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Thread: Galgenstrick - training log

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    Default Galgenstrick - training log

    • starting strength seminar april 2024
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    I've been training for about 2 years now. Figured I'd make a log here and update occasionally -- probably not every session since I do that by hand in a journal.

    In the beginning I spent a good 6 months cutting. I cut from 195lbs down to 150lbs. Then I started doing a lean mass phase for a bit over a year on Mike Matthews program (BLS). Long story short, that got me just about nowhere. I'm not sure if it was the program split, or a lack of sleep, or both, but for a year of training on a caloric surplus my lifts were pretty sad.

    I've been battling major sleep issues as well as a thyroid autoimmune disease for a good part of my life. A few months ago I saw a Dr. about anxiety and sleep. I was pretty desperate since I've tried just about every other natural solution. I was prescribed Remeron to help with both. So far that med has made a world of difference. I'm sleeping most nights and anxiety is noticeably lower.

    At the same time I saw the Dr. I saw Andrew Jackson, a SS coach in Redmond, WA. I began the SS program near the end of October weighing about 170lbs. I upped my calories significantly. My lifts have all improved. My squats are still way below average. I don't know why they suck so bad, but I posted some videos here last week for form corrections. I'm working on my squat technique and my other lifts are improving fairly rapidly.

    Current stats as of 1/24/2016:
    6'0" Male
    BW: 207lbs

    Squat: 160lbs 3x5
    Bench: 190lbs 3x5
    DL: 275lbs 1x5
    OHP: 115lbs 3x5
    PC: 135 3x3 -I have trouble racking these, like I'm scared of busting a collarbone. Need to work on this.

    The following are some accessory lifts I've included with good success. I do incline dumbbell bench press before DLs and PCs every workout. I do an arms day on the weekend. When recovery starts to slow, I'll be reassessing the need for these exercises.

    LTE: 67 3x8
    Incline Dumbbell bench: 67.5lbs each 3x8
    Dumbbell curls: 35lbs each 3x8
    Pull-ups: BW 3x5 - these keep getting harder because I keep gaining weight haha


    Thanks for reading, and I hope I can share my improvements and get help with my struggles. Luckily, I've been doing this for a while and motivation has never been an issue. So unless I get severely injured (knock on wood), I'll be around for a while.
    Last edited by Galgenstrick; 01-24-2017 at 07:49 PM.

  2. #2
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    Jan 2017
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    Caracas, Venezuela
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    damn your squat seems to be slacking way to much, it seems to be a tecnical issue given that your deadlift is very large compared to your squat.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by smichelena View Post
    damn your squat seems to be slacking way to much, it seems to be a tecnical issue given that your deadlift is very large compared to your squat.
    Yup. It sucks when you can easily bench more than you can squat haha. I got squats to 1RM of 225 at one point, but technique was horrible and didn't quite hit depth. I deloaded a lot last week so I can really focus on technique. I figure once I get that solid it will be easy enough to load the weight again.

    I don't know what's wrong to be honest, even with bad technique I should have been able to increase the weight each workout until I got injured... I guess I'm lucky that wasn't the case

    I just bought a belt as well, so I'll be using that to help with the core stability.

  4. #4
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    Belt made a massive difference to me with squatting, I hope it helps you as well. Good luck with it - I have said it before but for me it was the most technically challenging of the lifts. I'd probably consider myself an advanced novice now, my form on all the lifts is questionable at times, but my squat has improved a fair bit and I think it's just a matter of practice, practice, practice and also experiment with things like stance width to see what works best with your anthropometry.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BenM View Post
    Belt made a massive difference to me with squatting, I hope it helps you as well. Good luck with it - I have said it before but for me it was the most technically challenging of the lifts. I'd probably consider myself an advanced novice now, my form on all the lifts is questionable at times, but my squat has improved a fair bit and I think it's just a matter of practice, practice, practice and also experiment with things like stance width to see what works best with your anthropometry.
    That gives me hope, thanks!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
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    Welcome to these parts, hope the Galgenstrick is still far far in the future for you! What Ben said, practice, practice, practice, and spend as much time under the watchful eyes of a SSC. Hope the lifting will contribute to your overall health - it has for many, many people here.

  7. #7
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    Jan 2017
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    Everything was feeling great today.

    Squats at 170 now. Felt pretty solid. No back pain, hit depth.

    Set 1:
    SS Squats - 170lbs x 5 - 1/3 - YouTube

    Set 2:
    SS Squats - 170lbs x 5 - 2/3 - YouTube

    Set 3:
    SS Squats - 170lbs x 5 - 3/3 - YouTube


    Press: 117 - 3x5
    Incline dumbbell bench 70 - 3x6
    Pulls: 285 x 5

    Pardon the messy garage in the vids, I'm in the middle of staining some furniture

  8. #8
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    Jan 2017
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    Just returned from a work trip last night, which always messes up my routine. On top of that, my sleep hasn't been great the last few nights.

    Not really feeling in the right mental state today, but powered through it and made a couple PRs - although form could be better on all lifts.

    Squats 180 - 3x5
    Knees sliding pretty bad on these. Do I repeat this weight while correcting this? Drop the weight?

    Bench 193 - 5/5/3 - cramped hamstring during last set. Also reached failure when attempting 4th rep in last set and had to drop the bar.

    Deadlift 295 x5 - back rounding a little - will fix.
    Last edited by Galgenstrick; 01-29-2017 at 03:42 PM.

  9. #9
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    Mar 2013
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    What weight does each plate weigh? I see 6 full sized plates plus a couple of small ones.

  10. #10
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    Jan 2017
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    starting strength coach development program
    They are hi-temp plates. Bar + 45s + 10 + 5s + 2.5s on the last video. 170lbs total.

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