jshaw's Starting Strength log

[MatTheCur]

Looking solid J! Still itching to deadlift 3 plates. That. Will. Be. Sweet.

[jshaw5]

Looking solid J! Still itching to deadlift 3 plates. That. Will. Be. Sweet.

The 3 plate deadlift was an awesome feeling, but what I really can't wait for is the 3 plate squat. I think my 1RM calculates above 3 plates, and part of my wants to give it a shot just so I can say I did it, but I'm just going to be patient and wait until my progress takes me there. Unless my progress hits a wall, I should hopefully get there sometime in April.

[MatTheCur]

The 3 plate deadlift was an awesome feeling, but what I really can't wait for is the 3 plate squat. I think my 1RM calculates above 3 plates, and part of my wants to give it a shot just so I can say I did it, but I'm just going to be patient and wait until my progress takes me there. Unless my progress hits a wall, I should hopefully get there sometime in April.

Ahh yeah ... Seeing that bar bending on your shoulders as you rep ... Heaven.

[ddog171]

Ahh yeah ... Seeing that bar bending on your shoulders as you rep ... Heaven.

Agreed.

[jshaw5]

Videos from yesterday

Front Squat


Press


Deadlift


After watching the front squat video, one thing I noticed is I'm not sitting much as back as I need to, which is causing the weight to come over my toes. I do think it got better and was best on the last work set, but it's just something I will have to be mindful of as I get more used to the lift. Regarding the clean grip, you can see in the first warmups that flexibility is a big issue here. I'm actually surprised how close my upper arms are to being parallel with the floor when I used the clean grip on the second work set though. I think the combination of increasing flexibility thus improving my rack position, plus sitting back more in the squat should help prevent me from dropping the bar like I did in that second set. Last night I grabbed an empty put, put it in the best rack position I could, and had my wife push up on my elbows.

On the presses, I think I can still do a little better in getting the bar path more up and down when I'm going past my face, but it's gotten a lot better from a couple weeks ago.

For deadlift, I put my work set first, but for those that want to watch me fidget with my belt, my last two warmup sets are after the work set. After the 285x2, I held it as long as I could before lowering back down. It felt like a lot longer than it actually was haha.

I also forgot to post my song of the day. It's funny, as I was driving to the gym, a song by Pantera came on Octane. That got me thinking, and I decided that Walk would be my song of the day. Then as I'm doing my deadlift, just about to do my work set, and what starts playing on my phone (it's set to shuffle)? Reps to whoever guessed Walk haha.

[jshaw5]

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
105 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
170 lb x 3 reps (+58 pts)
230 lb x 2 reps (+74 pts)
290 lb x 5 reps (+164 pts)
290 lb x 5 reps (+164 pts)
290 lb x 5 reps (+164 pts)

For the most part, these were harder than they've been, but not too bad. Something weird happened on the 4th rep of the 1st set though. When I started to come out of the hole, I'm not sure if I lost all tightness or what, but I just hit a wall. For a moment, I didn't think I was going to make the rep, but I just barely got it. For the 5th rep and the remaining sets, I just really focused on making sure I kept everything tight and pushed my abs (gut) into the belt, and I didn't have any more problems. I had a little knee travel going on, but I think that's something I'm never going to completely eliminate, just have to work at limiting it as much as possible.

Barbell Bench Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
80 lb x 5 reps (+45 pts)
120 lb x 3 reps (+48 pts)
160 lb x 2 reps (+53 pts)
200 lb x 5 reps (+102 pts)
200 lb x 5 reps (+102 pts)
200 lb x 5 reps (+102 pts)

My original goal was to hit 2 plates by the end of next month, but the two fails at 195 made that impossible with 2.5 lb jumps going forward. Based on the combination of my ego and really wanting to hit that goal plus the fact that 195 felt good on Monday, I said screw it and jumped 5 lbs. It felt good, not incredibly difficult. I think my form was much better on these. I'm going to stick with 5 lb jumps until I fail again, then I'll drop to 2.5 lb jumps.

Pendlay Row:
45 lb x 5 reps (+27 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+30 pts)
90 lb x 3 reps (+29 pts)
110 lb x 2 reps (+28 pts)
135 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)
135 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)
135 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)

Still have some rounding in my back, but I'm not sure I can get any better until I get can increase my flexibility. Back in my P90X days, I think the yoga helped with flexibility a lot, I think I might try to start doing that on weekends, see if that helps.

