LiftingLiz's SS Log

[LiftingLiz]

I have been off and on with strength training since January. I started with StrongLifts 5x5, then got pointed toward SS and decided to do that. I'm still trying to get my ass in gear for three workouts a week. Lately, I've been alternating two and three a week. Work has weird schedules that differ every week, and I'm on my feet the whole time I'm there, so it's been "interesting".

Current Stats:

Sex: Female
Age: 22 years
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 241 lbs
Body Fat: 54%
Squat: 125 lbs = 0.52 x BW
Bench Press: 65 lbs = 0.27 x BW
Power Clean: 65 lbs = 0.27 x BW
Press: 60 lbs = 0.25 x BW
Deadlift: 155 lbs = 0.64 x BW


Goals:

30% body fat
2 x BW deadlift
1.5 x BW squat
0.75 x BW bench press


Currently I add 5 lbs to the squat, bench press, and power clean, 10 lbs to the deadlift, and 2.5 lbs to the press. My workouts are supposed to be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My diet is "primal", meaning I eat mostly meat and vegetables with some dairy and fruit. I aim for about 100g of protein a day, and typically less than 50g of carbohydrates. I will go over on the carbs about once a week, for the sake of my own sanity and enjoyment.


Today's Lifts:

Squat:
2x5x45lb
1x3x75lb
1x2x100lb
3x5x130lb (work set)

Bench Press:
3x5x70lb
The bar wavered around a lot during the second set (bad form) so I think I'll repeat this weight.

Deadlift:
4x165lb
Was supposed to be 5 reps, last one I couldn't straighten up. Will repeat this weight next time.

[isis]

Welcome! Looks like you're off to a good start. I like your list of goals, how specific they are, challenging yet achievable with a lot of hard work.

One question: why do you list warmups for the squat but not the bench press or deadlift?

[LiftingLiz]

Right now, I don't warm up for either of those. Bench press I should probably add in some reps with the bar now that I'm working with 25 lbs on it. With the deadlift, though, I still feel like I'm "close" to 135, which gives me the proper height. I want to make sure my warmups don't make me too fatigued for my work sets. Of course, I'm a total newb at this, so let me know if there's something better I could do!

[isis]

A set or two of warmups with the empty bar would probably help you fix your bench press bar path problem. Warmups can make you tired for the work sets if you overdo them but they can also make you feel stronger for the work sets because they get your nervous system ready for the lift.

[LiftingLiz]

Missed Monday's workout. For now, as long as I can get another on Friday, I'm happy. 3 times a week is brutal, but 2 is doable.

Today's Lifts:

Squat: 2x5x45 lb
1x3x80 lb
1x2x105 lb
3x5x135 lb (work set)

Press: 3x5x62.5 lb (work set)

Power Clean: 2x5x45 lb hang cleans
5x3x75 lb (work set, was supposed to be 70 lb... oops)

Squats were great. I widened my stance a few inches, narrowed my grip by a few inches, and they felt really light today, even with the 45's on for the first time!

The press was brutal. I almost missed my very last rep. The bar was really wobbly and shaky, but it made it up to the top. For now, I'll keep adding weight.

Cleans need a LOT more work. I'm not squatting down to catch the bar, and they overall lack explosiveness. I need to re-read that portion of the book (and probably watch some more youtube videos). Of course, it didn't help that I accidentally put on 5 lbs too many. I think I'll repeat 75 until I get form down. It doesn't feel hard on my muscles, I'm just not doing them right, so I won't deload.

[Mr.City]

Glad to see another female lifter on these boards.

[Gwynn]

Welcome, Liz!

I agree with Isis; warmup sets are definitely necessary. Even when my work sets aren't that far away from my warmup sets, I find that doing them helps my work sets. For example, my press is around 75lbs, but I still warm up with 45x5x2, 50x5, 55x3, 60x2 etc. The warm up sets are where I practice the explosiveness I need for higher weights, plus the breathing pattern.

You already have the right idea by lowering your reps as you approach your working weight; adding in some extra warm up sets will give you a chance to really nail your form so when you reach working weights you don't have to think about it as much.

[tennies]

Squats were great. ...even with the 45's on for the first time!

Hi Liz!

I dread squats the most, but I always feel great after doing them. I aspire to using 45's, I am not even close to squatting that much yet.

