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Last Wednesday, I rose early and headed out to the gym before the kids woke up. I arrived just in time for the 5AM spinning class at the gym. Before we moved down here from Portland, I used to attend spinning classes twice a week at the local YMCA and loved them. The music was awesome, the instructors were motivating, and the equipment was top of the line. My experience here was a little different. The class was small, the room was dark, the music was blah, and the equipment was subpar–not to mention, the class was really easy. Or so I thought.
So after 45 minutes on the bike, I headed down to the weight room for my 5X5 workout. I figured that I was already warmed up since I’d been on the bike for so long so I racked my weights for my first set of squats. I shouldered the bar, stepped back, spread my feet, aligned my toes, and in the words of the people at the 5X5 forums, I “put my ass to the grass.” Wow! Was I in for a rude awakening. My left quad balked the first time I went down. I didn’t think much of it on the first rep, but by the time I squatted for the fifth time, I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t finish my other four sets, but I did finish the rest of my workout.
So I spent the rest of the day hobbling around with a sore left quad. Thursday was worse, and I was beginning to think I did something more than strain it. But Friday I went for an 18 hole walk and it was feeling better. Still stiff, but not bad. Saturday and Sunday steadily improved and now I’m back in the game.
So I had a minor setback in terms of lifting weights. But it was a real eye opener for me. My legs, although they do look GOOD, aren’t quite ready to be increasing weights on the squat bar every time I work out. But I really like the 5X5 program. So I’m going to modify it a bit for a couple of weeks. Instead of increasing my weight each time, I’m just going to get in some reps of a lighter weight and concentrate on proper form and hip/hamstring flexibility. In the long run, I believe this will serve me better. After all, I’m not looking to get buff from the lifting, I’m really looking to build a better metabolic base for myself by adding muscle. I’ll head back to the squat bar on Wednesday so my quad can have a full week of rest before I put it back to the test.
J.D.
18 responses so far ↓
1 Paul // Aug 11, 2008 at 8:07 am
How much weight did you have on the bar? You just started 5×5, you shouldn’t be lifting very much weight yet. And doing squats after a 45 min spinning class just seems like a really bad idea. For a site called “get fit SLOWLY”, you and JD seem to push too much, too fast an awful lot.
2 Yongho Shin // Aug 11, 2008 at 8:19 am
You didn’t get injured, did you? I hope not.
You should start really low when you start a new exercise. Whenever I do an exercise I haven’t done before, I always do ~30% of what I think I can do, just to get my form right and get used to doing it.
3 Chris // Aug 11, 2008 at 9:08 am
If at all possible, you may want to lift before your cardio. That way, your muscles aren’t completely spent and you can be sure your form is at its best.
4 Anne Keckler, Personal Trainer // Aug 11, 2008 at 9:35 am
It’s generally not a good idea to do cardio before lifting weights. Even with relatively light cardio, you will fatigue the muscles and not be able to lift as much. If possible, do cardio on days that you don’t lift. At the very least, have a four hour break between cardio and weight lifting.
5 -Fred. // Aug 11, 2008 at 10:11 am
I really hope you worked your way up to your work sets and didn’t just hop right into them. Gotta warm those muscles up before using them (NO, cycling will not do it)!
When I started lifting a year ago at the ripe old age of 38 I too followed “Strong Lifts 5×5″, but I soon found that my progress stalled as the workouts took more time than I had to give them. I then moved into Rippetoe and Kilgore’s Starting Strength which is one of the references for “Strong Lifts” and is IMHO the better program. I can’t say enough good stuff about this book. You should really look into it if you’d like to learn the safest and most productive methods of weightlifting for the goal of building over-all strength.
-Fred.
6 Pennsy // Aug 11, 2008 at 10:37 am
Mac, I’ve been enjoying your blog. Thanks for sharing your journey.
The way I avoid your troubles when I do 5×5’s is to do a lot of warm up reps. I usually start with no weight at all, just finding my form, then add a few plates at a time to the bar till I work my way up to the day’s working weight. These might just be sets of two or three reps, but they helped me to climb the ladder without doing any harm.
