PR Friday: Post your training PR’s and updates to comments. This gives you chance to communicate with like-minded readers, get encouragement or tips, and to be a part of our community. I know there are a lot of lurkers because every time people meet me or message me they say, “I always read, but I never comment. I’ll have to start commenting.” Join in on the fun.
Week In Review: “Women Allowed In Combat Arms“, “Paleo for Lifters“, “Never Miss A Chance to Get Better“, and “Lessons From Lifting“.
The Super Duper Bowl
The NFL championship game is this Sunday and it has turned into big media frenzy. I’ve personally avoided anything about the game since the media hype can produce a huge let down on Super Bowl Sunday. But, more importantly, do you give a shit about this game? I love football, grew up playing and watching it, and I’ll be watching this Sunday, but the celebrity frenzy can be laborious.
What about pro athletes? Do you really give a damn about them? Are they clowns paid to perform for you? Do you care that Raven’s linebacker Ray Lewis possibly murdered or witnessed a murder on the weekend of Super Bowl 34? Does a different set of ethics apply to famous people?
If a white trash chick skipped trial 20 times, violated probation, then made some shit up about not showing up to court and everyone found out she was lying, and then was not sent to jail, how would you feel? Cause that’s the life of Lindsey Lohan.
And more importantly, do you care if Beyonce lip-syncs the national anthem?
Who wins the game?
These are the questions America needs to know!
Dallas Cowboys!
I’ll watch, but I’m secretly hoping the field collapses like it did when Bane destroyed Heinz field so both teams lose. Don’t want the Ravens to win because Ravens, and the Niners would tie the Steelers for all time Super Bowl wins. I don’t want that either.
That said, I look forward to the food.
Squat PR 200#, 3×5
Press PR 120#, 3×5
Weak but growing.
Since the Redskins are out, and Baltimore is the next closest city to DC, I guess I’ll be cheering for the Ravens.
Today:
Squat: 200 kg (~ 441 lbs) x1x5 (PR)
Bench: 128 kg (~ 282 lbs) x3 (PR)
Rack Pull: 190 kg (~ 419 lbs) x8
Dumbbell Row: 52,5 kg (~ 116 lbs) x16
BW: ~ 97,5 kg (~ 215 lbs) (PR)
200 kg squat was a long-term goal for me, now I´m aiming for 210 kg.
Since I don´t know anything about football, I can´t comment on that stuff.
I hate almost anything the media has to say. As I become older and more cantankerous, about all I pay attention to from the media is the weather.
I look forward to watching the game, but my Monday morning will be the same regardless of the outcome.
It’s nice to watch people performing at the top of their talent. The money they received is exorbitant.
Ray Lewis has had a surprisingly clean and outstanding career. I guess this doesn’t make for enough entertainment so they have to add some crap to it like him being a murderer.
Lindsay Lohan should be deported back to Never Never Land.
I could care less if Beyonce lip synced the National Anthem to Axle Rose’s voice. Just sing the thing as it was written without a bunch of extra flair.
I second the field collapsing. I would be much more excited if Bane showed up.
Do you care that Raven’s linebacker Ray Lewis possibly murdered or witnessed a murder on the weekend of Super Bowl 34? Do you care if Beyonce sings the national anthem?
Those are some clown questions, bro! (couldn’t resist). Lewis was not prosecuted. It ends there as far as I’m concerned. An accusation is not the same as guilt and an aquittal/nol pros is not the same as innocense. End of story. Although I did enjoy reading an ENSP the Magazine article back in 2000 or 20001 where Lewis talked about having to do 2000+ pushups a day in his jail cell in order to be tired enough to sleep. As an 8th grader (and now) I thought that was pretty badass.
I’m from the DC-suburbs of Maryland and when the Ravens came back to Baltimore when I was in the 7th grade I wasn’t about to switch teams, so I’m still with the Redskins. But having gone to college in Baltimore as a member of what Sen. Mikulski calls “Team Maryland,” I’ll be pulling for the Ravens. That said, I do not like Ray Lewis’ endless holier-than-thou bullshit. No dude, we do not care how certain you are that your friend in the sky chose you to be so great at football. In his press conference announcing his retirement few weeks back he said that he spoke to god about his career and that god told him it’s time to retire. Really? God told you that? It didn’t have anything to do with the torn triceps? Must be nice to have your decisions validated by the power of an omniscent master of the universe.
It does bother me that Beyonce did not sing the anthem at the Inauguration. I was there. It was not that cold. It was like 35-40 degrees and I know for a fact that there are heaters up on the platform. We give people plently of license to butcher the anthem, especially since it’s an absurdly hard song to sing, considering it’s supposed to be something everyone should sing from time to time. Kelly Clarkson started out a little rough (wife and I were wondering who let the bar hag take the mic during the first verse) but she managed to pull it together and sing her tune with great power by the end. There are thousands of people who would have loved to showcase their singing talent live and in person. If she was too busy practicing for the Super Bowl she could have passed the baton. Now, yo-yo-mah not being able to play cello at the last inauguration when it was 20 degrees at game time is a different story. No one can maintain that kind of finger desterity at that temperature, not to mention the issues with keeping string instruments in tune.
