http://www.wannabebig.com/training/d...ke-a-champion/

After watching you & reading through that, I think your glutes & hamstrings are the biggest problems with your hips rising too fast in the DL. Add pull throughs & / or KB swings to the stuff you're already doing. Especially if you cut back to DLing once or twice a week - on the days you dont DL, I think you should do 3 work sets of pull throughs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvnPS1HaPh4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beaTuPAxa0U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IRODzdX-I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy5rIcmIej0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ7NBe729tg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR2Y9FUR50k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f63AKYDQ2HQ

5/6 log

Did foam rolling, mobility, and activation routine. Then went to go do light shooting in the gym but I got kicked out. I've gotten kicked out like 6+ times the last 2 months b/c they apparently are incapable of updating their gym schedule. So I was pretty fired up about that. Hopefully that gets resolved so if/when I'm ready to do basketball drills that require the gym, I an plan for them. Right now whether I can use it or not seems completely random.

So instead I went running outside as it was gorgeous. I ran almost 3 miles and didn't feel anything in my leg. Which is the first time since I hurt it like 2-3 years ago that I've run that far (without first running ~1-2 miles a few days earlier) without feeling anything. I think the foam rolling is working!

5/7 log

Workout at Cha's!

Did foam rolling/mobility/activation and he showed me a couple things with the lacrosse ball I definitely should be doing so now I can hit my posterior shoulder and upper back even better.

Squats
45x5x2
50x5x1
75x3x1
100x2x1
130x5x1
130x5x1
130x5x1

While I think I'm doing better now that I'm doing Squats in my socks, I'm still having trouble keeping my knees out and driving up without having a "hitch" where I pause. Also, when I concentrate on those things then sometimes I don't get enough depth. I agree with Cha that it seems my hams/glutes simply aren't strong enough and it's affecting this although I still would like advice on how to do it better.

Press
45x5x3
45x3x1
65x2x1
80x5x1
80x5x1
80x5x1 (no video of this one)

I'd love any advice on the press. I've been doing 80lbs all week and this was the first session I was able to do all 5 reps on all 3 sets. Buuut, it was definitely difficult and I'm not sure my form is great. Should I do one more day at 80lbs or move up to 85?

DL
135x5x1
135x3x1
195x2x1
230x5x1

I finally figured out what to do with my lower back to keep it fairly tight, BUT for some reason I'm not doing it when going down, and I am having trouble keeping my butt down when I start, I seem to want to have my back completely parallel to the ground. Again this could be weak ham/glutes, although I also think it has to do with how I used to do straight-leg dumbbell deadlifts where I'd keep my back completely parallel to the ground and I'm simply super used to it.

Any advice on this or just get my glutes/hams stronger?

Also, since my DLs are definitely getting "hard" should I drop down to once a week yet or keep doing 'em every workout for a couple more sessions?

5/8 log

We got completely wrecked in our basketball game yesterday. I think were down 20+ most of the way in the 2nd half. My line was something like 0 shots and not tons of rebounds. It was like we were the Lakers.

Anyway, the other team was better, played more like a team, hit most of their 3s and we bitched at each other and our guys who dominate the ball got all pissy and just forced our offense for the game. And barked at me when I passed up a chance to shoot b/c the pass was literally at my feet and I figured shooting not in rhythm for me was worse than trying to get it inside to our guy who had position. Meh.

I need to get stronger so I can influence a game like that more even without the ball. Or become an offensive threat and then just take over, .

Please read this: http://articles.elitefts.com/article...m_medium=email

There are 222 amino acids and nine are considered essential, meaning they can’t be made by the body and must be obtained through diet. When the essential amino acids aren’t obtained in the diet, the body’s protein production ability is seriously impaired and many negative side effects (deficiency diseases) including death can occur, depending on the length and degree of deficiency.

Dietary proteins containing all the essential amino acids are complete proteins and considered to have a high biological value. Proteins of animal origin (meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish) are complete with eggs having the highest biological value. Proteins lacking one of the essential amino acids are incomplete and have a lower biological value. Incomplete proteins are usually of plant origin (grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds). This may pose difficulty for both vegetarian athletes and non-athletes. When all the essential amino acids aren’t consumed in the same meal or within one hour of each other, the body’s ability to make new protein (build muscle) is adversely effected. As a result, other amino acids can’t be used optimally, which causes increased nitrogen excretion (possible/probable cannibalization of lean muscle tissue). The body thrives on homeostasis (steady state or balance). It has an incredible ability to adapt and heal itself when functioning optimally. This balance is a tension of opposites. Too much on either end of the spectrum can create dysfunction or illness. The body will get the amino acids it needs by diet or cannibalizing lean muscle tissue.

You've been hearing some of this from me, but I figured this might back up what I've been saying.

Cha - I already know this so I'm not sure how helpful it is. I've already said I know what complete protein is and incomplete protein is. Eating complete protein to just live a healthy, active lifestyle isn't that crucial imo, you general get enough as long as you eat a varied diet. But obviously if your goals are different than something that basic, more planning is involved.

