The Strength Thread Part II

[The Dayvan Cowboy]

I would be surprised if front squats don't feel awkward the first little period of time in which you do them. I only started doing them a month ago and I've pretty quickly went from the cross-arm grip, to the whole hand, to the two finger grip. I personally prefer only using two fingers under the bar but I also had an issue with it rolling around on me when I did 260 this week, so that might not actually be the best grip.

The less of your hand you have on/under the bar the less strain on your forearms I find.

 

[Caeldan]

I would be surprised if front squats don't feel awkward the first little period of time in which you do them. I only started doing them a month ago and I've pretty quickly went from the cross-arm grip, to the whole hand, to the two finger grip. I personally prefer only using two fingers under the bar but I also had an issue with it rolling around on me when I did 260 this week, so that might not actually be the best grip.

The less of your hand you have on/under the bar the less strain on your forearms I find.

In theory on a front squat you should be able to support it entirely without your hands... that's why I like the two finger grip. It gives just enough support there in case you do rock, and allows you to focus on driving the elbows up and out from the bottom. Also, unless you have ridiculously flexible arms, as you mentioned it takes the strain off of your wrists.

 

[Caeldan]

Update: 5/3/1 is the ****.

Started the third cycle today and felt really great. I keep just upping the weight per the program, outdoing myself every week. The first week is always the toughest for me as it has the most volume on the main lift (3x5), but I still set a 1RM equal to or greater than anything I did the previous month. Crazy!

What I've also found effective for progressing the assistance exercises is to up the weight at the beginning of a cycle, then up the reps as the cycle continues.

Example: my squat assistance movements are front squat and walking dumbbell lunges, with squat jumps at the end to really tire me out. Last cycle I did 145 and 30 for the front squats and lunges respectively. This cycle, I'm doing 155 and 35. I do 3x8 this week at that weight, then next week is 3x9, then 3x10. If I'm successful at all of those sets for the movement this cycle, next cycle I'll bump up the weight again. If I fail one or more sets this cycle, I'll keep the weight the same next time. It's a great way to keep the assistance movements challenging while getting more volume on the days that the main lift volume is decreased.

Again, freaking love this program so far. Even with warmup before and stretching/a bit of cardio after, I'm in the gym for max. 1 hour and am tired after. Highly recommend.

I've never done a true 5/3/1, but have done variations on it and agree it's a good program.
I'm back to basically doing a Cube again, as I found 5x5 took too long each day... plus I actually wanted to do some more accessory and aesthetic work since I've been out of the gym a while. Just finished up Week 3.
On the plus side, got my fiancee going with me and she's doing the program too. Need to figure out what's going on with her back squat though, if she has a real bar on her back... as soon as she goes to squat her right shoulder twists back so her torso is at a 45 degree angle from her hips. She's no problems doing goblet squats or with the smaller pre-measured bars -- but the off a rack she's doing something I can't figure out how to correct.

On the down side, managed to tweak my neck/shoulder today on OHP somehow. Think it's still a bit tight from when I got hit in hockey about a month back (and then a couple weeks ago again took a stick to the head in net, which swung my head in exactly the same plane)... must have just managed to put my arm in exactly the wrong spot on extension today. Couldn't finish my third set even with a reduced weight. Neutral grip dumbbell presses were okay though.

 

[UnrealMachine]

I've never done a true 5/3/1, but have done variations on it and agree it's a good program.
I'm back to basically doing a Cube again, as I found 5x5 took too long each day... plus I actually wanted to do some more accessory and aesthetic work since I've been out of the gym a while. Just finished up Week 3.
On the plus side, got my fiancee going with me and she's doing the program too. Need to figure out what's going on with her back squat though, if she has a real bar on her back... as soon as she goes to squat her right shoulder twists back so her torso is at a 45 degree angle from her hips. She's no problems doing goblet squats or with the smaller pre-measured bars -- but the off a rack she's doing something I can't figure out how to correct.

On the down side, managed to tweak my neck/shoulder today on OHP somehow. Think it's still a bit tight from when I got hit in hockey about a month back (and then a couple weeks ago again took a stick to the head in net, which swung my head in exactly the same plane)... must have just managed to put my arm in exactly the wrong spot on extension today. Couldn't finish my third set even with a reduced weight. Neutral grip dumbbell presses were okay though.

Is this happening on the way down or the way up? Could be a muscle imbalance or coordination issue. Have you tried her on box squats? ATG squats?

