OneMore's Training Log

[Barry06GT]

Hi OneMore,

First, congratulations on the week's workout! You are moving right up in weights, and not having any real problem.

That said...

I would discount your performance on the Smith machine and not call it a failed rep because the Smith machine does not allow you to move in a way that is natural to you. That is why I would not call it a failed rep - the machine failed you, you did not fail on the attempt.

Technically speaking, a failed attempt is either not being able to go below parallel, or as the power lifting associations say, if the top of your thigh is not lower than your knee.

By the way, the Smith machine can be dangerous when heavily weighted because it allows you to get into a position where great amounts of stress is placed on your knee joint in a really bad way. This might be why the squat has gotten such a bad rap.

To mangle and misquote Coach Mark Rippetoe: "The Smith machine, I can't talk about it either, except to say the Smith machine should be beaten with a hammer out in the parking lot."

I would highly recommend a doorway pull-up bar. I use mine often to test myself, (you can search on this site for greasing the groove) and I do negatives. The one I have is called "The Total Gym" (got it from amazon.com) and it has a neutral position (palms facing each other) which is easier than chin-ups, and I can now almost do one that way.

Keep up the good work!

.

[XCouchPotato]

HI OneMore:

Sounds like you had a good week. All your weights are really getting up there. Great work!

To try and answer your questions:

"What would you consider a "failed" rep on a squat?"
Like my husband says, I woul not count it a failed rep if you are working with a Smith Machine. They lock you in so you can't even get to parallel without ditorting your body. I tried one once and only got a sore back for my trouble. My advice, wait till the squat rack is open.

"Whenever I try to do reverse crunches while holding onto something that's not bolted down, I end up inching down towards my feet on each rep. Does this mean I'm rolling too far up on these or coming down the wrong way? I'd like to move onto not holding a fixed object, but I'm afraid I'll end up doing laps around the room dragging a weight around after me while doing these, haha."
If you are getting your shoulders or hips off the floor, then you are rolling up too far. The reverse crunch is really a very small movement in the core area. Neither your shoulders nor your hips should be engaged. When you don't hold on to something, are you placing your hands behind your head? You might want to try keeping your hands flat on the floor so it makes you more aware of your shoulders. If your shoulders are coming up, your hands will move forward and you can correct for it immediately.

[OneMore]

Thanks for the replies!

I just did my first week 6 routine today, and going back to the power rack just felt sooo much better and easier than using the Smith Machine. I'm going to take your advice and just stay clear of that contraption. It doesn't feel good, and it made the weights feel much heavier.

I was trying to do my RC's the way it's shown in this video. My hips are coming off the floor because I'm trying to bring my knees up to my head like the video. Looking at the video again now, I can see that I am definitely improperly bringing my shoulders off the ground to do that as well. Maybe I should look at videos of people that aren't extraordinarily flexible to get a better idea of what I should be doing, haha.

I tried the Reverse Crunches with a 12lb dumbbell today too and really tried to concentrate on pressing my shoulders into the floor and not moving around so much. The way I'm doing them is with the dumbbell (or fixed object) on the floor and my arms are completely outstretched overhead to reach it. The closer I bring my arms to my head, the more I end up moving around, like you said.

And it looks like I'm going to be picking up a doorway pull-up bar soon...

Thanks!!!

[XCouchPotato]

Hi OneMore:

Maybe I'm the one doing these wrong. I watch a video on the web when I first started that showed a very different method of doing reverse crunches. Can't remember where now but the idea the trainer stressed is that the reverse crunch is a small movement where the hips and shoulders should not move very far at all. Instead, you should try and press the spine into the floor by contracting the stomach muscles only.

