The Maximus Pact

[Hyde]

@Hyde im gonna cut the ROM back on my squats again. My spine right now just isn’t built for deep squats. I know we had a lot of discussion on squat ROM and decided that more is usually better. But I don’t want to keep flaring up my spine and risking injury, no matter how much I try going deep and heavy on squats is not the best decision.

I’m still gonna do deep split squats though.

I completely agree, do not do things that hurt. The goal is to do the biggest ROM you can without pain, but that’s critical.

And lifting heavy in a big ROM is definitely more risky; even if you try more ROM later you wouldn’t want to use hardly any load - you need to condition the area to lighter weight first, if you can even at a later point.

Do what you can that’s safe for now, and if you try more ROM later add it basically unweighted and then see how you respond the next day, if it bothered anything. And I mean not anytime soon, just eventually if you wanted to.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 124:

Had another pretty good lift today. Feeling nice and sweaty.

Been getting a bit burned out from eating so much though.

 

[Hyde]

Day 124:

Had another pretty good lift today. Feeling nice and sweaty.

Been getting a bit burned out from eating so much though.

For longterm weight gain, the idea is to treat it like training volume: progressive, but in a manner you personally can sustain. You want to avoid big yo-yos.

Just like a training blitz that you can’t keep up with forever, there are times when that makes sense with diet as well to bust through a plateau. BUT, by & large you need to eat and train in a way you can manage and slowly build on as needed. Muscle doesn’t grow that fast, so it’s more about trying to find & feed the right amount while avoiding a big overshoot.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Been pretty unhappy with my results recently and having trouble fitting in stuff other than work and the gym. So I’m switching from 4 days per week to 6 days a week and cutting my volume significantly. This is the most “science based” approach for gains.

Frequency is probably the most important factor for gains. People say that 1 set done 2x per week will outperform 4 sets done 1x per week even though the volume is half. Idk how much I believe that but it’s worth a shot.

 

[Hyde]

Been pretty unhappy with my results recently and having trouble fitting in stuff other than work and the gym. So I’m switching from 4 days per week to 6 days a week and cutting my volume significantly. This is the most “science based” approach for gains.

Frequency is probably the most important factor for gains. People say that 1 set done 2x per week will outperform 4 sets done 1x per week even though the volume is half. Idk how much I believe that but it’s worth a shot.

I don’t even think it matters what is “optimal”. What really matters is what you like, what you will do & can sustain - because it’s consistency and effort over time that matter so much for longterm growth.

 

[Shadowblaze]

I don’t even think it matters what is “optimal”. What really matters is what you like, what you will do & can sustain - because it’s consistency and effort over time that matter so much for longterm growth.

Yessir, for me right now it’s consistency, enjoyment and recovery that I’m valuing. So I’m gonna try this new approach to see if it helps.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 125:

Today was supposed to be upper body day but I hit lower body because I wanna save upper body for tmrw. I got a Passover dinner tomorrow and need to get in and out of the gym quicker so I’ll be doing upper tmrw instead of lower.

 

[Dustin07]

Been pretty unhappy with my results recently and having trouble fitting in stuff other than work and the gym. So I’m switching from 4 days per week to 6 days a week and cutting my volume significantly. This is the most “science based” approach for gains.

Frequency is probably the most important factor for gains. People say that 1 set done 2x per week will outperform 4 sets done 1x per week even though the volume is half. Idk how much I believe that but it’s worth a shot.

Its a tough reality and balance. I think you'll find most of the gymrats here in AM sacrifice a lot of other things because the gymlife is a big priority. it takes a life time to find balance. my wife and I ask each other a lot how we don't have time for stuff, or how our friends do. Then we realize, it's cause we train a lot and they're out of shape and unhealthy. You'll find your balance over time. Right now I'm enjoying my small LISS sessions in the afternoon as "me" time to watch educational videos or honestly even scroll reels while on a treadmill, thats just my quiet time. (sometimes I'm replying to work emails too, though).