 

[Jeti]

On the plus side, got my fiancee going with me and she's doing the program too. Need to figure out what's going on with her back squat though, if she has a real bar on her back... as soon as she goes to squat her right shoulder twists back so her torso is at a 45 degree angle from her hips. She's no problems doing goblet squats or with the smaller pre-measured bars -- but the off a rack she's doing something I can't figure out how to correct.

Maybe it's shoulder/upper-back flexibility? If she doesn't have the problem with goblet squats, that's all I can think of. If she's right-handed, her right shoulder is probably far more flexible and her left is pulling her forward. Does widening the grip help? That's what I'd try first. If it's not that, maybe it's an imbalance at the hips, which is much harder to correct.

Going extremely slow with light weight (but still a bar) and having you guide her might also help if it's just a coordination issue.

 

[Caeldan]

Is this happening on the way down or the way up? Could be a muscle imbalance or coordination issue. Have you tried her on box squats? ATG squats?

It's on the way down, she says it's because the bar is uncomfortable and she's trying to move it around.
I might have to put the pad on to see if that makes a difference.

She can squat no problem with those smaller pre-weighted bars in the gym, and at body weight and such.

There's probably some coordination issues because her wrists we've been focusing on lately to make sure those stay straight -- she's got a tendency to bend one wrist back, and the other ends up forward... so a lot of focus on making sure hands are even before starting anything like bench.

 

[StronGeer]

It's on the way down, she says it's because the bar is uncomfortable and she's trying to move it around.
I might have to put the pad on to see if that makes a difference.

She can squat no problem with those smaller pre-weighted bars in the gym, and at body weight and such.

There's probably some coordination issues because her wrists we've been focusing on lately to make sure those stay straight -- she's got a tendency to bend one wrist back, and the other ends up forward... so a lot of focus on making sure hands are even before starting anything like bench.

Have her do a false grip (no thumb) and see if that helps. For a high bar squat, which is what she's probably doing, you shouldn't need your hands much.

 

[KapG]

Spider curls are the ****ing cats pyjamas man. Probably my favourite bicep movement

 

[The Devil In I]

I've set a goal to pull off a 500lb deadlift by my 30th, which is slightly less than 4 months away. My current PR is 405lbs, done beltless about 2-2.5 months ago. I believe my current beltless 1RM is around 425, will test again in like 2-3 weeks.

 

[Goodlad]

I've set a goal to pull off a 500lb deadlift by my 30th, which is slightly less than 4 months away. My current PR is 405lbs, done beltless about 2-2.5 months ago. I believe my current beltless 1RM is around 425, will test again in like 2-3 weeks.

You want to add 75 lbs to your deadlift in 4 months? You're clearly past beginner gains, so I'm not sure how realistic that is. I'll be very impressed if you can pull that off

 

[UnrealMachine]

I've set a goal to pull off a 500lb deadlift by my 30th, which is slightly less than 4 months away. My current PR is 405lbs, done beltless about 2-2.5 months ago. I believe my current beltless 1RM is around 425, will test again in like 2-3 weeks.

As the poster above said, I don't think your goal is realistic at best, and dangerous at worst. 500 is an excellent LIFETIME goal for deadlift. There's no rush to get there. I can speak from direct experience as I, too was once chasing a 500 lb deadlift & squat and wanted to do so at a meet. I ultimately injured myself doing rack pulls and quit powerlifting all together not long after.

 

[The Devil In I]

Yea it'll be a reach, but I am still lacking in hamstring strength. My deadlift so far is built on the strength of my lats and my glutes....hamstrings are definitely lagging behind. I'm going to be getting a lot of volume in on stiff leg deadlifts once/week and then alternating the other deadlift session each week with speed work, stop-deadlifts, and deficit deads.

My current PR is also beltless...might throw on the belt to try to get to 500. And for what it's worth I'm currently 210 lbs, so my deadlift is relatively weak for my size.

 

[Caeldan]

Just finishing up week 4 of my 10 week cycle to get back into the swing of things. Been taking my time to get back into a trained state and avoid impinging my hip... though today managed to tweak it on front squats - but it's been bugging me all week from extra time playing goal this past week too.

Tried the fiancee doing a false grip for back squat and she's still twisting funny... smaller bars it doesn't really seem to show up on, just the big bar. So still had her doing goblet squats for her sets. Which really isn't a bad thing anyway.

She's getting some good newbie gains on her bench and deadlift though for sure. Week 1, she couldn't lock out a 105, this week she pulled 135 for two... and was pressing 55 for sets of 8, when in the first week she was just doing dumbbells.

