jshaw's Starting Strength log

[MatTheCur]

That is, of course, assuming that you have any say in the matter when the bar comes down. There's a difference between a semi-controlled descent and 'unexpected bad failure'. It's not the normal rep failures that are the problem, it's the potential for the unforeseen catastrophic failure due to something that's not within our control. If there are reasonable and easy-to-use safety measures to lessen that risk, why not use them?




He said "a slight incline." I doubt he's talking 40+ degrees here. Pecs, deltoids, upper back, triceps, forearms, etc; they'll all still get worked. Ideally he'll figure out a way to continue a completely flat bench safely; but barring that a slight incline in the rack, in my opinion, is a perfectly fine compromise.

Said my peace on it. I'll hush now.

I agree. But I think unless you're moving a 1RM, you'll know before you fail.

You also shouldn't be, at the beginning of your weightlifting journey, pushing yourself to failure, but a rep or two before.

Don't get me wrong, I agree on safety. But failure isn't the right tool for novice lifters to grow.

I know, slight incline probably won't make a difference.

[Bumpus]

Roll of shame FTW!

Some clarification would be nice. What angle of incline are we talking? If you are talking 5 degrees, probably won't change much. 15+ will start to recruit the delts more and more. Where are you worried about failure, un/rack or mid rep? I usually don't worry about the unracking and racking portion. I'm fresh enough to get the bar out and if I can't fully rerack it my bench has several sets of pins that I can make it to.

[jshaw5]

I'll check out the adjustable bench tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll just stick with the flat bench, grab a spotter when there is one. My gym is one of those 24 hour gyms, but there staffed hours don't start until 9am, so there's no gym staff available to spot. I'm not worried about failing during the rack/unrack, just on the last rep or two, so I can go with the roll of shame if needed. I'm actually going to start looking into a new gym though, since I only joined this one because my wife and m-i-l were already members, but they're both cancelling.

[IfNotNow]

jshaw... A few posts ago you started adding points after your lifts. What's that? I tried to search around but maybe I overlooked a post explaining it?

[jshaw5]

jshaw... A few posts ago you started adding points after your lifts. What's that? I tried to search around but maybe I overlooked a post explaining it?

There's a site/game called fitocracy that some people use to log their workouts. It assigns points to everything you log, there's various achievements and stuff, you can follow others, etc. I haven't really looked into it much, but I do find it easier to log my workouts, so I just log them there and copy and paste here.

[jshaw5]

Added the videos to my last workout. After watching them again, I definitely had some forward knee travel on some of the squats, though it didn't look like I GM'd the weight nearly as much as it felt. I also noticed my depth was borderline at best on some of the reps, especially the last set. For the press, I thought my form was much better this time around, much straighter bar path, though I was arching my back a bit towards the end of each set. I think the power cleans looked the best I've done so far. I definitely focused on keeping everything tight in the deadlift portion of it. My rack could use some work, but I definitely think it's improved over last time.

[IfNotNow]

There's a site/game called fitocracy that some people use to log their workouts. It assigns points to everything you log, there's various achievements and stuff, you can follow others, etc. I haven't really looked into it much, but I do find it easier to log my workouts, so I just log them there and copy and paste here.

ahhh I see. i'll check it out. thanks.

[ddog171]

Good workout yesterday. Depth wasn't too bad, the first rep is deep, but then you go shallow for a couple and then hit decent depth towards the end, work on the consistency. Presses look strong!

[dk240t]

I agree. But I think unless you're moving a 1RM, you'll know before you fail.

You also shouldn't be, at the beginning of your weightlifting journey, pushing yourself to failure, but a rep or two before.

Don't get me wrong, I agree on safety. But failure isn't the right tool for novice lifters to grow.

I know, slight incline probably won't make a difference.

That's about how I feel. You are doing sets of 5 at weight just slightly higher than you previously did sets of 5 at. You aren't trying for a 1 rep max significantly higher than anything you've ever lifted before. Use good form, don't use suicide grip, and do the roll of shame if need be, but just avoid having to do that by banging out all the reps. :-D

[FromSquare1]

Its sick to see these increases. Gratz and keep it up! I'm goina sub haha try to catch you.

