Back where I belong - Starting Strength

[haveagreatday]

9-27-13 (B)
SQUAT
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 3 183
warm up x 1 244
work sets x 5 x 3 305 (felt good but the bar speed slowed down noticeably during the last set)

BENCH PRESS
warm up x 5 x 3 45
work sets x 5 x 3 210 (I don't think my thought of going to 5 sets across in October is really realistic as long as I'm in LP and doing all three lifts everyday. Don't get greedy dummy)

DEADLIFT
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 195
warm up x 1 260
work sets x 5 325 (traditional grip. First one stuck to the floor. Regrouped and pulled it. Then stuck. Then stuck again. EFF. Did 225 x 2 x 5 out of frustration but probably not a good idea since this really isn't the kind of stimulus called for in LP).

I will try 325 again on Friday. These were my first true it-ain't-happening missed reps in DL. Will try 325 again on Monday and go from there.

After my DL misses, tried some power cleans at 135 but my body fell out of its chair laughing. I will start to work these in this coming month.

Completed four weeks of SS. Have added 100 pounds to my SQ and DL work sets in those four weeks. Added 25lbs to my BP and Press work sets (although my press weight is starting to fight back a bit). Would the man on the street believe it if I told him I added 100lbs to my 3x5 SQ and DL in a month? Consistency is the key and, right behind that, execution is more important than innovation. Just do the program, listen to your body, be patient. Throw in a little critical thinking et voila! you're a hoss almost overnight.

I should probably start tracking my macros as things get serious. No point in doing this thing half way.

[haveagreatday]

9/30/2013 (A)
SQUAT
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 225
warm up x 1 275
work sets x 5 x 3 315

felt good here although the weight is getting heavy and my bar speed slowed down in the 3 set.

PRESS
warm up x 5 x 3 45
work sets x 5 x 3 115

dropped back to 115 from the 135-130 that I struggled with on Friday. Got all reps easily. Thinking this was smart after a few workouts in a row missing press reps. Onward.

DEADLIFT
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 225
warm up x 1 275
work sets x 5 315

I also dropped back on this weight and got it each time. Do I have rhomboids? If so, they need to make their presence known. Back is rounding a bit. Never felt unsafe, but didn't feel like my form was amazing. My deadlift is not pulling away from my squat. No doubt due to years of essentially no pulling exercises. I would like to kick 25 year old me in the ass right now. Might be time to get some form help? Drop back in weight to strengthen my upper back? If I'm reading PP right, I'm not yet at the point to add assistance exercises and, instead, more and better deadlifting will improve my deadlifting.

Speaking of assistance exercises, tried some chins and pull ups this morning. I have had an issue with the inside of my left elbow (top of the flexor carpi ulnaris?) since I was first fumbling around in the weight room in early August before starting SS. Honestly not sure what I was doing when I injured it. No elbow injuries in my sports history. I am right handed. Pain is more intense when hand is supinated, eg, in the flat bar curl (if I did curls of any kind, which I do not at this point). Since I've switched to the traditional deadlift grip, I've kept this hand pronated. When the elbow really hurts is when I pick up one of my kids, ie, the motion of pushing toward the mid-line with my forearm at a 45 degree angle to my waist (gripping the kid under the arms and then pushing to get tension and picking up). I don't do goblet squats but that's really the image of the position of my forearm when the inside of my elbow really hurts though maybe with the palm more towards the body. No elbow pain deadlifting, benching, pressing or squatting. Did farmer carries with 90lb dbs and fat grip 50lb dbs with no elbow issues. I listened to the latest podcast on rehab, and I guess the prescription would be flat bar curls and chins? Kind of in a backward situation since it is not holding me back on the main lifts, but I can't do the assistance stuff that's called for as I progress on LP, ie, chins and pull ups.

[haveagreatday]

10-2-13 (B)
SQUAT
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 3 195
warm up x 1 260
work sets x 5 x 3 320 (made the transition to 5lb jumps. Need to update spreadsheet to reflect. Starting to feel heavy. Of course, this is about 85% of a double body weight squat so it IS heavy, especially 4.3 weeks into the program. Honestly, felt tired and had zero snap in my legs. Got pretty good sleep last night but less than ideal sleep on Monday night. But Monday Night Football was calling me. It's not like I'm going to the Olympics. Got to live a little.)