Intensity and volume is another balance. My volume on lifting is way down on my cut, I'm basically touching weights at about 70-80% of PR weight consistently to stimulate but I'm not overloading, I'm "stimulating, not annihilating" to maintain what mass and strength I can on a cut, and it's working phenomenally well as my recovery is great and strength is holding far better than I expected. I'll keep doing this until May then possibly adjust.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Just wanted to say thank you guys for always giving great advice. This is exactly what I need to hear, and you’re truly setting me up for the rest of my training my whole life.

My posts have been a bit low quality since I’m feeling pretty stressed, stuff at home, with my friends and work hasn’t been great. That’s why I’m not on AM too much rn and why I don’t really go on many threads aside this one. Hopefully that will get better soon.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 126:

I had a good lift today, I like this higher frequency Mike mentzer style training. The pump is intense.
I was feeling pretty tired though, but that will get better. I’m excited for Easter long weekend.

 

[Dustin07]

My posts have been a bit low quality since I’m feeling pretty stressed, stuff at home, with my friends and work hasn’t been great. That’s why I’m not on AM too much rn and why I don’t really go on many threads aside this one. Hopefully that will get better soon.

ebbs and flows!

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 127:

I was so tired today but I still pushed hard. I hit what I hit for 5 reps last time for 7 today. These forced rep sets seem to be helping. I’m finding more enjoyment in this new split. I feel like I can hit every workout very hard since the volume is so low. Usually I’d be more sore.

 

[Shadowblaze]

I’m not gonna lift today, I feel like I’m coming down with something

 

[Shadowblaze]

I’m not gonna lift today, I feel like I’m coming down with something

I’m full on sick now

I’ll be back soon though

 

[gphagan1]

Hopefully you get through this one quickly.

 

[gphagan1]

I’m full on sick now
I’ll be back soon though

Not sure what supplements you take daily as your staples. I think you told us that medication you take for your autoimmune condition is a biologic, which helps your condition but unfortunately makes you susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. My wife has Multiple Sclerosis and Sarcoidosis and is on a biologic for those, but one thing we’ve learned through research and trial and error is even though all the autoimmune diseases are different conditions supplementing with the proper supplements can help all of them and protect you from being sick. We never take any of the vaccines and I’m 61 and she is 60, but we rarely get too sick. When we do we usually get over it quickly. I could make a list of supplements that are critical for the immune system, but I don’t want to write too much in your log, so I’ll give you a shortened list…..
Of course make sure you’re taking a good multivitamin like Multi XT or Orange Triad or one similar to those.
I could give a list of many, but to make it easy I would recommend SNS Immune Support XT which everything in it I recommend.
Maybe add in Garlic and something that helps immune system recovery from intense workouts, like Glutamine taken immediately after training for immune and gut health.
Extra vitamin D and K always helps.
Pro & Prebiotics are essential as well.
We pretty much have a system that not only helps my wife with her autoimmune conditions and immunity health, but also works well for both of us now that we are in our 60s. I’m very active not only just in the gym, but also in my spare time away from work, and I don’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
Ordinarily I wouldn’t necessarily suggest for someone your age to be as aggressive at prevention supplementation as we are. But considering how physical you’ve described your work, and seeing how intense your workouts are, and then adding the autoimmune condition to all that, if you’re not already, it probably would be smart to be aggressive in prevention. If you ever want to DM me any questions or need suggestions on some of the health issues you you battle. I would be happy to share anything that may help give you an upper hand.
Doctors are most of the time the experts on the conditions and the medical treatment protocols, but unfortunately fall far short on the nutritional and natural side of health benefits. As far as that goes there is numerous times that Hyde has shared information and knowledge on the forum that I can almost guarantee most Doctors don’t know, but should. Of course that’s part of the beauty of this forum….shared knowledge.

