45 y/o, first LP, sedentary, one bad knee, keto?

[wdkaye]

5F LIFTS

Rushing to prepare for a friend's wedding tomorrow. Kind of skimping on stretching, so...

Squat: 120: PASS (full depth PR)
Warmup: 45,50,70,90,110
- God i love these shoes. Bar centered over heel/arch, back feels a little less horizontal this time.
Work sets: 120x5x3
- Set 1: Argh. Bar is over toes. Still pitching forward during ascent. Tried to correct this on rep 5 and got very stuck in the middle. Grunted through it.
- Set 2: Little bit better. Focused again on my confused right metatarsals, they just cant figure out where to settle down.
- Set 3: 120x6. Didn't watch my body, just focused on power. 7 maybe possible but I need to save fire for the deadlift, right?
Next is 125, still not coordinated enough for 130

Bench: 158: MISS
Warmup: 45x5,65,95,125,150
- left hamstring cramp on 95, whyyy
Work sets: 158x5x3
- Set 1: Rep 4 didn't touch chest and was asymmetrical on the ascent. My desire to get this PR and my lack of confidence is causing me to speed through form. Let's "use the force" on set 2. Guide me Master Yoda.
- Set 2: MISS! 158x4. FUCK. Damn you Master Yoda, I'll head to the dark side I guess. Got halfway up on 5 with a very slow ascent, but got stuck in the middle for a full 10 seconds. No sharp pains from this, but a few seconds after standing, a significant burn around my right shoulder, outer pec, under collarbone. On one hand, hey, let's hear it for failing on the last rep, but on the other hand, I've got one more set. i guess I'm back down to Monday's weight. Can't go slow, gotta just pound out the 5 reps
- Set 3: 156.5x5. Had to squeeze out rep 5, but not too hard. What a difference 1.5 lbs makes?
So it turns out maybe 1.5 lbs per 4-5 days is too greedy after all. Pains me to say that I'll need to shoot for 1 pound increments, and even that may be too much. I think I can try for 158 again next time but it'll be 159 after that.

Deadlift: 275: PASS (PR)
Warmup: 45, 105,155, 205, 255
- nothing special
Work set: 275x5x1
- I had to psych myself up for this. Whenever I'm about to deadlift I think back to that one Jujimufu YouTube video with Stefi Cohen in berserker mode pulling 501x4. I ain't there yet, and I doubt I'll ever be, but this again my heaviest deadlift ever and... I more or less got it. Rep 5 was a doozy though. This was the first time I really had to struggle with a deadlift rep. My form went completely out the window, but I'm not even sure how. It was like I got my hips all the way forward but my knees weren't straight? I'm concerned this is all just a bowed back. For about 5 minutes afterward I was breathing heavy and there was intense tightness in my lower lats.
Weightlifters say the darndest things:
On deadlift rep 5, I ended up making a noise I'd never heard myself make before, like "*GRRNYRNYRNyrnyrnyr*". As if a professional wrestler were home alone on a Tuesday night, quietly orgasming in front of the fireplace. Or something.

[wdkaye]

Week 6 Monday
192.5 lbs, 24.6%BF
I am *definitely* off keto now. According to these stats I've gained 6.1 lbs fat with 7.3 lbs lean mass after 5 weeks. Not happy about the fat gain, but parties are parties, and when in Rome...

Pre-lift status:
- Ate/drank a bunch for the wedding party last weekend.
- Right shoulder just never quite healed, both were painful through weekend.
- right knee is a little tight even after stretches.
- lift start: 5:42 PM

