Did you always had that much available dorsiflexion or...? That's pretty crazy.
I'm pretty sure I did. When I used to squat parallel and/or with a wider stance and toes pointed out more, i didnt dorsiflex as much. Thats because mechanically it wasnt necessary. but i COULD have had the same dorsiflexion had i went atg and narrow.
my dorsiflexion isnt limited by my calf flexibility at all. its limited by.... my foot? analogy: how much can you flex your elbow? why cant you go any further, is it because the tricep is tight? no, its because your bicep is in the way.
same thing with my ankles. i cant dorsiflex more than i already do unless i change the structure of my feet and ankles.
ATG Squat 135 x 8 135 x 8 135 x 5 185 x 5 185 x 3 225 x 3 275 x 2 315 x 1 345 x 1 375 x 1 405 x 20sec unrack 455 x 20sec unrack 405 x 1 PR
Bench Press 45 x 15 >> 2min rests. 95 x 8 >> Was too dead after squatting. Don't care much that I dopped; it's expected. 135 x 5 155 x 3 195 x 2 235 x 1 200 x 10 200 x 6 200 x 5
So let me explain. I get to the gym and I'm in a pretty good mood. Then I start squatting, and the weights feel pretty light. Reps are explosive. I think to myself, "today might be the day." The 345 was harder than expected. I said whatever, I'll push through. The 375 was pretty tough. I was doubting myself, but then I realized with music and getting hyped up, I can definitely get 405lbs.
I listened to music and got EXTREMELY hyped up. In fact, I had an adrenaline rush. After unracking the bar, I stood for like 15 seconds straight (the vid doesn't show it all). My legs were shaking from the adrenaline. Pretty crazy. I felt a little unstable. I knew that I had the strength to lift 405, however, I didn't feel stable enough to do it. I was about to back out. I didn't want to get injured.
Then, as I'm standing there, the bar literally starts to feel lighter on my back, mid set. That has never happened to me before in my life! It was pretty damn cool to ACTUALLY FEEL the effects of adrenaline AS it's happening! So the weight feels light and then I get my confidence to squat even though my legs feel very shaky.
Personally I felt like I could have gotten an inch lower and really mash my hams to my calves like I usually do, but whatever. It' still ATG. I also feel like I could have hit 425lbs to be honest. I'll take the 405 though.
Last workout I squatted 360x3. So knowing that, my max is 405. That's a 45lb difference. I'll use my 3RM to gauge my max from now on. eg, 385x3 will give me a 435lb max. Actually a little more than that, but I like to take conservative figures for maxes. Not that it matters anyway; I'm not competing. I don't have to TEST my max. I just need to GET STRONGER so i can jump higher. But it's just cool to know my max.
true that but its usually 12-16 hr shifts, 100 degree temps so quickly ill probably lose some weight but my body will hopefully adjust, but ill only do it until i get to the academy
oh damn. gonna be tough to will yourself through the workouts and have an apetite to eat.
Made it to the hiring pool for Nucor which is a steel mill near me. With it my gainz might drop when they decide to hire me but even with the lowest paying job there at 10 an hr, with the weekly profit shares on a bad week turns into about 20 an hr. It'll be good to have until I get to the academy but my weight definitely drop
your body will adjust to the increased work load. your gains will drop only temporarily...
...provided you eat enough! if you dont lose weight theres no reason to keep losing strength.
^^ I dont get a pump from them. And if they caused my ab veins to come out, I would have noticed by now, especially from direct ab exercises! My bicep veins were coming out a lot too. Has something to do with hydration and blood vessel dilation... and low bodyfat too.
Here's me at 190:
That was on November 10th, 2013. My old log actually. Not this one.
Lower ab veins to me just mean a pump i think. I get them at the end of the day of lifting or towards the end of a 24hr long fast; even when obese. Not sure it means anything. Btw wonder what you look at 192?
Didn't do abs today, no ab pump! I have a pic of me at 192 earlier in this thread, around page... 10 i think? No idea. I'll find it later.
