Originally Posted By AGW: Originally Posted By Chizzle: Originally Posted By CJFirefly: Originally Posted By Favre44: Quick Question, because I dont think I saw this is starting strength anywhere.... When Im Deadlifting now, I really just cant grip the bar all the way through my five reps... How do I fix this? Im only up at 210 Deadlifting now, I have no problems pulling the weight up and doing my reps, but I have a really hard time holding on to the bar, it seems like my lift is progressing more than my grip.... And Im using a double overhand grip. I havent had this problem until now Seems like I can usually get to 4 before my hands just physically cant hold the bar anymore...It begins to slip out of my hands Any Ideas? Time to start alternating your grip.  Usually people take their weak hand and turn it palm forward while the strong hand stays palm towards you.   +1 During my warm-ups on deadlifts, I use a double overhand grip.  Only during the workset do I alternate my grip. +1, although I would try keeping the double-overhand grip through as much of your work set as you comfortably can before alternating, even if it's own two reps or something. Rippetoe demonstrates that bicep injuries are common in heavy DLers due to that grip.  Plus, it might help your double-overhand catch up.

So I should do the double overhand as long as I can, and once I cant hold the bar anymore that way, set the bar down, change my grip, and then do my last one or two reps?

Will try that tomorrow.

ETA: Nother quick question.....My Squat are advancing ridiculously fast while my other lifts I struggle week in and week out to move up weight. Is this odd?

I started squatting at like 160 and Im now up to 250 and Im doing sets of 250 no problems, and Im progressing really fast so I make sure to emphasize my form and make sure Im keeping it correct....and I am...

Heres my numbers so far....

Squat: 160 --> 250
Bench: 125 --> 160
Deads: 145 --> 210
Overhead Press: 65 --> 100
Pendlay Rows: 80 --> 105


Like I said, my Squat and Deads go up almost every week, and my quads are getting huge and it just looks funny how big my quads are getting.. Should I just keep doing as much as I can every week and not worry about it?

Originally Posted By Favre44: Originally Posted By AGW: Originally Posted By Chizzle: Originally Posted By CJFirefly: Originally Posted By Favre44: Quick Question, because I dont think I saw this is starting strength anywhere.... When Im Deadlifting now, I really just cant grip the bar all the way through my five reps... How do I fix this? Im only up at 210 Deadlifting now, I have no problems pulling the weight up and doing my reps, but I have a really hard time holding on to the bar, it seems like my lift is progressing more than my grip.... And Im using a double overhand grip. I havent had this problem until now Seems like I can usually get to 4 before my hands just physically cant hold the bar anymore...It begins to slip out of my hands Any Ideas? Time to start alternating your grip.  Usually people take their weak hand and turn it palm forward while the strong hand stays palm towards you.   +1 During my warm-ups on deadlifts, I use a double overhand grip.  Only during the workset do I alternate my grip. +1, although I would try keeping the double-overhand grip through as much of your work set as you comfortably can before alternating, even if it's own two reps or something. Rippetoe demonstrates that bicep injuries are common in heavy DLers due to that grip.  Plus, it might help your double-overhand catch up. So I should do the double overhand as long as I can, and once I cant hold the bar anymore that way, set the bar down, change my grip, and then do my last one or two reps? Will try that tomorrow. ETA: Nother quick question.....My Squat are advancing ridiculously fast while my other lifts I struggle week in and week out to move up weight. Is this odd? I started squatting at like 160 and Im now up to 250 and Im doing sets of 250 no problems, and Im progressing really fast so I make sure to emphasize my form and make sure Im keeping it correct....and I am... Heres my numbers so far.... Squat: 160 --> 250 Bench: 125 --> 160 Deads: 145 --> 210 Overhead Press: 65 --> 100 Pendlay Rows: 80 --> 105 Like I said, my Squat and Deads go up almost every week, and my quads are getting huge and it just looks funny how big my quads are getting.. Should I just keep doing as much as I can every week and not worry about it?

