Push It: Jacket's Diary

[Jacket]

Hi all,

04JAN19

General

Didn't sleep great due to some personal circumstances. I was more sore than usual today and I was walking stiffly when I was at work. The protein shakes are taking a little bit of getting used to, but I'm getting through them as planned.

My belt came today. At first I was a little concerned about how easily the lever unbuckled itself, but I gave it a try on my last warm-up set and my work sets. It was helpful, and I don't think I'd have made the squats without it...

Squat

Warm-ups then

1. 110kg x 5.
2. 110kg x 5
3. 110kg x 5

3 or so minutes' rest between sets.

Each set was hard and every rep hard. Some things to note:

Bar path. R5 of Set 1 felt like excessive loading on the lower back. On video review I had leaned forward a little and ended up having to pull the bar back as well as up. I think this was mainly due to fatigue.

Left elbow soreness. During Set 2 I noticed a soreness in my left elbow. I had a quick look at SSBBT (got the Kindle app on my phone) and sure enough, my passive wrists were actually in extension; I wasn't noticing the movement during the set. I widened my grip slightly and made an effort to pronate the wrists, and this seemed to fix it. The soreness was already caused, though...

Squats haven't felt this hard in a long while and I felt ruined afterwards.

Bench Press

Warm-ups then

1. 57.5kg x 5
2. 57.5kg x 5
3. 57.5kg x 4

2 minutes' rest between sets.

I focused mainly on getting the form and bar path right. I can't video review these sets but Set 2 felt best, and Set 3 I just... 'lost power' during the press. I think that this was fatigue.

Power Clean

I had planned to learn the movement and then aim for 40kg/50kg for work sets.

In practice, learning the sets I looked a little foolish -Especially when I did my first jump from the jumping position and hit myself in the chin with the bar.

I felt like I was getting there -I got some coaching from an Olympic lifter a few weeks ago and he was happy with how I was doing it. I think I was just too fatigued, as I really struggled to get the bar up into the rack. A shame, but valuable practice on the proper performance of the movement.

Chin-ups

1. 10 reps
2. 6 reps
3. 3 reps

1 minute's rest between sets.

Improvement!

Training takeaways

1. Correct the wrist and grip position in the squat.

Post gym

Friday is treat day and so I am having myself a Papa John's pizza.

Spotted in the gym

Two guys curling in the squat rack on the lifting platform. I hoped that my eyes had deceived me, but I was not deceived.

A guy bouncing his 30kg either side deadlifts, having deliberately selected the 15kg barbell for some reason.

Now for the weekend and some rest!

Jacket

[Jacket]

Hi all,

07JAN19

General

Slept okay and was up early today to revise for some exams. Felt a little hungrier than usual, which likely means I didn't get enough sleep. Body seems to have adjusted to the protein powder.

Squat

Warm-ups then

1. 112.5kg x 5
2. 112.5kg x 5
3. 112.5kg x 5

3 or so minutes' rest between sets.

I felt like my sets were a little inconsistent, but my usual spot was taken. I had to start my warm up in a misaligned power rack facing a reflective window with some damaged plates, and the moment the good platform became free I almost jumped across the room into it. Work-on points:

• Bar path. Keep the consistent bar path -there was some forward movement today.
• Left elbow pain. I need to ensure that I am driving my elbows up, up, up. This feels harder to do on the left side. I think I corrected it for the work sets, but there's a bit of aching now. Much less than last week, though.

Press

Warm-ups then

1. 37.5kg x 5
2. 37.5kg x 5
3. 37.5kg x 5

2 minutes' rest between sets.

I focused mainly on getting the form and bar path right. Set 1 was a little inconsistent, but then Set 2 and Set 3 felt... good. The bar felt fluid and easy to push, and I think this is down to proper use of the hip tension and getting the elbows forwards. Work on points:

• Wrist alignment. In Set 2's video review I noticed that I was cheating 'elbows up' by allowing my wrists to roll into extension. I need to focus on keeping the wrists neutral.

Deadlift

Warm-ups then

1. 117.5kg x 5

I am happy with my form for the deadlift. Oddly, on my warm-up of 110kg x 2, I felt a blackout coming on after I completed the lift. I took a few minutes to sit down and drink some water, and then when doing the work set the weight felt lighter than the 110kg warm-up. Odd!

Chin-ups

1. 13 reps
2. 3 reps
3. 2 reps

1 minute's rest between sets.

One less rep than Friday, but 3 more in the first set. I was aiming to pass part of Mr Rippetoe's proposed military fitness test, which required a minimum of 12 chin-ups. Success!

