Cervicornis Learns to Squat

[cervicornis]

Starting Stats
34 years old, 5'10", 175 lbs

Started on Nov. 16, 2009 with the following weights:
Squat: 130
Deadlift: 140
Bench: 140
Press: 90
Clean: 110

I just finished week 9 with no workouts missed. My numbers as of yesterday:
Squat: 255
Deadlift: 350
Bench: 225
Press: 150
Clean: 160

As of today I weigh 202 (27 lb. increase). If I had to guess, I'd say it's a 60/40 split between muscle and fat. I did 1/2 GOMAD the first 3-4 weeks of the program and then scaled back to 1/4 GOMAD since. I've never had a problem eating enough food, and I felt I was gaining too much fat on 1/2 GOMAD.

Original goals: Get stronger, learn to squat, put on 10-20 lbs. muscle, challenge myself and have fun. I planned to follow the SS program for 12 weeks and then re-evaluate my goals from there. 3 more weeks to go.

Since starting, I've really focused on getting enough rest and recovery. I occasionally surf on off days, and have trained a little BJJ as well. I try to keep it to a minimum, though. No accessory work whatsoever. This has actually been one of the hardest aspects of the program, since I led a fairly active and diverse lifestyle before.

I was already keeping a private log, which I will post below. Figured it might be a good idea to post my results to see if anyone has input, comments, etc. If nothing else, I have learned a lot from reading all the other logs, so my experience may be valuable to someone out there.

[cervicornis]

Workout 1 - Nov. 16, 2009
Squat 130 x 5 x 3
Bench 140 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 140 x 5 x 1

Bench feels light. I hope to rep 225 twelve weeks from now.
Squats feel like such a foreign movement, I really don't know how to do these. Concentrating on technique. 130 doesn't feel heavy, but it doesn't feel light, either. Hope I'm not starting out with too much weight.
Deadlift feels easy, starting with a conservative weight.

Workout 2 - Nov. 18, 2009
Squat 140 x 5 x 3
Press 90 x 5 x 3
Clean 110 x 3 x 5

Squats still feel weird. Concentrate on form and depth.
Press feels light, natural, no problems
Clean is kinda awkward, need to work on technique. Need to work on wrist flexibility. The catch is very painful.

Workout 3 - Nov. 20, 2009
Squat 150 x 5 x 3
Bench 160 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 200 x 5 x 1

Squats feel better, videotaped myself today and everything looks ok.
Bench feels light so I jumped 20 lbs. Drinking lots of milk.
Deadlift feels super light so I jumped 60 lbs. Still feels fine.

[cervicornis]

Workout 4 - Nov. 23, 2009
Squat 160 x 5 x 3
Press 110 x 5 x 3
Clean 130 x 3 x 5

Making good progress. Squats continue to improve.
Increased 20# on the press. Still feels fine.
Increased 20 lbs. on the clean, form is getting better.

Workout 5 - Nov. 25, 2009
Squat 170 x 5 x 3
Bench 170 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 230 x 5 x 1

Making good progress. Squats continue to improve. Got the Rogue shoes and they feel good.
Bench and deadlift feel ok. Will increase bench by 5 lbs. from now on, don't want to stall anytime soon.

Workout 6 - Nov. 27, 2009
Squat 180 x 5 x 3
Press 120 x 5 x 3
Clean 130 x 3 x 5

Squats are starting to feel harder, require some concentration.
Press feels ok. Working on clean technique as it still feels awkward. No increase.

[cervicornis]

Workout 7 - Nov. 30, 2009
Squat 190 x 5 x 3
Bench 175 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 255 x 5 x 3

Squats are feeling heavy. You have weak fucking legs. Concentrate.
Bench and deadlift are ok.

Workout 8 - Dec. 2, 2009
Squat 200 x 5, 200 x 4, 200 x 5
Press 125 x 5 x 3
Clean 130 x 3 x 5

Squats are hard. Really hard. Really fucking hard. You missed your last rep of the second set today, I think because you went too low. Blah.
Press is starting to feel very heavy. Still working on the clean technique at the same weight. Feels more fluid.

Workout 9 - Dec. 4, 2009
Squat 205 x 5 x 3
Bench 180 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 275 x 5 x 1

Felt much better on the squats today. Came back with a vengeance after missing a rep last session. Bench and dead feel heavy, but manageable.

[cervicornis]

Workout 10 - Dec. 7, 2009
Squat 210 x 5 x 3
Press 130 x 5 x 3
Clean 135 x 3 x 5

Workout 11 - Dec. 9, 2009
Squat 215 x 5 x 3
Bench 185 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 295 x 5 x 3

Just came to the realization that you've been doing high-bar squats this whole time. Fuck. Warmed up with the low-bar form, which feels weird. Busted your ass to hit all your reps at 215 with low-bar form.