Deadlift 155 x 5 >> Rests went by feel. 155 x 5 >> Surprised I got 385x4. 205 x 3 >> WHY DO I FEEL IT SO MUCH MORE IN MY QUADS THAN MY P-CHAIN?! 245 x 3 >> Added back up sets this time. 295 x 2 335 x 1 385 x 1 405 x 1 385 x 4 355 x 3 335 x 5
Pull ups BW x 5 >> 2min rests, then 60sec rests for BW pullups, 3min rest for final set +25lbs x 3 >> Forgot to rest 3min for final set, did 60sec by accident. +50lbs x 2 +75lbs x 1 +55lbs x 6 +55lbs x 5 +55lbs x 4 PR BW x 8 BW x 5 BW x 8
Gym closed on me. I thought I was there an hour earlier than I really was. I could use the de-load anyway.
What's pissing me off is that I'm not down to a consistent 192lbs or so. Wtf man.
I did have lower ab veins today though... not sure how.
Yeah... it's just... I think a lot of it is in your body structure... femur lengths and all that. I just hate to do mobility work, I just don't "believe" in it. I'm like "yeah yeah... I'm stretching this for 5-10 minutes so what? maybe I'll see a 1% increase in mobility in like 5 years of doing this".
da heck?! the s is nowhere near the n... how did i write gluten instead of glutes?!
mobility work is boring as hell... if its stretching. foam rolling my IT bands and glutes takes just 2 minutes though and its not as boring as stretching! i dont think ive stretched in months...
I don't understand how can you squat with that narrow stance. My femurs would hit my hips like crazy plus I'd run out of the dorsiflexion after the first 1/4 squat portion.
I used to squat with a wider stance and my feet pointed out 45 degrees. I NEVER understood how people used a narrow stance, and the most awkward thing of all: toes pointed forwards. That shit was so uncomfortable to me.
However, over the years, as I got stronger and stronger, I somehow gravitated towards a narrow stance. I never even noticed the transition happening. Just happened on its own. Same thing with the toes starting to point forward, but I think that foam rolling my IT bands and gluten facilitated that transition.
Btw, it really helps to force the knees out a lot. Makes the stance feel wider.
ATG Squat 135 x 8 >> 2min rests. 135 x 8 >> Damn that 365x3 was tough. 135 x 5 185 x 5 185 x 3 225 x 3 275 x 1 315 x 1 365 x 3 PR 315 x 8 PR 315 x 2 315 x 2
Hack Squat Machine Calf Raises +90lbs x 5 >> 60sec rests. +180lbs x 5 >> How the hell did I drop so much here??? +270lbs x 3 +320lbs x 1 +270lbs x 15 +270lbs x 11 +270lbs x 11 +270lbs x 10 +270lbs x 10
Bench Press 45 x 15 >> 2min rests. 95 x 8 >> Was not feeling it. 135 x 5 155 x 3 195 x 1 235 x 1 200 x 10 200 x 10 200 x 3
Incline DB Press 65's x 8 >> 60sec rests. 65's x 4
Pull ups BW x 5 >> 60sec rests, except 3min rest for final set. +25lbs x 3 +50lbs x 2 +75lbs x 1 BW x 10 BW x 10 BW x 6 BW x 4 BW x 4 BW x 6
I think I'm due for a de-load. Maybe next week I'll just shave off one set on the big lifts like squats, benches, etc. Cut volume by 30-50%. I need to get more protein in, and MORE SLEEP. That's the problem.
Didn't do lateral raises or abs. I'll just add them in next time.
Woke up with horrible wrist pain today. Left one. Its killing me! It's a little better now. Hopefully it doesnt stop me from benching later today. I think I slept with my hand in a weird position maybe.
Also, god damn my hip flexors are veryyyy uncomfortable. After those 315x10 squats, for the first time in my life i felt hip flexor pain after squatting. Always wondered how it happens to people and now I have it.
Did some research. It's caused by overactive hamstrings. When you squat and your hammies take over the glutes, it shifts your femur bone (i think thats the one) slightly out of alignment and makes it grind up against the hip socket. So the discomfort is actually in the hip socket cartilage itself, but since the hip flexor crosses over it, it feels like its in the hip flexors.
What everybody else does: stretch hip flexors. What the actual solution is: foam roll hammies, activate glutes.
Edit: on second thought, stretching the hip flexors can help activate the glutes. antagonist inhibition.