jshaw's Starting Strength log

[jjeane]

Nice tweaks to the 5/3/1 template. That is a good idea! Sorry about the elbow.
How are you liking the AdiPowers?

[Woody-5]

Liking the added volume! Beastly top set of SSB squats!

Romanians always murder my Hamstrings with DOMs for 2+ days if I haven't done them for awhile

Try some elbow sleeves and see if it helps at all? I even like to wear mine for heavy squat sets along with bench

[jshaw5]

Nice tweaks to the 5/3/1 template. That is a good idea! Sorry about the elbow.
How are you liking the AdiPowers?

Thanks Jani. It seems the most common complaint with 5/3/1 is lack of volume, so I figure why not add some?

So far I really like the AdiPowers, they seem to feel a lot better than the Do-Wins, but I haven't used them a whole lot yet. I got them too close to the meet to try to start squatting in them, especially since I've had issues with squatting in heels before. I'm wearing them for SSB squats which are similar in geometry to front squats, but I will try them out again when I switch back to squatting with a regular bar. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to clean or snatch in them, and until this elbow clears up, I won't be adding those in any time soon What makes it worse is I can't take advantage of my recent purchase, which I think you'll be quite fond of (see below).

Liking the added volume! Beastly top set of SSB squats!

Romanians always murder my Hamstrings with DOMs for 2+ days if I haven't done them for awhile

Try some elbow sleeves and see if it helps at all? I even like to wear mine for heavy squat sets along with bench

Thanks wood man. Yeah, RDL's have been the main culprit in all the worst hamstring DOMS I've had in the past.

I'm likely going to bench with the elbow sleeves for now, and hopefully the issue will be cleared up by the time I switch back to low bar squats. Btw, did you ever see my front squat video a couple months ago after you ended our race?

In other news, my most recent purchase came in today. I picked up a 140KG set of Pendlay Elite bumpers. I think they goofed on the pricing of this particular set. All in stock Elite bumpers were supposed to be 10% off, but this set was marked down ~32.5% Still a bit more than I should be spending, but that deal was just too good to pass up.

[dopamine72]

Mirin those plates.

Haven't been in here for a while, hope you're doing well bro.

I still have yet to try a SSB. I need to badly.

[mstatefan91]

The added volume should pay off. That was always my biggest gripe with 5/3/1. Not enough volume for the main lifts

[BabyOilBrah]

fukkkkk mirin those pendlay bumpers hard AF mane.

[jshaw5]

Mirin those plates.

Haven't been in here for a while, hope you're doing well bro.

I still have yet to try a SSB. I need to badly.

Thanks Colin. Looking juicy af in your avi.

Yeah, I love the SSB, it's awesome.

The added volume should pay off. That was always my biggest gripe with 5/3/1. Not enough volume for the main lifts

Yeah I really think I'm going to like it. Should make the transition back to Texas Method easier whenever I decide to switch back too.

fukkkkk mirin those pendlay bumpers hard AF mane.

Yeah they are sweet. They are so much more solid, and take up much less room too. The 140 kg (308 lbs) actually takes up a little less room than the 180 lbs of York solid rubber bumpers. This gives me more weight than I'll probably ever be able to do with the oly lifts, and gives much more room for loading squats and deadlifts whenever I opt to do those at home.

[jjeane]

Oh yes! Them are some nice plates there Josh! Those solid plates are so much better then the rubber ones. They hold up so much better! I know you will love them!

[jshaw5]

Oh yes! Them are some nice plates there Josh! Those solid plates are so much better then the rubber ones. They hold up so much better! I know you will love them!

Thanks Jani, yeah they're awesome. At some point I'd like to pick up an HD bar and the change plate set, maybe the next time they have one of those good holiday deals they have.

[jshaw5]

Bench day?

So today was supposed to be my bench day, but my elbow felt awful. I warmed up to 135 and the pain was the worst it's been, so I racked it and stopped there. I screwed around a bit trying a few different things to see if there's anything I can do.

DB Bench
I did a set with 35's, it wasn't near as bad as with the bar, but still aggravated it a little bit.

Hammer Strength Bench? - shortened ROM
I did a few sets of 12 with 1 pps and 1.5 pps, then a couple sets of 8 with 2 pps. If I stuck to only the bottom half of the ROM and stayed away from locking out my elbows, I could do these with minimal discomfort.

Reverse Grip Bench
This might be it. These didn't bother my elbow even the slightest bit. I only worked up to 175x2, but I'm confident I could do working weights without aggravating my elbow at all, so I might just go with these as my main bench movement for now. I'll obviously need to get a spotter to help unrack.

