Mexican Muscle- Fuerza's Log

[Fuerza]

Hello Everyone,
I'm a 30 year old man, 5'9" 192lbs. I am a novice lifter, having started a few different plans before SS. I initially started a bodyweight split at home and I didn't really understand what I was doing but I got hooked on weightlifting. I joined the least expensive gym around southern California (fitness 19) that was equipped with a squat rack and bench press because I read about the importance of the Squat in any program.

I combined Medhi's SL with the technique I saw on SS dvd for a few months. I didn't buy the SS:3 book till 5/3/13.

1/8/13 @ 179lbs BW
Squat 95 5x5 All lifts were 5x5 except the deadlift which was 3x5
B. Press 85
Press 45
DL 135
BB/T Row 65

5/3/13 @190lbs BW
Squat 225
B. Press 155
Press 100
DL 225
BB/T Row 145
I felt my form was sloppy through out the progression. The video was good but I don't think I hit a deep enough squat or had a vertical bar path in all my lifts. I had a lot of low back pain/fatigue and experienced a shoulder sprain in the anterior deltoid during those months. I also didn't increase weights linearly every session. I also did a few chin-ups and dips here and there, I want to do it right from now on.

Now that I have SS:3 I have started over with my linear program.

5/8/13 working weights 3X5
Squat 165
Press 75
Dead lift 135 1X5

5/10/13 ww 3X5
Squat 185
B. Press 145
back extension 3X10 bodyweight
Chinups 10/6/6/5
I should have alternated the power clean today instead of the back ext/chin up but my gym doesn't provide bumper plates. I'm going to have to shell out $30 for a 10lb pair and another $40 for a used barbell so I can practice in my garage. I can practice with an empty bar at my gym till then.

I also started using proper weight lifting shoes on 5/10/13. I had used converse One Star's before I got my hands on Adidas Power lift Trainer's. It's a big difference, I felt unsteady walking the weight out but solid during the squat. Hopefully i can get a form check video up within the next two weeks.

Adios amigos!

[Fuerza]

5/12/13

Squat
3x5 45#
3x5 135#
1x3 165#
1x3 185#
3x5 225#
1x5 135 #
Before the squat I went down on the ground on my belly and did 10 thigh/leg raises to feel my lower back contract so i would know which muscles to keep tight during the squat. It felt solid on the lighter lifts but later I felt my lower back relax on a few reps between 185#-225#. On a few other reps i really felt my groin produce some of that bounce and hip drive out of the hole. The back off set was to reinforce my form and remind me to keep my upper and lower back tight. I was tired after my work sets and don't know how much that back off set helped.

Overhead Press
2x5 45#
1x5 65
1x5 85
3x5 95
i focused on keep the baron the fatty part of my thumb/hand. i drew a blank when I tried to remember the lesson on the SS dvd. I just tried to get under the bar after the
press and keep it over my shoulders. reduce moment in forearm and wrist.
DeadLift
2x5 135#
1x5 165
1x3 185
1x3 225
1x5 245
i felt like i pulled the bar up with my lower back, using muscles around the lumbar. i also brain farted on remembering the SS dvd pointers when this lift came up. I hit the basics though. Set up over the middle of foot. Dropped the shins to bar, raised the chest, deep breath, pulled and dragged it up my legs. I don't think the bar had a completely vertical bar path. I felt it traveled around my knees in an arc. the work set was tough. I had to take a breather on my last rep and the pull up was extremely slow.

5/13/13 I got a lot of sleep and ate good, not really clean but a whole lot of bbq pork and processed carbs. Avocado, cucumber, a few tortillas, bread, etc. I fast two days out of the week, usually a 24 hour fast. So ill eat again tomorrow 5/14/13 at 6pm. Between now and then I'll drink water 4+ liters and a couple cups of unsweetened green tea or black coffee. I also take 5g of creatine a day when I remember to.

[Fuerza]

5/14/13

Squat 230 3x5
Bench Press 155 3x5
Back Extension 3x10 @ bodyweight
Pullup 5x5 last set used a green band

The squat felt ok but I felt a lot of strain in my lower back. My bro said my hips didn't go to parallel or below my knee cap. I had 10g of bcaa's pre-workout with a caffeine capsule. I trained fasted, I couldn't tell a difference. Ate a large meal after, shrimp ceviche, veggies and cheese, a sweet potato, three tostadas. Shredded bbq pork. Two scoops of ice cream and 5g of creatine.

