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Thread: My IWTDTFP Log

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
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    Post My IWTDTFP Log

    • starting strength seminar december 2024
    • starting strength seminar february 2025
    • starting strength seminar april 2025
    Now 4 weeks into SS, so I'm going to start a log. IWTDTFP = I Want To Do The Program, of course

    Stats

    Age: 25
    Height: 5'8"
    Weight: 152 -> 165
    Squat: 95 -> 170
    Deadlift: 95 -> 185
    Bench: 75 -> 105
    Press: 50 -> 62.5

    Background

    I tried doing SS in January, but I couldn't get my form right on squat or deadlift--I rounded by lower back every time. Started getting back pain, so I stopped to work on flexibility issues. Before my first attempt at SS I spent some time road cycling, which I've done a bit of since my failed attempt. So now I'm trying it again.

    Progress So Far

    I had a disheartening squat failure early on. During workout #6 I couldn't finish the last rep of my 145 lb squat. This was especially bad, because the previous 135 lb squat felt pretty easy. At this point I went up from HGOMAD to GOMAD.

    I'm having trouble with my press. On Tuesday of last week (10/05/10), I failed on my last rep of 65 lbs. At the same time, my training partner pointed out that my arm position at the bottom was wrong. So on Sunday, I did 62.5x5x3 and worked on the bottom position. This morning I tried 65 again, but only got sets of 5,3,3. I don't know what to do about this.

    No power cleans yet. Will try to learn the form for these later.

    Weights are going up at 15 lbs for deadlift, 5 lbs for squat and bench press.
    Last edited by Laplace's Daemon; 10-14-2010 at 03:18 PM.

  2. #2
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    I had problems completing sets for the press early on also. That is a lift that may require a lot of patience. Stick with the same weight until you complete all the sets as prescribed, and don't be afraid to start microloading very early. My own press only started making steady progress once I started microloading 1 lb or 0.5 lbs at a time. Give it some weeks to build up momentum. Same thing with the squat, there's no reason to be very aggressive with the loading, if you have problems with a weight, stay around there for a while until you can get all the reps.

  3. #3
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    Jul 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laplace's Daemon View Post
    Now 4 weeks into SS, so I'm going to start a log. IWTDTFP = I Want To Do The Program, of course

    Stats

    Height: 5'8"
    Weight: 152 -> 165
    Squat: 95 -> 170
    Deadlift: 95 -> 185
    Bench: 75 -> 105
    Press: 50 -> 62.5

    Background

    I tried doing SS in January, but I couldn't get my form right on squat or deadlift--I rounded by lower back every time. Started getting back pain, so I stopped to work on flexibility issues. Before my first attempt at SS I spent some time road cycling, which I've done a bit of since my failed attempt. So now I'm trying it again.

    Progress So Far

    I had a disheartening squat failure early on. During workout #6 I couldn't finish the last rep of my 145 lb squat. This was especially bad, because the previous 135 lb squat felt pretty easy. At this point I went up from HGOMAD to GOMAD.

    I'm having trouble with my press. On Tuesday of last week (10/05/10), I failed on my last rep of 65 lbs. At the same time, my training partner pointed out that my arm position at the bottom was wrong. So on Sunday, I did 62.5x5x3 and worked on the bottom position. This morning I tried 65 again, but only got sets of 5,3,3. I don't know what to do about this.

    No power cleans yet. Will try to learn the form for these later.

    Weights are going up at 15 lbs for deadlift, 5 lbs for squat and bench press.
    Welcome and good luck. Nice work on the bodyweight squat. Also, you don't seem to list your age.

    Re: the presses, what weight increases are you using? The press progresses more slowly than the other lifts, and benefits from the smallest increases.

  4. #4
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    Feb 2010
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    Thanks for the welcome. I updated the first post to include my age, 25. I had planned on increasing the press by 2.5 lbs at a time.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laplace's Daemon View Post
    Thanks for the welcome. I updated the first post to include my age, 25. I had planned on increasing the press by 2.5 lbs at a time.
    Cheers. One option with the press is a DE workout. To be honest, it's probably not appropriate for a rank novice like yourself, but if you're struggling early, it might be an option.

