jshaw's Starting Strength log

[jshaw5]

Your form looked awesome, i think i pulled a 465x1 conventional which was my most but just didnt 'feel' right. Blizzard did some semi sumo stance and i followed him and the movement felt really 'right' and i pulled my 465 max with kinda ease not long after. I found things like good mornings really helps and generally movements like SLDL and pull throughs really helped. To make the movement more comfortable, load the bar with only 135 and just 'feel' the lift through for many singles., this helped a bit

Thanks man. For now, I'm going to do some speed pulls early in the week (maybe 10-15 reps, 1 every 30 seconds), and 1 heavy set on intensity day (probably start with 5 reps, maybe 3). I'm gonna rewatch/reread a lot of videos/articles I've gone through lately, as I pretty much ignored the sumo parts lol.

sick work man. glad you didn't force the conventional pull and jack yourself up again. what about sumo feels better, more leg drive on the lift off?

lol, ^^ this

ermergerrrd man. and here it though sundays were for resting. that's an intense session!

why, for safety? or you do you prefer sumo over conv in general?

Thanks man. I'll have a better idea when I've been doing it for a bit and I'm near max effort, but so far I don't feel like my back is getting destroyed haha. My wife has been battling some major back problems over the past year, so a) I don't want to go through what she's had to go through, constantly in pain, not being able to do a lot of things, etc. and b) at least one of us needs to be able to take care of the little guy.

Why you asking him?

Because he sumo pulls almost 600 lbs

Why did you switch to sumo? What helped you make the transition?

[KenshinH]

Thanks man. For now, I'm going to do some speed pulls early in the week (maybe 10-15 reps, 1 every 30 seconds), and 1 heavy set on intensity day (probably start with 5 reps, maybe 3). I'm gonna rewatch/reread a lot of videos/articles I've gone through lately, as I pretty much ignored the sumo parts lol.

Thanks man. I'll have a better idea when I've been doing it for a bit and I'm near max effort, but so far I don't feel like my back is getting destroyed haha. My wife has been battling some major back problems over the past year, so a) I don't want to go through what she's had to go through, constantly in pain, not being able to do a lot of things, etc. and b) at least one of us needs to be able to take care of the little guy.

Because he sumo pulls almost 600 lbs

Why did you switch to sumo? What helped you make the transition?

You'd kick ass at sumo with your strength on squats. Sumo felt a bit easier for me than conventional for sure, but I haven't gone over yet.

[xRequiem]

Because he sumo pulls almost 600 lbs

Why did you switch to sumo? What helped you make the transition?

Thought he said 465. Guess that was his old pr.

You honestly don't need any assistance. I've made it from 275x5 to 410x5(465x1) only stalling twice. Plan on pulling 500 at the end of December.You're doing a fairly narrow stance so you're hips shouldn't be too beat. I'd still stretch and do plenty of mobility work.

[ddog171]

Squats are strong and impressive. Could it be that you are just worn out for deads after squatting? After splitting them up and having two days between the two lifts I love it. Granted my deads are progressing and I had to reset my squat, but you cannot be a master of it all at the same time.

[jshaw5]

You'd kick ass at sumo with your strength on squats. Sumo felt a bit easier for me than conventional for sure, but I haven't gone over yet.

Yeah that's what I'm hoping for.

Thought he said 465. Guess that was his old pr.

You honestly don't need any assistance. I've made it from 275x5 to 410x5(465x1) only stalling twice. Plan on pulling 500 at the end of December.You're doing a fairly narrow stance so you're hips shouldn't be too beat. I'd still stretch and do plenty of mobility work.

While pulling 500 by the end of the month would be sweet, I think I'm going to start lower and take my time working my way up there while I work on my form.

Squats are strong and impressive. Could it be that you are just worn out for deads after squatting? After splitting them up and having two days between the two lifts I love it. Granted my deads are progressing and I had to reset my squat, but you cannot be a master of it all at the same time.

Thanks man. Yeah I thought about that, and it's definitely not helping. Unfortunately though, I'm not ready to change up my programming to find out just yet.

