Ehh, that’s arbitrary and is mostly in reference to choosing a smart TM, not making dumb assistance choices, and not pushing every single 1-3 rep set to 3 reps. I don’t think you have any trouble with those tenets.
Got it. I do think I need to be less of an assistance and conditioning queen though, to be honest, and virtually slapped otherwise. You had great results from this, I take it?
Would be interesting I guess if I got an SSB midway through it though
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Can’t help on the SSB shopping question, and I am probably not qualified to help you on your squat technique question but am I going to offer an opinion anyway… Like you, I am, historically anyway, a much better deadlifter than squatter.
Some of the discrepancy I had between those two lifts might be explained by leverages–I have long arms and legs and a short waist. But, I generally attributed my squat difficulties to fear. I was afraid to fail when squatting. Even with safety rails in place, I felt uneasy. On the other hand, I had no fear of the DL. The weight was in my hands in front of me, I could just drop it. I think I trained the DL more aggressively.
When I watch you squat, you look tentative. Your descent on every rep, including your first few, is very hesitant and very slow.
I would add speed squats. Maybe with just the bar on your back–5 sets of 2–as explosively as you can or something like that? Maybe just a shit ton of BW squats. Fast!
Also, maybe some of your difficulty is from your shoes? They look like they have kind of a high heel. If you have the mobility, you might try squatting in bare feet.
Finally, I believe I earlier read that your cue when squatting is something focused on your knees. To me, it looks like you need to sit back more. I would think hips back first, knees open second. If you feel off balance leading with your hips… maybe box squats?
Mostly, I think I should not have written any of the above. Stop thinking so much. Just squat!
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Yep, also have long legs and arms + short torso. But of course we can’t really control these things.
I don’t know if I necessarily have fear of failing, because I know exactly how many reps I can squeeze out. I might be going into squats already feeling defeated, either consciously or subconsciously, which likely explains tentativeness. I focus on pushing the knees out because otherwise my squat mornings are even worse. I broke at the hips first for several years. My quads do nothing, and progress was zilch. Yep, I perform reps slowly because clearly I am not super confident. This all sorta touches on the article from Jim shared here a few days ago. There’s definitely something to just lifting without overthinking things. I think having an SSB would help me with this – seems so much more brute force. And it might be different enough to clear preconceived doubts from my mind.
At least over the past few months I learned how to use my legs on squats better. When the weight isn’t too heavy.
Never a bad idea to back off on those two and focus harder on the main lifts.
And yes, that finally got me through the 500 lb barrier on deadlift and I hit a 455 lb squat. Bench and press were good but I focused harder on the other two.
You will have to back off cardio and eat a decent amount, it’ll beat you up if you don’t.
Got it, I think my problem is wanting everything at once. On top of the conditioning I record here I get a decent number of steps per day (average 13-15k) and probably get in a decent chunk of “weighted walks” by hauling groceries in a pack for not insignificant distances…
What was your assistance like? Or I reckon you recorded your sessions in your log? If so, I’ll go back and reread.
And I guess it wouldn’t be terrible if I swapped for SSB midway through, establish a new TM after a finished cycle.
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Yeah, in this instance you’re better off really focusing on strength if you’re wanting to bust a plateau. I would use a normal bar because the program is meant to give you a lot of practice at the specific movement. Could be a good justification for you to wait on the EFS bar until after the program is over 
Yeah it’s in my log - I think I ran it in October. Pretty much kept it either really light or low volume.
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
I don’t really have plans to compete, so I say all that potentially with the intention of replacing a straight bar for at least a long while.
Ordered the Titan SSB. I think I made the right choice. But for real… no more buying things!!!
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Haha, I love this. I’m sure you’ll have a much happier time with a dedicated SSB than a DIY solution like I attempted. I still like the lift, but I don’t feel safe to push high intensities with the solution which was “wrapping” my straps to the bar. But, my straps are short — which is ordinarily perfect (531 straps, pink, glorious) — and I wonder if that’s why it made it feel as if the bar wanted to slide of my back. I think with them being short I couldn’t pull on them hard enough to produce a large enough force vector in the sagittal plane.
This doesn’t seem to be a problem with a dedicated SSB, or perhaps longer “levers” than my straps provide as the bar seems to be held in place in part by torque but I’ve seen plenty of no-hands SSB lifts to assume that the bar rests completely differently on the back. In particular, people doing single leg squats holding onto the rack with the bar being perfectly balanced across their back.
