Justin Roehm's Starting Strength Journal

[The JustMan]

November 3, 2010:
Squat: 225 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Bench Press: 140 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Deadlift: 285 lbs X 5 reps X 1 set

Oh my, today’s workout was a *****. My squats have been getting progressively harder the last few workouts. Today, they were REALLY tough. It was very hard getting the 5th rep on all 3 sets. I feel like I was coming close to my 5 rep max. After my 3 sets of squats, I felt really fatigued the rest of my workout. Thank God for my good work ethic. I managed to get through the bench presses and deadlifts, which felt challenging enough without all of the fatigue on me from the squat session. I just hope I can get a few more pounds of progression in my squats before I have to deload. It’s funny because I would have thought my bench and press would both need to be reset first. Huh…

 

[Neon Owl]

Just try and keep a positive mental attitude on those squats. I've come to learn that heavy squatting is mostly mental. If you think you won't get all your reps in then chances are you won't.
Every time you step under that bar you have to make the weight your *****. Slap yourself if you have to, just get yourself angry and determined and you'll do well.

Just remember, you've squatted that weight before and it went up. Nothin' but a peanut!!

Yeah buddy!!!!

 

[The JustMan]

November 5, 2010:
Squat: 230 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Press: 95 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Power Clean: 125 lbs X 3 reps X 5 sets

Today’s workout felt like a ***** after squats too. I studied a bit, and thought that maybe I needed to take longer breaks in between sets. I did that, and I got through my 3 sets of squats. However, the last rep was a ***** on all three sets. I must be really close to my current 5 RM. After the squats were done, my lower back felt really sore. It made it hard to concentrate on the presses and cleans, but I made it through. Although my thighs and butt feel like they are being pushed hard, I feel like my lower back is the weak link (I do the Valsalva maneuver, and make sure my abs are tight). I might try to get a lifting belt to bust out of this plateau. Also, I am going to concentrate on the bounce at the bottom of each rep because it seems like I come out of the bottom a bit too slow sometimes.

Although I felt exhausted from the squats, and my back felt REALLY tight, I got through the presses alright (though they felt reasonably challenging). As for the cleans, the first set I did was a bust. I got one rep knocked out but was too pooped to pull the other two. I rested a couple more minutes, and then pushed myself through 5 sets of 3 (with adequate rest between each set). The weight itself was challenging, but manageable.

 

[The JustMan]

Just try and keep a positive mental attitude on those squats. I've come to learn that heavy squatting is mostly mental. If you think you won't get all your reps in then chances are you won't.
Every time you step under that bar you have to make the weight your *****. Slap yourself if you have to, just get yourself angry and determined and you'll do well.

Just remember, you've squatted that weight before and it went up. Nothin' but a peanut!!

Yeah buddy!!!!

Thanks for the encouragement man. I keep this linear progression up until I physically cannot do 3 sets of 5 across. In my experience, willpower will give you an extra bit of edge every time you go for what you want.

P.S. I love the Ronnie Coleman quote. Nice!

 

[The JustMan]

November 8, 2010:
Squat: 235 lbs X 5, 3, 2 reps
Bench Press: 145 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Deadlift: 295 lbs X 5 reps X 1 set

November 10, 2010:
Squat: 185 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Press: 100 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Power Clean: 130 lbs X 3 reps X 5 sets

November 12, 2010:
Off

November 15, 2010:
Squat: 195 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Bench Press: 150 lbs X 4, 3, 3 reps
Deadlift: 305 lbs X 5 reps X 1 set

Man, last week was a week of limits. It was tough. I knew I was getting close to stalling on the squats, and I did. I pushed myself that set of 5 for 235 lbs, but that had to be my 5 rep max. I barely got out of the whole. Even with taking adequate breaks between sets I still couldn’t get back up to 5; not even close. I decided to deload too, since even though I could have tried a few more times, I have been noticing my form degenerating further and further as I got closer to this max. I went down to 185 lbs because it seemed my form started getting worse from there. I’m going to go back to 10 lb jumps until it starts to feel “heavy” again. I am working on doing really good low-bar form, as my low-back was getting sore. I’ve shortened the distance between my hands to make my back tighter (hard because of my long forearms). I have made a conscious effort to keep the chest lifted. I also make sure to just reach parallel and bounce up. These tweaks have made it so my back is much less sore. I want to concentrate on keeping it in extension, so it will stay that way once I start lifting heavier.

