This log will serve as my formal introduction to H&F. I've been reading the forum for a while and have posted sporadically, but hopefully this log will force me to participate more consistently. I'll try to keep this introduction from rambling too much. My main reason for posting a log is to have a place to ask the questions that always come into my mind but I don't always want to create a new thread for. Hopefully you guys don't mind helping me along.

About me: 23 year old student - set to graduate this December. 6 feet tall, 205 lbs. (started SS back in February at 180 lbs)

Athletic History: I've been an athlete my whole life. Played just about every sport going growing up and had the choice between playing collegiate soccer, tennis, or basketball, and went with tennis with the hopes of going pro. I was never the fastest or strongest on the field or court, but always got by on superb skill and the ability to out think people. Picked up a tennis racket for the first time when I was 14 and ended up playing one semester of D1 tennis before a recurring back injury that made me miss significant time since junior year of high school forced me to finally give up. After seeing 5 different chiropractors, 2 masseuses, an acupuncturist, 2 orthopedic doctors, and about 6 or 7 different physical therapists with little success, the thing that finally ended my years of back pain was DL's and squats. Go figure.

I was never big into weightlifting, did it sporadically throughout high school but never properly. After blasting my pecs and biceps from angles you can't imagine for about a year with buddy, I came across this forum and the fun began!

I'm finding out that I'm pretty weak and definitely don't have good genetics for lifting. This is probably actually the least success I've had with anything I've tried athletically, and it's quite frustrating. I'm hoping that I'm doing something wrong that you guys can straighten out for me so I can start making some real progress. Like I said, I started doing SS in February and after a significant learning curve, felt like I had things down pretty good. I eat about 3000 calories and 160-200g of protein per day. My form is at a point where I feel it's solid enough it shouldn't be holding me back at all. I sleep on average about 8 hours a night, and I foam roll and stretch a significant amount.

The numbers that I hit on linear progression were approximately:
225 squat (questionable form, 3 or 4 resets)
310 deadlift
170 bench (2 resets)
115 press (2 resets)

I absolutely could not get my numbers higher than this, which I feel is my first issue, because don't these numbers look low for 8 months of LP for a 205 lb 23 year old male? Particularly squat? After trying everything, I decided switching to TM might help. I've been doing TM style squats for about 6 weeks now, and just switched everything else to TM 2 weeks ago.

My workout today, 10/17/2011, looked like this:
Squat 215x5x2, 215x4x2, 215x3
These felt incredibly heavy, which was weird because 220 wasn't too brutally hard for my intensity workout on Friday. I've been sick for the better part of 3 weeks so maybe that caught up to me. I plan on repeating 215 next week and hoping they go up better.

Bench 155x5x5
Not hard

BB Rows 125x8x3
Third time doing these

My main issue right now is with my squats. I feel like my upper body lifts, while not strong by any stretch, aren't too pitiful? My deadlift is obviously way ahead of my squat, so my squat is my main priority. It's really frustrating because I get super amped up and focused before a heavy set and try every mental trick in the book to own the weight, and it's just so heavy coming out of the hole. Meanwhile, everybody else my size progresses way past these squat numbers before slowing down. IDK the problem, but here's a couple videos of my squat from several months ago. One of my workout partners went away for military duty, and the other got lazy, so I haven't been able to get updated videos since these. My form may have improved a little since these, I've definitely made some changes, but this at least gives a general idea of my style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw4LnKvV4Uo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xezxL78Qfo

Hopefully somebody can spot something that I'm doing drastically wrong and I can progress my squat a quick 50 pounds! But if not I'll keep on trucking and hope I get better at them. Sorry for the rambling, and thanks if anybody kept reading this far. I've gotta run to night class, so I'll check back for replies either tonight after the Jets beat the Dolphins, or tomorrow.

GL. As long as you are just the weak one and not your log, you can get stronger.

