vongSTAA's Training Log

[Nilan666]

Hey Nilan, thanks!

It was really hard but I decided to really push it on the planks today, my arms and elbows were really giving in as well, they were practically shaking lol.

Yeah the arms really almost give out first....


Are you going through the articles in that site?

[vongSTAA]

To be honest I haven't looked at it since a day or two after you posted that link (I've only looked through a few articles two or three times).

I've just been busy with exams lately so completely forgot about it! But thanks for reminding me actually, it really does seem like it has a lot of useful information though and I will try to look through most if not all of it when I can.

[vongSTAA]

Workout B:
- Squat: 55kg
2x5 20kg
1x5 35kg
5x5 55kg
I don't know why but I was really struggling today, more so than Monday even though the weight was the same. I am pretty sure I did all reps but my form definitely suffered (I may have opted for less depth on some occassions) and it was pretty hard at times. I think it might be a recovery issue?
- Overhead Press: 20kg
5x5 20kg
I'm still not sure if my form is right or not. Should my grip be exactly shoulder width or slightly narrower or wider? I was alternating my grip at times because I was unsure if I was pressing correctly or not. The only thing I think I did right was keeping my glutes and hamstrings tight and have my elbows out in front of the bar.
- Deadlift: 60kg
1x5 60kg
- Pull-Ups: 10/6/6
- Ab Work: Prone Bridges - 2x1min20secs, Side Planks - 2x40secs

Extra exercises: dips 5/5/5, chin-ups 5/5/5

Yeah I was pretty pissed off and frustrated at today's workout, I reckon I really fucked up my squats and they seemed to really take a lot out of me. As I said before, I am guessing it's a recovery issue. Hopefully I can nail my OHP form next session and actually start adding weight (I've been pressing 20kg for like two weeks now).

[Nilan666]

The weights do behave funny sometimes and other times our body behaves funny. You could be right about it being more of a recovery issue. Always try to keep your chest up during the squat and things should be fine.

I'm no expert on the ohp, but generally, a narrower grip makes pushing a little easier. Recommended grip is that the thumbs should be around 1 inch away from the shoulders and elbows pointed forward. Not so much as in a front squat, where the upper arms are parallel, just enough that when you push, the elbows become vertical.

try post some videos asap. Believe me, being a rank novice, you can easily correct your posture now. But leave it unchecked for a couple of months and you will have real hard time re-learning proper form.....like i iam experiencing with squats

[vongSTAA]

I have a very good feeling it was a recovery issue, I was consulting with a friend earlier and realised that I had only been getting perhaps 6 hours sleep the last two nights and eating some pretty bad food (and not enough either).

Yeah I will try to record myself soon before the weights start to get real heavy. Also, thanks for the advice.

[vongSTAA]

Workout A:
- Squat: 55kg
2x5 20kg
1x3 35kg
5x5 55kg
This felt so much better than Wednesday which was just a complete disaster. I still had some form failure on a few reps though so I reckon I'll just repeat the weight next time. The weight is starting to get hard now so I guess I really need some 1.25kg plates.
- Bench Press: 30kg
1x5 20kg
5x5 30kg
Definitely struggled somewhat on this. I was cheating on a few reps by not going all the way down so I'll repeat the weight.
- Barbell Row: 25kg
Even though I'm usually confident about my rows, the weight didn't feel any easier than last time - might be a form issue? I realised I don't touch my chest on every rep (should I?)
- Dips: 7/6/6
My rep numbers look weird? Maybe I was just lazy on the first set and didn't push through it for another rep or two.
- Ab Work: Prone Bridges - 2x1min15sec, Side Planks - 2x45sec

[vongSTAA]

Workout B:
- Squat: 55kg
2x5 20kg
1x3 35kg
5x5 55x5
I didn't feel like it was much easier than last time (is it meant to?), but I do think my form was better at least. I'm still not confident about hitting 60kg though, but I'll probably increase the weight.
- Overhead Press: 20kg
Form definitely feeling and looking a lot better, I reckon I'll increase the weight to 25kg (I use the fixed barbells for OHP and there's no 22.5kg and I can't press with the olympic bar because there's no 1.25kg weights)
- Deadlift: 60kg
For some reason it felt like my back was rounding on the last reps of the first set, so I decided to do another set and it seemed better.
- Pull-Ups: 8/5/5
Didn't really have as much in me, it might have been that extra set of deadlifts?
- Ab Work: Prone Bridges - 2x1min15secs, Side Planks - 2x45 secs

Note: I am pretty sure I have completely a full 4 weeks of SL5x5 now lol I am somewhat "satisfied" with how progress has being going and the program overall but obviously I am nowhere near my goals. Also, I could have probably followed the diet a lot more closely and eaten more, plus gotten more rest on some nights. All of this probably had some impact on my current progress.

[Nilan666]

[quote="vongSTAA- Barbell Row: 25kg
Even though I'm usually confident about my rows, the weight didn't feel any easier than last time - might be a form issue? I realised I don't touch my chest on every rep (should I?)
- [/quote]

Yes

[Nilan666]

Progress will come long and slow vongSTAA. Especially on your vertical jump front. It takes a bluddy long time if you ask me

[vongSTAA]

Progress is better than no progress! Besides the obvious strength increase, I do look more "toned" but considering I'm skinny that's expected I suppose lol.

