What cues were you using?
- Don’t think about knees
- Focus on lifting lower back (the one which distracted me)
- Big breath (causes dizziness for me when taking that big breath and push against the belt during the descend)
Link to the video
In my experience a bad idea. Knees out often solves a myriad of squat problems.
Confusing to me, but that doesn’t mean much. Lifting traps first, yes. I guess it’s kind of similar to lift the lower back but I’m not convinced.
Absolute must on ALL big lifts. You haven’t been doing that? Big air into your belly before you descend. Squeeze down hard on that air from all directions and keep squeezing until the rep is complete. Repeat for each rep.
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I do agree with you, once forget to do squat turned to be awful
For sure I do (blocking as described in Strength Training Anatomy reference). Holding and pressing giant breath differs than big breath. I found that inhaling breath that fills half of lungs and pushing again the belt works good. More than half of my lungs causes dizziness.
Play around. I know for DL dizziness is a trade-off for major tightness that I’m more than willing to make although I don’t take a massive breath. Squat I think it’s more squeezing hard that matters, how much air less so.
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Sunday 29-Jan-2017
5/3/1 FSL 12 weeks program (MarkKO template)
C4, W1, D2
Press is coming up slowly pain free. Also added more volume for upper back today and plenty of heavy work for traps.
Main Lift: Press
- Warm Up:
2 x 10 @ 20 kg (bar only)
1 x 5 @ 30 kg
1 x 3 @ 40 kg - Work Sets:
1 x 5 @ 50 kg
1 x 5 @ 57.5 kg
1 x 5 @ 65 kg (< 8 RPE) - FSL:
5 x 5 @ 50 kg
Assistance:
- Pull Up (Wide Grip):
5 x 6 @ body weight (superset with FSL) - BB Shrugs:
Warm Up:
1 x 20 @ 60 kg
1 x 20 @ 80 kg
Work Sets:
2 x 20 @ 100 kg
1 x 20 @ 120 kg (PR) - Landmine Row:
1 x 12 @ 50 kg
1 x 12 @ 60 kg
2 x 12 @ 70 kg - Band pull apart: 50 reps
Abs: 2 x HIIT circuits
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Tuesday 31-Jan-2017
5/3/1 FSL 12 weeks program (MarkKO template)
C4, W1, D3
Today I wasn’t in a good mood, missing quality sleep, stressed and feeling bloated. I looked to myself at the mirror and noticed gains in the waist and love handles. Belly has begun to protrude. I’ve lost almost all the vascularity. I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or it is normal reaction from eating over maintenance. Even workout session wasn’t hot. My mind is busy and distracted.
Main Lift: Deadlift
- Warm Up:
1 x 5 @ 60 kg
1 x 5 @ 80 kg
1 x 3 @ 100 kg - Work Sets:
1 x 5 @ 117.5 kg
1 x 5 @ 135 kg
1 x 5 @ 152.5 kg - Joker Sets:
1 x 1 @ 170 kg - FSL:
3 x 5 @ 117.5 kg
Assistance:
- BB Squat:
Warm Up:
1 x 5 @ 20 kg
1 x 5 @ 40 kg
1 x 3 @ 60 kg
1 x 2 @ 80 kg
Work Sets:
5 x 5 @ 90 kg (60% TM)
Abs: 2 x HIIT circuits
It’s just a blip bro. Keep plugging, stay the course, it will work out!
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Thanks bro, I’m dedicated to a goal and wont give up. High days and low days are there, but I keep going through it.
BTW I’ve tried low bar squatting, how it looks like? @The_Myth, @MarkKO
Here is also the new gained waist and love handles!!!
I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong as such.
There is one thing I’ve noticed though, a trend that seems to have picked up speed as your log using this template progresses: your top sets are generally hovering around the weekly reps; and your assistance work is often pretty low in volume, often below 50 reps at your working weight.
Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but what the two elements mean in reality is that you aren’t really doing much work. Sorry Hany, I’m not calling you out for laziness, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t point out what is happening. So, do not much work and eat over maintenance and guess what, you gain fat. You’re getting stronger, which is great, but I’m guessing you’d rather get stronger and stay lean.
Granted, I understand you came off a shoulder injury and you’ve got shit going on with moving, job changes, etc.
However, take a look first at your top sets: I haven’t seen you hit a rep PR in about three weeks, with what I counted at three rep PRs in almost two months. One of two things is happening here: your TM is too high or you simply aren’t pushing yourself hard enough on the plus sets. Whether that is out of fear of injury or wanting to maintain technique or some other reason, the net result is that you aren’t doing much hard work on your main lifts - and I say this from experience because hitting a hard five or three or one is less metabolically demanding than a hard 10 or 12 while at the same time being much more punishing on your joints and nervous system. The fix: drop your TM or push harder on your plus sets - or both.
Let’s look at your assistance now, and we quickly see a similar situation. You’re doing relatively low reps with possibly too much weight, so there’s limited stimulus for your body to really add much muscle. You’re doing high-ish rep shrugs once or twice a week, and high-ish rep DB rows once a week, but that’s it. The majority of assistance work is in lower reps and at weights that are more conducive to getting stronger than more muscular.
Yes, I know I set out this template - so I shouldn’t really be saying that you aren’t doing enough work, but it looks like that’s what is happening. It just isn’t because you’re being lazy, but because your caloric intake has changed. If I’m not wrong the first few cycles worked really well and you stayed lean, got stronger and added some muscle. Now your TM has started to approach your true max so the plus sets are too hard to push but because you’re stronger the assistance which used to be challenging to your body is much less so. When combined, it means you do less work. Less work plus more calories equals fluff.
