Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!

[best regards]

Alright here we go. I've attempted to start a log but didn't keep up with it because I didn't have a squat rack and wasn't really following a definite program. But now that it's in and I just did my first workout, I'm gonna follow the Rippetoe program. It will be set up something like this:

Workout A:

Squats - 3x5
Overhead Press - 2x5
Power Clean - 2x5

Workout B:

Squats - 3x5
Bench Press - 3x5
Rows - 3x5

I know, I know, it's not exactly the program. But if you don't enjoy what you're doing 100%, you won't last long. And I would enjoy this program a lot.

If anyone has any questions, suggestions, or comments please please leave them I'd love to hear them that's why I'm putting this online instead of on an excel spreadsheet.

Right now I'm around 155 and 14. I'll post today's workout in a second.

[best regards]

Ok I've got a shin splint ATM but I squatted anyways.

Squats - 3x5x140
Overhead Press (no legs) - 2x5x80
Power Clean - 2x5x100

I could have done a lot more on the power clean and overhead but wanted to take it easy (don't have a lot of experience with powercleans). As for squats, I know it's pathetic, but I have pathetically weak glutes ATM. My quads and hammies themselves can handle well over 320lb worth of pressure (did it with catchers) but my glutes just give out always so I stress the bottom on the lift.

[best regards]

Ok today kinda sucked with bench. It was like my grip was too wide or something. But I had it normal. Anyways this is what I did:

Squat - 3x5x150
Bench - 125x3, 120x5, 110x7, 100x9
Power Clean - 110x5

Didn't feel like rowing. I was pretty pissed after failing at 3 with 125. I didn't warm up on bench though so hopefully that was my problem.

[best regards]

Ok today was alright. Squats killed me though. All the way ATG as usual. And I worked my ass off in gym today I was a tiny bit prefatigued at this point. Here was today's workout:

Squat - 3x5x160
Power Clean - 2x5x110
Overhead Press - 2x5x85 (shoulders prefatigued from powers)
Heavy Abs
Dumbbell Flys - 1x10x40 (very weak chest)

[ukstrongman]

nice sessions bro... training is looking good

[best regards]

Thanks. Lookin' good yourself.

[best regards]

Wow today sucked. And I mean sucked. I got home and I wasn't feeling it at all. And my performance on the bench didn't exactly do wonders for my ego

Squat - 1x4x165, 1x5x155, 1x5x150
Bench - 1x2x125, 1x2x120, 1x10x100 WTF!?!?!?!?!?
Then I got really unmotivated and did a couple chin-ups and one set of 10x55's one-arm rows.

Christ. My bench is really starting to piss me off. Next week I'm gonna go back down to 120 or 115 for sets of 5 and start back up. And I pyramided squats because they were starting to give me a headache.

Friday had better go better

[VikingMan]

Moving some decent weight for a 14 year old. Couple questions...

Where's the deads? It's not Rippetoe without the deads.

And, what's your plan on the bench press? I'm not seeing much structure to your sets. Just stick to 3X5, and slowly crawl up the weight.

[best regards]

Moving some decent weight for a 14 year old. Couple questions...

Where's the deads? It's not Rippetoe without the deads.

And, what's your plan on the bench press? I'm not seeing much structure to your sets. Just stick to 3X5, and slowly crawl up the weight.

Bench press- yeah that's what I plan on doing it sounds a lot easier on paper however. When I'm not able to get more than 2 reps out, it's pretty degrading and I'm obviously not gonna do that weight again. Then I went down and still only did two. So bench is still up in the air I'mstill pretty pissed by my performance today and last time.

deadlift- yeah I know I'm gonna add them in in a little but I did Rippetoe only focusing on deadlifts for about a month so now I'm focusing on powerclean and squat. My dead had went from like 150x5 to around 255x5. So right now the only real problem is the bench. Which, in case I didn't mention, pisses me off

[VikingMan]

Calm down dude. If you only got 2 reps on the FIRST set, then it was way too much weight. Drop the poundages by 30-40LBS, and start over. If it feels insanely light, add 10LBS next week. But no matter what, just get 3X5 of SOMETHING. And build on it from there.

[best regards]

Calm down dude. If you only got 2 reps on the FIRST set, then it was way too much weight. Drop the poundages by 30-40LBS, and start over. If it feels insanely light, add 10LBS next week. But no matter what, just get 3X5 of SOMETHING. And build on it from there.

Alright I'll drop it down to 90lb AGAIN, then add 5-10lb every session. Hopefully I might get on a pattern of increasing once I get back to 125. Have you ever had a problem similar to this?

[best regards]

So like this:

September 2 - 90lb

6 - 100lb

11 - 110lb

15 - 120

19 - 125

Jeez it seems like I'm gonna be wasting a month!!

[VikingMan]

Jeez it seems like I'm gonna be wasting a month!!

How so? You didn't get the last weight, so it was too much. If you keep banging away at it, it is not likely to get any better. So this month will actually be time well spent. You'll be working where your body actually is, and slowly pushing it's limits.

