SJKirk51912 wrote: »

Thank you! That prepattellar (which I have never heard of, but googled it) is excatly where the pain is coming from.

i'm crossing my fingers for you, then. if this is your issue, then the basic idea behind it is that your quads are far too powerful, and they're putting a hurt on your knees because of the way that they stretch right over the kneecap and push down on it. stretching and rolling 'weakens' them so they can't do as much harm.

as far as form, i don't know if anyone would have been able to see the factor that was messing me up just by watching my reps. i was tracking correctly over my feet, and not letting my knees go past them. but in order to give my kneecaps a break, i basically had to find a way to keep my quads 'out of' the lift, and the best way that i've found to do that is to plant my feet really hard and then shove outwards throughout the whole length of my legs and especially my thighs.

the force in the lift needs to feel like it's coming from my outer thigh muscles and travelling down the outer sides of my legs, entering the floor through the outer edges of my footsoles. people will talk about 'trying to split the floor apart with your feet' and it's the right thing to look for, but i still found a way of applying that wrong. i now place my feet hip-width apart but parallel to one another, pointing straight forwards instead. and the feeling i try to reach for when it comes to that 'push outwards' thing is: while i'm squatting down, i try to make it like i'm in some narrow chimney, and all i've got to help control the speed of my descent is by shoving my thighs against the walls of the chimney to slow myself down. i couldn't believe how this actually does take a lot of the 'weight' of the lift off my knees.

ymmv, and sorry for wall of text in the daily-update thread.

SJKirk51912 wrote: »

lotsa stuff about knees

going into all this again this afternoon made me more honest and conscientious myself when i went to do my own workout today. and it really paid off, so thanks.

general note: i figured out (probably) what my glute problem was. piriformis stretching! i honestly, really, should have known this by now. but i've been neglecting that stretch; they've been tight as heck, and it's no wonder my glutes couldn't really show up for the game in my squats. fixed that for me in tonight's workout.

workout a:

double-cable pulldowns: i usually do this whenever, but this time around the gym was crowded so i did them first while third in line for the rack. also, it felt like my shoulders were tight or something and ready to give me aggravation for squats if not warmed up first. this is turning into a lot of volume and a fair bit of time, but worth it. 3x5x27.5, 3x5@30. all sets were 5 reps, and every set actually happened twice: once overhand and once underhand. plus, the '3' denotes close grip, mid-grip and wide as i could reach them. i really feel that i am getting stronger with this, as 30lb would have been out of reach for sure, a few weeks ago. hardest part is the last inch or two before touching the chest, but i really did try to get each rep there, and then hold it a few seconds and release slowly. lots of work, but i'm motivated now there are other pullup fans here.

squats: whooohoo. pr again! and also, the weight i was doing way back in june when i wobbled and caved in and did something bad to one knee. so kind of a bogeyman weight in my mind. none of that going on here tonight; i was solid. 2x5@45, 1x5@65, 6x5@85. after the piriformis stretching, my glutes are back in town and i really felt them, particularly in that snap at the top of the lift to lock the rep out. the extra set was an accident; somebody else asked to work in when i was halfway through and i kind of lost track of where i was while we were working that out. anyway: if i can match this same weight next time i'm going to mark down this goal for october as a success.

bench: not so great today, but i don't mind too much. 2x5@45, 1x5@65, 1x3@65, 3x5@60. i deloaded back to last time's weight (60) after realising 65 was just too heavy for me to be safe. there was a lunatic in the gym with biceps that kind of horribly huge they look really troubling. i really really really wanted him to curl in the squat rack because was so That Kind Of Guy. but he didn't; he came and curled 15 reps of 100 pounds or something so close to my bench that i couldn't get properly set or feel safe the whole time. it was hard to get his attention too; i honestly wanted to ask him 'how do you ever take your eyes off yourself in the mirror long enough to earn a living?' but instead i just said dude - can you give me a few extra inches of space when i finally did manage to flag him down. not a great lift this time, but there was the morphodite factor and anyway 60 was my october goal on this one, so i'm cool.

