I've started "Starting Strength"

Dotcomdolly

Squats - 5x20, 5x40, 3x45, SET x 47.5
an extra 2.5kg
Bench Press - 5x20, SET x 22.5
Will I ever be able to do more :mad:
Deadlift - 5x40, 1x60, SET x 62.5
an extra 2.5kg, and over the bodyweight now, goal is 90kg 1rm for Christmas.

G86

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

an extra 2.5kg, and over the bodyweight now, goal is 90kg 1rm for Christmas.

Whoop!!!!!!:D:D

Dotcomdolly

Good morning and Happy Birthday to my fab little girl who is 4 today Mammy squatted for you darling!

Overhead Press 5x12.5, SET x15
Powerclean 3x15, 3X18, SET x15
Bah, not making much progress on any of my upper body lifts at all
Had to wait for the squat rack so did that last, oh and then even though he could see I was waiting, he walks off without stripping it, people are just dicks sometimes..:rolleyes:
Squats 3x20,3x40,3x45, SETx50
Ooh if I can add 2.5k per session (or maybe week) I will be up to bodyweight squat in 4 more!
Lower back hurt a bit after though, is this normal or am I doing them wrong?

While I was waiting for rack I did some tricep exercises and used the assisted chin up machine - managed 3 at 30kg, so half body weight, I think an unassisted chin up is a long long way off for me, lol.

Dotcomdolly

Benchpress 5x20, SET x 22.5

Squat 5x20, 3x40,5x50, SET 52.5
extra 2.5kg

Deadlift 3x50, 3x60, SET 65
and another 2.5kg...

did some tricep exercises too while waiting for rack.

jcsmum

D, best of luck with your log. It sounds tough going! And I hope to see you out pounding the roads in the near future.
K

G86

Your set is 5x5 yeah? So it's 52.5kgx5x5?? That's some serious squatting!

You should soooo test your 1rm. I bet it's well over 60kg.

the drifter

christ just realised that....id guestimate close to 70kg...

whose going to be the first lady too squat 100kg.....outside of g'em but she doesnt count...she had a head start :P

G86

Nothing like a bit of healthy competition eh:pac:

the drifter

G86 wrote: »

Nothing like a bit of healthy competition eh:pac:

go start a race to 100 thread for the ladies!

G86

the drifter wrote: »

go start a race to 100 thread for the ladies!

Done! :cool:

Dotcomdolly

G86 wrote: »

Your set is 5x5 yeah? So it's 52.5kgx5x5?? That's some serious squatting!

You should soooo test your 1rm. I bet it's well over 60kg.

It's 3 sets of 5 reps. So it's semi-serious squatting ?

the drifter

even so 3 sets at 52.5kg....woman up and go home with 60 + for a 1rm :P

Dotcomdolly

Argh, I am so pissed off (& embarrassed). When I started this 3 weeks ago I asked an instructor down the gym to show me the lifts & he did....Now last night I was looking stuff up with an idea of improving form etc and it seems like what I thought were powercleans all this time, were not.
They were some interpretation by a flabby gym employee who probably hasn't lifted in years!!
Annoyed at myself for not researching better *myself* and a bit mortified, I bet everyone was thinking"wtf is yer wan doing??"
I'm due to do powercleans today so I dunno what to do...

TommyKnocker

Can I ask what were you shown as a power clean ?

This is my understanding of what a power clean is and what I do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TlbDQUWs0s

M

G86

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

Argh, I am so pissed off (& embarrassed). When I started this 3 weeks ago I asked an instructor down the gym to show me the lifts & he did....Now last night I was looking stuff up with an idea of improving form etc and it seems like what I thought were powercleans all this time, were not.
They were some interpretation by a flabby gym employee who probably hasn't lifted in years!!
Annoyed at myself for not researching better *myself* and a bit mortified, I bet everyone was thinking"wtf is yer wan doing??"
I'm due to do powercleans today so I dunno what to do...

Don't beat yourself up about it, how were you to know? Plus, powercleans are seriously tricky to get the hang off, sure I still can't do them! Find a vid on youtube and practice yourself at home with a broom handle to start with (I should take my own advice, I just don't have the patience!)

Dotcomdolly

B-Builder wrote: »

Can I ask what were you shown as a power clean ?

This is my understanding of what a power clean is and what I do

M

The very same video I was looking at last night.
The way I was shown was like a combination of a deadlift and an overhead press, so from floor quickly up & then over head. No shrug, little jump, or crazy wrist going on.....

So today..
did my squats, got up to set at 55 and even managed a (wobbly)60kg one, and my crappy overhead presses.

Then I saw one of the trainers, who has been there since it opened, and I have a lot of respect for, so I grabbed him to ask about the powerclean....20 minutes later, I am having a crisis!!!