Have you ever had a problem similar to this?

Not really. If it had just been a bad day, then you would probably have gotten the first two sets with 125 X 5, then maybe failed on the 2nd rep of the third set. But if it was the first set, then it was just too much weight.

[best regards]

How so? You didn't get the last weight, so it was too much. If you keep banging away at it, it is not likely to get any better. So this month will actually be time well spent. You'll be working where your body actually is, and slowly pushing it's limits.


Not really. If it had just been a bad day, then you would probably have gotten the first two sets with 125 X 5, then maybe failed on the 2nd rep of the third set. But if it was the first set, then it was just too much weight.

Yeah I know it's not wasting it just feels that way since I'm not increasing with everything else. Whe I say problems like this I mean like not ever being able to increase on a lift. My bench has ALWAYS sucked and I can NEVER EVER increase on it..... EVER. And it's not like I'm doing something totally wrong because everything else is increasing. But yeah, I'll set back to 90lb even though it's gonna kill me inside.

[VikingMan]

Yeah I know it's not wasting it just feels that way since I'm not increasing with everything else. Whe I say problems like this I mean like not ever being able to increase on a lift. My bench has ALWAYS sucked and I can NEVER EVER increase on it..... EVER. And it's not like I'm doing something totally wrong because everything else is increasing. But yeah, I'll set back to 90lb even though it's gonna kill me inside.

If you would, allow me to give you some advice. This whole damn game is about progress. It's about being better this time than you were last. It's about taking a step forward. Now, to take a step forward, you have to be honest with yourself about where you are now, or the place you are trying to step too may be out of your reach. If all you can see right now is the weight on the bar, and you think to yourself, damn, I'm "only" benching 90LBS, then your vision is on what you do not have, instead of on what is currently within your grasp. You should be thinking... "If I bench 90 X 3 X 5 today, and eat enough food, I'll be able to bench 100 X 3 X 5 by next week!"

Allow me to share from my own experience, an embarrasing incident. I'm using Westside Barbell, right? Pretty advanced program, lifts are getting up there. So I go to try to set a new flat bench PR of 315 X 3 the other day. This was my second attempt at hitting this weight, I tried and FAILED 3-4 months ago to get it. I only got 315 X 2. So I've been training this whole damn time to hit that weight. All my focus has been on it. I even had a contest with another guy on the forum here to see who could get there faster, so I had some face on the line as well.

So, I'm geared up for the gym, ready to go. I get there, do my warmups, and I've got 315 on the bar. I set up my video camera, so the guys here can see my lift, and lay down to unrack the bar. First rep. No problem. Second rep, Ummm. That was heavy. Third rep. Oh ****! Missed it. Big time.

So, I go log onto my journal to writeup my workout, and give everyone the bad news. I post the video to YouTube. And the feedback starts coming in.

"Vike, you don't have any arch in your back."
"Vike, your feet aren't planted."
"Vike, your back isn't tight."
"Vike, your grip is all wrong."
"Vike, the only part of your upper body that should be touching the bench are your traps."

You get the picture. So here's me, thinking I'm hot ****, getting owned on his weak ass bench form. Now, I've got two choices to make. I could have tried to save face, not admit where I truly was, or I could come to terms with it, man up, and do the work that is neccessary to do, if I ever want to get to a 4 plate bench.

So, I'm not doing max effort bench work for the next 4 weeks, so I can work on my form. Get that right, then go back to the heavy weights. It's a step back, but with the express intent of being able to take 50 steps forward.

When in doubt, be honest with yourself about where you are today. It will set you up for success tomorrow.

[littlechick]

awsome advice viking man....take it from a fellow ripetoe'r, you may feel like this now, but I promise in a few months you will look back and not believe the progress you have made. Make sure you are eating enough and rested before each workout, and you will do just fine! Good luck, keep going..if a 98 lb girl can do it, you can too believe me!

[best regards]

If you would, allow me to give you some advice. This whole damn game is about progress. It's about being better this time than you were last. It's about taking a step forward. Now, to take a step forward, you have to be honest with yourself about where you are now, or the place you are trying to step too may be out of your reach. If all you can see right now is the weight on the bar, and you think to yourself, damn, I'm "only" benching 90LBS, then your vision is on what you do not have, instead of on what is currently within your grasp. You should be thinking... "If I bench 90 X 3 X 5 today, and eat enough food, I'll be able to bench 100 X 3 X 5 by next week!"

Allow me to share from my own experience, an embarrasing incident. I'm using Westside Barbell, right? Pretty advanced program, lifts are getting up there. So I go to try to set a new flat bench PR of 315 X 3 the other day. This was my second attempt at hitting this weight, I tried and FAILED 3-4 months ago to get it. I only got 315 X 2. So I've been training this whole damn time to hit that weight. All my focus has been on it. I even had a contest with another guy on the forum here to see who could get there faster, so I had some face on the line as well.

