Chris Bumstead is a hell of a good bodybuilder and that's about it, people just like to get their knickers in a twist. People on the Internet also like to shit on sumo and say that it's cheating somehow, conveniently not doing it or breaking any world records with it themselves. Lift however you want, that's safest and lets you lift the most weight. Almost none of us are doing this for a reason besides self-improvement, so we should all do us.
Pluralizing "you do you" doesn't really work but I wrote it and I'm committing to it.
I'm taking a week off I think. I was going to start a PPL program but when I got to the gym yesterday evening shit was so packed I couldn't get to anything so I just turned around and left. My original plan was to program in a deload week but since I've already missed the first day of a new set up I figured I'd just take the week off, let this last little bit of tightness in my right hamstring from when I goosed my glutes the other week clear up, and then hit it hard next week.
I think it's a Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing but I get real antsy if I do less than 4 days a week so I'm going to try and make Tuesday and Thursday cardio or conditioning days. No more than 30 minutes though because I hate cardio.
Speaking of weird lifting dogma, Krzysztof Wierzbicki pulled 502.5 kg (1107 lbs) because fuck you why not and all a lot of people can do is dither about how he used straps and pulled it sumo and how does it count towards the "record" because it wasn't done in competition and oh my fucking bouncing baby Jesus can't we just celebrate the man? It's an insane, legendary thing to do, who honestly cares about any of the noise?
As an example, I like Big Loz a lot, but this video just makes me crazy and it's on the mild end of the internet gibberish happening.
I feel like it's just a slightly different lift, it's like the strict press and, I dunno, an overhead press where you can jerk it up without moving your feet but with dynamic momentum. Both are good. You can often move more weight with one than the other but so? Sumo isnt cheating, that's absurd. It's just sumo rather than conventional.
People who can’t do what other people can do gotta shit on it because how else are they going to validate the time they spend (or don’t spend) lifting?
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
I’m starting to get back up toward numbers I was at before my break. Still have a couple weeks to hit where I was on squats but the rest is right there and I matched my best completed deadlift set today.
It took me about 5 weeks. 5 weeks to match the progress of a year after about 6 months away from it.
Idk it just feels good. A nice “it’s all progress” kinda reminder.
I have a one-month old. I’ve been squeezing in one session per week. Typically squats up to 405 + drops sets, then some bench, then some weighted chins. Home gym can’t come soon enough.
The majority of my break can be described as new job schedule and hating going to the gym in the dark. I don’t know if I’d have the heart to do anything with new kids
I think I maybe took five days off lifting after my daughter was born. I was lifting when my wife came out in the garage in a panic and we’d been home from the hospital for a few days and I thought something was wrong with the baby but the dumb dog ate a chicken leg quarter that my buddy had grilled a bunch of and brought over that day.
He passed it fine.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Despite all my moderate cardio activity and weight lifting, blood work revealed my cholesterol was high.
And then after a stomach virus and losing 8 lbs of water, old clothes I enjoy started to fit me again.
This put some things into perspective regarding my diet and I hope I can capitalize on my new weight. But it's frustrating that all my nuts, chia seeds and fish oil aren't doing much for me.
1st day of the new PPL program but instead of starting on Monday like I was supposed to I'm having to start today. 3rds fucked me up and I just slept all day Monday.
Squats felt rough. Only worked up to 3 sets of 205lbs. I had a feeling I was gonna start a little slow after 8 days off but still, I was kinda hoping I'd feel refreshed and ready to go but I actually feel gross and sluggish. Hoping next week my tiny gains come back.
Edit: well that was a first. I was taking my box back to its home and a dude on an incline bench was turning his bar with plates on it in like, a clean position for some reason? Basically up on his chest as he turned and he actually flung a 45 pound plate right at my shin as I passed. Sent me skipping on one leg trying to avoid having my ankle blasted.
