Building Back Up

I need to say first I don’t feel qualified to address this so I’m only answering because you specifically asked, but as a very general statement, if you are having some feelings of instability in your knee sometimes either adding some light unilateral movements like a lunge variation can be helpful, or just strengthening the hamstrings.

Neither of those could be helpful if there’s an underlying issue, but just grabbing some really low-hanging fruit, increasing comfort with movements that require more stability like a split squat or hitting leg curls/RDLs/GHR harder may be accessories worth giving some increased focus to.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll increase my Hamstring volume and going to add on back extensions as well.

No residual pain once the wobbliness/instability wore off. I'll definitely be able to hit legs again Friday.

Side note, PEM hit me HARD yesterday. Maybe 5 sets of 3 DL at RPE 8-9 is too much for me.

Went to friend's house for dinner last night. They made ribs and mash potatoes, I grilled picanha and we picked up cheesecake to bring. Both my wife and I slept awful with meat sweats, and I had palpitations/heart pounding that only resolved in the last 20 minutes. Hate that. Makes me not want to go to a Brazilian steakhouse anytime soon.
 
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GreenMachineX said:
Seated DB OHP 4 x 8 x 75's
Chest Dips 3 x 10 x BW
Incline BB Press 12x135, 8x155, 5x175, 4x175
MrKleen's Lateral Raise 15x10's, 3 x 12 x 15's
Triceps Pressdowns 3 x 12/12/10 x 27.5
Triceps Dips 3 x 12

Moved back up to the 75's on ohp, but may have been premature or just an off day. Felt sloppy.

Never doing Incline barbell press again. Just doesn't feel right.

@MrKleen73 I really nailed the form of those Lateral raises today and got a great pump in my Lateral delts which I haven't felt in many years. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Seated DB OHP 4 x 10/9/8/9 x 75's
CG Bench 3 x 10 x 135
Incline DB Press 3 x 8/8/10x 45's (super slow)
Kleen's Lateral Raise 12x15's, 2 x 12 x 17.5's
Triceps Pressdowns 15x27.5, 15x33, 12x38.5, 8x44

Awesome pump. DB OHP moving up nicely. @MrKleen73 's Lateral Raise working very well and moving up. Copied the form of a dude with huge arms for Pressdowns and used the curved attachment instead of the rope and kept my arms in front of me more, instead of directly at my side with the rope. Resulted in greatly increasing the weight.
 
Will be taking measurements over the next couple days to make sure everything is on track, but quickly did my waist this morning and it was 37", so down 1.5" from a few months ago. W00t.
 
Congrats on the smaller waist, and happy that those laterals started working out for you. They really do isolate the medial delt in a truly special way once you get the form down.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Straight Bar Pullup 5 x 3 x BW, +3 negatives
Safety Bar Squat 4 x 5, 4, 4, 2 x 235
Romanian Rack Pull 3 x 6 x 225
Mid-Row Machine 3 x 12, 10, 10 x 185
Shrug Machine 12x90, 10x140, 8x165
Incline DB Curl 3 x 6 x 30's
Straight Bar Curl 2 x 5 x 50

Went too heavy on the Safety Bar Squat I think. Felt like a vibration or something on the Lateral side of my knees on the last few reps, so I'll lighten the load next time and go for more reps.

Pullups are improving though. All sets except the last felt solid with good and slow strict form, with pause at the bottom.
Click to expand...
Straight Bar Pullup 5 x 3 x BW, +4 negatives
Safety Bar Squat 8x145, 8x195, 3 x 6 x 205
Romanian Rack Pull 8x135, 6x185, 5x225, 4x275
Facepulls 2 x 12 x 16.5
Machine Shrugs 12x100, 3 x 9/10/10 x 130
Incline DB Curl 3 x 9/10/9 x 25's
1 Arm Cable Row 2 x 12 x ???

