Stronger Than the Day Before

[Dimitrius]

My name is Don and I train with in a raw powerlifting style. I have my first competition coming up in April. I am currently running microcycles where I will cut weight for a while, maintain and do a strength cycle, and then cut weight some more. I would like to lift in the 198 lb. class.

I started off about a month and half ago at a high of 226 pounds. I felt fat and lethargic, and the size simply didn't afford me any greater leverage, so I decided to start cutting weight. I weigh myself every morning, and came in at 212.2 this morning.

The current cycle I am running, and plan to for 4 to 6 weeks depending on how my body responds, is a squat and bench only cycle. I'm actually only doing three movements and ab work this cycle; I squat Mon - Wed - Fri and bench Tues - Thurs - Sat. On bench days I also do neutral grip chinups between sets. Ab work consists of weighted static abdominal exercises (planks with a plate or two on my back, static cable holds) and weighted decline situps.

I'll start my log with today's workout (Squats) (enhanced with the AWESOME Titan neoprene knee sleeves I got yesterday):

Warmup

Stretching (static and dynamic) X 10 minutes

Bar X 6

135 X 6 high-bar olympic style
185 X 6
225 X 5
275 X 3
315 X 3

335 X 2 low-bar
365 X 1
385 X 1
345 X 2
345 X 2
335 X 2
315 X 5
335 X 2
345 X 1
335 X 2
315 X 4

315 X 1 (3 sec. pause squat)
315 X 1 (3 sec. pause squat)
315 X 1 (3 sec. pause squat)

Walk to my car and drive home X 1

 

[Sean1332]

Good luck bud. Interested to see how your training works.

 

[TheMovement]

In man, get after it!

 

[rob112]

In!

 

[Dimitrius]

Today was bench/chinup day. Weight on the scale this morning was 214. Don't think I gained 2 pounds in a day, so I'm attributing it to high glycogen/water retention from a high carb/fat/sodium day yesterday. Chinups between bench sets are full extension, deliberate on the eccentric and concentric portion.

Warmup:

General stretching, band pull-aparts (5 minutes)

Bar X 8
135 X 8
185 X 8
230 X 3
235 X 2
Chinups X 6
235 X 2
Chinups X 6
235 X 2
Chinups X 5
235 X 2
Chinups X 6
225 X 3
Chinups X 5
225 X 3
Chinups X 5
205 X 4
Chinups X 6
205 X 3
185 X 5
Chinups X 3

Prehab:

2 cold beers applied directly to stomach.

Workout aside from the warmup and prehab probably took less than 40 minutes. Tomorrow will be a little weird, as I normally lift alone, and tomorrow is a form check day so I'll be doing squats and deads with a partner for video and analysis. It'll be a short day too, since it's my girlfriend's birthday and I have to save my strength for extracurricular activities.

 

[Dimitrius]

Good luck bud. Interested to see how your training works.

In man, get after it!

In!

Thanks for the subs guys. When I get a chance, I'll stop by your logs.

 

[Dimitrius]

Alright, got some video today, and boy is my squat ugly. I get down low enough, but I fold like a ****in' wet napkin. Bar comes forward a bit too. Oh well, need more ab work.

Warmed up, hit 135 - 315 with high bar, switched to low bar, hit 345, and then 365. 365 felt like a grind because it came forward a bit. I need to work on squat form some more.

Deads were pretty quick. Hit 225-405 for doubles, and then hit 445 for a heavy single (should be near 90%). The bar was a little in front of me. A bit disappointed with the whole session, felt like **** because it was rushed, but it was totally worth it. I went home and made chicken wings for my girlfriend. She had the biggest smile on her face while she ate them.

 

[thegodfather]

You seem like a cool dude with a well-thought out plan. Best of luck.

 

[Dimitrius]

You seem like a cool dude with a well-thought out plan. Best of luck.

Thanks brosef. Appreciate the kind words.

Workout went well today. Looking forward to my rest day tomorrow though.

