The Maximus Pact

[Shadowblaze]

There is a lot more to it than that and in time I think you'll find that the specificity that Hyde mentioned is a requirement for reaching peak genetic performance in either capacity or strength. A person who trains high volume quite frankly lacks neuromuscular adaptation for heavy loads, but becomes a specialist in volume. It doesn't mean 1RM won't increase some initially, but it will plateau whereas the specialist training for the ability to lift the absolute most total poundage in a single rep will continue to adapt to such.

Its one of the reasons I have enjoyed the conjugate style. Even the cube formula I had used, which gave me better results for bench, did have the occasional AMRAP, but it was not a simple "5 x 15" type thing. it was "lets train this heavy weight with perfect form, then drop back to an AMRAP in perfect form" type thing.

Yessir, that’s why I put a lot of emphasis on saying that is what I have learned so far during my time lifting. And about how deload weeks may not be necessary for me right now but may be in the future. As I grow and get stronger my opinions will change.

 

[Dustin07]

I haven't taken a deload in years but a lot of that is because goals have shifted and I tend to focus on redlining the tach in the weeks leading up to a vacation or something so a deload becomes inherrent. If I were religiously training 5/3/1 with Joker/AMRAP sets at the top end of my skill level then deloads seem to become an absolute requirement. You look at a guy like Hyde who's squatting 600lbs and he's very meticulously planning his next week out so that he has recovery for comp, etc. If I was specializing in either capacity or output for weeks or months on end most days per week, a deload becomes much more necessary than with general exercise and training for the sake of health etc. But a lot of times I think deloads pop up in life without us realizing in by way of illness that keeps us out of the gym, work, or travel etc.

 

[Hyde]

yeah, thats the first thing I preficed. The points I made are true for me and not for everyone.

As for the point of sets of 3 and 15. I was trying to say that doing both light sets of 15 and heavy sets of 3 will increase your 1rm the same amount. Ive seen this in me and all my friends so strongly I cant deny it. One of my biggest regrets when I was chasing 315 was not doing more work with 12+ reps, I mainly did 4-8 reps.

But that’s what I’m saying: they’re not true as a rule for you or them, just because that’s your perception thus far. If you were inexperienced & baked a lousy cake, that doesn’t mean all cakes are bad. There are people out there that know how to make a cake properly. You’re blaming the product instead of the cooks.

If you increase your 3x15, you are creating adaptations that should raise absolute strength - to a point. But those will not be as dramatic as more specific strength work. There is a reason powerlifters & even strongmen (who care much more about repetition strength as well) do not do 3x15 on their main movements they’re trying to increase strength on.

For one thing, adding weight to 3x15 becomes impossible much sooner than lower rep schemes. Plus the fatigue accumulated for a compound barbell movement becomes very significant as volume increases, which limits the ability to progress a fixed high rep count. And novice/early intermediate lifters get better basically as long as they work hard, by almost any means. This doesn’t hold true as you can experience and skill in a movement as an advanced intermediate. The law of specificity still applies.

Also, if you don’t deadlift, squat to depth, or keep your body on the bench throughout the lift, how could you figure out what works with all the variables in ROM and momentum generated? Especially enough to be confident in making hard rules about them? I can tell you for myself, I can tolerate less deadlifting than squats or certainly pressing. If I do as much work on that as those, I regress.

 

[Shadowblaze]

But that’s what I’m saying: they’re not true as a rule for you or them, just because that’s your perception thus far. If you were inexperienced & baked a lousy cake, that doesn’t mean all cakes are bad. There are people out there that know how to make a cake properly. You’re blaming the product instead of the cooks.

If you increase your 3x15, you are creating adaptations that should raise absolute strength - to a point. But those will not be as dramatic as more specific strength work. There is a reason powerlifters & even strongmen (who care much more about repetition strength as well) do not do 3x15 on their main movements they’re trying to increase strength on.

For one thing, adding weight to 3x15 becomes impossible much sooner than lower rep schemes. Plus the fatigue accumulated for a compound barbell movement becomes very significant as volume increases, which limits the ability to progress a fixed high rep count. And novice/early intermediate lifters get better basically as long as they work hard, by almost any means. This doesn’t hold true as you can experience and skill in a movement as an advanced intermediate. The law of specificity still applies.

