JohnB's Journey

[johnblythe]

STARTING STRENGTH
WORKOUT B
Squats:
45 - 2x5
65 - 1x5
100 - 1x3
135 - 1x2

170 - 3x5

no real issues. it seems like my biggest issue is endurance at this point. my heart is going crazy, hard to control breathing, etc. after the 3rd or 4th rep in set 2 and 3. wasn't super easy, but felt good.

Press:
45 - 2x5
45 - 1x5
60 - 1x3
75 - 1x2

~92.5 - 3x5

I say ~92.5 cause I'm unsure. I work half a mile from a sporting goods store, so I went there are 2 yesterday so I could grab some 1.25 lb weights before the workout in the afternoon. Well, they didn't have any, so I resorted to throwing two collars on there. The weights they represent are approximate because my digital scale isn't very consistent. So it could have been 92, 93 or maybe even 94 pounds, who knows.

Reps weren't too bad. I did unintentionally give a slight press to the final rep of set 2, so it was a semi cheat. Other than that, all went smoothly.

Cleans:
45 - 2x5
60 - 1x5
80 - 1x3
95 - 1x2

~117.5 - 5x3

Again, weight is approximate due to collars. These are getting tough. Last week's (Friday) @ 115 was a bit rough. These were as well. Definitely going to invest time in Rippetoe's chapter on the Clean this weekend so I can make sure my form is good and don't get myself jacked up. May decide to stay at this weight for that next run depending on how off I feel I am form-wise after reading through. We'll see.

------------------

Great workout. Wore me out big time. We got a little a/c unit but it hardly helps. The heat from the backend of it (it's a wall mount unit but we don't have it mounted in the wall) causes the shed to be even hotter than it is w/o it in there if I close the door (tried doing that to cool the place off half an hour before the workout). So, to make it not completely counterproductive I have to leave the shed door open, so there goes the cold air. Whatevz, will probably invest in a portable a/c unit this weekend cause it's only going to get hotter. It feels like working out in a sauna situated in an attic. The heat/humidity drains your energy big time!

One other big thing, at least for me: I broke through the mental barrier even more yesterday. I didn't get any anxiety beforehand regarding squats. I didn't have to give myself a big pep talk. I didn't write down the number and '5/5/5/' and then the date on my dry erase board (something I had started doing last week to help pep myself). Listened to something besides the same song, ha.

Still had to work, but didn't have to worry about all this other stuff. Super glad to really be moving on and moving forward. Looking forward to 175 tomorrow. Next week I'll hit my bodyweight which will be awesome. Another week after that 200. Who'd have thought it just a month ago?? Not this guy!

[CHOOSE]

in for 175.

also, in before your next workout scheme after Starting Strength is Super Squats.

[johnblythe]

in for 175.

also, in before your next workout scheme after Starting Strength is Super Squats.

i'm not even positive i know what that means, but sure thing

[johnblythe]

polly got me some new kicks the other day that i got to break in yesterday. they aren't actual chucks, just a knock off, but work all the same. only issue is that the left one has something in it that rubbed the crap out of my little toe and gave me a blister. probably will be a non-issue in the gym, though. i think the problem came in from walking around and running around during a frisbee match after the workout at the bonfire/grillout we hosted




here's the collaring i was using for micro-loading (as opposed to none):




and, finally, my workout buddy yesterday was Henry:

[CHOOSE]

i'm not even positive i know what that means, but sure thing

lol Super Squats aka Squats n Milk aka a bunch of different names is where you do this thing called 20 rep "breathing squats." The idea is that you take a weight you can comfortably do 10 reps with and do 20... no matter what, without racking the bar. Some people may go 5-10 seconds between reps and it may take many minutes to complete all 20 reps. You mentioned how difficult the squats were today in the 5 rep range- I am just imagining how you would do with the Super Squats scheme.

That is a cute dog.

edited something out.

take care jb

[BrettT07]

That squat progress is coming strong again, excellent to see. Hopefully these gains keep coming along like this for a while.

185 will be good cause I've always viewed the quarter as like a mini-milestone before getting to the next full plate (25 vs 45). Then obviously 200 will be a great milestone as well. Looking forward to seeing you reach those.

[johnblythe]

lol Super Squats aka Squats n Milk aka a bunch of different names is where you do this thing called 20 rep "breathing squats." The idea is that you take a weight you can comfortably do 10 reps with and do 20... no matter what, without racking the bar. Some people may go 5-10 seconds between reps and it may take many minutes to complete all 20 reps. You mentioned how difficult the squats were today in the 5 rep range- I am just imagining how you would do with the Super Squats scheme.