Warmup:

20 pushups
Band pull-aparts
Stretching

135 x 8

Workout:

6 chinups
185 x 8 (last rep paused)
205 x 3
6 chinups
240 x 2
5 chinups
240 x 2
5 chinups
240 x 2
5 chinups
240 x 2
5 chinups
240 x 2
5 chinups
240 x 2
5 chinups
225 x 3
5 chinups
225 x 4
5 chinups
225 x 5
5 chinups
185 x 10

Weighted Plank
70 lbs. X 45 sec.
Plank
1 min

Weighted situps
25 X 10
25 X 10
25 X 7
BW X 8

Ice cream cone for jaw rehab after last night.

 

[drewsicle3210]

Subbed. Keep killing it bro.

 

[Dimitrius]

Subbed. Keep killing it bro.

Thanks man. As I sit here and eat my PB&J, I realize how little I am looking forward to my next cut. Oh well. Got another month of maintenance... which for me almost means eating whatever I want.

For those interested, when I do my cutting microcycles, I do NOT count macros. I cut out carbs at dinner for the first week, then I cut out the carbs at dinner and lunch for the next three weeks. I eat all of my carbs (aside from some in a PW shake) at breakfast, and keep everything else clean - cook with coconut oil, eat chicken and lean beef (sirloin or 90% lean ground or better - used to be able to find some 97% lean near me which was awesome), and lots of veggies. I eat 3 whole eggs every morning with two pieces of whole grain toast, though during my cut I cut it down to two eggs just to find another place to cut calories from. I also stop drinking, and stop snacking after 10 am. Seems to work okay, though I'm not sure how much fat and how much muscle I am losing; I didn't lose strength after I lost 13 pounds or so last time, so this time we'll see.

 

[Dimitrius]

Noodz for the progress shots.

 

[Dimitrius]

Alright, it's an off day, so in lieu of numbers and reps, I'm gonna provide a recipe. I plan on putting recipes in here often. My girlfriend and I both have some culinary experience, so we play around with food a lot and usually end up with some pretty tasty, healthy dishes.

Today I made some chicken tenders in a peanut sauce. Recipe as follows:

Ingredients:

Decent satay sauce base (1 jar, I used Trader Joe's)
Peanut butter (half jar, non-sweetened)
Honey
Chicken Tenders (thawed, 2 pounds)
1 large onion
Soy sauce
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Miso soup (powder or broth, if powder make sure you mix it into some hot water to make soup out of it)
Mirin
Coconut oil
Turmeric


Considerations before cooking:

If you want less salt, simply leave out salt as a seasoning for the tenders and use low sodium soy sauce. You can also use a low sodium chicken broth instead of the miso broth, but the flavors in the miso are obviously more in keeping with the asian theme. The sauce will be thin, so it's not really that big a deal.

To start:

Mix the satay sauce, the peanut butter, a couple tablespoons of honey, soy sauce to taste and preference (I probably used about 2 tblpns), fresh cracked black pepper, some mirin (once again, 2 tblspns), some turmeric, and the broth together in a large bowl. I don't have measures for the broth, but you'll want at least two cups - you want the broth to be thin, but not watery. For spices, I go by taste preference, so add in small amounts until you reach the desired flavor. You want the peanuts to be the star, and everything else should enhance the peanut flavor and add spice/asian flavors in the background. It should flow easily, but have sticking power on the sides of the bowl. I don't just straight up use the satay sauce because 1. it's too chili-powder tasting, 2. it's too thick, and 3. it doesn't have enough peanut flavor. Adding these ingredients really kicks the flavor up a bit, and keeps the sauce from just glomping on to the chicken.

Once you have the simmer sauce finished, put it in a deep pot (stock pot or deep sauce pan) on medium heat. Chop the onion up into big chunks and throw it into the pot to simmer with the sauce. It's really just in there for the aromatic flavor.

