Strength / Weight Training

You've got it - initial set was made up of 7 weights, first weight (20kg) 12 reps, second weight (30kg) for 10 reps etc.

So 20kg up to 80kg, reps decreasing as weight increases, then a further four sets of 40/50/60 kg, to an 8/6/6 pattern.

What exercise?

does sound like a lot of work at the lower range that wont be giving much benefit
even if the early stuff is treated just as a warm up then I'd think it'd be more useful to do something like
8 x 20kg
6 x 40kg
4 x 60kg
3 x 6 x 80kg

I dropped the earlier weights this time (did them last time) as they really were just useful as a warm up. I've never squatted 80kg before and did that to see if I could, really. Then dropped down to 40/50/60 to make sure I got the sets in. Next time I'll push that up by probably 10kg, then the next time another 10.

I'd do 7 or 8 sets per exercise (on the exercises I love) and 4-5 on the rest. 3 different exercises per part. 1 warmup set, maybe a second slightly heavier, then up to 80%ish for a couple or 3 then down again (pyramid) as my strength get depleted.

And you say FOUR groups after that? Like 16 more ontop of the 7... Wow

How many exercises?

I've started Stronglifts/5x5 a few weeks ago. There's a long old warm up at a similar weight there.
5 x 20, 5 x 20, 5 x 40, 5 x 60, 3 x 70
then the actual set, 5 x 5 x 82.5

I mostly keep to the warm up, though I don't worry about much rest between. I used to squat a decent amount (for a punter that is) and it'll be interesting to see if I can get anywhere close again. feels like a long way to go still.

I've started Stronglifts/5x5 a few weeks ago. There's a long old warm up at a similar weight there.

5 x 20, 5 x 20, 5 x 40, 5 x 60, 3 x 70
then the actual set, 5 x 5 x 82.5

Same here - although by the time I get to the third lift (rows or deadlift), I drop the lower / empty bar warmups, as by that stage they are somewhat redundant.

Dammit's lifts & reps of 20x12/30x10/40x8/50x6 feel like warmups, which makes me wonder why he is being asked to do them for the second and third sets.

Absent any scientific backup, it just feels that it would be more beneficial to drop them for sets 2 & 3, and up the weight on the work sets.

For reference, I'm squatting 5x85 max at the moment, and I'm extraordinarily untrained (as in I can count the times that I have exercised this year on my fingers).

First time on the weights in a year or two, can’t quite remember. They’ve got a half decent gym at the climbing wall so figured I’d give it another shot.

Managed 100kg squat for a single but my thighs seem to hurt instantly once I start squatting. Like instant doms, lol. I had the same thing last time round, no idea why. Benched 80 for a single but didn’t fancy pushing it any further as they don’t have 2.5kg plates so would have had to go for 90 which I didn’t fancy. Was going to leave it at that but then bumped into a guy I know who convinced me to join him and his pals for some deadlifts. Wanted to pull 150, which I managed, then was egged on to pull 160. Felt clean enough and probably good for 170 but I was keen to bow out gracefully and uninjured so I stopped there.

Did all of it beltless and reckon I’m going to sack off the belt for now, I’m only really keen to lift to keep my body in decent shape as the new job is physical. Lots of humping heavy gear around, so having a decent strength base and some conditioning definitely wouldn’t hurt.

Also, I believe I am going to be entirely incapacitated all weekend. RIP my legs/body/entire being.

Strong work! Not the climbing wall in earlsfield is it?

Nah, up norf (Leeds).

Honestly felt like I’d had half a pill after doing the deadlifts, lol.

One thing I find weird is that I have absolutely no problem with squatting, the setup, hitting depth etc. My legs are definitely out of shape, but the rest of it comes back instantly. But with deadlift, I can’t seem to get the setup or pull to feel half as tuned in. Pulling conventional vs clean deadlift probably plays a part (spent the majority of my time doing cleans and not that much time actually deadlifting).
Very CSB, I know.

I restarted recently and had that in my thighs at only 50kg and it felt hard. Next session I did 55kg, no pain, no doms and felt v easy. Think it is just the shock to the system after a period off.

I'm up to 70 now and it's still feeling pretty easy. Taking it slow tho, mostly to delay those horrible grinding seasons that can knock you out for the rest of the day.

I've got to doing 3*5 at 107.5 before but I was younger and heavier then so I'm not aiming for that now. Vague plan is to carry on doing 3*5 linier progression until I get to around 100kg then will try to maintain that strength as I do other things. Last time I got around there and was pushing the progression 3 times a week I couldn't recover if I did any other exercise and it sucked to fun out of it.

