Patrick's Novice Log

[Savs]

I went to workout with @Savs at the local YMCA today. I can confirm he actually exists and is pretty strong. He also covered the cost of me getting in. Thanks dude, I had a good time. Sorry I wasn't more talkative -- I was super tired and anxious about fixing my squat.

It was good to meet you, Patrick! It seems you, like me, enjoy writing more than talking. For the readers here, Patrick and I are both nerds, so the conversation was, umm..., well, pretty much non-existent. hahahaha. From what I could tell, though, Patrick is much more well-adjusted socially than I am.

Around this time Savs managed to piss off a crazy woman there who was "cleaning" 65 pounds for time, crossfit-style, by shrugging it to her knees and using her thighs to kick it up to her shoulders. I think his offense was just asking whether a men's bar was available. She yelled some things at him and spent the rest of her time there laughing at us, hyena-style, between sets of pull-up negatives.

There is something wrong with her. She sometimes spends her time stalking the gym, growling incomprehensive things. I forgot she was off, because I was too worried about you not having a bar while I was playing host for your visit. Whoa, asking her a question was a mistake.

Btw, thanks for the kind words here. I'm not that strong, y'all, and this year hasn't been great for training. Anyway, Patrick, maybe I'll see you from time to time at the other place. I have to go check it out.

[Hanley]

For the readers here, Patrick and I are both nerds, so the conversation was, umm..., well, pretty much non-existent. hahahaha. From what I could tell, though, Patrick is much more well-adjusted socially than I am.

I was promised tales of nude coke snorting.

Disappointed.

[Root]

For the readers here, Patrick and I are both nerds, so the conversation was, umm..., well, pretty much non-existent. hahahaha. From what I could tell, though, Patrick is much more well-adjusted socially than I am.

I was promised tales of nude coke snorting.

Disappointed.

That's one way to jump start a conversation.

[PatrickDB]

Friday, December 1.

Bodyweight: 159.5

Squat 215 3x5, then backoffs to film for technique check: 215x2, 185 3x3
Bench 150 3x3
Chins ~5 minute density block, 20 reps in 8/4/4/4

Same drill as Monday. Spent about and hour and half warming up to squat, squatting, and filming back-off sets. Then realized it was super late, did essentially the minimum possible amount of pressing and pulling, and left.

Towards the end I figured out the best view for checking for weird asymmetries was the rear. Take a look.

[snipped]

If you rotate the image the account for the slight camera tilt (look at the wall to see this), I'm pretty much bang-on, pixel-to-pixel symmetrical in my lower body. (Believe me, I checked). So that's good. However as I mentioned in my Monday entry, something is messed up about how I'm holding the bar. Look at the elbows. Note also that the bar is centered on my back and my pinkies are at the rings, so the problem is somewhere in the shoulders or upper back.

By using this wider-than-usual grip, the lever from my mid-back to my hands was longer, so it was much easier to balance the bar. But it still twisted me up just a bit. Checking the video, there's a very slight shift to the left on the ascent. I think this will clear up once I get the bar positioning right. (It may also be due to squatting without a shim and my left leg being a little weaker, but this will fix itself in time.)

Monday I'll try a thumbs-around grip and see if that does anything. I'm also thinking about stretching the hell out of one of my shoulders, but I'm not quite sure which one to do it on. I guess the left, since it seems to be having trouble coming back? I guess it's also worth mentioning that my left lat feels a lot more strain when doing chins. Because it's weaker, I suppose?

I got a lot of relief from the weird asymmetrical hip feeling I've been having (which I guess is a result of squatting for months with an uneven bar) by stretching the hell out of my left hip flexor, so I'm hoping mobility work also clears up the shoulder thing.

[mgil]

Do you do much throwing with your right arm? It might have more mobility in the joint as a result.

[mgil]

Oh, and it’s awesome that you got to lift with Savs!

[KyleSchuant]

It is possible you are worrying about this too much.

[PatrickDB]

Oh, and it’s awesome that you got to lift with Savs!

