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2/6/19 Week 2
Squat: 60x5x3 YouTube
Bench: 50x5x3 YouTube YouTube
Deadlift: 150x5 YouTube
Squat - So after downloading the Starting Strength App and watching the clips in it (they're very helpful I might add) and reading this article, I convinced myself that my original stance (16" between heels and 32" between front/center of feet) was correct but I simply wasn't shoving my knees out enough. As you can see in the video, my stance is wider and this actually felt pretty good. I just have to constantly remind my knees to track outward with my feet so there's no torsion of the knee.
Bench - I found a visual reference point on the ceiling to help me start with vertical arms. Also, I tried to raise my chest more and keep my forearms vertical during the descent. The second video above gives you an idea of my setup and grip width. Let me know if you see any show-stoppers with my form. Thanks.
Last edited by Chris Oliver; 02-13-2019 at 07:48 PM.
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2/8/19
Squat: 65x5x3 YouTube
Press: 55x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 155x5 YouTube
Press - The sets felt sloppy today - not too heavy, but just loose form. I've realized I must lift my chest significantly and tilt my upper back some to maintain vertical forearms - unless I maintain a vertical torso and have the bar start relatively high. I'm going to try focusing on the latter next time with the hip rock motion described in the book. More to come.
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2/10/19
Squat: 70x5x3 YouTube
Bench: 55x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 160x5 YouTube
I feel like I have the general motion down for the bench press. I've establish a good visual reference on the ceiling, keep forearms mostly vertical, and am starting to develop muscle memory of hitting the same point on my chest at the bottom of each rep.
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2/13/19 Week 3
Squat: 75x5x3 YouTube
Press: 60x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 165x5 YouTube
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2/15/19
Squat: 80x5x3 YouTube
Bench: 60x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 170x5 YouTube (cut off some of the plates, whoops)
I'm really struggling with narrowing my grip on the squat. Severe lack of upper back and shoulder flexibility is tough. When I force it any narrower, my elbows start to scream at me. I feel like it's preventing my elbows from staying low and causing me them to tilt up at the bottom. I'm thinking about trying the thumb-around grip next time and see what that does.
Bench and deadlift felt fine.
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2/17/19
Squat: 85x5x3 YouTube
Press: 65x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 175x5 YouTube
Squat - I bought a 4ft wooden dowel to do shoulder dislocate stretches and really focused on shoulder mobility and narrowing my grip this morning. I also used the thumb-around grip and managed to just get my hands inside the bench marks. It felt pretty painful and my elbows are still sore from it, but I think it did help with keeping my elbows down at the bottom. Bar stability did feel improved due to the tighter shoulders.
Last edited by Chris Oliver; 02-17-2019 at 10:59 AM.
Reason: Corrected duplicate post
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Hello there Christopher Oliver!
I felt compelled out of my best interest for you to share this out of love for a fellow lifter and starting strength disciple.
Starting with the empty bar as a 32 year old male falls in the category of "not doing the program."
Why? To get stronger there must be enough stress applied to require an adaptation. Doing a bunch of light weight sets while you work your way up to something hard for you is not stress, its warming up.
Now you've been at this for a while and you're probably getting more comfortable under the bar. Would it hurt you to push yourself a little bit more?
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Hey JCross, thanks for the support! It probably wouldn't hurt to push myself faster but I'd rather take it slow and steady. These are all new movements to me and I'm still working on several form/mobility issues as I progress.
2/20/19 Week 4
Squat: 90x5x3 YouTube
Bench: 65x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 180x5 YouTube
I managed to set my squat grip to match my bench grip again (pinkies on the bench marks) but this time with thumbs on top! Shoulders and elbows are still sore but it didn't take quite as long this morning to loosen them up to reach this position as it did a few days ago. It's exciting to see flexibility slowly making an appearance. My wrists have a fair amount of extension but nothing extreme to make them feel over stressed. I also focused on keeping my chest up and back in extension this workout and I think it shows. Elbows were still floating up but definitely improved compared to a few workouts ago. Still having trouble keeping my upper back from rounding but I think its improved a little since I started. Let me know what you think.
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2/22/19
Squat: 95x5x3 YouTube
Press: 70x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 185x5 YouTube
Squat - I'm starting to get used to the narrower grip. Still takes some stretching but it's getting easier to set with each workout.
Press - I've given up on the hip-rock technique. I tried it again during my warm-up sets and it just doesn't feel right. Seems to unnecessarily stress my lower back.
Deadlift keeps on truckin'.
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2/24/19
Squat: 100x5x3 YouTube
Bench: 70x5x3 YouTube
Deadlift: 190x5 YouTube
Deadlift is starting to feel a little heavy as I approach my body weight. I'll try to give it one more week of progression and then start alternating with chins. This will also give my squat a chance to catch up.
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