Also, if you don’t deadlift, squat to depth, or keep your body on the bench throughout the lift, how could you figure out what works with all the variables in ROM and momentum generated? Especially enough to be confident in making hard rules about them? I can tell you for myself, I can tolerate less deadlifting than squats or certainly pressing. If I do as much work on that as those, I regress.

I agree on the fatigue making sets of 15 less appealing.

However I believe you have misunderstood my point. It’s not like I’ve just baked one bad cake and then assumed every cake I would bake after would be bad. It’s like me baking a bad cake every day for 5 years and then noticing that I did something wrong all along and correcting it then baking great cakes every day for the next 2 years.

I didn’t just have some random epiphany and decide this. I looked at studies and my own experience and noticed patterns too strong to ignore.

I do keep my body on the bench when I bench, I simply can’t deadlift because of my spine and I’m working up to squatting to depth slowly. Those aren’t the only exercises I do.

I think you misunderstood my stance and what I was trying to say.

I used to do maximum ROM on every single exercise. Knees to chest on leg press, ass to grass squats, machine pec flies with the handles set so far back to the rear delt fly settings. Over years of doing this I simply noted no benefit. I also benched with perfect form back then.

I simply just stopped forcing myself to do what others do and listened to my own body. The process wasn’t rushed, it was researched and adapted over years.

 

[Hyde]

I agree on the fatigue making sets of 15 less appealing.

However I believe you have misunderstood my point. It’s not like I’ve just baked one bad cake and then assumed every cake I would bake after would be bad. It’s like me baking a bad cake every day for 5 years and then noticing that I did something wrong all along and correcting it then baking great cakes every day for the next 2 years.

I didn’t just have some random epiphany and decide this. I looked at studies and my own experience and noticed patterns too strong to ignore.

I do keep my body on the bench when I bench, I simply can’t deadlift because of my spine and I’m working up to squatting to depth slowly. Those aren’t the only exercises I do.

I think you misunderstood my stance and what I was trying to say.

I used to do maximum ROM on every single exercise. Knees to chest on leg press, ass to grass squats, machine pec flies with the handles set so far back to the rear delt fly settings. Over years of doing this I simply noted no benefit. I also benched with perfect form back then.

I simply just stopped forcing myself to do what others do and listened to my own body. The process wasn’t rushed, it was researched and adapted over years.

When you can do 405 for 15 reps on squat, 3x15 is not a feasible or fruitful means to increase strength.

You are not strong or experienced enough yet to understand that these “rules” are not how it will work if you eventually progress. That’s really my point. You aren’t so unique the world works differently for you. You were in a place where you couldn’t benefit from certain things due to needs or execution. A lot of things can work in the right application, for a while. But they need to be used in the right way at the right time to be effective. Read that twice.

As you advance, you will find things that stay golden for you for a long time - but ultimately, you’ll come to find that what can get you somewhere may not keep you there, or allow you to progress forward from it. A masters bodybuilder must train differently from his 20s. A 700lb squatter trains differently than when he was a 500lb squatter. And early intermediate you will progress differently than you in 10 years (hopefully).

 

[Dustin07]

basically a bunch of guys with decades more experience in both successes and failures are suggesting that you keep an open mind. My perspective is that you are still in a world of newbie gains which is a fantastic place to be, but nearly anything you do is going to drive positive stimulus for what looks like linear progress. But top performance is not linear.

A marathon runner builds a base, trains endurance, has peak training, then tapers. Top tier strength performers have similar approaches. But nobody trains at 100% for life and breaks record in a linear progression. When you hit your next plateau, and recognize it, you'll adjust to break through. That's just the reality of progress in any aspect of life, with or without a barbell.

If things were this simple then our current power lifting records would be much higher and they'd be broken ten years earlier by each record breaker.

 

[Shadowblaze]

When you can do 405 for 15 reps on squat, 3x15 is not a feasible or fruitful means to increase strength.

You are not strong or experienced enough yet to understand that these “rules” are not how it will work if you eventually progress. That’s really my point. You aren’t so unique the world works differently for you. You were in a place where you couldn’t benefit from certain things due to needs or execution. A lot of things can work in the right application, for a while. But they need to be used in the right way at the right time to be effective. Read that twice.

As you advance, you will find things that stay golden for you for a long time - but ultimately, you’ll come to find that what can get you somewhere may not keep you there, or allow you to progress forward from it. A masters bodybuilder must train differently from his 20s. A 700lb squatter trains differently than when he was a 500lb squatter. And early intermediate you will progress differently than you in 10 years (hopefully).