Rope Tricep Pushdowns
I tried doing these real light, they didn't really hurt my elbows, but they did feel a bit weird in my elbow, so I scrapped them.

Dips
The movement itself doesn't really bother my elbow, but getting into position does, so I won't be doing these either.

I thought about trying some things in the smith machine but someone started using it just as I was about to walk over to it.

In summation, my elbow is gay.

[jjeane]

Just make sure you buy the metal ones. In fact I think they quit selling the rubber ones cause the inside rings fall out.
Sorry about the sucky elbow.

[Woody-5]

Sucks about the elbow matey, hopefully a little down time will fix it up.


Re: Yes, definitely spent some alone time with that front squat vid

Re: Re: just like I'll be doing with the pic of those bumpers. Sick purchase!

[jshaw5]

Just make sure you buy the metal ones. In fact I think they quit selling the rubber ones cause the inside rings fall out.
Sorry about the sucky elbow.

I was looking for the rubber ones, wondered why they stopped selling them. Now that you mention it, I have seen some reviews with those same issues.

Sucks about the elbow matey, hopefully a little down time will fix it up.

Re: Yes, definitely spent some alone time with that front squat vid

Re: Re: just like I'll be doing with the pic of those bumpers. Sick purchase!

Thanks wood man. It sucks even more so since bench is my worst lift, and this doesn't give me a good start on bringing it up

[jshaw5]

3/5/1 Cycle 5 Week 1 - Deadlift

Deadlift (sumo)
145 lbs x 5 reps
195 lbs x 3 reps
235 lbs x 2 reps
285 lbs x 1 rep
325 lbs x 1 rep
385 lbs x 3 reps x 2
385 lbs x 5 reps
First time pulling since the meet. These felt ok, but I still need to work on getting my hips open more. Grip felt strong on the first set (all DOH), but failed on the second set (had to hook the last rep). I was gonna use my versa gripps for the last set, but I forgot them at home. I pulled 2 DOH, then hooked the rest, but hook grip sucks ass for reps, so I stopped at 5. Easily had a few more reps if I had the versa gripps.

Deficit Deadlifts (conv)
235 lbs x 5 reps
285 lbs x 5 reps x 3
Went pretty easy on these since I haven't done them in a while.

[jshaw5]

3/5/1 Cycle 5 Week 2 - SSB Squats

Getting over a bit of a cold, so I pushed squats back a day. Also, I knew I wasn't going to get up two days in a row to bench tomorrow, so I just did them both this morning.

SSB Squats
65 lbs x 5 reps
125 lbs x 5 reps
175 lbs x 3 reps
225 lbs x 2 reps
270 lbs x 5 reps x 2
270 lbs x 10 reps
205 lbs x 10 reps x 2
Probably had a few more in the tank, but 10 reps sucked bad enough. Then I dropped the belt, dropped to 205 and did 2 more sets of 10. I felt like I just ran a bunch of hill sprints I was so gassed.

Reverse Grip Bench
45 lbs x 10 reps
95 lbs x 5 reps
135 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 2 reps
205 lbs x 5 reps x 3
Elbow is still being a little bitch, so I'm doing reverse grip bench for now. Probably just going to do SS style, 3x5 +5 lbs per week.

[jshaw5]

3/5/1 Cycle 5 Week 2 - Deadlift

Deadlift (sumo)
145 lbs x 5 reps
195 lbs x 3 reps
235 lbs x 2 reps
285 lbs x 1 rep
325 lbs x 1 rep
365 lbs x 5 reps x 2
365 lbs x 10 reps
These felt real good today. Grip held up strong on the first two sets, all DOH. I pulled out the versa gripps for the last set just so I could hit as many reps as I could without worrying about grip running out or trying to rep with hook grip. I probably could've hit another rep or two, but I was so gassed I had no desire to try lol.

Reverse Grip Bench
45 lbs x 10 reps
95 lbs x 5 reps
135 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 2 reps
210 lbs x 5 reps x 3
For now I'm going to do these twice per week. I rushed through the first two sets, so they were a little more challenging than they should've been, but still no problem. I took a bit longer before the last set to catch my breath, and that was the easiest set, easily had 2-3 more reps.

Hammer Curls
30 lbs x 10 reps x 3
Went light on these since I haven't done them in a while and wasn't sure if they would aggravate the elbow.

[wishiwasdivin]

Lifts looking good

Enjoy your weekend brotha

[Woody-5]

Badass third set of 365 nailing 10 reps! Love it!
You'll be crushing 225 sets of reverse grip bench in no time

[jshaw5]

Lifts looking good

Enjoy your weekend brotha

Thanks bro, you too.

