Strato's Pursuit of Strength

[Strato]

First things first: 27 years old, 6'5", 210 lbs, ~10% bodyfat.

I've been training for several years with terribly screwed up priorities. Not until recently, after reading Ripp's books, 70sbig.com, and this forum, did I realize what I was missing by not sticking to the basics, lifting heavy, and training for strength. I'm ashamed to say I'm no stronger now than I was back in my college days. For too long I've been way too concerned with my abs.

So, the plan is to finally train to get strong. I've been doing the Starting Strength program for the past 2 weeks. Eating enough to support the linear progression, but good quality food (meat, milk, cheese, eggs, veggies, fruit, nuts, etc.). At this point, I'm not doing GOMAD. I plan to gradually increase calories as my lifts and bodyweight go up. In other words, as needed to support the linear progression. If that means in a few weeks it's time for GOMAD, then so be it.

Here is my workout log so far:

11/23/2009
Starting Bodyweight: 208 lbs
Squat: 175x5x3
Press: 105x5x1 (screwed up trying to figure out my starting weight)
Chins: BWx10, 10, 8

11/25/2009
Squat: 185x5x3
Bench: 175x5x3
Deadlift: 255x5x3 (double overhand grip)

11/27/2009
Squat: 195x5x3
Press: 105x5x3
Pullups: BWx10, 10, 11

11/30/2009
Bodyweight: 209 lbs
Squat: 205x5x3
Bench: 180x5x3
Power Clean: 145x3x5

12/2/2009
Squat: 215x5x3
Press: 110x5x3
Chins: BWx11, 9, 9

12/4/2009
Squat: 225x5x3
Bench: 185x5x3
Deadlift: 275x5x1 (double overhand grip)

[Strato]

Sprained my ankle pretty bad sunday night playing basketball, so decided to rest monday and do this week's workouts on Tue/Thur/Sat instead of M/W/F. I went to the gym on Tuesday a little apprehensive about the ankle, but after I warmed up, it wasn't giving me any problems.

12/7/2009
Bodyweight: 210 lbs
Squat: 235x5x3
Press: 115x5x3
Pullups: BWx11, 9, 8

Squats felt really heavy compared to last Friday's workout of 225x5x3. It may be time to switch to 5 lb jumps from here on. I really hope the lifting belt I ordered last week comes in soon. I was able to borrow one for one of my sets last friday and could tell it made a huge difference in how solid I feel coming out of the hole. When I get some weightlifting shoes that will hopefully help out as well. Currently lifting in Chuck Taylors.

Felt like a really solid workout.

[strongdaniel]

Sprained my ankle pretty bad sunday night playing basketball, so decided to rest monday and do this week's workouts on Tue/Thur/Sat instead of M/W/F. I went to the gym on Tuesday a little apprehensive about the ankle, but after I warmed up, it wasn't giving me any problems.

12/7/2009
Bodyweight: 210 lbs
Squat: 235x5x3
Press: 115x5x3
Pullups: BWx11, 9, 8

Squats felt really heavy compared to last Friday's workout of 225x5x3. It may be time to switch to 5 lb jumps from here on. I really hope the lifting belt I ordered last week comes in soon. I was able to borrow one for one of my sets last friday and could tell it made a huge difference in how solid I feel coming out of the hole. When I get some weightlifting shoes that will hopefully help out as well. Currently lifting in Chuck Taylors.

Felt like a really solid workout.

Welcome, sir. I would really recommend GOMAD as a baseline. In my own experience, I found it was fairly difficult to sustain linear progress without it. Those numbers on pullups are very impressive from anyone, let alone a tall 210lb guy.

[Strato]

Thanks, Daniel. I'm actually finding that my appetite is increasing as the weights get heavier, so I've been drinking progressively more milk. Probably a little more than a half gallon/day right now. So I'll probably be at a full gallon within the next couple weeks, right about the time I set start setting some PR's (at least that's the theory).

I actually put on weight fairly easily, so didn't want to GOMAD right out of the gate while the weights are still fairly light. But I'll be there soon enough I imagine :)

[misspelledgeoff]

hey Strato. looks like you've only gained 2 pounds in the couple of weeks since starting. that is VERY low at this stage in SS. Particularly at your height, weight and bodyfat.

to give you some persective, Rip has recommended 6'4" guys be ~275 at the lowest to be properly filled out.

up your calories and I will bet you those squats will get easier again.

[Strato]

hey Strato. looks like you've only gained 2 pounds in the couple of weeks since starting. that is VERY low at this stage in SS. Particularly at your height, weight and bodyfat.

to give you some persective, Rip has recommended 6'4" guys be ~275 at the lowest to be properly filled out.

up your calories and I will bet you those squats will get easier again.

Thanks for the comment. Yeah, I remember Rip saying that. I guess my thinking was that I didn't want to go too overboard in the beginning with the eating since the workouts weren't too taxing.

But as you pointed out, I need to gain a decent amount of weight. And now that things are starting to get heavy, I think I'll up the calories and start trying to get big.

I'll admit though, 275 minimum seems almost excessively big to me. I mean, many D-1 football offensive linemen are in the neighborhood of 6'5", 300 lbs. Do I really want to be approaching that kind of size? I enjoy playing sports (basketball, softball, ultimate and racquetball) and would like to maintain a good bit of quickness to remain competitive. Don't get me wrong, the priority here is certainly strength, and I'm prepared to put on the weight necessary.

