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Eli's SS Log
Hey all,
Relatively new to the community. Found this website a bit over a week ago, ordered the book, read up this weekend, and started today! Thought I'd start a thread to keep myself motivated and hopefully motivate others through my results (which I hope to be positive).
I'm 6ft, 190lbs.
I also thought I'd try something fun, going to take a picture of myself every day for the next couple months while on SS, and then put them all together into a quick gif so that i can see my progress in terms of bulk. I'll post it if it works.
Day 1:
Squat: 165lb x 5 x 3
Bench: 115lb x 5 x 3
DL: 165lb x 5 x 1
All felt reasonably good. I'm not very strong at all and I have never really squatted or deadlifted. I'm worried that I wasn't getting low enough in the squat, not because it was too heavy, I think its a flexibility issue.
I look forward to uping the weights in the next few sessions.
Last edited by elievan; 11-30-2009 at 08:45 PM.
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Session 2:
Squat: 175lb x 5 x 3
Press: 85lb x 5 x 3
PowerCleans: 95lb x 5 x 3
Squats actually felt tiring towards the end, and it was only my first increase. I'm sure its because I've been out of the gym and sitting at a desk for months on end. Excited to see how today goes (session 3).
If anyone has the time to comment, when people say 'my lower body develops faster than my upper body' or something to that effect, is there any truth behind that? On a genetic level or whatever? My legs are far stronger in relation to my upper body in my opinion, something I hope SS will correct.
Last edited by elievan; 12-07-2009 at 10:11 PM.
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Looking at your numbers i would say you are pretty proportionate strength wise (pressing v. squat/DL/PC). What I would say is your deadlift and squat numbers maye be too close (you should be able to DL more than you can squat for quite some time).
Edit - I might also suggest lowering the weight for your squat a bit more. Since you said you never squatted, were unsure of depth, and felt a struggle in your second workout, you may have started a bit too high. If you can post a video of your form it would help a ton.
Last edited by Paul Sousa; 12-04-2009 at 02:10 PM.
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The larger muscle mass involved, the faster it progresses. Squat and deadlift use a more muscles mass than the bench or press, hence the faster progression. Also, that's the reason why isolation exercises are so slow to progress.
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Thanks for the comments guys.
Paul, I tend to agree with you that my squat and deadlift could be too close. I felt great doing the deadlifts in today's session but again struggled with the squats (I can finish the sets but I know I'm not achieving real depth - but this could be a flexibility issue?). I might take your advice and drop the weight on the squat a bit, I want to make sure I'm getting the depth I need and the correct form. Would a 10% drop suffice? Or should I take it down 20%? Or maybe just keep it at this weight for another session or two... Any advice would be appreciated. I'll try get videos up soon.
I think I have some really tight hamstrings. I can't touch my toes, and even bending over to put socks on is an issue these days. I've had a bad back for awhile now too, and a friend of mine thought they could be related. I'm going to start stretching every day for the foreseeable future to try and loosen that up.
Session 3:
Squat: 180 x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
Bench: 120 x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
DL: 175 x 5 x 3 (10lb increase)
Last edited by elievan; 12-04-2009 at 09:14 PM.
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I have read that a 10% reset is what is recommended usually. With that reset though you need to confirm that your form is dead solid perfect...by either video or experienced eyes. Even though I read the squat chapter five times before I did my first rep I was shocked to see how many things I was doing wrong once I saw the video. Not getting deep enough can lead to a lot of problems (read aches and pains in knees and hips) when you get further into the 200s.
Congrats on your progress. Keep it rolling!
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So I dropped my squat weight today by about 10% in line with the advice you guys have given me about possibly starting too high and not getting low enough. After stretching several times a day for the last week I can already notice a bit of a difference in the hamstrings. My squat was much deeper today and actually felt great (despite being noticeably harder since I was getting deeper, but I expected that).
Side note: Avocados. I bought some today cause they had those massive California avocados at the supermarket (they must be almost 1lb each). In terms of eating big, aren't these almost perfect for every meal? High in calories, good fat source... Anyone else eat these like there's no tomorrow?
Session 4:
Squat: 165lb x 5 x 3 (15lb lower to correct form)
Press: 90lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
Power Clean: 100lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
Last edited by elievan; 12-07-2009 at 10:13 PM.
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Session 5:
SQ: 170lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
BP: 125lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
DL: 185 x 5 x 3 (10lb increase)
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Session 6:
SQ: 175lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
Press: 95lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
Power Clean: 100lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
Press is getting tough. Might have to drop down to 2.5lb each session... but I feel I shouldn't be stalling this early on. I understand that press is the slowest to advance so I take solace in that.
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Session 7:
SQ: 180lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
BP: 130lb x 5 x 3 (5lb increase)
DL: 195 x 5 x 1 (10lb increase)
Felt good.
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