You might do better dropping your TM down, shooting for 8-10 reps on plus sets as a minimum for a few cycles and changing your assistance to 50 to 100 total reps at the working weight.
TL;DR as your body changes your training often needs tweaking
Hard to judge a squat from behind. What I can see, looks fine. How does your shoulder like it?
Knees out, and what @MarkKO said.
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@MarkKO Thanks for the detailed reply my friend which I really need. I do agree with you in many points you addressed, I reviewed the log and found that I don’t do much work, +sets is always done without +reps, etc, but here is what I really feel. Exactly one month ago I’ve started to feel low in energy. Not exactly low energy, but a feeling that I can’t produce much power for longer periods. Although I eat well I don’t feel that burning sensation or blowing energy inside as before. I hope you can understand what I mean. I can handle heavy loads but for very short periods. Also sometimes even normal load feels as if it is a doubled or tripled.
I’ve reviewed my food intake for the last 3 months to address the changes and here are what I’ve found:
- I’ve eliminated salt totally from my foods
- My daily meals are almost identical, I eat the same daily without varying food sources.
- Based on foods I consume; I don’t get enough Iodine, magnesium, and zinc.
- I increased my water intake up to 4 liters per day
Analyzing these notes; I think my thyroid is not working properly. Also lacking sodium and magnesium affected muscle contraction. Drinking too much water also may be a culprit in sodium to potassium ratio.
In addition to nutrition; I have very unstable period of my life.
Before I tweak the program; I will get iodine and magnesium supplement today, also will increase my salt intake a little bit more. I don’t want to drop the TM as I can handle those heavy weights, I believe that the problem is only energy not ability. I will keep watching until the end of the current cycle, if nothing improves, I will drop TM.
Here is what I will do for the training:
For squat day:
- change from paused front squat to normal front squat 5 x 10 @ 50 kg
- add Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 10 @ body weight
- replace snatch-grip deadlift with RDL 5 x 10 @ 60 kg
For press day:
- increase band pull apart reps to 250 reps
- add landmine row (I don’t have T-Bar handle) 4 x 10 @ 50 kg
- add more shrug sets @ 80 kg, say 3 x 30 plus heavy sets
For deadlift day:
- add good morning after BB row 5 x 10 @ 40 kg ( I think more than that will negatively affect lower back)
For bench day:
- Add more Kroc row sets; 3 x 20 @ 35 kg (my PB is 25 reps @ 47.5kg)
- increase band pull apart to 250 reps
- Add more shrug sets @ heavy weights
I really appreciate your feedback and review for this. I will not start until you approve this.
Shoulder improves, and could handle the 90kgs painless. I felt my quads also firing more than high bar.
That actually looks really good. Only one suggestion: do a top set of 47.5 kg for Kroc rows aiming to hit 40 reps, then back off and do however many reps at 30 kg to get a total of 75 reps.
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Wednesday 1-Feb-2017
5/3/1 FSL 12 weeks program (MarkKO template)
C4, W1, D4
I’ve followed @MarkKO recommendations, also got magnesium and iodine supplement, and ingested banana before workout. I did my best also to squeeze more reps and increased assistance lifts volume. As for bench; I could get two more reps but shoulder pain limited it.
Main Lift: Bench
- Warm Up:
1 x 20 @ 20 kg
1 x 8 @ 30kg
1 x 5 @ 40kg
1 x 3 @ 60kg - Work Sets:
1 x 5 @ 72.5kg
1 x 5 @ 82.5kg
1 x 6 @ 95kg (last rep was partial rep) - FSL:
5 x 5 @ 72.5
Assistance:
-
Chin Up: Varied grip width from very wide to very narrow
10, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 (total 50 reps, superset with FSL) -
Kroc Row:
Warm up:
1 x 20 @ 20kg
Work Sets:
1 x 30 @ 47.5kg (PR)
3 x 25 @ 30kg -
BB Shrugs:
1 x 20 @ 60kg
1 x 20 @ 80kg
1 x 20 @ 100kg
2 x 20 @ 120kg -
Band Pull Apart:
4 x 30 reps superset with bench warm up
130 reps at end of workout -
Abs:
Hanging knee raise
DB side bend
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That looks much better. How’s your shoulder? Have you tried moving your grip in for bench?
Shoulder is healing, I don’t feel pain when raising my hand and can reach beyond my neck now, but the pain appears when I try to left something with my arm fully extended.
Regarding benching; I’ve worked on technique for 4 weeks ago. Here is what I did:
- Squeezed my shoulder blades
- Pulled my upper lats together hardly so that I’m laying on my upper lats and shoulder blades not middle of back
- Used narrower grip
- Tucked my elbows more than before, so I’m feeling my pecs firing better not my triceps
- During descend; the bar touches just below my nipples not at collar bone
- Used 1 count pause at bottom before lifting the bar again
- Tried to regulate my breath better
- Gave more care to wrist position so it is not bent under bar too much
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In order to improve my squat, I got Oly shoes to squat in it instead of my Merrell hiking which is has lifted face. I tried to use 1.25kg plates below my heels with Merrell and I could hit more depth in better form.
This is what I purchased today
It was the only available Weightlifting shoes in Saudi Arabia!!!
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Quite a few people use them. Good for benching too I think.
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