That is a cute dog.

edited something out.

take care jb

ahhhh, gotcha. sounds intense!

he's an awesome dog, fo sho.

i think i remember you asking about jobs, so i'll answer it anyway . i'm bi-vocational. i work 8-5, mon-fri doing web development. i also am the lead pastor of a church plant here in town.

see you around again soon!

That squat progress is coming strong again, excellent to see. Hopefully these gains keep coming along like this for a while.

185 will be good cause I've always viewed the quarter as like a mini-milestone before getting to the next full plate (25 vs 45). Then obviously 200 will be a great milestone as well. Looking forward to seeing you reach those.

yes sir. looking forward to busting through the 185 because of mini-milestone like you said as well as it being body weight, so double milestone. then comes 200 the next week. can't really believe it. would have laughed if i was being told a month ago that i'd get this high up, seemed so impossible for these long legs of mine. but work has a way of working

[Jasonpan]

That squat progress is coming strong again, excellent to see. Hopefully these gains keep coming along like this for a while.

185 will be good cause I've always viewed the quarter as like a mini-milestone before getting to the next full plate (25 vs 45). Then obviously 200 will be a great milestone as well. Looking forward to seeing you reach those.

^^x2 Bro!

Always nice to add a 1/4 on there, makes those silly 10lb plates look...well silly!

Good job as always, keep it up, and before you know it you'll be squatting twice your BW!

[johnblythe]

^^x2 Bro!

Always nice to add a 1/4 on there, makes those silly 10lb plates look...well silly!

Good job as always, keep it up, and before you know it you'll be squatting twice your BW!

thanks man! always have appreciated the support you've given since the beginning of my journey!

[johnblythe]

STARTING STRENGTH
WORKOUT A
Squats:
45 - 2x5
70 - 1x5
105 - 1x3
140 - 1x2

175 - 1x5, 2x3

Unfortunately didn't get'm all. I don't feel defeated though, so that in itself is pretty huge. I'm more pissed than anything, raring to get back in there and crush 175. I'll detail more thoughts as to the 'why'—or at least my theories—down below

Bench:
45 - 2x5
45 - 1x5
65 - 1x3
90 - 1x2

130 - 1x3

Say what??! Exactly. Read below.

Deads:
Skipped

------------------

WTF right? Right! I had some issues and then decided to tap out. Here's a lengthier version of what I think happened and then I'll provide cliffs down below:

I have three things that I'm thinking were the cause of today's workout. First, though I don't know the exact temperature, if I had to guess I would say it was about 100 degrees in the shed. [i]After half the workout and showering and getting dressed to go out to a family birthday dinner, the temp was 93 outside. That was around 5:30. I started working out at 4. It was hotter at 4. It was hotter inside the shed. Do the math and you arrive ~100 if not more. By the middle of my little warm ups for squats I was already sweating like crazy (with a fan and an a/c unit [crappy one] in there). So, all that to say, I feel it really drained me. The stuffiness in there is just killer on energy levels. I obviously can do 175 since I did it once x5, my endurance gave out because energy was gone. The same is true for the bench. After not getting the squats in, I decided I wouldn't move my bench forward +5 after all so I don't wreck on that as well. Well last bench day I did the weight 1x5, x5, x3. I only got three today and then was crapped out. Thus I decided to not try to do something my body was obviously fighting me over. I hated it cause I had been excited about the workout all day. I actually skipped lunch (ate food at the obvious, so no worries) so I could leave early to fit my workout in before heading out for a family birthday shindig. Obviously something (energy!) was missing for me in it all.

Secondly, I changed my form up on squats a bit. It was definitely for the better. I realized I had been having a bad grip more or less. My grip had changed to where I wasn't supporting the bar's weight anymore sometime last week after reading through Ripp's chapter. I had been placing the bar, however, higher up than I ought by having a narrower grip. So I had had a high bar placement instead of low bar. Well, that seemingly contributed to my mini-good mornings (everyone familiar w/ that exercise?) which used more of my back thus taking some work out of the legs on the concentric portion of the movement. Now, with a lower bar placement, the legs had to work more. This is a good thing, but 'bad' in that they weren't used to doing as much for as long, so they gave out more quickly.

