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Thread: Just came here to brag

  1. #101
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    • starting strength seminar april 2024
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    Fwiw, my deadlifts also feel better with a mixed grip than with straps. I don't know what that means but you aren't alone in that.

  2. #102
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    Quote Originally Posted by dalan View Post
    Fwiw, my deadlifts also feel better with a mixed grip than with straps. I don't know what that means but you aren't alone in that.
    Thanks! Sometimes I do feel like a bit of a weirdo here!

    I will keep an open mind about the straps because, in all fairness, the habit factor probably accounts for at least some of the awkwardness and pain I experienced yesterday. If I ever get serious about using straps, some practice will be required to get this right. I also suspect that an extra single after two PR triples was not the best place to start using them. I just wanted to see if this would magically fix my back angle, and it did not.

    We shall see what happens to my deadlift on Sunday at 225 lbs. Depending on how this goes, I might consider programming some doubles or singles to push through this issue, rather than take some weight off. Clearly I am able to lift it; while it is not pretty to watch, I do not see my form is a deal breaker yet.

  3. #103
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    Sounds like a great weekend of living life!

    Quote Originally Posted by tiny&mighty View Post
    I just found that the setup is much trickier when using the straps. I also found the double overhand grip with the straps much more painful on my joints. The alternate grip seems to do a better job at distributing the load on my fingers. Still, this is worth further exploring. To be honest though, my current goal is a 2 X BW deadlift; I doubt a sticker club deadlift is in the cards for me, and I can live with that.
    It is a bit trickier, but you figure it out with time. The first few times it seemed like the setup was a forever time bent over getting them in place. Several weeks in, the setup is much quicker.

    Keep exploring all of the different grips. I don't have the same experience with pain as you do, so I can't give any other advice than that, keep exploring.

  4. #104
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    My transition to a 4-day split continues. On today's menu: intensity press and volume squat.

    Intensity Press - 82 lbs for 15 reps

    Once again, I managed to complete my 15 reps in 3 sets of 5. Though I have been saying this for a while, I really doubt this will last much longer. When I got to that 15th rep, I had zero faith that it would go up, but it somehow did.



    Volume Squat - 180 lbs (90%), 3 sets of 5 (building up to 5 X 5 over 3 weeks)

    I was not sure how to approach this new volume thing today. Upon reflection, I decided to use 90% of my 3 RM, shoot for a first set of 5 (I was not even sure this was possible), and see from there.

    Well... let's just say that squatting heavy for sets of 5 is quite the shock after doing triples for months. Even with a weight 10% lighter, those sets felt endless! Conditioning was also a factor here... Hopefully my "cardio" catches up with this volume thing sooner than later. I ended up doing 3 sets so as to implement one change at a time. I will shoot for 4 sets next week, and then 5 the following week. Unless my heart explodes in the process.



    I am pooped, but so far so good. I see this week and the next as a bit of trial and adjustment phase. I still have no inspiration for a new log title.

  5. #105
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    "My heart will not explode in the process".

    There you go.

    Great job on grinding out those sets of fahve on the press!

    Oh, and your cardio will catch up. But will never feel like enough under a heavy set.

  6. #106
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    I got to admit that I am enjoying those more frequent, much shorter workouts.



    Thursday

    Intensity bench – 2 sets of 3 at 121 lbs (PR)

    True grind on every rep. For the time being, I will blame this struggle on the time elapsed since my last heavy bench workout (30 November). My pressing is very sensitive to infrequent workouts. Hopefully this my new training schedule will help, but my benching ambitions are quite low. Current goal is BW (122 lbs), next goal is 125 lbs.

    Volume pull – deadlift, 2 sets of 5 at 175 lbs

    So, I was supposed to do chin ups, but an unexpected obstacle prevented me from making it to my arthritis-friendly chin-up bar. When it comes to laundry, my husband is excellent at using the machines, but struggles with the last step. That day, access to my chin up bar was obstructed by a large table covered with three loads of laundry awaiting folding. I was not in the mood to rectify the situation on the spot so as to gain access to the bar.

    Instead, I decided to do some light deadlifts to try new cues to fix my back angle. I got some textbook-looking deadlifts out of it, but with such a light weight, it was to be expected. It was nevertheless good practice for my next deadlift workout.



