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Thread: Jeff C Training Log

  1. #1
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    Default Jeff C Training Log

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    I have been lifting on and off for years, doing actual strength training (i.e. focusing on compounds) using SS method for 3 or 4 months.. also had a 4 month stint last year where I did it... although i had no coaching and i was getting lower back pain whenever I squated or deadlifted, so i modified the program and did less frequent squats and deads, and more upper body stuff, weighted chins, dips, whatever, until i could get a coach to look at my techniques. I understand you are supposed to just work through it and the lifts will heal my body, but i don't think that applies when you don't have the coaching necessary to make sure your technique is correct. So i held off to play it safe until i could get the coaching.

    I am 30 years old male, 185-190 pounds, 5 foot 11.

    My primary goal is to get STRONG, at least for now... I want to be able to lift 2 plates, 3 plates, 4 plates, (bench squat dead respective) for triples.

    So, i finally had my first coaching session, with Starting Strength Coach Ryan Arnold, at the Solace CrossFit Gym here in Manhattan. It was great fun.

    Anyway, this will be my training log... will begin with my first workout in the next post.

  2. #2
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    12/20/2018 training log

    First workout with Ryan Arnold.

    Squat
    Ryan taught me the low bar squat - had never done it before. I apparently have AWFUL shoulder flexibility, to the point where i had to put my grip literally as wide as the rack would allow. And that resulted in really bad wrist pain. I'm hoping this flexibility will improve over time, and i don't feel any injury today, the next day, so that means that i should be good to keep trying, narrowing the grip over time. Will post videos.

    Grip was so wide that it interfered with me actually racking the bar - and i dropped the bar!!!! boom! Sorry Ryan, and the rest of the gym! Although, it being a crossfit, bars seems to be thrown against the floor constantly so I'm sure no one noticed. During that incident my left wrist bent back real bad, thought i might have injured it, but it feels totally fine today.

    Anyway, we just did progressively heavier sets to see how much I could handle.

    Squat: 175 X 5 -- this was my best set, so based on this I am going to start a linear progression using the exact program, with Squat starting at 155, per Ryan's advice. Ryan said my form looked pretty good, i have to make sure i constantly remind myself to A) drive knees OUTWARD, B) look DOWN, not forward or up, and C) really focus on driving up the hips first.

    Deadlift
    I was never sure about my deadlift form, how low should hips be when setting up, how high should chest be. I think i was also rising my hips up first without lifting the bar and then pulling with all back - previous high was 305 for 3 reps but i just think my form was inconsistent and bad, and a big reason for my consistent back pain. I like to run, i go for short 2-3 mile runs with my Fiance, and my back was just eating me up if i had deadlifted recently... so i hadn't really done deadlifts for a while until now.

    So Ryan explained to me how to set up, the way you bend down your shins til they touch the bar, and knees out to arms, and that decides for you where to put the hips, so it's no longer complicated. And with his help, i really think i nailed the form, went up in a straight line over middle of foot, and my back feels pretty good today! He said my form looked pretty great,.

    Anyway, we got up to a best set.

    Deadlift: 295 x 2 -- this was the highest we got up to, second rep was pretty slow and hard, but Ryan said my form looked very good, just need to remember to pick a spot on the floor and stare at it, don't change head angle. Going to start the new progression at 225 lbs

    OHP
    We didn't have much time to do this but we got up to 85 pounds I believe, it was going up easy, but I'm just totally confused about the form for this lift, i think it's my worst lift in terms of technique, being aware of the proper cues, etc... keeping forearms straight, wrists straight, upper body tight, lats tight.. its just a lot to think of and i never quite know if I'm holding it right, should my shoulders move up down forward or back, from their current spot? Just don't feel that confident in my form and we didn't have much time, but i definitely at least learned about keeping the forearms straight and wrists straight and what it should look like in that respect, and also the breathing technique.

    OHP -- 85 x 6 - this was super light, we just didn't have time to keep going.. i think I'll probably just start the progression here.


    BENCH - we did not get a chance to do bench, but bench is the list i am most comfortable with, regarding my form... I have progressed my max up to 200, and can do 185 for a triple, which is great progress for me, it had started to stall.. so I'm going to reset this as well, probably down to 155. But i have a feeling this is going to start stalling the quickest - and i may implement an intermediate programming for it soon.. I'll see how this progression goes though and see where it stops.

    In terms of eating, I'm just going to be a monster. It's winter, time to get fluffy.

