Nick's relationship with SS

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I decided to document my training.,. not because I have something unique to share with the rest of the SS community, but just because I want to join the choir of those who praise Starting Strength.

I thought that at the tender age of 41 I should do easy "maintenance" stuff, after many years of BB-type of training (which did little for me in terms of strength). I am thrilled SS proved me wrong!

41 yo, 6'2"

After 2.5 months:

BW 200lbs - 230lbs (the BW has been stationary lately)
Squat 95lbs - 290lbs
Bench 135lbs - 215lbs
DL 95lbs - 320lbs
Press 70lbs - 115lbs
Clean 0lbs - 140lbs

I managed to train regularly for the entire time, skipping just two sessions due to lower back pain. Knees hurt sometimes (probably due to too much soccer), and I've had lower back pain off and on for 20 years now. My lower back MRI doesn't look great, and the doc showed me the type of screws he would have to put in my back if I didn't take it easy. And that was before I started SS!

However, being a good boy, I didn't listen to him, and after dialing in my form I didn't have any back problems anymore (knock on wood). Initially I was convinced I wouldn't be able go to far, and now I don't see any reason to stop. Correct form (or as good as it gets without any personal knowledgeable help) made a huge difference.

That's it for now...I'm excited to have started this journey.

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Today it was

Squat 295
Press 120
Clean 140

No progress on cleans... After 2.5 months I'm still struggling with form. The reasons I still do them are 1. I'm too stubborn and I wanna do the program to the letter, and 2. Once in a while I have a good cleans sessions and it feels good.

I know where I stumble; it's the racking. Everything up to that point is good, I just have a mental block, or fear, when it comes to racking it. I overthink it, and before I know it, I stand there with the bar in the press position instead of racked. Still, they are much better than when I started. I won't give up.

I read several times over the years how some athletes work successfully with visualization as part of their training. Last time at training I remembered that and I figured I would give it a try... Sleep has been below average lately and stress above average, so I've been struggling more than usual when lifting (mainly squatting).

After the second set of squats I didn't think I would be able to finish the 3rd one. Then I remembered visualization, and I thought "what a heck". Standing in the rack I started going mentally through the third set of squats. I did the breathing for real and the movement in my mind at real speed. I visualized the aches that I have in the different parts of the body as I squat, how I struggle to come up, how I struggle to avoid good mornings. The whole thing. Then I imagined how I come up much easier, how the I still struggle, but I have the strength to come up with good form. At the end of the visualized 3rd set I was even sweating...

Then came the real 3rd set. First rep was good; no big surprise there, I'm still fresh after the break. Second rep is good too. OK, not bad. Third rep I still come up nicely. Wow, a little surprising. Could this visualization thing be really working? Stop thinking so much, just do the reps. Fourth rep, I struggle, but I come up nicely again. Now...this is strange. Anyway, mind blank, no thinking, one more rep. Just like the visualization. I only have to go down and come up. OK, fifth rep. Down, coming up slowly but nicely, and done! Wow! No good morning. Everything looked and felt right.

Today I tried it again during squats, after adding 5 lbs. This time I did it before second and third set. It was hard, but I did the sets with no good mornings. I have no clue if this visualization thing really does anything, but I'm sure gonna keep doing it. I told my wife about it and she said "it's probably all in your mind", to which I say, damn right it's in my mind, that's where it all starts.

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Squat 300
Bench 217.5
Deadlift 325

Squats weren't great. Last rep of the 3rd set was a no-go, so next time I'll stick with the same weight. I feel a little like rushing to 3 plates, but I will force myself to take it gradual.

Benches were a breeze today, don't know why... I've never pressed that much before, not even close, and I still had more in me.

Deadlifts were OK, but I'll stick with the same weight next time. I feel like the form (lower back) isn't the way it should be.

Not the best training session, but I achieved my goal. I pushed myself to the maximum and it felt good.

It took me forever to get done. The lousy 24hr gym was crowded like I've never seen it before, and I spent about 30 minutes waiting for a rack and a bench. I was mad. I would pay twice, three times as much just to have access to a real gym, but I couldn't find any around here.

I'm one of the oldest guys training with free weights at the gym, if not the oldest one most of the time, and yet I am getting to the point where I lift the heaviest. (And my weights aren't at all impressive in the strength world !). In fact, I already do lift the heaviest except for the bench, where once in a while you see someone pushing 225. It's sad...

There was today a big guy, with the typical BB body, sporting the famous " 'roids belly", which I can spot right away. Overall double my size. He benched only a little over what I did... And, again, I'm not really that strong. Heh...the miracles of modern medicine...

