Ryan's 2nd attempt at SS LP

[Ryanusaurus]

Hi I'm Ryan from Virginia.

30 years old
5'11"
191.5 lbs

I've had decent exposure to the Barbell Lifts before I started LP. I had always been on the smaller side and was scared to eat like crazy to make the necessary size gains, lest I lose my precious abs. I wrestled in High school, but I was maybe only 125 lbs - 130 lbs when I wasn't cutting weight and I don't remember doing anything overly impressive in the weight room back then. I got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu many years later and I just tried to mimic what I remembered doing from my wrestling days to get in shape. I was probably about 160ish lbs when I started (a little bit skinny fat). I managed to change up my body composition quite a bit after several months of grappling and ended up around 165-170 lbs with single digit bodyfat (it was the most muscular and lean I had ever been up to that point, not impressive to most but still an accomplishment for me.)

My first run of the program looked like this (be warned, lots of ego lifting in the beginning) Weight is all in lbs. :
4/6/15
Bodyweight: 169 lbs

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 245x5x2, 255x5 (got greedy)
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 225x4, 225x3, 225x5 (I hadn't benched in awhile and i was pissed I couldn't do sets across x3 so i rested extra long and did one more attempt at 5 reps with really ugly form...)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x2

In hindsight I started WAY too heavy... I was dead tired at the end, couldn't finish my deadlifts, and I was sore as hell afterwards for the rest of the week.

I came back next week on 4/13/15
Bodyweight: 172

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 265x5, 265x2, 255x5 (super beat up again, had to drop the weight to finish one more set)
Press: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 135x4, 135x3, 135x5 (again, too weak to do sets across, started too heavy, rested extra long and tried to bang out one more set of 5 with ugly form)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 315x4 (very ugly, still couldn't get my reps done.)

4/15/15
Bodyweight: 174

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 230x5x3 ( finally decided to lower the weight to make sure my from wasn't sloppy)
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5x2, 230x5 (got greedy again)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5

4/17/15
Bodyweight: 176

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 235x5x3
Press: 45x5x2, 95x5, 140x5, 145x5, 145x3 (got greedy on the 2nd set, paid for it on the 3rd)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 325x5

4/20/15
Bodyweight: 180

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 240x2, 225x5x2 (Felt extremely weak, most likely to lack of sleep the night before)
Bench: Skipped I was too worn out
Deadlift: Also skipped

4/22/15
Bodyweight: 181

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 240x5x3
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 235x5, 235x4, 235x3 (all ego lifting, ugly, ugly form)
Deadlfit: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 335x5

4/24/15
Skipped the entire workout, don't remember why


4/27/15
Bodyweight: 184

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 265x5x3 (got greedy but I felt really strong that day)
Press: 45x5x2, 95x5, 145x5x3 (same, greedy, but i felt strong)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 345x4 (paid for being greedy)

4/29/15
Skipped, don't remember what happened

5/1/15
Skipped, don't remember

5/4/15
Bodyweight: 184

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 270x5x3
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 235x5x3
PC: 45x3x a lot (practicing form), 95x3x3, 135x3, 165x3, 185x1 (ouch), 170x3, 175x3, 180x3x2 (first time ever trying power clean, lots of ugly business here, definitely too much weight)

5/6/15
Bodyweight: 184

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5x3
Press: 45x5x2, 95x5, 150x3 (nope), 145x5x2 (didn't have fractional plates at this point)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, 345x4

5/8/15
Bodyweight: 184

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 280x4, 275x5x2
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 240x5, 240x2, 240x3
PC: 45x3x2, 95x3, 135x3, 170x3x5 (super ugly form, my gym manager saw me and told me to drop the weight immediately because it looked horrible, lol)

At this point I changed up the program because I was stuck on all the lifts. After watching an interview with Ed Coan in which he suggested sets of 8 reps for beginners, I decided to try a higher volume routine. I cut my starting percentages down a little bit to focus more on good form.

I did this for about 2.5 months longer

Started with:

Squat: 215x8x3
Bench: 175x8x3
Press: 110x8x3
Deadlift: 275x8

Ended with:

Squat: 270x8x3 (298 5rm)
Bench: 220x8x3 (243 5rm)
Press: 125x8x3 (138 5rm)
Deadlift: 315x8 (348 5rm)

I stayed around 180ish lbs the whole time because I was starting to lose my abs and I thought I could eat just the right macros to gain muscle and strength without gaining anymore fat. lol.

I tweaked my back pretty hard on my last workout and I stopped lifting for several months. I had never had any kind of back injury before and I got very scared of lifting heavy again.

When I did start lifting again I veered almost completely off the path of SS LP with lots of grip assistance work for the dead lift and other random accessory work. I jumped around from front squat, to high bar squat to even overhead squat. I did lots of assistance work for the Clean and Snatch I completely butchered the standard LP program. I didn't make any PR's on the main lifts after I started farting around like this. I tried to make PR's on literally every other assistance exercise I could imagine.

I'm now starting my 9th week on my 2nd run of LP. I started out very conservatively with as much focus on form as possible and trying to follow the program exactly as it's written, especially the eating part. I'm starting to catch up to some of my old PR's from last year.