BENCH PRESS
warm up x 5 x 3 45
work sets x 5 x 3 215 (missed the 5th rep on second and third sets. felt I could have gotten it but, since I'm working alone, no point in getting hurt. Let's avoid that which is avoidable)

DEADLIFT
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 195
warm up x 1 260
work sets x 5 325 (did the first warm up and my back said LOLNOPE. Dammit. I was ready but my body had other ideas. Did 3x5 hang clean pulls @ 135lbs. I hope nobody was watching the first few. It is time to integrate cleans into my programming anyway.)

on the bright side, I got 3x5 pull ups and 1x5 chins. Elbow is not too mad. Fat grip DLs 2x10 @ 135. Farmer carrries @90lb dbs, fat grip farmer carriers 3 @ 50lb DBs. While I was steaming about the DL debacle, I had a few thoughts -

Pain is the body's way of reminding us that we have a long time left on this planet. All that macho war BS is ignorant. There are people in harm's way whose survival is dependent on their ability to continue in the face of injury. I am not at war with the deadlift. In fact, struggling with the deadlift is the path to enlightenment.

Paraphrasing Greg Lemond, it never gets easier, you just get stronger. In other words, this is supposed to be hard, it ain't for everybody, and real strength is a life goal. And more importantly, all the knowledge I gain in this process is mine to keep forever. By the time this is all over, I will know what to do, why to do it, and, most importantly, HOW to do it.

This DL set back is the opportunity to test what I know about PP.

[haveagreatday]

10-4-13 (A)
SQUAT
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 225
warm up x 1 275
work sets x 5 x 3 325 (Time to admit that my form is starting to degrade. I am not getting deep enough with this weight. I definitely know the feeling of A2G and I'm not getting it at 325lb x 5 x 3. There is definitely a fear that I won't be able to come out of the hole at this weight so I'm stopping before I break parallel. I think I lack only an inch or two but that's a critical inch or two. Given this and my continuing DL struggles, I plan to spend next week backing off to 80-85% and working on my form then I will continue LP back to this point and see where it takes me. On paper, I got much stronger very quickly but I'm not sure that the muscles in my hips really kept up because as the weight went up, I think I cheated A2G just a tiny bit each time until now when those cheats have added up to me obviously not being A2G. It's not much, but it is the difference between a good squat and a great squat.)

PRESS
warm up x 5 x 3 45
work sets x 5 x 3 120 (had a good set. a little bit of struggle on the lockout at the very top)

DEADLIFT
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 205
warm up x 3 275
work sets x 5 325 (got to the second warm up set and it felt really heavy. Form was all over the place. I say that, but it is fair point to recognize that I don't necessarily have any idea what a ideal DL form is. Or at least how to implement it with my own body. Maybe this is an obvious point, but I must also consider that perhaps I'm too tired from the squat when I get to DL?)

- will try the back off week and see if I can get back on track

- this is the 5th week. I'm sure that I still have plenty of LP left. After the back off week, I will try the advanced novice routine from PP. But there could be a move to weekly programming in the next few weeks.

[haveagreatday]

10-4-13

Forgot to include that I did 2x5 pull ups and 2x5 chins, 3x8 hyper extensions with a 45lb plate and 25 BW dips in light of the fact that I did no DL work sets.

Need to remember to eat eat eat!


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[haveagreatday]

10-7-13 (B) DELOAD
SQUAT
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 1 225
work sets x 5 x 3 275

BENCH PRESS
warm up x 5 x 3 45
work sets x 5 x 3 220 (was programmed to do 5 x 3 but went with 3 x 5 ie, 5 sets of 3 mostly because of I don't have a spotter. Got all reps)

DEADLIFT
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 185
warm up x 1 225
work sets x 5 275 (got 3 of these. I'm plainly not doing something right. Perhaps I should drop to deadlifting once a week, but I haven't completed any sets in at least a week. I would say I'm going backwards, particularly in light of the fact that my squat has made good progress but my DL has regressed. I have reached out to a SS coach in my area to try to take a look at my form, my current program and my plans to reach my goals. Hopefully, some live instruction and an experienced set of eyes will solve the issue. Having fumbled around with this, I've decided that the internet can teach you just enough to be dangerous. Plus, under heavy weight, I can't really recall that thing I saw on youtube that totally contradicts that other thing I saw on youtube.)

