Get Comfortable With Uncomfortable

[Meds]

Nice work Meds, sounds like you need a rest though! Give it a few days to relax and refresh :grin:

The man has spoken and I shall listen :salute:

Its just DOMs from the power cleans yesterday. Haven't done them for a while so the shrugging action has given me sore traps. But sound advice nonetheless. :nod:

[Meds]

Week 8 Day 3

Squat 5 x 5 @ 75kg

Bench Press 5 x 5 @ 47.5kg

Barbell Row 5 x 5 @ 57.5kg

Reverse Sit Ups 3 x 12

Calf Raises 3 x 10

I think I'm gonna cut back the weight on the rows. I don't feel like I'm getting all that I should out of it as the weight gets heavier. It feels like it's becoming more of an arm exercise than the back exercise it should be.

Other than that everything was good.

Time for a whiskey now

[Meds]

Week 9 Day 1

Squat 5 x 5 @ 77.5kg

Shoulder Press @ 2 x 5 @ 45kg

Shoulder Press @ 2 x 3 @ 45kg

Shoulder Press @ 1 x 2 @ 45kg

Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 95kg

Pull Ups to failure = 12, 11, 9

Proneholds 3 x 30secs

Calf Raises 3 x 10

I seem to be going backwards with my press, the de-load can't come soon enough I think.

Sheesh the dead felt like it weighed 200kg. Must have been the 2 days off I had :doh:

[Meds]

Week 9 Day 2

Squat 5 x 5 @ 80kg

Bench Press 5 x 5 @ 50kg

Barbell Row 5 x 5 @ 40kg

Push Ups to failure = 12, 10, 10

Reverse sit ups 3 x 12

Calf Raises 3 x 10 @ 20kg

Squats felt GOOOOOD again. Must be the working out in the morning instead of doing it in the arvo/evening. Just feel fresher or something. Problem is I aint a morning person :roll: Well not an early morning person anyway. The weight is heavy but I still dont feel like I need a spotter yet.

Bench all of a sudden got heavy. Does not bode well for my lofty goal of 100kg.

Row felt awesome. Dropping the weight back was a good idea. Feel like Im really hitting my back now. I'll hang out at this weight for while.

I was looking back over my journal and realised I equaled my 5RM PB for Deadlift on Tuesday \:D/ Ha! Didn't even realise. I was also Debbie Downer about my press not even realising it was my first attempt at 45kg. No wonder it was all over the place

[drizzt]

I was looking back over my journal and realised I equaled my 5RM PB for Deadlift on Tuesday \:D/

Congrats! And nice to hear the squats are going well, keep it up 8)

[Meds]

Congrats! And nice to hear the squats are going well, keep it up 8)

Thanks man, much appreciated.

UGH! Exams have been a pain and way harder than I anticipated but yay they're over now! \:D/

Week 9 Day 3 Catch Up/Week 10 Day 1

Squat 5 x 5 @ 82.5kg

Shoulder Press 3 x 5 @ 45kg

Shoulder Press 1 x 4 @ 45kg

Shoulder Press 1 x 2 @ 45kg

Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 100kg

Pull ups to failure = 11, 11, 9

Proneholds 3 x 30secs

The 10 day break I had was telling. My squat felt weak and was almost a failure a couple of times. Body's just out of practice I think.

Press was aight. Better than last time, strangely enough, but still a fail.

Deads were awesome. The first rep just flew up :twisted: and the remaining 4 reps followed a similar suit.

[Meds]

Week 10 Day 2

Squat 5 x 5 @ 85kg

Bench Press 5 x 5 @ 52.5kg

Barbell Row 5 x 5 @ 40kg

Push Ups to failure = 11, 10, 10

Reverse Sit Ups 3 x 12

Calf Raises 3 x 10

Everything felt good. By the time I got to the 5th sets for the Squat and Bench I was a bit fatigued so they were getting hard but still do-able.

