are you left handed nadia? i’m wondering because the left side of that bar moved well before the right. seems that your left leg is stronger? mind you i think i heard something somewhere about right handed people being left footed… or something… i forget.
Cal: I made good progress with pullups using bands. They let you get some volume in. I’m absolutely dreading my pullup workout on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I am a stress eater and these past 2 weeks have been tough for me. I’ve been a total whore for carbs, and I’ve got my bloat on. I feel icky as I sit here eating cheeze-its. I don’t even really like them. I need a detox. Or rehab.
Alexus: I’m right handed. My left leg is stronger and noticeably bigger (to me) than my right leg. It’s a little disturbing. Nikki suggested the imbalance was likely created by my DL grip. Your observation is a good reminder that I need to do some single leg work. Of course, I hate single leg work.
+++++++++++
This 5-3-1 cycle has been off for me. I’m really disappointed with how I managed my 5-3-1 week. I’ve gotten overly preoccupied with my 1 rep max and thus spent this week “testing,” rather than “building.”
In an effort to atone, I made up some missed training today:
BBB bench: 75x10x4; 85x10x1
BBB squat: 85x10x5 These were fucking hard. Why are my bbb bench and squat numbers so close? I’ll spin this positively and say my squatting work capacity has much room for improvement.
Hip rehab stuff–I’ve been neglectful.
++++++++++
I need to restructure my training. I’ve been good at working on mobility/ flexibility and doing my recovery work, but I have not been good in doing the following:
single leg work
prowler/ sprints
jumps
Must find the time and energy to train the foregoing consistently. Then, I will be happy.
Can you bench press 175? 
I can’t think of one time that I found squats for 10 reps under triple digits easy. I won’t say HARD, and I don’t think you mean that either. But it’s not comfortable a lot of the times. When I’m ramping up, 95 x 10 seems like torture.
But you throw the weight on the bar and you surprise yourself. I think you’ll surprise yourself if you tried 105 for 10 reps.
I really doubt you mean that the squats were hard though. I know exactly what you’re talking about, because considering my squat max, I shouldn’t feel like death doing 95 x 10. But I do. It’s just uncomfortable and tiresome.
i find my squat warm-up sets to be hard, too. under warmed up for quite a while because i didn’t want to fatigue for the work sets but have learned that even the warm-ups feel hard, basically.
your mention of single legged work got me motivated to try some single armed work today. only trouble was i wanted to throw and don’t really know how so ended up dicking around with right armed throws mostly. will get to left armed tomorrow, i think, because i enjoyed them a lot.
maybe it means you have a kick-ass bench???
[quote]Nadia Comeandeat wrote:
5-3-1 Dls;
Did my work sets. Decided not to go for any rep prs because I wanted to see if I could “summon hell” as per Wendler and hit 275.
I set the mood. Put on some Black Sabbath. Played it loud. And over and over again. Pulled an ugly 265. Forgot to be aggressive and to take a deep breath. But, because I still got it up I figured I was good for 275. It was a no go x2. I blamed my first miss on cold feet–put socks on–and tried again. Apparently, that wasn’t it. Next time.
- YouTube [/quote]
Try some 1 inch deficit pulls just to work on keeping your hips down your deadlift looks very smooth and strong everywhere except off the floor, amazing work and quad vibrations on the 265, not far off of 300! Another thing to consider would be front squats, I’ve seen a lot of people with long femurs and difficulty off the floor get a lot out of front squats because of the quad focus and forced upright torso. Nice music too.
[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:
Can you bench press 175?
I can’t think of one time that I found squats for 10 reps under triple digits easy. I won’t say HARD, and I don’t think you mean that either. But it’s not comfortable a lot of the times. When I’m ramping up, 95 x 10 seems like torture.
But you throw the weight on the bar and you surprise yourself. I think you’ll surprise yourself if you tried 105 for 10 reps.
I really doubt you mean that the squats were hard though. I know exactly what you’re talking about, because considering my squat max, I shouldn’t feel like death doing 95 x 10. But I do. It’s just uncomfortable and tiresome.[/quote]
This exactly, lol. In the boot camp I am doing right now sometimes I feel like dying after the reps and they are so light to what I can normally lift. lol I feel so silly! Its a different type of endurance and I think it only comes with keeping at it. Its a completely different animal then lifting heavy for lower reps.
