ExRx.net

Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 170 lb
Age: 30
BF: around 25%

Measurements:
Chest: 40"
Biceps: 13"
Waist: 34"
Hips: 37.5"
Thighs: 22"
Calves: 14.5"
Forearms: 11"
Shoulders: 47"
Neck: 18.5"


Started weight training first time ever when I was 29. Did whatever my friend told me to do, for about a couple months.

Recently, started again on July 10 this year with 3-days-a-week full upper body after reading a lot of exrx.net. It was about 10-12 basic exercises and took an hour 45 minutes.

Then I came across Rippetoe and have decided to do 'Starting Strength' first (at least for 10 weeks, could be more). MWF. Just finished 2nd week with following figures:

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Week 1
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Monday 8/24/2009
Squat 95
Bench 90
Deadlift 135
Dips: (BW minus 78.5) (1x14 1x12 1x10)

Wednesday 8/26/2009
Squat 100
Press 67.5
Row 70
Pull-ups: (BW - 78.5) (1x12 1x10 1x8)

Friday 8/28/2009
Squat 105
Bench 95
Deadlift (not done: the platform was not available)
Skull crusher: 1x14@37, 1x11@47, 1x6@52
Triceps push downs: 1x14@40, 1x12@45, 1x8@50
DB Curls: 1x14@17 1x12@22.5 1x8@25

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Week 2
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Monday 8/31/2009
Squat 110
Press 65
Row 75
Pull-ups: (BW - 78.5) (1x12 1x10 1x10)

Wednesday 9/2/2009
Squat 115
Bench 100
Deadlift 145
Dips: (BW - 65) 3x10

Friday 9/4/2009
Squat 120
Press 70
Row 80
Pull-ups: (BW - 70) 3x10

Goals:
- get 18" biceps (and rest of body acc. to proportion - i know it's not gonna happen with just the Rippetoe program but i can wait a couple months before starting direct arm work)
- lose fat in the process so that waist is around 31"

Notes:
- started having a little knee pain. But trying to improve squat form plus stopped the couch-to-5k program that wasn't getting anywhere cz of shin splints. Let's see...
- feel really weak on press. doesn't feel like i'll be able to add 5 lb every time... more like 2.5 lb
- not doing it for any competition/sports etc ... mostly for beach/ego etc
- suggestion, advice welcome ... thanks

Hello, I'm doing Starting Strength too. Good to see someone doing the same program as me here.

About the knee pain, I think you should focus on your hip drive and make sure the weight is over the whole foot. Other lifters here can give you better advices about this. :)

thanks man ...

i tried to focus on form (hip drive etc) and amazingly no knee pain today ... cool :)

I always say if you're experiencing pain, its probably due to using too much weight and it's messing up your form. I would be more concerned with form right now over the actual poundage you are using. I was guilty myself of that years back when I was squatting high weight with poor form and as a result my knees used to hurt alot.

Nothing wrong with touching below the nipples on BP. In fact, I consider just below the pecs to be probably ideal. The forearms should be fairly vertical at the bottom.

When you say "maybe need to tighten abs more" I want to yell, "if you CAN tighten your abs more, then YES, YOU SHOULD be tightening more. Abs along with back, chest, everything. Expand your belly as you take your breath, then tighten it all as much as you can. Maintain the tightness throughout the lift, even when exhaling.

The gallon of water a day thing is not any kind of a hard and fast rule. Drink so that you're not thirsty, and so that your urine isn't concentrated.

hey JungleDoc thanks for the advice

today i tightened my abs as much as possible ... i feel while tightening my abs i have to tighten my whole body in general ... and it drains a lot of energy and i sweat like crazy ...

secondly, i think if I get down to the starting posture, tighten my abs and whole body in general, stay like that for 10 to 15 seconds and then get up (without lifting the bar at all) ... i would feel stress on my lower back ... may be it's just the nature of the posture ... or may be my lower back muscles are weak and are strengthening in the process

is it just me or has anyone else had the same experience?

This dude.

Your back isn't strong yet, but it will be soon. I was SUPER nervous when I first started pulling that I was going to hurt my lower back. You are going to feel it in your erectors.

Once I figured out I wasn't hurting myself, but making my back stronger is when the lift really became a lot of fun for me. You have to make sure your form is good, but at the same time have piece of mind you aren't going to kill yourself.

About the press today ...

I'm having problems ... :(

I watched Rippetoe press videos closely and what i could understand is that he wants the bar to rest on the shoulders between reps

today in the gym i tried that ... i couldn't ... i need to round my shoulders a lot to bring them in the front and at the same time move the bar back (from the wrist edge of the palm to the fingers edge of the palm) and doing this bends the wrist even more ... which feels difficult while trying to push the bar up ... i don't know

and even after doing all this ... i feel my shoulders are only supporting like 40% of the bar weight at the rest position ... the 60% weight is on the forearms all the time and may be that's what fatigues me by the 4th rep in each set

secondly Rippetoe says bar on shoulder is the rest position ... but since this exercise resembles bench, and in bench the rest position is when the bar is high and elbows are locked ...

doesn't it feel natural to rest when the bar is high ... i'm confused :(

okay i have a question about the rippetoe press:

it makes hell of a difference if you widen the grip only a couple inches (on each side) from the shoulder width

at the narrowest shoulder width the forearms are in front of you ... as if you just did the positive half of the reverse BB curl and the bar is up against your neck now ... widen the grip a couple inches and forearms move to the sides

in the first case moving the bar up is almost like a triceps extension ... in the second case it's closer to the DB shoulder press form and your lateral deltoids are engaged too

also the way you move the bar up can make a difference independent of grip width ... you can raise the bar like in a triceps extension or like in a DB shoulder press

just my opinion ... i could be wrong / thinking too much ...

what form should be adopted? ... i'm more in favor of the shoulder press form cz i think my lateral deltoids should engage more than my triceps ... plus that might help me move up from the 70 lb where i'm stuck right now

I agree that the lateral delts should be engaged, but I'm not sure that you can say "more than the triceps". They should both be engaged.

I say just experiment with grip width until you are happy with what you are using, and go with that.

makes sense ... thanks

i'll try it in my next session

If you did 5,5,4 at 115, I'd say just do 115 again and get all three for 5. Don't get greedy. It's better to make sure progress and finish out your goal reps - 3 x 5 - than to reach further before you do.

It's better in the long run if you make slow steady progress. You're certain you can get the 3x5 so do that. The week after you can get 117.5 or 120, no problem. But if you jump from 5/5/4 x 115 to 117.5 or 120, you don't really know if you can get them. If you miss, that's two weeks in a row of missed goals. A little success is better than any amount of failure, in my opinion.

If you do go up anyway, go to 117.5, because you missed reps last time.

Hope that helps,

Peter

As in your form is bad?

or

Your moving up in weight too fast?

i mean going up in weights too fast

i feel my form is great ... it's just that I screwed up my diet a little bit the weekend before cz of travel and hanging out with friends etc ... so I thought i should play it safe ... just being extra careful ... haha

Then add weight to the bar man.

If you can handle a weight with good form, be handling it. Don't wait around for perfect conditions. Get as strong as possible as fast as possible.

Your supposed to be a little nervous about your next set. Otherwise you are not trying hard enough.