[LiftingLiz]

Hello to everyone that dropped by! I'll probably check out your logs this weekend, so be on the lookout. ;)


Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x50 lb
1x3x80 lb
1x2x110 lb
3x5x140 lb

Bench Press
2x5x45 lb
3x5x70 lb

Deadlift
1x5x135 lb
1x5x165 lb


As you can see, I did more warmups. I think it worked! (duh) The path of the bar was much better on the bench, and I feel confident in moving up in weight on it now. The deadlift got out of its stall, though it was a little troublesome. I kept losing my right thumb. It would pop out from under the bar and lay on top instead of curling around. I was able to maintain grip with my other four fingers, however. Could this be a sign to use the alternate grip? Or perhaps I just need to do some grip work? Or maybe I just need to focus on squeezing on the bar so that my thumb remains in place? Tips are welcome.

[Makeshift Chef]

If you are having problems with keeping your thumb around the bar I would first switch to a hook grip. There's a really good picture and explanation in Starting Strength (page 180).

[LiftingLiz]

If you are having problems with keeping your thumb around the bar I would first switch to a hook grip. There's a really good picture and explanation in Starting Strength (page 180).
My only problem with hook grip is I have little hands and short fingers. My thumb does not fit under my other fingers when it is around the bar. It goes a few millimeters away from my fingertips when I try to hook grip. Is that still good enough, or are my tiny hands doomed?

[isis]

If your hands are too small for your thumb to contribute much to the grip then maybe it will just come off and you will have to train the other 4 fingers to do the job. They can do it. Don't go to an alternate grip until double overhand stops working, and then only use it for the work sets not the warmups.

Another solution would be to use a women's bar which is built for smaller hands, if your gym has one. Or if you can find a gym that has one.

[LiftingLiz]

This is not going to be the best week of workouts ever. The day got away from me, and I got too busy to work out yesterday. So, I did my routine today. However, I'm leaving town early Thursday, which means if I want to get two workouts in, I have to do another tomorrow. I think I can handle it for one week, especially since I won't be back until Monday.

I bought some protein powder over the weekend. The flavor is... inoffensive when mixed with water, but it makes a great breakfast smoothie when I put blueberries and yogurt in it! I had a smoothie for breakfast, which I may keep up on really early days (had to be at work at 4:45 today...), and I had it "plain" right after my workout. I can really chug some liquid when I've been sweating, man.

Anyway, Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x55 lb
1x3x85 lb
1x2x115 lb
3x5x145 lb -- Began to lean forward at the hips on second set. Corrected for the third set.

OHP
1x5x45 lb
1/2/2x65 lb -- Felt like lifting a ton. I could see it coming from the past few weeks, so I'll reset to 60 lb. Will consider micro-loading further.

Hang Cleans
2x5x45 lb -- working on technique. I think I got my rack high enough. I'm essentially punching myself in the throat with the barbell, though.
1x5x55 lb -- worked on stomping my feet. Really helped.
Power Cleans
1x5x65 lb -- need to work further on transition from slow part to fast part. Overall, technique much improved. I was very, very tired at the end of this set, decided that further work can wait for next week.

I'm thinking of starting a light jogging routine next week. Nothing too drastic, just some more impetus for my fat to leave. On that note, I can definitely see changes in my body comp now. My shoulders are broader, which oddly makes me look smaller overall. Also, my belly is melting! Here's my current progress pic:

http://imgur.com/l9eDf.jpg

[fnet]

Nice going, Liz. Keep up the good work!

[LiftingLiz]

Today's the last day I'm working out before I head off for the weekend. I'll be seeing some people that haven't seen me in quite some time, hopefully I'll get some decent compliments coming my way!

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x60 lb
1x3x95 lb
1x2x120 lb
3x5x150 lb -- Overall, great squats. Still have to think about leaning back, though, or else I'll start to tip forward.

Bench Press
2x5x45 lb
1x3x65 lb
3x5x75 lb -- I had been thinking about micro-loading, but I pumped out 3x5 with a 5 lb increase. I'll at least wait for a hard stall.

