... For Victory

[Hyde]

Well it’s not as cut & dry as looking at the distance, because it’s relative to your size & specific overall mobility like you were thinking.

Sounds like there may not be room for you to move out much more lifting out of a power rack, & if that is the case moving the bar up a hair is the next move.

Some guys do also tuck their pinkies under the bar to get relief, and that’s probably a better move to try vs keeping thumb over, but it’s all individual. I have never done either of those though.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Thanks for the input guys. Going to squat tonight and start trying to make small adjustments to see what I can figure out.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Busy weekend! Went on a cub scout camping trip with the family and had a blast. Waded in a super cold spring fed creek and took an exhilarating dip.

AA Raloxifene showed up this weekend and dosed 60ml Sunday afternoon when we got home and then again yesterday morning and this morning. Feels like the gyno is already calming down. Stopped Tamoxifen when I started Raloxifene. Should I be using them concurrently to try to knock it out quickly or just see what a week or so of Ralox solo gets me?

Good deads and OHP this weekend. Feeling like I'm starting to notice some slight stamina/strength increases.

This is the beginning of week 5. I dosed 0.4ml the last half of last week so effectively bumped up to ~400mg/wk. Need to get bloods this week as planned but the weekend kinda threw me off.

 

[SkRaw85]

Sounds like a good weekend man! Nothing like a good ice plunge to purify the soul.

 

[Hyde]

I would only use them concurrently if you felt like 60mg was insufficient & wanted a stronger effect, but also wanted to save some coin (tamoxifen is generally cheaper & significantly stronger per mg).

Sounds like a blast!

 

[Geoffr]

Start taking the tamoxifen now, not the AI. It will attack the real issue directly (you’re complaining of gyno, but otherwise happy with how you feel). At this point, you would need to lower estrogen to a very low uncomfortable level with an AI to still not cut off estrogen from the gyno as effectively as just using a SERM.

MA’s Ralox is good. It does crash and I have to stir it up constantly, but it works.

HOW LONG DOES MA RALOX START GOOD IN A SEALED BOTTLE? HAVE TWO THAT ARE A YEAR + OLD

 

[Geoffr]

Popped a 20mg last night.

Thanks for the info, that makes sense. I haven't had to deal with this issue before so it's interesting to learn the correct situations for each response. My inclination was to use the SERM as the gyno, and there for the activity at the estrogen receptors, is the only issue presently at hand.

If I can manage to continually abate the gyno issue by intermittent dosing of a SERM, is it therefore safe to assume there is no need for an AI? This is of course also assuming there are no other symptoms of consequence. (ED is not even sort of an issue!) I've read plenty about on cycle AI use but not nearly as much about on cycle SERM use.

sent you a message brother!

 

[Hyde]

HOW LONG DOES MA RALOX START GOOD IN A SEALED BOTTLE? HAVE TWO THAT ARE A YEAR + OLD

Well, when I got mine fresh last year they were crashed and need stirred before every use, but they work great. The drug itself will last a LONG time, but generally for oral suspensions they’re probably only designed for a few years.

I would definitely be comfortable taking yours. 4-5 years is when I would probably pass. 2-3 years I’d still try them and see if they’re effective.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

My my, how fast the time can pass eh?! I can't believe I haven't been in here in 6 months!

It has been an exciting and busy 6 months though. Life has been fast, full and fun.

The blast went well, went up to 500mg and threw in some var at the end. Man, all good stuff there. Think total blast was around 20 weeks with the var for the last 6 or so.

Dropped back to a cruise dose at 175mg for about 6 weeks and got blood drawn. General stuff was all as it should be. Hormones were total T at 1498, free T at 353 and E2 at 101 which was causing some serious acne and some gyno irritation. Was using exem at 12.5mg every ~10 days and ralox/tamox as needed. Dropped down to ~130mg and still struggling with acne a bit but it's getting a lot better and irritation of the right nipple is probably only a couple days total since the taper down. Been here for 6 weeks or so and any AI/SERM use is almost non-existent save a random 12.5mg here and there and a day or two of 20mg tamox and 60mg ralox a couple times.