[OneMore]

I'll keep this one brief since I'm so late in posting this:

Week 6 Progress
July, 18, 2009 - Took the day off

July, 19, 2009 - Workout A
Warm Up:
3x10 Shoulder Dislocations
3x5 Squats with empty bar (45 lbs)
-The empty bar feels so light now on the squats!
Squat:
115 lbs - Reps 5x5
-This felt so much better and lighter in the Power Rack than when I was stuck using the Smith Machine.
Bench Press:
80 lbs - Reps 5, 5, 4, 4, 3
-Oh boy...I ended up stuck at the bottom of a rep and I didn't have a spotter. I had to laugh at myself a bit because I knew I couldn't do more than 3 on the last set, but I tried to go for 4 anyway. To get out, I tilted the bar off to the side, slid it down to my hips and sat up with it. At this weight it wasn't too bad being stuck under the bar, but it was more than a bit embarrassing.
Inverted Row - With Bent Knees:
Reps - 11, 10, 8
-Last week I had only done 8, 8, 6. This was a huge improvement. I'm trying to figure out when I should switch to the straight leg inverted press.
Reverse Crunch:
Reps - 15, 15, 15
-The first rep was done holding onto a fixed object. For the second two sets I switched to a 12 lb dumbbell.
Cardio:
1 hour belly dancing


July, 20, 2009 - Day off

July, 21, 2009 - Workout B
Warm Up:
3x5 Body Weight Squats
Squats:
120 lbs - Reps 5x5
-I'm going to start setting up the side safety rails from this point on because it's starting to get quite difficult
Overhead Press:
Bar (45 lbs) - Reps 3x5
55 lbs - Reps 1x5
60 lbs - Reps 1x5
65 lbs - Reps 1x3, 1x2
-My arms were feeling really weak today (not sore, just really lazy) so I tried to work up to my weight. They just weren't working with me today.
Deadlifts - With Rack Pins:
120 lbs - Reps 1x5
-I'm surprised my deadlifts caught up to my squat weight so quickly. I'm thinking the weight plates are large enough that I can try doing these starting from the floor and not on the rack safety pins like I have been doing.
Chin-ups:
Reps 2, 2, 2, 2, 1
-With 46 lbs assist (9 plate). Last week I did 1x10 with the 10 plate (52 lb assist). I felt a pop in my right elbow while I was doing these though. It doesn't hurt unless I'm lifting weight with that arm (still at 1 week later). I'm not quite sure what happened.
Prone Bridges:
One leg lifted - Reps (Left) 30 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec
(Right) 30 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec
-These are still awesome.
Cardio:
1 hour belly dancing


July, 22, 2009 -
5x10 bicep curls with 12 lb dumbbells
5x10 "overhead press" with 12 lb dumbbells
1x20 Alternating leg-lift body weight squats
1 hour "hip hop" aerobics class

July, 23, 2009 - Day off, zero energy.
July, 24, 2009 - Day off, zero energy

Overview:
*This ended up being a really crazy week (which spilled over into my Week 7 schedule already). Just because things have been so crazy lately I'm seeing that it's better to skip a workout and shift the program over if I can't make it rather than try to make it up since that doesn't seem to work so well.
*If I hit the gym when I have zero energy, it really shows. I can't believe I got stuck under the bar on the bench press. I was also struggling with the other moves that day as well.
*I'm not sure what popped in my elbow on the chin-up machine. I can bend my arm and pick things up with no pain, but as soon as I'm curling a significant weight (10 lbs) it feels like I'm twisting my elbow the wrong way.
*My butt is huge now. I think when I reach 1xBW in my squats I should probably just hang out at that weight for a little while until my arm strength catches up. The difference between my core/leg strength and my arm strength is so drastic. Squatting with the empty bar feels like it's not even there, but then an overhead press with the empty bar feels so difficult.
*Overall I'm looking a lot better. I started to eat less because I was so busy and I actually put on weight from it. I'm planning on getting more to-go groceries so I don't end up being totally sapped of energy or stuck eating junk food.

[XCouchPotato]

Hi OneMore:

-This felt so much better and lighter in the Power Rack than when I was stuck using the Smith Machine.

Yeah, the Smith Machine just doesn't cut it.

Bench Press:
80 lbs - Reps 5, 5, 4, 4, 3
-Oh boy...I ended up stuck at the bottom of a rep and I didn't have a spotter. I had to laugh at myself a bit because I knew I couldn't do more than 3 on the last set, but I tried to go for 4 anyway. To get out, I tilted the bar off to the side, slid it down to my hips and sat up with it. At this weight it wasn't too bad being stuck under the bar, but it was more than a bit embarrassing.

