Back in the Groove on Starting Strength

[BillStarr1980]

After having trained for a couple of years on various programmes and on various fitness levels, I have decided to test out the SS so widely famed on these boards. I am currently working alot, but I hope I can get the 3 days in weekly, to get my strength back up.

My stats:

Age: 27
Height: 184 cm (about 6" or 6'1").
Weight: 198 ish

I have trained for some years and I am currently trying to cut after having had a few bulking sessions. I want some definition! Furthermore I need to work on my squats. I have always done ATG, but have found I round my back at the bottom, so currently working on those.

My maxes:

Squat: 200 lbs.
Bench: 180 lbs.
Rows: 170 lbs.
Deads: 240 lbs.

All are 5RM

I will start out real slow, which means:

Starting weights:

Squats: 160
Bench: 130
Deads: 180
Chins: 3x5

The programme will be the gym version:

My programme

Monday
Squat 3x5
Bench/Military 3x5 (alternating each workout)
Chins 3x8

Wednesday
Squat 3x5
Bench/Military Press 3x5
Dead Lift 1x5

Friday
Squat 3x5
Bench/Military 3x5
Chins 3x5

Wish me luck!

[irish.red]

good program choice....time for the gains to start

[BillStarr1980]

good program choice....time for the gains to start

Thanks alot for the backing! I hope I will become yet another acolyte of the SS-cult...

[Tad_T]

Good choice. Don't worry about looking like a puss. Start where you need to and work into it 5 lbs at a time. It'll add up quick. Good luck.

[BillStarr1980]

Quite a busy day today. Finished in some 35 minutes, and was hurrying abit. Got in most of the warmup though.

Squats:
2x6xbar
1x5x90
1x3x140
3x5x160


The squats were better, I am trying to really open the groin, which helps on the lower back curving. It still curved abit on the last set though. It was quite hard, although by no means close to failure. I will drop another 20 lbs. off it for next week, to start out slow. I will feel like a pussy, but hey...

Bench:
2x5xbar
1x5x60lbs
1x3x90
1x2x110
3x5x130

Nice and light. Was able to do it quite explosive.

Chins:
3x5xBW

Nice and light again. No warmup. Wondering if I should include some light rowing, or just jump in?

Assistence
Hanging leg raises: 2x8xBW

Felt the burn might like to get some weight attached to my feet at some point though...

Overall

8/10 rating. The squats were the only drawback on an energetic workout, felt really good afterwards. Just need to keep focus on that squat...

[BillStarr1980]

Good choice. Don't worry about looking like a puss. Start where you need to and work into it 5 lbs at a time. It'll add up quick. Good luck.

Thanks for that. I just hate thinking about how I was squatting 270lbs a year and a half ago... But thats life I guess, and I was probably rounding my back like hell back then.

By the way, your log was one of the ones that inspired me to take up SS - great gains you got, I am duly impressed.

[BillStarr1980]

I bought myself some shoes for lifting, since the shoes I have been using have air in the sole... I of course went for the Chuck Taylors!

Check em out: http://hoopedia.nba.com/images/4/44/..._all-stars.jpg

Apart from that I splashed on some fancy Nike running shoes: Air Pegasus+, the 2007 model. One of the advantages of living in a developing country is the low prices. They were about a hundred bucks, which was fair. I tried some others (also Nikes) for half the price and the difference was huge!

So from now on I will run for about half an hour on my offdays, starting out slow, but ending up doing some interval training etc.

[irish.red]

Be careful with squatting 3 days a week and all the runnin on the knees. Personally I'd throw some different cardio in there too such as swimming if you can just to give em a few days off here n there. Also stackin fish oil, glucosamine sulfate, and calcium does ya well too. Just my 2 cents.