My training is progressing very well and I’ve been keeping to my dietary goals. I weighed in at 186 last night after a strong deadlift session. I think I’m going to pull 500, squat 450 and bench over 300 this year. I should be getting into PR territory next month. Since I’ve gone from typically weighing 195 to 185, I’m leaning towards staying at this weight and competing at 181 this fall. I think I’ve got a chance at taking a medal at a regional meet if I can do it.
When people talk to God, it’s considered prayer. When God talks to people, it’s considered schizophrenia.
Love the effort put into this response.
Turned up the volume while I read this, it sounded like Jimmies being rustled
People are all upset about Ray Lewis, but would not be surprised if Beyonce killed and ate like 1-2 Destiny’s Child members on the way to the top. There used to be like 6 of them.
^ Solid point. nom nom.
First time posting my week.
Squat – 300x5x3 – felt sooo good to pass 300
Press – 140x5x3
deadlift – 405×4
mirin’ that deadlift
No lifting PRs, just focusing on getting strong again. The lifting PRs will be coming soon, like 3 weeks when I’ve worked back up to my previous strength level and start pushing past it. But I have had time management PRs. I’ve gotten to bed at 9:30 every night this past week and have been much better about my studying than in the past. I’m also getting up a little later since my schedule allows it. The extra sleep is awesome.
As far as football goes, I’ve never given a shit. I don’t really follow sports in general, just never got into it. And at least part of that is because a lot of professional athletes are assholes. Same goes for celebrities. Same goes for politicians. Lots of assholes out there who don’t deserve to be paid attention to.
Went for 405×5 last night. Got 400×5 last week on intensity day. WHY MUST YOU TORMENT ME 4 PLATES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeTFbdZ8OtQ&feature=youtu.be
Volume was 355x5x5, light day 275 2×5 and some front squats at like 135/185. Thoughts on that people?
That was ballsy going for the 5th rep.
Thoughts? Get your Front Squat up to ~85% of your Back. Just hands down the best ‘assistance’ for the Squat. You could consider doing only Fronts on your light day – even if you go heavy as hell, the total load is self-regulated by the nature of the lift. I find even going for heavy singles on the Front barely fatigues me physically or neurologically. 2×5 Front as heavy as you possibly can isn’t going to be shit for your body to handle compared to 3×5@355.
85 is a bit high, more of a front->strict highbar ratio, but it’s pretty much arbitrary anyway.
Agreed, that was ballsy as hell going for that last rep. Love it
I’ve been toying with the idea of doing front squats on my light day too actually. A light back squat workout would pretty much be the same weight as a heavy front squat workout for me. I haven’t tried it yet because I was afraid it would fuck with my recovery too much, but maybe I’ll try that now. It’s worked pretty well for you?
Definitely hasn’t hurt. Never noticed CNS fatigue, which I test by grabbing rim on the court at my gym. If the ups are gone, I’m beat up. Sticking to 2×5 just isn’t going to register as heavy for your body if you’re lowbarring. Plus it’s a badass lift and it adds variety to your training.
Well 85% of my 5RM is 355… I’ve never front squatted over 275. I broke my collarbone 2 years ago, and the scar from surgery is tender as shit, so if the bar slightly moves it kills me. I’ve done zerchers up to 305×5, pausing each rep. I think my low bar was at 350 3×5 at the time.
I’ll definitely start front squatting heavier on light days then. That’s nice also since I’m practicing cleans more to transition myself into oly lifting in the future.
Yeah, 85% of a Lowbar is too much for a Front, that’s why I immediately retracted that bullshit. I broke my collarbone ten years ago doing my superman impression skiing, and the bone juts out a bit, and the upper clavicular pec fascia gets caught between the bone and bar and gets bruised to shit and looks like a hickey every time I go heavy (no pain during the lift though). I wish I could tell you a way to avoid having that contact happen, but it’s never a bother during the sets. Super-exaggerated elbows-in/external rotation position is probably the answer. Good luck with the Fronts aka my favorite lift, and nice work with your squats.
Take both of these suggestions with a grain of salt because you are lifting a bit heavier than me…
Your volume is 87% of your intensity, are you sure that you’re fully recovering?
I think you could have had the 5th rep if you descended slightly slower.
Nice squats though! The most I’ve ever done with 4 plates is a double.
In the TM ebook Justin shows the rep ranges that he, AC, Chris and Mike use, and they’re all in the range of 86-90%. Their poundage difference is more like 60-70 instead of 45, but their intensity is also in the 500s.
Yea I was just destroyed by the 5th rep. Holding the bar and keeping myself stable was the problem. I just couldn’t hold form, and once my knees started going in I knew it was over.
Way to go for it. Strong stuff.
I also admire your fortitude in going for that fifth rep. Well done. I found front squats to be helpful in increasing both my back squat and deadlift. I did them on TM light day as others have suggested, and only did two sets of five or three sets of three if I felt super weak for whatever reason. I know that Justin has a different view on this and has responded to this question by pointing out that different sections of muscle are used in the front squat, but then again it all depends on the person, right?