Squat: 125 (full-depth PR)
Warmup: 45x5 ,55x5 ,75x3, 95x1, 115x1
- really need to push my right knee out hard to avoid tendon pain
- right knee is misbehaving. caving inward at the bottom when I push off the ground
Work sets: 125x5x3
- Set 1: Whoa, this felt really heavy. Almost stuck on 4. Form and depth were only OK. Gotta take a break and get a protein shake, need quick calories
- Set 2: Stomach cramp after rep 4, lol. Sort of stuck in the middle of rep 5, but got a boost from somewhere.
- Set 3: Made it this time. I'm pretty sure I'm favoring the left foot heavily when I'm at the bottom though. Need a coach soon.
I'm disappointed at how much of a struggle this Squat was. Maybe it was the extra day off, maybe it was the alcohol during the wedding weekend. But I felt more in danger of getting stuck this time than any time since Week 1. I was teasing the idea of increasing the weight increments to 10 lbs once I passed 135, but if anything I may need to cut the increments to 2.5 soon. Bummer.
But my legs are certainly stronger now, to the point where i might start experimenting with single-leg squat variations. I think my right leg really needs that focus.

Tear down squats, set up press.
Time: 6:20

Press: 89x5x3: PASS
Warmup: 45x5, 55x5, 70x3, 84x1
- Pain above right shoulderbone is slight. Eased by warm-up
Work sets:
- Set 1: surprisingly easy? I'm handling this real slow
- Set 2: Oof, okay there it is, rep 1 was almost a non-starter. I didn't rest enough between sets. My torso did this weird twist to get rep 5 up, left arm is somehow weaker than the right today. Longer rest now.
- Set 3: 89x7 Surprisingly easy. But struggling to get a new weight for the last 2 weeks paid off I guess.

I love deadlifts, but fuck me, I don't wanna deadlift today. Enough moping.
Tear down press, set up deadlifts
Time: 6:44 PM

Lite Deadlift: 220
Warmup: 45x6 (SLDL negatives), 85x5, 125x3, 165x1, 205x1
- New deadlift jack is... OK. Seems like it lifts the bar too high. in any case, I feel like my muscles are burning more from adding/removing weight plates than I am by doing the warm up sets
Work sets:
- Set 1: Yeah OK, whatever. I can still drop my butt at the start but it makes the lift way too slow
- Set 2: Kept trying to drop the hips, use leg power at the bottom of the lift. More burn across my upper butt.

Fuck me I really don't want to do chin ups. Tear down first.
Time: 7:08 PM

Chin-ups: 4, 3, 2, 2
- not much improvement over last time. I almost had 5 and 4 in me for the first and second sets but not quite. Added a 4th set for the sake of just doing better than last time

Done @ 7:17 PM

Total workout time 1h 35m after warmups

Wednesday:
(faster warm-up-sets, be sure to rest enough between work sets)
Squat: 130
Bench: 158 (review form in SS first)
Deadlift: 280

[wdkaye]

Week 6 Wednesday
188.9 lbs, 25.2% fat
Still off keto.

Summary:
Squat 130 PASS (full squat PR)
Bench 158 PASS
Deadlift 280 PASS (PR)

Detail:
Pre-workout:
- napped a bit, little bit depressed
- unmotivated, starting later in the day (7:56)
- new pain deep in right hip
- right shoulder mostly recovered I think, still sore in spots
- mixed a whey milkshake right before squat warmups

Squat: 130: PASS (full squat PR)
Warmup: 45x5 ATG, 45x5 regular, 60x5, 80x3, 100x1, 120x1
- can ATG w/ near-vertical spine with empty bar, but SO MUCH crepitus in right knee
- great job keeping my right knee out on warmups, ominous 'click' in right quads between groin and kneecap. Already feeling tense in lower back/trunk muscles
Work sets: 130x5x3
- Set 1: Lower back is really really tight after this set. I think I am guilty of "butt wink". Will be mindful of arch and send hips more backward, less downward
- Set 2: Slow. Still lurching forward slightly at the bottom.
- Set 3: This felt fine. I'll be ready for 135.
It feels *weird* to be squatting this much weight so low, I don't think I've ever done it. Strong desire to work on form with lighter weight, but for now I need to just build strength. Aiming for single-leg squats.