I wouldn't change grip in the middle of a set.  When you get to a weight that you feel you couldn't double overhand just to the whole set with an alternating grip.  This is what I do at least.  I also change which hand I alternate.  

I'd say it is normal for your squats to be progressing faster.  Everybody is different in how they respond to the lifts.  I was the exact opposite from you.  My DL and especially bench and press are what I would say proportionately stronger than my squat numbers.  

I had an "A" day today.  Everything was going great in squats, until I had a sharp pain in my upper back while warming up.  After I stretched it out, it felt better, but I can still kinda feel it.  I've had problems in this area before, and not real sure what it is.  If it keeps giving me problems, I'll go to the doctor on campus and have it looked at.  I can't really describe the pain, but it has been going on and off for awhile, and doesn't really hurt when I lift, heck it felt better after squatting.  Not sure, but something to keep an eye on.


Oh, one thing about this program that I have noticed is that you HAVE to get lots of good food and good rest in.  I know I am not sleeping enough, but am starting to change that.  My roommate even expressed how tired he has been lately just from this program.  I'm going to start going to bed earlier and waking up around the same time I normally do, to see how good that helps.  I look forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning, that is for sure.  For example, last night I only got 5.5 hours of sleep, so I know I definitely need more.

And damn, I have been eating quite a bit of food.  I always seem to be hungry, so much so that I never thought I would eat this much food.  I thought I could try this program on a calorie deficit for weight loss, but I was WRONG.  It is pretty hard to do so.  I eat many meals a day now, and every time I get hungry I go eat something.  Heck, every \night I eat 2 suppers, one around 5 and another around 7-8, both full meals.  Combine that with a big breakfast, and a decent sized lunch along with some snacks, and the wallet starts getting lighter all the time.  It amazed my girlfriend the other night when I ate supper at work, then 2 hours later went out with her and had a 16 oz ribeye along with vegetables and rolls and a couple of beers.  Hell, I probably could have eaten more. EAT:  I am still working on eating more food, and seeing what that does for my progress.

The funny thing is though that I have lost 2 pounds since I started the program, and gained over .5" on my thighs.  I can see a big difference in the mirror, my arms are looking bigger although they are the same size, my collar bones are showing(or something in that area), and just generally looking better all the time.

I'm glad I started this program, that is for sure. Sorry for the long post.

Originally Posted By Chizzle: I had an "A" day today.  Everything was going great in squats, until I had a sharp pain in my upper back while warming up.  After I stretched it out, it felt better, but I can still kinda feel it.  I've had problems in this area before, and not real sure what it is.  If it keeps giving me problems, I'll go to the doctor on campus and have it looked at.  I can't really describe the pain, but it has been going on and off for awhile, and doesn't really hurt when I lift, heck it felt better after squatting.  Not sure, but something to keep an eye on. Oh, one thing about this program that I have noticed is that you HAVE to get lots of good food and good rest in.  I know I am not sleeping enough, but am starting to change that.  My roommate even expressed how tired he has been lately just from this program.  I'm going to start going to bed earlier and waking up around the same time I normally do, to see how good that helps.  I look forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning, that is for sure.  For example, last night I only got 5.5 hours of sleep, so I know I definitely need more. And damn, I have been eating quite a bit of food.  I always seem to be hungry, so much so that I never thought I would eat this much food.  I thought I could try this program on a calorie deficit for weight loss, but I was WRONG.  It is pretty hard to do so.  I eat many meals a day now, and every time I get hungry I go eat something.  Heck, every \night I eat 2 suppers, one around 5 and another around 7-8, both full meals.  Combine that with a big breakfast, and a decent sized lunch along with some snacks, and the wallet starts getting lighter all the time.  It amazed my girlfriend the other night when I ate supper at work, then 2 hours later went out with her and had a 16 oz ribeye along with vegetables and rolls and a couple of beers.  Hell, I probably could have eaten more. EAT:  I am still working on eating more food, and seeing what that does for my progress. The funny thing is though that I have lost 2 pounds since I started the program, and gained over .5" on my thighs.  I can see a big difference in the mirror, my arms are looking bigger although they are the same size, my collar bones are showing(or something in that area), and just generally looking better all the time. I'm glad I started this program, that is for sure. Sorry for the long post.