While the sauce and the onion are getting their flavor love on, put a cast iron or stainless steel sautee pan on high heat. Add the coconut oil generously - you won't be pouring from the pan into the stock pot, so anything that doesn't stick to the chicken will be discarded. Coconut oil adds a little more flavor to the dish; in fact, I wanted to add coconut milk to the recipe, but didn't have any. If you do, I'd substitute a cup of the coconut milk for a cup of broth. Let the chicken brown on both sides, and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder while it browns (or don't, whatever). Once the chicken is done being browned, add it to the simmer sauce. Once all of the chicken has been added, drop the temperature to low or medium low (depending on your stovetop) and cover the pot. Let it simmer with the chicken until the chicken cooks through. I use a meat thermometer to tell when it is done, but you can go by feel too. The chicken should be firm, not soft, to the touch. It should take a good 15 to 20 minutes if the simmer heat is low and it is covered.

You can eat the chicken with as much or as little sauce as you want. That's the beauty of this kind of cooking; the sauce will impart a ton of flavor to the meat, and if you don't want the excess fat and sodium and carbs, you can just remove the majority of the sauce from the chicken and eat it with brown rice or some greens or whatever boring thing you want to do. I'll be joining you with that in about 4 weeks.

 

[Dimitrius]

SKWATZ

Today... was dog-****. I felt weak and winded the entire time. I was awakened around three A.M. by the sound of what, at the time, I thought were poltergeists trying to steal my soul. Turns out my bedroom window was open and Mother Nature decided to possess the skies and earth around my house. The rain sounded like it was being pelted at the earth by angry Old Testament God, and the wind howled like whatever creature scares the ever loving excrement out of banshees.

I did not sleep much after that.

To top it off, something just felt off with my body. I think it's time to cycle off the ephedrine.

I did not feel like going to the gym, but I did anyway, and punished myself for being a little bitch on my last set of squats.

Warmup:

Stretching (emphasis on glutes, hammies, and hips)
Leg swings X 10, both sides
Hip circles X 15, both sides
Body weight squats with a pause at the bottom, using my elbows to push out my knees X 10

Bar X 6
135 X 5
185 X 5
225 X 5
285 X 3
315 X 1

Working Sets:

315 X 3
335 X 2
355 X 1
365 X 1
335 X 2
345 X 2
365 X 1
335 X 2
345 X 2
315 X 3
315 X 5
225 X 12 + one pause rep

Last set sucked hard. Whole workout took way too long... must've been in the rack near an hour. Like I said, the final 225 X 13 was for being such a ***** all day.

Ate a Snickers and had a coconut water post workout. Weight today: 213

Tomorrow is bench.

 

[TheMovement]

Crappy days come and go, mother nature on the other hand....well hope ya house isnt in 2 bad of shape

 

[Dimitrius]

Crappy days come and go, mother nature on the other hand....well hope ya house isnt in 2 bad of shape

Thanks, haha. House is fine. Sounded pretty crazy outside (even after I closed the window), but there aren't any trees too close by. I was worried though; I remember when I was a kid and we'd get storms in the Midwest there'd be branches and sometimes even trees knocked over the next day. Sounded kinda like that last night, but no damage today.

I'm loading up on food tonight to go battle the iron again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll feel better. Thanks for stopping by!

 

[Reds91]

subbed

 

[Dimitrius]

I need to find a new gym time. Too many curl monkeys later in the evening. I actually saw someone... in the squat rack... using an EZ-curl bar... doing overhead presses... with a reverse grip... and about 65 lbs. total weight. They never squatted or deadlifted.

Anyway, aside from that abortion, things went pretty well today. I think powerlifting is an honest sport, in that it forces you to be honest about yourself. I wonder how many good powerlifters would've been great powerlifters had they nurtured the embers of a low, slow, constantly burning rage deep down inside of them? I think you have to have something to reach into if you want to progress. I had three sets or so that went something like this:

Unrack
Bar feels a little unstable
Still feels like **** on the way down
Out of the hole
Oh **** oh **** oh **** oh ****
I'm gonna die
How do I bail on this
**** that
Let's bench
Rack

This told me I need more confidence. If I have the strength to finish the lift, my resolve shouldn't waiver. I should know the lift will be completed. Ed Coan was a big proponent of visualization. He said in his workout tapes, "I never worry about making a lift, because in my mind I've already made it before I even unrack the bar." Something along those lines anyway.