Yeah, but to be fair I put that in my original text. Opinions change over time obviously. I’ve already had to cut my volume a lot because my opinions changed and my nervous system can’t keep up with my old volume.

I’m my point about deloads I mentioned that if I squated as much as you I may need to take a deload more than I do when I squat 250lbs less.

I know I’m not a unicorn in a world full of horses but nonetheless if I don’t like training one way and don’t see results from it I won’t train that way anymore. I will adapt as I go on but still.

And I feel like you think I’m basing this exclusively off of anecdotal evidence, I’m not. There’s studies behind most of my points.

 

[Hyde]

Also, what other exercises are you worried about strength in, if you are finding 3x15 as effective as 3x5? Because you shouldn’t be trying to drive 5RM on things like dips, db work, barbell rows or Legpress etc.They don’t respond well to very low reps, plus they would see increased chance of injury for no appreciable net gain. Chin-ups are a little bit of a grey area, but they’re really mainly an accessory still. The rules of strength for heavy lifting are basically concerned with barbell training of squatting, pressing & hinging. And curling, perhaps surprisingly.

If you observed these rules on tricep extensions or Hacksquats, then you successfully found out what we already know. It’s mainly about quality volume & increasing hypertrophy through them to raise their metrics.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Also, what other exercises are you worried about strength in, if you are finding 3x15 as effective as 3x5? Because you shouldn’t be trying to drive 5RM on things like dips, db work, barbell rows or Legpress etc.They don’t respond well to very low reps, plus they would see increased chance of injury for no appreciable net gain. Chin-ups are a little bit of a grey area, but they’re really mainly an accessory still. The rules of strength for heavy lifting are basically concerned with barbell training of squatting, pressing & hinging. And curling, perhaps surprisingly.

If you observed these rules on tricep extensions or Hacksquats, then you successfully found out what we already know. It’s mainly about quality volume & increasing hypertrophy through them to raise their metrics.

I’ve found that mainly with benching, since that’s the one I put by far the most effort into to chase numbers with.

I’ve always done most of my isolations

Interesting that you mention dips. I didn’t know you’re not supposed to go too heavy on those. But that makes sense since it’s hard for me to execute good form with heavy weight, there are just too many variables. When I go back to the gym I’ll drop the weight slightly so it’s no less than 8 reps, before I would go as low as 4.

 

[Shadowblaze]

basically a bunch of guys with decades more experience in both successes and failures are suggesting that you keep an open mind. My perspective is that you are still in a world of newbie gains which is a fantastic place to be, but nearly anything you do is going to drive positive stimulus for what looks like linear progress. But top performance is not linear.

A marathon runner builds a base, trains endurance, has peak training, then tapers. Top tier strength performers have similar approaches. But nobody trains at 100% for life and breaks record in a linear progression. When you hit your next plateau, and recognize it, you'll adjust to break through. That's just the reality of progress in any aspect of life, with or without a barbell.

If things were this simple then our current power lifting records would be much higher and they'd be broken ten years earlier by each record breaker.

I am keeping an open mind. I may have worded my original points wrong but I keep on adapting and adapting as I’m going on. This is what I’ve learned so far, and I know right now it’s absolutely true for me. There’s far too much evidence to say that it’s not true for me, both from personal experience, others and actual data online.

 

[Hyde]

Yeah, but to be fair I put that in my original text. Opinions change over time obviously. I’ve already had to cut my volume a lot because my opinions changed and my nervous system can’t keep up with my old volume.

I’m my point about deloads I mentioned that if I squated as much as you I may need to take a deload more than I do when I squat 250lbs less.

I know I’m not a unicorn in a world full of horses but nonetheless if I don’t like training one way and don’t see results from it I won’t train that way anymore. I will adapt as I go on but still.

And I feel like you think I’m basing this exclusively off of anecdotal evidence, I’m not. There’s studies behind most of my points.

You asked about opinions on them. I gave you my thoughts on the strength portion.

You need to be very careful with studies. They do not have cohorts of advanced trained individuals. They’ll take college kids who claim to have 6 months in a weight room and call them trained lifters. Because that’s as good as they can get, but that’s not your cohort anymore.

You should listen to your body and train how you like. But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water here.

I’ve found that mainly with benching, since that’s the one I put by far the most effort into to chase numbers with.

