Redmond Recap (Eastside S&C)

[wendys]

awe, shucks - i am keeping on - i deadlifted 175, benched 97.5, squatted 150 last night (all PRs)! i believe in the program and i appreciate all the hard work the instructors put in at the seminar. especially for us newbies!

[Matt Reynolds]

Good work Wendy!

[wendys]

i would love to hear how everyone else is doing. because matt asked and i like the accountability, here goes... i am still on the program, though can only reasonably lift 1 or 2 times a week at most. even with that, teaching yoga, and my 'masters' age, i am still making gains on the beginner program. my DL is now at 190, squat 175, press 75, bench 105, cleans 100, snatches 45 (the bar) and 25 pullups.

[SaraSaraT]

Nice job, Wendy! I squatted 160 yesterday with my brand new belt. I signed up for my first Oly meet in September so have been training those lifts more consistently - C+J 85lbs and Snatch 75.

[Andrew Jackson]

Thanks to all the coaches and participants for a great Starting Strength Seminar at Eastside S&C! The opportunity to spend a weekend with so much focus and intensity is my kind of fun. The quality of coaching and energy was phenomenal. It changed my perspective on several aspects of both my training and self-image. Again, thanks to Mark, Stef, Julie, Tom, Matt, Michael, and Carrie!

Please excuse the longwinded story, but here it is…

Before the seminar I had recently (between Feb and March) dropped ~25lbs on a 20 block Paleo/Zone Diet and weighed ~200lbs. I was performing well on conditioning days, but my strength progression was stalled and I was sore most of the time. Immediately after the SS weekend, I added GOMAD (still doing 20 block P/Z usually with extra protein and fat) for about 3 months and put on 30lbs (200->230lbs). I went from zero dairy to full GOMAD overnight. I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody, but I didn’t have any real problems other than feeling bloated for the first week or two. After two weeks I was easily finishing a gallon before lunch and usually wanting more by dinner.

With milk I could immediately tell the difference in my training and recovery; especially on the press. Weights that had previously been impossible became easy and I was able to do linear progress on all lifts. The body weight gain was pretty rapid, which I anticipated after cutting so much weight. At 230lbs I cut back to ~1/4 to ½ GOMAD in the last few weeks (not really forcing it, but drink a pint or two with each meal). I dropped down to 225lbs within a couple days of stopping GOMAD and have been sort of hovering around there. Squat, Deadlift, Bench are still progressing, but the press gains have stalled. I also attribute this to several missed training days, a couple of shoulder “tweaks”, and a couple horrible recovery weekends due to weddings/bachelor parties, 1 year old daughter, travel, etc. I seem to be able to push through bad sleep and nutrition on squat, bench, and dl, but press always suffers. Other than having a hard time fitting into my clothes, I like the weight gain and the results associated. I still have 45lbs to gain before I reach the 70lbs weight gain goal prescribed by Rip, but I’m having a hard time convincing myself to put on more weight. I’m curious to see how far I can go at 225 for now.

My training program also changed significantly. I went from 5 days a week of CrossFit training (usually one of those being a barbell day) to 3 days a week of all barbell training. The combination of reduced training volume and increased calories felt awesome. I’d been sore almost all the time for the previous year and it was a welcome break to see progress without feeling broken all the time. My low back started bothering me as my squat approached 130kg so I reset to 100kg about a month ago and I’ve been building back up with even more emphasis on keeping the knees out. The first week or two was harder than usual as my adductors developed. Yesterday I did 3x5 at 138kg (304lbs) with zero back pain.

To clarify, I have been “almost” doing SS by the book. It’s close, but probably not close enough to avoid a “YNDTP” from Rip. So while I’m happy with the result so far, I gather from reading other posts in the forum that I’m not progressing fast enough by SS standards. Fair enough, but it’s directionally correct. Last week I broke the 400lbs barrier and set a PR at 407lbs. The picture caught my uncontrollable laugh of excitement and relief of no back pain. The picture also confirms that I still can’t dress myself. Hey, at 5:30 in the morning I am actually getting dressed in the dark most of the time! I posted the pictures on FB and four people commented on my attire rather than the lift...I guess I have a problem so thanks, Julie, for pointing it out

Results since the seminar:
Squat: (3x5) 100kg -> 138kg (still adding 2kg per session)
Bench: (3x5) 98kg -> 111kg (adding 1kg per session, but had a couple stalls)
Deadlift: (5x1) 140kg -> 170kg (185 1RM, still adding 5kg per session)
Press: (3x5) 57kg -> 68kg (slow progression/stalled)
Cleans: (5x3) 60kg -> 85kg (not doing very often, but adding 1kg per session)
Pull-Up: 9 -> 12 with +30lbs bodyweight

I hope everyone is doing well; drop by ESC for the 6am class if you're ever back in Redmond!

-Andrew

[Pete Troupos]

Thanks Andrew. It's great to hear that you had such a positive experience. And congratulations on the PR deadlift! I hope your training has gone well since then.
Take care.