All of my lifts seem to be close to my max. Today, I couldn’t hit 5 reps on my bench. I felt like 145 lbs was my 5 rep max last time. I failed on the 5th rep of each set it seemed. The 100 lb press caused me to go to failure on my 5th reps too. The deadlift feels like it is really close to stalling too. I just hope I get to 3 plates first. The power clean feels like it might have some more to go before I stall, but I started really low on that anyways to get down the form.

The reason I took Friday off was because I had car issues that needed to be fixed. Honestly, I might have taken it off anyways because my body felt overloaded, and all my joints felt sore. The 4 days of rest really helped out though because I was more than ready to go today, even though I did stall on my bench. I might make another attempt or I might get some 1 lb washers to try 147 lbs. I’ll figure it out before Friday.

 

[Fuglydude]

Good progress dude... all your lifts have gone up. How's the bodyweight doing?

Also wondering why you're doing powercleans? Anything specific you're training for?

 

[The JustMan]

Good progress dude... all your lifts have gone up. How's the bodyweight doing?

Also wondering why you're doing powercleans? Anything specific you're training for?

My bodyweight has gone up to around 245 lbs. HOWEVER, my bodyfat has noticeably gone down. I look like a ****ing beast.

Powercleans are a part of the starting strength program. I'm actually starting to like them a lot. They make me feel powerful instead of just strong. I think I might learn to do some snatches down the road.

I'm training to be big and strong. Right now I am big, but not strong. I want to be a beast just to be a beast.

 

[Fuglydude]

Haha, awesome man! Sweet goals...

Be careful with the snatch though. I'm a former sprinter/bobsledder. We did a lot of olympic lifting, and the snatch really hurt my rotator cuff. I guess I just didn't have the upper back thickness/scapular stability to pull it off. And this isn't w/ serious poundages... I think my max snatch was around 140-150 lbs.

Its been several years since I finished my track/sledding stuff, but my rotator cuff will never be the same. Make sure you go light until you get a great feel for the movement. If possible get a olympic lifting coach to help your form. I'd also suggest being able to deadlift 2 to 2.25x your bodyweight before tackling serious poundages on the snatch just so you have a great strength base to cover your ass and prevent injuries.

My personal best on deads was around 470 lbs and 235 lbs on powercleans at 180 lbs bodyweight and I'm scared to snatch anything over 90-95 lbs. I'm currently on bodybuilding style hypertrophy/bulk program, so I miss doing all the "big" stuff... I still squat, but I'm scared to deadlift because of lower back issues that come about when you gain weight fast and still try to lift like you did before. I'm jealous of you guys and your heavy work! Keep it up man... just stay smart and dont' get hurt.

 

[Jitterbug]

I'm totally guessing here, but IME, when newbies start to get heavy on squat, the first thing they do wrong is to slow right down as they approach the hole, when they should do the exact opposite: smooth descent then fast drop into the hole and aggressively bounce out (and up) of it. It is a mental thing and may feel counter intuitive, but you have to dominate the squat by aggressively dropping into the hole so you can get out of it.

You're squatting less than bodyweight atm. That should not be heavy enough to bother you. It's just technique you're lacking.

 

[The JustMan]

Haha, awesome man! Sweet goals...

Be careful with the snatch though. I'm a former sprinter/bobsledder. We did a lot of olympic lifting, and the snatch really hurt my rotator cuff. I guess I just didn't have the upper back thickness/scapular stability to pull it off. And this isn't w/ serious poundages... I think my max snatch was around 140-150 lbs.

