SamG's Log

[Thremp]

SamG,

I do my warm-up very differently each day. I include them occasionally with my workout. Yesterday for example I'm trying to do a workset of 5x2x255 on snatch grip deads (Someone tell me how "wide" a snatch grip is... I couldn't find a bumper plate in my school gym if my life depended on it.) I did 1x3x135 and 1x225 after doing some Power Cleans at 95lbs while waiting for our one squat rack to open up.

Other days I'll ramp up with just singles. I'll do this a ton for max effort deads or squats. Increase weight 5-10% each time from like 35% of my max or so. Maybe more on the low end. No real harm going from 135-225-255-275-295-315-330-335-340 or whatever your progression is.

Shemp seems pretty on point wrt his analysis about SS. I've never done the program, but imagine its similar to other 5x5 programs which have you resetting the weight.

[shemp]

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(Someone tell me how "wide" a snatch grip is...

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Do a shoulder dislocate with PVC or broom. Just inside the point that you can do one-- that should be about right. It will be a little on the wide side compared to where you eventually want it-- because you are probably inflexible.

[Thremp]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
(Someone tell me how "wide" a snatch grip is...

[/ QUOTE ]

Do a shoulder dislocate with PVC or broom. Just inside the point that you can do one-- that should be about right. It will be a little on the wide side compared to where you eventually want it-- because you are probably inflexible.

[/ QUOTE ]

Googletarding didn't help. Explain?

[shemp]

Suppose you are standing holding a long light bar hanging from your hands with a wide grip. Raise this bar over your head, pressing, with active shoulders-- with your arms straight continue the backward path of the bar until it is being held behind your back, with arms straight bring it back over the top. Move your hands closer together and do this again. Your snatch grip, for now, is just inside the last grip which allowed this movement. In the snatch the bar needs to be over your COG, which, unless you are quite flexible is behind your head. we are looking for a spot where you could hold a snatch.

In the unlikely event that you were so flexible that you could keep your hands fairly close together, then we'd do something else (because we don't want you to have to snatch the extra distance).

The bar is going to be about eight inches or so above your head-- I think that is typical. I'm a bit less, but I don't have a snatch and I'm not very flexible.

But I'd be careful who I listen to. Lots a bad advice on the net!

[SamG]

I went to Myrtle Beach this weekend, drank beer, had lots of sex, and got sunburned. I also missed my first workout since starting SS. Heading to the gym this evening, though.

I've thought about this some, and I'm officially cutting now. I want to get rid of my gut. I don't care if I look like a twig afterwards. I'll worry about adding muscle later. I'll still lift while cutting, of course.

[SamG]

8/20 - Workout 'A'

Squat

Warm-ups:

1x8x45
1x5x65
1x3x80

Warm-ups felt good. I kept my weight balanced and raised my tailbone first out of the hole. I decided to try 100 lbs for my work sets.

Work Sets:

1x5x100
1x2x100

I felt my knees moving inward (weak adductors?) and decided to stop. Anytime I break form, I consider it a missed rep now. I'll probably reset to 85 or so next time and work my way back up. A little frustrating because I know I can move this weight, but I think it's the right thing to do.

Bench

Warm-ups:

1x8x45
1x5x65
1x3x95

Work Sets:

3x5x115

Last week I missed my final rep with this weight, so I was happy to complete my sets.

Deadlift

Warm-ups:

1x5x95

Work Sets:

1x5x145

These felt much better. I'm doing them with much improved form since shemp's comments, and I added 10 lbs since last time. I look forward to deadlifts now.

Every workout I feel like I do the exercises with better form, and I've definitely seen very real gains in strength. My scale weight hasn't moved much, which isn't surprising since I've been eating maintenance calories. Whether my bodyfat % has dropped is hard to say.

I took some caliper measurements Friday and plugged them into the formulas to sanity check them.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460416

My bodyfat came back as 11%, which can't be right. I must be taking the measurements wrong.

[shemp]

I'm wondering if a different cue is better for coming out, something focusing on keeping your chest high/upper back arched. I don't know how common that knee wobble is in men-- whenever I've done it it has been a lack of focus, and a reminder to sit my butt back and down works (the other cue we've talked a lot about).

Why didn't you go up on the bench? You missed your very last rep last time-- and you had an extra day off. Tell me, were you afraid?

[SamG]

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I'm wondering if a different cue is better for coming out, something focusing on keeping your chest high/upper back arched.

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I dunno, it actually seemed to do the trick for me. I read on BB.com that "raise your tailbone first" is something Rippetoe himself tells people in his gym. I think the knee problem is something else. It seems to only happen when I get near my true 5RM. Starting Strength says it means I have "weak adductors":

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When the trainee adducts the knees, allows them to come closer together at any point during the squat, the cause is usually weak adductors. ... He is having trouble using the muscles of the groin, which are weak. In an attempt to make up for the lack of adductor function, his knees are moving closer together so that the quadriceps can do the job instead.

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I guess I have a weak groin? Don't tell my girlfriend.

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Why didn't you go up on the bench? You missed your very last rep last time-- and you had an extra day off. Tell me, were you afraid?

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Not at all, I just thought you weren't supposed to increase the weight if you didn't complete all sets last workout.

[shemp]

All sounds good. Glad to hear it and read about it. It's going to be interesting to see where you are in six weeks or so on the deadlift and squat.

[SamG]

8/22 - Workout 'B'

Cardio: 1 hr volleyball

I'm going to be joining a league through work that lasts a few months. I absolutely hate exercising on a stationary bike / elliptical / whatever -- so damn boring -- so I think sports are a much better cardio option for me. I'm also considering swimming a couple times a week, although that would mean I'd have to change gyms.

Unfortunately the way things worked out today I had to play volleyball _before_ lifting, so I was somewhat drained heading into the weightroom. I'm not going to make that a habit.

Squat

1x5 @ 45
1x5 @ 65
3x5 @ 85

Dropping weight as planned to work on form. These felt pretty good.

Press

1x5 @ 45
3x5 @ 70

I knocked these out like nobody's business.

Chins

2x2 (unassisted chins)
1x7, 1x5 (negatives)

Doing the negatives seemed to hit my muscles (my biceps in particular) much harder. I'm going to switch to just negatives until I'm strong enough to do more reps of proper chin-ups.