recent squat


view from side


view from behind


apologies, the camera angles aren't great. i'll try and get better next time.

please berate, i don't feel super great about this form especially the hip drive. when i try to accentuate the hip drive i get into a bad habit of leaning too far forward on the way back up, so mentally i'm just thinking of shoving my knees out and getting deep and trying to push my hips as best i can. somehow when i watch it on video tho it doesn't look like i'm using enough hip drive.

also maybe my knees are too stiff at address?

i may have to look into getting some more coaching to fix some stuff, so anything obvious that you see which i may be missing please let me know.

posting DL shortly.

DL video



primary thing i want to comment on is the goofy way i loop, stand up, and reset in between reps. the reason i do this is because when i try to DL the correct way, i screw up my breathing and often set the bar too far away from me which ruins the next rep.

i am working on ways to fix this, but my primary focus is just making sure my back angle is in the right place once i've addressed the bar, and making sure that the bar is in the right place. one day i will be pro and be able to set the bar and lift it back up promptly while breathing normally.

doesn't help that sometimes i have to use the racks which use the non-circular weights instead of the circular weights.

http://www.soheeleefitness.com/exerc...the-hip-hinge/

Do these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Kt...utu.be&t=7m26s

Timestamped.
Cliffs; Mostly you can't build muscle and lose weight. You can absolutely gain strength though. The exceptions are if you're very overweight and very undertrained.
So keep expectations realistic. You might gain a little muscle but it's not going to be significant on a calorie restricted diet. From the sounds of it you are trying to lose fat first and foremost. Which is fine if that's what you want. But keep in mind 24% bf looks better on a 170lb frame than a 150lb one.

Diet; Pick your Calorie target. Remove anything FPS--no X carbs this and that. Set protein to 1g/bw. Don't worry about fat/carbs ratio, but prob try to keep fats lower if you're deciding to diet.

Posting/log; agree with others who've said post more detailed training logs and form videos so other's can comment on what mistakes you might be making.

Training; keep it a simple linear progression for now imo. I would recommend something like:
Day1:
B 4x5
SQ 4x5
Chins 4x?

Day 3:
OHP 4x5
DL 3x5
Rows 4x5

Days 5:
B 4x5
SQ 4x5
Chins 4x?

Option to add some general cardio on Day 2 or 4. Option to add AMRAP sets on 1 of the days. Add weight from session to session if it's too light. Add weight from week to week if progress is slowing down. You can make small adjustments like adding a couple drop sets on 1 of the days, or increasing number of sets total.


Edit:
Form; I don't see any major issues in those SQ and DL videos at these weights. On the SQ I'd slow the decent down a little and really focusing on bracing as hard as possible. But those were flying and there's lots of room there for gainz

Don't listen to anything in that TC post other than the diet advice.

I'm not sure what you're hoping to accomplish by further cutting. Even at 24% bf, you don't appear fat in the vid's, but it's hard to tell unless you post the nudes. As posted before, we're built very similar, except I'm a #LocoCertified 18ish% 155-160 pounder. N1H (with some props to EV/etc giving him some guidance) showed the world the blueprint, grind grind grind. It isn't rocket science. Work your ass off for 3 years straight, don't worry about diet right now, pound the protein and win.

The big item that I would stress is time/repetition. In the words of the great CT Fletcher, this **** ain't easy. I've done nothing different over the past 3 years other than train train train (granted the majority as a cardio bunny). My weight is nearly identical but my body composition has changed drastically.

Just my .02

let me expand on this just a little bit. the goal is to not be skinnyfat, the question has been how to get there, namely the calorie target and the lifting volume.

i was apprehensive about going the eat big + lift big route because in the short term i would just feel like more of a fatass.

having done a few months on a deficit (and a couple weeks on maintenance) i feel less skinnyfat and more comfortable with the idea of operating on a bulk if that's what's called for.

but when you say set a calorie target, i don't know what the optimal calorie target is gonna be. that just takes it back to the original of what my plan should be. my resting metabolic is at around 1700 right now.

it seems like a good way to get there is to just go the loco route of 20 pullups, 225 bench press, 275 front squat, 350 deadlift. getting there requires eating at some kind of surplus i assume, and it requires a certain training program. i am open to critique/ideas on both of these counts. hopefully it's in a direction where there is a consensus.

yep i am getting into this camp more now that i feel less fatty. i want to grind grind grind. i am still very very early in the process. gonna take a while.

loco is not advising you get there at the expense of bodycomp. He is saying if you reach those goals, you will likely have the body comp you want.

The reasons for cutting then bulking are twofold: 1) You don't look like a fat slob forever. 2) You gain a higher ratio of LBM to FM. A good heuristic for this is "can I see my abs".

Have you even read the FAQ?

Sup Monte.

Clayton


OK good stuff. You're still young enough where you aren't dealing with age related issues. You're still a beginner lifter. 6 months three years ago and couple months lately doesn't put you beyond beginner. Which is great.