I was thinking about getting blood work now to see what 130mg is doing for me and then dropping down to 100mg and getting bloods again... buuuuuuut... an Ogre in the cabinet was calling my name and a week or so ago I heeded its beckoning. Been popping 30mg here and there before workouts. Seems effective but could be placebo I guess. There were a couple days last week where I swear I could feel my lats and core growing. Like in a way I've never felt before, like my trunk was expanding. Bizarre.

So here I am now trying to decide which path to take and I thought I'd put out an invite for some input:

Scenario 1: Damn the sparse M1A use and get bloods now to see what 130mg has been doing. Move on accordingly.

Scenario 2: Drop the M1A and drop test to 100mg. Get blood drawn after 4-6 weeks to determine T level and AI necessity. This would allow an opportunity to see what my maximum dose is without *any* use of an AI or SERM. Ramp test back up alongside Primo to see its ability to effectively act as an AI for me.

Scenario 3: Drop M1A and keep test at 130mg. Add 100mg Primo to test its effectivity as an AI.

Scenario 4: Continue M1A around heavy days. Add Primo to cruise as in Scen. 2 and taper up to a blast of something like 300T/300P.

Obviously I'm leaning towards 4, ha ha. I'm curious to see what my levels would be but honestly not as much as I am excited to give Primo a try. I'm thinking maybe 3-4 weeks of 130T/100P to feel it out and then working up to ~300/300 or whatever ratio keeps me feeling good with a total mg around 600-800/wk.

Thanks in adavance for any input or advice and looking forward to spending more time on here again!

 

[Hyde]

I don’t think I was using any AI on 180/120 test/primo. 150/150 was too dry for me and I found I had to make it more estrogenic. Which is good because it’s cheaper anyway.

So starting at 1:1 and then modifying in time based on how you respond personally makes sense to me.

I don’t really see the point in drawing numbers on 100 or 130 for the sake of them if you don’t intend to use that solo test dosage anytime soon.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

I don’t really see the point in drawing numbers on 100 or 130 for the sake of them if you don’t intend to use that solo test dosage anytime soon.

Makes sense to me. There's time for that later on.

So starting at 1:1 and then modifying in time based on how you respond personally makes sense to me.

This seems like the way. I'm interested to see how it works for me.

Thanks dude! I just popped into your log to try and start getting caught up and saw mention of an MRI. Hate to hear there was trouble, hope all is on the mend!

 

[Hyde]

Makes sense to me. There's time for that later on.


This seems like the way. I'm interested to see how it works for me.

Thanks dude! I just popped into your log to try and start getting caught up and saw mention of an MRI. Hate to hear there was trouble, hope all is on the mend!

Thanks, just trying to track down my lack of elbow mobility/flexion I’ve had over the last couple years. Seems like it’s gotten worse this last year, and I would like to get back to being able to do full ROM curls, overhead & incline pressing if I can figure out the cause.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Brief update:

Was at 135 T : 105 P and feeling low E symptoms (dry skin, achy joints, depressed/uninvolved/disconnected). Was also using M1A pwo which may have had some involvement. Dropped M1A and swapped in 20mg dbol pwo a few times the last week and a half or so and bumped T to 157.5. A couple days ago bumped to 210 T and ED inj and stopping dbol.

Acne is basically the only side I'm dealing with and it's frustrating. It got a little bit worse the past few days which I'm attributing mostly to the dbol and also to the general increase in E. Hoping dropping it and switching to daily will help as the last time it was clear was 500 T : 250-350 var with daily inj. Other symptoms are gone, skin only dry if I use salicylic acid. Added B5 at 2g daily. May start using benzoyl peroxide here and there again as well.

Strength has been *good* the last couple weeks. Couple PRs of note:

1x425 3" def dead hook grip
1x170 + 35# chains standing OHP

Enjoying the conjugate program in piecing together the past month or so. Looks something like this:

Monday: Max Effort Squat/Rep Dead
Wednesday: Max Effort Bench/Rep OHP
Friday: Dynamic Effort Dead/ Speed Squat
Saturday: Dynamic Effort OHP/Speed Bench

Then swapping the exercises the following week. I like getting two days on each lift each week. Seems productive and feels good now that my joints are a little more lubed up. Accessories are posterior chain and abs on lower days and upper back and tris on upper days.