Deadlift
1x5x135 lb
1x3x175 lb -- overhand grip, no problems
1x175 lb -- couldn't straighten all the way up, thumb popped out
1x175 lb -- got half way up, then my thumb popped out and the bar started to roll out of my fingers
1x2x175 lb -- alternate grip, no problems

I should add more warmups for the deadlift. I can really bang out 135 lb now. About two months ago, that was really hard work. Warming up with your work weight from a month or two ago is really motivating. :D

[TonyaB]

Great numbers Liz. I'm enjoying following your progress.

Tonya

[Mr.City]

I saw the pictures. Nice job

[isis]

You're making great progress.

Your press stall, going from 5/5/5 to 1/2/2 with a loading increase of 2 1/2 lbs and no sign in your log of underrecovery being a problem, makes me suspect that the plates you are using don't weigh exactly what they are supposed to, so that you actually made a bigger jump than you thought. It's actually very common for metal plates to be off by 10%. Something to think about along with microloading.

Form makes a huge difference on the press, too. Whenever I'm stuck I reread the chapter in SS and often find something in there that makes the bar feel lighter.

[TonyaB]

Whenever I'm stuck I reread the chapter in SS and often find something in there that makes the bar feel lighter.

This is great advice!

[LiftingLiz]

Thanks for the compliments, everyone! I plan to take pictures once a month, so definitely keep an eye out for them in another two weeks or so.


You're making great progress.

Your press stall, going from 5/5/5 to 1/2/2 with a loading increase of 2 1/2 lbs and no sign in your log of underrecovery being a problem, makes me suspect that the plates you are using don't weigh exactly what they are supposed to, so that you actually made a bigger jump than you thought. It's actually very common for metal plates to be off by 10%. Something to think about along with microloading.

Form makes a huge difference on the press, too. Whenever I'm stuck I reread the chapter in SS and often find something in there that makes the bar feel lighter.

Good advice. I weighed my smallest weights on my kitchen scale, and what were supposed to be 10 oz. were actually 9.5 oz. That's a 5% difference. Would adding an extra 2 oz. be enough of a shock, though? And could this be overcome if I were to add 1.25 lbs each time instead of 2.5 lbs? My gut feeling is that this would be the correct course of action. That, and maybe get a few little washers to glue to them and correct their weight. My 2.5 lb weights are less than 1 oz off each, and on top of that one is high and the other is low. I think they're OK. I don't have an accurate scale to measure the bigger weights on (my bathroom scale is not very good quality). All food for thought for me here.

Yesterday's Lifts:

Squat:
2x5x45 lb
1x5x60 lb
1x3x95 lb
1x2x120 lb
3x5x155 lb -- still having trouble with forward lean.

Overhead Press:
1x5x45 lb
3x5x60 lb -- really freakin' hard. I felt completely spent afterward, like I was going to just fall asleep on the floor. I chalk that up to having a big "party weekend" of eating crap and not enough sleep all weekend.

Skipped power cleans, did my protein, and took a nap before work.

I'm not happy that I skipped power cleans, but overall, this workout felt like absolute shit. I'm back on my regular diet and sleeping well now, so tomorrow should feel loads better. I'm also going to reread the squat, bench press, and deadlift chapters before tomorrow's workout, and I'll reread the overhead press and power clean chapters for Friday. I bet there's at least one thing I'm doing wrong in each exercise that I can improve this week.

I'm thinking about adding some cardio work, for overall fitness and weight loss. Right now, I'm thinking of adding about 30 minutes right after weights. That way, my rest days are still completely rest days.

[TonyaB]

Ah, party weekends. Those were the days. :)

As for the cardio, I'm far from an expert at this type of program, but I ditched regular cardio. I usually get in a few 30-60 minute walks a couple of times a week if the weather is nice. These walks probably put me at around 50% HRM, so not difficult. If I'm not having trouble sleeping (like this week) I do some sort of conditioning interval work after my lifts for 4-12 minutes. The sleeping thing for me is directly related to stress. I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. So I figure I don't need the added stress of the intervals.

But like I said, I'm no expert and I'd be interested in what other people have to say.

Tonya

[isis]

I'm no expert either at adding conditioning to the mix, but I also like intervals better than regular cardio. Intervals suit my attention span better, plus they worked really well for me once. In the first three months after I learned the word "Tabata" I lost 12 pounds without changing my diet. But that was years ago now and I was really out of shape when I started.