I’ve always done most of my isolations

Interesting that you mention dips. I didn’t know you’re not supposed to go too heavy on those. But that makes sense since it’s hard for me to execute good form with heavy weight, there are just too many variables. When I go back to the gym I’ll drop the weight slightly so it’s no less than 8 reps, before I would go as low as 4.

I was going to say as well, I think 8 is indeed about that magic number for most things that aren’t a barbell. If you can’t get at least 8, even on your most fearsome effort, it’s probably too heavy to optimally contract what you want. You tend to end up trying to survive it moreso & execution can suffer. Not to say higher reps may not be better, but there’s not much benefit lower than 8.

 

[Hyde]

Greg Knuckols has some good study review on powerlifting that is very telling, but for muscle building they really don’t have great data. Especially when you consider that advanced bodybuilders do all use gear (for the most part), so surges in growth are moreso dictated by drug and food periodization.

 

[Shadowblaze]

You asked about opinions on them. I gave you my thoughts on the strength portion.

You need to be very careful with studies. They do not have cohorts of advanced trained individuals. They’ll take college kids who claim to have 6 months in a weight room and call them trained lifters. Because that’s as good as they can get, but that’s not your cohort anymore.

You should listen to your body and train how you like. But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water here.

I was going to say as well, I think 8 is indeed about that magic number for most things that aren’t a barbell. If you can’t get at least 8, even on your most fearsome effort, it’s probably too heavy to optimally contract what you want. You tend to end up trying to survive it moreso & execution can suffer. Not to say higher reps may not be better, but there’s not much benefit lower than 8.

Thanks for the advice on dips, I find that its really hard for me to depress my scapula when going heavy and they always shrug up. Ill try that!

I might be a little too young to understand "don't throw the baby out with the bath water here" lol



One of the reasons I also base my opinions on personal experience is because all of the greats did it. (not saying I apply their exact principles but they all learned from experience) (and I know gear was less of a variable back then since they were taking less than most people do now)
I've heard all of the greats like Jay cutler, Mike mentzer, Dorian Yates, Arnold, lee priest, Ronnie coleman, and more talk about their training style and they are all wildly different.

What worked for Jay cutler was high volume, very short ROM, staying 5+ reps away from failure on every set, and 45 seconds of rest between sets.
What worked for Dorian and Mentzer was 4 sets of chest a week with long rest times.
What worked for Arnold was 4 hours of training a day, going back and forth to the gym multiple times a day.
Lee priest and Ronnie had a more neutral approach to training as compared to the rest.

I believe if any of those guys trained with todays more "correct" training they would actually be smaller and weaker because they didnt listen to their own body and change their training style. Them listening to their own body is what made them great.

Even though there are arguably more correct ways to train, this just goes to show that even among the best of the best there is variability.

Those are simply the conclusions I've come to currently. They will change, I know that. They arent universal rules, they are just how I have adapted.

 

[Hyde]

Thanks for the advice on dips, I find that its really hard for me to depress my scapula when going heavy and they always shrug up. Ill try that!

I might be a little too young to understand "don't throw the baby out with the bath water here" lol



One of the reasons I also base my opinions on personal experience is because all of the greats did it. (not saying I apply their exact principles but they all learned from experience) (and I know gear was less of a variable back then since they were taking less than most people do now)
I've heard all of the greats like Jay cutler, Mike mentzer, Dorian Yates, Arnold, lee priest, Ronnie coleman, and more talk about their training style and they are all wildly different.

What worked for Jay cutler was high volume, very short ROM, staying 5+ reps away from failure on every set, and 45 seconds of rest between sets.
What worked for Dorian and Mentzer was 4 sets of chest a week with long rest times.
What worked for Arnold was 4 hours of training a day, going back and forth to the gym multiple times a day.
Lee priest and Ronnie had a more neutral approach to training as compared to the rest.

I believe if any of those guys trained with todays more "correct" training they would actually be smaller and weaker because they didnt listen to their own body and change their training style. Them listening to their own body is what made them great.

Even though there are arguably more correct ways to train, this just goes to show that even among the best of the best there is variability.

Those are simply the conclusions I've come to currently. They will change, I know that. They arent universal rules, they are just how I have adapted.

That expression means you should not toss out/ scrap everything just because you need to get rid of something/make changes - you might lose something very valuable if you don’t pay attention! Just because dips don’t respond to something well doesn’t mean squats won’t, and vice versa.