Next week I'm planning to start working good mornings and barbell rows into the mix in rotation with the other smaller accessories.

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

 

[Hyde]

The acne is especially from the methyl estrogen from the dbol, but in general the fluctuation in the androgen/estrogen balance.

You should definitely expect things to be a little worse for a while now that you raised your long esters dose (it’s going to take ~4-5 weeks to reach stable peak blood levels).

Sounds like you needed to make the adjustment, but probably got overzealous using that much Dbol. People don’t think about 20mg as a lot because it’s often sold in 50mg tabs now, but Dbol was originally used in 5mg increments. It can make things wet fast!

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Ha ha, I WAS excited about giving the dbol a shot! I'm interested to see how much of the strength I've been seeing can be attributed to that and how much I can hang onto in its absence.

I'm planning on feeling this dosing schedule out for the next month or so then maybe bumping up into blasting territory or maybe not. Will likely pull bloods to see where it has me and if it's reasonable to ride as "cruise+" or a light blast for an extended period of time.

 

[SkRaw85]

Welcome back man. It’s been a while indeed

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Welcome back man. It’s been a while indeed

Too long! Still trying to get caught up on everybody's logs.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Noticed today I've gotten very short tempered. Quick to snap. My wife has mentioned it a couple times over the last few weeks but this evening is the first time it has been blatantly apparent for me.

Tried to focus the aggression for DE lower (rack pulls just below knee) and it just wasn't there. Scrapped and did some curls, lat pulls, and shrugs to try to make myself feel better, ha ha. Stole a good pump so all was not lost.

Have to get the mood straightened out. Can't let my attitude cause family trouble. Daily injections seem to be clearing up my shoulder acne though so that's a bonus. Slight irritation of gyno in right nipple the past few days. Was planning on riding this dose for a while first but it might be time to take a look at my blood levels as things are a bit out of whack.

 

[Hyde]

Noticed today I've gotten very short tempered. Quick to snap. My wife has mentioned it a couple times over the last few weeks but this evening is the first time it has been blatantly apparent for me.

Tried to focus the aggression for DE lower (rack pulls just below knee) and it just wasn't there. Scrapped and did some curls, lat pulls, and shrugs to try to make myself feel better, ha ha. Stole a good pump so all was not lost.

Have to get the mood straightened out. Can't let my attitude cause family trouble. Daily injections seem to be clearing up my shoulder acne though so that's a bonus. Slight irritation of gyno in right nipple the past few days. Was planning on riding this dose for a while first but it might be time to take a look at my blood levels as things are a bit out of whack.

Bloods don’t lie. Your estrogen may be high, or you may just need to try to take a deep breath & try to chill out a little. Quite possibly both!

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Well last night's work may have been mediocre but today made up for it. Last night I was cruising the 'tube and watched a clip of JM talking to Tate about his 6x6 rep scheme and decided to give it a try today.

Did OHP 6x6 at 150 with the American Cambered Bar. Got all 6 sets so next week I'll bump to 155. Wasn't sure exactly where to start with this and while warming up 6x150 felt good so I went with it. The last couple reps on sets 5 and 6 were a challenge but not unreasonably so.

Followed with dumbbell flat bench for 3x12x70s. Used the rack mounted dumbbell holders that I constantly neglect. These will be going into rotation.

Then it was a first: SSB JM Press! That felt great and will also be used moving forward. Felt it much more in my tris than when I use the EZ bar where I seem to get a lot more activation in the forearms. Worked up to 8x165. Excited to use this to get the numbers higher on this movement as with EZ bar I was probably hovering around 90-110

Finished with light band press downs, 4x25. Tried a new placement with them, stretched between uprights on j-hooks, and that was killer.