You def need your rest or you are wasting your time.

I proved this to myself, I worked out hard and let myself sleep till whenever I wanted. Aprox 11hours, the next day I didn't work out, I slept 5 hours and felt GREAT.

I have to sleep at least 8-9 hours on workout days or I'm a zombie

Originally Posted By CJFirefly: Squat: 160 --> 250 Bench: 125 --> 160 Deads: 145 --> 210 Overhead Press: 65 --> 100 Pendlay Rows: 80 --> 105 Like I said, my Squat and Deads go up almost every week, and my quads are getting huge and it just looks funny how big my quads are getting.. Should I just keep doing as much as I can every week and not worry about it?

What sort of jumps are you trying to take with your bench and press?  If you're stuck, then 5 pounds is too much.  Have you tried microweights and going up in 1 or 2 pound increments?

Originally Posted By Texas_Sig: Originally Posted By CJFirefly: Squat: 160 --> 250 Bench: 125 --> 160 Deads: 145 --> 210 Overhead Press: 65 --> 100 Pendlay Rows: 80 --> 105 Like I said, my Squat and Deads go up almost every week, and my quads are getting huge and it just looks funny how big my quads are getting.. Should I just keep doing as much as I can every week and not worry about it? What sort of jumps are you trying to take with your bench and press?  If you're stuck, then 5 pounds is too much.  Have you tried microweights and going up in 1 or 2 pound increments?

I usually try 5 after I do a a successful 3 sets.

I dont have microweights though.....

Originally Posted By Favre44: I usually try 5 after I do a a successful 3 sets. I dont have microweights though.....

Chain + one of those cheapie caribiners - www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/Topics/Microloading.htm.

I did workout "A" tonight.  Another PR on both my squat and bench.  I'm in the middle of a reset on my deadlifts, so two weeks from now, I will start adding weight past my PR.  

Dips were good tonight since I lost a couple of pounds yesterday due to a disagreeable stomach.

Today was a "B" day.  I didn't finish my squats, it seems as if I tweaked my left knee on Friday, it has been hurting all weekend.  I'm going to give it another day of rest, and try it again Wednesday.  If it still hurts then, I'll lay off the squats for a couple of workouts, although I don't want to.  I bought a knee brace this morning, and also some tiger balm patches, but am going to stop by the store on the way to work to get some tiger balm rub.  These patches are supposed to be flexible, but on an area such as a knee they don't work too well.

Everything else went good though, and I decided to switch from power cleans to bent-over rows.  I keep feeling like I was hurting myself with the cleans, so going to substitute for a little while.

ETA: The large size Walgreen's brand knee braces(made by Ace) just will not fit.  I'm supposed to slide my foot through it and pull it up to my knee, but my damn calves are too big.  So, don't get one that is this style if you are having knee problems, get one that wraps around your knee.

Got a "B" day tomorrow, and am about to go to bed so I can start getting more rest.  Took a nap a little bit ago, and that felt good also.  Slowly trying to get more rest, got to modify my schedule some.

Also been eating more, and yesterday's "A" was a good workout.  Drinking milk seems to help some, and I've been eating nearly all the food in sight.  Weight is staying steady.

I thought about doing a 20 rep set tomorrow in squats, but figured that since I have a test in the morning I figured I wouldn't worry about it until next week or sometime.  My roommate said I was sadistic when I suggested it, and he checked out a couple of vids on youtube of guys doing them and thought they were crazy, but wanted to do them also.  Maybe next week.

-Chad

Today was workout "B".  I hit a new PR on my squats.  They are starting to get really hard, so I'm wondering how much longer I can keep adding weight.

I also hit a new PR on my overhead press.  The two-week reset really helped.  Before I reset, I was struggling and my form was deteriorating.  Tonight, everything was much better.

Rows were good, but my pullups continue to suck.  I'm not too worried about it right now since I am still making progress on all my primary lifts.