rows: i am giving up on the pendlay rows. i'm not going to try them again; it's just too difficult for me to get set up right and then find the right form and then keep the form right. i did warmups and i think one set of 65 in pendlay format, then moved to the dual-pulley machine and did 6x5@35 with a bar, which translates to a repeat of last time's 70 pounds.

accessory:

planks: 2x60 sec front (much easier), 1x45 side. i've been sloppy about planks for a week (i.e. haven't done them). so it was good for me to look back on my october goals and be reminded i'd said these were in the programme. and nice to find that the week off didn't do any harm. i was way less exhausted after each one than even 3 weeks ago.

assisted pullup: 1x5@60lb assist (neutral close grip, and medium wide), 1x5@50lb assist (same). i don't think i did them both over- and underhand, but i'm not going to fuss about it. also one full s-l-o-w negative pullup in the smith machine, unassisted.

i'm really happy about the pullups. when i first got introduced to that assist machine, pre-sl, i weighed 135 and the best assist weight i ever got to was 80, i think. today i weighed 130 and my assist was only 50. so i am definitely getting stronger and better at this.

tired now. sleepy.

Squat - repeated 5x5 @ 65 lbs to work on form. My butt wiggles back and forth a bit on the way up. The weight doesn't FEEL too heavy, I can get through the sets okay, but I'm guessing the wiggling butt thing has to do with the weight.

Row - 5x5 @ 55 lbs

Bench Press - 5x5 @ 55 lbs - struggled with this one a bit, so will probably repeat next time.

Crazy how I can actually notice the gains in strength in such a short period of time. At the start I could barely move the 45 lb bar. I had to ask for help to move it on and off the rack. Now I'm feeling pretty bad*** moving it around with relative ease. Now if I could just get it over my head...damn OHP.

threnjen wrote: »

I am really really having trouble with pain in my hip joint. Right side, where my leg meets my groin, on the inside. I haven't even done squats since Sat but still it started instantly hurting.

i knew there was something i wanted to come back to here. i'm NOT a medical person in any sense, but i have rheumatoid arthritis and have actually had some phases where it was affecting one hip.

. so i'm in a position to know that if something is 'wrong' with the hip joint itself, the pain will 'refer' itself outwards and be experienced by the victim in front of the groin. pretty much exactly where the seam of your undies would run, if you wear anything other than granny panties. i mention it because i remember how i argued with the rheumatologist forever because the pain didn't feel all that 'deep' and i thought she was just full of *kitten* (in my defence, she so frequently is). i kept insisting and insisting that it was some kind of a soft-tissue thing, i.e. ligaments, muscles, some kind of a sprain. but when they had me on the table and shot dyed novocaine into the actual capsule around the joint while letting me watch on the screen, i drank the kool aid because that convinced me.

you may have an impingement due to the structure of your personal hips/pelvic socket, so slight changes in foot/thigh alignment during the squats lead you to finding a way around this. but if you really can't seem to find a solution, just don't keep assuming you'd be fine if you could just get something 'right'. let a doctor take a look if it goes to that point. hips are nothing to mess with; they can really lay a good hurt on you.

I was feeling really tired and dragged out last night so I moved squats to today and did that and bench.
Squat 160 X 3 175 X 3 and 195 X 4
Bench 75 X 3 85 X 3 and 95 X 3

Accesories
Straightleg deadlifts, burpees. 5 x10
Then I was going to do 2 of my bench day Accesories but I was done after all the deadlifts, I might do some upper body work tomorrow, but probably not lol.

Today I got back to it after being sick a few days this week. Working on deep as I can go squats. I figure deeper is harder and therefore better. This seems confirmed by the videos, as long as form is good. I had a lot of aching in my hips, could've been the virus I had or maybe it was leftover from lifting, anyway I decided to deload a bit and work on deep deep squats. It was hard work! After warmup stretching and lifting I did 5x5 of 130. Bench was so good today- warmup lifts then 3x5 of 65, 3x5 of 70, 1x5 of 75. Rows were last and hard. I warmed up then did 60 5x5 and was ready to call the day. But I stretched and jogged home. Had lots of energy today, which was much needed! Have a great weekend everyone!

