Another Single Factor 5x5 Journal

[blut wump]

There are some plates at my gym which have both 20Kg and 45 pounds marked on them. Don't forget that there's the bar too. That gets counted either as 20Kg or 45lbs. From what you say, though, there's no standard gym plate, anyway, and once you're up even to 3 plates a side there's a seven pounds leeway.

 

[Guinness5.0]

all the plates i've seen that list both metric and english weight say 20.2 kg and 45 pounds

 

[anotherbutters]

Week 10, Wednesday

Bodyweight: 78kg/172lb

Failure at last.

1. Light freeweight back squats (kg)
bar x 18 (warmup)
40 x 9 (warmup)
60 x 5
70 x 5
75 x 5
75 x 5
75kg/165lb x 5

2. Deads (kg)
50 x 9 (warmup)
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 (overhand)
117.5 x 5 (up 2.5, mixed)
135kg/297lb x 4 (up 2.5, mixed grip, no straps, chalk) -- straps for 5th rep but couldn't lock out

3. Military Press (kg)
bar x 9 (warmup)
30 x 5 (up 2.5)
32.5 x 5 (up 2.5)
35 x 5 (up 2.5)
37.5 (up 2.5)
43.5kg/96lb x 5 (up 1) ------------ PR!

4. Pullups
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 4
BW x 3
BW x 3
= 17 reps, up 2 ------- PR!

Comments

I found the 4th set of deads quite hard. The bar pulled the skin on my left hand fingers quite badly and I'm surprised it didn't break the skin. I tried supinating the left hand for a change but didn't like it (I'm right handed and incredibly uni-dexterous).

I loaded up the bar for the final set and realised I had too many plates left. I have 140kg including the bar, yet the bar was up to 135 and I had 10kg left. I counted and counted again and realised I actually have 145kg (319lb), not 140. So... remember that single I did last week where I put all the plates on the bar, thinking it was 140... No wonder I thought it was heavy, lol. Unfortunately, I didn't lock it out last week, so I didn't get it.

Anyway, final set on deads, I managed three reps with mixed grip, chalk and plenty of grunting. But then I completely psyched out and couldn't pull. After about 30 secs, I managed another rep ok. I wrapped the straps around quickly for the 5th rep, but it was just too heavy. I got the bar up, but couldn't lock out my shoulders, and remembering our friend Max, decided not to hitch the bar up and let the PR go instead.

BW, I tried thrusting my hips more and pulling my shoulders back in the lower sets, but just forgot in the heavier ones. I guess when it gets heavier, normal technique takes over unless you really concentrate on changing it.

Military press was hard, but I got it. I felt it in my lower back for two of the reps for the first time ever. Not enough to worry about it, but I thought I'd mention it.

I think I got higher on pullups than last week. I'm definitely getting stronger on these. Woohoo! Two more full reps than last week, so that's another PR.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Hey it was bound to happen bro. Good work. I imagine there's plenty of room for improvement in your squat and therefore plenty of room overall for the program. Keep it up!

 

[blut wump]

Congrats on failing. You finally have something to think about besides shopping for stronger chairs to bear your burgeoning bulk.

How do you proceed from here? Do you simply try again at the same weight next week or is there some magical methodology with manipulating volume to keep the program moving? It is beginning to seem that there is a problem with lockout on the deads.

Don't worry about a single failure. It's not necessarily any indication of whether you'll get it next week.

Congrats on the PRs.

 

[anotherbutters]

Thanks guys. To be honest, I think I've been hitching the last rep for the past couple of weeks without knowing what hitching was, so I'm still kind of happy that I managed four reps today at a higher weight.

I read the Starting Strength deadlift chapter again and found this on page 121: "The function of the back muscles during the deadlift is the transmission of hip and leg power to the bar. If the back rounds during the process, it cannot be straightened after the knees and hips lock out." And it has a drawing of some poor guy stooped over.

That's my problem, but I'm not sure what I need to do to correct it. If you start the pull with your shoulders forward, then you need to pull them back at some point. It's not as though they're always back and need holding there. I think I'm missing something subtle somewhere. I'm sure it would feel wrong to hold my shoulders back by retracting my shoulder blades, even slightly.

 

[blut wump]

Page 130: Once the bar has completed ...

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I try to think in terms of simultaneously thrusting with the hips and pulling back with the traps after the bar has passed my knees. I remember when I started doing this that it made the top part of the lift seem easier. I've not yet had a lockout problem, though. Maybe it really is time to think of shrugs and rack-pulls.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I don't think you need to worry much about your shoulders- if you're standing up w/ a straight back you're done. My shoulders sag quite a bit at teh top of a dead but as long as I'm upright (spinally speaking ) with knees extended it's a complete rep

 

[blut wump]

I think a failure to pull your shoulders back (not exageratedly so) is cause for red lights on a lift.

'Starting Strength' p130: "The deadlift is not finished until the shoulders are back and the chest is up"

 

[anotherbutters]

I agree, I need to get the shoulders back, otherwise I'm slumped forward.

Ah, page 130, got it now. "Once the bar has completed the trip up the legs, there are several ways to finish the deadlift, only one of them correct. The bar is locked out by lifting the chest, pulling the shoulders back, and bringing the knees, hips and lumbar spine into extension simultaneously."

I don't think I've been lifting my chest. I certainly haven't been thinking about it. That has to help with getting the shoulders back.

I don't know how critical the timing is. I wondered whether I was locking out some parts before the others, then I'm not able to lock out the rest. I don't think it's an issue, but it crossed my mind.

I think the chest is the thing I need to focus on. Thanks BW.

Oh, your question earlier about what to do next, now that my deadlift has stopped... From memory, I think I wait until both squats and deads have stopped for a couple of weeks. As Guinness said, there's plenty of room for growth in my squat, so I don't think I'm anywhere near that point yet. I hope.