I'll make my first goal to weigh 240 lbs. And then re-evaluate at that point.

[Raskolnikov]

Good luck hitting 240 today, Strato! Definitely looks like we are more or less in the same boat. Taking the difference in height into account (I'm 6'2") we are probably pretty similar in the amount of weight we need to gain to make this whole thing as productive as possible. I look forward to following your progress.

[Strato]

11/30/2009
Squat: 240x5x3
Bench: 190x5x3
Hang Clean: 115x3x5

Finally got my new belt today (Inzer, 10mm, single prong)! Strapped it on for the squats and knocked them out no problem. Felt heavy, but very solid. It was much less of a struggle than 235 (beltless) felt on Tuesday. Probably could have done 245 no problem as well.

BUT, in between all of my squat sets my left elbow started to hurt worse and worse. After I finished my last squat set, it was really screaming. During the sets, it felt fine, but immediately afterwards the pain was right back and worse than the set before. I could get temporary relief by gripping something really hard or hanging from the chinup bar. I still managed to complete all of my bench press sets. Again, the pain would temporarily go away while I was benching.

I was afraid this would happen. I tried a linear progression type program where I squatted 3x/week about a year ago and had to quit because the elbow pain became so bad that after squats I couldn't do any exercise involving my arms. This time around I've been doing all of the usual pre-hab type stuff, stretching shoulders/pecs, doing shoulder dislocations with PVC, self-myofascial release, etc. I've searched the forum to find out how others handled elbow pain and it seems to vary with the individual. When squatting, my hands are on top of the bar and wrists in alignment as described in SS:BBT. And I've tried varying the grip width. Not sure what I can do to fix this. I'm worried the pain is going to be even worse next time I squat. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Anyhow, I ended up doing hang cleans instead of power cleans because I'm really having trouble racking the bar correctly. I'm having a hard time shoving my elbows up and catching the bar on my shoulders instead of just in my hands. So did 5 sets of light hang cleans to try and drill the technique into my head (the sore elbows didn't help much here). The weight is super light and I feel like I could do 200x5x3 if I caught the weight in my hands (elbows down) instead of on my shoulders. But I want to get the technique right.

So, I think for the next few weeks while I get my power clean form down and ramp the weight up to something fairly heavy, I'll deadlift every other workout and do power cleans the same day as pullups/chinups (depending on how the elbow holds up). This would only be for a couple weeks until I nail down my clean form and get back up to some heavier weights.

[msingh]

You are the ideal candidate for SS. Good luck.

[Platus]

I used to have some elbow pain from squatting. I had to do a few things, including dynamic stretching for my shoulder, using a wider grip, and making sure to keep my elbows up during the lift. I sometimes felt that the pain was related to strain on my biceps, so I have included the occasional set or two of barbell curls and that seems to have helped as well.

[python2705]

I had elbow pain from squatting as well. In addition to adding weighted chinups and barbell curls (which have helped quite a bit), I found that the main problem I was having was that I was bearing down on the bar with my hands and arms while I squatted, mostly coming out of the bottom. Its hard to explain but even though my elbows weren't dropping, my hands were pushing down hard on top of the bar, creating unnecessary pressure on my elbows. Basically I had my lifting partner remind me to keep my hands "up," not literally up but it was a good cue for me to release that "bearing down" pressure with my upper body. Fixing this also helped the entire lift, and improved bar speed (even though the pressure from my hands wasn't actually adding any weight to the bar obviously, but I think it was something like a physiological relationship between bearing down on the bar and not putting all my focus toward pushing it up with the legs and hips). May or may not be what you've got going on, but once I fixed that, my elbow pain almost totally disappeared. If this doesn't apply to you, +1 for barbell curls and stretching.

[Strato]

I found that the main problem I was having was that I was bearing down on the bar with my hands and arms while I squatted, mostly coming out of the bottom. Its hard to explain but even though my elbows weren't dropping, my hands were pushing down hard on top of the bar, creating unnecessary pressure on my elbows. Basically I had my lifting partner remind me to keep my hands "up," not literally up but it was a good cue for me to release that "bearing down" pressure with my upper body.

Thanks for the reply, Python. I think you might be right. I've noticed that I tend to really push the bar hard into my back as I'm coming up out of the hole. The hands up cue is a really good one. I'll try that during tomorrow's squat workout. Thanks!

[Strato]

You are the ideal candidate for SS. Good luck.

Thanks! :)

[knox]

I had the same problem as you with elbow pain from squatting a while ago. Things I was doing wrong:

1) Bar was placed too low on my back, and it would tend to slip downwards by the end of my sets. The bar needs to be set at just the right spot for the no-thumbs grip to work.

2) Chest was down. If you don't keep your chest up during the squat, the bar's not going to sit properly.

3) Elbows were down. The elbows need to be UP to make sure that you're pushing the weight against your back instead of supporting it with your arms.

Hope that helps.

[python2705]

2) Chest was down. If you don't keep your chest up during the squat, the bar's not going to sit properly.

