gsop_3

X2! Also, remember that the SL5x5 does go to 3x5 and 1x5 before you've completely squeezed it dry of progress. Just need to decide what your focus will be when you get there (Maximum limit strength), IF that's where you want to go (periodization with Madcow's 5x5 or something similar?), OR just move on to something else altogether... Either way, Lobsteriffic, the numbers are impressive - as is your consistency! awe inspiring, really! Keep up the great work!

@lobsteriffic, thanks for stoppin' by! Actually, technically, I could say everything from the beginning has been a PR LOL - since I'm only several months into lifting. It's good to know I'm being watched...great for accountability! Which reminds me! You're also doing a SL5x5 and I've been watching! Keep up the great work and stay patient and consistent for your gains - especially OHP! I'd say deload and go with smaller increments if you can. Don't do a push press, stay strict and you'll get it. @Chewy, Yeah, the gym here is really just what the school has. It's super small but it's free and there's zero travel time, so I can't complain too much. I'll try to get a pic up so you can see where I lift. (I don't have to worry about people mooning me here lol) I think you'll get a kick out of the what they call squat stands here. Some lifters might call it a joke. Perhaps I can personally invest in some REAL weights and a power rack and have my own space in there...only, I probably have to be willing to let others use it, which is no big deal for me...just the initial investment. Sadly, the internet is heavily monitored and filtered here so I can't even access the strength shop site ... unless I get a VPN sometime soon. It's really weird which sites get blocked...no rhyme or reason to it. Oh, well! I'm a guest here and have to deal with it.

Stick with it Chewy. I have the same problem...that, and my balance. Sometimes I just fall right over. lol

@ Chewy - I think it's totally related and I hope this helps! Though, as was mentioned it hurts like none other! I mean, I thought I was going to pass out the first time I did it! HAHAHA! BUTT, it makes a HUGE difference! (pun fully intended) @Dallas - sorry to hear that. j/k To each their own!

Another GREAT W/O today! Everything went up great. and still getting PRs on the deadlifts. I think I might need to look into finding a good belt pretty soon. Any suggestions? here's the breakdown... (rolled with the basketball, baseball bat and double-tennis balls before and baseball bat after) Squats: 1x5 - 90kg 1x5 - 105kg 5x5 - 119kg (last time I was at this weight, I found myself leaning too far forward. This time around, though, I am finding it easier to stay in the "groove" coming up out of the hole. Partly because of corrected form and partly because of more strength.) (quads DC stretch after) OHP: 1x5 - 45kg 1x5 - 55kg 5x5 - 62kg Deads: 1x5 - 105kg 1x5 - 125kg 1x5 - 155kg (I was still using normal grip for the first two reps, when it failed at the top on the second. I quickly changed to mixed grip and cranked out the rest of the set). (hams DC stretch after) Chins: (Thankfully, I still had enough grip after deads to do them - chest all the way to the bar each rep) 3x5 - BW -(87kg clothed today)(lats DC stretch after) Side-note: The plates and 15kg bar I am using can only go up to 165kg...As it is, I'm using 1-15kg and 5-10kg plates and a 5kg on each side (which is all there is here) (140kg+bar=155kg) - looks pretty ugly, really. Not sure what to do after that - only two more dead-lift sessions away from that 165kg mark. Do another set of five? LOL

Weronika, welcome! I hope you find the info and support/community you are looking for! I would suggest keeping a workout log...it helps keep you accountable and motivated!

Stretch Your Piriformis/Periformis! This info below has been a lifesaver for me! The following is from http://www.theironsamurai.com... If you keep saying that you want a big squat, but every time you get serious about it, you begin to develop either back pain or the symptoms of sciatica, then I may have a solution for you. This used to happen to me, too, before I realized the importance of stretchin’ that butt! Now, I squat AT LEAST 5 times a week most of the year, sometimes up to 9 times a week. Don’t be stupid! If you have back pain, you’re best off seeing a doctor and finding out what it is. It may be that you have a real issue that needs addressing that a blog-article just can’t help you with. But, if you’re like me (and like most serious lifters) one of your problems might be your uber-tight periformis muscles in your glutes. Peri-what?! The periformis is a small muscle in your buttocks. And unfortunately for you, it butts up (wink!) right against your sciatic nerve. So every time it gets inflamed and swollen (like after you squat), it puts pressure on the nerve and makes you feel like something is wrong with your back. There are a couple things you can do to deal with this problem. The first is simply to “roll” it out. Take a tennis ball (or if you’re hardcore, a lacrosse ball) and mimic what the woman in the pic above is doing (If you’re doing it right, you won’t be smiling like she is … it hurts, people). Another way to do it is to take the tennis ball, while standing, and place it between a doorjam and your glutes. Press. Hard. I do this in the morning when I wake up, and at night before I go to bed. The next thing you got to do is to stretch out the periformis ALL THE TIME. I do twice a day, at least, every day. If I do, I can squat all the time. If I don’t , I can’t squat at all. It’s that important. Here’s a vid by K-Star, with the cyclist Levi Leipheimer, showing a good stretch for this pesky muscle (it also gets the old IT band, which is another pain in the arse for heavy squatters): BTW, if you don’t already do so, check out K-Star’s mobility workouts of the day. Many of these will make your lifting life a lot easier, keep pain away, and allow you to train your butt off (almost literally) every day. Maybe now you can get that triple (or quadruple!) bodyweight squat that your Mamma always wanted you to have. To quote K Starr: Take a good look in the mirror and make a better decision. There is always more power to be had. AMEN, brother. Author: Nick Horton, coach of the PDX Olympic Weightlifting team in Portland.