So we chatted for ages, he thinks the "starting strength" programme is too advanced for a beginner, and that I should keep it simple with a program of opposing muscles, groups etc. That it takes years to get these lifts right. He also checked out my squat & said it wasn't deep enough (which I kinda suspected).

I am just so confused now....the opposing advice (and he argued it well) is doing my head in. I'm thinking now maybe dropping teh SS and doing this workout from stumptous

d'Oracle

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

The very same video I was looking at last night.
The way I was shown was like a combination of a deadlift and an overhead press, so from floor quickly up & then over head. No shrug, little jump, or crazy wrist going on.....

So today..
did my squats, got up to set at 55 and even managed a (wobbly)60kg one, and my crappy overhead presses.

Then I saw one of the trainers, who has been there since it opened, and I have a lot of respect for, so I grabbed him to ask about the powerclean....20 minutes later, I am having a crisis!!!

So we chatted for ages, he thinks the "starting strength" programme is too advanced for a beginner, and that I should keep it simple with a program of opposing muscles, groups etc. That it takes years to get these lifts right. He also checked out my squat & said it wasn't deep enough (which I kinda suspected).

I am just so confused now....the opposing advice (and he argued it well) is doing my head in. I'm thinking now maybe dropping teh SS and doing this workout from stumptous

I'm gonna say it.
Starting Strength is a beginners programme.
It is not even remotely advanced, it just requires doing the lifts right.

It does not take "years to get these lifts right".
Maybe a couple of months if you are doing it without supervision.
Days if you have access to a coach.

I have read some compelling arguments against the cleans, but Squat, presses and deadlifts? No way, they are simple.

At the end of the day, its your call if you want to stick with the programme or not. If you do want to
I will suggest 3 things that might help.

1) get the book "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training. 2nd Ed." To help you teach yourself.
2) Get an athlete with experience or pay a coach/trainer who knows their stuff to help you.
3) Go to a Crossfit Ireland One day introduction to Barbell movements and bodyweight exercises (Next one is on 7th November: http://crossfit.ie/events/)

TommyKnocker

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

The very same video I was looking at last night.
The way I was shown was like a combination of a deadlift and an overhead press, so from floor quickly up & then over head. No shrug, little jump, or crazy wrist going on.....

So today..
did my squats, got up to set at 55 and even managed a (wobbly)60kg one, and my crappy overhead presses.

Then I saw one of the trainers, who has been there since it opened, and I have a lot of respect for, so I grabbed him to ask about the powerclean....20 minutes later, I am having a crisis!!!

So we chatted for ages, he thinks the "starting strength" programme is too advanced for a beginner, and that I should keep it simple with a program of opposing muscles, groups etc. That it takes years to get these lifts right. He also checked out my squat & said it wasn't deep enough (which I kinda suspected).

I am just so confused now....the opposing advice (and he argued it well) is doing my head in. I'm thinking now maybe dropping teh SS and doing this workout from stumptous

Ok, well in my unqualified opinion SS is a beginners program and you are well able for it You will IMHO make better progress, quicker with SS than the program you linked to on Stumptous.

Power cleans are a technical move, and yes it takes a little while to get the hang of it. However IMHO your instructor is incorrect in telling you it takes years. It will take years to get to competition standard but to get acceptable technique purely for recreational lifting will not take nearly as long.

Tbh, looking through you logs you are making decent progress, so if you are enjoying SS then keep with it. Alternatively have a look at Strong lifts 5x5. This routine is similar to SS with no power cleans. It's laid out with 5 work sets as opposed to 3, but you could just modofy it to suit.

Best advice I can offer is maybe drop g'em a PM and ask what she thinks. I think she would be someone best placed to advise and she has seen you lift.

For me as I said you seem to be doing well on SS. Don't get stressed about it. If you are finding power cleans tough swap in an alternative. Maybe do inverted rows instead. You can spend some time after a session working on your clean technique with an empty bar, or at home with a brush handle. Search for power clean progression videos on youtube, which will show you how to break the move down into its component parts and tehn build it up into the complete move.

Also if you knocked out your "Wobbly" 60 kg squat after doing your warm up and work sets, then I would think you are not far off a 70kg 1RM if you are off it at all So look at the positive things you are doing and simply work around any sticky parts.


M

G86

Do not listen to that gobsh!te of an instructor. Yes, powercleans are advanced, but there is absolutely no reason why you can't practice them; and deadlifts, squats and benching can be learned pretty quickly with decent instruction. Book an session or 2 with a PT (I know you were already considering this so fair play) to run through technique with you, and then fire away on your own.

You're doing fecking brilliant:), don't let one stupid comment knock your confidence. And as B-Builder said, you're well able for more weight on the squat too.