+1 to that. My elbow problems were the worst when my chest was down, and likewise are non-existent now that I figured out keeping the chest high. Good point I had not taken into consideration. Along the same lines, fixing one thing with the squat almost always helps with other aspects. Experiment.

[Strato]

Thanks again for the replies, guys. I'm gonna try all of those suggestions tomorrow and see how things feel. I may post a video if I can get someone to film.

[Strato]

12/12/2009
Squat: 245x5x3
Press: 120x5x3
Weighted Chins: (BW + 25 lb)x3x5
Hang clean technique work: worked up to 135x3

To combat the elbow pain that's recently developed, I tried several of the suggestions you guys gave as well as a few other things. I bought some neoprene elbow sleeves at Dick's sporting good and wore them during my warmup and squats. I also stretched the heck out of my shoulders and arms. During my squat sets I took a little bit wider grip and really focused on not mashing the bar into my back and keeping my chest up. Although I didn't have much trouble getting all of my reps in, it was pretty hard to simultaneously keep my chest up/back tight while at the same time not put too much pressure on the bar with my hands. So a few of the reps felt a little sloppy.

All this led to a slight improvement in the elbow pain, but it was still there. I was still able to press no problem. But the chins were pretty painful except at the very top. It actually felt good on my elbows to hold the top position with my chin over the bar and really squeeze hard and then do a slow eccentric.

Considering the pain was ever so slightly less than the last workout, I'll continue with everything as planned and hope it continue to become less and less of an issue. If it gets worse (and starts affecting other lifts) I may have to switch to squatting just once or twice a week. In which case I would probably up my deadlift volume and perhaps start front squatting.

I've also finally started GOMAD'ing to put some weight on. Hoping the extra calories also helps with the achy joints. Interesting fact: I weighed 221.4 lbs before bed last night (completely stuffed). This morning (after several trips to the bathroom throughout the night) I woke up at 212.0 lbs. Crazy.

[python2705]

Good to hear that the elbow pain was at least slightly reduced. One thing that the elbow pain caused for me was a feeling of having a weak grip. That's interesting about the weighted chins, the way I always felt about them when I was dealing with elbow pain was that they were kind of uncomfortable to tell myself to do, just feeling like I didn't have the grip strength to do them, but once I had "manned up," got on the bar, and squeezed like a bad mutha, my biceps, elbows and grip all felt great throughout the movement. Squeezing really hard to hold onto that bar with weight added always made my elbows feel good and stabilized through the entire range of motion. Just my experience. Hope your elbows keep improving, and happy lifting!

[Sami]

Damn, +1 for elbow troubles. Mine's getting better too. Good luck.

[Strato]

12/14/2009
Bodyweight: 214 lbs
Squat: 250x5x3
Bench: 195x5x3
Deadlift: 295x5x1 (double overhand grip)

Still having elbow troubles with the squat. Really makes the rest of the workout a bitch. I guess on the upside, it helps my bench sets because it forces me to get really pissed off before each set so I can push through the pain. Still, it's just really annyong. Deadlifts weren't too bad, but I'll have to switch to a mixed grip next time.

And thanks to GOMAD, bodyweight is up 4 lbs this week.

Looking forward to training on wednesday. I'll be at a cool gym with actual lifting platforms and bumper plates. I'll be really excited if they have a cambered or safety squat bar to give my elbows a rest from the stress they are subjected to with a normal barbell.

[Strato]

It's time to update my log and get back in the habit of regular updates. I just recently got married and went on my honeymoon with my new wife which is why I haven't been doing any updates, but I continued to do my workouts and eat big. My bodyweight is close to 230 lbs now.

I ended up missing one workout right before my wedding which translated into a 5 day break since it included the weekend. This gave me immense relief from the elbow issues I was having (at least for the next few workouts). Here's a quick breakdown of my workouts for the past few weeks:

12/16/2009
Squat: 255x5x3
Press: 125x5, 3 ,3
*Elbows were too sore to do anything else

12/22/09
Squat: 260x5x3
Bench: 200x5x3
Deadlift: 315x5x1
*Elbows feeling much better after 5 day break

12/24/09
Squat: 265x5x3
Press: 125x5x3
PC: 155x3x5
Chins: (BW+30 lb) x 5 x 3
*Elbows still feeling pretty good

12/26/09
Squat: 270x5x3
Bench: 205x5x3
Deadlift: 325x5x1
*Elbow pain starting to creep up but did not affect workout

12/29/09
Squat: 275x5x3
Press: 130x5,5,4
PC: 160x3x5
*Elbow pain a little worse

12/31/09
Squat: 280x5x3
Bench: 210x5x3
Deadlift: 335x5x1
*Elbows pain really starting to flare up

1/2/2010
Squat: 285x5x3
Press: 130x3, 115x5x2
Chins: (BW+35) x 5 x1
*Elbows were on fire after squats. Definitely contributed to the poor performance on press andquitting after one set of chins.

[Strato]

The previous post brings us up to the current week. I'm currently on a Tue, Thur, Sat schedule. I pretty much took Tuesday off to give my elbows a break since they were really hurting from last saturdays workout.

I pulled out my copy of PP and decided I need to try something similar to the advanced novice plan. Even though I'm still making steady increases on most of my lifts, my elbows just can't handle back squatting 3x/week without it greatly affecting my progress in the other lifts. So I'm gonna substitute back squats with front squats (which don't irritate the elbows at all) on the thursday workout to allow my elbows a little more rest.

