conorvansmack's Training Journal

[gramboh]

I agree on the workout time, people talk about doing 5x5 in an hour including warm-up which I just can't see. For me it was minimum 90 minutes up to 120 minutes when I was reaching my max for 5x5 squat as I had to rest a lot. Maybe <60min 5x5 is possible if you are just starting out and don't need to rest. I find 3x5 is taking me 90 minutes from the time I get out of my car, change, warm-up (10min), lift, stretch after lifting, get back in car.

For deads, as SC says you might be worried about CNS fatigue. If you are near your max for squatting and deads, you are going to hit a wall doing 3 heavy sets of deads after 3/5 heavy sets of squats. I've always just done one heavy working set, with maybe a double/triple at a slightly lower weight before to get some more volume. But only you know your body and what will work best, for example I am deloading on DL's right now so I am doing two working sets and more warm up reps to work on technique issues, I am ok with the volume since I am not near my max.

 

[conorvansmack]

10/27

I was short on time tonight so I only did 3 x 5. Could this end up hurting me when I increase the weight and go for 5 x 5 next time I do this workout?

6 minutes on elliptical

Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 175, 2 @ 205, 3 x 5 @ 215

Bench Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 185, 3 x 5 @ 195

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 135, 3 @ 165, 3 x 5 @ 175

Dips - 15, 12, 8
I finally hit 15. I'll start doing weighted dips next workout. I ran out of gas on the last set.

Hanging Leg Raise - 3 x 12

 

[conorvansmack]

10/29

7 minutes on elliptical

Front Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 115, 5 x 5 @ 135

OH Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 3 @ 105, 5 @ 115

Deadlift - 10 GM's w/bar, 5 SLDL w/bar, 5 @ 135, 3 @ 185, 2 @ 205, 2 x 5 @ 235

Pull ups - 9, 8, 6, 4, 3 - I'm working toward getting 30 in as few sets as possible

OH Squat - 10 w/bar, 10 @ 65, 10 @ 75
I didn't feel this in my abs as much as I expected.

Crunches - 2 x 12 - slow exhale at the top

I'm feeling especially manly because I tore a callus on one hand and used big plates for front squats. That feeling will probably go away when I'm humbled by stalling on something soon.

 

[conorvansmack]

11/1

Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 175, 5 @ 205, 5 x 5 @ 215

Bench Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 185, 5 x 5 @ 200
I really wrestled with the bar on the last rep of the last set, but I hit my goal!

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 135, 2 @ 165, 5 x 5 @ 175

Dips - 5 unweighted, 2 x 5 @ 10, 1 x 10 @ 10
This is my first set of weighted dips ever, so I decided to start low. By the third set, I just wanted to see how many I could do.

 

[conorvansmack]

11/3

Front Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 115, 3 @ 135, 5 x5 @ 145

OH Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 4 @ 105, 5 x 5 @ 120

Deadlift - 10 GM and 5 SLDL w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 3 @ 205, 2 @ 225, 2 x 5 @ 240

Chin ups - 10, 10, 5, 4, 1

 

[conorvansmack]

11/6

Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 175, 3 @ 205, 3 x 5 @ 220

Bench Press - 12 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 190, 3 x 5 @ 205

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 145, 5 @ 165, 3 x 5 @ 180

Dips - 8 w/o weight, 3 x 5 @ 15

I had to shorten my workout today. I'll be doing the same weights 5 x 5 Monday, but I may keep increasing on the dips. I've been concerned about my squat technique, too much forward lean and not reaching back far enough with my hips. The gym owner is going to help me out on Monday. I tried doing wall squats, not wall sits, and they helped. I got the idea from Squat Rx. He explains/does them at about 2:54. The trick for me is remembering the movement when I'm at the gym with weight on my back.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: conorvansmack
11/6

Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 175, 3 @ 205, 3 x 5 @ 220

Bench Press - 12 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 190, 3 x 5 @ 205

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 145, 5 @ 165, 3 x 5 @ 180

Dips - 8 w/o weight, 3 x 5 @ 15

I had to shorten my workout today. I'll be doing the same weights 5 x 5 Monday, but I may keep increasing on the dips. I've been concerned about my squat technique, too much forward lean and not reaching back far enough with my hips. The gym owner is going to help me out on Monday. I tried doing wall squats, not wall sits, and they helped. I got the idea from Squat Rx. He explains/does them at about 2:54. The trick for me is remembering the movement when I'm at the gym with weight on my back.

Nice to see someone willing to put some effort into proper squat technique. It used to frustrate during college when I went to the gym and saw someone squatting (which was rare in it's own right) with stick legs and 2-3x their BW ... by half-squatting. When those quads were still 30 degrees above parallel :roll:. If you aren't breaking parallel, you aren't squatting. I spent a good amount of time (and dropped some weight) to get my squat form where it should be.

