Adarq.org

Consistency on what used to be short random peaks is a big achievement!!!

@rapror : Yes, you are right, the higher depth is better. Inspecting the videos, the higher rom ones are much more explosive and stable. The others are slower, it is actually a strength exercise, they are not half squats, they are cheating full squats.

@ian459: Yes they are. The depth varies on what you want to get out of them. For example, adarqui that used them as his main strength exercise went lower, like in my first pic. But you are doing full squats for strength and halfs as a vert-oriented power exercise ( which is the best combo imho ) so do them higher, somewhere around the 2nd pic depth. Here, found a video of Lance coaching them, he discusses the depth too ( 3'' below SVJ depth ):
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoD5ditPmJo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoD5ditPmJo</a>

14 December 2013

Bodyweight@session : ~91,5kg
Soreness : none.
Injuries/aches : none.

5/3/1 beginner template
Wave 3 :: Week 2 :: Day 3

BENCH ( 5/3/1 ):
3@52,5kg
3@60kg
8@67,5kg
-I had to do 9 reps to beat last week's 9@65kg PR since 8@67,5 gives slightly lower 1RM. Couldn't, 8th rep was too hard.
Still good though. Also being 0,5 kg lighter than last week gives a silly all time predicted 1RM/BW 

HIGH BAR FULL SQUAT ( Light day ):
5@55kg
5@65kg
5@75kg
-Easy, 55 are actually REA squats, 65 and 75 speed squats.

HALF SQUATS:
3@90kg ( +5 kg )
3@100kg ( +5 kg )
3@110kg ( +5 kg )
-Tried to go a bit higher but not too high. Mechanics still off. Stronger although heavier loads though.

CHINUPS:
10@BW+5kg ( +1 rep ) ,  predicted 1RM
8@BW+5kg ( +1 rep )
6@BW+5kg
-10@BW+5kg is the most ive ever done but i was 3kg lighter back then.
-24 total reps ties the most I've done @BW+5kg and i was also 3kg lighter back then, so double 

LANCE CALVE RAISES ( DL concentric, slow SL eccentric ):
10 each leg@40kg ( +5 kg )
10 each leg@40kg ( +5 kg )
10 each leg@40kg ( +5 kg )
-Very strong despite load increase.

ABS COASTER MACHINE:
20@BW+12,5kg front  ( +2,5 kg )
20@BW+12,5kg left ( +2,5 kg )
20@BW+12,5kg right ( +2,5 kg )
-Reps 15 to 20 were damn hard. Still very strong.

^Thanks, i am having steady progress indeed. But i was coming from ~4 months of no lifting and i gained about 10kgs since i re-started, so it was rather expected. Plus my numbers are still weak. But i am pushing all time PRs on every lift currently so happy with that.

12 December 2013

Bodyweight@session : n/a
Soreness : glutes and VMOs.
Injuries/aches :  none

1,5 hour of full court basketball.
Endurance : Felt a little improved this time finally. However VMOs and glutes gave out on me after a while, not recovered from lifting both yesterday and the day before.
Jumps : Only 1 rim jump at the end ( exhausted ), got an embarrassing 10'2'' dropstep ( 27'' ). 

^Yup, obvious size diff is obvious, from what i see in wikipedia Brian Shaw is 6'8''/440lbs, Phil Heath is 5'9'' competing in the light heavyweight division ( over 176-1/4 lbs. up to & including 198-1/4 lbs ).
Check out this thread that LBSS created: www.adarq.org/basketball/yao-ming-is-fucking-huge/

Btw, why have you gotten so fat, 38'' waist sounds too much. No offence , i am more or less the same fat but also much weaker ( relatively and absolutely ). I ask because you started from a pretty lean state, you were at something like 12% judging from the pics? I started this year's bulk at a much fatter state of around 15% and now ( morning dry weight ~90kg, workout wet weight ~92kg, bulk gain ~7kg in 3 months ) my morning waist is around 36''. I would expect your bulking to be much more efficient, mostly because of the original lean state as Lyle preaches. Maybe you were bloated when you measured? Or maybe it was a ( too ) dirty bulk? Mine was pretty clean FWIW.

Wore belt at my top set last night, it felt great. It was a true 7RM , so there was lot of effort and probably some form breakdown in the latter reps. It was those latter reps that i felt it make a difference, it felt like the belt was taking all the stress from my lower back, making the squat more leg driven. Also indeed i had that feeling more intense at the sticking point ( somewhere between half and quarter depth ), didn't feel something at the eccentric or at the hole. Just a n=1 though, i think i have never ever squatted with belt again, also i am not even close to the strength requirements of the study.

Good timing! I was planning to squat with a belt tonight, because apparently i slightly tweaked my lower back on Saturday. Tweak is gone now but i will squat belted, precautionary and out of curiosity from this read.