Here's what tonight's workout looked like:

Warmup:

SOS

Working Sets:

chinups X 6
205 X 4
chinups X 6
225 X 4
240 X 2
chinups X 6
245 X 2
chinups X 6
240 X 2
chinups X 6
240 X 2
240 X 2
chinups X 6
235 X 2
235 X 2
chinups X 6
225 X 2
225 X 3
chinups X 6
135 X 15
135 X 15
chinups X 6

Post-workout Dark Snickers was delicious.

 

[rob112]

Very good point on the confidence. It makes a huge difference.

Commercial gyms at night are horrible. That is why I always go early if possible to avoid that ****. It is ridiculous.

 

[TheMovement]

Being a "Y" guy I know the pains lol, least I curl what kids squat in the rack lol

Glad ya found adversity within your mind, and are beating it. Makes a world of difference

 

[Dimitrius]

Very good point on the confidence. It makes a huge difference.

Commercial gyms at night are horrible. That is why I always go early if possible to avoid that ****. It is ridiculous.

Yeah man, confidence is key. I have it when I deadlift and squat, just not when I bench. That's probably because bench has always been my weakest lift, so I never feel that great while I bench. My confidence has greatly improved under the bar in the last couple of weeks, though. 245 X 2 was a PR.

Being a "Y" guy I know the pains lol, least I curl what kids squat in the rack lol

Glad ya found adversity within your mind, and are beating it. Makes a world of difference

Oh the Y.... haven't been there since I was a kid. Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm at war when I lift. Fight or flight. I've really felt it these last few weeks, with much of my lifting being at or over 90%. There have been a few close calls.

 

[Dimitrius]

Oh man alive, that was intense.

Skwatz!

Warmup:

DeFranco's Agile 11 (more like agile 9.5, since I didn't do the mountain climbers and my mobility sucks)
Light Squats

Working Sets:

315 X 3
335 X 2
345 X 1
365 X 1
385 X 1
365 X 1
345 X 2
335 X 2
365 X 1
335 X 2
315 X 6
225 X 16 - Not a typo. This was a dumb idea.

Tiger balm for the lower back and cold beer for the knees.

 

[Dimitrius]

I cheated on myself. I knew it would happen.

My thinking was that since my lower back was sore from all the benching, I would do some low rack pulls with lighter weights in order to loosen things up and get some healing blood in there. Well, I underestimated how addicted I am to pulling heavy weight. It has figuratively been torture for me to not deadlift these past couple of weeks.

So, light weight became heavy singles.

Workout as follows:

Warmup:

Band pull aparts
Rotator cuff warmups
Light benching

Work sets:

185 X 8
Chinups X 6
205 X 3
Chinups X 6
225 X 3
245 X 2
Chinups X 5
245 X 1 - Paused
240 X 1 - Paused
Chinups X 5
240 X 1 - Paused
240 X 2
Chinups X 6
235 X 2
235 X 2
Chinups X 6
225 X 3
225 X 3
185 X 8

Deadlift from bottom pins of squat rack (about 3, 3.5 inches off the ground)

Bar X 8
135 X 5
225 X 5
315 X 3
365 X 1
405 X 1
455 X 1
500 (yes, I put the 2.5s on) X 1
515 X 1
405 X 1

Walk home in shame.

 

[TheMovement]

Hate it when that happens

 

[Dimitrius]

Skwatz.

Sore, sore back and hips today. All of the heavy lifting is starting to get to my joints. It's okay though, because I got me a rest day coming up on Sunday.

Played around with my squat stance today, and I find that I have a much easier time getting to depth and sitting back with a shoulder-width stance. I might just switch to it permanently.

Warmups:

Agile 11-ish
Light squats

Working sets:
315 X 3
335 X 2
345 X 2
365 X 1
375 X 1
385 X 1
335 X 2
345 X 2
365 X 1
315 X 3
345 X 1
365 X 1
335 X 2
365 X 1
315 X 3
335 X 3
365 X 1

Holy ****... I did not realize I did that much volume today.

 

[Dimitrius]

BENCH!

Raining PRs up in this piece.

