The Quiet Storm

Well I broke my arm last weekend playing softball and could not finish my goals. I am just going to throw this challenge out and start fresh next time. No weights or heavy activity involving arms for 6 weeks. Looks like I'll be cutting and walking for 6 weeks. /pissed Thanks for the advice and the community. I'll be around later.

My knees have been aching the day after a workout. Is/could this due to my weight shifting in squats? Should I deload to a weight I can practice good form with and work my way up from there? I have heard that deloading as a n00b too much is a common and bad mistake. I just had a really shitty workout. I got through my squats at 215, poorly. Bench went fine and I did some decent Power Cleans. I finished with some Pullups and Reverse Rows, and I could barely do them. I am telling myself it is just because I had a 4 day break from vacation and didn't have the energy, but I still feel like crap.

How is your running going? I have never been a runner either and find myself overdoing it after a few weeks into an attempt to do it consistently (shin splints, other pain post workout). 2x a week would be smart. Love the goals and your lifts are awesome!

Thank you for the tips! I will use these videos for sure. I can probably get to a video next week. We are leaving for a much needed vacation soon and my gym time before then will need to be... efficient. The answer to your questions is: yes. The rack position is something I need to work on most, and I have not done front squats at all. Elbows can get close to horizontal, but I feel like I am leaning way back. As far as catching the bar -- I am catching it, just not in the right position. I seem to catch it more firmly, then ease it back into the more finger-tip rack position slowly.

I like the goals and your squat form looks great. My critique/suggestion at this point would be just make sure you do not to burn yourself too fast. For example, trying to work out 7 days a week might burn me out after 2 weeks or so. It is a lot of details to stick to. On the other hand, doing 20 minute sessions 3-4x a week might be easier on the psyche, while filling in the off days with other activity. I like to justify getting needed errands around the house done quickly (cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc.) as activity. Not exercise per se, but it keeps me moving. 5-10 minutes a day for 7 days is roughly the same as 20 minutes a day for 3 days. Do what works for you though! This may just be a personal preference of mine. Keep it up!

Hey Synyster, I like the idea. Having just discovered this whole board the other day, I was also considering this whole guild/rpg concept and the possibilities. Maybe it would be best to start with group content first, like most MMOs introduce at low levels through high level content. Usually a group needs a tank, a healer, dps, and a utility. The only thing I can think of offhand would be to have 5-6 individual challenges that the group is tackling together. On one hand it is still individual challenges, but it would also be relying on team members (and them relying on you), which is part of the group/raid dynamic. It could also apply to a "team PvP" setup.

So to catch up with the first two weeks of the challenge, here is my squat video: http://youtu.be/U9jzn-EQ-zI I got a few tips on it already, the most valuable being trying to get that hip motion started first, and sitting back into the lift. Watching the video from the side, I can see my feet rocking forward more than I thought they were. I did squats again tonight and while I definitely still had some bad reps, I could feel improvement on others.

...doom for my goal benchmarks! Greetings! So I found NF just in the past couple days, intro'd myself and posted a squat form check video, because that is how I found the site to begin with -- looking for squat form tips. Anyway, I know this is late to the game, but I am going to play along anyway and take partial credit for my participation. Here goes: Context: 30/M/5'7/178lbs -- I played sports a lot growing up, with hockey as my main competitive sport in high school and a year in college, so I am somewhat athletic and used to training. In my adult life I have had a gym membership for about 7 years now, was in decent shape several years ago when all I knew how to do was use an elliptical machine for 40 minutes at a time and push dumbells into the air. Not ideal, but hey, it worked for a while. Since then my attendance at said gym has been inconsistent. I am in my 4th week of Starting Strength and loving it, if anything else because it is a system that I know will work if I put the effort into it. Goal 1 - I want to be able to do solid Power Cleans that can be a valuable part of my workout routine. I am to the point where I can start doing them and after trying them the other day, I completely suck at it. Elbows are nowhere near horizontal, arms are doing a lot of the lifting, and the whole motion is just off. It is going to take research, practice, conditioning, and commitment. Let's call an 'A' comparable form to any of the number of form videos out there -- elbows out, good shrug and hip motion, not using arms, etc. I can take a video at the end, and I am a pretty hard grader. Goal 2 - Overhand Press at 125 (3sets/5reps). My next lift will be 105. I did not map it out exactly, but after doing some brief maths I should be on pace to be at 125 when this challenge ends. So, 125 on April 8. Why OHP? Cuz I freakin' hate it. Somehow I like the squats and deadlifts, but OHP just has something about it that gets to me. Goal 3 - I want to do 5 pullups (in a single set). Pullups are another nemesis, but in a love/hate way. It's kind of the exercise that some really hate them and others want to be(at) them. I am both. Being able to do a pullups, dips, etc. is appealing to me. I can do 2 now. Life - turn our guest bedroom into a baby room. My wife is expecting our first baby girl in June and I need to work on where she will spend her first years until we move. Right now there is a bed, bookcase, desk, etc. in there that all needs to get out, and baby furniture in. We'll call an 'A' having the room completely vacated of current furniture, cleaned, touched up, crib assembled, and changing table and dresser refinished and painted. Sounds like a tall order just typing this out, but it is a priority! Critiques on my first goals are welcome! I thought about other things like attend a Yoga class or something to do with softball (like improve my throwing distance), but these sound a little more straight-forward for my first.

Thank you. I read the Challenge FAQ wrong and now see it is only too late for the prizes, which I am not at all worried about. I will see if I can get something put together and started in the next 24 hours.

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely practice this with lighter weights and warmup sets. Just recording and viewing this has helped a lot.

30/M/5'7 3rd and 2nd work sets, respectively. 210lbs (apparently I am not a math nerd, and I meant to be doing 205lbs for SS progression). Low bar. I'm still a lifting n00b, but it is definitely not sitting on my traps. http://youtu.be/U9jzn-EQ-zI Any constructive thoughts or tips are much appreciated! I feel ok but realize improving form is a constant process. I will try to get better, full-body film next time, but this is what I have now.

Greetings! New Warrior class recruit here. I have been going to the gym in spurts of continuity for 7 years or so, but I've only ever focused on cardio and sometimes weights, but I have never actually followed a system. Last night I started week 4 of Starting Strength. I wanted to start with Power Cleans but found I am terrible at them. I am not giving up on them and going to work on flexibility. Recently I have been going to the gym 3-5x a week since xmas 2012, when I completed a friend's 100-mile of exercise challenge between then and Valentine's Day. After that I started SS and am still going strong. SS only has me going 3x a week as suggested. I love doing SS so far. I love the weight increases, the results, and the challenge. I'd probably like to crossover to Ranger class eventually, but right now I am working on Warrior class where I know my weaknesses are at the moment. It appears I am too late for the most recent challenge, but I am really looking forward to the next. Finally, I'll leave this article here, as this has changed the way I think about myself and exercising: http://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits