Hyde’s Strength Odyssey

SkRaw85 said:
Hefty rear delt raises! You keeping them pretty strict? I can’t cheat them anymore or a damn disc slips. So dumb
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I have a little bit of back extension on the start of each rep, but I really try to minimize that, and never any leg drive. I can do the same weights seated, but typically try not to sit down because I feel it makes me a little lazier on this movement (which isn’t really something you can afford on raises if you want any chance of progress).

Honestly I’d say it’s just the gear; I’ve seen a good bump lately in a lot of accessories since the DHB got to stable levels. Basically everything but upper back, which I’ve not been able to train hard.
 
Last night I was reading to my son on my lap before bed, and I started getting so warm we had to lay down on the floor to keep reading (after I took my tank top off).

Ahhhhhh meet prep! 😭
 
Hyde said:
Last night I was reading to my son on my lap before bed, and I started getting so warm we had to lay down on the floor to keep reading (after I took my tank top off).

Ahhhhhh meet prep! 😭
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Your body is geared up and ready to go.💪
Definitely some impressive rear delts…don’t think I have ever seen anybody do rear delt flyes with 55s,.💪😎🏆
 
gphagan1 said:
Your body is geared up and ready to go.💪
Definitely some impressive rear delts…don’t think I have ever seen anybody do rear delt flyes with 55s,.💪😎🏆
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All the dbs at the barbell club are hex-head, which is my favorite because they’re particularly “easy” to use - except our 55s, which are an antique pair with a round edge & particularly thin handles that lack knurling. So stepping up to those from the 50s is always very noticeable, but they were no problem!
 
there is definitely something about hex headed db's that I strongly prefer. it's almost an autistic type function, especially when I prop them up on my thighs before a set and the two flat ends can perfectly match eachother before I throw them up in the air, then a lot of times if I'm connecting them at the top to hold a pinch on a db press or a fly, making the flat ends touch is far more satisifying than round headed db's. its like a game of tetris or something.
 
Dustin07 said:
there is definitely something about hex headed db's that I strongly prefer. it's almost an autistic type function, especially when I prop them up on my thighs before a set and the two flat ends can perfectly match eachother before I throw them up in the air, then a lot of times if I'm connecting them at the top to hold a pinch on a db press or a fly, making the flat ends touch is far more satisifying than round headed db's. its like a game of tetris or something.
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I feel you on the tism thing. I have the same issue. They work perfectly for neutral grip incline hammer presses. Much easier than holding two round dumbbells together.
 
I am super simple, I just like them because they don't roll away when I put them down!!! :)
 
BW 245.2 this morning

No gym yesterday; took my son out on the lake to go swimming with my friend’s daughters all day in the sun. So lots of activity & fun, good blood flow. Last practice tomorrow morning on the big 3.
 
8/19/25

3 min Assault Bike
Scap Pushups
Cat Camel
Bird Dogs
Side Plank Activations
SL Glute Bridges
BW Squats

Squat, Texas squat bar
55 2x5
165,275x3
+sleeves
341x2
+belt
341 4x2

Band Shoulder warmup

Bench, Hansu powerbar
44x5
110x3
154x1
220 5x3

Deadlift, Texas deadlift bar
155x5 RDL
265,331x1
+belt
331 4x1

Final practice done: 5 doubles, triples, & singles at ~60% for SBD. Everything felt good & moved exactly like it should. This meet prep is in the books! I won’t touch another weight until the meet this Sunday.

I’m ready ⚔️
 
Hyde said:
8/19/25

3 min Assault Bike
Scap Pushups
Cat Camel
Bird Dogs
Side Plank Activations
SL Glute Bridges
BW Squats

Squat, Texas squat bar
55 2x5
165,275x3
+sleeves
341x2
+belt
341 4x2

Band Shoulder warmup

Bench, Hansu powerbar
44x5
110x3
154x1
220 5x3

Deadlift, Texas deadlift bar
155x5 RDL
265,331x1
+belt
331 4x1

Final practice done: 5 doubles, triples, & singles at ~60% for SBD. Everything felt good & moved exactly like it should. This meet prep is in the books! I won’t touch another weight until the meet this Sunday.

I’m ready ⚔️
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I can’t wait to see what numbers you put up at the meet. Kill it bro! 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼
 
Excited for you!
 
Just ordered bloodwork for Thursday morning. Been a while and I prefer to get a draw meet-week so I can see the full impact at the worst.

Also, got free HemoglobinA1C results from my blood donation a few weeks ago - it was something like 4.6, the lowest I’ve ever seen it by far! Which does make sense, considering I lost weight in recent months and then started up DHB before regaining size. I always try to tell people how powerful it is for nutrient partitioning.
 
