2009 Recap

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“So what are you guys doin’ tonight?”
“Eh, just gettin’ 70’s Big.”

Edit: Damn it, it is PR Friday. Forgot to add it to the post. Body weight, weight lifted, clothes ripped, girls lifted over head, food eaten, etc. Post it all to comments.

70’s Big started this year on September 22nd and has grown from an inside joke to a thriving community of people focused on getting strong. One of our primary goals is to help change the mindset in people that skinny is not good, and being strong and useful is. I can’t think of any reason why being stronger would be a bad thing, and last time I checked, when a guy presses his girlfriend overhead, she giggles with glee.

I write the majority of the content for this site. While I’m not very good at it, I think I get the message across (even though some of you can’t understand when I say things tongue-in-cheek). My friend Gant always chimes in with insightful posts and interviews, my friends Chris and AC always give me sources of inspiration, and I just want to say Brent’s name so he doesn’t get upset again. Rip and co. have also been willing to help answer any questions that I have and make sure that my head is on straight.

My emphasis on this site always will be that getting stronger is going to help whatever it is you are trying to do (at the very least, living life). In order to get stronger, you must get bigger. This message has brought (at the time of me typing this) 417,620 total page views with the daily average now above 5,000 on a weekday and over 3,000 on both days in the weekend (Note: This is not the same as individual visitors, just individual page views). 70’s Big has been linked in Denmark, Germany, the UK, Australia, in the far reaches of North America, and probably some other European countries (I got an e-mail that was entirely in Czech the other day). A few days ago we were linked in the comments on the Huffington Post, which was amusing.

70sbig

Since this community continues to grow, I want to clarify that everybody is welcome on this website regardless of background. Lots of bodybuilding forums link to us, usually while shooting our philosophy down, but I still welcome that demographic if they aim to get stronger. Regardless of your goal or sport, if you are getting stronger, then you have come to the right place. This website will be most helpful if you are an obnoxiously skinny dude who weighs less than 200 pounds, but I assure you we will have more interesting stuff in the coming months.

I’d like to thank the readers/posters because you all have helped garner the idea that we are supportive of anyone trying to get strong. We are not a community that thinks we are better than others and we certainly are not locked into some ridiculous singular mindset (err…other than that stronger is better). Anyway, enough of this kiss-assery, I just hope you learn something beneath all of the eggnog and brisket.

With that being said, everyone is welcome to submit material to the website at any time. Videos and pictures are always welcome, but make them interesting enough to be posted. Content is always welcome from experienced lifters or competitors as they can give an insight into lots of things that us younger guys don’t understand yet. At the very least you will help me get through those slow days when it is 10:00 PM and I’m staring at the laptop screen irritated as hell. Fortunately I have an uncanny (or bullshit) ability to improvise.

Anyway, let’s get crackin’ on the new year. Whoever you are; right now, you are not strong enough. You are not big enough. You have work to do, especially if you are going to lift your girlfriend overhead.
Note: For the girls reading this, you’ll just be hotter when you’re stronger. If you are in a relationship where you can lift your boyfriend overhead, then you need to leave him and call me. Soon.

Oh, and this is your New Years present:

95 thoughts on “2009 Recap”

  1. Glad to be a part of 70s Big. We will have more good content, more interviews with cool strong people, an expanded FAQ (I dropped the ball on that one), and some more video recipes/cooking tips. As always, send in content or requests. All are welcome so long as strength has a higher priority than visible abs in your program.

    Justin”s done a good thing here. I look forward to the day when I can walk through an airport and see another guy wearing a 70s Big shirt.

  2. Just a reminder that today is Friday. I know it”s a new year and all, but I set some PRs last night on New Year”s Eve. The lifting kind, even.

    Squat PR 215×5
    Press PR 120×5
    Deadlift PR 265×5
    Body weight PR 219lbs

    Thanks for the awesome sight guys. Gant, it”s always good to see you man. Haven”t seen you at the Judoforum in a while. Good luck in your training and competition goals.

  6. I am pleased to report I have finally completed puberty and I am now an official man. Yesterday I made the scales tip at 200lbs. This is a bodyweight PR for me.

    Viva la 70”s Big! Next stop 210lbs with a beard.

  7. Happy New Year yall! Looking forward to it. Did a cf total yesterday at our gym. Set a pretty nice pr after only 5 weeks of the novice progression.
    Squat 355 (old pr was 295)
    Press 160 (old pr was 140)
    Deadlift 455 (old pr was 385)
    Total of 970. Pulled the 455 pretty clean and wanted to hit a 1000 pound total so bad I could taste it so I loaded up 485 just to give it a shot. I missed it but no biggie. Set big pr”s and I”m hopin to hit a 400lb squat and 500 lb deadlift soon…

  8. 3×5 chinups yesterday… with the highest assistance. But two months ago I switched gyms and couldn””t do even one chinup at the highest assistance. Also, I am a girl. Hooray!

    Sweet. Let us know when you get a dead hang chin-up too.