 

[Hyde]

JM Press with the SSB when you unscrew the handles is awesome! One of the very best tricep long head builders. You can really move some weight, with more isolation than a close grip bench.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Received the newest addition to the library, Alex Bromley's 'Base Strength'. Hyde mentioned this book some time ago and I finally picked it up, but I somehow didn't realize who the author was until it showed up Saturday. I've been watching his videos lately and was even more excited to crack the spine when I realized it was his work.

I spent a while yesterday reading the book and going through my workout journals and have decided to try a new approach. I think what Bromley says about needing to expand your base to grow your peak is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I've spent so long focusing on strength that I think it's time for a good volume phase.

I plugged some values into an excel file and have a plan for a base phase of 4x 3 week waves. Accessories will be a reverse pyramid of volume as an inverse to the pyramid of main lift volume.

So Wave I will be:

Main Lift
3x12
4x12
5x12

Accessories
4x15
3x15
2x15

I think this should be a good change of pace which will hopefully make room for some progress.

 

[Hyde]

Received the newest addition to the library, Alex Bromley's 'Base Strength'. Hyde mentioned this book some time ago and I finally picked it up, but I somehow didn't realize who the author was until it showed up Saturday. I've been watching his videos lately and was even more excited to crack the spine when I realized it was his work.

I spent a while yesterday reading the book and going through my workout journals and have decided to try a new approach. I think what Bromley says about needing to expand your base to grow your peak is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I've spent so long focusing on strength that I think it's time for a good volume phase.

I plugged some values into an excel file and have a plan for a base phase of 4x 3 week waves. Accessories will be a reverse pyramid of volume as an inverse to the pyramid of main lift volume.

So Wave I will be:

Main Lift
3x12
4x12
5x12

Accessories
4x15
3x15
2x15

I think this should be a good change of pace which will hopefully make room for some progress.

Your food and drugs need to be set to grow. I believe you are on at least 300mg of gear, so that’s good, just make sure you aren’t trying to only maintain. You are going to need to add a lb or so per week if you want to be eating enough to keep up with and get optimal results from a volume mesocycle.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Your food and drugs need to be set to grow. I believe you are on at least 300mg of gear, so that’s good, just make sure you aren’t trying to only maintain. You are going to need to add a lb or so per week if you want to be eating enough to keep up with and get optimal results from a volume mesocycle.

That's great advice and something I hadn't thought of, or rather forced myself to be aware of, yet.

Currently T210/P105. Feeling like I'm on the opposite end of the pendulum from where I was a couple weeks back and thinking ratio probably needs to be 1.5:1 T. Thinking bloods next week or the week after before any more changes though and adjusting ratio as needed.

Food increase, however, is a definite must. The scale has actually been creeping back down a bit the last week or so. Was 226 this morning after a few weeks of being right around 230. This is likely from having added 30min on the exercise bike on my off days. Maybe a bit from the drugs saturating as well? The bike has helped soreness quite a bit though and it was time to add some sort of cardio somewhere in the week, ha ha.

 

[Hyde]

Keep the cardio in for sure, and I don’t think you need to increase the drugs - about 3mg/kg is a solid cruise dose that will allow enhanced recovery and performance enhancement while being milder on health markers than a full on blast. I have been putting up some good numbers for me, despite losing weight and bodyfat, and tapering down from 250mg per wk (150/100 test/mast) to just 125mg total last week. Training hard is most important.

That being said, the point of a volume phase must be tissue accrual - if you don’t build useful muscle (not just any muscle for show, but specific to your comp lifts) then it was a waste of time, besides some good work capacity training.

So you need to eat enough to recover and grow some, AND because this high volume with compounds will build and tax your work capacity so hard you really can’t afford to blast a lot of gear. I mean if the gear drags your GPP down then you will never get through 6x10 and all that brutality. Stay away from orals!

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Keep the cardio in for sure, and I don’t think you need to increase the drugs - about 3mg/kg is a solid cruise dose that will allow enhanced recovery and performance enhancement while being milder on health markers than a full on blast. I have been putting up some good numbers for me, despite losing weight and bodyfat, and tapering down from 250mg per wk (150/100 test/mast) to just 125mg total last week. Training hard is most important.