Two things I learned doing this — 1) too many warm up reps and you’re burned out before you reach your target working weight. I almost always finished my 5×5, but a couple of times I had to lower the weight. and 2) Keep an eye over your shoulder. If there’s a line forming behind you, you’re hogging the rack. I tried to always have a plan B exercise in mind (like stop squatting and go do some dips for a while) for the sake of being a good neighbor.
Keep up the good work!
Peace,
Pennsy
7 Andrew is getting fit // Aug 11, 2008 at 11:08 am
I’d suggest doing the squats first and cardio second as well.
8 Rich // Aug 11, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Read this T-Nation article.
http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1856085&cr
It’s called the third world squat. Basically, get in an ass-to-grass squat position and hold it there (without any weight or bar on your back).
It may take some time to be able to get the flexibility and form correct.
It helped me tremendously in terms of getting ass-to-grass squats. I use it as part of my warm up routine.
Hope you are not seriously injured.
9 mjh // Aug 11, 2008 at 4:17 pm
sorry to say, 45 minutes on a bike is a terrible workout for squats. You fatigued your quads before you even got to the bar.
A good warm up for weights is:
*LIGHT jogging or cycling, only about 5-10 minutes
*some dynamic stretching and/or mobility work (NOT static stretches)
*your first set should always be with an empty bar, then work up to your working weight in sets of 3. So if you’re lifting 100lbs, do 44lbs (bar) x5, 70ish lbs x3, 100lbs 5×5. the higher the weight you’re using, the more increments you might need.
http://stronglifts.com/how-to-do-a-proper-warm-up/
also, cardio should definitely come after your weights, not before, and not on rest days.
10 mjh // Aug 11, 2008 at 4:18 pm
ack! that should be “… a terrible warmup for squats” in the first sentence.
11 monica // Aug 12, 2008 at 4:12 am
Sorry to hear about the injury. =( I’ve been there, with the spinning, too. I went to one class and loved it, but all the other ones I’ve tried have been lame. It’s definitely the kind of group exercise where the right music is essential - I like 80’s! The GOOD instructor I had was really into the music and I could tell he was having FUN. All the others just seemed to be going through the motions.
12 macdaddy // Aug 12, 2008 at 8:11 am
@Lots of People–I have very limited time to workout due to my family situation and love of sleep (and temporarily the Olympics) when I go to the gym, I have to get both a cardio and and strength training session in.
@Paul–I’m in pretty decent shape and never once felt overly tired or taxed during this workout. I am still getting fit slowly, but pushing yourself during an individual workout is a good thing.
@Fred–there’s been lots of suggestions about the Rippetoe book. I’m going to pick up a copy and take a look at it.
@ Lots of People–thanks for the advice about lifting before running. I’ll take that into consideration.
13 greenman2001 // Aug 12, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Mac,
You may have spoken about this before, but can you tell us you’re establishing whether your form in the squats is correct or not? Thanks.
14 macdaddy // Aug 12, 2008 at 2:32 pm
15 carl // Aug 12, 2008 at 3:59 pm
well, it’s no “bug” - you and jd are just training too hard given your age and physical condition!
“marathon”-ready in 6 months? “100 hundred push ups”?! come on, your not 17 anymore.
I’m 33 - I lost 13 kilos in six months just by taking long walks (10 km) in the woods and by stopping eating too much chocolate. No injurys yet! (I’ve been doing this for nearly two years now)
All in all, just please be a bit realistic about your goals and big macho achivements - get fit slowly, w i t h o u t the pain and self-inflicted “bugs”…
16 greenman2001 // Aug 12, 2008 at 7:54 pm
My thought, Mac, is that there’s a lot more to correct form than the depth of the squat. The question I asked you wasn’t “how deeply are you squatting?” it was “how are you ensuring that your form is correct?”
It sounds like your intention is to back off the weight significantly, which is very smart. Perhaps the pain was caused by lifting too much weight. Perhaps you are are coming up against some range-of-motion limitations caused by lack of flexibility — so your decision to stretch more is a good one. The third leg of good training is impecable form. I’m wondering if merely looking in the mirror and trying to remember what they taught you in high school is adequate toward this end. When a personal trainer shows you an exercise and you go on to experience pain performing the exercise, it’s worth a follow-up conversation with them.
