Stranger things have happened
Before I left the Seattle seminar, I informed Billy that he needed to weigh 240. He was 220 at the time. Well, he is on his way with his self-proclaimed “Feast Fest”.
Here is a picture of a five egg omelet with bacon, sausage, and cheese, hash browns, toast, biscuits and sausage gravy, and three additional scrambled eggs. Billy brought his lunch pail, cause he’s goin’ to work.
Nice
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Hey Justin,
I’ve been following the linear progression for about 2-3 months, and working on doing things right like in Mark Rippetoe’s book. I train at a “fitness gym” (because they have child care, but I hate the place). I’m 180lbs and 5’9″, not naturally strong. I am at 250 on squat (started around 200), 280 on dead lift (working on 300), and 130 on press ( started at 115). I’m not the strongest guy but I’m working on it.
The other day I was going for a PR on deadlift and this guy yelled at me from across the room and tossed a 45 lbs weight at me. He went on and on about how he much he used to lift and that my weight was “chicken shit”. All this while he was doing leg presses. He told me I was an insult to people like him, tearing up his gym, and making too much noise. This is a guy who does curls inside the squat rack.
A few days later I was looking in my notebook to see what my work set was going to be he yells at me across the gym, “Hey you need me to sign off on that? Holy shit that’s a lot of weight. Man, you might need a spot!” This is while he and his friend were doing press with the smith machine by the way. All this has really discouraged me lately, because picking a fight would cost me my career in law enforcement. There is not a whole lot I can do but keep getting stronger.
I tell you all this to say that it was really hard to ball my fist around a barbell and lift when I wanted to just walk out. I just wanted to thank you for making this website. I know a lot of posts are funny, but a lot of the posts put some fire in my ass to go lift in spite of idiots like him. So thanks, it really helps a lot. OK, I’m gonna go drink some milk.
–Russell
This is an interesting e-mail. I can’t believe that the guy in the gym would be that much of an asshole, but stranger things have happened.
My suggestion to Russell: ignore that silly goon. Get your shit done, and get out. There is no sense in having any kind of altercation. Aside from potentially getting your ass beat (2 vs 1), it would allow yourself to fall into the douchebaggery that he exudes.
Which brings me to an important point that I have wanted to cover for a while. 70’s Big does not equate with cockiness. Any kind of “my penis is bigger” attitude quickly reduces you to a jackass. I don’t want a community that gives off an aura of superiority. I want us to have a community that is enthusiastic about the common goal of increasing strength and working hard to do it. Whether it is Russell, who is squatting 250, or a guy who squats 600, they are equally important to me. Who would want to stay in a community that belittles others?
This has, and always will be, a place to learn. I don’t get paid for any of this. On a daily basis I post on this site, I answer the questions of at least ten people via e-mail, and I go out of my way to help the people in our gym — all of it to make others work hard in order to get strong. I would hope that this supportive helpfulness resonates within this particular community.
Thomas Jefferson puts it much more eloquently:
No way man, I”m totally better then everyone.
JK
Props to Russell. If some cocksucker came up to me and said that, I don”t know if I could be the better man.
Wow who shit like that. Why wouldn”t you be happy to see someone training properly for a change, moving weight in the compound lifts getting stronger. The weight doesn”t matter, and 250 is more than 95+% of the people in commercial gyms squat (with proper form). I can”t imagine that, management should warn and then ban the dude.
Hey Russel, that sucks man. My advice is to agree with what this idiot is saying and get back to what your doing. He says your an insult to people like him, just say “Yeah your right” and keep on training. Dont take anything he says serious, because tools like that aren”t to be taken seriously. Like you said, he works out in the smith machine.
If he doesn”t back off eventually you might want to warn the staff to keep an eye on him. No point in risking your future over some guy you don”t know. Im possibly going into law enforcement myself so I know it aint always easy to refrain from certain behavior but in the long run it pays off, just like getting 70”s big.
What a fucking cunt (speaking about the dude who is shitting on Russell for trying to get stronger).
“He went on and on about how he much he USED to lift”
Why do people always say this?