 

[Dustin07]

We never take any of the vaccines and I’m 61 and she is 60, but we rarely get too sick. When we do we usually get over it quickly. I could make a list of supplements that are critical for the immune system, but I don’t want to write too much in your log, so I’ll give you a shortened list…..
Of course make sure you’re taking a good multivitamin like Multi XT or Orange Triad or one similar to those.
I could give a list of many, but to make it easy I would recommend SNS Immune Support XT which everything in it I recommend.
Maybe add in Garlic and something that helps immune system recovery from intense workouts, like Glutamine taken immediately after training for immune and gut health.
Extra vitamin D and K always helps.
Pro & Prebiotics are essential as well.

we are the same way. I haven't been "stay home from work" sick since 2016. On top of those things you listed if we feel the slightest bug come on, we don't hesitate to get pho on our way home from work, finish with a hot toddy (usualy 1-2 hots of bourbon in a cup of very hot water with a little honey, cinnamon, and lemon). We keep elderberry, d, C, ecinacea on hand, and either make the electrolytes at home or keep gatorade zero on hand since its usually cheap at costco. I think 99% of our food is real, cooked food. with 90% of it being cooked by us, even the bread she makes now to help cut down on contaminates. the 1% of junk would be if I have a diet coke at the bar on a date night or if we have tater tots as a treat. I'm also a big fan of exercise, even if lighter, when feeling sick.

In the old bodybuildingdungeon group there was a guy who would pound a big thing of nyquil, put on all his heaviest sweat clothes wrestling practice style, wrap himself in a 0 degree sleeping bag, and sweat it all out that night if he felt sick and swore by it. I think is approach and mine are sorta similar, just different mechanisms but a similar approach.

 

[gphagan1]

we are the same way. I haven't been "stay home from work" sick since 2016. On top of those things you listed if we feel the slightest bug come on, we don't hesitate to get pho on our way home from work, finish with a hot toddy (usualy 1-2 hots of bourbon in a cup of very hot water with a little honey, cinnamon, and lemon). We keep elderberry, d, C, ecinacea on hand, and either make the electrolytes at home or keep gatorade zero on hand since its usually cheap at costco. I think 99% of our food is real, cooked food. with 90% of it being cooked by us, even the bread she makes now to help cut down on contaminates. the 1% of junk would be if I have a diet coke at the bar on a date night or if we have tater tots as a treat. I'm also a big fan of exercise, even if lighter, when feeling sick.

In the old bodybuildingdungeon group there was a guy who would pound a big thing of nyquil, put on all his heaviest sweat clothes wrestling practice style, wrap himself in a 0 degree sleeping bag, and sweat it all out that night if he felt sick and swore by it. I think is approach and mine are sorta similar, just different mechanisms but a similar approach.

Ooh yeah totally agree….that’s part of why I suggested the Immune Support XT because it has the elderberry, vit C, echinacea, and a host of other goodies in it as well. And totally agree on the PHO, and fermented food. We like Kimchi as well. And I do agree that sweating it out gets rid of toxins. I have a Korean buddy of mine that we used to spar together in martial arts, but when he would get a chest cold he would scratch up his chest with a quarter and rub tiger balm all over it, I know painful right. But he swore if you did it at the beginning of a chest cold it was gone in 24 hours. Ha, and no I’ve not done anything that extreme yet.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Not sure what supplements you take daily as your staples. I think you told us that medication you take for your autoimmune condition is a biologic, which helps your condition but unfortunately makes you susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. My wife has Multiple Sclerosis and Sarcoidosis and is on a biologic for those, but one thing we’ve learned through research and trial and error is even though all the autoimmune diseases are different conditions supplementing with the proper supplements can help all of them and protect you from being sick. We never take any of the vaccines and I’m 61 and she is 60, but we rarely get too sick. When we do we usually get over it quickly. I could make a list of supplements that are critical for the immune system, but I don’t want to write too much in your log, so I’ll give you a shortened list…..
Of course make sure you’re taking a good multivitamin like Multi XT or Orange Triad or one similar to those.
I could give a list of many, but to make it easy I would recommend SNS Immune Support XT which everything in it I recommend.
Maybe add in Garlic and something that helps immune system recovery from intense workouts, like Glutamine taken immediately after training for immune and gut health.
Extra vitamin D and K always helps.
Pro & Prebiotics are essential as well.
We pretty much have a system that not only helps my wife with her autoimmune conditions and immunity health, but also works well for both of us now that we are in our 60s. I’m very active not only just in the gym, but also in my spare time away from work, and I don’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
Ordinarily I wouldn’t necessarily suggest for someone your age to be as aggressive at prevention supplementation as we are. But considering how physical you’ve described your work, and seeing how intense your workouts are, and then adding the autoimmune condition to all that, if you’re not already, it probably would be smart to be aggressive in prevention. If you ever want to DM me any questions or need suggestions on some of the health issues you you battle. I would be happy to share anything that may help give you an upper hand.
Doctors are most of the time the experts on the conditions and the medical treatment protocols, but unfortunately fall far short on the nutritional and natural side of health benefits. As far as that goes there is numerous times that Hyde has shared information and knowledge on the forum that I can almost guarantee most Doctors don’t know, but should. Of course that’s part of the beauty of this forum….shared knowledge.