...That's what it's all about buddy! personal accountability and encouragement! YeAh BuDdY! ...Lift BIG, Eat BIG, Get BIG(GER) !

I can only hope working hard will bring the results in time! Thanks for the props man! It really keeps me moving towards progress...which really is my goal...just beating the previous numbers. I think it's addicting! ...like eating popcorn! (it's my cryptonite). I measured the ledge where I jumped at the other day...32" I also found places I can work up to about 48" (all in due time, ay!). The goal for now is to work up to 10x40" first. Today's W/O 6.5 minutes on treadmill, then... (rolling pre/post with baseball bat and slightly deflated basketball - hey, it's all I've got) Squats: 1x5 - 90kg 1x5 - 105kg 5x5 - 117kg (all sets flew FAST with little rest in between. I breathed out and back in at the top of each rep - ALL reps were DEEP) no belt. Bench: 1x5 - 70kg 1x5 - 85kg 3x5 - 94kg 1x4 - 94kg (really pissed about this. I usually pause at the top to make sure I'm in line but didn't between 4th and 5th, so I failed to get it passed the sticking point 1x5 - 94kg BB Rows: 1x5 - 65kg 1x5 - 70kg 5x5 - 75kg (started to heave to cheat the bar up a little on the last couple reps of the last set)

Hey, Chewy, thanks for the pointers! I find it is quite painful while I'm rolling but it sure feels WAY better once I'm done! I'd like to think I'm being mindful with the stretching to not go too far. I know I want to at least maintain the flexibility I have...I noticed my flexibility decreasing as of late. As for the box jumps, I really don't have a graduated set of boxes to jump up...only a ledge that I haven't even measured yet. I'll try to measure it tomorrow...and keep track of how many I do. Maybe I can start jumping up a few stairs at a time first?? We've got stairs EVERYWHERE here! And, good reminder! Yes, squats come first! Oh, BTW, I've noticed that your deadlifts are SO heavy! How in the world!? Is that just a lift you are gifted at or what? I mean, I'm at 5x150kg and can't even imagine 1x220kg yet. Amazing, simply amazing!

@ bronco I'm glad you mentioned the starting strength book...I almost forgot about it! Yes, another great resource.

I did some box jumps yesterday. Not sure how many or how high, but I was pretty weak walking (barely) away from it. The quads and periformis (sp?) muscles were and still are quite tender. I used the baseball bat to roll them out again before and after. I think that helped me get through the W/O but they are really sore. Perhaps I'm approaching the point where I need to go lower on the volume for a while - maybe change to 3x5. Not sure. I'll just keep an eye on it for now and see how things go for the next few days' workouts and keep rolling on the bat. Today's W/O: Squats: 1x5 - 90kg 1x5 - 105kg 5x5 - 115kg (followed by extreme stretching - perhaps a contributor to the tenderness??) OHP: 1x5 - 45kg 1x5 - 55kg 5x5 - 61kg (took like 3-4 minutes of rest between the last few sets) Deads: 1x5 - 105kg 1x5 - 125kg 1x5 - 150kg (felt really strong on this today)(followed with extreme stretching for the hams)

Hey Ryan, Glad to hear the knee is doing so much better and that it isn't serious. Hope you're able to get the rest you need to heal proper. Then, Lift heavy, Eat BIG!

Those are some real nice numbers Chewy! You must be pretty stoked after that. Is there anything you plan to do different next time? Anything that went well that you won't change? How was your energy level during the comp with the redbull, etc. coursing through your veins? How long were all the lifts from the first one to the last? Love following your log! lol In all seriousness, Thanks for the consistent example of commitment to doing your personal best! It truly is inspiring! Keep it up!