[jshaw5]

Thursday's Workout

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
100 lb x 5 reps (+45 pts)
160 lb x 3 reps (+54 pts)
215 lb x 2 reps (+67 pts)
275 lb x 5 reps (+148 pts)
275 lb x 5 reps (+148 pts)
275 lb x 5 reps (+148 pts)
Knee felt fantastic today, the ice yesterday and naproxin (aleve) yesterday and today did wonders. I didn't feel any discomfort during the squats. It's just a tad sore now, but nowhere near what it's been like the past week. Squats felt good, heavy as phuck though. Better depth today, not as much forward knee travel. I got a frombe shot on the 2nd set, I can see my knees trying to go in at first, but then I shove them back out. My back was toast after these.


Barbell Bench Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
80 lb x 5 reps (+45 pts)
120 lb x 3 reps (+48 pts)
155 lb x 2 reps (+51 pts)
195 lb x 5 reps (+99 pts)
195 lb x 5 reps (+99 pts)
195 lb x 4 reps (+90 pts)
Failed the last set last rep again, but part of me wants to blame my spotter. I wish I got these on video. On my second set I paused at the top and he went to grab the bar, I had to tell him to back off. Then on the last set, I started to struggle so he grabbed the bar. I stopped pushing and was like I got it, please let go, almost to the point of me trying to pull it away from him. I got it about 3/4 up, but I think I wasted too much energy fighting my spotter mid set. I'm gonna give 195 one last shot next week, if I can get it, I think I'm going to drop back to like 175 and go up in 2.5 lb increments.

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+81 pts)
230 lb x 3 reps (+88 pts)
280 lb x 2 reps (+104 pts)
330 lb x 5 reps (+214 pts)
I honestly thought I had no shot at this after the squats, my back was just exhausted. I had to take a mini break before my last set to reset my hands and feet, and it felt like the knurling on the bar was going to rip the skin off my hands, but I got it. Feels good.


Dips - Chest Version:
6 reps (+31 pts)
6 reps (+31 pts)
5 reps (+25 pts)
I hadn't planned these, but I had a few minutes to spare and was still hungry for more pain, so I just threw a couple sets in. I was surprised I was able to get 6, I wouldn't have guessed more than 3-4.

Overall, just another brutal workout. Ready for bed now.

[Bumpus]

Nice work. On them squats the bar was moving forward as you come out of the hole. Probably related to the knee cave. It was also putting you in a good morning position. I've had this problem too. Keep after it.

[MatTheCur]

Will check vid in the morning (on my phone atm).

Re: spotter.

Tell them, EXPLICITLY, that they are NOT, under ANY circumstances, to touch the bar UNLESS IT IS FALLING TOWARDS YOU.

If they do, tell them you'll make it known that they curl in the squat rack with the bar only.

[ddog171]

I agree with Bumpus, you can see some forward movement of the bar, try and keep it over the middle of the foot throughout the entire path. Looks like you are getting the knee cave in check, you can see them start to cave in and then you cue them out, good job.

Nice deads, but get some chalk.

[jshaw5]

Yeah I see what you guys are saying about the bar travel. It's hard to tell from the camera angles, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm holding the bar too high. Maybe I'll see if my wife can take a picture of my bar placement tonight.

I didn't think I could've been any more clear when I said "All I need you to do is help me unrack it, then take a couple steps back, and I'll let you know if I need you to help." Then again, I'm not sure English was this guy's first language. I'm going to check out a new gym tomorrow, I'm really hoping this one has a power rack so I can just avoid a spotter completely.

For now I am using liquid grip, which I think does the job. When I wiped off my hands during my deadlift set, my hands aren't sweaty at all, the liquid grip does keep them completely dry. I think it's a mental thing, like I feel my grip is starting to slip, so I just wipe my hands out of habit. I am hoping the new gym allows chalk, at which point I will definitely pick some up.