Would this be a good lifting program for a bigger guy (5'10" 290something) to use for a goal of weight-loss and strength gain?  The simpleness of it is real appealing to me.  

How bout I re-phrase that,

I don't give a crap how much I ultimately weigh, would a work out like this, engaging major muscle groups help me to loose fat?  Am I correct in the thought that working my muscle via lifting will give me a larger number of calories burned at the end of the day then just doing cardio, all else being equal?  I'm just drawn to the simple-ness of the workout, I don't like having to carry a huge notebook around the gym doing 50 differnt things in a week, I've tried it in the past and I'm not prone to stick to it

*if this is too much of a hijack I'll edit it out*

Polytech

Originally Posted By AGW: And be prepared for other weird side-effects like dreaming about weight lifting.

Not including being hungry all the damned time.  I'm getting tired of freaking eating, honestly tired of being hungry all the time it seems.  Oh well, my gains are going pretty well.

To PolyTechKID, you will notice something weird if you do this program, if you are a bigger guy to start off with.  Your waist will go down, but your chest will get bigger, along with your legs.  Your weight will probably stay the same.  Mine has been fluctuating a whole lot, like down to 192 up to 200.  But, my waist has stayed nearly the same, so I'm not totally sure what is going on, although I do know that some of it is water weight.

IMO, if you are looking for something simple, you can easily pick up this book from amazon.com and check it out, after you read the .pdf and see if it is right for you.

-Chad

Today was an "A" day.  I hit new PRs on my squat and deadlift.  But my bench press sucked and I only managed 5/4/4.  So I am going to reset.  Since I just finished resets on my presses and deadlifts, I was really looking forward to making progress on all of my lifts again, but apparently that isn't going to be the case.

A tendon in my forearm is more sore than usual, so I've decided to take a week off from my assistance exercises (pullups, chins, and dips).  I've been struggling with those lifts anyway, so maybe a break will help.  

"B" today.  Everything was going good warming up for squats, then we got to our work set of 275.  I could tell it was going to be a bitch, and I missed my last rep on my last set, and for a couple of the last reps I wasn't hitting parallel or below.  I'm sticking with 275 on Friday, and should have it then.  However, Friday I may do a 20-rep set in place of my regular work set, just depending on how I feel when we go to the gym that night.

Oh, and I made some stuff called "sludge" last night with my scivation whey protein, and it was freaking great.  It is 2 scoops protein powder, 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, and water until it gets to the consistency you like.  I believe I am going to start making this as my before bed snack, as I can't choke down cottage cheese without puking.  I've been thinking of adding a shot of olive oil to it, to help it digest slower, but not real sure.  Here is a video of how to make sludge

Today was another "A" day.  I got new PRs on my squat and deadlift.  I decided to reset on my bench press after stuggling with the last two bench workouts (5/5/4 and 5/4/3).  Dips were very good.



After not gaining any weight for a month, I've decided to start eating heavy again, with the goal of putting on another 10 pounds by the end of November.  It seems like I need the weight gain to drive progress on my presses.

Did a "B" today.  Missed my last rep in my 2nd set of squats, I got
down into the hole then just couldn't come out of it.  My roommate
couldn't help with the spotting, so I just dropped the bar on the
safeties.  It was a weird feeling, like I blacked out or something, I
don't know how to describe it, it just felt like I wasn't myself on
that one.  I hit the bottom of the squat and just couldn't move much upwards.  





I'm not sure what to do on Wednesday.  I don't know whether to keep it
at 275(same thing as we did last Wednesday, as I didn't have a spotter on Friday and just did 245, and since last week I felt like I wasn't getting deep enough I decided to keep it at that for today's workout), or drop down a few lbs like I did on my last set of 245.  



I am going to try eating more food, I don't really think I have been eating enough.  My weight has stayed about the same, but I think that someone with a little more fat will keep around the same bodyweight for a little while in the beginning.  I said before I needed to start getting more sleep, and I am still working on that.



Any ideas what I need to do for my work set on Wednesday?  Drop down, or stay the same?