I really appreciate reading everyone's posts, newbies and old-hands alike. I learn so much from you all.

Due to a bit of illness/run-down-ness this is only my second lift this week.

Squats 5x5 at 90lbs again.
Bench 5x5 at 51lb again.
Rows 5x5 at 57lb again.

Could tell I'm not at full strength as the first two exercises weren't easy. Rows were though, so I think I'll go up next time.

I have never seen any of the other lifters do Barbell rows. They do the stood-up ones, but not the bent over ones we do on SL.

massage97 wrote: »

i got OHP 5@ 45,50,55 and 6 @ 60. Finally!! So excited.

gosh, ohp . . . how we work for even the tiniest gain on that one ;-) 60 looks massive to me. wtg.

Worked out fasted for the first time in ages and actually felt better than i have in a long time! Weird!

Squat 5x5 @ 140lbs
Bench 5x5 @ 77lbs
Row 5x5 @ 77 lbs

Come into the lounge this morning to my 2 year old foam rolling his quads - cutest thing ever!

ohp ohp, you're a horrible tease
you bemuse and confuse me right down to my knees
some days i press sixty, some days i press three
you know these days i think you're just messing with me.

ohp ohp, won't you let me know when
i'll get that bar overhead without hitting my chin
without bending my back, without getting all mad
some days i'm all badass, some days i'm just . . . bad.

workout b:

squats: 3x5@45, 1x5@65, 2x5@85, 3x5@75. i'm just going to call this one 75. i was just stiff all over and my glutes are still sulking from two days ago. i did manage 3 sets at 85, but the last set was so ugly it just shouldn't count. i came down to 75 so i'd be able to squat with good form.

ohp: 6x6@45. not nearly as bad as the song made it sound. i'm technically at 50 based on my last good ohp session, but i stayed at 45 - again, because i liked my form so much at that weight - and added sets/reps instead. last time i did 6x6, 7x7, 8x8, moving up by 5 pounds was much easier so i may try that again.

deadlifts: a bit strange. i kind of lost track of how many i did at the different weights, but i did do a lot of warmups and work my way up slowly. i think 4 at 65, 2 at 115, and i think maybe 3 or 5 at 125. then i came back much later and did 3 or 5 or something at a working weight of 130 again. and i mean 'later on'. the workout heroes where there in the gym and it was squat day in their world. i'm not exaggerating with this: between the two of them they had EVERY SINGLE 45 plate in the whole gym tied up, either on the squat bar or on the leg press machine. for more than an hour. the whole place pretty much stopped what they were doing and stood around watching them . . . not too much choice since there wasn't much left in the way of equipment for anyone else. i was narked tbh. anyway, my later experience was 5x1@130, which is still harder than i would like. and i put on another 5 pounds and did 3 reps just to say i'm still above bodyweight, but the third rep was so terribly ugly as far as technique that a) i don't count it and b) i quit there.

made up the ohp ode in the grocery store afterwards. i would have done better on this workout if i had rested for two days instead of just one, but oh well.

So, I know I just said this, but just in case you missed it...

YOU LADIES ARE SERIOUSLY MY FAVORITES!

xo,
C.

psych101 wrote: »

massage97 wrote: »

psych101 wrote: »

Come into the lounge this morning to my 2 year old foam rolling his quads - cutest thing ever!

How cute! Haha. Mine will just sit on it and roll on his butt.
I think we are getting our lil guy a play weight set for Christmas. Or at least I want to get him one.

Oh my god!! Does such a thing exist?!

Yes!! I saw a video of a lil kid doing a DL and had to look.

http://m.toysrus.com/skava/static/product.html?type=TRU_product_us&url=/product/index.jsp?productId=3520338&domain=http://www.toysrus.com

StrongLifts 5x5 / Workout B

Man, this was hard today! I don't think I'm back to 100% after spending all day yesterday sick and in bed. Apparently a handful of pretzels over the course of a day isn't enough to fuel a good workout. I had breakfast this AM, but still probably not enough. (Read some inane thread yesterday about a woman's issues with choice of restaurant and now all I want is Thai food.)