Thanks bro!

Yeah doctors are definitely ill informed when it comes to some aspects of overall health and nutrition.

I should probably start pre and post biotics and a multivitamin for sure. I’ve never taken those. I try not to take immune support supplements since they are generally not good to take on biologics.

Glutamine was a staple for me but now I’m realizing I didn’t notice much from it, so I’ll be taking it out once I run out of it.

I’ve been thinking of going the peptide route for my health issues. Like thymosin alpha one and a few others seem interesting.

The biggest problem right now is money though.

 

[gphagan1]

Thanks bro!

Yeah doctors are definitely ill informed when it comes to some aspects of overall health and nutrition.

I should probably start pre and post biotics and a multivitamin for sure. I’ve never taken those. I try not to take immune support supplements since they are generally not good to take on biologics.

Glutamine was a staple for me but now I’m realizing I didn’t notice much from it, so I’ll be taking it out once I run out of it.

I’ve been thinking of going the peptide route for my health issues. Like thymosin alpha one and a few others seem interesting.

The biggest problem right now is money though.

I definitely understand brother, and don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. But I will say Doctors are ill informed about not taking supplements to help the immune system with autoimmune disorders. The supplements actually are more food for a “healthy” immune system, and don’t overstimulate the immune system like the disease does. Most actually help bring a balance to the immune system and body and reduce inflammation. Of course you do want to be aware of anything that can interact with the drug and avoid those. And that you find by researching your medication.
I have had Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis for years now and used to take Skyrizi but have not had to take it in a couple of years now. My skin is doing great, and I do battle PA periodically, but usually without too much issue. My wife does well with the supplements and her conditions and I’ve actually gotten her Neurologist on board since he has seen the results. A lot of those supplements help to reduce inflammation. Another one that does is Curcumin. But again not wanting to convince you of something you’re not comfortable with. Autoimmune diseases are very tricky and Doctors are still learning, but unfortunately a lot of their education comes from the pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs, and the pharmaceutical companies are not in the healing business. I will definitely keep you in my prayers though.

 

[Dustin07]

unfortunately a lot of their education comes from the pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs, and the pharmaceutical companies are not in the healing business

a lot of truth to that. its crazy how accurate Michael Keaton's mini series "dope sick" actually is to real life.

 

[Resolve10]

I am sorry you are sick.

Honestly considering how stressed you seem I don't really think piling on some supplements is going to fix what look like some more baseline conditions and issues. You appear to have been getting a bit more sleep, but until that and some other things get ironed out I'd focus there.

I will say maybe it will be a good chance to take a step back and evaluate some things (or refocus your goals, the first post in this thread feels a bit discordant with the current direction).

Every time I come in here to comment it seems like the ideas move at an insane rate and it is hard to tell what is happening. I think you might just need to take a step back and re-assess some things (maybe realigning with your first post goals).

For example it is hard to tell how you are making assessments and you might be getting too worked up about training, since it will seem like one session you'll say things are amazing (strongest ever, making great progress) only to literally the following week make statements like things aren't progressing like you'd want.

These swings are leading you to make changes to volume, frequency, and other variables so fast I have no idea how you can tell which is doing what (on a side note the topic of how you are arriving at such strong claims for what science supports, when I don't think they actually are in line with current paradigms/consensus, could be an area worth discussing). For the most recent example you cut session volume and spread it out over a larger frequency to alleviate stress then literally jumped into forced reps (and somehow concluded that was helping, maybe you are not logging all your sessions in here though). It just all seems a bit reactive (although at least exercise selection seems somewhat stable).