The new plan is:

Day 1: Squat, Press/Bench, Chins/Pullups
Day 2: Front Squat (3x3), Press/Bench, Deadlift
Day 3: Squat, Press/Bench, Power Clean

1/08/10
Front Squat: 185x3, 195x3, 205x3
Press: 130x5x3 (finally got this)
Deadlift: 345x5x1

Haven't done front squats in a while so had to ramp up to a good weight. I'll probably do 205x3x3 next workout and increase 5 to 10 lbs each week from there. No elbow pain allowed me to finally get 130x5x3 on the press, but it was quite a grind. Going to increase only 2.5 lbs next time.

Hopefully this change in programming will allow me to manage my elbow pain while maitaining linear progression.

After reviewing video of my squat work sets from last week, one thing I do need to work on is keeping my chest up. I tend to get pretty bent over as I come up in the squat. As others have pointed out, sometimes this is what causes elbow pain.

[Strato]

1/9/2010
Squat 255x5x3
Bench 215x5x3

Decided to reset the weight a bit on squats to really work on my forward lean. I focused hard on keeping my chest up and maintaining a constant back angle as I drive up. It was a bit harder this way. Think I'll go up in 5 lb increments from here to really drill the form into my head even though this weight is lighter than what I have been squatting.

Elbows didn't feel too bad, probably mostly due to the week long break from low bar squats.

Had to cut the workout short after bench since the gym closed early.

[Strato]

1/12/2010
Squat: 260x5x3
Press: 135x5,5,4
Power Clean: 165x3x5

Squats felt light (as expected due to reset). Think I'm doing a better job keeping my chest up. Hopefully I can confirm this by video sometime this week. Elbows also held up fine. I've been doing a lot of trigger point therapy type massage with a lacrosse ball that may be helping.

I was supposed to do 132.5 on the press but forgot to bring my microplates. So I got super fired up before each set and just missed the last rep on my 3rd set. I was so angry that afterwards I just stood there holding the bar and breathing deeply while contemplating attempting that 5th rep again. I made the smart decision and racked the bar instead. The 1 wheel press will be mine on saturday :)

Power cleans flew up and I had no trouble racking the bar since the elbows are feeling better.

Weighed in at 229 lbs this morning. This is kind of misleading when looking at the bodyweight changes up to this point in my log because I have been weighing myself at the gym with clothes on, shoes on, and a stomach full of milk. But for consistency, I'm going to start weighing first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I expect had I weighed at the gym yesterday I would've been around 235 which would indicate a weight gain of almost 30 lbs since starting the program a month and a half ago.

[Strato]

1/14/10
Front Squat: 210x3x3
Overhead Squat: 105x3x1
Bench: 220x5x3
Chins: (BW+35lb)x5x2, BWx7x1
45 degree hyperext.: 25lb DB held at chin x 10 x 3

Front squats felt solid. This may be the most weight I have ever front squatted, but since I'm now used to squatting in the upper 200's, I had complete confidence with this weight. I decided on my front squat day I'll also do a set of 3 on the overhead squat to help bring this lift up since I feel I'm pretty weak at it (probably adding 10 lbs per week to start). Fear of dumping the bar makes this lift pretty difficult for me to perform well (since my gym does not have bumper plates).

I was really happy with bench. The 5th rep in each of the sets was a bit of a grind, but it's been that way for the past couple of workouts. Looking forward to doing 2 wheels the next workout. Then I will probably need to start micro-loading.

Elbows started to ache a little bit during the weighted chins, but not in the same place they normally do for squats (more on the outside). I'm thinking this may be because of the extra 30 lbs of bodyweight I now have pulling down on my arms when I do chins.

Still eating a ton and starting to get sick of it. I never thought I would say that since I've always had a pretty good appetite. I constantly feel full and my body feels like it would really enjoy a day off from the heavy eating. But seeing my lifts continue to go up is enough motivation for me to keep downing as much as I can. I've still been eating fairly clean and I'm starting to think I may eventually have to dirty things up a bit to continue eating enough calories.

[Strato]

1/16/10
Squat: 265x5x3
Press: 135x3x3
Deadlift: 355x5x1

Squats felt heavy but solid. Doing a good job of keeping my chest up.

The press felt super heavy (and shoulders were still sore from the previous bench/chin workout) so I only did 3x3. I should have started microloading the press sooner because I keep getting stuck.

Deadlifts also felt very heavy. Felt my back starting to give a little bit (as in start to round) on the 4th and 5th reps. I think I'll try wearing the belt next time to see if that helps.

[Strato]

1/18/10
Squat: 270x5x3
Bench: 225x5x3
Pullups: BWx9,8,7

Bodyweight up to 236 lbs. Awesome workout today. Was feeling really tired with only a two day break over the weekend and playing a basketball game the night before, but had a big cup of coffee on my way to the gym and I was instantly amped. I rarely drink coffee because I'm pretty hypersensitive to caffeine, but when I do, it's like a complete 180 in my mood, alertness and energy level.

I banged out the squats with really good form. I got a friend to video my second set and my form seemed spot on.