No Power cleans again. I am considering buying a barbell to practice that lift in my garage. I'm making excuses but my gym is kinda crowded, a lot of local Highschoolers clog up a lot of the space. Throwing around a barbell with no bumpers doesn't sound like a good idea. I'm torn between three different bars. A rogue beater bar http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-beater-bar.php a rogue mens Econ http://www.roguefitness.com/mens-economy-bar.php or the One barbell to rule them all http://www.roguefitness.com/burgener...-men-s-bar.php I'm open to suggestions though. i have researched my options. It's just this is going to be my first barbell, I don't plan on getting a squat stand or rack so center knurls aren't a big deal, just something for the power clean and snatch.

[Aleli]

Good luck with your training. Investing in a bar sounds like a good idea.

[Fuerza]

Thanks alot, Aleli.
5/18/13
I took a few extra days off then I normally would because of life getting in the way of training but I expected to hit the weights hard on this session. I did a few low back/sciatica stretches and a psoas stretch a few hours before my workout because I felt tightness in the lumbar region of my back. The stretches felt good but the workout didn't go so great.
I couldn't maintain lumbar extension in my work sets and had to back off after 1 set. The pain in the lumbar region or more specifically in the thoracolumbar fascia kept me from being to focus on the press and squashed all hopes of doing a heavy deadlift. It might have been the erector spinae muscles that were to blame, it feels like the discomfort is right under the fascia. Another symptom I've noticed is that I get a spasm in the same area when I sneeze.

Squat
45x5x3
95x5
135x5
185x3 I felt the tightness interfere with lumbar extension.
205x3 Discomfort in the erector spinae muscles
235x5x1 lower back rounding in most of these reps. I had to put in extra effort to overcome a bar that had moved forward of the middle of my foot.
225x5 discomfort still present
135x5 practiced holding my lumbar in extension

Press
45x5x3
75x5
100x5x3
I adjusted my grip on the bar to put it over the forearm and I referenced page 81-83 in ss:3 as best I could from memory. I had a little bit of pain the crook of my elbow after this grip adjustment so I must have done it wrong, another reason I want a barbell to practice with. The new grip plus the discomfort in the lumbar made these sets harder than they should have been.
Deadlift
135x5x2
I locked in my stance, feet about a foot apart, toes out, pushed my knees apart slightly and the bar an inch away from my shins. After grabbing the bar and dropping my shins I would squeeze my chest up and try to set my spine from the top down. I felt resistance from the hamstrings which I usually don't feel, I take it that hamstring resistance is a good thing in the DL. The lifts felt ok but I didn't increase the weight, because my lumbar area still felt sensitive.

I'm going to reset my squat weight on Monday and work on keeping the lumbar in extension through a deep (parallel) squat. I also have a problem with my right knee caving in on the way out of the hole that I have to correct.

[Fuerza]

5/20/2013

Lumbar was still sore, it felt like doms in my lower back. Stretching felt good. I did some psoas and hip stretches a few hours before my workout. I went in with the intention of going moderate but I ran into a friend who gave me some advice about my stance and hip drive. He practices power lifting and follows Wendler's 5/3/1 Program and Kelly Starrett mobilitywod. He gave me some info and a few more stretches I could do after my workout. He coached me through my squat, que'd me to keep my head/neck in a neutral postition (it drops forward and down when I stare at the ground). He also said I hit parallel and actually go beyond- maybe that is the cause of the sudden slack I feel in my lower back/hip at the bottom of the squat. Overall i just checked my form and talked with friends a lot this session. I came to the realization I have to rehab this lumbar sprain before I try to progress.
Squat
45x5xmany sets
145x5x3
Bench press i got some pointers from friends, i felt this workout was all over the place
95x10
115x5x2
155x5
135x5
115x5
Back Extension 3x10 @ body weight
Chin ups 5x5 @ body weight

[Fuerza]

5/23/13
started the starr rehab program for my lumbar/spinae erector soreness
squat
3x25 @ 45lbs felt ok, these sets taxed my cardiovascular system. I don't run or jog.
O. Press
checked my grip and technique, I don't know If i should keep linearly progress with weight on this lift while I do the Starr rehab.
3x5x65lbs