    Sleeping - I have been making sure i get into bed by like 10 and i wake up at 7:30 usually.. i have always been bad with that going in bed after 12, watching TV late, but since moving in with fiance it has become a lot easier to be more mature about it, lol. Plus, ever since I have been working out super hard all the time, i find that i feel like total garbage unless i get MORE than 8 hours of sleep. I am so addicted to my strength training that i must do whatever it takes.

    Anyway - following logs won't be as long, and no one is reading this anyway, haha, but this was my first time with the coach and really broke down where I'm at so i wanted to make a log documenting this all, and see where i go from here.

    -Jeff C

  3. #3
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    12/21/2018 training log,

    so, as mentioned above, I'm going to be restarting an LP using the novice program (but alternating deadlifts and weighted chins, instead of deadlifts every workout, because deadlift is starting at 225, and to be careful with my lower back which has had problems, per advice of Ryan my SS coach)...

    HOWEVER,

    recently, prior to meeting with Ryan, I had just been doing a PPL split so i can focus more on upper body since i was backing off squat and dead lift until i had some personal technique coaching...

    Anyway, I am heading to Florida to see the Fiance's family for christmas today (friday 12/21) and not coming back until tuesday night, so i figured I would just start on Wednesday... which means today was my last chance to workout before leaving... and given my old schedule it would have been a pull day, so i just went in today even though i haven't had a day's rest in like 5 days, and did a pull and OHP workout. (since i didn't really do OHP yesterday).

    Weighted Chins -- BW +25 lbs, x6, 5, 4,
    Last time i did chins a few days ago i was at +20 pounds and did 8, so I'm not sure if this is an improvement (i just add some weight every time and do AMRAP)..

    I recently bought little 0.5 pound plates so i can micro load so from now on on the chins I'm going to add just a pound every time and just try to make sure i keep it at least 5 reps per set.

    one thing of note is that even though I am resetting everything next week, i don't believe i will be resetting chins. i like my progress here, and the AMRAP periodization of adding weight every time and slowly doing fewer reps over time has really worked for me, so i will keep doing this for chins.

    OHP -- applying new technique from ryan, managed to get one set of 130 x 5, but form broke down on final rep and could not repeat, so backed off significantly on the following sets.

    I had been kind of doing a periodization thing , but i know once i officially start the progression and reset next week i won't be doing this any more.

    My intention is to get the absolute most i can possibly get out of novice LP and then once i have done that, add a light day for whichever lift stalls first, (given everything else is up to par).. and eventually be runnning texas method.

    Really need to meet with Ryan Arnold again to learn the clean or snatch though. never done those in my life. Right now for explosion i have been doing the chest supported T bar row, explosively.. on my pull days. Probably no room for that once i start the official program.

    Anyway, I'm rambling,that was my day OHP 130 x 5 best set, and weighted chins +25 lbs x6... official SSNLP to start on Wednesday next week, no workouts until then unfortunately.. i will feel like i am a withdrawing addict.

    -Jeff C

  4. #4
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    Welcome to the forum, I look forward to watching your progress.

  5. #5
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    Training log - 12/24/2018

    First official day of strict program following.

    Squat:
    165 x 5 x 3
    All went up super easy. I think I’m much stronger already switching to low bar. Grip still insanely wide due to shoulder immobility, but still, slightly narrower than the first day I tried low bar with my coach, and while it was painful, it feels fine the next day . I will continue to adapt. In terms of form, it felt pretty good but I just feel like it got a little sloppy towards the end , not sure on what way. Need to post videos.

    Bench:
    155 x 5 x 3
    Starting a bit heavier, relatively for bench. All went up very clean. Form felt nice. But final rep of last set, there was probably only 2 left in the tank. So not much of a “reset”. I bought 0.5 pound weights so I can micro load. My bench had already kinda stalled and hit intermediate level before, so I’m thinking I’ll go up by 2.5 pounds at a time.

    Deadlift:
    225 x 5
    All felt clean. Form stayed in tact. Followed new cues from coach. Had been causing me lower back problems. Would tweak every time I dead lifted. Bother me for days. Well after the first session with my coach I felt great the next day finally! Even going up to 295 x 2. But today, day after, still feel some of that old lower back tweak again. Not sure if my form broke down. I will post a video.

    Overall I feel pretty great. Eating like a madman for Christmas Eve tonight.

  6. #6
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    Training log 12/26 - workout 3

    Squat:
    170 x 5 x 3
    Up from 165 last time. All went up clean and felt easy. This is now my third time low bar squatting. Shoulder mobility was so bad first session with coach that i dropped bar trying to rack. Was able to grip more narrow next time, and this time even more. Shoulders feeling better and
    Better. Definitely adapting properly and gaining shoulder flexibility I never had.