I finally did a hips routine and my squats felt better out of the gate, but I have a lot of work to do in this area. I was looking at some examples online and was nowhere near doing the full range on any of these. But little by little!

Squats -- 5x5 @ 90 lbs.
- The weight felt heavy in a totally different way today. Not bad, but just noticeable. Form did get a little sloppy in the final set, but nothing I'm overly worried about.
- I've been trying to make sure I'm not overusing my quads and adductors on these, and found that concentrating on really pushing through my heels helped a lot (rather than trying to focus on my glutes or hamstrings, since I have a hard time "feeling" those during the movement).
- Left adductor is super tender. Need to be careful here moving forward. I experimented with my foot placement, turning out less, to see if that helped, but it made the rest of my form feel totally awkward. Anyone have suggestions on other ways to take the adductor out of this lift?

Overhead Press -- 5x5 @ 40 lbs.
- I find that my third set usually feels the strongest. Wonder what that's about?
- Good form on almost every rep, so very pleased with that.
- Wasn't sure I was going to make the last two reps, but muscled them up and got 'em done. Will stay here one or two more times before moving to the barbell. Yay!

Deadlifts -- 1x5 @ 140 lbs.
- So, I've done 140 lbs. once before but these felt IMMENSE today. Just really, really heavy.
- Form was definitely off today. Even though I was really concentrating on pushing, I definitely pulled a lot more than I would have liked. I am TERRIFIED of wrenching my lower back, so this just got my head all a-tizzy.
- I thought about unloading the bar and doing another set at a much lower weight, but decided to just call it a day.
- Not my best deadlift day. Bah!

Looking forward to things slowing down a bit and getting back to my T/Th/Sa routine. I think the regular schedule and consistency will help.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

xo,
C.

I made it to the gym for Workout B! And this time I didn't quite feel as out of place

Squats 0@45 lbs, the bar glued my body to the floor, luckily hubby picked it up off me
4x5 @ 20 lbs, I was so happy to find this bar. Oh and I put a bench behind me so I knew how far to go down. A tip from another lifter and it helped so much

OHP 1x5 @ 45lbs 1x2 @ 45lbs, just wanted to see if I could do it, I could but barely, then I had to change bars
2x5 @ 35lbs, I found what I believe to be the females Olympic bar 35lbs.
1x2 @ 45lbs And then i wanted to finish strong with the 45 lb bar again.

Deadlift 1x5 @ 65lbs. I don't think I did this right at all. I still lifted with my legs, but my form was off. I think it needs to have plates stacked beneath it for my more height.

All in all, I'm satisfied with my lifts, definitely feel it EVERYWHERE, the backs of my thighs the most. Excited for another day!

Checking in from over the weekend.
Completed workout B on Sunday morning, I skipped Saturday (was up with the baby and my 4.5yo and was dragging *kitten* so I bailed on the gym )

Showed up to the gym yesterday about 9:45 AM. Usually I am there around 530AM. Both squat racks were full...uuuggg! So I sat down and adjusted my arm band for a few minutes stalking the racks and one guy left. YEAH!

Squats
Warm up + 5x5 @ 90
- I felt amazing about this! My initial goal is to squat 100lbs by my bday which is in 35 days. I can totally do this!

OHP
Warm up + 5x5 @ 50

DL
1x5 @ 95, 1x3 @ 110, 1x5 @ 120
- These felt really good. Still working on form so by lower back doesn't freak out. I also got a new pair of gloves and these seemed to help my grip. I did overhand for 95lbs but mixed grip for 110lbs and 120lbs.
- There was a guy next to me doing DL and I was counting his plates. He was doing 315lbs when I started watching. IT WAS AMAZING! I wanted to ask him for tips. HA! He took really longs rests and then would add another 5-10 lbs per side and do another set of 3-5. I was just in AWE!