Missed Saturday's workout due to GF's bday celebration/a day trip we took to the turkish side of the island. Saw some of the abandoned buildings of Famagusta which was kind of crazy to see. Looked like the pictures you see of Chernobyl.

Actually had to wait for the squat rack today. Second time I've ever seen someone else squatting in this gym!

10 min treadmill WU

OHP
3x5 15kg
1x3 20kg
1x3 25kg
3x5 30kg (30kg with a barbell is muucchhh easier than with dumbells)

Squat
2x5 20 kgs
1x5 31 kgs
1x3 51 kgs
1x2 66 kgs
3x5 86 kgs (bar rolled a little down my back in the first two sets, probably due to being tired from doing OHP first)
Got stuck on the last rep of the second set but pushed through it, took a long break and set three was fine.


DL
2x5 41 kgs
1x3 51 kgs
1x2 76 kgs
1x5 91 kgs (used mixed grip, went up much easier than last time)

Deadlifts

You should give the hook grip a try for DL

When I learned of it I tried it and never went back to mixed grip. It single handedly allowed me to haul an extra like 50lbs off the floor and hang on to it. Hurts your thumbs like hell, but do it enough and it won't bother you

DL-form looks really good as far as I can tell. Maintain. Add kilos to the bar.
I wish my form had been that good when I started out.

The only minor-ish nitpick is your neck that is extended.
Ideally you'd have neutral neck/head position, keep your head back and chin tucked (think making double-chin and maybe looking slightly down).

We just had a DL grip-discussion in Nick's log, check out the last page IMO -> http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/85...39/index4.html

Neck craning is one of those bad habits I didn't get rid of when I just started, I wish I did. If you think you can fix it while adding weight that's great, if not I would consider I would consider not adding weight atm, I doubt it would take you long to fix.

Stuck~ Does the hook grip have any negative long term effects on your thumbs? Also is the hook grip superior to using straps for building grip strength?

Pummi/Nick~ thanks for the link, I want to get the liquid chalk now. I'll try to fix the neck position tomorrow. Luckily I don't think I have enough experience for bad habits to be set in stone yet.

Just found out my gym will be closed on saturday and sunday this week. I normally do Tu/Th/Sa, I want to go friday but I may be too tired from the day before to do a normal workout again.
Thursday is squat/bench/DL.

For Friday is it fine to do squats again? I haven't tried squatting back to back days before. If I skip them what should I substitute so this workout takes longer than half an hour?
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
3x10 Back Extension
3x Chin-ups


Random- weighed in at 145lb/66kg on 3/30/2015

Unfortunately I don't know about either of those things. I really don't think it's going to have any effects on your thumbs, but I'll let more knowledgeable people answer.

I would almost opt for taking an extended rest (Friday until Tuesday) rather than push yourself and lift two days in a row. If you do go tomorrow, I would try and hit muscles you didn't already work the day before. Remember, for gaining muscle, rest days is just as important as the lift days.

Extended rest it is, tweaked my groin in the second workset of squats. It's not bad but sore enough that I thought it was probably best to skip the last set instead of making it worse.
Don't have any videos, using the ipod for music now that the gym likes to play Celine Dion over the loudspeakers.

10 min treadmill WU

Squat
2x5 20 kgs
1x5 31 kgs
1x5 41 kgs
1x2 71 kgs
1x5 91 kgs
1x4 91kg [felt like I didn't have control, think I good morning'ed it up at the end and then racked it]



Bench
2x5 20 kgs
1x5 25 kgs
1x3 35 kgs
1x2 45 kgs
3x5 55 kgs

3x10 back extensions

Chin-ups
8/5/5

At this point I'd increase weight in smaller increments, seems like you're adding 5kg per workout for all of BP/DL/squats. Standard for DL/squats is 2.5kg and for BP/OHP 1.25kg (or 2.5kg every other workout if you don't have plates with which you can micro load).

I have no experience with hook-grip, but according to KC it doesn't help your grip strength much. Personally I think I'll start using straps when chalk isn't enough and get some grip strength from my rows and weighted chinups instead.

Highly suggest getting the mcmastercarr washers for microloading. I powder coated mine black and they are super handy for progressing BP and OHP

also Nick, regarding KC saying it doesn't help grip strength, if you mean it literally doesn't make your fingers stronger, sure, I'd agree, but personally hook grip has let me do 50-100lbs more worth of DL than I could otherwise. Think OP should try it.

Yeah, but you'd be able to pull those extra 50-100lbs with straps as well (or more, straps give you pretty much as good of a grip you can get). The question is if the grip strength you develop from using the hook grip is worth the pain.

Thanks, I started out pretty low on all the lifts so I've been taking bigger jumps. DL/Squat are getting heavy but bench is still pretty light.

Those would be cool to own. I have 1lb clamps at current gym, moving in a few weeks so hopefully the new gym will have them as well.
Speaking of, if anyone has a gym to recommend in budapest, or a way to locate a powerlifting gym, please lmk.

Yeah that was my question, haven't found an answer to it in the googling that i've done.