[jshaw5]

Texas Method Volume Day

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
115 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
185 lb x 3 reps (+74 pts)
255 lb x 2 reps (+100 pts)
325 lb x 5 reps (+237 pts)
325 lb x 5 reps (+237 pts)
325 lb x 5 reps (+237 pts)
325 lb x 5 reps (+237 pts)
325 lb x 5 reps (+237 pts)
Not hard, just exhausting. Whoever says they feel energized after exercising in the morning is not doing TM VD squats, especially on 3-4 hours of sleep.


Pull-Up:
5 reps (+75 pts)
5 reps (+75 pts)
5 reps (+75 pts)
Threw these in between squat sets. I've really been slacking on pullups/chinups lately, loss in strength is really showing, though it's exaggerated by the increase in body weight.

Alternate Hammer Dumbbell Curl:
30 lb x 12 reps (+19 pts)
30 lb x 12 reps (+19 pts)
30 lb x 12 reps (+19 pts)
My forearm has been acting up quite a bit lately, so I figured I would add these back in to strengthen them up.

Dip Station Straight Leg Raise:
12 reps (+5 pts)
12 reps (+5 pts)
12 reps (+5 pts)
Abs are another thing I've really been slacking off on lately, need to get more consistent here. This will probably be my typical volume day going forward.

[Ironlife]

Guy in black shirt was mirin


Made that look too easy, srs strong stuff. You must be good for a 425+ now

[jshaw5]

Guy in black shirt was mirin


Made that look too easy, srs strong stuff. You must be good for a 425+ now

Haha thanks. I notice a lot of people stop and look when I get over 3 plates. I think most of them are just trying to figure out what kind of weird exercise I'm doing with a bar on my back lol. It sounds crazy to me, but I definitely feel like I'm good for at least 425 now.

[Ironlife]

Haha thanks. I notice a lot of people stop and look when I get over 3 plates. I think most of them are just trying to figure out what kind of weird exercise I'm doing with a bar on my back lol. It sounds crazy to me, but I definitely feel like I'm good for at least 425 now.

Do squats feel more 'natural' to you, vs deadlifts?

Sometimes i feel my body just has to literally do everything right with timing of working out/frequency/accessories/rest/diet just to gain 5lb on squat but with deadlifts i can literally just look at the bar and gain on my 1RM basically whenever i choose to

[tomcardno1]

nice log! it's a shame i just found it :/ keep it up!!! subbed

[Juggernaut0]

325x5x5 not hard? Say you're joking that way you make me feel better.

[Woody-5]

Sick VD Squats and insane 370x5 over the weekend- missed that one!
When are you gonna tie up the race at 1 with that 405 squat?

[HunterMC6]

325x5x5 not hard? Say you're joking that way you make me feel better.

This, I should unsub from your PG's and Woodys journals so I don't feel like such a pansy.

[GinjaNinja85]

I don't know how you squat that much, that heavy, that early in the morning. Sounds like hell.

[jshaw5]

Do squats feel more 'natural' to you, vs deadlifts?

Sometimes i feel my body just has to literally do everything right with timing of working out/frequency/accessories/rest/diet just to gain 5lb on squat but with deadlifts i can literally just look at the bar and gain on my 1RM basically whenever i choose to

Yeah definitely, squatting feels a lot more natural. With deadlifts, it's a bit of a catch 22 for me. Deadlifts are best to build a strong lower back, but I can't deadlift well because my lower back is weak. I watch videos, read articles, learn some ways to improve my deadlifts, then I try to implement those new tips, and it's the same shit. No matter what I do, and even if my form doesn't look that bad, it feels like I'm trying to do a round back SLDL with my heavy deadlift weights. Like ddog mentioned, I think part of the issue is that by the time I'm deadlifting, my back is already fatigued from squats. A tired and weak back is not a good combo for heavy deadlifts. I will eventually change up my programming so that I'm not deadlifting after squatting, and I'll probably give conventional another shot then. But for now, I'm enjoying how nicely my squat is just getting stronger and stronger, so I'm not changing anything anytime soon. I think pulling sumo will play to my strengths a bit more as well.

nice log! it's a shame i just found it :/ keep it up!!! subbed

Thanks man. You missed a bit, but stay tuned because I'm just getting started

325x5x5 not hard? Say you're joking that way you make me feel better.