Im back home in Tok and I had the gym all to myself. So I took some advice that MT gave me when I first started logging, video meeself. Weird to say the least. Vid is below. Critiquing is welcome but if you get all douchey I'll cry. Nah seriously be kind please people, Im still learning. :oops:

I did notice that I rock on to my heels before I squat. I didn't even realise I do it. Is this bad? Should I break the habit now before its too late?

[teamfatboy]

Hey Meds, video's "private", i think you have to change something so's we can see it ?

Without seeing the video to see how far back you go, my thoughts are that as long as the weight is evenly distributed across the heel-ball of the foot (which tends to mean the bar's in front of the heel), it's not an issue, but let's see the playback

[Meds]

woops :roll: I think its fixed now

[teamfatboy]

Yep, fixed

I see what you mean - that is quite a pronounced rock-back, I'd recommend you try to train out of that habit, to be safe. As the weights get heavier, once they start going back past the point of the heel, things could get ugly real quick :shock:

Once you've "broken" the knees and started the squat, you were looking good and strong, though - even the last set of five, didn't seem like there was any doubt that bar was going UP! Well done.

[Meds]

Yep, fixed

I see what you mean - that is quite a pronounced rock-back, I'd recommend you try to train out of that habit, to be safe. As the weights get heavier, once they start going back past the point of the heel, things could get ugly real quick :shock:

Once you've "broken" the knees and started the squat, you were looking good and strong, though - even the last set of five, didn't seem like there was any doubt that bar was going UP! Well done.

Yea I was thinking when the weight gets heavier that "rock back" could be an accident waiting to happen. Funny, I wouldn't have known I was doing it unless I videoed myself. I guess I better thank MT huh. :nod:

[Meds]

Week 10 Day 3

Squat 5 x 5 @ 87.5kg

Shoulder Press 2 x 5 @ 45kg

Shoulder Press 3 x 4 @ 45kg

Deadlift 1 x 5 @ 105kg

Pull Ups to fail = 12, 10, 8

Proneholds 3 x 30secs

I did some token workouts on my holiday in the gold coast but nothing worth mentioning. I walked for miles and got the heart racing at the theme parks, does that count?!? :grin:

I really need to get in to a good routine cos missing a workout here or a week there is causing my strength to be all over the place. Today was #!@$%^ hard, yet 85kg almost 2 weeks ago was practically easy.

I had to do the Deads as singles cos I forgot my chalk and had to keep adjusting my grip with my sweaty hands.

[M.T]

Week 10 Day 2

I did notice that I rock on to my heels before I squat. I didn't even realise I do it. Is this bad? Should I break the habit now before its too late?

Good on you Meds for getting that video up can definately see a few areas to work on which we can address immediately and would have never noticed without looking at that clip.

The rocking is an issue because it could throw you balance off and make things harder for you, try focusing on feet positioning even with just the bar and keep those toes down after each after rep this should take away some of that rocking I would hope. The things you want to think about when decending are driving the knees outwards this will help with Glute activation and keeping aligned also knee travel forward will be eliminated by doing this. The best way to think of this movement that I have been told many times is picture a line in the middle of your set up running down and try to pull each side apart with your feet. Not only does this keep your set up tight it does help use those muscles that are less dominant and less quad dominant (like me).

Also film those top sets and esp the last sets as you get tired your old habbits will come out and that's where you can easily pick what's not working for you. The weight itself isn't an issue for you which is a good thing you have the strength there that's for sure.

Start here and keep posting then we can start moving up into hips, chest bar placement etc etc.