[BillStarr1980]

Thought I might jot down my diet. Today was a fairly typical day. On training days I eat about the same, just with some fast carbs (gatorade, bananas and the like) thrown in before and after the workout:

Breakfast:
40 grammes of oats
400 ml. of skimmed milk
a small handful (10 grams?) of raisins
a small handful of nuts

Snack:
A very small banana (50 grams)
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of nuts
2 fish oil capsules

Lunch:
6 eggwhites
1 egg yoke
a bit of oil
2 slices of whole grain bread

Snack:
Fruit of the day at the office (today it was pineapple)
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of nuts
2 fish oil capsules

Dinner:
80 grams of rice
400 grams of chicken breast
a bit of oil

This all equates about 2000 daily calories give or take a few, roughly hitting 40/40/20. On training days the calorie intake is abit higher because of the extra carbs. Usually about +300 calories.

[BillStarr1980]

Be careful with squatting 3 days a week and all the runnin on the knees. Personally I'd throw some different cardio in there too such as swimming if you can just to give em a few days off here n there. Also stackin fish oil, glucosamine sulfate, and calcium does ya well too. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the input. I did consider the added stress on the joints with running - but running is the cardio I enjoy the most by far. I have never, ever had problems with my knees, and I have run alot, and have squatted heavy 3 times a week before, also without any issues.

I will be careful though (for me my hip is the weak spot, and that gets hit by running as well), which is why I will keep it around/below 30 minutes per session. Furthermore it is meant as a supplement to my training, so if I am not feeling up to it, I will just skip it.

I get loads of calcium and some fish oil. Will read up on glucosamine sulfate - have no idea what it is. Again thanks for the advice!

[Dave76]

I have always done ATG, but have found I round my back at the bottom, so currently working on those.

Glad to see you started a journal!

I agree with your thoughts on the squats. It is important to keep an arched lower back. It is not important to go ATG regardless of what you may read on this forum. All you need to do is break parallel.

[BillStarr1980]

Glad to see you started a journal!

I agree with your thoughts on the squats. It is important to keep an arched lower back. It is not important to go ATG regardless of what you may read on this forum. All you need to do is break parallel.

Thanks alot for the encouragement! Yeah, reading too much on forums and concentrating too little in the gym can be dangerous. I actually had a minor injury in my lower back (more a discomfort than an injury really) before SS, which is why I finally decided to concentrate more on form.

I will post some videos for your perusal when I get back into the groove. For now thanks for the comment!

[BillStarr1980]

Alright, this is not very training related, but here goes:

I currently live in Nicaragua working at the Danish embassy (I am danish). So I come home for lunch (I live a couple of mins from the embassy) and I find a note under the door that my water has been cut off...

Back at the embassy I try to call the number on the note - nobody answers, of course. I try the webpage of the watersupplier, and all the pages link to the same - the "where to pay your waterbill" page gives me 404...

Alright, I ask some of the locals at the embassy and get some directions to find the watersupplier, so I can pay the fine and get the water back up and running. I get going, and drive about 30 minutes in the direction I was indicated - and find nothing. I stop to ask someone on the way, who indicates it is a mile ahead - but nothing shows up. So I turn around and get back to the city (I had driven quite far by the time I gave up), and find a gasstation, where I ask where to find this company. The assistent there unfortunately can only show me the water PLANT as such, so I go there (it was close) and ask some people hanging around outside. I get new indications and finally find the offices - I have now been driving around for an hour, and as it turns out, the offices were 5 minutes away from the embassy - people dont give directions well in this country..

Right - get to the offices, park the car, get in, only to be told, that the office I need is a few blocks down. Out, get the car, drive a few blocks, park the car, get in - same message: The office I need is a few blocks further down. Out, get car, drive, park and into the third office, where I finally find someone who is willing to help me.

It turns out, that a bill from july (I moved here in august) had not been paid, and noone had reacted to the letters from the company (either that, or the distributors never delivered the letters, which is quite probable). I rent my house, so my bills get handed in to the landlord. The bill for July was approximately 3,5 USD, the reconnection is another 5 bucks.