    –Justin

  11. PRs,
    244×5 squat
    121×5 press
    Bodyweight finally over 180, still a skinny bastard adolescent male that wont yet survive the inevitable zombie outbreak.

  14. Having a couple crappy workouts lately due to golfer”s elbow and biceps pain. Pushing through and sometimes working around.

    Did presses today first for the first time in a while due to the biceps pain. Needed to reset after getting 201.25 for 4 and then for 3, dropped it to 180 and did a rep PR. 180 for 9. Lost my breath control on the next one. Will work my way back up.

    Hit a rep PR on squats this week on last set (3rd set) of 330 with 8 reps. Going to slowly work that back up to where I was before my elbow/bicep injury.

    Bodyweight is 247 up from 242 a couple weeks a go. May start just eating for recovery and not growth now since my training is sucking.

  18. Long time reader. First time poster.

    Been doing the CrossFit Football program for 3 months now. Working out in CrossFit Butcher”s Lab in Copenhagen, Denmark.
    Had a break over Christmas and New Years. Cant wait to hit it hard again next week.
    My PR”s from right before Christmas:
    All 1RM
    Powerclean 95 kg
    Squat 175 kg
    Bench 100 kg
    Dead 200 kg

    BW: 100 kg

    Oh, and then I ripped my jeans yesterday just before going out… Ooops, guess that what happens when you wanna get 70”s Big!

    Happy New Year!

  19. Finally regained adult male status after a few months under 200. I have not gained enough strength to press my girlfriend over head yet, but I did do a modified squat clean to pick her up off the floor the other night. Then I set her back down, said, “70””s Big” and left the room.

    This made me laugh. I like saying “70’s Big” after doing things like opening a pickle jar.

    I said it when I ripped my jeans earlier this year.

    –Justin

  22. Hit 2x5x160 bench and 5×290 deads this week. Double bodyweight dead for reps should be coming relatively soon (not that anyone here really cares for strength-bodyweight comparisons)

  24. Thank You to everyone that helps with this site. Knowing that Justin bears the burden of doing most of the posting. I”ve got a good feeling about 2010.

    BW up 5lbs to 192
    Squat 275x5x3
    Bench 205x5x3
    Deadlift 300×5

    Had a weird pain in my elbow. Hurt when I was squatting. Not so much that I was bearing weight but the position of the low bar squat just started to bother it.

  26. Had workout last night after a week off (though did some TGUs while away). Lost 1kg (down to 101kg), but accomplished some PRs

    Squat 142.5kg 3×5
    Dead 162.5kg 1×5

    PRs before layoff:

    Bench 98.5kg 3×5
    PC 785.kg 5×3
    Single arm KB press 32kg, 3 reps. (not in training – a feat of strength at a Christmas eve party!)

  28. Justin and friends, thanks for the site. I look forward to new posts daily.

    At this NYE party last night there was a slender, somewhat effeminate guy that I didn””t recognize. My female friend from work (who digs 70””s Big men) was talking to him and noticed he had some kind of colored bracelet on. She asked him about it and he said “I used to way over 200 lbs and after I lost the weight I vowed to never be that heavy again.” Apparently it was some kind of symbol of his dedication to being 90””s small (he””s about 5””10″, too). When she told me this my head just exploded. I had to eat 10 meatballs just to calm down. As you might expect, he looked like a skinny fat wet noodle.

    Hit my year end goal of 300lbs 1RM back squat. Felt good so I loaded up 310 and it went up too, albeit slower…
    Press 125/5×3
    DL 305/5×1

    Happy New Year everybody!

    This is what we are up against.

    –Justin

  29. Good to be a part of a group where grown ass men down count “blocks” and hang sideways off of some ridiculous sign post. 70”s Big kicks ass!! (Even for a guy in the military with specific weight standards.)

    Alright here we go: (All PRs)

    M/32yo/5”9″

    BW-205

    SQUAT-260x5x3
    BENCH-200x5x3
    DEADLIFT-275x5x1
    PRESS-135x5x3
    PWR CLEAN-143x3x5

    I have improved a lot, but I have a lot of room for improvement.

    Happy New Year everybody and remember;
    Be good, but if can”t be good, be good at it!

  30. This post is bitchin”

    I was proud to be a part of the original inside joke, and Justin has taken this thing to a whole new level, well done, sir.

    Also, 2 weeks, buddy. Classes start the 16th, and I”ll be up there getting strong for next semester”s rugby.

  31. NYE feast included…

    12 bottles Bass Ale
    1 1/2 16″ pizzas (had to save some for the lady)
    half a dozen Jumbo Eggs
    1 Quart of milk

    Then I woke at around 3 and had a peanut butter, honey and banana sammitch with milk, and went back to bed…
    Happy eating this year everyone!

  32. Good work thus far guys. I look forward to more cooking posts with Gant.

    As for training, it was a pretty good year. Ended up missing my squat and deadlift goals though.

    Squat – 345×1
    Press – 150×1
    Bench – 232×1
    Deadlift – 400×1
    BW – 155

    I know, I””m a skinny fuck.