I probably would not focus on any top pro bodybuilder’s advice - these are the people who are special, born to become jacked. Try to look for the common threads that has helped make many pros/top amateurs. Look for what worked for many.

 

[Shadowblaze]

That expression means you should not toss out/ scrap everything just because you need to get rid of something/make changes - you might lose something very valuable if you don’t pay attention! Just because dips don’t respond to something well doesn’t mean squats won’t, and vice versa.

I probably would not focus on any top pro bodybuilder’s advice - these are the people who are special, born to become jacked. Try to look for the common threads that has helped make many pros/top amateurs. Look for what worked for many.

Yeah I dont take their advice at all, I was just making the point on variability. They are all on gear and im not so we cant train the same way and recover the same. That and they have better genetics than me.

 

[Dustin07]

I know I’m not a unicorn in a world full of horses

but could you imagine if you were?

What worked for Jay cutler was high volume, very short ROM, staying 5+ reps away from failure on every set, and 45 seconds of rest between sets.

so keeping in mind that now at age 43 I have been a 'gymrat' for roughly 30 years. always from different perspectives with different sports/training focuses but every year I find something new that I like because it gives me a novel stimulation that I'm seeking. I think this is something that you recognized in yourself and it will adapt a lot over time. I've seen guys like Jay talk about how they don't even do certain movements anymore because they don't feel there is a reason to keep pounding their traps for instance, they're big enough and get enough stimulation from normal lifting without adding trap direct work. (just an example). I will do some abbreviated ROM work here and there. In fact when warming up I might take heavy DB's on flat bench with 50% rom for a couple reps and gradually increase the ROM until its at 100% for the last reps.

enhanced lifters like Cutler can gain massive benefits from shorter rom (thereby in theory, taxing joints/ligaments less) because of the gear they're on. But the partial rom is still largely in the middle of the rep so they're gaining TUT throughout the whole set, the focus is namely the pump. long term joint health is going to be more ROM, but an overly strong bodybuilder who's developing massive amounts of size and strength can overly tax their joints as well. there's a balance for longevity.

I believe if any of those guys trained with todays more "correct" training they would actually be smaller and weaker because they didnt listen to their own body and change their training style. Them listening to their own body is what made them great.

I 100% am on board with this but would never ever coach it. I am a fan of cheater reps, largely because I understand how my body works. I like strict controlled reps as well, but if I use cheater reps on something like the last reps of heavy db curls, or db laterals etc I am doing so with a good understanding of my body mechanics and how to shock absorb movement so I'm not putting a blunt 40-50lb strain on my delt during a lateral if that makes sense. a power clean is a cheater rep but it isn't taught or explained like that. I often think of a video of Arnold doing rows. I have no problem with going all out like this because I understand my mechanics, but I also will drop weight and do a mix of perfect form reps / sets as well because I understand my body, I know what I'm trying to hit, and I can engage those muscles. I have friends who for the life of them can't figure out how to engage things like lats, pecs, etc and are still struggling to "find the spot" on rows, pull-downs, or pec deck, so for those people I'd still teach and recommend perfect form. You can't break the rules until you understand the rules and why they exist.

Golden Era Bodybuilding on Instagram: "Arnold performing close-grip cable rows for mid to lower back development. #backday #musclebuilding #goldenerabodybuilding #oldschoobodybuilding #bodybuilding #fitness #fitnessmotivation #gym #gymlife"

6,356 likes, 19 comments - goldenerathletics on September 16, 2024: "Arnold performing close-grip cable rows for mid to lower back development. #backday #musclebuilding #goldenerabodybuilding #oldschoobodybuilding #bodybuilding #fitness #fitnessmotivation #gym #gymlife".

www.instagram.com

I probably would not focus on any top pro bodybuilder’s advice - these are the people who are special, born to become jacked. Try to look for the common threads that has helped make many pros/top amateurs. Look for what worked for many.

+$11k/month in gear in the case of good 'ol liver king.
Although Arnold did claim his cycles were very very moderate and short lived, with doctor supervision. I think I believe about 50% of what he claims though. you got top tier genetics which are amazing, being combined with fantastic understanding of enhancements, but lately it does feel like we've also been seeing more deaths in young bodybuilders.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Went on a walk yesterday for my moms birthday and this was the view

 

[gphagan1]

Awesome view.

 

[Dustin07]

dope!
you guys should have some snow soon ? maybe next week? oddly enough I see more in our forecast 3hrs south of you. seems like you guys always have a couple inches before we do.