WARMUP:

Band pull aparts
Pushups

WORKING SETS:

205 X 3
6 Chinups
225 X 2
6 Chinups
245 X 1
260 X 1 - PR
250 X 2 - PR
235 X 2
6 Chinups
225 X 3
235 X 2
6 Chinups
235 X 3
5 Chinups
225 X 1 - Paused
225 X 1 - Paused
185 X 12
6 Chinups


Went a little easier today overall, and smashed PRs. Never ever doubled 250, and it felt great. So far, I am quite happy with my program's results on my bench. It hasn't moved like this in a year.

 

[HokiePride]

Thanks man. As I sit here and eat my PB&J, I realize how little I am looking forward to my next cut. Oh well. Got another month of maintenance... which for me almost means eating whatever I want. For those interested, when I do my cutting microcycles, I do NOT count macros. I cut out carbs at dinner for the first week, then I cut out the carbs at dinner and lunch for the next three weeks. I eat all of my carbs (aside from some in a PW shake) at breakfast, and keep everything else clean - cook with coconut oil, eat chicken and lean beef (sirloin or 90% lean ground or better - used to be able to find some 97% lean near me which was awesome), and lots of veggies. I eat 3 whole eggs every morning with two pieces of whole grain toast, though during my cut I cut it down to two eggs just to find another place to cut calories from. I also stop drinking, and stop snacking after 10 am. Seems to work okay, though I'm not sure how much fat and how much muscle I am losing; I didn't lose strength after I lost 13 pounds or so last time, so this time we'll see.

I like this. POWERBUILDER myself. I compete as a poweifter but train as a BB. Btw, sub'd.

 

[Sean1332]

Congrats on the rep PR

 

[Dimitrius]

I like this. POWERBUILDER myself. I compete as a poweifter but train as a BB. Btw, sub'd.

Thanks! Powerbuilding was always a cool concept imo. I do a somewhat powerbuilding style training regimen on my less heavy cycles - usually train the main movement for 3-6 reps for 4 or 5 sets and then do accessory exercises in the 8-12 rep range, unless the accessories are also heavy movements - good mornings, barbell rows, etc. Then I'll hang out in the 4-8 rep range. Thanks for the sub! I'll be changing back to my normal training style in a couple weeks.

 

[Dimitrius]

Congrats on the rep PR

Thanks! Looking to set a heavy rep PR on skwatz soon, maybe Monday or Wednesday.

 

[jinxie]

Dig the style. Totally like mine, when i am lifting heavier. I like volume, flourish on it.

And nice PRs. That feels good.

I think we need to catch that chest up to them thighs, buddy! You got some thunder down under, for sure.

 

[rob112]

Nice PRs brother!

 

[Dimitrius]

Dig the style. Totally like mine, when i am lifting heavier. I like volume, flourish on it.

And nice PRs. That feels good.

I think we need to catch that chest up to them thighs, buddy! You got some thunder down under, for sure.

The chest, arms, and midsection in general visually and musculature-wise definitely lag behind my legs and posterior chain. That having been said, those photos are also really bad lol. I'll be working on my weaker spots after this volume cycle. IT's also one of the reasons I am doing chins and not pullups - back thickness and upper-arm building!

Nice PRs brother!

Thanks dude! It's been a long time coming on the bench. I finally feel like a 300 lb. bench won't be out of the question for me.

My deadlift has really been the only lift that consistently progresses - by leaps and bounds month to month. So I finally decided to say, "screw it!" and apply what works for my deadlift - lots of sets at low reps or for heavy singles - to my other lifts, because they didn't seem to be moving. And then an amazing thing happened - I started seeing progress on my bench press and squats. Who'dathunk?

Anyway, today is recipe day:

Delicious Low-Fat Burgers (Low Carb Optional)

1 pound 97% lean ground beef (or sirloin)
1 Onion
Vegetable Fixin's (I like sauerkraut and arugula, sauerkraut adds good moisture, arugula is peppery and slightly bitter)
Ketchup
Mustard
Worcestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Cracked Black Pepper (Don't be a bum! - 1000 cool points to anyone that gets this reference)
Garlic Powder (not salt!)
Onion Powder (not salt!)

I've used this recipe dozens of times to make delicious, low-fat burgers that are still moist. The trick is on the inside...

Put a seasoned cast iron or a non-stick pan on medium-high heat.