Weighted Hyperextension:
0 lb x 10 reps (+7 pts)
15 lb x 10 reps (+8 pts)
25 lb x 10 reps (+9 pts)

Song of the day:

[Bumpus]

Pretty good session right there. Had some funky things going on with your knees though on squats. Almost seems like you weren't sitting as far back as you normally do. Bench set up was much more solid, and it showed. I made 5lb jumps till 225, just sayin. Rows didn't look too bad. Might be able to squeeze your chest up a little bit more to set that lower back. On the last set i think that rounding came from having your hips up higher than the first two sets.

Also, Pantera 'Walk' came on the radio on the way to the gym yesterday for me too. Weird.

[MatTheCur]

Pretty good session right there. Had some funky things going on with your knees though on squats. Almost seems like you weren't sitting as far back as you normally do. Bench set up was much more solid, and it showed. I made 5lb jumps till 225, just sayin. Rows didn't look too bad. Might be able to squeeze your chest up a little bit more to set that lower back. On the last set i think that rounding came from having your hips up higher than the first two sets.

Also, Pantera 'Walk' came on the radio on the way to the gym yesterday for me too. Weird.

Great session!

Was going to say the same about squats. It looks like you still have the weight over your toes, and that you're not sitting back as far as you can.

Bench was more tight, but I'd be tempted to say that you're sitting a bit too far forward. You also look pretty comfortable, which isn't good

[jshaw5]

I don't know what was up with my squats, between the near failure on that 4th rep, and the knee movement, it was weird. I didn't record it, but on my first warmup set with just the bar, one of the reps I sat back too far, lost my balance and almost fell on my ass. I'll chalk it up to the 4 hours of sleep I got last night and just make sure I focus on all my cues next time.

[jshaw5]

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
105 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
170 lb x 3 reps (+58 pts)
230 lb x 2 reps (+74 pts)
295 lb x 5 reps (+169 pts)
295 lb x 5 reps (+169 pts)
295 lb x 5 reps (+169 pts)
Heavy, but not omgimgonnafail heavy. I noticed in rewatching my previous videos, I'm taking a lot of steps from the time I unrack the bar til the time I start squatting, so I tried to cut down on that. Still had some knee movement, but not as bad as last time. I think I was sitting back more this time around.

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+56 pts)
85 lb x 3 reps (+52 pts)
105 lb x 2 reps (+50 pts)
125 lb x 5 reps (+85 pts)
125 lb x 5 reps (+85 pts)
125 lb x 5 reps (+85 pts)
Now these were heavy. I tried wearing my belt to see if it made any difference. If it made any difference, it was very minimal. This will be my last 5 lb jump, definitely dropping to 2.5 lb jumps from now on.

Power Clean:
45 lb x 5 reps (+27 pts)
75 lb x 4 reps (+30 pts)
105 lb x 3 reps (+32 pts)
135 lb x 3 reps (+39 pts)
135 lb x 3 reps (+39 pts)
135 lb x 3 reps (+39 pts)
High Pull:
145 lb x 3 reps (+49 pts)
145 lb x 3 reps (+49 pts)
145 lb x 3 reps (+49 pts)
I was going to replace power cleans with high pulls, then just do a few sets of power cleans to work on form, but I decided it would be better to do power cleans for the warmups. I figured the more reps I get in, even at warmup weights, the more I can work on my form. So my plan is to basically do 3 warmup sets of power cleans, then 3x3 power cleans, then 3x3 high pulls. I'll keep the 3x3 for power cleans at 135 each week, while the 3x3 high pulls will go up 10 lbs each week. I figure that will give me the best combination of working on the power clean form and increasing explosiveness in the jump portion of the lift. My form still sucks on the power cleans, still catching the bar with my hands. I did realize I wasn't doing the hook grip properly. After fixing that, it's definitely more comfortable, though sometimes it almost feels like I can't let go of the bar.

Parallel-Grip Pull-Up:
5 reps (+45 pts)
4 reps (+33 pts)
4 reps (+33 pts)
Two more reps then last time. Hopefully doing these every week I'll start making some real good progress. After my stint with P90X a few years ago, I could do about 15, then I started working weighted pull-ups and got up to about BW+60 lbs. Of course I was about 30 lbs lighter at the time, so I'm probably not as far off as it seems.

Internet is extremely slow today, so I'll have to upload the videos when I get home.