So, I'm geared up for the gym, ready to go. I get there, do my warmups, and I've got 315 on the bar. I set up my video camera, so the guys here can see my lift, and lay down to unrack the bar. First rep. No problem. Second rep, Ummm. That was heavy. Third rep. Oh ****! Missed it. Big time.

So, I go log onto my journal to writeup my workout, and give everyone the bad news. I post the video to YouTube. And the feedback starts coming in.

"Vike, you don't have any arch in your back."
"Vike, your feet aren't planted."
"Vike, your back isn't tight."
"Vike, your grip is all wrong."
"Vike, the only part of your upper body that should be touching the bench are your traps."

You get the picture. So here's me, thinking I'm hot ****, getting owned on his weak ass bench form. Now, I've got two choices to make. I could have tried to save face, not admit where I truly was, or I could come to terms with it, man up, and do the work that is neccessary to do, if I ever want to get to a 4 plate bench.

So, I'm not doing max effort bench work for the next 4 weeks, so I can work on my form. Get that right, then go back to the heavy weights. It's a step back, but with the express intent of being able to take 50 steps forward.

When in doubt, be honest with yourself about where you are today. It will set you up for success tomorrow.

Dang man some great advice. It's just frustrating for me as you can imagien to be this low with the bench. And always wanting to be higher so I've probably been going too high with it. But I mean I look at my friends and these guys know absolutely nothing about training they literally just throw around weights and they're all aroung 190x5. It's like WTF!??!? But yeah I'm gonna set way back and I know I'm not wasting my time, but it's still phychologically taxing to think I could do more. But it's probably better than failing at 2 reps and feeling like **** that way. Thanks again I'll do it.

[best regards]

So like this:

September 2 - 90lb

6 - 100lb

11 - 110lb

15 - 120

19 - 125

Jeez it seems like I'm gonna be wasting a month!!

Ok so I'm gonna do this for bench and continue adding with everything else since they have been increasing.

[best regards]

Aight today was a mess. I'm about to go so I had to rush. I worked up to a top set of 155 on squat but was doing high reps and ****. Then farted around witht the powerclean but wasn't focused so I couldn't do much. And I did some curls and db bench presses. Oh well, I'll get back on track Monday.

[best regards]

I took VM's advice and set back on bench, along with everything else. Because I had to dead with this bench crisis forever and God forbit if it ever happens with another lift. So here's what I did:

Squat - 3x5x145 (was actually pretty hard. ATG's hurt and I think I'm going lower every time due to increased flexibility.
Bench Press - 3x5x90 (fairly hard at the end, 1 minute rests)
Row - 3x5x100

Thanks again VM now at least I know I'm on the right track not struggling and getting pissed off every bench session.

[VikingMan]

Thanks again VM now at least I know I'm on the right track not struggling and getting pissed off every bench session.

No worries man. Nice session. Now go eat a dead cow!

[best regards]

No worries man. Nice session. Now go eat a dead cow!

haha just cooked a couple steaks.

[best regards]

Ok today went ok. The squats wore the living hell out of me. I think I'm getting more flexible every session and going lower. It's the only way to explain how this is getting hard I think before I was doing 165x5. Oh well, that's probably a good thing.

Squats - 1x5x155, 2x5x150
Power Clean - 2x5x110 (form has gotten a lot better and could do a lot more)
Overhead Press - 2x5x85 (was fairly easy)

Later.

[Tad_T]

As far as your bench goes, I started at 100. 55 workout later I was at 225.

Read my sig, it is there for a reason. I read it every day.

[best regards]

As far as your bench goes, I started at 100. 55 workout later I was at 225.

Read my sig, it is there for a reason. I read it every day.

Thanks man are you talking about Rippetoe's program? Did you literally start at 100 or was that a set-back like mine? If you increased 125 on the bench in 55 Rippetoe workouts, that's incredible.

[Tad_T]

Thanks man are you talking about Rippetoe's program? Did you literally start at 100 or was that a set-back like mine? If you increased 125 on the bench in 55 Rippetoe workouts, that's incredible.

Yep, it is all right there in my journal. I started with 100 and added 5 lbs every workout.

And I singled 270 at a meet at the end of my run on Starting Strength.

[best regards]

Yep, it is all right there in my journal. I started with 100 and added 5 lbs every workout.

And I singled 270 at a meet at the end of my run on Starting Strength.

That's insane. It looks like at the end of the journal you're on a 5x5 program. Did you switch in middle? How long were you on Rippetoe. I'll check out your journal a little more in a few minutes and will subscribe. That's crazy that you've come from 100x5 bench to 225x5 bench in like a little over 5 months. So there is hope after all .

[mjw8204]

Will you be running the program as it's laid out now?

[best regards]

Will you be running the program as it's laid out now?

Probably something like it. I know I'm not doing deadlifts but my deadlift has already done from like 150x5 to 250x5 from before I got my rack. So I might ditch em while I'm on Rippetoe.

[mjw8204]

Probably something like it. I know I'm not doing deadlifts but my deadlift has already done from like 150x5 to 250x5 from before I got my rack. So I might ditch em while I'm on Rippetoe.

Why?