Combine ground beef, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and seasonings in a bowl. I eyeball it - you want a mixture that is moist but not wet or else the beef won't bind well - and separate into four 1/4 pound patties. If you're bad at eyeballing seasoning, a tblspn. each of the wet ingredients and a tsp. each of the dry ingredients should do. DO NOT ADD EXTRA SALT! They will be plenty seasoned from the wet ingredients. My girlfriend always wants to do this and it drives me bonkers

Once you have your patties, put no more than two at a time in the pan to cook. "But dimi, where will the fat drain off to?" You may ask. THEY'RE 97% LEAN! That means each burger should have roughly 12 grams of fat - let the fat hang out and do its thang man!

The reason for the no more than two at a time rule: one, the pan will be cooled and you will not get as even and nice a caramelization; two, these burgers are WET with ingredients - they will give off a lot of moisture as they cook, and water is also the enemy of caramelization. If you have a pool of water in the pan, your burgers will be grey.

Once they are done cooking to the temp you like, remove from the pan. A good way to test doneness (although by no means foolproof) is to poke the burger with your finger and rate it according to this trick:

Touch your thumb to your forefinger, and then use your opposite hand to poke the pad of flesh under your thumb. If the burger has the same amount of give, it's medium rare. If you do the same thing, only instead you touch your thumb to your middle finger first, the pad under your thumb should feel like a medium-cooked cut of meat. Ringfinger = medium well, and pinky = well.

Obviously, there ain't much to it after that. Let the burgers rest (remember, they keep cooking for a couple minutes after you take them from the pan, so make sure you take them out *slightly* underdone). While they rest, toast off a bun, or if you're doing the low-carb thang, take some nice bib lettuce or a similar soft and flexible kind of lettuce (butter lettuce works well) and wrap your burger. If you want some crispiness, you can use romaine or leaf lettuce, but they'll be harder to wrap unless you use the upper green portion of the lettuce. Then eat it, and thank me later.

 

[jinxie]

The chest, arms, and midsection in general visually and musculature-wise definitely lag behind my legs and posterior chain. That having been said, those photos are also really bad lol. I'll be working on my weaker spots after this volume cycle. IT's also one of the reasons I am doing chins and not pullups - back thickness and upper-arm building!

I wasn't commenting on any pics, other than your gargantuan thighs in your avatar. If you think you have some asymmetry development wise, i have a good eye in that regard and would be glad to share feedback. No nekids, no homo, lol.

 

[TheMovement]

Anyway, today is recipe day:

Delicious Low-Fat Burgers (Low Carb Optional)

1 pound 97% lean ground beef (or sirloin)
1 Onion
Vegetable Fixin's (I like sauerkraut and arugula, sauerkraut adds good moisture, arugula is peppery and slightly bitter)
Ketchup
Mustard
Worcestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Cracked Black Pepper (Don't be a bum! - 1000 cool points to anyone that gets this reference)
Garlic Powder (not salt!)
Onion Powder (not salt!)

I've used this recipe dozens of times to make delicious, low-fat burgers that are still moist. The trick is on the inside...

Put a seasoned cast iron or a non-stick pan on medium-high heat.

Combine ground beef, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and seasonings in a bowl. I eyeball it - you want a mixture that is moist but not wet or else the beef won't bind well - and separate into four 1/4 pound patties. If you're bad at eyeballing seasoning, a tblspn. each of the wet ingredients and a tsp. each of the dry ingredients should do. DO NOT ADD EXTRA SALT! They will be plenty seasoned from the wet ingredients. My girlfriend always wants to do this and it drives me bonkers

Once you have your patties, put no more than two at a time in the pan to cook. "But dimi, where will the fat drain off to?" You may ask. THEY'RE 97% LEAN! That means each burger should have roughly 12 grams of fat - let the fat hang out and do its thang man!

The reason for the no more than two at a time rule: one, the pan will be cooled and you will not get as even and nice a caramelization; two, these burgers are WET with ingredients - they will give off a lot of moisture as they cook, and water is also the enemy of caramelization. If you have a pool of water in the pan, your burgers will be grey.