[mellowmarshall]

i wouldnt worry too much about the knee twitch. i used to have it bad and had to reset to correct the issue (weak glutes) but yours looks pretty mild. just make the transition from squatting to standing a bit more slowly, stay tight, and accept the fact that it will probably feel grindy.

[jshaw5]

Saturday's workout

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
100 lb x 5 reps (+45 pts)
160 lb x 3 reps (+54 pts)
220 lb x 2 reps (+69 pts)
280 lb x 5 reps (+153 pts)
280 lb x 5 reps (+153 pts)
280 lb x 5 reps (+153 pts)
Just got my TK knee sleeves and belt, this was my first time using them. My plan is to only use the belt on heavy work sets, but I used it on the last two warmups to get used to it before going heavy. I could definitely notice the difference with both of these. Squats were still heavy but they were the easiest they've been in quite a while. I didn't have my camera, but I wanted to at least get one set on video so I set up my phone.

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)
60 lb x 5 reps (+54 pts)
80 lb x 3 reps (+50 pts)
95 lb x 2 reps (+47 pts)
115 lb x 5 reps (+79 pts)
115 lb x 5 reps (+79 pts)
115 lb x 5 reps (+79 pts)
These were much easier than last time. Last rep was a tiny bit of a grinder but no problem. Probably going to go to 2.5 lb jumps.

Pendlay Row:
45 lb x 5 reps (+27 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+30 pts)
85 lb x 5 reps (+35 pts)
105 lb x 5 reps (+40 pts)
125 lb x 5 reps (+46 pts)
125 lb x 5 reps (+46 pts)
125 lb x 5 reps (+46 pts)
First time doing these, so I set my phone up to record my work sets. I set up a couple 5 lb dumbbells to rest the bar on to set it at the same height as if I had big plates on the bar. I'm loving these things, wish I started doing them earlier. Could definitely use some feedback on form though.

Parallel-Grip Pull-Up:
4 reps (+34 pts)
4 reps (+34 pts)
3 reps (+23 pts)



Song of the day

[jshaw5]

Video added.

[IfNotNow]

Nice lifts - you're making the low depths look easy on your squats.

As for the pendlays, it's a little hard to tell b/c your shirt kind of blends in with the wall in the background, but it looks like there's a rounding in your lower back. This may be because you have to reach so low to get to the bar (I'm having the same issue). It may be as simple as finding something a little taller to set the bar on for the deload between reps.

The write-ups on form also talk about having a slight arch (extension?) in your upper back. Looking forward instead of down may help... or adding a little more bend to your knees. I'm sure you've seen this video before from the other forums, but it's cited several times as an example of good form with the slightly arched upper back I was describing:

[MatTheCur]

Nice lifts - you're making the low depths look easy on your squats.

As for the pendlays, it's a little hard to tell b/c your shirt kind of blends in with the wall in the background, but it looks like there's a rounding in your lower back. This may be because you have to reach so low to get to the bar (I'm having the same issue). It may be as simple as finding something a little taller to set the bar on for the deload between reps.

The write-ups on form also talk about having a slight arch (extension?) in your upper back. Looking forward instead of down may help... or adding a little more bend to your knees. I'm sure you've seen this video before from the other forums, but it's cited several times as an example of good form with the slightly arched upper back I was describing:

Get it from the Man himself (aka: Glenn Pendlay):



You're looking better in Saturday's workout than you were in Thursday's, re squatting.

Don't get too used to the belt right now. It's better to squat without it, until your back SCREAMS at you once. I still haven't put one on (though I'm still working back up to the weights you're using now). You saw your knees trying to cave and corrected; that's FANTASTIC!

How'd the sleeves feel? Keeping your knees warm and all?