Considering your stress outside the gym I don't think adopting some form of flexible training (daily intra workout changes/flucutations or even larger whole session adjustments) would be a bad idea, but I also am unsure considering how volatile your changes seem to be as soon as things don't go as planned. I'd be glad to offer more suggestions as needed though.

Maybe just go back and re-read Hyde's last few posts, they are more succinct and hammered it home quite well (squat rom, diet, consistency, etc). I just see some indecision and you are young, I'd love to save you some of the headaches I went through during similar training issues I've had myself before.

 

[Shadowblaze]

I am sorry you are sick.

Honestly considering how stressed you seem I don't really think piling on some supplements is going to fix what look like some more baseline conditions and issues. You appear to have been getting a bit more sleep, but until that and some other things get ironed out I'd focus there.

I will say maybe it will be a good chance to take a step back and evaluate some things (or refocus your goals, the first post in this thread feels a bit discordant with the current direction).

Every time I come in here to comment it seems like the ideas move at an insane rate and it is hard to tell what is happening. I think you might just need to take a step back and re-assess some things (maybe realigning with your first post goals).

For example it is hard to tell how you are making assessments and you might be getting too worked up about training, since it will seem like one session you'll say things are amazing (strongest ever, making great progress) only to literally the following week make statements like things aren't progressing like you'd want.

These swings are leading you to make changes to volume, frequency, and other variables so fast I have no idea how you can tell which is doing what (on a side note the topic of how you are arriving at such strong claims for what science supports, when I don't think they actually are in line with current paradigms/consensus, could be an area worth discussing). For the most recent example you cut session volume and spread it out over a larger frequency to alleviate stress then literally jumped into forced reps (and somehow concluded that was helping, maybe you are not logging all your sessions in here though). It just all seems a bit reactive (although at least exercise selection seems somewhat stable).

Considering your stress outside the gym I don't think adopting some form of flexible training (daily intra workout changes/flucutations or even larger whole session adjustments) would be a bad idea, but I also am unsure considering how volatile your changes seem to be as soon as things don't go as planned. I'd be glad to offer more suggestions as needed though.

Maybe just go back and re-read Hyde's last few posts, they are more succinct and hammered it home quite well (squat rom, diet, consistency, etc). I just see some indecision and you are young, I'd love to save you some of the headaches I went through during similar training issues I've had myself before.

You’re definitely right, thanks for the insight.

I have been a bit quick to make decisions regarding my training, probably too much so. But I’m also an interesting case with my gallbladder and autoimmune condition. I’ll just naturally have to adjust my training faster in regards to things like ROM and other tweaks.

But when it comes to more major things like frequency, intensity and splits I have definitely made decisions very quickly.

The part about the ideas moving at an insane rate kinda made me laugh. It’s very true, but I’ve always been like that.

In regards to changing my split and frequency, I mainly did that for my own enjoyment in training and my mental health. This way I can train and still do other things for the rest of the day.

Part of the root of why I want things quickly is that I’ve always defined myself by my accomplishments. That’s what I’m trying to fix with my mental health right now. If I don’t have a sense of accomplishment I will define myself as a loser, so I always try to chase achievements. I’ve gotten better at learning to take a step back but it’s still a work in progress.

I quit rugby a while back since my team is filled with assholes. But I still train athletics very hard in case I’d wanna join again eventually. If I didn’t still strive to play a sport I wouldn’t keep training sprints and cardio so much.
But when it comes to lifting, I truly love the sport! It genuinely makes me happy.

It’s kinda difficult to see what you’re trying to communicate. Is there something specific you’re suggesting that I improve on or change?

I can see how I’m definitely over reactive in regards to my training results.

 

[Resolve10]

Part of the root of why I want things quickly is that I’ve always defined my
self by my accomplishments. That’s what I’m trying to fix with my mental health right now. If I don’t have a sense of accomplishment I will define myself as a loser, so I always try to chase achievements. I’ve gotten better at learning to take a step back but it’s still a work in progress.

It’s kinda difficult to see what you’re trying to communicate. Is there something specific you’re suggesting that I improve on or change?

I can see how I’m definitely over reactive in regards to my training results.

This is literally all I am saying, it is quite obvious this is how you are driven. That isn't right or wrong, but it seems to have you trying to make changes way too often if things don't seem "perfect".