Its been several years since I finished my track/sledding stuff, but my rotator cuff will never be the same. Make sure you go light until you get a great feel for the movement. If possible get a olympic lifting coach to help your form. I'd also suggest being able to deadlift 2 to 2.25x your bodyweight before tackling serious poundages on the snatch just so you have a great strength base to cover your ass and prevent injuries.

My personal best on deads was around 470 lbs and 235 lbs on powercleans at 180 lbs bodyweight and I'm scared to snatch anything over 90-95 lbs. I'm currently on bodybuilding style hypertrophy/bulk program, so I miss doing all the "big" stuff... I still squat, but I'm scared to deadlift because of lower back issues that come about when you gain weight fast and still try to lift like you did before. I'm jealous of you guys and your heavy work! Keep it up man... just stay smart and dont' get hurt.

Thanks for all of the advice man. Yeah, I wasn't planning on taking up snatches until I am in a high intermediate level of lifting (probably around a 500 lb deadlift or more). I have heard from many strength coaches that a snatch is something that you have to start out light (the bar) and master the form before you add weight (little by little). It is kinda like an extreme form of the power clean. I hate that it tore up your rotator cuffs though. That sucks.

You might want to consider keeping heavy barbell lifts in a bodybuilding program if your back and shoulders will allow it at all though. When I lifted before, I did them, but I was doing reps of 10- not that heavy. Since I started this program, I have actually gained muscle mass, which is very surprising to me. My legs have like 30+ inch thighs and 17.5 inch calves. That's not bad for someone who is over 6 feet tall. Even many of the bodybuilding greats, like Arnold and Ronnie Coleman, keep powerlifts in their workouts because of the hypertrophy benefits. I'm far from a pro, but it is somethign to think about.

 

[The JustMan]

I'm totally guessing here, but IME, when newbies start to get heavy on squat, the first thing they do wrong is to slow right down as they approach the hole, when they should do the exact opposite: smooth descent then fast drop into the hole and aggressively bounce out (and up) of it. It is a mental thing and may feel counter intuitive, but you have to dominate the squat by aggressively dropping into the hole so you can get out of it.

You're squatting less than bodyweight atm. That should not be heavy enough to bother you. It's just technique you're lacking.

I actually agree. When I squatted a couple years ago I squatted high-bar with 315 lbs for 10 reps. I was probably squatting twice as strong as I am now. It seems that I have had a lot of struggling in getting this low-bar form down though. I think what you said is right. That was one of my issues, along with keeping the bar tight on my back. That is one of the reasons I deloaded to such light weights- to get the form down. The last couple of light workouts I have done, I kept my back tight, my chest up, and quickly bounced up and out of the hole. The squats felt easy. I'm going to focus on keeping it like this once the weight starts REALLY getting heavy.

 

[Fuglydude]

Thanks for all of the advice man. Yeah, I wasn't planning on taking up snatches until I am in a high intermediate level of lifting (probably around a 500 lb deadlift or more). I have heard from many strength coaches that a snatch is something that you have to start out light (the bar) and master the form before you add weight (little by little). It is kinda like an extreme form of the power clean. I hate that it tore up your rotator cuffs though. That sucks.

You might want to consider keeping heavy barbell lifts in a bodybuilding program if your back and shoulders will allow it at all though. When I lifted before, I did them, but I was doing reps of 10- not that heavy. Since I started this program, I have actually gained muscle mass, which is very surprising to me. My legs have like 30+ inch thighs and 17.5 inch calves. That's not bad for someone who is over 6 feet tall. Even many of the bodybuilding greats, like Arnold and Ronnie Coleman, keep powerlifts in their workouts because of the hypertrophy benefits. I'm far from a pro, but it is somethign to think about.

