Recent content by GSP

Sounds fine. Only potential drawback is that you're slowing your gains by progressing once per week instead of 3X, but you'll end up in the same place so it's not a huge deal.

Hey folks. Been quite a while since I made it on here to post - coming up on a year. After August 2006, my work travel schedule picked up to a near 100% level. I was able to maintain my strength levels from my starting strength run through about October, but never could get in enough of a...

Looking good bro! Just do everything you can to keep this run going. On a side note, you may be getting to a point where more than 1 warm-up set will be beneficial to you.

So is that 130 a PR? I just glance back on this page and didn't see any higher than that? I haven't kept up well with the journals the last few weeks, are you resetting right now or just at the edge of your run?

8/4 - Update Tough few weeks for working out. Been on the road and working very long hours. Got in 1 workout last week and 1 this week, both light. Good news is that everything feels recovered except for my hip, which only hurts a little bit after squats. I'm going to press on with an...

7/21 - Workout B Squats (3X5) 135 Deadlifts (1X5) 295 PR Comments: I think my form slipped a bit on my last 2 reps, I was pretty sure my back rounded a bit there, though I'm not 100% sure. Grip did surprisingly well today, but my back was feeling very inflexible through the warmups and...

Perfectly normal! The first few workouts are the worst in terms of soreness. After that, as long as you don't miss workouts, soreness is generally not an issue. If you take some time off or go light for a week or two, you will get sore again when you pick back up, but for now, it probably...

Good luck with this run! Is this your 2nd 5X5 cycle?

Thanks, me too (though I don't think I'll be adding another 115 lbs. to my squat anytime soon ;) ) I really don't have very aggressive goals in the scheme of things. Right now, I'm setting a long range goal (1-2 years) of repping out squats at 315 and pulling 4 plates on deads for reps. I...

I picked up a pair of 2.5 lb. ankle weights last year for about 10 bucks that I carry in my gym bag wherever I go (I travel quite a bit at work, so I'm often jumping from gym to gym). They have 1/2 lb. increments, so I can load fractionally as low as 0.5 lbs. per side. Doing this has made a...

7/17 - Workout A Squats 1x5 - 185 1X5 - 205 1X4.8 - 230 PR!? Pendlay Rows (3X5) 155 Comments: Alright, no semantics on the squats. I enlisted the help of a spotter at the gym where I'm travelling this week. Got 4 tough reps, and I'm certain I would have gotten the 5th up, but I was stuck...

Just in case you need a 3rd opinion on this one, 3X per week PR's compounds itself very quickly! Hell, If you started at 95 lbs and increased 5 lbs. per workout, you'll be pushing 2 plates per side up in under 9 weeks!! I'm looking forward to following your progress on this, good luck man.

Nice Job on the PR's!! The slow down at that point is perfectly normal. Everyone has a sticking point somewhere on each lift, this will probably be yours (it's mine too). This is the point where the quads take over fromt the glutes & Hamstrings in the lift. It's a fairly common trouble point...

Definitely a good call. The homemade solutions work fine I'm sure. I use a set of 2.5 lb. ankle weights with 1/2 lb. increments I picked up at Wal-Mart for 10 bucks. They saved my butt on OHP early on, as I would have stalled out on 5 lb. jumps after just a few weeks.

Congrats on the squat and Bench PR's! Have you tried/considered a microloading solution for your rows? At the 135 lb. range you started this run at for rows, a 2.5% increase is less than 3.5 lbs. If you are able to load 2-3 lbs. on there each time, it may very well keep your progression going...