It is awesome when your A1C goes down, that means things are not only improving, but in a longer term. It takes a little bit to get that needle moving since an average.
 
Hyde said:
BW 245.2 this morning

No gym yesterday; took my son out on the lake to go swimming with my friend’s daughters all day in the sun. So lots of activity & fun, good blood flow. Last practice tomorrow morning on the big 3.
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Can’t remember, you going 242 or 275 for this one?
 
SkRaw85 said:
Can’t remember, you going 242 or 275 for this one?
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I will be dropping the 3lbs temporarily for weighins. That’s less fluid than my standard intra drink right now 😝

On that note, 245.4 this morning. So I’m going to eat totally normally again today; I don’t want to drop any weight yet with such a low amount needing to come off.
 
Woke at 246.4 today, which is good.

Got bloodwork this morning, and ART this afternoon that felt very productive.

2+ gallons of water today and extremely low carbs and sodium to flush some electrolytes out, which has made my brain feel a bit sluggish - but it’s nice to not be sweating after every meal for a change!

Had a shake with 2 servings of collagen and PB, a 1lb NY strip (no salt 😔), and a couple servings of almonds so far. Plus 1.5g water. Will probably have some eggs cooked in avocado oil and more almonds later.
 
Going to bed in Columbus. Weigins went fine; came in at 238lbs and going to bed now at 250. Been a fun day, took my son to the pool twice, wife took him to a bounce park, we went to the mall and had gelato after lunch, and there was this awesome slide park called Slick City that was kid paradise! So my son has really had a true vacay day, and I did a good job getting bloodflow as I rehydrated to fill out well.

Everything feels locked and loaded, so I’m looking to have a fun meet tomorrow! I’ll catch you guys when the dust settles 🤘
 

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Hyde said:
Going to bed in Columbus. Weigins went fine; came in at 238lbs and going to bed now at 250. Been a fun day, took my son to the pool twice, wife took him to a bounce park, we went to the mall and had gelato after lunch, and there was this awesome slide park called Slick City that was kid paradise! So my son has really had a true vacay day, and I did a good job getting bloodflow as I rehydrated to fill out well.

Everything feels locked and loaded, so I’m looking to have a fun meet tomorrow! I’ll catch you guys when the dust settles 🤘
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Glad the little guy is having a blast. Man you filled back out good from 238 to 250. Sounds like everything is aligned for you to have a good meet….Good luck brother.💪🏆
 
Hyde said:
Going to bed in Columbus. Weigins went fine; came in at 238lbs and going to bed now at 250. Been a fun day, took my son to the pool twice, wife took him to a bounce park, we went to the mall and had gelato after lunch, and there was this awesome slide park called Slick City that was kid paradise! So my son has really had a true vacay day, and I did a good job getting bloodflow as I rehydrated to fill out well.

Everything feels locked and loaded, so I’m looking to have a fun meet tomorrow! I’ll catch you guys when the dust settles 🤘
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Nice! Enough bloat for squats and bench and flush it out with water before deads. You gut this bro! Good luck and I’ve got a feeling the weights are going to feel light!
 
578/363/584 for 692.5kg/1,526lbs @ 242 raw w/ a 412 DOTS coefficient.

8/9 on attempts, 17lb total PR, tied my bench PR, and pulled 6 plates pain-free for first time in nearly 2 years. Peaked exceptionally well; my body was absolutely primed.

Easy 529 squat opener followed by a 567 2nd - but the bar started to slide on my back after I’d just gotten the squat command, so I had to take a step to save it. Which is an immediate rerack/no lift once they have given the command, therefore I didn’t even get to squat it. I didn’t feel jumping from 529 to 600 for my “third” was safe, so I bumped to 578 and smashed it like a 2nd attempt. I am entirely certain I had 600 in me, and if they could have given me a 4th attempt off the books I’d have called 606.

Opened bench at 319, then 341 was so easy I bumped from my planned 358 to 363 instead, which was still too easy! Similar story for deadlift; warmups were so easy I bumped my opener last minute from 507 to 512, then after an easy 551 took a very smooth 584 to finish strong. No grip issues, and again it was too easy.

The meet was run like a clock, 4 hours from start time to awards done, with a great setup with lots of well-placed fans and warmup equipment. Great vibe & a very fun meet!
 

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Hyde said:
578/363/584 for 692.5kg/1,526lbs @ 242 raw w/ a 412 DOTS coefficient.

8/9 on attempts, 17lb total PR, tied my bench PR, and pulled 6 plates pain-free for first time in nearly 2 years. Peaked exceptionally well; my body was absolutely primed.