Song of the Day

[MatTheCur]

Holy ... cow ...

[jshaw5]

Squats were about how I remembered them, knee travel on some reps, not as bad as last time. Press looked easy on the first set, but the second and third not so much. Power cleans were about how I remember them as well... garbage. I think my flexibility is improving as far as being able to get into a better rack position, but I'm still catching the bar with my hands bad. I like high pulls though.

[ddog171]

Going for 300 this week on squats, nice job. It looks like you could sit back a tad more at the beginning of your squats.

[MatTheCur]

Going for 300 this week on squats, nice job. It looks like you could sit back a tad more at the beginning of your squats.

Doing fantastic!

Like ddog said, should be sitting back a bit more, as your knees are travelling forward in the hole. I'm doing the same thing with mine.

Also, during power cleans, watch your second pull. You're using your elbows to start the second pull, instead of the jump/shrug to get it moving. I don't know if it's the same movement on high pulls, but you need to be jumping/shrugging to get the weight moving for pull #2, and not using your arms. It's tough, I know, but you'll get it!

[The Shoeless Wonder]

i thought i asked this already, but didnt.

whats up with those points?

[MatTheCur]

i thought i asked this already, but didnt.

whats up with those points?

They're from Fitocracy.

http://www.fitocracy.com

[jshaw5]

Wednesday's workout

Went to the gym tonight instead of this morning. My night didn't get off to a good start. First, I left work later than I had planned. Then I go to the gas station, about 20 miles from home and gym, with my tank on E, and I can't find my f'in wallet. I had to beg the guy for 15 minutes to let me get some gas and come back tomorrow to pay. I finally get to the gym, it's busy as hell, and someone is actually using the squat rack (rare at my gym). I look in my bag, the camera is there, but no battery. At this point, I really had low expectations for the workout. Having said that, I was pretty damn please with my workout by the time I left.

Body weight - 225.8 - the scale at the gym seems to be like 3-4 lbs lower than my scale at home, but still the lowest I've been on that scale. Very happy with that since my eating over the weekend wasn't great.

Front Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
70 lb x 5 reps (+42 pts)
95 lb x 3 reps (+40 pts)
120 lb x 2 reps (+40 pts)
145 lb x 5 reps (+70 pts)
145 lb x 5 reps (+70 pts)
145 lb x 5 reps (+70 pts)
These actually felt really good. I stuck with the clean style grip, felt like I was pretty damn close to ideal positioning, bar on shoulders, triceps very close to parallel to the floor, not supporting the weight with my hands. I'm upset I didn't get these on camera, felt like I was sitting back good, pushed my knees out good, don't think I had any forward knee travel.

Barbell Bench Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
85 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
125 lb x 3 reps (+49 pts)
165 lb x 2 reps (+54 pts)
205 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
205 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
205 lb x 4 reps (+96 pts)
Form felt really good on warmups, felt like I was holding everything tight, good arch, even felt like I was driving with my legs. Then I unracked the bar for my first work set and lost it all. Not sure what the issue was, but it felt like I couldn't squeeze my shoulder blades, keep my back arched, and I might as well have put my feet on the bench. My elbow started acting up a bit, it didn't bother while repping, but I did have some pain while unracking the bar. On the last set, I just barely missed my last rep, just couldn't lock it out, had to rack it on the pins that are 6" lower. All things considered, I'm pretty happy I only missed one rep.

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+81 pts)
240 lb x 3 reps (+94 pts)
290 lb x 2 reps (+111 pts)
345 lb x 5 reps (+237 pts)
275 lb x 1 reps (+81 pts) - 45 second hold
At this point I was feeling very blah, very tired from the first two lifts, almost decided to skip deadlifts. Not wanting to quit early, I gave it a go, but I honestly wasn't too confident I was going to pull 345. Given that I nearly dropped the bar last time, I decided to give the hook grip a shot. Aside from the fact that it felt like my thumbs were going to get crushed and rip off, it went quite well. I also gave the belt another shot on 240, 290, and 345. I think I got it figured out where it doesn't completely jam into my pelvis. 345 went up easier than 335 did last week (decided I wanted to go back to 10 lb jumps) and grip was not a factor. After my work set, I dropped the weight to 275 and held for as long as I could for grip training. I'm guessing 45 seconds is too long and next time I should up the weight. I think I'll go for a 315 lb hold after my work set next time.