I was just looking, that SquatRx vid is pretty good, but there are some awful how to squat vids on youtube. I was just looking around and man, half of these trainers are saying just about parallel is good enough .. eek. Someone wants a knee/back injury. Just search YouTube for "Rippetoe Squat" and watch the vids of Coach Rippetoe coaching up the squat. Pretty damned good.

 

[conorvansmack]

Thanks for the encouragement. I dug around on youtube for awhile looking for front squat technique and found SquatRx. While they aren't nearly as exciting, interesting, or technical as Coach Rip, they are good. Some of the stuff out there (the British female aerobic instructor for one) is down right dreadful.:shocked:

Greg Everett from Catalyst Athletics differs from Rippetoe on high bar vs. low bar. His rationale is that keeping the body vertical is better for Olympic lifts. I can't tell if he coaches people to reach back with their hips and then descend, or to just extend/"un-hinge" the hips and descend. Maybe I'm talking about the same thing. If I don't get enough guidance on Monday, I'll likely post a video.

This is the main reason I'm alternating back and front squats. The technique for front squats is much simpler to me. I'm not worried about wrecking my back with them.

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: conorvansmack
Thanks for the encouragement. I dug around on youtube for awhile looking for front squat technique and found SquatRx. While they aren't nearly as exciting, interesting, or technical as Coach Rip, they are good. Some of the stuff out there (the British female aerobic instructor for one) is down right dreadful.:shocked:

Greg Everett from Catalyst Athletics differs from Rippetoe on high bar vs. low bar. His rationale is that keeping the body vertical is better for Olympic lifts. I can't tell if he coaches people to reach back with their hips and then descend, or to just extend/"un-hinge" the hips and descend. Maybe I'm talking about the same thing. If I don't get enough guidance on Monday, I'll likely post a video.

This is the main reason I'm alternating back and front squats. The technique for front squats is much simpler to me. I'm not worried about wrecking my back with them.

Looks like you're taking all the right step to get that form nailed down. Posting vids is a great way to get form feedback.

There are definitely some really awful vids on YouTube. Take a look at this Squat Howto from Bodybuilding.com. Just bad, bad bad bad. BUT, it may be BECAUSE it's Bodybuilding.com. I know a lot of bodybuilders that prefer to half squat because they get more direct quad growth/ripple from half squatting than they do from full depth squatting. Then they just do accessory hammie/calf/glut work to supplement. Still tho, ugh

Or wow, how about this Clean and Jerk vid. Some of this stuff should be banned from YouTube before people hurt themselves.

 

[conorvansmack]

Zoinks, those are pretty terrible. Sometimes it's tough for me not to judge the methods and techniques of people at the gym, but I have to remind myself that their goals are not the same as mine.

 

[conorvansmack]

11/8

Front Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 115, 3 @ 135, 5 x 5 @ 150

OH Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 105, 1 @ 115, 5 x 5 @ 125

Deadlift - 5 SLDL/10 GM, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 3 @ 205, 2 @ 225, 2 x 5 @ 245

Pull ups - 10, 9, 9, 2

Reverse Crunches - 3 x 12

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: conorvansmack
Zoinks, those are pretty terrible. Sometimes it's tough for me not to judge the methods and techniques of people at the gym, but I have to remind myself that their goals are not the same as mine.

Yeah, their goal is to be a giant pussy.


.. I kid. Sorta.

 

[conorvansmack]

11/10

I worked with the gym owner on squats last night. He noticed that I wasn't extending my hips very much on the way down, which lead to me not getting much hip drive on the way up. He advised me to get my hip drive started as early as possible. Is there a danger in driving my hips forward too early? Wouldn't that also drive my knees forward at the same time?

Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 175, 3 @ 205, 5 x 5 @ 220
Extending my hips definitely felt better and I could feel my hamstrings getting into it.

Bench Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 2 @ 195, 5 x 5 @ 205

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 145, 3 @ 165, 5 x 5 @ 180

Dips - 8 w/o weight, 2 x 5 w/20#, 8 w/20#

Hanging Knee Raise - 3 x 12 front, 1 x 6 each side
I can't call these Hanging Leg Raises anymore. These are hanging leg raises.

I've been fighting off a cold/flu since Sunday and was feeling crappy all day but didn't allow myself to think about not going. When I got there I thought I would just do 3 x 5 and call it a night. I reminded myself that I can't take the weak way out when I'm trying to build strength. I surprised myself, especially on the Squats and Bench.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Well, what you should do is arch your back and push your hips backwards as you go down. When you hit the low point of the squat, you then engage your hips and butt, along with the rest of your other muscles, and move upward. My hips are engaged pretty much the whole time from how I picture it.

 

[conorvansmack]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Well, what you should do is arch your back and push your hips backwards as you go down. When you hit the low point of the squat, you then engage your hips and butt, along with the rest of your other muscles, and move upward. My hips are engaged pretty much the whole time from how I picture it.

Right, I'm maintaining the arch in my back, which forces my hips backwards as I descend. My problem is feeling my hips and butt working as I'm coming back up. I don't doubt that they're working, but I haven't felt anything significant during the exercise or afterwards as far as soreness.