Easy 529 squat opener followed by a 567 2nd - but the bar started to slide on my back after I’d just gotten the squat command, so I had to take a step to save it. Which is an immediate rerack/no lift once they have given the command, therefore I didn’t even get to squat it. I didn’t feel jumping from 529 to 600 for my “third” was safe, so I bumped to 578 and smashed it like a 2nd attempt. I am entirely certain I had 600 in me, and if they could have given me a 4th attempt off the books I’d have called 606.

Opened bench at 319, then 341 was so easy I bumped from my planned 358 to 363 instead, which was still too easy! Similar story for deadlift; warmups were so easy I bumped my opener last minute from 507 to 512, then after an easy 551 took a very smooth 584 to finish strong. No grip issues, and again it was too easy.

The meet was run like a clock, 4 hours from start time to awards done, with a great setup with lots of well-placed fans and warmup equipment. Great vibe & a very fun meet!
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Man that awesome! Damn good numbers! I hate you had the SNAFU with the bar during squats but what’s important is you know you have 600+ in you. You’ve overcome some injuries, healed up and prevailed and you should be proud of your showing at the meet. Any plans on another one in the coming months or are you going to reset and prep for one later next year?
 
Man that is great…and congratulations on your PR at 242. That’s a huge accomplishment knowing all you had to battle through this year, and still had bigger lifts on all three left in the tank.💪🏆
 
sammpedd88 said:
Man that awesome! Damn good numbers! I hate you had the SNAFU with the bar during squats but what’s important is you know you have 600+ in you. You’ve overcome some injuries, healed up and prevailed and you should be proud of your showing at the meet. Any plans on another one in the coming months or are you going to reset and prep for one later next year?
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No competition; I need to come off blast and get my HDL up. Everything else on bloods is g2g, but it’s time to reset and pull that stressor for a few months. Been nearly 6 months now over TRT levels.

I am excited to get back to training; I have ideas already but need to really lay out some goals & methods for pursuing them in detail yet.
 
Hyde said:
No competition; I need to come off blast and get my HDL up. Everything else on bloods is g2g, but it’s time to reset and pull that stressor for a few months. Been nearly 6 months now over TRT levels.

I am excited to get back to training; I have ideas already but need to really lay out some goals & methods for pursuing them in detail yet.
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Sounds like a good plan brother! Again, congrats on the PR and the total of your lifts. You’re definitely on the right track.
 
Congratulations on that PR, adding 17lbs is solid gains for the same weight class.
 
8/27/25
BW 241.4

7 min Incline Walk
Cat Camel
Bird Dogs
Reverse Arm Circles

Bench
45x8,5
135x1
185 3x5

1-Boardpress
135,155,175x15

Bumper Suitcase Carries

Mid-Shin Rackpulls
225x2
315 3x5

Plate Raises
45 3x10

Widegrip Lat Pulldown
99,110,121,143x15

Seated DB Rear Delt Flyes
30 2x15

Incline DB Kelso Shrugs
60,80,80x10

V-Grip Chins
3x8

First night back at it; just did ~55% for the push/pull and tried to work through a lot of accessory volume to start rebuilding some work capacity. Soaked my shirt through. Will hit another session with easier weights on Friday & Sunday.

Yesterday morning I went into the gym and did about 20 minutes on the Assault bike, bracing & bloodflow work, and 65 pushups to get loosened up.
 
SkRaw85 said:
Congrats brother! Looks like a damn good performance!
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Thank you! I am happy with it. There’s this part of my brain that strongly wants to lift heavy tomorrow, but it’s totally out of touch with the reality that I feel like I did a meet 4 days ago.

Between low sleep over the weekend, the time change there, the meet, & my son starting his new school earlier now, I am just bushed. Even trying to go to bed earlier each night, it still feels like I’m definitely coming down off gear & a meet!
 
Hyde said:
Thank you! I am happy with it. There’s this part of my brain that strongly wants to lift heavy tomorrow, but it’s totally out of touch with the reality that I feel like I did a meet 4 days ago.

Between low sleep over the weekend, the time change there, the meet, & my son starting his new school earlier now, I am just bushed. Even trying to go to bed earlier each night, it still feels like I’m definitely coming down off gear & a meet!
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Take a rest bro and come back stronger!! You know the drill!
 
8/29/25

2 min Assault Bike
Scap Pushups
Cat Camel
Bird Dogs
Side Plank Activations
SL Glute Bridges

Squat, Duffalo bar
55x5
165x3
275 3x5
+belt
385x3
451x1

Hi Bar, Duffalo bar
+heels & deadlift belt
231x12
253 2x12

GHR
15,12,15

alt w/ DB Farmers Walks
85 x3 trips

Squats were feeling good this morning, both my body & the groove. Threw another red on and that felt great, so I made one more easy jump to keep the exposure so next time I squat for real it doesn’t feel like a million pounds (I’ll probably need to train with at least 400 for effective training).

