paulxcook's Training Journal

[SociallyChallenged]

Hey, I just noticed this, but why do you do so few warmup reps? And why do you up the weights so quickly during that warmup? And last but not least, why do you warmup for squat and then warmup for deadlift? To be honest, I think you aren't warming up quite correctly. You should have a warmup that is like a breakdown: 10-12 reps light weight, 6-8 reps heavier, 4-6 heavier, 2-4 heavier, and then 1 (if you're warming up for a 1RM 'cause your joints need to adjust and know they can take a heavier weight). For squats, I wouldn't even count the bar as that part of the warmup, but would still do 15-20 of them since they get the juices flowin'. Also, you need to be a bit more gentle on your body with the weight increases. For example, since I have bad hips, I warmup like this: 15-20xbar, 10-15x95, 10x135, 6x185, 4x205, 2x225, and then I get on with my sets. Lastly, once you warmup for squat, you're already warming up for deadlifts. I mean, you can do a few lighters ones than normal just to make sure everything's alright, but warming up twice wastes time and fatigues muscles. Just thought I'd toss my observations out there.

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: crt1530
Knee popping can be a sign that your foot is not alligned with your femur when you are squatting.

The knee popping started before I began lifting weights regularly, sometime in late November or early December. It may have been re-aggravated by squatting, I don't know. Keeping my thighs aligned with my feet was one of my goals yesterday, so I hope that isn't the cause, as it would mean my form wasn't as improved as I thought it was.

SC, I warm up this way based on a forum write-up I've been following. I dunno, maybe I do need to ramp up more slowly on squat. I'm not concerned with 1RMs currently, so the heavy part of my sets will need to say at 3x5 for as long as I continue with the SS program. However, you are probably right that I could use some more warm-up sets, especially with squat. I'm just always afraid I'll overdo it with warm ups and be too tired for my heavy sets.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: crt1530
Knee popping can be a sign that your foot is not alligned with your femur when you are squatting.

The knee popping started before I began lifting weights regularly, sometime in late November or early December. It may have been re-aggravated by squatting, I don't know. Keeping my thighs aligned with my feet was one of my goals yesterday, so I hope that isn't the cause, as it would mean my form wasn't as improved as I thought it was.

SC, I warm up this way based on a forum write-up I've been following. I dunno, maybe I do need to ramp up more slowly on squat. I'm not concerned with 1RMs currently, so the heavy part of my sets will need to say at 3x5 for as long as I continue with the SS program. However, you are probably right that I could use some more warm-up sets, especially with squat. I'm just always afraid I'll overdo it with warm ups and be too tired for my heavy sets.

You may get a little bit of burn, but if you're resting ~2 min between each warmup set, it won't affect you negatively. You won't overdo it, I'm fairly certain. I had the same feeling during track when I would have to warmup about 30 min before my race. My last 2 years, I warmed up extensively to where I thought I would've been hindered, but every time I went to race, I was dropping time from being warm. It's up to you man, maybe just test the waters a bit and see how you feel. GL bud.

 

[KoolDrew]

Warming up should accomplish two things... warming the tissues and getting the nervous system ready for heavy loads. Personally I like warming the tissues using other dynamic methods, rather than high-rep warm-up sets, which tend to just hinder my performance on heavy work sets.

Personally if I were to bench 225 for 3x5 my warm-up would look something like this (some dynamic crap before hand to warm up tissues)...

135x5
135x1
185x3
185x1
225x1
(rest a few minutes)
225x3x5

I prefer doing singles warming up to preserve energy and my body is already warm from the dynamic warm-up before hand. If you don't feel as warm going for higher reps during the first warm-up set isn't a bad idea. The reasoning for doing the same weight twice is a personal thing as well. I've always found the second time doing a weight it was easier. That's why I'll do the weight I plan to do for my work sets before as a single. I've always found then the work set was a lot easier. If you find your second working set is often easier than your first, then give that a try.

Really warming up is more of a personal thing than anything else. Try stuff and see what works for you. Just don't be dumb and do like 15 reps, then 12, 10, 8... and wonder why you're so weak during your working sets. Warm-up sets are just supposed to get you prepared for the working sets, not use up a ton of energy thus hurting your working sets.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Yeah, it's true that warmup has a lot to do with what you like. For me, I really need to get my hips loose before I ever try warming up. In my head, I don't even count the bar and the 95 pound sets. I consider that part of my overall stretch. Fair enough though. Paul, you can try both of these and see which one you like better.

 

[KoolDrew]

Some people just need to warm-up more than others as well. Especially older people or ones who have had past injuries. Over time you'll know what works best for you. Either way I highly suggest trying to do singles at the same weight of your working set like I outlined above. I have found my working sets are usually a lot easier when I do this as my body is then used to the weight, even though it is just a single rep.