Knees felt a lot better today. Only on the last set did I feel that "twinge" in my right knee on the Lateral side, but no pain. Decent workout for sleeping absolutely awful last night. Amazing what 50mg caffeine can do with zero tolerance.
 
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Love hearing about the improvement with the knee!
 
GreenMachineX said:
Low Incline DB Press 4 x 8 x 80's
Roc-It OHP 12x178, 10x198, 8x218
Dips 3 x 10 x BW
Left Arm Incline Cable Press 12x17.6
Kleen's Lateral Raise 3 x 12/12/15 x 15's
Skullcrushers 3 x 12/12/11 x 45
OH Cable Extension 3 x 10 x 22.5
Click to expand...
Low Incline DB Press 4 x 9/8/8/8 x 80's
Dips 3 x 8/8/8+2 rest/pause on last set
Kleen's Lateral Raise 3 x 12 x 17.5's
Roc-It OHP 10x198, 8x218, 5x238
Skullcrushers 3 x 9/9/8 x 50

Overall a little better then last time even considering the lunesta/pizza hangover this morning 😆

Making gains is fun again. Gonna be hard to resume the cut again. I'm giving up on cutting this week and the goal is more maintenance/damage control.
 
Nice session, weight is moving up on those laterals. It's crazy, I have found I am able to go up more on my rear delt flies/swings than I can on the medial delts. Then again, I think my rear delts are bigger than my medials at this point too. Enjoy your week at maintenance!
 
MrKleen73 said:
Nice session, weight is moving up on those laterals. It's crazy, I have found I am able to go up more on my rear delt flies/swings than I can on the medial delts. Then again, I think my rear delts are bigger than my medials at this point too. Enjoy your week at maintenance!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think it's because my medial delts are so far behind on where they should be, so it'll likely stop. Do you have a video for the rear delt swings?

Also, where do you guys fit ab work? I'm spent after my sessions, so I feel like ending the session with a couple sets of hanging leg lifts would dig a deeper hole.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Also, where do you guys fit ab work? I'm spent after my sessions, so I feel like ending the session with a couple sets of hanging leg lifts would dig a deeper hole.
Click to expand...

It won’t, unless you are so dehydrated you cramp them.

But an easy trick is to toss 2 sets into your warmup routine on lower days - this gets them firing better to brace before squats/pulls/rowing, helps warm up faster, doesn’t take long, & automatically budgets energy in for them. You can’t skip them because they always get done before the stuff you want to do.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Thanks. I think it's because my medial delts are so far behind on where they should be, so it'll likely stop. Do you have a video for the rear delt swings?

Also, where do you guys fit ab work? I'm spent after my sessions, so I feel like ending the session with a couple sets of hanging leg lifts would dig a deeper hole.
Click to expand...
I will look up the two he has I have found to be the best for me.
Anabolic66 said:
Meadows always had some good tips on "what and why"... (rear delts):

Invalid Link Removed
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Yeah you can't go wrong with some Meadows stuff. The Wycked training stuff is similar in some ways, but he is really good at teaching possibly even more isolation for the medial and rear delts. I kind of incorporate the best of both of their stuff in how I perform my raises / swings.
Anabolic66 said:
Great work... I notice some time away makes the body happy.
Repair, get strong...
Been trying myself to SQ heavy one week, and DL heavy the next (alternating).
Rather than heavy for both in the same week... Anyways, nice job Hyde..
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I have recommended this method for a few people on here who wanted to push both but weren't recovering well enough to push both without some modification.
Hyde said:
It won’t, unless you are so dehydrated you cramp them.