Thirdly, I was more sore today from Wednesday's workout (primarily from cleans I think) than I was yesterday. There's a good chance that it's because my form is still lacking (haven't gotten to PC chapter in SS) or just because I'm a little girl. In either case, my body was still recooping it seems, so that probably didn't help in any way either, especially considering most of the soreness was in the lower and mid back regions.

So, those are my three theories as to why today wasn't too hot. It could be one, it could be two or it could be a mixture of all three. I don't really know and at this point I don't care all that much. I just know I want to bust it up on Monday. Actually, I want to go back in tomorrow and redo it but I know that'd exacerbate the problem, especially if 1 and/or 3 were contributing factors.

I will be buying a portable A/C unit this weekend to help cool down the place before working out there in the afternoons. I can't afford to take 8 minute breaks between sets just to make up for the energy zap that the heat adds to the already tough workout. I'll also be doing some good stretching, bodyweight form work and continued reading in Rippetoe this weekend to get things ready and going for Monday.

Part of me wants to go ahead and move on because I feel like I could have done the 175 without much problem under normal circumstances. It wasn't easy—never seems to be—but it wasn't crazy hard either, was just hard to keep pumping them out and endure the continued load. May hold back and do 175 again on Monday just so I can know how well prepared I am to do it and destroy it before moving on. Same probably will apply for bench just to be safe, but we'll see.

So all in all I felt it wise to just tap and let my body rest since it seemed like it obviously needed it and was going against me in my effort to work. Again, I think it's a good thing and a pretty big thing that I didn't feel defeated or like a failure in this. Rather, I felt wise. I felt a bit ancy to get out there again in the right state of being and do it right, but besides the general excitement to progress (and associated ego), I feel this was a good choice. Ultimately, the only failure is not showing up and not working. Work will produce results, period, so there is no 'failure' as long as their is work and wisdom in the process of all of this.

Cliffs: -3 ideas of why today was weaksauce
1) ~100+ degrees in the shed stole my energy out from under me, thus endurance became a huge issue
2) new (better) form on squats caused more work in the legs that they weren't used to or prepared for causing them to give out sooner
3) hadn't fully recovered from wednesday either because of just hard work (maybe not enough rest, etc?) or was beat up extra because of poor form (on powercleans)
-will repeat 175 on monday to tear it up even though it felt like it wasn't too hard to do and move on (again, just had issues in endurance)
-you guys are all beastly which makes me hate failure even more, but i'm realizing that there is no failure, there's only work which produces results or no work which produces stupid and fat

[ngolsen]

Cliffs: -3 ideas of why today was weaksauce
1) ~100+ degrees in the shed stole my energy out from under me, thus endurance became a huge issue
2) new (better) form on squats caused more work in the legs that they weren't used to or prepared for causing them to give out sooner
3) hadn't fully recovered from wednesday either because of just hard work (maybe not enough rest, etc?) or was beat up extra because of poor form (on powercleans)
-will repeat 175 on monday to tear it up even though it felt like it wasn't too hard to do and move on (again, just had issues in endurance)
-you guys are all beastly which makes me hate failure even more, but i'm realizing that there is no failure, there's only work which produces results or no work which produces stupid and fat

Gotta start vidding your workouts bro. Cant diagnose without seeing form. And more than likely (99% sure) your form is off

[johnblythe]

Gotta start vidding your workouts bro. Cant diagnose without seeing form. And more than likely (99% sure) your form is off

will start trying to video. i've done a few for myself to check out but it's not the best angle due to the nature of the shed. can't get far enough from the power rack on teh side to see very well and a behind view doesn't do much for seeing what's up. will work on getting some for you dudes though so you can rip it up

[ngolsen]

will start trying to video. i've done a few for myself to check out but it's not the best angle due to the nature of the shed. can't get far enough from the power rack on teh side to see very well and a behind view doesn't do much for seeing what's up. will work on getting some for you dudes though so you can rip it up

Then move the rack around Side view or about 30 deg angle from the front is best.

[candyflip69]

My god - if you analyse everything in your life as much as you analyse your workouts, it would be amazing that you get anything done!!

Relax my friend - you missed a mark you set. No biggie.. Get some A/C, some rest, less distractions, and try again next week.

You'll get there.

[BrettT07]

I know all about that heat.. and it sucks for sure. Hopefully that AC unit will help and let you hit those workouts super hard.