Bench was quite the triumph. I really had to dig deep on these sets and take plenty of rest in between. I'm very happy with the two-wheel milestone.

Managed 3 decent sets of pullups considering the pretty big jump in bodyweight I've had the past couple months.

Rewarded myself after dinner with a big bowl of ice cream with peanut butter and magic shell.

[Strato]

1/20/10
Front Squat: 215x3x3
Press: 135x5x3
Power Clean: 170x5x3

Finally got 135 on the press. The fifth rep on the first two sets was a real grind (the bar literally stopped moving above my head for a good few seconds on the second set). But I rested 10 minutes before the last set and nailed it pretty solidly. Going up in 2.5 lb increments now.

Like August West, I've also decided to compete in my first meet in Charlotte, NC on March 20th. I'll be competing in the RAW 275 class, and so I don't expect to win anything, but I think it will be a lot of fun and will be good for my training to have something to work towards.

[Strato]

1/22/10
Squat: 275x5x3
Bench: 227.5x5x3
Chinups: BWx9,7,7

For the first time in a while, I didn't feel any elbow pain during squats. Makes me almost want to go back to back squatting 3x/week, but with all the different things I did to try and eliminate the pain, I think reducing my squatting frequency is probably what made the biggest difference.

[Strato]

1/25/2010
Bodyweight: 241.6 lbs
Squat: 280x5x3
Press: 137.5x5x3
Deadlift: 365x5x1

Deadlifts were very hard today. It felt like my back was really starting to round on the last couple of reps no matter how hard I fought it...the weight was just heavy. I'll have to get video of my form next time to see if my back really is rounding badly or if it just feels that way due to the weight.

I tried using my belt (4", 10mm) during my last warmup set of deadlifts and could not get into proper starting position. The bottom edge of the belt was digging into my hips, preventing me from getting all the way down and setting my back. I played around for several minutes with the belt tightness and positioning on my torso, but it never felt right, so I just took it off.

I've heard this is a common problem and that others typically use thinner belts for pulling. Has anyone been successful in deadlifting with the same thick belt that they squat in?

[TartanEagle]

I just used mine last night for the first time, and was able to deadlift with it. The bottom position was uncomfortable, but I was able to do it. I have a really long torso, so I think that helps.

[IWillLiveFreeOrDie]

I can't deadlift in my belt either. I have EFS Retro belt, and I'm thinking of picking up a velcro deadlift belt for pulling.

[Strato]

Think I'll try deadlifting one more time with my Inzer belt and if it just doesn't work, I'll see about picking up a velcro belt.

1/27/10
FSQ: 225x3x3
OHSQ: worked up to 115x2x1. I tried to get 3 reps but didn't keep the bar far enough back on the 3rd rep and it fell forward. I should've had it, but lost concentration. Will get 120x3 next week.
Bench: 230x5x3
Pullups: BWx10,8,7

Trained with 2 other guys today (one who sometimes trains with me and another guy who I'm teaching the ways of SS) and what a difference it made in my intensity, especially on the bench press. My first set I barely locked out the last rep and got off the bench thinking there is no way I'll be able to do two more. But my training partners fired me up and cheered me on throughout the last sets and I was able to get all of my reps.

[Strato]

1/29/10
Squat: 285x5x3
Press: 140x5x3
Power Clean: 175x3x5

Squats felt strong. I realized I might not have been shoving my knees out quite as far as I could in previous workouts. For some reason during my warmup sets I just tried shoving them out as hard as I could and really felt a difference in my bounce out of the bottom. This carried over into my work sets and really made the whole thing feel a lot stronger.

Presses have been hard but doable. I think I can continue to move up 2.5 lbs per workout for a while. For some reason I have a tendency to occasionally go up on my toes when I press. I'm guessing this means I'm letting the bar get a little bit too far out in front and trying to compensate.

[Strato]

2/1/10
Bodyweight: 243 lbs
Squat: 290x5x3
Bench: 233.5x4x1, 231x4x2
Chins: BWx9,7,7

Very pissed off about this performance. Squats felt really heavy compared to 285 and I had trouble keeping my chest up which led to too much forward lean, coming up on my toes and that stinking elbow pain.

Looks like I've finally stalled on the bench. This seems weird because I have only been microloading for the past 2 workouts. I would have thought I could make 2.5 lb jumps for a while longer. I'll try this weight again on Friday and see what happens.

This was the first week I haven't gained around 5 lbs in a long while since starting the GOMAD. Maybe that has something to do with why I didn't feel as strong today. I don't think I necessarily ate less this past week, but maybe I'm getting to a point where I'm going to have to increase my calories even more to continue further gains in bodyweight and strength. So, much to my delight my wife was baking a cake when I got home from the gym. After shoveling some snow, I wolfed down a ton of it (as punishment for not hitting all my reps in the gym. Yes, it was a very delicious punishment) along with a couple burgers and some milk. I'm thinking cake and ice cream may need to become a regular part of my diet (not sure I can force down many more eggs or meat).

I would really like to get up to 260-270 as recommended in this forum for a guy my height (6'5"). Any other tall guys out there with experience as to how much weight they needed to gain to sustain linear progression?

