The Squat Struggles Are Real

[James72090]

Finally starting a real training log on the forums since i have gotten serious about wanting advanced pass SS and compete in Power lifting. I want to take this year to study for the SS certificate and to hone my ability to coach others .

• History of injuries
• Two lumbar disc herniations
• 1 possible herniation in my c-spine
• cut pinky tendon in right hand affecting my grip

I got into lifting around the same time i found wrestling in HS. I sucked hard my junior year, and got a bit better my senior year. It was during my first year wrestling i found Strong Lifts then later found SS through the forums when they were public. I wrestled 171 and always relied on my abnormal strength for the weight class to out muscle kids, that base strength allowed my to easily grapple with 198's. But it wasn't until i wrestled with the 220 kids i realized i couldn't even budge the heavyweight captain. It was the first time i push into someone with all my effort and nothing happened, its like i was applying no pressure to him. From then onward i wanted to be stronger and had the thought of not wrestling a second season to just pursue lifting weights. In hindsight i wish i just hired a coach, lifted weights and competed in PL'ing, but instead i wrestled that season and got put in a cradle that herniated a disc in my back.

So this year i have done what i should have years ago and hired a coach, i'm working with the new SS coach Adam Skillin. And i am slowly cutting my way down to 200 from 225, i hope to enter a meet in March. Known lifting issues: SQUAT DEPTH, staying tight at the bottom of benching, squeezing my chest up while deadlifting/bar drifting away from my body on the way up.

• current numbers
• 225lbs, 30% body fat, 40" waist, 5'9"
• Squat 255 3x5
• deadlift 255x5
• bench 205 3x5
• Press 1.0 120 3x5
• Chin Ups bw x 2
• Dips 12.5lbs 3x5

• Goals for the year
• 200lbs, smaller waist/less fat
• 400lb squat for reps
• 450 deadlift for reps
• 250 bench for reps
• 135lb press for reps
• 3x10 chins
• 90lb 3x5 Dips

• Far off goals
• train a grappling art again
• 20 rep squat 315
• SS coach cert

[James72090]

Session today: Deloaded as per Adam's advice
Squatted 3x5 255
Set 2, only 4,5 looked parallel
Set 3, far from useful angle. Sat back more at the bottom which made these feel to depth.
Single - focused only on the sit back and this looks good from this angle.

Press 1.0 - 120 3x5 - forgot to set my upper back
Dips 10lbs 3x5

Fasted all day today to eat hibachi with my cousins.

"Poor form in the gym is caused by insufficient yelling"

I need to mentally yell at myself to keep a tight upper back on pressing and it would of been very useful while squatting to hear "Sit back!"

[Shaneomac]

• Goals for the year
• 200lbs, smaller waist/less fat
• 400lb squat for reps
• 450 deadlift for reps
• 250 bench for reps
• 135lb press for reps
• 3x10 chins
• 90lb 3x5 Dips

I don't know if a week or so is enough time for that

Welcome, I read through your goals; I'm not an expert by any means but I don't think 225 is that heavy for your height. You're 'setting the conditions for growth' if you keep your BF% a little higher and you eat at a surplus.

Looking forward to watching you progress!

[salvilla]

Glad to see you are still lifting. I am sure Adam will set you straight or at least yell ridiculous stuff at you when squatting.

[carson]

I can't open your image attachment. A coach is good. You are skinny as you noted.

[James72090]

Oh yea I don't mind being 225 I mean more along the lines of if I clean my diet up because I eat a lot of low quality food often (despite eight years of culinary exp) because I'm either too lazy to cook or bored. That and I went a notch up in my lifting belt putting me two away from the end and I do not want to buy another belt. Also if I'm assuming I'll still make progress as my body has a lot of fat it can take energy from to use, or that's my basic unscientific understanding.

[James72090]

As of the 23 i am 222lbs.

More on squats from last session; to my knowledge sitting back has really helped my depth.
Squat 3x5 265, bench 3x5 205 and deadlift 275 x 5

Squat 265 - second set
Squat 265 - third set

Benched 205 and felt pretty solid, i widened my grip this session as per Adam's advice as i was benching pretty narrow.

Deadlift x 5 275
Realized after watching this video with fresh eyes that my shoulder position changes prior to "pulling". I think this may explain the bar gets away from me. I'm going to keep note of that as my torso/hip complex should move in one and my shoulders should not change position so soon.

[James72090]

Met with Adam again today, apparently i just have to be yelled at enough to hit squat depth and i need to be standing wide enough. First and third set were the best, second set i was too narrow and didn't hit depth on any of them. The bright side i actually felt the bounce out of the hole on the fourth and fifth rep of the third set of squats.

I failed learning press 2.0 today, i'll be focusing all week on learning hip extension/putting my hips into it. The deadlift Adam cued me to be on my heels as an over correction since i was on my toes, this helped but also felt very odd. It felt like i was lifting with my back, driving home i concluded i'm afraid to allow my back to take some load and allow it to isometrically resist the weight. So yes i will feel it in my back, i should feel it in my back as that's what the deadlift trains. So this week i'm going to focus heavy on the hip movement of the 2.0 press and dragging the weight up my body.

[James72090]

Did not lift yesterday, i got in a car accident on the 29th after my Monday session. I can't recall Monday's session now since the accident happened soon after. What happened if anyone is reading this is as follows: I was driving south bound out of town, i was passing by a Quickchek which had a tow truck waiting to pull out. Turning into the Quickchek was a car, he was blinded by the trucks lights and plowed right into my car at 45 degrees. Both airbags deploy, i remember looking over and seeing that my girlfriend was okay and i was okay. My side air bags should have gone off, but they did not deploy. So i'm in an odd place, i've had a car ever since i've been 17 and now i'm borrowing my fathers in the mean time. The bright side is that this occurred during during the holidays and i've had a lot of time off so i'm pretty much recovered. I was unsure this morning if i could have a bar on my back because of my collarbone, but it was fine. So i would say i'm a solid 85% as my abdomen is still bruised.

[Shaneomac]

Did not lift yesterday, i got in a car accident on the 29th after my Monday session. I can't recall Monday's session now since the accident happened soon after. What happened if anyone is reading this is as follows: I was driving south bound out of town, i was passing by a Quickchek which had a tow truck waiting to pull out. Turning into the Quickchek was a car, he was blinded by the trucks lights and plowed right into my car at 45 degrees. Both airbags deploy, i remember looking over and seeing that my girlfriend was okay and i was okay. My side air bags should have gone off, but they did not deploy. So i'm in an odd place, i've had a car ever since i've been 17 and now i'm borrowing my fathers in the mean time. The bright side is that this occurred during during the holidays and i've had a lot of time off so i'm pretty much recovered. I was unsure this morning if i could have a bar on my back because of my collarbone, but it was fine. So i would say i'm a solid 85% as my abdomen is still bruised.

Jeez that sucks! Glad no one died. Next training day you should exaggerate your warm up to check your body. It definitely wouldn't be good to find out you have an undiscovered injury under the heaviest weight of the day.