“Oh yeah, I could bench 500 lbs back in college!” *proceeds to bench 135 with 1 inch rom*
That guy is an asshole, let him run his mouth – he”ll soon stfu when your lifts skyrocket
Russel hang in there, probably a lot of us here have the same problems. Regularly I have to go at length explaining to people why squatting below parallel is not bad for the knees, but some will listen with real interest and are eager to learn. But these assholes are in a league of there own. And to Justin, I think this website does exactly what you want it to do, at least for me it is a place of kindred spirits, that helps a lot for the quest of becoming stronger.
So keep on trucking :)
Just keep working Russel, you”ve made great progress so far, and do you best ignore/avoid the douche bag at your gym. He probably has some major insecurity problems.
Very glad to hear Justin”s bit about humbleness.
Usually I”m extremely disappointed when an intelligent idea leads to the followers being arrogant towards those who aren”t part of it …
cfz. the obvious ones.
another thing. I don”t know if you wanna take it any further, but you might wanna note down his car reg number and tell your cop buddies. I guarantee an asshole like that is gonna be an asshole in all walks of life
Yeah I agree with everyone else, f#$k that guy. I had someone come over to me on saturday. I was trying to help a friend learn how to squat properly and some dude came over and told me to squat with a straight back and knees together with his heels coming off the floor… I should have ignored him, but I told him that he was wrong and that he should save his advice for when people ask. He threw up his hands and walked away. I felt a bit dickish afterwards… he thought he was helping, but oh well, sometimes the rage just gets the better of you.
Good work Russel and keep going.
I would just say “Nice form…” in as sarcastic voice as possible.
That always gets under someone”s skin, no matter how perfect their form is.
Congratulations though on showing the moral strength to be the better man, strength in the gym is insignificant in regards to that which cannot be measured.
I know I”m just repeating, but I just want to encourage you to keep at it Russel! Forget that guy..
That sucks for Russel. I suggest you get your own weights and stuff and forget that place. Those people are not who you want to be and they”ll do nothing but drag your attitude down. I know that”s how it was for me.
Also, related to the “I used to lift blah blah blah….” In High School, I could “squat” 445lbs. Well, I”m far stronger now than I was then and I squat 250 in sets across. The difference in strength benefits from a real squat and a quarter squat is exponential.
Thanks for making this site, Justin.
It seems to attract people who got their heads on straight.
I”d talk to management.
As a business owner, I”d want to straighten that meathead out – don”t mess with my other customers.
That guy sounds like an insecure jealous girlfriend:)
The worst comments I ever get are from the smith machine lovers who occasionally say things such as “guess you don”t care about your back/kness” when I squat.
I”m guessing if that guy ever did move heavy weights he did so with very limited ROM and poor form. He probably hurt himself in the process.
He see”s you doing what he know he always should have, and still should. He”s too much of a pussy to so he lashes out at you.
My advice would be to kill him with kindness, and just a hunt of sarcasm:)
Ego”s are a huge problem among weightlifting. Most people do not check them at the door.
This is why i refuse to train at a commercial gym. But when i do, i find the kind silent treatment works the best. Keep those headphones in and just put your hands up as if you can”t hear what they are saying.
Stay the course Russel, hes a flash in the pan and will probably stop showing up the nights you work out.
PS. Finally recieved the 70sBig shirt. Can”t wait to rock it with a headband and some mirrior aviators at the next social event i attend.
get yourself a training partner. will help with your lifts and also help keep this asshole at bay…
The guy threw a 45# weight at you??
WTF??
I agree with “alyion” get his plate number and give it to your cop buddies and fuck with him.
That”s pretty bold of that guy. I”ve seen a lot of gym jerks, but that”s over the top.
Ignore him and go on your way. Let him do what he wants to do. Everybody will tell you they “used to do” more than you”re doing now. Compliment them and go on your way. The nice thing about linear progression is it just keeps going up. Even if you gain 10 pounds per month per lift, that”s 60 pounds a year.
If he persists in asking you for a spot, take him up on it. Then tell him you”re having form problems and ask him to demonstrate.
Russell like everyone said ignore that asshole, we all got your back anyways.
