Ark94's Workout Log

[ExtraMile]

just keep squatting some of these problems you will just self teach yourself to get rid of, everyone will squat slightly differantly and it will take u some time to find your best positioning and stuff, investigate with stance and angle of your feet.

I read a good way to test where you should place when you squat is to do a vertical jump as high as you can and you should squat with your feet in the stance and positioning of how you land from the jump. Does that make sense?

 

[JDid23]

go for 95 lbs next workout! kill it

 

[ark94]

This is just for me to keep track. NO real questions to ask right now, had a busy weekend with stuff and week so i really couldn't post much on here. Just want to keep track of weights.

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 - Workout A

Squat - 95lb

Bench - 135lb

Deadlift - 145lb


Friday, February 19th, 2010 - Workout B

Squat - 95lb

Military Press - 75lb

Bent Row - 100lb


Tomorrow is workout A or the 3x5. Plan on getting 140lb Bench, 150 or 155lb Deadlift, and 100lb Squat.

 

[JDid23]

This is just for me to keep track. NO real questions to ask right now, had a busy weekend with stuff and week so i really couldn't post much on here. Just want to keep track of weights.

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 - Workout A

Squat - 95lb

Bench - 135lb

Deadlift - 145lb


Friday, February 19th, 2010 - Workout B

Squat - 95lb

Military Press - 75lb

Bent Row - 100lb


Tomorrow is workout A or the 3x5. Plan on getting 140lb Bench, 150 or 155lb Deadlift, and 100lb Squat.

Great Work bro!!! your bench is almost higher than mine

keep it up

 

[ark94]

Great Work bro!!! your bench is almost higher than mine

keep it up

Thanks man, i like my bench going up, i just want my squat going up though. Fuck it is so low =(

But good news, im starting my bulk soon!!! Probably end of this week, and i can\t wait. Right now im just sort of working my appetite up to it. So im starting what im suppose to be eating, but in less amount. Like instead of having 4 eggs in the morning, im starting with 2 each day, then 3 then 4 =D

 

[ark94]

So it was a great workout today, still working on my squat like normal, everything else seems to be fine, i have a feeling my deadlift form is off a little bit, but i will have to get a video up sometime soon. I am trying to aim for Friday to get a video up of my Squat and Dead lift.

Monday, February 22nd, 2010 - Workout A Rippetoe's 3x5

Squat - 100lb Have a little story about this

Bench - 140lb

Deadlift - 155lb

So my Squat i thought the form was pretty good, my knees are going a bit past my toes, and my back i would hope seems to be fine, it all depends on the video now. Basically the "trainer| that works at the Y i go to was a pain in the ass. He is this guy, probably in his late 20's and you would not even GUESS that he was a trainer, let alone lifts weights,definetely looks like an accountant type guy whatnot.
So i am squatting, and going below parallel (guy has never heard of olympic style squats) so he comes over and tells me to keep my knees parallel to my toes. Like my toes pointing FORWARD, and everything parallel and to sit back as far as i would in a chair then come back up. I tell him im doing this style of squats etc, and he rambles on about how its not safe and i can hurt my knees, and i shouldn't be squatting in my socks because its bad for my feet. Wasted like 10minutes of my time, and he was a complete idiot, atleast thats what i think.

So basically thats my schpele for today, don't have much to say about my lifts.

 

[ExtraMile]

Next time just cut his sentance short and say " sorry sir but I didn't ask for your advice and I'm pushed for time so I don't really have time to talk about lifting"

don't let assholes ruin your workout bro

 

[JDid23]

So it was a great workout today, still working on my squat like normal, everything else seems to be fine, i have a feeling my deadlift form is off a little bit, but i will have to get a video up sometime soon. I am trying to aim for Friday to get a video up of my Squat and Dead lift.

Monday, February 22nd, 2010 - Workout A Rippetoe's 3x5

Squat - 100lb Have a little story about this

Bench - 140lb

Deadlift - 155lb

So my Squat i thought the form was pretty good, my knees are going a bit past my toes, and my back i would hope seems to be fine, it all depends on the video now. Basically the "trainer| that works at the Y i go to was a pain in the ass. He is this guy, probably in his late 20's and you would not even GUESS that he was a trainer, let alone lifts weights,definetely looks like an accountant type guy whatnot.
So i am squatting, and going below parallel (guy has never heard of olympic style squats) so he comes over and tells me to keep my knees parallel to my toes. Like my toes pointing FORWARD, and everything parallel and to sit back as far as i would in a chair then come back up. I tell him im doing this style of squats etc, and he rambles on about how its not safe and i can hurt my knees, and i shouldn't be squatting in my socks because its bad for my feet. Wasted like 10minutes of my time, and he was a complete idiot, atleast thats what i think.

So basically thats my schpele for today, don't have much to say about my lifts.

I have had a few encounters with trainers @ my local YMCA too dude. When i started lifting, the trainer told me that i couldn't squat below parallel because i would hurt my knees. Then, once i started squatting his way it was so easy and i could use a lot of weight for me (185x5 easy in my first month)- i fucked my quad this way. Then, when it felt better and i started squatting again he approached me and he got an earful because he told me in a very nasty way that he already taught me how to do the squats. I said something like "Look Dave, I appreciate you trying to help me, but the last time I squat only to parallel i hurt my quad and it put me out of soccer training for 3 weeks. Squatting deep is better for your knees becuase it activates your glutes and hips and also puts your knees in a better range of motion. Do you even squat? How did you first learn about this myth? Every big time lifter i talk to squats deep and they see better results because of it. My friend Jake who trains with you says he never does squats and deadlifts and he wants to build muscle. I am just wondering why you left these two lifts out of his routine when they are two of the most effective at building muscle. He said something like "well, Jake and I have goals that he wants to meet, and it doesn't pertain to you. I am telling you KID (very degrading), don't squat deep or you will regret it". I said, "The next time you offer to help me, please keep in mind that you already contributed to getting me injured once".