From the last couple of posts, it looks like you've been struggling with 275 on your squats for at least two workouts.  What Rippetoe recommends when you get stuck is to do a reset: you drops your worksets by 10%-15%, then work your way back up to where you got stuck.

I would do something like this for my next squat workouts:

3X5 @ 250
3X5 @ 255
3X5 @ 260
3X5 @ 265
3X5 @ 270
3X5 @ 275

After two weeks, you will be back to 275 and should be able to hit all your reps.  How much are adding every workout?  5 pounds may be too much.  Consider getting some fractional weights, so that you can go up in 1 or 2 pound increments per workout.  These will be especially helpful on your pressing excercises, which don't increase nearly as fast as squats and deadlifts.

Also, how much time are you resting between sets?  I rest about 4-5 minutes on my squats, but Rippetoe has said that it's okay to rest longer if you need it.

What are your warmup sets like?  If you are too close to your worksets, it will be hard to finish them.  If you're doing 275 for your worksets, I wouldn't do any warmups heavier than 225.

Eating more, as you mentioned, will also help drive your gains.  Don't be afraid to eat too much.  It's a lot easier to lose the extra fat, than it is to gain muscle.

Texas_sig,

I usually rest just a couple of minutes between sets, I can try to make it longer.  I was kinda rushing this morning, not sure what the deal was.  I have been increasing by 5lbs on average every workout, if something doesn't feel right to me like not getting down far enough or something I will keep that weight until the next workout and typically nail it.

Here is my routine for warm-ups, first what I normally do and what I did this morning:

Normal:

45X5X1 (sometimes 2 sets, depends on how warmed-up I feel)
95X5X1
135X5X1
185X3X1
225X2X1

Today:
45X5X1
95X5X1
135X5X1
185X3X
245X2X1

That jumping up to 245 could have been a difference also.  

So many things could have affected it, that I'm not sure where to pinpoint. Could have been anything from lack of sleep, to improper nutrition over the weekend(lots of booze on Friday and Saturday), to warming up with to high of weights, to whatever else.  All that matters is that I didn't make it up with the weight, and have to change that.

I will probably drop down to 250 on Wednesday, then progress like normal of 5lbs per workout.  

Thanks for the reply Texas_sig, I was thinking something along the same lines but needed some re-assurance.

Thursday was another "A" day.  I made new PRs on my squat and deadlift.  I am still in the middle of a reset on my bench press.

I'm continuing to eat a lot more with the goal of gaining more muscle over the next month or two.

Today was an "A" day.  I reset like Texas_Sig recommended last week, and have worked my way back up to 265.  They have been feeling better since the reset, and I am keeping on progressing with them.  Bench felt good today also.

Deadlifts, well, I was supposed to do 320, but for some reason put 335 on the bar and pulled it 4 times, and on my 5th rep I had to set it down, as it was slipping real bad.  

I think I did this because I had some extra motivation today.  While waiting on my roommate to do some deadlift warm-ups, I noticed two guys training together, and one helping the other one quite a bit.  It turned out that one of the guys was handicapped, and could barely walk, but he would walk to go get more plates for the smith machine he was using and whatever he needed, and was in the gym.  Pretty big motivator for me, shit, if he can get in there and do it I need to leave all of my excuses at the door.  That is probably why I put more weight on the bar, although I didn't even think about it until I was done with the work set.  

When I started this program, I was around 192lbs, and am now to 205lbs.  My waist has gone up a little bit, but that is bound to happen.  I should be getting my body fat tested in the bod pod coming up soon, within the next two weeks I believe, so I will know how much muscle I have put on.  I may also be participating in a study on campus that tests how strong my legs get from squatting heavy weights, I am just waiting on the paperworks, and hell they even pay me  I'll update later with this info when I find out more about it.

Anyhow, enough procrastinating, I've got to get back to finance homework.
-Chad

My last couple of workouts sucked.  On my final workout last week, I tweaked my back during my squats, so now I am going to reset 10% and work my way back up during the next month.