He's chill. As I mentioned earlier, the ceilings over the half-racks were too low to press. So he moves the bar to the middle of the gym, loads it with about 155 in iron plates, casually cleans it to his shoulders, presses it 5 times, and very gently sets it back down. Didn't break a sweat.

Do you do much throwing with your right arm? It might have more mobility in the joint as a result.

I am right-handed, but only spent a few years in little league, so that probably isn't it. In any case, I just checked, and if I put my arms out in front of my and externally rotate them (like doing a pec doorway stretch) the right arm has about 30 degrees more range of motion. Any suggestions for stretches to deal with this besides the pec doorway thing?

It is possible you are worrying about this too much.

Well, by worrying about it, I've got it down to manageable levels now. You weren't there Monday when I was warming up and the guy in front of me (who is strong and I trust) was staring at me and gently told me I had a big problem. But nonetheless, point taken. I'm going to fix this shoulder thing and get back to stacking plates, I promise.

[mgil]

I have no real clue as to a battery of shoulder stretches. The doorway stretch is the only one I know. Some light OHP and behind the neck pressing before your LBBS sets might help some.

[PatrickDB]

Saturday, December 2.

Cable Row 3x10, 110 on weight stack
Exercise bike 30 minutes, HR 130-140
Pec/Lat mobility stuff

Didn't get much sleep last night and woke up really sore. Felt gung-ho about doing some cardio at the university gym nonetheless. Also did some cable rows, though the weight room here makes me cringe (130lbs dude doing partial range of motion decline bench with 75lbs, etc.) so I'm going to experiment with mgil's suggestion of doing barbell/DB rows more strictly and see if my lower back likes them better than belly cleans, and see if I can get my rowing done at my usual gym.

Also got some mobility work done on my left shoulder. The lat seemed more of a problem than the pec. I managed to equalize the range of motion in both shoulders, and I'm excited to get back to squatting Monday and see if things are better.

I've gotten tired of stuffing my face and I think I'm going to eat ad lib for a bit, perhaps a week or two, making sure I get enough protein. Going 145->160 put my body fat well over 20%, so this should have the effect of getting a little fluff off and giving me a break from chugging milk. I'll reignite the eating when I come back from Christmas break. (Unfortunately I'm probably going to miss about a week and half worth of workouts while visiting my parents. I may be able to slip into a gym at home though...) I'm not sure this is optimal from a short term strength perspective, but my relationship with food is not so healthy right now and I think long term it's the right play.

[Manveer]

That slight asymmetry is nothing to worry about IMO.

[PatrickDB]

Monday, December 4.

Bodyweight: 159

Squat: 225x1, 220x3x5
Bench 130 4x8
Press 95, 5 minute density block, 16 reps
Chins, 4 minute density block, 21 reps

Today felt really good! Everything moved well. No grinding in sight.

Two possible reasons for this: first, I was able to sleep in today because classes are over for the semester, and consequently I felt more rested. This is probably a sign I need to pay more attention to sleep. Second, I was getting some jitters before my squat work set, so I decided to be like the cool RTS kids and do an "overwarmup" single. This made the work sets feel lighter and more psychologically manageable. I think I will do this with squats in the future, since it mitigates the "oh shit this is heavy" feeling.

Squats feel a lot better. Stretching out my tighter shoulder did allow me to get the bar in an even position. I think I do favor my right leg a bit on the ascent, but I'll chalk this up to the recent removal of the shim and screwing with form and just keep piling weight on.

I have a tendency to take rest periods that are too long and spend too much time at the gym, so I'm experimenting with moving to Hanley-inspired density blocks for my lighter accessory work. Today was just a trial run getting used to using my phone as a timer so I didn't push it too hard. I should add weight on both chins and press next time.

The only bad part about today is that the entire left side of my trunk is extremely sore and somewhat painful. I ditched the shim under my left foot while benching recently too, and I think this soreness is from benching Friday and the novel stabilization demand. It didn't bother me on squats, but it did on the rest of the lifts, and my spotter commented I was bench pressing just a little asymmetrically, presumably because I couldn't probably hold myself in place. This is annoying but should take care of itself in time. I note it here just because I need to vent.