Wow, big legs man! I'm only 5'8" - 185 to 190 at around 12-13% bf... so not at the 30" quads that you describe! My trainers give me a free day, and I do incorporate high bar back squat, weighted dips and pulls, powercleans, weighted pistols, etc. I hurt my lower back recently as my body's still adjusting to new weight I've put on, so I'm a bit scared of deads, but I'm sure I'll be able to incorporate them soon enough. I've gained around 17 lbs in the last 6-7 weeks, most of it in my upper back and legs, so my core is having some issues engaging/firing when I pull heavy. This is why I've been staying away from low bar back squat and deads.

One cool thing about hypertrophy style training w/ light weights is that most of my joints are pretty happy with it. Its just nice to focus on the "pump" rather than get stressed about getting a new 1RM on deads when you're already lifting 2.67 times your bodyweight raw. I've been lifting heavy/explosive for over 6 years prior to shifting training modality, but I'll definitely incorporate the big movements into my routine.

Thanx for the advice.

 

[The JustMan]

Wow, big legs man! I'm only 5'8" - 185 to 190 at around 12-13% bf... so not at the 30" quads that you describe! My trainers give me a free day, and I do incorporate high bar back squat, weighted dips and pulls, powercleans, weighted pistols, etc. I hurt my lower back recently as my body's still adjusting to new weight I've put on, so I'm a bit scared of deads, but I'm sure I'll be able to incorporate them soon enough. I've gained around 17 lbs in the last 6-7 weeks, most of it in my upper back and legs, so my core is having some issues engaging/firing when I pull heavy. This is why I've been staying away from low bar back squat and deads.

One cool thing about hypertrophy style training w/ light weights is that most of my joints are pretty happy with it. Its just nice to focus on the "pump" rather than get stressed about getting a new 1RM on deads when you're already lifting 2.67 times your bodyweight raw. I've been lifting heavy/explosive for over 6 years prior to shifting training modality, but I'll definitely incorporate the big movements into my routine.

Thanx for the advice.

I hear what you are saying. It sounds like your routine is putting on muscle though. I just know that a lot of pro bodybuilders still keep their core lifts and do them heavy. There are clips of Ronnie Coleman doing like 800 lb doubles for squats and deadlifts on youtube. I would say do something like that- singles, doubles or triples, instead of maxing out. Maxing out is hard on your joints and CNS. I have been dealing with that soreness for the past 2 weeks because all of my lifts are maxing out right now. My joints feel like ****, and I am really ****ing tired all of the time.

November 17, 2010:
Squat: 205 lbs X 5 reps X 3 sets
Press: 105 lbs X 4, 3, 2 reps
Power Clean: 135 lbs X 3 reps X 5 sets

The squats felt heavy again today. I am thinking as to whether I should only do a 5 lb jump next time or a 10 lb jump again. I don’t want my ego to overcome my ability to make the right decision. I guess I’ll make this decision by Friday. The press stalled finally. I pushed myself though. I went to failure on all 3 sets. I might give this another try or get the 1 lb weights for microloading. I’m going to have to do this soon anyways. I think I might have sprained my wrist trying to lockout during the press too because I felt a bit of wrist pain when doing cleans. I feel fine now though. The cleans went alright, although I think I need to use a wider grip. I find that the weight wants to rack on my chest instead of my shoulders. I think this is because of my long forearms. I’ll try a wider grip next time.

 

[Fuglydude]

Sounds like you may be overtraining there dude...

Remember, unless you're chemically enhanced, its really quite easy to overtrain when you constantly train heavy. It puts a lot of stress on your CNS, and unless your diet/supplementation and rest are on point it can be easy to overtrain.

Are you doing anything to periodize your training? Its always good to do a deload and take things easy for a bit and let your body heal up.

I have "loose" wrists too... I can kinda pop them out of place if you know what I mean. I always use athletic tape to stabilize them. This helps w/ strains/sprains and potential tendonitis. Just something you may wanna consider. Wrists are pretty important and you don't wanna get them hurt.

How's your diet/supplementation and rest?