Bench: 158: PASS
Warmup: 45x5, 65x5, 95x3, 125x1, 150x1
- Front shoulder acting up again on empty bar. But my form feels good
- Work sets: 158x5x3
- Set 1: I feel strong today. slight slowage on 5.
- Set 2: Right shoulder crackle on unrack, but this set was the same as before - strong.
- Set 3: Awww yeah, baby. Gonna do 159 next time.

Deadlift: 280: PASS (PR)
Warmup: 45x5, 100x5, 155x3, 210x1, 265x1
- Form feels great today.
Work set: 280x5x1
- I am grunting more loudly than ever before. I'm pretty sure I spooked the neighbors' baby. Was great, but my back rounded on rep 5 and I'll be feeling that burn for the rest of the night

[wdkaye]

Week 6 Friday
190.8 lbs 25%BF
still off keto

Summary: Notably stronger today, almost no pain
Squat: 135 (PR)
Press: 91 (5R-PR)
Lite D: 225
Chins: 13 across 4 sets

Detail:
Pre-lift status:
- it's a beautiful summer day.
- I've re-discovered that I can run my test scripts and lift weights at the same time. Valuable lesson for us dual-class software engineers / weightlifters.

Squat: 135: PASS (PR)
Warmup: 45x5, 68.5x5, 88.5x3, 108.5x1, 128.5x1
- getting creative with fractional plates
- sat down for too long between 68 and 88. working.
- the knee is painful and tight but... I'm *moving through the pain* more easily today. Feeling very strong on this warmup.
Work sets: 135x5x3
- Set 1: Leaned forward. mild back strain.
- Set 2: Form was good! Symmetrical. Full squat depth. Real effort now, but not stuck.
- Set 3: Slow, deep power. Rep 4 was actually ATG!
Hallelujah, I've reached the point where the weight I used to "squat" (partial squat with really bad form), I can now go deep for 5. My knee is becoming less of a liability as I learn more about my hip. Felt so strong at first but I ran out of gas. Sticking with increments of 5 for now.

Press: 91:
Warmup: 45x5, 56x5, 71x3, 86x1
- Hands slightly farther apart. Strong, painless in shoulder. Interrupted by bug frenzy (see below)
Work sets:
- Set 1: Probably too slow. But strong. got asymmetrical on 3
- Set 2: Assymetrical again. Elbows are sideways, should they be facing front? check SS
- Set 3: 91x6 to make a point.
I don't know why I feel stronger today. No protein shakes for the last 24 hours. No creatine. But I had a Fiesta bowl with 2 margaritas last night, and a chorizo scramble this morning. Viva la Mexican food

Lite Deadlift: 225:
Warmup: 135x5, 185x3, 210x1
- Fuck the normal warmup pacing. I just wanna get this done
Work sets 225x5x2:
- Set 1: Quiet deadlift set. Burn above the tailbone. Thought my back was straight but maybe not.
- Set 2: Really focused on pulling my shoulders back before pulling and... it paid off! Burn in the lats.

Chin-ups: (was 4, 3, 2, 2)
- is: 5, 4, 2*, 2

Saturday: HIIT
Monday:
Squat 140
Bench 159
Deadlift 285

[wdkaye]

Week 7 Monday
190.9 lbs, 24.8% BF
still off keto

Summary:
- Squat 140 (PR)
- Bench 159 (PR)
- First deadlift miss @ 285 (3 reps instead of 5)

Detail:
Pre-workout:
- depressed
- upper right shoulder: sore
- right knee: OK
- right hip: slightly sore

Squat: 140: PASS (PR +5)
Warmup: 45x5, 55x5, 80x3, 105x1, 130x1
- Just went right through, knee crepitus with minimal pain
Work sets: 140x5x3
- Set 1: rounded back on rep 5 descent. Should've rested more after warm-up.
- Set 2: rested for too long in chair. went down low on 5 and struggled to get up
- Set 3: good depth, meh on form. went faster than I wanted as to not gas out.
Ready for 145. Almost an afterthought that my weak squats have made it this far with linear increases without decreasing the increment size from 5 lbs.