But an easy trick is to toss 2 sets into your warmup routine on lower days - this gets them firing better to brace before squats/pulls/rowing, helps warm up faster, doesn’t take long, & automatically budgets energy in for them. You can’t skip them because they always get done before the stuff you want to do.
Click to expand...
Agreed, it isn't a big systemic drain. Also consider your goals with ab work while doing it. Do you want to train them pulled in for improving waist cinching for aesthetics, or build abdominal size to get lines between your abs because they are to flat even when lean, or are you trying to strengthen them to be strong for heavy lifts. It is all different training. You can do body weight, crunches, planks and vacuums only for the first group. More weighted resistance work, and volume in the 5-35 rep range for the growth, and anti-flexion, anti-rotational movements and carries or one arm holds walking in place if space is short for the strength work supporting heavier weights.

At least that is how I would approach those scenarios but tons of ways to attack it. I do think knocking them out during the warm up might be the best if a gym is required, and getting them done is hard for you. If the first scenario do them after cardio, or at home whenever. For me, I don't need much of anything but some moving about like I am blocking body shots, and fading head shots while pulling my belly button back toward my spine, and flexing my core in the sauna to keep them looking good. Something I came up with during my first competition prep to hit my whole core through dynamic movement while targeting the cinching effect of my waist. Coach hasn't asked me to do any direct ab work, so I have not been dedicating any energy on them other than that. I also do this as part of my daily warm up to get my core engaged.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'm only really wanting to train abs/core to prevent things like hernias.

Otherwise, got 8 hours sleep last night with only 2 wakeups. It's been a couple months I think so feels great.

Taking an extra day off the gym too. Just feeling a bit too beat up still.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Thanks for the feedback. I'm only really wanting to train abs/core to prevent things like hernias.

Otherwise, got 8 hours sleep last night with only 2 wakeups. It's been a couple months I think so feels great.

Taking an extra day off the gym too. Just feeling a bit too beat up still.
Click to expand...
Sounds like that might be a smart move. Congrats on the better sleep for a couple months now.

I think anywhere you put them will be good for that purpose. Just pick your favorites and do them.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Traditional DL 5 x 3 x 345
Roc-It Mid-Row 12x205, 8x245, 8x265, 8x285
Single Leg Hamstring Curl 3 x 10 x 45
Machine Shrug 3 x 8 x 180
Crossover Double Cable Row 2 x 12 x ???
Barbell Curl 3 x 8 x 60
Hammer Curl

Felt something "move" in my right knee on the last set of DL, like a tendon snapping back into place after being pulled away...of course I have no idea if that's what actually happened, but it didn't feel good, and my knees feel wobbly (not the muscles, but the stability of the. My DL is very "tear drop" dominant in the initial lift until the hamstrings take over. Is this a form issue, or a Hamstring weakness like I brought up last week?
Click to expand...
Traditional DL 3x315, 3x345, 3x355, 3x375, 3x385
Roc-It Mid-Row Machine 10x245, 8x265, 8x285, 6x305
Left Arm Cable Row 2 x 8 x 55
Machine Shrug 3 x 10/10/8 x 180 (last set drop-set)
Single Leg Hamstring Curl 3 x 8 x 45
Hammer Curl 3 x 12/9/8 x 27.5's
T-Bar Row/Shrug 2 sets

Knees felt unstable/off/wobbly again during the last 2 sets if DL, almost like the were ready to hyperextend at the top. Kinda scary. Unsure what to do at this point but oddly enough, this knee stuff started after I started doing more lower body work. Another thing, ever since I restarted working out about a year or so ago, I can't get into the bottom of a DL without some lower back rounding. What should I be stretching to increase this flexibility that I've lost?

Edit: One positive note is I likely could've got another set of 3 at 385 or even 395 if it weren't for the knee thing. Fear took over.
 
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GreenMachineX said:
Traditional DL 3x315, 3x345, 3x355, 3x375, 3x385
Roc-It Mid-Row Machine 10x245, 8x265, 8x285, 6x305
Left Arm Cable Row 2 x 8 x 55
Machine Shrug 3 x 10/10/8 x 180 (last set drop-set)
Single Leg Hamstring Curl 3 x 8 x 45
Hammer Curl 3 x 12/9/8 x 27.5's
T-Bar Row/Shrug 2 sets

Knees felt unstable/off/wobbly again during the last 2 sets if DL, almost like the were ready to hyperextend at the top. Kinda scary. Unsure what to do at this point but oddly enough, this knee stuff started after I started doing more lower body work. Another thing, ever since I restarted working out about a year or so ago, I can't get into the bottom of a DL without some lower back rounding. What should I be stretching to increase this flexibility that I've lost?