I'm calling this a deload week, but I mean that in the two-steps-forward-one-step-back sense that I have dropped back to 85% of work set weight so I can refresh my form on the squat. I did this on the DL as well mostly because I couldn't work with the heavier weights.. I will continue LP but with 5lb jumps and see where that takes me.

Also, got 3x5 pull ups and 1 x 5 chins. My left elbow was a little annoyed but not so bad that I couldn't complete the sets.

[haveagreatday]

So I overslept badly this morning. Three nights in a row with not enough sleep caught up with me. My work schedule is such that I can't get the workout in today or this evening. I will just take some extra recovery and get back in the saddle on Friday morning. This is my sixth week and I did a 15% deload on Monday. I've got some light dumb bells and bands at home so I might try to cobble together some sort of hotel room type work out tonight.

[Str8shutr]

I'm plainly not doing something right.

Perhaps I should drop to deadlifting once a week, but I haven't completed any sets in at least a week. .

Yes.

At the weights you are hitting on DL, you need to drop the 3x per week routine and sub with Power Cleans or Power Snatches. At these weights DL'ing once per week is going to be sufficient to drive progress. The overload on your back may also be affecting your squats, and if you are not recovering well enough, your sleep as well...ask me how I know.

BUT that is some awesome fucking progress man! Keep up the good work!

[haveagreatday]

Yes.

At the weights you are hitting on DL, you need to drop the 3x per week routine and sub with Power Cleans or Power Snatches. At these weights DL'ing once per week is going to be sufficient to drive progress. The overload on your back may also be affecting your squats, and if you are not recovering well enough, your sleep as well...ask me how I know.

BUT that is some awesome fucking progress man! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the encouragement. I've got an appointment with a SS coach and I'm really looking forward to it. Amen on the sleep issue, too. The need for sleep (and enough sleep is what our modern world would call gratuitous and lazy) has really been a revelation to me. Too bad my kids don't think so.

[haveagreatday]

10-11-13 (B) DELOAD
SQUAT
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 1 225
work sets x 5 x 3 275 (repeating this weight from Monday to focus on form and was really happy with it. Even hit the safety bars a few times. It is certainly possible that I am losing my mind, but 135 felt as heavy as 225 which felt as heavy as 275. It was a strange sensation but I suppose that shows the power of really warming up)

BENCH PRESS
warm up x 5 x 3 45
warm up x 5 135
warm up x 3 185
work sets x 5 x 3 225 (did 3x3 at this weight. Did 185 x 5 x 3 after work sets)

DEADLIFT
warm up x 5 x 3 135
warm up x 3 185
warm up x 3 225
work sets x 5 275 (felt good but not great. Stayed with DOH for these and no belt)

Still no spotter on the bench so I'm not going to go after something I'm not sure I can get. Of course, at 5:30am on a foggy Friday, there was literally one other person in the gym. And that poor soul was on the elliptical machine, just going nowhere as quickly as possible. If there was ever a perfect symbol for the futility of what most people think is helping them, it has to be the image of a person just motoring away on an elliptical machine. He looks like a cartoon character running in place. All this furious motion and spurious beeps and lights and wattage measurements. Wattage! I own a bike with a powermeter and it took me at least 6 months to begin to understand how wattage can be used to improve performance. And I'm no better. How much time did I waste on an elliptical machine? It's the most pretend of all exercise and is proof that people - even smart, disciplined, open minded people - are truly lost when it comes to what they need to do. Not that I've got it figured out by any means but I've glimpsed the golden shore beyond the treadmill and the EZ curl so I know at least that it exists. I felt like uplugging that machine, giving him a big bear hug a la "It's not your fault, Will!" from Good Will Hunting and showing him that the path to freedom starts with the barbell in the power rack. We could change the lives of millions of people with this simple declaration - There is no movement worthy of worship except the squat and Rippetoe is its prophet. Yes, I have had a lot of coffee. But, seriously ...

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