Once they are done cooking to the temp you like, remove from the pan. A good way to test doneness (although by no means foolproof) is to poke the burger with your finger and rate it according to this trick:

Touch your thumb to your forefinger, and then use your opposite hand to poke the pad of flesh under your thumb. If the burger has the same amount of give, it's medium rare. If you do the same thing, only instead you touch your thumb to your middle finger first, the pad under your thumb should feel like a medium-cooked cut of meat. Ringfinger = medium well, and pinky = well.

Obviously, there ain't much to it after that. Let the burgers rest (remember, they keep cooking for a couple minutes after you take them from the pan, so make sure you take them out *slightly* underdone). While they rest, toast off a bun, or if you're doing the low-carb thang, take some nice bib lettuce or a similar soft and flexible kind of lettuce (butter lettuce works well) and wrap your burger. If you want some crispiness, you can use romaine or leaf lettuce, but they'll be harder to wrap unless you use the upper green portion of the lettuce. Then eat it, and thank me later.

CANNOT LIE extremely similar method but never added in soy or tried sauerkraut. Always been a jalapeno, green pepper, and onion. I gotta switch things on up lol

Cant even say if ive ever had arugula on purpose

 

[Dimitrius]

I wasn't commenting on any pics, other than your gargantuan thighs in your avatar. If you think you have some asymmetry development wise, i have a good eye in that regard and would be glad to share feedback. No nekids, no homo, lol.

Oh, dude, I KNOW I have an unbalanced physique. Not too worried about it though. As long as I can have sex without wheezing and don't feel like a fat **** then the only thing that truly matters for me is pounds on the total. Being cut up and balanced will be a nice thing to have once I get my first comp out of the way and dedicate some time to a good cut so I can bulk a little more cleanly than I have in the past. I eventually want to lift in the 220s, but before I do I want to feel strong enough to do so (1300 pound plus total).

CANNOT LIE extremely similar method but never added in soy or tried sauerkraut. Always been a jalapeno, green pepper, and onion. I gotta switch things on up lol

Cant even say if ive ever had arugula on purpose

See, I grew up with Polish, German, and Irish food, so sauerkraut is where it's at for me. I do love me some pickled jalapenos though. And arugula, while being kind of a "hipster" green currently, is just really effin' good - no two ways about it. I'd almost rather have an arugula salad than a spinach salad, and I'd take either or a shot to the kneecap over iceberg. Kale's good too, but I much prefer it baked into chips. That'll be my next recipe actually - my girlfriend and I made some really tasty kale chips a few weeks ago.

 

[jinxie]

Oh, dude, I KNOW I have an unbalanced physique. Not too worried about it though. As long as I can have sex without wheezing and don't feel like a fat **** then the only thing that truly matters for me is pounds on the total. Being cut up and balanced will be a nice thing to have once I get my first comp out of the way and dedicate some time to a good cut so I can bulk a little more cleanly than I have in the past. I eventually want to lift in the 220s, but before I do I want to feel strong enough to do so (1300 pound plus total).

Heard loudly and clearly. My only caveat to that would be that once you become highly imbalanced it becomes harder to correct. But I am not talking upper/lower imbalance, but rather shoulders/triceps vs. chest, and the like. The dominant muscle will increasingly steal the work, which can create deficits. A very common one, that I suffered from for the longest, is overly developed upper traps, and consequential underdeveloped mid and lower traps, which can set you up for serious injury as it really gets in the way of proper scap retraction. But I am telling you stuff I am sure you already know, so I will shut up.

FWIW, I just addressed this point in my log, re my dominant muscles, and I will leave the topic at that.

Your goals and aspirations sound solid to me. Keep up the good work, dude.

 

[Dimitrius]

[video=youtube;y-IQFViNf4U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-IQFViNf4U&feature=youtu.be[/video]

135 X 4
225 X 4
275 X 4
315 X 3
345 X 2
365 X 2
385 X 1
405 X 1
415 X 1

This was a good day. I know the bar came forward. I know that I lost tightness and my arch. But that was a 30 pound ****ing PR.