Training takeaways

1. Correct the wrist and grip position in the squat.
2. Ensure consistency of form in the press. Elbows forward, wrists neutral!

Post gym

The showers in my gym are really quite good, so I now take my stuff there to shower.

Spotted in the gym

Today was odd enough that a friend who was also in the gym messaged me to ask if I was witnessing the same thing as he was. A guy and his friend were squatting. The guy was high-bar half-squatting with a really wide stance and a cheap Olympic belt. That's fine, you do you. However, he was then trying to instruct the squat to his friend with an introductory weight of 60kg, which was too much for the friend. He had him belted quarter-squatting with the neck pad on the bar and struggling to keep his spine straight. From here, they then went up to 90kg because the guy 'wanted to squat 90kg'. He got the friend to suffer through some reps of this, instructing him to look straight ahead into a mirror. I then overheard 'let's put it up to 110' and 'do you feel the muscle burn? Good. That's all that matters.' The friend looked like he was really struggling, but pride wouldn't permit him to drop the weight.

There were around 4 gym staff who are personal trainers watching this happen, and no-one said a thing.

Jacket

[Jacket]

08JAN19

Had to do PT tonight with the unit. We did a generic warm up and then:

24 hands-away push-ups
36 burpees
60 unassisted sit-ups
120 squat jumps

That's sequentially, too.

Incredibly frustrating. It's my rest day and I've done a CV circuit that has aggravated the (faded) pain in my left elbow and sabotaged recovery for tomorrow's lifts.

I had hoped that the change in methodology due to the new fitness standards had already come in, but that appears not to be the case. Hopefully tomorrow will be ok.

Jacket

[Jacket]

Hi all,

09JAN19

General

I slept terribly and woke up late. I had to force my food down and felt a bit rough for most of the afternoon. Still, the gym waits for no-one. I was feeling the effects of yesterday's stupid PT session a lot. I had to re-order the workout due to the bench being occupied by a squad of guys. Today was not a total failure, but I wanted to do better than I did. There's always Friday.

Squat

Warm-ups then

1. 115kg x 4
2. 115kg x 5
3. 115kg x 5
4. 115kg x 4

3 or so minutes' rest between sets.

I had a bit of a false start as a gym friend and Olympic lifter came over and asked to work in when I was warming up. This threw my focus, so I discounted the first 'work' set due to distraction and then did a set of 4 at the end to make up for it. I was going to go for the full 5 but it was hard work and I had made volume for the day.

I aimed to lean forwards more and use the 'chest up' cue to shift the pressure away from my elbows. This worked for the most part, but when my concentration slipped I ended up returning to the sub-optimal rack position. Far less ache than yesterday or the day before, though, which is good.

Work-on points:

• Bar path. Keep the consistent bar path -there was some forward movement today.
• Left elbow pain. I need to consider widening my grip. I tried something today by 1. tightening my shoulders into the ready position; 2. taking the widest grip of the bar; 3. unracking the weight and focusing on supporting it with just the shoulders and back, hands lightly touching. I then walked my grip in until it was tight, with correct wrists, but not too tight. I had read Nick Delgadillo's article this morning and really tried to apply it. I think that I have been taking too tight a grip for my arm length; the elbow pain is not wholly because I am supporting the weight with my elbows, but also because they are wedged too far into contraction. The distance between the bar and the elbow at the end of the humerus is insufficient to permit the radius and ulna to fit properly alongside at such a narrow grip. On Friday I'm going to re-establish a consistent grip that is not so tight.

Power clean

Warm-ups then

1. 40kg x 3
2. 40kg x 3
3. 40kg x 3
4. 40kg x 3
5. 40kg x 3

Absolutely all over the place. My Olympic lifting friend was a very helpful source of coaching and spotted some common errors like the arm shrug, and an incorrect jumping position. I would guess that maybe 3 of the total were 'good' power cleans. Hit my collarbone a few times. Apparently next Friday my friend's friend, a very experienced Olympic lifter, is coming into the gym and would be prepared to give me some pro bono coaching.

Bench Press

Warm-ups then

1. 60kg x 5
2. 60kg x 5
3. 60kg x 5

2 minutes' rest between sets.

I focused mainly on getting the form and bar path right. I had additional assistance from my Olympic lifting friend, who agreed to video my first two sets. Set 1 had some inconsistencies in the press position -up and down the chest. Set 2 was a lot better, and Set 3 felt fairly good. I think it has improved!

Chin-ups

1. 11 reps
2. 2 reps
3. 5 reps

1 minute's rest between sets.