I don't have a great plan yet for how I'm going to get "enough" protein to make gains and get stronger. But while I think I'll have to make some changes, I generally think the 200g/day of protein is ridiculous. I don't want to be eating that much protein again each day. It's kind of gross.

5/9 log

Worked late but still got to the gym and got it all in.

Did a lot of foam rolling, lacrosse ball and the usually mobility/activation stuff. Man, there are places on my body I had no idea could use the work!

Squats
45x5x2
50x5x1
80x3x1
105x2x1
135x5x3

I still have trouble with my work sets in terms of driving up and also keeping my knees in. Any advice based on the videos Cha took a couple days ago in post 93 is appreciated!

Bench
45x5x2
65x5x1
85x3x1
110x2x1
125x5x3

My wrist was kind of sore on the last sets of these. Perhaps it's because my left hand is still kind of injured and I was compensating but not keeping the bar low in the palm of my hand. I dno, I'll pay more attention next time.

DL
135x5x1
135x4x1
140x3x1
200x2x1
240x4x1
240x1x1

I felt my grip sliding a bunch on the 4th rep of my work set. But then it took me like 15 seconds to realize that I could do a reverse grip and go underhand with my left (slightly injured) hand. The grip was so much easier to hold doing that and I didn't have any trouble with the last rep. But maybe that's also b/c I waited so long in between. Meh, I still think I can go up in this even though I'm pretty sure my muscles aren't working in concert on this super well. When I do go down to 1 DL/week, I will start doing a bunch of pull throughs as Cha advised. I think that should really help my glutes, which seem to be complete crap.

Again, I'd love any advice on form in post 93.

Yugo I replied in the form check thread to those vids:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=827

Carl - thanks, that's really helpful! I will study that tomorrow. I try really hard to start with my elbows out on the Press. But, yeah, now that I look they aren't really out.

Heh, I was same way man. Then one glorious day I got the technique correct (on the press) and it was so much easier.

5/10 log - session 10

Warmup routine for ~35 mins - really liking the posterior shoulder lacrosse ball thing Cha showed me.

Squats:
45x5x2
55x5x1
80x3x1
110x2x1
140x5x3

They never really feel "easy" on my work set but I always am able to go up even after the hitch about 20% of the way up from the bottom. My g/f watched my form on my last set to see how low I was getting and seemed I was getting a bit below parallel.

I still need to work on my ass, I think it's a big reason my knees wobble on this, my hips wobble on the Press, and I can't keep by butt down on the DL.

Press
45x5x3
55x3x1
70x2x1
85x5x1
85x4x1
85x4x1 (I can't remember if I did 3 or 4 on this one).

Well, I definitely was able to do 85 for some amount. Carl Sagan's tip about my elbows was really helpful and I (except for my last set) think I kept my elbows forward and drove the bar straight up.

My wrists were sore after doing this one and I still think that my left thumb injury is affecting how I'm gripping the bar on any sort of harder workset I'm doing. It's also why I think I didn't keep my elbows forward on the last set, the bar was digging into my thumb or something.

DL
135x5x1
135x4x1
150x3x1
210x2x1
250x4x1 (underhand grip for left hand)

I may have been able to pull the 5th rep but I felt a lot of tension in my mid back (not lower) and kind of mentally wussed out on attempting it. I know my biggest issue with this lift is not always keeping my back straight and butt down so I'm not really sure what chance I could pull something if I push super hard. Also, subconsciously I think I was looking for an excuse to go to doing DLs 1 time per week and hitting my glutes 1 day per week hard with pull throughs for a while. Besides, my DL seems relatively higher than "normal" compared to my Squats in terms of where they'll end up so I don't mind slowing down in that way either.

I'm happy with my workout but really need to bring chalk next time and set up my grip consistently on lifts to avoid putting pressure on my left thumb.

Next tips for press: Squeeze bar as hard as you can during the whole set. Squeeze your glutes and tighten your abs as tight as you can for the whole set. Profit.

DL:
- do the same weight next time. Get 5 reps next time.
- you're not advanced enough to push yourself hard on this lift yet. Its good that you stopped at 4 reps imo.

A safety tip - The thing to always think about when you do these is to keep your back flat or slightly arched. Focus on that above all else. If you start to round it forward, just drop the weight. If you got a sharp pain anywhere, you'd want to drop the weight at that point too.

As far as the tension in your mid back - that could be a good thing. You're probably starting to use heavy enough weights to activate those muscles in a way that you haven't before.

Should I keep trying the DL every workout? I'll definitely get after it on the same weight next time. I expect I will do 5 and not hurt myself.

Yup, this is what I'm thinking. Leading with my chest and keeping my back tight and straight (with my lower back "flexed" or whatever that thing is that I learned from Rippetoe).

That's what I was thinking afterwards and right now. There definitely wasn't sharp pain and my back doesn't hurt which is why in retrospect I feel I coulda pulled the 5th one.

That's up to you. If you want to keep DLing every workout for now, I think that's ok. I think you should back off soon though. One thing you could do is DL every other workout for now, rather than every third workout.

I keep seeing more stuff from smart strong people saying how good KB swings are for your hips/glutes. I think you'd do well if you got good at those and added them in to some of your workouts. Maybe on non-DLing days, do KB/DB swings and pull throughs?