 

[rob112]

Haha you said what I was gonna. Nice PR man. I know you lost form but you went low as **** on that! Haha congrats

 

[jinxie]

Not a big fan of the song choice, lol, but nice PR. You definitely had the depth.

 

[herderdude]

Cover that mirror and don't sit too far back and you're a 450lb squatter today. Definitely can see all of your deadlift strength showing on that squat. Congrats on the PR, you've got a lot more where that came from.

Good log up in here!

 

[Dimitrius]

Last day in the gym until Sunday, so I deadlifted again. Oh ****-edy well.

Bench:

225 X 5
8 chinups
250 X 2
6 chinups
245 X 2
240 X 2
5 chinups
235 X 2
5 Chinups
240 X 1
225 X 3
6 Chinups
235 X 2
6 Chinups
225 X 3
5 Chinups

Deadlifts

405 X 1
455 X 1
485 X 1 - Miss
475 X 1
455 X 1
405 X 3

PWO Meal:

 

[Dimitrius]

Cover that mirror and don't sit too far back and you're a 450lb squatter today. Definitely can see all of your deadlift strength showing on that squat. Congrats on the PR, you've got a lot more where that came from.

Good log up in here!

Thanks! appreciate the tips and you stopping by. Out of curiosity, what about the way I squatted was affected by the mirror? I'm trying to get to a place that doesn't have one; in a few months I'll be able to afford a basement gym, actually. Gonna buy a nice rack, a GHR/Reverse Hyper combo, a glute-ham raise, a couple of bars, some more weight, and I'll be set. Until then, I'd like to work on fixing whatever problems mirrors have given me. I usually stare myself in the eyes as a challenge to try and ignore everything else going on.

 

[herderdude]

Thanks! appreciate the tips and you stopping by. Out of curiosity, what about the way I squatted was affected by the mirror? I'm trying to get to a place that doesn't have one; in a few months I'll be able to afford a basement gym, actually. Gonna buy a nice rack, a GHR/Reverse Hyper combo, a glute-ham raise, a couple of bars, some more weight, and I'll be set. Until then, I'd like to work on fixing whatever problems mirrors have given me. I usually stare myself in the eyes as a challenge to try and ignore everything else going on.

When you squat into a mirror, your butt rises before your chest instead of simultaneously with your chest. The result is that you end up having to GM it up. Happens all the time, I don't know why, but it does.

 

[rob112]

When you squat into a mirror, your butt rises before your chest instead of simultaneously with your chest. The result is that you end up having to GM it up. Happens all the time, I don't know why, but it does.

Interesting. Never heard that. I believe it to be true.

To add, it is easy to gauge depth consistently on a fixed object. Such as at a competition you fix on a still object.

 

[herderdude]

Interesting. Never heard that. I believe it to be true.

To add, it is easy to gauge depth consistently on a fixed object. Such as at a competition you fix on a still object.

The easiest way to gauge depth is to simply squat to depth every time. Then when it's meet time, you just go up and squat how you always squat, and everything will be alright. Film your sets, have people call you up, bottom out every time, whatever works for you.

 

[Sean1332]

The easiest way to gauge depth is to simply squat to depth every time. Then when it's meet time, you just go up and squat how you always squat, and everything will be alright. Film your sets, have people call you up, bottom out every time, whatever works for you.

This!! Well said, Dude. The only thing I gauge my depth is video evidence and "oh fück I think I'm too deep" (which actually means that I just broke parallel)

 

[rob112]

The easiest way to gauge depth is to simply squat to depth every time. Then when it's meet time, you just go up and squat how you always squat, and everything will be alright. Film your sets, have people call you up, bottom out every time, whatever works for you.

I meant more than just up and down depth(leaning forward on a top set for example) But definitely agree.

Edit: original post should have said "depth perception to be clear

 

[rob112]

This!! Well said, Dude. The only thing I gauge my depth is video evidence and "oh fück I think I'm too deep" (which actually means that I just broke parallel)

This is usually how it works for me too lol

 

[herderdude]

Sean, I can tell already you're totally going to abuse your fúcking privelige and ruin it for everyone!

Rob, I'm not sure what you mean about gauging the lean by where you look. Could you elaborate?