    Grab a stopwatch, see if you can get a bar to roughly 50-60% of your 1RM, and do 3 rep x 8-10 sets starting on the minute. Aim is to move the bar as quickly as you can, so much so that you have to hold on to it at the top, so that it doesn't leave your hands. The idea is that if you half the weight and more than double the bar speed, you are exerting more force.

    It isn't DTP, but I've had good results with it at slightly higher weights.

    One other thing. Could you amend the entry post with the weight increases you are using currently?

  6. #6
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    Feb 2010
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    Weight increases are at the bottom already. I'll figure out weight increase for the press once I actually get the weight going up again.

  7. #7
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    Feb 2010
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    Good workout today.

    Squat: 175x5x3
    Bench: 110x5x3
    Deadlift: 200x5

    I think that's a deadlift PR for me. I should be hitting squat PRs starting next week. Friday's bench will be my highest in almost a decade (since I did a high school "weight training" class, before I had any idea how to properly lift).

    Squat really kicked my ass today. My stance has been wide since I started, to help me get down to parallel with an extended lumbar. I tried narrowing it a bit today, which felt a lot more difficult. Hope the narrower stance will feel better on Tuesday.

  8. #8
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    Feb 2010
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    Squat: 180x5x3
    Press: 63x5x3
    Chins: -40x5x2, -40x3

    Last two reps of squat were ugly. I hope I'm still ok to go up in weight again next workout.

    I can't do chins for 5x3 with bodyweight, so I tried using the machine assistance. It's odd, because I have to think about keeping my feet in one place during the workout. The weight assistance also forces me to pause at the bottom of a rep, keeping me from using the stretch reflex. However, it did allow me to do more reps. So maybe I'll keep working with some assistance.

    Deloaded a bit to get the press done today. I really tried to focus on a vertical bar path. I think that before I was pushing the weight further away from my face, which made things harder to get up. Hope I can finally get past 65 on Sunday.

  9. #9
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    Feb 2010
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    Squat: 185x5x3
    Bench: 115x5x2, 115x4
    Deadlift: 215x5

    Strange workout today. Got to the gym 30 minutes late, so had to do everything fast. Squats were easier than I expected, given how poorly I ended them last time. Bench felt heavy, and I may be done with 5 lb increases there. Too bad, since 15 lbs/month doesn't seem like much right now. Because of the speed issue, I felt winded while doing my deadlift warm-ups, and my work set had some lumbar rounding. Not sure whether I should go up by 10 or 15 for next time.

    Anyone reading this care to comment on deadlift warm-up sets? I added one more today, so my progression was:

    95x5x2
    125x5
    155x3
    185x2
    215x5

    Too many sets? Or is it good at this level?

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Laplace's Daemon View Post
    Squat: 185x5x3
    Bench: 115x5x2, 115x4
    Deadlift: 215x5

    Strange workout today. Got to the gym 30 minutes late, so had to do everything fast. Squats were easier than I expected, given how poorly I ended them last time. Bench felt heavy, and I may be done with 5 lb increases there. Too bad, since 15 lbs/month doesn't seem like much right now. Because of the speed issue, I felt winded while doing my deadlift warm-ups, and my work set had some lumbar rounding. Not sure whether I should go up by 10 or 15 for next time.

    Anyone reading this care to comment on deadlift warm-up sets? I added one more today, so my progression was:

    95x5x2
    125x5
    155x3
    185x2
    215x5

    Too many sets? Or is it good at this level?
    Clearly, if you were rushed on the work set, it might have been best to skip a warmup set. I'd aim for slightly bigger gaps between sets as you go heavier, but 30lb gaps are probably fine for now. The person with the best idea of what works is you, of course. Go with your instincts, and don't be afraid to experiment.

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