Dips - Chest Version:
8 reps (+43 pts)
8 reps (+43 pts)
At this point, I really was out of time, but wanted to at least get a set or two in. Only did 2 sets, but managed to get an extra rep each set.

Almost forgot song of the day

[pezking7p]

Good chit mang. You'll get that last bench rep next time. Bench can be a real fukker sometimes.

[jshaw5]

Friday's Workout

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
105 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
170 lb x 3 reps (+58 pts)
235 lb x 2 reps (+76 pts)
300 lb x 5 reps (+175 pts)
300 lb x 5 reps (+175 pts)
300 lb x 5 reps (+175 pts)
Farley wasn't kidding about it getting hard at 300. Getting closer and closer to 3 plates I think depth wasn't quite as good as it's been, a few reps were borderline. I think the bar was getting over my toes a bit, which is why I think my back was fried by the time I was done.

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+56 pts)
85 lb x 3 reps (+52 pts)
105 lb x 2 reps (+50 pts)
130 lb x 5 reps (+87 pts)
130 lb x 5 reps (+87 pts)
130 lb x 5 reps (+87 pts)
From the advice of Jason and Matt, I tried unracking the bar a little higher so I'm not starting from a dead stop on my shoulders. I definitely noticed a difference in getting that bounce out of the hole on the first rep. It looked to me in the video like I was still moving the bar around my face despite the fact that I am leaning back enough when I lower the bar. I know I've said this multiple times, but I really mean it this time when I say I'm dropping to 2.5 lb jumps.

Pendlay Row:
45 lb x 5 reps (+27 pts)
85 lb x 5 reps (+35 pts)
120 lb x 3 reps (+36 pts)
145 lb x 5 reps (+53 pts)
145 lb x 5 reps (+53 pts)
145 lb x 5 reps (+53 pts)
Not really much to say about these, I know I have a little bit of rounding, but I think my back is as flat as I can get it in this position due to poor flexibility.

Weighted Hyperextension:
25 lb x 10 reps (+9 pts)
25 lb x 10 reps (+9 pts)
25 lb x 10 reps (+9 pts)
I really like these things, though between these and the squats, my back was thoroughly demolished. Heated car seat felt good on it, but I'm really looking forward to a solid foam rolling session when I get home tonight

Same crappy internet today, vids when I get home.

Song of the Day:

[ddog171]

Holy 300 lb. squat. Congrats.

[MatTheCur]

You have a site that you use to follow foam rolling exercises?

And also, holy 300lb squats.

[jshaw5]

Thanks. Felt real good to hit that.

I don't have a site I use, just have watched a few videos on youtube. I don't use the foam roller as much as I'd like. I usually just roll up and down my upper and lower back, almost every night. Occasionally I'll roll the IT band, but I usually save that torture for when it's really bothering me, which I know is ass backwards since it probably wouldn't bother me as much if I rolled it more often.

[pezking7p]

I have a version of that song on my phone that really IS the original cut. I haven't been able to find it anywhere online, and it sounds way better imo.

Oh yah, nice workout too. 300lb squats is srs bidnss.

Edit: it's also interesting that you posted that song, because after I looked at your journal the other night I went through a bunch of metal-ish stuff on youtube, and eventually went through all the slipknot songs. As I listened to them I wondered if people outside the midwest had heard of them, or if it was just hyped because they're from iowa (I lived in iowa for 15 years).

[MatTheCur]

Thanks. Felt real good to hit that.

I don't have a site I use, just have watched a few videos on youtube. I don't use the foam roller as much as I'd like. I usually just roll up and down my upper and lower back, almost every night. Occasionally I'll roll the IT band, but I usually save that torture for when it's really bothering me, which I know is ass backwards since it probably wouldn't bother me as much if I rolled it more often.

I'm thinking more for my hamstrings, just because they've been feeling SUPER tight lately... I do have a roller, just thought that there was something specific I could be doing.

[jshaw5]

I have a version of that song on my phone that really IS the original cut. I haven't been able to find it anywhere online, and it sounds way better imo.

Oh yah, nice workout too. 300lb squats is srs bidnss.

Edit: it's also interesting that you posted that song, because after I looked at your journal the other night I went through a bunch of metal-ish stuff on youtube, and eventually went through all the slipknot songs. As I listened to them I wondered if people outside the midwest had heard of them, or if it was just hyped because they're from iowa (I lived in iowa for 15 years).