As per that huge breakfast, can anyone else NOT get pumped to eat breakfast? I fucking HATE breakfast, idk why I guess breakfast foods just dont excite me. I can barely eat a 500 cal breakfast but sure enough at lunch im scarfing 2500-3000 at burger king or whatever.
Any tips? Harden the fuck up?
Holy shit that muppets video was awesome! Why has no one else commented on it?
Watch the video link in the post people!
caseydonovan
I agree. I don”t like breakfast food either. Which is why I eat bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast. Some mornings I just drink a shit ton of milk and then feast around “brunch” time.
Russell you”re gonna need to put an 80s montage video together and then kick this guys ass after 3 months of 70s big training.
I”ll look forward to this video.
I like breakfast foods, but find it hard to eat anything first thing in the morning. I”ll usually pound down a bunch of milk and possibly a big milkshake with some protein powder thrown in. For some reason the liquid calories go down much easier than solid foods during the a.m hours.
Hmmmm breakfast! Eggs,bacon,hashbrowns and biscuits and gravy!!!! Tough to beat!
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Mark Twain
Nuff said!!
Russell, don”t get discouraged, get mad. And then channel that into the barbell, bro.
Letting lame fucks like that guy get to you can ruin your entire day. He ain”t worth it. Progress is all that matters.
Headphones and no eye contact works wonders Russell.
What happened to Russell sucks. Within a large enough population there will always be a small percentage of asshats whose only contribution is douchebaggery. On the flip side there are always people with nothing but the best intentions. People who recognize what you are trying to accomplish, and are supportive even though their goals are not the same as yours. I”m not a big dude (185 lbs) nor am I particularly strong. But the other day, I was doing deadlifts. 5rm at 355. This younger guy, 6”5″ 225lbs, comes up to me and says “that is damn strong. No straps, lifting that much, I don”t know how you do it.” He messes around with dumbell curls and all that nonsense, but he could see what I was doing, what I was trying to accomplish, and gave me an attaboy. Those types of people are sometimes the unsung heroes of the gym.
Oh, and no movie quote today?
Russell: It has already been said but keep hitting the weights, and the headphones are a great idea. Great job being the bigger man. If it continues to be a problem I would certainly talk with management about the situation. As a business owner I know I would want to know. Also, you may want to look into setting up a gym at your house if that is possible. I am currently in the process of doing it myself as I was asked to leave my globo gym for the olympic lifts and barbell work that I was doing, it takes a bit of time and money to set it up but in the long run will save money and you can do whatever you want to.
I love breakfast for those of you that do not like it work with various cooking techniques to find something that really hits the spot, eggs with more meat usually does it for me. You can always add extras like cheese, salsa, tabasco, cheese, sour cream, cheese or different kinds of meats.
Justin: Thanks for setting this site up and keeping it pointed in the right direction, as a place to talk about getting big and strong
The muppet video is great and everybody should just check it out as a random video of the day.
Haha, bluecheese, I guess I gotta put a quote up for you every day.
And, not to lessen the importance of Russell’s ordeal, but that Thomas Jefferson quote hasn’t even been mentioned. That is pretty much our creed.
First of all, I agree with everyone. That guy probably shouts “O”Doyle rules!” all the time too. He”ll slip on one of life”s banana peels soon enough.
You should ask him why he doesn”t lift like he used to back in the day. Almost assuredly he”ll say he hurt his knee and/or back from “so much weight”
D-baggery needs to end.
I hate breakfast too.
When I”m at home, I fix this by grilling myself a steak in the morning. When at school, I drink the milk and pack in the calories at 11.
Justin quick question:
After seeing your video of you squatting and Rip mentioned your stance is a bit wide I checked mine that night. Mine is about 3-4 inches to wide. I tried to narrow it down and I couldn””t finish my work-sets at that weight. Should I deload 15% and get it down and work way back up? Does being tall (6””6″) have any negatives with a shoulder width stance? Thx.
I am lucky to lift in a gym that encourages SS program. There are still douches though.
Sometimes guys with really long legs need a little bit of a wider stance. I do not know if this you though. Did you have trouble keeping knees out? I suspect this to be the case.
