you're a fine specimen. now teach 'murica.

i just ate an apple.

Go to the 15 second mark.

P.S. mt.net doesn't support linking youtube vids with a timestamp.

Lot of sugar this early in the day.



P.S. I'm kidding.


P.P.S. I'm not really kidding.

I also had greek yogurt, coffee, and now im about to eat a banana w/pb.

what flavor yogurt?

I owed my getting-less-shitty squat to his vids. That and his bench pressing videos.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1383670640
you should have just eaten a bag of skittles instead

Good couple of weeks. I officially have "abs". I'm not sure what to do with my life anymore.

New total is 970lbs:
-250lb bench (pause)
-315lb squat
-405lb deadlift

Looking for that solid 1000lb total in a few weeks.

Diet is changed. I'm too lean to be doing Keto any longer. I can't decide to do lean gains or the popular IIFYM. If any one has any thoughts please post.

Apparently the IIFYM comes with mandatory FB updates with millions of hashtags and "mirin'"comments. So do the other :party:

i would have, but no one has anymore halloween candy left.

now im eating chix salad with provolone, bacon, on some weird whole wheat pita.

Pretty much. The brociety is growing and we're all gonna make it. Started carb cycling for lift/rest days. Broke my stall and am now 202lbs. Fuark yeah.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1384717248

I'm stalling on bench press. cant do a full set of 150.

im up to 245 deadlifts though.

Hows ur bench form?

You need a spotter so you can feel safe doing more weight.

Try putting down your purse.

Nah no spotter. In the beginning of the thread i posted a vid of using the squat rack cage. Use that for heavy/max benches. For 8-10 rep sets no big deal with using the regular benches.

Great job wasting a squat rack cage with your benching.

And i still bench more than most people are squatting.

That probably has something to do with it.

That probably has something to do with it.

Just did the most pathetic 10k on my mtb and I threw up my breakfast from earlier today. It's only 7 degrees outside, maybe I put on too much clothing. Or I'm a wimp. Probably both.

Spotter helps you progression, but a gym with a rack can be a good replacement. Lets you max out and fail if needed. Try negative bench reps with 20-25lbs over your max. Lower the weight as slow as possible to the safety bars. If you can throw in pauses even better.

IMO I prefer to do these in the smith machine 1 armed. So you can just push the weight back up with 2 arms at the bottom of the set rather than having to get up and dead lift it.

Brain dont feel bad. I just got back from the gym, I only benched 155 for 12, I will be going up next week though, the shoulder is feeling better and better. Also dont feel bad about the deads. I threw them into the end of the workout today for kicks, I did 185 for 4 before I stopped on only the 2nd set. I felt like I was gonna burst a hammy. Maybe I should have come back in slower since I havent done deads since high school. Lol.

Its funny doing all these press exercises with mostly under 135lbs on the bar and all the shrimpy hard gainer kids staring at me while they're incline pressing 245 and I'm bigger than them. I have to try not to lol. Fuck my shoulder.

Relevant.

Because they can't get their squat work in because bros are always using the squat racks for curls and bench work?

lol aint that always the excuse? Usually for overweight people. "Ehh sorry guyzzz i cant workout because theres too many people at the gym so i'll stay home and watch tv instead."

Shit I do that

Excuse? This is why I wake up at 4:30am every morning and go to the gym. So I don't have to deal with "bros" that circle jerk around every useful machine and pretend to be big, and the guys who somehow figure out the wrong way to use every useful machine.

The gym is utterly useless 90% of the time it's open. Gym etiquette is quite clear regarding utilization of squat racks. Now if it's not busy, and there are plenty open, it doesn't really matter.

I go to the gym at 5:45pm.. during rush hour.. most busiest hours and i have no problems getting my very very long workout done in an hour and a half. Grow a thicker skin, talk to people, ask them how many sets they have, ask to jump in and do your sets. Little communication goes a long way.

I won't assume things about you, but there is absolutely no way to get a good workout in during the busiest hours unless your gym is in some sort of secret location where busy means 3-4 people in the gym at the same time as you, or your workout consists of 1 exercise on 1 machine for 1.5 hours. .

And trust me, I've seen that workout. I see the guy that literally just sits at the bench and does bench press for an entire hour. Or holds the squat rack hostage while he does 87 different workouts that aren't meant for the squat rack.

I'm not angry about it, they paid money to be there just like me. Which is why I go early to avoid it. I go to the gym for one thing, to work out. It isn't a social event, and it shouldn't be. I expect to be left alone while I throw around heavy shit.

Well my average set is 275 of 8 on bench, 20-25 pullups per set, i dont do heavy squats any more however i do do sets of 15-20 as a warm up with a plate and a half per side. curl about 125 for sets of 8 without swinging. What else.. I hope that gives you an idea of "me".

Thats what I do. Just imagine if its a girl using the machine and, gasp, you have to talk to a girl to find how many more sets she has. I mean talking to another human being is one thing, but having to talk to a girl, its just impossible. :giggle:

So i recently started going to another gym closer to my job. Anyways theres this chick. Looks like she used to be a body builder now in her late 50s... I just started working out with my buddy so hes new to the gym. Made me laugh when she went to use the machine after him and ended up putting on plates vs what he had on there. The look on his face was priceless.

There's a lady at my gym that looks like Giada; short arms and all.

Not sure if that's supposed to impress me. numbers on the internet mean nothing. The fact that you listed them tells me enough.

The Smith Machine or any other machine that simulates the bench is another way to do negatives one-armed as mentioned. Just understand that the Smith Machine is typically counter balanced so that the bar weighs 20lbs (i.e. Compensate).

but will she cook for you

i dunno, i could ask.

