[Fight_Song]

a) fuck military press if you want. you can do sohp if you prefer. i do. just keep it strict if you're aiming for the muscle growth. add some sessions of push press (dynamic/cheat w legs&hips) if you are wanting to train some explosiveness.

b) try to add 5 lbs every week. if you're a noob, you should be able to do this with your soon-to-come noob gains. also, if you're moving pussy weights, you'll grow quick and catch up riding out the +5/wk. plus, you'll be improving form by experience and that leads to bigger weights too.

you won't be able to add 5 lbs on every lift for too long, especially bench and of course ohp.

say you did squats with 225x5x5 and got all reps. next week you go for 230x5x5 but you miss a few reps on the last set. you can give 230x5x5 one more shot. if you finish 230x5x5, then next week is 235x5x5. if you fail 230x5x5 again, drop down 10-20 pounds and work back up from 210 or 220x5x5.

yes, you "lose" some time going down, but think of it like waves crashing up a beach, each wave going a bit further. you/we are here for the long term, not the month to month.

you will grow fast on the 5x5. it's the best thing i've tried. when you fail a session, you really need to back off the weight and go light and catch back up. when you miss the strength, it's because you're growing. your body is too busy growing/recovering to produce strength. give it time. if you monitor yourself well, you will go far and in the end have more random jumps of strength than random losses of strength.

if i remember, the 5x5 has you squatting 2/wk, and as a noob, you can do that. once you get a heavy squat, you might want to drop the 2nd squat day for a front squat day. i did and love it, but ride out the true 5x5 program as long as you can.

also, 5x5 will build strength and muscle fast. keep in mind that muscle grows fast compared to connective tissue (joints, ligaments, etc) so you need to back off and work some recovery protocols when you feel the wear and tear (pay attention to your shoulders). don't be afraid in taking a light session a few times a month. and form is always #1.

helped?

[Fight_Song]

way to lag, sherdog.

[Fight_Song]

x2.

[Fight_Song]

Do what works for you on the row. Honestly, if I could, I'd lie face down on a bench high off the ground with my whole body supported and row a bar underneath me.

it would be exactly like the opposite of a flat bench press. it would be the bench row.

what I do is set up like i'm going to clean the weight, but the bar is a few inches from my shins, then I row it as strict as i can with an inch or less of torso movement. I try to have my torso close to parallel to the ground and my lower back has a lot to do to stabilize my arch and etc.

most guys like 45 degree torso with a lot of "cheat" to move big weights. it's like push press vs strict press. in the end, i say work both, favor what you prefer (what gives best results). for pp/sohp and bor/sbor, I do the dynamic once a week or once every two weeks because they are very intense and taxing, like DLs. if you train so close ot max effort all the time, you can burn out and lose strength or if your form isn't awesome, you can be dumb and injure yourself like everyone has in the past.

[theNuge]

Originally Posted by Fight_Song

helped?

Yeah, your posts were very helpful.

[Fight_Song]

great success

!

[enright3060]

Originally Posted by theNuge

I'm starting to get the impression that forms are kind of like opinions. Everyone has them...

Seriously, every video I've watched of a Military Press has people NOT putting their feet in the "Military" position.

Also, I asked a Dynamic Rows question in the main forum and I think I've gotten eighteen different responses on the differences between Dynamic Rows, Pendlay Rows, and Bent Over Rows...

Lifting is a bit of an art and science. You find that you are getting a mix of different experiences from noobs to more advanced lifters. I recommend that you buy Starting Strength (2nd Edition) by Mark Rippetoe - he knows what the fuck he is talking about. The book was originally written for strength coaches. It is the best book you can buy about strength training.

Look other peoples training logs here - As you get familiar with the regulars here, you will find logs of people who are doing similar things as you and at the same strength level to people who are way stronger and advanced lifters. You will learn a lot more in the logs than on the main page (you will sort of have to know what you are look for - because there is a lot of shit-talking and other weird shit too).

Also - look at Stronglifts.com - he is very good (but he repeats a lot of what is in Starting Strength)

http://www.elitefts.com/ has good articles on the big three.

I never touched a weight until I was about 25-26. I started strength training last year at the age of 33. The most important thing is staying consistent.

Best of luck

[Fight_Song]

just log everything you think is worth noting, then you can come back and mine your journal for gold later.

if in jan i had *great success* then i take note of how i was eating, how my emotional life was going, and sleep/rest. all lurking variables are just as important as the sets and reps and weight on the bar.

so says dan john.

[theNuge]

February 29th, 2008

General Notes: my squatting was a little more comfortable today. I got some good advice on keeping my shoulders back from someone I train BJJ with and that seemed to help me with my back issues. I'm still rotating my feet out when I go down but I'm guessing that will get better when I get more flexible. I also was more focused on keeping my shoulders back and back straight than going down so deep this time. I remembered my camera this time so I took video of all my squat sets and three of my dynamic rows sets. My DR sets went really good I thought. Wow, that is a really fun exercise now that I kind of know how to do it.

Bench Press
---------------
75x5
85x5
100x5
115x5
135x5

Squat
-------
105x3 (warm-up set)
105x3 (warm-up set)
130x6 (I can't count to 5 I guess...)
130x5
130x5
130x5
130x5

Dynamic Rows
------------------
115x3 (warm-up with a lame hanging BOR)
135x5
135x5
135x5
135x5
135x5

Videos of my form to follow.

[theNuge]

Squat Form Videos of Squats Done February 29th, 2008

Squat Set #1:


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Squat Set #2


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Squat Set #3


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Squat Set #4


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Squat Set #5