Startling Strength: Hot Threes and Fives

[Red Finn]

The last couple weeks have essentially been wasted. I have not been able to squat and somehow doubt I will be ready for next week. Psychologically I have been struggling with this injury. The squat is my best lift and it is the centerpiece of every program I've ever done. On some level I am concerned by the imbalance between my lower and upper body strength, but deep down I want to get under the bar and squat. I feel anxious and directionless with this injury.

Now, though, it's time to cut the bullshit and get back to work. I have three goals for this period without squats, however long it may last: to preserve as much of my leg strength as I can, to improve my upper body strength as much as I can, and to address whatever weaknesses may have predisposed me to injure my ribcage in the first place.

I imagine this will involve a lot of pulling and a lot of pressing. I'm not really sure how to set this up though. A few issues:

1) I don't really have much idea how to set up my pulling scheme.

2) I know some people would suggest beltless squatting since I only seem to have pain when I put the belt on, but I am a truly terrible beltless squatter. Anything much over 300 pounds causes significant thoracic flexion and makes me feel like I'm asking for a back injury. I'm not really comfortable squatting without a belt.

3) I'm wondering if I should jump off my upper body linear progression of 5's onto another program, for a couple reasons: my bench was starting to stall, and if I'm not going to squat, I should have energy to work extra hard on my upper body lifts.

4) I do seem to be carrying some sort of latent upper body injury, at least on my right side and possibly left, that causes upper body weakness and is probably/possibly contributing to the extreme gap in strength development between my upper and lower body. I'm not sure how to describe it except that some of my muscles seem to be tight and inhibited, maybe even with some nerve impingement thrown in. It is a subtle thing and I did not realize until recently that it might be affecting my upper body work in the gym. I have recently begun receiving treatment for this, and it seems to be getting better, but I don't know how long it will take to reach 100% or whether the rehabilitation process for these muscles will require that my gym workload be curtailed, to avoid overworking the muscles. We'll see.


Right now I am thinking something like this:


Monday:

Press: sets of 8 until RPE 9 (aiming for about 5 sets)

Deadlift volume: I dunno, 20 reps, probably as singles, last rep RPE 9-9.5.


Tuesday:

Snatch-grip deadlifts (or similar variation): 3 sets of 5 (not really heavy, just enough to strengthen my thoracic spine since that's probably a weak link).

Conditioning: Prowler stuff, still figuring it out.


Wednesday:

Bench: sets of 8 until RPE 9 (aiming for about 5 sets)

Deadlift volume: I dunno, 10 reps, probably as singles, last rep RPE 9-9.5.

Chins: Volume, maybe 40-50 reps total.


Thursday:

Off, probably.


Friday:

Press: Triples in the RPE 9.5-10 range, probably about 3 sets total.

Deadlift: I dunno, 5 reps, probably as singles, last rep RPE 9.75-10.


Saturday:

Bench: Triples in the RPE 9.5-10 range, probably about 3 sets total.

Snatch-grip deadlifts (or similar variation): Like Tuesday.

Chins: Intensity, weighted, maybe ~10 reps total.

Conditioning: Prowler.


Sunday:

Off.



Is that reasonable, or completely insane? I don't know. I am really wondering how to juggle the four upper body days. I wrote them as M-W-F-Sa, but I could have gone M-Tu-Th-F, or even something else. I'm not necessarily constrained by the 7-day cycle known as a week, either.

I also wonder whether the pulling volume will cause me to die.

If anyone has any interesting opinions, I'm happy to listen. What I'm trying to craft here is a bump in total weekly upper body reps (approx 108 per week compared to 75 per week until now), a bit of a bump in chin reps (about 50 reps per week compare to 30-40 before), and a big jump in pulling volume, which would hopefully be offset by the complete absence of squatting.

[Sean Herbison]

Is that reasonable, or completely insane? I don't know. I am really wondering how to juggle the four upper body days.

Looks fine. I'm currently doing 3 bench variations and press on a M-W-F-S schedule and it's working well.

I also wonder whether the pulling volume will cause me to die.

Probably not, but pay extra attention to your lower back.

[Red Finn]

Thanks. I'll see how it works. It's important to try to view setbacks as potential opportunities, if possible.

I made a little writeup on my ribcage issues. I was considering posting it to the Training forum, but I'll post it here for now.

