Today’s workout was another “first workout”. The exercises were squat, press, and deadlift.

While Monday’s workout didn’t have me leaving the gym feeling exhausted, I did feel worked. And no question, I worked something given the muscle soreness I had. 😉  Worst? my thigh adductors. The form Rippetoe describes for the squat brings those into play, which is good. But walking to the gym helped to warm things up and the first set of squats helped further warm and stretch things out. Felt fine after that.

It felt kinda funny today to spend it all at the squat rack, but that’s how it goes. 🙂

Went like this:

Squat

• 2x5x45 (bar-only warmup, every exercise starts this way)
• 1x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x3x65 (warmup)
• 1x2x95 (warmup, calculations should have been 90, but “plate math” was easier to just go 95)
• 3x5x115 (work)

This was my second time squatting, so now I can actually follow the routine. The pattern will basically be like this, where I figure out what the work weight will be (right now, I’m going up 10# each workout, so Friday I’ll be doing 125# for my 3×5 work sets), and then the warmups are basically: 2×5 bar only, 1×5 40% of work weight, 1×3 60% work weight, 1×2 80% work weight. Those warm ups are good. Using the bar only helped me to get stretched and limber (esp. given my soreness) and also to just remember to work on form. I did recall the last warmup set thinking “ok, this is a little heavy”, and that’s what it should be: that it’s easy to do, but it mentally prepares you for the heavy that’s about to come. And sure enough, I put the 115 on my back and my brain went “whoa! cool!”. 🙂

I’m still getting used to the low-bar position, but I did much better with it today. The flexibility will come, just have to keep remembering to pull my elbow back to make the padding/pocket for the bar to rest on.

I felt worked, but not exhausted. The work sets weren’t killer, so I know I’ve still got big progression in me for a bit longer.

Rest? I didn’t rest much during the warmups… just enough to figure out the plates I needed and put them on. I don’t recall how much I did rest between the work sets, but probably 2-3-ish minutes. I just recall making sure I felt fresh and like I could do it.

Press

• 1x5x45
• 1x5x55
• 4x5x65

This was my first press, so I started with the empty bar and went up 10# each set. When I hit 65# I thought that was good enough to start with. I did feel like I could have done more, but I realized as I was going along that I was forgetting some key things about my form, like moving back under the bar as soon as it clears your head. Just a lot of points to remember and I didn’t remember them all, tho that one was probably more key than any others. Basically by the 4th set I’d remember it on my 2nd rep and finish out the last 3 reps properly. That also got the squeeze at the top, like you never stop pressing. I opted to do a 4th set just to help reinforce the movement and form.

The weight is conservative, but that’s fine. I need to get form right. Weight will come.

Deadlift

• 1x5x95
• 1x5x105
• 1x5x115
• 1x5x125
• 1x5x135

This was my first deadlift, so again it was just a basic 10# progression. I started at 95# tho because of the nature of the deadlift: needing to have the bar somewhat off the floor. The gym has 25# and 45# plates, so I figured to just start at 95# and that’d get me going. I probably should have put some risers underneath the plates to bring them to 45-plate height, but meh… I’m not sweating it. Yes I noticed form was a lot better on the 135 due in part to the height of the bar, and if the gym had bumper plates I’d use them. But, I’ll manage. Besides, it gets me to stretch my hamstrings a little more, which is good.

Another case of feeling like I could have done more, but again, let’s be conservative. This is one where I need to spend more time working on my form. I wasn’t bad, but I betcha a video of the lifts would have been ugly. 😉  I got better as I went along, but basically I need to review the DVD and book again on press and deadlift form, do more “dry work” at home (I have a 6′ rattan staff from my Kuk Sool days, which offers no weight, but it’s a bar and enough to help me work on form). I’ll get there.

Overall, the workout was good. I’m trying to be conservative, focus on form, and that weight and such will come in time.  I do like the utter simplicity of this workout plan. And that it’s so proven and tested gives me a lot to look forward to.