[Strato]

2/3/10
FSQ: 230x3x3
Press: 142.5x4,4,3 This just wasn't happening today, felt super heavy.
Deadlift: 375x5x1

Had to take a couple days off after this workout since we got a ton of snow in Virginia and the gym closed down. So I rested a lot, ate a lot and got my next workout in on superbowl sunday:

2/7/10
Squat: 295x5x3
Bench: 232.5x5x3
Pullups: BWx9,8,7

The extra rest made a world of difference. Squats felt hard but form felt solid, much better than 290. Re-attempted 232.5 on bench and it felt so much lighter than it did the last time. It was still a bit of a struggle to get the last rep on my third set, but up it went nonetheless. So, once again, I've dodged the bench reset I thought was coming. We'll see how 235 goes though. Hope to have the same success with the press tomorrow.

[Strato]

2/10/10
Bodyweight: 250.6 lbs
Squat: 300x5x3
Press: 142.5x5x3
Power Clean: 180x3x5

Awesome workout today. Felt great to finally break into the 300's on squats. They weren't the prettiest reps ever, but all reps were completed. I can't wait for 315. Three wheels has been a long time goal of mine. For the longest time I never thought I would be capabale of doing it. Always made excuses to myself about how I was too tall to squat that much. Won't be long now.

[Strato]

2/11/10
Front Squat: 235x3x3
Bench: 235x5x3
Chins: BWx9,8,7

Not much to report other than I'm kind of surprised I was able to hit all my reps on bench. Left elbow was hurting a little though. 237.5 next time.

[Strato]

2/13/10
Squat: 305x5x3
Press: 145x5x3
Deadlift: 385x5x1

These were the hardest sets of squats I've done since starting the program (and the most weight I've ever done on a squat in my life). In fact, the last rep of my first set was an incredible experience. The bar came to a halt on the way up and I don't remember how long it took me to push through it, but the same moment the bar starting moving again, blood started running out of my nose. My first squat-induced nosebleed. After I racked the bar my training partner says "dude, why'd you do six?" doh. Oh well, learned something about myself during that set.

Press was surprisingly easy. Deadlifts were REALLY easy. I tried the hook grip this time (after reading Gary's posts in his log) and it felt pretty good. I almost want to start deadlifting more frequently since the weight feels pretty light. Maybe I'll switch back to once per week until the meet on March 20th. I would really like to pull 500 in the meet (previous best: 425).

Also purchased some Rehband blue knee sleeves. Knees have been getting a little sore in the patella region (I've been dealing with patellar tendinosis for several years) and hopefully these will help a bit.

[Strato]

2/16/10
Squat: 310x5x3
Bench: 237.5x5x3
Pullups: BWx9,8,7

These squats were even harder than 305. On my second and third set I came really close to failing on the 5th rep. Afterward my last set I just felt drained and needed about a 10 minute break before starting bench. Squats are getting really really hard. Slept really good last night though.

Thankfully, I'll get a week long break from low-bar back squats since I front squat on my thursday workout and I'm going on a ski trip this weekend and won't be able to train on saturday. I'm hoping the rest will help me hit all my reps with 315.

Bench felt pretty good. Heavy, but solid.

Since I'll be getting a long break this weekend, I think I may power clean (185) and deadlift (395) on thursday if I'm feeling good.

[Strato]

Catching up from last week:

2/18/10
Front Squat: 240x3x3
Press: 147.5x5,5,4
Power Clean 185x3x4

This was kind of a crappy workout. Knees were pretty sore after front squats (front squats seem to put comparatively more stress on my knees than back squats. I'm guessing this is because my hamstrings are slack and don't contribute enough to balance the force of my quads at the knee joint. Result: pain in the patellar tendon). Elbows were also a little sore which I think affected my press.

To top it off, the power cleans were pretty sloppy and on my 4th set I racked the bar on my shoulders but my left hand came off the bar. I couldn't get it back on and no one was around so I had to akwardly wrestle the bar to the floor (gym doesn't have bumper plates). That really did a number on my elbow so I called it a day.

Went on a ski trip over the weekend so didn't train on saturday (a welcome break).

[Strato]

2/23/10
Bodyweight: 255.8 lbs
Squat: 315x5x3
Bench: 240x5x3
Deadlift: 405x5x3

Just an awesome day in the gym. Hit several mini goals today with the 3 wheel squat and 4 wheel deadlift. Like others it has been a goal of mine to get sets across with 1 plate press, 2 plate bench, 3 plate squat and 4 plate deadlift. Pretty pumped about that.

The squats were heavy as usual. Needed 10 minute breaks between sets but my partners said my form was solid.

Bench also pretty difficult and almost missed the very last rep.

Deadlift is what I'm most proud of. I was only supposed to make a 10 lb jump to 395. But based on 385 feeling pretty easy last workout and me anxiously wanting to hit 4 wheels, I jumped 20 lbs to 405. Nailed it! Used hook grip and liquid chalk (I use GRRRIP lotion by the way and it works really well for me http://www.gillathletics.com/store/product.aspx?id=634).

I definitely feel strongest in the deadlift and I think I'll be able to continue with 10 lb jumps for a while.

Diet wise I'm getting pretty heavy (I've gained a total of about 50 lbs in the last 3 months) so I'm going to cut back to half a gallon of milk on training days and probably a quart or so for breakfast on off days. Also going to cut out sugar and refined carbs. Still plan to eat big, just going to be mostly meat, cheese, fruits/veggies, nuts, olive oil, avocados and milk.