Boy, it's lucky you didn't get hurt. With my history, I have taken to not clamping the weights on the bar for that reason. Even though my hubby spots me I still think it's better to be able to quickly ditch the weight if I have to.

Squats:
120 lbs - Reps 5x5
-I'm going to start setting up the side safety rails from this point on because it's starting to get quite difficult

Real good idea.

*If I hit the gym when I have zero energy, it really shows. I can't believe I got stuck under the bar on the bench press. I was also struggling with the other moves that day as well.

I know what your saying. But if you recognize when you're having one of those days you can still workout just drop the weight a bit for that particular day. It's called active rest.

[Barry06GT]

<snip>
Bench Press:
80 lbs - Reps 5, 5, 4, 4, 3
-Oh boy...I ended up stuck at the bottom of a rep and I didn't have a spotter. I had to laugh at myself a bit because I knew I couldn't do more than 3 on the last set, but I tried to go for 4 anyway. To get out, I tilted the bar off to the side, slid it down to my hips and sat up with it. At this weight it wasn't too bad being stuck under the bar, but it was more than a bit embarrassing. </snip>

This is why Coach Mark Rippetoe strongly reccomends that when bench pressing by yourself you NEVER use collars. If you get stuck, you can tilt the bar and let the plates fall to the floor. Makes a lot of noise, but you will not get killed. In the Starting Strength video Rippetoe reports that every year 12 people are killed using the bench press alone, in their garage or basement.

Your squat and dead lift number are impressive! Glad you are keeping up with the belly dancing. That sounds like fun. I would try it but I don't look good in a midriff. (I don't even know what that is...)

Great workout OneMore, even though you had such a crazy week!
.

[OneMore]

I'm still here! Haven't falled off the stronglifts wagon yet, just every time I sit down to update my log, I get distracted by something, haha.

Week 7 Progress
July, 25, 2009 - Day off, out of town
July, 26, 2009 - Day off, out of town

July, 27, 2009 - Workout A
Warm Up:
3x10 Shoulder Dislocations
3x5 Squats with empty bar (45 lbs)
Squat:
125 lbs - Reps 5x5
-This is getting really heavy, and I'm not sure my form was as good as it should have been.
Bench Press:
75 lbs - Reps 5x5
-Deloaded a bit because I didn't want to get stuck under the bar again. I'm still doing this without a spotter so I'm trying to be extra careful.
Inverted Row:
Reps - 11, 11, 11
-Still doing these with bent knees. I'm still progressing with this so I want to possibly get up to 20 reps before I switch to doing straight leg inverted rows.
Reverse Crunch:
Reps - 15, 15, 15
-Did these with a 12 lb dumbbell.
Cardio:
40 minutes elliptical

July, 28, 2009 - 1 hour belly dancing

July, 29, 2009 - Workout B (part 1)
Warm Up:
4x10 Shoulder Dislocations
5x10 bicep curls with 12 lb dumbbells*
5x10 overhead press with 12 lb dumbbells*
Chin-ups:
7x1 (8 plate)
-Assisted = bad. I'm trying to figure out how to approach this since doing negatives at the gym compels people to butt in and tell me I'm doing it wrong by not using the assist lever.
Prone Bridges:
3x30 sec (left leg raised)
3x30 sec (right leg raised)
-Still challenging and still fun.
Cardio:
1 hour "hip hop" cardio class

*The power rack was completely taken up the whole 2 hours I was at the gym. (It must be the Mon/Wed crowd.) I couldn't wait for the rack so I planned on doing the other half of the workout over lunch the next day.