Why, oh, why, did I discover SS so late... Unlike the people who say "if I could do it all over again, I would do it just the same", I can sincerely say that I personally would do the same just about 25%.

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Squat 295
Press 120
Clean ...nothing really

I came to the sad conclusion that I have to give up the cleans. It's been almost 3 months and they are still hit and miss. Mostly miss... I realized today that basically the time I spend struggling with them is time I waste. I could instead work productively on another exercise. My mind knows exactly what I need to do, and knows why I fail them, but apparently it just can't communicate that effectively to my 41 yo body.... My wrists will actually be very happy with this decision. I'll have to search the forum and see what I should replace them with.

On the good news front... I changed the gym, and this one is less crowded. This simple fact makes me for some reason very happy. The new gym is also a big chain, no chalk allowed and 'no weights dropping', but at least I don't wait forever to get my workout done.

The cage/racks are a little different, and I spent more warm up sets figuring them out. I banged the loaded barbell a few times against the cage, but it's all good now.

The other even better piece of news is that I improved significantly my squat form. While I was doing the many warm up sets I was looking at my form in the mirror (which I haven't done in a long while), and I realized I was going way to low.

I made sure now that the knees don't stick out too much over the toes and that I go to parallel only, and it felt a lot better. I took it easy on the weights this time, just so that I can dial in the form. I really look forward to my next workout.

The other good thing is that this gym has round plates instead of the hexagonal ones at my previous gym. I don't have to chase the barbell anymore while doing deadlifts. Big plus!

All in all, a good day. The body got the whipping that it craves, which in turn made the mind happy.

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Squat 300
Bench 220
DL 325

A good day. 300 on the squat, which I did before with bad form, and now with good form it feels so much better. It's still not easy, but even the hard reps feel much better than the ones with bad form. I'm really excited about the squats.

Benches were easy, don't know why. Not a real struggle. I struggled more in the past with lesser weights. Maybe I gained a pound or two, don't know... Have to check in the morning.

DL's were OK. The bar went up nicely, but I'm not very happy with my form. I don't know how, but I'll have to record myself and maybe ask Rip for input.

Anyhow, a solid training. Next one I'll do chins and shrugs instead of cleans. I don't think I can even do one proper chin with my current BW, but, hey, I have to start somewhere.

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Squat 300
Press 122.5
Shrugs, pull ups

First time squatting with squat shoes. It felt...strange...so I didn't go up in weight. It will definitely take some getting used to them.

Presses were OK; I've always been weak at those so I struggled a bit, but I got them done.

Shrugs OK, not much to mess up there. I wasn't able to do any pull up/chin up at my current weight. I did a few negative sets. The bad thing is that they seemed to have activated my golfer's elbow problem. I have to see how they go... I might have to give them up as well if things get worse and do barbell rows instead.

First I'm unable to do cleans, and now pull ups... Extremely annoying. Well, at least progress has been linear so far without any big obstacles, so I shouldn't complain too much.

The new gym was great; meaning, no waiting for the rack. It's so much better to work out in a place like this.

I'm really curious how the DL's will be like with the new shoes.

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Squat 305
Bench 225
DL 330

Eventful day, as far as training...

My knees hurt from squatting with squat shoes last time. I received on this forum the very sound advice to dial back the weight and give the knees some time to get used to the new lifting angles.

I thought about it the entire day, and... eventually I didn't go with the sound advice. Go figure... Why should I start showing wisdom, at 41? I increased the weight and squatted with the shoes. The thing is that I''m so close to 3 plates that I don't care about the shoes. I want my 3 plates. Not very wise, I know...

But I did get closer to 3 plates. The weight felt good, heavy, but good. And, most importantly, I seemed to have avoided the knee pain. I have no clue what I did differently, I only know that I had an obsessive thought "don't get hurt, don't get hurt". It was weird lifting like that, half my mind was focused on the weight and getting up, and the other half was fully concentrated on the knees (kind of distracting me somewhat from the lift). Eventually, it all ended well and I got my PR. With squat shoes. Very, very happy about it. I think I might start liking the squat shoes after all.

Bench was 2 plates for the first time ever. Not a huge weight overall, but I never thought I would ever get to that weight. 3 months of SS achieved what I didn't achieve in years of "bodybuilding training". The thing is that my chest responded to small weights and it grew without a lot of effort. Now...screw big size, I want strength.

DL's were good in squat shoes. Difficult, but good.