So I pay my 8,5 bucks, and get told that the water will be reconnected "some time tomorrow", since the operators cannot be contacted during the day, cause they are out on different sites, and noone has cellphones or any other means to contact them...

So here I am, sweaty and smelly from my workout, with no water to as much as wash my hands. And before you ask: The dump that I call my gym doesnt have shower - not even soap in the sinks in the tiny toilet...

Sometimes it can really be a challenge to live in a Third World Country...

[BillStarr1980]

Got down pretty early (around 5 pm.), pretty pissed off about my day...

Squats:
2x6xbar
1x5x60
1x3x90
1x2x110
3x5x140


Ok squats. Didnt have anyone checking my form today, but was trying this new technique of not rounding my back. They were heavy than they should have been...

Presses:
2x5xbar 20 lbs
1x5x30 lbs
1x3xolympic bar (40 lbs)
1x2x50
3x5x65

Nice and light. Will have no problems progressing from here

Deads:
2x5xbar
1x5x90
1x3x140
1x2x160
1x5x180
3x5xBW

Like the squats they were too hard. I will drop another 20 lbs. off. I feel weak...

Assistence
Hanging leg raises: 2x8xBW

Felt good

Overall

6/10 rating. Both squats and deads werent optimal. I need someone to watch my technique on both. I weighed myself today. I weighed in at 192 lbs (including clothes and water). This means I have lost 10 lbs. since I started cutting a few months back. It is going abit fast, but I am hoping that this programme will help me retain my muscle while cutting the fat.

[BillStarr1980]

Another day of disciplined eating: I will give it a 9/10, since my post-workout shake was a bit delayed.

Breakfast:
40 grammes of oats
400 ml. of skimmed milk
a small handful (10 grams?) of raisins
a teaspoon of olive oil (out of nuts)

Snack:
A very small banana (50 grams)
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of nuts (bought nuts)
2 fish oil capsules

Lunch:
170 grammes of tuna (drained)
a bit of oil
2 slices of whole grain bread

Snack:
Fruit of the day at the office (pineapple again today)
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of nuts
2 fish oil capsules

Workout
No pre-workout drink today, but post-workout I drank a gatorade (35 grammes of carbs) and a scoop of whey (20 grammes of protein).


Dinner:
2 slices of wholegrain bread (no rice because we have no water...)
400 grams of chicken breast
Some nuts

After weighing in at 192 I am considering upping my calorie intake a tad. Maybe add a bit more milk and nuts to my snacks, or adding a shake+nuts snack at night.

[irish.red]

If you don't like squats or are havin a hard time with form don't be afraid to sub in front squats instead...easier to maintain good form IMO

[BillStarr1980]

If you don't like squats or are havin a hard time with form don't be afraid to sub in front squats instead...easier to maintain good form IMO

I love squats. I have just always squatted quite low, which again has cost abit in my lower back. I am now focusing on pushing my knees out and "opening the groin" as it is apparently called. This changes the lift quite abit.

I will try with 145 next time. These weights ought to be doable with no problems, and if I do stall out too quick, then I will have learnt a lesson.

EDIT: This thread has a link to a video with an almost exact representation of how my squat looked when I squatted 200+. Rip apparently doesnt think it is too bad, but I have some problems with my lower back, so I will keep on trying to get better technically. Hopefully without having to go too much for a power squat.

http://strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=177

[BillStarr1980]

I thought I would list my running program. I will begin today, and take a 15 min jog, and do the same on saturday, and then start week 1 next tuesday.

The idea is to run at a comfortable pace, ending up running 5 kilometres (approx 3 miles).

After this program is done, I will keep on running 5 km 3 times a week, each time running a tad faster than the last session.

And that will basically be my cardio.