I am reaching the limit of my squat. So to complete the last couple of sets I find myself leaning slightly forward and pushing up with the weight on the ball of my foot on the last couple of reps.
Pushing from the ball of my foot I can handle roughly 10% more weight than when 'flat footed'.
Presumably this counts as cheating, but what is the best way forward? Stay disciplined with evenly balanced flat footed form and (hopefully) persevere through my plateu – cutting my sets short if need be. Or use those last few cheat lifts as a way to eventually break through the plateau?

Yeah heavy squats and cycling don't mix well without proper rest.

What shoes, if any, are you wearing?

I've got a few on rotation, but all are just plain trainers with fairly flat soles.

Weight lifting shoes may help. Solid sole and lifted heel. Scroll back a page or so for more info.

Presumably this counts as cheating, but what is the best way forward?

No, but could be a sign of tightened hams or reduced range of motion sonewhere and the instability could lead to an injury.
You could also slide a 1.25kg plate under your heels and see how that feels, would be more stable than just raising on the balls. Or the lifting shoes mentioned ^

Breaking through, it depends what you're doing and how long you have been doing it. When was your last de-load and how long are your cycles? Or have you been doing linear progression to this point?
Oh, and eat more and sleep more :D

I find this insta account good for constant reminders and tips for movement
https://instagram.com/squat_university?utm_medium=copy_link

Or have you been doing linear progression to this point?

Pretty much.
Any de-load in the past couple of years has always been un-planned, i.e. whenever I found myself having to take a few weeks off, and then just starting again at a lower number.

OK, so I should probably take my downward dogs more seriously in order to improve my hamstrings and see if that sorts it out.

As for indulging my tendency to lean forwards by getting those wedged shoes. As I am still just about able to squat my body weight, wouldn't it be better to teach myself to do my lifts au naturel for the time being?

Weight lifting shoes at this stage sounds a bit like getting an aero helmet for my commute.

As the weight gets heavier you may tend to fall back on your heels - not a nice experience without proper shoes. Ditch the trainers - bare feet would be safer.
I would think if you are putting weight over your toes, it is likely the bar path is not right. No doubt, someone else could shed light on this. I have done it before but no every lift so it’s a fault somewhere.

You wouldn’t think twice about buying a cheap pair of shoes to run in, so why not buy a cheap pair of shoes to squat in?

Trying a 2.5kg plate under your heels is a good quick test to see if having a raised heel helps.

Going on to your toes a little isn’t the end of the world like lots of people on the internet would have you believe (pushing a bit from the forefoot, not lifting the heel off the ground obv).
I’ve often struggled with “losing” my chest and coming forward like you described. A slightly wider stance helped me open up my hips, which helps keep my spine more upright through the squat but tbh it’s hard to diagnose the specific issue without seeing you squat, and lifting the heel usually helps gain depth rather than forward motion, but the 2.5kg plate thing never hurts as an experiment.

Also, RIP my legs, stairs are not fun and other legday.jpeg circle jerks, but I’m honestly broken.

Can’t wait to not be crippled after a few squats.

Pretty much.

Any de-load in the past couple of years has always been un-planned, i.e. whenever I found myself having to take a few weeks off, and then just starting again at a lower number.

I reach a fatigue ceiling around 9 weeks if I can get decent sleep, sooner if not or if I'm trying to not put on too much extra weight (so not eating enough)
Do you take into account total volume in a workout, not just the max weight set? Is there a way to increase volume before trying to up the top set? Or are you doing too much and getting tired before your working set?

Otherwise I'd mix higher rep lower weight (8x XKg) to encourage some hypertrophy and then some lower rep high weight (3x XKg) to encourage some power and I'd expect the 5x to rise again. I'd probably do this mixed approach for a couple of cycles and see how things go, getting a feel for what needs to change and what your goals are (strength, hypertrophy or power). Then you can start your own programming... That's like 2 years worth of work there haha.

wouldn't it be better to teach myself to do my lifts au naturel for the time being?

Yeah, but there are tools to help you achieve your goals so depends what you want to do with your gainz.

Are you highbar or low bar squatting? Highbar puts more emphasis on the quads and keeps you more upright, low bar requires more glutes and hams and you'll naturally lean a bit more forward to keep the weight central over your knees and feet.

Film yourself from the side, see if the bar is tracking in a straight line up and down as it should, or if its making an ellipse.