Mock meet done and I went 5/9, so not a great day. In hindsight, scheduling for the end of a cut was dumb and I should try to avoid that in the future. I was tapped out by deads and couldn’t pull equal to my training PR.
That’s the end of my first program with ChadBot. Even though today was disappointing, I still like the app quite a bit. Not having to think about my training is probably worth the subscription, for me. My next mock meet is towards the end a bulk, so hopefully that goes better.
Maximal sets of 5 weighted pullups with 30kgs added.
Given that I weigh 75kgs that's an extra 40% of my bodyweight, for 3 sets of 5. I feel like that's actually pretty nails. I also tested my max unweighted reps previously and thats at 15. So definitely good progress across the last 12 months!
Mock meet done and I went 5/9, so not a great day. In hindsight, scheduling for the end of a cut was dumb and I should try to avoid that in the future. I was tapped out by deads and couldn’t pull equal to my training PR.
That’s the end of my first program with ChadBot. Even though today was disappointing, I still like the app quite a bit. Not having to think about my training is probably worth the subscription, for me. My next mock meet is towards the end a bulk, so hopefully that goes better.
I’m curious why mock meets?
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Mock meet done and I went 5/9, so not a great day. In hindsight, scheduling for the end of a cut was dumb and I should try to avoid that in the future. I was tapped out by deads and couldn’t pull equal to my training PR.
That’s the end of my first program with ChadBot. Even though today was disappointing, I still like the app quite a bit. Not having to think about my training is probably worth the subscription, for me. My next mock meet is towards the end a bulk, so hopefully that goes better.
I’m curious why mock meets?
I’ve never really been super competitive about my lifting. I know the competing against yourself thing is lame, but I just don’t feel the need to do it in a comp against actual people. I’m sure I would place okay in a local meet but I just don’t care. On the flip side, that’s probably why I rarely miss a session; I’m going against myself and just trying to get better.
Also, right now COVID, but I’ve been lifting and not doing meets for much longer than that.
Anybody else have trouble with inconsistent bench press strength?
225 seems to be my bench (ha) mark. Some days I can rep it out no problem, then start working up to the 240s or 250s. Other days 225 feels like 500 and it's like my bones are made of soggy paper straws. No other lift except for maybe my squat swings that wildly.
The only thing I can think of right now is my body is still weird from 3rds and I've woken up at 2am the past two nights so I've only clocked about 5ish hours of sleep. So maybe it's just good ole fashioned fatigue? It still happens regularly enough it makes it difficult to feel like I'm making any strength gains. I can get up to the 250s maybe once per two week rotation before I feel like I'm knocked back down to my standard weight. I can't stay consistent.
To be honest I find that my bench press is extremely consistent, I can basically always do 75kgs for 5 if I didn't press the previous day, although my weight is not as high and at higher weights it could be CNS demands increase inconsistency? Or something like that.
I guess I should say that it's consistent in that 225 is like, almost always where I plateau. I consistently hit 225 but some days, If I'm feeling strong I can work over that no problem. Other days it's like the ceiling of what I'm comfortable lifting alone because I'm struggling to move weight that day and I can hardly eek out 5 reps. Today I did one 5 rep set then 3 and then just dropped to 135 and ran a burn out set to at least feel like I did something useful.
So instead of being able to slowly increase the weight of my working sets it's like my working set is stuck there with the occasional breakthrough that just resets the next chest day.
Edit: it may be time to break out the good ole 2.5's
Mock meet done and I went 5/9, so not a great day. In hindsight, scheduling for the end of a cut was dumb and I should try to avoid that in the future. I was tapped out by deads and couldn’t pull equal to my training PR.
That’s the end of my first program with ChadBot. Even though today was disappointing, I still like the app quite a bit. Not having to think about my training is probably worth the subscription, for me. My next mock meet is towards the end a bulk, so hopefully that goes better.
I’m curious why mock meets?