The dizziness happened after a really hard workout with very little food leading up to it, so I’m going to put some of the blame on that. I haven’t had the stomach to try again though.
I did compete in college but it wasn’t as glorious as I’d like. I specialized in bars and beam—mostly on bars. I had a hard time making the transition from home club to college and got super head case-y. When I was younger I had absolutely no fear, but for some reason I let that change. I developed a fear of letting go of the bar and started just throwing my body around (skeery). Then I hurt my shoulder…I had spent a practice working on healies and later that night I remember it tingling and I couldn’t turn a door knob. I probably stayed in the sport a couple years too long, hence my hesitation to really get back into it.
Good call on the single leg/sprint/jump work. I think that’s a smart route to go.
Nikki: I think that’s my problem–I keep waiting for squats to get easier. That’s not going to happen? Damn. I’ll go for 105 on my bbb sets next time. If it’s going to suck no matter the weight on the bar, I probably should suck it up. thanks.
Alexus: Throwing is cool. That’s great that you enjoyed it. HOpefully, I learn to love my single leg work. I still haven’t come up with a plan with how and where to add it in though…
Bear: Thanks for the advice and encouragment. What kind of rep/weight/set scheme would you suggest for the deficit pulls? Am I working on technique or am I working on bringing up a weakness? Is there a difference? I tried 5x5 with 145 today. Dare I say that it felt hard and that an inch or two makes a big difference?
Coyote: Makes sense. I do think I’m not as well trained at squats as I am on the other lifts. It’s the old runner in me looking out for my knees. Old fears ,even unsubstantied ones, die hard.
Lula: I’m sorry your career ended with an injury. I can understand your reluctance to get back in the gym. I have alot of fears too, and I’ve mostly decided to heed them. At present, I’m trying to excel at the basics. Those are proving challenging enough. I’ve lost alot of flexibility. My split leap makes me want to weep; it is so terrible. And what’s worse is that it feels “good,” but the video camera says otherwise. My coach used to say “From strength, comes courage.” And honestly, the thought of doing gymnastics never occured to me until I started lifting, and I started getting strong. Now, I’m hoping that with time, patience, and practice, I’ll rediscover the daredevil trickster that I used to be too. She’s still in there, I know it.
++++++++++++++++
Training 5-3-1 MP
MP
barx10; 55x5; 65x3; 72.5x4
Heavy singles: 75x1; 80x1; 82.5x miss.
Pullups: 6 sets of 10. 6th set was a struggle. 2 sets of 5. Happy with this.
L Hang hanging Leg raises: 7, 5, 5
Hip rehab stuff
Making up some DL work: from a deficit: 5x5x145.
++++++++++++++++++++
I’m ready for a deload. I’ve been so busy at work and stressed at home that I feel a little lost and unfocused in my training. I’m going to clean it up for next cycle.
See you all in a week!
Not gone yet. My kids. I’m either doing some horribly right or horribly wrong. They are so uninhibited. By way of background, we have had the where do babies come from talk, which I answered very clinically–penis, sperm, egg, vagina.
A few weeks ago, my daughter is watching the full house episode where jesse’s wife is fretting over how and when to tell him that she is pregnant because he’s supposed to go on tour. She looks at me confused and asks:
Q: “Mom, how can he not know that she’s pregnant. he put his penis in her vagina right?”
A: “Yes, but you don’t get pregnant every time.”
Q: “How many times did you and daddy have to do it?”
A: “Hmm, I don’t remember.”
Today, my son asks:
Q: How long does sex last?
A: I don’t know?
Q: I mean after you get them connected how long do they have to stay connected?
A: It depends.
Fuck. I’m not ready for this.
wow. Awkward conversations AND Full House!! HA HA 
i NEVER got straight answers from my mother.
i started asking years before i knew i was ready, just bc id heard so much about it (jokes, innuendos, etc) on tv, my older brothers and sisters, everywhere. all i wanted was the legit clinical info, and i didnt even get that.
and even after i did my own research, nothing made me want to try it. soap operas scared me out of that. everyone was fucking everyone else and no one was happy about it. too much trouble.
here’s hoping you rediscover your trickster, bc she’s an awesome bitch. you two will like each other.