Workout 12 - Dec. 11, 2009
Squat 220 x 4, 220 x 5 x 2
Press 132.5 x 5 x 3
Clean 140 x 3 x 5

This low-bar will take some getting used to. You missed the fourth rep of your first set. 10 minutes of internal self-loathing helped you get the next 2 sets. Press is very hard, will use 2.5 lb. increases from now on. Cleans technique is finally getting there, increased by 5 lbs.

[cervicornis]

Workout 13 - Dec. 14, 2009
Squat 225 x 5 x 3
Bench 190 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 315 x 5 x 1

Feels good to squat with 4 plates on the bar. Good job. Fucking hard. Feel like your eyes are going to explode out of your head.

Workout 14 - Dec. 16, 2009
Squat 230 x 5 x 3
Press 135 x 5 x 3
Clean 150 x 3 x 5

Workout 15 - Dec. 18, 2009
Squat 235 x 5 x 3
Bench 195 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 325 x 5 x 1

[Sami]

Workout 13 - Dec. 14, 2009
Squat 225 x 5 x 3
Bench 190 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 315 x 5 x 1

Feels good to squat with 4 plates on the bar. Good job. Fucking hard. Feel like your eyes are going to explode out of your head.


If you're referring to the squat, it is convention to refer to the number of plates per side. So the 225 squat is a 2 plate squat. And you're 315 deadlift was a 3 plate deadlift. 4 plates would be 405. :)

Good job on the progress though. :)

[cervicornis]

Workout 16 - Dec. 21, 2009
Squat 240 x 5 x 3
Press 137.5 x 5 x 3
Clean 150 x 3 x 5

Keeping cleans at 150, still working on form.

Workout 17 - Dec. 23, 2009
Squat 245 x 3, 245 x 2, 235 x 5
Bench 200 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 330 x 5 x 1

Squats are killing you. Bad day, no focus. Dropped 10 lbs. and still had a tough time finishing the last 5. Shit.

Workout 18 - Christmas Day 2009
Squat 245 x 5, 245 x 3, 245 x 5
Press 140 x 5 x 3
Clean 155 x 3 x 5

All by yourself today, no spotters. Scraped through the first set of 5 squats and then dumped the bar on the 4th rep of second set. Mental collapse. Came back strong and finished the last set.

[cervicornis]

Ah, understood Sami.

[cervicornis]

Workout 19 - Dec. 27, 2009
Squat 245 x 5 x 3
Bench 205 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 335 x 5 x 1

Good job, you nailed all 3 sets of squats. Very, very heavy. Keep it up.

Workout 20 - Dec. 29, 2009
Squat 250 x 5 x 3
Press 142.5 x 5 x 3
Clean 150 x 3 x 5

I think my form is starting to break down. Feel like my hips and back aren't rising out of the hole at the same speed, kinda hitched. Not getting parallel on all my reps. So damn heavy.
Dropped 5 lbs. off the clean, guess I still need to work on form.

Workout 21 - Dec. 31, 2009
Squat 255 x 5 x 3
Bench 210 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 0 x 0 x 0

Feeling dead tired, body is hurting. Back is very stiff. No focus. Got all my squats with undoubtedly crappy form. Couldn't even break the bar off the ground for the deadlift. Dropped weight 10 lbs. and same result. Need rest.

[cervicornis]

Workout 22 - Jan. 4, 2009
Squat 260 x 5 x 3
Press 145 x 5 x 3
Clean 155 x 3 x 3

Need to reset the squat, I think. Only a couple of your reps got to parallel. Too much weight, your form is totally fucked up.

Workout 23 - Jan. 6, 2009
Squat 235 x 5 x 3
Bench 215 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 340 x 5 x 1

Reset the squat to 235, which unfortunately still feels very heavy, but at least your form seems to be good. Good depth. Hit the deadlift with enthusiasm and crushed it today.

Workout 24 - Jan. 8, 2009
Squat 240 x 5 x 3
Press 147.5 x 4, 147.5 x 5 x 2
Clean 160 x 3 x 5

Squats are feeling better. Good form.
Lost your focus on your press today. The weight is right near your limit. Came back and nailed the second and third sets, good job.

[cervicornis]

Workout 25 - Jan. 11, 2009
Squat 245 x 5 x 3
Bench 220 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 345 x 5 x 1

Squats are heavy but good form. Getting excited about bench, will attempt a milestone next time. Deadlift is very heavy.

Workout 26 - Jan 13, 2009
Squat 250 x 5 x 3
Press 150 x 5 x 3
Clean 0 x 0 x 0

Accident today, Cy missed the rack at the end of his press and threw the bar, which landed on the bench and got bent. Guess we need a new bar. No bar = no cleans.