I’ve never really been super competitive about my lifting. I know the competing against yourself thing is lame, but I just don’t feel the need to do it in a comp against actual people. I’m sure I would place okay in a local meet but I just don’t care. On the flip side, that’s probably why I rarely miss a session; I’m going against myself and just trying to get better.
Also, right now COVID, but I’ve been lifting and not doing meets for much longer than that.
Nah I could really care less about competing. Yeah I wanna get stronger and all that but I don’t need to get on a platform with a bunch of other dudes to figure out who is stronger and right now it would be them.
Not knocking competing at all, I think it’s great, just not great for me at this stage in my life.
Work + family has fucked my routine pretty hard the last couple of weeks and I hadn’t lifted for a week til today and when I woke up this morning it felt like every single injury I’ve ever had hit me at once. But I was able to go break a sweat in the garage and play with weights anyway.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Holy hell the building that controls the AC for my gym had not turned it on yet so I sure did feel like I was going to die today with it being suddenly 80F. Which is frustrating because it felt like I was doing well on the actual lifting part, if not for after 4 sets of squats feeling the equivalent to hours of work
Mock meet done and I went 5/9, so not a great day. In hindsight, scheduling for the end of a cut was dumb and I should try to avoid that in the future. I was tapped out by deads and couldn’t pull equal to my training PR.
That’s the end of my first program with ChadBot. Even though today was disappointing, I still like the app quite a bit. Not having to think about my training is probably worth the subscription, for me. My next mock meet is towards the end a bulk, so hopefully that goes better.
I’m curious why mock meets?
I’ve never really been super competitive about my lifting. I know the competing against yourself thing is lame, but I just don’t feel the need to do it in a comp against actual people. I’m sure I would place okay in a local meet but I just don’t care. On the flip side, that’s probably why I rarely miss a session; I’m going against myself and just trying to get better.
Also, right now COVID, but I’ve been lifting and not doing meets for much longer than that.
Nah I could really care less about competing. Yeah I wanna get stronger and all that but I don’t need to get on a platform with a bunch of other dudes to figure out who is stronger and right now it would be them.
Not knocking competing at all, I think it’s great, just not great for me at this stage in my life.
Work + family has fucked my routine pretty hard the last couple of weeks and I hadn’t lifted for a week til today and when I woke up this morning it felt like every single injury I’ve ever had hit me at once. But I was able to go break a sweat in the garage and play with weights anyway.
I agree with all of that and am at the same place in life.
I also hate that some federations have rules expressly for the purpose of making money. Monolifts are a lot easier to squat out of than combo racks, from an effort perspective, but combo racks can be moved easily from hotel ballroom to hotel ballroom. Monolifts, not so much. More portability leads to more meets which means more money for the federation, hence no monolifts in competition.
Lastly, I would rather stab myself in the dick then ever deadlift with a stiff bar again.
I bought a Rick Boogs t-shirt for the gym, hoping osmosis would do its thing. After wearing it for the first time, my daughter points at it and says, matter of factly, “That’s Daddy.”
Kid knows how to keep her college fund from getting raided, that’s for sure.
I assume when she said that you whipped out your guitar and did a wailing solo?
As one does. While doing zercher deadlifts and screaming.
I’m doing a bridge block with ChadBot before starting a new program. It’s a different training modality and it’s fun. I have target number of reps to hit for each exercise with short rests between sets, but as many sets as I want. Also, loaded carries and plyo movements. Having as many sets as I need is nice right now since I’m in the last week of my cut and energy levels are limited.
I've dropped about 3 or 4 pounds over the last two ish weeks. My diets been slipping but I had a good day in the gym and I think that got me back to it. I felt huge today. My shoulders and upper chest seem to be popping more and whenever I set up for weighted chest dips or dumbbell flyes I was like "aw yisss" lookit dem musckles
Everything below my collar bone is still a squishy mess, but you know.
In today’s episode of, “Everyone who is good at powerlifting is an asshole”, Shane Hunt tells people who breathe through their mouths that they are dumb. Slight paraphrase, but still.