 

[Shadowblaze]

dope!
you guys should have some snow soon ? maybe next week? oddly enough I see more in our forecast 3hrs south of you. seems like you guys always have a couple inches before we do.

I dont think we will be getting any snow this year. We had a tiny bit for one day in Decemeber but nothing since and it would be unusual here if there were snow in February

 

[Dustin07]

really? weird! we usually get it any time betwee Nov and Mar, but it's not consistent. we are now forcasted for next week. Aside from snowmaggeddon in 2019, some of the best snow I've seen in Puget Sound was Mar 1 around 15 years ago when I was trying to fly to missouri for snow goose hunting and our plane was grounded for like 2 hrs lol. (with us already loaded... that sucked)

 

[Shadowblaze]

I’ve really been struggling to eat more than one meal a day man, it sucks

 

[akboom87]

I’ve really been struggling to eat more than one meal a day man, it sucks

Still fighting off sickness?

 

[Shadowblaze]

Still fighting off sickness?

Yeah a little, I’m like 90% healthy. My sleep cycle is super out of sync though from sleeping in and so is my eating schedule.

 

[Shadowblaze]

First day back in the gym today, down from 181 to 173. Probably 2 pounds of muscle lost and the rest being water and fat. I’ll get that back soon. I started my supplement stack again.

I hit 185x7 on incline raw and then moved on and did pulldowns. I started feeling lightheaded after the pulldowns so I called it quits there and I’m going home now. Probably came back a day or two too soon.

One of my boys is proposing to his girlfriend tmrw and im starting my volunteer job as a Sunday school kids minister tmrw too, so it’ll be a cool day.

 

[Dustin07]

First day back in the gym today, down from 181 to 173. Probably 2 pounds of muscle lost and the rest being water and fat. I’ll get that back soon. I started my supplement stack again.

12lbs is a lot to be lean tissue in a short period of time, probably a combination of glycogen stores if you're not eating enough to carb up, sodium/electrolytes, and general clearing of the system (bowels/gut) if you're not getting a few meals of weight in your system when you're on the scale.

are you trying some of the small life hacks like added sugar, milk etc to coffee, honey, sodium packets, full sugar gatorade etc? When my boy had to make weight these past few months for wrestling he'd go lean to force weight down, gatorade zero etc during the week, then right after weigh ins we'd pound full sugar drinks, pretzel bun sandwhiches etc. I have had great sessions pouring cranberry juice into my preWO instead of water when I want the extra cals/sugar, and if you can get some of your favorite rice (I like jasmine) cover that stuff in sugar syrup teryaki sauce, etc for more cals. if you just have no appetite at all, adding calories to your beverages is at least a small assistance

 

[Shadowblaze]

I felt pretty good today and even worked, I have a cough but that’s normal since I have asthma and the cough can last a bit longer.

I’m not gonna go hard in the gym for a while since working and the gym can put a bit strain on my immune system and whatever I had was pretty bad.

 

[gphagan1]

Glad you’re feeling better.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Had a very physically demanding day at work so I’m doing a light leg day. Now that I have had a light leg day and a light upper day and most of my following work days probably won’t be as intense I’ll start going hard again.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Have any of you heard of pheonixin and BMB-101? They seem very interesting.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Let’s go bro, it’s my first proper upper day back in the gym today. Gonna go ham.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Eating has been a chore for me recently so I started micro dosing thc pre meal to stimulate hunger

 

[Shadowblaze]

I went ham today! Finally back at it. I hit some 80sx9 on incline dumbbell. I didn’t track it though since I went to a completely different gym today and they didn’t have any of the equipment I usually use like an incline bench press set up, seated dips, etc.

Feels so good to be back at it.

 

[gphagan1]

Glad you were able to get back in the gym and get some work in. I know that felt good.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 108:

It was a great leg day today! Feels so good to be back. I was absolutely gassed after my sprints but smashed it hard.

 

[gphagan1]

Day 108:

It was a great leg day today! Feels so good to be back. I was absolutely gassed after my sprints but smashed it hard.

Nice job, that was a good workout….you’ll probably feel that over the next couple of days.

 

[Shadowblaze]

The Canadian Air Force is guarding the gym parking lot

 

[akboom87]

The Canadian Air Force is guarding the gym parking lot

Heard they looking for a jacked Canadian, don’t get caught!!