Yeah the same reason the Front is a good assistance-focused lift is the same reason it may be a bad idea to switch it out for some people – it’s just so different in terms of the movement pattern and musculature. This can be good, in that it brings up weaker areas (quads, upper back, abs, posture), or bad, because it grooves a different motor pattern and takes focus away from the main lift. A day of ‘heavy’ Front Squatting is definitely not the same as a light day of Lowbar squatting, even if the weights, sets and reps are identical. But it’s a logical programming decision that I think a lot of people can benefit from.
Good spot on the percentages in the TM Book, for some reason I had it in my head that the discrepancy should always be around 80%, glad you pointed that out causing me to re-read that section.
Maybe try progressing a triple.
I’ve been reminding Ravens fans that Ray Lewis killed someone for years, but now is just feels like it comes off as sour grapes as I’m a Pats fan. So that sucks.
I usually watch the game with varying degrees of interest, but having a 2 month old means I’ll probably won’t get to pay much attention this year. I’m much more excited about the start of the Irish football season and the Iowa-Penn State wrestling meet the night before the superbowl is a much higher viewing priority.
My weak ass PRs this week are a 285 squat for 5 and a 230 bench for 5 at 206 lbs.
Cya.
As a fellow Patriots fan I could care less about Ray Ray, but I would not be disappointed to see Bernard Pollard never play football ever again. Ever.
PR’s:
Pause benched 305 and deadlifted 485. I really want to total 1200 at my first meet coming up, and now I’m pretty confident it will happen.
Question: I currently weigh 201 lbs and eat pretty dang clean most of the dang time. Should I try to get to 198 by Feb 16 or just be confident that I’ll hit the 1200 total?
3 pounds is just a solid shit or two, it seems like hitting 198 in 2 weeks would be pretty easy, especially if you can weigh-in the night before the meet.
Just water cut, you can get 5-6 pounds out of it
Somewhere on here brooks Conway dropped an article on water cutting that wa pretty detailed.
http://70sbig.com/blog/2012/04/cutting-weight-for-a-meet/
Easy way to drop 5lbs minimum. I did this for my first USAPL meet and felt perfectly fine. Just be sure to down your Pedialyte after weighing in.
I’ve had that page bookmarked for a while now. I was just nervous to do it for my first meet. I’ll give it a go and be to pedialyte it up afterward. Thanks guys.
I love football too, so I’m looking forward to the game. I guess I’ll pick the Ravens to win.
School has kind of fucked up my schedule, but I had some time to train today between classes. Deadlift PR: 385 lbs for a single. I want that 405 so damn bad.
I weighed in at 210 lbs this morning and still think I look borderline 90’s small. I don’t get it. I’m gonna eat like an asshole Sunday night (wings, homemade stromboli) and go for it Monday.
Enjoy the weekend everybody!
C&J 215 last night, after failing the jerk on 210. 10lb PR.
Niners laying the points and the over. I could happily go without all the pomp, celebrity and restricted use of trademark phrases. I might strike the throat of the next person who tells me something about being excited for the commercials.
No PR’s, only trained once so far this week after two full weeks off, I’m coming off pseudogout (wtf) which I have no way of proving is from overtraining, but it is. Still not feeling normal, but I can actually hear myself getting fatter so I need to quit being a mope.
Anyone remember Leonard Little (DE of STL Rams)? DUI manslaughter and only got 4 years of probation and 1,000 community service. How’s that work?
I didn’t grow up playing football, but I watch it of course. It’s almost hard not at least have some idea of what’s going on living in the US. Soccer is what I grew up playing and is a sport I enjoy much more. There’s just something incredibly different about soccer and it’s global impact. For instance, the African Cup of Nations is going on right now, which includes national teams from all over Africa. And you have these people who have no way of ever affording to see their national team play live, but they so much pride for their team. There is no sporting event with a greater global impact than the World Cup in my opinion.
Don’t forget Donte Stallworth. Same deal, killed a dude drunk-driving and only got 24 days in jail and community service.
I’m partial to the Champions League myself.
I get 0 feels from international soccer. The club teams play so much better together. What I really like are the lower leagues : smaller stadiums, smaller egos, local teams.
I can definitely understand the likings for smaller teams. Having been to some smaller and less developed countries in Europe it was pretty cool to see the support for the local teams that are probably not recognized outside the country’s league.
As a Ravens fan, you just get used to all the haters and doubters. A lot of people will just never accept a new franchise with a team name that didn’t exist before 1970. So you basically just accept the fact a lot of people are going to be obnoxious about hating you because (quoting JStadt7) “Ravens.”
But this was the game I wanted so badly last year because it’s old-school, physical football — two tough defenses and run-first offenses, aka football before the modern age of “who needs a defense when we can score 40 points/game through the air.” That’s what the Ravens have been about in their whole existence, and it’s cool to see the Niners join the party too.