Yeah powerlifting Instagram especially is a real genuine minefield, the past few years have revealed an Awful Lot about some people that I'd rather not have known (pour one out for Jay Nera, well and truly off the deep end).
On the other hand Aaron Palko, a lesser known dude who's very strong and jacked and also a hell of a craftsman, posted something on Instagram that indicates he might be ok and I was pretty glad.
I think I am the only one who has submitted to ChadBot, but it’s an app called JuggernautAI created by Chad Wesley Smith that provides individualized powerlifting or powerbuilding programming. The app adjusts programming based on your goals, meet dates (or lack thereof) and other preferences. On a day to day basis, you provide the app with answers to questions about how much you’ve slept, ate and how your muscle groups are feeling and it will adjust the program before you start. During a workout, you will enter your set to set performance, and the app will further adjust your program.
I’m a fan of it but it does cost $35 a month. It’s probably the same level of service you could get from a decent coach, but I like the real time feedback.
I think I am the only one who has submitted to ChadBot, but it’s an app called JuggernautAI created by Chad Wesley Smith that provides individualized powerlifting or powerbuilding programming. The app adjusts programming based on your goals, meet dates (or lack thereof) and other preferences. On a day to day basis, you provide the app with answers to questions about how much you’ve slept, ate and how your muscle groups are feeling and it will adjust the program before you start. During a workout, you will enter your set to set performance, and the app will further adjust your program.
I’m a fan of it but it does cost $35 a month. It’s probably the same level of service you could get from a decent coach, but I like the real time feedback.
That's super interesting. I did six solid months of starting strength, but just couldn't keep up that much squatting. My left hip just was sore all the time.
I'm also getting older and have two young kids so time and sleep are at a minimum. Basically right now I lift to maintain or very slowly lose weight..
I'd love to do something more organized, but I have to be realistic about how much time I have and how flexible I need to be.
I had a weird pain shoot through the inside of my knee while squatting today. I kind of panicked mid set, reracked the bar, probed and and stretched it and rubbed it but there was nothing I could tell so I grabbed the bar again and very carefully did the last two reps without noticing anything. Maybe a small twinge when I stepped back with the bar.
Idk I didn’t think I was doing anything different but who knows what a misalignment or just chance can trigger. I hadn’t had any more issues with the outside of the knee since I’d adjusted my stance and form so that was very out of the ordinary. Maybe I’ll just roll everything out before next time and just be aware of it
I think I am the only one who has submitted to ChadBot, but it’s an app called JuggernautAI created by Chad Wesley Smith that provides individualized powerlifting or powerbuilding programming. The app adjusts programming based on your goals, meet dates (or lack thereof) and other preferences. On a day to day basis, you provide the app with answers to questions about how much you’ve slept, ate and how your muscle groups are feeling and it will adjust the program before you start. During a workout, you will enter your set to set performance, and the app will further adjust your program.
I’m a fan of it but it does cost $35 a month. It’s probably the same level of service you could get from a decent coach, but I like the real time feedback.
That's super interesting. I did six solid months of starting strength, but just couldn't keep up that much squatting. My left hip just was sore all the time.
I'm also getting older and have two young kids so time and sleep are at a minimum. Basically right now I lift to maintain or very slowly lose weight..
I'd love to do something more organized, but I have to be realistic about how much time I have and how flexible I need to be.
I had to get out of the Starting Strength linear progression as well, and after getting a couple training sessions I got pointed toward Barbell Medicine. They have a couple programs that aren't that complicated that are meant to follow up the SS linear programs. The Beginner Template and the Bridge. I'm doing the Bridge right now (here's a link to a free download of an early version: the Bridge).
It's easily doable in my home gym in less than an hour per session so far, and with a bit more variation it's a lot nicer than squatbenchdeadliftsquatpressdeadliftsquatbenchdeadlift over and over again.