Currently:
Bodyweight: 193lbs at 14% bodyfat (started around 175lbs at 10% bodyfat)

Squat: 287.5 5RM
Bench: 220 5RM
Press: 152.5 5RM
Deadlift: 345 5RM
Power Clean: 165 3RM

Thanks for hearing me out. I'm looking forward to reaching new heights in my training! Happy New Year to Everyone!

[Ryanusaurus]

Had my first failed rep on the Press since restarting LP today.

Bodyweight: 191.5

Squat: 45x5x2, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 290x5x3 (they're starting to really feel like a grind on that last rep)
Press: 45x5x2, 95x5, 155x4, 140x5x2 (I'm going to see about getting even lighter fractional plates if I fail any reps on Friday)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 185x5, 225x5, 275x4, 355x5 (first PR in a long time)

[Ryanusaurus]

1/4/17

Apparently, i've been doing warm ups wrong this whole time.

Bodyweight: 191

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x4, 185x3, 235x2, 292.5x5x3
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x4, 135x3, 185x2, 225x5x3
PC: 45x5x2, 70x4, 110x3, 140x2, 170x3x5

I'm getting some tendinitis, possibly, through my left elbow. My elbow buckles and I lose control of the bar a bit during the eccentric part of the first rep, but get back in control of it for last 4. I'm a bit worried about what heavier weights will do to my elbow. I feel fine when I'm not lifting, though, no noteworthy pain or swelling.

[Ryanusaurus]

1/6/17

Bodyweight: 193

Squat: 45x5x2, 100x4, 190x3, 235x2, 295x5x3 (PR)
Press: 45x5x2, 70x4, 110x3, 130x2, 155x5x3 (PR)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 190x4, 250x3, 315x2, 365x5 (PR)

I tweaked my neck/shoulder on the right side at some point. I'm hoping it heals up over the weekend. Ibuprofen is helping.

[Ryanusaurus]

1/9/17

Neck/Shoulder feels fine after plenty of rest over the weekend and a couple ibuprofen.

Bodyweight: 197.5 (PR)

Squat: 45x5x2, 105x4, 195x3, 240x2, 297.5x5x3 (PR)
Bench: 45x5x2, 95x4, 135x3, 185x2, 230x5x3 (first time i've had a spotter with me, still worried about my elbow.)
PC: 65x5x2, 95x4, 115x3, 155x2, 175x3x5

[Kevin Pavon]

Your numbers are pretty close to mine, and I weigh about 220. I have also restarted LP a few times. I started missing reps on the press a few weeks ago at 157.5, I think that you need to get fractional plates ASAP and maybe tie or duct tape a 2.5 lb plate from the center of the bar while you wait. I did a slight reset to 155 after getting 5,5,3 at 157.5 and 4,4,2 at 160. I don't know if it is overdoing it yet but I am experimenting with 3 sets of 12 dumbbell presses after my work sets. I got 157.5 for 3 sets of 5 today so I am back on track. Keep eating it, keep hitting it, and don't give up. One more thing: on my last set I took like a 10 min. rest. The other two were about 6 minutes or so. And the last set still felt brutally hard but I got it.

[Ryanusaurus]

.

[Ryanusaurus]

Your numbers are pretty close to mine, and I weigh about 220. I have also restarted LP a few times. I started missing reps on the press a few weeks ago at 157.5, I think that you need to get fractional plates ASAP and maybe tie or duct tape a 2.5 lb plate from the center of the bar while you wait. I did a slight reset to 155 after getting 5,5,3 at 157.5 and 4,4,2 at 160. I don't know if it is overdoing it yet but I am experimenting with 3 sets of 12 dumbbell presses after my work sets. I got 157.5 for 3 sets of 5 today so I am back on track. Keep eating it, keep hitting it, and don't give up. One more thing: on my last set I took like a 10 min. rest. The other two were about 6 minutes or so. And the last set still felt brutally hard but I got it.

I also try to take a 10 min break on my last set nowadays. I'll even put my belt on just for the mental reassurance I get. I try to do the press 2.0 version. If i screw up the timing at all its really hard to wrestle the bar back into position. I find that really trying to "stick my head out the window" when I shrug at the top helps me get the lockout. I have 1.25lb fractional plates that I've been using. I'm considering getting even lighter ones, so I can keep progressing.

[Ryanusaurus]

1/11/17

Bodyweight: 197

Squat: 45x5x2, 95x5, 150x4, 195x3, 255x2, 300x5x3(PR)
Press: 45x5x2, 75x4, 115x3, 135x2, 157.5x5x3(PR)
Deadlift: 135x5x2, 195x4, 250x3, 315x2, 375x1(PR)

[Ryanusaurus]

1/13/17

Bodyweight: 197

Squat: 45x5x2, 110x4, 195x3, 245x2, 302.5x5x3 (PR)
Bench: 45x5x2, 75x4, 125x3, 195x2, 235x5x3
PC: 45x5x2, 115x4, 140x3, 165x2, 180x3x5 (PR)



Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk