Mark's Training log

[MarkGarro96]

Age: 27
Weight: 162
Current Goal: to get up to 170 and to improve balance
Monday. March 4, 2024
Squat- 45 lbs x 5 (3 sets)

Overhead press- 45 x 5 (seated; 3 sets)

Romanian Deadlift- 50 x 8 (1 set)

Notes:
Squat: work on ROM; don't go up in weight until I can get to parallel; currently able to go half way
Overhead press: do without back support; brace core, and focus on getting the bar up to lockout (with arms being in straight vertical line). Don't worry about falling back; explosive concentric, slow eccentric.

[carson]

Do you work out in a room with very low ceilings? Why do you do seated OHP?

[Maybach]

Are you struggling with some sort of neurological or muscular disorder? My instinct is to chastise you but all these taken together (the lack of confidence in your ability to squat to depth with the empty bar, the seated overhead press, and the RDLs) indicate there may be some reason that you are making so many modifications. If there is, you might fill us in, if only to prevent assholes like myself from coming in and calling you names.

If there is no such issue, come up with your choice of names and pretend that I called you them. Do the program as written. At the empty bar, an inability to squat to depth is a technique error, not a matter of weakness. Read the book, watch videos, and film yourself. Do standing overhead presses alternated with bench. Do a set of five deadlifts from the floor. Get them heavy in a hurry. Do not allow thoughts like "explosive eccentric" to occur to you for like a year.

[carson]

Sound advice. If he's serious a SS coach would help.

[MarkGarro96]

To be honest, after reading your comment, I think it's because I may have unconsiously put some mental blocks in place, it just took me until now to realize they were there at all.
They've been there in the past, but for different movements. For example, I was doing the bench press with dumbbells (25 lbs), but was afraid of going any higher due to the weight being hard to get into place (I realize that the very mention of dumbbell training may sound like sacrilege to Mr. Rippetoe, but that was before I'd even heard of SS). In other words, it was an irrational fear, but a fear that had me in its grasp for several months. I think the same thing may be happening as it pertains to the OP and the DL. When I was out of state, I tried doing the press standing and ended up falling back (unfortunately the gym I was at didn't allow me to film, so I have no idea if it was a form issue). Regardless, the experience shook me up quite a bit.
The same irrational fear I think is also occurring as it pertains to the DL; I'm just afraid of hurting my lower back, especially considering the fact that I've had 2 back operations, once when I was in Elementary school, and another in junior high. What I think I need to do starting tomorrow is just do it with the empty bar, film some form checks, and continue doing it with the empty bar until my form is perfect, then progress from there. I appreciate your advice (alongside Carson's); I'll let you guys know how it goes on here tomorrow. God bless

[Maybach]

The form won't be perfect until you start loading it.

An RDL isn't necessarily any "safer" for your back than a full deadlift. And a full deadlift isn't especially dangerous, especially at sub 100 pounds weights. You'll have to get over this fear. It is irrational.

More trenchantly, it should take one session to get your form with the empty bar "perfect."

The only actually dangerous thing you're describing is the press falling over. Figure out why that's happening.

[carson]

Please, please, please go find an SS coach.