You got a weird move in your squat. Looks like you overextend your back on the way down, then in the hole you allow it to lose extension which causes the butt wink. Take a BIG breath before each rep and tighten up your whole core super hard, then tighten it some more..and squat. Make sure you keep the back locked in extension (not overextension) when you hit the bottom and you'll bounce off your hamstrings properly.

ezpz squattin 3 plates next week....jk

Cool log, you seem to have a pretty similar lifting history as me. I'll be reading for sure.

Are you doing the texas method word for word? Like this?

It seems like your volume day weight (215) is way too close to your last intensity day weight (220). For example, I just did my squat volume day with 260 today, but I'll be doing my intensity day set at 290. Volume day is supposed to be at 90% of the weight of intensity day, afaik?

Thanks John, I plan to update after every workout and will be looking for lots of opinions about programming and technique and whatnot.

Carl, that's a great catch. I'm going to work on that for sure. I'm aware that once I hit a certain point my lower back rounds but have no idea how it can be fixed.

Chad, due to a little bit of traveling plus being sick for most of the last 3 weeks, I've been missing workouts and my scheduling got a little messed up. You're right about the template and I originally started my intensity squat 20lbs heavier than volume. 225 is my scheduled weight for Friday, so assuming I can hit that (doubtful based on how 215 felt today), I'll repeat the 215 volume next week to let intensity get ahead again.

Recovery workout today, 10/19/2011

Squat
175x5x2
Is it just me or do these always feel heavier than they should, 2 days after volume squats?

Press
95x5x2

Chin-ups (neutral grip)
6,6,6

Dips
8,8,8

Random Thoughts: I really really wish I knew about strength training when I was younger. It would have likely prevented so many injuries I had throughout my life/athletic career, as well as taken me up a level or three in all my sports. Oh well.

that's pretty much why you do them.

What was that in response to?

recovery squats

I dun wanna sound like a queer or nuttin...

...but I'm kinda interested in your body.

So you went from 180 to 205 in 8 months. Given your athletic background, I presume you were fairly lean at 180 and are still fairly lean at 205? 25lbs in 8 months is a steady rate of gain. So I presume you didn't gain heaps of fat?

Yet, if you are a fairly lean 205 with an active background and 8 months of good lifting, I think I feel like your squat to be better than 225.

...also that you should be fairly muscular looking.

...that is possibly the gayest post I have ever made

he has videos.

ohhhhh....

I definitely was not a muscular/lean 180. Back in my athletic "prime" I was usually about 160-165 lbs at my current height. I was even as low as 145 at one point when I thought the lighter the better for tennis. That was disgustingly skinny though. After finishing my one semester of collegiate tennis due to back issues, I stayed in shape with a lot of running and pick-up basketball. After destroying my ankle twice to the point where I was on crutches for 6+ months, I obviously couldn't do anything physically and probably ate way too much pasta and pizza etc. So all my gain from 160-180 was not due to muscle. I actually got up to 210 at one point from not working out until realizing I was getting fat so I played basketball and dieted back down to 180. (My body is very sensitive to weight fluctuations) That's about where I was when I started SS and after stalling out I began to eat more, and while people don't tell me I look fatter, I don't feel like I've gained a lot of muscle out of the 25 lb increase, and my lifts haven't increased like I would have liked/expected.

/lifestory

Anyway, I can't figure out for the life of me why my squat sucks so bad. Like I said in my OP, it seems like everybody blows through the weights that I'm consistently getting stuck at and it's beyond frustrating. It's not due to lack of effort, I'm consistently failing reps around these weights and sometimes forced to use bad form to get up the last rep or 2 of a set. If anybody has suggestions to get my squat up, I would be incredibly grateful

I can't see anything drastically wrong with your squats. Maybe losing some hamstring tightness at the bottom. Keep forcing your ass back all the way down. Think about stretching your hamstrings back like a rubber band.

Get a belt.

Maybe some people are just genetically predisposed to be poor squatters

Maybe I'll try to get a belt and see if that helps. Any suggestions on what kind/how to use it? I'll also try to see if I can borrow somebody's phone that can take videos so I can update with some new vids that aren't months old.