 

[paulxcook]

I'll warm up a bit more and give the high-weight singles a try starting next week (sticking with low weight tomorrow). Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[paulxcook]

Day 18:

I was doing house stuff all day, picked up the new flooring for our living room and put a bunch of junk in storage, so I couldn't go to the gym. I had to skip squats.

Overhead press:

45 x 10 x 2
65 x 5 x 1
85 x 5 x 1
95 x 5 x 1 (+5 lbs. from last week, felt really good too)
100 x 5 x 2 (+10 lbs)

Power Clean practice:

reps @ 45
reps @ 65
reps @ 95

These are getting better, my hip movement is way better.

Bent-over Row:

65 x 5 x 1
85 x 5 x 1
105 x 5 x 1
155 x 5 x 3

Felt heavy but good.

I hate working out at home, but at least I got some work in, better than nothing.

 

[paulxcook]

Day 19:

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 10 x 1
135 x 5 x 1
185 x 5 x 1
225 x 5 x 1
255 x 5 x 1
260 x 5 x 1 (+5 from last time I did squats decently)
265 x 5 x 1 (+10 lbs)

I'm back and ready to squat heavy. Heavy for me, anyway.

Bench Press:

bar x 10 x 2
65 x 10 x 1
85 x 5 x 1
105 x 5 x 1
155 x 5 x 2
155 x 4

Damn. Missed the last rep. Got about half way and then just lost it. I hate being weak on bench press.

Deadlift:

135 x 5 x 1
225 x 5 x 1
275 x 5 x 1
315 x 1 x 2

My back was still sore from rows yesterday I guess. I just had no gas in the tank for 315 x 5. I'm not supposed to lift two days in a row on this program, but my scheduling got all out of whack last week and I had to push this workout in tonight to get back on track.

I"m happy with getting back to squats, but the other two lifts were disappointing, especially bench press. A bittersweet session tonight.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Stop with the squat increases! Haha, dangit. Gonna up mine to 255 this week but you're still gonna be beatin' me! Don't get down about the bench. Look at where you started and look at where you are now. 40 pounds heavier is no small feat. Don't worry about what other people are doing, focus on you. You're doing a really good job and your strength is way up. Be careful not to lift two days in a row. It could really hurt ya.

 

[paulxcook]

Lol. Sorry? Not really. Just get stronger! I think the extra warming up on squats did help, btw. Bench will likely always be frustrating to me, as I feel like my chest is naturally weak and I will constantly be battling to make it grow. Just gotta do it. And you're right, I've increased the weight 40 lbs in a little less than 2 months. Not that bad. And yeah, I don't dig working out two days in a row with all these compound movements. It just had to be done to get back on track.

 

[paulxcook]

Day 20:

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 1
265 x 1
275 x 4
275 x 1 x 2

Overhead Press:

bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 1
100 x 5
100 x 4 + 1
100 x 1

BO Barbell Row:

bar x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
160 x 5 x 2

I got 4 hrs. of sleep last night and hadn't eaten in 6 hours when I hit the gym. Hence all my partial sets and crap workout. My weekend workouts always suffer because my routine suffers, IE I am undisciplined on the weekend. 275 didn't even feel that heavy on squat (felt about the same as 225), I was just tired and when I hit the hole I was freaking sluggish coming out of it. I'm disappointed in myself but not all that surprised.

 

[paulxcook]

Day 21:

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 3
270 x 5 x 2
275 x 5

These really took it out of me, I know I GMed the last two reps. Completed the sets though.

Bench:

bar x 10 x 2
65 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 2
135 x 5 x 2

Ugh, I hate how I suck at bench.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5

Meh. Not a strong workout.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

What does GM'ed mean? The squat weight is good. I think you need to make sure you're getting some energy before you go to the gym (aka a bit of carbs + protein beforehand). Your bench should definitely not go down. I think perhaps energy and determination are the biggest factors in why you had to decrease your bench weight. Btw, do you have someone spot you for bench or no? That may also have an effect on how hard you're willing to go.

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
What does GM'ed mean? The squat weight is good. I think you need to make sure you're getting some energy before you go to the gym (aka a bit of carbs + protein beforehand). Your bench should definitely not go down. I think perhaps energy and determination are the biggest factors in why you had to decrease your bench weight. Btw, do you have someone spot you for bench or no? That may also have an effect on how hard you're willing to go.

GM = Good Morning, he bent over quite a bit coming up and used his back a lot more then his legs, his hips raised faster then his shoulders = tilting him forwards = Good Morning it

Originally posted by: paulxcook
Day 21:

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 3 Your reps count from now on, the other weights far too light. Get a 1RM or a 'realistic' estimate and anything below 75% do not count towards your 'total volume' because it's too light, unless your gunning higher volume in the 8-12rep range
270 x 5 x 2
275 x 5

These really took it out of me, I know I GMed the last two reps. Completed the sets though.

