 170 and was fine)
BP 135 3x5 (with a spotter)
DL 215 2x5, 1x4 (lost the grip on the last rep, not sure of my form but I feel good)

That's my first three weeks, I need to work on my grip. I think I've ironed out my schedule so I'll be able to do the full workout though I've been able to progress on the Deadlift at it looks like once a week. My goals are to Squat 2xBW, BP 1.5XBW, P .75xBW, DL 450-500lbs, also I want to be able to do pull ups, something I can't do right now. Also, I need to develope a workout for those days where I am not doing Dead Lifts. Nothing to brag about here but we've all got to start someplace.

[Sven]

June 24

Squats 2(5xBW), 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x135, 5x155, 3(5x175)
New gym had a full length mirror infront of the squat rack, I noticed my knees coming in as I went up, corrected that, it helped.

Press 2(5x45), 5x65, 5x70, 3(5x85)
Still working on trying to get the form down, the weight wasn't bad, don't know if I'm doing too many warm ups, I wait a solid 5 minutes between work sets, burns up a lot of time. Think I'll be able to kick it up 10 lbs next time.

Back did not do deadlifts, ran out of time. No equipment for back extensions or pullups. Mostly machines.

[Sven]

June 27

Squats 5xBW(2), 5X45, 5X95, 5X115, 5X135, 5X155, 5X180(3)

BP 5X45(2), 5X95, 5X135, 4X135, 3X140, 4X140(Negative reps)
Seem to have hit a sticking point on the BP, tried the bump up and neg reps to break through.

DL Ran out of time, this has got to stop.

[Sven]

June 29

Squat 5XBW(2), 5X45, 5X95, 5X135(2), 5X155, 5X165, 5X185(3)

Press 5X45(2), 5X65, 5X75, 5X90(3)

Back Assisted Pull Ups 10(70), 7(70), 5(70)
Back Extension 15xBW(3)

Used Weight Lifting Shoes for the first time, helped on the Squat, I think I've got the bar too high on the Squat.

[Sven]

2 July - 5 July

Did not work out

[Sven]

July 6

Squats 5xBW(2), 5x45, 5x65, 5x95, 5x135, 5x155, 5x165, 5x185(3)

Press 5x45(2), 5x65, 5x75, 5x90(3)

DL 5x135, 5x185,

Off for a week, used the same weights as last workout, Ran out of time on the DL.

[Sven]

July 9

Squat 5xBW(2), 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x155, 5x175, 5x190(3)

Press 5x45(2), 5x65, 5x75, 2x95, 5x92.5(2), 4x92.5

DL 5x135, 5x155, 5x185, 5x225

Three days between workouts, Form at 92.5 on the Press left a lot to be desired. I am reviewing SS again, with emphasis on the assistance exercises. I still don't know if I am doing the eating thing right, I drink lots of milk, but then I always have, my red meat consuption along with eggs is way up, but I am still a couple pounds less than I was when I started. Weighed in at 190.5 today.

[Sven]

July 11

Squat 5xBW(2), 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x155, 5x175, 2x185, 5x195(3)

Press 5x45, 5x65, 5x75, 2x85, 5x92.5(3)

Back Extensions 15xBW

Weight is still at 190, used the 1.25 lb plates last time and this on the press, the form still sucks but I did get 3x5 sets, I think I will stick with the 92.5 weight next time in hopes my form will get better, I think my form problem has something to do with being able to effectively use my neural pathways or whatever they're called to actuate all the muscle I have available. This afternoon when doing the body weight warmups on the squats I could almost feel the hamstrings stretch, I think I must be one of the proprioceptive retards that Rip wrote about. Perhaps my knees are too far forward, I am going to get a block of wood and do the squats at home without weights and see if I can get that feel down.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Dang, I missed this entirely. Thanks for the heads up in geezer thread. Looks like a good start.

[Sven]

July 13

Squats 5xBW, 5x45, 5x65, 5x95, 5x135, 5x155, 5x175, 5x185, 5x200, 4x200, 3x200(2)

BP 5x45, 5x65, 5x95, 5x115, 5x140(3)

DL 5x135, 5x185, 5x205, 2x225, 3x230

Coming up on the 4th rep of the 2nd set of squats one of the club members decided I needed help and grabbed me around the chest, which distracted me and required me to stop 3/4s of the way up and tell him to let go of me, twice. I gather the look in my eyes was sufficient to convince him I wasn't pleased by his efforts to help, he let go and moved off rather quickly and stayed away from me for the rest of my time there. What the hell is up with that? I finished off with two sets of three, I was thinking that the idea of moving to 5 sets of 3 when moving up in weight and then 3 sets of 5 the next workout would be nice to try but I hadn't intended for it to happen this way. If I hadn't lost the grip on the DL I would have set PRs in all lifts today. The poor grip in the DL has to be adressed things aren't going to get any easier, I don't want to go to straps yet.