november when you didn't lift? isn't life much better now?
canadianlbs
Posts: 5,199 Member
lol. i'm really running out of puns 
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5's week and bench press is getting away from me (we'll just pretend that i had it locked at one point, okay?)
60/70/80 bench. that last rep at 80 was the hardest one i have ever done on bench. ever, in two and a half years. so something just wasn't isn't right with my form. i had the bench misaligned by juuust enough to offset my hands from each other, so that might have been part of it. either way, meh disappointing.
i'm back to being a huge fan of core work. so . . .
then i did squats. la la la. front squats first, in 5lb jumps from the bar up to 75. these are really working for me, and i'm not going to analyze why. i'm just taking it. they felt solid and strong all the way and from what i could see in the mirror they looked that way too. i always either love fs or hate them and right now it's all love.
waiter walks, one circuit per arm, with kettlebells from the tiny one up to the 'too heavy for safety', which i think was about the 13.something pound one. i so love love love waiter walks. that press to get the bell up is the best health check i could invent for my shoulder joints. and one side at a time will hopefully start to balance me out on the strength.
once the waiter walks were too heavy i started again and did suitcase carries on the same circuit. one sided, up to idk - i think 33 pounds was as high as i felt like going.
and then i did some goblet squats and those seemed to go well, so i went and did . . . .
back squats! \o/ \o/ same as the front squats. jumps of 5 up to 75, for single sets.
i'm pretty happy. too soon to tell probably. but being able to go up to 75 when i feel like i've bene on the broken bench for a month is really encouraging. at least it seems to mean that i still have some strength, so all that stuff i've beren doing that felt so half-assed and pointless must have had worth after all.
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That is awesome!
i'm not looking forward to 90 pound squats today. the 85 isn't killing me, but sometimes it's not easy to get all the way up, not that i think it should be, i dunno. i'm just nervous i guess.
i'm pmsing and today was measurements day and everything was about .5 bigger than last month, but i'm trying to take that in stride because bloating. i'm curious to see if the 'meh' feeling translates into strength struggles.
end ramble rant.3 -
canadianlbs- thanks for starting this thread! I pulled a muscle in my shoulder and have not been here for last couple of weeks. Starting back very slowly.
Today I turned 59 years old! Now I can live with that number for another 10 years. Today I plan on walking and swinging my 30 pound kettle bell starting at week one of the basic five-week program. Tomorrow I will do my strong lift routine with the empty bar just to rehab my muscles.
Stronglifts Rest Day
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squat-3X5X 30
Russian kettle bell swing-10 X7X 303 -
happy birthday! this tells me i have 8 more years to get legs like yours
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jessiferrrb wrote: »i'm not looking forward to 90 pound squats today. the 85 isn't killing me, but sometimes it's not easy to get all the way up, not that i think it should be, i dunno. i'm just nervous i guess.
i know that feel. 90 is my nerve threshold too. but it's just another workout.
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todays workout
squats 5x5@87lbs
ohp 5x5@45lbs think im going to be stuck on this weight for a while.
deadlifts 1x5@110lbs2 -
trainer day. a little bleh but i always disappoint myself during 5's week. press at 45/50/55, and deadlift at 110/125/145. both lifts felt heavy, but the press actually got stronger as the weights went up and my form really snapped together. heavy presses are so heavy, i always do them as hard and fast as i can just to get the reps in while the getting is good
no extra reps on deadlift. now hoping those will come during 3's week, of course. meanwhile, i thought going all day fasted and then drinking a protein shake pre-workout would cover it but i was wrong. had to stop at the grocery store on the way home and make 9pm omelettes when i arrived, i was so hungry.
my spreadsheet says i moved four thousand, six hundred and sixty-eight pounds through time and space over the course of the week. that's the official number. relative to last cycle, my bench press and deadlift volume is down, squat volume is up (of course), and the press is up too, by a little bit. total volume change from last cycle is 132 pounds :tongue. not a lot, but it's an increase.felt a bit wobbly towards the end though so going to stay at this weight for a few more workouts.
nice though! those are the mid-size girl plates!