On my first workout for this week, I had a bitch of headache and only did 5/5/5 on my squats and 5/4 on my bench.  I skipped my deadlifts and dips.  I was really pissed because I was coming off a reset from my bench and wanted to get a new PR.

I just finished my workout tonight and am finally back on track.  My form was much better with my lighter squats and I hit new PRs on my overhead press and rows (yeah, I know I'm a pussy for not doing cleans).

Instead of sets of 3 for my chins,pullups, and dips, I am going to cut back to 2 sets and see if the reduced workload on my accessory exercises gives me a boost on my bench press.

Tonight was an "A" workout and a really good one, for a change.

I finally got unstuck on my bench press and hit a new PR.  I got a new PR on my deadlift also.  Squats are still in reset, but form was good tonight.

This morning was a "B" workout.  Everything has been going great since my squat reset, and the weight keeps moving up.  Weight is slowly going up, and my waist is only getting a little bit of the weight, with my legs and arms growing (don't have any chest measurements).  Pretty cool actually, that I can see a difference in the measurements.

"B" workout tonight.  Squats are still in reset, and I hit new PRs on my press and rows.  Chinups were difficult, but that's okay since I am still gaining weight.

I had a nice steak and some pasta for dinner, and a gallon of milk throughout the day.

"B" day today.  Did 295 squatting, should hit 300 on Wednesday or Friday.  My Do-Win Rogues should be here tomorrow, so will test them out on Wednesday to see how they feel.  Overhead press is kinda slow progressing, but that is what the book said though, so I guess it is normal.  Kinda doesn't help I haven't had a true bed to sleep in in a week because of a water leak in the wall in my room, but should be back to getting a good night's sleep tomorrow night.

"A" last night, with new PRs on my bench and deadlift.

My grip on the deadlift is starting to break down.  I am still doing the overhand grip and am relucant to switch to the supinated grip.

I am nearly finished with my squat reset.  I plan to hit my old PR and the end of next week, and then I should start hitting new PRs.

Yeah, that is typical.  I am down to 1 lb increments using fractional weights.  Taking more time between sets has helped me also.

Yeah, I hope to get a set of fractional plates for Christmas, if not I'll buy them with some of the money I get for Christmas.  

BTW, the Rogues feel great while squatting.  I had a shitty workout Wednesday, couldn't hit anything correctly.  Took off Friday because I was out of town and didn't make it back before the gym closed, but am hitting it again tomorrow and have been eating lots of good food and getting extra rest.

Go to Home Depot and buy some chain and buy 4x lengths of 6 links/ea of 5/16" chain and 4 cheap spring clips for about $10.

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/Topics/Microloading.htm

Thanks for that link, I had forgotten about it.  I may try to see if they have the stuff at Lowes tomorrow(I have one across the street), if not will head to head depot later this week.  Thanks.

Did "B" today.  Had some serious DOMS since the last workout, can barely sit down to shit.  First time in awhile for DOMS.  Worked through them today, and feel much better.  The shoes make squats feel good and tight to the floor, I like them so far.  Been getting lots of food lately, and trying to get 8-10 hours of sleep every night.  Once this next week is over with exams I should be able to get even more sleep, but until then I am still trying to get as much as I can.

-Chad

Tonight was a "B" workout.  I hit new PRs on the my squat and rows, however, my presses sucked at 4/5/4.  I will try the same weight next week and see what happens.

I added about 20 pounds to my deadlift over the last month, but I went too fast and now I need to reset.  My grip was breaking down during my last couple of workouts and I didn't fully lock out my knees at the top.  So time for another reset.

On a positive note, I am finally making progress on my chinups once again.  I had been stalling and then declining for a couple of months as a result of adding weight at a rate of 10 pounds a month.  I've now decided to maintain my weight for a while in an effort to burn off some of the fat I've gained on the program.

Chizzle: does it seem like we are the only ones doing this program anymore?

Yeah, it does.  Oh well, maybe more people will jump on board.  I am glad I picked this program, if it wasn't for this site I probably would not have, although I have read up about it on other boards, this is the only one I post on.