Edit: One positive note is I likely could've got another set of 3 at 385 or even 395 if it weren't for the knee thing. Fear took over.
Click to expand...

You “can’t” get into position to start the pull without your low back rounding? Why don’t you lower your hips/bend your knees more?

The deadlift is not a squat, but it’s not a stiff-leg pull either.
 
Catching up and the guys already answered but I rarely do any ab work these days because I don't see value in it. After a lot of my deadlift or squat days with the belt cinched down my abs feel like jello and get plenty of work.

I do throw in back extensions and HAVE thrown in some weighted situps when I felt those things were causing failures in the big lifts, but I actually think my squat form gained more traction from good mornings than anything else I did.

At this point for vanities sake if I want a six pack I really don't think I need to do targeted ab work, I need to cut 5% body fat personally....

I say this after a xfit career of doing seven million situp variations.
 
Hyde said:
You “can’t” get into position to start the pull without your low back rounding? Why don’t you lower your hips/bend your knees more?

The deadlift is not a squat, but it’s not a stiff-leg pull either.
Click to expand...
Next time I DL, I'll try to explain it better. Something just isn't right.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Next time I DL, I'll try to explain it better. Something just isn't right.
Click to expand...

Take a video from the side. Have someone hold your phone if necessary. Take a screenshot of you wedged in just before you begin the pull, edit out your face/personal identifying info, and post it for us. I want to see how you’re set up. You generally don’t want flexion in the low back for MOST people. Some of the greatest conventional pullers of all time in every weightclass have done it, but they’re also anomalies.

If you don’t have a phone that can do this, I guarantee some young guy will be happy to do this, crop it, and send you the photo. Kids love that stuff.
 
Back to my crazy sleep hypotheses...

My diet has roughly been the same the past week or so with the only the only big exception being blueberries and canned pumpkin. But I found this today after an incredible 8 hours sleep with only 2 wakeups (even slept through my wife's alarm!)...

PMCID: PMC4138077
PMID: Invalid Link Removed
Serum Nutritional Biomarkers and Their Associations with Sleep among US Adults in Recent National Surveys

Results
Among key findings, independent inverse associations were found between serum vitamin B-12 and sleep duration, 25(OH)D and sleepiness (as well as insomnia), and between folate and sleep disturbance. Serum total carotenoids concentration was linked to higher odds of short sleep duration (i.e. 5–6 h per night) compared to normal sleep duration (7–8 h per night).

So, too much vitamin A causes less sleep per night which is exactly what I've been experiencing when I eat pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes. Crazy. Dairy doesn't seem to effect it though.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Back to my crazy sleep hypotheses...

My diet has roughly been the same the past week or so with the only the only big exception being blueberries and canned pumpkin. But I found this today after an incredible 8 hours sleep with only 2 wakeups (even slept through my wife's alarm!)...

PMCID: PMC4138077
PMID: Invalid Link Removed
Serum Nutritional Biomarkers and Their Associations with Sleep among US Adults in Recent National Surveys

Results
Among key findings, independent inverse associations were found between serum vitamin B-12 and sleep duration, 25(OH)D and sleepiness (as well as insomnia), and between folate and sleep disturbance. Serum total carotenoids concentration was linked to higher odds of short sleep duration (i.e. 5–6 h per night) compared to normal sleep duration (7–8 h per night).

So, too much vitamin A causes less sleep per night which is exactly what I've been experiencing when I eat pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes. Crazy. Dairy doesn't seem to effect it though.
Click to expand...
Very interesting information.