[Razor]

Great numbers! I look forward to the 1 Plate press, 2 Plate Bench, 3 Plate squat and 4 plate DL. I got a long row to hoe to get there but its good to see other people achieve it...

[Strato]

2/25/10
Front Squat: 245x3x3
Press: 147.5x5,4,4
Chins: BWx10,8,8


2/27/10
Squat: 320x5x3
Bench: 242.5x5,5,4
Power Clean: 190x3x5

This was my first workout squatting in the new Rip's shoes. They felt really solid and it was quite easier to hit depth compared to my chucks. Not sure if it was the shoes or a bad day, but I had trouble staying on my heels and let the weight bend me over a little too much on a few reps. I think I just need to get used to them.

Just barely missed the last rep of bench. Will stick with this weight again. I'm going to reset power cleans to work on form. I had a friend watch me and basically I am not explosive at all and just sort of muscle the weight up.

[Strato]

3/4/2010
Squat: 325x5x3
Press: 147.5x5x3
Deadlift: 415x5x1

Squats were extremely hard as usual. Seems like I come to that conclusion everytime I do them, yet I keep adding weight and completing all reps. So I guess squats just reach a point where every set feels nearly impossible. I think others have had similar experience (a recent post by Kittensmash comes to mind where he said he thought his progression was done at 315 or so but he kept on going up until he was in the 400's).

Third time was a charm on press. After being stuck on this weight for the past two workouts I finally got em all, and rather easily. I'm excited to finally get to 150 (my previous 1RM) and hope to get all reps on the first try.

Not much issue with the deadlifts either. 425 next time.

[misspelledgeoff]

very nice squats!

[Strato]

very nice squats!

Thank you, sir!

3/4/10
Bodyweight: 258 lbs
Front Squat: 3x2x250, 3x1x255
Bench: 242.5x5x3
45 deg back ext: 30 lb dumbell held at neck x10x3
Pullups: BWx9x1

Accidentally had an extra 5 lb plate on the left side of the bar during my last front squat set. The bar didn't feel unbalanced, but I was wondering why it felt so tough. At least I know I'll be able to handle that weight next week.

Bench was the usual struggle with the 5th rep of the last set being a grinder.

My elbows have been pretty achy since last saturday and the cumulative effect of training through the pain for the past few workouts finally caught up to me by the end of this workout and I was only able to manage a single set of pullups.

With the meet only 2 weeks away, I hate to miss any training sessions. I'm still going to train tomorrow (might go for a heavy squat and bench single) but if the two day rest coming up doesn't help my elbow heal a little, I will probably skip my front squat day next week for some extra rest.

[Strato]

3/6/2010
Squat: 355x1
Bench (paused): 245x1
Deadlift: 500x1

Me and a few buddies who are doing a PL competition in two weeks decided to do a practice meet and work up to a heavy single (not necessarily a max) while practicing the commands.

My elbows were absolutely screaming after a few warmup sets with squats; I almost just called it a day. But watching my friends all hit PR's, I just thought "screw it" and pushed through the pain.

The 355 squat felt pretty easy. Thought about trying 375, but decided the elbows had enough. 355 is a PR anyway.

I was surprised how much harder a paused bench press is. My last workout I did 242.5x5x3 (done two days prior), yet 245x1 with a pause felt pretty heavy. Not sure I could have done much more on the bench.

Again, my elbows (and knees) did not feel good so I just sat around while everyone else was doing deadlifts, but seeing them hit PRs got me pumped up again. I warmed up to a single with 405. Decided to try 455 and it went up very fast (new PR). My excitement blocked the pain in my joints and decided to go for broke: 500. The first few inches felt very slow, but I grinded it out and locked it out up top.

Going to take a few days off and see if I can heal up enough to get a couple more quality workouts in before the meet.

[Tim Lofton]

Way to go Strato! Is this your first PL meet? Good luck as you taper and prepare. Good to know those numbers at this proximity and, hopefully, the adrenalin surge of the meet will propel you several pounds higher.

[Strato]

Way to go Strato! Is this your first PL meet? Good luck as you taper and prepare. Good to know those numbers at this proximity and, hopefully, the adrenalin surge of the meet will propel you several pounds higher.

Thanks, Tim. Yep, this will be my first meet.

3/12/2010
Bodyweight: 260 lbs
Squat: 330x5x3
Press: 150x4x2, 145x5x1
45 deg back ext: 30lb DB at chestx12x3
Pullups: BWx9,8,5

The 5 day rest really helped with my elbow pain. These squats were pretty difficult. I'm finding that I have to take several breaths in between reps now.

Presses were very heavy. After a 9 day break from pressing, I figured I should have been able to get 150. Didn't happen. Once I get 5x3 at this weight, I'll probably drop down to 1.25 lb jumps. Frustrating.

I rushed through the pullups so the last set was a little weak.