 

[gramboh]

Read the stronglifts.com articles on hip and glute activation. Do some of those drills in your warm-up (especially the glute activation ones like suppine bridges, bird dogs). Those drills help me use my butt a lot more in squats/deadlifts than I had been before.

 

[conorvansmack]

Thanks for the advice. I always forget to refer back to stronglifts before I head to the gym. I'm usually in a big hurry to get there once I get home.

 

[conorvansmack]

11/15

Front Squat - 10 w/bar, 8 @ 85, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 135, 5 x 5 @ 155

OH Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 105, 3 @ 115, 4 @ 130 - push press #5, 2 @ 130, push press #3 - 5, 2 @ 130, push press #3 - 5
What a freaking mess!

Deadlift - 8 SLDL/10 GM w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 5 @ 205, 3 @ 225, 2 x 5 @ 250
I hit my goal for this. At least there's something good about this workout.

Pull ups - 10, 6, 5, 5, 4

Rev. crunches w/leg extension at the top - 3 x 12

 

[conorvansmack]

11/19

Squat - 10 w/bar, 7 @ 135, 5 @ 175, 3 @ 205, 5 x 5 @ 225
Since I've hit my short term goal, I'm going to deload to fix my lack of hip drive. Deloading by 20% only drops me to 213ish, so I'm heading for 195.

Bench Press - 10 w/bar, 6 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 195, 5 x 5 @ 210
I really struggled with the bar and squirmed under it on the last rep of a few sets. I finished and locked out on all of them, but I'll be back at 210 next time so I can do it with clean/proper technique. My goal is to get 5 x 5 @ 225 before Christmas.

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 145, 2 @ 175, 5 x 5 @ 185
It's starting to get harder to do, but I'm still finishing. I didn't feel this as much in my hamstrings and lumbar as I normally do.

Dips - 8 w/o weight, 3 x 5 @ 25

Crunches w/long exhale at the top - 3 x 12

 

[conorvansmack]

11/21
I was short on time so I went 3 x 5.

Front Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 115, 2 @ 145, 3 x 5 @ 165

OH Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 2 @ 115, 2 x 5 @ 130, 4 @ 130, push press on rep #5. I clipped my chin with the bar on the way up for #4 and had to start that rep over. There wasn't enough left in the tank for #5.

Deadlift - 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 3 @ 205, 3 @ 225, 2 x 5 @ 255

Chin ups - 12, 7, 7, 5

Rev. crunches - 3 x 12

 

[conorvansmack]

11/25

Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 5 x 5 @ 195
These felt good and the technique came easily. I'm excited to be done with this deloading business already.

Bench Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 2 @ 195, 5 x 5 @ 210
No spotter and the reps were much smoother this time. I still wrestled with the bar a bit on rep 5 of set 5, but I didn't squirm around on the bench at all.

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 115, 5 @ 145, 5 @ 175, 5 x 5 @ 190
Goal! I'm still getting all 5 reps in each set, but they are definitely getting heavy. I was a little dizzy after each set.

Dips - 7 w/o weight, 3 x 5 @ 30#
The dip belt was gone so I held a dumbbell between by legs/behind my knees. I hope my gym replaces that belt soon, I can't picture myself doing that with a 45# dumbbell.

 

[conorvansmack]

11/30

Front Squat - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 5 @ 115, 3 @ 145, 5 x 5 @ 165

OH Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 85, 3 @ 115, 4 @ 130 - push press #5; 3 @ 130 - pp #4, 5; 2 @ 130 - pp # 1, 4, 5; 1 @ 130 - pp # 1 and 3.
Deloadsville, population: Me

Deadlift - 8 SLDL w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 185, 3 @ 225, 2 x 5 @ 260

Pull ups - 9, 6, 5

 

[conorvansmack]

12/4

Squat - 10w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 5 @ 185, 5 x 5 @ 200
I did all these outside the rack again so I could focus on depth. I'm definitely doing better as far as getting hip extension and drive and maintaining a lumbar arch.

Bench Press - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 3 @ 195, 5 x 5 @ 215
I wasn't sure that I'd be able to do this today, but once I got on the bench, it went up really smoothly. I had a spotter for the last 3 sets, but he was really just there as a security blanket.

Rows - 10 w/bar, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 165, 2 @ 185, 5 x 5 @ 195
I took my time and reset after each rep and didn't have as many technique problems as I had last time (humping the bar).

Dips - 7 w/o weight - 3 x 5 @ 35
I think using a dumbbell might be harder than using the belt.

Reverse crunch w/leg extension at the top - 3 x 12

 

[CRXican]

how do you use a dumbell for weighted dips?

 

[gramboh]

You can hook your ankles around the dumbbell, that is what I did in the past, now I just use a dip belt with a chain around a plate or DB, it's a lot easier and you can better control the tilt of your body as well.