I agree with Hyde, post up some pics or a video and we will tell you if we see anything that could be improved, and or might help your situation.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Seated DB OHP 4 x 10/9/8/9 x 75's
CG Bench 3 x 10 x 135
Incline DB Press 3 x 8/8/10x 45's (super slow)
Kleen's Lateral Raise 12x15's, 2 x 12 x 17.5's
Triceps Pressdowns 15x27.5, 15x33, 12x38.5, 8x44

Awesome pump. DB OHP moving up nicely. @MrKleen73 's Lateral Raise working very well and moving up. Copied the form of a dude with huge arms for Pressdowns and used the curved attachment instead of the rope and kept my arms in front of me more, instead of directly at my side with the rope. Resulted in greatly increasing the weight.
Click to expand...
Seated DB OHP 4 x 9/9/9/9 x 75's
Dips 4 x 8 x BW
Incline DB Press 4 x 8 x 50's
Kleen's Lateral Raise 3 x 12 x 17.5's
Triceps Pressdowns 15x38.5, 2 x 12/10 x 44
Overhead Cable Extensions 6x27.5, 2 x 10/9 x 22
 
The last two nights are the first time in probably a year+ where I slept horribly. I was thinking about your struggles a lot. Last night was a little better but Tuesday I got out of bed at like 11pm and watched Casablanca. Could be winter changes are finally hitting me, or that this weird vacation week has me out of routine but honestly I think it's oddly more primal than that since "wife" time has been more limited since her surgery. Long story short I feel for you man. After only two shitty nights, thinking about your struggles.... It sucked.
 
Dustin07 said:
The last two nights are the first time in probably a year+ where I slept horribly. I was thinking about your struggles a lot. Last night was a little better but Tuesday I got out of bed at like 11pm and watched Casablanca. Could be winter changes are finally hitting me, or that this weird vacation week has me out of routine but honestly I think it's oddly more primal than that since "wife" time has been more limited since her surgery. Long story short I feel for you man. After only two shitty nights, thinking about your struggles.... It sucked.
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Thanks. It doesn't take many to start feeling the negatives. Hope you can figure out resolution soon.

As for me, add in another last night. Guessing I either pushed the workout too hard or the b12 shot before bed was a bad idea. Maybe need to do those shots in the morning.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Thanks. It doesn't take many to start feeling the negatives. Hope you can figure out resolution soon.

As for me, add in another last night. Guessing I either pushed the workout too hard or the b12 shot before bed was a bad idea. Maybe need to do those shots in the morning.
Click to expand...

Always do your hormone & B shots in the morning. Right before bed can work (sort of) for people who sleep really easy & heavy, but that’s not you.
 
Hope you both get some good sleep tonight!
 
GreenMachineX said:
Straight Bar Pullup 5 x 3 x BW, +4 negatives
Safety Bar Squat 8x145, 8x195, 3 x 6 x 205
Romanian Rack Pull 8x135, 6x185, 5x225, 4x275
Facepulls 2 x 12 x 16.5
Machine Shrugs 12x100, 3 x 9/10/10 x 130
Incline DB Curl 3 x 9/10/9 x 25's
1 Arm Cable Row 2 x 12 x ???

Knees felt a lot better today. Only on the last set did I feel that "twinge" in my right knee on the Lateral side, but no pain. Decent workout for sleeping absolutely awful last night. Amazing what 50mg caffeine can do with zero tolerance.
Click to expand...
Straight Bar Pullup 3, 3, 3
Neutral Grip Pullup 4, 4, 4
Safety Bar Squat 4 x 6 x 215
Back Extensions 3 x 5
Cable Row/Shrug 10x104, 2 x 8 x 115.5
Facepulls 12x16.5, 2 x 8 x 22
Incline DB Curls 3 x 10/8/6 x 25's
Hammer Curls 2 x 8 x 25's
Left Arm Pulldowns 2 x 10 x 44

Early Saturday morning workout. Safety squat moving up. Pullups felt weak so I moved to neutral grip which felt better. Back Extensions were way too hard...gonna have to keep that in for more focused Hamstring work.
Subbing out the Romanian Rack pull for the back extensions and row/Shrug combo which hopefully is more hypertrophic for the muscles worked. Otherwise great workout. Took 2 hours though 😆
 
Sometimes those 2 hour workouts are just what the Dr ordered though! I love having the time not to rush, and get what I want done.
 