The programme for building up to the 5 km:


Week 1: 15 minutes (tuesday) 20 minutes (Thursday) 15 minutes (Saturday)

Week 2: 15 minutes (tuesday) 25 minutes (Thursday) 10 minutes (Saturday) 20 minutes (Sunday)

Week 3: 25 minutes (tuesday) 20 minutes (Thursday) 30 minutes (Saturday)

Week 4: 30 minutes (tuesday) 20 minutes (Thursday) 15 minutes (Saturday) 5 km (sunday)

[BillStarr1980]

Did my first run today. 15 minutes followed by 10 minutes of stretching and doing stomach vacuum. Definately an 8/10. It is of course not as smooth as I would like it yet (the run), but felt good and no problem finishing.

Also today was another day of disciplined eating: Basically a 10/10 day.

Breakfast:
40 grammes of oats
400 ml. of skimmed milk
a small handful (10 grams?) of raisins
small handful of almonds

Snack:
A very small banana (50 grams)
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of peanuts (unsalted)
2 fish oil capsules

Lunch:
170 grammes of tuna (drained)
a bit of oil
2 slices of whole grain bread

Snack:
A small banana (no fruit at work today)
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of peanuts
2 fish oil capsules

Workout
No pre-workout drink today, post-workout I had a normal sized banana and a protein shake.

Dinner:
2 slices of wholegrain bread (still no water, ****ing TWC)
400 grams of chicken breast
Small handful of almonds.

All in all a good day.

[BillStarr1980]

Workout #3:

Got in the gym early today, good stuff.

Squats:
2x6xbar
1x5x60
1x3x90
1x2x110
1x1x130
3x5x145


Had a guy look at my form at the gym and I am still a butwinker... Goddamnit!!! I will drop even more weight off, and not increase until my form is tight.

Bench:
2x5xbar
1x5x60
1x3x90
1x2x110
1x1x130
3x5x140

Again not overly challenging, but will increase in 5 lbs. from here on.

Chins:
2x5xBW and 1x6xBW

Pulling myself up quite high, the 6 rep wasnt that easy.

Assistence
Hypers: 3x10xBW
Hanging leg raises: 1x8xBW and 1x9xBW

Quite challenging both of them

Overall

5/10 rating. The squats are a huge disappointment.

[BillStarr1980]

Had lunch with a colleague at his country club, so cut out a snack. Still alright eating though

Breakfast:
40 grammes of oats
400 ml. of skimmed milk
a small handful (10 grams?) of raisins
small handful of almonds

Snack:
A normal banana
300 mls of skimmed milk
a small handful of peanuts (unsalted)
2 fish oil capsules

Lunch:
Ceviche (shrimps, veggies, chili and limejuice, great dish)
Sushi
Salmon
Veggies (avocado, mushrooms etc)
A bit of mashed potatos
To slices of a roast.

Snack:
Nothing today

Workout
No pre-workout today due to the big lunch, post-workout I had a normal sized banana and a protein shake.

Dinner:
Rice (water is back!)
400 grams of chicken breast
A tad of oil with the rice.

After dinner:
I am going out for a bit tonight, so will probably have a few beers, and maybe even a few crisps.

All in all today is something like 8/10. Lunch wasnt controlled, but healthy and protein rich enough. On the other hand a few beers isnt the greatest thing for a diet, but I dont wanna be religious either.

[BillStarr1980]

Workout #4:

Once again not too late to the gym, to beat the crowd.

Squats:
A whole lot of different warm-up and stretching sets, some backsquats, overhead squats, bulgarian split squats and frontsquats.

Turned out that I can break parallel (JUST break parallel) on the front squats without winking. So I did 3x5x60 lbs of those. Will keep adding 5 lbs. to the bar in that excercise until I get the technique and flexibility in place to go lower.

Presses
2x5xbar
1x5x50
1x3x60
3x5x70

Nice and light, will be no problem adding another 5 lbs next time.

Chins:
1x11, 1x8 and 1x5

To just about failure as I have read in the SS-thread. I felt kinda light headed afterwards...

Assistence
Hypers: 3x10xBW
Hanging leg raises: 2x9xBW

Might add weight to my hypers within a couple of workouts.

