Suhaila's log

[suhailasun]

Hi everyone! I'm Suhaila: 32 years old, female, 5'2", 128lbs.

This is my first time doing starting strength- I've had a bit of exposure to weight training through some very limited CrossFit experience, but I was getting tired of doing metcons and wanted to see some actual progress. I've always been "weak" in terms of physical strength. But, as my husband recently pointed out, I've also had 3 kids in the last 5 years (ages 4, 3, and 17 months) and I've had amazing (fast!) natural home births each time. He says I have strength in me and I just haven't realized it. So here I am, trying starting strength.

I did my first workout yesterday, Feb 28:
Squat
5x45lbs
5x55
5x60
3x5x70

Bench
5x30
3x40
3x5x45

Deadlift
5x45
3x95
1x105
5x110

I'm excited to see where this leads!

Some questions:
- am I doing my warmup sets right? I did sets of 5 for squats because I was trying to figure out my start weight, but reduced the number of reps for the other lifts because I had an idea of what my work set would be.
- I'm not sure I'll be able to get in the gym 3 times a week. It's hard to get out with the kids home, and we're still working on independent bedtime so by the time they're asleep my preferred gym is closed. If I do the program twice a week would that be really bad? As in, aim for 3 times but if I miss a workout, just shift it to the following week? How long should I plan for as a maximum gap between workouts?

Thanks for reading!

[carson]

Congratulations on bringing into the world 3 wonderful children. I think you have a solid plan. If you are able post some videos on the technique section. Even better, confer with a starting strength coach from time to time either in person or online. Again, congratulations and thank you for bringing three little ones into the world.

[suhailasun]

Thank you! I am planning to take form check videos sometime in the next few workouts. I also still have my CrossFit gym membership and I can get my form checked there as well, the main trainer is also a starting strength coach- he's the one who first introduced me to the program.

[carson]

Who is your Starting Strength coach? It looks like you have your bases covered. Best wishes.

[suhailasun]

Who is your Starting Strength coach? It looks like you have your bases covered. Best wishes.

His name is Alex Cibiri. I'm actually not sure if it's certified as a starting strength coach, but he has a big sign that says "Starting Strength Gym" on the front door lol. I've read the book and I haven't noticed him saying anything that contradicted it. I tried looking for Starting Strength coaches in Canada and there was no one listed online.

[carson]

When the Fall Classic began one of the locations was Toronto. I had a scheduling conflict and couldn't make it. I would guess that Alex was still a SS coach then but sadly it has never been booked there since. I wonder why he is no longer a certified SS coach?

[Mark Rippetoe]

He failed to maintain his credential, as per the MOC requirements.

[carson]

From other sources I've learned that he does not bill himself as a SS coach any longer.

[suhailasun]

I think you may be correct that he doesn't call himself an SS coach anymore. I joined his gym way back in 2009 and he was all about SS back then. That was when he planted the seed in my head that I should try it. Then I left the gym, got married, and had 3 kids. I just rejoined his gym a couple of months ago and he hasn't mentioned SS to me but still has the sign I guess. I shouldn't have assumed that he's still an SS coach [emoji53] I just emailed him asking if there are any Starting Strength coaches working there right now but they're all caught up in the CrossFit Open so I don't expect a reply until after the weekend.

Also, wow Mark Rippetoe commented on my log-- Thank you so much for this program, the books, and for all the extremely helpful YouTube videos! I wish more women knew about it!

I didn't get a chance to make form check videos in today's workout unfortunately. I'll plan better to do them next time.

Fri., March 2: (just listing the work sets now for sake of brevity)
Squat 3x5x75lbs
Press 3x5x45lbs (the real bar!!)
Deadlift 5x115lbs

Everything felt good. Hard but not super hard. The first few reps felt easy but reps 4 and 5 were more challenging. Deadlifts were just plain easy though. Maybe I should jump 10lbs next time rather than 5?