I love lower back pumps from the back extensions. When the hammies are all locked up and you walk around like a Lego man for a moment
 
Build those back extensions to sets of 20 reps from the 5s they are now, and you’ll be amazed what happens to your deadlift! Sounds like the perfect accessory for you right now.
 
GreenMachineX said:
It doesn't look like I'm doing too much, correct?
Click to expand...
Hard to say not knowing your effort level but if you can recover from the session then I would say no. However with so many exercises you could probably pick some of those and do 2 hard work sets instead of 3 that gives you somewhere to move up next and should still be enough volume. That is 27 sets in one session, not saying it is too much but it's best to start at lower volume and work up.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Low Incline DB Press 4 x 9/8/8/8 x 80's
Dips 3 x 8/8/8+2 rest/pause on last set
Kleen's Lateral Raise 3 x 12 x 17.5's
Roc-It OHP 10x198, 8x218, 5x238
Skullcrushers 3 x 9/9/8 x 50

Overall a little better then last time even considering the lunesta/pizza hangover this morning 😆

Making gains is fun again. Gonna be hard to resume the cut again. I'm giving up on cutting this week and the goal is more maintenance/damage control.
Click to expand...
Low Incline DB Press 4 x 10/8/8/9 x 80's
Dips 3 x 8/10/9 x BW
Roc-It OHP 12x198, 10x218, 6x238
Kleen's Lateral Raise 3 x 12 x 15's dropset 10x8's
Skullcrushers 3 x 8/7/6 x 60
 
GreenMachineX said:
Traditional DL 3x315, 3x345, 3x355, 3x375, 3x385
Roc-It Mid-Row Machine 10x245, 8x265, 8x285, 6x305
Left Arm Cable Row 2 x 8 x 55
Machine Shrug 3 x 10/10/8 x 180 (last set drop-set)
Single Leg Hamstring Curl 3 x 8 x 45
Hammer Curl 3 x 12/9/8 x 27.5's
T-Bar Row/Shrug 2 sets

Knees felt unstable/off/wobbly again during the last 2 sets if DL, almost like the were ready to hyperextend at the top. Kinda scary. Unsure what to do at this point but oddly enough, this knee stuff started after I started doing more lower body work. Another thing, ever since I restarted working out about a year or so ago, I can't get into the bottom of a DL without some lower back rounding. What should I be stretching to increase this flexibility that I've lost?

Edit: One positive note is I likely could've got another set of 3 at 385 or even 395 if it weren't for the knee thing. Fear took over.
Click to expand...
Traditional DL 3x315, 3x345, 3x375, 3x385, 3x395
Mid-Row Machine 8x265, 8x285, 6x305, 4x325
Shrug Machine 12x90, 3 x 10 x 180
Hammer Curl 3 x 9/9/8 x 30's
Double Handed Cable Row 2 x 12 x ???

Thought I did 3 x 405 on DL because of bad gym maffs!!!!! Arghhhhhggh. Frustrating. Anyway, I know I could've done it. Getting fatstrong is easy for me 😆

Holidays are over. Gained plenty of weight. Reeling it in.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Thought I did 3 x 405 on DL because of bad gym maffs!!!!! Arghhhhhggh. Frustrating. Anyway, I know I could've done it. Getting fatstrong is easy for me
Click to expand...

