Giraffe Tries to Stronglift!

GiraffePencils · 8 May 2017 at 13:41

GSVBagpuss said:
Those squats were grinders Well done for getting through them and almost getting 40x5x5 at OHP is really good! Deadlifts - your hips are popping up before anything else. I like to think about lifting my toes off the ground and really push through my heels which can help as a cue.

Thanks, I'll try that

GiraffePencils · 8 May 2017 at 13:47

Monday,
So I'm out in Portugal, 23 degrees lets try some lifts!
After a bit of a flail through the sign up, got in a gym... Some pt hogging most of the weights for their client....
Hand to work round others, screwed up my routine order but got stuff done

SQ: 5x5 70kg

BP: 5/5/4/4/3 70kg (this was done at the end as I had to wait on a bench.... I'm blaming the heat and the miss ordering)

ROW: 5x5 57.5kg

DIPs: (no belt, had to hold a dumbell with feet so had to jump to 15) 3x5 BW + 15kg

GiraffePencils · 10 May 2017 at 13:30

So, Wednesday
I'm on holiday, and not feeling super enthusiastic about working out, so thought I'd just go for maintenance and keep the squat weight.

SQ: 5/5/5/5/1 70kg (something didn't feel right in my hip/groin on one side, hurt, just stopped rather than try more)

OHP : 5x5 40kg (woo finally)

Deadlifts : 1x5 90kg (and warm ups but logging on phone here)

Chin ups : 3x5 BW + 3kg

GiraffePencils · 15 May 2017 at 14:52

So.......Monday....
Back from holiday
Back to the usual gym.

Not a happy bunny....

I decided to go with the same weight. Due to what I was feeling in my Hip/Groin, from reading I'm having the pain in my adductor, on the right side, mainly it comes right as I reach the top or just before.

SQ: 5/5/2 @70Kg..... it's having none of this.
In the video I notice my right foot rolling in, so on the next set I try to focus on correcting this. This then leads to pain in BOTH sides......ffs.
I decide to take 10Kg off, try and work through
SQ: 5/3 @60Kg..... still pain tbh, I reckon I could have ground through, but didn't want there to be a problem with my form and I'm just hurting myself. Looking for advice really.

BP: 5x5 70Kg

ROW: 5x5 60Kg

Dips: 3x5 BW+20Kg (bloody equipment issues making me jump up the dip weights)

Video:

You'll be able to notice the right foot rolling inward a bit, the shakey push, and the idiot mid shot who can't get his squats to progress

So this lunchtime I tried some air squatting and light goblet squats.
Could feel the complaint in the thigh.
I did some band work, seated band abductions, and I felt it right in the sore bit.
Don't know what this means.....

Banzai_Joe · 15 May 2017 at 15:25

GP, on your vid for squats in post #17 it looked to me like you were 'snapping' the top half of the rep but not getting full extension of your hips. If so, your glutes won't come into play at the end of the rep. Personally i think its important that it does to stop the low back taking the brunt. All the earlier advice about engaging the glutes are what i suffered with and after a lay off i suffer again from. So i'm concentrating on activating the glutes at the top end of the rep. It also helps bring your hips square again and setup up the next rep in case your posture starts to wander off a little.
I will add that to me this is remedial work to build up to a proper squat when you go heavy.
Hope that makes sense and doesn't fly in the face of what some of the other guys say. We're all different, but most of my low back issues and bad form are caused by weak glutes (as well as APT

).

GiraffePencils · 17 May 2017 at 14:00

So, From the Gym rats thread I was also told my glutes are a big problem.
Sad times.

So dropping the weight, trying to focus on my form, And just try till I get it right.

SQ: 5x5 28.8Kg (weird, but it's the closest I could get to 30 in the shoddy work nonsense gym, and I had to ghetto that together)

OHP: 5x5 40Kg This was dumbbells, there is not enough weight for a bar

DL: 2x5 80Kg dumbbells again, RDL, TBH grip was the issue here.....