You're not going to be able to reach two goals simultaneously. You have to prioritize one. If you're skinny fat. You will never be able to be 10-12% body fat with athletic frame without first fixing the primary problem of being skinny/low muscularity/not strong. that's assuming that we agree on the general definition of an athletic frame.


bench: 135/152
squat: 175/197
deadlift: 190/214
press: 82.5/93

Those /'s are estimated 1RM's. Not sure how valid that ever really is but either way you are at a good start point, although not weak obv lots of room for improvement.

Unless you want to pursue weightlifting (OLY) which I would always first recommend so long as you are willing to pursue hardcore, I would consider the following:

Use any beginner, linear progression program that includes the following exercises.

DL, Squat (front and back), Cleans, Chins, BB Rows, Bench.

DL if had to choose only one exercise DL is it.

I am a big advocate of front squatting and if forced to choose FS>>>>>>>BS. I thinking doing both with equal intensity is optimal.

Cleans, for any healthy lifter, are a must yet no one does them.

Chins pronated, supinated, weighted (strength based reps) and non-weighted 8-12reps for sets are great.

Lift heavy for 12 months. Nothing else. If you are training hard you will not need nor benefit from accessories.

Program in some Cardio for cardio vascular health. Don't do this to look good, not going to happen... and don't do so much cardio that you adversely affect your training or recovery.

Eat at least at maintenance. If you train hard, you will find you need to eat more to keep making progress and this will not and should not mean you get fatter and fatter. If for any reason you see yourself getting fat as ****, cut your calories for a while.

Eat food that gives you the macros you need within your caloric total.

Make sure you get a lot of sleep.

That's it. Simple as ****.

Resist the endless advocacy to change your program, add exercises, do other exercises instead of the basic compound lifts above, think you are a special snowflake etc. etc.

Obviously you are going to get confused with everybody spilling their opinions on your log. So why not just let someone qualified guide you to the physique you want?

Thremp is out because he doesn't even upperbody, which is ridiculous. EV is out because kid was on superdrol when he first got here and then we learned he just clicks button. Number1 has a solid physique at 158-160 but he believes in voodoo like megabulking. BPA is fat powerlifter.

So that leaves fakeb and montecore. Which physique do you like? Why don't you PM them and follow whatever they tell you? Ignore everybody else unless you get consensus. I promise you in 12-18 months you will be a happy man.

i understand, but it's a measure of deciding the optimal diet path to get to those goals. time is a pretty important factor, and there doesn't appear to be a consensus in this thread. I don't want to speak for anybody, but as I see it, colin advocates a bulk, loco says just eat a lot of meat and lift, and you say grind a small calorie deficit and keep gaining muscle mass (?).

same w/ lifting program, no real consensus. just give me a consensus. TC posts a long lift routine and you say to ignore everything he says cept the diet. this just goes back to my previous point about 50% of people thinking i'm doing it right and the other 50% thinking i'm ******ed.

let's all just presume i am the dumbest person here, whose knowledge do i follow if everyone disagrees with everyone?

seems like i just gotta grind the EV thread some more

thaaaank you sensei #praiseloco

Heh, what was incorrect? Training is pretty standard LP, without junk/trash volume. Adjustments are ways to further volume if needed. Did you disagree with Dr Feigenbaum on losing/gaining weight/fat/strength?

I would never recommend a big time bulk. I ate close to maintenance (keep in mind this # goes up), my target was and is a surplus of 200/300. I would progress some, stall, up food a little more. I did it slow and made sure I knew what my body's requirements were. I actually stalled fairly early on ~SS (it's all pretty similar to the routine I posted), upped cals 200 and it took off again. Rinse and repeat. Fwiw my cals have gone from like ~2500-~3300.

I don't think you look bad in those videos. But I don't really know what to recommend for your calories. I mean at some point you're going to have to be on a surplus and at some point you're going to have to be on a deficit to achieve your end goal. I'd say a 200 cal deficit is the worst approach imo, I'd look up Greg Nuckols formula for maximum cut and do that or I'd be close to maintenance/small 200 cal surplus and see how it goes.

It's a grind and there's bumps a long the way, just keep at it is the most important thing.

last observation i will make here this afternoon, would like commentary

thoughts on just switching to a crossfit-esque program if the goal is to just pound volume and eat meat for a year?

if we assume that i find the correct crossfit with the right teachers, then i'd have the correct people guiding me and i lower my chance of doing something dumb.

there is a local crossfit everyone i know goes to but they complain of injury issues. another crossfit-esque program bills itself as a crossfit light where there's less injuries so i may try that out one of these days and see what's up

Was going to post "do cross fit" instead of long waste of time post.

i appreciate your long post. i did get coaching on powercleans with the same guy, I think I got into a habit of doing them at like ~100 lbs when I was doing SS right before my hip went busto. i am still not used to the feeling of catching the weight in my shoulder blades right below my neck (feel like i'm gonna smack myself in the neck) which is also why i'm crap at the front squat.

as it stands right now i think i'm gonna get a fitbit and aim to eat at a 200 calorie surplus while continuing GSLP (cardio on my off days, 45 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the rowing machine) and simultaneously looking into a crossfit kinda thing. will prob look into some coaching too to clean up any form stuff as i get heavier.

and if there's demand i'll start a new log.

thx all for comments, plz add or berate as u see fit.