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i seem to be normal(ish) so it's back to my Plan. which goes: on saturdays, do hypertrophy sets at light weight for the two lifts you'll be doing on friday at trainer time. light weight. do i hear me? LIGHT WEIGHT. then later on in the week, i'll do my 'heavy' wendler-based workouts for each of the other two lifts, as usual.
the reason for this is me and mr t have a schedule worked out where i alternate which lifts i do. that way i'm never more than two weeks between getting reality checks on my form, but the downside is if i don't do 'extra' on them by myself, i would go thirteen whole days without doing a lift. my deadlifts felt like an example of why that's not great yesterday.
so, since it's bench and squats next friday, i just used the bar and did 3x15 on bench, and 5x10 on back squats. there was front squatting too, but not to quite the same point. i ain't crazy, and besides one of my wrists was flaky and hurt like heck when i had the bar racked until i figured that out.
i think they both went pretty well. bench is nice when it's properly light because i get to see the form more than the weight. my squat form actually improves if it's about 20 pounds heavier, but i did a lot of front squats instead just to try and wake myself up. my only grudge against myself right now is when i've got a set of 10 in front of me i've started dive-bombing again on my squats, instead of taking it slow. so i caught myself at about halfway through and slowed it down for the rest of the sets. i'll let myself off for it this time.
my hip circles are still full of sticks and pinch and tight spots, especially at the groin zone. but i think i'm actually getting better at controlling the joints themselves. i hope so. and i did a lot of adductor and inner hamstring stretching, which felt mahhhhhvellous.
tomorrow i will DO NOTHING. i went and bought cooking supplies to make sure of it. when you have hummus and feta and tomatoes and parsley and a brand new jar of yeast, you don't have any choice but to make pita, right?2 -
todays workout
squats 5x5@94lbs
ohp 5x5@45lbs
deadlift 1x5@110lbs1 -
ohp for 3's week. 45/50/60. something is wrong with one wrist and i had to be really careful with placing the bar, so i did my 3 on the big set and quit there. i did do an extra set of 6 with the first-set weight though.
eccentric pullups and squats for accessory. not really feeling it much today. should have had breakfast first 0 -
oh, and suitcase carries. i made them uneven this time though.
i started with the two smallest kettlebells. one in each hand, circuit of gym. set them down, switch hands and do it again. then i'd swap the smaller one out for the next-biggest one from the set . . . didn't get very far. but once i got to the heaviest one i could carry, i did a one-arm carry circuit on each side with that one as well.
just wasn't in a mood to do planks. so i did these instead for Core Stuff.0 -
Gym at last after having to take time off from a cold and other excuses.
band pulls 3x10
front squat 2x10 @ 45, 1x8 @ 65 (break for main push press sets) then 3x6 @ 95
push press 2x8 @ 45, 1x5 @ 65 and 3x5 @ 75
squat 1x8 @ 95, 1x8 @ 135, 1x3 @ 160 and 3x5 @ 155
tricep rope pushdown 3x12 @ 30
one arm cable row 3x8 @ 30
20 minute jog on treadmill
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Monday
Stronglifts Workout A
Squats- 5X5X 65
BP-5X5X 55
BR-5X5X 55
I did a serious deload because of my shoulder injury. I did not have any pain during the exercise. However, two hours later I experienced severe neck pain. I was able to relieve the pain by going to the hot tub and then icing. Because of this I took Tuesday off.