Sorry. You'll get there, just stick with it. Start doing TM and keep doing mobility work and stretching to keep those glute issues at bay. One day you will post something like that and be like wow, I remember when I just couldn't get past this weight and now it's easy peasy.

Sick VD Squats and insane 370x5 over the weekend- missed that one!
When are you gonna tie up the race at 1 with that 405 squat?

Thanks man. I was actually doing to go for 405 after I hit my 365x5 the previous weekend, but I ran out of time at the gym. We'll see how this month goes. If everything goes well, I might just wait until I go for 455 in my race with BOB, hit 405 as my last warmup single

This, I should unsub from your PG's and Woodys journals so I don't feel like such a pansy.

Logs that make you feel like a pansy are the best ones. PG's is one of the first logs I started following because he started about where I started and had made ridiculous progress by the time I subbed. Yeah I feel weak when I see him bang out my 5RM for easy sets on his VD, but then I remember that it really wasn't that long ago that he was at these same weights I'm at now.

[jshaw5]

I don't know how you squat that much, that heavy, that early in the morning. Sounds like hell.

It is hell. I don't know why I do this to myself, but it wasn't lights out until like 1:30am, my sleep was interrupted throughout the morning, and I was on my way to the gym at 5:30am.

[GinjaNinja85]

It is hell. I don't know why I do this to myself, but it wasn't lights out until like 1:30am, my sleep was interrupted throughout the morning, and I was on my way to the gym at 5:30am.

F**k that sh!t. I'm so much stronger in the evening when I've woken up and had several meals. At least you get a quiet gym at your time though.

[Juggernaut0]

jshaw, dunno if missed it, but had some questions for you in my log if you don't mind.

[jshaw5]

F**k that sh!t. I'm so much stronger in the evening when I've woken up and had several meals. At least you get a quiet gym at your time though.

I do feel stronger under optimal conditions when I can wake up, eat a meal or two, then hit the gym like 2 hours later. During the week though, I sit at a computer for 9 hours, then in my car for another hour, which is not optimal for getting loose, so I think the difference is negligible. And that's ignoring the fact that I have a wife and son to get home to after work, don't want to delay that by another hour and a half and miss my window before he goes to bed. It would be so much easier if I had a squat rack at home.

jshaw, dunno if missed it, but had some questions for you in my log if you don't mind.

Seen and responded.

[The Shoeless Wonder]

maybe you need to do rack pulls

[jshaw5]

maybe you need to do rack pulls

Yeah I've thought about adding them in, it's just a question of when. I had thought about alternating them with RDL's early in the week, but then I had decided to alternate RDL's and GM's instead. Would I be better off alternating RDL's and rack pulls or GM's and rack pulls?

[The Shoeless Wonder]

rdls are more for your hams. i normally just switch them out for deads, but sheiko sometimes has me doing deads then racks

[GinjaNinja85]

Yeah I've thought about adding them in, it's just a question of when. I had thought about alternating them with RDL's early in the week, but then I had decided to alternate RDL's and GM's instead. Would I be better off alternating RDL's and rack pulls or GM's and rack pulls?

Would it make sense to completely omit the full deadlift and do rack pulls at higher volume instead, perhaps doing deads every fourth week? You could also add other stuff to build your back, like back extensions.

Your legs are so far ahead that it seems a shame to train the whole movement when the bottom portion is doing nothing but training the movement pattern. Just putting it out there.

[jshaw5]

Would it make sense to completely omit the full deadlift and do rack pulls at higher volume instead, perhaps doing deads every fourth week? You could also add other stuff to build your back, like back extensions.

Your legs are so far ahead that it seems a shame to train the whole movement when the bottom portion is doing nothing but training the movement pattern. Just putting it out there.

