It felt that way for a long time for me too, but I kept working at it and making form tweaks seemed like every workout. Then all of a sudden one day it all came together and now rows are awesome.

errrr . . . how many workouts did that take? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: i wanna get to that day. i'd like to start a calendar countdown or something.

this was encouraging though. i think squats made sense to me pretty much right away, i actually like ohp, bench is clouded by all my micromanaging worries to protect my shoulder, so i'm not really phased by not liking it much. and deadlift DOES make sense to me, i just have to figure out how to do it correctly myself. but rows are just a kind of flailing chaos to me. it's such an awkward pose and it all feels so counter-intuitive, even when i'm probably doing it right i don't feel like i'm doing it right. even when other people are doing it right they don't look to me like they're doing it right.

and . . . yeah. in a gym full of guys who aren't interested in me anyway and are perfectly civilized, i still don't feel all that at-ease with that pose. it's like i should be wearing a thong bikini and leaning the front end of me on a harley. could care less about squats and the whole hip-thrust lockout move for some reason, but standing around with my bum higher than the rest of me for the space of 5 reps just doesn't make me feel happy somehow.

i'd love to like them though. and i'm definitely motivated to do them, because i suddenly randomly appointed 'get a strong back' to the top of my list of things-keeping-me-entertained-atm.

errrr . . . how many workouts did that take? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: i wanna get to that day. i'd like to start a calendar countdown or something.

Yeah, I want to know this, too! I think I'm going to deload a lot and make myself do rows every workout. I feel better knowing I'm not along in my loathing.

Okay, if you really want to know, here goes...**runs off to check log sheets**. It took about 2 months until it clicked and they started to feel right. Up until then I was stuck going back and forth between 85 and 90 pounds, and now a month later I'm up to 110. It doesn't seem like a mechanically complex lift, but once everything's working together they definitely get better! And yeah, watched my fair share of online videos trying to figure this one out.

Hi everyone, I am new and well might as well start checking in on where I am. Everyone is doing so well, it's great to see. I am on Week 2 of SL5x5 using guidance from Mehdi's website. It has been really useful. Here is where I am currently:
Squat 100lb
OP 40
Deadlift 80
BP 40
BR 40 (but it feels like i am doing it wrong/ bad form). Has anyone on here worked through this issue?
Thanks!

try this video...it's Pendlay shownig us how...

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

I watch it all the time as my form has a tendancy to break down after 120lbs...

Thanks. I notice the same thing on the last segment of this this video that I'm feeling- after a few reps I don't stay (as) parellel with upper body. I think I just need to lower weight until I can get through 5x5 without that.

Congrats to Padzster on the awesome DL and to coltsgirl on getting through the OHP plateau! Two of my favorite lifts.

^^Lots of awesome progress going on in here!!

Today was workout B for me.

Squats: Warmup then 140lbs 5x5. These felt easier than 135lbs did on Wednesday. I think my booty muscles are finally getting with the program. As the weights increase, it's taking me longer to get up and down on each rep.. and as a result, after a few reps of focusing on my breathing, I start to feel light headed from lack of air from holding my breath for too long. Need to speed it up!
OHP: Warmup then 65lbs 3x5, 1x4 (DANG IT!), 1x5.
Deadlift: 155lbs 1x5. I only add 5# per workout B now for deadlifts. I made some quick progression with adding 10lbs at a time, until I reached 175/185lbs and stalled. Not my grip either that's the problem, it was just too heavy. The deload has been good.

I have just completed 10 weeks of SL!!! I am beginning to like all of the lifts except rows. Totally hate rows. Something with my form is still massively wrong. Going to watch a bunch more form videos over the weekend. On Monday if they still suck, I'll have someone video me doing them and post them in the form check thread for help.

And I'm sure he's not in here reading comments, but a big shoutout to SideSteel for taking a look at my diary earlier this week when I was struggling with feeling like I needed to eat more calories in order to fuel lifting vs. wanting to keep eating at a deficit because I still have ~40lbs to lose so it's not like I'm really close to goal yet. He suggested that I cut out snacks between meals and eat more calories at each meal, and to also have a piece of fruit before lifting to help with energy. Today is day 3 of no snacks between meals (and my diary is open - 830 cals for breakfast, 600 for lunch, and 700 for dinner with cals left for a glass of wine later if I want to. I feel less hungry than I did when I had 3 meals plus 2 snacks a day... and this morning I had a banana before lifting (normally I had nothing except water and preworkout)... and I feel better. Though today I deadlifted and feel like I could eat a whole house... and I still have to wait an hour til lunchtime lol. But I feel like I am making progress!!!

Have a great weekend everyone! I haven't taken 2 days in a row off of lifting since late June (scheduling issues after vacation), so I will be taking a much needed 2 days off this weekend.

Squats: Warmup then 140lbs 5x5. These felt easier than 135lbs did on Wednesday. I think my booty muscles are finally getting with the program. As the weights increase, it's taking me longer to get up and down on each rep.. and as a result, after a few reps of focusing on my breathing, I start to feel light headed from lack of air from holding my breath for too long. Need to speed it up!

YES! I noticed the same thing myself. 5 reps is a lot to get through once I reached about 130-140ish. DEF taking longer on the down and up once I get to that weight. lol

Workout A today

Squats: 5x5x85 - still feeling like I'm just rolling right along, but I'm going to repeat this weight next time to try and get a little lower (I was just hitting parallel today)
Bench 5/5/4/4/3 x 75
Row 4/3 65 - my elbow started locking up as it sometime does so I decided to call it a day

Though today I deadlifted and feel like I could eat a whole house...

i've also discovered that if i do my workout with any kind of seriousness, i could quite happily take a nap right there on their yoga mats. only thing that stops me is knowing i'll probably snore/drool/fart and never be able to show my face there again. but i'm usually the person yawning her head off while trying to whatever still needs to be done.

Lol I am fairly sure I've worn slightly see-through pants to the gym (accidentally), grunted, made weird noises, possibly farted, made loud noises when I put weights back down, etc etc etc. I think it gives me some street cred. :smokin:

Crop dusting. No one will ever know it's you as long as you pace around during your rests between sets! :laugh:

i'm just heading out to do my daily grunt now. just hope i can hold off the giggle attacks in the midst of a rep.

rows:
2x5x35 warmup, while waiting for the squat rack.
2x5x45 warmup
5x5x60.

sorry, working sets were 55, not 60. i started with the 35-pound lady bar, then added 5 on each side for warmup, then switched the 5 plates to 10.

still and all, i'm pretty stocked. my rows are stronger than my presses!