Bench:

bar x 10 x 2
65 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 2
135 x 5 x 2

Ugh, I hate how I suck at bench. The BP comes, mate. I could barely do 40kg 8yrs ago. Now I can triple 110kg for 3sets and I'm not even that good at BP!

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5 thats quite a bit jump from 225 to 275lbs imo. 225 wouldn't count as a working set if you can bash out 275 for 5. Again read the point about squats and the 75% rule.
275 x 5

Meh. Not a strong workout.

You need to adjust your volume. Anything below 75% is too light to improve your strength gains towards a 1RM. Below 75% is mainly for a beginner to practice more reps, prep work before you start to lift heavy in the 3-5rep range, get you use to lifting weights.

Koing

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Warming up should accomplish two things... warming the tissues and getting the nervous system ready for heavy loads. Personally I like warming the tissues using other dynamic methods, rather than high-rep warm-up sets, which tend to just hinder my performance on heavy work sets.

Personally if I were to bench 225 for 3x5 my warm-up would look something like this (some dynamic crap before hand to warm up tissues)...

135x5
135x1
185x3
185x1
225x1
(rest a few minutes)
225x3x5

I prefer doing singles warming up to preserve energy and my body is already warm from the dynamic warm-up before hand. If you don't feel as warm going for higher reps during the first warm-up set isn't a bad idea. The reasoning for doing the same weight twice is a personal thing as well. I've always found the second time doing a weight it was easier. That's why I'll do the weight I plan to do for my work sets before as a single. I've always found then the work set was a lot easier. If you find your second working set is often easier than your first, then give that a try.

Really warming up is more of a personal thing than anything else. Try stuff and see what works for you. Just don't be dumb and do like 15 reps, then 12, 10, 8... and wonder why you're so weak during your working sets. Warm-up sets are just supposed to get you prepared for the working sets, not use up a ton of energy thus hurting your working sets.

After the warm up for the training session and the warm up reps for the exercise is a very individual thing.

For BP I go like this:

Bar x 10reps
40kg x 6
60kg x 3
80kg x 3
100kg x 3

Training at 110kg x 3 x 3-5 etc

My other mate goes like this though....

Bar x 6reps
60kg x 6
100kg x 6
140kg x 5
180kg x 3
190kg x TRAINING SETS

He does 230kg max paused!

Koing

 

[paulxcook]

3/9/2008

Bench:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 5
155 x 4 + 1
155 x 4

Did these in the power rack with the pins as my "spotter". I'm still not at all strong on BP, but at least I'm about where I was when I took a week off.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
315 x 5

I kind of surprised myself with this. I had plenty of energy tonight.

Assisted Dips

5
5
4

Assisted Pullups

5
3

I may not do these again for a while, not sure they're necessary.

Skipped squats tonight as my knee had me feeling a little leery of them still. I'll squat twice this upcoming week though. I think for the most part I'm done squatting heavy 3x a week every week.

Post-workout weight, with towel only: 238 lbs.

 

[paulxcook]

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5 x 3
315 - walkout

First time squatting in a little while, and my lower back still feels a bit funny, so I took it semi-easy. Did a 315 walkout and dipped my knees some. Thought about trying to squat it once, but decided against it for now.

Overhead Press:

bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5 x 2
95 x 4 +1

Tough sets for me, my shoulders are still tired from the dips last time, which I am not yet used to doing.

t-bar/bent-over rows:

warmups
135 x 5 x 3

Started with t-bar rows but didn't like them that much. Moved over to BO rows and just did some reps of 135. I"ll build back up to where I was by 5 lbs each week and keep progressing. I have a bad habit of jerking a little bit when I do these.

shrugs:

barbell - 135 x 5

these felt weird, tried moving to dumbells

dumbells - 50s x 5 x 3

Still felt weird. I make a really weird face when I do these. I think I'll stick with deadlifts for training my traps for now.

 

[paulxcook]

3/15/07

Bench:

bar x 10 x 2
65 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 5
155 x 4 +1
155 x 5

Not sure what was up with this. First set of 155 felt heavy. 2nd set felt really, really heavy. 3rd set felt ok and I shot through it pretty quick.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
320 x 5 (+5 lbs over last time)

Not bad. 275 felt a lot heavier than it did last time, but I still added 5 lbs. to my final set. 325 next time. I tore a big chunk out of my right shin. When I took off my pants in the locker room blood was running down my leg, looked very hardcore.

Incline DB press:

30 x 10
35 x 5
40 x 5

I wasn't sure where to start with these, as I haven't done them in years. I was really tired at this point from deads but the weight was still going up easy. However, the gym was closing so I ran out of time. No pull ups today, which is too bad.