July, 30, 2009 - Workout B (part 2)
Warm Up:
3x5 45 lb (bar) Squat
4x10 Shoulder Dislocations
Squat:
130 lbs - No good
-I was able to attempt all 5x5, but I did not reach parallel on a single rep. By the 3rd set my lower back started curling, and on my last attempt my whole back rounded. I'm thinking my 125 lb squats might not have been as good as I thought they were before moving on.
Overhead Press:
65 lbs - Reps 5x5
-The last rep was incredibly shakey. I think I was able to make this one because I was able to take a lot more time in between sets than I normally do (because the gym wasn't crowded).

July, 31, 2009 - Day off

Overview:
*The squats are very heavy now. At this point I'm going to pay special attention to my form and not add on weights until I get parallel on every single rep (which I was able to up until now). The 130 lb attempt was incredibly sloppy and too heavy for me to move on to so I'm going to re-evaluate at the 125 lb weight.
*The bench press is also really difficult. I'm going to take this slowly and carefully because I don't have a spotter. At this point that probably means repeating a weight a couple of times before moving on. So far (into week 8 ) this seems to be going well since I was able to do 5x5 on the weight I dropped on myself earlier.
*I missed another day again. It is really starting to bother me that I get these last minute out-of-town interruptions. I ran into issues with that again starting week 8, but as of now I'm only a day off and I should be able to get all three workouts in.

Question:
The only way I'm seeing any progress on the chin-ups is to use the assistance bar. Also I end up getting too much unsolicited advice to use it when I try not to. I started doing some bicep curls and lighter (dumbbell) overhead presses to try and get a little stronger for this. I think I'm probably not even strong enough to do the negatives properly, which might be why I'm not seeing any progress from those either.
I ran across this on another site as a way to move up to pull-ups:

If you can’t do one pull up there are two very effective variations to use; the flexed arm hang and negative pull-ups.

For the flexed arm hang boost yourself up – either have a friend spot you or step up on a bench – so that your chin is above the bar. Once in this position, pull the elbows down and slightly back, keep your chest up and tighten your lats before you take your feet off the bench. The idea here is to hold yourself in this “chin over the bar” position for as long as possible. At first shoot for a 15 second hold and take a 2-minute rest before your next hold. Four sets of holds is a good place to start. Add time as your strength increases.

When you are hanging, bend your knees so that your feet are behind you and your torso and thighs form a straight line. Don’t lift your knees up in front as this will develop a bad habit that will retard your progress. Work to minimize or eliminate the body from swinging as this wastes precious strength.

Negative pull-ups will help develop the strength necessary to perform pull-ups. Get into the “chin over the bar” position but instead of staying in the flexed arm position, you will lower yourself down to the “dead hang” position. Try to lower your body on a 5-count and don’t just drop and flop. There will be a point just before the dead hang position where there’s the urge to relax, but continue to exert control.

Use the same initial position and form doing the negative pull up that’s used in the flexed arm hang. Lock in with your lats, bend your knees and keep your feet behind you. Maintain control as you start your decent and keep your lats tight. If you have a spotter they can help steady you before the drop.

The goal should be to do four single 5-count negative pull-ups with 2-minutes rest in between each. As you progress – and as your confidence grows – add reps to the routine.

They also recommend doing the negatives, but I think I'm probably dropping too quickly at the bottom (the drop and flop?). I can probably use the assist lever to get up the the top position (and avoid drawing attention to myself by jumping up to the bar) and then pull my legs up and do the flexed arm hold from there. Then either move from that straight into the negative on 5 counts, or just do the negatives in another set.
I'm not even sure I would be able to hold myself up for 5 seconds at first, but my bridges progressed much faster than my push-ups (but it helped my push-ups) and I'm thinking that adding these flexed arm holds might help with my negatives, which would then help with getting to a curl up?
Has anyone approached pull-ups this way?

Thanks everyone!

[XCouchPotato]

Hi OneMore:

I was having a similar problem with not being able to do chin-ups even with some assist. I then read about the following program:

Start by doing 2 sets of 2 negatives for three sessions.
Add an additional set every third session until you reach 10 sets of 2 negs each.
Try a full pull-up/chin-up
If unsuccessful, add one rep to each set until you reach success.

I am now up to 3 sets of 2 negs each and it is really beginning to show up in both my push-ups and my inverted rows making them a bit easier.