A 5 am spinning class — I’ll be that makes for a long day.
17 Christopher // Aug 12, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Macdaddy,
Even Rippetoe will advise that you just need to get a few inches below parallel to get some good glute/ham activation. I’d strongly suggest picking up his book. Or watch the video links I left in your comments earlier.
I think you should try some box squating. Get a box that’s puts you just a few inches below parallel. As a bonus you’ll learn to sit back a lot more. Also, don’t be afraid to sub front squats for back squats for a few weeks. Front squats will let you go lower with a better neutral spine and let you sit down below you knees more
Also, it was stupid to not do warm up sets. Really stupid. But hopefully you know that now.
I understand your time constraints, but honestly, “love of sleep” is a pretty weak excuse. As is watching the olympics. Give up a half hour of sleep and do cardio at a different time or do it after weights. Or buy a treadmill.
-CD
18 Rich // Aug 12, 2008 at 8:25 pm
This may be long so bear with me.
Squatting ATG (ass to grass):
Squat like the pros. Olympic lifters go very, very deep (I envy them). Powerlifters have to go to parallel or the lift does not count.
While it is a highly debated topic, going deep (or at the very least to parallel) will prevent injuries. Going deep transfers the load to your hips instead of your knees. Stopping above parallel puts tremendous stress on your knees. Your hips are better built to handle that weight. Going deep also allows you to use the stretch reflex in your hamstrings to essentially “bounce” back up. Please note parallel is where your hip joint and knee joint are along the same horizontal plane.
Equipment:
The only thing you need for now is shoes.
Running shoes and cross trainers are not good for squatting. The are too springy. They do not give you a very stable base.
Save up and invest in a pair of old school Chuck Taylors. They have flat, non-compressible soles. Or squat in your bare feet. Chucks are great for deadlifting too.
You can go all out and get Olympic lifting shoes, but do not deadlift in those. They are wrong for deadlifting. The heel on them throws your balance off when deadlifting.
Do not worry about a belt for now. That is for later. Post up about when you think you are ready and I will put in my 2 cents then
Set up:
Tighten up before you take the bar off the rack. You can’t tighten up effectively if the weight is already on you. To help tighten up, bring your hands in closer to your shoulders. This will help “flex” your upper back and body. Stay tight throughout the movement.
The Movement:
Lower back arched, always.
Head looking straight ahead on a fixed point.
Heels should be about shoulder width. This feels wider than most people are accustomed to. It will help with going deep.
Feet should point about 30 degrees, knees pointing in the same direction as your feet.
Go down with moderate speed.
Drive up with your hips. Power comes from your hips in the squat. Everything else will follow naturally.
Push that power through your heels (you said you are doing this already).
Tip: If you feel like you are tipping forward, you can either curl your toes up or place a 5lb weight under your heels. The weight under your heels helps better align your hips for going lower until your flexibility improves. Use it only as necessary.
Keep doing your “3rd world squats”. They work. They will help. They also help with deadlifts. One day you will be able to go deep and you won’t / can’t go back to those half or quarter squats.
You may not be 17. You may not be as fast, flexible or agile as a 17 year old. But, you can be stronger than one. Many people feel that in your 30’s is when you are your strongest. Play that angle.
Don’t give up. Don’t give up on squats. Many people consider squats the king of all exercises. Couple that with deadlifts and you have the two most effective exercises in your arsenal.
As for injuries, well, keeping proper form will help prevent that. I can’t promise that you won’t get injured. Unfortunately, it’s the name of the game. Yes, you can do less stressful things like walking, etc. But, IMO, thats mediocrity. I don’t like mediocrity.
I know you know this, but the number on the scale is not everything. It is how you feel and how you look . You will start to recomposition. You will lose fat and gain muscle.
Take it for what it’s worth.
Good luck and remember, eat, lift, sleep, repeat!!
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