[jshaw5]

I see what you're saying about the back rounding. I'll make sure to wear a dark shirt next time to make it easier to see. I think the rounding is due to a combination of being a little chubby in that area, which makes it look more rounded than it is, and poor flexibility making it extremely difficult for me to bend down that far while and still keep my back flat. I was worried about hitting my knees if I bend them too much, but in comparing that video to mine, I think I may have the bar too far under me to start. I'm going to increase to 135 next next, which will allow me to have the proper height without having to focus on setting the bar back down on those dumbbells. Hopefully that will help.

[ddog171]

Nice job on the squats, they looked strong. I agree with IfNotNow about the lower back, looks like it is rounded.

I love the Pendlay rows, wish I would have done them a long time ago too.

[jshaw5]

Monday's Workout

I'm back to my old MWF morning workout schedule. I had switched it up at the request of my wife, but she complained more than ever about my workouts last week, so fak it, I'm just doing what works best for me and gives me the most time to spend with the little guy. In just a short time, I forgot how bad it sucks getting up at 5:30am to go to the gym, but by 6:00am I was reminded why I love it, since I was the only person in the free weights section the entire time I was there.

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+31 pts)
105 lb x 5 reps (+47 pts)
165 lb x 3 reps (+56 pts)
225 lb x 2 reps (+71 pts)
285 lb x 5 reps (+158 pts)
285 lb x 5 reps (+158 pts)
285 lb x 5 reps (+158 pts)

Squats were harder than last time, but not as hard as the few workouts before last. When I had set up my planned progression for the next couple months, I originally put in the spreadsheet that I was going to drop to 2.5 lb increases around this time. I was still going to go through with it after last Thursday's workout that just destroyed me. However, I think the knee sleeves and belt have reenergized my squats, and I feel much better about being able to keep progressing. I actually realized just before my third set that I forgot to put my belt on for the first two sets. I noticed the first couple reps with the belt were a little easier than the first two sets, but not too much difference. I did have an issue with my shoulder/elbow that started to emerge. My shoulder flexibility has been much better lately in getting into the squat position, but it wasn't feeling as good today. Heading into my work sets, my left shoulder started to get sore. However, as it went on, the soreness seemed to be more on the inside of my elbow. It was actually very consistent with soreness I sometimes get when throwing a baseball. I took some naproxin and the soreness is pretty much all gone. I'll probably ice it when I get home too.

Barbell Bench Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
80 lb x 5 reps (+45 pts)
120 lb x 3 reps (+48 pts)
155 lb x 2 reps (+51 pts)
195 lb x 5 reps (+99 pts)
195 lb x 5 reps (+99 pts)
195 lb x 5 reps (+99 pts)

Third try at 195x5x3. As I mentioned previously, I was flying solo in the free weights section, so there wasn't a spotter around. After Thursday's bs, I honestly felt better about trying 195 without the spotter, one less thing to worry about. My setup felt a lot better than it has been previously, though I'm still having trouble getting drive from my legs. First two sets were easier than my previous attempts at 195. Third set got a bit hard at the end, but I finally got it. Fortunately, even though my shoulder and elbow were sore from the squats, it didn't impact the bench at all.

Power Clean:
45 lb x 5 reps (+27 pts)
70 lb x 4 reps (+29 pts)
100 lb x 3 reps (+31 pts)
125 lb x 2 reps (+31 pts)
155 lb x 2 reps (+38 pts)
I keep going back and forth with if and how long I want to keep doing these. After today's attempt, I'm back to leaning towards removing them. My form sucks. I have trouble getting into the rack position, thus I'm catching the bar with my hands. I actually felt better during my warmups this morning. Then my first work set came. I failed my first attempt, almost got it up, caught it with my hands, but couldn't get my shoulders under it. I put the bar down, took a 10 second break, then gave it another shot. I got the first two reps, though I definitely caught it with my hands real bad. I failed the last rep again similar to my first attempt, but my wrist rolled over weird underneath the bar. Fortunately it just felt weird and did hurt at all. Catching the bar in my hands definitely did aggravate my shoulder/elbow more though. I had no desire to keep trying them, so I just packed up and left. In hindsight, maybe I should've stayed at a lighter weight and just keep working on form. I just feel like I would get more benefit from doing some other lift. I was actually thinking about changing up my routine a bit. It will still be SS, but maybe replacing squats with front squats on one day, get rid of power cleans, and make pullups, dips, and back extensions part of the schedule rather than adding them in when I have time. I'm going to give it some thought and post a planned schedule.

