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Thread: Starting Strength

  1. #1
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    Starting Strength

    I’m on week 5 of the Starting Strength Novice program and am hitting a wall. Last Wednesday on my last rep of squats I let my shoulders relax as I came up and the bar started to slide down my back. I was squatting 230 for three sets of five for those unfamiliar with the program. I basically put most of the weight on my shoulders and arms as I rushed to rack it before it fell ( late at night and didn’t want to risk waking anyone by dropping it) my Bench right after suffered as well. The deadlift wasn’t bad.

    This caused pain in my shoulders, triceps, and elbows. Due to having a drill weekend I didn’t lift Friday and when I lifted Monday I had to increase my squat by only 2 pounds instead of five and it was a serious struggle. The first working set I did three reps of 235 and then had to drop down to 232.

    Tonight I went to 235 and my shoulders are hurting pretty bad, elbows and triceps are aching but not as bad. Working on overhead press of 110 now and it’s a serious grind. Supposed to deadlift 250 next. I am running on fumes though. I know I’m not eating and sleeping enough but school and SGM academy and family obligations prevent from correcting that.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  2. #2
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    You also sound like you took a strain/sprain to the shoulders. Take a couple days rest with Tylenol and Motrin for pain, ice where it’s sore and just give the muscles time to rest some. If it still hurts after a couple days, you might have some ligament damage. A chiropractor would be your best friend.


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    Are you sure you did everything correctly in technique? Injuries are caused by heavy weight combined with improper technique. Take less weight, but do it right. Better yet, find a coach who will monitor your progress, select training complexes for the result.

  4. #4
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    So by the time I finished my deadlifts the shoulders stopped hurting and this morning there is just a little ache in my left shoulder. I think my form is pretty good, I normally record my working sets so I can’t check my form, I didn’t do so last night though.

    I think a big part is hand placement, I’ve been having my hands pretty far out on the bar but I think that’s what led to the injury, by not having the muscles bunched up enough under the bar. So last night I tried getting my hands in closer and that helped with keeping the bar still but was putting tension on the joints.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by rero360 View Post
    So by the time I finished my deadlifts the shoulders stopped hurting and this morning there is just a little ache in my left shoulder. I think my form is pretty good, I normally record my working sets so I can’t check my form, I didn’t do so last night though.

    I think a big part is hand placement, I’ve been having my hands pretty far out on the bar but I think that’s what led to the injury, by not having the muscles bunched up enough under the bar. So last night I tried getting my hands in closer and that helped with keeping the bar still but was putting tension on the joints.
    Find a good trainer to supervise your mechanics. You can be at least 20 times in great shape, but if you do the exercises incorrectly, you will only harm yourself. Verified by personal experience.

  6. #6
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    "I think a big part is hand placement, I’ve been having my hands pretty far out on the bar but I think that’s what led to the injury, by not having the muscles bunched up enough under the bar"
    The grip on the squat was actually just discussed in the last Starting Strength podcast.

    "I know I’m not eating and sleeping enough"
    Too many other variables that effect progress are not listed here to truly say why you are hitting a wall. I'm not a Starting Strength coach, but am very familiar with the program. This might be a good place to start with trying to figure this out, but you really shouldn't be stalling already at only 5 weeks into the NLP.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by clb View Post
    "I think a big part is hand placement, I’ve been having my hands pretty far out on the bar but I think that’s what led to the injury, by not having the muscles bunched up enough under the bar"
    The grip on the squat was actually just discussed in the last Starting Strength podcast.

    "I know I’m not eating and sleeping enough"
    Too many other variables that effect progress are not listed here to truly say why you are hitting a wall. I'm not a Starting Strength coach, but am very familiar with the program. This might be a good place to start with trying to figure this out, but you really shouldn't be stalling already at only 5 weeks into the NLP.
    Was that Radio episode #79, posted just a day ago?

    So I'm 37, 5'10", 188 pounds (roughly), 20 years combat arms. I never really lifted weights my entire life until I met my wife 6 years ago and we got memberships to the local Golds. We did that 5 days a week for about two years and then after we moved, getting to the gym was a bit more difficult and our frequency dropped from 5 days a week to 3 to 4. Then I deployed and during the deployment I for a while I was hitting the gym twice a day 6 days a week, really overdoing it. I came home from the deployment and my little boy was born and I started back to school, all within two weeks, so I stopped working out. Last spring we canceled our gym memberships as we weren't using them and instead bought a home gym. I used it on and off until when Covid hit, it was then I really started working out again in earnest.

    What I was doing was hitting each major muscle group each night, lifting for 4 nights, and occasionally doing some cardio, no real plan or goal, just lift whatever felt heavy without sacrificing form. Two weeks before I started the Starting Strength program I went for one rep max's, 235 on both bench and high bar squat, and 330 on trap bar deadlift. I spent the next week at low weights practicing the low bar squat and the traditional deadlift in preparation for the program (got up to 265 before my grip failed). I'm doing the variation of the program where A Mondays are Squat, Bench, Chin-up, Wednesday is Squat, Overhead Press, and Deadlift, and Friday is Squat, Bench, and Pull-up. B week just has the press and bench swapping.