Hey I have noticed a slight increase in my vertical jump compared to say 5-6 weeks ago. As a sprinter, are you currently still trying to increase your jump, or more so just your running speed? (I am guessing they are related though).

[Nilan666]

Progress is better than no progress! Besides the obvious strength increase, I do look more "toned" but considering I'm skinny that's expected I suppose lol.

Hey I have noticed a slight increase in my vertical jump compared to say 5-6 weeks ago. As a sprinter, are you currently still trying to increase your jump, or more so just your running speed? (I am guessing they are related though).

haha wait till you get really really stuck on a particular lift and then you'l end up thinking if i'm making any progress at all!

Vertical Jump and sprints are related yes as a dominat and powerful posterior chain helps in both. But my focus as of now is on speed only.
Improvement in your squat max will lead to improvements in your vertical jump.

[vongSTAA]

I took a break for a week because I was busy with exams and also had other things to do, figured it'd be okay if I took time off considering I hit a month and needed to start over.

Workout A:
- Squat: 55kg
2x5 20kg
1x5 35kg
5x5 55kg
Considering I had taken a week off, the weight was a little heavy but I think I definitely improved on my form after watching more videos and reading more articles during my break. I have a feeling my lower back MAY have rounded on a few reps at the very bottom part of my squat. Would bending over more help this (obviously not bending too forward though)?
- Bench Press: 30kg
1x5 20kg
5x5 30kg
MASSIVE improvement on my form, I didn't realise I was benching so incorrectly before until I read a thread about BP and decided to reread the article and watch a few videos. I am now keeping my elbows much more closer to my body, keeping my chest up and bringing the bar down to my lower chest/upper abs (whilst keeping my back and shoulders tight, but sure is hard). Also working on breathing technique and I have noticed how much easier it is when u exhale whilst pressing up. I will repeat weight though just to make sure I get it right and I was struggling to lock out on the last rep of the last 3 sets.
- Barbell Row: 25kg
5x5 25kg
Again, I definitely improved my form here. Touched my chest on every rep and made sure to keep my elbows at a closer angle to my body. Will probably increase to 30kg after another one or two workouts.
- Dips: 9/6/6
Made sure to keep elbows in, bend my legs and go down (just below parallel I think).
- Ab Work: Prone Bridges - 2x1min15secs, Side Planks - 2x45secs

I will probably start recording my diet sometimes considering I was pretty slack previously, hopefully this will help me stick to it much more closely.

Diet:
- Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, sliced banana, honey and peanut butter
- Snack: small tuna sandwich
- Lunch: chicken caesar salad + 600ml of milk
- Post-Workout: subway chicken teriyaki + plain yoghurt
- Snack: 100g mixed nuts + apples
and for the rest of the day I will most likely eat
- Dinner: whatever my mum cooks
- Pre-Bed: cottage cheese + glass of milk

[Nilan666]

Considering I had taken a week off, the weight was a little heavy but I think I definitely improved on my form after watching more videos and reading more articles during my break. I have a feeling my lower back MAY have rounded on a few reps at the very bottom part of my squat. Would bending over more help this (obviously not bending too forward though)?

Do squat stretches as described by mehdi. What you are experiencing is called a 'butt wink'. Itis common amongst beginners. Basically at the lower part of squat, your hamstrings and lumbar muscles are fighting for control of the hips. Nothing to worry about greatly, but definitely undesirable. I never knew i had a problem with it till 8 months down the game Good for you that you are already aware of it.

[vongSTAA]

Considering I had taken a week off, the weight was a little heavy but I think I definitely improved on my form after watching more videos and reading more articles during my break. I have a feeling my lower back MAY have rounded on a few reps at the very bottom part of my squat. Would bending over more help this (obviously not bending too forward though)?

Do squat stretches as described by mehdi. What you are experiencing is called a 'butt wink'. Itis common amongst beginners. Basically at the lower part of squat, your hamstrings and lumbar muscles are fighting for control of the hips. Nothing to worry about greatly, but definitely undesirable. I never knew i had a problem with it till 8 months down the game Good for you that you are already aware of it.

Should I do it during my warmup/before I squat or after the workout, as it is a static stretch and therefore should be done after right?

I should probably get a video up soon so I can actually see what it looks like. Thanks for the help Nilan always appreciated!

[vongSTAA]

I decided to start doing some shoulder dislocations pre-workout. I did not feel any shoulder discomfort during my squats like I do sometimes so I'll probably keep doing them, good stretch they are.

Workout B:
- Squat: 55kg
2x5 20kg
1x5 35kg
5x5 55kg
Felt pretty good again, will increase to 60kg on Friday but I am a little scared because I know it's gonna be pretty tough.
- Overhead Press: 20kg
5x5 20kg
I think I definitely got the form right this time after watching a few more videos and reading a few articles. I will increase to 25kg after another workout.
- Deadlift: 60kg
2x5 60kg
Form was still ok I think and I decided to do another set just so I could work on form again. I held the bar for around 2 seconds after reps and held until failure (almost) at the end of each set, just to increase grip strength.
- Pull-ups: 9/5/5
I'd say the extra deadlift set affected my numbers again?

Didn't do any ab work this time as I was in a bit of rush and I figured it'd be okay, but will continue on with planks and side planks and will start doing harder variations soon.