It’s been ages since I read anything about economy, but as far as I remember, historically in dire financial situations that affect communities at large, the tendency becomes to invest in the self. Rather than people spending money on frivolous things like a sports car, expenses on wellness items such as exercise equipment goes up in demographics that wield that kind of purchasing power. What I internalised from that was that I’m at peace with buying equipment that I can use to further my own physical development. Granted, I have at times taken it to extremes as I have some tools I yet lack the ability to use, but I’m on the trajectory to being able to use them…
I’m in a very similar situation. In my less than experienced position, I think you should finish off the program as written, knowing full well you may not hit the exact numbers you “should”. However, it may take you over that mental barrier that X weight is easy but x+10% is hard. You’ve done all the work you need to up to this point, and you’ve earned the right to at least TRY to hit the weights in the program.
I’m shitting my pants for next week’s anchor, but I’m not going to run away from it and change anything. I’m gonna eat, sleep, and hit that shit as hard as I can. If I hit 3 reps on my plus sets, so be it. I’m not going to NOT try though. I think you’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for, you just have to have a little confidence and give it everything you’ve got.
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I didn’t know such a product existed! I’ve never tried a makeshift SSB before, but I can imagine all of the issues you mention. Your gym has one now though, right?
With some crummy SSBs this isn’t possible, but I can confirm in past experience that this is definitely a plus.
Whether or not this is true, I’m still a frugal person who feels guilty about spending money. I honestly shouldn’t, because I already not only cut back on expenses (rent a cheap place, don’t really eat out, don’t own a car, don’t drink, etc) but also probably save more money than the average person in my situation (every year can max out a Roth IRA i.e. a tax-free retirement savings account). This past year I wish I had saved a bit more money for travel instead, but between medical bills, buying a home gym, and moving, I guess it’s not terrible since it’s not possible to do much during COVID.
I don’t disagree with you. Since I have to wait for this bar to arrive and don’t really want to start something new and also tweak something in the middle of it, I think I should at least do the 5s wave. I’m being more of a realist here though, especially as I underperformed in the last realization phase.
It’s not that I wouldn’t try – not the case at all. But I think I also had this sort of mentality with 5/3/1 before because I know Jim and others echo “if you can’t hit 5 speedy, clean reps on 1s week, you’re doing it wrong.” And I could never fit that paradigm. I would go from 10+ reps on 5s and 3s, and then on the 1s week I’d do 3-4 grindy reps. This would discourage me, leading me to decrease the TM substantially and go in circles for much longer than necessary.
Deload session 1
Squat
35x5
85x5
100x5
Press
35x5
45x5
50x5
3x6 pull ups
100 band pull aparts
Poor sleep last night, stressed about a talk for work. I wish I more formally took time off. Plus my building’s washer hose is about to burst and won’t be fixed until Wednesday, so now I get to haul two loads of laundry to the laundromat (a mile one way). 
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They actually cancelled their order because of the uncertainties of the pandemic. No SSB. No trap-bar.
Sorry to hear that!
Oh no! Hopefully the order will be made in the not too distant future? But then again I don’t think life will be “normal” again soon…
I believe when they feel they’re financially secure. They communicated to me that their preference, at the moment, was to prioritize giving their employees as much work as they can at the moment rather than making purchases — trying to stall lay-offs and such. I support that whole-heartedly.
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Right and that’s what I’m saying, I have done the same thing. Maybe it’s ok to try to push beyond that in order to become acclimated to heavier weights. Maybe 3 difficult reps at 95% do more for your strength than 15 at 85% or 10 at 90%.
Jim also says 5 cycles forward, 3 back. I am pretty sure it’s expected to overextend yourself at times just to get your hands on weights that are slightly out of reach. Plus, to be expected to hit 5+ reps at 95% TM after almost 3 months of essentially straight lifting isn’t an easy task. The amount of fatigue that’s built up over that time has got to be somewhat substantial, so your body may regulate how the weight feels (makes it feel heavier), but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
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Totally makes sense. I am grateful that I have been paid as normal since the pandemic started. I feel terrible for the people whose lives have been so negatively impacted, especially single parents and immigrant families here.
This is pretty important. Having one cycle scare you and kick your ass isn’t a bad thing. Just don’t let it happen often.
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