Workout 27 - Jan 15, 2009
Squat 255 x 5 x 3
Bench 225 x 5 x 2, 225 x 4 x 1
Deadlift 350 x 5 x 1

First day with your new bar. Feels a bit different. The new bar played Jedi mind tricks and you lost your focus, missed your attempt at repping 225 on the bench. Next time you will nail it. Squats were very heavy but with good form.

[Sami]

lol

[Bloodninja666]

Nice progress. Quite a bit greater than my own in a similar timeframe. I guess thats the power of actually gaining weight.

[cervicornis]

Thanks. I love to eat.

[cervicornis]

Workout 28 - Jan. 18, 2010
Squat 260 x 5 x 3
Press 157.5 x 4, 152.5 x 5, 152.5 x 4
Clean 165 x 3 x 5

The squat felt pretty good, but I made a mistake loading the plates on the press and accidentally increased the weight by 7.5 lbs. instead of 2.5. That screwed everything up. Cleans went well, maintained decent form on all reps.

[cervicornis]

Workout 29 - Jan. 20, 2010
Squat 265 x 5 x 3
Bench 225 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 355 x 5 x 1

Felt pretty good on the squats, nice depth, but something weird happened on the last rep of the 3rd set and I just barely made it up. Felt like that last rep took about 20 minutes. Bench was right at the limit but I nailed it. Felt good on the deadlift.

[cervicornis]

Workout 30 - Jan. 22, 2010
Squat 270 x 2, 270 x 5 x 2
Press 255 x 2

Today is both good and bad. Fridays are always tough, and it didn't help that one of my workout partners bailed. My other buddy has a wrist injury so he was restricted to squatting. Suffice to say that overall motivation was very low.

The squat felt super heavy and I barely got 2 reps in the first set. Without any spotters, my mental game fell apart and I dumped the bar on the third rep. I sort of gave up at that point, and decided to just take it one rep at a time in the second set. Somehow I made it through all 5. And then I did it again for the third set. Definitely the toughest squatting session I have experienced so far, but it leaves me feeling good.

My shoulder has been bothering me just a little this last week, and I feel like I am right at the limit on bench and press. After the squats, I had nothing left for the press, though to be truthful I think I just gave up. Weak, and I already regret it. Ironically, today's squat taught me perseverance, and then I gave up.

[cervicornis]

Workout 31 - Jan. 27, 2010
Squat 270 x 2, 225 x 5, 215 x 15
Bench 225 x 5 x 3
Deadlift 360 x 5 x 1

I think I'm at the limit on everything right now. Went backpacking last weekend which was the first non-SS exercise I've done in 10 weeks. Missed Monday's workout as a result (first missed workout) and had an epic fail today on the squats. Screwed around and did the 215 x 15 just to see what it would feel like. Did the same weight on bench and progressed on the deadlift. One more week planned for this initial phase of SS, will need to evaluate my goals and do some soul searching. Workout partners are losing motivation and dealing with injuries, which doesn't help at all.

Current weight is 202, more or less unchanged since 10 days ago. Clearly I'm not eating enough.

[cervicornis]

Workout 32-37, Jan. 29 - Feb. 14, 2010

This will be my last post to this log. I followed the SS program with no missed workouts for precisely 10 weeks. I started at a body weight of 175 lbs. and finished at 205 lbs. (34 years old and 5'10") I suspect I gained about about 10 lbs. of muscle and 15 lbs. of fat. Some of that weight at the end is water/food in my belly, which came off immediately.

My starting and ending weights, sets across:

Squat: 130 - 270
Bench: 140 - 227.5
Deadlift: 140 - 370 (5 x 1)
Press: 90 - 152.5
Clean: 110 - 160

I hit my bench and deadlift goals - I wanted to rep 225 and pull 400 for 1 rep, which I am now able to do. I didn't quite make my squat goal, which was 275 for reps. I'm disappointed in my clean but happy with my press. Other than my deadlift, I haven't tested any 1RM.

I gained a lot of fat on this program. A LOT. I walked around at ~200 for several years and then spent a hard year dieting and crossfitting to get down to 175. I gained it all back in 10 weeks, much to my dismay. But it was fun and I feel strong. I've already dropped 10 of those lbs. since the end of January and I suspect I will be back to my previous fat level in another month or two. Like Rip says, the hard part is gaining the muscle. I am finding that the fat is coming off pretty quick.

That being said, holy shit I am surprised at how bad my cardio has suffered. Running a mile just wipes me out. I find it difficult to do 30 pushups in a row. I am curious to see how long it takes to return to pre-SS condition.

