Is your coach a certified SS coach?
Hi all,
I'm a little late to the forums, so I'll fill you in on my progress.
Gender: M
Height: 5'7"
Age: 28
Starting weight: 148.3 lbs.
Current weight: 163.0 lbs.
Starting date: May 5, 2018
Beginning intensity:
- Squat 3x5: 95 lbs.
- Press 3x5: 55 lbs.
- Bench 3x5: 85 lbs.
- Deadlift 3x5: 155 lbs.
Current intensity:
- Squat: 185 lbs. (+90)
- Press: 95 lbs. (+40)
- Bench: 125 lbs. (+40)
- Deadlift: 230 lbs.* +75)
* I've had some screwy things happen with my deadlift for a week or two that caused missed reps at 240 lbs. (mostly form issues), so my coach backed off the weight and I've been slowly working back up doing 2 sets of 5.
Nutrition:
Calories: ~3500
Carbs: ~400 g
Protein: ~200 g
Fat: ~100 g
I train on M/W/F, so my next log will be tomorrow!
Last edited by js285307; 06-30-2018 at 06:45 PM.
Is your coach a certified SS coach?
Excellent. You should make good progress and should do it safely.
Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Week: 7.2
Weight: 163.2
Squat: 190x3x5
Bench: 130x3x5
Dead: 235x5
My squats felt very weak today. They felt a little weak on Monday, but definitely more so today. Just a general feeling of fatigue that then causes form issues. I had trouble shooting my knees out (especially after getting out of the hole), which led to some minor pain from hip impingement, which then caused depth issues. Also had a little trouble getting my butt back and also keeping my back in extension at the bottom of the lift.
I don't think it was a food or rest issue, but I'll keep an eye on it. I've been hovering around 3300 calories, 350g carbs, 185g protein, and 100g of fat. Perhaps I need to increase that slightly as the lifts get a bit heavier. We'll see how Friday goes. Maybe Wednesday was just one of those days.
The other lifts felt fine though, so maybe the squats are just an issue right now. Thoughts?
Last edited by js285307; 07-05-2018 at 11:36 AM.
Date: Friday, June 22, 2018
Week: 7.3
Weight: 163.0
Squat: 195x3x5
Press: 100x4; 100x3; 100x3
Dead: 240x5
Squats and deadlifts felt pretty good today. For some reason the press (usually my best lift) just felt off. It was my first press failure, and I'm not sure exactly what was causing it. I'll wait until my next press lift before concluding that it was anything other than just one of those days.
I didn't gain weight this week. Unsure why. I've been eating, but I'll keep an eye on this. I may need to bump the calories up again.
Last edited by js285307; 06-26-2018 at 08:58 AM.
Date: Monday, June 25, 2018
Week: 8.1
Weight: 164.0
Squat: 200x3x5
Bench: 135x3x5
Dead: 245x5
I felt pretty good today. Squat issues were some slight relaxing of my mid and lower back at the bottom of the squat. Need to focus on keeping tight for the entire movement and not pausing and softening at the bottom of the squat. Bench issues were keeping my lats tight and shoulders pinned to the bench. Deadlift issues were some slight rounding of the back; need to keep it tight and extended throughout.
On the plus side, today was my first day with 45lb plates on the bench, so that was fun. And I felt pretty strong on the deadlift today, which is quite the turnaround from a few weeks ago.
One other note, this is the second day of using the hook grip for deadlift. I'm currently using it for all sets, including warmups.
Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Week: 8.2
Weight: 165.0
Squat: 205x3x5
Press: 105x4; 105x3; 105x3
Dead: 250x5
Squat: Felt better today. Stayed tighter throughout and spent less time pausing at the bottom. Still need to work on (1) not pausing at the bottom but (2) pausing at the top to re-tighten everything, get my back in extension.
Press: A technique issue is plaguing my presses. I'm not getting under the bar enough and shoving the bar back across my face. Instead I'm pressing the bar too far in front of me, creating a moment arm that is impossible to overcome on reps 4 and 5. Need to focus on "hitting my nose" with the bar and throwing my body under it after the hip thrust.
Deadlift: It felt pretty good today. I kept the back in extension better. Some of my best deadlifts yet.
Date: Saturday, June 30, 2018
Week: 8.3
Weight: 165.0
Squat: 210x3x5
Bench: 140x3x5
Dead: 255x5
Things felt pretty good today. Squats: Knees out more, keep lower back tight. Bench: All went pretty good. Deadlift: Good as well. Slightly rounded back on last two reps, but nothing terrible.
Date: Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Week: 9.1
Weight: 165.6
Squat: 215x3x5
Press: 100x5; 100x4; 100x2
Dead: 260x5
Squats: Feeling some hip pain on the outsides of both hips. I notice it during the warmups and working sets, and also feel it during my recovery time too. I had some more significant hip pain early on, and this is not like that. Just some nagging pain that makes the squat harder than it should be. It interferes with my ability to stay tight throughout and avoid knee slide, which in turn leads to more pain, I believe. I'm going to focus hard on knees out and keeping them in place.
Squats are also starting to feel like more of a grind. It's not so much of a strength issue (I think) but rather a work capacity / fatigue issue. By the second and third working sets, I feel sapped of energy. I think I need to eat a little more pre-workout, and may need to bring a snack.
Press: Technique issues again. I started out okay, but then got fatigued and let me elbows drop, which then caused my presses to go out and away from me instead of up and back. I'm going to drop 10% next time and try to iron out these form issues.
Deadlift: Things are moving along well here. A little pain from the hook grip, but nothing terrible.