Power clean
Checked technique, practiced
5x3x55lbs
Pull up
5x5
40 pushups
20 min bike ride
foam roll+stretch

5/24/13
Starr Rehab
Squat
45x25
55x25x2
Power Clean
45x5x3
55x5x3
Practiced, didn't go heavy but I really like this lift. So much that I'm getting a Cap ob-86b and some economic 25# bumper plates. I'll also fab some technique wood plates out of pine rounds from home depot http://www.homedepot.com/p/1-x-17-3-...1#.UaEcSkCfhlo
I ran at the park and man I have ZERO cardiovascular endurance. My hips really opened up though, stretched in a new way, it felt uncomfortable then good.
Ice and rest

5/25/13
Starr rehab
Squat
45x25
55x25
65x25
These squats felt excellent, especially my 55# set. I hit great depth, kept everything tight and had a good rythm going for me.

Bench Press
My last working weight set was 155 for 5 reps and 3 sets. I'm going to work my way up to this and check my form, etc
45x5x2
95x5x2
135x5x2
140x5
145x5x3



Back extensions 3x10 @ bodyweight
Chin ups, sets of 5 then negatives in sets of 3
Some jogging/running
Ice

[Fuerza]

5/27/13
Squat
55x25
65x25
75x25
Overall the squats felt great, I feel a lot more flexible warming up with a 55-65 lb barbell than a 45. i achieve better hamstring stretch and hit a lower depth.
Press
worked up till 95x5x3
I'm picking up slightly below of were I left off before the starr rehab. I don't think the load is heavy enough to impede my recovery.
Power Clean
70x3x5
A lot more practice is needed before i increase the weight. I hit myself in the chin once and my elbows were dropping on my last work sets.

5/28/13
Squat
65x25
75x25
85x25

Bench press
150x5x3
Back extension
3x10 bodyweight
Chin ups 5x8 body weight

5/29
Squat
75x25
85x25
95x25

6/1/13
Squat
85x25
95x25
105x25
My hamstrings are still sore where they attach to my hips. The soreness didn't keep me from squatting. I feel the squat strain a muscle in my lumbar region on the first rep, but it doesn't hurt on the next 24 reps. Weird. These sets were a little sloppy but I hit good depth. My gut wasn't as tight as it could have been, i felt I would tighten it after my hips would break. I'll remember to tighten everything up before I squat and keep it tight next time. Keeping my back tight between reps is another problem I see developing. I noticed my head was in a bad position even though I was starring at the floor 4ft in front of me.

Press 100x5x3
they felt really heavy and awkward overhead. the bar did not travel in a vertical bar path, i'm reviewing the dvd before my next press.

Deadlift
135x5x3
practiced getting into position without aggravating the pulled muscle in my lumbar.

[Fuerza]

Starr rehab
Squat
95x25
105x25
115x25
I feel the strain during the initial unlocking of my hips and knees beginning the squat. Hesitation causes this sharp pain that last 1/4 of the way down then goes away. It doesn't return after I get in the rhythm of the next 24 reps, weird.
115x25 really taxed my form so I think I'll drop my reps to 20 and keep increasing weight by 10lbs until I feel I can't manage it.

[Fuerza]

6/4/13
Starr rehab
Squat
105x20
115x20
125x20
Bench Press
155x5x3
Chinups about 40 with a band
back extensions 3x10 bodyweight+5lbs plate

I found a comfortable stance for the squat that alleviated the spasms in my lumbar from a 7 pt pain scale down to a 2.5pt pain scale. I set up in my normal squat stance but on my descent I sit down and back quickly. I get a good range of motion and deep, maybe too deep but the spasm doesn't trigger. normally I squat by focusing on bending my hips and knees at the same time on my way down, it causes alot of pain "thinking" about the descent. Now I just take a deep breathe and drop into the hole quickly and with a bit more power for the rebound out of it.

6/6/13
Starr rehab
Squat
115x20
125x20
135x20

Press
105x5x3

Power Clean
75x3x5
Practiced more technique, i have to remember to keep straight elbows and not "row" the barbell up. Also to squeeze my elbows together and up in the rack posistion.