I would appreciate any advice from experienced lifters re: my log here: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f49/transition-2248625/ Check out the last posts. tl;dr I am running into some problems since my (11 day) xmas break and am also trying to incorporate thai boxing into my routine, but it may be interfering with my lifting schedule.
You likely don't have anywhere near the work capacity to handle hard MT conditioning at this point. You might want to consider doing aerobic work at a low intensity for awhile until you've developed a solid aerobic base. Having a solid aerobic base will help you survive MT. As for you struggling on your lifts: missing lifts happens. You can't have a perfectly linear progression; there are always stumbling blocks. When I ran SS, I had weeks where I would make great progress, weeks where I'd make great progress on everything except one lift, and other weeks where I made little progress. The fact that you are continually dieting will always be an issue on a program like SS. You have to adjust your expectations accordingly. You are having trouble with your pressing exercises. I would suggest posting form check videos to see if your form is holding you back. I saw that you're benching in a smith machine; is there a free bench available? You can and should still train when you're sore, but being so crippled that you're unable to walk is a problem. I'd suggest either doing enough GPP in the form of low-intensity aerobic stuff to prepare for MT, or easing into MT, which can be difficult depending on the instructor.
responded a bit. Conditioning isn't my bag, but I'm sure you know conditioning and strength are a balancing act. Proceed with caution.
Patho/babyeater: thank you for the feedback. I use the smith machine because I'm not benching without a spotter - just not gonna risk it because I don't trust my chest strength. There have been times when using the smith machine where I have been unable to complete a rep and I would have had a crushed chest if not for the safety guards on the smith machine. I have had to crawl out from under the bar before while on a smith. I could probably do smaller weights without a smith - but I don't think i'd be able to push myself like SS requires. What do you think? re: MT my instructor is an animal. He trains in the traditional thai method - everyone does the same shit, regardless of skill level, with hundreds of combos, you just stop if you can't do it. Of course the impetus is to keep working, especially when you have a partner, you don't want to pussy out.
I'm sorry but smith machine is not a viable option. There are a great number of lifters on here that bench without a spotter. You just have to learn how to do the roll of shame. 165 is not going to crush your chest. You just lower it back down to your chest and roll it down your body and sit up.
I rarely ever have a spotter. If I really feel I need one I ask someone at the gym to give me a spot. If not, I have a pretty good idea of whether I will honestly make the next rep or not... I would rather sacrifice a rep than the whole intent of the movement by using another machine for it... However I am sure this will change once I start lifting Alpha weight on the Bench...