 

[Shadowblaze]

Heard they looking for a jacked Canadian, don’t get caught!!

I meant to attach this photo but AM wouldn’t let me upload it lmao

Appreciate the compliment though!

 

[akboom87]

I meant to attach this photo but AM wouldn’t let me upload it lmao

Appreciate the compliment though!
View attachment 258810

That makes more sense now

Reminds me of the Letter Kenny episode about respecting the geese

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 109:

I smashed upper today, and I’m back up to 177lbs. But I can still tell that my strength isn’t fully where it was before I got sick, but that’s part of the process.

Going for my first injection on Thursday, so I won’t lift then

 

[Dustin07]

must be feeling pretty shredded at 177, thats still a pretty dang lean weight for how jacked you tend to stay.

 

[Shadowblaze]

must be feeling pretty shredded at 177, thats still a pretty dang lean weight for how jacked you tend to stay.

I still have decent vacularity but I’m definitely not nearly as shredded as I was before. But that’s part of the process.

I’m just tryna be pretty lean for the summer time

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 110:

Had another great lift today, getting my strength back a lot after being sick. Went up 2 reps on my usual squat set so muscle memory is definitely kicking in.

I’ve been dialed in on the diet and training but earlier in the week I wasn’t sleeping great, probably 6.5h a night on average. But I’m getting that back up to 7-7.5h

 

[Dustin07]

Letter Kenny

BTW there is a new season of Shoresy!

 

[Shadowblaze]

This might sound a little weird but when I take physique videos I usually pay more attention to when I’m not flexing and posing. I usually just put my phone on the benches in the gym locker room and just take a few minutes of me posing different poses, but I always pay more attention to when I’m not flexing and posing.

The reason why is because what you look like when you’re not flexing matters way more than what you look like when you are flexing. Like when in real life are you actually flexing? Never, I never even flex in the gym. When people see my physique in the gym while I’m walking around they see me simply relaxed, same as when I just go about my days outside of the gym.

So why should I put a ton of effort into how I look while flexing aside from it feeling good when I see my physique getting better in the mirror? I do like to flex and pose but that’s only half the equation, how you look normally is equally as important but most people don’t treat it like that.

So what I do is when I look at my posing videos I’ll just pause and screenshot when I’m standing there not flexing.
Here are some of those photos from my workout today.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 111:

Today I hit upper body and it was a good lift, I did a full 24h fast yesterday just because I wanted to pray more and it was good. I’m still up a few lbs since bouncing back from being sick and am making great progress. Currently 176lbs I believe.

I couldn’t do that injection on Thursday since I was too paranoid about it and scared to inject for the first time.

 

[Dustin07]

This might sound a little weird but when I take physique videos I usually pay more attention to when I’m not flexing and posing. I usually just put my phone on the benches in the gym locker room and just take a few minutes of me posing different poses, but I always pay more attention to when I’m not flexing and posing.

The reason why is because what you look like when you’re not flexing matters way more than what you look like when you are flexing. Like when in real life are you actually flexing? Never, I never even flex in the gym. When people see my physique in the gym while I’m walking around they see me simply relaxed, same as when I just go about my days outside of the gym.

So why should I put a ton of effort into how I look while flexing aside from it feeling good when I see my physique getting better in the mirror? I do like to flex and pose but that’s only half the equation, how you look normally is equally as important but most people don’t treat it like that.

So what I do is when I look at my posing videos I’ll just pause and screenshot when I’m standing there not flexing.
Here are some of those photos from my workout today.

I get all that and agree. I have more than once, checked myself out on the arlo cam on my front porch walking in with a load of firewood or something. Finally have that back like daaaaaamn

I still stand by my thoughts you have rediculously good armsize on your structure. You have a pretty well rounded athlete's physique overall.

 

[Hyde]

It can be very helpful to do the injection by mirror; it can help dissociate the act from your own body. The actual injection is not going to seriously hurt, just a quick pinch and mild discomfort perhaps. So once it’s in, it’s smooth sailing.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 112:

I had a great lift today. I went on a 5km run with one of my boys on Saturday and I forgot how good jogging is for cardio. I got so used to only biking for cardio since I get the cardio aspect and the hypertrophy aspect but even after that one run I felt noticeably better and could go harder in the gym (though that may be because my asthma affects my gym performance and cardio can help)
So I’m gonna try to add in some jogging too since it’s amazing for the cardio and functional stamina.