Yeah, I bet that guy wasn't stalled out on sub 200 squats and a 160 bench .

I get it though. The thing is, I either have progressive goals or have status quo goals. Imo I've taken a very patient approach to SS and it's going even slower than I was prepared for. But I do realize in 3 years I'll be stalled out likely no matter what in terms of strength gains and the difference between 3 years of anguish at desperately trying to be stronger, and 3 years of a bit more easy-going won't amount to much overall.

Besides, I just want to hoop man .

9/18/11 Log

My back felt a lot beter today and probably "normal" but I still decided to do a different program for squats today due to my recent issue if for no other reason than mental ones.

I did a lot of solid SMR - I'm really hitting my butt/hips area which I think I wasn't hitting properly the last few months. Just crossing my leg over the other when on my butt makes like 400% difference imo.

Squats
45x5x2
80x5
120x3x8

Feedback? Seems I'm able to get plenty low without lower back flexion at least at a lighter weight. I don't know if this is due to the lighter weight or the SMR I've been doing recently hitting my butt/hips area better. At first you can see I'm not going below parallel but by the end I'm going lower and it looks good to me but I guess I'd love confirmation.

I think I'll try 200 again next time with videos from side and back to see how bad my knee cave/depth may or may not be and see if things go any better.

Bench
45x5x2
80x5
110x3
140x2
160x3
160x5
160x5

I switched from the bench that's shaky to the more solid one and was able to get my last two sets at 5 reps each so I'm going to count this one. I got quite off balance on my first work set as that bench isn't really that stable and sometimes it doesn't end up mattering but for that set on my second rep the bar started moving around and after the 3rd rep I felt I had lost most of my starting tightness.

My g/f finally joined me after almost a week of having a cold, then having pink eye (and now is suffering from lots of asthma, probably still her cold I guess):

Squat
24x5x3
55x3x8

I'm going to have her do similar rolling to me as she is not getting below parallel wtihout buttwink.

Bench
24x5x3
45x3x8

She liked the idea of a backoff program for her bench too given her body isn't likely 100% yet. She was pretty beat after this and so we didn't do any additional pullthroughs or plank work.

9/20 log

Lots of SMR. Really hitting my glutes, man, that's what's been missing all these months apparently. Not sure it will make any difference with my form but can't hurt, amirite?

Mobility

Squat
45x5x2
80x5
120x3
160x2
200x5 (from side)
200xfail (from behind)
185x5 (from behind)
185x5 (from side)

I tried a bit narrower stance than I've been using and REALLY tried to push my knees out and keep them pushed out. They still caved but my g/f said they were better on work sets. There was a guy watching all my squats closely and afterwards he said the reason my upper body is folding down is b/c I'm looking down and I should look more up so that my body doesn't follow my eyes. I think he didn't mean for me to tilt my head up at all but while keepign a fairly neutral spine, looking straight ahead are much further in front of where I'm standing.

Seems like it couldn't hurt to try but I thought I was looking the 5-6 feet in front of me (there is a mirror past that point) that Ripp recommends.

I still don't "get" proper form imo. Some day it'll all feel consistent and natural I think.

DL
135x5
135x4
145x3
205x2
245x1
245x2
205x5

Eh. Meh. Weh. I kinda figured out how to put my butt down lower without letting the bar go in front of mid-foot. But as you can see, after my setup I get much better depth of my butt, and I don't think (could be wrong) I'm allowing the bar to creep too much forward of my mid-foot. So I still gotta figure out my setup. I saw this video linked on startingstrength forums and this guy talks like an idiot but I think may be super smart and this setup order could potentially work for me better imo: http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=26388.

OHP
45x5x2
50x5
60x3
75x2
92.5x5
92.5x5
92.5x4

Ugh. So I went down a weight class and didn't quite get all 3. On my 3rd set I had good speed and breathing but I was moving the damn bar too far forward and I think it's what made it too hard. Anyway, weird I'm not going up on OHP.

My g/f did:

OHP
18x5x3
24x3x8

DL
45x5x3
65x3x6

Then she did some core ab stuff in a different room.

I havent looked at your vids yet - I will later.

The dude who said that isnt necessarily wrong - lots of really strong people even look up when they squat. I dont think looking up or letting your neck bend back is good, but looking straight ahead is ok as long as your head doesnt tilt back. That being said, you have enough things on your mind already, so dont do that on your work sets imo.