That and it's also stabilized, reducing the use of neutralizer and stabilizer muscles.

As for straight up using a squat rack in order to have the safeties, there is no way to do that and still get full range of motion unless you happen to be at the perfect height.

Since we are talking about "growing some thick skin and talking to people at the gym", just ask for a spotter and use a real bench. Luckily I have friends that go to the gym the same time I do, and just call them over quick when I need a spot for something. But most places the staff can and will spot you so you don't annoy people by asking them to put their junk in your face while you struggle.

The same handful of guys are always at the gym when I go, and I've asked and been asked to spot every now and again, so that's always nice.

i am intimidated by the 6'5" 250 lb ex marine types at my gym. though I'm sure they could spot me with a pinky.

Watch all 7 parts. It's worth the time.

Lol you think i'm lying? First you say you dont know how good my workout is... so i give you basic idea of my progress. Not trying to impress you or anything, i already have a girlfriend i can fuck.

When people talk too much, I put ear buds in without the player. They normally get the idea.

I do that at work and just turn and start doing stuff.

last night i pulled 260. i felt like a man, but then i couldn't do a second.

I went to gym last night to do my 5x5 workout

I had to wait for a while because some guy who looked like Joe Perez' whiter uncle was there doing squats. I didn't stare long enough to fully calculate his load but probably 260 (yes, he used 2.5lb plates). He did 5 sets.

Then he went over to bench. I didn't see how much but I saw him at least hang a 45 and a 25 on each side plus some small plates. He might have been warming up still.

Meanwhile I was busting out my 100 lb squats, 90 lb rows, and 75 lb bench (I dialed back a tad to start Stronglifts with a lower weight).

It was just funny to me that there was a) another guy there doing what appeared to be 5x5, b) he was like 47 years old, c) he seriously had the Perez DNA (hairstyle, mustache, glasses).

I did not work up the courage to ask him about his workout. He was very diligent about writing every set down in his notebook too.

Giada was there again, she was bent over a bench so i didn't really want to approach her with questions about food...

How did you want to approach her??

201.4lbs

A few months back, shortly after returning from my Jamaica honeymoon I weighed in at 199lbs. I've never hit 200 before, so it scared me into dieting (Sort of). I started by cutting back my portions for regular meals, as well as watch what snacks I've been eating and switch to water 90% of the time. I previously drank about 2 glasses of iced tea each night (The really unhealthy powder mix crap). I think cutting out the iced tea helped a ton. I knocked about 10-13lbs off from dieting alone from July to September.

Then last month, I started to go back to the gym (Our association has a clubhouse with a small gym), and I am happy to say that I weighed in last night at 181.6. I'm not nearly as worried about actual weight as I am about being healthy and not being fat.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I almost lost 20lbs so far, and figured I'd share. I plan to keep at it and see where it takes me. Wish I had time to make it to the gym a couple extra nights, but 3 times/wk will have to do for now.

I still can't get back under 180. it's making me sad.

I feel like I was stuck at 187 for a month lol. Might have just been a fluke that I registered in at 181 yesterday. This morning I was 184 but I float around +/- 5lbs throughout the day.

brainzo, why do you think you will LOSE WEIGHT by doing a 5x5 program??

you lift a lot
you eat a lot
therefore you will weigh a lot

but you might lose your gut!

yeah ive noticed my chest and gut has flattened a bit. I dunno, i'd just rather see 179 over 180 :)

here's my weights over the last few weigh-ins:

10/3/2013 181
10/7/2013 183
10/9/2013 183
10/11/2013 181.4
10/16/2013 181.5
10/18/2013 182
10/21/2013 183
10/23/2013 180.8
10/25/2013 181.2
10/28/2013 182
10/30/2013 183.4
11/4/2013 180
11/6/2013 183.4
11/8/2013 182
11/11/2013 180
11/13/2013 181
11/15/2013 182.3

but I went from deadlifting 185 to 260, and sqautting 105 to ~180. and all the halloween candy floating around the office didn't help.

Muscle weights more than fat bro.

I'm at 180 and when I don't work out I drop to 165-170.

I know. that's why i dont care too much, but i still have plenty of fat I need to trim. I'm willing to bet I have abour 20 lbs of fat on my belly alone.

You want to lean yourself out:
People fail because they don't track their caloric intake. Your go to the gym you work out and you get hungry so you eat more and see no reductions. Figure out where you are at and cut is by 500 calories. Don't expect to see strength gains in the gym. I recommend attempting this 2-3 months before beach season (Get strong until this time). TRACK WHAT YOU EAT AND FOCUS ON A GOOD MACRO BALANCE. It becomes easy if your create go to meals.

****Note if you are a scrawny or have overestimated your muscle content under the flab you will reveal your true self to everyone.

lol i have completely the opposite body. I stop working out for a month i drop like 20 lb.

2 summers ago i took a break for like 2-3 months. Went from 170 to 135.

As far as the diet goes. Its either bulking or cutting.. the lean bulk theory is a big waste of time usually spread around by weak people who have hit a platoe and wont accept it. Think of it this way. During bulking focus on increasing muscle mass and strength, during cutting focus on keeping up your strength and losing fat.

Yeah I am waiting to complete my 12 weeks of 5x5, then i was going to focusing on keeping the strength and leaning out.

seriously just eat how you normally eat and eliminate all white processed foods from your diet and it will take care of itself. You'll still have plenty of calories, carbs, and protein but you'll reduce the stuff that makes you manboobilicious