[LiftingLiz]

Today felt pretty sucky. Squats went excellently, but I failed both my other lifts. I think I need to take a good look at my recovery, especially sleep and diet. Could I still be performing badly due to eating practically no protein and shit in general over the weekend? I don't really think so, but there are no other glaring deficiencies I can see.

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x60 lb
1x3x95 lb
1x2x125 lb
3x5x60 lb
Thinking about chest up, elbows back, and extended lower back really helped. These squats felt way lighter.

Bench Press
2x5x45 lb
1x3x70 lb
4/3/4 x 80 lb
Will try this weight again. I felt like I could almost do a fifth rep on sets 1 and 3.

Deadlift
1x5x135 lb
1x5x155 lb
1x185 lb
I went to get the second rep, and I almost immediately dropped the weight again. Felt like I was going to throw up and pass out for a second, but instead I hobbled off to sit down.

[Gwynn]

Today felt pretty sucky. Squats went excellently, but I failed both my other lifts. I think I need to take a good look at my recovery, especially sleep and diet. Could I still be performing badly due to eating practically no protein and shit in general over the weekend?

Absolutely, your performance is probably directly related to no protein over the weekend, especially if you are restricting calories in general. How many calories are you taking in daily?

[LiftingLiz]

I actually count carbs instead of calories, but I typically eat around 2000 calories per day. Admittedly, I haven't eaten much today, so that was probably a factor, too.

[Gwynn]

I actually count carbs instead of calories, but I typically eat around 2000 calories per day. Admittedly, I haven't eaten much today, so that was probably a factor, too.

To me that doesn't sound like it's enough to support the weights you're at, at least for lifting days.

[isis]

Admittedly, I haven't eaten much today

For me this is a sure-fire recipe for a sucky workout.

[LiftingLiz]

Yeah, I was just having a weird day Friday, and I think I'll chalk it up to bad recovery. It has inspired me to really up my protein, though. Instead of going for 1g per pound of lean mass, I'll go for 1g per pound of total body weight. Still restricting carbs to under 50g most days.

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x65 lb
1x3x95 lb
1x2x135 lb
3x5x165 lb
I felt totally beastly. I really have to focus on trying to hyper-extend my back, or else it ends up rounded. Also, I think heavy squats give me headaches. Nothing too bad, but it's definitely noticeable.

Overhead Press
2x5x45 lb
3x5x62.5 lb
This is my current PR. Today felt way lighter than last week. I plan to add 1.25 lbs from now on.

Hang Cleans
2x5x45 lb
Power Cleans
1x5x60 lb
5x3x70 lb
Cleans are fun again! I still need to focus on really getting my elbows up. I may be lacking some flexibility there. I'll really try for a high rack next time, and if I'm still not getting it, I'll start doing shoulder dislocations. Explosiveness has much improved -- stomping really, really helps.

Man, power cleans make me wish I could clean and jerk. I'll have to save that stuff for after I leave the starting strength program, though.

[strongdaniel]

Fantastic progress so far. You're squats are rocketing up.

[TonyaB]

Cleans are fun again! I still need to focus on really getting my elbows up. I may be lacking some flexibility there. I'll really try for a high rack next time, and if I'm still not getting it, I'll start doing shoulder dislocations. Explosiveness has much improved -- stomping really, really helps.


They are fun. Makes me feel all athletic and stuff.

[LiftingLiz]

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x65 lb
1x3x100 lb
1x2x145 lb
3x5x170 lb
Last set was exhausting. I think if I'd laid down on the floor, I might have gone to sleep. My form was not great for the last set, but not bad enough to cause injury.

Bench Press
2x5x45 lb
1x3x55 lb
1x2x70 lb
4/5/5 x80 lb
I'm going to call 80 lbs good, but I will be incrementing by 2.5 lbs instead of 5 lbs from now on.

Deadlift
1x5x135 lb
1x3x155 lb
1x2x185 lb
I think this proves that my last deadlifts were not a recovery problem. I'll go back down to 165 and work myself up again.

On the one hand, I've stalled on the deadlift, which sucks. On the other hand, this is supposed to be a herald of the end of my time as a novice, which is kind of cool. This is a little lower than I thought I'd be stalling relative to my squat, but I seem to recall Rip saying that odd things happen to the squat and deadlift relationship with short, stocky women. It's possible that anthropometry is stacked against me. In any case, it feels like my squat is not too far behind, and I wouldn't be surprised if I were to fail in the next week or so here.