Lots of people have different opinions on stuff. Some of it might work for them, but that doesnt mean its good to do. They might not be aware of the disadvantages of doing it the way they suggest.

Btw, Dr. K asked me if I "had gained weight" today (of course since I'm such a woman I first felt insecure about the comment but now realize that's exactly what is supposed to be happening, duh).

He also said that at some point things click when doing complex movements with heavy weights and it just starts feeling natural. And when you're an expert, you really "become one with the motion" (my words not his). He also complained about his physician who always tells him his BMI is way too high. Even wrestling Olympian Dr.'s have to put up with dumb ppl.

Its amazing to me how ignorant a lot of MDs are.

I think a lot of people have found that Rip's advice on looking down-ish doesn't work and will lead to more good morning than if you just look straight ahead. Looking straight up definitely doesn't work with a Rip-style LBBS.

9/23/11

SMR & mobility

Squats
45x5x2
75x5
110x3
150x2
185x5
185x5
185x5

I tried not looking down too much, really getting my chest as big as possible to start with, and leading with my chest on the way up if it still felt like I was having problems. I still have issues with folding my back when doing these. I mean, this is better than when I was trying at 195 and 200, but it may just be b/c it's less weight.

Bench
45x5x2
80x5
110x3
145x2
162.5x4
162.5x3
162.5x3

Man, it's just the same pattern every time I try to move up. Seems like I just can't go up in 1 try even when doing microplating.

Pullups - 5
Chins - 5 (/w 10 lbs)
Neutral grip - 5, 4, 3

My g/f did

Squat
24x5x3
50x3
75x2
95x5x3

Bench
24x5x3
45x3
55x2
65x5x2
65x4

9/24 log

Bit of SMR

Worked on post moves in the gym and then tried the JonFon(TM) FT challenge. I don't remember what the WR is, or what I did last time, but man I was feeling it and in a good rhythm so I doubt I can beat this time so I will quit again: 6:39.

Jesus, I beat my WR by a full minute. Now I'm feeling pretty stoked about checkin' JF's log!

DL - I think you could save some energy by letting the weight come down faster. Just make sure to hinge at the hips and keep your low back in extension.

The squats from a few days ago were good imo. Why do you think you failed the 2nd set at 200?

The last vid links posted are broken.

Check your email.

I always try now to make sure my low back stays in extension and not flexion when I do DLs now, but the goddamn thing won't do it sometimes. Grrrr.

I don't know. Maybe I was focusing on my knees going out and then lost balance, although it doesn't look like I was too off balance. Maybe mentally I was struggling too much with 200 considering it seems I can't get my form good.

Weird, I guess I should have checked my links!

45lbs warmup - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRa6cl90B20
185x5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wMy4I6OMoU
185x5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN6g9lehQqM
185x5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3zvvLxTJ5Q

Checked. Seems like I'll be focusing on DLs once a week and doing SS the other two lifting days.

Do you do any stretching?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5EO8...layer_embedded

The second and third stretch help a lot with depth.

My squat seemed to improve since I started doing the couch stretch(the third stretch) before squatting. When I warm up I do air squats and try to make sure I can get depth with lumbar extension.

I don't really like doing the second stretch before lifting but it helps a lot with depth.

I do a mobility routine before each lifting session I do. It consists of:

- Quadruped rotation
- Push-up Plus (although I don't do this one anymore b/c I am bad at pushups, which means I probably should do this one, lol)
- Dynamic Blackburns
- Shoulder dislocations (I started doing these a couple workouts ago with a 9lbs bar, but should probably switch to resistance bands b/c my left shoulder is now hurting, which I guess could be from benching or something else)
- Split Stance Rotation
- Scapular Wall Slides (front & back)

- Supine straight leg raise
- Side lying hip abduction
- clamshells
- Walking Spiderman
- Ankle mobility against the wall
- goblet squats (I usually skip this too as the squat warmups seem fine imo, I usually do a couple air ones before doing the bar)

-Quad stretch (pretty sure this is the couch stretch, with my back leg on a chair, not up against the wall). I can't really stretch my left quad all that well due to my leg issue, but I can get the right one well. I also have started (a week or so ago) hitting some other areas foam rolling in my hip and upper front leg that I think will help with lumbar extension.