Overall not bad. Bench was just weird, but I feel like 160 will be very doable next week.

edit: damn I took in 5300 calories today. Not exactly good calories either. I'm so undisciplined on the weekends.

 

[paulxcook]

3/21

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5 x 2
275 x 1

TOTALLY gassed after this. It's been too long since I did heavy squats consistently. 2/26. Damn, almost a month. In that case I'm ok with it.

Millies (or overhead press or whatever):

bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 x 3

Felt good. My shoulders seem to rise to the occasion pretty well. 105 next time.

BO Barbell rows:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
160 x 5 x 2

Shouldn't have done 135 x 5, I could've gotten 3 sets of 160 x 5 otherwise. I think.

Shrugs:

25 x 10
75 x 5
115 x 5
180 x 5
205 x 5
255 x 5

Tried a shrug machine tonight. It felt less awkward than barbell shrugs. No shrug face. Should I not be doing these with machines? I really had no idea what my limit would be so I just kept doing sets of 5 and upping the weight til it felt right.

Abs:

3 x 10 of decline situps

Post-workout drink:

Beer x 1

 

[paulxcook]

3/22/08

Bench:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
160 x 5 x 2 (+5 lbs from last time)
160 x 4 (missed 5th rep)
160 x 1

Finally made a bit of headway. I was pissed I didn't get a legit 3x5 at 160, but 4+1 is ok. If I'd rested a bit more I would've gotten all 5.

Deads:

135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
325 x 4 (+5 lbs from last time, BARELY missed 5th rep, lost right hand grip just before lockout)
325 x 1, solid

So damn close, I just lost it for whatever reason. My grip is holding me back, I think I can pull more than this. I hate my little girl wrists.

Incline DB Press:
40 x 10
45 x 5 x 3

I think it's good that I added incline or dips (whichever I feel like) to my BP day. Weights went up fast but were wobbly at the top.

Lat Pull:

90 x 10
105 x 5
120 x 5
135 x 5 x 3

I didn't know what I could do here so I did more warmup work than I needed to. Including these and assisted pullups (again, whichever I feel like) has been nice.

Hyperextensions:

BW x 10
+25 x 5 x 3
+45 x 10

Not sure about these. I had some extra time so I gave em a shot. I like doing them, but the added weight even after deadlifting didn't really feel heavy enough. Should I look at a higher rep range? Trying to hang on to two plates seems like a bad idea, I'm sure I'd drop one like an idiot at some point.

Overall a good workout, plenty of energy and I'm glad I finally added some weight to bench. 225 x 5 x 3 will be mine before the end of the year.

edit: weighed in at 242 today. I'll assume that weight gain is muscle .

 

[paulxcook]

3/25/08

Squat
bar x 10 x 2
135 x 5
225 x 5 x 3

OH press:
bar x 10
65 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 3

T-Bar rows (machine):
empty x 10
1 plate x 5
2 plates x 5

What a crap workout today. I got about 4 hrs of sleep last night and didn't eat anything til 1:00 pm today (McDonald's, another stellar choice). I did not prepare well. I was just sluggish and decided to end things early as I was in a hurry anyway. I shouldn't have even bothered.

 

[paulxcook]

Notes: I changed my routine around a little bit. I've stopped squatting 3x a week. maybe it's wussing out, but my right hip just kept feeling worse and worse. I added some Rippetoe-approved accessory exercises. I did this because I don't work out just because I want to look a certain way or just because I want to get stronger, though those are two big reasons for it. I do it also because I just enjoy going to the gym and lifting weights. I was getting bored with doing the things I was doing, and squatting so much was hurting, so I switched it up while attempting to stick with the "spirit" of the Starting Strength routine. If my central nervous system catches up somehow I may try to go back to squatting 3x a week, but the other changes I've made I enjoy, so i don't think I'll be taking them out.

 

[gramboh]

Looks like you've made some pretty damn good progress in your lifts since you started in late December. Your squat and DL look really good, that sucks about your hip though, but I think you are making the right decision, if something hurts, it's a bad idea to keep doing it. Have you tried doing the glute activation and hip flexibility drills suggested on Stronglifts.com? You seem dedicated to the cause, as I know from earlier posts you have a busy life with a family, that's one thing I'm somewhat thankful for right now, I just have to deal with work (which is normal 40-45h a week right now).

 

[paulxcook]

Thanks for the comments. I feel pretty good about DL, crappy about bench, and ok about everything else. I will take a look at the drills you mentioned, as hip flexibility has been a problem for me from the beginning. When I started I didn't stretch at all, which was stupid. Yes, my big regret about lifting is that I wasted a bunch of time when I was single instead of doing this. Now I have the dedication but barely have the time. I don't know what I'm going to do once we have kids. Oh well, that's life I guess. Just appreciate that you only have work to deal with. It sounds like you do.