New heavy day protocol for bench = 10-12 singles at 90% or a little above, with 60-90 seconds rest in between. Seemed like a crazy idea at first, until I tried it — not nearly as hard as I expected, nice amount of volume with heavy weight (for me), and steadily improving week-to-week. My all-time PR is 315, but it hasn’t budged since last Feb, so I tried something new. In three weeks, I’ve gone from using 285->290->295 and going strong. Not too much grinding, just reasonably smooth reps with good technique at a high percentage. Only reason I’m not doing it for DL and squat too is because I do both heavy on the same day, and 10 singles of squatting that heavy would ruin my DLing.
I’ve also found great success in doing heavy singles with shortish rest, followed by some light “pump” sets.
I respect the Ravens, but as a Steeler fan, I must hate them.
Ray Lewis was in a big brawl and a dude got killed. It could happen to anyone who runs with a bunch of crazy ass people, I probably dodged a few bullets myself when I was younger. If anything he should have been charged with failure to report a felony, here in Texas that is a crime. But he has alot of money and in this country you get to do whatever you want if you have enough cash (Lindsay Lohan)…. The guy has a crazy work ethic that should be modeled after and he trains his ass off which makes him the best in the league.
Go Cowboys
PR – 6 hours of sleep…
Ray was in a fight where his friends outnumbered the people that they were fighting. Two people were killed. Several witnesses reported seeing Ray stab someone, and getting blood on his suit which mysteriously disappeared immediately after the altercation. The victims blood was found in Ray’s car, where the other two males indicted did not ride.
That could most certainly not happen to anyone.
I don’t believe anything the media has to say. I don’t get my information from them. If there were several witnesses, why wasn’t Ray Lewis charged? Especially with evidence in his car. Apparently the detectives, DA and the grand jury didn’t think so. But hey, it’s his fault for being at a place to where that could happen.
You don’t need to believe the media- that’s from the released police report. And Ray WAS charged. He was indicted on murder and agg assault. The witnesses recanted their statements. I would too, if I was worried about a murderer being mad at me.
That’s a lame ass argument. Just because he was indicted doesn’t mean shit. Individuals are shuffled in and out of arraignment ALL THE TIME with charges that will not stick. Isn’t that the point of the system? Is someone guilty every time some scared asshole says they did something heinous? Well, fuck amlove21 and everyone else, I saw you stab someone, and you run around with dumbasses, so you must have done it! Maybe the witnesses recanted their statements because they saw someone get stabbed and the only person they recognized was Ray Lewis? Or, maybe, the witnesses were Notre Dame grads and wanted to see Ray Lewis go down!
This always comes back to Ray Lewis doing the killing, have you seen the hood-rats that he was running around with? Or listened to them in interviews? Why is it such a stretch to believe that maybe he did not kill someone? Maybe it was the morons he was with and he actually did “obstruct justice” by giving false information to look out for his “homies”?
IRREGARDLESS of how I feel about Ray Lewis or the Ravens, arguments shouldn’t be made about how celebrities, athletes, politicians, etc. are treated in our society by the justice system. It just so happens that those same assholes are the only ones that have the money to buy the lawyers who have the resources to beat our bullshit system. The ranting shouldn’t be done about their treatment, it should be about why a top tier lawyer from a top o’ the line firm could get just about anyone off for just about anything.
This is the exact same justice system that everyone is all like “WHOA IS THE WORLD” when it comes to racial injustice and mandatory minimums. Where is the consistency?
Everyone wants a black and white answer for everything, an easy scapegoat to cast blame because their might be some unknown.
National Anthem should be done live. DO IT LIVE.
Still chugging along – no big PRs lately, but I’m getting closer to putting 300 overhead soon and just got a Captains of Crush #3 that I intend to certify. I need to put up some pictures of Joe Kinney and Ron Swanson to get inspired.
Got 293 x 1 overhead on an axle yesterday. So close to 300 I can taste it.
Still no real PRs this week. I recently switched from 5’s to triples on Intensity Day, and my weights went up, but I think as a percentage of 1RM I won’t really be hitting PRs on most things until next week.
I did make a big step forward in my squat though. I bought the Coach’s Eye app for my iphone, and in analyzing some video I realized that I was letting the bar get WAY forward of my mid-foot. By focusing on arching the bar hard out of the rack, I found that I am able to keep the bar where it is supposed to be, and I get an inch or two deeper. However, I was just a tad unstable in the bottom with the adjustments. So, it will probably take a week or so to get my bearings.
I saw that app on iTunes, looks interesting. What does it do besides just slowing stuff down?
You can draw lines and make commentary. And you can “scroll” through the video.
Yeah, what yeeheeday9 said. It allows for a very fine level of scrolling through the footage. It was a big help to be able to draw a vertical line up from the mid foot and track the bar through it’s path. Before I did that I wasn’t able to tell that the bar was getting out in front.
Power Clean PR 190lbs. It was gorgeous if I do say so myself.
Back Squat 245lb x 10. Was going to failure. I had 8 in my mind before I started, squeezed out 2 more. I saw Jesus so I stopped.