Good workout overall. I was sweating like a pig; summer finally arrived in Southern CA and the gym's AC was overwhelmed. I took a serious beating and I loved it.

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Squat 310
Press 122.5
Shrugs, machine chin up

5 more pounds to 3 plates! Damn, I'm excited. Trained again in squat shoes and it was fine. Really happy about that. Don't know why I got the knee pain the first time, but I'm happy it's gone. I reeeally push out my knees, and I make sure that the weight is evenly distributed on my foot. Not like pushing 75% with the front of the foot and 25 % heels.

Weight feels heavy and I was thinking "how in the world am I gonna go down and come up?" I shouted to my mind "Shut up and squat! No more thinking!". Even though it felt heavy, I got down and came up nicely. Struggling, but not cheating on form.

Presses were good, and I noticed only now, when checking the log, that I pressed this weight last time. I should have hone up 2.5 lbs. I honestly forgot about that.

Shrugs with 365 lbs. I did sets of 3, the first time ever with wrist wraps. Wow, what a huge difference it makes.

Then came chin ups, or some form of pulling myself up. I was worried about my golfer's elbow. I was curious how my elbow would react to curls, not 'cause I want to do them, just curious. As soon as I curled the empty bar I could feel it in my elbow. For every single rep. Even if I wanted to do curls I couldn't do them. Out of the question.

After experimenting I found out that what hurt least was "chin ups" at the lat machine. Basically, pulldowns with supinated grip. It's been a year of golfer's elbow and it almost went away entirely with acupuncture. Negative pull ups brought the pain back. It's very annoying, but what a hell can I do...

Once I reach 3 plates on the squat I'll start using a belt. I'm not sure how much more progression I can get out of SS; I might have to switch to one of the more intermediate programs at some point.

All in all, a good day. I'm really not into comparing myself to others, I couldn't care less what others do in the gym, but I can't help noticing some things. A big, muscular guy with a CrossFit t-shirt squatting less than me, and another big guy, BB physique, shrugging less than me. Both younger. I keep being amazed by the body machinery and how it adapts to stress. And I am humbled by the guys on this forum, who are older than me and have gone so much further than me. Damn, I love this gig!

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Squat 315
Bench 227.5
DL 330

Squatting with 3 plates! Nothing huge, but a big accomplishment for me, when I think where and how I started. Great! Squat shoes were OK, no more problems. I figured out that the weight has to be evenly distributed on my foot; as soon as more weight goes to the toes I start feeling it in the knee.

Yesterday I received the Inzer Lever belt and today I squatted for the first time with a belt. Wow, so different! Very helpful, and very different. After the 2nd set I got dizzy for the first time ever. The 3rd set was fine. I am thinking to use the same weight next time and get used to the belt, but...will I have the patience? I don't know...

Benches were decent, but I failed the last rep of the last set. I probably could have pushed it up slowly, but I didn't have a spotter and didn't want to risk. Next time same weight.

At the gym I go to once a plate is on the bar, it's not going anywhere. I've never seen that before; the plates just get stuck on the bar and they absolutely never slide out. I couldn't have unloaded the bar if I had gotten stuck on the bench.

At the opposite extreme, at another location I go to, the plates always slide off the bar. Regardless of the weight, you always need the collar.

Deadlifts felt OK, after 5 reps I had another 2 reps in me. When I checked the log at home, it was obviously because I didn't go up in weight. Damn, again! I really have to pay attention to this from now on.

Deadlifting with the belt was weird. Feeling the belt go up on my back was strange. Yet, it helped.

I am quite unhappy with my deadlift. From what I read it should be much better than it is now. Only 15 lbs between squats and DL is not right. I thought about it a lot and I can't point to any part in particular that fails. The weight simply feels heavy overall. Every muscle gets tired at the same time, nothing fails first.

A little disappointed with DL's and the failed bench, but the 3 plates make up for that. And, most importantly, I gave everything I had and it felt good.

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Squat 320
Press 125
Shrugs, lat pulldowns

Squats were good, not a big effort. Squat shoes are fortunately not a problem anymore. Belt is really helpful. I had more strength in me today.

Presses with a belt were great.

Shrugs...not much of a challenge with shrugs. Lat pulldowns with close supinated grip were OK; they didn't bother my golfer's elbow. Two nights ago I played guitar with the band for 3 hours and the elbow was troubling me. Luckily, today it was much better. I'm still experimenting with what works and what doesn't for my elbow. Shrugs though definitely will stay in the program.

Great training, I love the feel of freshly released endorphins in the evening!