---

In the last six weeks or so, I have suffered two ribcage/abdominal injuries on my left side when squatting. Both times it occurred while doing volume work (sets of 8). The first time, I think it happened because I was between holes on my belt and chose the tighter hole, so when my thoracic spine flexed it drove the bottom of my ribcage into the top of the belt. The second time, I did not have my belt as tight, but I felt a sharp pain higher up, maybe only a couple inches below my pec. I'm not quite sure why the second injury happened, but I suspect it has something to do with taking too long a break between my final warmup single and my first work set. It may have been partly a muscle strain and partly a rib injury.

When I was much pudgier (almost 210 lbs), I don't recall suffering any ribcage injuries while squatting. However, now I'm slimmer and I've hurt myself twice in a relatively short time. It seems to me that fat on the belly provides a protective layer that keeps the belt further away from the ribcage than when one is lean. Compounding the issue is the fact that I tend to flex my thoracic spine when squatting, bringing the ribcage closer to the belt. (As for my belt, I have used a 4", 13mm belt both when I was fatter and slimmer.)

Below are videos of one set of volume squats and one set of intensity squats, performed within the last month or so, after I had the first injury but before the second.

Volume (skip to 30 seconds):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjMNdeelv0k&t=31s

Intensity (skip to 20 seconds):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZixF3BERjk&t=15s

Sorry the angle these videos were filmed from is not optimal, but it's all I've got for now.

Here are my questions:

-Does a declining body fat level lead to an increased risk of ribcage/abdominal injuries when squatting (from contact with the belt)? Does anyone have experience with this, going from fat to lean or vice versa?

-What is your opinion of the degree of thoracic flexion present in my squats?

-If my thoracic flexion is excessive (and/or does create a greater ribcage injury risk), what should be done to reduce it? Should I do more work to strengthen my thoracic erectors? I might not be able to squat for a while, so now is the time to address potential weaknesses.

[Sean Herbison]

-Does a declining body fat level lead to an increased risk of ribcage/abdominal injuries when squatting (from contact with the belt)? Does anyone have experience with this, going from fat to lean or vice versa?

I've noticed some initial discomfort while adjusting, but nothing injurious.

-What is your opinion of the degree of thoracic flexion present in my squats?

It's excessive, and not just in your thoracic region.

-If my thoracic flexion is excessive (and/or does create a greater ribcage injury risk), what should be done to reduce it?

Chest up/out more, squeeze the upper back together.

It looks like you're trying to avoid moving your hips back, and you're trying to stay as upright as possible. This is especially evident with the angle in the second video. When you finally have to lean over, you crumple more than you bend. I can definitely see why you'd be having trouble with your belt. To be blunt, your squat's pretty ugly.

To start with, make sure your hips are going back at the same time as your knees go forward. Break at both the hips and knees right away. If you can manage that, you'll probably do a good deal to help fix everything.

[Red Finn]

Well hey, at least that means I have something to work on.

It's possible that in these videos I am compensating a bit for the first rib injury (trying not to hurt it), but that's probably not the only reason my squats are ugly.

I am tempted to squat a bit next week and see how good a job I can do keeping my back extended by just focusing on it more. (If I have rib pain I'll probably stop.) I'm not convinced merely focusing on back extension will be sufficient, but it would be great if I am wrong, since that would mean I don't need to do additional work to strengthen my erectors.

Thanks for your input Sean. I'm not offended that you called my squats ugly.

[salvilla]

Sean has strong opinions on your squat and I would completely agree with him. I would encourage you to maybe take this injury as a sign that you may need to rework your squat form. I definitely agree with you in that setbacks should be viewed as opportunities to improve. I asked your opinion on my hamstring a few months back. I really appreciated your advice. I also felt without direction or motivation since I can not squat or DL at the moment. Looking at my injury as an opportunity to focus on the upper body lifts has helped me tremendously.

[Red Finn]

Thanks Sal.

4/27

Press: 115x8@9,9,9.5,10

I've ditched the Texas Power Bar in favor of the Westside Bar for my upper body lifts. It's a little bit thicker and stiffer, so that may take a little while to get used to. From a "general strength" perspective I'm not really sure whether it's better to use a stiffer or more flexible bar; maybe it depends on the lifter. One of the reasons I'm switching is because the other guys at the gym tend to use the Westside Bar, so it makes it easier for me to work in with them if we're using the same bar.

I've also had to switch to a different pair of 25s that is probably about 5lbs heavier (as a pair) than the old pair, so 115 here is approximately like 120 with the old plates. The bar switch may also add a couple pounds of difficulty.

Oh, and if I'm going to do 8s, it looks like I started with too much weight.


Deadlift: 365 for 2 sets of 10 (singles)

Rested about 60 seconds between singles for the first ten, then I took a ~12 minute break and did the next ten. I probably rested about 90 seconds between reps during the second set of ten, partly because I had to share the space with a couple other people in the gym.