That being said, the point of a volume phase must be tissue accrual - if you don’t build useful muscle (not just any muscle for show, but specific to your comp lifts) then it was a waste of time, besides some good work capacity training.

So you need to eat enough to recover and grow some, AND because this high volume with compounds will build and tax your work capacity so hard you really can’t afford to blast a lot of gear. I mean if the gear drags your GPP down then you will never get through 6x10 and all that brutality. Stay away from orals!

Ha ha, orals are on the back burner for sure!

I think I will probably keep total mg to around that number, just with some adjustment to get the ratio right for side effect management. Your cruise progress is what got me rethinking blasting this go round to begin with.

Just spitballing here, but right now my thinking is to ride this ~300mg volume phase for a few months and then swap back to a low rep heavy weight plan to see if I can drive my numbers up. Would it make sense to shoot for getting into blasting range then, assuming blood values are right?

 

[Hyde]

Ha ha, orals are on the back burner for sure!

I think I will probably keep total mg to around that number, just with some adjustment to get the ratio right for side effect management. Your cruise progress is what got me rethinking blasting this go round to begin with.

Just spitballing here, but right now my thinking is to ride this ~300mg volume phase for a few months and then swap back to a low rep heavy weight plan to see if I can drive my numbers up. Would it make sense to shoot for getting into blasting range then, assuming blood values are right?

Yeah, I think a lot more can be accomplished on 250-400mg of gear if everything else is pretty good. I mean if you want to reach new levels of lean tissue size, more than ever before, drugs sometimes have to get pretty high, but once the tissue has already been there it doesn’t take much to hold or rebuild it. And strength is more about consistent, progressive work anyway - it’s not bodybuilding; size is only part of the equation.

Pushing strength up temporarily with drugs will always work, but it can only work for as much or as long as you can tolerate the elevated doses. At the end of the day, the base has to widen if the peak is to climb higher.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

It's that time of year again

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Day 2 of new program

Today was bench, squats were Monday. Both killer workouts. High volume squats and good mornings were brutal and great. Flat barbell and incline dumbbell today was awesome.

Great mood all day today, felt really 'on the level' in the best way. Great way to lead into a workout. A guy could get used to this!

 

[Dustin07]

Bloods don’t lie. Your estrogen may be high, or you may just need to try to take a deep breath & try to chill out a little. Quite possibly both!

Is it the heightened E that leads to irritability and mood swings when on a cycle?

It's that time of year again

View attachment 225855

Still best Christmas movie ever.

 

[Hyde]

Is it the heightened E that leads to irritability and mood swings when on a cycle?



Still best Christmas movie ever.

Usually more moodiness, but I would say heightened androgenicity is generally going to be your increased irritability.

One thing is for certain, the more you take, the more you’ll need to try to wrangle your emotions. You can have next to zero estrogen, but if you take enough gear you’ll find yourself snapping, much more aggressive, or holding your tongue/counting to 10 if controlling yourself.

It can be good for weight training, but it’s kind of awful to experience (and inflict on others). The fuse just gets shorter.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Sorry for the radio silence. Had to step back for a bit.

Last week we had to let our family dog go on to his final rest. He was with us almost 14 years, but his health was declining rapidly which made the decision to let go easier on us all. Even so it's still tough not seeing him when I get home or especially in the morning while I make breakfast in the silent house while everyone is still sleeping.

He will be missed greatly and well-remembered.

 

[Marne40]

That stinks man. I hate losing pets. They’re really extensions on the family and there’s a big hole left when they’re gone. Hope things look up brother.

 

[SkRaw85]

Sorry to hear brother

 

[Segansational]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Hyde]

Glad to hear he’s resting peacefully now, no more struggle. My father had a big dog he loved so much when he was younger, he kept ignoring the fact that his hips were failing mercilessly. One day by the campfire the dog struggled when it got up, hips went out, dog fell in the fire and was severely burned - before being taken in horrible pain with to the vet to be put down in an emergency.

