In reply to Farmer1906

Farmer1906 said:

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Just hit a quick "heavy" DL workout on lunch.

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Just doubled 635 twice, come catch me.

In reply to Beau Holder I only hit like 430x2 yesterday. Guess I better do it again today.

In reply to CC09LawAg

CC09LawAg said:

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The suitcase deadlifts were no joke. I thought it'd be easy and just divide what I would normally do with my 5x5 by half. Definitely a totally different stimulus and I really think it's going to make me have to pay more attention to my form.

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Is this not just a trap bar deadlift?

Nothing against it (even though I'm a Starting Strength guy and they HATE it). I'd actually never even heard of it, but I searched it up and it just looked like a trap bar set up.

In reply to Ezra Brooks No, the suitcase means you are only lifting the weight on one side at a time. So I do five reps with the bar on my right, then switch sides and do 5 reps with the bar on my left. So it's forcing you to stabilize your trunk more. And I think it helps identify/correct muscle imbalances. I am pretty certain I push off my left side more than my right side on most of my lower body lifts.

In reply to Farmer1906

Farmer1906 said:

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I only hit like 430x2 yesterday. Guess I better do it again today.

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450x1

470 off the ground but didn't lock it out.

Probably should wait a few days before I go again.

In reply to Farmer1906 That's what we like to hear.

Mine today came on a scheduled deload where I blew right through the stop sign, so I say go for it immediately. What could go wrong?

In reply to Beau Holder Ight. Tomorrow after coaching softball. 500 or die.

In reply to Farmer1906 Don't let Beau be a bad influence

In reply to 10andBOUNCE Define bad

In reply to Beau Holder I ended up going bat & clear shopping and spending way too much money. But baby is going to look the part at her next game.

I ordered 5/3/1 Forever, should be here this week - anyone have any favorite templates from the book that they've used in the past?

I liked the BBB 3 month challenge, and I think vanilla FSL is fine while I'm cutting. But I want to make sure that I am making the most of every month, especially when I'm gaining weight.

In reply to Beau Holder

Beau Holder said:

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Be careful saying "heavy deadlifts," it bat signals me.

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LOL!

It seems so.

In reply to SteveA

SteveA said:

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I'm doing deadlifts every other pull day. That's just how this ppl routine is programmed. I'll finish this iteration up in another two weeks and give some other split a try.

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Hey Steve, so I'm in a similar boat, though less total volume than you. I'm only doing about 4 hours biking/week generally (though a bit worse to start this year because of travel) but in summer months when MTB trails open up I'll push that to 6-7. My experience has been once you hit 6-8 hours of cardio a week, best you can hope for is to manage a slow decline on lifting. Something has to give.

What're your goals? Does strength augment cycling or does cycling keep you fit while you get huge?

In reply to NoHo Hank Sometimes I think I compete in cycling because it's what I have done for the last 20 years. Ideally, id like to put on some muscle and be faster on the bike
I just won the marathon state championship and am kinda burned out on cycling, so wanted to emphasize lifting for a while. But I was peer pressured in to signing up for the Ouachita Challenge, so I've been adding miles back in to the plan.
I'm also 46 and realize that 12-15 hours of working out in some form or fashion probably isnt sustainable, but I'll probably do it until I can't

In reply to CC09LawAg Man, reading this book and I am definitely realizing I am only scratching the surface of how to program my lifting using 5/3/1.

I definitely need to check my ego and lower my training max. It's a very informative book though, I am glad I bought it.

Yall ever need a reset, try something different workout? That was me today.

Tire flips
Split squats into jumps
Med ball slams

The heart was beating and blood was flowing.

In reply to CC09LawAg I should have bought it a long time ago. Need to add it to my list. Any big takeaways so far?

In reply to Farmer1906 Powerlifting is made up of like 75% rest after short sets, so this would be quite a shock to my system (would definitely benefit from a change in pace and/or tempo).

In reply to CC09LawAg I just finished my first month of 5/3/1, with BBB and dumbbell assistance work at the end. At first I didn't the weights were heavy enough, but I welcomed the deload week. Now I'm on vacation the next week so I'll do more cardio and bodyweight stuff, and get back on it when I get back.

In reply to 10andBOUNCE Big takeaways are that I need to lower my training max. I've been hesitant to lower it, but reading some of the programs there's no way I could finish them without lowering it, and probably doing 85% instead of 90% to start. I've known I'm probably 20-30 pounds high on some lifts, but just wanted to keep pushing because I hate the idea of lowering the weight. But I'm going to try it and see how I respond.