[quote]Nadia Comeandeat wrote:
Nikki: I think that’s my problem–I keep waiting for squats to get easier. That’s not going to happen? Damn. I’ll go for 105 on my bbb sets next time. If it’s going to suck no matter the weight on the bar, I probably should suck it up. thanks.
Alexus: Throwing is cool. That’s great that you enjoyed it. HOpefully, I learn to love my single leg work. I still haven’t come up with a plan with how and where to add it in though…
Bear: Thanks for the advice and encouragment. What kind of rep/weight/set scheme would you suggest for the deficit pulls? Am I working on technique or am I working on bringing up a weakness? Is there a difference? I tried 5x5 with 145 today. Dare I say that it felt hard and that an inch or two makes a big difference?
Coyote: Makes sense. I do think I’m not as well trained at squats as I am on the other lifts. It’s the old runner in me looking out for my knees. Old fears ,even unsubstantied ones, die hard.
Lula: I’m sorry your career ended with an injury. I can understand your reluctance to get back in the gym. I have alot of fears too, and I’ve mostly decided to heed them. At present, I’m trying to excel at the basics. Those are proving challenging enough. I’ve lost alot of flexibility. My split leap makes me want to weep; it is so terrible. And what’s worse is that it feels “good,” but the video camera says otherwise. My coach used to say “From strength, comes courage.” And honestly, the thought of doing gymnastics never occured to me until I started lifting, and I started getting strong. Now, I’m hoping that with time, patience, and practice, I’ll rediscover the daredevil trickster that I used to be too. She’s still in there, I know it.
++++++++++++++++
Training 5-3-1 MP
MP
barx10; 55x5; 65x3; 72.5x4
Heavy singles: 75x1; 80x1; 82.5x miss.
Pullups: 6 sets of 10. 6th set was a struggle. 2 sets of 5. Happy with this.
L Hang hanging Leg raises: 7, 5, 5
Hip rehab stuff
Making up some DL work: from a deficit: 5x5x145.
++++++++++++++++++++
I’m ready for a deload. I’ve been so busy at work and stressed at home that I feel a little lost and unfocused in my training. I’m going to clean it up for next cycle.
See you all in a week![/quote]
That’s what she said11!!!
Sorry.
Your hips are rising immediately which is common in about 95% of conventional deadlifters inside of 95% 1RM, but it’s pretty much an end to a max deadlift if you are weak off the floor. Deficits are going to make you faster off the floor which should allow you to get the bar higher before your hips are up and you are stiff legging the weight. The inch deficit is a gigantic difference, especially if you are weak off the floor, when you go back to pulling off the floor you will probably feel much more confident and comfortable in your stance and your leg drive should improve. If I had to guess off what I’ve seen you probably have a quad weakness which front squats as well would help with (and will probably be difficult for you). So both a technical and a muscular weakness. While a number of technical issues result directly from a muscle weakness, imbalance or inactivity it isn’t always the case, it can just as easily be inexperience, poor kinesthetic sense or no or improper coaching of a lift. In this case I’d wager it’s quad weakness as a primary culprit.
I’d suggest 3X5 to start and always wearing a belt for work sets, I know the weak core brigade is generally against that but I’ve seen guys with bulletproof “cores” hurt formerly uninjured backs doing deficits beltless and not seen anyone get hurt while belted, not entirely sure why and don’t understand why based on anything I’ve read but that’s been my experience. Try to keep your hips low and try adding 10lbs a week to the bar for 3X5’s starting at about 55% of your max deadlift from the floor, after 3 sessions cut it to 3X4 and add only 5lbs a session for 3 sessions and then 3X3 for another 3 sessions adding only 5lbs. I’ve used this approach with 2 trainee’s who responded well to it, the motion will become more natural quickly and should make you faster off the floor. I’d also still suggest front squats on any day you can fit them in. Happy Deadlifting :).
HAHAH! your kids are endless entertainment. So curious.
I like the idea of single leg work, prowler/sprints and jumps. BB squat jumps? So much fun! Give em a try 
Training is looking solid, Nadia. Putting in a lot of hard work, that’s for sure. I hate your 6x10 pullups obvi - you’re a beast!