[Meds]

Building Up Again

Squat 5 x 5 @ 70kg

Bench Press = 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 @ 40kg

Barbell Row 5 x 5 @ 40kg

Reverse Sit Ups 3 x 12

After having such a long break from the weights I thought I'd better reduce the weights and start slowly building up again. I've also cancelled my Freyburg gym membership in anticipation of joining the House, finally \:D/

I missed the cut off though so I have to wait a month but whatever :doh:

It became abundantly clear from the spiel that MT wrote that the House is where I need to be. I understood some of what you said but man the rest of what you wrote was waaaay over my head. Thanks for the feedback though MT and when I finally come over to the House some enlightenment on what chu talking bout would be welcome :grin:

[teamfatboy]

Get yo'self in there... no ifs, buts or maybes :grin:

Seriously, right now while the boys n girls are building up for the Nats, the place is great ! And we don't bite, AND we got NO mirrors....

[M.T]

Yeah right on TFB!

Come in and maybe the one and only OB1 (Warren) can show you a few things.

[Meds]

Took the plunge and joined the Powerhouse. Looking forward to good things. OB's got me doing about half of what I was at last time I did Stronglifts. It's been over a month since I lifted so I'm anticipating I'll still be sore anyway lol. Do that for 4 weeks and then I guess he'll surprise me?!

Week 1 Day 2

Squat 5 x 5 @ 45kg

Overhead Press 5 x 5 @ 20kg

Deadlifts 3 x 5 @ 52.5kg

Incline Sit Ups 3 x 12

Calf Stretches / Band strength stuffs

Roaming around watching people, getting familiar with the new surroundings.

Today

Swim 1000m ~ hour

[teamfatboy]

Woohoo - great to hear, Meds

Trust OB - the man knows his stuff!

[Meds]

Week 1 Day 3 - Yesterday

Squat 5 x 5 @ 47.5kg

Bench 5 x 5 @ 27.5kg

Barbell Row 5 x 5 @ 30kg

And then I had to run off to Yum Cha

Really grateful I was still at the lighter weight range when OB came to look at my squat. He said I was still above parallel by almost half a foot. I was like WTF?!? That MUCH?? He told me to widen my stance and when I think I'm at the bottom of my squat push my knees out and sink lower. I now understand what MT was going on about after I posted the vid, thanks by the way your advice was bang on. So I did as I was told for the last 2 sets of 5 and dam 40kgs felt like a ton when I was trying to come back up out of the hole.

Day 2 was a huge learning curve, WOOHOO!

[Meds]

Woohoo - great to hear, Meds

Trust OB - the man knows his stuff!

Thanks TFB, just refer to me as sponge from now on :pfft:

[Meds]

Week 2 Day 1 - Monday

Squat 5 x 5 @ 50kg

Overhead Press 5 x 5 @ 22.5kg

Deadlift 3 x 5 @ 57.5kg

Ugh, my hips are not liking this whole squat, then push knees out and sink lower thing. It feels awkward and unco. Not to mention hard, its feckin' hard.

Week 2 Day 2

Squat 2 x 5 @ 50kg

Squat 3 x 5 @ 52.5kg

Bench 5 x 5 @ 30kg

Barbell Rows 5 x 5 @ 32.5kg

Its tough up-ing the weight AND trying to focus on keeping my head up, chest out, hands on the bar, back tight, duck ass, knees out, feet flat....

Never mind my poor hips saying hell to the no lady, quit with this squat and sink low shit. Thats why I did 2 sets at 50kg, to check my form before attempting the extra weight for 3 sets.

I think somethings working, it does feel somewhat less unco and sore now. Either that or I'm not hitting depth anymore lol.

[Meds]

Week 2 Day 3

Squat 5 x 5 @ 55kg

Overhead Press 5 x 5 @ 25kg

Deadlift 3 x 5 @ 60kg

During my warm up my hips felt tight and I had a feeling todays squats would be a mish but once I got up to the working weight things felt limber and flexy. I was worried I may not be hitting depth but the Doc said it was good so thanks for having a check for me and letting me know

Got to see some monster benching while I was there too. :shock: I'm not used to seeing those kinds of weights being thrown about. I was impressed, they all made it look like it was just another day.