Question about SS 3x5 routine

[Cradler]

I don't know sports injury stuff so I'll leave that alone, although I really hope you're kidding about the doctor remark. Sometimes you just gotta see the guys who know it.

But to your other question - midweek squats - I wouldn't up the reps. It's basically lowered weight so that you can recover fully from Monday's lift, not to build your muscular endurance. I'd keep it at 3x5 but with slightly less weight - Anuj gave you a good model.

[Topshelf]

Thanks Cradler. That does make sense. And yeah, I'm thinking about going to the doctor. Chances are I'm gonna have to hold off on squats for a few weeks until I get this resolved. In the meantime, I'll take a second look at that model Anuj posted.

[_Wolf_]

Originally Posted by Topshelf

Thanks a lot guys! I'll just have to remember to have Eric guilt you in to answering all my questions for now on.

Eric's my mentor so yeah: that trick will work for some time

Sentinel, I believe the above quote from your post perfectly answers every question I had.

cool

this is a beginners program, and I should use it for as long as I can continue to progress and improve my technique.

i am glad u have understood everything so far. major props to u.

1) If I drop the midweek squat weight, should I increase the reps?

no. keep the reps the same. even the number of sets. i would actually reduce the number of sets to 2. think about it like this:

Option 1

Monday - 3x5
Wednesday - 3x5 @ 60% of monday
Friday - 3x5 w/ 5 lbs more than monday

OR u could do

Option 2

Monday - 3x5
Wednesday - 3x3 @ 75% of monday
Friday - 3x5 w/ 5 lbs more than monday

or even this one (but this will work if ur squat is REALLY high)

Option 3

Monday - 3x5
Wednesday - 2x5 @ 70% of monday
Friday - 3x5 w/ 5 lbs more than monday

there u go.

2) I believe I have a grade 1 groin strain. I have a pain in the adductor muscles in my right leg that I feel about 1 foot from the top of the squat. I can go down fine, but just before I complete the upward motion, I feel a little pain. It's not excruciating, but I can't imagine it's good. Should a take a break from squatting? I tried wrapping the area with an ace bandage tonight, but it's a very difficult spot to get good pressure on. I'd hate to miss out on squats since I don't know how bad it is, or how long it will take to fully heal. I know how important squatting is, so how should I handle this. And don't say go to a doctor, that's for sissies! lol

if i were u i would go to a doctor ASAP. u can ask any of the vets here: i am a 19 year old kid plagued with a shitload of injuries.....shoulder issues, old lower back problems, new lower back problems...u name it. from past experience i would advise u to see a doctor ASAP. preferably a sports doctor who has played football in his child hood. also, read the sticky by Eric which may have something about this injury u have (perhaps he's already suggested this in ur journal...i have no idea which is why im throwing the idea out now)

[Ross86]

Thanks for the replies cradler & sentinel. Good info.

I knew there was a logical answer somewhere. Now I can explain to my friends why I'm progressing so much faster than they are.

[Topshelf]

Thanks Sentinel. I'll schedule an appointment with my family doctor. They have a guy there that deals specifically with rehab. Maybe some good anti-inflammatory pills and a simple strengthening program can get me back on track quickly.

Any recommendations for a lower body exercise that shouldn't irritate the groin strain? The thought of missing squats is killing me already. :( I was thinking that depending on the diagnosis of this, maybe this would be a good time to switch to a cutting phase. But I haven't done any research on that yet, so that might not be a good idea now that I think about it.

[_Wolf_]

Originally Posted by Ross86

Thanks for the replies cradler & sentinel. Good info.

I knew there was a logical answer somewhere. Now I can explain to my friends why I'm progressing so much faster than they are.

ur welcome

props to u for training smart.

Originally Posted by Topshelf

Thanks Sentinel. I'll schedule an appointment with my family doctor. They have a guy there that deals specifically with rehab. Maybe some good anti-inflammatory pills and a simple strengthening program can get me back on track quickly.

Any recommendations for a lower body exercise that shouldn't irritate the groin strain? The thought of missing squats is killing me already. :( I was thinking that depending on the diagnosis of this, maybe this would be a good time to switch to a cutting phase. But I haven't done any research on that yet, so that might not be a good idea now that I think about it.

im glad u are going to your family doctor. thats a very wise decision and u will be the winner in the end.

regarding other exercises, let me put it like this: back off squats and generally all lower body movements for a while. u said u've oly been training for 12 weeks, right? cool. so ur relatively new to this.

allow me to show u the position i am in today.

before my lower back injury my total was:
Olympic Squat: 335
Bench Press: 225
Deadlift: 385
TOTAL: 945 @ 180 lbs

do u know where i am at right now? my deadlift is probably around 275-280 MAX. dont even talk to me about squats because i doubt ill be able to pull off even 225 properly. yes, thats how badly ive been injured. but im not feeling that low. do u know why? because in the next 8 months ill be well past 945 and well into the 1000s and damn close to 1100. now, i did my lower body workout for the first time in over a month. for someone who loves to squat u have no idea how badly ive been missing this. but thanks to eric, ive been keeping my mind sane and im accepting this for what it is: a temporary set back which i will ALWAYS run into because of the nature of this game and how do i deal with it? by (1) accepting it for what it is: i am weak but i will work hard and smart to become stronger than before and (2) next time i will take special steps to avoid these injuries. injuries are inevitable but it is my duty to try and prevent them from coming.

if u ask me, just dont do any lower body work for now. maybe glute ham raises. but that depends. i dont know if it hurts your groin or not. do u have too far of a stance when u squat? how did u injure urself? have u spoken to eric about this? or anyone else on this forum? i havent seen ur journal so i apologize for the ignorant questions.

[Topshelf]

Christ man, you some kind of monster? Those numbers are massive! Unfortunately, those injuries don't sound so good. How did you do so much damage by 19?

Yeah, I've spoken to Eric a little about it. I'm under the impression that I just added too much weight too fast for my small size. I'm on naproxen right now trying to keep the inflammation down, and hopefully I can get back into it in a few weeks. I really don't think my stance is too far. If I bring my feet in anymore I can't do a full squat. Just hope I can actually fix the problem instead of just waiting for it to happen again.

[Eric3237]

Injuries aren't inevitable. They happen but they aren't inevitable. Never think that. If you think that then you'll just keep doing the same stuff that you have always done and you will keep revisiting the same injuries.

I know what Anuj meant. He meant that at some point all of us we'll be injured. That is true. But there is a difference between that and inevitability because this implies we have no control over it. And we most certainly do. There is always something that could have been done to prevent an injury. Most are not caused by technical failures in the first place but by a buildup of problems.

That is not to say that there aren't cases where technical failure is the problem.

[BallaHawk]

i think i know why the squats are performed more than the others,,,they work the most muscles than any other compound exercise and it is the best exersice to do to get more mass.

[Eric3237]

That was a little random.