They also have a free app that you can link to purchases of programs, so I'm following this on my phone in their app. It's pretty nice, but very barebones. A few of the exercises (mostly the main compound, SBD, rows, OHP) have in app video previews of the exercise. If you like the programs, there's a discount code I've used for the paid templates UNTAMED. Once I'm done with the Bridge, I'm going to try their Powerbuilding templates.
I'm also 39 with two kids, so I feel you with the time crunch. This has helped me with the repetition, and with the focus on RPE, I'm not killing myself to add weight every time. As long as I'm hitting the exertion the set is looking for, I feel ok with the work.
Posts
Pluralizing "you do you" doesn't really work but I wrote it and I'm committing to it.
I think it's a Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing but I get real antsy if I do less than 4 days a week so I'm going to try and make Tuesday and Thursday cardio or conditioning days. No more than 30 minutes though because I hate cardio.
As an example, I like Big Loz a lot, but this video just makes me crazy and it's on the mild end of the internet gibberish happening.
People who can’t do what other people can do gotta shit on it because how else are they going to validate the time they spend (or don’t spend) lifting?
It took me about 5 weeks. 5 weeks to match the progress of a year after about 6 months away from it.
Idk it just feels good. A nice “it’s all progress” kinda reminder.
He passed it fine.
And then after a stomach virus and losing 8 lbs of water, old clothes I enjoy started to fit me again.
This put some things into perspective regarding my diet and I hope I can capitalize on my new weight. But it's frustrating that all my nuts, chia seeds and fish oil aren't doing much for me.
Squats felt rough. Only worked up to 3 sets of 205lbs. I had a feeling I was gonna start a little slow after 8 days off but still, I was kinda hoping I'd feel refreshed and ready to go but I actually feel gross and sluggish. Hoping next week my tiny gains come back.
Edit: well that was a first. I was taking my box back to its home and a dude on an incline bench was turning his bar with plates on it in like, a clean position for some reason? Basically up on his chest as he turned and he actually flung a 45 pound plate right at my shin as I passed. Sent me skipping on one leg trying to avoid having my ankle blasted.
Use your collars, kiddies.
That’s the end of my first program with ChadBot. Even though today was disappointing, I still like the app quite a bit. Not having to think about my training is probably worth the subscription, for me. My next mock meet is towards the end a bulk, so hopefully that goes better.
Given that I weigh 75kgs that's an extra 40% of my bodyweight, for 3 sets of 5. I feel like that's actually pretty nails. I also tested my max unweighted reps previously and thats at 15. So definitely good progress across the last 12 months!
I’m curious why mock meets?
I’ve never really been super competitive about my lifting. I know the competing against yourself thing is lame, but I just don’t feel the need to do it in a comp against actual people. I’m sure I would place okay in a local meet but I just don’t care. On the flip side, that’s probably why I rarely miss a session; I’m going against myself and just trying to get better.
Also, right now COVID, but I’ve been lifting and not doing meets for much longer than that.
Kept it mega chill with the weight. Sets of 3, really low, focus on form, no rushing. Careful with the knee etc.
I am so truly shit at squatting. Its very hilarious. I think I did 90kgs the first time I ever did it and I never train it ever. It'll be a long road.
225 seems to be my bench (ha) mark. Some days I can rep it out no problem, then start working up to the 240s or 250s. Other days 225 feels like 500 and it's like my bones are made of soggy paper straws. No other lift except for maybe my squat swings that wildly.
The only thing I can think of right now is my body is still weird from 3rds and I've woken up at 2am the past two nights so I've only clocked about 5ish hours of sleep. So maybe it's just good ole fashioned fatigue? It still happens regularly enough it makes it difficult to feel like I'm making any strength gains. I can get up to the 250s maybe once per two week rotation before I feel like I'm knocked back down to my standard weight. I can't stay consistent.
So instead of being able to slowly increase the weight of my working sets it's like my working set is stuck there with the occasional breakthrough that just resets the next chest day.