BTW, I use the assist at a light enough weight to just get into position then do the negatives from there. As I am vertically challenged, this is the only way I could possible reach the bar.

Hope this helps!

[Barry06GT]

Hi OneMore!

You are doing great!

You are right that form is more important that the weight used. As Coach Rippetoe says: "If it is too heave to execute good form, it is too heavy to be on your back."

For the pull up there is another possibility: get a door way pull up bar and do these at home. I got the Total Gym from amazon.com and love it. It was easy to put together, and has not damaged the wood work. That way you could do them at home out of view. Then, when you can do them, you can do them in the gym and look totally butch, in a good way!

I do negs in the gym, and if any one wanted to make suggestions like they do with you, I would just sic my wife on them. Get 'em Bernice!

.

[OneMore]

My big two week update. I've been sooo busy lately but I'm still on the wagon!

Week 8 Progress:
August, 1, 2009 - Day off

August 2, 2009 - Workout A
Warm Up:
3x5 empty bar squats
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
I'm sticking with 125lbs on these squats for now because the weight still feels pretty heavy every time I do these and I want to make sure I get really good form before moving on.
Bench Press:
80lbs - Reps 5x5
Difficult again. I'm keeping with this weight until I feel confident enough that adding weight isn't going to end up with me stuck under the bar again.
Inverted Row:
Reps 12, 12, 12
Did these with bent knees.
Push-ups:
Reps 13, 13, 9
Almost at all 13's!
Reverse Crunch:
Reps 15, 15, 15
Holding onto a 12 lb weight.
Cardio:
1 hour belly dancing class
Stretching:
5 minutes

August, 3, 2009 - Day off

Date - Workout B
Geez, I felt really rushed this day
Warm Up:
(none, did cardio)
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
Going down was easy. My ups were pretty sloppy though.
Overhead Press:
70lbs - Reps 4, 3, 3, 3, 3
I don't get how my overhead press can go south so quickly when adding just 5lbs. I couldn't even get one set of 5.
Deadlifts:
130lbs - Reps 5
Going to stick with this weight for a while too to get the form up.
Pull-ups:
3 seconds, 3 seconds, 1 second, (fail)*
*I tried doing hangs instead.
Prone Bridges:
3 x 30 seconds Left
3 x 30 seconds Right
Cardio:
1 hour belly dancing class
Stretching:
5 minutes

August 5-8 - took off. No good reason, just got way too swamped with "life" and entertaining guests staying at the house.


Week 9 Progress:
August, 9, 2009 - Workout A
I was unbelievably hung over and miserable. Ugh.
Warm Up:
Skipped, did Cardio
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
I couldn't pay too much attention to my form because my head was pounding so much. I'm sure it wasn't terrific.
Bench Press:
80lbs - Reps 5x5
For some reason, it felt like the bar was grinding into the bones in my right hand. I tried adjusting my grip between sets but it didn't help much. The last rep was pretty shaky.
Inverted Row:
Reps 13, 13, 13
Again, did this with bent knees.
Push-ups:
Reps 13, 13, 13
Reverse Crunch:
Reps 15, 15, 15
While holding onto a 12lb dumbbell
Cardio:
1 hour belly dancing class
Stretching:
5 minutes

August 10, 2009 - Day off

August, 11, 2009 - Workout B
The gym was really busy again today. As I was setting up the rack people were asking me when I was going to be done.
Warm Up:
3x5 bar squats
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
Getting better on the downward movement. The upward movement still needs work.
Overhead Press:
70lbs - Reps 4, 3, 2, 2, 2
Even worse than last week, but then again I did miss a workout.
Deadlifts:
--
Skipped these to let other people use the rack.
Hanging Pull-ups:
4 seconds, 4 seconds, 4 seconds, 2 seconds
Still trying to work on these.
Prone Bridges:
3 x 30 seconds Left
3 x 30 seconds Right
Cardio:
1 hour belly dance class
Stretching:
5 minutes

August, 12, 2009 - Cardio: 950 calories in 1h:08mins!
I upped the resistance and went as fast as I could on our elliptical. All those squats made the resistance feel a lot easier than it used to be.