Wednesday
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squat-3X5X 30
Russian kettle bell swing-10X7X30
So far no pain!1 -
did my 3's deadlifts and they weren't great. 120/135/155. so not-great that after the mandatory three on the big set i dropped weight and did more at the two lower weights. nothing wrong with my body, it was just my form sucked. could not get my abs properly synched.
also did rows in 5lb jumps up to 70, and the usual accessory suspects for now. skipped the pullups after just one because of an elbow tendon but i've started working on a pushup progression in the meantime, so there's that.2 -
Today's workout
Squats 55544 @99lbs first time ever at this weight .felt really hard I literally sat down on the last 2 and couldn't get up lol.
Bench 55535 @59lbs
Rows 5x5@52lbs.
Went shopping for new weights today ,asked the guy that worked there where do you keep the weights,he replied ladies or mens haha.err just weights thanks .2 -
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Stronglift Workout B
Squats- 1x5x55/65, 5x5x70
OHP- 5x5x45
DL - 1x5x65
I feel like going slow and steady and build up 5 lbs at a time.1 -
I'm a total noob to 5x5 but I'm getting started! I hired a personal trainer for a few sessions and we're going through each of the lifts and getting form down really well, then I'll be off on my own soon. Today was deadlifts. Per the trainer, I've got beautiful form and great body awareness (thank you, dance training), and the 45 lb empty bar was pretty easy. He went ahead and loaded up another 20 lbs on and I did a few sets at 65 without too much difficulty. Has anyone started 5x5 at a higher weight than the app recommends? It seems silly to go back to 45 if I can do 65 with good form and without strain, but again--noob. Also, does anyone else use a hex bar instead of straight bar for deadlifts? That's what the trainer showed me with, as he said it's easier to do the correct form since you don't have to worry about (improperly) swinging the bar forward to clear your knees as you come up. He said he uses the hex himself, and he deadlifts 500 lbs. Thoughts?
I have two more training sessions, so I'm going to have him help me get OHP and bench press form sorted, and hopefully we can squeeze barbell row in as well. I'm excited!2 -
nice to have you here. and cool username.
so, um. stuff. hopefully others will have thoughts as well. here are mine:
- for deadlift, did he use the 10lb plates that are the same size as the 'real' big plates? i'm just speaking personally but i feel like having the bar at the right height is more important than sticking to the letter of the start-with-the-bar recommendation. if you can pull 65 comfortably and using the plates lets you practice exactly the same mechanics you'll use when you reach 135, i'd say do it.
- for your remaining sessions with him, my overwhelming vote would be to have him teach you to squat. ohp can be tricky, but the worst that usually happens with poor ohp form is you don't progress very far. the only critical rule is not to lean back too far and dump strain into your lumbar spine. but poor squat form is much harder to know when you're doing it, and doing it poorly can get you an injury. so i'd put squats at the top of the list.
- the hex bar . . . i guess that's the same as the 'trap' bar i've seen here. you stand inside it and have to pull from inside a restricted space. i've never used it but Certain People are agitating my weekly trainer to get one for his gym. so what i've heard in those discussions is that it can be great for people whose lower backs are vulnerable, but it does change your mechanics and your 'diagnostic angles'. it's much more of a quad movement than the regular deadlift. you set up in a position that's almost like a half-squat. so there's that. i don't have any allegiance or experience with the hex bar, but fwiw i just googled and i found this.
https://www.strengthandconditioningresearch.com/promotions/newsletter/hex-bar-deadlift/
i'll say one thing though. i lift the conventional way, with a flatter back and more of a hip hinge than a knee bend. he's right that the bar can get away from your legs in a conventional deadlift . . . but not letting it do that is part of the lift. you need to use your lats to keep the bar on your legs, which has the nice side-effect of helping to stabilize your spine.
