Add weight each workout, that is the program. Do it as written. Don't worry about the ratio, it is not important.

I would never hold back lifts because some other lift was lagging and I didn't want to screw up some sort of ratio.

I will make a concerted effort to add weight each time. It's alot more difficult with BP and press because those are alot more trained up and the lowest amount of weight I can add is 5 lb (2.5 on each side) and that's a pretty substaintial jump given the weights I'm using. I'm using some of the tricks I've read about like adding additional collars and stuff for mini jumps.

Just order the washers in the FAQs, 2 of them weigh 1.25 lbs so get 4 and you can do 2.5 lb increases.

this is fantastic and needs much more love

Up to 150 for my squat worksets and 180 for my deadlifts.

I can definitely sense/tell my deadlift form breaking down somewhat on the last couple of reps though.

Eventually I'll post some videos of my lifts for analysis. I'm like not self conscious at all in the gym but getting some random dude or convincing my girlfriend to take videos of me in the gym might be extremely embarassing. Sunday nights are probably a good bet, the place is almost empty.

Established current 1 rep max for both my press and benchpress, both higher than I thought they'd be, particularly the press.

BP = 175
Press = 120

Need to do it for my squats and deadlifts, based on the worksets I'm doing for both the estimates are:

DL = 210
Squat = 175

omg your collarbone in the before pics is scaring me

nice work btw!

Weight is up to 180.8 lb, topping 180 was nice.

My work sets are currently

DL - 205
Squat - 175
BP - 155
Press - 100

Is it ok to slightly pause between DL reps? After each rep I am taking maybe 2 or so seconds to gear up for the next one. Doing them in rapid succession makes me want to pass out. I'm ultra light headed after doing them even with the pause.

2 seconds is fine.

2 secs is cool to reset and stuff. Rip says 'don't let go of the bar or it's not a set' (and that would take more than 2 secs obv).

Isn't 2 seconds actually kind of quick? I think I might be doing 5 singles and not a set if that isn't the case.

Established a 1 rep max for all my lifts over the last week or two.

The chart goes: Left - My Max : Novice Level Max for 181 lb : % of that novice level

Deadlift - 240 : 274 : 0.8759
Squat - 210 : 220 : 0.9545
Bench Press - 175 : 164 : 1.067
Press - 125 : 110 : 1.1363

So my BP and press are decently above novice levels while my squat and DL are slightly behind (but catching up). This makes sense considering I trained BP and Press with dumbells at home for many months before doing squats and DL's properly.

My BP and Press are stalled pretty much, at least as far as I can tell, anytime I try to up my worksets I can't do it, hadn't really been swating it too much, mostly focused on squats and DL's getting them caught up.

DL'ing 240 lb was interesting. The first few seconds of the pull I was convinced I wasn't getting that thing of the ground, once it began moving I got it up steadily (eyes bulging out of my head something wicked).

updates?

Good job bro... you inspired me to start working out.

No major updates really, just sort of creeping along, added a little weight here and there to my lifts when I can.

My worksets are

DL 220
Sqaut 190
BP 160
Press 105

Haven't tested out my 1 rep maxes in awhile, but since my work sets have all gone up I'm assuming they have as well.

Weight is pretty much unchanged though (178 to 181) depending on the usual factors.

I really need to take it up a notch in my eating, 3K calories a day has been doing it just fine but I've been consistenly hitting that and haven't really been gaining, or gaining microscopically. Need to shoot for 3.5K to 4K every day now.

I'll hopefully have another set of pictures at the end of the summer, looking more cut and tan hopefully.

I never posted my original inspiration but it came from two seperate incidents a month or two apart.

The first was in late fall of '08, I was at a football game and we were late and sitting way up high so we had to run a long way and then up a ton of steps in the stadium. Well after we got there I was light headed and naseauted for about an hour. I was like "Wow, I'm 28 years old and can't run a short distance and up some stairs without it totally F'ing me up for hours, this is bad." People can lie to themselves about how bad of shape they are in, particularly skinny people.

The next was about two months later, I had bought a big nice flat screen high def TV for the living room and sold my old big tube TV on craig's list for like $50. The guy came to pick it up with his truck and I attempted to help him load it up. The TV weighed probably 150 lb and while he could pick up his end with ease, I couldn't even get an inch or two off the ground. We basically had to drag it outside on a box and then I had to go get a neighbor to help him lift it into the back of the truck, which of course they did with absolutely no problem at all. You wanna talk about feeling like a little bitch. Neither of them even looked that in shape, just like normal guys.

So I was all like, ok this is absolutely pathetic, not only do I look terrible and have to resort to pathetic things like asking neighbors to help me move stuff (like some 80 year old lady) but I'm also in horrible shape and very unhealthy, I'm gonna do something about this.

It really is a matter of will power and priorities and sticking with it. This has been my #1 priority since when I started and still basically is. My goal isn't to be a body builder or powerlifter or anything like that, but to have a super strong body that is both functions awesome and looks awesome too. Given that I naturally have low body fat anyway, I def. can achieve a very cut, muscular look, something along the lines of how an MMA figher looks.

Been awhile since an update.

I got up to about 182 lb and decided I wanted to cut some, this maybe about maybe 4 or 5 months ago. I was at about 17% BF I just felt slow and had never cut before so was basically curious about it and I had less definition than I wanted. This probably wasn't the ideal time, as I wasn't that big or high BF% yet, but whatever.

So after about maybe 2 months I got down to about 174 and maybe 14-15% BF, retained most of my strength too (some lifts went down maybe 5 lb).

Anyway I've been lifting hard and bulking hard since then, I'm up to about 184-185 lb and maybe 15% BF, so I'm at all time high for weight, lean mass, and strength.

My lifts are also a hell of alot stronger than they were a few months ago.

My worksets are

DL 245
Squat 245
BP 180
Press 125

I need to establish some 1 rep maxs again too. As you can see my DL kinda sucks, I have some grip issues with it, the last 2 reps really feel like I'm gonna drop it.

Most awesome bro'tastic compliment received so far:

Cute girl upon seeing me shirtless: "Wow! You must work out like crazy. You look like one of the guys from 300."
Me: "Well, ya know, I work out some." (while trying to act cool and not grin like an idiot).

Anyway here are some new pics of me actin' a fool.

184.8 lb ~15% BF





Compared to the horror of just a year and a half ago....

Dude, you are awesome.

Sick.

This thread is phenomenal seriously everyone just starting out needs to read this

Great work!

Nice job!

awesome updates - congrats for your commitment OP - that is quite an accomplishment.

also think adding in the pics brings a whole lot to the table (plus I thought to myself 5'11" and 120 pounds - no way (until I saw the pics))

What's your current programming?

Brent Musburger is like 2p2's version of Captain America. Super lifts, ftw.

Nice work