I have one of my roommates doing this program also, and trying to get my skinniest one started next week.  He is 140lbs or so, and he wants to gain weight and get stronger, but is intimidated by us lifting more than he can.  I just told him today that if he wanted to at least try it out, I would help him along with it and he can start out at whatever weight he needs to.  I told him he also has to eat, which is a problem for him I think, but we are going to see what we can do.  He is in ROTC, and runs 3 times a week at least 4 miles, so he really has to eat some food.  Since he doesn't have PT for awhile, I told him he is not going to run and just eat and sleep and lift heavy shit.

Anyhow, today's workout was good.  I keep losing my grip on heavy deadlifts, so still got to work on that some.  Got 2 reps out on my work set before my grip started slipping.  And I am using liquid chalk, because the gym on campus does not like regular chalk.  Got to work on the grip some more, and I've made a list of goals to hit before Christmas.  
-Chad

I'm struggling on my deadlifts too.  A couple of the guys on another thread recommended wrapping a belt around the bar and deadlifting (with a lighter weight, of course) that.  But I think I'm just going to do a reset though, and work my way back up, since the reset weights will be heavier than the weights I use with the belt.  I want to work my grip, but I still want to work my back at the same time.

Today was an "A" day.  New PRs on my squat and benchpress.  I started another reset on my deadlifts, and those went good.

I'm running my partner through it while I'm doing 5x5. Mixed progress, and I need to keep reminding myself he's new to this stuff. His squats have stopped making progress - actually going backwards on them, bench is ... okay, presses are light, but his deadlift is through the roof.

Today was a "b" day.  I felt as if my form was getting bad on my last work set of squats, so I stopped it at 4 reps and dropped the weight down to 225, just to see how many reps I could do.  I wound up getting 12 reps, thought about going to 20 but just said screw it and stopped.  The overhead presses are starting to hurt my forearms/left elbow area, not sure why.  Might be a problem with how I am holding the bar, will read the book again and look up some stuff online to see.

You could tell it was a Monday in the gym, everyone as benching and doing chest workouts.  It also appears to be oblique day, I don't believe I have ever seen so many guys doing so many twists and other oblique/core exercises.

This afternoon I will go back to the gym to help my smallest roommate get his baseline numbers for his lifts so he can start the program also.  I just got done talking to him, and he said he wants to gain some muscle, so I explained to him the program and how it works and what he will have to do to gain some muscle.  He is fine with is, because he doesn't have a job over the Christmas break, so will be able to work out and eat and sleep enough to hopefully start gaining muscle.  I hope he will stick with it enough to start seeing some gains, so he will want to do it more.

I'm getting ready to start the program. I just got the book and am reading through it. I am checking my form unloaded right now. Will probably start actually loading up after the start of the year. gonna be hunting alot in December and do not want to start something that I may have to miss the work yet.

Its been about a year and a half since I have trained with weights and being an old fart , I wanna make sure I get started right.

Today was a "B" day.  I hit a new PRs on my squats and rows.

My presses were awful.  5/4/1.  Last time, I did 4/5/4 at the same weight, so I need to do something to fix this.  I have already reset twice on my presses, so I'm debating if I want to reset again (or more accurately, do backoff sets for a couple of workouts); or move onto to intermediate training for my pressing exercises.  

I don't want to move on to intermediate too quickly, nor do I want to stick with SS too long.

In the past 7 months, I've made the following progress:

Bench: 135 ––> 196   3X5
OH Press:  85 ––> 128  3X5
Weight: 165 ––> 215
Height: 6'

I guess one thing that would help is to eat more (I haven't gained any weight in 3 weeks), regardless of which route I choose.

I messed something up today in my left pec area.  I was benching, got up to my work set, and on the 3rd rep on the first set it felt as if my elbow/triceps just gave out on the descent, and the bar fell onto my chest.  After my spotter got the bar off, I kept feeling a pain in my pec near where the armpit area is.  I even tried just benching the bar, and that hurt also.  I guess I am going to hold off on the benching/pressing for a little while and see where that gets me.  I tried some pull-ups a minute ago, and it still is hurting, but only when under a load.