Let my back round a little too much on the last few reps.

Oh, and I should say, for pulls I've ditched the Texas Power Bar in favor of a 31mm bastard of a bar that most of the guys in the gym use for pulls. Everybody I've talked to says that it's a significant help in their training, and that the 29mm Eleiko in competition feels easy in comparison. So I've decided to follow their lead here as well.


4/28

SGDL: 275x3x5

The first couple times I tried gripping way out at the ends of the bar, but I had a lot of trouble securing the straps out there. (I'm very inexperienced with straps.) So I decided to move my grip in (index fingers on powerlifting marks) and stand on approximately a couple inches of plywood to make up the difference.

Trying to keep my back really straight when I do these.

Calf raises: 225x3x5

Balls of my feet on one sheet of plywood, maybe half an inch or a little more. Don't judge me. I'm not doing these for aesthetic purposes.


4/29

Deadlift: 395x10 (singles)

Did the first 6 resting about a minute between reps, then went to the bathroom, put on some straps and pulled the next four. Last rep maybe RPE 9.75ish.

I only used straps because this thick bar is roughing up my hands. I was bleeding on the bar.

I think I'm starting to realize what it means to get my lats tight when I pull. That should help with my back rounding a bit.

Prowler: 140lbs 5s/20s, 10 rounds

Had to turn the Prowler around in the parking lot halfway through, so that added a little to the rest time for that interval. I'm just feeling my way here. Going to have to read more about how to do this.

Bench: 165x8@9,9.5,x7f8; 155x8@10

First time benching with the Westside Bar, I believe. It does appear that I started with a little too much weight for 8's. Also, I was planning to bench before deadlifting and pushing the Prowler, but due to Other People in the gym I had to change my plans.

Failing on my first day is stupid, but I could feel the front of my right shoulder (and I think my tricep too) starting to contract in a way that I can't remember feeling before, so longer-term that bodes well for my bench. It's hard to get a big bench when your shoulders and triceps are not working.

Curls: 80x5 (sloppy); 65x3x8

Should film my top set next time to make sure it's not getting too sloppy. I can also feel my right elbow flexors contracting better than they have in the past, so that's encouraging as well.



5/1

Press: 135x4@10; 130x4@9

Technique was sloppy on the top set, better on the drop set. Again, 135 with these 25's is more like 140 with the old 25's, plus a slightly higher difficulty with the thicker bar, but I'll probably stop making a note of that soon.

Deadlift: 425x3 (singles); 415x2 (singles)

Used straps for all these, mostly because my hands are chewed up and I'm trying not to make it too much worse. Rested maybe 90 seconds between reps - can't really remember right now. After the third single was tough I decided to drop to 415. I think I'm okay with doing that in the future - the topset/dropset design makes sense to me for intensity.

The guys at the gym seem to think that the difference between the 31mm bar and the 29mm Westside bar, at, say, 500 lbs, is about 30 lbs. Factor in that I used to pull on the Texas Power Bar and 425 on this thick bar is maybe like 455 or more on the TPB. It's all speculation really, and not very important.


Prowler: 140lbs 5s/20s, 16 rounds

Had to turn the Prowler around every 4 rounds or so.


5/2

Bench: 185x3@10 (failed 4th); 175x3@9.75 (failed 4th)

Warmups felt good, but I didn't do a good job staying tight on the top set. Funny thing, for the backoff set I had the bar loaded to 180 until the last second, then decided to go with 175. I proceeded to fail the fourth rep anyway.

Real talk: It's stupid and kind of embarrassing to fail 4's on my first day with as little as 175 lbs on the bar, even though I was alone in the gym. But as I said earlier, longer-term it's encouraging that my right shoulder and arm are starting to work better. I'm going to get my left side checked out soon as well.


SGDL: 295x2x5

Planned to do three sets, but I felt a bit tired and seeing as I have to deadlift 20 reps on Monday, I decided to stop after two sets of SGDLs.

Calf raises: 275x3x5

These are starting to get somewhat hard.

-----

My rib/abdominal issue is quite a bit better, though still not 100%. There is a chance that I will try to squat next week.

I'm a little concerned that I'm making the wrong decision to go with 8's for upper body volume, for a couple reasons. 1) The long sets make it harder for me to stay tight for every rep, and staying tight is something that I really need to work on, especially if some of my shoulder/arm muscles are just starting to come back on line. I think it's important that I really concentrate and feel the muscles contracting as they should. Shorter sets would help with that. 2) Lower-rep sets are supposed to be more effective than higher-rep sets, assuming volume is about equal. So for example, 8 sets of 5 is supposed to be a bit more effective than 5 sets of 8. This makes intuitive sense to me.