Dotcomdolly

Thanks guys, I was really thrown by my conversation with him....thank goodness I have you lot!
I will do inverted rows for the time being instead of the powerclean and keep at the SS, doing these big lifts gives me such a buzz that I never got from prev free weights programmes.
I have the book , and I will have a more thorough read & try apply myself like a good student to the other lifts.
Will try & get the funds for a p.t too (when's childrens allowance day?? )
Sadly I will in Spain (undoing all my hard work) when that crossfit workshop is on.
Thanks again, much appreciated.

d'Oracle

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

Thanks guys, I was really thrown by my conversation with him....thank goodness I have you lot!
I will do inverted rows for the time being instead of the powerclean and keep at the SS, doing these big lifts gives me such a buzz that I never got from prev free weights programmes.
I have the book , and I will have a more thorough read & try apply myself like a good student to the other lifts.
Will try & get the funds for a p.t too (when's childrens allowance day?? )
Sadly I will in Spain (undoing all my hard work) when that crossfit workshop is on.
Thanks again, much appreciated.

Read the press chapter again.
Every damn time I did that I picked something else up new.
There is tonnes of info in there and its hard to take it all in.

Dotcomdolly

d'Oracle wrote: »

Read the press chapter again.
Every damn time I did that I picked something else up new.
There is tonnes of info in there and its hard to take it all in.

Yes, I've been out of studying and working for years (I'm a stay at home mum) I don't do well with textbooks anymore!

d'Oracle

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

Yes, I've been out of studying and working for years (I'm a stay at home mum) I don't do well with textbooks anymore!

Increase you press and your intellectual capacity at the same time.
Brucey bonus.

dinorebel

Hi I started SS last week and am really enjoying it so far.I have no experience with free weights and was a bit daunted by the cleans so rather than the original prgram I am doing the Practical Programming Novice Program in which you do pull ups/chin ups instead of cleans.

Monday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench press / Press (Alternating)
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Wednesday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press / Bench Press (Alternating)
1x5 Deadlift
Friday
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press / Press (Alternating)
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps

Dotcomdolly

Thanks dinorebel, that's looks a very feasible alternative for me.
I have used the assisted chin-up machine before so I shall do that & work on taking some assistance away as the weeks go by.

d'Oracle

You could also do Barbell Rows in place of cleans.

Dotcomdolly

d'Oracle wrote: »

You could also do Barbell Rows in place of cleans.

Would they be a better/more suitable alternative than the chin-ups or is much of a muchness?

d'Oracle

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

Would they be a better/more suitable alternative than the chin-ups or is much of a muchness?

They would be different....;)

I mean they will both strengthen your upper/mid-back, i.e. your lats and stuff. Rows are easier to "progress linearly" i.e. add small amount of weight every session. But if you have one of those assistance machines that could work too.

A coach who I have never met, talked about doing vertical pulls (chins), vertical pushes (OH Press) and horizontal pulls (Rows) and Horizontal presses (bench press) being a good idea. As he knows a lot, I took it on board.

Also a strong back benefits your bench, although I can't really explain why cos I don't really have a grasp of it.

Rippetoe, doesn't like rows cos they are "too easy to cheat". I think thats a fairly ****e reason to rule them out, so I went with the other coaches thinking.

That's just my thought process on the thing.
Maybe I'm not the best guy to listen to, I'm certainly not the guy to ask about what is better or suitable.

I mean you could do both, i.e. put the rows in place of the pull-ups in the Practical Programming version of the programme that dinorebel posted above.

dinorebel

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

Thanks dinorebel, that's looks a very feasible alternative for me.
I have used the assisted chin-up machine before so I shall do that & work on taking some assistance away as the weeks go by.

I should add that I have been doing chin ups on both sessions and am leaving the pull ups until I have got a fair bit stronger.

I must start one of these logs myself.

Dotcomdolly

Thanks d'oracle & dinorebel. I will look them all up on exrx and decide....

So today I braved the wrath of "oh you don't want to do that" instructor & did my workout!

Squat - 5x20, 5x40, 3x50, SET 55
I tried to improve my form but I know I'm not getting lowere than parallel , even if that. grrr
Bench Press - 5x20, 2x5x22.5, SET 25
Finally!!! after 3 weeks I managed to add weight.
Deadlift - 3x50, 3x60, setx65
Bloody hell, nearly killed me! I think I am doing something wrong cos my lower back is feeling these, I am careful to scoop my back on the way up, so I think it's on the way down....

Hmmm, anyway, felt a bit awkward, doing it all in view of yer man who thought I wasn't experienced enough for them but I'm not going to GET experienced if I just give up on them are I?