My Starting Strength log

[KAG]

Squat

-180lbs -5x3

Press

-115lbs -5x3

No other accessory work due to injury.

Actually got to lift while already warm for a change. Spent the day moving stuff like couches and chairs so warming up was easy. Was also awake for 8 hours or so rather than just rolling out of bed and lifting, or the always fun, have a 20-24 hours day and then lift. Unfortunately I hadn't eaten since 1900hrs Sunday before lifting today. Felt surprisingly good considering how long it had been since I ate.

Buried each rep of the squats easily. Good depth, rebound, and form. Today was easier than the last few workouts were.

Press was going well until the last set. Rep#5 went 90% of the way up and then he worst pain I've ever felt shot through the right side of my neck, trap, and shoulder. I almost dropped 115lbs on top of my head because of how bad it hurt. I literally almost let go of the bar to grab my neck.

I am waking up bright and early to call a chiropractor. My neck, trap, and shoulders hurt like hell. Every time I move my neck forward or back it feels like needles stabbing into my neck. I am praying, and I mean literally praying that whatever it is, it is just a torn/strained muscle/ligament, and not something in the spinal column.

I am putting myself on pressing probation until a professional tells me it's okay again. No bench and no overhead pressing until I know what's going on. Squatting doesn't hurt at all, but I probably won't do it either if I can't get an appointment before Wednesday.

[KAG]

No lifting of any kind until inflammation is down and pain has ceased. I'll probably take off this week and next week completely. Hopefully I'll be back in action in 2 weeks. We shall see.........

[KAG]

Squat

-180lbs -5x3

Press

-115lbs -5x3

Chins

-4 total

So after a week off my neck and shoulder feel better. Not 100% but better. Diagnosis was a severely pinched nerve causing muscle spasm. Doctor said to try lifting and see how it goes. It went better than expected but I got a nasty little surprise at the end.

I decided to do last Monday's workout all over rather than upping the weight and moving on.

Squatting was the usual. It's cold in my garage and so was I. Warm-ups were grueling. My first set was decent but rep #4 barely made it up. #5 too. So I was concerned about being able to finish, but sets 2 and 3 were really good. Good depth and rebound, good form all around. Actually squatted deeper than I had and hit the safety bar lightly. Thought maybe I got crooked but video says I didn't, just deeper.

The press was the real test as the squat never really bothered my neck. Even during warm-ups I could feel a mild aggravation. Did several more warm-ups sets than usual, and worked my way slowly to working weight. First set of 115 was done slowly with slow grinding reps. Mild pain during lift, which subsided after. Second set was done a little quicker with moderate pain during, but it also subsided after. Neck was slightly sore after second set but stretching helped. I decided to go for a little faster lift for the third set and really test the neck. It was done with speed and rebound out of the bottom. It hurt but was manageable. Until this ends I think all pressing will be slow as the rebound seemed to hurt the worst.

Chin-ups were the nasty surprise. I didn't even think this would be a problem but it was. I reached up, grabbed the bar, hung, and everything felt good, so I pulled, and it hurt like hell. Basically let go at the top and dropped. I tried 3 more, all with varied width of grip and it got slightly better but I had to call it quits.

My neck is really getting stiff and sore now so we'll see how bad it gets and whether I can continue Wednesday. I will probably squat either way, but bench pressing may be out.

[KAG]

Squat

-185lbs -5x3

Bench

-180lbs -4x1+ 1x1, 5x2

Close grip bench

-160lbs -5x1

Squats went well. Felt heavy the first set as usual, but smooth. Good depth.

Bench was a nightmare. 12 days without benching, plus an injury, no nutrition, and a rough sleep schedule really hurt. My pinched nerve is keeping me from setting up tight on the bench. I'm real shaky and it's more of a "pec-push" than a bench press. This weight shouldn't have been an issue and it almost killed me.

On the first set I had a good hard pause the first 4 reps, but failed on #5. Then shrugged it back up and did 1 more and got it. Second and third set were hard as hell. They were touch-and-go and I barely made it both times. By the end I was absolutely exhausted.

Close-grip bench was only one set due to exhaustion. They were not paused and I still barely finished them.

I will probably do 180lbs over again on Monday and reevaluate how it goes. After that I'll have an idea of how to proceed with my bench.

[KAG]

Squat:

45-5x2
95x5
135x4
165x2

190 -5x3

Press:

45x5
65x5
95x3
110x1

120 -5x3

Deadlifts:

280x5

Long week with virtually no sleep. I hadn't eaten since yesterday. Squats went alright. Rolled my ankle at work last night and it hurt at the bottom of the squat. Presses went well. For the first time in a few weeks there was no pain in my neck or shoulder. 120 went up fairly easily considering how bad I had been hurting. Good to go for 125.