Guys a complete douche. Just because he ran a marathon he thinks he knows how to lift. He has my friend doing cable rows as the stable of his back workout and smith bench as his chest workout.. Hell, he even added smith machine squats to my friends workout after that lol

Sorry that was my rant haha

Keep doing what you're doing man.. and get the vids if you can. Your progress has been great so far. Once you know your form is good i think you should make some goals for yourself! He was correct about sitting back as far as you can, just make sure you go deeper.

As far as squatting in socks go, i was planning on trying that. If anything, it should strengthen your foot for having to help support a heavy weight? Maybe someone else can chime in on this.

 

[ark94]

Again another GREATTTTT workout on Wednesday, will tell you why in the post.

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 - Workout B Rippetoe's 3x5

Squat - 105 lb

Military Presses - 75lb (started 2 sets of 80lb, but ended with last set of 75lb)

Bent Row - 105lb

Alright, so my workout went just great. I know Monday, i had the incident with the trainer at the gym.

Wednesday, probably best workout of my life =D only because there was a guy there, maybe late 20's to early 30's and he knows who the fuck rippetoe is =D ONLY person in the gym other than my that knows who rippetoe is. So him and I got on some long conversations, on and off in between sets. Was a really nice guy, he has been lifting on Rippetoe's 3x5 at first, then 5x5, not sure what he is doing now, i think the 5x5 but for 4years seriously he said. So, he helped me a SHIT load with my squats, and my military press. That is why on military i had to lower the weight.

Squats, he watched me squat and helped me and gave me a few pointers. He told me that not everyone can go too far down because they round if they go too far, so you have to find your spot but still go past parallel and go as close to then ground as possible, but not to far if you do not want your back to round. Second, he mentioned the way i set the bar on my back isn't the best because my traps are squished somewhat, and my shoulders aren't tensed up. When i did that i thought my squats went a shit load better.

Military Presses, when he noticed what i was doing, it became a lot harder. I wasn't resting the bar on my shoulders and keeping my elbows PROPERLY out. i was putting my elbows out, but my chest wasn't up nor was my shoulders and elbows. Then he told me to make sure the elbows go a bit behind the bar, or close to parallel forget what it was, and to lift and not go SOOO far back because he said it was throwing me off balance (which it was).

Bent Rows he said was fine, so im not really worried about it.

So i got a lot of good pointers, and my lifts on squat should improve =D

 

[ark94]

Friday, February 26th, 2010 - Workout A Rippetoe's 3x5

Squat - 110 lb.

Bench - 115 lb.

Deadlift - 160 lb.

Alright, soooo long post i think. a fucking awesome workout, may wonder why as my bench has dropped so much.

Basically here is how it goes. Same guy that was there on Wednesday, there today also. Just a great guy, helped me SIGNIFICANTLY with ALL my lifts. I will start off with my squats, then Bench Press.

So Squats, they have improved a lot, and i can't definately do a lot more but now i have to work on my proper form. So i was hold the bar WAYYYYY to low, so now its right up on my traps or so, and it feels like nothing. My first 2 sets were weird, because i was NOT tight at all at the bottom of the squat. So it was quite a big problem with my breath, but also i was trying to stay straight but apparently i can have a little of a lean in my squat, but the bar has to stay CENTER of gravity to make the squat really work, which i did not know much about. And that has been my problem, its not center of gravity, so it makes it hard to get up out of the problem which he mentioned. basically when i properly put the bar on my traps, tighented up, held my breath properly, my form was significantly better and the weight was ACTUALLY somewhat heavy, not a shit load but somewhat still hard though. So i have been learning a lot, he has helped me quite a bit with my squat form, basically because he was working in so he just watched me.

Bench Press, yeah it went down a shit load. I tried 145, and i struggled, but i had him spot me. And helped me AGAIN with my shitty form. It wasn't all that bad, its just i was setting up wrong, and my chest was collapsing when i came down, and i was coming down WAYYY to fast and not exploding up. So, he showed, and taught me a lot of stuff that will help me with my bench. Basically to set up, i have to lay down flat, put my feet flat and somewhat closer to me, then put off the bar, KEEPING my feet flat, and my butt on the bench which will help the arch on my back. Then he showed me that i need to pinch my shoulders together, so that im just arched on my back, and my butt and shoulders are the only thing touching my bench so that i don't collapse. Also i needed to breath better because i was collapsing when i got down, so my breathing is better now. On top of that, i was dropping the bar like extremely fast, so i have been lowering it SLOW then exploding up, or trying to.

Next, on my bench, i WILL start doing this to help me with my form. I go down niceeee and slowly, then pause a second just above my chest, or whatever just pause for ONE SECOND then explode up. That would help me with my strength extremely, and my form so when i go back to touch and go it will be perfect.

Same as the above, he said if i wanted to, don't have to but if i want to that i could pause a second in the bottom of my squat, then come back up. Not sure, i may try a set with a pause, just to help strengthen my form and see if i want to continue with pausing in my squat on monday. but FOR SURE i will be pausing in my bench, it helps a lot.

Deadlift, nothing much to say, i really would like him to check it out except he was done his workout when i go to deadlifting, don't mind much but my form seems good i think.