My plan for the next 8 days leading up to the meet:

Sat: Light Squats (265x5x2), Bench 245x5x3, Deadlift 425x5x1
Sun: basketball game (really should rest instead, but it's the playoffs)
Mon: rest
Tue: Heavy Squats (335x5x3), Press 150x5x3, Back Ext, Chinups
Wed: rest
Thur: rest OR practice Squat/Bench with some really light singles to get used to commands
Fri: rest
Sat: meet

[Strato]

I ended up taking all of last week off (except for some sled dragging on Tuesday) to give my elbows some rest before the meet. Last saturday I just warmed up to 225 on squats and my elbows were destroyed. I could not grasp or lift anything. Figured all I could do was rest.

So yesterday I competed in the Battle on the Border USAPL powerlifting meet in Charlotte, NC. This was my first meet and was the absolute most fun time I have ever had lifting weights. A few other guys from Lynchburg, VA who I have also gotten into Rippetoe's training methods also came down to compete as well. There were 118 lifters in total. I saw and met a few of the 70sbig.com crew there and was happy to meet and chat a bit with August West from this board and his wife and daughter.

I weighed in at 264.4 lbs and competed in the Men's Open Raw 275 lb class. I ended up going 8 for 9 and beat my gym PR's in every lift. Here is a breakdown of how my attempts went:

Squat: 150 kg (331 lbs) / 162.5 kg (358 lbs) / 175 kg (386 lbs)

Bench: 105 kg (231 lbs) / 112.5 kg (248 lbs) / 125 kg (264 lbs) **MISS**

Deadlift: 210 kg (463 lbs) / 230 kg (507 lbs) / 240 kg (529 lbs)

TOTAL: 527.5 kg (1163 lbs)

This total was enough to earn me a silver medal in the Men's Open Raw 275 class. I think there were only 4 or 5 lifters in the class (and one of them would have easily beaten me for 2nd but missed all 3 of his deadlift attempts and ended up not totalling), but it was still pretty cool to be able to walk away with a medal for my first meet.

As recommended by people on this board, I chose all of my openers to be very light. I basically treated them as my final warmup. For squats I warmed up to a single with 315 lbs in the warmup room and then smoked 331 lbs. I chose my next attempt to be slightly higher than my gym PR and it was heavy but no problems. I had in mind to do something around 375 lbs for my final attempt, but my lifting buddy knew I had 385 in me (whether or not he actually knew, I'm not sure, but what he did know was that I needed a weight that I was scared of to really get me fired up). So I pumped myself up and nailed it. Very happy with this lift and think I have 400 in me soon.

Not much to say about the bench, except that the squats put so much confidence in me that I tried to make too big of a jump on my third attempt. The paused bench really zaps my strength since I make good use of the rebound out of the bottom during training. I know I can do a set of 5 with 245 lbs, but I'm only good for maybe 255-260 lbs for a paused single. 248 lbs was a PR nonetheless.

I was starting to feel a bit tired by the time deadlifts rolled around. My last warmup was 405 lbs in the warmup room. I pulled 463 easily for my opener. Then went for the PR on my second attempt with 507 lbs. This felt extremely heavy, but 3 whites came up. The second attempt ripped a large chunk of skin off my hand. There was a good bit of blood and it was stinging pretty badly. A more experienced lifter just told me to "chalk the hell out of it." So that's what I did and chose 529 for my last attempt and got 3 whites again.

We went to a Brazilian Steakhouse afterwards and ate a few pounds of beef. I was pretty exhausted at that point, so I just crashed. Today it seems like every single muscle is sore. I'll probably take it real easy this week.

I've got videos of most attempts and may try to post next week.

[August West]

That was a fun meet, it was good seeing you there. Looks like you pulled big on deads, nice work! I missed the awards (long day for the baby) but glad to hear it finished up well for you. I hear you on the day-after aches, it's like all the stuff you were too psyched up to notice during the lifts starts to come back at you. Feels like it might be a few days before that goes away...

[Strato]

Due to laziness, I haven't updated my log since the meet a little over a month ago. But I haven't missed a workout.

Quick update: reset all of my lifts 10% after the meet and am now back in PR territory on most everything. Elbow still hurts, but I'm getting better at managing the pain.

Workout on 4/24/2010
Squat: 345x5x3
Press: 150x5x3
Deads: 435x5x1

Awesome day. Hit PR's on everything and was able to tighten my lifting belt a notch. I hope this means I'm shedding a little fat. I've been eating tons of protein, a decent amount of fat, and have cut out most carbs except on lifting days.

[August West]

Sounds like you've got a productive combination going on the nutrition end - I did a similar approach and also dropped a notch on the belt, so I think there's something to it.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for that VA state meet, that would a be a lot of fun. Keep up the good work, man.

[Strato]

4/27/10
Squat: 350x5x3
Bench: 242.5x5x3
Power Clean: 185x5x3

Squat sets were the hardest yet. In fact I missed the first rep of the first work set. Got all psyched up and then just lost my balance forward and had to let the safety pins catch it. First time I have ever missed a squat rep. I rested a few minutes and tried not to let it mess with my confidence and managed to get all 3 sets of 5 with extreme difficulty.

My elbows are really sore today. And now that I've hit somewhat of a milestone with the 350 squat, I think I'm going to switch to high bar for a while and see if my elbows can heal up. The tendinitis, or whatever it is, has gotten so bad that it's affecting things outside of the gym pretty badly. I can't swing a softball bat or throw a ball or spontaneously pick up something heavy without them aching pretty badly.