You aren't going to find that and you also seem to be trying to justify it with saying research backs you up, changes can be practical you don't have to try and make them because of some perfect approach.

Just didn't think your training, changes, and approach were in line with your goals and that taking a step back, taking a breath, and refocusing and sticking to something could bring some relief.

Not doing the rugby anymore though does make some of it look like it makes a bit more sense, sorry that wasn't a great experience.

 

[Resolve10]

It’s kinda difficult to see what you’re trying to communicate. Is there something specific you’re suggesting that I improve on or change?

Quick follow up, I think my point is that you need to not make changes haha. Improve by sticking to something and seeing it out longer. There is no way you can properly evaluate effectiveness at the rate you are changing things, unless success is just novelty for novelty sake (nothing wrong with training just to train and enjoy it, I know some people might disagree or that might not jive with your personality though).

Edit:
Honestly I probably just am doing a terrible job communicating. I am not suggesting anything specific because things feel like a moving target in here. Maybe I'll just follow along more and offer insight as things come up rather than feeling like I am playing catch up.

 

[Dustin07]

Quick follow up, I think my point is that you need to not make changes haha.

this part cracked me up but I get what you mean in the grand schme of things here.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Quick follow up, I think my point is that you need to not make changes haha. Improve by sticking to something and seeing it out longer. There is no way you can properly evaluate effectiveness at the rate you are changing things, unless success is just novelty for novelty sake (nothing wrong with training just to train and enjoy it, I know some people might disagree or that might not jive with your personality though).

Edit:
Honestly I probably just am doing a terrible job communicating. I am not suggesting anything specific because things feel like a moving target in here. Maybe I'll just follow along more and offer insight as things come up rather than feeling like I am playing catch up.

I appreciate the constructive criticism. I am pretty young and inexperienced when it comes to training, and like most young people I can be a bit immature.

I’m still hammering athletic training and sprints hard specifically for the reason of getting back into rugby (I’ve been taking a step back to re evaluate that and how I fit in with the sport and other teammates)

This community has been a huge blessing since all of you are usually older and know much more. Thanks again for the insight!

 

[Shadowblaze]

Man one of my cats keeps waking me up recently. They are rescued cats so they are very scared and always hide and sleep in my sisters room.
But some nights they will sneak into my room and hide under my bed, so I won’t notice them and lock my door and go to sleep with them hiding under my bed.
And then they jump up on my bed in the middle of the night and meow in my face because they wanna go back to my sisters room.

This night they just kept meowing under my bed all night and waking me up, so I kept turning the lights on and looking around but couldn’t see the cat anywhere. So I kept going back to bed and then the 3rd or 4th time I fell back asleep after doing this they jumped on my bed and started walking on me and it scared me bad lmao.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Idk if I told you guys, but I’m withdrawing from sleep meds after 5 years of use. I’ve already gotten so far it’s insane. I already almost cut my dosage in half over the past 2 months.

But withdrawal kinda sucks. I’m getting a lot of anxiety, and disturbed sleep. I’m often waking up a bunch during the night, sometimes without any pillow or blanket on because I moved around so much I kicked them off.
Getting panic attacks too, maybe once a day.

I’m like twice as amped up all day now as I was before.

 

[Dustin07]

Idk if I told you guys, but I’m withdrawing from sleep meds after 5 years of use. I’ve already gotten so far it’s insane. I already almost cut my dosage in half over the past 2 months.

But withdrawal kinda sucks. I’m getting a lot of anxiety, and disturbed sleep. I’m often waking up a bunch during the night, sometimes without any pillow or blanket on because I moved around so much I kicked them off.
Getting panic attacks too, maybe once a day.

I’m like twice as amped up all day now as I was before.

this is gonna sound like hokum but the two best things ever for my sleep was a woman and stress control. zero doubt in my mind that you are at an age that is going through stress hypertrophy. you're building strength while breaking down. you're exposed to so much more life stuff at this age than you were 10 years ago, and you're going to build tools to handle it all with grace. When I was running a second business I didn't sleep, sometimes for days and felt like my brain was trying to kill me. When I was single, I really struggled with sleep. I tried everything from unhealthy drinking, to "healthy" drinking (like a red wine), to what I'd consider pretty girly stuff like a bubble bath (LOL) with candles and a book. sounds effeminate, but I was desperate for sleep and I tried everything I could.