    Lifts went up so easy - felt so juiced - can’t wait to keep raising the number.

    OHP -
    95 x 5 x 3
    First ohp workout since my coach session. Went up super easy. Felt good. Nothing to report.

    Weighted Chins:
    +27.5 pounds x 6, 4, 4
    I plan to keep doing 2.5 pound increases until I hit 5 rep max on the first set. Then I’ll start going up by just a pound each time. This is the only lift I didn’t really reset.

    Dips:
    Finish off the workout with body weight dips, 3 sets to failur (11, 8, 8) I probably shouldn’t be doing that, huh?

    I switch off between deadlifts and weighted chins. On deadlift day I do body weight chins at the end 3 sets to failure. And on weighted chins day I do body weight dips at the end, 3 sets to failure. Both dips and chins at body weight I can do about 11 reps. I just like the idea of adding a little upper body volume at the end of the workout.

    I hope to eventually incorporate cleans every other Deadlift workout like the program says, especially when the deadlift gets super heavy, but I haven’t had any coaching for it yet so not going to try until I do. And I can’t afford more coaching at the moment because my fiancé and I spent so much on Christmas gifts lol.

    Until tomorrow...

    Jeff

  7. #7
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    Nice work Jeff, here's a great video from Paul Horn about a stretch to help with shoulder mobility and squatting. It's been very helpful to me.

  8. #8
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    Hondotbt, thanks!!

    12/28/2018 log

    Squat:
    175x5x3 (6 reps last set)
    Left shoulder hurting especially right before racking , still not much flexibility but no bad pain after workout or next day. Doing dislocates. Squats went up extremely easy. Don’t feel challenged yet.

    Bench:
    160x5x3 (6 reps last set)

    This was not quite as easy as the squats. That 6th rep on the last set was probably the last clean one I could do. So, approaching my plateau here. Trying to eat.

    Deadlift:
    235x5x1

    Felt great. I have the cues down for setting up for first rep but resetting back to the same form without stepping away from the bar, just going back up, is proving difficult. I think form is being compromised as a result. Hips might be lower on subsequent reps. Back is arched and tight though throughout. Have a video, will post.

    Accessory:
    Body weight chins
    3 sets to form failure (9-8-7)
    This was less than last time. I did 11 last time on the first set.

    I do body weight chins at the end of this work out and body weight dips at the end of the B work out (squat press weighted chins), both I can manage about 10 reps so it’s some nice lower intensity upper body volume. I like it. Am I wrong for doing it?
    Last edited by Jeff LC; 12-31-2018 at 08:39 AM.

  9. #9
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    12/30/2018 Log

    Squat:
    180x5x3

    I accidentally did 185 first set, all went up fine, form felt good, but froze up for a second on fourth rep, wasn't braced properly. If i remember to brace, it goes better... but i really struggle with remembering this; once the bar is on the back my mind just loses focus on anything else other than the bar on my back.
    Squats literally feel like sex to me

    Press:
    100x5x3

    This actually slowed down a little bit in the last couple of reps, especially the last set. Makes me think it will be tough to get 3 sets of 5 after the next increase, and that maybe i should have reset to a lower number. Going to try to eat a ton between now and then, and hopefully be able to do it, but overall i think I'm pretty close to a plateau here already, considering loading ith 2.5 lb increases if i can't hit all reps next time.

    Weighted Chins:
    +30 lbs, x 6, 5, 4

    6 reps was same i got last time on the first set at 27.5, so that's clear progress. Once I hit 5 i will start with simple 1 pound increases per workout.

    Ancillary
    Bodyweight Dips - x 9, 8, - felt some slight discomfort above elbow (insert of tricep to elbow) - reminded me of tendonitis i had when i was a kid from doing too heavy tricep pushdowns, on a random day i decided to "lift" even though i didn't lift regularly... that slight discomfort caused me not to go through with the planned third set.

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    FORM CHECK:

    Hi, if anyone can please give my latest squats and deadlift a form check, it would be much appreciated!

    Squat: YouTube

    Looks to me like I might be focusing too hard on hip drive, leading with the hip out of the hole, that I'm actually not lifting my chest enough, and that I'm somewhat going hips up, THEN chest up after.. what some call a good morning squat? Some reps look better than others. This is 185x5 (the accidentaly 185 set i did yesterday, when it was supposed to be 180, whoops)

    Deadlift: YouTube

    Fiance thinks that i am not keeping my chest "up" enough ,perhaps some slouching in upper back. Thoughts?

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