I sweat like crazy when the gym is set at the low 70s I think, 100+ would be miserable.


Next workout I bet you'll come back ready to annihilate.

[johnblythe]

Then move the rack around Side view or about 30 deg angle from the front is best.

i'll measure it out and see if it's possible. the issue would be the bench being able to be pulled out. going out there to check in the next hour or so and will probably do some empty bar vids of form just to get feedback pre-monday

My god - if you analyse everything in your life as much as you analyse your workouts, it would be amazing that you get anything done!!

Relax my friend - you missed a mark you set. No biggie.. Get some A/C, some rest, less distractions, and try again next week.

You'll get there.

i do for me, if i can't explain something then i can't understand how to overcome it (assuming it's a challenge like this). had to figure it out since i felt great, didn't feel super strained but simply didn't have much gas.

indeed, will get things taken care of and progress in due time. like we discussed prior, form is king, and i think i fixed another form issue yesterday so it'll only help in the long run.

I know all about that heat.. and it sucks for sure. Hopefully that AC unit will help and let you hit those workouts super hard.

I sweat like crazy when the gym is set at the low 70s I think, 100+ would be miserable.


Next workout I bet you'll come back ready to annihilate.

ooo ya, almost forgot i had another alabama boy with me you know what it's like then! or at least can imagine. i was already wiping my brow when i moved the bench out from the power rack, if that says much about how quickly the heat/humidity was getting to me.

annihilation sounds good, let's do it

thanks everyone-

[johnblythe]

well, i'm sick today. came down with something (reason #4, candyflip? ). will be taking it extra easy, eating well, sippin' on joe all day, reading (gonna blaze through some SS chapters) and generally chillin out. looking forward to some of the fights tonight. any UFC fans in the house??

ngolsen, measured things out and it's not looking very doable to move it around. i could move the bench out of the way for squats, but to get it out of the way to do stuff in front of the rack (press, cleans, etc.) would be difficult at best. it'll be easier to figure out a way/angle/method to video as is so i'll get to work on that. want to have your form even w/ my goofily long legs

sick or not, i'm already freakin pumped about monday, can't wait to tear it up. unlike last time i didn't complete reps and got beat up by it, i'm itching to break through. rockin' out on the air guitar:

[MatTheCur]

I'm just wondering why you have had the AC unit sitting in the doorway... Is that how you've always had it in the shed? Is it one that you use in the house, but you've got temporarily in the shed?

'Cause, y'know, if it's NOT one that you use in the house, you need to take an hour and set that up properly in a window... With it sitting in the doorway, or even just in the shed with no separation from the outside, it'll blow up soon. Though I'm sure you know that.

Hope the portable helps out more, brohim.

[johnblythe]

I'm just wondering why you have had the AC unit sitting in the doorway... Is that how you've always had it in the shed? Is it one that you use in the house, but you've got temporarily in the shed?

'Cause, y'know, if it's NOT one that you use in the house, you need to take an hour and set that up properly in a window... With it sitting in the doorway, or even just in the shed with no separation from the outside, it'll blow up soon. Though I'm sure you know that.

Hope the portable helps out more, brohim.

bingo.

i was going to get a portable a/c but polly's mom said they had one so we waited a day or two til she could get out there to pick it up. they went up to the attic and lo and behold...it's a window unit. but it's "portable" to mom-in-law because you can pick it up

so ya, we aren't mounting it or keeping it, which is partially why it is of no help. the heat produced by the back end overcomes the cool produced by the unit itself, which is why i had it next to the door, to let heat escape. inevitably, though, it caused much of if not all of the cool to escape right out the door as well. so all in all it was hardly worth even turning on, only felt good to sit next to it during rests while under the rack it felt like a sauna again which = no bueno!

going to home depot today or tomorrow to grab a real/good air unit. thanks!

[MatTheCur]

bingo.

i was going to get a portable a/c but polly's mom said they had one so we waited a day or two til she could get out there to pick it up. they went up to the attic and lo and behold...it's a window unit. but it's "portable" to mom-in-law because you can pick it up

so ya, we aren't mounting it or keeping it, which is partially why it is of no help. the heat produced by the back end overcomes the cool produced by the unit itself, which is why i had it next to the door, to let heat escape. inevitably, though, it caused much of if not all of the cool to escape right out the door as well. so all in all it was hardly worth even turning on, only felt good to sit next to it during rests while under the rack it felt like a sauna again which = no bueno!

going to home depot today or tomorrow to grab a real/good air unit. thanks!