    Saturday

    Intensity squat – 3 X 3 at 200 lbs

    Having not performed a heavy squat since 30 November, I stuck with my previous load of 200 lbs. I had planned to do 2 triples, but my grip width was way off during the second set (I should have racked the bar and started over with a proper setup). That is why I decided to do a third set.

    I was pleasantly surprised. It was tough, but not terrifyingly so like it was last time. Bar speed was very good, and I experienced less knee caving than I have over the last month. Even cardio wise, it felt a lot easier. Maybe last Wednesday’s volume squat workout is already kicking in?

    Volume press – 5 X 5 at 73 lbs

    Using percentages for volume day is impractical for my upper body lifts. Subtracting 10 lbs to my next intensity press load seemed like a good starting point. The first set felt too easy; I could have done at least one extra rep. After a 2-minute rest, the second set was easy, but less so, and the third set felt just right. Sets 4 and 5 felt hard after a 3-minute rest.



    Sunday

    Today was an important day of this trial phase. I had concerns that programming heavy squats and deadlifts on separate but consecutive days could negatively affect the latter. This does not seem to be the case (yet).

    Volume bench – 5 X 5 at 107 lbs

    All good, nothing significant to report. Bench is boring anyway.

    Deadlift – 3 X 3 at 225 lbs (PR)

    First set went quite well. Compared to last Monday’s first set, there was a significant improvement in my back angle.

    Second set is another story. Rep 1 was decent, rep 2 was passable, but when rep 3 came, I faced a choice: ugly rep or missed rep? I went with ugly. Very ugly. My ugliest rep ever. I watched the video right after, and there was a lot of forward movement in the bar path and of rounding in my mid back. This rep was so ugly that it seemed unethical to count it and call this a successful deadlift workout.

    Hence the third set. I am so surprised I was able to do it. Grip held well too! Form was as good, if not slightly better, than during set 1. Not perfect but good given the challenges I have been experiencing lately.

    Afterwards I felt compelled to take a deeper look into my deadlift issues. I uploaded all my recent videos on YouTube and played them several times in slow motion.

    I come to the mind-blowing conclusion that there is nothing wrong with my ability to set my back. The problem is my bar path. At maximum load, I tend to lift the bar in front of my leg instead of dragging it on my legs, and this gets worse from one rep to the next throughout a given set. My back rounds because the load is in front of the mid-foot rather than over mid-foot. Eureka!

    Thank you for this light-bulb moment, ugliest rep ever. I have a much clearer idea of what I need to do to improve my deadlift now. Looking forward to next Sunday!

  7. #107
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    Good job identifying the problem! But isn't losing your back the reason the bar drifts forward?

  8. #108
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    Quote Originally Posted by dalan View Post
    Good job identifying the problem! But isn't losing your back the reason the bar drifts forward?
    Possible, I guess! I will keep that in mind, thanks!

    Bar path was an issue very early into my NLP. It might stem from the fact that I used to do stiff legged deadlifts before adopting SS. I am so short that SLDLs kinda come naturally to me, haha.

    We should have a better idea of what is going on next Sunday. Stay tuned!

  9. #109
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    Agree with dalan here. Think about bending the bar towards the back around your legs. You don't actually do that, of course, but the cue helps tighten your lats, which keeps the bar against the legs while simultaneously keeping the back locked. When you do that as part of your setup, that's when the bar lifts and "clicks" inside the plates, taking out that slack right before you peel the plates off the floor. Steve Ross covers this well in his article "Lats in the Deadlift."

    BTW, great job on making the quick adjustments and getting that third set in!

  10. #110
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    Quote Originally Posted by dalan View Post
    Good job identifying the problem! But isn't losing your back the reason the bar drifts forward?
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Anders View Post
    Agree with dalan here. Think about bending the bar towards the back around your legs. You don't actually do that, of course, but the cue helps tighten your lats, which keeps the bar against the legs while simultaneously keeping the back locked. When you do that as part of your setup, that's when the bar lifts and "clicks" inside the plates, taking out that slack right before you peel the plates off the floor. Steve Ross covers this well in his article "Lats in the Deadlift."

    BTW, great job on making the quick adjustments and getting that third set in!
    Oh. My. God.

    This article describes exactly what has been happening lately. I am not dropping the hips and my start position is correct (I just double checked). But hey the bar drifts forward as he says, with all the consequences he describes!

    Thank you so much to you both. I cannot wait to try this new cue. From the air deadlifts I just performed while reading this, it seems very promising. Thank you!!!

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