Yeah. If you felt like he was giving you a sales pitch, then he probably was. I had that the other day when I was looking around for new skis, and I was still considering used. I was at this swap'n shop type place, and the people there were volunteers. The volunteer I ended up with was clearly only interested in getting me to come to his store where he'd get 100% of the profit. Ugh.

Even if you weren't *ready* for the 45 pound bar, there are other solutions. Oodles of people have started with just free weights.

I wouldn't even use that trainer, frankly, he sounds like kind of a jerk. I'd go straight to someone else.

I think its possible to get pretty good results from machines in terms of the way your body looks (well, maybe not some, but from using the leg press and things) but I think its ridiculous to imply that those build strength for compound barbell lifts, since I find that the toughest part about most of those is getting the form right and then beyond that I think what is mostly lacking for people is the core strength (yes yes, I know we all whine and moan about the overhead press but I think that the limitation on the overhead press is mostly that a lot of us are stuck starting wtih a 45 lb bar and that's already heavy so progress just looks really slow).

Core strength isn't trained on machines. At all. They're lousy for core strength. The particular back and stomach strain that comes from putting a barbell on your back and holding your back arched correctly to squat or deadlift could also be gained through some assistance movements, but using a machine that holds/supports your torso in place while you move your arms or legs isn't it. I guess there are those machines where you push back or forward against a bar and move some weights?

But yeah, I think it would be ....well. Not a 100% waste of your time but .... not nearly as valuable as he seems to be making it out to be?

Thanks for the support, guys!

@momlikesbikes -- trust yourself. Good luck with NROL4W and I will hope for the day when you can walk by that guy in the gym and deadlift HIS bodyweight x 1.5! Not that I encourage the nursing of grudges but they can provide some strong inspiration.

I did 5x5 on everything today

squats 75lbs
bench 55lbs
rows 55lbs -- I took the advice to do true pendlay rows from the "floor" -- no soda crates in my gym so I had to steal 8x10-lb plates to raise my teeny 5lb'ers off the floor; but what an improvement. I feel like I recruited the right muscles for once.

As for pneumonia, I had a hard time bouncing back from a cold after my marathon last month, pneu must be much harder. Sleep and water, and baby steps. Take care.

It looks like everyone is countinuing to rock it!

I went up to 100lbs for squats yesteday morning and did 5x5, but my form suffered something fierce. I believe that poor form is what kinked my back up a couple workouts ago - and I was blaming the deadlift, but I am pretty sure it was the squats. I feel like I am rounding my lower back. I am going to reread the squat chapter in Starting Strength. Then rewatch the videos...then deload and try again.

I moved up to 135 on the deadlift today and my back felt fine. In fact, the recruitment of the glutes was really felt for the first time today, so yea, the 45's make a difference! Stuck at 55 on the OHP again.

Sooo...to wrap up the first four weeks on SL:
Squat: 45 -> 100 (poor form)
OHP: 45-> 55 (stalled)
Deadlift: 85 -> 135
Bench: 45 ->65 (stalled)
Row: 45 -> 70

Down 1.4 lbs and lost 1 in on waist, gained .25 in in biceps and .5 in thigh.

Soo...I have been doing a lot of googling to try to figure out what's up with my back. I have come to the less than scientific conclusion that it is a combination of a (diagnosed by physical therapist some months ago) anterior pelvic tilt and aggravation of my si joint (based on the "spark" I feel when I move a certain way - its like right above my butt crack but a smidgen to the right).

I am not sure what the best course of action is for this. I do not want to take a break from lifting. Anyone else have this issue?

Machines gave me a false sense of strength.

I was kickin' *kitten* on the machines. I could chest press 130 pounds... but when I switched to free weights, I could only do 60 (up to 85 now!). The range of motion wasn't there on the machines. And sitting upright with your body fully braced isn't the same as laying on your back pushing up. Ditto for OHP. It was easy doing 50 on the machine. Doing it at home, it took me long time to get up to 50 (now at 65), because it took a lot more core strength. The hardest part of OHP for me is just getting the bar up to my shoulders. On the machine, it's already there.

I did use the weighted ab/crunch and back extension machines, but now it just seems like such a waste of time, hopping from machine to machine to machine to work different muscles, when 5x5 covers them all in so little time and moves!