You did what was best for them. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

That stinks man. I hate losing pets. They’re really extensions on the family and there’s a big hole left when they’re gone. Hope things look up brother.

Sorry to hear brother

Sorry for your loss.

Glad to hear he’s resting peacefully now, no more struggle. My father had a big dog he loved so much when he was younger, he kept ignoring the fact that his hips were failing mercilessly. One day by the campfire the dog struggled when it got up, hips went out, dog fell in the fire and was severely burned - before being taken in horrible pain with to the vet to be put down in an emergency.

You did what was best for them. I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

Hyde that's a sad one to hear about your old man's best bud. I had a friend who let his boxer go way too long with no use of her back legs. We didn't want to let him go through all that.

 

[RegisterJr]

Sorry for your loss man. It’s never easy.

 

[Dustin07]

for crying out loud you guys, what a gut wrench. My rescue Dalmatian died in my arms at home. I had her on meds for her last 9 months and was lucky enough to be able to take her to work with me since they were diuretics. But since she had a heart attack essentially in my arms I didn't have to put her down, I'm sorry you guys have had to know "when" to make that decision, not something I look forward to.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Had to take a little break there. Things got worse for a bit before they got better.

After the old boy left us the whole household got the 'vid, which resulted in missing out on family Christmas get togethers. Then my superintendent wrecked his truck on his way home from work and broke his nose, 9 ribs and a femur. He's lucky to be alive but out of commission for a while and I had to take over the job we're finishing up. For context, I'm a superintendent as well (commercial electrical construction) but since I was on his job I was just on my tools and minding my own business for a while til another job kicks off. It was a welcome break that was ended too soon, but alas, it's good to be needed and to be in the right place at the right time to help out. I'm not one to judge how others manage their jobs, but it was well behind schedule and the past 4 weeks have been insane. I've gotten it turned around now and we're getting close to wrapping things up.

With all that going on I managed to not miss a workout! Missed quite a few sessions with the exercise bike though, the respiratory distress put a damper on my energy levels to say the least. I just finished the 7th week of the Bromley-inspired volume program I'm running and it has been good. Loving the increased work capacity I'm noticing.

I was given a Cerberus 80kg sandbag for Christmas that I filled this weekend. I have no experience with sandbags and I will admit to it being quite humbling! So far I've only loaded it into my truck and then carried 60' into the garage, but I'm excited to work it into my training and develop some areas that are lacking strength.

Now to play catch up on everyone else's past few weeks!

 

[SkRaw85]

Had to take a little break there. Things got worse for a bit before they got better.

After the old boy left us the whole household got the 'vid, which resulted in missing out on family Christmas get togethers. Then my superintendent wrecked his truck on his way home from work and broke his nose, 9 ribs and a femur. He's lucky to be alive but out of commission for a while and I had to take over the job we're finishing up. For context, I'm a superintendent as well (commercial electrical construction) but since I was on his job I was just on my tools and minding my own business for a while til another job kicks off. It was a welcome break that was ended too soon, but alas, it's good to be needed and to be in the right place at the right time to help out. I'm not one to judge how others manage their jobs, but it was well behind schedule and the past 4 weeks have been insane. I've gotten it turned around now and we're getting close to wrapping things up.

With all that going on I managed to not miss a workout! Missed quite a few sessions with the exercise bike though, the respiratory distress put a damper on my energy levels to say the least. I just finished the 7th week of the Bromley-inspired volume program I'm running and it has been good. Loving the increased work capacity I'm noticing.

I was given a Cerberus 80kg sandbag for Christmas that I filled this weekend. I have no experience with sandbags and I will admit to it being quite humbling! So far I've only loaded it into my truck and then carried 60' into the garage, but I'm excited to work it into my training and develop some areas that are lacking strength.

Now to play catch up on everyone else's past few weeks!

Sounds like a bad country song. Glad you’re on the upswing tho man!
I believe @Hyde has a medley of those Cerberus sandbags for chuckin and totin and such. I’m sure he can set you up with all the juicy info.