    My initial working sets were 180 for Squat and Bench, 85 for the Press, and 210 for Deadlift. I initially could do a set of 10, and two sets of 7 for chin-up and 10,9,7 for the pull-up.

    I workout at night a few hours after dinner, I clean up and get the wife and boy ready for bed, once they are in bed is when I'll change and start my workout. The only supplements I take are the L-Tyrosine and Creatine in Will's bomb-proof coffee, Mens one a day, and 48 grams of protein after each workout.

    So I was able to squat 2 reps at 240 tonight, dropped down to 237, and dropped the bar on the bottom of the first rep. I think I need to take some time and let things heal and then either go back to high bar or just spend more time at the lower weight really locking the low bar position in. My bench is suffering too, just did my last warmup set at 190 and almost dropped the bar on my chest. I’m going to rest for a few minutes and try for 215 but I’m not too confident about it right now. I’m really bummed that, I was making some real progress and then this happened. I was hoping to make the 1,000 pound mark, combined one rep max of squat, bench, and deadlift by the end of the year.
    Last edited by rero360; 10-24-20 at 00:47.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by rero360 View Post
    I’m on week 5 of the Starting Strength Novice program and am hitting a wall. Last Wednesday on my last rep of squats I let my shoulders relax as I came up and the bar started to slide down my back. I was squatting 230 for three sets of five for those unfamiliar with the program. I basically put most of the weight on my shoulders and arms as I rushed to rack it before it fell ( late at night and didn’t want to risk waking anyone by dropping it) my Bench right after suffered as well. The deadlift wasn’t bad.

    This caused pain in my shoulders, triceps, and elbows. Due to having a drill weekend I didn’t lift Friday and when I lifted Monday I had to increase my squat by only 2 pounds instead of five and it was a serious struggle. The first working set I did three reps of 235 and then had to drop down to 232.

    Tonight I went to 235 and my shoulders are hurting pretty bad, elbows and triceps are aching but not as bad. Working on overhead press of 110 now and it’s a serious grind. Supposed to deadlift 250 next. I am running on fumes though. I know I’m not eating and sleeping enough but school and SGM academy and family obligations prevent from correcting that.
    What does the program advise if/when one does not make progress? Rippetoe tends to lay things out in easy to understand and follow programming.
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  9. #9
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    I don’t know the episode #, but yes, the one that just dropped this past Thursday or Friday.

    Again, please keep in mind, I am not an exercise physiologist, Dr, or Starting Strength coach, just a 47 year old former power lifter with experience with this programming. I am 5’11’’, 265lbs and have been involved in strength training, using similar programs, since I was in high school. I have been training inconsistently over the last 15 years, with occasional years between training. COVID got me training again, as I have all the equipment I need at home. I am not using the exact program at the moment, but am training Squat, press, and chins every other day. Been doing this for about the last 2 months. I am about to reduce volume as I am starting to slow a little in recovery. I am doing 3 sets of 5 on the 2 lifts, and as many sets as I need to to finish 15 reps on the chins. Last session was 405 squat for 3x5, 225 press for 3x5, and chins 5,4,4,2. I have used Starting Strength programs to train both of my kids. Daughter doesn’t train anymore, but when she was playing field,hockey in high school, I got her to a deadlift of 250, at a body weight of about 105. My son is 5’10, 245lbs, 16 yo. Squats 425, deadlifts 460, presses 225, and still has a lot of room to go.

    I have no idea what you did to your shoulder, but sounds like it would be worth getting it checked out. My bet is your grip is a problem. You may need to make it a point to try to lift your elbows to the rear some to help create the shelf for the bar, but make sure you don’t lift so much that it pushes your posture forward. Crazy as it sounds, the type of shirt you wear may contribute to this as well. Synthetic materials become slick under the bar, especially when sweating. Cotton shirts actually help grip the bar.

    The other factor you did not mention is how physical your day job is, or how much you do exercise wise outside of the weight room.

  10. #10
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    Couple other thoughts on your squat “grip”:

    Does your bar have knurling in the center or is it smooth, where it rests on your back/shoulders? Not a huge deal, but knurling helps.
    Do you use chalk? Can you have someone rub chalk across your back shoulders where the bar rests?

    Those would help, but ideally you need to focus on the supporting grip. Try to lift the elbows to the rear and set your grip wide/narrow enough that your forearms are vertical under the bar. Also, try to keep the bar in a vertical movement path, directly above the arches of your feet. If you are losing the bar at the bottom of the movement, you MIGHT be trying to keep your back too stright/vertical.

    All just thoughts that might help. Nothing replaces good, in person and coaching.

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