August, 13, 2009 - Workout A
Warm Up:
3x5 bar squats
3x10 shoulder dislocations
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
My upward motion is getting much better. The weight still feels pretty heavy but it really makes a difference getting that third stronglifts workout in!
Bench Press:
80lbs - Reps 5x5
This is still tough for me, and I noticed tonight that I kept shifting the bar over to the right on the upward motion. I tried to correct it when I caught myself doing it.
Inverted Row:
Reps 13, 10, 8
With bent knees. These were worse than last week, but I was feeling a lack of energy tonight.
Push-ups:
Reps 13, 13, 13
Due to the lack of energy, I just went for matching last week's numbers.
Reverse Crunch:
Reps 15, 15, 15
With a 12lb dumbbell
Cardio:
A quick 6 minute walk.
Stretching:
5 minutes
Extra:
2x10 bicep curls with 12lb dumbbells
1x20 "overhead press" with 12lb dumbbells
Hanging Pull-up: 4 seconds, 4 seconds, 1 second (with slow descend)
Did these to work on those pull-ups!!

Overview
I did get a pull-up bar for the house, but I haven't had any time to put it together (much like I haven't had time to update at all).
Not too thrilled with missing a workout on Week 8, but I'm glad I got all three so far for Week 9.
Working out with a hangover is miserable, but I'm glad I went to the gym and did it anyway instead of staying at home.
My squats are improving with each session that I do at 125. My last set (August, 13) was the best form I've had so far at this weight, and I was able to go a little bit lower than I normally do on top of that!
My overhead press is pretty embarrassing. I think it might be time to go back to 65lbs after not being able to get a single 5 rep set. I might just take the same approach with these that I'm doing for everything else so far and continue repeating it for a few sessions until I'm strong enough to get one good set on the next weight.

[XCouchPotato]

Hi OneMore's:

Boy, going to the gym with a hangover, that's dedication.

Sounds like you are running into the same thing I am with the Squats. Every time I up the weight, it takes me about three workouts (if not four) to get back to solid form again.

Don't worry about the OHP, it seems like this is the hardest exercise to get over a stall on.

[FiveByFive]

hey onemore, just checking out your log and I've got to say that from the perspective of a newbie, 70lb OHP is NOT embarassing. That's 50% of your BW, my goal is to get to about 65% of mine and I plan on a couple of stalls along the way! Your deadlift is huge as well and you're creeping up on a BW squat. Don't be too hard on yourself, looks like you're doing great to me, especially with what seems to be a hectic schedule and a LOT of cardio. Good luck!

[OneMore]

XCouchPotato-
Yeah, hitting the gym with a hangover was terrible news, but after hitting the gym it did make the rest of the day seem "not as bad", haha.
I actually moved back up to 130 in my squat weight this week; and sticking with 125 until my form was solid (and taking proper breaks in between) really helped a lot. I think I should probably continue the squat (and deadlift) weight progression that way as well; sticking with a weight until I'm sure I'm doing solid reps.

FiveByFive-
I never really thought of the weight in terms of % of body weight and your comment really cheered me up about the weights I'm using. 70lbs is still pretty heavy but I finally had a breakthrough and am getting a couple of 5 rep sets with the OHP now. Thanks for the encouragement!!

[OneMore]

Week 10 Progress:

August, 16, 2009 - Workout B
Warm Up:
3x5 Body Weight Squats
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
The last rep wasn't the greatest.
Overhead Press:
70 lbs - Reps 5, 5, 5, 4, 3
I was completely shocked to get a 5 rep set, and then to get 3 of them was really exciting! I think I hurt my neck a bit straining too much though.
Deadlifts:
130 lbs - Reps 1x5
Chin-ups(Actually "Hanging Chins"):
5 seconds, 3 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds
Getting better!
Prone Bridges:
3x30 seconds- Right leg lifted
3x30 seconds- Left leg lifted
Cardio:
1 hour belly dancing class
Stretching:
5 minutes

August, 17, 2009 - 1 hour instructional belly dance practice. (This stuff is more like flexibility training than cardio.)
August, 18, 2009 - 1 hour belly dance class (this is actually more like cardio).