I should post a pic or two of the units we have here... We'll be putting them in soon, and it's quite a production...

1. Bring up unit.
2. Remove entire window.
3. Mount unit with a silly contraption that makes sure it doesn't fall out.
4. Install sheets of plastic all around.
5. Use clear, gummy caulking to seal the deal.

It's so much fun.

[momwithmuscle]

In on this thread, good luck!

[BrettT07]

The Office is by far my favorite show of all time

[candyflip69]

. looking forward to some of the fights tonight. any UFC fans in the house??

Right here!

My picks for tonite:

Rampage Jackson Vs Matt Hamill
Winner = Rampage
By = KO
In The = 2nd

Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson
Winner = Mir
By = Submission
In The = 1st

Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story
Winner = Story
By = Decision
In The = all the way

Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne
Winner = Struve
By = TKO
In The = 3rd

Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago
Winner = Stann to continue UFC dominance over Strikeforce champs
By = Decision
In The = all the way

[Jasonpan]

Gotta start vidding your workouts bro. Cant diagnose without seeing form. And more than likely (99% sure) your form is off

This +1

[ngolsen]

UK Office > US Office

Ricky Gervais > Brick

[johnblythe]

Right here!

My picks for tonite:

Rampage Jackson Vs Matt Hamill
Winner = Rampage
By = KO
In The = 2nd

Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson
Winner = Mir
By = Submission
In The = 1st

Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story
Winner = Story
By = Decision
In The = all the way

Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne
Winner = Struve
By = TKO
In The = 3rd

Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago
Winner = Stann to continue UFC dominance over Strikeforce champs
By = Decision
In The = all the way

good stuff and pretty accurate as far as winners go. those last two fights were BOOOOOORING. loved seeing stefan get rocked like that. i figured he'd win cause he always ends up pulling it out, but he's normally such a punk so i was pleasantly surprised to see him get some.

This +1

working on it, will probably have one or two empty bar vids up this afternoon

UK Office > US Office

Ricky Gervais > Brick

apples =/= oranges

uk version is great, no doubt, but american version has been quite a great ride as well.

[johnblythe]

looks like i need to get a bit lower, maybe having that 'universal issue' that ripp mentions of gut hitting the legs and then coming up instead of finishing the desecnt

grill it for me

[ngolsen]

looks like i need to get a bit lower, maybe having that 'universal issue' that ripp mentions of gut hitting the legs and then coming up instead of finishing the desecnt

grill it for me

1 - move the bar lower to under the traps (sitting on delts)
2 - set your lumbar and thoracic extension then SIT BACK not down
3 - next time take a vid with a bit of weight on the bar and with enough angle to see the feet also need to see feed/knee angle
4 - without seeing your feet, your weight looks over your toes, and very little hip drive. This is probably cause from high bar position and very little weight on the bar. My bar warmups probably look horrendous too

[johnblythe]

1 - move the bar lower to under the traps (sitting on delts)
2 - set your lumbar and thoracic extension then SIT BACK not down
3 - next time take a vid with a bit of weight on the bar and with enough angle to see the feet also need to see feed/knee angle
4 - without seeing your feet, your weight looks over your toes, and very little hip drive. This is probably cause from high bar position and very little weight on the bar. My bar warmups probably look horrendous too

cool man, i appreciate the thoughts.

the one that is especially rattling around in my mind is #2 with sitting back instead of down. i thought rip says to get those knees sticking out nearly all the way by the time you're around 1/3 of the motion and then the rest of the movement is the hips displacing downward. i guess the 'downward' portion is what i'm off on.

i'll have my workout partner w/ me tomorrow so i should be able to get him to stand in the little gap between the wall and rack to get a better angle of what's going on, with weight on at that.

thanks!

[candyflip69]

I'd say generally 'slow dowwnnn' in your movement. Not sure what Rippetoe says, but you look rushed to me and that's disguising your back coming in and catching some weight for you.

Agree with above - put 50 pounds on the bar and do them again for us? Do them slow though so we can catch your movements up and down, and take the shot a little longer so we can see your feet.

Oh, and 2 other quick ones:

* keep your abs tight and held all the way down and up. This will keep the weight on your legs and take your back out of the equation.
* chest out, eyes a little above a straight ahead look. So about horizontal plus 15-20 degrees should do it.. Your back can't engage if its arched and your head doesn't drop.

g'luck