–Justin
You will be hard-pressed to find a douche-free commercial gym anywhere in the world. I myself am employed by a very large corporate fitness center operator in both US and EU and these type of places seem to breed such douchebaggery. I am fortunate to work at one that is associated with a very large famous university and the type of people that attend it are of a “better mold” so douchebaggery seems to be kept to a minimum.
As for problems eating breakfast foods I would recommend not limiting yourself to traditional breakfast foods. I myself never have trouble eating at any time of the day, but I”ve eaten anything from steak, salmon, eggs, to a jar of peanut butter for breakfast. Experiment with different “non-traditional” foods for breakfast.
My breakfast is usually six eggs with bacon and cheese mixed in and four cups of milk. This is of course a challenge to get down with I first wake, but doing so makes me much hungrier throughout the day. If I eat a big breakfast I want a big lunch, and a big lunch makes me want a big supper. Breakfast is the toughest meal, but the most important in getting my calories for the day. I advise you make your breakfast, eat it while reading the new 70s big post, and get it finished like a heavy squat session.
Hey justin, when i squatted 135 today, i felt as if the weight was beating down on me. My lower back was hurting after the squat session. i ve dropped the weight many times to fix the form issues but they still seem to exist whenever i go past 130 lbs. Anything i can do to fix this?
Ehh… I can’t see anything from here. You probably need a coach.
–Justin
Chaos, when is the last time you took a break?
in august.
im eating as much as i can even with my religious restrictions of no meat. getting atleast 3500 calories a day. If i cant get good form on 135 on wednesday, im going to up it to 4000 calories.
Yes daily movie quote trivia will make all those years managing a Blockbuster Video seem worthwhile.
Just a thought on this dude who is ragging on our friend Russell…. he might actually be trying to be friendly, some people don””t understand the concept of being nice to someone before they break their balls…. I””m sure most of the dudes on here know that they mess with their best friends as a sign of affection, and this dude may in some fucked up sense, be trying to become pals with Russell.
Just a thought
When I meet someone, I don’t try to embarrass them in order to make myself feel better. I may be atypical though.
–Justin
No eye contact, headphones, and reading Nietzsche between sets has always worked for me. Don”t talk to anyone. Also I”ve experimented with various histrionics, and have found that psyching myself up between sets is a waste of time. Just do the lift.
No one has ever disturbed my workout. Give it a try.
This guys sounds like a twit, but in some manner you left the door open for him to step in.
Shut it.
This is a popular website and I”d be willing to bet we”ve got a 70”s big dude who lives near Russell.
So let”s get the details (location?) about this gym.
I”d be willing to bet this plate-thrower would cower like a punk when Russ walks in with a true 70”s big character.
Heck, I”m only 80”s medium but if Russ is near me I”d gladly stop by his gym for a workout.
Don”t Shave December anyone?
Chaos, some guys can go months on linear progression with no breaks. I couldn””t. You can””t always eat your way out of a slump. If your numbers have steadily dropped and you””re experiencing discomfort (where there was none before), take a week and do nothing. Ride your bike, talk trash to pedestrians, and work your way into a dodgeball game.
Yes, but Chaos was squatting 135. There is another problem at stake here (did somebody say steak?).
–Justin
I”m in for no-shave December. I”m also trying to put together a 70”s Big Bowl + Meatfest for late February in Wichita Falls (a couple hours NW of Dallas/Fort Worth). Basically we”d play touch football (since some of us are old and tore up) then head to the gym for meat, beverages, and feats of strength. I”ll do the brisket.
There are only 3 rules:
1. 70s era shirt;
2. your socks can be no shorter than 2″ below the knee;
3. your shorts can not come within 5″ of the top of your knee.
Anybody interested?
They haven”t steadily dropped but i can do 130 lbs pretty easily. However, when i put 135 on the bar, things start to get a lot harder. This may sound like a pussy reason to whine but does bar thickness have an affect on performance? When i compared the two types of bars at the two different gyms i go to, one of the bars is noticibly thicker than the other.
Russell, just wanted to say you”re a lot stronger than what you think. Anyone who starts off with a 200lb squat and 115 press isn”t doing too bad for himself
Gant, I”m in for the football game (of course I ASSume that chicks who love 70s big men are invited.) Can you schedule it to coincide with the Starting Strength Seminar at WFAC????
jp