just thoughts. congratulations on starting.1 -
band pull aparts 3x10
bench 2x10 @ 45, 1x6 then 3x8 @ 75
good morning 3x10 @ 95
low bar squat 2x10 @ 45, 1x10 @ 95, 3x6 @ 135
deadlift 1x8 @ 135 and 3x5 @ 185
facepull 3x10 @ 35
Getting back into the lifting after having the time off from that pesky cold. Will be getting more program focused soon with another peak cycle.2 -
Stronglift Rest Day
Kettlebell Swing
Goblet squat-3X5X 30
Russian kettle bell swing-13 X7X 30
I am going really light on the amount of weight of the strength training. I am still experiencing pain in my shoulder but, not while I am working out.2 -
trainer day. it's a stat so i thought he was closd and then got all confused and took a long nap and . . .ugh. anyway, point is i was late and not entirely settled when i got there, but 3's week is done.
bench 65/75/85. GAH that last set at 85 is hard. totally one of those no-more-reps things. so just for spite i took the plates off and re-did the first set for 8 reps at the end.
mr squats said something encouraging. i wasn't exactly down about it, but i commented that 85 pounds is exactly the weight where i hit the 'wall' that sent me to wendler all those months ago. and still it's just as hard here as it was when i was on 3x5. as a matter of fact i'm not sure i could even do 85 for three sets of 5 atm.
but i said, kind of mocking myself for clutching straws, that at least i know i can do 70 or 75 pretty comfortably now. he said that's where it's actually at. his top squat weight is still pretty much what it was when i joined this group more than a year ago. but, he said, his 'bottom' squat has been closing the gap with the top one over this year. right now he can't squat much more than 520 or so, but he can load up 475 and keep going all day.
so apparently that's a valid measure of progress, once you're a non-noob. makes me curious too, to find out what happens when your bottom weight meets your top one, so i guess i'll keep trucking with that thought in mind.
squats were 'freestyle' - mr. t's nice word for when you've got a lift that's broken. couldn't get a good rack for front squatting, but i took the back squats up to 75 and did 3x5 there. that's not progress compared with my last-weekend stuff, but i'm deciding to trust the process and have confidence that more weight will come.
and axle deadlifts. not seriously because i have bbb deadlifting plans for tomorrow and i want to save myself but mr t's optional challenge this month is amrap on axle deadlifts over 5 mins. the other woman in the group did it for real at 95, so i tried a few reps just for curiosity about how the bar feels. different, is how. 1 -
hypertrophy/whatever/bbb day.
ohp 10x5@45. was i out of my mind? probably :P i think my target 'real' weight at the end of the week will be 65, and that's the 95% mark. so i don't think my training weight should be much over 70 right now and was this is way over the 50% recommendation for boring but big. but i found a rack and i could not find the small bar, so i just yolo'd it. at least i didn't try to do 5x10, so there's that.
actually, in sets of 5 it was not bad at all. i thought i'd gas out after about half of it, but that didn't happen at all. i took rest time, i did it in sets of 5, and i felt almost totally fresh for each of them all the way up to the last reps of the last set. it almost felt as if i was getting stronger, up to that one. so i pressed 2250 pounds today, guize.
and then i did squats instead of going on to my bbb deadlift for 50 reps. front/back alternation in 5lb jumps up to 70 again, or mmmmaaaaybe i made 75. that's exactly the same as what i did last week, but i did these ones s-l-o-w-l-y after the first couple of sets, in order to make far more sure of my form. so i'm calling that a progression in 'overload' terms, because it sure as heck was. i liked the form though. liked how smooth and solid it felt all the way from the top to the bottom and back up again. liked how i didn't get pinches and i think i escaped buttwink at least most of the time. and my legs just felt solid as heck.
so front squats rock. alan thrall is right: do your front squats. it was so much easier for me to stand with the bar racked on my delts, and just 'feel' how and where the weight was distributing itself through my body to get to the ground.
oh yeah. and my week ended last night so the total volume for 3's week was just under 3000lb.1 -
amyinthetardis1231 wrote: »I'm a total noob to 5x5 but I'm getting started! I hired a personal trainer for a few sessions and we're going through each of the lifts and getting form down really well, then I'll be off on my own soon. Today was deadlifts. Per the trainer, I've got beautiful form and great body awareness (thank you, dance training), and the 45 lb empty bar was pretty easy. He went ahead and loaded up another 20 lbs on and I did a few sets at 65 without too much difficulty. Has anyone started 5x5 at a higher weight than the app recommends? It seems silly to go back to 45 if I can do 65 with good form and without strain, but again--noob. Also, does anyone else use a hex bar instead of straight bar for deadlifts? That's what the trainer showed me with, as he said it's easier to do the correct form since you don't have to worry about (improperly) swinging the bar forward to clear your knees as you come up. He said he uses the hex himself, and he deadlifts 500 lbs. Thoughts?