Oh, and I missed a rep on my 2nd set of squats, and my 3rd set only got 3 reps.  I need to reset again, but am thinking of instead doing a 20-rep squat focused workout.  Going to do some more research on this tonight and tomorrow after my exam, and see what I can find.  I figure I can still do this even with a hurt chest, although the program does involve pull-ups.

20 rep squats are pure devil, they suck so bad.  Only good thing about them is that the workout is over pretty quickly.  I still try to get a max effort 20 rep squat set in every other week or so for variety.

I may do a 20 rep set tomorrow, not sure.

However, I did decide to stick with the SS program, and just do a re-set on my squats.  I am NOT, however, going to be doing any more overhead presses for awhile(maybe light ones now and then), and am going to lay off any major upper body stuff for a few days.  Therefore, tomorrow's workout I might just do a 20 rep set of squats, then do some accessory work such as some triceps work.

The reason for stopping the overhead presses for a little bit is because that is what I think hurt my bench the other day.  Whenever I press, I can feel something in my left arm, between the elbow and wrist.  It hurts pretty badly while pressing, and then for a couple of days after that.  Looking back at dropping the bar on Wednesday, that is what I think gave way to allow the bar to drop on my chest.  However, it does not hurt when I bench-unless it is still hurting from the previous workout, and I have checked my form from the book a few times and it is right, just not sure what is wrong.

I like this program, and I have had good gains in strength and some in size from it.  Therefore, I will keep it up for a little while longer.

If I were you, I would stick to SS and do a reset, then start adding more weight.  You may want to consider going up in smaller increments.  I don't know what you are doing now in the way of increments, but even 1 pound per workout on your squats equates to over 150 pound in a year.  Not bad progress, especially considering where you are (over 300 on your squats).

Eventually, you will get stuck again, and then it will be time to consider changing over to an intermediate method, such as the Texas method.

As for your injury, Mark Rippetoe has a thread here that explains how to rehab a muscle injury:

http://www.strengthmill.net/forum/showthread.php?t=700

Whenever I have these minor injuries, I've always found that eating substantially more food helps, as does ice alternated with heat on the injury.

Another thing that has helped me is to get a massage.  That will increase bloodflow to the injuried area and relax the muscles around the injury, helping the body to heal itself.

Tonight was an "A" night.  I hit a new PR on my squats.  My deadlifts were hard, despite being in the middle of a reset.  I did 5/5/4 on my bench press.  

I have already reset twice on my presses, and only increased my OH press and bench press by 7 pounds each since my last reset.  So I am ready to move on to intermediate training on these lifts.  I think I've milked SS for as long as I can on my presses.  I am going to continue doing SS on my squats, deadlifts, and rows.

See, the only problem with this is I don't know what exactly it is that is injured.  Don't know if it is a muscle belly or a tendon, or really exactly where it is. I'll do some more reading on it tomorrow when I have time, and I may just do benches like that anyhow, just to be sure.  He says two weeks and I should be able to start tapering to 10s and 5s, so we will see.  The only thing I can see interfering with it is getting to the gym every day, but since school is out I should be able to get up there for a little bit each day.

Had a bad A day today.  Last Friday, I got a bad headache while working out, and it came back today.  So bad that on my 2nd work set of squats, I had to quit.  I've been doing some research on it, and it could be an extertion headache, or could just be that I am dehydrated.  It could also be that I am having sinus problems, and have some water in my inner ear.  I have been having problems with my left ear over the past few days, so that might be causing a headache, it feels as if I have water in it.  I am going to get some vinegar to get it out with today, and am going to try to get my sinuses cleaned out.  Will try again Wednesday.

EDIT:  I am leaning towards a combo of dehydration and problems with my sinuses/inner ear.  I have no clue how much water I drank yesterday, but it was probably not enough.  No work today, so I am going to rest, probably take a nap here shortly since it is a nice 70 degrees outside and the windows are open in my apartment, and it feels great.