I asked Justin for permission to put this link in the comments. He never responded so I’m doing it anyway.
My best friend is dying of a rare form of breast cancer at 37 years old. Her only treatment option is not available in Canada. She has to fly to Houston Texas. Here is her story.
http://t.co/bPQuMz3C
Power Cleaned it! Nice!
I’ve seen Jesus during Deadlifts before. Looks like I need to up my Squat effort. :)
Also, sorry about your friend. I lost a friend to Breast Cancer at 24. I wish your friend the best & hope she can kick its ass.
I love me some sports. Hockey is my game but I love football too. I see the Ravens winning, but I’ve picked against SF every round so far and look what happened.
Sure celebrities/athletes get special treatment, but life isn’t fair. It’s not worth my time to get upset about that.
I’m doing an indoor rowing competition on Sunday morning. Since I had already got my conditioning in order for the CF competition a couple weeks ago, I figure it was easy enough to keep that conditioning up for another couple weeks to do this event. 2 km row on the Concept 2. Should be fun, I’ve spent some extra time on the rower this week to prepare. I’m also hopefully buying a power rack this week. I always had trouble finding a way to get some benching done at the CF box, so having a power rack at home will let me do that and probably get an extra squat session in each week.
First time posting
Squat- 285lb
Snatch- 140lb
C&J- 185lb
Let’s go niners!
The celebrity culture in this country is the weirdest thing I think I will ever see.
Real quickly, lets clear something up. Ray Lewis was arrested and indicted on murder and agg assault charges. When he plead out and rolled on his two boys, those charges were dropped, and RayRay was fined by the league and immediately cried about it. Blood found in RayRay’s limousine, police never found the suit Ray was wearing that night (complete with gloves, cause Ray is classy like that). None of this changes the fact that Ray and two associates were involved in a fight that resulted in the deaths of two men. The “he wasn’t convicted, he should be able to move on with his life, you are all just haters…” comments here are ludicrous at best, naive at worst. Like OJ, JonBenet Ramsey’s parents, Casey Anthony- Ray Lewis murdered, or at least helped murder, someone and got away with it. Ray Lewis is a liar, a degenerate, and has been since he played at the U. And don’t even get me started about his incessant referring to god or who the fuck ever he prays to. If I wanted spiritual advice, I most certainly would not seek it ouf from some dancing idiot playing a game for my leisure time enjoyment.
Lindsay Lohan has violated probation, what, 5 times now, over 3 years? She was just arrested AGAIN for the same crime she is on probation for, and has the nerve to say “Le sigh, I am sick. No court for me today!” Pictures of her surfaced on her court day- smoking, laughing, shopping in SoHo.
The national anthem is really hard to sing. Maybe we stop letting every asshole pop star take a shot at it? And what’s the goal here, that the anthem sounds great, or someone sings it live? I care about Beyonce lip synching about as much as what’s going to happen this year on American Idol. That’s to say, none.
Here is my bottom line- celebrities only exist because we say they do. I don’t want to hear their views on religion, world affairs, US politics- nothing. Shut up and dance, I’ll watch your show. But beyond that? Sorry. They should still be treated justly, exactly like the rest of the population.
As for the big game, I am PUMPED. I do think the ravens take it, so I am betting the money line (no points, Ravens straight up) and the over. I love Vegas, and gambling.
Maybe if I win a ton of money, I can go out with my boys and murder someone. I’ll be sure to get off the hook.
The prosecution didn’t have enough to say Ray Lewis stabbed anyone. Rather than losing the case, they gave him a plea deal to misdemeanor charges so that he would testify as a witness on the murder.
Just to clear the clearing up of things
Thanks for clearing up the clearup. Things are clear now.
Ha
Jerk out of the Rack 90kg
Squat 3 x 105kg
Deadlift 2 x 162.5kg
Aware the Squat is pretty low, but I’m squatting twice a week now which should help. Feels good to post after much lurking.
I don’t really care if Beyonce lip-synced the national anthem at the inauguration. I hope Alicia Keys actually does sing the national anthem at the game, and crushes the over/under for the betting types.
Lifting after work, gonna bang out some squat bench deadlift triples to get my body used to handling heavier weights. Meet 2/23 just 3 weeks away
3 PRs
Squat 340×3
Bench 210×3 (paused 1st rep)
Deadlift 360×3
When I went to rack the bar after my bench (with no help from my spotter I might add) I mega failed and got the right side but missed the pin on the left. Then my spotter helped out and got the bar back up on the rack. Lesson learned, thankfully not the hard way: always use the collars. Had I not been using them, the weight on the left would have slid off, then boom, bar flip, spotter knocked out, etc. Thanks clips!
I guess I’ll root for the 49ers because 1) someday someone will tell Ray Lewis that dance he does looks foolish; 2) when he does it I think manslaughter; 3) Kaepernicklienson’s story of being adopted and predicting his future as a kid is appealing. Really I just don’t like Ray Lewis.
Halftime has sucked for years, IMO. Commercials are usually over-hyped.