Badass third set of 365 nailing 10 reps! Love it!
You'll be crushing 225 sets of reverse grip bench in no time

Thanks wood man. Reverse bench is a bit awkward, but I should make some solid progress over the next few weeks as I get more used to it.

[jshaw5]

3/5/1 Cycle 5 Week 3 - SSB Squats

SSB Squats
65 lbs x 5 reps
125 lbs x 5 reps
185 lbs x 3 reps
245 lbs x 2 reps
295 lbs x 5 reps
335 lbs x 5 reps
245 lbs x 5 reps x 2
Kinda yolo'd it a bit today. I had planned on working up to a top set of 300 and doing a few sets there, but it felt real light. I hit an easy set of 5, then loaded up 3 plates and hit another set of 5. Probably still had more in me. I dropped down to 2 plates for a couple sets of 5 beltless.

Reverse Grip Bench
45 lbs x 10 reps
95 lbs x 5 reps
135 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 2 reps
215 lbs x 5 reps x 3
These felt pretty solid. I unracked the first set myself, which made the set much more challenging, and a bit awkward since you really have to get under the bar to unrack, which puts you way to close to the uprights on the reps. I got a liftoff on the last 2 sets and knocked them out no problem.

Romanian Deadlifts
225 lbs x 12 reps x 3
Knocked these out real quick before the gym closed.

[Sparta11]

Good stuff man. Your a strong ass dude, nice squats.

[jshaw5]

Good stuff man. Your a strong ass dude, nice squats.

Thanks bro.

[THErunCMD]

Late to this...

So do you have any discomfort at all with the reverse grips? I may have missed it but have you tried a football or swiss bar? That looks like a legit gym you belong to. Wish I had something like that around here.

Strong SSB squats, I'd have been quaking!

[mstatefan91]

I've always wanted to try SSB squats.

Good stuff J

[jshaw5]

Late to this...

So do you have any discomfort at all with the reverse grips? I may have missed it but have you tried a football or swiss bar? That looks like a legit gym you belong to. Wish I had something like that around here.

Strong SSB squats, I'd have been quaking!

Fortunately the reverse grip doesn't bother it one bit. I actually had the same thought process, one of those swiss bars would probably be an even better option, but unfortunately my gym doesn't have one of those. It's still a pretty awesome gym, far and away better than any of the other gyms I've seen in the area.

I've always wanted to try SSB squats.

Good stuff J

Thanks man. I absolutely love the SSB.

[THErunCMD]

If it's working, keep rolling with it! I find dumbbell pressing is what aggravates mine

[jshaw5]

If it's working, keep rolling with it! I find dumbbell pressing is what aggrivates mine

That was one of the things I tried. It didn't aggravate it near as much as regular bench, but enough that I could tell it was going to do more harm than good.

[jshaw5]

3/5/1 Cycle 5 Week 3 - Deadlift

Deadlift (sumo)
135 lbs x 5 reps
185 lbs x 3 reps
235 lbs x 2 reps
285 lbs x 1 rep
325 lbs x 1 rep
365 lbs x 5 reps
385 lbs x 3 reps
405 lbs x 7 reps
In sticking with my higher volume/intensity template, I basically did the top set from each week. I was still a bit sore from SSB's and RDL's earlier in the week, so I honestly thought I'd be happy to hit 3 and call it a set. The first 3 were easy, so I decided to go for 5. After 5 I felt like I still had more in the tank, so I kept going. 6 tied my PR, but who settles for tying a PR? I should've stopped at 7, but I was on a roll lol. I broke the 8th rep off the floor, but it felt uneven so I dropped it. I realized after that the plates on the right side had shifted over a good 6-8".

Reverse Grip Bench
45 lbs x 10 reps
95 lbs x 5 reps
135 lbs x 3 reps
180 lbs x 2 reps
220 lbs x 5 reps x 3
The grip felt a bit weird today, like the bar was driving into the heel of my hand kinda funny. These felt a lot tougher than they looked on video, but still hit all my reps no problem.

Hammer Curls
35 lbs x 8 reps x 3
Knocked these out between bench sets.

[mstatefan91]

Straps don't count

What is your target for nationals?

[jshaw5]

Straps don't count

What is your target for nationals?

Haha you got me there. I just really didn't feel like letting DOH grip limit my set, and hook grip sucks balls for reps.

I really want to total at least 600kg (1,323 lbs). I'm thinking 225(496)/135(297)/240(529) should do it.