I have two more training sessions, so I'm going to have him help me get OHP and bench press form sorted, and hopefully we can squeeze barbell row in as well. I'm excited!
Welcome to SL 5x5. Deadlifts generally get started off at a higher weight than the other lifts. I think I started DLs at 95lbs. I've always used the straight bar. Like @canadianlbs said, if you are DLing less than 135 lbs and not using bumper plates, it's important that the bar is started at the proper height. I lift at home and used the bases to a step aerobics step to support the weights on both sides.
I did not start OHP with the 45lb bar. I started with a 30 lb fixed weight bar and worked up from there.
Great job on your good form!1 -
canadianlbs wrote: »and then i did squats instead of going on to my bbb deadlift for 50 reps.
i don't think i'm grokking the 'rest day' concept. i went back there today and did these. 10x5 at 100 pounds, with a let-go-reset after almost every rep. and rows 3x5 at 70 pounds, and i'm done.1 -
1's week \o/ wow, for having spent the whole cycle thinking i was just rehabbing myself, this one's gone fast. i have dl and press in t-space on friday, and i'm feeling kind of sciatica after all those deadlifts. so i just did both of my bench and squat chores so as to leave two full recovery days.
bench 70/80/90. couldn't get the extra rep that i tried for to go back up, but still doing 90 for a rep and a half felt like a victory. and once i'd checked the mandatory box, i took some weight off and did 2x5 of pin-pressing from the bottom up, with 55. staying solid enough across the upper back to really shove through the shoulderblades when i'm at the bottom of the lift is my problem with bench, so we'll see from here in.
squat 60/70/80. i actually did the wendler rep scheme instead of my high-volume faffing around, so maybe i might just maybe maybe put them back into the deck next cycle. i'm not sure about them, tbh. the hip pinch is gone, which is great - and i credit the front squats and the extra glute work. so is the s.i. click. so they feel very strong and smooth, and i certainly dealt with the weight even in the front squats. but there's the sciatica now. i'm not at all sure that i'm keeping a tight lower back and i think i still have a buttwink challenge in front of me.
didn't do anything else, except for band pulls and cable pulldowns as assistance work during bench. didn't feel like it, so there. i benched 90, i'm a badass.
next cycle i am GOING to get that bench press with 25lb plates. it's gonna happen, that's all. i don't even care if my squat's still lagging.1 -
Thanks for the replies, canadianlbs and sumiblue. Re: Canadian's suggestion about squats, we actually did start with squats in my first training session. We didn't use the bar, so I will ask him to check my form using the bar, but I have been doing squats at home with dumbbells for some time so I am at least in a similar position when I train at home. In the training session, we did squats with a fixed weight bar of about 20 lbs, which seemed plenty manageable.
As for the deadlift, the 10lb plates are not as big as the 45s, and the trainer didn't say anything about putting them on top of anything. I pull the bar from the ground, with a couple of pads underneath that raise the bar up maybe 1/2". I think I will also ask him to watch my form on the deadlift with a straight bar, and see how that feels. I did notice my quads feeling the DL more than I'd expected from my reading, so maybe that is a difference in using the hex bar. I'll have to ask if they have bumper plates at the gym.
I'm looking forward to learning the bench press and OHP soon! Thanks for the tips.
Oh, and thanks for the nod to the username, Canadian 1
This discussion has been closed.