    Cooking post on Monday. But Jesus Grant, gain some fucking weight.

    –Justin

  33. Oh Yeah! I am already strong enough to lift GF over my head! GF=109lbs

    I worked on my squat so I could throw her and her best friend over each shoulder and carry them off to my room! That is a great goal!

    Woah, did you imply the sexual innuendo that I am picking up?

    –Justin

  34. i can easily press my girlfriend–a marathon runner who weighs about ~125 at 5”6–at least a dozen times. but i am a cheerleader, so throwing/lifting girls is something i do on a (almost) daily basis.

    no real PRs this week, just moving along wendler”s 5/3/1 really well. with the exception of having an extremely shitty squat day today.

  36. BW 182lbs

    Tore a 4″ hole in a pair of pants this week, hell yeah.

    Joined the Polar Bear Club this morning at Coney Island.

    LBBS 205 3×5 PR
    OP 115 3×5, failed on the last rep though. Much better than last effort though.
    DL 225 1×5 PR

  37. I have been reading this site for several months, found it from the CFWF thread. I dropped CF and have been doing just SS. Started at 150, got to 160 in about a month. Numbers are climbing steadily. I appreciate all of the info but mainly how you deliver it, with a nice thick slice of funny. Anyway, thanks again for what you are doing.

    No problem, but you are gaining weight slowwwwwly.

    –Justin

  38. I pressed a pretty hot girl overhead a while back, but she”s a lesbian. I”m hoping getting 70”s Big will help convert her.

    PRs today:
    5”8″ BW: 178
    Squat: 315x3x5
    Press: 145x3x5

    Thanks for this site, Justin & Co. It”s definitely changed the way I view training.

  42. Thanks guys you have a great site goin on here…all the best in 2010.

    PRs this week…had to return some snow pants my mom bought me for xmas because had i done more than stand up straight in them i would have ripped the ass right out of them. Had to return a shirt too because had I worn it i would have looked like one of those gino”s from that stupid ass mtv show (I don”t know what its called)…and well that”s just not 70s big. Apparently I was much skinnier before I came home for xmas. Still about 10lbs shy of being an adult male though.

    Lifting PRs
    Box Squatted 340, previous best ever squat was 305. Benched 260…previous best lift was 245 and I bent a bar…what a great week!!

    Happy new year everyone.

  43. Can we clarify the “Hot Chick Overhead” rule? I””ve heard you can””t even consider a chick unless you can press her overhead. So does it have to be a strict press or can I split the legs? Because I””d like to keep Kelly Clarkson in my wheelhouse, but she seems like she””s trying to get 70s Big herself lately.

    Shit man, you want to put restrictions on some guy’s ability to get a date? Shame on you.

    –Justin

  45. Justin, great post today. I think the site will blow up this year. Hopefully you guys get a couple more shirt designs so I can sport ””em. I””d prefer something simple – even my WFAC “atrophy” shirt gets too much damn attention in public. You guys should get a coin phrase, too. Is “eat, lift(or squat), grow” taken?

    My New Year””s Eve sucked balls, so I was happy to finally hit a PR in the gym after the hangover subsided. Squatted (beltless) 410×5,5,5 – a 5rep PR, I think, and a 3×5 PR by 5lbs. Had to mean face it and get pumped up, and then it was actually pretty easy. Gonna start 5/3/1 on Monday, so that should be interesting.

    Have a good weekend fellas. Remember – lifting hot chicks overhead is good. Letting them follow you home, maybe not.

    It depends on how insane she is. Default to being respectful unless you are attacked with edged weapons.

    –Justin

  46. Finally started hitting new PRs in my linear progression, done with the ramp-up. Not strong yet, but getting there.

    BW: 162 (+2, started at 150 on 5 Dec, I need to up my game)
    Back Squat: 265 3×5 (+5lbs)
    Bench Press: 175 3×5 (+10)
    Shoulder Press: 117.5 3×5 (+7.5)

    One of my Airmen ripped his PT shorts on the pull-ups aparatus, but he””s still tiny and just starting his progression so I don””t think that really counts.

    No girlfriend pressing here in Iraq (unless someone sends me one in a care package), just a trio of Airmen pissed off at being sober and snow-less on New Years taking out our rage upon unsuspecting barbells. Eat heavy, lift heavy, and embrace the hate.

    –LT K.

    All right, who is sending LT a blow up doll?

    –Justin

  48. Just moved into a new place so figured I”d get in a CFT since my routine will be a bit sporadic, and it is a great way to end 2009. PRs all around!!

    Body weight ~195 or so.

    Squat 365 (+40)
    Press 185 (+10)
    Dead 430 (+30)
    Total 980 (+80)

    Goal was 1000# but didn”t quite make it. I followed the CFWF program for the last 6.5 weeks, most of my weight gain has been in the past 2 weeks, visiting my parents for Christmas and eatiing out because moving. I wanted to follow this program until my pants started getting too tight, I”m pretty much there…

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