I read an article from Ripp which discusses that not being able to get depth in the squat without lower back flexion is less a sign of poor flexibility or mobility and much more of an issue of doing squats correctly so that there's space for you pelvic region to not push up against your inner thighs, forcing your lower back to flex. That's the reason why it's so important to not let your knees cave and make sure your toes point out. Knee cave has been one of my biggest issues so I think what I need to do is make sure my stance and toes are out wide enough (but not too wide as to promote knee cave) and realllly concentrate on keeping my lower back in extension and reducing any flexion. This is also likely why if I concentrate on it hard, I can get depth on light squats without back flexion but then on my work set I start having flexion as soon as I try to go to or past parallel. My knees cave at least a bit and this reinforces the back flexion I'm used to doing.

9/25 log

So yesterday I started a new 1 day a week DL-focused program for 10 weeks, where I'm going to do what's below once a week, and then 2 other days lift Squats & OHP or Bench Press SS style.

The purpose of this is to switch things up for me as I'm mentally stuck or whatever and haven't had the type of linear gains on SS that it seems I should get. We're both thinking that once I mentally and physically get confident lifting really heavy **** (DLs), that may help translate into me being able to really go after my other lifts after this program and make progress on them.

Here's what I did at Cha's Basement Gym:

SMR, mobility

Trap Bar DL (Hadn't done this before, man it feels WAY more natural to me than conventional DLs)
100x5x2
180x3x3
230x2
270x1 - Was gonna sto pat 2 reps of this but Cha said my warmups looked easy so I kept going.
270 + 45 lbs chains x 1 - This felt super great! Cha has videos of this imo. Way more weight than I've ever lifted in any way. RAWR. I'm not sure what the ratio between trap bar vs. conventional is supposed to be, but I do know 315 > 250 which is the most weight I had previously lifted in any form.
270 + 90 lbs chains - fail - Yeah, so, I tried at this tiwce - the second time I did manage to get it hovering off of the ground which I was happy with.

"Speed" DL (90 second rest in between)
195x3x8 - Cha said my form on these were good except maybe 1 rep on my last set. I wore my new shin sleeves but now I have a couple of solid bruises near my knees where they don't reach. It was great to simply not think and just try to set my back and pull that motherf@cker.

Circuit of 90 second rest in between sets, and 2-3 minutes in between each circuit:
RDL: I have the weight written down at home - 5, 8, 8
DB Row: 60x8, 60x8, 50x8
Neutral grip pullups: 5, 4, 3 with a band using my back and not arms
Arched back good mornings: I have the weight written down at home - 8, 8, 8

Then I did a bunch of little accessory things (not particularly in order):
65 & 70lbs DB farmer walks
Medicine ball slams (while screaming)
Blast strap fallouts
Jackknifes

Maybe something I'm forgetting.

Then I ate a big piece of lasagna and went home.

Last night I woke up to use the bathroom and was stumbling all the way there b/c I was so sore.

Right now most things are sore except my face. Note to self: use more face next time.

lol

Less being weak injured, more being strong, full of WIM, and basketball stories.

kthxbai

I'm not injured. I'm just weak.

Lots of WIM yesterday, I'm hoping for more WIM when lifting.

I still am 2 weeks away from bball but my schedule will be:
Sunday - League game
Monday - Competitive pickup games
Tuesday - SS lifting
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - DL day (see above for programming)
Friday - rest
Saturday - SS lifting

I'm going to worry less about going up at Squat, Bench, OHP, and focus on moving weights up on DL day.

I thought this story from Saturday was pretty cool, :

kthx4readingz

Ah, my bad, skipped over that. Skimming too fast. I haven't done it in forever since I just show up and go hard on the pick up games now. Maybe I'll go early enough to do it some more this week. We'll see. Nize time.

I def feel like getting this time down into the sub 7 range has help my confidence as a shooter. Which is silly since I 'shoot' like an average of once every three games. It's just not something I've incorporated. Which is fine since I've been pretty efficient at the rim when I do have a good scoring day.

Lately I've been toying with the idea of just getting my lifts up to something concrete (like 225 BP, 315 squat 5RM, etc) and then try to just maintain those lifts while losing BF and turning an even larger focus on jump training, ball handling, etc.