Deadlifting nearly killed me. By then I was exhausted. The first and second rep went fast and easy, but after the second rep I felt lightheaded and had to take a minute. Things went fine after that, just needed a few seconds between reps and had to do some heavy breathing. 280 shouldn't have been a problem. I chalk this up to poor nutrition and no sleep.

Now for food.....

[KAG]

Squats:

45 -5x2
95 -5x1
135-4x1
165 -2x1

195 -5x3

Bench:

45 -5x1
95- 4x1
135 -3x1
160 -1x1

185 -5x3

Close-grip bench:

160 -5x3


Did a ton of work around the garage, organizing and rearranging, including moving my deadlift platform and powerrack. Stirred up a lot of dust and allergens. Had trouble breathing by the time I lifted. Took me a while to get my breathing right. Short of breath and wheezing badly.

Squats went alright considering that I could barely breath when I started. But lifting heavy stuff has a way of forcing the body to cram in more air and my breathing was back to about 90% midway through the second set. Weight felt real heavy today and I felt warn out so I used the belt on the second and third set. It helped a lot.

Bench press went better than the last time. Still heavy and I was shaky but it went up every time without too much problem. All reps were smooth touch-and-go with no bounce, but no pause either.

Close-grip was lowered from the scheduled 165 back to 160 in an effort to get more volume and hopefully not burn out after one set. I got all three sets cleanly. It was tiring but smooth.

I am needing more and more time between all the sets, and I have less and less with every passing day so I am feeling completely warn out after each workout. Nutrition is typical of recent, poor and infrequent. Sleep too. The combo is making lifting exhausting.

[KAG]

Squats:

45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x4
155 x2
185 x1

200 -5x2

Press:

45- 5x2
65 x5
95 x3
110 x1

125 -5x3

Chin-ups:

3x2

Fast workout. Little rest between sets. Entire workout was only 50 minutes.

Squats went well considering how tired I was from traveling all day. Good depth on all reps.

Press was better than it's been in a while. Surprisingly strong considering how tired I was from squatting. All reps were fast and clean. Good form.

My first time trying chin-ups in over a week. They went alright. Pain free for the first time in a while. Hopefully they will continue to improve.

[KAG]

Woke up with a sore throat and slight body ache. Have to work all weekend nights in the wind and weather. Plus it's 40 degrees in my garage. Can't risk getting any more sick. Skipping Friday workout. Will see how I feel on Monday and determine whether to re-do this week's entire workout, or to do Friday's on Monday.

[KAG]

I never really got sick over the weekend, but I was never really well either. Run down, tired, weak feeling. Feel like I haven't slept at all. Sore throat passed on Saturday, but everything else stayed. Woke up today and decided to give it a shot. Wasn't feeling bad when I started, just tired and the slightest tickle in the back of my throat. Probably made a mistake lifting at all. Halfway through I was completely fatigued. Shaky and weak. Throat is definitely sore now.

Doesn't help that I am having to cut weight to be able to fit into my uniforms. Down 10lbs since 2 weeks ago.

Decided to start over last week's workout since I didn't know how much had been taken out of me. Should've been easy, but wasn't.


Squats:

45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x4
165 x1

195 -5x3


Bench:

45 x5
95 x5
135 x3
165 x1

185 -5x3

Close grip bench:

NONE.


Squats felt surprisingly heavy considering I did this weight relatively easily last Monday. Sluggish and slow. Took a lot out of me. By the end of squatting I was ready to call it a day.

Bench was HORRIBLE!!! First set was tough and it was all downhill from there. Barely finished. Shaky and fatigued so I skipped close grip bench completely.

[KAG]

Yesterday's workout (12-01-2010)

Squats:

45 -5x2
95 x5
135 x4
160 x3
185x1

200 -5x2
200 -6x1


Press:

45 x5
65 x4
95 x3
110 x1


125 -5x3



Rushed workout yesterday. Rolled out of bed and lifted. Short rest periods. All in all it went well.

On the squats I noticed in video from last week that my knees were traveling too far forward. I was still getting depth but I was loosening up and rocking forward slightly. I started on the warm-up sets and held it together properly throughout the workout. 200 went fairly easily. In fact I lost count and accidentally did 6 reps on the last set.

The press didn't go as well. I hammered 125 last week easily. This week it hammered me. I got all 3 sets of 5, but they were rough. After the 2nd set my son woke up crying so I did the last set with about 15 seconds rest and I barely made it. Although I'm not sure it would've been much better with 15 minutes rest. And that was the end of the workout. No chin-ups or anything else.