Overall

6/10 rating. The squats are disappointing, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel...

[BillStarr1980]

Just thought I would make a note that my diet is pretty stable. This weekend I subbed one of my lunches for 2 slices of pizza, and I have also had a couple of beers, but nothing crazy.

I have begun to add a glass of milk or a protein shake + some nuts before I go to bed. I weighed in at 193 yesterday, so maybe I am even overdoing it. But lets see, it can also just be fluctuation.

About running I did another 15 min run+stretches+stomach vacuum this weekend, and today I will do another 15 minutes, starting week 1 of my running-plan, that will have me running 5 km's in about a month.

[BillStarr1980]

Workout #5

Today was great! I warmed up quite alot for the squats, doing 3x5 overheads with the bar, and then ramping the back squats. I got below parallel without rounding my back! It went from arched to flat, but never round - Extremely happy with that.

Form on deads was also top notch today. Weight is significantly below what I could lift, but I am just gonna take it easy - it will get hard fast enough. Benches were fine, and probably the ones where I am closest to my max - though still far from it.

I weighed in at 193 again today. If the weightloss stalls, I will have to look at cutting more into my diet, but will wait for about a week before making any changes.


Squats:
Warmups (lots of stuff)
3x5x140

Bench:
2x5xbar
1x3x90
3x5x145

Deads:
2x5xbar
1x5x90
1x5x140

Assistence
Hanging leg raises: 2x8xBW

[BillStarr1980]

Great run today - 20 minutes as planned. Had to walk home, as I got kinda lost on the way, but I guess that can count as a cooldown.

Did some stomach-vacuums and stretching when I got back. Practicing squatting, and stretching in that position, and also stretching the hams and calves some.

All in all very good. Diet has also been excellent today.

Cant wait to get to the gym again tomorrow and practice more on that backsquat!

[Bob Pataki]

Good job on the squats, my lower back rounds when I go deep so I'm working on this too. I have found tension in the abs and general waist area helps.

Good luck.

[BillStarr1980]

Good job on the squats, my lower back rounds when I go deep so I'm working on this too. I have found tension in the abs and general waist area helps.

Good luck.

Thanks man! I find that it is mostly a question of technique and focus, and then some flexibility. Because when I do it right, I feel the stretch in my hams, groin etc.

Just to remind you: Rip doesnt advocate deep squats, just full squats (ie. breaking parallel). I wont go lower than just breaking parallel until I have a perfectly arched back. And even then I might not drop as low, as I used to.

Also the low bar position helped me alot. In the Starting Strength discussion thread there is a scan of a picture from the book explaining squatting position. This helped me quite abit.

Good luck!

[Tad_T]

Getting the form right while the weight is low is the smart thing to do. And you're right, there is no need to get in a hurry. Even at 5 lbs a workout, the weight piles up quickly.

And I can sympathize with the 3rd world living. I have had a little experience with that myself.

[BillStarr1980]

Getting the form right while the weight is low is the smart thing to do. And you're right, there is no need to get in a hurry. Even at 5 lbs a workout, the weight piles up quickly.

And I can sympathize with the 3rd world living. I have had a little experience with that myself.

Thanks for that. And you are completely right. Even with 5lbs increments we are still talking +15 lbs per week on the squats. So even if the squats are pathetic now, they ought to be back at 200+ in a month or so, if I keep progressing - and this time it will be with proper form!

About the third world living I thank you for your support. I just got my wallet stolen with all my identification papers from Denmark, my only credit card and about a 100 bucks cash (why the hell I carried around so much cash in a country where you pay 1 dollar for a beer I dont know).

Extremely annoying. I am always ridiculously careful with my things in these countries, but they were like 5-6 guys working in unison, so not much I could do. At least I wasnt hurt in any way - a stab wound would really have messed up my progression!

Again thanks for stopping by.

[Tad_T]

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate encounter, at least you weren't hurt.