[Bumpus]

Made those squats look pretty easy. On bench, I think your perceived lack of leg drive comes from what looks like an overall lack of tightness. I think you'd be better off starting with your feet on the ground, you lose a lot of tightness when you move your feet from the peg to the floor. Also, can't tell because of the music, when are you breathing?

[MatTheCur]

You bench, like Bumpus said, looks loose.

Have a look at this:



It's a LONG series, so you may want to search for it on youtube. Basically, the bench press is a compound exercise because your entire body is involved, not just your chest. Tight, squeezed upper back with your lats engaged, arch in the back for stability, and your legs driving back towards the bench, giving you extra support and strength.

There are a LOT of cues.

I watched Bombdonald's bench set ups, and have derived my own. I may end up going with feet on bench to arch, though.

One big thing, too, is that you're swinging out a lot from the rack. If you have a minute, you can check my log too. My form isn't terrible, and you might be able to see a few things you can change.

[jshaw5]

I feel like when I first set up, I do get the tightness and arch in my back. Maybe I am losing some of it when I put my feet back on the floor like Bumpus said, but I think it feels more so that I am losing it when I unrack the bar. I think the height of the rack is causing an issue for me. If you look at my arms when I'm setting up, they're pretty much straight when I grab it, so in order to push it up off the rack, I have to push my shoulders up, which is where I think I'm losing it. I have watched some of Bombdonald's videos and your logs, but I'm going to take another look, and I'm definitely going to check out that EliteFTS bench video tonight. Thanks for the feedback.

[jshaw5]

As I mentioned previously, I've been considering making some small changes to my routine.

I keep going back and forth about power cleans, my poor form and inability to get the rack position right makes me not want to do them, but I feel like they're just too beneficial to completely ignore. Not wanting to just practice form at lesser weights when I could be taking advantage of newbie gains, I started looking into high pulls. From what I can tell, they seem to give all the benefits of the explosive part of power cleans, without having to rack it. I think what I'm going to do is basically replace the power cleans with high pulls for now, but after my high pull work sets, I'll do a few sets of power cleans at a lighter weight (maybe sit at 135 for a while) to work on form.

I'm also thinking of replacing squats with front squats on my deadlift day. Deadlifts are getting damn heavy, and I think replacing squats with front squats on that day will help keep my back fresher for my deadlifts. Also, I think the front squats will go a long way in helping me increase my wrist/shoulder flexibility, thus making it easier for me to use proper form on the power cleans.

The last change I want to make is to make pullups, dips, and back extensions are regular occurrence in my routine, rather than just randomly inserted when I have an extra 5-10 minutes.

So here is my new planned routine, alternating between the two weekly routines, starting on Monday, although I might do integrate some of these changes into tomorrow and Friday's workouts. Comments?

Week 1
Monday - Squat, Bench, High Pulls, Power Cleans, Pullups
Wednesday - Front Squat, Press, Deadlift, Dips
Friday - Squat, Bench, Pendlay Rows, Back Extensions

Weeks 2
Monday - Squat, Press, High Pulls, Power Cleans, Pullups
Wednesday - Front Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Dips
Friday - Squat, Press, Pendlay Rows, Back Extensions

[ddog171]

Liking the new plan. Never thought about doing high pulls, you'll have to let us know how they workout. I can see their benefit though.

[jshaw5]

Liking the new plan. Never thought about doing high pulls, you'll have to let us know how they workout. I can see their benefit though.

It's funny, neither did I, honestly didn't even know exactly what high pulls were. I wasn't sure what I was going to do in place of power cleans, otherwise I had just about made up my mind to give them up. Then I was looking back through one of my subs just to see how he had progressed through SS and another program. I was skipping through 10 pages at a time and I just happened to come across a discussion about high pulls being the same as power cleans without the rack. I started looking into them more and they seemed perfect for me to develop and progress with the explosion required for power cleans while I worked on the rack through light power cleans and front squats.