I was fatigued and had been in the gym forever due to the power clean learning curve and the bench press availability. I just didn't have it today.

Training takeaways

1. Correct the wrist and grip position in the squat.
2. Maintain the bench press form.
3. Continue to consolidate the proper technique for the power clean.

Post gym

No shower as I was running late to eat and go to bed (work tomorrow and revision to do!). Grim.

Spotted in the gym

The squat crew from Monday were back, doing their crazy things.

Jacket

[Mike Barry]

I noticed you're dealing with elbow soreness from the squat. I, and many others have dealt with it. There are tons of threads on the topic. My suggestion - read the stickies on the Starting Strength Staff Coaches Q&A page, get verified and posts a video there for them to review.

I've never seen you squat, but what helped me resolve my elbow issues were 1) Fixing the bar placement and grip 2) Learning what it really means to stay tight (hold back in extension) through the lift 3) 800mg of Ibuprofen 2x per day for 7 days.

It's a very frustrating problem. For me it was killing progress in my squat, bench and press. Everything took off again when I got it sorted. This is where a SSC really comes in handy.

[Geoff Bischoff]

1) Wut Mike Sed.

2) YMMV, but the cue that has virtually eliminated elbow pain in the squat for me has been "proud chest." Before I ever get the bar unracked, I'm "proud-chested" so hard it feels nearly like a yoga stretch. Then once I unrack, having given this mental cue, I find that the bar feels "heavy on the back but light in the hands." (Side note, as a ritual, I say "heavy on the back, light in the hands" before I squat ... but that's neither here nor there).

Keep after it!

[Jacket]

Thanks guys!

I'm looking into either:

• Joining the powerlifting club here for coaching access (but who knows if the coaches are any good?) or
• Just stumping up to go and see Carl Raghavan in London (but that would cost me half my monthly pay once our abysmal train prices are included).

I tried to apply your suggestions today -more below.

11JAN19

General

Some days you just don't have it. I slept extremely poorly again, and despite my best efforts I think that impending exams have clouded my ability to focus. Today just didn't go that well.

Squat

Warm-ups then

1. 117.5kg x 4
2. 117.5kg x 5
3. 117.5kg x 3
4. 117.5kg x 2

3 or so minutes' rest between sets.

The missed rep in Set 1 was another 'fear of failure' issue. I could have gotten it, but it was a very difficult set. Set 2 was rough but I achieved the aim, and then in Set 3 I just wasn't in it. I don't think I was in it for any of them, and I just managed to grind Set 2 out of sheer bloody-mindedness.

I widened my grip to something that feels a lot more comfortable. It's still 'tight', but it's no longer bordering on painful just to assume the position. I aimed to lean forwards more and use the 'chest up' cue to shift the pressure away from my elbows. I used Geoff's phrase 'heavy on the back, light in the hands'. This worked for the most part, but when my concentration slipped I felt the weight shift into my elbows. It only took the one slip for the ache to appear.

As per Mike's suggestion, I've now slugged some ibuprofen and I'll look into getting verified.

Press

Warm-ups then

1. 40kg x 5
2. 40kg x 5
3. 40kg x 6

This was actually ok for the most part. I focused on getting the setup right out of the rack, and keeping my arms tight to my lats. Each rep felt more or less like it went up as it should. I lost my concentration in the last set and I was unwilling, after the squats, to fail again, so I inadvertently did a sixth rep. The form was beginning to melt away towards the end.

Work on points for this remain elbows forwards, and not letting my wrists fall into extension.

Deadlift

Warm-ups then

1. 120kg x 5

This went up okay, but there was a blip between Rep 4 and Rep 5 where I decided on a total reset (position, grip) as the floor seems to be uneven, and the bar seems to have a natural 'rut' that it wants to move into. This rut is of course nowhere near perpendicular to the ideal position for the lifter on the platform.

Chin-ups

1. 10 reps
2. 6 reps
3. 3 reps

1 minute's rest between sets.

I was tired and I'd been in the gym a long while at this point. I did 3 minutes on the punchbag with wraps because I was frustrated and then called it.

Training takeaways

1. Correct the wrist and grip position in the squat.
2. Ensure elbows forwards in the press.
3. Maintain deadlift consistency.

I decided to force myself to find the positives. I worked out that both my squat and deadlift are now 1.5x bodyweight, and I'm pleased that the press form has begun to stick. I'm going to make some little laminated A6 cue cards with a simple set of cues to set up right.

Post gym

Had a shower in the gym and ate a boatload of food.

Spotted in the gym

Met a guy who has been lifting for four years or so, who proceeded to put 180kg on the bar and deadlift it like it was training plates. Nice guy.

