Naive Question :)

[tiramisu]

I keeping banging my head into little supporting muscles as I start to break through to something I might call middling strong.

Every time I think yup, a 400 bench is just around the corner. Or 500 pounds deadlift in the next couple of months... etc I discover another chink in the armour.

With the bench it's the shoulder support muscles this month. With the squat it's my mid-back but it's is also my hip extensors. With the deadlift, I don't know yet (it's still moving - woo hoo).

I seem to take 3 steps forward on the big muscles and then it seems like I always have to go backwards and pick up the little ones before I can move foreward again.

So the naive question.... Am I training wrong or is this just the nature of the beast?

[Talo]

It is hard to say if your training wrong without being their , IMO.

But I feel your pain. Any time I was making positive gains I was also making small ( but big ) injuries.

When it came to my squats , it was my hips . I started off raw and I was getting stronger but my stands was gettng wider. This in my opion brought on sore hips ( more the left side ) and it is stll a problem. Once I got a single par of briefs from inzer the pain started going away. But I also foam rolled and dd some band work for my flexors. It still gets stiff but that's ok with me because once I stretch and roll the hip is fine. But I do not squat without my briefs or I'm in pain.

Bench it was my shoulder or now my elbow . Acupunture and using a bench shirt took my shoulder become pain free ( of course some rolling and stretching ) but now it's my elbow holding me back so can't help you their.

Old school thinking is no pain to gain , but if you listen to those guys now they would tell you to fix the ****ing problem because they are paying the price. So I take my time and do the rehab that needs to be done and if that means dropping back to a 400 lb squat from a 500lb squat to save my hip and hopefully reaching a 600lb squat the healthy way , I will and it may take 2 years.

Sorry I'm not much help , but get some briefs and protect those hips . The tighter the better.

[tiramisu]

I'm not quite ready to become a gear head yet but I hear you. The hips aren't at injured or aching but I can feel certainly feel the extensors after squat day and it wouldn't take a lot of max efforts to get them to aching.

On the plus side having just reset my weights with 531 it will be a few months before I'm pushing heavy weight again so the new program is buying me a bit of recovery time.

A lot of the bodybuilding type exercises/programs seem to work around the problem of the small supporting muscle groups with isolation exercises and machines but when it comes to moving the barbell you can't avoid the weak spots in the chain.

If I knew what I was doing I could probably avoid some of the issues but if I knew what I was doing I'd have probably already have done it.

It's kind of a shame weightlifting isn't more popular. It would be more fun if there were more guys in the gym actually working at getting stronger or bigger rather than just pumping out a million arm curls.

[bobbyorr]

tow things i would advise...one) when its a deload week, DELOAD!!!! it will help you in the long run... b) bring up the intensity of all the accessories that you are doing... not saying go really heavy... but push it with sets and reps.... try to make one light accessory to failure.... 3) this is just for 531 guys.... try for 8 weeks, or 2 cycles, doing only prescribed reps and move on... you might feel like a bitch in the gym, but it will make you bigger stronger and less hurt.... all things are good in my book!!

shane

[tiramisu]

tow things i would advise...one) when its a deload week, DELOAD!!!! it will help you in the long run... b) bring up the intensity of all the accessories that you are doing... not saying go really heavy... but push it with sets and reps.... try to make one light accessory to failure.... 3) this is just for 531 guys.... try for 8 weeks, or 2 cycles, doing only prescribed reps and move on... you might feel like a bitch in the gym, but it will make you bigger stronger and less hurt.... all things are good in my book!!

shane


Thanks shane,

I'll be bringing up the intensity in month 2. I'm decrippling in month 1. I've been going to failure with DC for 10 months and I'm a wee bit achy.

I'm generally pushing my last couple of accessory sets to failure or close, more of a focus on the volume 5x10 rather than the weight.

What I haven't been doing yet is pushing my last working set. Next month I will begin trying to grind out the reps.

I've been a little iffy about the deload week but I'm taking it next week for sure as it should bring me over the hump on rehab (crossed fingers).

I'm guessing if I push the intensity on the last working set I'll need the deload week next month but we shall see. I appreciate the advice.

I find I like 531 for the flexibility. There's room for power cleans and push presses that I missed while working the DC template. It's a refreshing change. I'm hoping it's an effective strength program. I'm of the mind that my physique isn't going to get dramatically better unless I bring my strength up quite a bit.

[faller]

Thanks shane,

What I haven't been doing yet is pushing my last working set. Next month I will begin trying to grind out the reps.

Ah, i was wandering about that...

[JifeLacket]

When working under the 5 rep range definitely have a deload every 4-6 weeks!!! Really deload, like a few reps of 20% of max once in the deload week.

Don't be afraid to take two steps forwards and one backwards, you are still making gains in the end but the gains will be more solid and you will be less prone to injury.

IE. squat progression squatting once per week- 355x5 - 365x5 - 375x5 (lets say new pb) 385x5 - 395x5 (feeling a bit dead, not much snap) then after a week-10 days of deload go back down and start over again at 365 or 375.

Also after working strictly 5-3-1 try adding some strength endurance like 5x5 of the same weight, upping by 10lb or however much you can handle each session for 3-4 weeks.

Think of this: You need a wider base to build a taller pyramid...

[bobbyorr]

make sure when you are pushing your accessories to failure... only push one!!!! keep the others to either heavy and 5-8 reps or light and 12 -20 reps

and if you can work in the strict military (STANDING UP!!!!!) do it... one it will make your shoulders feel better and B it will make your shoulders bigger!!

shane


Thanks shane,

I'll be bringing up the intensity in month 2. I'm decrippling in month 1. I've been going to failure with DC for 10 months and I'm a wee bit achy.

I'm generally pushing my last couple of accessory sets to failure or close, more of a focus on the volume 5x10 rather than the weight.

What I haven't been doing yet is pushing my last working set. Next month I will begin trying to grind out the reps.

I've been a little iffy about the deload week but I'm taking it next week for sure as it should bring me over the hump on rehab (crossed fingers).

I'm guessing if I push the intensity on the last working set I'll need the deload week next month but we shall see. I appreciate the advice.

I find I like 531 for the flexibility. There's room for power cleans and push presses that I missed while working the DC template. It's a refreshing change. I'm hoping it's an effective strength program. I'm of the mind that my physique isn't going to get dramatically better unless I bring my strength up quite a bit.