 

[Jeti]

Benched 200 for 5 reps today. That's a new best and it's around the 1 year mark from when I started going to the gym.

 

[VaughanBender72]

joined my highschool weight room about a month ago, have been doing some strength training prior but didn't have proper equipment. I can do
squat: 160x5
bench: 80x5
I'm 155 at 15% body fat. Are my stats decent ?
Got a question though. my weight room only has a smith machine squat rack so I'm doing smith machine squats. how much is the machine helping me, like could i still squat about 150 without the machine or does it help a lot ?

 

[Jeti]

joined my highschool weight room about a month ago, have been doing some strength training prior but didn't have proper equipment. I can do
squat: 160x5
bench: 80x5
I'm 155 at 15% body fat. Are my stats decent ?
Got a question though. my weight room only has a smith machine squat rack so I'm doing smith machine squats. how much is the machine helping me, like could i still squat about 150 without the machine or does it help a lot ?

Are your stats decent? No, not really, nor are they expected to be. The good thing is you're starting young. I didn't even set foot in a gym until my mid-to-late 20's.

Keep focusing on compound lifts and eat a lot and you'll see results. Don't try to compare stats with people that are older/bigger than you, just compete with yourself - it's a lot more fun that way. Men might stop growing in height during their teenage years but our shoulders/ribs grow wider/thicker into our 20's, so your build might still change. 155 at 15% body fat can also look very different depending on height. Generally being short helps you lift more weight and then is a disadvantage for pretty much everything else (sports, women, finding pants that fit, etc.). So don't worry about what's decent. Just push yourself to be better every week.

 

[VaughanBender72]

Are your stats decent? No, not really, nor are they expected to be. The good thing is you're starting young. I didn't even set foot in a gym until my mid-to-late 20's.

Keep focusing on compound lifts and eat a lot and you'll see results. Don't try to compare stats with people that are older/bigger than you, just compete with yourself - it's a lot more fun that way. Men might stop growing in height during their teenage years but our shoulders/ribs grow wider/thicker into our 20's, so your build might still change. 155 at 15% body fat can also look very different depending on height. Generally being short helps you lift more weight and then is a disadvantage for pretty much everything else (sports, women, finding pants that fit, etc.). So don't worry about what's decent. Just push yourself to be better every week.

I'm 5'7'' so i look average. Also lifting won't stunt my growth right ?

 

[Jeti]

I'm 5'7'' so i look average. Also lifting won't stunt my growth right ?

Pretty sure that's a myth, but you're free to google it yourself. In any case, unless your family is all >6" and had late growth spurts, you're almost completely full grown. Even if you hypothetically had a few inches of growth left, the fact it's never been scientifically proven that lifting stunts growth must mean it's minimal if at all, so you'd maybe lose a tenth of an inch. We're not talking about a toddler with several feet left to grow here, any deviation would be minimal. Think of how many elite athletes start lifting as teens and how tall they usually are. I'd say it's not a concern at this point.

Just get plenty of sleep and eat healthy, which you should do anyways. Lack of sleep will stunt your growth more than anything, but again, you've got little growing left anyways. Besides, weight lifting should help you sleep. I always sleep like a baby after doing squats.

 

[VaughanBender72]

Pretty sure that's a myth, but you're free to google it yourself. In any case, unless your family is all >6" and had late growth spurts, you're almost completely full grown. Even if you hypothetically had a few inches of growth left, the fact it's never been scientifically proven that lifting stunts growth must mean it's minimal if at all, so you'd maybe lose a tenth of an inch. We're not talking about a toddler with several feet left to grow here, any deviation would be minimal. Think of how many elite athletes start lifting as teens and how tall they usually are. I'd say it's not a concern at this point.

Just get plenty of sleep and eat healthy, which you should do anyways. Lack of sleep will stunt your growth more than anything, but again, you've got little growing left anyways. Besides, weight lifting should help you sleep. I always sleep like a baby after doing squats.

my father is 5'11 he had a growth spurt at like 15 so I was just curious. I was just scared i wouldn't grow. especially since i play ball

 

[KapG]

Benched 200 for 5 reps today. That's a new best and it's around the 1 year mark from when I started going to the gym.

Incredible stuff, congratulations on that one Burmi!!

 

[KapG]

Did 190lbs for 5 * 5 today with no spot today on the decline . That's about a pound below my current body weight.

Been in the gym for 10 months now.

 

[President XD]

A few firsts for me today.

1- Nearly shat myself doing deadlifts. There was just this long unexpected fart as I lifted up. Was on the third rep. Needless to say, I put the bar down and quickly went to the cans just in case. No streaks, safe for now

2- Now this may not look like much for a lot of you but I squatted 200lbs for the first time ever. Last week I did 185 on my last set and was hoping to be able to do at least 2 sets at 185 this week. Was able to go from 185 to 200 over 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps. Actually I was able to do 4 reps at 200 so next week I'll start at 200 and see where it goes. This is huge for me considering that I've had a back injury in the past and have knee and ankle problems and am not a fan of squats, although I'm starting to appreciate them. I'm hoping to get to 225 lbs by the end of the year.

I've been working more seriously in the past month and a half though so this must have helped quite a bit with my progress. I don't recall the last time I was that motivated to go to the gym. Just a couple of months ago I had a difficult time going more than twice a week. Then I started doing a two day split over 8 days (Monday Legs, Tuesday Upper, Friday Legs, Monday Upper) moving on to my present program of a 2 day split done twice a week (M,T-T,F). As my body adapts I may throw in a fifth day for good measure where I'd be doing some light cardio or something.

 

[Jeti]

I started doing a two day split over 8 days (Monday Legs, Tuesday Upper, Friday Legs, Monday Upper) moving on to my present program of a 2 day split done twice a week (M,T-T,F). As my body adapts I may throw in a fifth day for good measure where I'd be doing some light cardio or something.

I'd honestly just do a full-body workout if I had rest days before and after, nevermind two rest days (on your old program). I've played with 3 day routines (M-W-F, full-body everytime) and 5 day routines (various splits). I definitely prefer 3 day routines, but I couldn't imagine doing a split with one.

When I first started working out last year I jumped right into the routine I wanted to eventually do, just with lower weight and (if you want to walk the next couple days after squatting) lower reps (but I just put up with not being able to walk most of the first month). Then it's actually a "routine" in both senses of the word and it's easier to just build up weight/reps rather than adding a day and disrupting everything.

Light cardio after your workout (10 minutes on the bike or a light jog) won't hurt your recovery and could actually help it. I probably wouldn't add an extra day just for that, or at least wouldn't consider it a "day". If you're having problems with dead legs after squat days, stretching and light cardio are your friends, but it sounds like you're making good progress. Breaking barriers (like 200 pounds) is awesome for motivation.

On your first point (not sure why I didn't quote that): I always empty the tank before squats/deadlifts

 

[President XD]

I'd honestly just do a full-body workout if I had rest days before and after, nevermind two rest days (on your old program). I've played with 3 day routines (M-W-F, full-body everytime) and 5 day routines (various splits). I definitely prefer 3 day routines, but I couldn't imagine doing a split with one.

When I first started working out last year I jumped right into the routine I wanted to eventually do, just with lower weight and (if you want to walk the next couple days after squatting) lower reps (but I just put up with not being able to walk most of the first month). Then it's actually a "routine" in both senses of the word and it's easier to just build up weight/reps rather than adding a day and disrupting everything.

Light cardio after your workout (10 minutes on the bike or a light jog) won't hurt your recovery and could actually help it. I probably wouldn't add an extra day just for that, or at least wouldn't consider it a "day". If you're having problems with dead legs after squat days, stretching and light cardio are your friends, but it sounds like you're making good progress. Breaking barriers (like 200 pounds) is awesome for motivation.

On your first point (not sure why I didn't quote that): I always empty the tank before squats/deadlifts

The tank was emptied alright, that's why I don't know where it came from

I did the full body workout for most of this year and usually only had two workouts per week cause recovery took too long. Mind you, part of it was because I wasn't disciplined enough and ended up doing too many sets per workout which hindered recovery.

It was the same for the 2 day Upper/Lower body split. I usually did too much per workout which meant I had to take that extra time off. Now, I'm following a program that I found on Muscle Strength's website. This is my third week with this program and it's going better and better. If I have time, I usually some light cardio after my workout. Just depends what time I get in the gym and how long it takes me. I workout in the morning at the gym at work so I usually workout to 7H45 at the very latest so I can have time to shower and get upstairs for 8:00. This morning there was no time left for light cardio. It does seem to help me with recovery, at least for leg day whenever I'm able to squeeze in some light cardio.

 

[Caeldan]

Pulled 365 today. Grip almost gave out on the way up but held it.
Few more weeks then total day...