I won't even touch 35 or 55lb plates lol. I can math out 10s, 25s, and 45s in a tenth of a second but sit and stare like an idiot at 35s and 55s lol
 
9 times out of 10 when I'm putting 405 on it's 4 plates (easy math lol).
Unless I'm topping out at 405.... then I'll go like 365... +10s. 385...+10s.... call it good.

(rather than stripping off the 25s and reloading)
 
Dustin07 said:
@GreenMachineX today we ran 315, then added 2 x 25s and 2 x 5s for 375. then took the 5s off and added 2 tens to each side lol. 405. cracked me up thinking about this topic earlier.
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I am pretty good with kilo conversions, and mental plate math in general, so I always mess with the guys at the barbell club by mixing the standard and comp kilo plates.

Like if I’m squatting and don’t want to jump a full plate, I might temporarily add the pair of yellows. Or I’ll start my bench with 45s on the 45lb power bar, but add the yellows to do 201, then switch them to reds to jump to 245. Then go back to adding pound plates on top.

The gym owner is always shouting about how “I’m doing that stupid **** with the plates again” because nobody can figure out what I’m lifting when I ask for a spot
 
Hyde said:
I am pretty good with kilo conversions, and mental plate math in general, so I always mess with the guys at the barbell club by mixing the standard and comp kilo plates.

Like if I’m squatting and don’t want to jump a full plate, I might temporarily add the pair of yellows. Or I’ll start my bench with 45s on the 45lb power bar, but add the yellows to do 201, then switch them to reds to jump to 245. Then go back to adding pound plates on top.

The gym owner is always shouting about how “I’m doing that stupid **** with the plates again” because nobody can figure out what I’m lifting when I ask for a spot
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That is pretty smart actually. Also, why do they need to know how much you are lifting to keep you from being pinned under the weight? If it is going down when it is supposed to be going up, or stalled and you say take it, then you need a spot. It's pretty simple. LMAO.
 
MrKleen73 said:
That is pretty smart actually. Also, why do they need to know how much you are lifting to keep you from being pinned under the weight? If it is going down when it is supposed to be going up, or stalled and you say take it, then you need a spot. It's pretty simple. LMAO.
Click to expand...

lol it’s 100% just an ego/curiosity thing. Everyone who lifts to be strong at least subconsciously judges their peers on what they’re lifting. Especially if you know someone has done X, they have an idea of how hard this should be or how likely it is to go sideways.

Basically, they’re gauging how close they REALLY need to spot you lol
 
Hyde said:
lol it’s 100% just an ego/curiosity thing. Everyone who lifts to be strong at least subconsciously judges their peers on what they’re lifting. Especially if you know someone has done X, they have an idea of how hard this should be or how likely it is to go sideways.

Basically, they’re gauging how close they REALLY need to spot you lol
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My desire to know what someone is lifting is just out of curiosity. I definitely don't need it to know how closely to spot someone. If I am spotting I am in a position that I can spot the heaviest weight possible regardless of how much weight it is because that person's safety is in my hands now, and I have to be ready for anything. Then again, I am an experienced spotter, and always ask how many are you going for, and do you want me to assist, and make you fight to finish the rep or just take it if you stall, the bar reverses direction, or just wait for you to say take it. If I am curious how much it is, I just ask. Now that is true lazy math! ;)

Also, isn't it annoying when either A) you have a spotter who isn't locked in and paying attention, or B) when some asshat comes up and starts talking to your spotter while he is supposed to be paying attention to make sure you don't get hurt.
 
Hyde said:
Like if I’m squatting and don’t want to jump a full plate, I might temporarily add the pair of yellows. Or I’ll start my bench with 45s on the 45lb power bar, but add the yellows to do 201, then switch them to reds to jump to 245. Then go back to adding pound plates on top.

The gym owner is always shouting about how “I’m doing that stupid **** with the plates again” because nobody can figure out what I’m lifting when I ask for a spot Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

😅😅😅

MrKleen73 said:
My desire to know what someone is lifting is just out of curiosity.
Click to expand...