So I'm considering ditching sets of 8 for sets of 5. The big question is whether I can find the correct amount of volume/intensity so that I can recover sufficiently and progress as fast as I can, without overworking. It seems to me that as long as there is a gradual increase in volume and tonnage (and frequency) over time, then I am probably not too far off the right track.

So now I'm thinking of something like this:

Monday: Press volume, 6 sets of 5 (sets across, going until RPE 9 or so)

Wednesday: Bench volume, 6 sets of 5 (sets across, going until RPE 9 or so)

Friday: Press intensity, 3 triples (topset/dropset, RPE 9.5/10)

Saturday: Bench intensity, 3 triples (topset/dropset, RPE 9.5/10)

That's the tentative plan, anyway. It makes for about 78 reps and (quick calculation) about 12000 pounds of tonnage per week, which sounds relatively reasonable to me. This evening I will look at the number more closely to make sure I'm not way off.

Seems like I write a novel every time I update this log.

[Red Finn]

5/4

Press: 115 x 30 singles on the minute

Perhaps I've lost my mind, but I wanted to try this. Mentally I thought it was fine - not especially stressful having to concentrate for half an hour straight. I did feel a bit of a burning sensation in my right shoulder though...

Deadlift: 375 x 20 singles

Did the first 12 on the minute or thereabouts, then took a ~15 minute break and finished up the last 8 more or less on the minute. Did these all hooked, no straps, and no blood on the bar, which is great.


5/5

SGDL: 315 x 10 singles

Did the first 5 within 8-10 minutes, and then the next 5 over 20 minutes or so. I think I pushed the intensity a little bit too high here, because this is ancillary work and should not be RPE 9-9.5, as the final rep was. On the plus side, I did keep my back quite straight all the way though. (I was semi-excruciatingly slow off the floor, though.)

Prowler: 140 lbs x ~5 rounds of Matt Reynolds' preferred conditioning protocol, with ten minutes or just over.

I lost count of how many rounds I did, but it was 5 or so. My heart rate got over 180 and below 150, so I was more or less doing it right. I seemed to run out of ATP a couple times though, because the sled got absolutely stuck a couple times and just refused to move further. Either that, or I caught a rough part of the parking lot.


5/6

Bench: 165 x 30 singles on the minute

Same deal as with press volume. It's actually less than 60 seconds' rest, but hey, that's enough for now. The first rep was fast, but it got a bit grindy before long. Something may not be quite right in my arm...

Mentally I didn't have any problem with this exercise.

Deadlift: 405 x 10 singles

First 8 were hooked, then the last two were strapped. Can't remember rest times, but I don't recall them being extremely long. Feels like I'm doing a better job getting my lats and back tight before (and during) the pull.


5/8

Press: 45 x 10 x 5

So I've discussed things with the fellow who's helping me with my arm issue, and we're both suspicious I'm overworking my arm in the gym. So I've decided to take a step back and just gently work the muscles. If he is setting the stage for recovery and healing, then I don't want to get in the way of his work by lifting too heavy. I will slowly work my way back up as my arm allows. We'll see how long this takes.

I'm trying to feel the muscles working without straining.

Deadlift: Skipped

I was supposed to deadlift ~435 for 5 singles, but I'm not sure how gripping and holding that much weight will affect my forearm/arm/shoulder issues, so I decided to be cautious here and take a pass.

Squat: 275 x 2

First time squatting in a few weeks, and hot damn, I had little to no pain. I distinctly remember doing 275 x 1 a while ago and being in a fair bit of pain. I had my belt high and tight today, which is great, because for quite a while there I was wearing it as low as I could to spare my rib/abdominal injury.

I'm taking this opportunity to work on breaking my hips and knees simultaneously, and also keeping my chest up. I'll have to film and see how it's going. I'm optimistic I can have a squat workout next week.


5/9

Press: 55 x 5 x 10

Another ten sets of five, just like yesterday. Shoulder felt a little better.

Also did a few unloaded barbell rows and barbell/dumbbell curls to work my upper back and elbow flexors, since those are part of my arm issue as well.


----

Training is obviously a bit of a mess right now, but my rib/abdominal issue is quite a bit better, and as far as my upper body goes, I'm taking a few steps back in the hopes of being healthy enough to take many more steps forward in the future. Hopefully it'll work.