Edit: it may be time to break out the good ole 2.5's
Nah I could really care less about competing. Yeah I wanna get stronger and all that but I don’t need to get on a platform with a bunch of other dudes to figure out who is stronger and right now it would be them.
Not knocking competing at all, I think it’s great, just not great for me at this stage in my life.
Work + family has fucked my routine pretty hard the last couple of weeks and I hadn’t lifted for a week til today and when I woke up this morning it felt like every single injury I’ve ever had hit me at once. But I was able to go break a sweat in the garage and play with weights anyway.
I agree with all of that and am at the same place in life.
I also hate that some federations have rules expressly for the purpose of making money. Monolifts are a lot easier to squat out of than combo racks, from an effort perspective, but combo racks can be moved easily from hotel ballroom to hotel ballroom. Monolifts, not so much. More portability leads to more meets which means more money for the federation, hence no monolifts in competition.
Lastly, I would rather stab myself in the dick then ever deadlift with a stiff bar again.
Kid knows how to keep her college fund from getting raided, that’s for sure.
As one does. While doing zercher deadlifts and screaming.
I’m doing a bridge block with ChadBot before starting a new program. It’s a different training modality and it’s fun. I have target number of reps to hit for each exercise with short rests between sets, but as many sets as I want. Also, loaded carries and plyo movements. Having as many sets as I need is nice right now since I’m in the last week of my cut and energy levels are limited.
Everything below my collar bone is still a squishy mess, but you know.
On the other hand Aaron Palko, a lesser known dude who's very strong and jacked and also a hell of a craftsman, posted something on Instagram that indicates he might be ok and I was pretty glad.
I think I am the only one who has submitted to ChadBot, but it’s an app called JuggernautAI created by Chad Wesley Smith that provides individualized powerlifting or powerbuilding programming. The app adjusts programming based on your goals, meet dates (or lack thereof) and other preferences. On a day to day basis, you provide the app with answers to questions about how much you’ve slept, ate and how your muscle groups are feeling and it will adjust the program before you start. During a workout, you will enter your set to set performance, and the app will further adjust your program.
I’m a fan of it but it does cost $35 a month. It’s probably the same level of service you could get from a decent coach, but I like the real time feedback.
In the cloud?
That's super interesting. I did six solid months of starting strength, but just couldn't keep up that much squatting. My left hip just was sore all the time.
I'm also getting older and have two young kids so time and sleep are at a minimum. Basically right now I lift to maintain or very slowly lose weight..
I'd love to do something more organized, but I have to be realistic about how much time I have and how flexible I need to be.
Idk I didn’t think I was doing anything different but who knows what a misalignment or just chance can trigger. I hadn’t had any more issues with the outside of the knee since I’d adjusted my stance and form so that was very out of the ordinary. Maybe I’ll just roll everything out before next time and just be aware of it
I had to get out of the Starting Strength linear progression as well, and after getting a couple training sessions I got pointed toward Barbell Medicine. They have a couple programs that aren't that complicated that are meant to follow up the SS linear programs. The Beginner Template and the Bridge. I'm doing the Bridge right now (here's a link to a free download of an early version: the Bridge).
It's easily doable in my home gym in less than an hour per session so far, and with a bit more variation it's a lot nicer than squatbenchdeadliftsquatpressdeadliftsquatbenchdeadlift over and over again.
They also have a free app that you can link to purchases of programs, so I'm following this on my phone in their app. It's pretty nice, but very barebones. A few of the exercises (mostly the main compound, SBD, rows, OHP) have in app video previews of the exercise. If you like the programs, there's a discount code I've used for the paid templates UNTAMED. Once I'm done with the Bridge, I'm going to try their Powerbuilding templates.
I'm also 39 with two kids, so I feel you with the time crunch. This has helped me with the repetition, and with the focus on RPE, I'm not killing myself to add weight every time. As long as I'm hitting the exertion the set is looking for, I feel ok with the work.
JuggernautAI has a week trial, if you’re interested.