Really, if it’s not college football, I don’t care.
Roll Tide.
The Alabama is strong with this one … Gene Stallings called, he said you squat too high.
Squat: 5×5 @ 258.5#
DL: 3×3 @ 374#
Bench: 4×5 @ 225.5#
Press:5×5 @ 148.5#
Still on LP. Nothing more to report.
No real PR’s but hit 315 squat for a smooth 5, which is something I haven’t done for a while. In the next month or so I should be smashing my bench, squat, and deadlift PR’s based on how my program is planned.
In terms of the questions on athletes and celebrities, it’s actually something I struggle with. I think it’s okay to recognize someone for their athletic achievements as long as we completely separate those accomplishments from their value as a person. More often than not, this means ignoring the popular dialog / media storyline constructed around our athletic “heroes”. Is Tom Brady a great quarterback? Yes. Is he a great human being? No, not necessarily. I don’t know enough to know, so I’m not going to pretend that I do.
First time poster.
Just started GreySkull LP on Monday, and hit a big rep PR today – Squat 240×12.
I honestly have no horse in the race Sunday.
The best we can hope for regarding Lindsay Lohan is her overdosing on something before she procreates. She is a colossal waste of organic material and lessens the value of the human race every time she breaths.
If Beyonce agreed to sing something, she should sing it. I don’t claim a squat PR if I hit it on a Smith Machine. Assuming I was the kind of asshole to use a Smith Machine. That shit don’t jive. All that being said, I couldn’t give less of a fuck if she got throat cancer and was never able to sing again.
I don’t really care who wins the SB. I will be going to a party to drink dark beer and eat copius amounts of meat though.
I finally hit 200 on OHP this week for three singles and I’m weight 220 while still fitting in my 32 jeans. Both of these are PR’s for me. Squat has been stagnant because of low back/hip flexor issues. I’m hoping to progress this next week though.
PRs- DL, 405×4, Pullups 35lbx3x5.
Hit some pretty decent conditioning PRs this week. Did 50 sandbag burpees (45lb bag) in 4 mins 57. Completed the infamous ’13 down kettlebell burpee ladder’ last week in under 10 mins, so I’m hoping to smoke that tomorrow.
I know nothing at all about football. Anyone else doing greyskull conditioning (or any consistent conditioning for that matter)? Would be cool to get a 70sbig conditioning leaderboard going, or at least some sort of discussion/comparison similar to that present in this comment section.
First time posting after reading for a long time.
Front Squat 3×5 @ 315
Press 3×5 @ 135 (this is coming back after a few shoulder dislocations)
Going for Back Squat 2×3 @ 405 and Bench 3×1 @ 315 tomorrow. Both would be PRs.
Don’t care who wins.
Who is Lindsay Lohan?
Beyonce lip singing… at my next weightlifting comp I will snatch what looks like 100kg. I will then proceed to inform everyone that it was really 45 kilos, but that I am perfectly capable of snatching 100kg and I work harder than anyone in the gym. Like seriously, blow me.
Graduated from UNR and watched him in college so I’m rooting for Colin to do good. If the 49ers win thats fine with me.
I hate hollywood and I concider athletes to be in the same category as the hollywood celebrities. Its the publics fault though, we let them get away with stuff by putting them on a pedestal.
No PR’s lately.
Greetings all. First time poster from Norway here, just want to chime in on PR Friday. I got some bad news today and felt like shit when I got home from work. I just went to bed, and when I got up an hour later I thought “fuck this shit, I’m gonna go press”.
So I went to my 24 hour open gym and started warming up for pressing. I should’ve had some small plates for microloading my work sets, but there weren’t any so I loaded the bar with a 20kg (45lbs) plate on either side. I know this is in no way a massive weight, but it’s a milestone weight for me and a goal of mine since I started lifting. I pressed 4 reps for the first two sets, and on the last set I went for five. I pressed the first four and just fucking rageshouted the fifth one up and held it overhead while continuing to fucking rageshout. God, that felt good. I packed my bag and walked out feeling awesome.
And while I’m at it, thanks for the inspiring and informative posts on this site. I’ll sneak in a comment every now and then, now that my 70sbig cherry has been popped. And with that mental image I bid you all adieu.
First time posting but I’ve been following for a while.
I was just reading through some of the old articles posted on skinny guys and their need to gain muscular body weight and become real men.
Approximately one year ago I was a skinny guy. At 5’6″ 150 lbs. I always worked out but never seriously lifted hard.
One year later I am a full grown adult male. I ate and lifted my way up to 200 lbs. (Does that make me extra man for being 5’6″ and 200?) I put on a lot of solid muscle with fairly minimal fat gain. Definitely outgrew quite a few pairs of pants. My girlfriend told me that one pair of pants had become so tight that they were inappropriate for work. And guess what? All my lifts skyrocketed! Shocking I know. You need to eat. Make yourself uncomfortable. When I realized I had gained a little fat, I cleaned up my diet, reduced the quantity just a bit, and added two days of hard conditioning in to my workout. Now I’m lean again and abs are visible. I dedicated myself to gaining weight and strength for 12 solid months. It took 3 weeks to lose that fat gain that came with it(went from 200->195). Prioritize you’re fucking goals/training and get to work. And enjoy it. I loved all the eating. I’ve missed it for the past month. Don’t act like eating more is so difficult and cram some more food in your face. Your precious abs will come back in 3 weeks of clean eating and you’ll thank yourself later.