I'll just trust KC, he seems to know what's up.

MindFckr was about to move to Budapest last time we heard from him, maybe he knows.

What's wrong with using chalk and a mixed grip?

pm'ed him, thanks

Are imbalances/bicep injuries something i shouldn't worry about for another few hundred pounds? I've read articles talking about the injuries from mixed grip but I can't tell if that only applies to elite lifters or not.

I tried the mix grip only briefly before moving on to hook, and what I found is that yes there are strains on your biceps and you have to be careful. I was never injured, but the potential was there. It was recommended to me, before trying hook grip, to make sure you switch which hand you alternate with mixed grip.

If you want, search for the convo in my log. search function + mixed grip or hook should find it

I guess the conversation was shorter than I thought, but this was Aidan's contribution in my log. Click through if you want to read more

You can tear a bicep if you **** up badly. The solution is to not let your elbows bend during a DL. Letting your elbow bend during a DL is somewhat like letting your knees cave in a squat. Do not ever do either one. Just squeeze your triceps to assure this wont happen.

If you're not planning on competing in bodybuilding at a high level, symmetry isnt that important. Switching back & forth is fine if you want to do that, but its not a huge deal. fwiw, I use a switch grip, never change hand directions anymore, and have never had bicep issues. I pull over 650 this way, and have pulled way more than that off blocks that way. Most big DLers use a mixed grip.

All that being said, learning to hook grip DLs is also fine. I think Steve Goggins has pulled over 900 with a hook grip.

Yea I actually mixed grip myself to pull weight off racks

Ended up reading your entire log Stuck. People progressively give you more **** as time goes on. Let's me know I have something to look forward to

After only doing squats yesterday I realized my lower back pain is coming completely from squats, not deadlifts. It's the same kind of pain I'd get from slouching at the computer with bad posture for a full day. Seems like you had a similar issue, I found these posts from your log very insightful/useful.

Cha,
Thanks for the comments, I'll stick with mixed then.

baha yea it really does seem like that, but it's good it keeps me honest and actually motivates me to give a f**k. Sure it will do same for you.

My pain is more in upper glute area which is also from squats I think. I've found it just helps to stretch it out a lot and when your body starts to Nope on you, just take an extra day or two off to get back up to Hundo P.

4/6/2015
67kg/147lb

Seems unlikely I'm eating enough to gain this much per month. My TDEE with moderate exercise is 2500, and I've likely only averaged 2600-2700. Really stuffed myself yesterday to get over 3k so that probably effected my weigh in this morning.

I'd like to add power cleans into the workouts, but the only space I do deadlifts in is very tight so I'm not confident in being able to throw a weight around in there.
I'd also like to add in pullups/back extensions but it looks like the program only allows for those when recovery from deadlifts becomes an issue? Which is not the case yet.

Also going to move my squat down a few kilos and work on keeping my abs/lower back as tight as possible. I think I tend to forget all of that and just focus on pushing with my legs when the weight gets heavy. Will move up in smaller increments after that.

Yesterdays diet to get >3k

11:30am
150g eggs
2 slices bacon

1:30pm
200g rice
180g ground beef w/tomato sauce

5pm
220g rice
164g salmon

8pm
150g whole wheat pasta
150g ground beef w/tomato sauce

12am
150g whole wheat pasta
150g ground pork w/tomato sauce

3am
100g whole wheat pasta
125g ground pork w/tomato sauce

3 opti-men multis

3,250 calories 228c/133f/237p

averaging 3k/day should be a 3500 surplus per week which should be +1lb/week

a) that example diet looks pretty solid. Just work on tweaking small things to maybe decrease fat intake a bit. I'd say carbs can go up to 300g at least, and maybe try to get fat down to ~100. This is all just average though so don't worry so much from day to day.

b) wrt +7lbs in a month, don't worry about it. This is newb gains. I don't know the broscience behind it but it's pretty standard. I think I gained 9-10 pounds in my first month actually. It will slow down to the 1lb/week rate over the next month or two

Basically turning into "Khan's post-gym whine log." Back was miserable again during the squat worksets today. Went down to 87 and then 81, sharp pains in my lower back. Focused on keeping my core tight, squeezed the **** out of my lower back in the last set. Does the last set show any noticeable difference?
I'm not sure if this is mostly a form issue or just a bad lower back from too many computer hours.
GSLP is looking very appealing atm with a lower squatting frequency.


Squat
2x5 20 kgs (Bar)
1x5 36 kgs (5 2.5)
1x3 51 kgs (15 1.25)
1x2 71 kgs (20 5)
1x5 87 kgs (still feeling the same pain in lower back)
2x5 81kg

Press
2x5 10 kgs
1x5 15kgs
1x3 21 kgs
1x2 26 kgs
3x5 32 kgs

Deadlift
2x5 36 kgs
1x3 55 kgs
1x2 80 kgs
1x5 92 kgs

rewatched my squat videos while checking for all of these errors and can't spot any of them, other than a few reps where i slightly stalled and my hips went up faster than my chest

http://stronglifts.com/squat/back-pain/