Do you not use a rack when doing the OHP? How do you get it up? By power cleaning it up? I am too scared to try that for fear of looking stupid.. lol

No rack here... I lift at home, so I'm ok looking stupid. :laugh:

Definitely pigeon pose. Happy baby is nice too.

Also, placing your hands on a table, chair, what have you...then bend over so you have a good stretch on your hamstrings. Then tighten your quads and sort of internally rotate your femurs. At the same time, drop your tailbone towards the floor...this lengthens the muscles in your lower back. Hold this for as long as you can...then do the same stretch, but at a lower level...use a stool or the floor.

a_vettestingr, I got a lower back/SI joint strain in week 2 of SL -- I went to chiro yesterday and it seems improved. Pigeon pose has been recommended to me, and definitely feels good.

What triggered it, I'm sure now, was squats; I was rounding my lower back at the bottom. Somehow I thought Rippetoe had referred to that as the "butt wink" and I thought he said it was 'normal'-- don't know where I got that because when I went back and finished reading the whole chapter on squats, he talked about the dangers of either rounding OR over-arching the lower back. He recommends some superman-type core moves (lie on your belly, lift chest/lift feet) 10-15 to engage the area appropriately before launching into your squats. Also point toes out at 30 degrees helps prevent the back rounding.

I got duped by the "buttwink" too. I am having a hard time with squats at the higher weight...like my back is overarched when I start, then the lower I move into the squat and try to fight the arch; I tuck it under. But I really thought I read somewhere that you were supposed to keep the pelvis tucked.

Looks like it will be supermans, planks, and yoga for me

Thanks for all the help!

a_vettestingr, I got a lower back/SI joint strain in week 2 of SL -- I went to chiro yesterday and it seems improved. Pigeon pose has been recommended to me, and definitely feels good.

What triggered it, I'm sure now, was squats; I was rounding my lower back at the bottom. Somehow I thought Rippetoe had referred to that as the "butt wink" and I thought he said it was 'normal'-- don't know where I got that because when I went back and finished reading the whole chapter on squats, he talked about the dangers of either rounding OR over-arching the lower back. He recommends some superman-type core moves (lie on your belly, lift chest/lift feet) 10-15 to engage the area appropriately before launching into your squats. Also point toes out at 30 degrees helps prevent the back rounding.

I got duped by the "buttwink" too. I am having a hard time with squats at the higher weight...like my back is overarched when I start, then the lower I move into the squat and try to fight the arch; I tuck it under. But I really thought I read somewhere that you were supposed to keep the pelvis tucked.

Looks like it will be supermans, planks, and yoga for me

Thanks for all the help!

It might not just be core strength, it might also be a flexibility issue. Hips, ankles, tight ham strings or calves. Any of that could cause your body to compensate by winking.

Can you do an *kitten*-to-grass body weight squat? Try this - at the end of this article there's a recommendation for an exercise to stretch and strengthen that area.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/whats-the-proper-way-to-squat-qa.html

Whoot! I kicked the 55lb overhead press' butt! I am a little scared to see how 60lbs will look though! I need to go to the hardware store and find those 1.1lb 2 inch washers people keep mentioning. I also pulled 140lb on the deadlift. I did will till the last rep and felt like I might have rounded my back some. I plan to stay at 140 the next time around and try to correct that.

I have deloaded my squats (I planned to go down to 75 - but bad math struck again and I went to 85). I did ok at 85 Friday, so I stuck with it again and my form was better until the last rep of the last set. I hate sucking at squats, lol.

Hope everyone has a good week!

woohoo!

It's my last week of Stronglifts,
It's 13th week, but I was sick a lot, so I will complete only 30 work outs (10 weeks worth)
next week I'm on vacation, and when I come back Ill switch to modified Starting Strenght
I will still squat every WO, and do the other lifts, except pendaly row, but 3*5, not 5*5, i will also add more assistance work

Hi ladies, I am new to strong lifts actually today was the first day. I've been reading the book and watched all the videos.

Today I was a bit intimidated at the gym still., but I got over it.

I did my dead lifts with dumbbells 40lbs total
Bench just the bar
Squat just the bar

I can't seem to find how much weight I am suppose to start with, but since it was my first time bench pressing and my second time squatting I decided to just use the bar.

Do you long your 5x5's? How do you log it?

Nice to meet you all I am sure this group will be very helpful!