[isis]

You have really made amazing progress on your squat these last few weeks. It took me a heckuva lot longer than a month to get from 130lbs to 170. But maybe you aren't stalled on the deadlift, maybe you're just ready for a smaller increase than 10 pounds. 2.5 lb jumps might prolong linear progress on your squat as well.

[LiftingLiz]

You have really made amazing progress on your squat these last few weeks. It took me a heckuva lot longer than a month to get from 130lbs to 170. But maybe you aren't stalled on the deadlift, maybe you're just ready for a smaller increase than 10 pounds. 2.5 lb jumps might prolong linear progress on your squat as well.

That's true. I'll have to re-read the section on weight progression, but everything you've said sounds like a good idea.

And also, thank you. You're the second person to compliment my squats, and it feels totally kickass.

[LiftingLiz]

So, I haven't updated in a little while. Life caught up with me, and I need to re-juggle my schedule to fit lifting back in. I'll work on fixing up my diet in the mean time.

[tennies]

Liz, glad you posted, I hope to see some lifts again soon, from you and myself, I had fallen off the wagon! Be well.

[LiftingLiz]

I'm back!

I did spend the last two weeks re-assessing my diet. I was "cheating" far too much. I was using my protein powder instead of actually eating real food too often. All that has stopped. So today, I started lifting again! I didn't feel that I could just pick up where I left off, but I didn't think I'd been away long enough to warrant a complete restart, so I took 10% off my PRs, and I will add weight aggressively until I hit my PRs again. In two weeks time, I should be back where I was before this break. After that, I will be loading 5 lbs on deadlifts and power cleans, 2.5 on squats and bench presses, and 1.25 on overhead presses.

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x60 lb
1x3x90 lb
1x2x120 lb
3x5x155 lb

Bench Press
2x5x45 lb
1x3x60 lb
3x5x70 lb

Deadlift
1x5x135 lb
1x5x150 lb

As far as I can tell, there were no form issues. Just lots of soreness from my hamstrings and back due to not using them for two weeks. :(

Since it's been over a month since my last set of pictures, I took them again today after my workout.

http://imgur.com/dEYdi.jpg

Note to self: indoor pictures look really shitty with my camera. Also, don't wear all black next time.

I don't see any change from last month, but I still am looking better than December. Let's hope next month's pictures blow these out of the water.

[LiftingLiz]

Well, the weekend sucked as far as diet an exercise went. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. What really matters is that I'm back on now.

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x60 lb
1x3x95 lb
1x2x125 lb
3x5x160 lb

Overhead Press
1x5x45 lb
3x5x55 lb

Hang Power Cleans (because there's no way to get the bar high enough off the ground until I have the 10s on)
2x5x45 lb
5x3x60 lb

I was super pissed at myself for not doing shit this weekend, and I think I had one of my best workouts ever because of it. When I get up to my PRs again, I'll definitely be using this trick more often.

[Gwynn]

Nice to see you posting again! :)

[LiftingLiz]

Good God, I need to get back to twice a week at least. Of course, it didn't help that my boyfriend brought home a sinus infection from hell, and I was brought down with it for the last three days. I think I might be back in the swing of things now, though.

Today's Lifts:

Squat
2x5x45 lb
1x5x64 lb
1x3x95 lb
1x2x130 lb
3x5x165 lb
Bar speed starting to get slow, but as I said, I've been sick, and therefore not eating properly or sleeping well.

Bench Press
2x5x45 lb
1x3x65 lb
3x5x75 lb
Same as squats.

Deadlift
1x5x135 lb
1x5x160 lb
Had to switch back to mixed grip part way through the set. Also couldn't do it all in one go. I took a 30 second or so break after reps 2 and 4. But, I got it done.

[MazdaMatt]

Hey Liz,

I just read your log for the first time. I'm impressed. Kudos for taking this initialitive and laying all the truth out on the internet for everyone to see. That takes a lot of guts that most women just can't muster. You're going about your decision making in a logical way and that's going to be to your benefit as you continue.

Do you have a trainer? If not, would you consider posting form check videos? With the progress you've made, I wouldn't want you to get stuck because you're missing something.

I have a friend that dropped 8 sizes and brought her squat up to 200lbs and bench to 150. It CAN be done!