OK, headache is gone and feeling much better today! I got plenty of much needed rest and good fooods. Today's W/O was AWESOME! Oh yeah, and did I mention that today's W/O was AWESOME! LOL I did some myofacial stuff (baseball bat - gets good penetration) before lifting today and didn't do any treadmill but still made sure the blood was flowing and the muscles to be used were adequately warmed up (walking lunges across the gym and some bodyweight squats. I did some dynamic stretching rather than the usual static stretches, as I've learned that static stretching can actually cause a temporary strength loss that can adversely impact training with heavy weights. Judging by the numbers and the way the lifts felt, I'd say it was a success. The numbers were as follows: Squats: 1x5 - 87kg 1x5 - 99kg 5x5 - 113 kg (followed by DC style extreme stretching for quads and hams) Bench: 1x5 - 65kg 1x5 - 77kg 5x5 - 93kg (followed by DC style extreme stretching for pecs with 25lb dumbbells) BB Rows: 1x5 - 45kg 1x5 - 55kg 5x5 - 73kg (followed by DC style extreme stretching for lats - weighted hang from chin bar with close grip) Followed all that with a HUGE serving of rice, a steamed bun and rice starch noodles with shredded squash and carrots...and lots of water. Feeling good now with a protein drink just entering the belly! Oh Yeah!

Keep up the consistent work trilliumfortnight! ...your being watched! haha

How's the knee??? what's the diagnosis?

Hey Chewy! Hope the comp goes well and you learn a ton! looking forward to reading about the results!!

my pleasure! as for protein, I would recommend some Vegan Proteins powder or hemp, pea and brown rice protein powders. Keep up-to-date with how it goes! Give it at least a few weeks and remember - be consistent and patient! fitness is a marathon (for life) not a sprint (instant results).

hope the trip goes well! All-you can-eat veganlicous!! Eat it up while it lasts and gain some weight! yeah buddy!

...I have a horrible headache now! ARRGH! I think I ate some MSG in my veggie stir-fry today...ate out.

@Lobsteriffic, Chewybaws - Thanks for the encouragement! ...and as you said Chewy...Have to do what you have to do! It's so great to see your comments in my log! Get's me super stoked! Thanks ya'll! @Robert So far the weekend is AWESOME! I just started my ISSA CFT course and I'm soooo excited. So much great info! Thanks for the well wishes! Hope your weekend is AT LEAST as awesome as mine!! YEAH BUDDY!!! Today's W/O was great! I felt super strong in all my sets and the weights flew up! Here's the breakdown: Squats: 1x5 - 85kg 1x5 - 99kg 5x5 - 111kg OHP: 1x5 - 45kg 1x5 - 55kg 5x5 - 60kg Deads: (measured to the center of the bar and found I've been lifting from 7"...about 2" too low! Set up the bar on a couple of plates to raise it up to 8.8" and lifted from there.) 1x5 - 105kg 1x5 - 125kg 1x5 - 145kg Chins: 3x5 - bodyweight (83.8kg this morning) Diet-wise, I am cutting carbs down on non-lifting days and only eating rice, etc. on lifting days. I did that all last week and lost a couple pounds (84.5kg down to 83.8kg). I'm sure some of that was water weight but some was def. fat.

Today's W/O was split in two because of time. This morning I did my squats and this evening I did my bench and BB rows. In the morning I did my usual warm-up but added some myofacial work on my thighs and glutes with a baseball bat (rolling, not beating) since I don't have foam rollers. I also taped two tennis balls together to use on my spinal erectors - thoracic mobility work. Man, that felt really good! The numbers looked like this: (Morning) Squats: 1x5 - 85kg 1x5 - 95kg 5x5 - 109kg (I did these with my eyes closed. Seemed to help me focus on the form of the movement rather than my form in the mirror) ====================================================== (Evening) Bench: 1x5 - 75kg 1x5 - 85kg 1x5 - 93kg 1x4 - 93kg 1x4 - 93kg 1x3 - 93kg 1x2 - 93kg (looks like I'll be keeping this weight next time) BB Rows: 1x5 - 55kg 1x5 - 65kg 4x5 - 71kg (Note: SL 5x5 calls for 3x5) I disobeyed and did an extra set since I was feeling strong.

I think you've come to the right place! Welcome! I hope you find all the encouragement and support you need to meet your goals here!

Hope I'm not to late to say,"WELCOME!" hehe