Chin Up: 3x5 BW + 4.8kg

Yeah, so vids,
Sorry this angle is freaking useless
First set is pretty **** tbh
next set's a bit better, but a bit fast
last I liked, but toooooo deep..... I need more work

GiraffePencils · 19 May 2017 at 14:19

More form trying to fixage!

SQ:5x5 32.5Kg

BP: 5/5/5/4/5 72.5Kg (that rep just didn't want to go up, maybe I cut the rest short or something)

ROW: 5x5 62.5Kg

Dips: 3x5 22.5Kg

Vids, this damn squat!
Sometimes, I feel I'm getting worse haha

Watching it myself, looks like I'm leaning forwards..... Dunno if I should be pushing my bum back more?

Goblets, no shoes, trying to not go deep etc

GSVBagpuss · 20 May 2017 at 08:06

I still have nothing but respect for your willingness to post videos, get feedback and learn. My meagre cue advice would be to look a little higher and I think knees out rather than bum back which might keep you more vertical. But these are an awful lot better than many squats you'll see!

Also, 62.5x5x5 row is great!

GiraffePencils · 22 May 2017 at 09:56

GSVBagpuss said:
I still have nothing but respect for your willingness to post videos, get feedback and learn. My meagre cue advice would be to look a little higher and I think knees out rather than bum back which might keep you more vertical. But these are an awful lot better than many squats you'll see!

Also, 62.5x5x5 row is great!

Thanks

I just have a terrible habit of injuring myself

Trying to make sure I've got a solid base before I get to the higher weights.

So for today, my partner's shift pattern's shafted my gym going :/
So I'm going to do some goblet stuff, band round legs, get my knees to stay out.
Then ghetto squatting tomorrow......wed rest, and I hopefully should have enough time to do my wednesday on thursday!
Might not get it all done, but I'll get squats and DL done, might have to OHP at lunch at work

mrthingyx · 22 May 2017 at 12:29

Nice work.

One thing I found that really helps squatting is to do it VERY slowly, as you will get the chance to pop everything into the right place and then explode to go back up.

It is also awesome for gains and will hurt like anything the day after. :cool:

GiraffePencils · 23 May 2017 at 14:17

So, Work Gym and Ghetto squats.
Time stopped my full session :/
Also no real equipment to do rows right.

SQ: 5x5 42Kg

BP: 5/5/3 @35Kg Dumbells 5/5 @30Kg Dumbells

ROW: Skipped

Dips: 3x5 BW + 25Kg

Vids, at the end of the first set, I remembered mrthingyx's post haha
Looks like I'm going deeep, I swear it didn't look/feel like that, I blame camera angle.
Ignore others at my work gym.....

GiraffePencils · 25 May 2017 at 15:06

Back to the real gym

Still couldn't get the full session done, but I did the Squats and Deadlifts
then did OHP and Weighted pull ups at lunch at the work gym.
I'm adding warmups to the log, just because it is weight I lifted

SQ:
2x5 20Kg
1x5 40Kg
1x3 50Kg
5x5 60Kg

OHP:
2x5 20Kg
1x3 30Kg
5x5 42Kg

DL:
1x5 60Kg
1x5 80Kg
2x5 95Kg (time stopped a third set, also was questioning my form)

Chin-ups:
3x5 BW + 7.5Kg

Press ups:
10x10 Bw (added because I had time to do it at the work gym)

Vids:
As always, feedback welcome:

GiraffePencils · 27 May 2017 at 21:25

Saturday gymming!!
wow it was dead
wow some of the ladies who do crossfit at my gym
they don't come on the morning shift

Anyhoo

SQ:
2x5 @20Kg
1x5 @40Kg
1x3 @57.5Kg
5x5 @65Kg

BP:Skipped (time)

ROW: hhhhmmm.....looking at this log, bit ****** off, the app had me doing 55Kg.... sucks, should have been more :/
1x5 40Kg
5x5 55Kg

