Thanks, that helps a lot.

I think holding the bar out like that is a remnant of doing reverse-grip for so long, where it (maybe) makes more sense to start the bar slightly in front of the shoulders.



On a separate topic, and I'm posting here instead of LC because I doubt she reads my thread, I really think it was a mistake to bring back M L Y L T's log. I was talking to my psych friend about it and he seemed to think there was no way to help her via 2P2. She just posted a day where she knocked out 2k cal for lunch clearly as a way to get negative attention. It might actually be solid therapy for her if she were to get no replies for days when she posts stuff like that. But of course that'd require the cooperation of 50 or so people who might reply, trolling or not, to that post. Not realistic. Better to just lock the thread. Or perhaps ban everyone other than mods from posting in the thread? Then she gets to have her log and monte or aidan can chime in with posts of substance when she has a legitimate question.

I tend to do that when ive set up too far back on the bench.

I definitely set up farther back on the bench than most, and more than starting strength says to do, but I find it is necessary to be able to self-unrack without losing tightness. I occasionally pay the price and hit the j-hooks but usually this results in better sets for me when I get it just right.

Basically the reason I don't read her or N 1 H's thread.

I unssubbed her thread after, as expected, the most basic lining up the starting position advice was ignored again. I hope she figures it out one day but I have no hope that she will.

Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Training

Bench Press (kg): 69x1 @8.5, 61.5x5 @7, 65x5 [rep PR] @9.5, 61.5x4f

Strict Press (kg): 36.5x4, 39x4 @9.5, 39x4 @10, 39x4 @10

Chin-up (69kg): 0kg x5, 4.5kg x5, 8.5kg x4f, 3.5kg x5

Circuit:
Low Row 30kg x 12, 12, 9
Push-up x 12, 12, 12
DB Upright Row 10s x 12, 12, 12
(done in 6:20)

***

Not as good as I was aiming for, but not the worst day. I went in still pretty sore, especially in the upper back. Bench went reasonably well. I call the 65 set a rep PR as opposed to just being a PR, as I benched 64x7 with underhand grip at a lower body weight, but it's the most I did for 5 reps. 69kg is just one kilo shy of the most I ever benched. Back off set was just poor setup and grooving. Its the first bench failure I've had since I started training consistently again, and wasted a ton of energy.

I'm getting there, but the overhead press continues to remind me how far my upper body strength is from where it once was. The target of 39 was a bit high but I got stubborn and didn't want to take the 10 plates off. I hit the numbers I wanted, just not at the RPE that I wanted them to be. Oh well. Given my advanced adiposity, I think chins should be stronger than ever at this point.

I trashed myself so much on presses that I had nothing left for the circuit. Oh well.

General life update:

This would normally be the back-to-back day in my program with squats being tomorrow, but I'm finally leaving this dump of a town and tomorrow will be spent in a moving van. My life has been the peak of suck for the past several months, with going to the gym and cramming my face being the only enjoyable activities. I've probably been making such great gains lately just because of channeling my hate for this place into the bar.

I'll pick it up with squat day after tomorrow, in my old familiar gym. It has two power racks so I can actually safely fail a squat now, not to mention pin variations being on the table as options. They allow chalk and have thinner bars so I may go back to mixed grip for deadlifts. Not sure. Also, no more squatting in front of a mirror. I'm really looking to smoke 122.5x1 and 112.5x5 (no more OCD-offending weights like 116.5!) and keep the squat hype train going.

Weight is still slowly going up. Morning weigh-ins are between 66 and 67. Once I get settled back in the capital city, and once my squat and deadlift stop making unbridled gains, I'll consider formally reining in the calories. Always keeping in mind that I'm not dirty bulking at all, just not caring too much what I eat. I have no doubt that if I posted nudes today 90% of you would say to cut, but I've determined to get a little stronger first.

That has to be the quickest poker boom ever.

Not necessarily over yet. Sihanoukville has a harsh low season because the conditions are borderline inhospitable to human life. It will bounce back in a couple of months, and if the development comes along, might be bigger than Macau in time.

I'm never coming back here though.

Thursday, October 4, 2018 Training

Squat (kg): 122.5x1 [PR] @8?, 105x5, 112.5x5 [PR] @8?, 107.5x5 @8

Pause Deadlift (kg): 65x4, 85x1f, 65x4, 75x4, 85x4, 95x4, 95x5

Dumbbell Row (lb): 55s x10 x4

***

Weird day. I couldn't be happier with how the squat went: the single was crisp and deeper than Renton Depth, and I had a decent amount in the tank on the top set. The 107.5 set got sloppy so I cut it there. Power rack is an upgrade, but walk outs are dicier since the uprights are easy to ding during the unrack.

During deadlift warmups, I decided to try the mixed grip for 85 just for funzies, and felt a sharp pain at the base of my spine on the second rep. I hobbled over to a chair, collected my wits for a minute or two and did some rack pulls at knee height, then some plate back raises, then it was feeling a bit better. I ramped up to a bit less than my target weight for deadlifts (97.5 was the plan). They felt pretty ****ty but no pain. Couple hours later the area just feels stiff. Gonna walk it off and hope it doesn't affect anything too much going forward. So much for mixed grip!