[jshaw5]

Wednesday's Workout

Got the usual 4-5 hours of sleep, tired as fack.

Front Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
45 lb x 5 reps (+36 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+41 pts)
90 lb x 3 reps (+39 pts)
110 lb x 5 reps (+55 pts)
135 lb x 5 reps (+66 pts)
135 lb x 4 reps (+60 pts)
135 lb x 5 reps (+66 pts)
First time doing these, definitely need to get used to them. I read that you should be able to front squat about 70-75% of your back squat, which would put me at about 200 lb for work sets, but I definitely wanted to start light and focus more on form, so I worked up to 135 lb work sets. My plan was to do 5 reps on all sets, even the warmups, though I kinda forgot about it on my third warmup set and only did 3. I started off using the clean grip. I could tell from the warmup weights that I was going to have trouble with this grip, especially as the weights get heavy. I can't assume the rack position and have my upper arms parallel to the floor, even with my wrists bent all the way back and only using two fingers on the bar. As I descend, I can feel the weight wanting to roll off my shoulder, putting stress on my fingers and wrists trying to hold it in place. By the time I got up to my work sets, I didn't think I was going to be able to keep the bar on my shoulders using that grip, so I switched over to the crossed arm grip. The first set kinda felt awkward, though I did get all 5 reps. On the second set, I decided to try the clean grip again, but just before the 5th rep, the bar rolled off my shoulders. I switched back to the crossed arm grip for the last set, which did go better that the first. Though the crossed arm grip is easier for me to hold, I think the clean grip is better, so my short term plan is to use the clean grip on all my warmups, then switch to the crossed arm grip for work sets. I think the clean grip on warmups combined with some additional stretching will help increase my flexibility and I'll be able to switch over to the clean grip on my work sets as well.

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+49 pts)
60 lb x 5 reps (+54 pts)
80 lb x 3 reps (+50 pts)
100 lb x 2 reps (+48 pts)
120 lb x 5 reps (+82 pts)
120 lb x 5 reps (+82 pts)
120 lb x 5 reps (+82 pts)
I thought about going with 2.5 lb jumps after I failed 115 last Tuesday, but it just felt so much stronger on Saturday, I decided to just go for 120. It probably would have been smarter to do 117.5, but I had no problems with 120. I think I'm going to shoot for 125 next time, then go with 2.5 lb jumps after that.

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+81 pts)
235 lb x 3 reps (**** pts)
285 lb x 2 reps (+107 pts)
335 lb x 5 reps (+222 pts)
Heavy deadlifts are heavy. I intended to belt up on these. To try to get used to it before my work set, I put it on for 235 and 285. For 235, I put it on the second set of holes, which is one hole looser than I wear it for squats. When I reached down to grab the bar, the belt was shoving into my pelvis, and some of my fat was getting pinched between the belt and my pelvis. For 285, I tightened the belt to the third set of holes, same as I use for squats, but it didn't make it any better. It was so uncomfortable I said screw it and took it off before I even did 285. I left it off for 335. If it makes any sense, they felt heavier than last week, but at the same time they felt better. Locking out on the last rep was tough as hell and my grip was starting to give out. When I was putting the weight back down, the bar slipped out of my hands a few inches from the floor.

Dips - Chest Version:
7 reps (+37 pts)
7 reps (+37 pts)
7 reps (+37 pts)
At some point during my workout the elbow pain I got Monday resurfaced. Maybe I should've skipped dips, but there's something about getting a heavy deadlift that just makes me want to keep going. The elbow felt a little sore descending for the first rep, but didn't bother me for the rest of the dips. They felt much easier this time, probably could've got 8 reps, but the last rep would've been a real grinder.

I didn't have time to copy the vids to a flash drive before heading off to work, so I'll have to upload them tonight or tomorrow.