Bench: 159: (PR +1)
Warmup: 45x5x2, 55x5, 79x3, 103x3, 127x1, 151x1
- Extreme fuckery with fractional weights on warmup, because I'm superstitious now.
Work sets: 159x5x3
- Set 1: Feels very strong. I can definitely do this.
- Set 2: Good. Still need to perfect the un-rack.
- Set 3: Could've done 6 at least but I don't have a spotter.
Back in sync. I wish my increments were better but I can't be greedy. As-is, I would expect to bench 198 lbs no sooner than years' end. I can probably be happy with that. But if I had a spotter...
160 next time.

Deadlift: 285: MISS
Warmup: 45x5, 95x5, 135x3, 185x3, 225x1, 270x1
- There's a hair rubbing against my eardrum and it's driving me craaaazy
- That last warm-up rep at 270 was hard. I'm going to rest a full 8 minutes at least before the attempt
Work set: 285x5x1
- MISS!! 285x3. Didn't even have the mental capacity to start #4. As soon as it hit the ground, my brain yelled "Fuck, that's heavy." Completely lost my nerve.
I think I overdid it on my warm-ups this time. Maximizing # of warm up sets and adding a second set of 3 didn't help. I also think my caloric intake for the day was insufficient. Also I was embarassed at last-sessions grunting and didn't want to go overboard today within earshot of the neighbors... hmmm. Gonna have to do something about this.

EDIT: Oh, I'm doing it wrong. I re-read the "novice" programs in "Barbell Prescription". I should be on a modified "1C" right now - but 1C performs a heavy deadlift once every 4 workouts, and I'm doing once every 2. So I'm not even supposed to be this heavy yet, lol. It does alternate with power clean, which I'm still not comfortable with. my shoulders are still sore, and I don't think I have enough deltoid flesh to "rack" the bar. But the plan should be for me to end every four workouts with: heavy deadlift, chin-ups, light deadlift, chin-ups.

Next session: Hawaii! Whatever weights they have at the condo.

[Geoff Bischoff]

Glad you're sticking to this, man.

I hit my first post-surgery deadlift "wall" today when I attempted a triple at 435 and only got 2 reps. 3rd rep broke from the floor but my tank emptied before I got halfway up my shins. First missed rep of any kind since my February surgery, so I'm keeping it in perspective.

Once your deadlift recalibrates a bit: Consider making triples your intentional target, perhaps with a second triple or (more realistic for older guys like me) a backoff triple. Like, 290x3 (success, yay!), then 260x3 or 230x3x2 (10% reduc versus 20% reduc for backoff).

[wdkaye]

Week 8 Wednesday
194.7 lbs, 23.0% BF
Veeeery off keto

Summary:
- Squat 140x5x3: PASS
- Press 91x5x3: PASS
- Chins: 15 across 4 sets

Detail:
- Skipped Week 7 Wed, Week 7 Fri, HIIT, and Week 8 Monday because of Hawaii / no barbell.
Hawaii:
- I vacationed on an island paradise in a condo complex with a nice gym but never used it. I swear, there's something about that island that replaces all my mettle with mellow.
- Drank heavily. Ate meals heavy in processed carbohydrates (pizza, nachos, burgers). Bad nutrition, no multivitamin. No protein powder. Weighed as much as 199.
- In spite of all that, today's BF% measurement was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting much higher. Starting to wonder if my days in the pool / ocean altered the callouses of my feet in such a way that would change the measurement. Whatever, maybe I should get a Dexa-scan instead.
- Because of the lack-of-training, I've considered a "reset". But after reading SS forums, etc, I've decided to just repeat my most recent PRs.

Pre-workout:
- Right shoulder has been sore often, right at the end of the collarbone. Exacerbated by sleep position.
- Right knee is stiff.
- Right hip is showing its true colors. Find myself waking up on my back with the right knee pointing out at a weird angle. When I tried to tread water using leg movements, there was a deep un-coordination or weakness, and the tendon along my quads felt awkward.
- Stress significantly lower today. Emotional state OK.