Hi bar felt fine on my knees, so looking forward to driving that some for a bit to build more quad strength. Also felt like I was getting a lot from the light farmers’.
 
Also brought the belt back in a hole from the meet; it was actually still too loose to be optimal, but I didn’t need much support for today so I left it. I’ll bring it in another hole next time if it still feels loose.

I definitely have backed off all the food and dropped a few lbs this week.
 
Hyde said:
8/29/25

2 min Assault Bike
Scap Pushups
Cat Camel
Bird Dogs
Side Plank Activations
SL Glute Bridges

Squat, Duffalo bar
55x5
165x3
275 3x5
+belt
385x3
451x1

Hi Bar, Duffalo bar
+heels & deadlift belt
231x12
253 2x12

GHR
15,12,15

alt w/ DB Farmers Walks
85 x3 trips

Squats were feeling good this morning, both my body & the groove. Threw another red on and that felt great, so I made one more easy jump to keep the exposure so next time I squat for real it doesn’t feel like a million pounds (I’ll probably need to train with at least 400 for effective training).

Hi bar felt fine on my knees, so looking forward to driving that some for a bit to build more quad strength. Also felt like I was getting a lot from the light farmers’.
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That’s already some good weight on squats. Legs must be feeling good. That says a lot when you need to train with at least 400 for effective training. Skrong 💪
 
gphagan1 said:
That’s already some good weight on squats. Legs must be feeling good. That says a lot when you need to train with at least 400 for effective training. Skrong 💪
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Well I just mean to say that I squat 578 twice this peak (with more in the tank), & 405 is only 70% of that - and I squat 452x10 end of prep, so today was definitely a deload. But that’s what I needed to be doing this week, regardless of whether I could have did more. Today was enough to shed some fatigue but still keep my skill up.
 
Hyde said:
Well I just mean to say that I squat 578 twice this peak (with more in the tank), & 405 is only 70% of that - and I squat 452x10 end of prep, so today was definitely a deload. But that’s what I needed to be doing this week, regardless of whether I could have did more. Today was enough to shed some fatigue but still keep my skill up.
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Oh yeah I understand, and knew you were still in a deload this week. I wasn’t implying you were going too heavy too soon. I was just impressed with 451 being in your deload. Ha, that’s impressive to us mere mortals. And 452x10 shows you have 600 in you at that weight. I think 10 reps is supposed to be 75% of your max. Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I’m usually the guy at the gym telling people they can do it and they got it in them to push to the next level.😎👍
 
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gphagan1 said:
Oh yeah I understand, and knew you were still in a deload this week. I wasn’t implying you were going too heavy too soon. I was just impressed with 451 being in your deload. Ha, that’s impressive to us mere mortals. And 452x10 shows you have 600 in you at that weight. I think 10 reps is supposed to be 75% of your max. Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I’m usually the guy at the gym telling people they can do it and they got it in them to push to the next level.😎👍
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I bet we’d have a great time training together!
 
8/31/25

7 min Incline Walk
Incline BB Press for mobility

Low Incline DB Press
30,60x12
80,85,90x15

Low Incline Williams Extensions
40,45,50x8

V-bar Cable Tri Pressdown
77,88x25

Pulldown warmups

V-Grip Chin-ups
14,12

Standing Calves
100 4x10
Stretching
Mashing

Started getting shaky during chins - tried running on a small amount of the lemonade powder (30-40g) with no Karbolyn, but that had no stability. It’s just cheap sugar that stacks in fine when large amounts of carbs are needed, but it doesn’t remotely compare as a solo source. So I did some calves and cut it short, but I got most of what I wanted done.

Down to 239.0 today.
 
9/2/25
BW 239.0 yesterday

3 min Assault Bike
Scap Pushups
Cat Camel
Bird Dogs
Sideplank Activations
Glute Bridges
RDLs

Deadlift, Hansu powerbar
154,264,330x3
+belt
374,419,441x3
452x5

3” Blockpulls
474,485x3

2” Deficit, w/ straps
419x6
430x8

HS CSR
90x8
180x3
230 3x15

NG Chin-ups
8,10,11

DB Shrugs
125 2x12

Excited to get back to hard deadlift training, because it’s something that needs to really come up and also it’s all about how hard I can train it (not bodyweight or drugs). So today was just lots of pulling, because that always works if I can handle it. First day back training on a powerbar, but the thicker grip & more ROM was no issue. I felt strong, honestly.

Trying to hit my upper back & grip more, so my hands were smoked after shrugs.
 
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