I think Slipknot is pretty big throughout the country by now. Probably one of my top 5 workout bands. Matt, didn't you say you had a Slipknot tattoo? See, their awesomeness has even traveled to Canada haha.

I'm thinking more for my hamstrings, just because they've been feeling SUPER tight lately... I do have a roller, just thought that there was something specific I could be doing.

From what I can remember, I had a hard time trying to hit my hamstrings with the foam roller so that I would actually feel anything. Maybe I should try one leg at a time, or maybe even a lacrosse ball. Talking about it makes me want to get into more of a routine. I noticed on the blackironbeast 5-3-1 calculator it says to do foam rolling as warmup, do you do that?

[MatTheCur]

I think Slipknot is pretty big throughout the country by now. Probably one of my top 5 workout bands. Matt, didn't you say you had a Slipknot tattoo? See, their awesomeness has even traveled to Canada haha.


From what I can remember, I had a hard time trying to hit my hamstrings with the foam roller so that I would actually feel anything. Maybe I should try one leg at a time, or maybe even a lacrosse ball. Talking about it makes me want to get into more of a routine. I noticed on the blackironbeast 5-3-1 calculator it says to do foam rolling as warmup, do you do that?

I've had that tattoo for forever. It was my first one in the '90s.

I don't do ANY warm ups for anything, other than squats. I should probably do so, but I need to get to the gym 15 minutes earlier. I doubt that I'd foam roll in the gym though.

Speaking about more of a routine, I need to do the same. Foam rolling, cardio, etc.

[jshaw5]

Videos:

[mellowmarshall]

Squats still looking good man...3 plates and beyond without a reset? Probably. You've already heard what I'd say about the knee twitch. Press looks like its due for a reset soon - almost looks like a push press with all that leg drive. Rows are nice and clean, minimal hitching and good pinch at the top. Keep it up!

[jshaw5]

Monday's workout

Weight - 228.2... no 226.4. I normally have to take a dump before my workout, but I didn't this morning. However, it hit me mid workout. Decided to weigh myself again afterwards and dropped 1.8 lbs lol.

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
110 lb x 5 reps (+48 pts)
175 lb x 3 reps (+60 pts)
240 lb x 2 reps (+79 pts)
305 lb x 5 reps (+181 pts)
305 lb x 5 reps (+181 pts)
305 lb x 5 reps (+181 pts)
Other than watching the first set on the little screen on the camera, I haven't watched my videos yet, but I suspect my form wasn't great on these. From what I could see on the first set, I think I still had a little forward knee movement on some reps, though I think I got back to full depth on all reps (had some borderline depth Friday). I let my knees cave in on one rep, think I just had a little brain fart, saw it in the mirror and corrected from there. These were pretty hard, had a little GM action on some of the later reps.

Barbell Bench Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
85 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
125 lb x 3 reps (+49 pts)
165 lb x 2 reps (+54 pts)
210 lb x 5 reps (+109 pts)
210 lb x 4 reps (+100 pts)
210 lb x 3 reps (+87 pts)
I was going to repeat 205 and try to get all 15 reps, then go up to 210 on Friday. When I wrote down my weights before heading to the gym this morning, I forgot to take out the +5 on my calculator. I should've noticed, but that early in the morning I'm not thinking too clearly. First set I got all 5 reps, but the last rep or 2 were tough. On the second set, I should've stopped at the 4th rep considering how hard it was, but I let the ego get in the way of good judgement. I couldn't quite reach the lower hooks, so I had to pull the roll of shame That didn't feel great going over my big belly haha. On the 3rd set, I was hoping to get at least 4 again, but I went with judgement over ego and stopped at 3. I'm annoyed I didn't notice I wrote down the wrong weight, but at least I got 5 on the first set. I'll go for 210 again Friday and go from there.

Power Cleans / High Pulls
I decided to skip these today. I was running short on time, my elbow was flaring up a bit, and I just didn’t feel like doing them.

Parallel-Grip Pull-Up:
5 reps (+44 pts)
5 reps (+44 pts)
5 reps (+44 pts)
These were the only bright spot of my workout. I was surprised how easy the first few reps felt. I’m sure I could’ve got 6 and maybe even grinded out 7 on the first set, but I don’t think I would’ve hit 5 on the 2nd and 3rd sets. Considering sets of 4,4,3 was my previous best (since SS), I’m very happy with 5,5,5.

Song of the Day:

[ddog171]

What is your plan with bench? Reset or retry 210?