[KyleSchuant]

Sleep's good.

Shit hurts during your novice phase, and later. There's not always a good reason for it, except just your body going, "WTF, you're actually using that part now? Damn you!"

[AaronM]

I got all sorts of random aches and pains while running LP a couple times. Hip flexors got tight and achey, outside of hips hurt like crazy, lower back soreness all the time, right clavicle hurt from OHP, got headaches and neck stiffness from deadlifting. All those are gone, but now my ulnar nerve (numb/tingling fingers) is mad from heavier benching and squatting. Oh well, I'd rather be achey and less weak than achey and weak.

[PatrickDB]

Wednesday, December 6.

Bodyweight: 159.

Deadlift: 245x5 (straps), 225x5 (DOH)
Squat: 185 2x5
2-count Paused Bench (with 4-count descent): 145 3x1
Press: 105 3x2

Good workout. Left abdominals still bothering me a bit, but better today.

Squatting, benching, and pressing was all "light day" stuff. Not much to say other than I like the paused tempo benches and they were unexpectedly challenging. The Hanley DUP template I'm using calls for 5 singles on bench and press each, but I'm going to do doubles because it's more time efficient.

Deadlifts were interesting. I had the belt on weirdly and had trouble getting set up correctly, especially after fiddling with the straps. (It was my first time using them). However, the straps were such a huge help that this didn't matter and all the reps flew up anyway. This tells me my grip is the weak point, which is unsurprising given my tiny hands. The back off set was in some sense harder than the work set because I had to rest for several seconds before the fifth rep to let my grip recover, and even then I barely kept the bar in my hands.

The belt is not doing much so I think I'm going to drop it on DLs. When I lifted beltless at the Y with Savs I felt better, honestly, and my trunk strength is not currently the limiting factor. It's definitely my grip and the ability of my hamstrings to get the bar the first ~6 inches off the ground. (My hamstrings are the only part of me that's sore right now...)

The grip issue is trickier. Straps are inconvenient and require adjusting the set-up steps to accommodate them. I would rather not use them, if possible. I'll probably start pulling all my warm-up sets with hook grip and see if I can transition to that.

[PatrickDB]

Friday, December 8.

Bodyweight: 158.5.

Squat: 235x1, 225x3x5
Bench: 152.5x3x3
Press: 5 minute density block, 17 reps at 105
Barbell rows: 95x5x10
Dumbbell Row: Some fooling around with 45

Good workout.

Left obliques (?) are still really bothering me. I woke up this morning and rolled onto my left side and pressed on my floating rib, or something, and got a little shock of pain. The entire area was tender for about an hour after.

Squatting was pretty good. I still dig starting with a heavier single. Form was breaking down a little, since I haven't handled a truly challenging weight for a while. I'm still probably going too deep and not getting tight enough (the oblique thing didn't help with this), but I'm getting a better bounce out of the bottom than in the videos I've posted here before. I resisted the temptation to whip out my phone and start filming and getting OCD about form. I leave town to visit my parents in about a week, so I'm going to say screw form and just try to cram another 10 pounds on the bar before then. I'm going to skip my weekend cardio plans to facilitate this.

I probably should've taken a larger jump on bench. It felt too light. I realize the point is to accumulate volume with less intensity over the course of the week, but come on, I did this for a 3x5 well over a month ago.

Pressing was ... interesting. I remembered I got 16 reps Monday, so I went for 17 today and had to semi-grind out a few to do it. I thought I might've still been fatigued from earlier in the week, which would be strange. Only now, looking at my Monday entry, I do I realize there was 10 more pounds on the bar today. Oops. This probably also indicates my Wednesday press doubles need to be at least 10 pounds higher. I must have been lowballing my 1RMs by a lot when I computed these numbers.