 

[Hyde]

Sounds like a bad country song. Glad you’re on the upswing tho man!
I believe @Hyde has a medley of those Cerberus sandbags for chuckin and totin and such. I’m sure he can set you up with all the juicy info.

Pick them into your lap and load them, shoulder them, press them, carry them! They will build your whole body and especially blow up your back and forearms. And they won’t hurt anything if you drop them.

 

[Dustin07]

Those sandbags are no joke. First time I played with one I was power cleaning 270lbs but couldn't figure out how to pick up a 120lb bag lol.

 

[Hyde]

Those sandbags are no joke. First time I played with one I was power cleaning 270lbs but couldn't figure out how to pick up a 120lb bag lol.

IME, most men grossly overestimate their raw strength because of specialization on barbell work. So many people wear straps for everything and can’t hang onto anything. And sandbags just suck! They will humble you quick.

A while back I tried to load a 200lb bag to our 52” wall. I was going hypo from training, but I still wanted to try it - I couldn’t do it. I could get it in my lap but no extension. It’s still on the garage floor lol

 

[SkRaw85]

This makes me want to get a sandbag or two to keep in my living room for stuff

 

[Dustin07]

IME, most men grossly overestimate their raw strength because of specialization on barbell work. So many people wear straps for everything and can’t hang onto anything. And sandbags just suck! They will humble you quick.

A while back I tried to load a 200lb bag to our 52” wall. I was going hypo from training, but I still wanted to try it - I couldn’t do it. I could get it in my lap but no extension. It’s still on the garage floor lol

honestly it's a valuable lesson in life too. Sure I can clean "X" amount with speed and commitment after years of experience, but can I lift a body out of an emergency? I only strap RDL's so I can't use that excuse, the sandbag is just... HARD. lol. there is technique and speed though... once I started learning it I could get some reps.

again, that was like 120lbs though, never tried a 2 hundy ha.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

Played with the bag for a bit after squats and good mornings. Lapped it a couple times then lapped and loaded to chest about 5 times in singles and a double. I guess I'm saying that right? I lapped the bag and then got my arms around/over and stood up bringing it up with me and holding it to my chest as I would if I was going to do a carry.

Man, this thing is going to be fun to play with.

 

[Hyde]

That would generally be known as extension (triple extension if you come onto your toes). Loading is more in reference to letting go and getting the bag onto or over a fixed height (52” is a common competitive men’s height). You can band your barbell into the jcups if you want to know if you are making a set height or not.

Sounds like you are getting the hang of it!

Best tips I have are to crush it with your pecs when you go to pick/deadlift it off the ground, set the bag as high on the chest as possible when pinning it before you go to stand up/extend, and put your elbows at 10 & 2 or 9 & 3 o’clock position worst case to do so, focusing on pulling back from the elbows hard to lock the bag in with your lats (NOT YOUR BICEPS!!!). Try to get your chin on the sandbag before you start the extension. It’s going to want to slip down but you want it to stay as high as possible.

Never use your biceps in any stage. I have torn the top and bottom of my left bicep partially on sandbags and stones executed poorly.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

... focusing on pulling back from the elbows hard to lock the bag in with your lats (NOT YOUR BICEPS!!!)

Never use your biceps in any stage. I have torn the top and bottom of my left bicep partially on sandbags and stones executed poorly.

This is a great reminder, thank you. I was trying to keep this in mind, but it definitely bears repeating.

The extensions felt good. I think your suggestion for banding a bar to load to is a good idea I'll give a try. The weather just turned sour, but when it comes around in excited to do some carries as well.

 

[ANABOLICWRWLF]

As I mentioned in your thread @Hyde I'm giving some serious thought to signing up for the SPF meet in June. I've talked about it before but I think I just need to jump in this time.

I assume I will need to pick a weight class when signing up? Or can that be done at weigh in? I'm sitting around 230 right now and feel like I might be able to get somewhat respectable numbers in 220, but would not be very competitive in 242. Being in the middle, and probably around 20%BF, I'm leaning towards dropping to 220. I think the test and primo would help me hang onto some strength while cutting down a bit.

I've never tried to make weight or peak so this is wholly new territory.