Dips: 3x5 BW + 25Kg

GiraffePencils · 29 May 2017 at 11:01

Monday

SQ:
2x5 @20Kg
1x5 @40Kg
1x3 @55Kg
5x5 @70Kg

OHP:
2x5 @20Kg
1x3 @30Kg
5/5/3/5/4 @45Kg (damn this failing the OHP, think I'll need to add accessory work)

DL:
1x5 @60Kg
1x5 @80Kg
1x5 @90Kg
1x5 @100Kg (I should have done more sets, but time ran out

)

Chin up:
3x5 BW + 9Kg (did them at lunch)

GiraffePencils · 31 May 2017 at 13:45

So, today was a failure :/

Partner's shifts again, couldn't go to the proper gym.

So I had to make do with work gym, and a 42Kg max.
So I thought I'd go for sets of 10......bad Idea.

SQ:
2x5 @ 15Kg
1x5 @ 42Kg
5x10 @42Kg

BP(Dumbell bench

):
2x5 @ 10Kg
1x5 @ 25Kg
1x4 @ 35Kg (pfft....failed it)
4x5 @ 30Kg

Then I ran out of time......what a day.....

GiraffePencils · 2 Jun 2017 at 10:25

Ha I thought Wed was a failure.
Some days I could just scream at myself.
.......
So woke up, felt like ****
BEST START
then proceeded to fail almost everything
GREAT
watching my own vids makes me feel like I've not paid any attention to advice, and I'm just flailing about...
....
.....
</RANT>

SQ:
2x5 @20Kg
1x5 @40Kg
1x3 @60Kg (all done with band around knees)
5/2 @72.5 (had to bail out of the second set, went down, no up :/ )
2 @62.5Kg Nope....still nope...
2x5 @ 52.5Kg .......dammit

OHP:
2x5 @ 20Kg
1x3 @ 30Kg
5x5 @ 45Kg
woooo, one success

DL:
1x5 @60Kg
1x5 @80Kg
1x5 @92.5Kg
1x2 @102.5Kg .......Grip was failing me, took a couple seconds to let hands recover, never got another lift.....

Chin-Ups:
3x5 @BW + 10Kg

GSVBagpuss · 3 Jun 2017 at 07:39

bro - forget the issues, OHP 45x5x5 is awesome!

Kris_90 · 4 Jun 2017 at 08:35

Haven't you ever gone to the gym and a weight you've found heavy feels light? It works the other way too

As above 45kg 5x5 OHP is awesome

GiraffePencils · 4 Jun 2017 at 09:00

Thanks

I am pretty happy with the OHP, especially as it was the first I started failing on.

Unfortunately next week my partner's shifts mean I'm back no shoddy work gym Monday/Wednesday
So most I've got is 42 on a bar, I feel my bracing is still a weak point. Going to go for slow reps and try and get the ques ordered and focused better

GiraffePencils · 5 Jun 2017 at 15:33

So, I got my partners shifts wrong, so I could gym today, it's Wed/Friday I can't.
These higher weights are meaning I'm needing more rest, and therefore running out of time :/
So I Did my Squats and my Rows in the gym gym, then BP and Dips in Work gym.

SQ:
2x5 @20Kg
1x5 @40Kg
1x3 @60Kg
5x5 @72.5Kg
Get in, got it this time.
bit of work still needed, some shakey grind reps.
But I reviewed each set, and feel I got better as I went on.
One thing that was pointed out to me, might have a bit of a hip shift, I end further over to the right on a lot of reps.
Might explain why my left Adductor gets pain?

BP (Dumbbells as it's work gym

)
2x5 @ 10Kg
1x5 @ 20Kg
1x3 @ 25Kg
5/4/5/4/3 @ 35Kg (Damn Dumbbells are a lot harder than bar!!)

ROW:
1x5 @50Kg
5x5 @65Kg

DIPS:
3x5 BW + 27.5Kg

Been looking at the JTS vid on hip shift, to see if it can help me