Finally, I tried barbell rowing again. I just couldn't make it work. I tried varying stance, grip, keeping the bar in the hands the entire time, and basically everything else I could think of. I always felt like I couldn't get my back tight and my hamstrings were doing most of the work.

On my way out the door, still eager to find a way to row with free weights, I tried a three-point dumbbell row with a neutral grip, trying to keep things as strict as possible. This seems to be the ticket, though I didn't do enough to know for sure. The key to making them not awkward was, surprisingly, the neutral grip.

I will write more about my plans for the next week, my enforced break from lifting due to Christmas travel, and the new year in a bit. Stay tuned. Right now I need to eat.

[PatrickDB]

Here are some plans for the future. I'm recording them here mainly so they stop bopping around in my head and I can get to sleep.

In the next week, I'm going to tack a few extra pounds on my squat and call it a day with the LP. Considering my low bodyweight and the fact I'm currently eating at a deficit, this doesn't trouble me at all.

I'll miss about two weeks for Christmas travel. I'm hoping the local college gym will be open so I can get some quick workouts in. If not, it's not the end of the world.

In January, I'm going to start the Barbell Medicine HLM template, with a few tweaks (snatch-grip deadlifts on medium day, hell yeah). I'm really looking forward to the higher volume and lower intensity. Since switching to higher volume and lower intensity for pressing, I don't have any anxiety about the pressing part of the workout, and it's a lot easier to have fun and get myself to the gym. I hope this will be the same way, but with all the lifts.

I'm also looking forward to having a little more variation in my workouts: curls, front squats, deadlift variations, bench variations, ab work, tricep work, rows, all that stuff. It's going to be great.

In terms of diet, I'm going to alternate periods of moderate deficit and surplus. I'm clearly limited in strength by being underweight, but also my body composition is rather poor. The first order of business in January is going to be to gain about 1 lb/wk for a while and get up to the 165-170 zone.

Finally, some thoughts on where my main lifts are in terms of technique.

Press: No problems here.

Bench: Generally sloppy. Inconsistent tightness, leg drive, and touch point (often touching too high).

Deadlift: The only (minor) issues are grip and getting the back extended before pulling. My approach to fixing these was given in Wednesday's entry.

Squat: At the very least, I'm going too deep and losing tightness. Presumably other stuff is wrong too. This is my worst lift.

I will try to get some video of my Bench and Squat posted for technique critique after my lifting break is over and I've gotten back on my feet.

[PatrickDB]

Monday, December 11.

Bodyweight: 159.

Squats: 240x1, 230x5, 205x2x5
Bench: 135x3x8
Press: 100, 5 minute density block, 17 reps
Chins: 21 total

Good workout. I switched to top set + backoffs on the squats because I didn't think I could sustain 230 for sets across (and even in the event I could the fatigue would probably not be worth it). A video of a backoff set is below to prove I still lift. Any comments on form are appreciated. Also because I'm trying to get started with RPE -- any thoughts on what RPE this is? Not more than an 8 and probably less?

Bench was good. The weight is starting to be appropriately heavy. Today I moved my feet closer to my head and got up on my toes, which seemed to help me stay tighter throughout the lift. I will probably keep doing this.

I kept the chins at relatively low volume because they seemed to aggravate my rib/oblique issue last Monday. If I wake up tomorrow without discomfort, I will declare myself cured and go hog-wild with chins Friday.

I'm tried of eating without structure and want to start stuffing my face and gaining weight again. Also not looking forward to taking a break for holiday travel. I can't wait for high volume lifting and high volume eating come January. The past few months I have been fairly conservative with load progression and weight gain because of my previous bad experiences, but I think it's time to ramp things up.

[mgil]

Looked like about an @8 or slightly higher since the last rep got a little loose.

[PatrickDB]

Looked like about an @8 or slightly higher since the last rep got a little loose.

If you put a gun to my head and told me to do three more, I could've done three more.

I'm not quite sure how to rate RPE for squats, because my @10 is going to vary wildly depending on how much form breakdown you're willing to tolerate.