Training thought of the week

'It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day. That's the hard part. But it does get easier.' -a running monkey from BoJack Horseman

Jacket

[Mike Barry]

Keep after it! The Starting Strength Coach Q&A page advice is given for free, and priceless in value. And wow, 3 minutes rest between squat sets? Try giving yourself a bit more time. I usually take a minimum of 5, and up to 8 minutes when it's really heavy. Some folks take even more.

[Geoff Bischoff]

Again, wut Mike sed.

I took 5 minutes before my first heavy set today, and a full 10 minutes before my second.

Don't waste time if you don't need it, but ATP regeneration is supposed to be substantially complete at the 8 minute mark, according to a Feigenbaum article I read about a year back.

[Jacket]

Thanks guys, advice thoroughly applied today with success!

14JAN19

General

Hit and miss day -I had two exams today. The first one, this morning, was a bit of a disaster (multiple choice questions, one hour, 30% of total grade). The second one this afternoon felt like it went much better, so hopefully I haven't failed...

I was a little on edge due to the exams and I didn't get the chance to have my afternoon protein shake/milk intake, but I decided to go straight into the gym. Prescient, as I was there for -ages-.

Squat

Warm-ups then

1. 117.5kg x 5
2. 117.5kg x 5
3. 117.5kg x 5

5 or so minutes' rest between sets. 8 minutes' rest between Set 2 and Set 3. What a brutal series of sets. Thanks again for your advices -the added rest was essential in getting these reps in.

I spent a lot of time (I mean a lot) during warm-ups, assessing my upright position and grip. I've narrowed the grip significantly and on the lighter sets (under 100kg) it felt like I could really assume a good position. I have a little bit of an ache in the elbow, but it's minimal. There are maybe eight bars in the section of the gym I use and they seem to move around like musical chairs. Some are O/P bars and some are just O bars. As such I think I've been naturally taking a wider grip -I took a measuring tape with me today, and I think I've found a suitable grip. It's tighter, and when I cued 'chest up' on one of the lighter sets I really felt the bar trap like it should.

Fix one thing, you move another...

Work-on points:

• Consistency The weight does now feel -heavy-. As such the old habit of lingering under the bar to catch breath returned, and I was leaving gaps between Reps 4 and 5 on Sets 1, 2 and 3. This needs to be eliminated.
• 'Spinal!' I noticed that on the last rep of Sets 2 and 3 I was losing thoracic tension and leaning forwards. This is not good and I will rectify it immediately. I have usually associated tension on my erectors as the spine arching back, and this has led me to lose the tension at the bottom of the squat. Now that the weight is heavy I'm confusing my erectors holding my spine straight with them overarching.

As a result I'm going to stay at 117.5 for another session and take corrective actions now, rather than later. Once I can get the 3 sets of 5 with consistent reps and good form, then I'll go upwards again.

Bench Press

Warm-ups then

1. 62.5kg x 5
2. 62.5kg x 5
3. 62.5kg x 5

3 or so minutes' rest between sets.

At this point I was a little pushed for time, but only rep 5 of Set 2 felt like a real pusher. I am happy with my form now and the bar felt like it was in 'the groove' at all times. Only work-on point I can think of is to make sure that I am keeping the shoulders pinched together tight at all times. This may be due to the bench being quite narrow, but we do what we can.

Power Clean

Warm-ups then

1. 40kg x 3
2. 40kg x 3
3. 40kg x 3
4. 40kg x 3
5. 40kg x 3

The usual, I suppose. Inconsistencies between reps as I am still new to the movement. I seem to jump forwards a touch, and I need to learn to bend my legs more when catching the bar rather than leaning back. The weight went up ok, but I'd like to solve the form now rather than later. Hopefully on Friday I'll be able to get some coaching.

Chin-ups

1. 13 reps
2. 5 reps
3. 2 reps

1 minute's rest between sets.

I was blitzed at this point and had nothing left to give.

Training takeaways

1. Ensure consistency in the squat.
2. Ensure torso and spine are held true.
3. Keep learning the power clean.

Post gym

I had my protein shake, which mixes so much better with water, and my pork steak/broccoli/rice with a big glass of milk.

Spotted in the gym

Slightly odd encounter today. When I arrived both squat racks seemed to be in use, but one woman appeared to be leaving. I asked her if she was done with the rack, and she somewhat curtly said, "I've just got on." I wandered off to the other rack and got on that one fairly quickly. When I looked back over, the woman did one set of half squats with 5kg either side of the bar and then left. Very bemusing.

Jacket