Justin, thanks for all the great content and influence.
Welcome, sir – I loled hard at your GF saying your pants were inappropriate for work…my wife said the same.exact.thing about mine the other day as she pointed at the not-so-subtle outline of my ‘mushroom helmet’.Cya.
It’s good to see another manlet here (I’m 5’5″, but only a laughable 175lbs atm) Keep up the fine fight, mang!
Gains of the gods. 50 pounds in one year is ridiculously good. Having visible abs at 5ft6, 200lbs is unbelievable. I praise your Odin genetics/celltech cycle.
Meh.
SQ: 325×5
DL: 360×5
OHP: 190×1
Television in general: I could take it or leave it… Pro sports of any kind: Wish I cared. The best thing about the Stupor Bowl is the mass quantities I will consume during it.
Doing a much-needed deload this week, but PR’d my Intensity Day squats last Friday @ 370# 5RM …AND my DL @ 405# 3RM – It’s been ages since I’ve had a double PR!!
I usually train foreveralone.jpg at a shitty Gold’s and it was only the second time I’ve trained with my dad in his basement since I got him into strength training about 6 months ago (he’s 53). I guess it was the camaraderie and getting each other psyched up, because we both set multiple PR’s that night.
The old man really started taking it seriously after I bought him a copy of Starting Strength and he’s already up to a 5RM squat of 300# – He is the same height as me (a 5’5″ manlet) and frought with a couple injuries of old. It’s truly inspiring to me and I hope he continues to make progress – This is the most we’ve connected in my entire life…and I guess you could say that that’s a PR, too.
Deer Antler Velvet Spray FTMFW!!
I have a question related to all of the really confusing discourse surrounding “trigger points”, scar tissue, myofascial release, etc etc. What the hell is the difference between “trigger points” and scar tissue (which you refer to breaking up through aggressive massage, etc? Are trigger points even real? I’ve been playing with various approaches to self massage to fix some mobility issues and I’m just curious about the reality and effectiveness of some of the difference approaches and schools of thought.
oh and PR this week, Squatted 255×5.
Bench: 210×6 – 1 Rep PR
Press: 165×6 – 1 Rep PR
370×7 – PR. Most weight ever was 375×4. I’d say this is better.
Bench: 300x5x2, 10×1 – PR by two reps. Though I squatted 325×6 last week, I’d say this is my best squat at this point.
Form on squat and deadlift is 100% better, thank to some cues from Stadtfeldt.
Mailed in my entry form of the MO State USAPL meet on March 23rd in St. Louis, and ordered my singlet.
Damnit, that second listing of “Bench” is supposed to say “squat”
My registration is in, and singlet ordered as well. See you there!
No MMA fans here? Huge UFC card tomorrow night, with my boy Frankie Edgar taking a shot (ten pounds lighter) at a true phenom, Jose Aldo, for yet another title belt.
Overeem stops gobbling down roids for a little bit to fucking destroy Bigfoot on his way to destroying Cain Velasquez.
Other great stuff too. Awesome card.
No PRs, but bench and sumo deadlift will be in PR territory the next couple cycles.
Signed up ages ago, finally posting some training stuff.
Heavy singles:
Snatch 87.5 (PR)
CJ 122.5 (PR)
My two cents about Ray Lewis: He was involved, one way or another, in a murder, and he did what he had to do to get away with it. This is fact, as far as someone who wasn’t at the scene/involved in the investigation/inside the court room can tell. Ray was a bad guy with bad friends and he put himself in a bad situation.
However… Ray is also a guy that has taken his second chance and ran with it. He does a tonne for good causes. He spends his free time doing charity work. After home games he drives out to the projects by himself and counsels the young kids loitering on the streets. He mentors literally 100+ young NFL players to help them avoid the mistakes he and others have made. He ensures the Ravens only draft men of character, and enforces manners and good behaviour in the locker room.
Sure, his God talk grates on me, but that’s because I’m not a religious guy. And yes, I may well feel differently if it was my brother that was murdered. But Ray is a guy doing his best to right whatever wrongs he has done, and you can’t ask anymore than that.
For the record I want Baltimore to win, but only because they beat the Pats.
I care about the game, but I’ll be working. So, that sucks.
PR’s
Squat: 375x1x5
Deadlift: 450×3
So, I’ve squatted 12 sessions since 1/17, and at least done a couple of deadlifts at 135 at every one of those sessions. I’ve been getting weekly OMT by a virtuoso at school, and combined with high frequency lifting at low intensity and 15 minute mobility sessions before bed… I feel freaking great. Seriously, the best I’ve felt in memory.