Squat: 140:
Warmup: 45x5, 55x5, 80x3, 105x1, 130x1
- Right knee still a little tight, even after warmups. Wavering confidence.
Work sets: 140x5x3
- Set 1: Not fun. Slow, deep, but never stuck. Rep 5 was probably very bad: at the bottom I had bent forward so far that the bar was rolling *UP* my neck, as if changing from a low-back to a high-back position. This could've been hazardous. Must not repeat this mistake.
- Set 2: Lost control on the descent of rep 4. Little bit of trouble getting up on 4 and 5. Form is really bad on these.
- Set 3: Good enough for rock n' roll. Lots of pauses between reps. Favoritism on left side.
Good to know that I haven't lost strength, but I've certainly lost control. I've half a mind to stay at this weight on Friday. My neck is starting to feel uncomfortable, maybe from that "roll" in set 1. Slight headache.

Press: 91:
Warmup: 45x5x2, 56x5, 71x3, 86x1
- Trying to keep elbows in during warmup.
Work sets: 91x5x3:
- Set 1: My elbows do not want to stay in when I do this at work-set-weight. Feels more natural to have my elbows out at the sides. Otherwise, strong. Supporting muscles of right shoulder are feeling extra burn, I wonder why.
- Set 2: Really easy? Burn in right wrist. I'm not paying attention to the verticality(?) of my forearms
- Set 3: x6. Fail on 7. Slightly stuck on 1 if I'm being honest.
Again, no lost strength here. Shoulder is manageable. Ready for 93.

Chin-ups: (was 5, 4, 2, 2)
- is: 5, 4, 3, 3
Stronger! This is a surprise. I am certainly resting for much longer between sets, though. Also, I might be giving a slight assist with a tiny hop when my toes touch the ground. I should attempt with my knees bent.

Overall, I'm way stronger than expected after having not lifted in 9 days. This is encouraging.

Friday plan:
Squat 145
Bench 159
Lite Deadlift 225

[David Hooper]

One thought on deadlifts; you could cut back on the warmups quite a bit if you want. It's already after everything else so your joints should be warm, and having a warmup only 15 lb below your workset will likely hurt the set.

When I did 285, my warm-up routine was something like: 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 255x2 --> workset. (Ideally it'd be more like 135/175/215/255, but that's a really obnoxious set of weights for warmups.) I also allow a small rest between the final warmup and the workset, just to be sure everything is fresh.

I used to start warmups at 95, but I think I bumped to 135 once my deadlift got to about 275.

[wdkaye]

Week 8 Friday
190.5 lbs, 24.4% BF
Keto status unknown, probably not
The weight loss along with increase in BF% is disappointing. I was stoked to have reached 150 lbs lean mass... Maybe I'm dehydrated. Or maybe some of that was just poop mass.
(Actually the % measurement really is BS, I wore socks and the value didn't change much)

Summary:
Squat 145: PASS (PR +5)
Bench 159: PASS (PR)
Lite DL 225: PASS

Detail:

Pre-workout:
- Well rested. Slept in late, napped mid-day
- Right knee: OK.
- Right hip: Tight.
- Right shoulder: front (pec/bicep) is tight, top of collarbone OK.

Squat: 145x5x3: PASS
Warmup: 45x5, 60x5, 85x3, 110x1, 135x1
- Right quad fatigue on first 45x5. That's either a good thing (not favoring strong leg) or bad (dehydrated?). Drank water and paused warmup. Tried to stretch quads, but then back cramped up. OK, I can take a hint, More water.
- My right hip is... *loose*. Big difference in muscle tone / flexibility.
Work sets: 145x5x3
- Set 1: Tough. But i have enough grit for this. Left wrist hurt from gripping/stabilizing bar. Lost control at end of rep 4 descent
- Set 2: That set was shit. Pitched forward, afraid of depth, assymetry at bottom.
- Set 3: Great, actually. Just got in the cage and did it. Something about being on the last set seems easier.
If I get enough food and rest, I'll be ready for 150 on Monday.