Yeah, do pickup games, this FT challenge while kind of fun due to the somewhat competitive nature, imo isn't very helpful overall.

Thanks! I'm retiring though, when I do the challenge I always end up doing a little hop with a bunch of my FTs at some point and while I can get into a really nice groove, I can't rely on this type of form in a game.

Well, in that case, it's good, but this is just completely mental on your part. I have good confidence shooting when playing vs. bad players and awful confidence when playing 5x5 in my league b/c play seems higher. But they're not that much better than ppl I've scored on, it's just a mental comfort thing.

This is essentially my long-term goal. To get my lifts up to something intermediate and at the very least past novice type gains and when it gets a lot tougher to make progress, I'm going to try and maintain and really train drills and bball specific stuff.

Yugo --

I've got the same goal as well. Having some intermediate level of strength is certainly farther off for me squat/DL, but I don't see myself struggling to add 10 lbs to my squat in 2 years if I can get to a 315 5RM. That seems awfully far off right now though lol.

Montecore - JonFon is already at an Intermediate level imo.

I just started SS at the end of my last basketball season and have reallllly struggled with Squat & Deadlift form. I have gotten quite a bit stronger relative to where I started. BUT, even knowing I would go slowly and not try to sacrifice form, I am not nearly as strong as I was expecting given what I researched. That's why I'm tweaking my programming a bit. I don't think I'm truly stalling on SS, but I'm too frustrated b/c I seem to be stronger than my form is letting me be.

Anyway, it's cool there are several posters interested in bball and getting stronger to get better at it. There are several logs right now active with basically these identical goals. I'm probably the oldest poster of the group (I don't consider myself old at all at 30 but w/e) and possibly the least athletic (I'm 6' tall and have never touched rim). BUT, that isn't stopping me, . If I wasn't getting stronger for bball I probably wouldn't care about getting stronger and wouldn't even be doing any of this. It's important to have some sort of motivation imo.

How much do you eat, Yugo?

I think some of my layoffs have hurt my progress, but I have reset squats and DL multiple times since I started back up in April due to form issues. It feels like I'm sort of on the right track now, but my end of the year goal of doing my work sets at 225 for squat seems pretty far off. I'm just going to keep plugging away, I guess, and try to be better with foam rolling/mobility type stuff.

Montecore - I have been experiencing similar imo. Tbh, I wish someone had said before I started SS that you don't just go up linearly for a long time without stalling a bunch. Instead I was told that as long as I eat a surplus (but not enough to gain tons of weight) my body should be able to adapt and allow me to keep making gains.

JF - 'bout three fiddy. Actually, I should review what I eat again. This was my review a few months ago: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=167.

Ok, so from looking at that and thinking about how I'm eating today, my plan was to eat this (my yogurt was curdled so instead of that I ate a Builder bar so I'm gonna get ~150 more calories & 7g more protein due to that mistake by me, lol):

1) museli cereal + soy milk - 326 - 7.5
2) greek yogurt + banana - 210 - 13
3) pb&J + apple + carrots/celery - 581 - 13
4) 3 scoops optimum nutrigion 100% whey protein powder + cheese + crackers - 400 - 88
5) veggie burger/pick/onions/ketchup/mustard, orange, spinach salad/dressin - 340 - 27
6) 3 scoops optimum nutrigion 100% whey protein powder - 120 - 72

total calories: 1977
total protein: 220.5

I also eat out maybe 3-4 times a week (2-3 dinners & 1 lunch). 1 meal out ends up replacing 1 of the above meals. Unfortunately this often ends up replacing meal 5+6 so I lose 1 protein powder feeding sometimes. These meals out are very, very high in calories though (1200+ at least imo). Like last week I ate at Smashburger and had a cheeseburger, fried pickles, and a soda (don't often have soda). And ate some extra onion ring straw things.

I'm actually VERY surprised I'm potentially consuming so few calories. The sample menu above is likely on my lower end, but I mean, unless I go out (or eat a big piece of lasagna at Cha's), I'm not getting 2500 calories doing what I'm doing. I'm not sure how many cals I *should* be eating, but my guess is more than 2000.

Perhaps the only thing keeping me gaining weight and moving on up are my meals out. How have I even gained weight: both fat and muscle?