You should take it easy over the weekend. Work into next week slowly. You may need to work more on your back muscles before going heavy again. I worked my back for a year before i went over 200 on a squat and just this week did my first dead in 25+ years. After 40 years of age, once an injury comes, its slow and easy. Or you could be out of the Gym for a while.

Do some light Dumb Bell rows when you feel better. Use a Bench for supporting your back with the non-weighted hand your not rowing with. Stay away from Bar Bell Rows since they are not supported and could kill your back. You have a good weekend too!

Go easy with the SLDL... they are an easy one to pile weight on to, but also easy to make harder by concentrating on the FULL range of motion, and really working the stretch in the hamstrings. Especially since you are concentrating on aesthetics, and not entering a power lifting, or strong man comp. They are back breakers when you devaite form really good form.. just my 2 cents

Thanks guys!  Question about the SLDLs:  The way I do them in a power rack, I take the bar off the pins, then each rep is down then up, with no deload at bottom, then I rack on the pins end of set.  Is there too much back stress that way?  Should the bar be on the floor and I go up then down and deload after each rep?  Also I stand on a 3 inch thick stepper board so I can drop lower but I'm sure that creates more potential for lower back rounding at bottom.  I have very good hamstring flexibility from all the yoga and Pilates.  Thx!

Last evening and night were brutal!  Today I think the Aleve is starting to kick in.  Ice works wonders too!  I'm pretty sure it's just a muscle injury.  I really hope the spine is not compromised.  I don't think so.

Sorry to hear about the back issue. Its not a setback though, just a pain in the rear. Just regroup and work out a way to work around the issue. Since my hamstring tweak, I have discovered cable rows for my lats. Less strain on the hams. My tweaked hamstring is getting better though. Im starting to work in some SLDL again. Still light though. Im keeping knees slightly bent as well.

You Did some good work on the HST cycle. Rest, regroup, learn and come back better. 

Let's also remember, while stiff-leg deadlifts are a good exercise for the hamstrings, they are also somewhat "unnatural". When picking something off from the ground, the natural motion is to bend the knees and use your quads, glutes, and lower back - which is why conventional deadlifts are often recommended over stiff-leg.

Try to lay the bar down to the ground and pull up, squeeze your glutes at the top of the lift. The top reasons for an injury deals with form, failure to warm up, or lifting too heavy. I don't believe you were probably lifting too heavy but the form could be an issue. Try to always lower it down to the ground. 

you won your 1st ever FF game....and beat Sheperd at that.....with his own QB....ENJOY...I lost!!!!!!!!!!!

Took a week off for Strategic Deconditioning after 8 weeks of HST.  Did nothing!  Took the time to read Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength.  Great book.  My back is 95% healed, but that 5% is still there as reminder to be careful!
 
Another dad from my boys' school came up to me the other day and couldn't stop complimenting me on my physique, and in front of my wife!  He's been lifiting as well and has had difficulty putting on muscle.  She told him his problem is that he doesn't spend all day on Discuss Bodybuilding!  Ouch!  Anyway, I called the guy the next day and we talked for an hour.  Think I hooked him up with some great advice (that I've learned from DBB!).  Can't wait to see whether my advice is more helpful than the trainer who babysits him EVERY workout.  He goes to a different gym than me.  I'm still on Cloud 9 from his compliments!  :)
 
Decided to do 14 weeks of Bill Starr's 5x5 program in hopes of developing my legs and back in particular.
 
Body weight:  108 lb
Goal (by Christmas):  120 lb
Then perhaps I'll be ready to cut.  On the cut hopefully I'll be able to sculpt the mass I have for a summer comp.  Posing practice should probably start soon too!
 
Bill Starr 5x5
Linear Version for Intermediate Lifters
 
Mon 09/21/09  9:00 AM
Bill Starr 5x5  Week 1 Day 1
 
Warmup:  5 min. Concept 2 Rower
 
Squat:
5x85  trunk too vertical?
5x105
5x130 focused on knees out
5x150
5x170  focus on hip drive, right adductor cramp
 
Bench:
5x80
5x100
5x120
5x140
5x160 (4+1)  need to remember to look @ ceiling, not bar!
 
Row:
5x80
5x100
5x120
5x140
5x160  it will be interesting to see if someone eventually complains about the noise when bar/plates hit floor
 
Assistance:
Weighted hypers (2 sets):  bwx25, bwx25
Weighted situps (4 sets):  bwx15x4
Chinups (20 reps total):  7+6+4+4 (all kipped)
 
Stretch:  in whirlpool.
 
Comments:  I'm going to feel this one tomorrow!  Can definately tell I took a week off!  Am going to try to buy some 1.25lb plates at a fitness supply store because 5 lb steps are too high for the 5x5 program.  Also going to buy some chalk.  In the back of my head, I'm wondering whether I'm outgrowing the Y's free weight room.

First off, thanks vdk_au!  I really need to address hypertrophy as well as strength this cycle if I'm to compete next summer.  In a timeless world perhaps I could laser focus in on strength but I don't see that I have the time. 

MVP,
    I am using the calculator.  I used my 5RMs from the HST.  I assumed bench would equal inclined bench from HST.  I assumed dead would match SLDLs.  Those should be conservative numbers then, no?  For row, I think I used what I did in one of N$'s challenges.  Those rows seemed pretty light, though.  For assistance, I'm doing what's in the program (spreadsheet)
*Monday - 2 sets weighted hypers (25reps ea?), 4 sets weighted situps (15reps ea?) (I did just BW this go around).  Then I added 20 kipped chinups (enough?) as many sets as necessary to failure to get 20.  As time goes on I'll try to reduce kip, switch around to supinated pullups, and widen the grip.
*Wednesday - 3 sets wtd situps.  I'll add pullups.
*Friday - 3 sets wtd dips (5-8reps), 3 sets BB curls (5-8reps), 3 sets tricep extensions (5-8reps).  Then I'll add the pullups.

I probably ought to get in some calf work somewhere.

I called my local fitness supply store.  I was hoping they had 1/2 pound discs/plates that I could bring with me to the gym.  My gym only has 2 1/2s so I'm going in 5lb steps.  Is this the program you were on when you were looking for smaller increments?  The guy says he thinks he can order 1 1/4s for me which I could bring to the gym.  That would help a lot.  I'm also going to pick up some chalk.  How important are shoes with no cushion in the heels for squatting?  Rip mentions some $200 shoes for squatting.

I can tell today that I got a good workout yesterday.  Hoping I can go from 208 to 220 by Christmas and then think about a cut.  Is it possible to sculpt for a comp on the cut or are you fighting so hard just to keep the muscle mass you have that that's not doable?  Thx!

MVP,
   First off about the calves:  You're right.  I'm going to drop them this cycle.  They're already decent, imo, and I worked them heavy on HST (700 lb leg sled).  They are extremely flexible and I never get pain stretching them.  HOWEVER, my heels (especially left) have been hurting lately sort of like shin splints.  My yoga/Pilates instructor says it could be my Achille's tendon pulling away from my heel bone.  She says that is a LONG recovery.  So I'm staying away.  There's no need now anyway.
   I'll do pullups/chinups before curls.
   Regarding rowing, are you talking of the warmup on the rowing machine or the 5x5 rows?  I am concerned that "dropping" the bar on rows and deads is going to get me into trouble at my Y gym.  If I could lower the weight and up the reps there would probably be less clanging.  Same w/deads.
   I like it so far, but I fear I may be starting too heavy, as the last reps of the last set of each exercise are pretty tough.
   Thanks, MVP!