That's something I've considered and may end up doing in the future, but for now, I'm going to give sumo a shot. I've been curious to see how it would suit me, and I'm hoping it takes me to 5 plates so I can check off the deadlift in my race with Woody.

[KenshinH]

That's something I've considered and may end up doing in the future, but for now, I'm going to give sumo a shot. I've been curious to see how it would suit me, and I'm hoping it takes me to 5 plates so I can check off the deadlift in my race with Woody.

Go sumo my friend. You'll probably pull 4 plates in a few weeks.

Awesome VD man. Both dudes in black and white shirts were mirin

[PeterGibbons316]

Guy in black shirt was mirin

You know you are a beast when the dude doesn't even notice the hot chick on the rower right in front of him.

Logs that make you feel like a pansy are the best ones. PG's is one of the first logs I started following because he started about where I started and had made ridiculous progress by the time I subbed. Yeah I feel weak when I see him bang out my 5RM for easy sets on his VD, but then I remember that it really wasn't that long ago that he was at these same weights I'm at now.

<3

And I'm following RipCJ, who is just about repping out my intensity weight on his volume day. And I'm certain there is someone out there doing the same thing with RipCJ's weight. There will always be someone bigger and stronger, use it as a positive motivation, not a negative one

Yeah I've thought about adding them in, it's just a question of when. I had thought about alternating them with RDL's early in the week, but then I had decided to alternate RDL's and GM's instead. Would I be better off alternating RDL's and rack pulls or GM's and rack pulls?

If lower back strength is the problem then SLDLs are the answer. If you don't feel comfortable doing them, rack pulls are the next best thing. I've been doing basically a rack pull 5RM every other volume day....and it hasn't really helped a whole lot. I'm thinking of changing that to either a slightly heavier 3x3, or a much lighter 3x8. I'm replacing RDLs on alternating volume days with SLDLs.

[The Shoeless Wonder]

racks dont have to be super heavy

[jshaw5]

Go sumo my friend. You'll probably pull 4 plates in a few weeks.

Awesome VD man. Both dudes in black and white shirts were mirin

I'm not sure where I should start. Judging by how 315 felt, I think I'm going to jump to 335 this week, maybe do 1-2 more 20 lb jumps, then drop to 10 lb jumps judging by how it feels.

You know you are a beast when the dude doesn't even notice the hot chick on the rower right in front of him.

lol

<3

And I'm following RipCJ, who is just about repping out my intensity weight on his volume day. And I'm certain there is someone out there doing the same thing with RipCJ's weight. There will always be someone bigger and stronger, use it as a positive motivation, not a negative one

RipCJ sweats 10w-30.

If lower back strength is the problem then SLDLs are the answer. If you don't feel comfortable doing them, rack pulls are the next best thing. I've been doing basically a rack pull 5RM every other volume day....and it hasn't really helped a whole lot. I'm thinking of changing that to either a slightly heavier 3x3, or a much lighter 3x8. I'm replacing RDLs on alternating volume days with SLDLs.

Yeah maybe I'll alternate rack pulls and SLDL's. I like weighted extensions though too.

racks dont have to be super heavy

Trust me, they won't be lol. I tried them once before, 315 was a struggle.

[The Shoeless Wonder]

reps sets weight
4 1 243
4 1 284
3 2 324
2 3 365


5 1 203
5 2 243
4 2 284
3 4 324



5 1 243
5 2 284
4 4 324


that is your rack pull numbers for your next 3 rack/dl sessions. if you dl, do these at the end of the workout

[jshaw5]

reps sets weight
4 1 243
4 1 284
3 2 324
2 3 365


5 1 203
5 2 243
4 2 284
3 4 324



5 1 243
5 2 284
4 4 324


that is your rack pull numbers for your next 3 rack/dl sessions. if you dl, do these at the end of the workout

I'll give those a shot. How did you come up with those numbers? Maybe a dumb question, but even if you pull sumo, you still do rack pulls conventional right?