i used to press more like you. i'd take a huge breath, let my rib cage, expand, and basically "cheat" the very bottom ROM out of the lift. see here: http://youtu.be/rHeg3IaWQQE

then i started using a more dynamic start. if you try to keep the bar away from your body and use a dynamic start, it will drop to your collarbones anyway, so you might as well just let it settle and make contact. http://youtu.be/5GN5xTZqTCA

i imagine some people, based on arm dimensions, would be very foolish to press without the bar in contact with the body. if it takes any sort of effort to keep the bar up there, it's wasting energy.

fml that's a sexy press

i agree that if you can naturally rest it anywhere, do it, but i can't without putting myself at a disadvantage. The way I press I start in a mechanically better position than I would if I rested it on my shoulders or clavicles. Call it cheating if you wish.

Since switching to this style of press, it's improved substantially.

Miles - what exactly is the cheating part in that first video you posted? I don't see it, looks just like you press it up normally, but I have a very unperceptive eye.

On second thought, I'm really confused by this whole conversation.

the ROM is shorter because the bar starts a bit higher.

My new shades:



RB3183 004/82 (Gunmetal frame, Polarize Gray Mirror Silver Gradient)

I thought I was the only one who thought Hershey's sucks. I usually keep it to myself.

I don't think Ameritards care about % in chocolate, only when I buy Euro chocolate does it have %

I've found that I almost exclusively like the lower % stuff

Meet results(probably go more in depth with pics tomorrow in my log)
Better day for me than expected going in, but nowhere near where I should have been. Super excited with how well Kayle did. She ended up weighing in at 76.1 kg, so just missed her 75 kg expected class. Still should be state records since there aren't any in that weight/age class.
6/9
Squat: 190 kg, 200 kg, 207.5 kg-fail
Bench: 115 kg, 125 kg, 130 kg-fail
DL: 190 kg, 200 kg, 212.5 kg-fail

Daughter (14yo)
8/9
Squat: 55 kg, 60 kg, 65 kg
Bench: 30 kg, 35 kg, 40 kg-fail
DL: 75 kg, 80 kg, 85 kg

It's nut low chocolate, but it's still chocolate. If someone offers it, I'll still take some, but I don't think I've ever bought it myself.

wtf is this usa =/= #1 talk... hersheys is fine

giradelli is overrated, imo

I made giradelli brownies from a box recently and they were damn good though

People using 'inbox' as a verb on facebook irritates me. Thatisall.

Hershey's is pure aids.

Well done man! What sort of PR's did you post?

Awesome effort by your daughter as well. I really hope my son naturally gets into lifting as he grows up. Certainly dont want to be one of those parents with the insanity & insistence, but if he signs up of his own free will it will be excellent.

I weigh less than your daughter and my bench is at least 5 kilos higher

Suck it, father of the year

Only set a meet PR in bench. The failed lifts would have been PRs.

Spenda: I wouldn't be proud of the fact that you weigh less than a 14 yo girl.

got hemorrhoids for first time ever, they were pretty terrible (painful to sit down) for about three days and I stopped lifting, but they appear to have gone away nearly completely this morning. I am afraid to lift again so soon, maybe they come out to visit again? Should I wait a week?

.....


Standard.


This means you're a chocolate noob according to the pros. I like really dark chocolate (70%) as well, but would agree that lower % is generally better. Especially for mass consumption.


Solid work by both, looking forward to the log

LOL@ "really dark" being around 70%

86% at least for me, brah

90% if I decide to live on the edge

I bought 96% once, it was total crap. give me a snickers and Im happy

lol, I guess...I think anything above 80% tastes pretty crappy. Just too bitter and dry (or something). I tell myself it's because I'm a super taster, and we super tasters don't like bitter things.

Even usa#1tards can't in good conscience defend Hershey's chocolate. However, some of their non-chocolate stuff is not bad.

For eg: Cookies n Creme


Since I eat a bar of chocolate everyday (relax brah, it's PWO), I've tasted pretty much all of the standard Lindt, Ghiradelli, Godiva offerings i.e. those available at chain pharmacies and supermarkets.

Some current recommendations:

If you want to go darker, but find 85%+ pure too bitter, try the Ghiradelli Intense Dark Toffee Interlude (darkish chocolate, crunchy toffee and caramelized almonds) or the Lindt truffles/bar with 60% cacao.

If you like more of the milk chocolate stuff, the Lindt double-milk is pretty good, as are the lower cacao Lindor truffles (milk, dark, stracciatella).

For real dark, the Lindt 85% and 90% are standard, and the Ghiradelli 86% is nice as well.

Remember, Chad Waterbury recommends dark chocolate for fat loss (ANTIOXIDANTS), strength gains (NEUROTRANSMITTERS), sex drive (PHENYLALANINE), and probably even reduced motor accidents. Plus it fits milesdyson's food-color-goodness rule.

ETA:I should contribute this to the Optimal Alertness thread.

+1 to Lindt, they also make some good marzipan products covered in dark chocolate. Vosges, is another brand that is pretty easy to find. In addition to standard dark and light chocolates, they have flavored ones, including two with bacon in it.

Have your dark chocolate with a glass of milk. Rather than chewing it, let it melt in your mouth. Dark chocolate also goes good with bourbon.