He also got rid of the original deload week and now has a "7th week protocol" where you can run 6 weeks and then do that.

It also tells you the best programs to run first in your blocks (leaders) and the programs to pair them with to follow up (anchors).

Lots of different programs that are better run with a 3 day split as well, which I'm looking forward to trying in the months where my schedule is a little more hectic.

In reply to sanitariex I really enjoyed boring but big. I want to try boring but strong next - it's a 10x5 instead of a 5x10.

I definitely think my bench and OHP will respond better to that. I may stick with BBB for squats though - I loved that grind.

In reply to Farmer1906 That's what I've been doing while trying to lose weight - sticking to my main work but added sled work, body weight exercises, farmer walks, lunges, step ups, etc.

Been a nice change of pace and I've noticed a lot of improvement in just 3 weeks with my work capacity.

I have learned my lesson about adding on too much weight - trying to drop it all has been so boring this past month. I feel totally weak and my energy level is absolute garbage. The joy of getting to stuff my face for months isn't worth the trade off of feeling like I'm stuck in my progress while I shed the pounds.

Definitely going to try to play with my diet to figure out what I need to get into a tiny surplus and try to gain slowly so the next time I need to lose, it's only 5 to 10 pounds.

Live and learn!

In reply to CC09LawAg I would think shoving your face with 1/2 gallon of milk a day would probably do that! haha.

In reply to CC09LawAg Someone needs some clenbuterol

In reply to sanitariex Going to cut it back to a quart and add in some hard cardio a couple days a week once I get back to my original starting weight. And I won't have to deal with all the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas stuff for a while.

Try to keep my weight gain to about .5 lb/week or less.

In reply to Sea Speed The longer I do this, the more I recognize that the physiques you see in internet land that look unbelievable for guys in their 40s + are probably exactly that, unbelievable.

I know there are some people that have the time/genetics/discipline to achieve it naturally, but it's definitely not as prevalent as it seems.

In reply to CC09LawAg

CC09LawAg said:

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The longer I do this, the more I recognize that the physiques you see in internet land that look unbelievable for guys in their 40s + are probably exactly that, unbelievable.

I know there are some people that have the time/genetics/discipline to achieve it naturally, but it's definitely not as prevalent as it seems.

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If it was your job to look good and all you did was eat well, lift, take drugs, and get really good lighting then you would probably get close even in your 40s, but it is 10000% unrealistic for a normal person who's lifestyle doesn't revolve around them looking fit.

In reply to Farmer1906 That is what I was thinking about the other day. I think, realistically, if I could commit an extra 5 hours a week to conditioning, get more consistent 8 hours nights of sleep, and devote a few more hours a week to locking in my diet, then MAYBE.

But I told myself when I started all of this that once it started to bleed over into my "real life" and impacting my family's schedule to the point where they were having to accommodate me, that I had taken it too far.

To me, that is the appeal of making strength my focus - it seems like there's a little more margin for error there than in trying to get shredded/cut and have a bodybuilder physique.

Maybe this is silly to say, but I think training for size is more sustainable than training for strength as you get older. Yes, lots of programs incorporate both, but if you freestyled your programming you can shift it way more to hypertrophy and see some pretty good results even well into your 40s. Without drugs. This is basically what I do at the age of 43

Besides, preserving muscle as you age is about the best single thing you can do for the purposes of longevity (other than shedding excess body fat)

Fellas, old age will hit you like a ton of bricks. Being big and strong is okay, but it is better to be functional and be able to do work. Going heavy and hard will catch up to you. Just something to think about as you progress in your 40's. You got some time left if you are in your early 40's, but not much.

I'll go back to yelling at clouds...

In reply to Hoosegow I am 37 now. 40 is when I have my internal clock set to determine if I want to keep pushing for higher weights or change my routine. So I still have a few years of dreaming of a 600+ pound squat and deadlift.

Really want a 1500 total. But before that it was 1000...and before that just a three plate deadlift and squat and two plate bench...and before that I just wanted to not be a lazy fatass anymore...

In reply to Hoosegow

Hoosegow said:

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Fellas, old age will hit you like a ton of bricks. Being big and strong is okay, but it is better to be functional and be able to do work. Going heavy and hard will catch up to you. Just something to think about as you progress in your 40's. You got some time left if you are in your early 40's, but not much.

I'll go back to yelling at clouds...

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I know I have never been in your stratosphere but I am really leaning towards fitness over strength now that I hit 40 and feel like a bag of smashed *******s every morning. I don't know if I want to kill myself to get back to where I was a few years ago.