I fucking loved this program. I think I was nearing the limit of my novice progression, and I intend to diet and concentrate on metcon for a couple of months while doing strength work 2 days/week to maintain as much strength as possible. Once I shed some fat, I want to start another round and gain some more strength. I'll probably eat less - I gained way more fat than I expected or would have liked. It's all good though, it was fun. I'd love to rep 315 on the squat and pull 450 on the deadlift. One day...

[cervicornis]

OK, back to the log. Have been dieting for exactly 2 months, weight is down from 205 to a current 182. Very happy how quick and easy the fat came off. I did lose some strength across the board, about 10-20# on all the lifts. I am confident I can get back to my max numbers within a couple of weeks as soon as I am eating at maintenance again. Heavy lifting while on a restricted diet sucks. I plan to diet down a bit further, and then get back on the horse.

New goals: 315 for reps on the squat and 500 1RM on the deadlift. Without gaining any body fat. Hopefully in 4-6 months from now.

This will be a work in progress, but the idea is to eat slightly above maintenance to facilitate gains, with occasional week-long fat-cutting periods. Ex. gain ~4 lbs of body weight (presumably a 50/50 split between LBM and fat) and then shed the fat quickly, and repeat. Unlike my first round of SS, I intend to mix in other activities like surfing and BJJ, which are also important to me. I won't progress as quickly, but that's a worthwhile trade off.

Current numbers on my very low-carb, calorically restricted diet (sets across):

Squat: 250 (was 270)
Dead: 350 (was 365)
Press: 140 (was 155)
Bench: 215 (was 227.5)
Clean 135* (was 165)

Elbow tendonitis flared up about 8 weeks ago (hmmm, right around the time I stopped eating enough). It comes and goes and I've been training around it, and seems to be slowly clearing up. I stopped cleans for a while as a result, and then reset to a much lower weight to facilitate recovery.

[cervicornis]

March 5, 2010

Squat: 255 x 5 x 3
Bench: 217.5 x 5 x 3
Dead: 355 x 5 x 1

The squat felt real good, some form tweaks seem to be paying off. I'm trying to keep my upper body as tight as possible and I'm not dive-bombing to the bottom, like I used to. Really concentrating on keeping my abs tight and my back in extension all the way down and back up. Depth is still just slightly below parallel.

Bench felt very heavy and the deadlift is right at the limit.

[cervicornis]

March 9, 2010

Squat 290 x 1 (PR)
Bench 235 x 1 (PR)
Deadlift 405 x fail

Decided to test out my 1RM today. I've never tested my squat or bench prior to today, though I did make a half-ass attempt at 280 on the squat a few weeks ago (and failed). 280 went up without excessive difficulty so I gave 290 a shot. I'm very pleased with this, considering the fact that I've lost about 25 lbs. of body weight in the last 10 weeks.

I think I have another 5-10 lbs. in me on the bench, but my elbow is a little iffy and I didn't want to push it to the limit.

I pulled this weight on the deadlift right at the end of my first round of SS, but it wasn't happening today. I broke it off the ground but just died after moving it a few inches. I can still feel my last heavy deadlift workout, so
I feel confident this weight will go if I'm well rested. A good day, overall.

[cervicornis]

March 12, 2010

Squat 260 x 5 x 3
Press 142.5 x 5 x 3
Clean 140 x 3 x 5

I still feel a little beat up from Friday's workout, and I didn't eat anything today (IF'ing for 24 hours once every 7-10 days). I felt good on the first couple of reps on all the above, but finishing each set became a real grind.

[cervicornis]

March 16, 2010

Squat 265 x 4 x 2, 265 x 2
Bench 220 x 5 x 2, 220 x 4
Deadlift 355 x 5 x 1

Body weight is 180 lbs. This appears to be the limit of my strength, I failed at sets across on the squat and bench, and just barely scraped through the deadlift. That last rep felt like 400 lbs. I'm not eating enough to facilitate recovery, so I don't expect to increase strength until I'm eating normally again.

[cervicornis]

May 21, 2010

Just realized my last three posts show the wrong month, those should all read April. I don't know what the hell was going on there, this diet must be frying my brain.

Anyway, nearly done with this dieting nonsense and am itching to return to a proper progression. Body weight is 178. Have shed nearly 30 lbs. of fat and I think I actually gained some muscle, which is hard to believe. Plan to start the Texas Method in 3-4 weeks from now.

I spent the last month training lower volume at 70-85% 1RM intensity. As I've gotten leaner, it's become very difficult to hit sets across at any meaningful weight.

Squat 245 x 1, 265 x 3
Bench 235 x 1, 240 x 1 (PR), 245 x 1 (PR)
Deadlift 365 x 2, 345 x 3

The squats were really hard, haven't attempted anything over 245 in over a month. Got a PR on the bench, which came as a surprise. Deadlift was terribly heavy and I didn't have much left in the tank at that point.

Can't wait to start TM.