30 minutes walk, then some broomstick squats

Part of my snap city protocol. Walking feels great, sitting and lying down feel awful. Getting up after lying on my back for >30 minutes results in barely being able to walk for a minute or two until my back loosens up.

Squats feel fine. Maybe some slight tenderness in the area at the bottom. I'm pulling for this being one of those injuries that only affects me in daily life but not in my lifts. Should be the case for the deadlift considering I was able to ramp back up to fairly heavy weight within minutes of the tweak. Pause squats tomorrow will be the real test.

I'm not sure I get this. I can understand why that would be a reason not to post, but it shouldn't be a reason not to read it. The thread exists either way. So the decision on whether to read it really should just rest on whether you find it entertaining or not.

Reading is temptation to post. I was innocently reading the thread yesterday, my spine was hurting, and before I knew it I was feeding the beast.


Saturday, September 28, 2018 Training

Press (kg): 43.5x1 @7, 38.5x5, 41x6 @8.5, 40x5x2 @10

Pause Squat (kg): 40x4, 60x4, 75x4, 90x4, 95x4, 100x4 [PR], 100x4

***

I only had an hour for this one, so I had to skip the CGBP at the end. Probably not the worst thing because I kind of trashed my arms racking the bar too low for squats. I fixed that for the 100 sets, which made them a lot easier. 100 is the most I ever paused with, and it was for 2 reps about the time I hurt my back in January. Reps in the tank as usual with these sets so a lot of room to go up.

Finally some possible press gains. Pressing in flats felt better and I narrowed the grip as well. Might be some fake gains here with the bar weighing slightly less than 20kg, but I'll take them.

Back felt great. Everything is great.

I know it is hard to imagine on 2p2, but some people dont enjoy schadenfreude. I think n1h is making improvements though, and not in the same category as mlylt.

Renton, You’re right about your beast advice. I’ll try to abstain.

Legs are looking big agree you had plenty more based on bar speed, keep crushing!

Squats look fantastic! OHP looks really solid as well.

Yup. Pretty reasonable chance N1H looks at some of the stuff he's saying/doing in that thread in 2-5 years time and is embarrassed by it, while being in a better place in his life. And he does improve.


It's a thankless thing. Kind of like being a vegan because you care about the animals. Even if everyone abstains, she'll just find other outlets on 2p2 to feed her demon. Therapy and meds are the only hope for her, I think.

So many things about that thread offend me. There's nothing wrong with making mistakes, or even with poorly applying the advice you get and continuing to make mistakes. None of us here is doing it exactly right or even 80% right. But I feel like the theme of this forum is that we have the power to change our habits and our bodies, and everything in her thread is about how she's got no such power. I'm just impulsive, and that's that. I just need to not be at restaurants or at staff dinners or at my family bbq or at a casino, or my impulses will take over.



Thanks bros! Small scare this week with the low back thing. Back to full speed ahead now.

Very nice. Glad you were only passing through snap city.

yes, this. And actually, it's less the OPs I have a problem with and more the active participants in those threads egging on destructive behavior for the lulz. This was more true in N1H's thread for a while.

That's fine. But not liking schadenfreude is not the same as not wanting to "feed the beast", which is the reason you seemed to be agreeing with earlier. Posting is what feeds the beast, not reading.

BGPs explanation for not reading is completely reasonable and basically what I alluded to in my post. If you don't find it entertaining, then that's a reason not to read it.

Sunday, October 7, 2018 Training

Deadlift (kg): 127.5x1 [PR] @8.5, 110x5, 117.5x6 [PR] @8.5, 110x5

Pause Bench Press (kg): 56x4, 60x4 x4 @7

Barbell Row (kg): 62.5x5 x5

***

I had to do a back-to-back day because the gym is closing for 3 days tomorrow. Low back felt fine but I tweaked something thoracic on the 127.5. Just a dull ache that made me feel like I needed someone to crack my back. It didn't really affect the working sets. My conventional is approaching former sumo numbers now, which is kind of exciting. Maybe if I pulled sumo for a while I'd be over 140 for reps.

Bench press was super light. The last set I did extra long pauses to make it a bit harder. I bitched out on DB lunges again. So hard to do those once I'm drenched in sweat and ready to gtfo.

I have a confession to make that may jeopardize the validity of this week's PRs. I hopped on some PEDs in the form of hitting Krispy Kreme preworkout. I can feel the donut glaze forming a strong but flexible sheath around my L5 vertebra with minutes of donut consumption. I know I can't afford those calories but I try to spare no expense when it comes to spinal health.

Nice pr, whether you were on the kreme or not

Didn't know PP had a krispy kreme, it's less of the wild wild west than I had imagined.

Thanks, yeah we got one like 8 months ago.


Forgot to mention I cycled about 50 minutes interspersed throughout the day. Now that I'm back in PP there will be more cycling. Should be good for the TDEE and lower back.

real good DLs.