In the end, falling asleep next to the wife is like putting the battery back on the charger.

Also cats are evil.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Might be taking a step back from lifting to focus on therapy and mental health. Sometimes lifting clashes hard with my schedule and I’ve been struggling mentally the past few months.

What’s success worth if you’re not happy as a person? Whether that’s being strong or being happy as a person.

 

[gphagan1]

Might be taking a step back from lifting to focus on therapy and mental health. Sometimes lifting clashes hard with my schedule and I’ve been struggling mentally the past few months.

What’s success worth if you’re not happy as a person? Whether that’s being strong or being happy as a person.

Just do what you feel like you need to do brother. Your mental health is priority one. If it’s going to the gym that’s clashing with your schedule, you could just do some body weight exercises at home, even just some pushups, pull-ups, and jogging or a bike ride that doesn’t take too much time. And don’t look at it so much as you have to accomplish some physical goal, just look at it as stress relief with any mental therapy you do, to help with your mental health with a more balanced approach. Just whatever you can do that is fun to you and brings you joy.

 

[Resolve10]

Sorry to hear that! Hope you find some relief.

I know it can be tough and I am very all in or all out myself as well, but remember you can stay physically active in many ways and that there are tons of benefits to exercise for your mental health (but you have to do what is best for you and remember your worth isn't tied to however you like to train).

 

[Shadowblaze]

Hey guys, I’ll try to restart this some time soon. It’s been very difficult recently, I had to go on leave for work because my anxiety got very severe. I’ve been throwing up because I’m so anxious. I haven’t lifted for a while and will take some more time off.

Sorry if this is a surprise to you guys. I’ll be back soon! Thanks for all the encouragement.

Its been hard to eat with this anxiety. So I got this, hopefully it will help me eat more and gain some muscle back.

 

[gphagan1]

Hey guys, I’ll try to restart this some time soon. It’s been very difficult recently, I had to go on leave for work because my anxiety got very severe. I’ve been throwing up because I’m so anxious. I haven’t lifted for a while and will take some more time off.

Sorry if this is a surprise to you guys. I’ll be back soon! Thanks for all the encouragement.

Its been hard to eat with this anxiety. So I got this, hopefully it will help me eat more and gain some muscle back.View attachment 260110

Sorry you’re still going through it brother….it will get better. Praying for you.

 

[Hyde]

Hope you feel better.

 

[Dustin07]

Hey guys, I’ll try to restart this some time soon. It’s been very difficult recently, I had to go on leave for work because my anxiety got very severe. I’ve been throwing up because I’m so anxious. I haven’t lifted for a while and will take some more time off.

Sorry if this is a surprise to you guys. I’ll be back soon! Thanks for all the encouragement.

Its been hard to eat with this anxiety. So I got this, hopefully it will help me eat more and gain some muscle back.View attachment 260110

you're a stud bro. I got mad respect for a man who says "I have this challenge I'm facing, so I' m going to look for some solutions".

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 125: (yesterday)

I had a good upper body day, I’m pretty sore though but didn’t lose much strength.

I’m currently sitting at 170lbs

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 126:

I had a good first leg day back.

I’ve been grinding cardio 30-45 mins a day every day. Feels nice being back.

 

[gphagan1]

Awesome man….great to see you back at it. Good job brother.

 

[Dustin07]

lookin jacked

 

[MrKleen73]

I stepped away for a bit, and looks like you added some mass. I hope your lower back is behaving for you with the shorter ROM. Keep it up man, regardless of all the noise, and quick changes you are looking great, and it appears to be getting the job done. One thing I have learned from being an ADHD type trainer is that outside of just hard work, we don't always know what works best for us because we tend to program hop. My best progress has always been when i buckled down and just stayed consistent with something that worked for me. Bottom line if you train consistently enough, and hard enough the progress comes, but in that instance the only thing you know is that very hard work works well in any instance.