Does sound like a good time for a deload. I’ll be interested to see what you come up with when you’re back. Enjoy your time off!
i saw a picture book (not terribly graphic!) somewhere that explained things really well for kids. i’m sure there are a few good books like that now…
i never asked my mother anything like that (she would rant on and on and i’d get majority uncomfortable). learned from friends but didn’t understand until much later why on earth anybody would want to do that. don’t think i quite believed my friends when they told me (I was about 7, I think).
enjoy your deload!
i think i’ve figured that i’m about up for one myself. lots of stress at the moment, yeah.
oh my those conversations with your kids are hilarious!!!
Won’t be too long before our son connects the dots I’m afraid. We’ve been pretty straightforward but haven’t described the technicalities, kwim?
Brute: I know. My kids need their own sitcom.
Cbear: Sounds like we had similar upbringing–my parents–conservative catholic. I don’t mind talking to my kids about sex as a means of procreating. I’m struggling with the recreational feel good aspect to it. When do I tell them about that? I need to do some homework.
Thanks Masch: I’ll be sitting on the plane for 5 hours with a notebook and a calendar, planning my next cycle. What am I going to do and when? I’m excited. I’m such a dorky list making planner.
Alexus: getting a book is a good idea–one for them–and one for me. I’m glad that they feel comfortable talking to me. I want to be a resource for them.
Mim: Those conversations are fun. And they occur at the oddest and most unexpected times. you gotta love kids.
LMAO those are the most funniest answers I’ve ever heard.
“It depends.”
giggle
A week?
pout
[quote]BEAR BORN wrote:
[quote]Nadia Comeandeat wrote:
Dare I say that it felt hard and that an inch or two makes a big difference?
[/quote]
That’s what she said11!!!
Sorry.
Your hips are rising immediately which is common in about 95% of conventional deadlifters inside of 95% 1RM, but it’s pretty much an end to a max deadlift if you are weak off the floor. Deficits are going to make you faster off the floor which should allow you to get the bar higher before your hips are up and you are stiff legging the weight. The inch deficit is a gigantic difference, especially if you are weak off the floor, when you go back to pulling off the floor you will probably feel much more confident and comfortable in your stance and your leg drive should improve. If I had to guess off what I’ve seen you probably have a quad weakness which front squats as well would help with (and will probably be difficult for you). So both a technical and a muscular weakness. While a number of technical issues result directly from a muscle weakness, imbalance or inactivity it isn’t always the case, it can just as easily be inexperience, poor kinesthetic sense or no or improper coaching of a lift. In this case I’d wager it’s quad weakness as a primary culprit.
I’d suggest 3X5 to start and always wearing a belt for work sets, I know the weak core brigade is generally against that but I’ve seen guys with bulletproof “cores” hurt formerly uninjured backs doing deficits beltless and not seen anyone get hurt while belted, not entirely sure why and don’t understand why based on anything I’ve read but that’s been my experience. Try to keep your hips low and try adding 10lbs a week to the bar for 3X5’s starting at about 55% of your max deadlift from the floor, after 3 sessions cut it to 3X4 and add only 5lbs a session for 3 sessions and then 3X3 for another 3 sessions adding only 5lbs. I’ve used this approach with 2 trainee’s who responded well to it, the motion will become more natural quickly and should make you faster off the floor. I’d also still suggest front squats on any day you can fit them in. Happy Deadlifting :).[/quote]
If you didn’t say that’s what she said I’d be worried about you. It’s a gift of mine to set up the “that’s what she said” response.
Again, thanks for the advice. I’ll try the front squats too–although I can honestly say I’m not looking forward to them.
Hmm…
Actually… Maybe I’m remembering back to a book I found in the school library when I was about 8 lolz.
I think it said something along the lines of how after puberty… The reason why you want to do that… Is because it feels like scratching an itch. I just remember thinking ‘oh, I get the appeal of scratching an itch, but I don’t have that particular itch’. Or something along those lines.
(Connotations here too of how sometimes scratching an itch results in problems longer term lolz)
I really do recommend books. There are some wonderful age appropriate ones out there. And you can screen them first with respect to their implicit values (e.g., what they may have to say about love or marriage or whatever). I think that is the thing, though. Kids don’t have that particular itch yet. So the information is just that.
I hope you are off on vacation and having a fabulous time!
I’m not sure any amount of lifting success will ever make you totally happy. You and Snapper are big-time strivers. That is a virtue in my book.