Last week 295×5 with belt. This week 250×8 beltless squat was awesome (see below).
DL- 375×1, 325×5 still light.
Bench: 155×10, 190×3
I watched an hour or two of the Kelly Starrett online seminar, and dude, it was crazy sweet. Getting to hear him talk about more stuff in a single cohesive segment made all of the snippets I had caught on mobilitywod make a lot more sense. Also, the cue he had of screwing your feet out into the ground, and the mechanics differences he explained from it made a huge difference in my squat. I’ve always had flat feet, and assumed since they quit hurting after I started lifting that they were fine. That single foot grip cue fixes my knee cave and for the first time I can finally understand all of the posts that Justin has written about balancing the musculature used in the lift.
It was an awesome breakthrough. No knee cave and foot collapse = no chest falling forward. I’m really excited to see how this carries over in the next couple of weeks.
Highlights of the week included volume PRs on squats at 3(sets)x5(reps) at 325 pounds and bench at 3×5 at 235. Today, I got a new 3RM on dead lift at 405, which I felt pretty good about considering I have been incorporating more conditioning into my work and lifting less volume in order to get in shape for the spring rugby season. BW holding steady at 204.
Oh, and the 49ers. My goal this week has been to watch not a single minute of ESPN in order to preserve my sanity.
First Squat PR since September: 420×3
My problem with football is the ridiculous amount of DUI’s and no punishment. Hell, the NFL has a FREE cab service set up for players who can’t drive. Few of them still do it.
Cowboys fans especially should be ashamed of their players and organization, they’ve had 8 of these in the last 3 years. Including the death of that practice squad linebacker. And although it’s coming from a Giants fan, if the NYG organization was as lenient towards drunk driving I would definitely discontinue to associate myself with the team. Plaxico Burress was enough for me, and they got rid of him and never talked to him again.
So yeah, when someone introduces themselves as a Cowboys fan I immediately think “Oh, so you condone drunk driving.” Bring on the hate.
PR Friday: Squat 285x5x3 and Deadlift 305×5. Turned my previous 1 RM deadlift of 300 into this. So I’m pretty pleased. Albeit that deadlift PR was 1.5 months ago and I’m a novice.
Lawrence Taylor????
Before my time, so I wouldn’t know. Either way it’s not a problem right now.
I do read and need to start commenting more when PR Friday comes around. After saying that no PRs this week, but my technique and speed in the Olympic lifts are getting so much better than where I used to be. Its nice to know I’m snatching 83kg (2kg away from my PR) with ease and speed. Also been working on correcting my movement patterns when it comes to squatting, hip hinging, planking, etc. Just had a shitty foundation since I started lifting in high school for sports, but never gotten it really corrected until one of my lifting coahces begin watching me and helping fix my issues so I can get better and really tap into my potential. I’ve also been the past couple of weeks been working on my metabolic conditioning.So hoping this year to make some big improvements and some big PRs.
I’m rooting for the 49ers because Jim was Captain Comeback when he played for the Colts (I am a Colts fan).
The Colts are Baltimore’s old team. Y’know, the team named after Maryland’s horse racing traditions. Are you referring to the Indianapolis professional football organization?
On to my third linear progression. Bought some micro plates to add 2.5 lbs a workout to my presses/cleans. I guess a pr would be splitting my second pair of work pants in the 4 months since I started lifting. First was a 34 and today was a 36. I also set a pr in compliments on my ass (even if it was only from my wife), guess it means I have one now. Things I’ve learned since lifting are that fish oil is amazing, but psyllium husk fiber is a freaking wonder drug. I used to think I had IBS and always had bad intestinal cramping. Ever since I started taking atleast one serving a day, I haven’t had ANY intestinal issues at all. It’s seriously improved the quality of my life by a lot.
Okay, now I’m not as much of a lurker as before.
PRs for this week!
500 Meter Row 1:35
230# Front Squat
190# Squat Clean
Don’t care for watching football but I’ll go to the Superbowl party for the bountiful finger foods.
Holy crap! Nice work on all of it!
Curious how tall you are? Your row is awesome.
Thanks Angdesj.
I’m 5’9″ 145#
The sad part on the row was i matched my last PR attempt & it hurt just as bad. haha! Got it down to 1:31 for awhile but it crept up on me on those last 200 meters.
I’ve done 500m row 1:41.8 and I was sure my quads were bleeding. Haven’t attempted it again because it’s THE worst feeling ever.
I’m 5’5″ 155#. I use more back then legs in the row, my legs are short (hence me asking your height) and look like I don’t even squat;-) I’m basically built like a pigeon.
Well done. And thanks for the well wishes for my friend. She is going to beat this. I believe it. I know it.
So true. My height is a blessing and curse. Def helps on the row, not so much on Toes to Bar, burpees, lifts…etc. I had a Oly Lifting coach say to me the second I walked in the door the first day, “You’re too tall to be an Olympic lifter”. *dreams shattered* Oh well, i’m not going to Rio 2016 sir. haha. We all gotta work with what we’re given right!? :)