August, 19, 2009 - Workout A
Warm Up:
3x5 Body Weight Squats
Squat:
125lbs - Reps 5x5
This was one of those days where working out felt pretty difficult.
Bench Press:
80lbs - Reps 5x5
The last set was difficult. I think I have one more workout at this weight before I'll be ready to move up to 85lbs.
Inverted Row (with bent knees):
Reps 13, 13, 13
I didn't go for more because I was having a tough day.
--Completed workout later on in the day--
Push-ups:
Reps 14, 14, 14
The last rep wasn't really that good, but my husband was cheering me on and he said I got 14, haha.
Reverse Crunch:
Dumbbell: 20lbs - Reps 15, 15, 15
I didn't have a 12 lb weight at home so I borrowed my husband's 20lb dumbbell (but I tried to not rely on it). I found this is a much easier move to do over carpeting and not on an exercise mat.
Cardio:
1 hour instructional belly dance practice.
Stretching:
5 minutes

August, 20, 2009 - Cardio: The temperature finally dropped under 85F (29C) degrees out so I took the dogs out for a 3.5 mile run.

Aug, 21, 2009 - Workout B
Warm Up:
3x5 Body Weight Squats
Squat:
130lbs - Reps 5x5
I finally moved up here. My form wasn't the best, but the gym wasn't too busy so I took a lot more time in between sets, which seemed to help quite a bit. The last time I tried 130, my whole back failed on the last rep, and luckily it didn't feel like that was going to happen at all this time.
Overhead Press:
70lbs - Reps 5, 5, 5, 5, 4
I was so excited about the last workout's 5 rep sets that I really took my time this time and got another set. Just a few more weeks at this weight!
Deadlifts:
130lbs - Reps 1x5
Okay, these were honestly pretty sloppy. I didn't think the weight was too heavy for me to lift, but my hands were slipping quite a bit, which lead me to concentrate on just holding onto the bar and not necessarily my form. I think from this point on I'll probably keep the deadlift weight the same as the squat weight that I'm using since that seems to help with my form.
Chin-ups (Actually "Hanging Chins"):
10 seconds, 6 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds
This was a HUGE improvement over the last set I did. I'm working my way up to 4x15 seconds and that first 10 second hang was a huge surprise considering the first time I tried these, I couldn't even really hang for a full second.
Prone Bridges:
3x30 seconds- Right leg lifted
3x30 seconds- Left leg lifted
I did these in my Chucks for the first time and it actually made it a little easier to balance.

August, 22, 2009- Took the day off, sort of. Finally assembled a doorway pull-up bar and played around with it some. I impressed my husband with my hanging, and I think he'll probably start using it at home too.
Also did about an hour of belly dance instructional tape practice. I've got a big set of workshops to go to tomorrow.

Overview:
*I was extremely excited about finally getting a 5 rep set on the OHP at 70lbs. I was almost at the point where I was thinking of dropping the weight back to 65, but I'm glad I didn't.
*I was really surprised at how doing stronglifts has made outdoor running so much easier. I think it's probably because I have much better balance, control and strength from all the heavy squats, haha. I would like to do this more often, but it has been too hot out for the dogs.
*The hanging chin-ups really seem to be giving me better progress than the downward chins for now. My husband even commented that I'm "starting to get pecs now". Once I can get to the 15 second hangs, I'll start adding in the slow downward halves again since I should be able to do them now. The pull up bar is finally assembled as well so I should be doing more of these.
*Overall, I had some pretty good progress this week.

Questions:
*I started to lose my grip on the deadlifts this week, and it really affected my concentration. What's the best way to fix this? Should I keep doing the deadlifts at this weight until my grip improves or should I do additional "grip" exercises? I definitely do not want to buy those gloves that tie your hands to the bar... The last thing I need is to dislocate a shoulder because I dropped a weight.

Thanks everyone!