Clayton,

You seem incredibly lazy and unwilling (or unable) to really learn anything on your own. Ultimately unless you put blind faith in some bro who turns out to be a great internet teacher, you're ****ed. Granted I think both Monte and FakeB would do just as good of a job as I would. (Better technique coaching on main lifts, derpier on other aspects.) Ultimately spending twenty minutes to understand how to log a workout, or a diet, or really anything at all would be the biggest benefit that you possibly could garner.

You never answered the questions about the FAQ btw. Have you ever read any diet or workout logs on this forum?

TC,

It was just a random made up program. They are innately stupid. I don't listen to random jackass podcasts. You even equivocate on the conclusion you were attempting to post immediately after. Also, saying "You disagree with X" is one of the dumbest lines of argumentation. Make your own case. No one gives a **** about what some podcast says.

I have found from experience that when I actively try to figure stuff out on my own as it relates to health and fitness, I tend to develop bad habits.

I am more comfortable having someone who really knows their stuff show me the way and then I grind it out. I don't see this as a negative; things take time and with enough experience hopefully I'll get my own feel for certain things and not need people to tell me what to do.

You illustrate a very good point in the trouble of finding someone who knows their stuff. A lot of people could be charlatans, either in this thread or people who run their own gyms. Finding the right resource can be difficult. That's why I have encouraged that a lot of people offer their own opinions and I can take all of it in and see which one makes the most sense. I'm not going to bat 100%, but with enough opinions I can at least come to a consensus that gives me a path where I'm likely doing the right thing.

Yes, I've read the FAQ.

The program I wrote was an example and the things I've come to prefer over both GSP and SS. But it's close to both. I've done both.

Random Jackass? Calling those 2 people random jackass shows how into the strength lifting world you are tbh. Equivocate? How? I said the cliffs were you mostly can't with the exceptions of X&Y people, so Clayton might gain a little but not much.

Make my own case by reading and posting scientific studies? That's why I listen to and trust Jordan Feignebaum. He's a Dr, a SS coach, a backs his opinions up by scientific studies.

k

Not bad at all loco.

making some minor adjustments to my accessory work and increasing volume a little

Day A:
Bench 5/5/amrap
Squat 5/5/amrap
Incline Bench 8/8/8
Cable Bicep Curl 12/12/12
Face Pulls 15/15/15
Cable Tricep Pulldown 15/15/15
Cable Seated Row 12/12/12
Fly machine 8/8/8

Day B:
OHP 5/5/AMRAP
DL AMRAP
Lat Pulldown 8/8/8
Seated Leg Curl 8/8/8
DB Lateral Raise 8/8/8
DB Shoulder Press (or shoulder press machine) 8/8/8
BB Upright Row 8/8/8
Reverse Fly 8/8/8
DB Shrugs 10/10/10
Calves work

I may experiment with my 8/8/8 stuff where I go up a rep each day and when I'm able to get to 12 reps then I up the weight.

This may border on overdoing it, critiques appreciated.

Notes: no row or pendlay row because I don't trust myself to avoid getting hurt doing it at the moment, and my gym doesn't have a great pull-up bar setup that I'm comfortable using. this is a crap excuse but really I am just not a fan of using the pull up bars that they install between the tricep pulldown machines because I don't have the coordination to jump that high or not bust my ass, lol. roasting encouraged, ldo.

How much time per workout do you have to devote to training? I'm assuming the plan is to train 3x/week? How much time do you generally take to warm up to your work sets on the compound lifts? How much rest time between work sets?

But yes, it's severe fps. And if you're alternating workouts and you're only squatting three times every two weeks, I can tell you, from experience, that that's not enough.

time per workout: as much as i need tbh, generally shoot for 1-2 hours. i'm a slowpoke. i'm not pressured by time from other commitments either. this is the #1 thing.

training frequency: 3x per week, cardio on off days which right now is 10 minutes on the row machine and 45 minutes on the elliptical

time to warmup up to work sets on compound lifts: usually 5-10 minutes, generally do 5 reps with the bar, then 3 sets with lighter weight spaced between the bar and the work set. so for squat i may do bar 5 times, then 15 lb plates 4 times, 30 lbs 3 times, 45 lbs twice, then work set.

rest time between work sets: for squat usually ~4 minutes, bench 3 minutes, press 2 minutes

which accessory stuff would you get rid of when adding squat to everyday? suggestions on where else to trim re: accessory?