I watch other guys for 3 reasons...

a. if he's pushing significantly more than me, I'm motivated
b. if he looks half my size pushing my weight, I'm ready to jump in for a spot
c. if I'm lifting with my 14yr old boy, I admit, I will point out people benching around or less than him to try to stroke his ego. <-- right or wrong, if I can get my boy to push himself I will.
 
Weight: 222.8 😆

Gained some weight back over December. Today is day 4 tightening it back up, with kcal averaging 2700kcal per day. Top weight I hit was 226.5.

Sleep has taken a drastic turn down as expected with the caloric restriction. It was so nice feeling good, rested and strong that month of December. Back to using 3mg lunesta during the cut.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Seated DB OHP 4 x 9/9/9/9 x 75's
Dips 4 x 8 x BW
Incline DB Press 4 x 8 x 50's
Kleen's Lateral Raise 3 x 12 x 17.5's
Triceps Pressdowns 15x38.5, 2 x 12/10 x 44
Overhead Cable Extensions 6x27.5, 2 x 10/9 x 22
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Seated DB OHP 4 x 10/10/10/11 x 75's
Dips 4 x 10/10/10/11 x BW
Incline DB Press 4 x 8 x 50's
DB Lateral Raise 15x15's, 2 x 10 x 20's dropset 12 x 5's
Triceps Pressdowns 3 x 11/9/8 x 44
Overhead Cable Extensions 3 x 9/8/8 x 22

DB OHP and Dips moving up! Doesn't make sense since I've cut my kcal down from obscene amounts but I'll take it. Unless, giving up Standing ohp and subbing Machine ohp is working. Halfway through, I could feel the deficit though.

Another thing I've been doing the last few weeks is on every last set, in addition to it being AMRAP, is holding peak contraction on the last rep for 5-10 seconds (or as long as I can tolerate) with a very slow negative. I think I said it recently, training is fun again.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Straight Bar Pullup 3, 3, 3
Neutral Grip Pullup 4, 4, 4
Safety Bar Squat 4 x 6 x 215
Back Extensions 3 x 5
Cable Row/Shrug 10x104, 2 x 8 x 115.5
Facepulls 12x16.5, 2 x 8 x 22
Incline DB Curls 3 x 10/8/6 x 25's
Hammer Curls 2 x 8 x 25's
Left Arm Pulldowns 2 x 10 x 44

Early Saturday morning workout. Safety squat moving up. Pullups felt weak so I moved to neutral grip which felt better. Back Extensions were way too hard...gonna have to keep that in for more focused Hamstring work.
Subbing out the Romanian Rack pull for the back extensions and row/Shrug combo which hopefully is more hypertrophic for the muscles worked. Otherwise great workout. Took 2 hours though 😆
Click to expand...
Weight: 222.0

Straight Bar Pullup 4, 4, 4, 3 +5 negatives
Neutral Grip Pullup 5
Squat 5x225, 5x255, 5x275, 5x295
Cable Shrug/Row 10x104.5, 10x110, 10x115.5
Facepulls 12x16.5, 10x22
Single Leg Curls 12x30, 8x45, 9x45
Incline DB Curls 3 x 9/8/8 x 25's
Left Arm Pulldown 12x55
Double Handed Cake Mid-Row 12x70.4

Added a rep to Straight Bar Pullups for a few sets.

Haven't done regular squats in a few weeks so I'm proud to see I can still do 5x295. Next week, I'll go for 5x315. Having to do this since the safety bar Squat is inop (one of the pads fell off and the gym took it to the back).

Couldn't do back extensions because the room it was in had a class, so subbed in leg curls. I'll have to keep these in; my left Hamstring is significantly weaker then my right (where they took one of my Hamstring tendons to fix my ACL).

My preworkout: 50mg caffeine and METAL!
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