However for most true programs to work, you need to complete them... They are designed to be less challenging in the beginning and build up to over-reaching. Of course people like us get bored during the building up stage and want to switch things up or do our own tweaks, but if you stick to it as planned, the over-reaching phase is where things get really fun. If you are like me you would prefer the overreaching style at all times, you will make progress this way, but you will get injured, or have little issues that hamper training plague you just enough to hold progress back a bit.

You mentioned that you tend to value yourself based on progress, or improvement. All you have to do in that instance is make the sticking to the program the thing you measure your success by for a while. Then compare your results to the recordable progress when you just changed things on a whim. I think like myself you will find that the progress although it may feel slower during the process is much better when the programs are followed.

That being said, I still find this to be a very hard task. Naturally I just love the changes, and the hard work aspect. It is an excellent workout, but it isn't directly training to achieve something specific, it is basically a fun fitness hobby that grows muscle.

 

[Dustin07]

You mentioned that you tend to value yourself based on progress, or improvement. All you have to do in that instance is make the sticking to the program the thing you measure your success by for a while. Then compare your results to the recordable progress when you just changed things on a whim. I think like myself you will find that the progress although it may feel slower during the process is much better when the programs are followed.

That being said, I still find this to be a very hard task. Naturally I just love the changes, and the hard work aspect. It is an excellent workout, but it isn't directly training to achieve something specific, it is basically a fun fitness hobby that grows muscle.

there's that brief period in the beginning of a new program where its sorta nice to put things on cruise control and just "follow the programming" without having to over think dynamic training (before our a.d.d. kicks in).

xfit was either great, or horrible for this. I used to call it CrossFit induced A.D.D. since you never did the same thing. But it was a sneaky thing, cause you'd still squat or press every single day. they just give it different names. squat, front squat, goblet squat, airsquat, lunge.... lol

 

[MrKleen73]

there's that brief period in the beginning of a new program where its sorta nice to put things on cruise control and just "follow the programming" without having to over think dynamic training (before our a.d.d. kicks in).

xfit was either great, or horrible for this. I used to call it CrossFit induced A.D.D. since you never did the same thing. But it was a sneaky thing, cause you'd still squat or press every single day. they just give it different names. squat, front squat, goblet squat, airsquat, lunge.... lol

Yes, still consistently working the same movement, but not the same exact form of it. As long as the programmer was good and kept things balanced across the week progress was going to be made, but if you had ADD / ADHD it was plenty enough change to keep you from getting bored with repetition.

 

[Dustin07]

Yes, still consistently working the same movement, but not the same exact form of it. As long as the programmer was good and kept things balanced across the week progress was going to be made, but if you had ADD / ADHD it was plenty enough change to keep you from getting bored with repetition.

I once got into an disagreement with the trainers during my L2 certification (the very people who could fail me) cause they were going over programming and they had like 5 hard shoulder WOD days in a row, but they were given different names. I don't recall exactly what it was but the wods had like OHP one day, push jerk another day, kb press the next day, etc etc. it was overhead shoulder work every day. I questioned their approach cause I always felt you could program some sick ass wods by filling a 12min WOD with all the accessories to your skill or strength of the day (Squat 3x5 then 10min amrap of say lunges, cleans, airsquats or whatever)

They said? " these are different movements so we are maintaining the varied approach, we just don't write the same movement in 2 days in a row, space them out x amount of time". I was like, how is OHP, push jerk, and push press different movements? IDK maybe I'm wrong but I got cert, sold my gym, and moved on. lol

 

[Shadowblaze]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys! It truly means so much.

 

[Shadowblaze]

Day 127:

I had a good upper day and did 30 mins of cardio after.

My upper body was insanely sore today but I still trained nonetheless. Since I was so sore I only matched my last bench press set but I still consider it progressive overload because if I wasn’t sore I probably would’ve done one more rep.

 

[Csvt1994]

Day 127:

I had a good upper day and did 30 mins of cardio after.

My upper body was insanely sore today but I still trained nonetheless. Since I was so sore I only matched my last bench press set but I still consider it progressive overload because if I wasn’t sore I probably would’ve done one more rep.

looking jacked man keep it up

 

[Shadowblaze]

looking jacked man keep it up

Thanks bro!

 

[Shadowblaze]

It’s cherry blossom season here