Q&A – 41

If only he squatted…

PR Friday

Post your training updates and PR’s to the comments. More importantly, tell us how you are joining the fight for La Revolución de Pantalones Cortos! The fight for the right of manliness! (source)

Weekly Challenge

Last week’s challenge asked you to “Learn about a specific muscle group that gives you problems in training. Learn how it functions as well as what you can do to improve the problem.” Share your findings in the comments.

Next Week’s Challenge: If you do not own a pair of short shorts and you qualify to participate in The Revolution, then buy a pair. Proudly wear them. Report your experience in next week’s Q&A comments.

Week In Review

Monday was a bullshit government holiday called Labor Day, so there wasn’t a female post. Tuesday was a post about Lance Armstrong and PEDs. I started the article by talking about Armstrong because I felt bad, but I think my opinion has changed on him. He’s allegedly a dickhead who still used drugs when he was told not to, and then lied about it. I still think overcoming cancer and fundraising hundreds of million dollars are redeeming qualities, but I guess I’ll file this into the, “He’s a dickhead who does some nice things” category. Wednesday talked about the benefits of foam rolling as part of a warm-up and how using a hard foam is usually better than PVC.

Finally, Thursday, WE STARTED A REVOLUTION. Read about The Short Shorts Revolution

Story Time

Yesterday in honor of The Revolution, I wore my short black shorts and a black tank top with shoes out into public. This is standard ops for short excursions, yet for longer trips I usually wear shorts with pockets and a belt. I think the site of a guy in short shorts with shoes is particularly alarming to the public than a guy in flip-flops. I guess it’s because such a guy made a deliberate decision to go out in that attire instead of just easily throwing on some flip-flops. Make no mistake: you will receive stairs when you do this. Assuming your shorts aren’t dangerously short (to show ass cheek or scrote), ignore these stairs and proudly go about your business. Most of the In-N-Out customers were wearing pants, but their stares didn’t register on my “give a fuck” meter. Because we’ve got a god damn Revolution to run, that’s why.

Q&A 

ashkanjah sent 16 hours ago
Hello, Justin. I’m currently going through the archives of your website, and it is incredibly informative and inspiring. I am in the middle of linear progression after a bout of fuckaround-itis. I weigh 156 pounds. I am 17 years old. I made a bet that I could become 190 pounds by March 4th. I am eating at least 5 or 6 hamburgers, innumerable bananas, a pound and a half of wild salmon, and half of a chicken every day (I take psyllium husk, creatine, and vitamin-d. Fish oil rarely if I run out of money for salmon for a few days). Please tell me this is not only possible, but with a strong devotion to constantly performing compound lifts, it will be mostly muscle. On a side note, you have convinced me that a belt and shoes are practically necessary tools despite how much lifting barefoot feels badass. But how often do you use the belt? Every time you train? Thank you very much, and sorry if I’m bothering you.

 

Dear ashkanjah, 

I’d be pretty impressed if you were eating that much. How much is this bet worth? It’s entirely doable to reach 190 by march; people have gained much more in much less time. I don’t know if you’ve read the recent dietary advice on the site, but it revolves more around a “meat and potatoes” regimen and is modeled after the paleo diet (with the occasional allowed splurge).

That being said, you have two strategies: a) get to 190 ASAP or b) steadily gain quality weight and see where you’re at in the beginning of 2013. In the latter example, if you were, say, 10 or 15 pounds under, you could just do a dirty bulk for a period, hit the 190 weight, collect your winnings, and then clean it up and reduce your body fat.

You have plenty of time before March 4th, so distribute the necessary gain per month and stay consistent with that. Most of all, be sure to train consistently.

As for the belt and shoes question: training efficiently and safely is more important than subjectively feeling like a badass. “Badass” is squatting 500+ pounds weighing 190 pounds, not squatting 250 pounds barefoot at any body weight.

P.S. I, like most people, wear a belt on work sets. I don’t wear one during snatches, but I do when front squatting or clean and jerking. Sometimes I do for rows. Presses, squats, and deadlifts, I’ll wear one.

Hey Justin-

I’ve noticed more so lately that I tend to be extremely quad dominant in my squatting (my FSQ #s are basically equal to BS, primarily HB squatting) and feel like I am having trouble activating the hamstrings on those lifts.  I’ve partially attributed it to some ankle mobility and inability to stay in my heels, do you have any tips for making sure I get the full utility out of the hamstrings in those lifts?

Thanks, Roy

Hey,
I’m curious what your thoughts might be regarding pre & post op exercises for a herniated disc surgery. I’ve got a herniated L5-S1 disc and a bulging L4-L5 disc. I’ve been working with my chiro for several weeks in the hopes that the herniated disc would start to move back into place, but no such luck. It looks like surgery is unavoidable. It was recommended that I focus on ab and stability work going into the surgery to help lessen the load on my spine coming out of the surgery. Do you have any recommendations for pre and post op ab or stability work that might benefit? This will be my second discectomy, and I don’t want to do this again. I’m looking to get my torso as strong as possible to avoid any future disc problems.

–Jonathan

My name is Zach. First off, I’d like to say that i appreciate your posts, they’ve helped me out a lot with my training and have granted me a lot of knowledge. I’m writing to ask for help on a recent issue I’ve been having with the lateral side of my gastrocnemius. My issue is that in the bottom of my full squat, I’m experiencing slight pain and numbness in my left calf as I ascend upward. It spreads from the knee down to above the ankle on the lateral side. I don’t have any pain other than when I’m in that position. I tried to do some research to the best of my abilities and what i found that described the symptoms the best was intermittent claudication, a peripheral artery disease that is common in runners. This however seems a little intense of a diagnosis, I’d like to not jump to an extreme conclusion nor be a hypochondriac. Have you had any experience with this problem, or can you think of a simpler diagnosis?

Thanks for your time,
Zach P