Bench: 159x5x3: PASS
Warmup: 45x5, 65x3, 95x1, 125x1, 150x1
- BIG cramp in left neck during empty bar warm up. OK I get it, more water
- Happy with un-racking, finally
- forgot to engage legs
Work sets: 159x5x3
- Set 1: Kinda... easy? Butt was slightly off bench. Ooh, there's the shoulder soreness, back again.
- Set 2: Powered through. Again, easy. Again, tightness/pain within shoulder after set.
- Set 3: x7, with reps 1 and 5 not quite touching the sternum.
I don't get it, Even with no bench press for 11 days I'm stronger than before. Did I just go too fast or cheat in some other way?
Ready for at least 160.

Lite Deadlift: 225x5x2: PASS
Warmup: 135x5, 185x3, 205x1 (11.25-22.5 / 33.75 - 45)
- Ooh. Coming down on that last single caused pain at kneecap.
Work sets: 225x5x2:
- Set 1: Felt good, controlled, held for extra long at top. But I can now tell I'm compensating somehow for my right hip when I descend. Maybe subconsciously backing off the knee.
- Set 2: Now that was a good DL set. No complaints. Good form. No burn. Struggle in all the right places without buckling.

Saturday: HIIT
Monday:
Squat 150
Press 93
Chins (>15)

[wdkaye]

Week 9 Monday
Diet: Burrito worship

Summary:
- Squat 150: PASS (PR +5)
- Press 93: PASS
- Chins: 16 across 5 sets

Detail:

The Bar
- Discovered during squat warmups: the center knurling is not exactly in the middle of the bar (!!) There's 5 3/4" of smooth bar on one side, and 6" on the other side. So the weight has been slightly off-center this whole time, since I've used the center knurling to position it on my back. What a hassle.
- I don't know how much the bar really weighs. The XMark XM-3817 BLACK is listed on many websites as a 38 lb bar, but if I put it on my scale (Fitbit Aria, lol) it reads at least 44 lbs. By comparison, my XMark 45 lb weights show up as 46.5 lbs. For my log I've been calling it a 45 lb bar, but I may need to revise my logs. Just not sure how to get an accurate weight.

Pre-workout:
- Mentally unfocused.
- Well rested, well fed.
Body:
- Right knee: tight
- Right hip: tight, slight pain
- Right shoulder: tight

Squat: 150: PASS
Warmup: 45x5, 65x5, 90x3, 115x3, 140x1
- Good. Some knee pain but it went away.
Work sets: 150x5x3
- Set 1: Oh my, this is getting tough. Slow. Involuntary grunting. Heart rate up.
- Set 2: Passable. Something caved on rep 5. Upper back? Got stuck but got up with shitty form. Something is tight in my upper-inner right quad.
- Set 3: Zero knee pain after *shaking out* the knot in my quad! Very slow, never stuck. Some rounding of back, some asymmetry.
I think I'll be ready for 155, but this is becoming quite a strain, and my form is faltering. Not sure how much longer I can keep 5 lb increments up. But I like my new legs. They remind me of my biker legs. I would trade 'em for my kung-fu legs but beggars can't be choosers.

Press: 93: PASS
Warmup: 45x5, 60x5, 74.5x3, 88x1
- Feeling OK. Inner armpit is sore but relatively comfortable.
Work sets: 93x5x3:
- Set 1: Strong. Needs Valsalva breathing.
- Set 2: Oof. Went too slow, rep 5 was a slight struggle.
- Set 3: Done, with power and a couple of almost-stuck reps.
I want to say I'll be ready for 95 on Friday, but if I struggle more than this, I may have to decrease to 1-lb increments.

Chin-ups: (was 5, 4, 3, 3)
- is: 5+, 4+, 3, 3, 1
Y'know, with straight legs, I can't go all the way down to straight arms. These aren't real chin-ups. Once I get to 20, I'll make this change to my form

Wednesday
Squat 155
Bench 160
Deadlift 280