my Rippetoe gym journal..

[BiggT]

Nice journal, and good job being honest with yourself on the bench, being able to look at yourself in an unbiased way is the only way to make progress.

 

[carlsuen]

thx for the encouragement guys.. after i finished my work out, this 2 huge PT's came over to deadlift 120kg.. romanian style.. i've never actually seen anybody do romanian b4.. is romanian better? cuz u don't deload onto the floor.. so there's no rest.. and does it work ur hamstrings even more? which is better? and i'm starting to feel a slight but not major strain/pain.. when i'm bending down, and i straighten back up.. i'll feel a tad bit uncomfortable.. and i'm wondering if there's anything to do with my form..

 

[asdfzxcv]

Romanian deads are more orientated towards working the hamstrings then normal deads.You should stick with the conventional style deadlifts as they work more of the muscalature of the body in general,this link is a good example of the form
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/GluteusMaximus/BBDeadlift.html

 

[carlsuen]

so at ur current lifts right now, are u able to do it that strictly? cuz i sure as hell can't.. my chest are always the last thing to go up.. damn.. looks like i have to fix it b4 it's too late..

 

[asdfzxcv]

so at ur current lifts right now, are u able to do it that strictly? cuz i sure as hell can't.. my chest are always the last thing to go up.. damn.. looks like i have to fix it b4 it's too late..

You want to keep it as strict as possible,the deadlift is not a lift to be done incorrectly,it can mess you up badly if you disrespect it.I do them exactly like that picture,it feels weird at first but you get used to them.Keep the bar close to your body when you pull,dont be afraid to scrape you shins with the bar as it passes.The further the bar is from your body the worse the position you are in from a leverage point of view.

From the sounds of it you are lifting your rear end up first then pull up the bar,which is not a good habit to get into.I suggest you decrease the weight till you get comfortable with the motion,as it is better to correct form problems early so you develop the correct muscles used in the lift.

If you have further questions just ask.

 

[carlsuen]

thx alot.. i really don't want to screw my self up too..

 

[asdfzxcv]

How is your squat form?just asking as your bench/dead form needs work your squat may also need attention.Better to fix up all the lifts at once and work with proper form.

Here are a few examples of good form
http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=123
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFullSquat.html
Although you might not be able to go this low,go as far down as possible.

Not trying to make you out to be an idiot,just making sure everything is in order .

 

[carlsuen]

nope.. i'm pretty confident that my squat form is good.. thx anyway..

 

[carlsuen]

here's how it went..

squats (hard)
2x5xbar
1x5x70kg
1x3x80
1x2x90
1x5x100
1x3x100(failed on 4th)
1x5x100
1x3x100(failed on 4th again.. damn!)

push presses
2x5xbar
1x5x30kg
1x5x40
3x5x52.5

chinups(supported)
3x8xbw

weighted hypers
1x8x5kg
1x8x10
1x8x15

wow.. squats were hard as hell man.. failed on 2 sets.. guess i'm not determined enough.. i'll have to BS it on thurday i guess.. push presses felt pretty good.. it's really hitting the lats and shoulders.. nice..

took some measurements..

arms both 15'
quads both 20'
chest 41'
shoulders 25'
waist 33'
belly 37'
calf both about 15-16'

some improvements from a month ago.. maybe and inch increase from everything.. thx guys..

asdfzxcv, i was wondering whether i should put my bent rows over here today.. cuz my other work out day seemed pretty heavy.. what do think?

 

[asdfzxcv]

For bent-over rows it is probably best to use them as asubstitute for the power cleans in the original template,which would mean you alternate between them every workout ''A''.With the squats maybe you should slow down the rate at which you are increasing them.Mark Rippetoe told me via email that it is rare for anyone to increase their squats by 5kg a workout for more then a month,after which your gains will begin to slow down.When gains begin to stagnate on this program you will then be able to transition over to the single factor 5x5.

Good luck,ask if you have any queries.